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RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s young football stars secured their place at the AFC U23 Asian Cup finals in Qatar next year with a comfortable 6-1 victory over Cambodia at the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium in Abha on Tuesday.
GLASGOW: England extended their 24-year unbeaten run against Scotland as Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane struck in a 3-1 friendly win to mark the 150th anniversary of the first meeting between the nations.
And if anyone was in any doubt about the connection between the little square of land in the North East of England and Saudi Arabia, they can't help but be convinced after seeing the home of Newcastle United turn green for the week.
RIYADH: French striker Karim Benzema, who captains Saudi football club Al-Ittihad, missed Monday’s training session due to the vacation granted to players during the international break. According to a media statement issued on Tuesday, Al-Ittihad resumed training after the vacation granted to the club’s international players by their Portuguese coach Nuno Santo during the break of the Saudi Professional League that coincided with FIFA days. Benzema is expected to join his teammates for Tuesday night training. Player Abdulrahman Al-Oubud, who only participated in the morning session, also missed the evening group training. Ranked third in the SPL behind leaders Al-Hilal and second-placed Al-Taawoun with 12 points, Al-Ittihad are preparing to face Al-Okhdood on Thursday in the match that brings them together in SPL’s sixth round, at Prince Hathloul bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium in Najran. Coach Santo is looking forward to the last two sessions ahead of the match to find the optimal lineup that will face Al-Okhdoud, in light of the confirmed absence of his compatriot Jota and Brazilian player Cornado due to injury. Al-Ittihad collected 12 points after winning four out of their five matches with only one home defeat against Al-Hilal in the previous round.
Cristiano Ronaldo says he is proud to be a “pioneer” for football in Saudi Arabia, insisting it has become normal for the game’s top stars to play in the kingdom.
Argentina forward Lionel Messi was among the nominees for the men's Ballon d'Or award with Erling Haaland leading a seven-strong Manchester City contingent announced by organisers France Football magazine Wednesday.
MANILA: United States forward Mikal Bridges said his team were “just plain hungry” after they overpowered Italy on Tuesday to book their place in the Basketball World Cup semifinals. The US beat Italy 100-63 to rebound from their first defeat of the tournament, a loss to Lithuania in the second round two days earlier. The Americans fell behind early against Lithuania but they had no such problems with Italy, leading by 10 points by the end of the first quarter. Bridges, who led the US in scoring with 24 points, said the mantra heading into the quarter-final game was to “set the tone.” “That’s what the coach has been preaching to us,” he said. “The bench has been doing a pretty good job but I think the starters have been letting them down a little bit with a slow start. “The coach got us prepared and we were just plain hungry.” The US never gave Italy a chance to get started, learning their lesson after allowing Lithuania to nail their first nine three-point attempts. The Americans limited Italy to just 24 points in the first half — the second-lowest tally ever from a team appearing in a World Cup quarter-final. “We took a tough loss last game,” said US center Paolo Banchero. “It felt like we didn’t play up to our standards on the defense end, so we wanted to come out and make a statement on defense.” The US will face either Germany or tournament sensations Latvia in the semifinals on Friday. Head coach Steve Kerr said he was not worried about his players letting their energy levels drop after such a high-octane performance. He likened his team to “the horse turning back to the barn.” “The horse starts picking up the pace when it senses it’s near the barn, and that’s what is happening right now — our guys are sensing
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabian champion Al-Ittihad and their star striker Karim Benzema avoided Manchester City in the semifinals draw Tuesday for the first FIFA Club World Cup to be hosted by the kingdom. The Dec. 12-22 tournament for continental champions and the host nation’s league winner will be played in Al-Ittihad’s home city Jeddah – the latest statement of Saudi ambitions in global soccer including aiming to host the men’s World Cup in 2034. The event will be the last Club World Cup in the current annual format before a 32-team version played every four years starts in June 2025. The inaugural host is the United States. Al-Ittihad will open the seven-team tournament against Auckland City, the champion of Oceania. The winner will advance to face African champion Al-Ahly of Egypt in the second round for a place in the semifinals against the champion of South America. The Copa Libertadores is currently at the semifinals stage featuring Boca Juniors of Argentina and Brazilian clubs Palmeiras, Fluminense and Internacional. Man City, as the champion of Europe, also get direct entry to the semifinals and will play either Club León of Mexico or Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan. The final on Dec. 22 will be played at the 62,000-seat King Abdullah Sports City, home of Al-Ittihad.