NORWICH: Eddie Howe wishes he could field a team full of Joelintons after a Brazil-inspired Newcastle United victory at Norwich City.
A surprise pick as a forward, Joelinton netted the opening two goals of the game at Carrow Road, before compatriot Bruno Guimaraes made it four goals in black and white with a smart second-half finish.
Joelinton has been used in a number of roles since arriving in a $52 million deal in 2019, with No.9, wide forward, No.10 and most recently No.8 in midfield on his resume.
Howe, though, is keen not to pigeonhole the player in any particular role — but he does know the player’s versatility is a real asset to United’s squad.
“I think Joe can play anywhere in those front positions and obviously as an attacking midfielder as well. I’d never say that’s his position and that’s where he’s going to stay,” said Howe following the 3-0 win.
“Today, he showed his versatility and importance of his role in the team. He can play as a center forward or a second striker, he can play wide or in an eight, so it’s great to have players like that. I wish I had a few more.”
The summer is likely to see United dip into the market for yet more players of the ilk of Joelinton and Bruno, and although Howe is refusing to be drawn on any specific plans, fellow Brazil international Lucas Paqueta is understood to be on the club’s radar.
Asked whether more Brazilians were on the menu at the Magpies ahead of next season and why Newcastle’s current duo have proven so valuable, Howe said: “It’s difficult to say if it’s their nationality. It’s them as people.
“The two lads are a joy to work with. You’re right, they do have that inner strength. They’re both great people, very welcoming and they’ve become integral to the squad already.
“They’ve very much settled in and are very popular in the dressing room. They do have a slight flamboyance in the way they play,” Howe added.
“I’m delighted with both and long may that continue.”
For more than 10 minutes after the final whistle, and long after most had left the ground, Joelinton stood, arms aloft, fists clenched saluting the traveling fans, who sang his name with passion.
It was a good moment for the player on his 100th Premier League appearance, and one not lost on Howe.
“I’m really pleased for Joelinton on his 100th appearance,” said the head coach.
“You saw the scenes at the end there — brilliant moment for him especially knowing the journey he’s had at the club. A great day for us.”
On the win itself, which saw Newcastle climb to ninth in the Premier League table, Howe said: “It was a tight game until we scored the first goal. We weren’t particularly happy with how we started but once we scored, I thought we showed a different level in our play. We scored some great goals today.”
Howe full of praise for Joelinton after match-winning performance at Norwich
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Howe full of praise for Joelinton after match-winning performance at Norwich
- A surprise pick as a forward, Joelinton netted the opening two goals of the game at Carrow Road
- “I think Joe can play anywhere in those front positions and obviously as an attacking midfielder as well,” said Howe following the 3-0 win
Al-Hilal return to winning ways, Al-Nassr stumble
- With just 2 wins in last 6 league games, pressure was on Al-Hilal
- Al-Nassr draw 2-2 with Al-Shabab to be 10 points behind leaders Al-Ittihad
RIYADH: Al-Hilal defeated Al-Fayha 2-0 on Friday to cut Al-Ittihad’s lead at the top of the Saudi Pro League to just four points while, despite another Cristiano Ronaldo special, Al-Nassr were held to a 2-2 draw by Al-Shabab in the Riyadh derby.
With just two wins in the last six league games, the pressure was on Al-Hilal but a first-half goal from Mohamed Kanno eased the worries of the defending champions. The midfielder was left unmarked near the penalty spot from a Ruben Neves corner from the right and headed home powerfully.
It put a spring in the step of the visitors but it was not until the 90th minute that Al-Hilal were certain of the three points. Aleksandar Mitrovic has been injured since January but was never going to miss when Salem Al-Dawsari pulled the ball back and the Serbian striker stroked home. It was not a vintage performance but the win was more than welcome for under-fire coach Jorge Jesus.
Back in Riyadh, Al-Nassr drew 2-2 with Al-Shabab and are now 10 points behind the leaders Al-Ittihad.
It all happened toward the end of the first half. Abderrazak Hamdallah opened the scoring against his former club, putting Al-Shabab ahead from the penalty spot. Daniel Podence was brought down just inside the area and up stepped the Moroccan to smash the ball into the corner.
But Al-Nassr were ahead by the break. Two minutes into added time, the Yellows equalized. Al-Shabab cleared a left-sided Ronaldo free-kick that bounced out to Ayman Yahya who lashed it home from just inside the area.
Seven minutes into added time Ronaldo put Al-Nassr ahead. The 40-year-old picked up possession on the right side of the area and then smashed the ball home into the roof of the net for his 18th league goal of the season.
It was all looking good but, seven minutes into the second half, Al-Nassr were reduced to 10 men as Mohammed Al-Fatil was adjudged to have bundled over Podence as the Portuguese star ran for goal.
Midway through the second period Al-Shabab took advantage of their one-man advantage and were back on level terms when Mohammed Al-Shwirekh headed home from a corner.
Just 10 points separate the top five teams with 10 games remaining. It is all still to play for.
Saudi taekwondo champion Dunya Abu-Talib wins IOC Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Award for Asia
- Abu-Talib recognized for her inspiring contribution to empowering female athletes, IOC says
- Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s president, voices pride in the achievement
RIYADH: Taekwondo national team athlete Dunya Abu Talib has become the first Saudi sportsperson to win the International Olympic Committee’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Award for Asia.
Abu Talib, the first Saudi woman to qualify for the Olympic Games and win an Asian gold medal, was given the 2024 award in recognition of her inspiring contribution to empowering female athletes both locally and internationally, the IOC said in a statement on Friday.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee president, expressed his pride in the achievement, saying: “I congratulate Abu Talib on this well-deserved award, which reflects the significant progress in women’s sports in the Kingdom, thanks to the unlimited support of our wise leadership.”
The recognition shows that Saudi women are now playing a key role in global sports and serves as a motivation for the next generation of female athletes to achieve even greater success, he said.
Abu Talib ranked first globally in the International Taekwondo Federation’s general classification for the under-53 kg weight category for March 2025.
SOPC continues its commitment to supporting male and female athletes in the Kingdom by providing a comprehensive sports environment that enables them to achieve global success and raise the Saudi flag at the world’s leading sporting events.
‘No advantage’ in playing Champions Trophy matches in Dubai, says Indian batting coach
- The tournament’s tangled schedule, forcing teams to travel to Dubai to play India, has become controversial
- New Zealand head coach says his team has played a game in Dubai and will learn quickly from that experience
DUBAI: India playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai was a pre-tournament decision and the talk of unfair advantage is baseless, the team’s batting coach said on Friday.
Rohit Sharma’s team face New Zealand in the title clash on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium, where India have been unbeaten in four matches.
India refused to tour hosts Pakistan in the eight-nation tournament due to political tensions and were given Dubai as their venue in the United Arab Emirates.
“The draw that happened, it happened before,” batting coach Sitanshu Kotak told reporters. “After India winning four matches, if people feel that there is an advantage, then I don’t know what to say about it.”
The tournament’s tangled schedule, with teams flying in and out of the UAE from Pakistan while India have stayed put, has been hugely controversial.
South Africa batsman David Miller said “it was not an ideal situation” for his team to fly in to Dubai to wait on India’s semifinal opponent and then fly back to Lahore in less than 24 hours.
Even nominal hosts Pakistan had to jump on a jet and fly to Dubai to play India, rather than face them on home soil.
The pitches have been vastly different in the two countries.
Pakistan tracks produced big totals, in contrast to the slow and turning decks of the Dubai stadium.
“End of the day, I think in a game, you have to play good cricket every day when you turn up,” the 52-year-old Kotak said. “So the only thing they (critics) may say is that we play here. But that is how the draw is.”
“So nothing else can happen in that. It is not that after coming here, they changed something and we got an advantage,” he added.
India have been the team to beat after they topped Group A, which had New Zealand, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
They then beat Australia in the first semifinal.
New Zealand, led by Mitchell Santner, lost the last group game to India by 44 runs before they beat South Africa in the second semifinal in Lahore.
Kotak said the previous result between the two teams will have no bearing on their mindset going into the final.
“That depends how the New Zealand team thinks, but I think we should not think that,” said Kotak.
“We should just try and turn up and play a good game of cricket because there is no use thinking about the last match.”
New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said they are not too worried about India’s advantage.
“I mean, look, the decision around that’s out of our hands,” said Stead.
“So, it’s not something we worry about too much. India have got to play all their games here in Dubai. But as you said, we have had a game here and we’ll learn very quickly from that experience there as well.”
“And if we’re good enough to beat India on Sunday, then I’m sure we’ll be very, very happy,” he added.
Brighton boss Hurzeler targets ‘new peaks’ in Premier League
- Brighton’s extra-time FA Cup victory at Newcastle last weekend was a fifth straight win in all competitions
- Hurzeler has enjoyed an impressive first campaign at the club, who host Fulham on Saturday
LONDON: Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler has urged his side to “climb new peaks” as they seek to move into the Premier League’s top six.
The soaring Seagulls have been on an impressive run since being hammered 7-0 at Nottingham Forest on Feb. 1.
Brighton’s extra-time FA Cup victory at Newcastle last weekend was a fifth straight win in all competitions for the south coast side.
Hurzeler — at 32 the youngest permanent manager in Premier League history — has enjoyed an impressive first campaign at the club, who host Fulham on Saturday.
Marco Silva’s Fulham are ninth in the table, one place below Brighton as the race for European places hots up.
Hurzeler, two years younger than Brighton forward Danny Welbeck, has challenged his team to aim high.
The club’s best-ever Premier League finish was sixth, in the 2022/23 season, earning qualification for the Europa League.
“It is very important we focus on our journey and that we really believe in it,” Hurzeler said on Friday.
“Yesterday, I received a picture from a mountain. In a mountain you always have new peaks, new peaks you have to climb. That is the goal for us, we have to climb new peaks.”
He added: “Fulham will be a big, big challenge. They have played an unbelievable season, they play very compact as a team and have individual quality.”
Hurzeler said Japan winger Kaoru Mitoma would be available, having been forced off with cramp at Newcastle.
India football great Chhetri comes out of retirement aged 40
- The former captain, the fourth-highest men’s international goalscorer of all time, played his last match for India in June 2024 in a World Cup qualifier
- Chhetri said last year that “instinct” told him the match against Kuwait should be his last and he bowed out in front of nearly 59,000 fans in Kolkata
MUMBAI: Indian football legend Sunil Chhetri will return to the national team aged 40 in an unexpected reversal of his decision to hang up his boots last year.
The former captain, the fourth-highest men’s international goalscorer of all time, played his last match for India in June 2024 in a World Cup qualifier.
Chhetri said last year that “instinct” told him the match against Kuwait should be his last and he bowed out in front of nearly 59,000 fans in Kolkata.
But on Thursday, India head coach Manolo Marquez announced the return of India’s most-capped player for the March international window.
India are out of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and are now targeting the Asian Cup in 2027.
“The qualification for the Asian Cup is very crucial for us. Given the importance of the tournament and the matches ahead, I discussed with Sunil Chhetri about making a comeback to strengthen the national team,” Marquez said in a statement from the All India Football Federation.
“He agreed, and so we have included him in the squad.”
India play a friendly against Maldives on March 19, in preparation for an Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh on March 25.
Football has struggled to find its feet among the 1.4 billion people of India, where the sport is dwarfed by the nation’s longstanding cricket obsession.
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter once called India a “sleeping giant” of football.
Chhetri is a sporting icon in cricket-mad India.
The diminutive striker, who is 1.7 meters (5ft 7in) tall, made his debut against fierce rivals Pakistan in 2005 and scored India’s only goal.
Chhetri had two brief but unsuccessful spells in Portugal and the United States, but has spent most of his career in India.
In 2009 he was offered a contract by London club Queens Park Rangers, in England’s second tier, but he could not get a work permit.
