DOHA: Tajikistan have made history by qualifying for the Asian Cup last 16 on their debut but coach Petar Segrt said they “want more” when they face the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.
The world’s 106th-ranked side drew with China and beat Lebanon to advance as group runners-up in Qatar and now face a team that reached the semifinals at the last two Asian Cups.
Segrt is a larger-than-life character who has won friends at the Asian Cup, making a point of shaking hands with every reporter in the room before Saturday’s press conference.
But he said his team are “not here for smiling and celebrating.”
“The group stage was a very sensational success for Tajikistan, but now we want more,” said the Croat.
“I cannot go and talk to the players and say we are now happy, let us go home. We will look for our chances.”
Nuriddin Khamrokulov scored in the 92nd minute to give Tajikistan a 2-1 win over Lebanon and confirm their place in the knockout rounds.
The final whistle sparked wild celebrations, with Segrt’s glasses being smashed in the melee.
Wearing a new pair as he spoke to reporters, the 57-year-old said his players were “the heroes of this tournament.”
But the coach said he must also “find new solutions,” with several players injured and midfielder Amadoni Kamolov still suspended after being sent off against Qatar.
“We will look how much petrol we have in our tank, how much energy we have for this game,” said Segrt.
“We will try to give United Arab Emirates a very good fight. We believe in us.”
UAE also came through their first-round group as runners-up, beating Hong Kong before drawing with Palestine and losing to Iran.
Paulo Bento’s side looked set to finish third until Yahya Al-Ghassani scored a crucial goal in injury time against Iran.
The Portuguese coach said it would be “a big mistake” to underestimate newcomers Tajikistan.
“We don’t have space to make mistakes because we don’t have that possibility as we had in the group stage,” he said.
“I’m sure that our players are going to show the right attitude and the wish to keep doing well and go to the quarter-finals.”
Bento will be back on the bench after serving a one-match suspension for a red card against Palestine.
He was also sent off while coaching South Korea at the 2022 World Cup but insisted his actions had “no impact on the players.”
“This doesn’t mean that it’s a good situation but it’s something that happens sometimes,” he said.
“We didn’t show the most appropriate behavior.”
Debutants Tajikistan ‘want more’ in Asian Cup last 16
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Debutants Tajikistan ‘want more’ in Asian Cup last 16
- The world’s 106th-ranked side drew with China and beat Lebanon to advance as group runners-up
- “We will try to give United Arab Emirates a very good fight,” said coach Petar Segrt
Real Madrid revive Champions League title defense with win at spirited Atalanta
- Goals from Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham were just enough for Madrid to triumph in a red-hot atmosphere in Bergamo
BERGAMO, Italy: Real Madrid got their Champions League title defense back up and running on Tuesday after coming through a tough battle to win 3-2 at Atalanta.
Goals from Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham were just enough for Madrid to triumph in a red-hot atmosphere in Bergamo and move up to nine points from six matches.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side would have been at risk of dropping out of the play-off places but came through a tough test at Serie A leaders Atalanta.
The away side are now three points from the top eight positions which give direct qualification for the last 16 with two matches remaining in their league campaign and a round of fixtures coming up on Wednesday.
Madrid inflicted on Atalanta a first defeat in this year’s revamped competition and are now only two points behind Gian Piero Gasperini’s ambitious team who performed well against 15-time European champions Madrid but now sit ninth.
Atalanta scored through a Charles De Ketelaere penalty which levelled Mbappe’s opener in first-half stoppage time and a fine Ademola Lookman strike in the 65th minute which put the hosts back in the match after Vinicius and Bellingham’s quickfire goals.
The hosts even came to within inches of snatching a dramatic draw deep in added time when substitute Retegui somehow shot over Lookman’s fizzing cross from from practically on the goalline.
Guardiola says he won’t leave Man City for another club
LONDON: Pep Guardiola said he would not “take another club” after ending his stint as Manchester City manager, although he left open the possibility of coaching a national team.
Shortly after signing a contract extension in November, Guardiola gave an interview in Manchester to visiting Spanish celebrity chef Dani Garcia, who posted the conversation on his YouTube channel.
“I feel this is enough. I’m going to stop. I’m not going to take another team,” Guardiola said. “I’m not talking about the long-term future, but what I’m not going to do is leave Man City, go to another country, and do the same thing as now.
“I wouldn’t have the energy. The thought of starting somewhere else, all the training and so on. No, no, no! Maybe a national team, but that’s different.
“I want to leave it and go and play golf but I can’t. I think stopping would do me good.”
Guardiola has previously expressed an interest in coaching at international level later in his career.
“That’s different. It’s not (training) every day, (playing) every three days,” he said. “To rest, to see what we have done, what we can do better, because day-to-day we don’t have much time to rest.”
In a conversation that included his taste in food and his philosophy of life, Guardiola told Garcia that from the start of the career he had looked to one day having time to study French, play golf and learn to cook.
“To stop would do me good.”
Morocco sets stage for 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal
- “This is a unique opportunity to accelerate national economic growth, create jobs, and boost the country’s tourism,” said Fouzi Lekjaa, head of Morocco’s 2030 World Cup Committee
RABAT: After decades of unsuccessful bids, Morocco will finally achieve its long-cherished dream of hosting the football World Cup in 2030, along with Spain and Portugal, in what the North African country hopes will boost its international image and economy.
FIFA is set to formally ratify the trio’s candidacy on Wednesday, with Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay also hosting a game each to mark a century since the very first World Cup was staged in South America.
It will have taken over 40 years since Morocco became the first African nation in 1987 to bid for the World Cup, aiming to host the 1994 edition.
Rabat has made five failed bids in total, including one for 2026 but also 2010, when it narrowly lost out to South Africa for the right to host the first World Cup on the continent.
“This is a unique opportunity to accelerate national economic growth, create jobs, and boost the country’s tourism,” said Fouzi Lekjaa, head of Morocco’s 2030 World Cup Committee.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting chaired by King Mohammed VI, Lekjaa emphasized the transformational potential of hosting the world’s biggest sporting event.
The Moroccan government has unveiled ambitious plans to modernize infrastructure in six host cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Fes, Tangier, Marrakech and Agadir.
This includes expanding airports, roads and transportation networks, as well as boosting hotel and commercial services, according to an official statement.
Six stadiums in the host cities are already undergoing renovation work, said the statement.
Additionally, a new 115,000-seat stadium near Casablanca, costing 480 million euros ($507 million), is also in the works as the kingdom banks on the state-of-the-art venue to host the final.
“These projects will leave a lasting legacy for future generations,” said Moncef El Yazghi, a researcher specializing in sports policy.
Morocco’s interest in hosting the World Cup dates back to its groundbreaking performance at the 1986 tournament in Mexico, where it became the first African and Arab nation to reach the knockout stage.
The success sparked the idea of using football as a platform to enhance the nation’s reputation.
For sociologist Abderrahim Bourquia, the infrastructure improvements for the tournament offer economic benefits while also granting Morocco global confidence.
Spectators from all over the world “will associate Morocco with the sport’s positive values,” he said.
The project also aligns with Morocco’s ambition to cultivate stronger ties continentally.
In recent years, the kingdom has increasingly sought to deepen its diplomacy with other African countries, bolstered by its return to the African Union in 2017.
The country has signed some 44 partnership agreements with African football federations.
Morocco was due to stage the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2015 but pulled out of hosting the tournament because of concerns about the spread of Ebola amid an outbreak in West Africa.
However, it will stage the next AFCON, beginning in December next year and running into January 2026.
It also hosted the Women’s Cup of Nations in 2022 and has been the host of the Club World Cup on several occasions.
These events have become a key tool for Morocco to achieve what El Yazghi describes as “football diplomacy.”
Morocco’s joint bid with Spain and Portugal came after Madrid backed Morocco’s position on the conflict of Western Sahara.
The territory, a former Spanish colony de facto controlled for the most part by Morocco, is claimed by the Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front.
The conflict has long been at the heart of Morocco’s diplomatic woes with neighboring Algeria.
Madrid’s diplomatic shift in 2022 “undoubtedly paved the way for the joint World Cup bid,” said international relations expert Tajeddine El-Husseini.
While the 2030 World Cup offers Morocco global visibility, it also presents an opportunity to invest in the development of domestic football.
The men’s national team enjoyed historic success at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when they became the first African and Arab nation to reach the semifinals.
However, despite a population of 38 million, the country has only 90,000 registered players, according to El Yazghi.
To address this gap, the Moroccan Football Federation partnered with OCP Group, the state-owned phosphate producer, to finance new training centers for players in the hope of unearthing a new generation to follow in the footsteps of the current side, featuring stars like Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi.
Liverpool close on Champions League progress as Salah seals Girona win
- Liverpool have made a stunning start in the competition under coach Arne Slot, winning all six of their matches
- Salah sent Gazzaniga the wrong way to net his 50th Champions League goal
GIRONA, Spain: Champions League group phase leaders Liverpool virtually sealed a place in the last 16 with a tight 1-0 victory at Girona on Tuesday after Mohamed Salah struck from the penalty spot.
Liverpool have made a stunning start in the competition under coach Arne Slot, winning all six of their matches to move provisionally five points clear of second-placed Inter Milan.
The English giants, six-time winners of the competition, were given a tough night by Champions League debutants Girona, who fell to a fifth defeat and are on the verge of elimination.
Teams finishing in the top eight will avoid an extra round of play-off matches.
“If you ask me about all six games, I’m really pleased with all the results... (but) I’m far from pleased about the performance tonight,” Slot told reporters.
“(We had) hardly any control at all over the game, maybe the second half was a bit better but then I’m trying to be positive.”
Slot started fit-again goalkeeper Alisson Becker after a two-month injury lay-off and the Brazilian showed no sign of rust on a busy night.
After their Merseyside derby clash at Everton was called off because of a storm at the weekend, Slot was able to pick a fresh side, going with arguably his strongest available team to try and assure a top eight finish as soon as possible.
Newcomers Girona, who lost several key players in the summer and are still rebuilding, opted for Arnaut Danjuma in attack with support from spritely duo Bryan Gil and Yaser Asprilla.
Liverpool pinned the hosts back in the first 10 minutes and Girona stopper Paulo Gazzaniga pushed away a Joe Gomez header.
After that Michel Sanchez’s Girona found their footing on a chilly night at their sold-out Montilivi stadium, reduced to under 10,000 capacity due to UEFA regulations, and they began to put Alisson to the test.
The goalkeeper saved from Alejandro Frances and then denied former Tottenham winger Gil, who slipped as he ran through on Liverpool’s goal.
Alisson also beat away a Miguel Gutierrez drive as the qualities of the side which pushed Real Madrid close for the Spanish title last season shone through.
“Maybe the players wanted to see how fit he really was, so they gave him so much work,” joked Slot.
“Alisson has been so important for this club for so many years, and showed today he is one of the best, the best in my opinion, goalkeeper in the world.”
Darwin Nunez spurned Liverpool’s first big chance after Salah slipped him in, with Gazzaniga keeping out the Uruguayan striker’s low poke.
Alisson was tested again early in the second half by former Bournemouth forward Danjuma.
The Dutchman then gave Liverpool’s defense the slip with a clever dribble but fired over, as Slot’s words ahead of the game were proven true — Girona were better than the standings suggested.
Despite their valiant efforts, the Liverpool juggernaut is proving hard to stop and the Premier League leaders took the lead with a controversial penalty won by Luis Diaz.
The Colombian winger went down under a challenge from Donny van de Beek and after a VAR review, the referee pointed to the spot, much to the home side’s frustration.
Salah sent Gazzaniga the wrong way to net his 50th Champions League goal, pulling the Egyptian level with Filippo Inzaghi as the 10th highest goalscorer of all-time in the competition.
The winger is out of contract at the end of the season but his 16 goals across all competitions have been essential in Liverpool’s superb first half of the season.
Slot replaced the wasteful Nunez with Cody Gakpo as he tried to kill the game off, but Girona were deflated after conceding and unable to make further inroads as their Champions League dream draws toward a close.
“I almost feel sorry for them because they deserve so much more in this Champions League campaign than the three points they have,” admitted Slot.
Girona coach Sanchez thanked the Liverpool coach for the praise of his team and said despite the defeat he was proud of his team.
“I’m very proud of the players’ performance,” said Sanchez.
“It was a very worthy game from us, the commitment from the team was top level.”
Fiorentina’s Bove has defibrillator installed after collapse: media
- Fiorentina later said that “the operation which Edoardo Bove underwent was successful“
- If confirmed, the installation of a defibrillator would mean Bove’s football career in Italy is at risk due to stringent health regulations
MILAN: Edoardo Bove has had a defibrillator fitted after the Fiorentina midfielder’s on-pitch cardiac arrest earlier this month, Italian media reported on Tuesday.
Sky Sport and Gazzetta Dello Sport reported that the operation was carried out on Tuesday morning at the Careggi hospital in Florence, where Bove has been since collapsing during Fiorentina’s Serie A fixture with Inter Milan on December 1.
The match was stopped and then called off while Bove was rushed to the intensive care unit, where serious damage to the 22-year-old’s central nervous and cardio-respiratory systems was quickly ruled out.
Bove has been awake and undergoing tests in hospital for just over a week and is reportedly set to be discharged in the coming days after his operation.
Fiorentina later said that “the operation which Edoardo Bove underwent was successful,” without specifying the exact procedure.
“Edoardo contacted the club a few minutes ago and said that he is fine and will continue his post-operation recovery program before being discharged from hospital in the next few days,” said Fiorentina.
If confirmed, the installation of a defibrillator would mean Bove’s football career in Italy is at risk due to stringent health regulations which govern sport in the country.
Christian Eriksen had to leave Inter Milan in 2021 in the wake of his cardiac arrest and collapse while playing for Denmark at that year’s European Championship.
Eriksen was banned from playing in Italian football after having an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, or ICD, fitted but now plays for Manchester United and still represents his country.
