One step from glory: 5 things we learned as Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan reach final of 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup

Saudi players celebrate beating Australia and reaching the final of the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup. (SAFF)
Short Url
Updated 16 June 2022
Follow

One step from glory: 5 things we learned as Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan reach final of 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup

  • Young Green Falcons hoping to win the competition for the first time on Sunday after two previous final losses
  • To concede no goals in five games is impressive and testament to the solid organization of the team

Saudi Arabia defeated Australia 2-0 in the semifinal of the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup on Wednesday to book a huge showdown with the host nation Uzbekistan on Sunday.

Here are five things we learned from the last four clashes.

1. Al-Buraikan not just about goals

Firas Al-Buraikan may be among the top 10 goalscorers in the Saudi Arabian league, which is no mean feat given the foreign talent that plays there and the fact that he does not feature for one of the big clubs, but there is more to his game than finding the back of the net. The striker made both goals against Australia and showed great vision in doing so.

In the first half, there were two Australian defenders who were happy to maneuver the Al-Fateh forward into the corner but they didn’t expect an impressive and visionary pullback from the left side into the area for Hussain Al-Eisa to fire an unstoppable shot into the top corner.

Then came the all-important second that virtually killed the game as a contest. This time he was not quite as wide but still got to the byline of the left side, and pulled the ball back for Ayman Yahya to make no mistake and give the team the breathing space they were looking for.

2. Defense comes through again

Australia asked questions of the Saudi defense especially at set pieces. Tyrese Francois went very close in the first half as his shot came back firmly off the bar. A couple of other times, the West Asian team were relieved to see low shots roll just past the outside of the post.

The situation changed after the red card to Jay Rich-Baghuelou in the first half but that meant that there had to be more concentration from the team. Australia were always going to struggle to mount constant attacks but Saudi Arabia had to stay very vigilant.

The Olyroos were never going to give up even with a man removed and for a time did get balls in the area; and it took the second goal to remove the momentum that the Australians were building up. In the end though, it was another clean sheet, thanks to a late penalty save, and another win as the defense stayed focused. To concede no goals in five games is impressive and testament to the solid organization of the young Green Falcons.

3. Hamed Al-Ghamdi and others show strength in depth

The diminutive midfielder has had an excellent tournament, and was everywhere against Australia and full of energy and commitment. The Al-Ettifaq player is not the type to attract many headlines or score spectacular goals but he worked hard to deny the young Australians space or time. Al-Ghamdi was the embodiment of a real team performance. While the likes of Al-Buraikan and Ayman Yahya — the tournament’s top scorer with three — get the goals and the headlines, they can’t do it without the efforts of their teammates.

And then there was Haitham Asiri who has started every game at the Asian Cup but left the field after just nine minutes due to injury. Saudi Arabia didn’t miss a beat however and on came Al-Eisa who, just a few minutes later, scored the opener in ruthless fashion. In a tournament, it is not just about the starting 11 but the whole squad and for the team it is a case of so far, so good.

4. Strange ending offers a valuable lesson

There were five minutes added time awarded by the referee though the game already seemed over as a contest. Yet there were two penalties awarded. The first was given to Australia after a VAR review and Ramy Najjarine’s spot-kick was saved magnificently by goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi, adding another sheen of gloss to his burgeoning reputation. Very soon after, Saudi Arabia got a chance to make it 3-0 when they were given a penalty of their own. It was Abdullah Radif’s turn to see his effort saved.

It was an exciting end to what had looked like a regulation win. It was also an important lesson that even when it seems the game is won, or lost, you never know what can happen. As the 90-minute mark was passed, nobody could have predicted that there were about to be two penalties awarded. The game is not won until the final whistle goes.

5. Uzbekistan get past Japan to set up epic final

Japan had looked good in getting to the semifinal and really made the rest of the continent sit up by defeating defending champions South Korea 3-0 in the quarterfinals. That performance was one of potential champions and it looked as if the Samurai Blue were the team to beat.

Yet in the other semifinal Uzbekistan did the business with a 2-0 win. This wasn’t because of an intimidating atmosphere provided by the host nation as there were not 30,000 fans packed into the stadium. There were only a few hundred Japanese supporters with no home fans allowed due to incidents in the quarterfinal penalty shootout win over Iraq.

Even without their fans, Uzbekistan were aggressive in attack and defended with discipline. The memories they have of winning the 2018 title in China are still fresh and they would love nothing more than to lift the title in front of their own fans. It is possible that Saudi Arabia can use that expectation against the Central Asians and frustrate the hosts but it is going to be a real test. But then, that is what finals are all about.


Paul Waring shoots 61 in Abu Dhabi to set 36-hole record on European tour with 19-under par

Updated 08 November 2024
Follow

Paul Waring shoots 61 in Abu Dhabi to set 36-hole record on European tour with 19-under par

ABU DHABI: Paul Waring hit the shot of his life to complete a career-low 11-under 61 in the second round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday and establish a five-stroke lead heading into the weekend of the European tour’s first playoff event.
The No. 229-ranked Englishman hit a draw with a 3-wood from about 260 yards to inside 4 feet at No. 18 and tapped in the birdie putt to move to 19-under par for the tournament.
The European tour confirmed to The Associated Press that it is the lowest 36-hole score to par in the tour’s history.
Waring, who opened with a 64 on Thursday, made nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round at Yas Links and set a course record.
“I’ve got a nice lead at the moment but even before I tee off tomorrow, someone might have caught me,” said the 39-year-old Waring, whose sole win came at the Nordea Masters in 2018. “While I’m in the lead at the moment, and if we are rational about this, everyone is still going to fire a lot of
birdies in there.

Paul Waring. (AFP/File)


“So if I’m going to be involved on Sunday afternoon, I’ve still got to keep going the way I am and I know that.”
First-round leader Tommy Fleetwood of England (68), Johannes Veerman of the United States (67) and Danish players Niklas Norgaard (65) and Thorbjorn Olesen (67) were tied for second place on 14 under.
Rory McIlroy hit his tee shot into a greenside bunker at the par-3 17th and made a triple bogey on the way to a second successive 67, leaving him nine strokes off the lead.
McIlroy, who can clinch a sixth Race to Dubai title with a win this week, was 7 under after 13 holes of his second round and feels he’ll need to produce something similar to reel in Waring and his closest chasers.
“I need the golf course to firm up a little bit and toughen up a little bit to have a chance,” McIlroy said. “There’s so many gettable holes out there.”


Zheng advances to WTA Finals championship match with semifinal win over Krejcikova

Updated 08 November 2024
Follow

Zheng advances to WTA Finals championship match with semifinal win over Krejcikova

  • Zheng, 22, awaits top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka or third-seeded Coco Gauff in the final on Saturday

RIYADH: Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen became the first tournament debutante to reach the championship match at the WTA Finals since 2021 with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Barbora Krejcikova in Riyadh on Friday.

The seventh-seeded Zheng needed one hour and 40 minutes to overcome the Wimbledon champion in their semifinal encounter, firing nine aces along the way.
Zheng led 6-3, 3-0 before the eighth-seeded Krejcikova launched a comeback attempt but the Chinese star regained control of the match to make it two wins from two clashes with the Czech.
Zheng, 22, awaits top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka or third-seeded Coco Gauff in the final on Saturday, as she bids to become the first player to win the WTA Finals on her maiden appearance since Ashleigh Barty in 2019.
“It feels so special because this is my first WTA Finals and right now I’m in the final, which is unbelievable. She’s a really good player, today we gave a good match,” said Zheng.
“It was tricky because at 3-0 I think I dropped my performance; suddenly my performance went down, and she played more free and I was suddenly 3-4 down. I gave so much control to myself to not panic too much. It shows I was mentally strong in that moment.”
Zheng was near untouchable on serve in the 40-minute opening set, dropping just one point behind her first delivery en route to a 6-3 lead.
The Olympic champion broke twice for a 3-0 advantage in the second set and looked on her way to a comfortable victory.
But Krejcikova had other ideas and she halted Zheng’s momentum by attacking her second serve to grab the next four games and inch ahead for the first time in the contest.
It became a tug of war but it was Zheng who found an opening, breaking in game 12 to put herself in the position to serve for the match.
The fight wasn’t over yet as Zheng had to save a break point and saw a first match point slip away before she wrapped up the win on her second chance when a Krejcikova forehand sailed wide.
Since the event’s inauguration in 1972, Zheng is only the second Asian player to reach the decider at the WTA Finals after Li Na pulled off that feat in 2013.


PSG to curb political slogans in wake of ‘Free Palestine’ banner

Updated 08 November 2024
Follow

PSG to curb political slogans in wake of ‘Free Palestine’ banner

  • PSG promised to “guarantee the absence of political messages” in the stands
  • “The club was not aware of the plan to display such a message“

PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain say they will make sure there is no repeat of a midweek unfurling by fans of a banner proclaiming “Free Palestine.”
The huge banner covered an entire section of the stadium at the Parc des Princes Wednesday night ahead of PSG’s defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid.
As well as the slogan “Free Palestine,” the banner showed a bloodstained Palestinian flag, a gesticulating man with a keffiyeh scarf covering all his face except his eyes, the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and a young boy wrapped in the Lebanese flag.
On Friday, after a meeting with the French football federation and government officials, PSG promised to “guarantee the absence of political messages” in the stands.
“A frank and constructive dialogue made it possible to identify solutions that PSG is committed to putting in place from the next match at the Parc des Princes,” a government spokesperson told AFP.
The banner, which was unfurled by the Paris Ultras Collective (CUP) hard-core fan group, was shown above another slogan which read: “War on the pitch but peace in the world.”
“The club was not aware of the plan to display such a message,” PSG said in a statement Wednesday evening.


Al-Hilal win again to pile pressure on Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq

Updated 08 November 2024
Follow

Al-Hilal win again to pile pressure on Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq

  • Three fine goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic, Malcom and Mohammed Al-Qahtani did the damage

RIYADH: Al-Hilal returned to the top of the Saudi Pro League on Friday, defeating Ettifaq 3-1 to rack up the pressure on under-fire coach Steven Gerrard.

Three fine goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic, Malcom and Mohammed Al-Qahtani did the damage as the champions moved a point clear of Al-Ittihad, who won 2–0 at Al-Orubah on Thursday. 

The loss means that Ettifaq, who started the season with three straight wins, have taken just one point from the last six games in the league. It may mean a nervous international break for Gerrard, though the Liverpool legend will know that this was a battling performance from his players, who just did not quite have the quality when needed.

While Ettifaq tried to keep it tight at the back, it was not all one-way traffic. Moussa Dembele had a couple of opportunities when the ball simply wouldn’t fall for him and Karl Toko-Ekambi shot just over from the left side, though it could have been a mishit cross.

All know, however, that you have to be ruthless and clinical when playing the 19-time Saudi champions as wastefulness is almost always punished. It took the Blues some time to get going but they started to look ominous as half-time approached.

Just before the break, Al-Hilal should have taken the lead. This season Mitrovic has been lethal inside the area and the league’s leading scorer was picked out in space near the penalty spot; the stadium held its breath but former Fulham teammate Marek Rodak got his foot to the low shot and Malcom fired the rebound wide.

Mitrovic didn’t miss in added time. Renan Lodi picked up possession on the left and the Brazilian then bent a beautiful low cross behind the Ettifaq defense and Mitrovic could not miss from inside the six-yard box for his 11th of the season.

Ettifaq were still very much in the game and ten minutes after the restart, Toko-Ekambi stretched for a low cross, and while the Cameroonian did make contact and forced a good save from Yassine Bounou, it was a great chance.

The easterners thought they were going to regret that as Mitrovic had the ball in the net once more but his close-range header was ruled out for offside. There was a lengthy VAR review but it only confirmed the referee’s original decision.

The second goal did come eventually, and when it did — in the 81st minute — it was one to remember, for the home fans at least. Malcolm was running in from the left side of the area when he was found by a smart backheel from Abdullah Al-Hamdan. The Brazilian then took the ball past the goalkeeper with his first touch and then rolled the ball home.

It seemed that there was no coming back from that — Hilal are not a team that gives up two-goal leads — but as injury time started, Ettifaq were handed a lifeline in the shape of a penalty, and up stepped Vitinho to place the ball into the bottom corner.

Unfortunately for the visitors, it served just to wake up the hosts, who quickly restored their two-goal lead, though Gerrard angrily told officials that Mitrovic had committed a foul in the build-up. The home fans enjoyed the goal, however, as Malcom fed Mohammed Al-Qahtani who turned 360 degrees to make a little space in the area and then fired a low shot home.

It got even worse for Ettifaq as Abdullah Radif was sent off for shoving Ali Al-Bulaihi in the neck. There really was no coming back from that.

All in all, it was a perfect evening’s work for Al-Hilal, even if Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard will be a little concerned that star man Salem Al-Dawsari seemed to pick up an injury — with the trip to Australia for a vital World Cup qualifier next Thursday.

Elsewhere, Al-Ahli bounced back from their defeat in the Jeddah Derby to defeat Al-Raed 2-0.


Paul Waring shoots 61 in Abu Dhabi to set 36-hole record on European tour with 19-under par

Updated 08 November 2024
Follow

Paul Waring shoots 61 in Abu Dhabi to set 36-hole record on European tour with 19-under par

  • Waring, who opened with a 64 on Thursday, made nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round at Yas Links
  • Rory McIlroy made a triple bogey on No. 17 in his second successive 67

ABU DHABI: Paul Waring hit the shot of his life to complete a career-low 11-under 61 in the second round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday and establish a five-stroke lead heading into the weekend of the European tour’s first playoff event.
The No. 229-ranked Englishman hit a draw with a 3-wood from about 260 yards to inside 4 feet at No. 18 and tapped in the birdie putt to move to 19-under par for the tournament.
The European tour confirmed to The Associated Press that it is the lowest 36-hole score to par in the tour’s history.
Waring, who opened with a 64 on Thursday, made nine birdies and an eagle in a bogey-free round at Yas Links and set a course record.
First-round leader Tommy Fleetwood of England (68), Johannes Veerman of the United States (67) and Danish players Niklas Norgaard (65) and Thorbjorn Olesen (67) were tied for second place on 14 under.
Rory McIlroy made a triple bogey on No. 17 in his second successive 67 and was nine strokes off the lead.
McIlroy can clinch a sixth Race to Dubai title with a win this week.