DOHA: Mexico suffered an agonizing exit from the World Cup on goal difference on Wednesday despite beating Saudi Arabia 2-1 in a dramatic finale to Group C.
Second-half goals from Henry Martin and Luis Chavez secured victory for Mexico but they finished third behind Poland after Salem Al-Dawsari’s late strike.
Mexico desperately pushed for a third goal in an effort to improve their goal difference as they faced elimination on FIFA fair play rules.
Saudi Arabia’s win over Argentina in their opening match was one of the World Cup’s great upsets, but they crashed back down to earth with a 2-0 loss to Poland in their second game.
Coach Herve Renard urged his players to show that was no flash in the pan and write themselves into Saudi football history by reaching knockout rounds for the first time since 1994.
Having failed to win either of their first two group games for the first time in 44 years, Mexico knew victory was essential if they were to stand a chance of reaching the last 16 at an eighth successive World Cup.
Mexico boss Gerardo Martino ditched the back five he used in the 2-0 loss to Argentina and brought in Martin to lead the attack.
It almost reaped immediate rewards but Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais raced out to block Alexis Vega after he was slipped in behind the defense by Hirving Lozano.
Al-Owais, one of the heroes of the 2-1 win over Argentina, tentatively palmed away a bouncing cross ahead of a lunging Martin and held weak attempts by Chavez and Orbelin Pineda.
Mohamed Kanno whipped a free-kick just over for Saudi Arabia, who saw defender Ali Al-Bulayhi forced off with injury — adding to their mounting casualty list.
Mexico continued to attack without success and Ali Al-Hassan nearly sent the bulk of the largely Saudi crowd wild late in the first half with a diving header that flashed wide of the far post.
Chavez tested Al-Owais right after the interval and Martin soon broke the deadlock as he turned in from close range following Cesar Montes’ clever flick-on at a corner.
Mexico’s second goal arrived just five minutes later when Chavez sensationally curled a free-kick into the top corner from 30 meters.
Keeping an eye on the score between Argentina and Poland, Mexico pushed relentlessly for a third goal, with Lozano’s effort ruled out for a tight offside.
Martin blazed over when he had a glorious chance and Chavez had another free-kick turned away by Al-Owais, who also sprawled to his right to claw out a drive from Lozano.
Uriel Antuna then had another goal disallowed for offside before Al-Dawsari’s late strike put an end to the drama.
Salem Al-Dawsari’s strike too late for Green Falcons as Mexico prevail 2-1
https://arab.news/ggzj7
Salem Al-Dawsari’s strike too late for Green Falcons as Mexico prevail 2-1
- Second-half goals from Henry Martin and Luis Chavez secured victory for Mexico but they finished third behind Poland in the group
- Ali Al-Hassan nearly sent the bulk of the largely Saudi crowd wild late in the first half with a diving header that flashed wide of the far post
Shai scores 42, Doncic ejected as Thunder down Lakers 136-120
- The Cleveland Cavaliers clinched No.1 seeding in the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs after cruising past the Chicago Bulls 135-113
- Second-seeded Boston Celtics edged the third placed New York Knicks in a thriller at Madison Square Garden, with Jayson Tatum’s 32-point performance guiding the NBA champions to a 119-117 overtime victory
LOS ANGELES: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers 136-120 on Tuesday in a hard-fought battle that saw Luka Doncic controversially ejected in the fourth quarter.
Two days after suffering a 27-point defeat to the Lakers, the No.1-ranked Thunder avenged that loss thanks to Gilgeous-Alexander’s 13th 40-point game of the season, with Jalen Williams adding 26 and Lugentz Dort 17.
The contest pivoted on the fourth quarter incident that led to the Lakers’ Slovenian star Doncic picking up a second technical foul and being tossed from the game.
Doncic was ejected following a one-handed jump shot which put the Lakers 108-107 up with 7min 40sec remaining after officiating crew member J.T. Orr judged he had been verbally abused by the player following the bucket.
Doncic protested, arguing he had merely been responding to a fan at courtside who had heckled him, but the decision stood and clearly rattled the Lakers, allowing the Thunder to seize the initiative and pull away for victory.
“It was a great game that unfortunately didn’t get the finish that I think every basketball fan would want because of some decision making on some individuals’ parts,” Lakers coach J.J. Redick said.
LeBron James, who finished with 28 points, was at a loss to explain Doncic’s ejection.
“I don’t know why the ref was taking it personal,” James told reporters. “The ref took it upon himself to think it was versus him. The game was just weird as hell after that.”
Doncic insisted he had not been trash-talking Orr. “It was nothing to do with the ref, so I didn’t really understand it,” Doncic said. “It was tough, but you know that’s on me too. I can’t let my team down like that.”
The Lakers remain in third place with a 48-31 record and need to win two of their remaining three regular-season fixtures to lock in third seeding in the Western Conference.
The Cleveland Cavaliers clinched No.1 seeding in the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs after cruising past the Chicago Bulls 135-113.
Darius Garland led the scoring with 28 points in a balanced offensive performance from the Cavs, who improved to 63-16 to ensure they will finish the regular season on top of the East.
The victory ensures Cleveland will have home advantage when the playoffs get under way next week following the completion of the regular season on Sunday.
Garland was one of five Cleveland players to post double figures, with Evan Mobley adding 21 points with 12 rebounds and seven assists and Ty Jerome chipping in with 18 off the bench.
“You celebrate these moments,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I think the guys are super happy in that locker room. We’ve had some ups and downs this past month, but I’m really proud of the guys.
“It’s hard to win 63 games in this league, and it’s hard to be the first seed. So great accomplishment. We’re hungry for more.”
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, the second-seeded Boston Celtics edged the third placed New York Knicks in a thriller at Madison Square Garden, with Jayson Tatum’s 32-point performance guiding the NBA champions to a 119-117 overtime victory.
Back in the Western Conference playoff race, where six teams are vying for the remaining four automatic playoff berths, the Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a potentially costly 110-103 defeat on the road to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The result leave Minnesota on 46-33 and outside the top six places in the West.
The Memphis Grizzlies boosted their chances of playoff qualification with a 124-100 win over the Charlotte Hornets on the road.
The win lifted Memphis into fifth place in the table with a 47-32 record.
The game was overshadowed by a scary injury to Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells, who was stretchered off the court after landing heavily following a foul by K.J. Simpson.
US media reported Wells was awake and alert and nursing a broken wrist following the incident.
Stephen Curry, Warriors leave Suns on brink of elimination
- Trayce Jackson-Davis added 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Warriors
- The Phoenix Suns dropped its seventh straight game despite Devin Booker’s 21 points
Stephen Curry amassed 25 points, nine rebounds and six assists, Brandin Podziemski scored 22 points, and the visiting Golden State Warriors blew past the Phoenix Suns 133-95 on Tuesday.
Trayce Jackson-Davis added 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Warriors (47-32), who won their sixth game in seven tries.
Jimmy Butler III, Jonathan Kuminga, Kevin Knox II and Pat Spencer each put up 10 points for Golden State, which led by as many as 41 points and pulled even with the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies in a four-way for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference standings.
Phoenix (35-44) dropped its seventh straight game despite Devin Booker’s 21 points. Ryan Dunn and Grayson Allen chipped in 12 points apiece for the Suns, who are all but eliminated from play-in contention. They fell three games back of the 10th-place Dallas Mavericks with three games to go.
After taking a 26-point advantage into halftime, the Warriors ballooned the lead to 81-47 after Butler’s mid-range jumper and subsequent three-point play.
Kuminga sank a pair of layups surrounding a Podziemski trey, giving Golden State its largest lead of the night to that point at 93-57 with 1:39 remaining in the third quarter. Allen split a pair of free throws on the Suns’ final possession of the quarter, cutting the deficit to 95-61 entering the fourth.
After Golden State cleared the bench, Warriors reserves Knox and Gui Santos hit 3-pointers and Spencer connected on two treys, extending the lead to 113-74.
Golden State shot 54.2 percent in the first quarter and Curry scored 13 as the Warriors took a 37-24 lead into the second.
Allen’s five straight points pulled the Suns within eight before Jackson-Davis’ three-point play stamped Golden State’s 10-2 run, pushing the margin to 49-33. Booker hit a stepback jumper, but Curry’s layup began a 9-0 Warriors’ spurt that forged a 58-35 lead with 3:07 left in the period.
Booker’s layup with 47 seconds remaining ended the first half for the Suns, who entered the locker room behind 69-43.
Nuggets fire coach Michael Malone and oust GM Calvin Booth in stunning move as postseason looms
- Josh Kroenke, the vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said “it is with no pleasure” that the Nuggets made the change at coach
- The Nuggets are 47-32 this season with three games left but have dropped four consecutive games and are in a logjam of teams fighting for home-court advantage in Round 1 of the playoffs
NEW YORK: Michael Malone, who coached the Denver Nuggets to the NBA title in 2023 and has led the team to eight consecutive winning seasons, was fired Tuesday in a stunning move that comes with less than a week in the regular season.
Also out: general manager Calvin Booth, whose contract will not be renewed. The Nuggets said David Adelman will become the coach for the remainder of the season.
Josh Kroenke, the vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said “it is with no pleasure” that the Nuggets made the change at coach.
“This decision was not made lightly and was evaluated very carefully, and we do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA Championship and delivering another title to Denver and our fans everywhere,” Kroenke said.
The Nuggets are 47-32 this season with three games left but have dropped four consecutive games and are in a logjam of teams fighting for home-court advantage in Round 1 of the playoffs. Denver won the title in 2023 and lost a Game 7 at home in the Western Conference semifinals a year ago to Minnesota.
Malone had the fourth-longest tenure of any active NBA coach, behind San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, Miami’s Erik Spoelstra and Golden State’s Steve Kerr.
Malone won 471 regular-season games in Denver, 39 more than Doug Moe for the franchise’s all-time coaching lead.
“While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now. Championship level standards and expectations remain in place for the current season, and as we look to the future, we look forward to building on the foundations laid by Coach Malone over his record-breaking 10-year career in Denver,” Kroenke said.
Malone had consistent success in Denver. The Nuggets finished with losing records in his first two seasons and posted winning records in his next eight years with the club.
This season’s postseason appearance will be the team’s seventh in a row; it has not clinched a playoff berth yet this season but is assured of finishing no worse than in the play-in tournament.
Starting with the first playoff appearance under Malone in 2019, the Nuggets got out of the first round six times in seven chances. They made the Western Conference finals in the Walt Disney World bubble in 2020 and then rolled to the championship by winning 16 of 20 playoff games in 2023.
Zverev crashes as Tsitsipas, Draper advance in Monte Carlo
- World No. 2 Zverev has struggled for any kind of form since his defeat by Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final
- Berrettini has won 17 of his past 18 matches on clay
MONTE CARLO, Principality of Monaco: Top seed Alexander Zverev crashed out in his opening match of the Monte Carlo Masters on Tuesday falling to Italy’s Matteo Berrettini as defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and Britain’s Jack Draper both advanced.
World No. 2 Zverev has struggled for any kind of form since his defeat by Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final at the end of January, winning just six of 12 matches.
But with a first-round bye in the absence of world No. 1 Sinner, who is suspended for a doping violation until May 4, Zverev was among the favorites.
After a controlled start to the game, the German slumped to a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 defeat to 34th-ranked Berrettini, at the end of a high-flying match, which had included an impressive 48-stroke rally won by the Italian.
“It’s been the worst period since my injury (the) last few months,” said Zverev who has suffered a string of early exits of late, including at Indian Wells.
“I played a great first set, and once I got broken in the second set I play ten levels down. My ball is much slower. I stop hitting the ball.
“The same story the last few months. Nothing changes. So it’s me who lost the match, once again.
“I thought my level was terrible, but that’s just my opinion.”
Defending champion and three-time Monte Carlo winner Tsitsipas advanced past 38th-ranked Australian Jordan Thompson. After a lacklustre US tour, the Dubai winner won through 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in his second round tie.
Indian Wells champion Draper, seeded fifth, eased past 45th-ranked American Marcos Giron 6-1, 6-1.
Novak Djokovic — the winner in 2013 and 2015 — and Carlos Alcaraz start their campaigns on Wednesday.
Zverev won the first set against former Wimbledon runner-up Berrettini but a break of serve in the sixth game of the second set allowed the Italian to level the match.
Berrettini broke at 3-all in the final set before blowing a chance to close out victory on his own serve, but he broke again for a 6-5 lead after an astonishing 48-shot rally.
The 34th-ranked Berrettini made no mistake with his second opportunity though, advancing to a last-16 meeting with Lorenzo Musetti or Jiri Lehecka.
“The game plan was the same but I changed my attitude and the way I was believing in my strokes,” Berrettini said.
“I told myself to be more aggressive and if I am going to lose this match, I am going to do the right things and luckily it worked.”
Berrettini has won 17 of his past 18 matches on clay. Last season, he captured clay-court titles in Marrakech, Gstaad and Kitzbuehel. However, he hasn’t played at the French Open since 2021 due to injuries.
“I have missed the biggest tournament on clay for the past three years and that was tough and now I want to enjoy it. I feel really comfortable on clay,” said the former world number six.
For Zverev, last year’s Roland Garros runner-up, it was another disappointing outcome on clay after quarter-final exits in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. His next tournament will be on home soil in Munich.
Meanwhile Tsitsipas let a 5-2 lead slip in the second set, before getting past Thompson to set up a third round meeting with either Portugal’s Nuno Borges or Spaniard Pedro Martinez.
“I really didn’t know what to expect, you don’t know what your opponent is capable of,” said Tsitsipas.
“He showed a good first set, he seemed to be playing quite reserved and wasn’t giving me much to work with. I was just trying to find something to reignite that consistency within my game.”
Dane Holger Rune, the 10th seed, retired due to illness against Portugal’s Nuno Borges.
Rune, the Monte Carlo runner-up in 2023, called for the doctor after losing the opening set before shaking hands with his opponent while trailing 6-2, 3-0.
Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, a two-time Monte Carlo semifinalist, defeated Chilean Nicolas Jarry 6-3, 6-4, on his seventh match point.
Arsenal stun Real Madrid as Rice delivers free-kick masterclass
- Incredibly, Rice had never scored a free-kick in his career before the first of his missiles hit the back of the Real net
LONDON: Arsenal stormed to a stunning 3-0 win over Champions League holders Real Madrid as Declan Rice’s free-kick masterclass left the Gunners within touching distance of a place in the semifinals.
Rice scored two majestic free-kicks in the second half of the quarter-final first leg at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Merino added Arsenal’s third goal before Real’s Eduardo Camavinga was sent off for kicking the ball away in the closing minutes to leave the Spanish giants in disarray.
The brilliance of Rice’s brace cannot be understated, with even Real keeper Thibaut Courtois — usually so inspired on Champions League nights — unable to get anywhere near the England midfielder’s thunderbolts.
Incredibly, Rice had never scored a free-kick in his career before the first of his missiles hit the back of the Real net.
It was no more than Arsenal deserved for a mature performance that exposed injury-hit Real in ruthless style.
Mikel Arteta’s men will travel to the Bernabeu for the second leg on April 16 as firm favorites to advance to a semifinal tie against Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa, who meet in their quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.
The Gunners have not reached the Champions League semifinals since 2009, but that target is now within their grasp after an evening that will go down as one of the most memorable in the club’s storied history.
Arteta had labelled the clash with Real as the “biggest night” of his career as he urged his players to write their own history by winning Arsenal’s first Champions League crown.
They rose to the challenge so successfully that even Arteta might have been surprised.
Arsenal trail Premier League leaders Liverpool by 11 points and look destined to finish as runners-up for a third successive season.
But the Champions League now offers Arteta genuine hope of a first major trophy since the 2020 FA Cup, providing they can finish the job in Madrid next week.
Beaten by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals last season, Arsenal’s only Champions League final appearance ended in defeat against Barcelona in 2006 — a run that included a last 16 victory over Real.
For Real, it was a chastening defeat as the 15-time European champions were punished for the flaws that had already seen them beaten 10 times in all competitions this term as they lag four points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Jude Bellingham was largely anonymous and Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior posed only sporadic threats after a promising start.
Vinicius Junior threatened in the opening stages, curling wide after Mbappe picked him out inside the Arsenal area.
Mbappe’s electric pace took him clear of the Arsenal defense in another lightning raid, but the France star shot straight at David Raya.
Arsenal showed no signs of being cowed by Real’s star-studded attack and Rice’s towering header from Jurrien Timber’s cross forced a fine save from Thibaut Courtois, who scrambed across to keep out Gabriel Martinelli’s effort from the rebound.
Mbappe lashed into the side-netting from an acute angle, but Real were unable to match Arsenal’s intensity in the second half and the Gunners deservedly took the lead in the 58th minute.
Rice stepped up 25 yards from goal and whipped a sublime free-kick around the Real wall and into the far corner.
It was a stunning strike that even former Real defender and set-piece maestro Roberto Carlos, watching from the Emirates stands, would have been proud of.
Arsenal almost struck again in a remarkable sequence that saw Courtois save Martinelli’s blast before Merino’s shot from the rebound was hacked off the line by David Alaba and Courtois again denied Merino.
Real were on the ropes and Rice landed another devastating blow in the 70th minute, lashing an unstoppable free-kick into the top corner from 20 yards as Courtois grasped at thin air.
As the ecstatic Arsenal fans roared “Declan Rice, we got him half praise,” that reference to his £105 million fee didn’t seem like hyperbole for once.
Arsenal weren’t finished yet and Merino put Arsenal in dreamland five minutes later with a clinical finish from 12 yards as the Emirates turned into a roiling red sea of celebration.
