Al-Hilal defeat Al-Faisaly to win Saudi Super Cup after dramatic penalty shootout

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The Super Cup is a second trophy in the space of six weeks for Leonardo Jardim’s men, who won the AFC Champions League trophy against Korea’s Pohang Steelers. (AN Photo/Basheer Saleh)
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Updated 07 January 2022
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Al-Hilal defeat Al-Faisaly to win Saudi Super Cup after dramatic penalty shootout

  • The Saudi and Asian champs fought back from two goals down, leveling the match after their opponents were reduced to 10 men

RIYADH: Al-Hilal on Thursday lifted the Saudi Super Cup for a record third time, defeating 10-man Al-Faisaly 4-3 in a penalty shootout after 90 minutes of exciting action ended with the scoreline tied 2-2.

The heroes for the victors were Salem Al-Dawsari, who scored a magnificent goal to get Al-Hilal back in the game, and goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf, who saved two during the penalty shootout, with the decisive stop denying Waleed Al-Ahmed.

The result was hard on Al-Faisaly, who had played their part in making the annual clash between the Saudi Pro League champions and the King’s Cup holders an exciting contest.

Mohammed Al-Amri and Romain Amalfitano had put the side, who are currently battling the prospect of relegation in the SPL, two goals ahead before the half-hour mark. But after Al-Dawsari pulled one back, and with the cup winners reduced to 10 men at the end of the first half when Julio Tavares received his marching orders, Al-Hilal took advantage shortly after the break with an equalizer from Yasser Al-Shahrani. The champions could not get the third goal they needed but held their nerve right to the end in the shootout.

The Super Cup is a second trophy in the space of six weeks for Leonardo Jardim’s men, who won the AFC Champions League trophy against Korea’s Pohang Steelers at the same venue, King Fahd International Stadium, in November. However, they faced a much tougher test this time.




The Super Cup is a second trophy in the space of six weeks for Leonardo Jardim’s men, who won the AFC Champions League trophy against Korea’s Pohang Steelers. (AN Photo/Basheer Saleh)

Fans were treated to a breathless first half. In a repeat of last week’s SPL clash between the two sides Al-Hilal, who ended up winning that game 3-2, found themselves 2-0 down with a lot of work to do.

Al-Faisaly took the lead in spectacular fashion after 16 minutes, not long after Al-Hilal’s Brazilian playmaker Matheus Pereira had fired a shot straight at the keeper when put through on goal.

Al-Hilal managed to clear a corner from the left side but the ball fell to Al-Amri on the edge of the area and the defender chested the ball down and then lashed it into the top-left corner.

The league strugglers extended their advantage eight minutes later with another set piece, this time from a deeper position on the left side of the Al-Hilal half. Guilherme Augusto sent in an inswinging cross that was headed into the bottom corner of the goal by Frenchman Amalfitano, who had been an injury doubt ahead of the game.




The Super Cup is a second trophy in the space of six weeks for Leonardo Jardim’s men, who won the AFC Champions League trophy against Korea’s Pohang Steelers. (AN Photo/Basheer Saleh)

Seven minutes before the break, the leaders almost pulled further ahead but Al-Mayouf got down well at his near post to palm a Guilherme shot out of play for a corner that came to nothing.

Then came a goal of stunning quality that put Al-Hilal back in the game. This time it was Mohammed Al-Breik doing the attacking and Guilherme the defending, and the right-back twisted the Brazilian inside out before chipping a cross into the area. Nobody expected what came next, as Al-Dawsari, standing on the penalty spot with his back to goal, launched himself into the air and sent the cleanest overhead kick you will see all year into the roof of the net.

If that put a spring into Al-Hilal’s step — with Yasser Al-Shahrani firing just over the bar soon after — there was even more bounce when, during first-half stoppage time, Al-Faisaly were reduced to 10 men. Star striker Tavares was found, after Dutch referee Danny Makkelie consulted the video monitor, to have slapped, or attempted to slap, defender Jang Hyun-soo and so the forward, who had delayed his departure to join up with Cape Verde at the African Cup of Nations so that he could play in the final, was shown a red card.

Al-Faisaly came out for the second half braced for an assault and tried at every opportunity to run down the clock. It was an understandable strategy though not a successful one; after 54 minutes, Al-Shahrani scored with the simplest of tap-ins after Moussa Marega escaped down the right and sent over a perfect square ball across the area. An Al-Hilal victory seemed inevitable.




The Super Cup is a second trophy in the space of six weeks for Leonardo Jardim’s men, who won the AFC Champions League trophy against Korea’s Pohang Steelers. (AN Photo/Basheer Saleh)
 

Yet somehow Al-Faisaly had the ball in the net on the hour mark, courtesy of Guilherme. But after a review by the video assistant referee, the Brazilian was judged to have been offside by the narrowest of margins. The close call served as a reminder to the champions that the game was not yet won.

Al-Dawsari showed he is only human when, with 18 minutes remaining, he blasted over from inside the area after a header by Mohammed Kanoo rebounded off the crossbar. Soon after, a low shot on the turn from Bafetimbi Gomis forced a smart save from Mustafa Malayekah. Al-Faisaly continued to defend well and took the game into penalties.

Marega and Guilherme scored the first kicks for their respective teams, before substitute Abdullah Al-Hamdan’s “panenka” put Al-Hilal ahead, only for Ismael Silva Lima to keep his cool and draw Al-Faisaly level again. Al-Dawsari was next to find the net, sending Malayekah the wrong way.

Then came four misses in a row. Al-Mayouf got down low to save substitute Mohammed Al-Saiari’s effort and put Al-Hilal in the driving seat. Pereira then saw his shot saved but then Raphael Silva sent his wide.

Next up was Gomis, who could have won the cup for Al-Hilal but blasted over. Igor Rossi’s subsequent success meant sudden death. Salman Al-Faraj, the captain of the champions, stepped up and scored, and when Al-Ahmed’s attempt was saved it meant the cup was staying in Riyadh in Al-Hilal’s packed trophy cabinet.


Crystal Palace’s Eze seals historic FA Cup final win against Man City

Updated 6 sec ago
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Crystal Palace’s Eze seals historic FA Cup final win against Man City

LONDON: Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze sparked a massive south London party by scoring the only goal to win the FA Cup 1-0 against Manchester City on Saturday and claim the club’s first major trophy in their history.
Local boy Eze volleyed in after 16 minutes, former Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson performed heroics in the Palace goal and City contrived to waste a sack-load of chances including a penalty in an enthralling final.
After England forward Eze, whose goals in the last eight and semis fired his team into the final for the third time, scored completely against the run of play, Palace had to survive a City siege to spark wild celebrations.
Omar Marmoush had a first-half penalty saved by Henderson as City lost in the Cup final for a second successive season, summing up a harrowing campaign in which they have been dethroned as the powerhouse of English football and will go without a domestic trophy for the first time since 2016-17.
For Palace’s massed ranks decked in purple and blue, it was a day of unbridled joy as Oliver Glasner’s team rode their luck to make it third time lucky after suffering defeats in their previous two FA Cup final appearances in 1990 and 2016.
Glasner, who took charge of the club 15 months ago, becomes the first Austrian coach to win the FA Cup.
City have been a pale imitation of the side that has dominated the English game for the most of the past decade.
But the way they began at Wembley suggested that Pep Guardiola’s side were determined to prove that talk of their demise had been greatly exaggerated.
Having picked an ultra-attacking lineup shorn of defensive midfielders, City hemmed Palace deep inside their own half for the opening 15 minutes with Kevin de Bruyne pulling the strings on what was his last Wembley appearance in City’s colors.

BRILLIANT HENDERSON
His lofted ball picked out Erling Haaland whose stretching effort at the far post was brilliantly saved by Henderson who shortly afterwards beat out Josko Gvardiol’s header.
Palace finally broke the siege and in their first foray beyond the halfway line they ripped through City’s lines.
Jean-Philippe Mateta played in Daniel Munoz and his cross was met by Eze who flashed a first-time volley past Stefan Ortega to provoke an eruption of noise from the Palace fans.
Ismaila Sarr nearly made it 2-0 but Ortega saved and Palace’s hearts were in their mouths when Henderson appeared to have handled the ball outside his area under pressure from Haaland but a subsequent VAR check spared him a possible red card.
There was no escape for Palace defender Tyrick Mitchell when he tripped Bernardo Silva and referee Stuart Attwell pointed to the spot. Surprisingly, Haaland did not take it and instead Omar Marmoush stepped forward for his first penalty since joining City in January, but his effort lacked conviction and Henderson dived to his right to save.
Henderson made a flying save to keep out Jeremy Doku’s curling effort as Palace reached halftime ahead despite having only 19 percent of possession.
Munoz thought he had made it 2-0 just past the hour mark but a lengthy VAR check ruled his effort out for offside.
Seven-time winners City went close numerous times after the break with Henderson and his defenders performing heroics to preserve Palace’s lead.
A huge groan went up from the Palace fans as 10 minutes of stoppage time but after more close shaves and nail-biting the final whistle sounded and the club’s anthem Glad All Over bellowed around the stadium.

Dortmund, Frankfurt clinch Champions League qualification on final day of Bundesliga

Updated 17 May 2025
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Dortmund, Frankfurt clinch Champions League qualification on final day of Bundesliga

  • Dortmund clinched fourth place and the last for Champions League qualification
  • It’s a remarkable turnaround under coach Niko Kovač

FRANKFURT: Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt qualified for the Champions League on the last day of the Bundesliga on Saturday, leaving Freiburg to be content reaching the Europa League.

Dortmund clinched fourth place and the last for Champions League qualification after a 3-0 home win over already-relegated Holstein Kiel, which played with 10 men after less than 10 minutes.

It’s a remarkable turnaround under coach Niko Kovač, who took over in February when Dortmund were languishing in 11th place. Dortmund won their last five Bundesliga games.

Frankfurt stayed third with a 3-1 win in Freiburg, which dropped to fifth as a result, two points behind Dortmund. Freiburg needed to win to qualify for the Champions League in place of Frankfurt.

Mainz overcame three disallowed goals and drew with Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 to qualify for the Conference League in sixth place, a point ahead of Leipzig, which missed out on European qualification after losing at home to Stuttgart 3-2.

Stuttgart next faces Arminia Bielefeld in the German Cup final next weekend.

Kane scores again
Bayern Munich, which clinched the title with two rounds to spare, finished the season a 4-0 winner at Hoffenheim in Thomas Müller’s last Bundesliga game for the club. It was his 503rd.

Harry Kane replaced Müller for the last half hour and set up Serge Gnabry for Bayern’s third goal before he completed the scoring with his league-leading 26th.

It’s the second consecutive year Kane has finished as the Bundesliga top-scorer.

Leverkusen record
While Mainz were playing for European qualification, Leverkusen were thinking of the future in the last game for the club for coach Xabi Alonso and some players.

Mainz had two early goals ruled out for offside then another ruled out through VAR before Anthony Caci finally gave the home team a deserved lead.

But Leverkusen emerged a different side after the break. Patrik Schick scored twice to jeopardize Mainz’s European spot.

A Jonathan Burkardt penalty kept Mainz ahead of Leipzig, which twice squandered a lead against Stuttgart.

It was Leverkusen’s 34th away game without defeat, a new Bundesliga record.

Other results
Heidenheim stayed in the relegation playoff place after losing at home to Werder Bremen 4-1. Frank Schmidt’s team next faces a two-leg playoff against the side that finishes third in the second division to determine which play in the Bundesliga next season.

Bottom club Bochum, relegated last weekend, signed off with a 2-0 win at St. Pauli for their first victory since beating Bayern 3-2 away in early March.

Wolfsburg won at Borussia Mönchenglabach 1-0 and Union Berlin won in Augsburg 2-1.


Cameroon soccer great Emmanuel Kundé dies at age 68

Updated 17 May 2025
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Cameroon soccer great Emmanuel Kundé dies at age 68

  • Kundé scored a penalty against England in the last eight of the 1990 World Cup
  • “His death is a huge loss for Cameroonian soccer,” the country’s football federation said

YAOUNDE, Cameroon: Emmanuel Kundé, Cameroon’s defensive anchor on the first African team to reach the quarterfinals of the World Cup, has died, the country’s soccer federation said. He was 68.

Kundé scored a penalty against England in the last eight of the 1990 World Cup in Italy before the Indomitable Lions lost in extra time. He also played at the 1982 World Cup when Cameroon made its tournament debut.

“His death is a huge loss for Cameroonian soccer,” the country’s football federation said in a statement late Friday.

Federation president Samuel Eto’o hailed Kundé as the “control tower” and “defensive wall” on the field.

Kundé twice helped the team win the Africa Cup of Nations — in 1984 and 1988. His second-half penalty was the difference in Cameroon’s 1-0 victory over Nigeria in the ‘88 final in Casablanca.

He made over 100 appearances for the national team.

“He was an intelligent and peaceful man filled with dignity and had a precise magic foot,” Emmanuel Maboang Kessack, a former team member told The Associated Press. “We will never forget him.”

Kundé died of cardiac arrest in his own home, Maboang Kessack said.

Kundé also played club football in France for Reims and Laval, but his main team was Canon de Yaoundé in Cameroon’s capital.


Thailand, UAE and Nepal into Super Three of ICC Women’s T20 World Cup qualifiers

Updated 17 May 2025
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Thailand, UAE and Nepal into Super Three of ICC Women’s T20 World Cup qualifiers

  • Up for grabs are two places in the global qualifier, the next stage of qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup to be held in England

THAILAND: Women’s cricket is developing fast in Asia.

Nine teams, divided into three groups, started the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia qualifier in Bangkok on May 9. On Sunday, May 18, UAE Women will face Thailand Women in the first match in the Super Three phase. This involves the three group winners, Thailand, UAE and Nepal, playing off for the prize of two places in the global qualifier, the next stage of qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup to be held in England.

At the outset of this qualifying event, Mohideen Kader, CEO of the Cricket Association of Thailand, welcomed the competing teams to the Land of Smiles. The ICC has chosen Bangkok to host Asian qualifier events for the Women’s T20 World Cup on several occasions in the past.

This reflects Thailand Women’s dominance of Asian cricket at this level over the past decade and more. Its team has reached the main ICC Women’s T20 World Cup qualifier on every occasion since 2013 when the squad traveled to Ireland. In 2020, the team qualified for the main Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia by reaching the final of the previous qualifier held in Scotland.

The current team faces strong opposition from UAE Women, who are the defending champions of the Asia qualifier, as they beat Thailand in the final of the last event held in Malaysia. This was in September 2023, the UAE winning by six runs, when they defended a total of 70 in a match dominated by the bowlers. The UAE also has a good overall record in this tournament, having reached the global qualifier three times since 2018.

Additionally, the UAE beat Thailand in the semifinals of the ACC Premier Cup, also held in Malaysia in February, when a remarkable 16 Asian teams played to qualify for the Women’s Asia Cup. The four group winners were UAE, Malaysia, Thailand and Nepal with UAE beating Thailand and Malaysia overcoming Nepal.

The current tournament introduced an exciting new format of three groups of three teams. Top seeded Thailand was drawn with Kuwait and Bhutan in Group A. UAE faced the improving Malaysians and Qatar in Group B, while Nepal took on Hong Kong, China, and Bahrain in Group C. Prior to the tournament, Thailand looked to be too strong in Group A, Malaysia looked like they might surprise the UAE in Group B, whilst Nepal and Hong Kong, China, in Group C, were only separated by one place in the world rankings, so posing a difficult outcome to predict.

Unfortunately, the first week of the tournament was badly affected by rain. Sixteen out of the 18 group matches were either abandoned or played over a shortened format. This has led to final placings which may well have been different had all matches been played to conclusion. Thailand managed to qualify from Group A even though two of their matches were rained off, while UAE won Group B, also with two wins and two no results.

The fear of rain also brought some notoriety to the tournament. The UAE coach, Ahmed Raza, brought a halt to his team’s innings after 16 overs by instructing 10 of his players to retire out in quick succession. The score had been on 192 for no wicket after Esha Oza had scored a brilliant hundred in partnership with T Sathish. However, rain was threatening and the UAE wanted to ensure that the match against Qatar was completed. The time saved by closing the innings early, enabled the UAE the chance to bowl out Qatar for 29 in 11 overs.

Group C was the last one to be decided on May 16. Hong Kong, China, seemed to have gained the advantage when they beat Nepal in a five-over match after the teams’ earlier encounter had been abandoned. It was not to be, as Nepal managed to beat Bahrain twice. As a result, both Nepal and Hong Kong, China, had five points. Crucially, Nepal had two wins compared with Hong Kong, China’s single victory, which meant they joined Thailand and UAE as group winners in the Super Three.

The matches will be played on May 18, 19 and 20 with the points from the earlier stage carried forward. Thailand and the UAE have six each and Nepal, five. The UAE has a slight advantage, courtesy of an impressive net run-rate. Thailand will play the UAE on Sunday, UAE face Nepal on Monday and Thailand play Nepal on Tuesday. The two successful teams will progress to compete against teams from the other regional qualifiers and the lower ranked teams who played in the previous Women’s T20 World Cup, held in 2024 in the UAE.

It has been evident during the tournament that several teams from the Gulf region are improving. Bahrain, fresh from playing a series against Oman, pushed Nepal hard in both matches, Kuwait and Bhutan generated a wonderful match which displayed the best in women’s cricket at this development level. Bhutan won with two wickets in hand and four deliveries remaining. Kuwait has three or four players girls who have been visiting Thailand for more than a decade for various tournaments. Bahrain and Kuwait have expressed their wish to play regular international cricket with the other Gulf nations.

Given that the UAE women’s team gained ODI status earlier this month, there could be regular women’s ODIs played in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. There is a real possibility that the UAE could eventually qualify for the next Women’s T20 World Cup and even the 50-over version in the future.


Partying, celebrations not an excuse, Flick warns as champions Barca eye strong finish

Updated 17 May 2025
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Partying, celebrations not an excuse, Flick warns as champions Barca eye strong finish

  • “A lot of players went out partying, but whoever can party can work, it’s not an excuse,” Flick told reporters
  • “It’s the last time we play at home and we want to win”

BARCELONA: Barcelona players celebrated the club’s 28th LaLiga title with thousands of fans in an open-bus victory parade on Friday, but coach Hansi Flick was quick to remind them that the season was not over.

Flick, who has led Barcelona to the league title, Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup in his debut season, said he needed his players to focus on finishing the campaign on a high.

“Yesterday was a day of celebration and rest. A lot of players went out partying, but whoever can party can work, it’s not an excuse. I want to finish the season as we started it,” Flick told reporters on Saturday, a day before hosting Villarreal.

“It’s the last time we play at home and we want to win. We want to end the season as champions. We haven’t lost in 2025 (in the league) and we want to keep it that way.”

Flick said he was overwhelmed by the passion of the supporters during the celebrations.

“It was incredible to see the faces, the passion of the people, how they celebrated. It was fantastic to see,” said the coach.

“To celebrate year after year would be amazing. Maybe we can do it again next year. We will work for it. It’s everyone’s title.”

Flick said his team would face a difficult task against fifth-placed Villarreal, with the visitors looking to ensure Champions League qualification with a top-five finish going into the last two matches of the campaign.

“We’re playing against great teams and Villarreal have done a fantastic job, they have won their last four games. You can see the hand of their coach and they have key players,” he added.

Asked if he could start with 11 home-grown players on Sunday, Flick said the idea had been discussed at the club.

“To be honest, we’ve talked about it internally, but we haven’t decided. It could be. We’ll wait until tomorrow to see how the team is,” he said.