LONDON: Arsenal blew a two-goal lead for the second game in a row as Bukayo Saka’s penalty miss proved crucial in the Premier League leaders’ damaging 2-2 draw against West Ham on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta’s side struck twice in the first 10 minutes at the London Stadium thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard.
But just seven days after squandering a 2-0 advantage in their 2-2 draw at Liverpool, the Gunners again cracked under the pressure of the title race.
Said Benrahma’s penalty reduced the deficit for West Ham before the interval and after Saka fired his spot-kick wide early in the second half, Jarrod Bowen volleyed in an equalizer for the struggling hosts.
It was a hammer blow for Arsenal, who sit four points clear of second-placed Manchester City but have ceded the title race momentum to Pep Guardiola’s team.
“It started extremely well again. We scored two beautiful goals. After that we made a big mistake to not play with purpose to score the third and fourth,” Arteta said.
“We just thought we could play around them and keep the result. That gave them hope.”
City had closed within three points of the Gunners after beating Leicester 3-1 on Saturday and it is the champions who have the destiny of the title in their hands despite trailing Arsenal for much of the season.
City, who have won their last 10 matches in all competitions, have a game in hand on Arsenal.
With a home game against Arsenal looming on April 26, City know they will lift a fifth title in six seasons if they win their remaining eight matches.
By the time Arsenal travel to the Emirates Stadium they will be seven points clear of City if they beat bottom-of-the-table Southampton on Friday.
Yet that gap would still look uncomfortably small to Arsenal fans fearing their team are in the process of wasting a golden opportunity to win a first title since 2004.
While City are battle-tested in handling the tension of the title race, Arsenal’s young squad look to be suffering an ill-timed attack of nerves.
“My worry is after 2-0 we made that huge mistake,” Arteta said. “We didn’t understand what the game required in that moment. We need that ruthless mindset to go and kill a team.”
Arsenal needed just seven minutes to take the lead as Odegaard’s deft pass found Ben White, who delivered a low cross that Jesus slotted home at the far post.
Jesus’s fourth goal in his last three games was followed by the Gunners’ second three minutes later as they ruthlessly punished West Ham’s woeful marking.
Gabriel Martinelli’s pin-point cross found Odegaard in acres of space and the midfielder blasted a volley past Lukasz Fabianski from an acute angle six yards out.
The turning point came in the 33rd minute when Arsenal, looking a little over-confident after such a swaggering start, needlessly conceded a penalty.
Thomas Partey surrendered possession to Declan Rice and when the West Ham midfielder picked out Lucas Paqueta’s run, Gabriel Magalhaes’ mistimed sliding tackle was correctly ruled a penalty despite Arsenal appeals for handball.
Mohamed Salah had missed a penalty against Arsenal last weekend, but they were out of luck this time as Benrahma sent Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way from the spot.
Saka should have eased Arsenal’s mounting anxiety when Antonio conceded a 50th minute penalty with an outstretched arm that blocked Martinelli’s flick.
But instead Saka spiked the tension level even higher with a woeful spot-kick that completely missed hit the target, a costly blunder that recalled the England forward’s Euro 2020 final penalty shoot-out failure against Italy.
Saka held his head in his hands and with Arsenal clearly rattled, David Moyes’ side snatched an equalizer in the 54th minute.
Thilo Kehrer guided the ball into the Arsenal area and Bowen was just onside as his volley ricocheted off the turf and skidded past Ramsdale’s despairing dive.
Michail Antonio nearly won it for West Ham in the closing stages, rising to head Benrahma’s cross against the bar.
Arsenal blow lead again in damaging West Ham draw
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Arsenal blow lead again in damaging West Ham draw
- Mikel Arteta’s side struck twice in the first 10 minutes at the London Stadium
- But just seven days after squandering a 2-0 advantage in their 2-2 draw at Liverpool, the Gunners again cracked under the pressure
Roger Federer tells friend and rival Rafael Nadal that he made him enjoy tennis more
“Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me — a lot. More than I managed to beat you”
MALAGA, Spain: Roger Federer says Rafael Nadal made him enjoy tennis “even more” during a rivalry that spanned 40 matches over 15 years.
Writing on social media Tuesday, hours before the start of the Davis Cup Final 8, Nadal’s last event before heading into retirement, Federer began his message with the word “Vamos” and said: “As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional.”
“Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me — a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could,” Federer said. “On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game — even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge.”
Federer, now 43, was established at No. 1 in the rankings when Nadal, now 38, came along. Federer started his career with a 7-0 record in Grand Slam finals before his first loss at that stage arrived against Nadal in the 2006 French Open final, the first of their three consecutive title matches in Paris — each with the same result.
Nadal also defeated Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final, ending the Swiss star’s bid for a sixth championship in a row at the All England Club.
In all, Nadal led their head-to-head series 26-14, including 10-4 at Grand Slam tournaments and 6-3 in Slam finals.
Still, Federer told Nadal in his post, referring to him by the nickname Rafa: “You made me enjoy the game even more.”
They helped form the Big Three of men’s tennis along with Novak Djokovic, who is still active at age 37 and has won a men’s-record 24 major trophies. Nadal is next on the list with 22, followed by Federer with 20.
“What an incredible run you’ve had,” Federer posted. “Including 14 French Opens — historic! You made Spain proud ... you made the whole tennis world proud.”
When Federer left the sport by playing a doubles match at the Laver Cup in September 2022, his partner was Nadal. The two sat side-by-side afterward, crying.
“It meant everything to me that you were there by my side — not as my rival but as my doubles partner,” Federer wrote Tuesday. “Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career.”
Nadal’s Spanish team was scheduled to meet the Netherlands in the Davis Cup quarterfinals Tuesday. Neither Nadal nor Spain’s captain, David Ferrer, would say Monday whether Nadal will play singles or doubles, both — or neither.
“Rafa, I know you’re focused on the last stretch of your epic career. We will talk when it’s done,” Federer wrote. “I want you to know that your old friend is always cheering for you, and will be cheering just as loud for everything you do next.”
Saudi Arabia set for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup qualifier in Qatar
- Saudi Arabia are familiar with their rivals after taking part alongside them all in T20 tournaments this year
Qualification for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in India and Sri Lanka, is in full swing. From Nov. 19-28, Doha takes center stage for Asia Sub-Regional Qualifier Group B.
With seven nations taking part it looks set to be an exciting competition, with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Bhutan, Cambodia, Thailand and the UAE joining hosts Qatar. The teams are competing for the last two places in the Asia-East Asia-Pacific regional final, to be held in Malaysia in August 2025.
Malaysia and Kuwait emerged successfully from the Asia Group A qualifier, while Samoa and Japan won the East Asia-Pacific A and East Asia-Pacific B qualifiers, respectively. Nepal, Oman and Papua New Guinea have already qualified by virtue of taking part in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies.
The seven teams competing for these last two places will play in a round robin league, with the top two teams in the table progressing to the next qualifier.
Saudi Arabia are familiar with their rivals after taking part alongside them all in T20 tournaments this year. These matches were in either the Asia Cricket Council T20 Challenger Cup in Thailand or the ACC Premier Cup that followed in Nepal. In the Challenger Cup, Saudi Arabia convincingly beat Bhutan, Thailand, Japan and Cambodia in Bangkok, the latter in the final. This maintained their excellent record in Thailand, where they won the ACC 50-over version in 2023.
Saudi Arabia’s convincing qualification in February for the ACC T20 Premier Cup provided an opportunity for the team to test itself against strong opposition in Nepal. The bridge proved too large to gap, however, as only one match out of four played was won.
This ought not to be the case in the current Asia Group B qualifier in Qatar. The UAE are arguably favorite to win, sitting 16th in the ICC T20I men’s rankings. Closest to them are Bahrain (26), Qatar (28) and Saudi Arabia (33). Behind them come Cambodia, ranked 42nd, Thailand in 59th and Bhutan in 77th. Saudi Arabia have comfortably beaten each of them in the ACC T20 Challenger Cup so it is the matches against the three higher-ranking teams that are likely to prove crucial.
Three matches will be played each day for 10 days at either the West End Park International Cricket Stadium or the University Stadium in Doha from Nov. 19. Saudi Arabia’s first match is against Bahrain, who are just ahead in the T20I rankings.
If the Saudi team can start their campaign with a victory, they will have a good chance of challenging for one of the top two spots in the table — and a place in the Asia-East Asia-Pacific regional final. From there, the dream is the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Six-time Race to Dubai champion Rory McIlroy celebrates as Dubai Basketball earns dominant home victory over Krka
- Dubai Basketball record impressive win in their first home game in a month, advancing to 7-2 on the season
- Golfing legend Rory McIlroy celebrates courtside and misses full-court charity putt by just inches
DUBAI: After three straight games on the road, Dubai Basketball made it a homecoming to remember as they stormed to a 91-76 victory against Slovenia’s Krka in front of an energized crowd that included Sunday’s Race to Dubai champion Rory McIlroy.
It was the first time in a month fans could watch their team in action at Coca-Cola Arena and the hosts put on an impressive performance to bounce back from last week’s defeat and improve their ABA League record to 7-2.
The Dubai Basketball team was welcomed by more than 3,300 spectators, including Rory McIlroy — one of the greatest golfers of all time and an avid basketball fan. The five-time Ryder Cup winner and four-time major champion put it an appearance just hours after triumphing at the DP World Tour Championship and landing his sixth Race to Dubai title at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
McIlroy also took part in a full-court “Putt for Purpose” challenge, bidding to donate 1 million dirhams ($272,258) to charity for a hole-in-one, but missed out by just a few inches.
The hosts started slowly, finding themselves 7-3 down, but soon found their rhythm to level the score at nine apiece, thanks to Danilo Andusic’s three-pointer. Elevated by the passionate home support, Dubai continued their momentum with Isaiah Taylor’s jump shot and a two-pointer from JaCorey Williams helping the team take a 21-15 lead before they closed out the first quarter at 24-23.
In the second quarter, the noise went up a notch when Filipino Thirdy Ravena took to the court. He was almost on the scoresheet within seconds, his driving layup sadly hitting the arc.
Dubai picked up where they left off in the second half, taking a healthy 13-point advantage into the final quarter at 70-57. From there it was one-way traffic as Klemen Prepelic, Nate Mason and Williams were among the scorers sealing the victory. Andusic ended with a game-high of 18 while Leon Radosevic hit eight rebounds.
Williams said the home support had spurred the team on and added he cherished the opportunity of meeting McIlroy, who had brought along the Race to Dubai trophy.
He said: “We knew it was going to be a difficult game, especially ahead of a break. It’s always hard to play these types of games. But we did a good job of staying locked in defensively. I think when we lead with our defense, our offense just flows. First half, we had some turnovers. They scored a lot of threes on transition from the turnovers. In the second half, we corrected that mistake and kept the defense at a high level and we got the big win.”
He added: “Rory is a very high-level player in his sport and much respect to him. We’re in Dubai so we see all kinds of people, it was good to see him though. I got to hold a trophy and I’ve never seen a trophy like that in real life. It was kind of cool … and heavy, too.”
Off court, cheerleaders from Sharmila Dance Center took the spotlight, dazzling the crowd with jaw-dropping dance moves that brought fans to their feet with non-stop cheers. The performers captured everyone’s attention, turning the halftime break into a spectacular display of talent.
Global Village, one of Dubai’s top attractions, brought along a selection of its roaming artists, making the evening even more memorable.
With no ABA League games scheduled next week, Dubai Basketball return to on-court action in Serbia on Nov. 29, when they face FMP. Their next game at Coca-Cola Arena is against Mornar Bar on Dec. 15.
Clippers upset Warriors, Lillard saves Bucks
- Franz Wagner poured in 32 points to help the Orlando Magic claim a 109-99 win over the depleted Suns
- Jimmy Butler finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as the Miami Heat pummeled the struggling Philadelphia 76ers 106-89
LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Clippers held off a furious late rally to upset the pace-setting Golden State Warriors 102-99 in the NBA on Monday.
Norman Powell led the Clippers scoring with 23 points including five three-pointers as the Los Angeles club improved to 8-7 for the season after downing the Western Conference leaders.
The Clippers led by 15 points late in the second quarter only to see the Warriors chip away at the lead to narrow the margin to three points at the end of the third quarter.
The Clippers dug deep to hold off Golden State in the fourth quarter, and the Warriors missed a three-point attempt from Gary Payton II on the buzzer that would have tied it to force overtime.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors scorers with 26 points, with Andrew Wiggins adding 22.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said he had rallied his team at the end of the third quarter.
“I told them ‘they’re the number one team in the West for a reason’ — but we’re still up by three points, at home,” Lue said.
“But I’m proud of the team. They made a big run like they always do, and we were able to keep our composure and come away with the win.”
Elsewhere on Monday, Damian Lillard returned from a three-game concussion layoff to score a driving layup with 3.9 seconds remaining and give the Milwaukee Bucks a much-needed 101-100 victory over the in-form Houston Rockets.
Houston had gone into the game on the back of a five-game winning streak and looked ready to extend that run after racing into an early 13-point lead in the first quarter.
But Milwaukee, who are four places off the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 5-9 record after Monday’s win, responded superbly to lead by 12 points at half-time.
Houston regained the initiative in the fourth quarter to grab the lead, but a late run by Milwaukee culminating in Lillard’s winner settled an enthralling battle.
Lillard, who finished with 18 points and 10 assists, admitted that his enforced layoff due to concussion had been a challenge.
“Normally when something is wrong with me I feel like I can will myself through it — but this was probably one of the first times in my life and definitely in my NBA career where I was like ‘something is off,’” Lillard said Monday’s win.
“It was a little frustrating. I just didn’t like not being with the team.”
Brook Lopez led the Bucks scoring with 27 points while Giannis Antetokounmpo added 20.
In Phoenix, Franz Wagner poured in 32 points to help the Orlando Magic claim a 109-99 win over the depleted Suns.
Wagner was boosted by 20 points off the bench from Anthony Black while Goga Bitadze added 17.
Phoenix, missing the injured Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic, slumped to their fourth straight loss. Phoenix, who made a blistering 8-1 start to the season, fell to 9-6 after the defeat.
Phoenix coach Mike Budenholzer called on his team to rally around each other as they weathered the injury-driven dip in form.
“Just stay together,” Budenholzer said. “You’ve got to keep going, keep doing the work and keep your head up. This group will do that. They’re very resilient.”
Elsewhere on Monday, Jimmy Butler finished with 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists as the Miami Heat pummeled the struggling Philadelphia 76ers 106-89. Tyler Herro added 18 for Miami as the Sixers once again stumbled despite leading by 19 points early in the second quarter.
Philadelphia are now bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 2-11 record. Sixers star Joel Embiid once again struggled with just 11 points.
Messi’s Argentina could move a step nearer World Cup spot by beating Peru
- Victory would give defending champions Argentina 25 points from 12 matches
- Brazil and Uruguay will meet in Salvador, and both coaches expect to finish the year better than they started
RIO DE JANEIRO: Lionel Messi’s Argentina will be on the verge of confirming a 2026 World Cup spot if they beat Peru in Buenos Aires in South American qualifying on Tuesday.
Victory would give defending champions Argentina 25 points from 12 matches, historically good enough for at least sixth place in the 10-team standings. South America have six entries into the World Cup.
But Argentina will be without five injured players after losing to Paraguay 2-1 last Thursday when they host Peru, who are second to last.
Meanwhile, Brazil and Uruguay will meet in Salvador, and both coaches expect to finish the year better than they started.
Dorival Junior, in charge of Brazil since January and still struggling to convince fans he’s the right choice, could move to second place with a win.
Marcelo Bielsa, who was recently under fire by Uruguay great Luis Suarez, will seek to add at least one point to the team’s tally to prove Friday’s last minute 3-2 victory against Colombia was no fluke.
Uruguay and Colombia are three points behind Argentina. Brazil are fourth. Ecuador are a point behind in fifth.
Argentina’s defense
Argentina left behind defenders Lisandro Martinez and German Pezzella when they traveled to Paraguay. Another three were injured out of the home match against Peru: Cristian Romero, Nahuel Molina and Nicolas Tagliafico. The trio started against Paraguay.
Argentina left a poor image against Paraguay in Asuncion from their third loss in qualifying. Veteran Messi had a quiet performance, and strikers Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez were no better. Observers wondered whether the team’s magic was running out.
“I don’t know whether (rival coaches) they found an antidote (to Argentina),” coach Luis Scaloni said. “We hope to go back on a positive patch.”
Scalopni is expected to field Gonzalo Montiel in Molina’s place; Leonardo Balerdi in Romero’s; and Facundo Medina replacing Tagliafico.
Derby
Brazil summoned right back Danilo in the only change to the team that drew with Venezuela 1-1 on Thursday. Danilo replaced Vanderson, who was suspended. Dorival Junior was already under pressure to bring in the experienced right back and avoid testing too many new players.
Brazil’s unimpressive form this year has caused many fans to openly say they won’t be watching the national team until performances improve. But that narrative has prompted a plea from captain Marquinhos.
“I am asking you not to abandon the national team. Don’t leave us, no,” he said in a news conference. “This is my third cycle here, I can say 100 percent sure that everyone here has pride, faith and hope. And dignity. We are living this moment as if it was the last in our life. Unique.”
Brazil have lost four matches in qualifying and won some others in unconvincing fashion. Plus, their biggest available star, Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior, has so far not delivered a good performance.
Uruguay’s Nahitan Nández and Santiago Bueno are not playing in Salvador but Bielsa has yet to say who will replace them.
Many Uruguay players also need to be extra careful on Tuesday so they don’t miss the following clash against Argentina in March. Manuel Ugarte, Jose Maria Gimenez, Brian Rodriguez, Darwin Nuñez, Nicolas Fonseca, Rodrigo Bentancur and Rodrigo Aguirre will be out if they get a second yellow.
