RIYADH: Saudi giants Al Hilal crashed to a humiliating 4-1 defeat against Istiqlol in the Asian Champions League on Saturday, a result that boosted the Tajik side’s chances of qualifying for the knockout stage.
Three-times continental champs Al Hilal had beaten Istiqlol 3-1 on Wednesday but were in for a massive shock in the return.
Russian-born midfielder Manuchekhr Dzhalilov and Manuchehr Safarov each grabbed a brace at the Prince Faisal bin Fahad Stadium in Riyadh.
Al Hilal, who last won the tournament in 2019 but were kicked out last year following a spate of coronavirus infections in the squad that left them without enough players, showed early intent on Saturday.
They opened their account through a header from French striker Bafetimbi Gomis in the 34th minute.
But that was the only bright moment for the Saudi side as Dzhalilov struck twice in the span of six minutes to give Istiqlol a 2-1 lead at half-time.
When play resumed, Istiqlol continued to build pressure and it paid off with Safarov taking charge this time.
The 19-year-old defender made it 3-1 in the 49th minute with his intended cross from the right dropping into the goal stunning goalkeeper Abdulla Al-Maiouf.
Safarov completed his double four minutes later with a powerful low shot after receiving a pass from Rustom Soirov to leave the Saudis, who were hugely favored to top Group A, stunned.
In another match, the UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli defeated Uzbekistan’s AGMK 3-1 to join Al Hilal and Istiqlol on seven points and leave Group A wide open.
Only the group winners and three best second-placed teams make the last 16 phase.
Harib Suhail, Carlos Eduardo and Ahmed Hashmi scored for Shabab in the first half while Shohruh Gadoev accounted for AGMK’s only goal of the match.
In Group C, Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli kept alive their slim hopes of qualifying for the knockout phase with a 2-1 win over Iraq’s Al Shorta.
Abdulrahman Ghareeb’s 79th minute goal clinched three points for the two-time runners-up at their home ground at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, one of the three bio-secure hubs in Saudi Arabia where the west zone matches of the tournament are being played.
Syrian striker Omar Al-Somah had given the Saudis a fifth minute lead, scoring from inside the six-yard box off a Driss Fettouhi corner.
But their joy was short-lived as Fahad Youssef restored parity in the 26th minute after he gathered the ball following a free-kick and blasted it past goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Owais.
After several close chances for both teams, Ghareeb made amends for his miss earlier with a low shot from a pass from Al-Somah to seal Al Ahli’s second victory over the Iraqis, who crashed out of the tournament with their fourth consecutive defeat.
Also in Group C, Qatar’s Al Duhail and Iran’s Esteghlal played out a 2-2 draw at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
Michael Olunga, who had scored a hat-trick against Esteghlal three days ago when Al Duhail won 4-3, again excelled for the Qataris.
He scored two goals with the result consolidating his team’s position at the top with eight points.
Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal stunned by Tajiks in Asian Champions League
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Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal stunned by Tajiks in Asian Champions League
‘Ready for any challenge’: how Rami El-Hassan embraced being first Palestinian to coach in Saudi top flight
- Former Palestine international had a brief stint as caretaker manager of Buraidah-based side in March before returning to the role of assistant manager
AMSTERDAM: If you have ever wondered what happened to your favorite big name, bigger personality football manager, chances are they are now on the touchlines of the Saudi Pro League.
Fatih Terim, Stefano Pioli, Laurent Blanc, and Jorge Jesus are just some of the famous tacticians currently managing in the Kingdom.
While the big names grab most of the headlines, the league is now producing younger first-time managers from the region who are also making a name for themselves.
Former Palestine international Rami El-Hassan took the reins, albeit briefly, of the Buraidah-based side Al-Raed on March 9, replacing ex-Santos manager Odair Hellmann.
His appointment made history as El-Hassan became the first Palestinian to manage in the Saudi top flight. The 45-year-old’s time with the team spans seven years, six different managers, and a whopping 220 games.
A long-awaited managerial debut finally arrived on March 13, but ended with Al-Raed losing 3-1 to relegation rivals El-Fateh.
In spite of the setback, the former midfielder was positive. “It was a (good) experience and a big step in my career, and I feel ready for any challenge in the future,” El-Hassan told Arab News in an exclusive interview earlier this week.
Resiliency has been a hallmark of El-Hassan’s footballing journey. He was born in the Nahr El Bared refugee camp in Lebanon to a Palestinian family from Saffuriya, and his life has rarely been straightforward.
In spite of hardships off the pitch, El-Hassan has had a knack of being in the right place at the right time. A debut in the Lebanese top-flight in 1996 came at barely 17 years of age with one of Lebanon’s oldest clubs, Tripoli-based Riada Wal Adab.
“My school was playing a match on their training ground and their Egyptian manager was waiting for us to finish. Afterwards he and his staff came up to me, asked some questions, and offered for me to train with them, and even said they would register and sign me.”
Keen to prove himself, El-Hassan wanted to sign right away, but first had to get his father’s approval. Any distraction from the pursuit of education was out of the question, especially since El-Hassan was an exemplary student.
“I said to my father, ‘don’t worry, I can do both well. If you see at any moment I lose focus on my studies you can stop me from playing.’ I think I kept my promise to my father because I completed three years of high school and a four-year bachelor of arts degree from university.”
Two years after his league debut, a path to becoming a fully fledged international opened up when Palestine was admitted into FIFA in 1998.
Fans of vintage Levantine football might remember El-Hassan from his days playing for Salam Zaghrta. His late runs into the box and set-piece proficiency resulted in 12 goals in the 2003/04 season — good enough for third most in the league and a spot in the team of the season.
That form caught the eye of the late Alfred Riedl, who held an exploratory camp for Palestinian players based in Syria and Lebanon, which in turn led to a call-up to the Palestine national team in 2004.
El-Hassan’s time with the national team was brief — two caps, one goal — but eventful as part of a generation who still hold the record for Palestine’s biggest win in World Cup qualification (8-0 vs. Chinese Taipei).
A year after his national team debut, El-Hassan made the difficult choice to end his footballing career early and move to Spain in search of a better future. His passion for football served as the perfect conduit for learning a new language and adapting to a different culture.
“Learning the Spanish language was the first objective in order to make my life easier,” he said.
“When I was going to the language center, I would buy the two most famous sports newspapers, Marca and AS, and I had a small pocket dictionary and I would read the football news.”
Living with his uncle and Spanish-born cousins for his first two years in Madrid further eased his adaptation.
El-Hassan also began coaching neighborhood teams in the Spanish capital while pursuing his UEFA B-license. This led to a brief stint in Jeddah with Al-Ahli under Vitor Pereira before joining Atletico Madrid in 2015.
Having gained a UEFA pro license, a return to the Kingdom beckoned in 2018. The former midfielder’s motives were two-fold.
“I am the oldest son and I had a responsibility to my family back in Lebanon who lost everything after two wars. I also have three daughters, two born in Madrid and one born in the Kingdom, and thought it would be good for them to grow up around the language and culture of their parents.”
There were other offers from the Arab world, but El-Hassan recalls: “It was my destiny; it was written to come to Al-Raed.”
His brief tenure as Al-Raed boss came to an end over the international break with the club bringing in their seventh manager, Kresimir Rezic, in as many years. The Madrileno was back to his role of assistant manager for the team’s narrow 1-0 loss to Al-Qadsia in the semifinal of the King’s Cup.
Reflecting on his time in charge, El-Hassan was full of praise for his players, suggesting they deserved more in their 3-1 defeat. He was also happy to see his former international teammate Ehab Abu Jazar lead Palestine to their first win against Iraq over the international break.
As for his coaching future, El-Hassan is keeping the door open: “I feel I have potential and the capacity to go further.”
Reverse swing delights IPL bowlers after lifting of saliva ban
- Ban on saliva imposed during the COVID pandemic was lifted ahead of the 18th edition of the IPL last month
- Use of saliva to shine one side of the old ball and keep other rough helps fast bowlers get ball to swing late
Ahmedabad, India: The return of saliva on the ball in the Indian Premier League is helping bowlers generate reverse swing, with Gujarat Titans’ Mohammed Siraj among those reaping the benefits.
Siraj starred with figures of 4-17 in Gujarat’s third straight victory in the T20 tournament when they thrashed Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets on Sunday.
The paceman beamed when asked if bowlers were enjoying the end of the saliva ban, saying, “100 percent.”
“If the ball tails a bit, it is a wicket,” Siraj said after being named player of the match.
“When there is no saliva, the ball comes onto the bat easily. This rule makes it much better for the bowlers, with lbw and bowled now a chance (for the bowlers).”
The ban on saliva imposed during the Covid pandemic was lifted ahead of the 18th edition of the IPL last month.
The use of saliva to shine one side of the old ball and keep the other rough helps fast bowlers get the leather ball to swing late.
It was Siraj’s second match-winning display after his 3-19 helped Gujarat down his former team Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Siraj has claimed nine wickets from four matches to make a strong comeback after being omitted from the Champions Trophy squad for India.
Punjab Kings pace spearhead Arshdeep Singh got the ball to reverse in his team’s opener last month as he claimed two key wickets in a win.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer said left-arm quick Arshdeep “came in and said the ball is actually reversing a bit so the saliva on the ball is helping the bowlers.”
The art of reverse swing was pioneered by former Pakistan fast bowlers Sarfraz Nawaz and Imran Khan to aid bowling on batting-friendly Asian pitches.
The IPL barred the practice after it was banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as a precautionary measure during the pandemic.
India pace spearhead Mohammed Shami appealed last month to allow the use of saliva in the game’s 50-over format during the team’s Champions Trophy triumph in Dubai.
Siraj’s 4-17 helps Gujarat to hat-trick of IPL wins
- Hyderabad-born Siraj kept up his bowling form in the T20 tournament this season with nine wickets in four matches and kept down hosts Hyderabad to 152-8
HYDERABAD, India: Pace bowler Mohammed Siraj returned figures of 4-17 to set up a third straight IPL win for Gujarat Titans as they hammered Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets on Sunday.
Hyderabad-born Siraj kept up his bowling form in the T20 tournament this season with nine wickets in four matches and kept down hosts Hyderabad to 152-8.
Skipper Shubman Gill hit an unbeaten 61 as Gujarat, champions in their debut season in 2022, overhauled the total with 20 balls to spare for their third victory in four matches.
Hyderabad, who lost the IPL final to Kolkata Knight Riders last year, remain at the bottom of the 10-team table with four successive defeats from five outings.
Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins struck early to dent Gujarat’s chase when he had Jos Buttler out for a duck after fellow quick Mohammed Shami had removed opener Sai Sudharsan.
Gill and number four Washington Sundar, a left-hand batter who smashed 49 off 29 balls, put the chase on track in their stand of 90 after Gujarat slipped to 16-2.
Shami denied Sundar his fifty with Aniket Verma taking a good catch in the deep, a decision that left the batsman and the Gujarat camp disappointed.
Impact substitute Sherfane Rutherford, a West Indian left-hander, kept up the charge with a flurry of boundaries including four in a row off Abhishek’s left-arm spin to ease into the chase.
Rutherford smashed 35 off 16 balls laced with six fours and one six. Gill anchored the chase in his 43-ball knock and hit the winning run.
Siraj remained hero as he removed openers Travis Head, for eight in the first over, and then another left-hander Abhishek Sharma, for 18, to hurt Hyderabad.
Prasidh Krishna took down left-hander Ishan Kishan for 17 before Sai Kishore took charge with his left-arm spin to rattle the opposition middle-order.
Kishore sent back Heinrich Klaasen, for 27, and Nitish Reddy, for 31, as Hyderabad wobbled and Siraj came back with two wickets with the old ball in his final over.
Cummins smashed 22 off nine balls in a late blitz that got his team 17 runs from the 20th over off veteran pace bowler Ishant Sharma, who leaked 53 of his four.
No ‘killer instinct’ as Man Utd, Man City play out derby stalemate
- City’s hopes of Champions League qualification remain in the balance
- A point leaves United languishing down in 13th
MANCHESTER: Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim said his side must improve “everywhere” after a dismal derby against Manchester City ended 0-0 on Sunday.
City’s hopes of Champions League qualification remain in the balance as they remain fifth in the Premier League, which should be enough to reach next season’s Champions League.
However, Pep Guardiola’s men are just two points above Newcastle, who have two games in hand on City.
A point leaves United languishing down in 13th, but they had the better of a game limited in chances as they missed out on a first league double over City since 2019/20.
“We have so many aspects to improve. Everywhere we need to improve in every aspect: build up, transition, decisions in the final third,” said Amorim.
“Every player can improve, they are here because they showed something at other clubs. They have the quality, but we are still a team that plays on transition, we need to spend more time in final third to have more opportunities.”
Never in the Premier League era have neither City or United finished in the top four but that record is under severe threat in the coming months.
A contest devoid of quality, intensity or fight summed up a dreadful season for both sides of the Manchester divide.
After a record four consecutive league titles, City’s form has fallen off a cliff to leave them at risk of not making the top four for the first time since 2009/10.
United’s only chance of Champions League qualification is by winning the Europa League as they are set for their worst ever Premier League finish.
The Red Devils have shown flashes of improvement this week but also failed to score in their 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Tuesday to underline their problem in front of goal.
“We just need to have a bit more of a killer instinct,” said United captain Bruno Fernandes. “In the first half we had to many touches when we just needed one. We were patient, very organized but the killer instinct was missing today.”
Kevin De Bruyne started just days after announcing this will be his final season at City.
But the Belgian’s performance was the latest example that he is now a shadow of the figure Guardiola said will be remembered as one of the Premier League’s all-time greats.
City had the majority of the ball, but United were the more threatening side on the counter-attack in a pedestrian first half.
“We were not good enough to punish them or hurt them a little bit more than what happened,” said Guardiola. “We take the point. It would be better to win but still we are there.”
Phil Foden had the game’s best chance just seconds after half-time, but fluffed his lines with only Andre Onana to beat.
The spectacle did marginally improve after the break as Omar Marmoush’s powerful effort from a corner stung the palms of Onana.
Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount’s introduction off the bench added more thrust to the United attack in the final 20 minutes.
Both had a chance to win it when Zirkzee’s shot was clawed away by Ederson and Rico Lewis did well to get in the way of Mount’s follow-up effort.
There were smiles during a warm embrace between Guardiola and Amorim at full-time but those pleasantries disguised the fact that neither man can be happy with the state of their sides after a disappointing campaign.
Verstappen wins in Suzuka to close contest gap on Norris
- The win on a damp but drying track at Suzuka was Verstappen’s fourth straight victory in Japan
SUZUKA: Four-time world champion Max Verstappen led from pole to checkered flag to win the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, his first victory of the 2025 season, with McLaren’s Lando Norris second.
The Dutch Red Bull driver crossed the finish line almost 1.5 seconds in front of Briton Norris, who held off his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri of Australia in third.
The win on a damp but drying track at Suzuka was Verstappen’s fourth straight victory in Japan and closed the gap on Norris at the top of the drivers’ championship to one point.
Norris now has 62 points after three races, with Verstappen on 61 and Piastri third on 49.
“It was tough. The McLarens were pushing me very hard,” said Verstappen.
“It was a lot of fun but not easy pushing the tires. I am incredibly happy.
“Starting on pole made it possible to win.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fourth ahead of the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was seventh, with RB’s Isack Hadjar next ahead of Williams’ Alex Albon and Haas’s Oliver Bearman.
Yuki Tsunoda finished 12th in his first race for Red Bull since replacing Liam Lawson, having started from 14th on the grid in his home grand prix. Lawson was 17th for RB.
Norris said the race was won and lost in qualifying, where Verstappen pulled off a lap for the ages to claim his first pole of the season with a new lap record.
“Max drove a good race today, made no mistakes,” said Norris, who started from second on the grid.
“A flat-out race from start to finish, so it was tough but there was nothing we could get Max on.”
Verstappen and Norris were involved in a flashpoint midway through the race as the two front-runners emerged from
a pit stop.
Norris drew alongside Verstappen but the Dutchman refused to budge and Norris was forced onto the grass before sliding back onto the track.
Stewards reviewed the incident and decided not to investigate further and Norris admitted later it was just part of racing.
“Max is the last guy I expect to give me any space, in a good way, in a racing way,” he said.
Verstappen has struggled to get to grips with his Red Bull this season, finishing second in Australia and fourth in China.
But he set a stunning pole lap and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner hailed the way Verstappen has kept the team in the title race.
“There’s no better tonic for motivation than winning,” said Horner.
“Verstappen is like Mr. Motivator. It was a flat-out race, there was no tire saving.
“For us all priority is on the drivers’ championship, for us the constructors’ will be harder.”
McLaren’s double podium extended their lead in the constructors’ title race to 36 points over Mercedes. McLaren have 111 points, Mercedes are second on 75 with Red Bull third on 61, all scored by Verstappen.
Eighteen-year-old rookie Antonelli briefly took the mid-race lead while Verstappen and Norris were in the pits, to become Formula One’s youngest-ever race leader.
Verstappen, back in the lead after Antonelli’s stop, was given the green light to push until the end of the race.
Piastri told his team “I have the pace to get Max” but Norris would not cede second and Verstappen could not be caught.
