Eze leads Crystal Palace into FA Cup semifinals
LONDON: Eberechi Eze inspired Crystal Palace to a 3-0 FA Cup quarterfinal win at Fulham on Saturday with a goal and assist in a four-minute period in the first half.
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Ed Bethell targeting international glory with Regional in Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night
LONDON: Royal Ascot-winning trainer Ed Bethell is set to chase his first international Group 1 victory as his star sprinter Regional lines up for the Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night next weekend.
Newcastle holding open-top bus parade to celebrate English League Cup title
NEWCASTLE: Ending a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy deserves an official party. Newcastle will get one Saturday when the team holds an open-top bus parade to celebrate its English League Cup title. More than 150,000 fans are expected to join the celebration. The parade route runs from St.
Global Champions Arabians Tour returns to Riyadh for fourth stage of the 2025 Europe and Middle East Series
RIYADH: Following three stages in Ajman, Doha and Muscat, the Global Champions Arabians Tour makes its return to Riyadh for the fourth stage of the Europe and Middle series — the final stop in the Middle East and the pivotal halfway point of this eight-stage 2025 tour.
Brazil fires coach Dorival Júnior after worst defeat in World Cup qualifying
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.
Offensive Iraq-Palestine World Cup qualifier video ‘fabricated,’ says Jordan Football Association
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.
Patriotic fervor the spur for Ukrainian boxing legend Usyk
PARIS: Ukraine’s boxing icon Oleksandr Usyk told AFP he will stay in the sport “a little longer” so he can provide “financial support to our army and civilians” and achieve his sporting goal of once again being undisputed heavyweight world champion. The 38-year-old, who holds all the belts except the IBF version which belongs to Daniel Dubois, has been galvanized by the war ever since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February 2022, wreaking death and destruction on his compatriots and his homeland. His exploits — two memorable victories over British opponent Tyson Fury plus others over Anthony Joshua and Dubois — have helped keep his beleaguered country very much in people’s minds. In a wide-ranging interview, Usyk said his father, who fought in the Soviet Army, was the seminal influence on his career. He says he has been inspired by “both the heroes of the past and the modern Ukrainian heroes who are now defending our homeland in the armed forces.” “Representing Ukraine on the global sports stage, spreading the truth about the war, and providing financial support to our army and civilians — this is also a powerful motivation for me to stay in professional boxing a little longer,” he said. “I feel great, I’m ready for any opponent and would love to take another shot at becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion again.” Usyk says Fury is the toughest opponent he has faced “for the moment” and added that he expects the unpredictable Briton to return to boxing, although perhaps “in a different role.” Usyk can thank his late father, also called Oleksandr, for his extraordinary resilience in brutal bouts with Fury and twice with Joshua.
PSG ‘feel like champions’ as Ligue 1 title nears, says Luis Enrique
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.