DOHA: For 90 minutes, the hulking, masked mass that is Joško Gvardiol kept Belgium’s big-name strikers at bay with timely tackles — none bigger than his stop on Romelu Lukaku two minutes into stoppage time.
Then the 20-year-old Croat who is fast becoming the most sought-after center back in Europe went over to the side of the field and reached up to embrace his mother and cry.
The fact that Croatia conceded only one goal in their three group games at the World Cup is largely down to the performance of Gvardiol, who, despite his hefty stature, is nicknamed “Little Pep” because of the similarities of his last name with that of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
“He’s the best defender in the world,” Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić said through a translator after Thursday’s game. “Even if he’s not currently No. 1, he will become No. 1.”
While he only recently extended his contract with Leipzig through 2027, Gvardiol is reportedly a big transfer target for Chelsea, which should have no problem paying a 50 million euro ($50 million) release clause inserted into his deal with the German club.
In the meantime, veteran Croatia defenders Dejan Lovren and Domagoj Vida, who are both 33, have taken Gvardiol under their wing. His addition to a team that in 2018 reached the World Cup final has added another dimension in terms of physicality and youth.
“He enjoys great support from Lovren both on and off the field, and Vida also helps with extra advice,” Dalić said. “I am happy to watch how good they work together.”
Gvardiol is wearing a face mask during the tournament because he broke his nose when he collided with Willi Orbán during a Bundesliga match on Nov. 10 — the day after he was named to Croatia’s World Cup squad.
Up next for Gvardiol and Croatia is a match in the round of 16 on Monday against a Japan squad that are coming off an inspiring victory over Spain and managed to advance ahead of four-time champion Germany, which was eliminated in one of the most competitive groups.
“Before the end of the group stage, if we could choose the opponent in the next round, maybe some would say Japan,” Dalić said Friday. “But after seeing that they beat both Germany and Spain, they are anything but an easy opponent.”
The core of Croatia’s team remains their experienced midfield trio of Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić and Marcelo Brozović — plus winger Ivan Perišić.
At the age of 37 with 158 international appearances, Modrić is still able to dominate soccer’s biggest games with both Real Madrid and Croatia.
Perišić, who is also 33, never seems to tire on the left wing. He ran 72.5 kilometers during Croatia’s seven matches in the 2018 World Cup and could break that mark in Qatar.
While coach Roberto Martinez announced he was leaving Belgium’s squad after their “Golden Generation” was eliminated following a 0-0 draw with Croatia, Dalić said he isn’t through with his national team — no matter how Croatia finishes this tournament.
“This team are a mix of youth and experience,” he said. “I have more plans for Euro 2024 and only then might I reflect on taking some other steps and moves in my career.”
‘Little Pep’ Gvardiol coming up big for Croatia at World Cup
https://arab.news/5qvpz
‘Little Pep’ Gvardiol coming up big for Croatia at World Cup
- The fact that Croatia conceded only one goal in their three group games at the World Cup is largely down to the performance of Gvardiol
- He’s nicknamed “Little Pep” because of the similarities of his last name with that of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola
An ‘embarrassing’ night for Stephen Curry and the Warriors, who fall by 51 at Memphis
- Stephen Curry did not make a shot from the field in his 24 minutes against the Memphis Grizzlies
- It was the first time he has played that many minutes without a basket in his 16-year career
Curry didn’t make a shot from the field in his 24 minutes — the first time he’s played that many minutes without a basket in his 16-year career — and the Warriors fell behind by 57 points in what became a 144-93 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night.
“We ran into a buzz saw,” Curry said. “We obviously know we are better than that. I’ve got to be better than that.”
The 51-point final margin and 57-point deficit were both the largest in the NBA this season.
“You lose by 51, that’s humbling,” coach Steve Kerr said after his team, which started the season 12-3, lost for the ninth time in its last 11 games.
Curry was 0 for 7, missing all six of his tries from 3-point range. It was only the fifth time in Curry’s career that he’d taken a shot in a game and not registered a field goal — he was 0 for 1 once, 0 for 2 once, 0 for 3 once and 0 for 4 once.
“He’s one of the toughest covers in the history of the NBA,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said.
Not on Thursday, however.
“That was embarrassing,” Curry said.
It was only the fifth time in Warriors history that they lost a regular-season game by more than 50 points. Of those, three have come in the last five years — by 53 to Toronto at Tampa, Florida in 2021, by 52 at Boston on March 3 and Thursday’s 51-point loss.
The franchise regular-season record is a 63-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972. The Philadelphia Warriors lost by 51 at Boston in 1962.
“It wasn’t any of our nights,” Kerr said. “Including mine.”
Curry and Draymond Green had never combined for zero field goals in a game in which both played, until Thursday.
“There’s a first time for everything, right?” Curry said.
Brandin Podziemski and Andrew Wiggins combined to make 15 of their 24 shots for Golden State. The rest of the Warriors shot 17 of 66 — 25.8 percent — with Dennis Schroder going 2 for 12 in his Golden State debut. Jonathan Kuminga also shot 2 of 12.
The Warriors have now trailed at least one game by 45 points in each of the last six seasons.
“Once we’re all locked in defensively, you see what type of team we can be,” Grizzlies guard Ja Morant said.
The Grizzlies now have the two biggest victory margins in the NBA this season. They beat Portland by 45 on Nov. 10.
Memphis also led Golden State by 55 in Game 5 of the 2022 Western Conference semifinals, ultimately winning that game by 39 points. The Warriors went on to win that series in six games and eventually won that season’s NBA title.
“I know who we are. I know what our team is about,” Kerr said. “I know we’ve got competitors, and I know we’re going to bounce back and we’re going to regroup. So, I’m not concerned about that. But we’ve got a lot of work to do to execute and learn how to execute under pressure and take care of the ball and get good shots.”
Pakistan in good shape for Champions Trophy after winning ODI series in South Africa
- Rizwan and Azam’s half-centuries along with Afridi’s 4-wicket haul sealed Pakistan’s 81-run victory
- Pakistan will play their last match of the ODI series against South Africa on Sunday in Johannesburg
CAPE TOWN: Pakistan won a second straight major one-day international series away from home when it beat South Africa by 81 runs at Newlands on Thursday.
After beating Australia 2-1 last month, Pakistan has taken the Proteas 2-0 with a game to spare. Half-centuries by Babar Azam, captain Mohammad Rizwan and allrounder Kamran Ghulam staked Pakistan to 329 all out.
Heinrich Klaasen hit 97 but South Africa’s chase was strangled by Pakistan, and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi ended the last meaningful resistance with three wickets in three overs. Klaasen was the last man out on 248 in the 44th over.
Pakistan’s fifth successive bilateral ODI series win puts it in good stead for the Champions Trophy it will host in February.
It was unchanged from the three-wicket win on Tuesday in Paarl, made to bat first, and minus both openers in the first 10 overs.
Rizwan was smashed on the back of his helmet by debutant pacer Kwena Maphaka but gathered his senses with Azam in a steady but safe stand of 115.
The partnership was broken when Azam was caught at midwicket for 73 off 95 balls, his first half-century in any format for Pakistan since May, and his first in ODIs in 13 months.
When Rizwan followed three overs later for 80 off 82, caught and bowled by Maphaka when he was accelerating, Pakistan was forced to reset at 192-4 with 14 overs to go.
Amid four dropped catches by South Africa, Ghulam piled more misery on the host by smashing a 25-ball half-century on his fifth six. Ghulam was the last batter out for 63 off 32, the main plunderer as Pakistan scored 105 runs off the last 10 overs.
“Kamran Ghulam’s innings was absolutely fantastic,” Rizwan said. “We were looking for 300 but we got 300-plus, must give credit to him. I had trust in him but not like that ... that was something different.”
Set 330 to win, openers Temba Bavuma and Tony de Zorzi gave South Africa a promising start in the first 12 overs.
But spinners Abrar Ahmed and part-timer Salman Agha chipped out three top-order wickets and slowed the scoring so the run rate required gradually climbed.
Klaasen and the fit-again David Miller were reviving the chase and starting to charge when Miller was caught behind off Shaheen for 29, ending a stand of 72 runs in 12 overs with Klaasen.
Klaasen soldiered on, out three runs short of a fifth ODI century, as Shaheen grabbed 4-47 and fellow pacer Naseem Shah took 3-37.
The last ODI is on Sunday in Johannesburg.
Inter Milan reach Italian Cup quarterfinals after Asllani scores direct from corner kick
- Marko Arnautovic and Kristjan Asllani netted in the first half to help Inter set up a quarterfinal match against Lazio
- Teenage defender Mike Aidoo came on two minutes from time for Inter for his professional debut
MILAN: A much-changed Inter Milan side eased to a 2-0 victory over Udinese in the Italian Cup on Thursday.
Marko Arnautovic and Kristjan Asllani netted in the first half to help Inter set up a quarterfinal match against Lazio — the team they routed 6-0 in the league on Monday. Inter coach Simone Inzaghi made eight changes to that side.
The match was briefly halted shortly before halftime when a spectator collapsed in the stands. The fan was immediately treated as the stadium fell into silence and the players looked on, clearly concerned.
A defibrillator had to be used before the fan was carried out on a stretcher to the applause of the San Siro crowd. The fan was reportedly stable in the hospital.
When play resumed after a delay of more than five minutes, the Udinese players still seemed distracted as Asllani’s corner from the left evaded everyone and went in off the far post.
That put Inter 2-0 up as it had broken the deadlock in the 30th minute following an Udinese error. A hideous pass from visiting midfielder Jurgen Ekkelenkamp was straight at Mehdi Taremi and he fed in Arnautovic, who slotted into the bottom right corner.
Taremi hit the post in the second half, while Inter also had an early penalty revoked on review.
Teenage defender Mike Aidoo came on two minutes from time for Inter for his professional debut.
Guiu hat trick helps Chelsea rout Rovers 5-1 to extend Conference League dominance
- Guiu, who joined Chelsea from Barcelona this summer, has scored six goals in six games in the third-tier competition
- Rolando Mandragora netted for Fiorentina three minutes from time to salvage a 1-1 draw at Vitoria
LONDON: Marc Guiu’s first-half hat trick helped Chelsea ease past Shamrock Rovers 5-1 on Thursday to complete the league phase of the UEFA Conference League with a 100 percent record.
The 18-year-old forward, who netted twice in a 3-1 win over Astana in the previous round, opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a header from close range at Stamford Bridge.
Markus Poom equalized for the Irish visitors, but Guiu restored Chelsea’s lead with an angled shot from the left in the 34th.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall made it 3-1 six minutes later before Guiu completed his first hat trick for the Blues with a header in stoppage time.
“I’ve never seen anyone press like him,” Dewsbury-Hall told TNTSports about Guiu. “He doesn’t slow down, he’ll keep working hard. You forget how young he is. He’s only 18. I’m happy that he got his hat trick, he deserves it.”
Guiu, who joined Chelsea from Barcelona this summer, has scored six goals in six games in the third-tier competition.
Marc Cucurella finished off the rout in the second half.
It’s now eight straight wins in all competitions for Enzo Maresca’s team, which equals the club’s record set in December 2016.
Of the 36 clubs involved in the revamped competition, the top eight in the standings go directly to the round of 16 in March. Teams ranked ninth to 24th go into the knockout playoffs in February. The bottom 12 teams are eliminated.
Unlike the new-look Champions League and Europa League, teams in the Conference League face six opponents, not eight, in the league phase that replaced the traditional group stage.
Chelsea was the only team that stayed perfect, the only team that qualified to the round of 16 with a game to spare, and it scored 26 in six games, by far the most goals.
Despite its first defeat in the competition, Rovers finished 10th and became the first Irish club to advance to the knockout stage of a European competition.
Top eight
Rolando Mandragora netted for Fiorentina three minutes from time to salvage a 1-1 draw at Vitoria, a result that gave the Portuguese team second place with 14 points. Fiorentina, runner-up in the previous two editions, was a point back in third.
Rapid Vienna beat Copenhagen 3-0 to advance from fourth place on 13 points. Djurgarden was fifth with 13 points after a 3-1 win over Legia Warsaw, which was seventh place.
Lugano finished sixth after being held 2-2 at home by Pafos from Cyprus.
Cercle Brugge’s 1-1 draw against Basaksehir was enough to finish eighth.
World’s first artificial-intelligence boxing judge unveiled for Fury-Usyk fight
RIYADH: An artificial-intelligence judge will score the much-anticipated rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk here on Saturday, according to the organizers.
In a video posted early on Friday by General Entertainment Authority Chairman Turki Alalshikh, the AI judge explains how it will score the bout.
“I am the first-ever AI boxing judge,” the humanoid figure announces in the 38-second clip. “And I am here to bring fairness to the ring.”
The AI judge, powered by The Ring, the well-known boxing magazine, is just an “experiment” and will not decide the fight, according to Alalshikh.
Boxing fights are usually scored by three judges, who use the 10-point system each round to choose a winner in case there is no knockout.
“I analyze every round, every move, and every decisive moment during the fight,” it said.
Like human judges, the bot will try to track landed punches, effective aggression and defense, collecting real-time metrics to calculate a score and decide who has won.
In the past, human judges have been accused of not scoring correctly, being biased, or more seriously, corrupt.
It is unclear what the long-term impact of the experiment will be, but other sports including football and cricket use similar technologies to support referees and umpires to make accurate decisions more quickly, which have led to fairer results.
Excitement continues to build for the fight. Fury, who exercised a clause in his contract for a rematch after his May defeat to the undefeated Ukrainian, is out for revenge.
The fighters faced-off for media photos on Thursday night ahead of the official weigh-in on Friday.
