DUBAI: For fans of Egypt and Liverpool it is hard to know which sight was better on Tuesday. Was it Mohamed Salah scoring two fine goals in a memorable 4-0 dismantling of Manchester United in front of 50,000 delighted fans at Anfield — a win that put the hosts back on top of the English Premier League — or how happy he looked after the game as he stood next to Thiago Alcantara, another impressive performer on the night?
“You wait until the next one,” said a smiling Salah to the Spanish midfielder as they were interviewed on television, referring to Sunday’s Merseyside Derby against Everton. “You’ve never played a derby here, so you wait for the next one. It’s going to be much more fun.”
It was a revealing and familiar moment. People in many walks of life and careers have told junior colleagues that what they had just experienced — a busy day working in a restaurant, shop or office — may have been something special but that they had seen nothing yet.
The 29-year-old looked like a proud, happy employee of Liverpool Football Club. Part of that was surely due to the fact that he scored. Before the visit of United, the Egyptian had not found the net in open play since February.
“We’ve spoken before about all the physical demands he has faced in the last few months, so it’s completely normal,” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said at the start of the week. “It’s only a question of time when he will score as well.”
The German was right, as was Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. “The levels he gets himself to, he’s kind of a victim of his own success,” the England star said. “He’s still top goalscorer, he’s one behind me in terms of assists and people are saying he’s having a bad run of form? He’s nearly top goalscorer in the Champions League as well. What he has done for us over the last five seasons has been outstanding.”
The stats back up such assertions. Since arriving at Anfield from AS Roma in 2017, the African has scored 155 goals in 245 appearances, helping the Reds win the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
As the season enters its final phase, Liverpool have already won the League Cup, are in the final of the FA Cup, are competing with Manchester City for the league title and preparing for a Champions League semifinal against Villarreal. Salah is also the current top scorer in the league with 22 so far this season, five more than Son Heung-min in second. He has become a Liverpool legend.
At the moment however, while Salah’s goals are one part of the conversation, as are chances of an unprecedented quadruple, it is impossible to discuss the player without mentioning his contract. He has just over one year left on his current deal. While there have been negotiations, fans are still waiting for an announcement. If no new deal is signed, the forward can leave for nothing in the summer of 2023 and can start talking to other clubs from January.
After events on Tuesday, a parting of the ways seems unthinkable, but in a new interview with FourFourTwo in England, published on April 22, Salah said “I don’t know,” when asked if he was confident about staying at the club. “I think the fans know what I want, but in the contract it’s not everything about the money at all.”
It has been suggested that Liverpool are reluctant to give the star a major raise as it could then lead to other senior players in the squad seeking similar deals, putting the strict pay structure at Anfield at risk.
As a soon to be 30-year-old, it may well be that Salah is more concerned about the length of contract than about the size of the pay packet. Given his physical condition, there is no reason why he cannot stay at the top of the European game for some time to come.
“Now you can see that with players — all of them extend their careers,” he said. “You can see the top, top players always after 32, 33, you can see a lot of them — Lewandowski, Benzema, Messi, Ronaldo, Zlatan, a lot of players; also Dzeko in Italy, Giroud. All of them perform really well after 30, so I’m not concerned about that.”
Online discussions ask what other options Salah would have. There are hardly any clubs at Liverpool’s level, and surely none where he would be quite so happy. “This club means a lot to me — I’ve enjoyed my football here more than anywhere, I gave the club everything and everybody saw that,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of unbelievable moments here, winning trophies, individual goals, individual trophies. It’s like a family here.
“I’m not worried, I don’t let myself worry about something. The season didn’t finish yet, so let’s finish it in the best possible way — that’s the most important thing. Then in the last year, we’re going to see what’s going to happen.”
It does leave the situation up in the air, but journalists hoping that Klopp is going to help settle things will be disappointed.
“It’s my fault, I made a mistake with talking to you about the Mo contract situation which I usually don’t do,” Klopp said this week after being asked about the contract situation of Salah’s fellow forward Sadio Mane. “It led to plenty of misunderstandings and you ask again, so I go back to my former approach and close the door again.”
The conversation may die down a little until the end of the season, as Liverpool continue to fight on all fronts, but as soon as it all comes to an end next month, the contract situation of Mohamed Salah is going to become one of the most debated issues in world football.
Mohamed Salah happy to chase history with Liverpool as contract negotiations wait
https://arab.news/6vvmq
Mohamed Salah happy to chase history with Liverpool as contract negotiations wait
- After return to form in 4-0 win over Manchester United, the Egypt star is focusing on winning an unprecedented quadruple with Jurgen Klopp’s team
- The 29-year-old looked like a proud, happy employee of Liverpool Football Club
Lakers sweep 2-game set against Kings with a 103-99 victory
- Desmond Bane scored 23 points and Memphis, without star player Ja Morant, beat skidding Atlanta 128-112
- Darius Garland scored 26 points and Evan Mobley had 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, sending NBA-leading Cleveland to a 126-99 victory over Philadelphia
SACRAMENTO: LeBron James had 32 points and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 103-99 to sweep a two-game set on Saturday.
Trailing 101-99 with 12 seconds left, the Kings had a chance to tie after Anthony Davis missed two free throws but squandered the opportunity after they couldn’t secure the rebound. Austin Reaves was fouled and made both free throws to put the game away.
Reaves finished with 16 points, and Davis had 10 points and 15 rebounds as the Lakers completed the sweep after beating the Kings 113-100 on Thursday.
De’Aaron Fox led Sacramento with 31 points. Domantas Sabonis had 19 points and 19 rebounds, and DeMar DeRozan added 12 points for the Kings.
Davis earned his 642nd block and passed Kobe Bryant for the fifth most in franchise history.
MAGIC 121 HEAT 114
In Orlando, Florida, Cole Anthony scored 27 of his 35 points in the second half and Orlando tied their largest comeback in franchise history to beat Miami after trailing by 25 points.
The Magic also trailed by 22 entering the fourth quarter before outscoring the Heat 37-8. Their 25-point comeback ties a mark set on Nov. 8, 1989 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Anthony also had eight rebounds and nine assists. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 24 points and Goga Bitadze added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Magic, who lost center Mo Wagner to a knee injury in the first quarter and center Wendell Carter Jr. to an ejection before halftime.
Bam Adebayo and Terry Rozier led Miami with 23 points each, and Tyler Herro added 22.
GRIZZLIES 128 HAWKS 112
In Atlanta, Desmond Bane scored 23 points and Memphis, without star player Ja Morant, beat skidding Atlanta.
Scotty Pippen Jr. added 22 points and nine assists. Morant, who injured his back in the Grizzlies’ Dec. 19 win over Golden State, was ruled out with low back soreness before Saturday night’s game.
De’Andre Hunter led Atlanta with 26 points and Jalen Johnson added 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Hawks were also without their own star in Trae Young, who was ruled out before the game with a right heel contusion. After winning its first three games in December, Atlanta has now lost four of its last five games.
JAZZ 105 NETS 94
In New York, Lauri Markkanen scored 21 points, Collin Sexton and Svi Mykhailiuk each had 18 points, and Utah beat Brooklyn.
The Jazz, who at 7-20 have one of the worst records in the NBA, have now won consecutive games for the first time this season. They beat the Pistons 126-119 on Thursday.
Both victories have come on the road, where they improved to 5-20.
John Collins finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds while Jordan Clarkson chipped in 16 points for a struggling Utah team that had lost 12 of its previous 15 games.
Cam Johnson had 18 points and Ben Simmons added 15 points and 10 assists for the Nets, who have lost seven of their last nine.
CAVALIERS 126 76ERS 99
In Cleveland, Darius Garland scored 26 points and Evan Mobley had 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, sending NBA-leading Cleveland to a victory over Philadelphia.
Donovan Mitchell had 19 points and Georges Niang added 13 points off the bench for Cleveland, which is 25-4 for the top record in the league.
The Cavaliers tied their season high with 22 3-pointers — Garland made 6 of 7 — and improved to an NBA-best 16-1 at home.
Tyrese Maxey scored 13 of his 27 points in the third quarter and Paul George had 11 points for Philadelphia. Kelly Oubre Jr. had nine points, but the 76ers were outscored by 34 in his 27 minutes.
CELTICS 123 BULLS 98
In Chicago, Jayson Tatum scored a season-high 43 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out 10 assists for his third career triple-double and Boston beat Chicago.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 22 points and Jaylen Brown added 19 to help the Celtics rebound from a 117-108 loss to the Bulls in Boston on Thursday night.
Tatum, the five-time All-Star, scored 18 points in the third quarter as Boston used a 19-8 run to open a 93-77 lead heading into the fourth.
Nikola Vucevic scored 19 points and 10 assists to lead the Bulls, whose season-high three-game winning streak ended. Zach LaVine, Coby White and Patrick Williams had 14 points each.
BUCKS 112 WIZARDS 101
In Milwaukee, Bobby Portis replaced Giannis Antetokounmpo in the starting lineup and scored a season-high 34 points, leading Milwaukee to a victory over Washington.
Khris Middleton had 18 points, six rebounds and eight assists for the Bucks, while Portis finished with 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Antetokounmpo (back spasms) missed his third game of the season and the Bucks also played again without Damian Lillard (right calf strain) after winning the NBA Cup earlier this week.
Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said Lillard could play Monday against Chicago.
Rookie Ryan Rollins started at point guard in Lillard’s absence and contributed 14 points in 31 minutes. Center Brook Lopez also had 14 and Gary Trent Jr. had 15 points and seven rebounds.
Usyk beats Fury in heavyweight championship rematch
RIYADH: Ukrainian heavyweight boxer Oleksandr Usyk takes the crown again in a rematch with British heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury, retaining the “undisputed” title.
The rematch took place at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena on Saturday evening.
Usyk was awarded the fight 116-112 in favor by all three judges, handing Fury his second loss.
Usyk’s win takes him to 23-0 with 14 knockouts and extends one of the all-time best careers that includes Olympic gold and undisputed champion at cruiserweight.
On the sidelines of the much-anticipated rematch, the first ever artificial intelligence judge was used as an experiment and did not decide the fight, according to Turki bin Abdulmohsen Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority.
During the media press conference, Fury told Arab News about the positive seven months he spent training and prepping for the rematch.
“I’ve had a good life, it's been good times, and I have had good training.”
Usyk told Arab News that he is happy that he won.
"I'm not a proud man, I'm just happy that I won. I like to motivate people to give them the incentive to do something."
As part of the undercard matches, Rhys Edwards, the Welsh featherweight boxer was overcome by the Peter Mcgrail British featherweight, who claimed his 11th professional win.
The fight was initially scheduled to be Mcgrail and Dennis McCann, who failed a drug test, causing him to be disqualified. Edwards stepped in with a five-day notice and accepted the challenge.
In an interview with Arab News, Edwards expressed his sentiments but remained optimistic given the short notice.
“ I'm a bit gutted I didn't get the win, but the whole week has absolutely been fantastic. And I've loved every moment of it…. I have learned a lot about myself. I took the fight (with) four days' notice, and a lot of people didn't give me enough credit or a chance coming into this fight. It was a very close (and) hard fight for both of us. So, I'm sure my profile and stocks have risen and I'm happy.
”I'm a very good fighter and I will fight anyone. I'm looking forward to a very big 2025.”
Tyson superfan Molly Chapman shared her predictions on which heavyweight will take the crown.
“I think Tyson Fury is going to win. I think his attitude is completely different this time. He seems more focused. He's been training hard. He looks in good shape and I think he's going to win.”
She told Arab News that her first time visiting the Kingdom has been amazing and has already begun planning her next visit.
“Saudi Arabia is just beautiful. The culture, the people, everyone's so friendly. And yeah, we're actually going to come back in February for the next fight.”
Daria Pyliukhno attended the boxing night rocking a “Ukraine” shirt, a true testament to her support towards Usyk.
“So today, of course I have to be here supporting my country. I'm from Ukraine, and I support Usyk. And I think he will win because Ukrainians mentality are strong enough to fight…I think that Usyk should bring Ukraine again the title of “The heavyweight champion.”
Riyadh Season’s wonderful surprises did not end there. A member of the audience was selected to win a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, presented by Alsheikh, during the opening ceremony.
Riyadh’s newly built Kingdom Arena played host to the boxing event, dubbed ‘Ring of Fire’, with a sellout crowd including several sports and entertainment figures in attendance at the 22,000-capacity venue.
Balotelli almost scores first goal for Genoa but Napoli hold on to lead Serie A again
- Lazio rebounded from a dismal 6-0 thrashing at home to Inter Milan by winning at lowly Lecce 2-1
- Bologna had a penalty saved but won at Torino 2-0
MILAN: Mario Balotelli almost scored his first goal back in Serie A while Napoli returned to the top after withstanding a late siege from Genoa to hold on for a 2-1 win on Saturday.
Balotelli returned to Serie A after more than four years in October and has made six appearances totalling just 57 minutes.
The 34-year-old was sent on with seven minutes remaining against Napoli and almost had an immediate impact as Andrea Pinamonti’s glancing header clipped Balotelli’s knee but goalkeeper Alex Meret managed to push it off the post.
It was one of several decisive saves by Meret in the second half as Genoa came out fighting after going into the break two goals down following headers from Frank Anguissa and Amir Rrahmani.
Pinamonti got Genoa back into it six minutes into the second half with a fine finish into the bottom right corner but the home side went on to suffer its first defeat since hiring Patrick Vieira as coach last month.
It was also Genoa’s first match since coming under the ownership of Romanian businessman Dan Șucu.
The loss left Genoa 13th in Serie A but only two points above the relegation zone.
Napoli moved a point above Atalanta, who host Empoli on Sunday.
10-men Lecce almost hold out
Lazio rebounded from a dismal 6-0 thrashing at home to Inter Milan by winning at lowly Lecce 2-1 but it was far from convincing despite Lecce playing the entire second half with 10 men.
Lecce’s chances of getting something from the match appeared to evaporate on the stroke of halftime.
Taty Castellanos’ first shot was parried brilliantly by Wladimiro Falcone and his follow-up was cleared off the line by the hand of Lecce defender Frédéric Guilbert, who was shown a straight red card.
Castellanos fired the resulting penalty into the bottom left corner.
Tete Morente volleyed Lecce level five minutes after the break and it seemed as if the 10 men were going to hold out for a point but substitute Adam Marusic — who had only just come off the bench — scored the winner three minutes from time.
Lecce almost leveled in stoppages but Mohamed Kaba’s header came off the crossbar.
Lazio moved to fourth while Lecce remained two points clear of the drop zone.
Bologna had a penalty saved but won at Torino 2-0.
Wirtz, Schick star for Leverkusen in rout of Freiburg and keep pressure on Bayern
- Leverkusen resume their league defense at Borussia Dortmund on Jan. 10, while Bayern visit Borussia Mönchengladbach on Jan. 11
- Brazilian goalkeeper Kaua Santos endured a game to forget as his Eintracht Frankfurt was shocked by 10-man Mainz 3-1
BERLIN: Florian Wirtz starred and Patrik Schick scored four goals as Bayer Leverkusen routed Freiburg 5-1 on Saturday to keep the pressure on Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich over the winter break.
Wirtz, who has yet to extend his Leverkusen contract, set up a hat trick for Schick and scored his seventh league goal of the season.
Leverkusen dominated but needed patience before Schick broke the deadlock with a chip over the goalkeeper right before the break.
Wirtz, who’d played Schick through, score after the break when he displayed brilliant close control to elude a defender before firing the ball inside the near post from a narrow angle.
Vincenzo Grifo pulled one back four minutes later, but Wirtz floated in a precise cross for Schick to head Leverkusen’s third in the 67th, then laid the ball back for Schick to fire Leverkusen’s fourth in the 74th.
“For a striker, it’s a dream to have this player behind you,” Schick said of Wirtz.
Schick scored again with a header to a corner three minutes later — the only goal that didn’t involve Wirtz.
Leverkusen stayed four points behind Bayern after its eighth straight win across all competitions.
Leverkusen resume their league defense at Borussia Dortmund on Jan. 10, while Bayern visit Borussia Mönchengladbach on Jan. 11.
Frankfurt goalkeeper’s woes
Brazilian goalkeeper Kaua Santos endured a game to forget as his Eintracht Frankfurt was shocked by 10-man Mainz 3-1.
Frankfurt had 34 shots at goal compared to nine by the visitor, which played with a man less from the 21st after captain Nadiem Amiri was sent off for catching Ellyes Skhiri’s right ankle with his studs.
Santos had already conceded an unfortunate own goal. The ‘keeper played out a short pass to Skhiri, who was immediately under pressure from two Mainz players. Skhiri sent the ball looping back toward Santos, who deflected it onto the crossbar, from where it rebounded back off Santos’ arm and in.
Mainz’s Paul Nebel then scored with a deflected shot for 2-0, and Santos was at fault again when a botched pass invited another Mainz attack. Nebel grabbed his second goal in the 58th.
Rasmus Kristensen, who struck the crossbar in the first half, scored Frankfurt’s consolation in the 75th.
“We were already there for Kaua as a team on the field,” Frankfurt defender Robin Koch said of Santos’ bad day. “He’s a young player, these things happen. But he’s a good guy, he’ll come out of it and the same will help him with his development.”
Regular goalkeeper Kevin Trapp and reserve Jens Grahl were out with illness.
Stuttgart stunned at home
Johannes Eggestein fired promoted St. Pauli to a 1-0 win at Stuttgart, last season’s runner-up. Stuttgart had won their last four games across all competitions.
Union Berlin’s winless run stretched to nine games across all competitions as Bo Svensson’s team slumped to a 4-1 defeat at Werder Bremen.
Holstein Kiel ended their five-game losing run by routing Augsburg 5-1, and Borussia Mönchengladbach won at Hoffenheim 2-1.
There were tributes with silences before all the games for the victims of an attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg the night before.
“There are always more important things than football,” Freiburg coach Christian Günter said.
Tiger Woods and son Charlie share the lead at PNC Championship
- Woods hit an array of good shots, including a wedge to inches on the short par-4 seventh, but otherwise downplayed his game by suggesting he still had a lot of rust
- The PNC Championship is for players who won a major or The Players Championship and a family member
ORLANDO, Florida: Tiger Woods and 15-year-old son Charlie ran off five straight birdies on the back nine Saturday for a 13-under 59 in the scramble format, giving them a share of the lead in the PNC Championship in Woods’ first competition since back surgery in September.
Woods said he scheduled that surgery — the sixth on his lower back in the last 10 years — to be sure he recovered in time to play with his son for the fifth straight year.
This is the first time they have shared the lead after the opening round, joined by the last two champions — Bernhard Langer and son Jason, and Vijay Singh and son Qass.
Woods hit an array of good shots, including a wedge to inches on the short par-4 seventh, but otherwise downplayed his game by suggesting he still had a lot of rust. This was more about spending 36 holes on a brisk day at the Ritz-Carlton Club Orlando with his son, a sophomore at Benjamin School in North Palm Beach.
His daughter, Sam, caddied for her father for the second straight year. Their mother, Elin, was among those in the gallery in a tournament that is all about family.
“We’re trying to pull off each and every shot for each other, and to ham-and-egg,” Woods said. “And I think we did that great pretty much the entire day. We picked each other up, which was great. And Charlie made pretty much most of the putts today.”
It helped playing in the same group with former British Open champion Justin Leonard and his son, Luke, a senior and teammate with Charlie at Benjamin School.
Langer extended his astonishing record on the PGA Tour Champions this year by winning for an 18th consecutive season. He and his son made eight birdies in a nine-hole stretch in the middle of the round, and they had an eagle on the 14th hole.
Singh and his son, who won this event in 2022, shot 28 on the back nine.
“There’s so many teams in the hunt,” Langer said. “It’s anybody’s game that is within three or four shots of the leaders, which is most of the field.”
Padraig Harrington and son Paddy, and Tom Lehman and son Sean, were at 12-under 60. The Lehmans looked to be leading when they were around the green on the par-5 18th, but then it took them four shots to get down in the scramble format, taking bogey.
Having Team Woods in the mix is enough to get attention.
“It’s great for the tournament and happy for them,” Langer said. “Should be fun for the crowd tomorrow to come out and watch everybody play.”
Woods hasn’t competed since the British Open in July.
For Team Woods, it’s a matter of not looking too far ahead. The father knows that all too well with his record-tying 82 titles on the PGA Tour. The son got a lesson in that this summer.
Charlie Woods qualified for his first US Junior Amateur, making it to Oakland Hills but not staying very long. He shot rounds of 82-80 and didn’t make it to match play. He also fell short in Monday qualifying for the Cognizant Classic on the PGA Tour and US Open qualifying.
But he said the US Junior was his biggest learning moment.
“It’s about focusing on my playing,” Charlie said. “I was so focused on winning and how I played that it kind of crept into how am I going to win instead of how I’m going to play the shot. And it kind of built up and that caused two very, very bad rounds of golf. But live and learn.”
His father listened to the answer and nodded.
“Learn,” Woods said.
The PNC Championship is for players who won a major or The Players Championship and a family member. Annika Sorenstam is playing with her son, while Nelly Korda is playing with her father. Steve Stricker — winner of seven senior majors — is playing with daughter Izzy, a freshman at Wisconsin.
Korda dazzled with a fairway metal out of the sand on the par-5 14th to set up eagle. Team Korda was four shots behind.
