PARIS: Antoine Dupont scored two tries and set up another to inspire France to the country’s first gold medal of the Paris Olympics with a 28-7 victory over Fiji at the Stade de France on Saturday.
Fiji, the two-time defending champions, opened the scoring through a Joseva Talacolo try converted by Iowane Teba, before France hit back thanks to Jefferson-Lee Joseph.
But the second half was all about Dupont, who scored a brace of tries and played in Aaron Grandidier Nkanang for another. Rayan Rebbadj, Paulin Riva (2) and Jean-Pascal Barraque hit all four conversions.
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France claim their first Paris Olympic gold in rugby sevens
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France claim their first Paris Olympic gold in rugby sevens
- France hit back thanks to Jefferson-Lee Joseph
Countdown begins: 60 days until Dakar Rally returns to Saudi Arabia
- This year, the rally will be run on an entirely new route, beginning in Bisha
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia is preparing to host the Dakar Rally for a sixth consecutive year, with just 60 days remaining until the off.
Known as one of the world’s most prestigious and grueling off-road races, the rally will run from Jan. 3-17 next year, bringing new challenges and routes for pilots to navigate across the Kingdom.
This year, the rally will be run on an entirely new route, beginning in Bisha, a southern Saudi city that serves as a gateway between the Asir, central and western regions.
From Bisha, pilots will travel north across Saudi Arabia before venturing into the Empty Quarter — the world’s largest contiguous sand desert — with the finish line in Shubaytah.
The 2024 Dakar Rally, held from AlUla to Yanbu, captivated a global audience as Spanish driver Carlos Sainz, representing Audi, clinched his fourth career win in the car category and his second on Saudi soil.
In other categories, American rider Ricky Brabec triumphed in the bike class, Argentine racer Manuel Andujar took the quad title, and Spanish driver Cristina Gutierrez emerged victorious in the Challenger desert vehicle category.
Frenchman Xavier de Soultrait won in the side-by-side production class, while Czech driver Martin Macík made history with his first win in the truck category after 12 attempts.
The 2025 route will explore previously unvisited regions to highlight what Saudi Arabia has to offer tourists, according to a statement on Monday from the organizers.
Dubai Basketball claim dramatic late victory over SC Derby in ABA League
- 7 different Dubai players scored double digits in 87-86 win in Montenegro
DUBAI: Dubai Basketball extended their winning streak to four games with a nail-biting 87-86 win over SC Derby in the ABA League, improving their overall record to 6-1 for the season.
Isaiah Taylor’s free throw with 10 seconds remaining proved to be the difference on a thrilling night in Montenegro.
Dubai dominated for long periods, leading by six points with less than 90 seconds on clock, but were forced to continually dig deep against a side that posed a constant threat throughout the night.
Ahmet Duverioglu was top scorer for Dubai with 14 points, backing that up with a team-high eight rebounds and three steals. But the key to Dubai’s victory was their team-first mentality, finding the open man when it mattered most. Incredibly, seven different players on Dubai’s roster scored double digits — the first time that has happened this season.
Dubai Basketball’s head coach, Jurica Golemac, said he knew it would be a tough game from the outset but that his team ultimately deserved the win.
He said: “For sure, it was a difficult game, but that’s what we were preparing for. We had to win this three or four times. They play fast, great basketball and have great quality.
“We led for 35 minutes and the victory was deserved, but this is an indication that we still have to work and train a lot.”
Despite Dubai having a 9-point lead at halftime they were forced to contend with American Eric Neal, who was sensational for the home side. Neal dropped 34 points on the night, more than double his season average — shooting an outstanding 8-for-10 (80 percent) from three-point territory — to keep his team in contention. In previous rounds, Neal had struggled beyond the arc, shooting 6-31 (19.35 percent).
Dubai’s lead would stretch to as many as 12 points midway through the second quarter, but in the third the home side would rally again, cutting the difference to two points with ten minutes remaining.
A Nate Mason three, and a free throw from Duverioglu gave Dubai an eight-point lead in the fourth, before a late surge from SC Derby evened the game at 86-86 — thanks to another Eric Neal three with 33 seconds left on the clock.
Like a flashback from their Round 5 victory over Spartak, the ball — and the game — was placed in Isaiah Taylor’s hands with 10 seconds remaining, as he drove to the rim but was fouled on the play. Taylor would convert his second of two free throws to give Dubai the lead, but with time left SC Derby still had the opportunity to answer back.
With a few ticks of the clock remaining, solid defense by Davis Bertans and Awudu Abass forced SC Derby’s star, Eric Neal, to lose the ball, making a game-winning attempt impossible while closing out the win for Dubai.
Next, Dubai Basketball face ABA League giants Partizan Mozzart Bet, in Serbia on Nov. 10 in what some experts are calling a defining test.
After three games on the road, Dubai Basketball will have been away from their home fans for almost a month when they return to the Coca-Cola Arena to face Krka on Nov. 17.
UAE Pro League pauses for international break after breathless start to season
- Iran superstar Sardar Azmoun’s instant impact has seen Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai Club sit joint top of standings with a 100% record
DUBAI: A three-week pause in play provides welcome opportunity to take stock of what has been a breathtaking start to the 2024-2025 ADNOC Pro League.
Fueled by Iran superstar Sardar Azmoun’s instant impact, Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai Club sit joint top of the standings with an ominous 100 percent record from six outings.
A reinvigorated Sharjah under their rebounding “trophy machine” Cosmin Olaroiu are keeping pace on 18 points from seven fixtures.
Meanwhile, a talented chasing pack includes Hussein Ammouta taking his winning touch from Jordan to Al-Jazira, and neighbors Al-Wahda under their Celtic-inspired managerial duo of Ronny Deila and assistant Kenny Miller.
Stumbles from holders Al-Wasl and AFC Champions League kings Al-Ain add further intrigue.
Increasingly familiar difficulties for promoted clubs Dibba Al-Hisn and Al-Orooba provide some concern, plus mixed feelings about how the UAE’s World Cup 2026 qualifying mission is progressing.
Here are Arab News’ key talking points from the top flight’s early action.
An influx of talent and excitement
The majority of ADNOC Pro League clubs can reflect on a job well done in the transfer market. Most strikingly, Shabab Al-Ahli.
Iran’s Azmoun has gone from Bundesliga title joy at Bayer Leverkusen, to six goals in six starts under the enlightening tutelage of new head coach Paulo Sousa.
Global headlines were claimed by much-improved Jazira’s capture of France and Real Betis magician Nabil Fekir, plus Egypt and Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny. A rise to fourth under the wise Ammouta is testament to this work.
Deila has Wahda in third off the back of 2023-2024 Belgian Pro League glory with Club Brugge.
Kalba’s smart decision to bring astute Middle East-campaigner Vuk Rasovic back to the UAE has them sitting a solid sixth, and ex-Netherlands anchorman Leroy Fer has added ballast to fifth-placed Al-Nasr.
Ex-Liverpool winger Lazar Markovic and Romania’s Euro 2024 lead defender Andrei Burca are in situ at Baniyas, with Jamaica forward Junior Flemmings among the goals for Ajman.
An impressive introduction promises much for the challenges ahead.
Headache for the holders continues
It is one of Middle East football’s enduring conundrums.
Why can the ADNOC Pro League champions not hold onto their title? On current form, seventh-placed Al-Wasl — nine points off the pace, having played a game more than Shabab Al-Ahli — look likely to join this list.
You have to go back to 2011-2013 for the last time a UAE club, Al-Ain, retained their crown.
In the same period, Al-Nassr (2013-2015) and Al-Hilal (2016-2018; 2019-2022) have dominated the Roshn Saudi League. In the Qatar Stars League, Al-Sadd (2020-2022) and Lekhwiya, now Al-Duhail, have repeated such feats (2013-2015; 2016-2018).
Have the AFC Champions League Elite commitments drained resources? Has injury to Serbia’s Euro 2024 selection Srdan Mijailovic prevented a necessary shake-up of the XI?
Talent runs deep at Wasl, while boss Milos Milojevic’s four major trophies in two seasons with his current employers and Red Star Belgrade point to serious winning pedigree.
Maybe this is just a blip for the storied club who waited 17 years between ADNOC Pro League successes.
What is next for Crespo and Al-Ain?
May’s unexpected, but richly merited, Asian triumph now seems a long time ago for Al-Ain and Hernan Crespo.
The joy from a pulsating campaign has evaporated in 2024/2025 for “The Boss.” They have dropped points in three of their five league outings to sit a distant eighth with two games in hand, while just one point is on the board from three AFC Champions League Elite – League Stage fixtures.
Youth was paramount to their summer recruitment. Porto center-back Fabio Cardoso, 30, was the outlier.
Fiorentina loanee Gino Infantino and Paraguayan prospect Matias Segovia, both 21, are among those to show flashes of promise thus far.
It may be a waiting game to see such talents bloom, as Crespo closes on his one-year anniversary amid disappointment about how this term is unfolding.
Is the step-up too big?
Another season, another painful start in the ADNOC Pro League for promoted sides.
Last season’s joint-relegation of Hatta and Spain legend Andres Iniesta’s Emirates Club could be matched by Orooba and Dibba Al-Hisn.
Both inhabit the bottom two. They have conceded the most goals and scored the fewest, winning just one of their combined 14 matches.
Dibba Al-Hisn sit bottom this time, despite adding ample international experience through the likes of Tunisia stars Haythem Jouini and Oussama Haddadi, plus Cameroon midfielder Pierre Kunde. Iran forward Mohammad Reza Azadi was Orooba’s headline recruit.
The competition is not getting any kinder.
Even 2022-2023’s survival of Al-Bataeh was at the expense of fellow new boys Dibba Al-Fujairah. Orooba and Emirates were doomed in 2021/2022.
Can the UAE make their World Cup dream come true?
Domestic pursuits take a backseat to international aspirations for much of November.
Paulo Bento’s UAE kicked off World Cup 2026 qualifying’s third round with the welcome surprise of September’s 3-1 win at double Asian Cup holders Qatar. But a slog now appears apparent.
Only two points separate the third-placed Whites — a position good enough for the fourth round — and bottom-placed North Korea. This is in a Group A from which automatic tournament entry appears already sewn up by Iran and would-be-debutants Uzbekistan.
Brazil-born Jazira forward Bruno last month joined the trickle of naturalized options available to Bento. This could turn into a torrent throughout the next 18 months.
What is not, however, flowing freely are ADNOC Pro League goals for potential callups. Last month’s six dedicated attacking options tally only eight 2024/2025 strikes — seven come from Bruno (four) and Wasl veteran Caio Canedo (three).
An intriguing subplot is record UAE and ADNOC Pro League marksman Ali Mabkhout, 34, sitting on five efforts in seven outings since a reinvigorating summer move to Al-Nasr.
Is rapprochement tempting with an icon who played zero minutes at January’s Asian Cup?
Sporting superstars attend opening of WTA Finals
- Al-Hilal star Neymar performs official coin toss on first day of the tournament
- Arab tennis icon Ons Jabeur meets with fans
RIYADH: The stars of world sport came together for the opening day of the Women’s Tennis Association Finals in Riyadh on Saturday, adding excitement to this groundbreaking event.
Brazilian footballer Neymar carried out the official coin toss — which determines who serves first — ahead of the Paolini vs. Rybakina match. Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur also attended the opening ceremony alongside Saudi Tennis Federation President Arij Mutabagani and WTA Finals Tournament Director Garbine Muguruza.
Afterwards, Jabeur engaged with fans in the tournament fan village and took part in a Q&A session on stage, signing autographs and sharing her journey.
The fan zone also welcomed stars from the Ladies European Tour, who competed in the Aramco Team Series earlier in the week at Riyadh Golf Club, including golfers Anne Van Dam, Olivia Cowan and Marianne Skarpnord.
Monday’s play sees Elena Rybakina take on Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng, followed by world number one Aryna Sabalenka facing Jasmine Paolini.
The season-ending finals, which take place until Nov. 9, mark the first WTA tournament to be held in Saudi Arabia. They feature the world’s top eight female singles players and doubles pairings who are competing for the top spot in the PIF WTA World Rankings for the 2024 season.
Sharma, Kohli under fire as India chews over ‘tough pill’ of NZ loss
- Critics call Indian cricket team aging and low on confidence after 3-0 loss to New Zealand
- Sharma and Kohli both retired from T20 cricket after the team’s World Cup triumph in June
MUMBAI: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma came under fire Monday as India chewed over a 3-0 Test series home defeat to New Zealand, with critics calling the team aging and low on confidence.
The cricket superpower went down by 25 runs on Sunday in the third Test inside three days at Mumbai for only their second series whitewash at home.
It sealed New Zealand’s historic first-ever Test series triumph on Indian soil.
For India there is little time to fix things — they travel to Australia for a five-match Test series starting on November 22.
“Losing 3-0 at home is a tough pill to swallow and it calls for introspection,” former skipper Sachin Tendulkar wrote on social media.
“Was it lack of preparation, was it poor shot selection or was it lack of match practice?“
India went into the series against the Black Caps second in the ICC Test rankings, behind Australia, and as clear favorites.
But repeated batting collapses — they were 46 all out in their first innings in the opening Test — set alarm bells ringing.
It hardly got much better from there.
“I accept the fact that we were not good enough with the bat in the entire series,” said skipper Rohit.
It particularly showed up the Indian batsmen’s surprising inability to handle spinners on turning pitches in their own back yard.
Mitchell Santner took 13 wickets in the second match while Mumbai-born New Zealander Ajaz Patel took 11 in the third Test to condemn India.
With Australia looming large, the form of 37-year-old Rohit and superstar batsman Kohli, 35, is of particular concern to Indian cricket fans.
Rohit made 91 runs in three matches. Kohli just 93.
“The cold fact is that this is now a team in transition with key figures aging, out of form and low on confidence,” the Times of India newspaper wrote.
“Two of their stalwarts, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, seem to be in a state of terminal batting decline with a strange reluctance to acknowledge it and take corrective action like polishing their game by playing in domestic cricket,” it added.
Indian media reported that all senior players, including Rohit and Kohli, had been advised to play the domestic Duleep Trophy four-day matches, but the players refused due to a “lack of motivation.”
“They should have had some practice, definitely,” former India captain Sunil Gavaskar told the Indian Express.
“I know we beat Bangladesh and therefore it looked as if it was going to be a cakewalk against New Zealand,” Gavaskar added.
“But New Zealand, obviously, had a better attack, with cricketers who have played in India and in the IPL, who have a sense of what Indian pitches do.”
Rohit and Kohli retired from T20 cricket after the team’s World Cup triumph in June.
Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, 38, and Ravindra Jadeja, 35, also suddenly look like age is catching up with them, critics said.
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