AL-HASA, Saudi Arabia: Finally, it happened. In an action-packed game, after having a goal disallowed, hitting the woodwork and missing a great chance, Cristiano Ronaldo finally scored for Al-Nassr with a stoppage time penalty that secured a 2-2 draw at Al-Fateh and sent them back to the top of the Roshn Saudi League.
It was the Portuguese international’s first competitive goal for the club since his move to Riyadh.
The five-time UEFA Champions League winner had a busy evening at the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium and it ended on a high.
New signing Cristian Tello put Al-Fateh in front in style early in the game, but Anderson Talisca, who was sent off in the final minutes, equalized just before the break for goal number 13 of the season so far. In the second half, Algerian star Sofiane Bendebka volleyed home another scorcher to restore Al-Fateh’s lead, only for Ronaldo to dash home team hopes.
As an advertisement for Saudi Arabian football, it had everything: fantastic goals, near misses, a red card and drama that kept a big crowd entertained right until the final whistle. They also had the question of whether Ronaldo, playing his third competitive game in the country, would get on the scoresheet.
The former Real Madrid star looked like he meant business from the start as Al-Nassr dominated the opening period, but it was ex-Barcelona forward Tello who put Al-Fateh in front with a beauty after 12 minutes of his first appearance.
Al-Nassr’s new on-loan goalkeeper Agustin Rossi punched a cross outside the area, but there was Tello, who joined the club in January, to send a looping volley back over the Argentine shot-stopper and into the net.
Ronaldo thought he had levelled the scores after 24 minutes. Receiving the ball from Talisca with his back to goal, the Portuguese star flicked the ball up, turned beautifully and then sent a low shot in off the post. It was immediately, and rightly, flagged for offside by the assistant referee.
He missed an easier chance 10 minutes later. Talisca’s low shot from the left side of the area was brilliantly tipped on to the post by Jacob Rinne only to rebound to Ronaldo, standing unmarked just to the right of the penalty spot. The away fans in the stadium got ready to erupt only for the 37 year-old to blast the ball over.
Three minutes before the break, Talisca made it 1-1. The Brazilian, the league’s leading goalscorer, found some space to receive a low left-sided cross from Ghislain Konan to drill the ball past the Swedish shotstopper.
There was still time in the first half for Ronaldo to hit the bar. Abdulrahmeen Gahreeb slipped the ball to the captain in the area and while it was slightly behind him, fans again expected the net to ripple. Instead, the ex-Manchester United man found only the woodwork. The frustration that the five-time Ballon D’or winner felt was there for all to see.
It looked as if the nine-time champions would take the lead sooner or later in the second half, but Al-Fateh did so, once again against the run of play and once again, it was a spectacular strike and one made in North Africa. Bendebka volleyed home a deep left-sided cross from Morocco’s Marwane Saadane high into the net from the back post. Rossi had no chance.
Al-Nassr had plenty of possession but struggled to create clear chances, though, late on, a Talisca volley forced a great reaction save from Rinne as Ronaldo took issue with what he saw as time-wasting from the home team and received a booking in the last minute of normal time as tempers boiled over.
He got his chance for revenge seconds later as the referee pointed to the spot when Jaloliddin Mashiparov was brought down in the area. He stepped up to give Rinne no chance. There were still seven minutes of added time, but hopes of a late winner were dashed when Talisca saw red for a rash tackle on Petros.
On Thursday, Al-Shabab went top temporarily with a 2-1 win over Damac, thanks to early goals from Santi Mina and Carlos. Al-Taawoun won 1-0 at bottom club Al-Batin to stay well-placed in fifth, just four points off the top.
Al-Hilal in third are in FIFA Club World Cup action on Saturday as the Asian champions face African counterparts Wydad AC of Morocco. Al-Ittihad can go level on points with Al-Shabab with a win against Al-Tai on Sunday.
Ronaldo scores first goal for Al-Nassr to salvage a late point against Al-Fateh
https://arab.news/2k3jq
Ronaldo scores first goal for Al-Nassr to salvage a late point against Al-Fateh
- Stoppage time penalty secures a 2-2 draw that sends the Riyadh club back to the top of the Roshn Saudi League table
- The five-time UEFA Champions League winner had a busy evening at the Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium and it ended on a high
Carsley makes flying start as England interim boss in win over Ireland
- Rice and Grealish, who both snubbed Ireland to represent England, scored in the first half of Carsley’s maiden game in charge following Gareth Southgate’s exit
- Carsley has stepped up on a temporary basis while the Football Association seek a permanent successor to Southgate
DUBLIN: England interim manager Lee Carsley enjoyed a dream debut as goals from Declan Rice and Jack Grealish silenced their Ireland tormentors and inspired a 2-0 win in Saturday’s Nations League opener in Dublin.
Rice and Grealish, who both snubbed Ireland to represent England, scored in the first half of Carsley’s maiden game in charge following Gareth Southgate’s exit.
Southgate quit after England’s heartbreaking Euro 2024 final defeat against Spain in July.
Carsley, who guided England Under-21s to European Championship glory last year, has stepped up on a temporary basis while the Football Association seek a permanent successor to Southgate.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe and former Chelsea manager Graham Potter are said to be among the leading contenders.
But Carsley’s hopes of landing the job himself were boosted by England’s confident display in the Nations League Group B2 victory at the Aviva Stadium.
It was a bold statement of intent from the 50-year-old, whose adventurous England were a far cry from the staid unit that twice finished as Euro runners-up under Southgate despite rarely playing to their potential.
England’s first win in Dublin since 1964 has to be placed in context given the poverty of opposition provided by Ireland
Ireland’s new manager Heimir Hallgrimsson is a qualified dentist and he may find the job of rebuilding his struggling team proves more painful than root canal treatment.
Carsley stuck by his controversial decision not to sing ‘God save the King’ before kick-off, a move that antagonized the more patriotic sections of England’s fanbase.
Birmingham-born Carsley has Irish grandparents, which allowed him to win 40 Ireland caps during his playing career, but he said on Friday that he has never sung a national anthem because he prefers to focus on the match ahead.
If Carsley, whose next game comes against Finland at Wembley on Tuesday, continues to mastermind this kind of eye-catching performance, the debate over his anthem stance will quickly be forgotten.
This was only England’s second trip to Dublin in 29 years after a 1995 friendly between the teams was abandoned when visiting fans rioted at Lansdowne Road.
Promoting “a new era of friendship” between countries with a tortured political past, Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer swapped football shirts ahead of the match.
There was still a hostile reception for Rice and Grealish, who were jeered by the 50,000 crowd for changing their allegiance to England despite representing Ireland at senior and Under-21 levels respectively earlier in their careers.
Neither was bothered by the taunts as Rice starred and Grealish, omitted from the Euro squad, seized the chance to shine as England’s number 10 in the absence of Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden.
Carsley’s nerves were exposed when he mistakenly sat on the Ireland bench before kick-off, but England eased their novice manager’s anxiety in the 11th minute.
Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon, who got just one minute of playing time at the Euros, accelerated onto Trent Alexander-Arnold’s raking pass for a shot that was saved by Caoimhin Kelleher.
Gordon worked the rebound back to Harry Kane and his strike deflected to Rice, who planted a fine finish into the top corner from 12 yards.
Rice took the diplomatic approach as he refused to celebrate the goal, instead opting for a placatory gesture that suggested he wanted to bury the hatchet over his England switch.
Playing with far more freedom and imagination than they could muster under Southgate, England struck again in the 26th minute.
After Alexander-Arnold and Kobbie Mainoo exchanged passes, Grealish capped a flowing move, meeting Rice’s cutback with a fine finish into the bottom corner from 10 yards.
There was no hiding Grealish’s delight as he celebrated in front of England’s supporters and put his fingers in his ears to suggest he wasn’t bothered by the Irish abuse.
England had to knuckle down more in the second half as Ireland found some momentum, but they were never in danger of blowing the lead as Carsley’s audition got off to the perfect start.
Klopp celebrates ‘school reunion’ on return to Dortmund dugout
- “It was like a school reunion,” Klopp told Sky Germany, adding “it’s what I always dreamed of: that we’d meet again in life and just have a good time together”
- Dortmund also said goodbye to defender Mats Hummels
BERLIN: Former Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp said his return to the club’s dugout in Saturday’s testimonial match was “like a school reunion,” nine years after his last match as club coach.
Dortmund bid farewell to team stalwarts Jakub Blaszczykowski and Lukas Piszczek, with each captaining a side featuring several club legends as well as current manager Nuri Sahin.
Blaszczykowski’s side, coached by Klopp, won 5-4 in front of 82,000 fans at a sold out Westfalenstadion.
“It was like a school reunion,” Klopp told Sky Germany, adding “it’s what I always dreamed of: that we’d meet again in life and just have a good time together.
“It’s like coming home. There are so many great memories. It’s nice to see the fans again.”
Klopp spent seven years as Dortmund coach, winning two Bundesliga titles, one German Cup and taking the team to the 2013 Champions League final at Wembley, where they lost to archrivals Bayern Munich.
Klopp, who stepped down as Liverpool boss at the end of last season citing exhaustion, is yet to return to coaching, having said in July “as of today, that’s it for me as a coach.”
The coach poked fun at the aging players, saying “we had a lot of excess weight in attack, midfield and defense today.”
Dortmund also said goodbye to defender Mats Hummels, who left the club for Serie A side Roma in the summer.
Hummels, who played 508 games for Dortmund, was one of only a few current players to take the pitch.
He said afterwards “it’s a mix of joy and sadness.
“I’ve spent a lot of my football life here.”
Liverpool ‘colossus’ Ron Yeats dies aged 86
- The ex-Scotland defender was part of the Liverpool side that won the Second Division title under Bill Shankly in 1962
- He had been living with Alzheimer’s disease in recent years
LONDON: Former Liverpool captain Ron Yeats, who led the club to their first FA Cup and two top-flight titles, has died aged 86, the Premier League side announced on Saturday.
The ex-Scotland defender was part of the Liverpool side that won the Second Division title under Bill Shankly in 1962 and went on to win the old First Division twice, the FA Cup in 1965 and the Charity Shield three times.
He had been living with Alzheimer’s disease in recent years.
“Liverpool FC is mourning the passing of legendary former captain Ron Yeats,” read a club statement. “In the words of Bill Shankly, a ‘colossus’ in club history.
“The thoughts of everyone at LFC are with Ron’s wife, Ann, all of his family and his friends at this incredibly sad time.
“Flags across club sites will be lowered to half-mast today as a mark of respect.”
Yeats was signed from Dundee United in July 1961 by Shankly, who invited journalists to “take a walk around him, he’s a colossus” at the 6ft 2in (1.87 meter) defender’s unveiling.
Yates took over as captain within six months and went on to make 454 appearances over more than a decade at Anfield.
His record 417-match run as Reds skipper was only broken by Steven Gerrard in the last decade.
He left to become Tranmere’s player-manager for three years, followed by a brief spell in the United States before returning to Anfield in 1986 as chief scout for two decades.
Yeats also won two caps for Scotland.
Frustrating farewell for Suarez as Uruguay held by Paraguay
MONTEVIDEO: Luis Suarez bade a frustrating farewell to international football on Friday as Uruguay were held to a 0-0 draw by Paraguay in South American 2026 World Cup qualifying.
Suarez, 37, announced on Monday he was stepping down from international duty after a glittering 17-year career for Uruguay that saw him finish as the country’s top scorer with 69 goals from 143 appearances.
But the former Barcelona and Liverpool star, who now plays in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami, was unable to add a 70th goal to his international tally in Friday’s farewell game at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo.
Despite enjoying 65 percent possession, Uruguay were unable to find a way through a dogged Paraguay defense in a disjointed match littered with some 24 fouls.
Suarez, whose career at international and club level was dogged by controversies such as his ban for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup, was one of four Uruguay players to be shown a yellow card in a fractious encounter.
The result leaves Uruguay in second place in South America’s 10-team round-robin qualifying tournament with 14 points from seven games, four points behind leaders Argentina.
Colombia can leapfrog over Uruguay with a victory over Peru in Lima later Friday.
The top six teams in the South America standings qualify automatically for the 2026 finals in North America with the seventh-placed team advancing to a playoff.
Saudi players arrive in China ahead of World Cup qualifier
- The Green Falcons face China on Tuesday in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 tournament, following a disappointing draw against Indonesia
DALIAN: The Saudi national team arrived in the Chinese city of Dalian on Friday ahead of their World Cup qualifier there next week.
The Green Falcons will face China on Tuesday night at the Dalian Suoyuwan Football Stadium, in the second game of the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
The Saudi squad wasted no time as they immediately began their preparations on Friday evening with a training session overseen by head coach Roberto Mancini. The players who participated in Thursday’s match against Indonesia took part in recovery training, while the rest engaged in general training exercises.
The previous day in Jeddah, Indonesia held the Saudis to a surprise 1-1 draw in the opening game of the third round of qualifiers. It was a case of two points dropped to the lowest-ranked team in Group C, not least because Salem Al-Dawsari had a penalty attempt saved with 11 minutes remaining.
Indonesia might be Asia’s most improved team of late, bolstered by the naturalization of several Europe-based players, but were nonetheless ranked 133 in the world, 77 places below their hosts.
The Saudi squad was greeted on arrival at the airport in Dalian by Jaber Rashid, a representative of the Kingdom’s embassy. The Saudi Arabian Football Federation president, Yasser Al-Misehal, thanked the embassy for the warm welcome and assistance it has provided to the team.
