ISLAMABAD: The Saudi national football team completed the final preparations on Wednesday for their game against Pakistan in Islamabad on Thursday in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup.
“The match tomorrow is important for us and we aim to win it to secure all the points and keep our position at the top of the group,” head coach Roberto Mancini said.
“We are happy to be in Islamabad and thank you for the warm welcome we have received since our arrival.”
After four games in the second stage of the qualifiers, the Green Falcons sit top of Group G on 10 points, followed by Jordan on 7 and Tajikistan on 5. Pakistan are bottom of the group, having lost all of their games so far.
Asked about the decision to travel to Pakistan the day before the game, Mancini said: “This is a practice we have applied in the previous two matches, against Jordan and Tajikistan, where we prefer to train at our own field and have the final training session at the match field.”
Pakistan have conceded 20 goals in four group games and scored only one, but Mancini refused to underestimate them, saying: “We respect the Pakistani team … there are no significant differences. It is a game of 11 players against 11 players. The most important thing for us is to be present, with high concentration, to achieve the goal we came for.”
After thanking Pakistan for the warm welcome the team received, midfielder Mukhtar Ali said: “Our focus is on Thursday’s match, which holds great importance for us. We aim to deliver a good performance and win the points.”
Next up after Pakistan, the Saudis will host Jordan in Riyadh on June 11.
Saudi Arabia aim to build on lead at top of World Cup and Asian Cup qualification group
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Saudi Arabia aim to build on lead at top of World Cup and Asian Cup qualification group
- ‘The match tomorrow is important for us and we aim to win it to secure all the points and keep our position at the top of the group,’ says head coach Roberto Mancini
- He refuses to underestimate opponents Pakistan, who have lost their previous 4 games in the group, conceding 20 goals and scoring just 1 in the process
With a gamble in Greece, England recover without Harry Kane for 3-0 win
- Carsley’s brief tenure with England as a caretaker coach after the departure of Gareth Southgate has been under a cloud of scrutiny since that first-ever defeat to Greece
- Watkins led England’s forward-leaning formation, justifying the selection with a goal in the seventh minute
ATHENS: This time, Lee Carsley’s gamble paid off.
In a surprise move, England’s interim coach left captain Harry Kane on the bench for the Nations League match against Greece on Thursday and the youthful team eased to a 3-0 win in Athens.
It was a far cry from a month ago when Carsley boldly picked a team featuring no recognized strikers — Kane was injured on that occasion — and full of midfielders, only for England to lose 2-1 to Greece at Wembley Stadium.
Carsley’s brief tenure with England as a caretaker coach after the departure of Gareth Southgate has been under a cloud of scrutiny since that first-ever defeat to Greece. Yet he’ll hand the reins to Thomas Tuchel at the end of the year with his reputation somewhat restored and the future suddenly looking more positive for the national team.
Indeed, looking to the future is the reason he chose Ollie Watkins over Kane for this match.
“This team needs to try and create leaders and one way to do that is give them opportunities,” he said of the decision to pick Watkins in a team that also included a debut for Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones.
Watkins led England’s forward-leaning formation, justifying the selection with a goal in the seventh minute when he tapped in a cross from 22-year-old winger Noni Madueke — another unexpected starter.
Jude Bellingham had a hand in the second goal in the 78th, sending in a shot that hit the post before the ball deflected off Greece goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos and into the net. Jones flicked the ball in for 3-0 five minutes later.
“There were a lot of positives,” Carsley said. “I see the quality the players have got and you’re now seeing what they are capable of. ... When you see the team, you might have thought it was a gamble — you know, a risk — but I’ve got real confidence in these players.”
Kane came on for Watkins in the 66th minute and Carsley said he expected the captain to start on Sunday when England hosts Ireland, seeking a win to finish top of the group and secure promotion back to the top tier of the Nations League.
“He was absolutely fine,” Carsley said. “I think it’d be fair to say he wants to play every game like all top players do. I think he understands it’s important that other players experience that kind of experience we had tonight. He’s a great example to the rest of the players.
“It was brilliant for Ollie to get a goal,” Carsley added. “It’s important that if we’re going to put these players in a position where we are going to win the World Cup, these players need as many experiences as they can. It was no slight on Harry.”
The Greeks went scoreless despite convincing spells in attack, with coach Ivan Jovanovic conceding that England had found its form to halt a run of four successive wins for his team.
“England is a better team for sure, they have higher quality, but the result could have been different,” Jovanovic said. “I have no complaints with the effort the players put in, their runs and their challenges, but we were a notch behind them. England was very good, very good, and we were below the level we can play at.”
Sinner stays perfect and Fritz also advances to the semifinals at ATP Finals
- Sinner was already assured of a spot in the last four before his match against Medvedev but still extended his winning streak to nine matches
- Sinner is playing at home for the first time since it was announced before his US Open title that he tested positive in two separate drug tests this year
TURIN: He’s got a stranglehold on the No. 1 ranking. He’s unbeaten this week and hasn’t dropped a set. And his home Italian fans can’t get enough of him.
Things couldn’t get much better for Jannik Sinner at the ATP Finals so far — despite an ongoing doping case that likely won’t be decided until early next year.
Sinner and US Open finalist Taylor Fritz advanced to the semifinals on Thursday at the season-ending tournament for the year’s top eight players.
Sinner won the round-robin group after a 6-3, 6-4 victory over 2020 champion Daniil Medvedev; and Fritz advanced in second after rallying past Alex de Minaur 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
Sinner was already assured of a spot in the last four before his match against Medvedev but still extended his winning streak to nine matches. Sinner beat Fritz in the US Open final in September for his second Grand Slam title.
“I hope this match gives me confidence for the semifinals, where I’m hoping to raise the level,” Sinner said. “But honestly, I’m happy with the level I’m playing at right now.”
Last year, Sinner lost the final to Novak Djokovic, who pulled out injured this year.
Sinner is playing at home for the first time since it was announced before his US Open title that he tested positive in two separate drug tests this year.
A decision to clear Sinner of wrongdoing was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency in September and a final ruling in the case is expected in 2025.
“I have been in this position three times already. Three times we had the hearing. Three times (went) my way,” Sinner said. “Of course, it’s not a position where I like to be in. But I’m going to work together with everyone, like I did before, then we see what comes out. I’m very positive of how it’s going to be.”
Sinner’s explanation was that the banned performance-enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat his own cut finger. The spray was given to Naldi by Sinner’s physical trainer, Umberto Ferrara.
Sinner fired Naldi and Ferrara and now Ferrara has been hired to work with Matteo Berrettini, Sinner’s Davis Cup teammate.
“I saw them in Montecarlo the day before I came to Turin. Umberto is a really good trainer and I’m sure he’ll do a great job for Matteo, who has had a lot of physical issues in the past,” Sinner said.
Medvedev, who won one of three matches, and De Minaur, who didn’t win any, were eliminated.
Alexander Zverev leads the other group ahead of Casper Ruud, Carlos Alcaraz and Andrey Rublev.
Sinner took the edge in his career meetings with Medvedev at 8-7 — after Medvedev swept their first six matches.
“He’s in full confidence right now,” Medvedev said. “I watched his practice before the match — barely misses a shot and he hits strong. Many times a lot of players that don’t miss a lot, at least they don’t hit strong. He can hit strong — very strong, probably one of maybe top three, four, five hitters on tour, and doesn’t miss.”
Fritz improved to 4-5 in his career against De Minaur and could pull level next week in a quarterfinal matchup between the United States and Australia at the Davis Cup Finals.
“I feel like he typically plays better in the team environment. I also feel like I play better in the team environment,” Fritz said. “It’s still going to be a nightmare to play him next week, too.”
Messi, Vinicius have frustrating nights as Argentina lose and Brazil draw in World Cup qualifying
- Argentina will remain on the top of the 10-team round robin competition with a 22 points in 11 matches, Brazil are provisionally in third place in the standings with 17 points
- Argentina played at Paraguay with the hosts having banned local fans from wearing any Messi shirts in the home crowd
ASUNCION: Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Brazil’s Vinicius Junior had frustrating nights in South American World Cup qualifying.
While Messi could not help his team avoid a 2-1 defeat at Paraguay, Vinicius Junior missed a second-half penalty as Brazil was held to a 1-1 draw at Venezuela on Thursday.
Argentina will remain on the top of the 10-team round robin competition with a 22 points in 11 matches, Brazil are provisionally in third place in the standings with 17 points.
The 11th round of South American World Cup qualifying will continue on Friday with second-place Colombia visiting Uruguay and the bottom two teams in the standings, Peru and Chile, facing off in Lima.
An anti-Messi message
Argentina played at Paraguay with the hosts having banned local fans from wearing any Messi shirts in the home crowd. TV footage of the match in Asuncion showed that the vast majority of the local crowd was wearing Paraguay’s red and white colors, with no Messi shirts visible in the local broadcasts.
Messi had few opportunities to touch the ball during the first half, but saw Lautaro Martinez open the scoring in the 11th minute with a crossed shot. The goal was allowed after a video review.
Paraguay scored the equalizer with a bicycle kick by Antonio Sanabria in the 19th minute, shortly after defender Gustavo Gomez hit the bar with a header.
The hosts continued to apply pressure, and gave the Argentine star some heavy marking. Messi showed he was upset with Brazilian referee Anderson Daronco for not sending off Paraguay’s Omar Alderete for his aggressive tackles.
It was Alderete who scored Paraguay’s winner with a header in the 47th minute, which puts Paraguay back in contention for a spot in the next World Cup.
“We came to a hard place where the national team always struggled,” said Martínez. “We have to correct a lot of things we did wrong in this match, but generally speaking we are playing well. We are still in the lead, and we have to look forward.”
A disappointing night for Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior is still without a goal in six matches of World Cup qualifying.
He had the chance to score a potential winner after he earned the penalty in the 67th minute but his low spot kick was saved by goalkeeper Rafael Romo and the Brazil forward then shot wide from the rebound.
Brazil had the best chances in the first half, with Vinicius hitting the post once after dribbling three Venezuelans and shooting from the edge of the box. But it was Raphinha who opened the scoring from a free kick in the 43rd minute.
Venezuela brought on 21-year-old Telasco Segovia at halftime and the substitution had an immediate effect as he equalized in the 46th minute with a powerful shot from the edge of the box.
Venezuela went down to 10 men in the 89th minute after Alexander Gonzalez was sent off for hitting both Gabriel Martinelli and Vinicius Júnior in the face.
The irrigation system then came on two minutes before the final whistle at the Monumental Stadium in the city of Maturin, 500 kilometers (310 miles) west of the capital Caracas, which angered Brazil players.
“When we don’t win I leave the pitch a bit disappointed, we deserved to win this one,” Raphinha said after the match. “But it is an important point playing away, we are working hard to win the next one at home.”
Los Angeles is on the clock for 2028 Olympics with focus turning to delivery and planning next year
- The commission visited the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, the Long Beach Convention Center, waterfront and Marine Stadium during its first trip to Los Angeles in two years
- In 2025, the Games plan, the venues and competition schedule, medal event program and athlete quota will be finalized
LOS ANGELES: The International Olympic Committee’s Coordination Commission wrapped up a three-day visit Thursday to check out selected venues and track the progress of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“We’re four short years away,” said Casey Wasserman, LA28 chairman and president, who noted the Los Angeles Games are 1,338 days from opening on July 14, 2028.
The commission visited the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, the Long Beach Convention Center, waterfront and Marine Stadium during its first trip to Los Angeles in two years.
“The venues are absolutely spectacular,” said Nicole Hoevertsz, a member of the International Olympic Committee and chair of the Coordination Commission for LA28. “I’m going to highlight this every single time that I come to the city that you have no construction to do, that you have world-class venues. They know very well how to organize big events and big sporting events.”
In 2025, the Games plan, the venues and competition schedule, medal event program and athlete quota will be finalized, which in turn will drive transportation, security and ticketing plans.
In 2026, the LA organizing committee will “get into some of the fun stuff,” Wasserman said, which includes opening up ticketing and hospitality options to the public, organizing the torch relay, creating a mascot, Cultural Olympiad and volunteer program.
“We cannot wait to host the world,” he said during a news conference on the campus of UCLA, which will host the athletes’ village.
Wasserman doesn’t anticipate any issues working with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, who was in office in 2017 when Los Angeles won its bid to host and signed federally binding documents for the government to deliver security and transportation for the Games.
“Our conversations with the federal government always involve talking to folks from every party, that’s the nature of the world we live in in this country,” Wasserman said. “One side doesn’t get to dictate everything. It requires cooperation and coordination. We’ve had great success with both Republican and Democratic administrations, and we have no doubt that will continue.”
Wasserman and the LA organizing committee visited Paris to get an up-close view of how the French capital staged the recent Summer Games.
“We spent most of our time touring the back of the house while the competition was going on,” he said. “That’s where we will learn a lot and see a lot. Producing an event on the field of play I think we have a pretty good handle on. What makes the Olympics unique is everything else.”
Cricket is among the new sports at the 2028 Games, as are flag football, lacrosse and squash. A cricket venue doesn’t currently exist in Los Angeles.
“If we can find a place for cricket in Los Angeles, in the region, we will,” he said. “If not, it’s incumbent upon us to find the best place to produce the best cricket tournament.”
Softball and canoe slalom have already been moved 1,300 miles east to Oklahoma City.
“These Games are incredibly focused on LA and Southern California and being responsible and making hosting the Games fit our city and our community as opposed to fitting our city to host the games,” Wasserman said, “which is the mistake that has been made in the past and the promise we have made to the city and the community not to make going forward.”
Coach Anton Dubrov on the secret behind Aryna Sabalenka’s return to No. 1 spot in women’s tennis
- ‘I think she’s more mature, to understand what you need to do to be on this level … with all the stress at this level) you always have to be consistent, or even higher, all the time,’ says Dubrov
- He adds that one of her strengths is that she is very open to making changes to her game as long as she has been convinced such tweaks will help her improve
Aryna Sabalenka’s last order of business in Riyadh, before she officially wrapped up her 2024 season and hopped on a plane to go on vacation, was a photoshoot with the trophy for being world No. 1.
The Belarusian fell to Coco Gauff at the semi-final stage of the WTA Finals last week but still left Saudi Arabia with some valuable silverware, having achieved one of her biggest goals: finishing the year at the summit of the rankings.
Sabalenka occupied the top spot for eight weeks last year but could not hold off Iga Swiatek, who reclaimed the No. 1 position in the closing week of the season to finish 2023 at the top.
This time, Sabalenka managed to cap an incredible campaign. during which she won two Grand Slams, the Australian Open and US Open, and two WTA 1000 crowns in Cincinnati and Wuhan, by clinching the year-end No. 1 ranking and the trophy that goes with it.
“I’m proud of myself this season. I think I achieved a lot,” Sabalenka said after her last match in Riyadh. “There is no room for disappointment.”
As she begins her second stint as world No. 1, she believes she is “mentally, more ready” for her position at the top of the rankings. Her coach, Anton Dubrov, agrees.
“I don’t think you can hold the No. 1 ranking, to be honest, but I think she’s more mature, to understand what you need to do to be on this level,” Dubrov told Arab News in Riyadh last week.
“Because to hold it, you cannot hold it. The only thing you can do is your next match. And this is the thing: because you’re No. 1, everyone plays against you like they have nothing to lose. They can play the best game they can do. And you, with all the stress and all this level, you always have to be consistent, or even higher, all the time.
“I think, for her it’s about finding the way to adapt to all the situations. She is much better at doing that right now. She understands, even if she’s not at her best level. I think that’s what happened in China; she wasn’t playing her best tennis, it’s end of the season, she’s tired. But she adapted to the situation and accepted that she can even play not the best game and still find the way.”
Dubrov saw Sabalenka play for the first time when she was 14 years old, at a European team championship in Minsk.
“I think my grandpa was a captain of the team,” Dubrov recalls. A year later, he started to see her more often because she was training at the national academy, and they went on their first trip abroad, for International Tennis Federation tournaments in China, when she was about 16.
“I think it’s more than 10 years we have known each other,” he said.
Did he expect her to have such a great career when he first met her as a teenager?
“Firstly, what everyone would tell you is that you can hear that she’s hitting really hard,” he said. “She’s trying really hard. You never see her like, not trying. No matter how she is playing — she can play incredible, she can play not great — but she still will fight for it.
“And I wasn’t the guy who was like, ‘OK, she will be, like, No. 1 or, like, top 100.’ No, I wasn’t like this.
“When she was 16, I could see the biggest improvement because of her approach to herself. If someone will tell her that she needs to do something, and she agrees, she’s the one who the very next day will do it, and she will do it not just in the practice, she will do it actually when she’s going to play points.
“Most of the players, they still go into old habits more often. I would say she’s doing it less. If she agrees with you, she accepts it, even if it’s a new technique. And this is the worst one for tennis players because it’s really sensitive how you are used to doing something with a specific technique. So I think this is her talent, that if she accepts the thing, she’s doing it straight away.”
Dubrov said that to this day, Sabalenka remains very open to making changes as long as she has been convinced and shown evidence that such tweaks will make her game better.
“You need to show her why and then, definitely, she will do it,” he added.
Having previously worked with Sabalenka as a hitting partner, Dubrov was hired to be her coach in 2020. It has been a successful four-year partnership so far, during which she has claimed three majors and reached the top of the rankings twice.
“Thinking about a tennis coach, always I was looking for not, like, big names because sometimes big names are just big names,” Sabalenka said, reflecting on her decision to work with Dubrov.
“I was looking for someone smart and someone who will always be looking for something, and who's going to always search for stuff, who’s open to talk to whoever, you know, who is ready to receive any sort of advice.
“And of course, knowing my emotions, I was looking for someone who can understand that even if I go crazy on court, it’s nothing personal. It’s just like the way I am, throwing out all that negative stuff in my head so I can keep focusing on the game.”
Dubrov is on exactly the same page, which perhaps explains why they have enjoyed so much success together. He says irrespective of how well they get along, the most important thing is that he can help her improve her game; everything else is secondary to that.
“We had this conversation a lot during the 2022 season, when she served a lot of double faults. So we found Gavin (MacMillan, a biomechanics coach) to help us,” said Dubrov.
“We always need to find a way to improve, otherwise why are we doing something together? So if we are still working together, doing something, first it should be about your tennis. OK, it’s great, it’s a safe environment, that’s awesome. But the main thing is your tennis.
“So if we can cover this part and we still see progression, great, we can still keep working. If not, we need to talk, need to find a new approach, need to find something. You need to find maybe some other guy to join, to replace or something.
“Because your career, we have to think really quick, because it’s changing really quick and with tennis, you have to prove every week that you’re No. 1.”
Dubrov notes that the biggest improvement Sabalenka made to get back to the top of the rankings was her ability to focus on “how to do it, not thinking about just the outcome.” Coming to an understanding that the “how” is directly within her control while the outcome is not has worked wonders for the 26-year-old, and now she and Dubrov are looking forward to 2025 with that mindset.
This year, Sabalenka lost in the quarter-finals of the French Open while dealing with a stomach bug that hampered her progress, and she missed Wimbledon with a shoulder injury.
She told Arab News recently that she has every reason to believe she can translate her success in hard-court Grand Slams to the clay of Roland Garros and the grass of Wimbledon.
“I think this is, for us, the biggest challenge as a team: to manage that, with preparation mostly,” said Dubrov. “Because it’s a really tight time between Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and they are different surfaces. So I think this is more about how we can manage the calendar, preparation and her adaptation to different things.
“But she’s doing that much better. And yes, she has those chances on all the surfaces. But we need to focus on what we have to do for this and start with the managing before the tournament. Then we have the chances.”
