Al-Hilal beat Zamalek to lift Lusail Super Cup in Doha

Hilal's players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Lusail Super Cup football match between Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal and Egypt's Zamalek at the Lusail Stadium in Doha on September 9, 2022. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 11 September 2022
Follow

Al-Hilal beat Zamalek to lift Lusail Super Cup in Doha

  • The Saudi and Asian champions defeated their Egyptian counterparts 4-1 on penalties after the game ended in 1-1 draw

RIYADH: Saudi champions Al-Hilal defeated Egyptian counterparts Zamalek 4-1 on penalties on Friday to win the Lusail Super Cup in front of almost 80,000 fans in Doha.

Despite the drama of spot kicks, after 90 minutes of action at Lusail Stadium ended in a 1-1 draw, it was a more-than deserved victory for the Riyadh side, who had dominated for much of the game.

Former Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo opened the scoring for the Asian champions but, just after the half-hour, Senegalese forward Ibrahima Ndiaye equalized for Zamalek, who won the Egyptian Premier League title last month.

Reigning Saudi Professional League champions Al-Hilal, who have won their first three games of the new season, were on top from from kick-off and took a deserved lead after 18 minutes with an opening goal that would be worthy of the World Cup final that will take place in the same stadium in December.

A lofted pass from the half-way line by impressive Colombian midfielder Gustavo Cueller found Ighalo just outside the area. The Nigerian striker beat the offside trap, controlled the ball with a deft touch and then delicately lifted the ball over goalkeeper Mohammed Awad, who had come off his line.

Zamalek had struggled to make an impact in the game but, after 33 minutes, they found themselves level. Goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf blocked a low shot from Seifeddine Jaziri but new signing Ndiaye was well placed to slot home the rebound.

Al-Hilal tried to bounce back and, just before the break, Awad saved with his left thigh from Moussa Marega when the Malian marksman broke through after a rapier-like attack.

At half-time the Asian champions, who had enjoyed two-thirds of the possession and the better chances, were disappointed to find themselves still on level terms and they began the second-half with clear attacking intent. The second period proved to be more of the same, with the Riyadh side taking the game to their Cairo counterparts.

On the hour, Al-Hilal should have restored their lead. Brazilian attacker Michael, who had just been introduced, reached the byline on the right side of the penalty area and pulled the ball back for Salem Al-Dawsari, who shot wide from just outside the six yard box.

Still the Blues pushed forward but just could not find a way past Awad. Indeed, they almost found themselves behind, with nine minutes remaining, when Egypt international Ahmed “Zizo” Sayed took up a good position only to blast his shot over the bar.

And so the game drifted into penalties. Ighalo scored the first and then Zizo beat Al-Mayouf but not the post to give the Saudi Arabians an initial lead.

Al-Dawsari increased Al-Hilal’s advantage but with Zamalek scoring and Awad then saving from Luciano Vietto, they appeared to be level again — until the video assistant referee ruled the goalkeeper had moved off his line.

The Italian scored at the second time of asking to make it 3-1, which meant that when Mahmoud Hamdy’s weak shot was saved by Al-Mayouf, Carillo could, and did, win the cup for Al-Hilal.

 


Odegaard inspires Arsenal to reignite title hopes

Updated 33 sec ago
Follow

Odegaard inspires Arsenal to reignite title hopes

Victory at the Emirates lifts them to 22 points, level with third-placed Chelsea
Captain Odegaard was making his first appearance at the Emirates since late August and showed what a huge miss he was for Arsenal

LONDON: Mikel Arteta said his Arsenal team “flows in a different way” when Martin Odegaard is playing after the Gunners crushed Nottingham Forest 3-0 on Saturday to end their winless run.
Stunning strikes from Bukayo Saka and Thomas Partey and a first Premier League goal for teenager Ethan Nwaneri gave Arsenal a first victory in five league games, reigniting their title challenge.
Arsenal, Premier League runners-up for the past two seasons, started the campaign strongly but their form dipped and they kicked off on Saturday nine points behind leaders Liverpool.
Victory at the Emirates lifts them to 22 points, level with third-placed Chelsea.
Arsenal took the lead in the 15th minute when Saka exchanged passes with Odegaard on the edge of the area before lashing a left-footed shot into the roof of the net.
Captain Odegaard was making his first appearance at the Emirates since late August and showed what a huge miss he was for Arsenal during his two-month injury absence.
Time and again the Norwegian found space in the penalty area with his quick feet and he teed up Gabriel Jesus, who curled narrowly wide, before linking up with Saka again.
Partey doubled Arsenal’s lead early in the second half after collecting Saka’s pass 20 yards out and taking a touch, before curling his shot away from the dive of Matz Sels and inside the far post.
Seventeen-year-old Nwaneri tucked away Raheem Sterling’s cutback to wrap up an emphatic win in the 86th minute.
“I think we started really well,” Arteta told the BBC. “The sense I was getting in the last 48 hours after the international break, the boys coming together and were all at it.”
Speaking about Odegaard, who returned to action at Inter Milan earlier this month, he said: “It’s not a coincidence. The team flows in a different way when he is playing.”
And he also had warm words for Nwaneri.
“He is the second-youngest (Premier League goalscorer) in our history,” Arteta said. “That’s a story in itself.
“He’s brave. You see the reaction of fans and they were singing ‘He’s one of our own’. I think we have to put brick by brick and make sure the cement doesn’t get dry. Hopefully we can build a beautiful thing with him.”

Riyadh retains Chestertons polo title in Dubai

Updated 40 min 46 sec ago
Follow

Riyadh retains Chestertons polo title in Dubai

  • Saudi team secures 6-5 victory over Egyptian opponents in final match

DUBAI: The Riyadh polo team have successfully defended their title as Chestertons MENA Polo in the Park champions for a second year after defeating their Cairo rivals in Dubai on Saturday.
The Saudi team secured a 6-5 victory over their Egyptian opponents in the final match, which was held at Dubai’s Desert Palm Polo Club.
Amr Zidan, chairman of the Saudi Polo Federation, awarded the championship trophy to Khalid Al-Omran, the Riyadh team captain.
Representing Riyadh alongside Al-Omran were Rayan Al-Ajaji, and professional players Santos Iriarte (Argentina) and Guillermo Li (Peru).
The tournament featured four teams: Riyadh, Cairo, London, and Dubai.
It was the second Chestersons Polo in the Park event to be held in the Middle East after having been held in London for over a decade.


Andy Murray to coach Novak Djokovic

Updated 23 November 2024
Follow

Andy Murray to coach Novak Djokovic

  • “I’m thrilled to have one of my biggest rivals on the same side of the net with me, this time as my coach,” Djokovic said
  • Murray said: “I am very excited about this and look forward to being on the same side of the net for a change”

BELGRADE: Novak Djokovic announced on Saturday that his retired long-time rival Andy Murray is joining the 24-time Grand Slam-winning player’s coaching team, starting at the Australian Open in January.
“I’m thrilled to have one of my biggest rivals on the same side of the net with me, this time as my coach. I look forward to starting the season with Andy and having him by my side in Melbourne, where we’ve shared many exceptional moments throughout our careers,” Djokovic said in a statement.
Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion who retired from competitive tennis in August, said: “I am very excited about this and look forward to being on the same side of the net for a change.
“I’m also grateful for the opportunity to help him achieve his goals for the upcoming year.”

Djokovic posted a video on X of him and Murray during the Scotsman’s playing career, jokingly titled: “He never liked retirement anyway.”
The 37-year-old Serb has won the Australian Open a record 10 times, defeating Murray in four finals.
Djokovic failed to win a Grand Slam in 2024 and has slipped to seventh in the world, although he did land the Olympic singles title in Paris.


Leipzig lose ground on Bayern, Dortmund and Leverkusen win

Updated 23 November 2024
Follow

Leipzig lose ground on Bayern, Dortmund and Leverkusen win

  • Hoffenheim came from a goal down to equalize three times and hit the lead with four minutes remaining on a wild debut for new manager Christian Ilzer
  • In Dortmund, the home side won 4-0 over Freiburg thanks to goals from Maximilian Beier, Felix Nmecha, Julian Brandt and Jamie Gittens

DORTMUND: RB Leipzig continued to lose ground on Bundesliga league leaders Bayern Munich with a 4-3 defeat at lowly Hoffenheim on Saturday, while Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen registered big wins.
Hoffenheim came from a goal down to equalize three times and hit the lead with four minutes remaining on a wild debut for new manager Christian Ilzer.
Hoffenheim’s Adam Hlozek collected a brace while Tom Bischof scored a clever free kick and Jakob Bruun Larsen was responsible for the winner in the 86th minute.
Leipzig’s efforts came through Willi Orban, Antonio Nusa and an own goal from Hoffenheim’s Stanley Nsoki.
Equal on points with Bayern just three matchdays ago, Leipzig have lost two and drawn one and now sit eight behind the league leaders.
Leipzig had only conceded five goals in the league season before Saturday’s outing.
Eintracht Frankfurt can leapfrog Leipzig into second place and close the gap on Bayern to six points when they host Werder Bremen later on Saturday.
In Dortmund, the home side won 4-0 over Freiburg thanks to goals from Maximilian Beier, Felix Nmecha, Julian Brandt and Jamie Gittens, while the visitors finished with nine men.
Under fire and sitting outside the European placings coming into the match, Dortmund’s one saving grace this league campaign has been their home form, with five wins from five.
The hosts got on track early, when Beier, who scored a double for Germany’s under-21s against France this week, opening the scoring seven minutes in.
Midfielder Nmecha, who scored for Germany’s senior side in their 1-1 draw in Hungary midweek, added a second with a superb long-range effort on the 40th-minute mark.
Freiburg’s hopes of a comeback were snuffed out after 63 minutes when Patrick Osterhage picked up a second yellow card for a rough tussle with Marcel Sabitzer.
From the ensuing free kick, Dortmund’s Brandt curled the ball home and England winger Gittens curled in a fourth to seal the match with 13 minutes remaining.
Freiburg’s Junior Adamu saw straight red for striking Dortmund’s Waldemar Anton in stoppage time, reducing his side to nine men.
Dortmund have now won their past six against Freiburg, scoring 24 and conceding five.
Defending champions Leverkusen came from two goals down to win 5-2 at home against Heidenheim thanks to a hat-trick from Patrick Schick.
Heidenheim, who host Chelsea in the Conference League on Thursday, were two goals up within 21 minutes, with Niklas Dorsch and Mathias Honsak taking advantage of some sleepy defense.
World Cup winner Exequiel Palacios pulled one back on the half-hour mark before Schick, in for the injured Victor Boniface, scored three unanswered goals to wrestle back control of the match before Granit Xhaka added a fifth with eight minutes remaining.
Last season’s runners-up Stuttgart scored two second-half goals through Chris Fuehrich and Justin Diehl to win 2-0 at home over last-placed Bochum, who have just one point from 11 games this season.
Elsewhere, Wolfsburg’s Ridle Baku scored the only goal as his side defeated Union Berlin 1-0 at home.


Abdullah Al-Qahtani hopes for Saudi fans’ support in his PFL journey

Updated 23 November 2024
Follow

Abdullah Al-Qahtani hopes for Saudi fans’ support in his PFL journey

  • Al-Qahtani gets shot at featherweight title after Egyptian fighter Islam Reda’s injury
  • To win belt, he must overcome the man who beat him in September’s semifinal

RIYADH:  With just days to go before his PFL MENA Featherweight Championship bout on Nov. 29, Saudi mixed martial arts fighter Abdullah Al-Qahtani is hoping his fans’ support will spur him on to victory in Riyadh.

Al-Qahtani said: “Fighting on home soil with the Saudi crowd behind me will be a strong support as I aim to secure the belt. We’ve set the right plans for the final.”

Al-Qahtani will face Jordan’s Abdullah ‘The Cobra’ Alhyasat, the man who defeated him in September’s semifinal. An injury to the other semifinal winner — Egypt’s Islam Reda — gave Al-Qahtani another shot at beating Alhyasat.

The 27-year-old Saudi, whose record currently stands at nine wins and two losses, said he is not disheartened by that semifinal failure.

“Abdelrahman has five victories in his professional career and won the semifinal by unanimous decision. This hasn’t put pressure on me or affected my morale,” Al-Qahtani said. “Since replacing Islam Reda, I’ve been training intensively to prepare … to give my best, avenge the semifinal loss, and claim the title. Together with my coaching team, I’ve analyzed the mistakes I made in the semifinal and focused on the positive aspects of my performance. God willing, (I) will be the one to crack Alhyasat’s code, win, and bring joy to the Saudi audience.”

Alhyasat insisted he is unfazed by the prospect of a partisan crowd supporting Al-Qahtani.

“I would have preferred to face a different fighter in the final, but I’m comfortable with this matchup; it will be as easy as the semifinal,” he said. “Fighting on his home turf won’t be a source of stress for me. I will repeat my victory over Al-Qahtani.

“I expect Al-Qahtani to change his fighting style for the final. That’s why, during my training camp in Thailand, we studied all possibilities (so I can) adapt to the flow of the fight,” he continued.

The showdown is just one bout on a night that also includes the PFL World Championships, which are being held outside of the US for the first time, at King Saud University in Riyadh.

Headlining is the unbeaten Russian fighter, Timur “Imam” Khizriev, who takes on the UK’s Brendan Loughnane for the World Featherweight Championship.

In the Women’s Flyweight Championship co-main event, Dakota Ditcheva will put her 13-0 record on the line when the English-Bulgarian MMA and former Muay Thai fighter goes head-to-head with Brazil’s Taila Santos.

In addition to the championship fights, the undefeated Saudi Arabian PFL star Hattan Alsaif – who made history when she became the first Saudi female to sign a contract with a major MMA promoter — takes on Algeria’s Lilia Osmani.