Five things to look out for as Arab quartet finalize World Cup preparations

Saudi Arabia's midfielder Abdulaziz al-Bishi (L) vies with Ecuador's forward Michael Estrada during the international friendly football match in Murcia. (File/AFP)
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Updated 26 September 2022
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Five things to look out for as Arab quartet finalize World Cup preparations

  • Herve Renard’s Saudi Arabia must produce more firepower upfront, while Qatar’s loss of form is cause for major concern

The four Arab teams preparing for the 2022 FIFA World Cup had mixed results in the first round of games in this crucial international break. There were plenty of talking points around the games, and below are just five things to look forward to as the quartet wrap up the last official international get-together before the action starts in Qatar on Nov. 20.

1. Saudi Arabia need to score against the US

There were some positives for Saudi Arabia to take from Friday’s 0-0 draw with Ecuador, not least that they avoided a third straight defeat since the end of qualification for the World Cup.

But the Green Falcons have failed to score in 295 minutes of football, and to be honest, they have not looked like scoring very often. In the three friendlies against Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador, chances have been few and far between.

In the most recent, there were a couple of opportunities, and Firas Al-Buraikan and Nawaf Al-Abed should have done better with their efforts, but coach Herve Renard needs to find a way to get Salem Al-Dawsari into the game and into areas where he can use his creative talents.

Salman Al-Faraj, with his ability to retain possession and bring composure to the middle of the park, was missed in that regard, and it is vital that the skipper gets fit and stays fit.

There are not many striking options available for Renard so there needs to be goals from all areas of the pitch. Against strong teams like Argentina, Poland and Mexico at the World Cup, Saudi Arabia are going to have to take their limited number of chances and be clinical on the counter and at set pieces. Another failure to score on Tuesday will set the alarm bells ringing.

2. Tunisia get their test against Brazil

The North Africans extended their unbeaten run to seven games on Thursday with a 1-0 win over Comoros. It was not the most fluid of performances from the Carthage Eagles but the real test comes on Tuesday with a game against Brazil in Paris. There is going to be a lot of support for Tunisia at the Parc des Princes and they want to see if this team are the real deal. The wins over Chile and especially Japan in Japan in June were hugely impressive, but now come the five-time world champions.

Tunisia have been placed in a tough group with title-holders France, Denmark and Australia, and will get a great idea of what level they are at the moment against a Brazil team that are in great form. The Selecao have scored 21 goals in the last six games with just one goal conceded, and the standard of opposition has been decent, too.

It is very impressive and means that head coach Jalel Kadri is going to see how well his team can defend against world-class players.

3. Qatar need to rediscover their mojo

The World Cup host started last week with a comprehensive 3-0 loss to Croatia’s U-23 team. Bad results can happen but the 2-0 loss to Canada on Friday was more worrying. The opening period was truly poor, with the two goals from the North Americans both coming in the first 15 minutes.

Qatar’s performance improved after that but the damage had been done. There was a distinct lack of energy and concentration among the players.

Coach Felix Sanchez has really taken the team places over the past few years and it would be disappointing if the 2019 Asian champions were to lose their edge just as the tournament is within touching distance. The wake-up call from the Canadians has to be heard and the game against Chile on Tuesday has become even more important. Whether there is a win or not, there has to be a return to the mentality monsters that won the 2019 continental championships.

4. Moroccan smiles as Ziyech returns

Morocco gave new coach Walid Regragui a 2-0 win over Chile in his first game in charge after being appointed in August. The man who led Wydad to the African Champions League title earlier in the summer was a popular choice to replace Vahid Halilhodzic.

Most of the headlines focused on the return of Hakim Ziyech for the first time since June 2021, with the breakdown of the Chelsea star’s relationship with Halilhodzic being seen as a major reason why the French Bosnian coach was dismissed.

Now Ziyech is back ahead of the World Cup and it is a major boost with tough group games against Belgium, Canada and Croatia coming up.

His performance was solid rather than spectacular and the same can be said of the game in general but it sets up the game against Paraguay nicely. Another confidence-boosting performance against South American opposition would be welcome and reaffirm the widespread belief that the coaching change, while late, was necessary.

5. US toughest test so far for Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia have faced Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador since qualifying and failed to win any of the three matches.

Things will not get easier against a US team ranked 14 in the world, and which is full of experienced internationals playing in some of the world’s best leagues.

Christian Pulisic is with Chelsea, fullback Sergino Dest is with AC Milan and Weston McKennie plays for Juventus. There are others in the English Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga, France’s Ligue 1 as well as MLS.

After losing 2-0 to Japan on Friday, coach Gregg Berhalter will be keen to return to winning ways.

Just as in the 0-0 draw with Ecuador, there is going to be plenty of defending for Saudi Arabia to do but there is no reason to sit back too much. There is also no reason why the Asian team cannot go toe to toe with the team that reached the knockout stage at three of their last four World Cups before missing out last time around. If the midfield can be more involved in the game and can keep and use possession better, those elusive goals may not be far away.


England in Deep trouble after India captain Gill’s superb double century

Updated 17 sec ago
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England in Deep trouble after India captain Gill’s superb double century

  • Gill: “I worked on a few things before the series as well, that I thought might be important for me going into Test cricket”

BIRMINGHAM, UK: India captain Shubman Gill scored a superb maiden, record-breaking Test double-century before stand-in fast bowler Akash Deep took England in consecutive balls at Edgbaston on Thursday.
Gill’s commanding 269 was the cornerstone of India’s first-innings 587 on the second day of the second Test. England were 77-3 at stumps — a huge deficit of 510 runs.
Deep only played because India rested Jasprit Bumrah, the world’s top-ranked Test bowler who is only due to play in three games in this five-match series to minimize the effects of a back injury.
The 28-year-old Deep conceded 12 runs in his first over, but his second was a double-wicket maiden that left England faltering at 13-2.
He had Ben Duckett, fresh from a superb 149 in England’s five-wicket win in the first Test at Headingley, edging to third slip. Gill capped his already brilliant day by holding a fine catch.
Next ball Ollie Pope fell for a golden duck when he nicked Deep to second slip, with KL Rahul clinging on at the second attempt.
Joe Root survived the hat-trick delivery.
India, made to pay for dropping several catches in the cordon at Headingley, then held another when Mohammed Siraj had Crawley edging to Karun Nair at first slip. England were 25-3.
Root  and Yorkshire team-mate Harry Brook  prevented further collapse with an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 52.
But the day belonged to India and above all Gill, who in just his second Test as skipper broke records previously held by India batting greats Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar.
Gill’s innings surpassed the recently retired Kohli’s 254 against South Africa at Pune in 2019 as the highest score by an India Test captain, and replaced Tendulkar’s 241 against Australia at Sydney as the highest score by an India batsman in a Test outside Asia.
It also topped Gavaskar’s celebrated 221 at the Oval in 1979 as the largest score by an India batsman in a Test in England.
“I worked on a few things before the series as well, that I thought might be important for me going into Test cricket,” Gill, who made 147 at Headingley, told Sky Sports.
“Looking at the results, they are working for me,” added Gill, who was equally delighted by India’s much improved out-cricket.
“Fielding was definitely one of those things we spoke about as a team, and it’s great to see that come off so far,” said Gill.
England assistant coach Jeetan Patel accepted the hosts had endured a gruelling time.
“One hundred and fifty overs in the dirt in any scenario is pretty tough,” Patel told reporters.
“Credit must be given to Shubman with the way he’s batted over two days. It was a masterclass in how to bat on a good wicket,” the former New Zealand off-spinner added.
Earlier, the 25-year-old Gill received excellent support from spin-bowling all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja  and Washington Sundar  in partnerships of 203 and 144 for the sixth and seventh wickets.
Until he got out, Gill batted in near flawless fashion.
He was especially severe on Shoaib Bashir, cover-driving the off-spinner for four and lofting him for six, with the bowler largely unthreatening against frontline batsmen in a return of 3-167 in 45 overs.
A hooked single off fast bowler Josh Tongue, whose two wickets cost 119 runs, took Gill to 200, with the elated skipper bowing to a capacity crowd in celebration.
Gill’s marathon innings of 387 balls, including 30 fours and three sixes, spanned some eight-and-a-half hours. It finally ended with a rare false shot when a tired pull off Tongue found Pope at square leg.
England players shook Gill’s hand as he walked off with India now 574-8.
India, again sent into bat by England captain Ben Stokes, had resumed on 310-5, with Gill 114 not out and Jadeja 41 not out.
But India, batting in ideal sunny conditions on Thursday, wanted even more runs from Gill and Jadeja after collapses of 7-41 and 6-31 at Headingley proved costly — and the increasingly ruthless duo got them.


Chelsea agree deal to sign English winger Gittens from Dortmund

Updated 5 min 20 sec ago
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Chelsea agree deal to sign English winger Gittens from Dortmund

  • The agreement was made at Fort Lauderdale, with contractual details still to be settled
  • “Jamie Gittens’s career is an example of the development of top talents at Borussia,” Dortmund managing director Lars Ricken said

LONDON: Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign English winger Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund, the Bundesliga club said on Thursday, with the 20-year-old set to sign a seven-year contract in a move reportedly worth 55 million pounds ($75.02 million).
The clubs are currently in the United States for the Club World Cup, where they have both reached the quarter-final stage, and the agreement was made at Fort Lauderdale, with contractual details still to be settled.


Gittens joined Dortmund as a youth player in 2020 from Manchester City, making his senior debut in 2022, and has made 107 appearances for the German side in all competitions, scoring 17 goals.
“Jamie Gittens’s career is an example of the development of top talents at Borussia,” Dortmund managing director Lars Ricken said in a club statement.
“We discovered Jamie very early, practically signed him for free, continuously developed him in our youth performance center, and also offered him playing time at the very highest level with the first team.
“Jamie has repaid the trust placed in him with commitment, performance, and goals.”
Chelsea are looking to strengthen their left wing after they opted not to make Jadon Sancho’s loan deal from Manchester United permanent.


Verstappen refuses to be drawn on future ahead of British GP

Updated 56 min 4 sec ago
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Verstappen refuses to be drawn on future ahead of British GP

  • “I am happy where I am,” Verstappen said
  • “There are always rumors, but only one who decides and that is me and the team“

SILVERSTONE, UK: Max Verstappen on Thursday refused to be drawn on questions about discussions with Mercedes and exit clauses in his Red Bull contract when he spoke to reporters ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

Facing a succession of questions about his future, following reports in Italy that he had agreed to join Mercedes next year, the Dutchman was polite, but evasive in his answers, stressing that for him it would be ideal to complete his career with one team — Red Bull.

“I am happy where I am,” he said. “There are always rumors, but only one who decides and that is me and the team. I control my own destiny and I am happy and in control of where I’m at.”

Sky Sport Italia on Wednesday reported that he had agreed to join Mercedes, sparking speculation that he was set to replace arch-rival George Russell, but the Briton earlier stated he was confident of keeping his seat.

He said he expected to confirm his new contract with Mercedes — the team believed to be best prepared for the regulation changes next year — within a few weeks.

“I’ve nothing to add to last week,” said Verstappen. “Of course, other people write stuff and that’s great but it’s not me... Happy with my team? In life, you can always see other things and think, as they say, the grass is greener on the other side.

“But I think it is best to stay calm and up to now we have had success except for some time this season and this can happen and you have to accept it.

“I know what I have and what we can do and that’s fine, but, to be honest, I have nothing to add to last week. I am focussed on the team and to improve.”

Asked if he felt he needed to be in the fastest car to win races and titles, Verstappen said it is “difficult in F1 to be in the fastest car... Who would know that two years ago who will be fastest?

“I don’t focus much on it, I just try to improve my own situation and where we want to be next year. If you chase the fastest car now it may not be the fastest car next year. Sometimes you can luck in and then win four, or five or six titles...”

The 27-year-old shared that being a one-team man was an interesting prospect for him, while stating that he had never been tempted to leave Austrian constructor Red Bull.

“I’m going to say no...” he said on the questioning of ever having felt tempted to take a seat elsewhere in the paddock.

“I don’t want more headlines. It would be ideal to finish my career at Red Bull with one team. That would be something amazing and I am still trying to achieve that.

“We are fighting for podiums now and that’s not too bad!“

Reports suggested Verstappen’s contract contained exit clauses that could be activated if he is not in the top three in the drivers championship at the end of July.

But the four-time world champion bluntly refused to reveal any details about his deal with Red Bull.

“To be honest, I am not speaking about my contract. It’s easier like that,” he said.


From Grand Slam to grand struggle, Krejcikova lives to fight on

Updated 03 July 2025
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From Grand Slam to grand struggle, Krejcikova lives to fight on

  • There was zero champion’s polish on show as the Czech creaked her way into the third round
  • The pair exchanged errors and breaks of serve throughout

LONDON: Barbora Krejcikova’s Wimbledon defense is still alive — but only just. The Czech squeezed past American Caroline Dolehide 6-4 3-6 6-2 in a second-round tussle that was all grind and no grandeur.
There was zero champion’s polish on show as the Czech creaked her way into the third round, surviving a match as scrappy as a Henman Hill picnic after a seagull raid.
“A huge relief,” she said afterwards to polite applause from the crowd. “Really up and down points, turning one way and the other ... I am so grateful I can keep going.”
Court Two spectators, many blissfully unaware that they were watching the reigning champion, might be forgiven — Krejcikova herself barely looked the part.
A season dogged by back and thigh niggles has left the 29-year-old short of sharpness, and her patchy 4-3 record for the season coming in was on full display in a match strewn with errors.
Spraying foreheads wide of their mark and dumping backhands into the net, nothing suggested a twice Grand Slam champion was holding court.
At times the contest resembled less a Grand Slam match and more a practice session between two very rusty players — Krejcikova produced 39 unforced errors, while Dolehide got fewer than half her first serves in all match.
The pair exchanged errors and breaks of serve throughout — Dolehide trying to power her way into the contest while Krejcikova sought to claw her way to victory on the back of slow, sliced forehands whispering back to a gentler age.
Scarcely can a champion have produced such a lukewarm performance on the Grand Slam stage but it would be fair to say the Czech blows hot and cold on the tennis court.
French Open champion in 2021, she has followed that title run with three first-round defeats and one second round showing at Roland Garros in the years since.
Her form can read like a nursery rhyme. When she’s good, she’s very, very good — Grand Slam good. But when the gears don’t quite catch, when timing slips or confidence wavers, she can unravel just as spectacularly.
As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 19th-century American poet and nursery rhyme writer, had it: when she is good, she is very, very good — but when she is bad, she is horrid.
Still, the 17th seed did just enough to scrape through to gentle applause and a sterner test ahead: 10th seed Emma Navarro, who won’t be quite so generous. (Reporting by Ossian Shine; Editing by Christian Radnedge and Ken Ferris)


US fans can learn from unbelievable Guatemala supporters, Pochettino says

Updated 03 July 2025
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US fans can learn from unbelievable Guatemala supporters, Pochettino says

  • “The fans of Guatemala, I need to say, wow, unbelievable. It was like, to play there,” Pochettino told reporters
  • “An unbelievable energy. That is football, that is football”

MEXICO: United States coach Mauricio Pochettino said Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Guatemala in the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals felt like a game on the road, adding that the spirit of the opposing fans was something American supporters could learn from.

Over 22,000 spectators attended the match in St. Louis and the majority were Guatemala supporters, loudly backing their team throughout the game even as Diego Luna’s early brace helped the US reach the final, where they face Mexico on Sunday.

“The fans of Guatemala, I need to say, wow, unbelievable. It was like, to play there. And that was good for our players because it was an atmosphere we didn’t expect,” former Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea manager Pochettino told reporters.

Argentine Pochettino said he hoped to see the same passion from American fans when the World Cup takes place in the US next year.

“An unbelievable energy. That is football, that is football. When we say, the connection between the team and the fans, that’s the connection we’d like to see at the World Cup. The connection that makes you fly,” he said.

“When we talk about culture, that is culture ... to see (Guatemala), how they fight, how the fans behave, that is an important thing that we need to learn in this country.”

Pochettino said that in many countries, soccer matches were seen as much more than sporting spectacles.

“In a different country, you play (to) survive. You play for food. You play for pride ... it’s not to enjoy, go home and laugh, that’s it,” he said.

“The moment that we, this roster, start to live in this way, I think we have big room to improve.”