DOHA: Kylian Mbappe scored twice, including a late winner, as holders France edged Denmark 2-1 on Saturday to become the first team to reach the last 16 of the World Cup.
A potent French side knew a second victory in as many Group D outings would take them through to the knockout phase and they were well worth the lead that Mbappe gave them when he opened the scoring at Stadium 974 just after the hour mark.
However, Andreas Christensen soon equalized for the Danes and Les Bleus needed Mbappe to deliver again in the 86th minute as he turned in Antoine Griezmann’s cross to puncture the Danish resistance once and for all.
Having scored four during France’s victorious 2018 campaign and one against Australia, Mbappe now has seven goals in nine World Cup appearances.
Didier Deschamps’s side now have the luxury of going into their final group game against Tunisia knowing a draw will guarantee them top spot, and even a defeat may not prevent them finishing first.
Having come roaring back to batter Australia 4-1 in their opening match in Qatar, France were more wasteful in front of goal on this occasion but at least they did not come unstuck against opponents who have caused them problems before.
They were reigning champions when a defeat to the Danes knocked them out of the 2002 World Cup, while the sides played out the only goalless draw in 2018.
More recently Kasper Hjulmand’s side beat France home and away in this year’s Nations League, and it seemed that Deschamps had learned lessons from those two encounters.
If France were a shadow of their usual selves in Copenhagen in September, they were much better in this match, played in a pop-up stadium made of shipping containers on Doha’s waterfront.
Deschamps changed three of his back four, with Theo Hernandez at left-back in place of his injured elder brother Lucas and Raphael Varane coming in for his first game in over a month.
But the French attack was untouched from the Australia game.
If Olivier Giroud took the headlines then, here Ousmane Dembele was electric at times on the right, Griezmann excelled in an advanced midfield role, and Mbappe made the difference.
France’s pace, power and passing were all too sharp for the Euro 2020 semifinalists who were lucky to go in level at half-time.
There were some French appeals for a red card in the 19th minute when Mbappe burst onto a beautiful threaded through ball by Griezmann only to be hauled down by Christensen, but the Danish defender escaped with a yellow.
The holders’ best chances in the first half came from headers by Varane and Adrien Rabiot, but when Mbappe turned away from Joachim Andersen just before the hour mark and accelerated away, it was a sign that a goal was coming.
His shot was turned behind by Kasper Schmeichel, and Griezmann then wasted a great chance shortly after, but in the 61st minute Mbappe did score.
The Paris Saint-Germain superstar linked up brilliantly with Hernandez on the left and met his teammate’s cutback with a shot that beat Schmeichel thanks to a deflection off Christensen.
Denmark had offered little but suddenly they were level midway through the second half as Andersen nodded down a corner and his fellow defender Christensen headed home.
Hugo Lloris was then forced into a key save to deny Jesper Lindstrom and Martin Braithwaite grazed a post as Denmark threatened to turn the game completely on its head.
That would have been extremely harsh on France, even if they could only really have themselves to blame for not making more of their chances.
But Mbappe was not to be denied as he stole in front of Rasmus Kristensen at the back post with four minutes left to meet Griezmann’s cross with his thigh for his 31st international goal.
Mbappe double sinks Denmark and takes France into World Cup last 16
https://arab.news/z6gy5
Mbappe double sinks Denmark and takes France into World Cup last 16
- Having scored four during France's victorious 2018 campaign and one against Australia, Mbappe now has seven goals in nine World Cup appearances
- France were more wasteful in front of goal on this occasion
West Ham stun Newcastle to ease pressure on Lopetegui
- The result, only West Ham’s second win on the road this season, lifts them to 15 points, just three behind 10th-placed Newcastle
NEWCASTLE, United Kingdom: West Ham produced a clinical away performance to beat resurgent Newcastle 2-0 on Monday, easing the pressure on beleaguered manager Julen Lopetegui.
Tomas Soucek headed the visitors in front against the run of play at St. James’ Park and Aaron Wan-Bissaka grabbed a rare goal in the second half to double the Hammers’ lead.
Newcastle were unable to capitalize on the chances they created, failing to build on the momentum created by recent wins against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.
The result, only West Ham’s second win on the road this season, lifts them to 15 points, just three behind 10th-placed Newcastle.
The home side made the early running and in-form forward Alexander Isak had the ball in the net in the fifth minute after a delicate dink over Lukasz Fabianski, only for it to be ruled out for offside.
West Ham, expected to face a tough test on Newcastle’s home turf, showed little adventure in the opening stages.
But their first real foray up the pitch resulted in a corner and the unmarked Soucek powered home a header from close range in the 10th minute.
Newcastle enjoyed the bulk of the possession as a lively first half unfolded but West Ham were robust in defense and threatened when they went forward.
Anthony Gordon had a glorious chance to level after a poor clearance from Jean-Clair Todibo but fired straight at Fabianski.
Minutes later Isak chested down a superb cross from Bruno Guimaraes but steered narrowly wide on the stretch.
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle were again on the front foot at the start of the second half but it was West Ham who doubled their lead through Wan-Bissaka.
The former Manchester United man scored his first goal for West Ham and just his third career goal after picking up Jarrod Bowen’s pass and firing home.
Howe brought on Jacob Murphy and Callum Wilson in a bid to turn the tide but Newcastle failed to build up a head of steam against their determined opponents, who saw out the game with relative ease.
The result will be a huge relief for Lopetegui, whose future has been a matter of mounting speculation just months after he replaced David Moyes.
Jeddah’s IPL auction: Vaibhav Suryavanshi becomes youngest player ever to be sold
- Big money flows as Saudi Arabia makes history with first-ever international cricket event
- It was an electric, record-breaking mega auction which rewrote history, says IPL
JEDDAH: The big money flowed on Monday as Saudi Arabia made waves with its first-ever international cricket event, hosting the TATA IPL mega auction in Jeddah, a key event in the sport’s global calendar.
The major highlight of day two was Vaibhav Suryavanshi — a left-handed batsman from the east Indian state of Bihar known for hitting long sixes — becoming the youngest player to be sold at the IPL auction — at just 13 years of age.
Suryavanshi was bought by the Rajasthan Royals for $131,000 in the IPL auction at the Abadi Al-Johar Arena in Jeddah.
Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals went head-to-head for his services and eventually the Royals won the fight.
TATA IPL wrote on X: “Talent meets opportunity indeed. (The) 13-year-old Suryavanshi becomes the youngest player ever to be sold at the #TATAIPL auction. Congratulations to the young star, who now joins Rajasthan Royals.”
Rajasthan Royals said on X: “Vaibhav Suryavanshi, all of 13 years old, entering the IPL!”
Hailing from Samastipur, Suryavanshi has already made headlines with his extraordinary achievements on the field.
During the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season in the Indian domestic league, Suryavanshi made his debut at just 12 years and 284 days against Mumbai.
Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh made his debut at 15 years and 57 days, while legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar started his career at 15 years and 230 days.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s experience found high demand among IPL franchises at the Jeddah event, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru securing his services for $1.275 million.
Other notable deals included Deepak Chahar, who fetched about $1.1 million from Mumbai Indians despite his injury history, and Mukesh Kumar, retained by Delhi Capitals for about $1 million through the RTM card. Lucknow Super Giants also invested heavily, signing Test pacer Akash Deep for about $1 million.
However, some big names, including Kane Williamson, Shardul Thakur, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, and Glenn Philipps, went unsold during the mega auction.
The auction reflected the high demand for players, especially from India. Indian talents got lucrative deals for even its fringe players.
Star Indian player Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in the history of the IPL as Lucknow Super Giants spent a mind-boggling $3.19 million on the wicketkeeper-batter on the first day of the mega auction.
Jeddah’s TATA IPL mega auction saw plenty of twists, turns, unexpected signings and records broken, as the availability of Indian and international stars was greater than ever and all 10 franchises were looking to rebuild their squads.
The marquee event posted on X at its conclusion: “That’s it from the #TATAIPLAuction Arena in Jeddah. It was an electric, record-breaking mega auction, which rewrote history. Look forward to your company in #TATAIPL 2025.”
Franchise owners also took to X to express their great excitement.
One of the owners of Punjab Kings and famous Bollywood actor Preity Zinta wrote: “Day 1, nothing less than A1! Punjab Kings are on fire and ready to soar! #IPL2025Auction.”
On day two, she went on to take advice from fans, and wrote: “So how is the auction going folks? Are our fans happy? If not, any more recommendations/suggestions? Bring it on ! #PBKS #IPLAuction2025.”
Owner partner of Kolkata Knight Riders Juhi Chawla Mehta was excited as she posted on X a video of Jeddah with the caption “Destination Jeddah … IPL auction 2025 #ipl2025auction #IPLAuction #Kolkatknightriders #KKR.”
In another post sharing a video of the auction venue, she wrote: “Getting mega auction ready with our CEO Venky Mysore, and mentor DJ Bravo! @VenkyMysore @DJBravo47.”
The squads of the league’s 10 franchises — Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders, Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Sunrisers Hyderabad — were finalized on Monday from a pool of 574 players.
The IPL will enter its 18th season in March next year, and the Red Sea city of Jeddah became an important stop en route.
The names of Dubai, London, Riyadh and Jeddah were touted before the Red Sea city was chosen by the Board of Control for Cricket in India for the marquee event.
Ronaldo delivers another Al-Nassr triumph in Asia
- Al-Nassr on brink of knockout stages after win
RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Al-Nassr triumphed 3-1 at Al-Gharafa of Qatar on Monday to move to the brink of the knockout stages of the AFC Champions League Elite with three group games still to play.
All the goals came in the second half as the Saudi Arabians moved onto 13 points and second place in the group, just two points behind leaders Al-Ahli who earlier won 2-1 at Al-Ain of the UAE.
Al-Nassr made most of the running in the first half but just could not find a way through.
Ronaldo had an early shot saved by Sergio Rico and the Spanish goalkeeper made a diving stop to then push away a shot from the Portuguese star as Al-Nassr pressed again after 19 minutes.
Soon after it was the turn of Al-Gharafa to go close and Bento had to get down well to save from Wajdi Kechrida at his near post.
Al-Nassr were awarded a penalty just before the half hour as Matias Nani chopped down Sadio Mane on the left side of the area. It looked a clear decision by the referee and Ronaldo put the ball down on the spot ready to shoot his team into the lead before VAR intervened to overrule and keep the game goalless.
Ronaldo had a great chance in the 34th minute but somehow headed Marcelo Brozovic’s left-sided free-kick wide from close range.
It had been a frustrating period for the star and it got worse just before the break as the five-time Ballon d’Or winner had a goalbound shot blocked.
He was determined to put it right, though, and did so within the first minute of the second half. Angelo got to the byline on the right and his perfect cross was met by Ronaldo’s thundering header that flew into the bottom corner to give Rico no chance.
Two minutes before the hour, Angelo swapped passes with Otavio and then skipped past the goalkeeper to extend Al-Nassr’s lead and then, six minutes later, Ronaldo got his second. He was found inside the box by Angelo, turned his defender and then fired home high into the net.
That was that, or so everyone thought, before Spanish striker Joselu pulled one back with 17 minutes remaining.
There was still time for Al-Gharafa’s Seydou Sano to receive his marching orders following two yellow cards, but Al-Nassr saw out the match to complete another perfect day for Saudi Arabian clubs in Asia.
Faisal Khan joins brother in century club as Saudi Arabia registers consecutive wins
- Opener Faisal Khan scored his maiden T20I century as the Kingdom chased down a target of 162 runs with 28 balls remaining
- Faisal is the second Saudi player to score a century in the tournament, following his elder brother Abdul Waheed, who scored a century in the first match against Bahrain
Saudi Arabia registered its second straight win in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier after beating Cambodia by five wickets in Qatar on Monday.
Opener Faisal Khan scored his maiden T20I century as the Kingdom chased down a target of 162 runs with 28 balls remaining.
Faisal is the second Saudi player to score a century in the tournament, following his elder brother Abdul Waheed, who scored a century in the first match against Bahrain and also happens to be his opening partner.
Against Cambodia, Faisal completed his half-century in just 20 balls, with 22 runs coming off the last four balls of Shah Abrar Hussain’s fifth over. Faisal’s blitzkrieg innings meant Saudi Arabia was 86-0 at the end of six overs.
Faisal and Abdul shared a 116-run partnership for the first wicket in just 9.5 overs as Saudi Arabia started off well. Abdul was stumped for 34 runs off Chadha, a dismissal that left Faisal fuming. Even though the chase was half done, Faisal felt it would have been special to share the moment of his century with his elder brother.
He was batting on 81 when Abdul returned to the pavilion. Faisal needed six more balls to reach three figures as he hit a six off Gireesh when on 94. Faisal was caught out on the last ball of the same over, ending with 101 runs off 42 balls. He hit six fours and 10 sixes in his innings. Faisal is only the third Saudi player to score a century in T20Is, after Waji Ul Hasan’s 115 not out vs. Bhutan in February 2024 and elder brother Abdul’s 110 vs. Bahrain last Tuesday.
Faisal said that the moment would have been even more special had Abdul been with him at the other end. “I was very angry when he got out and the way he got dismissed. I was hitting the ball well, so, he just needed to occupy the crease and be with me. We have come through a lot, and had he been there, it would have been even more special,” he told Arab News.
He feels it is easier to bat with his brother at the other end. “We play for Pak Shaeens back in Saudi Arabia, so, there is an understanding in the game. We have started playing together too, and whenever he is around, I am comfortable. It feels like my brother will make it right if something goes wrong from my end,” he added.
Elder brother Waheed was happy to see Faisal back in form and said it was a proud moment for the family. “The moment he got to the century was special, even though I was clapping from the pavilion. I know he feels comfortable talking and batting with me, as we share feedback consistently. It is a proud moment for our family that both of us have scored centuries. I hope we can contribute similarly to our team’s success in the coming days,” he said.
Saudi Arabia needed only 21 runs when Faisal was out. They lost two more wickets but were safely home in the 16th over. Faisal said that the team was looking for a big win from ball one, as they had an eye on the run rate.
“We needed to win big to stay in the hunt for qualification, and hitting the ball was the approach from ball one. The ball was coming well off my bat, and I just kept using powerplay restrictions to my advantage. I knew we could chase the total within 14-15 overs,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Cambodia put up 161 runs for six wickets in their 20 overs after being invited to bat first at the University of Doha for Science and Technology ground. Lakshit Gupta top-scored with 62 runs off 45 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes. Uday Hathinjar added 16 runs and Luqman Butt contributed 26 runs, helping to build the score. Mahaj Chadha also played well toward the end, scoring 24 runs not out.
Cambodia had two strong partnerships at the start, with Hathinjar and Gupta adding 46 runs in five overs. Luqman stayed with Gupta to reach 109 in the 14th over, but the wickets tumbled at regular intervals thereafter. Ishtiaq Ahmad and Usman Najeeb took two wickets each for Saudi Arabia.
After losing the first two matches against Bahrain and the UAE, Saudi Arabia has won three consecutive games, putting the side back in the frame for qualification. The top two teams from this seven-team qualifier will qualify for the regional final, which serves as a pathway for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to be held in 2026.
Saudi Arabia is fourth in the table with four points and will face third-place Thailand, who have six points. The UAE and Qatar, who face each other on Tuesday, are both unbeaten and have eight points from four matches. Bahrain also has four points but is behind Saudi Arabia in net run rate. Cambodia and Bhutan are at the bottom without any points.
Saudi Arabia is facing Thailand on Tuesday and will face Qatar on Thursday, which could be a winner-takes-all match to get to the qualifier. Faisal is focused on the match against Thailand, taking the remaining matches as two finals.
“We know how important the match against Qatar is going to be, but first, we are focused on the Thailand match. We will try to give our best to get the win and then only think about Qatar. A win is the only result that will take us forward, so, we are determined to make it happen. To get better matches, to improve our ranking and to make ourselves better, we need to win the two finals from here,” he added.
Faisal feels that the tournament is very important for the development of the sport in the Kingdom, too. “If we go through to the qualifiers, we will have more programs. Right now, there are no turf pitches for us to train on, which is why we find it hard in the first matches. Getting to the next round will only aid our development phase, and we are hopeful of achieving it,” he said.
For the final round of regional qualifiers, Malaysia and Kuwait have already booked their spots from the Asia Group A qualifier, while Samoa and Japan are representing the East Asia-Pacific region. Nepal, Oman and Papua New Guinea will also compete in the regional finals as they qualified for the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup, held in the US and West Indies.
Toney double sends perfect Al-Ahli into knockout stages in Asia
- Al-Ain had the better of the chances until Toney came off the bench in the second half and made the difference with two fine finishes
- Riyad Mahrez floated over a free-kick from the left and Toney sent the perfect header into the bottom corner to give Eisa no chance
AL-AIN: Ivan Toney scored twice to give Al-Ahli a 2-1 win at Al-Ain on Monday, taking top spot in their AFC Champions League Elite group with five wins from five and a place in the knockout stages with three group games remaining. It also condemned Al-Ain, the holders of the trophy, to their fourth defeat in five matches.
Al-Ain had the better of the chances until Toney came off the bench in the second half and made the difference with two fine finishes
In the first half, Al-Ahli’s best effort came on the stroke of half-time as Roberto Firmino burst into the right side of the area only to pull his shot just wide of the near post.
Before then Al-Ain had come closer. The dangerous Moroccan Soufiane Rahimi had forced a save from Edouard Mendy and soon after the former Chelsea goalkeeper had to get down well once more to deny Kodjo Laba.
Early in the second half, Franck Kessie drew a rare save from Khalid Eisa but it was Mendy again in action just after the hour as he had to leap high to push a header from Kouame Kouadio that was heading in.
The deadlock was broken 20 minutes from the end with a goal made in the English Premier League. Riyad Mahrez floated over a free-kick from the left and there was Toney, who had been on the pitch for just a few minutes, to send the perfect header into the bottom corner to give Eisa no chance.
It almost got worse seconds later as Firmino fired home a rocket from the edge of the area but the flag went up for offside in the build-up. It did not matter as Toney added a second with another beauty, and another top-class assist from Mahrez who curled one into the box from the right for the England striker to half-volley home.
Al-Ain pulled a goal back in the 93rd minute thanks to a thunderous strike from Kaku from the edge of the area but it was not enough to stop Al-Ain crashing to a third defeat against Saudi Arabian opposition in the space of a few weeks after losing 5-4 to Al-Hilal and then 5-1 to Al-Nassr.
Al-Ahli, however, go marching on in Asia and with their firepower will take some stopping, and coach Matthias Jiassle told Arab News he was full of pride of his charges for their progress.
He said: “I'm very proud...this is the result of the hard work we have been doing this season in this competition. Our focus is on maintaining our high level of performance in order to extend this positive run and go as far as possible in the Champions League.”
