DUBAI: Star batsman Virat Kohli struck an unbeaten 100 to lead India to a six-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday and push the title holders to the brink of elimination from the Champions Trophy.
Chasing 242 for victory, Kohli hit a boundary to seal the match with 45 balls to spare and register his 51st ODI ton after an innings which also saw him pass 14,000 runs in one-day international cricket.
Kohli, 36, removed his helmet and raised his bat to the Dubai International Stadium crowd after taking India closer to the semifinals with two wins in two outings in Group A.
Pakistan have lost both their matches and will need Bangladesh to beat New Zealand on Monday to have any chance of staying in contention for a last-four spot.
The top two teams from the two groups will make the semifinals.
“My job was clear — to control the middle overs, not take risks against the spinners and take on the pacers,” said Kohli.
“I was happy with the template, it’s how I play in ODIs. I have a decent understanding of my game.
“It’s about keeping the outside noise away, take care of my energy levels and thoughts. It’s easy for me to get pulled into expectations and frenzy around games like these.”
Favourites India remained clinical in their chase despite losing skipper Rohit Sharma for 20 off Shaheen Shah Afridi.
In-form Shubman Gill, who made 46 after his century in the opening win over Bangladesh, put on 69 runs with Kohli.
India superstar Kohli started cautiously but reached 14,000 ODI runs with a trademark punch through cover off Haris Rauf.
He is just the third man to break the 14,000-run barrier after India icon Sachin Tendulkar (18,426) and Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara (14,234)
Former captain Kohli raised his fifty with a boundary off Naseem Shah to loud cheers from the crowd.
His hundred came in 111 balls, a knock that rolled back the years for the veteran who has 82 centuries across all formats but whose previous ODI ton came in the 2023 ODI World Cup semifinal.
Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, who made 56, put the chase back on track with a stand of 114 after Gill’s departure when leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed bowled the opener.
India bowled out Pakistan for 241 in 49.4 overs as left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav returned figures of 3-40.
Pakistan elected to bat first on what seemed a sluggish pitch but a slow approach from the batsman rarely threatened the Indian attack despite a 104-run partnership between Saud Shakeel (62) and Mohammad Rizwan (46).
Khushdil Shah’s late cameo of 38 added some runs to the total before the innings folded with his wicket.
The Pakistan openers began cautiously despite a wayward start by Indian pace spearhead Mohammed Shami who bowled five wides in an 11-ball first over.
Shami, who returned figures of 5-53 in the win over Bangladesh, seemed to struggle with his ankle in his third over and left the field, returning soon after to India’s great relief.
Babar Azam score 23 and fellow opener Imam-ul-Haq was run out on 10 before Shakeel and Rizwan got their heads down as Pakistan managed just one boundary in nearly 10 overs.
“When Saud and I were batting, we wanted to go deep. But our shot selection was bad and we lost wickets, which is why we were kept to 240,” said Rizwan.
A full house was expected at the venue but there were empty seats on view during the match.
Pakistan next face Bangladesh on Thursday in Rawalpindi while India take on New Zealand in Dubai on March 2.
Virat Kohli hits ton in Dubai as India push Pakistan to brink of Champions Trophy exit
https://arab.news/2jfyq
Virat Kohli hits ton in Dubai as India push Pakistan to brink of Champions Trophy exit
- Pakistan have lost both their matches and will need Bangladesh to beat New Zealand on Monday to have any chance of staying in the competition
Offensive Iraq-Palestine World Cup qualifier video ‘fabricated,’ says Jordan Football Association
- Fake video shared widely on social media claimed to show Jordanian fans chanting offensive slogans at the Iraqi players and supporters
- Association says it verified the video was fabricated and is dismayed that some people seem set on inciting conflict, extremism and hatred among sports fans
AMMAN: The Jordanian Football Association expressed regret on Friday over a video widely shared on social media this week that appeared to show Jordanian fans chanting offensive slogans during a World Cup qualifier between Iraq and Palestine.
The footage was fabricated, it said.
The video, which claimed to show Jordanian fans directing insulting chants at the Iraqi players and supporters, began to spread online after Palestine defeated Iraq 2-1 in the match at the Amman International Stadium on Tuesday. It provoked heated exchanges online among the two sets of fans.
The JFA said it regretted the fabricated video and affirmed the depth of the historical, deep-rooted ties between the Jordanian and Iraqi peoples, which it said could not be damaged by people who act in ways that do not reflect true sporting values, the Jordan News Agency reported on Friday.
The association said it had verified the video was fake, and was dismayed that some individuals seem set on inciting conflict, extremism and hatred among sports fans. It urged supporters in Jordan to avoid being drawn into online exchanges of disrespectful remarks that “do not reflect the values of Jordanians.”
It praised the efforts of Jordanian and Iraqi sports journalists who had attempted to alert their followers on social media to the fact that the video was fake and urge them not to fall victim to such “provocative and inciteful” videos.
The association also reminded fans of the tremendous efforts made by Prince Ali bin Hussein, the president of the JFA, to help lift a long-running FIFA ban on international games in Iraq, and that Jordan had played Iraq in 2017 in the first international game played at Basra International Stadium, which was also the first international game to take place in the country in four years.
The JFA added: “While we support our national team in its quest for direct qualification to the World Cup with all our capabilities, we emphasize the importance of adhering to the spirit of sportsmanship and the depth of shared Arab relations.
“We wish all other Arab teams success in their journey in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.”
Brazil fires coach Dorival Júnior after worst defeat in World Cup qualifying
- Júnior’s replacement has yet to be picked
- Brazil are fifth in South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup
SAO PAULO: Brazil coach Dorival Júnior was fired on Friday after 14 months amid poor results and disappointing performances from the national team.
Júnior’s sacking by Brazilian Football Confederation president Ednaldo Rodrigues came three days after a 4-1 defeat to bitter rival Argentina in Buenos Aires, Brazil’s heaviest defeat in a World Cup qualifier.
Júnior’s replacement has yet to be picked.
Brazil are fifth in South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The top six qualify automatically.
Under the 62-year-old Júnior, Brazil won seven matches, drew another seven, and lost two. The team scored 25 goals and conceded 17.
In the Copa America last year, Brazil were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Uruguay on penalties.
Rodrigues was just re-elected on Monday to head the confederation to 2030. In 2023, he bet on Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti to take over one year later. While waiting for Ancelotti, Brazil retained Fernando Diniz as their coach.
Diniz was fired in January 2024 after six matches on the job after Ancelotti extended his contract in Spain.
PSG ‘feel like champions’ as Ligue 1 title nears, says Luis Enrique
- “We’re never champions until it’s mathematically certain, but we can feel like champions,” Luis Enrique told reporters
- “We’re going to use these last eight matches for other goals, to be competitive against all opponents”
POISSY, France: Coach Luis Enrique said Paris Saint-Germain “can feel like champions” knowing they could seal the Ligue 1 title this weekend but warned his players not to let their level drop.
The unbeaten league leaders go to second-bottom Saint-Etienne, where a win would secure an 11th French title in 13 seasons if Marseille lose away to Reims and Monaco draw with Nice on Saturday.
“We’re never champions until it’s mathematically certain, but we can feel like champions, we’re the best team in Ligue 1,” Luis Enrique told reporters on Friday.
“We’re going to use these last eight matches for other goals, to be competitive against all opponents... to be ready for the three months that remain.
“There’s the French Cup and the Champions League, where we want to be right to the end.”
PSG face second-tier Dunkerque in the semifinals of the French Cup in Lille next week before taking on Aston Villa in the last eight of the Champions League.
Luis Enrique doesn’t believe the possibility of wrapping up a record-extending 13th Ligue 1 title on Saturday should have any effect on his team’s mindset.
“It seems totally unimportant to me, there are eight games left in the league, we want to be competitive because that will prepare us in the best way for the other competitions,” said the Spaniard.
“I feel almost the same as I did this time last year, we were almost champions, in the semifinals of the cup and quarter-finals of the Champions League, with young players who have a year’s more experience.”
PSG will be without Lee Kang-in against Saint-Etienne after the South Korean picked up an ankle injury on international duty. Achraf Hakimi is also being rested after playing for Morocco in World Cup qualifying.
‘We don’t deserve bonus’: Man City boss Guardiola
- Guardiola believes City have underachieved so badly that they will not deserve a bonus
- “If we win, I don’t know how much but it is for the club,” Guardiola said
LONDON: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted he and his players do not deserve a bonus even if they salvage their dismal season by winning the Club World Cup.
Guardiola’s side are languishing in fifth place in the Premier League and crashed out of the Champions League and League Cup.
English champions for the previous four seasons, City could finish without a major trophy for the first time since Guardiola’s maiden season in charge in 2016/17.
Their last hope of landing domestic silverware lies in the FA Cup, with a quarter-final tie at Bournemouth looming on Sunday.
But even if they win the FA Cup or the Club World Cup in June and July, Guardiola believes City have underachieved so badly that they will not deserve a bonus from the big prize pot on offer at the post-season tournament in the United States.
FIFA, the sport’s global governing body, confirmed this week that the Club World Cup winners will earn up to $125 million in prize money, with a total pot of $1 billion going to the 32 participating clubs.
“We don’t deserve it this season. We don’t deserve a bonus this season. If we win, I don’t know how much but it is for the club,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday.
“The manager, the players, the backroom staff, we don’t deserve. Not even a watch.”
Local favorite Mansour ‘Tarzan’ Barnaoui to face American Archie Colgan at PFL Europe in Paris
- Belgian sensation Patrick 'The Belgian Bomber' Habirora fights compatriot Nicolas Di Franco in a lightweight encounter
- Taylor Lapilus scheduled to make PFL debut at the Accor Arena
LONDON: The Professional Fighters League has announced that Paris’s own Mansour “Tarzan” Barnaoui (22-6) will face the undefeated Archie “King” Colgan (11-0) in a clash of the top lightweight contenders looking to stake their claim for title opportunities.
Barnaoui’s record includes 15 submissions and six KO/TKOs, meaning he has finished all but one of his professional wins inside the distance. “Tarzan” has also never been stopped, and will enter the SmartCage on May 24 with full confidence to pick up the victory for his Parisian fans in attendance.
Colgan is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 wrestler who has not yet been beaten in MMA, establishing himself as one of the most dominant lightweights in the world. Having trained with legendary fighters Justin Gaethje and Kamaru Usman, “King” has all the tools to spoil the Paris homecoming.
Also on the card is a domestic Belgian clash between the undefeated Patrick “The Belgian Bomber” Habirora (6-0) and Nicolas Di Franco (10-4-1) at lightweight.
Habirora’s flawless professional record and experienced amateur career has created a huge fanbase in his past two PFL outings, making his third fight a hugely anticipated affair. Di Franco is making his PFL debut two weeks after his brother Sebastien, who will compete in the PFL Europe Lightweight Tournament at PFL Europe Belfast on May 10, with the brothers out to make their mark on the promotion in 2025.
Also on the card is new PFL signing Taylor “Double Impact” Lapilus (21-4), who will make his debut in Paris, with his opponent yet to be announced.
“I have a huge opportunity at the Accor Arena on May 24 to make a statement and finish an undefeated fighter,” Barnaoui said. “I expect a tough fight from Colgan, who is an excellent opponent, but when the referee lifts my hand, the PFL will realise they have a true lightweight title contender on their hands, and I have ambitions of becoming the champion. The French crowd will bring the energy like they always do, and I will bring the fight like I always do.”
Colgan said: “Paris, I’m back and ready to show everyone why I am one of the best lightweights in the world. The French fans always bring a great atmosphere so I’m ready to put on a show at the Accor Arena and show why I am in this conversation for the title shot. We will see you Saturday May 24th inside the SmartCage.”
PFL CEO Peter Murray said: “Paris holds a special place in PFL’s heart. The French fans have made their case to be amongst the best in the world, and they tear the roof off the Accor Arena every time we bring the SmartCage, so it was a must-visit for us.
“Barnaoui hunts for the finish no matter his opponent, but Archie Colgan has never been stopped,” he added. “French fans are about to find out what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object, and I know it’s going to build on the history of French MMA.
“We also know what happens when we bring Patrick Habirora to France, so the energy is going to be off the charts. He faces a tough challenge against his Belgian compatriot, so let’s see if his star continues to rise or if Nicolas Di Franco can steal the hype and make a name for himself.”
