LONDON: Mohamed Salah made a scoring return for Liverpool as the English Premier League leader dispatched Brentford 4-1 on Saturday.
Salah had been out for a month since sustaining a hamstring injury at the Africa Cup of Nations. He came on as a substitute just before halftime at Gtech Community Stadium and struck his 19th goal of the season in all competitions in the 68th minute.
Liverpool already led 2-0 at that point, after Darwin Nunez opened the scoring in the 35th and Alexis Mac Allister added another from Salah's assist.
Ivan Toney pulled a goal back for Brentford in the 75th, scoring for the fourth time in five games since returning from an eight-month ban for breaching betting rules.
But substitute Cody Gakpo sealed the win for Liverpool.
While their title challenge remains in good shape, there was concern after new injuries to Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota in the first half. Jota had to leave the field on a stretcher.
Liverpool were already without the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Alcantara and Dominik Szoboszlai, while goalkeeper Alisson was also hurt in training on Friday and missed the game against Brentford.
Salah scores on return as Liverpool dispatch Brentford
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Salah scores on return as Liverpool dispatch Brentford
- Salah had been out for a month since sustaining a hamstring injury at the Africa Cup of Nations
- Ivan Toney pulled a goal back for Brentford in the 75th
Bahrain game ‘crucial’ for Saudi World Cup qualification hopes, says coach Herve Renard
- With 2 games left to play in 3rd round of the qualifiers and the Green Falcons sitting 3rd in Group C, he warns that 6 points are a ‘must’
- The squad’s final preparations are going well, he adds, with a renewed spirit and clear determination among the players to perform well
MANAMA: Saudi Arabia’s match against Bahrain on Thursday is “crucial” to their bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, coach Herve Renard said on Wednesday.
The away game will be followed by a showdown with Australia at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on Tuesday, as the third round of the qualifiers draws to a close.
The Saudis are sitting third in the six-team Group C, 10 points behind already qualified Japan and trailing Australia by three. The top two in the group qualify automatically for the finals, while those who finish third and fourth will fight it out with four other teams for the last three spots. At this point no outcome is certain for the Green Falcons, who are just four points ahead of bottom-of-the-group China.
Speaking at the prematch press conference in Manama, Renard said the Saudis must take maximum points from their remaining games.
“We have to win the six points in the next two matches,” the Frenchman said. “Knowing the outcome of the Australia-Japan match (on Thursday) in advance gives us an important psychological boost ahead of the Bahrain match, and it may also determine my final message to the players.”
The squad’s final preparations for the game were going well, he added, with a renewed spirit and clear determination among the players to perform at a level worthy of the team, despite the difficult task ahead.
The position they are in reflects the team’s stumbling start to this phase of the qualifiers, Renard said, but everyone is determined to restore balance to the team and win.
Saudi footballer Abdulmalik Al-Jaber shines on European stage
- Al-Nassr star’s performances in Bosnia put him at top of list of 9 Saudi players across 7 of Europe’s football leagues
- Faisal Al-Ghamdi played as key midfielder for Beerschot in Belgium
BEIRUT: Midfielder Abdulmalik Al-Jaber has been a guiding light among Saudi players making their mark in Europe following his impressive spell at Bosnia’s FK Zeljeznicar.
Al-Nassr announced on Monday the capture of 21-year-old Al-Jaber on a four-year contract after his strong season with FK Zeljeznicar where played 33 times, scored three goals and assisted in three more.
Al-Jaber’s performances put him at the top of a list of nine Saudi players who played across seven different European leagues last season.
Faisal Al-Ghamdi, 23, played 29 times for Belgian club Beerschot where he was a key player in midfield, scoring one goal and assisting in the creation of another.
Clubmate and forward Marwan Al-Sahafi also impressed, the 21-year-old scoring six times and making one assist across 28 games.
Mohanad Al-Saad, 21, played for Dunkerque in France and scored four goals in 15 matches — one of them against Paris Saint-Germain in the French Cup semifinal, a proud moment despite the 4-2 defeat.
Saud Abdulhamid, 25, got some valuable minutes with AS Roma in Italy where he played eight matches, scoring once and making one assist. Four of his appearances were in Serie A, the top tier.
Midfielder Mohammed Al-Rashidi, 23, boasted eight appearances for Greece’s Panserraikos and a total of 184 minutes on the pitch.
Three other young players had a taste of European football. Hussain Al-Taha, 19, played three matches for Croatian side Vukovar, while Mishal Haddad, 20, appeared in two games for Vinkovci, also in Croatia. Yazan Madani, 20, played twice as left-back for Albania’s Egnatia.
With more Saudi players heading to Europe, it is clear that the future looks bright for talented footballers from the KIngdom.
These youngsters are gaining experience, growing in confidence, and helping to raise the profile of Saudi football on the international stage.
Middlesbrough sack manager Michael Carrick
- The former Manchester United midfielder had been in charge at Boro since October 2022
- “Middlesbrough Football Club has today parted company with head coach Michael Carrick,” the club said
LONDON: Middlesbrough on Wednesday sacked manager Michael Carrick after the Championship club missed out on a play-off place during the 2024/25 season.
The former Manchester United and England midfielder, who previously had a spell as caretaker boss at Old Trafford, had been in charge at Boro since October 2022.
The 43-year-old guided Middlesbrough to the Championship play-offs in the 2022/23 season but they have missed out on the top six in the past two campaigns.
“Middlesbrough Football Club has today parted company with head coach Michael Carrick,” the club said in a statement.
“Michael’s assistants Jonathan Woodgate and Graeme Carrick have also departed the club.
“We’d like thank Michael, Jonathan, and Graeme for all their hard work and unwavering commitment. We wish them all the very best for the future.”
Middlesbrough won just one of their final six league games to finish 10th in the Championship table, four points off the play-off spots.
Arsenal in talks with Partey over new deal as Jorginho and Sterling depart
- Partey’s contract is due to expire on June 30
- The Ghana international has been with Arsenal since 2020
LONDON: Arsenal are in talks with Thomas Partey to extend the midfielder’s contract, the club said Wednesday, while confirming the departure of a slew of other players including Jorginho and Raheem Sterling.
Partey’s contract is due to expire on June 30 and Arsenal said “discussions are on-going.”
The Ghana international has been with Arsenal since 2020.
Italy midfielder Jorginho, Scotland left back Kieran Tierney, Brazilian goalkeeper Neto and Sterling — at one stage a key player for England — are among those confirmed to be leaving Arsenal.
Sterling was only on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
Arsenal have just finished second in the Premier League for the third straight season.
Chaabani believes debutants Berkane can win CAF Champions League
- Chaabani, a 43-year-old Tunisian, acknowledges that competing in the Champions League will be more challenging than the Confederation Cup
- “The Champions League is a tougher competition, with high-level opponents,” he said
JOHANNESBURG: Renaissance Berkane coach Mouin Chaabani believes the Moroccan club could go one better than CAF Champions League title-holders Pyramids and win the competition at the first attempt.
Cairo outfit Pyramids won the premier African club competition last Sunday in only their second appearance by beating South African rivals Mamelodi Sundowns 3-2 on aggregate.
Berkane last month became Moroccan champions for the first time, finishing 13 points ahead of runners-up FAR Rabat.
Called the Orange Boys as they are based in the citrus-growing northeast of Morocco, Renaissance will debut in the Champions League this year.
It is a milestone for a club formed in 1938 and overshadowed for decades by Casablanca giants Raja and Wydad, both three-time African champions.
Berkane finally conquered Morocco by winning 21 of 30 matches, drawing seven, losing just two, scoring 49 goals and conceding only 14 in a championship ranked the second toughest in Africa.
While Berkane are Champions League debutants, they are no strangers to Africa having
competed in the past eight editions of the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup, winning three
finals.
They were also runners-up twice to Egyptian opponents Zamalek, losing one title decider after a penalty shootout and another on away goals.
Chaabani, a 43-year-old Tunisian, acknowledges that competing in the Champions League will be more challenging than the Confederation Cup.
“The Champions League is a tougher competition, with high-level opponents,” the coach who won back-to-back titles in the most prized African club competition with Tunis outfit Esperance told reporters.
“Thanks to repeated appearances in the Confederation Cup, I think Berkane have acquired continental experience. We have an ambitious squad capable of competing at the highest level.
“We will approach the Champions League campaign with great respect for opponents, but also with a desire to go far. Why not aim for the title?
“Our supporters can play a key role. Their unwavering backing, at home and away, has carried us through difficult times as well as joyful moments.”
The Municipal Stadium in Berkane accommodates just 15,000 spectators, and their closeness to the pitch creates what many visiting coaches have called “an intimidating atmosphere.”
Berkane won 43 of 49 home Confederation Cup matches since debuting in 2015, drew the other six, scored 113 goals and conceded only 18.
En route to the latest Confederation Cup triumph, they excelled at home, firing five goals past
Dadje of Benin and Stellenbosch of South Africa and four past CS Constantine of Algeria in the semifinals.
The Champions League is becoming increasingly competitive and unpredictable with the success of Pyramids not foreseen when the competition kicked off last August.
The Cairo club boast a prolific scorer in Congolese Fiston Mayele, whose nine goals won him the Champions League Golden Boot.
Pyramids, fellow Egyptian challengers and record 12-time African champions Al Ahly, Sundowns and Esperance of Tunisia will hope to claim the $4 million (EUR3.5 million) first prize.
Mouloudia Alger of Algeria, who are poised to qualify, and FAR were quarter-finalists last season and capable of going further this time.
Apart from the regular campaigners, there will be newcomers like Wiliete of Angola, Colombe of Cameroon and possibly Police, who need one point from two matches to become Kenyan champions.
Originally due to kick off in August, the Champions League will be delayed as the African Nations Championship (CHAN) has been rescheduled for that month.
