ZANDVOORT, Netherlands: World champion Max Verstappen won a fourth straight race at his home Dutch Grand Prix with Mercedes’ George Russell in second at Zandvoort on Sunday.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took third with Lewis Hamilton in the other Mercedes fourth.
“I’m proud to be Dutch,” said Verstappen as he took another relentless step toward a second successive world title.
“It was not a straightfoward race. It is incredible to win here again, it is always special to win your home race,” added Verstappen, cheered on by the massed ranks of his ‘orange army’.
The world champion, in the best form of his career, stretched his lead in the drivers’ standings to 109 points after this 15th round of the 22-race season.
Leclerc and Sergio Perez, his Red Bull teammate who came in fifth, lead the chasing pack level on 201 points.
Verstappen, who also bagged the point for fastest lap, can take another step toward the 2022 Formula One crown at Monza next weekend.
It was not all plain sailing for the home hero who had started from pole as he had to retain all his composure to overtake Hamilton in a dramatic late safety car restart.
Verstappen wins fourth race in a row at Dutch Grand Prix
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Verstappen wins fourth race in a row at Dutch Grand Prix
- ‘I’m proud to be Dutch,’ said Verstappen as he took another relentless step toward a second sucessive world title
Inspired by ‘incredible’ Ronaldo, Matheus Nunes eyes success with Manchester City and Portugal
- The 26-year-old spoke to Arab News about the role his mother played in his career and moving from Brazil to Portugal at a young age
MANCHESTER: As a child growing up without a father in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, Matheus Nunes had a couple of familiar figures to inspire him to a footballing dream and better life.
One was his mother, Catia, who combined raising and supporting her family with the odd appearance for a local team as a goalkeeper.
The other was Brazil and Barcelona icon Ronaldinho.
Both provided the “magic” that has now seen the Rio-born Nunes starring for Manchester City and Portugal, the country where he moved to as a youngster.
“My mum was my hero,” the 26-year-old told Arab News exclusively. “I learned from her — and she used to play football as well.
“She was a goalkeeper, trying to save my shots. It was just in Brazil, not professionally, but she played in friendlies, local games with friends — she was always playing,” he said.
“She was, what you call, a tomboy. She had about 12 cousins and, compared to her age, she was the only girl in their age group so she was always doing men’s stuff.
Nunes continued: “Football-wise, my first hero was Ronaldinho. I enjoyed everything about him.
“I watched all of his videos on YouTube when I was young. I don’t know how to describe it but, for me, if he’s not the best footballer of all time, he’s probably one of them.
“It was magical watching him. He was the guy who made me fall in love with football.”
So too, inevitably, did Cristiano Ronaldo, once Catia moved the family to Portugal and Nunes learned English and all about the Premier League from his Sunderland-supporting stepfather, John Greenman.
Long before the forward joined Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo starred at Lisbon side Sporting — a club Nunes would also later join — before successful spells at Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
When he was called up by Portugal for his international debut against Qatar in 2021, Nunes admitted being a bit star-struck when meeting Ronaldo, now 39 and still scoring goals for club and country.
“He’s incredible, a machine to be still playing now,” said Nunes. “I don’t know if I will ever be able to do that, but he’s just incredible.
“I’m not going to lie, I was a bit nervous when I first met Cristiano. But it wasn’t just him, but a lot of the big players I met when I first went to the national team. I had only played with them in video games before, so it was a great moment.
“My first gift when I was two was a football, so everything led to this. I didn’t try to be a professional in Brazil because I came to Portugal when I was very young,” Nunes said.
“But, after I arrived in Portugal, it was only then that I switched my mindset and said I am going to try to be a footballer here.
“That’s kind of why I chose Portugal as the country I wanted to play for, because Portugal opened doors for me to in terms of professional football.”
However, Nunes’ path to being a professional was far from easy and he combined playing for Portuguese fifth-tier side Ericeirense while working in a bakery.
His break came at Estoril in 2018, before Sporting signed him one season — and just six appearances — later.
Such was Nunes’ rise that, three years on, English side Wolverhampton Wanderers paid a club-record £38 million ($48 million) for him — and Manchester City followed with £47 million at the start of last season.
Nunes, though, has struggled for a starting spot and the chance to show his best form at the Etihad, despite lifting the Premier League and Club World Cup in his debut season.
While he has been given more opportunities — and impressed when played in a more favored attacking role — Nunes has had to help City fill holes due to their injury issues.
Deputising at full-back, he conceded a late penalty with a foul on Amad Diallo that allowed Manchester United to snatch a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory in the derby earlier this month.
That was one of nine defeats for City in their last 12 games — a disappointing run that has seen them drop down to seventh in the Premier League — leaving them 12 points behind leaders Liverpool, and in danger of missing out on the next stage of the Champions League.
With a home game against Everton on Boxing Day and trip to Leicester City on Sunday, boss Pep Guardiola will hope for a much-needed change of fortune to keep his side in contention for a top-four place.
Nunes himself is determined to make his mark in the best league in the world.
“In England you have the best players in the world, the best teams and the games are so intense,” he said.
“In Portugal there is a lot of quality as well, but here you can see every week it’s above the other leagues, and why you want to play here.
“It’s been tough because I haven’t got the minutes I wanted. But I want to play every week and you have to be ready if the manager calls you or not. I want to play, I want to win.”
Saudi Arabia leave it late to down Yemen in Gulf Cup
- After losing to Bahrain in the opening match of Group B, the Green Falcons needed the victory and got it — but only just
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia came back in dramatic fashion to defeat Yemen 3-2 on Wednesday to keep their hopes of advancing to the semifinals of the 26th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup very much alive.
After losing to Bahrain in the opening match of Group B, the Green Falcons needed the victory and got it — but only just.
Amazingly, Yemen, ranked 99 places below their neighbors at 158 in the world, were two goals ahead by the half hour at the Sulaibikhat Stadium in Kuwait. The first came in the eighth minute. Abdulwasea Al-Matari was given plenty of space to cross from the left for Harwan Al-Zubaidi to arrive at the middle of the six yard box just before Ali Al-Bulaihi to send a header into the net. It was Yemen’s first goal against Saudi Arabia in eight Gulf Cup games.
If that stunned the six-time World Cup participants, then worse was to come after 27 minutes. Al-Bulaihi had not seen the run from Abdul Sabarah when he headed a long pass back towards Mohammed Al-Owais but the Sanaa-based star nipped in to slip the ball past the goalkeeper with a first time shot from the edge of the area.
While it was starting to look very bleak for the Green Falcons, on the half hour, they were back in the game. Musab Al-Juwayr floated over a free-kick into the area and there was Mohamed Kanno to head home powerfully.
Three minutes before the hour and the three-time Gulf Cup winners were back on level terms. Radhawan Al-Hubaishi handled in the area and Al-Juwayr stepped up to score from the spot, the midfielder’s second goal in successive games.
Then, deep into injury time, Abdullah Al-Hamdan scored the winning goal to mean that Saudi Arabia are still in contention for a last four place. The Al-Hilal forward swept home from close range as Al-Bulaihi’s header was saved by the goalkeeper.
It was a big goal and a decisive moment but improvements must be made against Iraq on Saturday.
South Africa aim to seal its place in WTC final in test series against Pakistan
- The Proteas need to win one of its remaining two test matches in this WTC cycle to guarantee a place at the Lord’s final next year
- Pakistan have long been struggling in test matches in South Africa, losing 12 and winning two of 15 test matches since first tour in 1995
CENTURION: South Africa will be eyeing a place in the World Test Championship final with an all-seam attack against Pakistan in the first test, starting Thursday.
The Proteas need to win one of its remaining two test matches in this WTC cycle to guarantee a place at the Lord’s final next year and captain Temba Bavuma believes expectations have risen in his team to do well in the two-test series.
“There’ll be pressure that comes with that,” Bavuma said. “But to be honest with you, we’re coming into the series to win the series 2-0. We understand that for us to do that, there’s certain things that we need to do as a team: keep things simple, keep doing the small things right, and allow the results to take care of itself.”
South Africa has included four fast bowlers in the lineup with Corbin Bosch, who consistently bowls above 140 kph, set to play his first test at his hometown.
Seasoned fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen will team up with Dane Paterson and Bosch to challenge Pakistan's batters on an expected pacey Centurion pitch where fast bowlers have a clear advantage over the last six years, picking up 227 wickets with spinners dismissing only 16 batters.
Heading into the tests, South Africa's top-order batters did struggle against Pakistan in a rare 3-0 ODI whitewash with Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs all failing to read the offspin bowling of Salman Ali Agha in the opening game of the series.
“Whether it’s easy, whether it’s hard, we’ve got to find a way to do it,” Bavuma said. “Whatever, I don’t know, trauma that was there ... guys will have to deal with it.”
Pakistan have long been struggling in test matches in South Africa, losing 12 and winning just two of the 15 test matches since it first toured the country in 1995. Pakistan's below-par show in South Africa includes its lowest test score of 49 at the Wanderers in 2013.
Pakistan are lying at No. 7 in the WTC points table and Aaqib Javed is its fourth head coach in this WTC cycle with Mickey Arthur and Mohammad Hafeez quitting after one series. Jason Gillespie resigned just two weeks before Thursday’s test.
Gillespie, who was hired by the Pakistan Cricket Board in April, had a horror start to his two-year contract when Bangladesh swept Pakistan in Pakistan 2-0 in the test series before England won the first test at Multan.
Gillespie was removed from the selection panel and Javed masterminded Pakistan’s back-to-back wins against England on two engineered spinning pitches where Noman Ali and Sajid Khan bagged 39 wickets.
But Pakistan has brought in only Noman Ali for the two-test series in South Africa and is still contemplating whether to follow South Africa and go with an all-out pace attack.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, who played in the preceding white-ball series in South Africa, has been surprisingly left out for the test matches.
Naseem Shah and Babar Azam return to the test fold after missing the last two home tests against England while selectors have recalled seamer Mohammad Abbas after three years with the left-arm seam option of Mir Hamza in the squad.
Abbas took 90 wickets in 25 test matches from 2017 to 21 before he ran out of selectors’ favor despite his consistent performances for Hampshire in England and in domestic first-class cricket.
Dubai Basketball secures top league spot with victory over Bosnian club Igokea
- Win at Coca-Cola Arena on Christmas Eve extends team’s record to 11-3 in the ABA League
DUBAI: Dubai Basketball climbed to the top of the ABA League rankings with a 92-81 victory over Bosnia’s most successful basketball club, Igokea M:tel, on Christmas Eve at the Coca-Cola Arena.
The win extended Dubai Basketball’s record to 11-3 and brought festive cheer to an almost full arena.
Dubai Basketball’s Awudu Abass delivered a standout performance, scoring a game-high 26 points, as well as six rebounds and two assists while Klemen Prepelic contributed 14 points, five assists, and two rebounds to the team’s success.
“My mindset today was to focus on the basics to win the game,” Abass said. “I aimed for simple shots, and as my confidence grew, I was able to take on the tougher ones. The energy in the arena was incredible, pushing me to give my best. Hard work always pays off, and I’m thrilled with this win.”
Dubai Basketball’s head coach, Jurica Golemac, said: “Yeah it feels great, you know? Especially after the game, we got two different faces today. I need to congratulate the players. We played solid 40 minutes in the end. We are talking a lot about consistency in the game, you know, especially defensively.”
In the first half, Igokea M:tel took control with a strong defensive effort. Led by Marko Jeric and Dragan Milosavljevic, the Bosnian team built a 47-40 halftime lead. However, Dubai Basketball mounted a determined comeback in the second half, with Abass leading the charge. The team’s resilience and skill turned the tide, securing a decisive victory on their home court.
Igokea head coach Nenand Stefanovic said: “First half, I think we played very good, maybe even the lead should’ve been bigger for us. Second half, we didn’t exist. It was all about them. They scored 52 points. We cannot talk about a basketball game where we concede so many points in the second half.
“So congratulations to them. I think they were more stable for the 40 minutes. We played 20 good minutes and 20 very bad minutes. But there are some obvious reasons for that.
“My first time here. Everything was great. I want to thank people from the club, and the entire Dubai Basketball organization. It was a very warm hospitality. And getting us here with the plane and everything. Everything is great here — the gym, the hotel, the city. We really enjoyed these three days, and again, from my club, I want to say a big thank you to everybody,” Stefanovic added.
Liverpool host Foxes, Arsenal prepare for life without Saka
- Both crisis-hit Manchester clubs will seek a festive fillip, with faltering champions City at home to Wolves and United away to Wolves
- Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham, licking their wounds after a brutal 6-3 hammering by Liverpool, face a tough assignment at high-flying Nottingham Forest
LONDON: Christmas Premier League chart-toppers Liverpool are overwhelming favorites to see off struggling Leicester on Boxing Day (Thursday).
Meanwhile, both crisis-hit Manchester clubs will seek a festive fillip, with faltering champions City at home to Wolves and United away to Wolves.
Second-placed Chelsea host Fulham while in-form Arsenal will fancy their chances against relegation-threatened Ipswich on Friday, even without the injured Bukayo Saka.
Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham, licking their wounds after a brutal 6-3 hammering by Liverpool, face a tough assignment at high-flying Nottingham Forest.
Here are some of the major talking points in the run-up to one of the busiest points of the English football season.
Liverpool are top the table on Christmas Day for the first time since the 2020/21 season and will want to make it count.
Just once in the past seven top-flight campaigns in which they have sat at the summit on December 25, have they gone on to win the title.
Arne Slot’s side returned to winning ways in style on Sunday, overwhelming Spurs following two frustrating draws.
They are four points clear of Chelsea with a game in hand. It would be a huge surprise if they slipped up against Leicester at home, especially with Mohamed Salah enjoying a purple patch.
The Egypt international is the first player to reach double figures for both goals (15) and assists (11) before Christmas in the history of the Premier League.
Leicester won their first match under new manager Ruud van Nistelrooy earlier this month but have collected just a single point in their past three matches, conceding nine goals.
The leaky Foxes have not won at Anfield since 2000 and are just two points clear of the drop zone after returning to the top flight this season.
A buoyant Mikel Arteta said the Premier League title race was “on” after Arsenal swept Crystal Palace aside 5-1 on Saturday.
But one dark cloud was Saka limping off at Selhurst Park, with the England winger set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
It is a blow for Arteta, depriving him of his most potent attacking weapon — Saka has scored nine goals and provided 13 assists in all competitions this season — just as Arsenal are finding their form again.
“It’s going to be a really good exercise for all of us to think about ways to overcome another challenge, because we’ve already had a lot in the season,” said Arsenal boss Arteta, whose team are third in the Premier League table.
Arteta has a number of attacking options, with Gabriel Martinelli a candidate to fill the void, but Saka, 23, offers something unique.
Nottingham Forest fans are dreaming of a return to the Champions League — more than 40 years after they last played in Europe’s premier club competition.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have won seven of their past 10 Premier League games to climb to fourth in the table ahead of their match against Tottenham on Thursday.
Forest have not won a major trophy since 1990 but they have a proud tradition in continental competition — with the Midlands club twice crowned European champions under former manager Brian Clough, in 1979 and 1980.
While Forest are not prolific scorers, they are impressive at the back — only Liverpool and Arsenal have conceded fewer goals in the English top flight this season.
Former Spurs boss Nuno is braced for the unknown against his former club, who have built a reputation as great entertainers.
“You never know what’s going to happen in the game,” he said. “What we can see is good players, a lot of goals, also conceding goals.”
Fixtures
Thursday (1500 GMT unless stated)
Manchester City vs. Everton (1230), Bournemouth vs. Crystal Palace, Chelsea vs. Fulham, Newcastle vs. Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest vs. Tottenham, Southampton vs. West Ham, Wolves vs. Manchester United (1730), Liverpool vs. Leicester (2000)
Friday
Brighton vs. Brentford (1930), Arsenal vs. Ipswich (2015)
