PARIS: Kylian Mbappé scored five goals, including a 12-minute hat trick in the first half, as Paris Saint-Germain won 7-0 at amateur team Pays de Cassel in the French Cup on Monday to set up a round-of-16 match at bitter rival Marseille.
It was his first hat trick since France’s World Cup final defeat to Argentina on Dec. 18. It took Mbappé’s tally to 25 goals in 24 games this season and moved him onto 196 overall for PSG — four short of Edinson Cavani’s club record.
Mbappe became the first PSG player to score five goals in a competitive match.
“We came here to respect this team by playing at our level. That’s what we did and we’re very happy,” Mbappé said. “It was a great opportunity for them and also for us, because it’s a reminder for us that we come from amateur football and it’s important to keep this link. Even if it’s only for one game.”
PSG coach Christophe Galtier kept his word and picked a strong side, with the World Cup top scorer Mbappé and Neymar in the lineup, although he rested World Cup winner Lionel Messi for the game played at northern side Lens’ home stadium.
Neymar was anonymous until he collected a yellow card for a rash late tackle in the 26th. Galtier looked increasingly agitated with his underperforming team when Mbappé put record 14-time cup winner PSG ahead from Nuno Mendes’ cross in the 29th minute.
Neymar was roundly jeered by the crowd when he scored PSG’s second goal with a skillful effort in the 33rd, before Mbappé netted with a lob and a slick chipped finish.
Mbappé grabbed his fourth after a goalkeeper blunder in the 56th, before Neymar set up Carlos Soler midway through the second half and Mbappé slotted in from close range in the 78th. He almost got a double hat trick but a late shot was blocked.
Marseille won the last of 10 French Cups in 1989 and has lost three times in the final since, including to PSG in 2016.
Another all first-division clash sees Lyon hosting Lille with the ties held Feb. 7-8.
PSG hosts Bayern Munich on Feb. 14 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 game.
World Cup star Mbappé gets 5 goals for PSG in French Cup win
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World Cup star Mbappé gets 5 goals for PSG in French Cup win
- Mbappe became the first PSG player to score five goals in a competitive match
Ruben Amorim is ‘very excited’ about where 14th-place Man United can go in 2025
- The Portuguese says he’s determined to press on with the 3-4-3 system despite the difficulties United’s squad has had in adapting
- United have the toughest of starts to 2025 when they travel to play league leader Liverpool on Sunday in what is widely considered English soccer’s fiercest rivalry
MANCHESTER: Despite his team entering 2025 in 14th place in the Premier League, Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is “very excited” about the year ahead.
United’s 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle on Monday saw them suffer five league losses in the same calendar month for the first time since September 1962, and a fourth straight reverse in all competitions means the Red Devils have lost six of their last eight.
But in a message posted on his club’s official X account on New Year’s Eve, Amorim wrote: “I know it will take a lot of hard work from everyone to get there, but I am very excited about where we can go together in 2025.”
Amorim is yet to halt the alarming slide which led to Erik ten Hag’s dismissal in October, and his team is seven points above the drop zone with increasing talk of a relegation fight, including by Amorim himself who has called it “a possibility.”
But the Portuguese says he’s determined to press on with the 3-4-3 system despite the difficulties United’s squad has had in adapting.
“Of course I didn’t choose the players specifically for these positions but that I already knew,” he said. “But I understand they have a lot of difficulties because they spend two years playing one way and then they are playing another.”
Amorim did not have the benefit of a pre-season to implement such a major change to United’s tactical model, and admitted that is having a significant impact.
“I think the players are losing everything, the small things that we try to work on in training,” Amorim said. “After one goal they lose everything because we don’t have the base, we don’t have time to build the base to cope with the difficult moments so it’s really hard in this moment.”
United have the toughest of starts to 2025 when they travel to play league leader Liverpool on Sunday in what is widely considered English soccer’s fiercest rivalry.
Disappointing year ends with dismal defeat for Saudi Arabia
- Oman go on to face either Bahrain or Kuwait in the final
RIYADH: New Year’s Eve 2024 saw Saudi Arabia lose 2-1 to Oman to crash out of the Arabian Gulf Cup at the semifinal stage and end a below-par 2024 on a low note.
With just one win in six 2026 World Cup qualifiers that resume in March, coach Herve Renard hoped to kick-start the national team’s fortunes with success in the Gulf Cup, currently being held in Kuwait.
The Frenchman’s desire was dashed despite Oman playing the majority of the game with ten men as Rabia Al-Alawi was shown a straight red in the 34th minute for a wild lunge on Salem Al-Dawsari. As the Al-Nahda star left the pitch in the Kuwait City stadium, Saudi Arabian fans were expecting a comfortable win but despite the possession and chances, the Green Falcons were unable to take advantage of their one-man advantage.
Oman redoubled their efforts to deny their opponents time and space but Saudi Arabia, seeking a first Gulf Cup win since 2004, had the ball in the net midway through the second half. Abdullah Al-Hamdan had scored twice against Iraq three days earlier, but his close-range effort was ruled out for offside.
It was Oman who took the lead in the 74th minute as Arshad Al-Alawi fired home a free-kick from outside the area, squeezing his shot under the Saudi wall.
Herve Renard’s men pushed forward in search of an equalizer but found themselves two goals down with five minutes remaining after Ali Al-Busaidi scored again for Oman.
It looked to be game over but Mohamed Kanno pulled a goal back in the 87th minute to cut short the Omani celebrations and give Saudi Arabian fans hope. The Al-Hilal midfielder curled home a beauty from outside the area.
It was too little too late, however. In the 10th minute of added time, Abdulelah Hawsawi was sent off to level the number of players on both sides but despite the pressure, the men from Riyadh were unable to level the scores and now have to return home with much to ponder.
Oman, meanwhile, go on to face either Bahrain or Kuwait in the final.
Djokovic, Sabalenka win season-openers but Kyrgios loses on return
- Former world number one Novak Djokovic is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam crown in January in Melbourne
- Australian firebrand Nick Kyrgios loses in three tight sets in his first singles match since June 2023
BRISBANE, Australia: Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka launched their Australian Open preparations with straight-sets wins on Tuesday at the Brisbane International but Nick Kyrgios lost on his return from injury.
Former world number one Djokovic, who is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam crown in January in Melbourne, eased to a 6-3, 6-3 victory over wildcard Rinky Hijikata.
The 37-year-old Serb broke Hijikata once in the first set and twice in the second for a comfortable 74-minute win.
Djokovic, now ranked seven in the world, was all business against the young Australian and always looked in control as he set up a second-round clash against fellow veteran Gael Monfils.
“To start the new season with a win is obviously very important,” said Djokovic, who is pursuing an unprecedented 11th Australian Open title.
“But Hijikata was really good tonight and he made me work for it.”
Australian firebrand Kyrgios lost in three tight sets in his first singles match since June 2023.
Kyrgios went down 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/3) to Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in almost two and a half hours as serve dominated.
The 2022 Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios, 29, is making his comeback following wrist reconstruction and other injuries over the past couple of years.
Ahead of the Australian Open starting on January 12, big-serving Mpetshi Perricard said Kyrgios had shown enough to suggest that his comeback would be a success.
Kyrgios played and won in the doubles with Djokovic on Monday.
“Playing Nick here wasn’t a good match-up for me,” the 21-year-old Mpetshi Perricard said, asked about playing Kyrgios in front of his home crowd.
“He did some good things, he played with confidence.”
The Frenchman, who has risen from 205 in the world at the start of 2024 to his current ranking of 31, fired down 36 aces.
Women’s world number one Sabalenka kickstarted her bid to win the Australian Open for a third consecutive time with a straight-forward win after a sluggish start.
The Belarusian appeared bothered by the high humidity on Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane, particularly during an error-strewn first set against Renata Zarazua.
But after breaking Mexico’s Zarazua at 5-4, the 26-year-old surged through the second set to wrap up the match 6-4, 6-0 in 65 minutes.
“The first match is always a tricky one,” Sabalenka said.
“It was a tricky start for me but I’m glad that I closed it out in the first set, and in the second set I felt like whatever I tried to do it would work for me.
“So I’m really happy for the first win of the season.”
Sabalenka is bidding to be the first woman since Martina Hingis in 1997-99 to win three Australian Opens in succession.
She will play Yulia Putintseva next after the Kazakh’s 6-2, 7-5 win over American Mccartney Kessler.
Pakistan’s Azan Ali Khan clinches Junior Under-17 Scottish Open squash title
- Khan defeats Swiss opponent to win tournament that featured players from 22 nations
- Khan will now compete in the British Open World Junior Squash Championship next year
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani squash player Azan Ali Khan clinched the Junior Under-17 Scottish Junior Open Championship 2024 in Edinburgh this week, defeating Switzerland’s Landro Wagle in the final while remaining undefeated throughout the tournament, a non-government organization sponsoring him said on Tuesday.
The Scottish Junior Open 2024 was held from Dec. 28 to 30, featuring players from 22 countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Egypt and the United States.
“Azlan Ali Khan has emerged as the champion of the 2024 Scottish Junior Open Championship,” Muslim Hands Pakistan, Khan’s sponsor, said in a statement. “Azan Ali Khan defeated Switzerland’s Landro Wagle in the final to win the title.”
Muslim Hands Pakistan, a branch of the UK-based charity, works to alleviate poverty, sickness and lack of education in the country. It operates over 335 schools, serving more than 25,000 students and runs projects in health care, water, sanitation and vocational training.
Khan dedicated his victory to Pakistan’s out-of-school children. The South Asian country has a population 22.8 million out-of-school children aged 5-16 years, making Pakistan the country with the second-highest number of out-of-school children.
Rana Mashood Ahmed Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Youth Program, congratulated Khan, his coach and team manager on the achievement.
“Azan Ali Khan is now preparing for the next stage and will compete in the British Open World Junior Squash Championship,” Muslim Hands said. “The British Open World Junior Squash Championship will be held from January 2 to January 6 in Birmingham.”
Hart triple-double sparks Knicks to eighth straight NBA win
- At Salt Lake City the Denver Nuggets got triple-doubles from Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook in beating the Utah Jazz 132-121
- The NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers, led by 25 points from Darius Garland and 23 by Donovan Mitchell, rolled over host Golden State 113-95 to improve their win streak to seven
WASHINGTON: Josh Hart delivered his third triple-double of the season on Monday to spark the New York Knicks to a 126-106 victory at Washington that stretched their win streak to eight games.
Hart had 23 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for his ninth triple-double with the Knicks while Karl-Anthony Towns had a game-high 32 points and 13 rebounds.
Jalen Brunson and O.G. Anunoby each scored 18 points for New York, which improved to 23-10.
The Knicks led 59-57 at half time over the Eastern Conference doormats and pulled away in the third quarter before dominating the fourth to win.
“We executed, we got stops, we played fast,” Hart said. “We played to our strengths. Sometimes it takes us a little while to wake up. We always do.”
At Salt Lake City the Denver Nuggets got triple-doubles from Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook in beating the Utah Jazz 132-121.
Jokic had 36 points, 23 rebounds and 10 assists while Westbrook contributed 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to ignite the Nuggets.
Michael Porter added 21 points for Denver while Jamal Murray and Christian Braun each scored 20 for the Nuggets (18-13).
The NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers, led by 25 points from Darius Garland and 23 by Donovan Mitchell, rolled over host Golden State 113-95 to improve their win streak to seven.
Reserve Moses Moody led the Warriors with 19 points while Stephen Curry managed only 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting, 3-of-11 from three-point range.
Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid scored 37 points and grabbed nine rebounds to power the 76ers to their fourth victory in a row, a 125-103 triumph at Portland.
Tyrese Maxey added 23 points for the Sixers.
At New Orleans, James Harden sank four free throws in the final 17 seconds to give the Los Angeles Clippers a 116-113 victory over the host Pelicans, the NBA’s worst club dropping a 10th consecutive game to sink to 5-28.
Norman Powell scored a game-high 35 points while Harden added 27 as the Clippers improved to 19-13.
De’Aaron Fox scored a game-high 33 points and the Sacramento Kings, who trailed by as many as 18 points, beat visiting Dallas 110-100 to snap a six-game losing streak.
The Kings closed the third quarter with a 17-2 run for an 83-77 lead entering the fourth, which began with an 11-4 Sacramento run for a 94-81 edge as the hosts pulled away to stay.
The Mavericks were without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Elsewhere, Coby White had 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to spark the Chicago Bulls’ 115-108 overtime victory at Charlotte.
Miles Bridges, who had a game-high 31 points for the Hornets, hit a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime at 98-98.
