Cristiano Ronaldo and goals ‘a perfect mix,’ says Al-Nassr manager Luis Castro after wonder strike

The Roshn Saudi League top scorer with 15 goals in 13 games says double strike in 3-0 win over Al-Okhdood. (SPL)
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Updated 25 November 2023
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Cristiano Ronaldo and goals ‘a perfect mix,’ says Al-Nassr manager Luis Castro after wonder strike

  • The Roshn Saudi League top scorer with 15 goals in 13 games says double strike in 3-0 win over Al-Okhdood, which included an incredible lob from distance, made him ‘happy’

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo and goals go together like the perfect couple, said Al-Nassr manager Luis Castro, after the superstar’s stunning double over Al-Okhdood took his tally to 15 goals in 13 Roshn Saudi League games this season.

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, the top scorer in the Roshn Saudi League, netted twice in the 77th and 80th minutes to seal Al-Nassr’s 3-0 victory at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh on Friday night.

Ronaldo’s first goal saw him power home a right-footed shot at the near post from an acute angle. It was his second goal, however, that truly took the plaudits. Seizing on a ricochet from opposition goalkeeper Paulo Vitor’s slide-tackle outside his box, Ronaldo chested the ball down 40 yards out before side-footing a sublime lob over the heads of the keeper and retreating defenders into the net.

Interlocking his fingers on both hands, Castro said: “Goals and Cristiano are a perfect mix (like this). The second goal, Cristiano shows perfect vision. It’s very difficult to do this, but Cristiano is different. When you are No. 1 in the world, everything is possible.

“Cristiano is a fantastic player. He has had fantastic moments this season and it’s just natural for him. He is a pleasure to work with in training and playing.”

Taking to social media, Ronaldo, who now has 18 goals from 18 Al-Nassr appearances in all competitions this season, said: “Happy weekend everyone!”

The win had seen Sami Al-Najei open the scoring after 13 minutes and take Al-Nassr to 34 points from 14 Roshn Saudi League games. The Jeddah giants now sit one point behind Riyadh rivals and table toppers Al-Hilal, who travel to play Al-Hazm on Saturday.

Al-Hilal play Al-Nassr in the much-anticipated Riyadh Derby on Friday at 9 p.m. (KSA).

Al-Okdood’s Slovakian manager Martin Sevela, who was appointed at the beginning of the month, said the match was a good learning experience for his players and sportingly praised Ronaldo for his goals.

“Al-Nassr’s players are high quality,” he said. “The first goal, it’s a good first touch by Ronaldo and good strike. The second, it was high quality from Ronaldo. He only needed one touch, and to score that goal is difficult. He is high quality. He is 38 years old, but he is top level.”

Al-Okhdood are 16th in the 18-team Roshn Saudi League. Their next match is at home to Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq on Saturday, Dec. 2.


Atletico held at Alaves in dry Liga draw

Updated 22 sec ago
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Atletico held at Alaves in dry Liga draw

Diego Simeone’s side have little to play for in the final weeks of the season
Alaves, however, moved provisionally 16th, three points clear of the relegation zone

VITORIA, Spain: Atletico Madrid were held to a dull 0-0 draw at relegation-battling Alaves on Saturday in La Liga.
Diego Simeone’s side have little to play for in the final weeks of the season, sitting third with Champions League qualification virtually assured and leaders Barcelona nine points ahead of them.
Alaves, however, moved provisionally 16th, three points clear of the relegation zone with an important point against their illustrious visitors.
Julian Alvarez was sent off in the only moment to get pulses racing in the first half when he connected high on Argentine compatriot Facundo Garces’ leg, but the referee downgraded his red card to yellow after a VAR review.
Simeone took off his son Giuliano and Antoine Griezmann as he looked for more energy, bringing on Samuel Lino and regular super-sub Alexander Sorloth.
Antonio Sivera saved a Lino long-range effort, Atletico’s first shot on target, with around 20 minutes remaining as what had been a soporific battle burst belatedly into life.
Jan Oblak made a superb low stop to thwart Kike Garcia from close range as Eduardo Caudet’s hosts almost found a way through.
Sivera clawed out a Clement Lenglet effort and Angel Correa could not convert at the end of a swift counter-attack as Atletico threatened but could not find a winner.
“Neither side could get the upper hand, either in possession or in attack, there were no shots in the first half — the game was played in the middle of the pitch without any danger,” admitted Simeone, who turned his attention to the Club World Cup this summer.
“We’ve earned (qualification) on our merit... the Club World Cup, a significant milestone for the last four years of work.”
Ayoze Perez struck twice for Villarreal as they beat Osasuna 4-2 to close in on Champions League qualification for next season.
The top five La Liga teams qualify and the Yellow Submarine are currently fifth, four points clear of Real Betis who visit Espanyol on Sunday.

Villa boost top five bid, Southampton beaten at Leicester

Updated 22 min 11 sec ago
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Villa boost top five bid, Southampton beaten at Leicester

  • Seventh-placed Villa extended their unbeaten run on home turf to 20 games in all competitions
  • Emery said: “Today, we got more or less to be close to Europe. Wow, fantastic, brilliant”

LONDON: Unai Emery vowed Aston Villa will fight until the end for a place in the Champions League after boosting their bid with a 1-0 win against Fulham on Saturday.
Emery’s side are back in the hunt to finish in the Premier League’s top five thanks to Youri Tielemans’ 12th-minute header at Villa Park.
Seventh-placed Villa extended their unbeaten run on home turf to 20 games in all competitions, lifting them level with sixth-placed Nottingham Forest and fifth-placed Chelsea on 60 points.
After bouncing back from their dismal FA Cup semifinal loss to Crystal Palace last weekend, Villa will hope their rivals falter over the weekend as the top five race heads for a dramatic climax.
“If we weren’t winning today, forget it completely,” Emery said.
“Today, we got more or less to be close to Europe. Wow, fantastic, brilliant. The best gift we can achieve after it is the Europa League or Champions League.
“Champions League, okay. We are not favorites to get it because there is Nottingham Forest in front of us, Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle.
“But we will fight for it, Europe, and hopefully we can fight for the Champions League.”
Southampton wasted a chance to avoid a share of the lowest points total in Premier League history as Jamie Vardy’s 199th Leicester goal inspired a 2-0 win at the King Power Stadium.
Simon Rusk’s bottom of the table team are trying to avoid finishing with just 11 points — which would match Derby’s low mark set in 2007-08.
But Southampton’s hopes of getting a 12th point quickly faded against fellow relegated side Leicester.
After announcing last week that he will leave the club at the end of the season, the 38-year-old Vardy bagged a farewell goal as he put second-bottom Leicester ahead in the 17th minute.
The game was delayed for 11 minutes when referee David Webb was forced off with a head injury after colliding with Leicester’s Jordan Ayew.


Vardy cheekily blew the referee’s whistle while he was being treated.
Leicester finally won for the first time since January as Ayew grabbed the second goal in the 44th minute.
Southampton have now lost 28 of their 35 league games and have three matches left to avoid sharing the low points record with Derby.
Relegated Ipswich fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 in Everton’s penultimate match at Goodison Park.
Kieran McKenna’s third-bottom side trailed to Beto’s 26th minute goal and Dwight McNeil’s effort nine minutes later.
But Julio Enciso ‘s 30-yard rocket reduced the deficit in the 41st minute and George Hirst equalized with 11 minutes left.
Everton’s emotional last match at Goodison before moving to their new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium next season comes against Southampton on May 18.
Second-placed Arsenal host Bournemouth in Saturday’s late game as the Gunners warm up for their Champions League semifinal showdown with Paris Saint-Germain.
Mikel Arteta’s side lost 1-0 in the first leg on Tuesday and head to France for the second leg on Wednesday as they look to reach the final for the first time since 2006.


Leipzig put Bayern and Kane’s title party on ice

Updated 47 min 47 sec ago
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Leipzig put Bayern and Kane’s title party on ice

  • Leroy Sane looked to have completed the comeback and clinch the title
  • The result keeps Bayer Leverkusen’s slim chances of defending their Bundesliga title alive

MUNICH: Bayern Munich and Harry Kane’s German Bundesliga title party was delayed by at least a day after RB Leipzig’s Yussuf Poulsen scored a stoppage-time equalizer in a 3-3 home draw on Saturday.
With Kane sitting in the stands due to a yellow card suspension, Bayern fell two down by half-time, Leipzig scoring twice in teaming rain in Saxony through Benjamin Sesko and Lucas Klostermann.
Bayern then scored twice in 46 seconds through Eric Dier and Michael Olize to level things up with just under 30 minutes remaining.
Leroy Sane looked to have completed the comeback and clinch the title, hitting an unstoppable shot from the right of goal on the 83rd-minute mark.
But Poulsen, subbed on with 30 minutes to go, chipped the ball over Urbig in the fifth minute of stoppage time to snatch a draw.
The result keeps Bayer Leverkusen’s slim chances of defending their Bundesliga title alive.
Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen play at Freiburg on Sunday and need to win their three remaining games, with Bayern, who have a significant goal difference advantage, needing just a point to lift the title.
Leipzig grabbed the lead 11 minutes in when Sesko pounced on a mistake from visiting ‘keeper Jonas Urbig, who was slipped while well outside of his penalty box, allowing the Slovenian to hit a long-range shot home.
Klostermann doubled Leipzig’s lead shortly before half-time, heading in from a David Raum header.
Leipzig, who needed a win to boost their hopes of Champions League football next season, were in control and looked on track for victory until Bayern shocked the hosts with two goals in 46 seconds.
Dier headed in from a corner, his third goal in his past four games, before Olize made the most of a Leipzig defensive mistake to level the scores.
Sane’s late goal sent Bayern’s bench wild.
As the clock wound down, a beaming Kane made his way down from the stands to the sidelines, ready to collect the title of his career.
Poulsen was however sent through on goal by Xavi Simons and cooly chipped the ‘keeper to delay Bayern’s party by at least a day.
Later on Sunday, Borussia Dortmund can keep their top-four hopes alive with a win at home against Wolfsburg.
Champions League finalists last season, Dortmund were as low as 11th this year but have won four of their past five.


Chile footballer Vidal cleared of suspicion in sexual assault case

Updated 58 min 11 sec ago
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Chile footballer Vidal cleared of suspicion in sexual assault case

  • The woman accused Vidal and other Colo Colo players of sexual assault
  • Other unnamed members of Vidal’s team remain under investigation

SANTIAGO: Chilean football star Arturo Vidal has been cleared of suspicion of sexual assault, prosecutors said Saturday, adding that the complaint made by a woman over a party at a Santiago night club had been dismissed.
The woman accused Vidal, 37, and other players from his first-division Colo Colo side of sexual assault at a club, where the footballers were celebrating a birthday on November 4.
“We were able to reconstitute the events of that day and, ultimately, there is no evidence to support charges,” prosecutor Felipe Cembrano said in a video sent to the media.
Other unnamed members of Vidal’s team remain under investigation, however.
Former Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Inter Milan midfielder Vidal returned last year to Colo Colo, where he started his career at 17.
He was part of the so-called “Golden Generation” that led Chile to victory in the 2015 Copa America.


Snooker great Ronnie O’Sullivan plans move to Middle East after World Championship exit

Updated 03 May 2025
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Snooker great Ronnie O’Sullivan plans move to Middle East after World Championship exit

  • The 49-year-old, widely regarded as the greatest snooker player in history, made the announcement after a heavy 17–7 defeat to Zhao Xintong in the semifinals of the World Championship

LONDON: Seven-time world snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has revealed plans to leave the UK and start a new chapter of his life in the Middle East, BBC Sport reported on Saturday.

The 49-year-old, widely regarded as the greatest snooker player in history, made the announcement after a heavy 17–7 defeat to Zhao Xintong in the semifinals of the World Championship in Sheffield on Friday.

The loss marked the end of his first tournament appearance since snapping his cue in frustration at the Championship League in January.

“I think I am going to be moving out of the UK this year,” said O’Sullivan, who is based in Essex and also runs a snooker academy in Saudi Arabia.

“I’ll be moving away to the Middle East. We’ll see how it goes, I might be back in six months. A new life somewhere else. I don’t know how that is going to pan out,” he added.

“The Rocket,” as he is known, had raised hopes of an eighth Crucible crown, which would stand alone as a modern-era record, with earlier victories over Ali Carter, Pang Junxu and Si Jiahui. But he was comfortably outplayed by former UK champion Zhao, who sealed victory with a session to spare.

Despite his long list of achievements — including a record 41 ranking titles, five more than Stephen Hendry — O’Sullivan admitted he is struggling to visualize what lies ahead.

“I will still try to play snooker, but I don’t know what the future looks like for me, really,” he said. “It is a big part of my life, but I have to try and figure out what my future looks like, whether it’s playing or not.”

O’Sullivan has spoken openly in recent years about his struggles with motivation and mental health, and previously revealed he had taken medication to deal with anxiety.

His absence from the sport for several months earlier this season prompted speculation about whether he might be winding down his career ahead of his 50th birthday in December.

At this year’s tournament, he has also faced a battle with his equipment after breaking his trusted cue — a problem he said was still unresolved.

“I don’t even know if it was the cue, the ferrule or me. There were three things,” he said. “I didn’t know where the white ball was going. I was at a loss. I won’t throw the cue. The merchandise people want it, so it will be up for sale.

“I’ve been playing like that quite a lot in practice and it’s just hard to get my head around. I can’t even fix it, that’s the problem. I know I said I’d like to try and give it two years, but if you’re going to play like that it’s pretty pointless. It’s not good.”

O’Sullivan was full of praise for his young Chinese opponent following the crushing defeat.

“We’ve got a really nice relationship, I’m always trying to help him if I can. He wanted the crowd to give me clap, but it’s his moment. I tried to get off as quick as I could because it’s his moment,” he told Sportsboom.com

“It’d be amazing if he did it. He’d be a mega star, he’s still very big in China as it is. But if he becomes world champion, he’ll be unbelievable. It will just be amazing for snooker, and his life as well.

“He can definitely get over the line. But he’ll have more of a test against the other two guys in the semis. I think that’ll be a proper test for him.”