PARIS: World Cup holders Spain survived a major scare before beating Colombia on penalties to reach the semifinals of the Olympic women’s football on Saturday, after the United States edged out Japan.
Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati converted the decisive kick in the shoot-out as Spain beat Colombia 4-2 on penalties after their quarter-final tie in Lyon had finished 2-2 at the end of extra time.
Spain now advance to a semifinal on Tuesday in Marseille against either hosts France or Brazil, who meet later.
Spain are going for gold in their first appearance in the Olympic women’s football, but they were moments away from being eliminated after falling 2-0 behind to the South Americans.
Mayra Ramirez fired Colombia ahead early on and Leicy Santos doubled their lead early in the second half after a Linda Caicedo shot was saved.
Jennifer Hermoso pulled a goal back in the 79th minute for the world champions, who were then rescued when captain Irene Paredes turned in a Salma Paralluelo cross in the seventh minute of injury time.
That meant extra time, and no further goals led to penalties. Captain Catalina Usme’s first kick for Colombia was saved, while Liana Salazar missed her attempt as Spain scored all four of their efforts from the spot to go through.
Earlier, Trinity Rodman scored a stunning goal in extra time as the United States edged Japan 1-0.
The daughter of former NBA superstar Dennis Rodman struck in stoppage time at the end of the first half of extra time to finally break the deadlock, and Japan’s resistance, at a packed Parc des Princes in Paris.
That took the USA through to a semifinal on Tuesday in Lyon, where they will face either reigning Olympic champions Canada or 2016 gold medallists Germany.
The USA remain on track under new English coach Emma Hayes to win a record-extending fifth women’s football gold, and a first since defeating Japan in the London Olympic final in 2012.
That silver remains Japan’s only medal in the competition and they go home after thwarting the USA for most of a tense quarter-final, where they failed to take what few chances came their way on the break.
“I honestly think that was the only way we were going to find a goal in that game,” Rodman said of her moment of magic after she was set up by Crystal Dunn.
“Obviously we had tried all game long to get in between them and it wasn’t working, but she played it in behind.
“It just bobbled a little, and then I banged it in the upper 90. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. I am very happy about it.”
The presence of Snoop Dogg — who is working at the Olympics for US television — in the crowd in Paris provided more excitement for many spectators than the game itself.
Japan sat back and allowed the USA to have most of the possession, which they did without showing a cutting edge.
Their front three of Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith were impressive during the group stage but found the going tougher against Japan’s back five.
That was until Rodman struck midway through extra time, as she controlled a long diagonal ball by Dunn on the right, turned Hikaru Kitagawa inside out and fired a shot high into the far corner of the net.
It was her third goal in four games at the tournament, making her the USA’s joint top scorer alongside Swanson.
Spain survive Colombia scare, join USA in Olympic women’s football semis
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Spain survive Colombia scare, join USA in Olympic women’s football semis
- Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati converted the decisive kick in the shoot-out as Spain beat Colombia 4-2 on penalties
- Spain now advance to a semifinal on Tuesday in Marseille against either hosts France or Brazil, who meet later
FIFAe Finals 2024 to take place in Riyadh
- The tournament returns to the Saudi capital from Dec. 5-12 with a partnership between FIFAe and the Saudi Esports Federation
RIYADH: The FIFAe Finals 2024 come to Riyadh next month, the first time the event will include multiple esports titles.
Hosted at the SEF Arena at BLVD Riyadh City, it will unfold in two stages. Proceedings begin with the FIFAe World Cup featuring Rocket League from Dec. 5-8, followed by two FIFAe World Cups featuring eFootball (on console and mobile) that will run from Dec. 9-12.
Ahead of the tournaments, Turki Al-Fawzan, CEO of the Saudi Esports Federation, said: “As we continue to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s position as a global leader in esports, hosting the FIFAe Finals 2024 is a proud moment for us. This event not only highlights the Kingdom’s commitment to the esports ecosystem but also provides an unparalleled opportunity for players from across the world to showcase their talent and passion on a global stage. We’re excited to witness the next chapter of esports history unfold right here in Riyadh.”
Players have the opportunity to represent their nations and lift the official FIFAe World Cup Trophy on a global stage. Sixteen nations are competing in Rocket League and up to 18 will go head-to-head in eFootball.
In line with Rocket League’s third-party regulations, the prize pool stands at $250,000. The prize pool for both eFootball competitions (console and mobile) is $100,000 each, bringing the total prize distribution for the FIFAe Finals 2024 to $450,000.
“This year’s addition of multiple new titles marks a major expansion for football esports tournaments, offering players from diverse ecosystems the chance to compete on the biggest stage under the FIFAe banner. We’re excited to continue this momentum together with the SEF and look forward to bringing this event to life in December together with our partners and publishers,” said FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafstrom.
The FIFAe Finals 2024 follow the inaugural FIFAe Next Gen event in Liverpool, England, which included the first-ever FIFAe World Cup featuring Football Manager, alongside the FIFAe Fame Your Game Cup.
West Ham stun Newcastle to ease pressure on Lopetegui
- The result, only West Ham’s second win on the road this season, lifts them to 15 points, just three behind 10th-placed Newcastle
NEWCASTLE, United Kingdom: West Ham produced a clinical away performance to beat resurgent Newcastle 2-0 on Monday, easing the pressure on beleaguered manager Julen Lopetegui.
Tomas Soucek headed the visitors in front against the run of play at St. James’ Park and Aaron Wan-Bissaka grabbed a rare goal in the second half to double the Hammers’ lead.
Newcastle were unable to capitalize on the chances they created, failing to build on the momentum created by recent wins against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest.
The result, only West Ham’s second win on the road this season, lifts them to 15 points, just three behind 10th-placed Newcastle.
The home side made the early running and in-form forward Alexander Isak had the ball in the net in the fifth minute after a delicate dink over Lukasz Fabianski, only for it to be ruled out for offside.
West Ham, expected to face a tough test on Newcastle’s home turf, showed little adventure in the opening stages.
But their first real foray up the pitch resulted in a corner and the unmarked Soucek powered home a header from close range in the 10th minute.
Newcastle enjoyed the bulk of the possession as a lively first half unfolded but West Ham were robust in defense and threatened when they went forward.
Anthony Gordon had a glorious chance to level after a poor clearance from Jean-Clair Todibo but fired straight at Fabianski.
Minutes later Isak chested down a superb cross from Bruno Guimaraes but steered narrowly wide on the stretch.
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle were again on the front foot at the start of the second half but it was West Ham who doubled their lead through Wan-Bissaka.
The former Manchester United man scored his first goal for West Ham and just his third career goal after picking up Jarrod Bowen’s pass and firing home.
Howe brought on Jacob Murphy and Callum Wilson in a bid to turn the tide but Newcastle failed to build up a head of steam against their determined opponents, who saw out the game with relative ease.
The result will be a huge relief for Lopetegui, whose future has been a matter of mounting speculation just months after he replaced David Moyes.
Salah says he is ‘more out than in’ at Liverpool as he enters final months of contract
- Mohamed Salah: ‘Well, we are almost in December and I haven’t received any offers yet to stay in the club’
- The Egypt international is 32 and has been at the club since 2017
Mohamed Salah has raised doubts about his Liverpool future, saying he is yet to be offered an extension to his contract, which expires at the end of the season.
Salah spoke out after scoring two goals in Liverpool’s 3-2 win over Southampton on Sunday and suggested he is more likely to leave than stay with the Premier League leader.
“Well, we are almost in December and I haven’t received any offers yet to stay in the club,” he told reporters. “I’m probably more out than in. You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. But in the end, it is not in my hands.”
Salah’s goals saw Liverpool extend its lead at the top of the standings to eight points. The Egypt international is 32 and has been at the club since 2017.
He has scored 12 goals in 18 appearances this season.
Salah gave a rare interview to English print media before boarding the team bus after the Southampton game and expressed his frustration about the lack of progress with his contract.
“I’m not going to retire soon so I’m just playing, focusing on the season and I’m trying to win the Premier League and hopefully the Champions League as well. I’m disappointed but we will see,” he said.
“I’m very professional. Everybody can see my work ethic. I’m just trying to enjoy my football and I will play at the top level as long as possible. I’m just doing my best because this is who I am and I try to give it all for myself and for the club. We will see what happens next.”
Salah has been heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia since the oil-rich nation launched a drive to lure some of the biggest players in the world to its top league.
Salah is Liverpool’s all-time leading scorer in the Premier League with 167 goals. In all competitions he has scored 223 goals in 367 appearances.
He has won a full set of trophies with the Merseyside club including the league title and the Champions League.
6 things to watch in Match 6 of AFC Champions League Elite
- Ivan Toney looks to get off the mark, Al-Hilal face Al-Sadd again, and Al-Nassr aim to stay perfect under Pioli
RIYADH: International duties give way to club commitments as Asia’s best return to their home sides, with another defining week of AFC Champions League action — across both the ACL Elite and ACL Two competitions — on the horizon.
Players from Saudi Arabia and Qatar will be out to make a statement after a disappointing window, while those from the UAE will be buoyed by their improved fortunes on the road to North America for 2026.
As the players disperse across the vast continent, here are the six things to look out for this week.
Al-Sadd and Al-Hilal in a rematch of their epic semifinal
Five years on, people still talk about the remarkable 2019 semifinal between Al-Sadd and Al-Hilal.
Spearheaded by the recently retired Bafetimbi Gomis, Al-Hilal traveled to Doha and put four past Xavi’s Al-Sadd outfit in a dominant 4-1 win, with most observers believing the tie was all but settled as they returned to Riyadh for the second leg.
And after opening the scoring inside 15 minutes to take a commanding 5-1 aggregate lead, the tie looked done. And perhaps Al-Hilal thought so, too, because they conceded three times in three remarkable minutes to turn the game on its head.
What followed was the best of continental football in Asia, with Al-Hilal eventually surviving, despite a late scare and a last-minute free-kick that had everyone holding their breath.
The stakes are not quite as high this time around, but with the sides even stronger than they were back in 2019, even a match half as good would be something special.
Last chance for the defending champions
Just six months ago Al-Ain were the toast of the continent, lifting their second continental title with a dominant display over Japan’s Yokohama F. Marinos, thanks largely to the scintillating performances of Moroccan international Soufiane Rahimi.
What a difference a few months can make. Halfway through the League Stage of the recently reformatted tournament, the defending champions are yet to taste victory, and are rooted to the bottom of the 12-team West Zone with just a solitary point to their name.
With only four games remaining, and 12 points left on the table, it is pretty much now or never for Al-Ain. They need to take something from the visit of Al-Ahli to kickstart their campaign.
With ACL-winning coach Hernan Crespo recently relieved of his duties, replaced by serial title winner Leonardo Jardim, who won the ACL with Al-Hilal in 2021, perhaps a new voice and a new message might deliver the turnaround in form needed to keep their title defense alive.
Can Ivan Toney get off the mark in Asia?
Much was expected of English international Ivan Toney after his big-money move to Al-Ahli from Brentford — a switch Matthias Jaissle and the Al-Ahli faithful hoped would turn them into title contenders this season.
But two months in and Toney has failed to fire in Jeddah, at least when it comes to playing in Asia. His return of three goals from eight matches in the league is passable, although they need more if they are to start moving up from their current mid-table position.
While his lack of goals in the AFC Champions League Elite is not affecting them on the pitch so far, with four wins from as many games, including a 5-1 rout of Al-Shorta last time out, Toney will be keen to get off the mark on the continent to keep their good run going.
Against an Al-Ain side that has conceded 15 in just four games, the most of any of the 24 teams in either the West or East zones, this might be just the time to do it.
Al-Nassr look to remain perfect under Pioli
Changing a coach so early into a season is never a good sign, but is done to provide a circuit-breaker to turn around a side’s fortunes.
That was the case for Al-Nassr, whose start to the season included a loss to Al-Hilal in the final of the Super Cup, dropped points against Al Raed and Al Ahli in the league, and only managing a point against Iraqi side Al-Shorta in their opening game of the AFC Champions League Elite.
That saw Luis Castro replaced by Serie A-winning coach Stefano Pioli. It was a brave call, but one that has been justified. A shock loss in the King’s Cup aside, Al-Nassr are yet to taste defeat in either the league or AFC Champions League, going three for three on the continent since his arrival.
After thumping defending champions Al-Ain 5-1 in their most recent outing, they will be looking to maintain their perfect record on the continent under Pioli when they travel to the glorious Al-Bayt Stadium, which two years ago hosted the FIFA World Cup, to take on Al-Gharafa.
UAE champions try to keep pace
It has been a weird old season for defending UAE Pro League champions Al-Wasl.
On one hand, they are undefeated in their last five in all competitions. On the other, they have failed to win in the league since September, and are dangerously close to falling off the pace so early into their title defense.
Their form on the continent has matched their topsy-turvy season overall. They have gone win, loss, win, draw in their first four games, and face a tricky trip to Iraq to face a desperate Al-Shorta in midweek.
Star man Fabio Lima should be absolutely primed after his four-goal haul for the national team in their 5-0 rout of Qatar in World Cup qualifying last week. Can he maintain that form and help Al-Wasl take another step toward the knockout rounds?
Can Korean champions survive the cut?
The other major storyline of Matchday Six comes from the East Zone, where back-to-back Korean champions and two-time ACL winners Ulsan HD are currently the worst-performing team in the competition, with four losses from as many games.
Not only that, they are yet to score a single goal. It is a staggeringly poor return for a club with the pedigree and resources of Ulsan, who have made it out of the group in all but one of their last six campaigns and won the title in 2020.
They face off this week with Chinese champions Shanghai Port, needing to win at least three of their final four to give themselves a chance of progressing. Can they do it?
Retegui fires Atalanta to top of Serie A ahead of Inter Milan
- Retegui claimed his 12th league goal of the campaign after just four minutes for the visitors before Ederson and Ademola Lookman scored to send Atalanta above Inter
- Juventus failed to impress in a goalless stalemate with AC Milan
VERONA, Italy: Serie A’s leading scorer Mateo Retegui netted as Atalanta beat Parma 3-1 on Saturday to go top of Serie A on goal difference, overtaking Inter Milan despite the reigning champions’ rout of Verona.
Retegui claimed his 12th league goal of the campaign after just four minutes for the visitors before Ederson and Ademola Lookman scored to send Atalanta above Inter, who hammered Verona 5-0 earlier.
Napoli drop to third before they host Roma on Sunday on Claudio Ranieri’s return to top-flight management.
Juventus, meanwhile, failed to impress in a goalless stalemate with AC Milan and are sixth, one place above their opponents.
Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said his team were developing a winning mentality.
“We have to focus on winning every game we can and the rest is not really in our minds,” he told Sky Sport Italia.
“That was the case in the Europa League too, we didn’t start out thinking we’d win it, but as time wore on and we found ourselves in that position, we weren’t going to hold back either.”
Argentina-born Italy striker Retegui, 25, opened the scoring early on with a deft header.
The reigning Europa League champions doubled their lead after 39 minutes as Brazil midfielder Ederson scored his second goal of the season.
But five minutes into the second half, the hosts cut the deficit as Matteo Cancellieri fired home.
Retegui was replaced by attacking midfielder Charles De Ketelaere as Gasperini rested the attacker before Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Swiss side Young Boys.
Parma’s hopes of denying Atalanta a seventh straight league win were dashed with a quarter of an hour to play as Nigerian international Lookman finally scored, netting for a seventh time this campaign to ensure his side take top spot in the table.
Earlier, Marcus Thuram scored twice in Inter’s easy win over Verona as Joaquin Correa, Stefan de Vrij and Yann Bisseck were also on the scoresheet.
Correa’s opener in the 17th minute, a delightful dink after smart interplay with Thuram, didn’t just spark a rout, it was also the Argentine’s first Serie A goal in more than two years.
Out-of-favor Correa had only played 38 minutes this season before this weekend but was excellent in place of captain and star striker Lautaro Martinez who was sent home early on Saturday with the flu.
“I know him well, he’s been training brilliantly since July, he’s got a lot of competition,” Simone Inzaghi told DAZN.
“I’m pleased for him but I’m also pleased for the boys because they played really well,” he added.
Verona have lost nine of their 13 league matches this season and sit 14th, just three points above the relegation zone.
Inter now host Leipzig on Tuesday as they push for direct qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League, having thumped Verona with a clutch of starters either injured or rested.
As well as Martinez, Hakan Calhanoglu, Federico Dimarco and Benjamin Pavard missed Saturday’s match after a busy period on international duty.
Juventus trail Inter and Atalanta by three points after offering little to shout about against AC Milan at the San Siro.
Ravaged by injuries, including to starting center forward Dusan Vlahovic, coach Thiago Motta was forced into an experimental line-up featuring midfielder Teun Koopmeiners up front.
“I’m pleased with our performance, especially defensively against a team which created very little,” Motta told DAZN.
“All in all we played well, I think a point right now keeps us going. I’m happy to see that we’re well-organized and are capable of playing like a big team should.”
