Herve Renard offers final chances for Saudi World Cup squad at Spanish training camp

Herve Renard has selected his Saudi Arabian squad for this month’s Spanish training camp that will include World Cup warm-ups against Ecuador on Sept. 23 and then the US four days later. (File/AFP)
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Updated 12 September 2022
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Herve Renard offers final chances for Saudi World Cup squad at Spanish training camp

  • Fringe players in the 26-man group for training camp have an opportunity to cement places
  • Fahad Al-Muwallad returns, while Abdullah Al-Mayouf’s international career looks to be over

Herve Renard has selected his Saudi Arabian squad for this month’s Spanish training camp that will include World Cup warm-ups against Ecuador on Sept. 23 and then the US four days later, and the Frenchman looks to have ended dreams of Qatar for some and given others a tantalizing hope.

For those in the 26 who are not automatic starters, this is likely to be the last opportunity to impress the head coach before he starts to firm up his squad for Group G games against Argentina, Poland and Mexico.

After June defeats against South American opposition Colombia and Venezuela, the Green Falcons will also be looking for better results as the countdown to Qatar really starts. All that is left is an October game against Honduras and then November tests with Iceland and Panama.

This squad is dominated by the big clubs. Eight come from Al-Hilal, five from Al-Nassr, five from Al-Shabab, three from Al-Ittihad and two from Al-Ahli despite the fact that the Jeddah giants are now playing in the second division. Just two, Firas Al-Buraikan of Al-Fateh and Abha’s Riyadh Sharahili are from elsewhere.

Despite Al-Hilal’s contingent, there is no room for Abdullah Al-Mayouf, which surely means that the goalkeeper’s international career is over.

Many see the Al-Hilal No. 1 as the best in the country, but the 35- year-old has not made the cut. It is not his form that has cost him a place.

In 2019, Al-Mayouf announced his retirement from the international game before changing his mind earlier this year and making himself available, but it has not made a difference to Renard. It means that Mohammed Al-Owais, who is No. 2 at Al-Hilal and has not played yet this season, is likely to be the No. 1 for his country while Al-Mayouf keeps playing for his club but can take a rest this November and December.

Al-Mayouf accepted the decision with good grace.

“I do not wish to discuss the issue of joining the national team,” he said in a television interview. “Coach Renard has his opinion and has made his choice and I respect his view. I wish the group of players that will participate in the World Cup in Qatar all the best.”

Fahad Al-Muwallad returns to the team despite serving a ban for failing a dope test. The winger left Al-Ittihad earlier this month to join Al-Shabab but has yet to play at all this season. Renard is known to rate the 27-year-old who needs to demonstrate that he is still sharp despite his inactivity.

That is also the case for midfielder Mohamed Kanno, who has also been banned from domestic action as a punishment for signing a contract with two clubs. Kanno’s energy and drive were apparent during qualification and, once more, the Al-Hilal man has much to do in Spain.

There are issues in attack. Of the three strikers who featured most in World Cup qualification, Saleh Al-Shehri is still injured and Al-Hilal teammate Abdullah Al-Hamdan is finding minutes hard to come by. Al-Buraikan remains and is joined up front by Haroune Camara, who scored a fine goal for Al-Ittihad in the opening round of the season as well as Al-Ahli’s Haitham Asiri. 

There is plenty of experience in midfield with the cultured Nawaf Al-Abed, who is fit after some injury issues and, playing for Al-Shabab, included alongside stalwarts such as captain Salman Al-Faraj and the excellent Salem Al-Dawsari. There are new faces here too. Al-Ittihad’s Awad Al-Nashri, who featured in Saudi Arabia’s triumph at the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup in June, could receive a first cap as could Riyadh Sharahili who comes in from Abha, a rare addition not from one of the usual big clubs. 

Talented young players such as Ayman Yahya and Turki Al-Ammar, stars of that U-23 team, have been on the fringes of the senior side but have not made the cut. Unless they manage to seriously shine in the Saudi Professional League in the coming weeks, it looks as if their dreams of Qatar are over, though both still have plenty of time in their careers and can start thinking about North America four years later.

That is something that Abdulellah Al-Malki may have to do too. The Al-Hilal defensive midfielder tore his cruciate ligament while playing for his country against Japan in February and has not played since. It is looking increasingly likely that the 27-year-old is going to run out of time.

In defense, Ahmed Bamsaud, left-back with Al-Ittihad, should earn his first international cap, but the other names are familiar ones though Al-Hilal’s Mohammed Al-Breik is absent. Many will be looking on to see if Hassan Tambakti, the 23-year-old who has been in excellent form this season for an Al-Shabab defense that has yet to be breached, can get in the starting lineup.

With kick-off just two months away, all it may take is one stellar performance in front of the coach to earn a starting place to face the likes of Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski or perhaps vice-versa. For those who have not made this list of 26, Qatar is not completely out of sight, but it is going to take something special to get there.


Spurs thrash Man City 4-0 to end 52-match unbeaten home run

Updated 13 sec ago
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Spurs thrash Man City 4-0 to end 52-match unbeaten home run

James Maddison struck twice in seven first-half minutes before Pedro Porro rubbed salt in the wounds of his former club and Brennan Johnson completed the rout
City’s first defeat on home soil from open play since the eve of the 2022 World Cup leaves them still five points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool

MANCHESTER: Manchester City crashed to a stunning fifth consecutive defeat as Tottenham won 4-0 at the Etihad to end the English champions’ 52-game unbeaten home run on Saturday.
James Maddison struck twice in seven first-half minutes before Pedro Porro rubbed salt in the wounds of his former club and Brennan Johnson completed the rout.
City’s first defeat on home soil from open play since the eve of the 2022 World Cup leaves them still five points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool, who play their game in hand at bottom-of-the-table Southampton on Sunday.
A great day for Tottenham eases the pressure on Ange Postecoglou as they climb into the top six.
City boss Pep Guardiola has committed himself to turning around the poorest run of his managerial career after extending his contract till 2027 this week.
But hopes his new deal could revitalize a City side, that have won an unprecedented four consecutive Premier League titles, proved short-lived.
Rodri paraded his Ballon d’Or trophy to the home fans before kick-off as his name was lit up across the Etihad pitch by firelight in an ostentatious show of support for the Spanish midfielder.
The 28-year-old is not expected to play again this season after suffering knee ligament damage in September and his absence has been at the heart of City’s demise.
Guardiola’s men did start strongly as Guglielmo Vicario denied Erling Haaland and the Norwegian had another shot deflected wide.
But the momentum of the match completely swung on Tottenham’s first serious attack after 13 minutes.
Dejan Kulusevski’s teasing cross picked out Maddison who applied a cool first-time finish.
Maddison had found himself frozen out of Postecoglou’s starting line-up in recent weeks and was keen to prove a point to his manager.
Son Heung-min’s inventive pass freed the England international inside the box and he dinked the ball over the advancing Ederson to double Spurs’ lead.
Inconsistency has been the scourge of Tottenham’s season so far.
A 2-1 home defeat to Ipswich before the international break saw Postecoglou’s men slip to 10th in the table.
But they have now twice won comprehensively in Manchester after a 3-0 win over United at Old Trafford.
Dominic Solanke was denied by a fine Ederson save with the chance to make it 3-0 before half-time.
Spurs, though, were not to be denied seven minutes into the second period.
The excellent Kulusevski crossed for Solanke and he patiently laid the ball back for Porro to blast home from close range.
Haaland clipped the bar from an almost impossible angle as City labored to find a response.
Instead, they were hit with one final sucker punch as Timo Werner eased past Kyle Walker and crossed for Johnson to tap home at the far post.
The one glimmer of hope for City may be the return of Kevin De Bruyne after a two-month injury absence as a late substitute.
However, Guardiola has to find solutions fast if his side’s title defense is to be maintained into the new year.
A daunting trip to face Liverpool at Anfield is next up in the Premier League, where City have not won in front of a crowd since 2003.

Odegaard inspires Arsenal to reignite title hopes

Updated 53 min 43 sec ago
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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 23 November 2024
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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
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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
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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.