Hard work and trust: How Al-Taawoun crashed the big boys’ party in the Saudi Pro League

Al-Taawoun visit leaders Al-Hilal while sitting in a lofty fourth place in the SPL table (Twitter/AltaawounFC)
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Updated 13 August 2024
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Hard work and trust: How Al-Taawoun crashed the big boys’ party in the Saudi Pro League

  • The club from Al-Qassim go into Friday night’s clash with Al-Hilal sitting fourth in the table and aiming for AFC Champions League qualification

Al-Taawoun have been punching above their weight this season. With a significantly lower budget and fewer stars than their rivals, the club from Buraidah sit in third place in the Saudi Pro League, having suffered just one defeat so far.

On Friday night, Pericles Chamusca’s side face their sternest test of the 2023-24 campaign as they visit unbeaten league leaders Al-Hilal. The match is an opportunity for Al-Taawoun to show that they can mix it with the Kingdom’s heavyweights and be considered among the genuine contenders for the Saudi Pro League title.

It is the sort of challenge that Al-Taawoun assistant manager Claudio Prates relishes and though he is disappointed that fellow Brazilian Neymar will not be in Al-Hilal’s starting XI, he says the team is ready to show their title credentials.

“Facing Al-Hilal always gives a feeling of great motivation but at the same time, we know that we have to give something more to face this type of team,” Prates told Arab News in an exclusive interview.

“We are sad that we won’t have Neymar in front of us and we hope for his quick recovery from surgery, but even so, big names will be on the field and we will try to do our best and pursue our goals of staying at the top of the table.”

While their rivals at the Saudi Pro League summit can call on the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Aleksandar Mitrovic, Al-Taawoun have a less star-studded line-up. Still, there is quality running through the team, with Gambia forward Musa Barrow a proven Serie A goalscorer with Bologna, and Alvaro Medran a Real Madrid academy graduate.

The team also boasts a strong Brazilian core, with goalkeeper Mailson, defender Andrei Girotto, midfielders Mateus Castro and Flavio Medeiros, and forward Joao Pedro. Among the Saudi players, midfielder Saad Al-Nasser made his debut for the Green Falcons this year, and 21-year-old left-back Muath Faqeehi, on loan from Al-Hilal, has been a revelation this season.

“The big names who arrived in Saudi Arabia have undoubtedly upgraded the league in every way,” Prates said. “It means the motivation of local players has increased, and the level of the games improved greatly due to the quality of these players.

“I personally always had doubts as to whether this would help benefit the development of the Saudi players as many would have less time on the field as the number of foreigners increased, but what I have seen is a definite improvement in the technical evolution and understanding of the game in training.” 

Prates says the support of the board in assembling the squad has been vital, while he points to the voracious work ethic among the players as the key factor that has propelled Al-Taawoun toward the upper echelons of the Saudi Pro League.

“The key to success in football is always a blend of serious work and having players and management who fully buy into the idea of what you are doing,” Prates said.

“I have several years of experience in this region, and I have never seen a group that trains as intensely as this one.

“The trust that the board gave us is also an important detail as this is not always possible in the Arab world. It meant we could bring players we already knew. I had already worked in clubs in Brazil together with Girotto, Mateus and Flavio, and I knew their characteristics both as athletes and as people.

“Luckily, they have settled quickly into a different culture and are performing very well in a highly competitive league, helping us implement a playing style that has been ideal for Al-Taawoun.”

Prates knows the region well. During his playing career, Claudinho — as he was better known — turned out for Al-Arabi and Al-Shamal in Qatar, Al-Arabi in Kuwait and Al-Shoulla in Saudi Arabia, before eventually hanging up his boots aged 39 after a spell with Al-Khaleej.

His coaching career began in his homeland, but in 2021 he left Brazilian giants Palmeiras to return to the Kingdom as Chamusca’s assistant at Al-Shabab, before moving with his compatriot to Al-Taawoun.

“I didn’t think twice when I was invited to come to work with Chamusca,” said Prates. “I knew I could help with my experience in this world because I already spoke a little Arabic in training and understood the football culture here.

“Chamusca is a great manager tactically but above all is a great people manager. He is a person who does things the right way and shows with his actions that he cares; he always tries to help the players and staff so that they can always give their best.

“It means that for everyone who works with him, it is a pleasure to dedicate ourselves and to try to achieve the best results.”

This season is not the first time Al-Taawoun have competed toward the top end of the Saudi Pro League. Under the guidance of Portuguese coach Pedro Emanuel in 2019, Al-Taawoun secured a best-ever Saudi Pro League finish of third and won the King’s Cup for the first time, defeating Al-Hilal 5-0 in the semifinal and Al-Ittihad 2-1 in the final.

However, their success was short-lived, and the next season was a major struggle because of the dual demands of the Saudi Pro League and AFC Champions League, with Al-Taawoun narrowly avoiding relegation. The club rebounded the following year and reached another King’s Cup final; this time they were denied by an Al-Faisaly side led by Chamusca. 

Now the Brazilian coach is at the Al-Taawoun helm and his focus on a collective approach appears to be working wonders again. But can the team from the Al-Qassim province really topple Al-Hilal and win the Saudi Pro League title for the first time?

“In football, everything is possible, but of course, we know that those who have the biggest investments and the best players are always the favorites,” Prates said.

“What we have always done is try to reduce these differences by working together, always thinking about the collective before the individual, that no one is bigger than the club and that we can only be here because of the work we did together every day in training.

“Our plan is to always be at the top of the table and continue fighting with the big clubs, without forgetting that several teams at our level are also rising as the level of the Saudi league does.”


Portugal beat Spain on penalties to win Nations League

Updated 8 sec ago
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Portugal beat Spain on penalties to win Nations League

  • Portugal became the first two-time winner of the Nations League, launched in 2018. It was Portugal’s third major title, along with Euro 2016

MUNICH, Germany: Ruben Neves scored the decisive spot kick after Alvaro Morata missed as Portugal beat Spain 5-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw in Munich on Sunday to claim their second Nations League title.
Portugal twice went behind in regulation time but twice fought back to level the scores.
Martin Zubimendi took advantage of some sleepy Portugal defense to put Spain in front after 21 minutes.
The brilliant Nuno Mendes levelled things up five minutes later.
Mikel Oyarzabal, Spain’s goalscorer in the Euro 2024 final and the 2023 Nations League final, put La Roja back in front just before the break.
Cristiano Ronaldo, quiet as he had been before scoring the winner against Germany in the semis, equalized with 61 minutes gone, adjusting quickly after a Mendes cross was deflected into the air, muscling past Marc Cucurella and volleying the dropping ball home.
Ronaldo was subbed off before full-time with cramp. Even though Portugal had the better of extra time, the match went to penalties.
Both sides converted their first three spot kicks. Mendes buried Portugal’s fourth, before Morata stepped up and shot straight at Diogo Costa.
Neves nervelessly converted in front of the red and green of the Portugal fans. The victory was just Portugal’s second competitive win over Iberian rival Spain in their long history.
Portugal’s only other win over Spain in a competitive fixture was a 1-0 victory which booted the Spaniards out of Euro 2004, with a 19-year-old Ronaldo on the left wing.
Portugal became the first two-time winner of the Nations League, launched in 2018. It was Portugal’s third major title, along with Euro 2016.
While Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal’s fluid movement troubled the Portugese defense early in the match, La Roja’s opener was scrappy.
Yamal chipped from outside the box and the Portugal defense froze, botching a clearance which fell to Zubimendi, who leathered the ball into the net.
The goal was just rewards for Spain’s early dominance, but Portugal hit back almost immediately.
Mendes, put through by Pedro Neto, drilled a low shot across the goal and in.
Just before halftime, Spain picked Portugal’s pocket in their own half before advancing. Pedri linked with Oyarzabal, who threaded the ball past Diogo Costa.
Oyarzabal’s goal meant he has scored in three international finals — against England at Euro 2024, which Spain won, and the 2023 and 2025 Nations Leagues, which Spain lost.
Ronaldo had done little other than encourage the heavily Portuguese crowd until that point but would pick his moment to strike.
With 61 minutes gone, Mendes shed a defender and whipped in a cross. The ball took a deflection and Ronaldo outmuscled Cucurella before lashing a volley home.
The goal was Ronaldo’s fourth in 10 matches against Spain. The previous three all coming in a wild 3-3 draw at the 2018 World Cup.
Limping in the dying stages of regulation time, Ronaldo fell to the turf with three minutes left and signalled to the bench that his night was over.
Spain may have been confident when the match went to extra time, having won on penalties in 2023, but Portugal were faultless, Neves stepping up and converting to send his teammates, including a hobbled Ronaldo, streaming onto the pitch.


Alcaraz saves three match points to beat Sinner to French Open title in final for the ages

Updated 08 June 2025
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Alcaraz saves three match points to beat Sinner to French Open title in final for the ages

  • Alcaraz pulled off his first ever comeback from two sets down to stun Sinner in the longest Roland Garros final in history

PARIS: Carlos Alcaraz saved three championship points as he produced an astonishing fightback from two sets down to beat Jannik Sinner in a French Open final for the ages on Sunday.
Reigning champion Alcaraz rallied from the brink of defeat to overcome world number one Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (10/2) to clinch his fifth Grand Slam title after five hours and 29 minutes.
The 22-year-old Spaniard is now unbeaten in five Grand Slam finals after snapping Sinner’s 20-match winning run at the majors.
Alcaraz pulled off his first ever comeback from two sets down to stun Sinner in the longest Roland Garros final in history. It easily eclipsed the 1982 final in Paris when Mats Wilander triumphed in four sets over Guillermo Vilas in 4hr 42min.
Alcaraz becomes the third youngest man to win five Grand Slams — after Bjorn Borg and compatriot Rafael Nadal — following an incredible duel between the two stars of a new generation.
Sinner fell agonizingly short of a third successive Grand Slam crown after last year’s US Open title and back-to-back Australian Open triumphs.
He suffered his fifth straight loss to Alcaraz in what was their first meeting in a Grand Slam final — and the first championship match at a major between two men born in the 2000s.
Alcaraz leads 8-5 overall having also beaten Sinner to win in Rome, where the Italian returned to competition in May after a three-month doping ban.
Alcaraz put the pressure on Sinner by carving out three break points to start Saturday’s final, but the Italian resisted and soon had a chance of his own.
He couldn’t take advantage and found himself having to fend off two more break points at 1-1, producing clutch serves to grind out another tough hold.
Alcaraz’s persistence paid off in the fifth game when he broke to nudge 3-2 ahead, only for the Spaniard to immediately hand the lead back.
The unshakeable Sinner threatened to break again at 4-3, with a brief lapse from Alcaraz eventually enabling Sinner to snatch the first set.
Sinner hit the accelerator to start the second set, surging 3-0 in front. After facing seven break points in the opener, he tightened up considerably on serve.
But Alcaraz brought up his first break point of the second set with Sinner serving for a two-set lead, duly pouncing on the opportunity to check his rival’s momentum.
With the swagger back in his step at a crucial juncture, Alcaraz sought to bring the crowd into the contest but Sinner remained unflustered in the tie-break.
The first five points went with serve before Sinner whipped a forehand down the line and Alcaraz then steered an attempted drop-shot wide.
A tame return into the net presented Sinner with four set points. Alcaraz saved two before Sinner unleashed a blistering cross-court forehand to move to within a set of the trophy.
It all looked to be going his way when he broke Alcaraz to begin the third set, but the Spaniard refused to surrender his title quietly and rattled off four games on the bounce to lead 4-1.
Alcaraz lost serve at 5-3 but promptly broke to love to force a fourth set, lapping up the roars of the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd.
That ended Sinner’s run of 31 consecutive sets won at Grand Slams.
Alcaraz saved a break point in the third game amid a series of holds as Sinner doubled down. The Italian appeared to be closing in on victory when he broke at 3-3 as the finish line neared.
But Alcaraz had other ideas as he staved off three championship points at 3-5 and then broke Sinner when he tried to seal the title on his serve.
Successive aces spurred a reinvigorated Alcaraz on in the tie-break and into a decisive fifth set.
A despairing Sinner lost his serve right away and his gloom deepened as Alcaraz saved two break points to pull 3-1 ahead, but incredibly there was another twist.
Alcaraz this time faltered with the title within his grasp as Sinner broke at 3-5 to spark a three-game burst that left the Spaniard needing to hold serve to prolong the final.
He kept his nerve to set up a 10-point tie-break, which Alcaraz ran away with as the outrageous shotmaking continued until the very end when he took his first championship point with a sizzling forehand down the line.


England complete series win over West Indies with a game to spare after chasing down a target of 197

Updated 08 June 2025
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England complete series win over West Indies with a game to spare after chasing down a target of 197

  • Former captain Jos Buttler led the way with 47 and current skipper Harry Brook made 34

BRISTOL: England completed a series win over the West Indies with a game to spare after chasing down a target of 197 in the second T20 international in Bristol on Sunday.

Former captain Jos Buttler led the way with 47 and current skipper Harry Brook made 34 as the hosts reached 112-2 inside 13 overs.

But the duo were dismissed in consecutive overs, with England still needing 85 more runs to win. But that was the cue for two of the newer team members to lay down a marker.

Jacob Bethell’s rapid 26 off 10 balls, including three sixes, and Tom Banton’s 30 not out helped complete a four-wicket win with nine balls remaining as England went 2-0 up ahead of Tuesday’s series finale in Southampton.

West Indies were struggling at 121-4 off 16 overs before adding 75 runs in the final four overs of their innings.

Luke Wood gave England the ideal start when his swinging yorker had Evin Lewis lbw with the first ball of the match, but West Indies captain Shai Hope (49) and Johnson Charles (47) repaired some of the early damage in a stand of 90.

Rovman Powell added late impetus with 34 off 15 balls and former captain Jason Holder struck 29 off nine.

Adil Rashid bowled the penultimate over as England again only selected two seamers, but the veteran leg-spinner conceded 31 runs and finished with figures of 1-59 — his most-expensive T20 return.

Separately, Beau Webster is hoping to make an already memorable 2025 extra special by featuring for Australia in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s.

Webster only won the first of his three Test caps in January and was in the side when Australia played their most recent red-ball international, against Sri Lanka in February.

The 31-year-old all-rounder would relish the opportunity to play for the World Test champions on the hallowed turf at Lord’s.

“It’s pretty special. I’ve been here a couple of times to watch a few games throughout the years, but to be out in the middle, yeah, extra special,” he told reporters at Lord’s on Sunday.

“If I get the nod, I’m looking forward to Wednesday.”


Free entry for fans as Saudi Arabia face crucial World Cup qualifier against Australia

Updated 08 June 2025
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Free entry for fans as Saudi Arabia face crucial World Cup qualifier against Australia

  • The final match of the third round of Asia’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers will be staged in Jeddah, with more than 60,000 supporters expected at the stadium

RIYADH: Fans will be granted free entry to Al-Inma Stadium on Tuesday as Saudi Arabia take on Australia in a must-win World Cup qualifier, the Saudi Football Federation announced on Sunday.

The final match of the third round of Asia’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers will be staged in Jeddah, with more than 60,000 supporters expected at the stadium.

The federation’s decision to open the gates free of charge was confirmed via the national team’s fan council on social media platform X, citing “appreciation of the support from the nation’s fans.”

The Green Falcons face a daunting task, as only a win by five goals or more will secure direct qualification to the 2026 tournament.

Failure to meet that target will see Saudi Arabia move into the fourth qualifying round.

That stage features six teams split into two groups, with each group winner earning a direct World Cup berth.

The runners-up will meet in a two-legged playoff to determine Asia’s representative in the intercontinental playoff.


Pakistan to face off Myanmar in AFC Asian Cup qualifier on Tuesday

Updated 08 June 2025
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Pakistan to face off Myanmar in AFC Asian Cup qualifier on Tuesday

  • The Pakistan team arrived in Yangon via private airline flight on Sunday
  • Pakistan are placed in Group E alongside Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Syria

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will face off Myanmar on Tuesday to qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup tournament, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) said on Sunday.

The Pakistan team arrived in Yangon via private airline flight on Sunday, according to the PFF. They will train in Yangon on Monday.

“The match between Pakistan and Myanmar will be held at Thuwana Stadium,” it said. “It will start at 3:30 PM according to Pakistani time.”

Pakistan have been training under the supervision of head coach Stephen Constantine in hopes of bouncing back from a 2-0 defeat to Syria in the campaign opener back in March.

Pakistan are placed in Group E alongside Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Syria.