Inter beat city rivals AC Milan to claim Italian Super Cup in Riyadh

Inter's players celebrate after winning the Italian Super Cup football match between AC Milan and Inter Milan. (Reuters)
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Inter's players celebrate after winning the Italian Super Cup football match between AC Milan and Inter Milan. (Reuters)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Inter's players celebrate with the fans after winning the Italian SuperCup football match between AC Milan and Inter Milan, at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. (AFP)
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Inter's players celebrate with the fans after winning the Italian SuperCup football match between AC Milan and Inter Milan, at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. (AFP)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Italian cup holders Inter defeated the reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0. (AN Photo/Abdulrahman Shalhoub)
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Updated 19 January 2023

Inter beat city rivals AC Milan to claim Italian Super Cup in Riyadh

Inter's players celebrate after winning the Italian Super Cup football match between AC Milan and Inter Milan.
  • Goals by Dimarco, Dzeko and Martinez gave Simone Inzaghi’s team, the Coppa Italia holders, a comfortable 3-0 win over the Serie A champions

RIYADH: The Supercoppa Italiana, and the bragging rights that go with it, went to Inter Milan on Wednesday evening in Riyadh.

A crowd of just over 51,000 inside King Fahd International Stadium watched the Coppa Italia holders defeat reigning Serie A champions AC Milan 3-0 to lift the trophy on this, the third occasion the showpiece final has been played in the Kingdom.

This was no mid-season, warm-weather friendly. For a start, the temperature inside the stadium had dipped to chilly 9 degrees Celsius. But more importantly, no derby match between these two city rivals is ever anything less than fiercely contested — and certainly not when the first silverware of the season is on the line.

The teams came into the match with AC Milan sitting in second place in the Serie A standings on 38 points, nine behind leaders Napoli, and Inter in fourth on 37, lagging Juventus only on goal difference.

Inter started the game on the front foot and earned a free-kick in a promising position after four minutes, only for it to be struck straight at the defensive wall by World Cup winner Lautaro Martinez. But the Inter fans did not have long to wait for the breakthrough.

Only 10 minutes in, Nicolo Barella broke free on the right side of the AC Milan penalty area and squared the ball to Federico Dimarco, whose left-foot finish left Ciprian Tatarusanu in goal with no chance.

The Serie A champions had their best chance of the half on 18 minutes when Portuguese international Rafael Leao’s curling shot from a tight angle was turned over by Andre Onana for a corner.

Inter took full advantage of the let-off three minutes later. Edin Dzeko received the ball from Alessandro Bastoni inside the Milan penalty box, before showing brilliant skill to cut onto his right foot and slide the ball past Tatarusanu. It was 2-0 already and the Rossoneri were in danger of being seriously embarrassed.

Inter were relentless and on the half hour, Dimarco almost scored his second after taking advantage of another careless defensive mistake but his fierce, left-foot shot was pushed away by Tatarusanu.

Martinez had a chance to put the match to bed in first-half stoppage time but he miscontrolled the ball when put through on goal and Inter had to be content with a two-goal lead at the break.

AC Milan were visibly improved during the early stages of the second half and Leao had a golden chance to halve the deficit, but shot over after finding space for himself just inside the Inter penalty area. Ismael Bennacer also had sight of goal but shot straight at Onana.

On 65 minutes, Milan coach Stefano Pioli brought on Charles De Ketelaere, Divock Origi and Pierre Kalulu for Brahim Diaz, Junior Messias and Simon Kjaer, as they looked to consolidate their second-half dominance and close the gap.

Milan continued to press but found clear chances very hard to come by, with Leao in particular resorting to several long-range shots that were either blocked by the Inter defenders or easily gathered by Onana.

With 20 minutes left, coach Simone Inzaghi replaced Barella and Dzeko with Roberto Gagliardini and Joaquin Correa in an attempt to inject a bit more life into the Inter attack but the match continued to follow the same script, with Milan enjoying superior possession but rarely managing to translate it into clear goal opportunities.

Then, on 77 minutes, Martinez redeemed himself for what had been a poor personal performance with a sumptuous finish on the outside of his right foot to give Inter a commanding 3-0 lead.

The Argentine striker celebrated by taking off his shirt in front of the delighted Inter fans behind the goal, with the resulting booking being of barely any consequence.

“Ole, ole, ole, Inter, Inter,” sang those in the crowd wearing black and blue. There was no way back for Milan and the remainder of the match was played against a backdrop of celebration by the Inter supporters.

This was Inter’s seventh Italian Super Cup triumph, equaling the number claimed by their defeated opponents. Juventus, with nine wins, remain the competition’s record title holders.

As the lights inside the stadium dimmed, the Inter players joined their fans in joyous celebration, a sure indication, if any were needed, of just how much this trophy means to them.


Mane scores on return to action with Senegal

Mane scores on return to action with Senegal
Updated 25 March 2023

Mane scores on return to action with Senegal

Mane scores on return to action with Senegal
  • Mohamed Salah netted Egypt’s opener in a 2-0 win over Malawi

CAPE TOWN, South Africa: Sadio Mane put his World Cup disappointment behind him by scoring on his return to international action as Senegal swept past Mozambique 5-1 in African Cup of Nations qualifying on Friday.

Mane darted behind the defense to poke home a pass by Youssouf Sabaly with his left foot for the reigning African champion’s second goal in Dakar.

Mohamed Salah netted Egypt’s opener in a 2-0 win over Malawi.

And there was also a successful return for Ivory Coast striker Sebastien Haller, who scored to help his country beat Comoros 3-1 in his first international since his comeback after receiving treatment for testicular cancer.

Mane smiled as he celebrated his goal with teammates, who had to do without their star player at the World Cup last year after he was injured just before the tournament.

Without Mane, Senegal was knocked out by England in the round of 16 at the World Cup. But the convincing win over Mozambique, Mane’s first game for Senegal since before the World Cup, kept the Cup of Nations titleholder at the top of Group L with three wins from three and on course to qualify for the continental championship next year in Ivory Coast.

Sabaly scored the first goal in the ninth minute, Mane made it two in the 16th, and Iliman Ndiaye and Boulaye Dia ensured Senegal led 4-0 at halftime. Habib Diallo sent a diving header in for the fifth with two minutes to go.

Gildo Vilanculos got Mozambique’s only goal when he headed a parry by Alfred Gomis straight back past the Senegal goalkeeper to make it 4-1 early in the second half.

Senegal didn’t allow that to threaten its dominance and controlled the rest of the game, with Mane at one point urging his team not to settle for 4-1 and go forward in search of more goals. Diallo eventually delivered one.

Salah took his goal with a first-time shot from a cross in the 20th minute to give Egypt the lead against Malawi in Cairo. Omar Marmoush was credited with the second but his low shot took a wicked deflection off a Malawi defender and looped over goalkeeper Charles Thom.

Egypt had 21 shots to Malawi’s five and 75 percent possession, and the win revived the record seven-time African champion’s qualifying campaign after it lost to Ethiopia in the last round to slip to the bottom of Group D on goal difference.

Earlier Friday, Nigeria struggled to a 1-0 loss at home to Guinea-Bissau, ending the Super Eagles’ winning start to qualifying and seeing Guinea-Bissau take top spot in Group A. Nigeria aare still in position to qualify for the African Cup as the top two teams from each group qualify.

South Africa cruised to a 2-0 lead over Liberia with a double by striker Lyle Foster, but Liberia fought back for a draw with Mohammed Sangare’s equalizer coming in injury time at Soccer City in Soweto. That hurt South Africa’s hopes of qualifying and deeply frustrated coach Hugo Broos, who walked out of a news conference after telling reporters he wouldn’t answer any of their questions.

“There is too much disappointment, too much frustration, too much anger in my body,” Broos said. “If I should say now what I think, it would not be nice.”
 


Mbappe delivers for France again in first game as captain

Mbappe delivers for France again in first game as captain
Updated 25 March 2023

Mbappe delivers for France again in first game as captain

Mbappe delivers for France again in first game as captain
  • Romelu Lukaku underlined his enduring value to Belgium by scoring all three goals in a 3-0 win at Sweden in the other notable victory on Friday

PARIS: Kylian Mbappe delivered for France again, this time wearing the captain’s armband.

Leading a new era for Les Bleus, there was something very familiar about the way Mbappe slotted home two unforgiving finishes to headline a 4-0 win over the Netherlands in European Championship qualifying on Friday.

France showed no lasting effects from that painful penalty-shootout loss to Argentina in the World Cup final three months ago. Nor did Mbappe, the scorer of a hat trick in a losing cause that day.

One of his first touches against the Dutch was to slip a pass inside for Antoine Griezmann, his hair dyed pink, to finish first time for the opening goal inside two minutes at the Stade de France. The two stars embraced, showing there was no lingering feud after Griezmann — the more experienced of the pair — was overlooked for the captaincy in favor of Mbappe following Hugo Lloris’ retirement.

Dayot Upamecano bundled in the second in the eighth minute, and the third goal in a dazzling opening 20 minutes by France was scored by Mbappe. He ran in behind the Netherlands defense and shot inside the near post after Randal Kolo Muani let a pass from Aurelien Tchouaméni roll past him.

Mbappe completed the thrashing in the 88th with a solo goal, picking up the ball 40 meters out and producing a series of feints on the edge of the area before blasting a low shot beyond goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen.

It took the Paris Saint-Germain striker onto 38 international goals, above Karim Benzema into fifth place on France’s all-time list. While Benzema’s time might be up for the national team, Mbappe — aged 24 and the leader of the new wave of soccer superstars after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo — is really only getting started.

Speaking of starts, this was a disappointing way for Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman to begin his second spell in charge of the team. Robbed of key midfielder Frenkie de Jong because of injury and five players during the week because of a flu virus, the Dutch were swarmed all over in a one-sided Group B game as qualifying for Euro 2024 continued.

Their misery was complete when Memphis Depay had a penalty saved by France goalkeeper Mike Maignan with virtually the last kick of the match.

Lukaku hat trick

Romelu Lukaku underlined his enduring value to Belgium by scoring all three goals in a 3-0 win at Sweden in the other notable victory on Friday.

It was a successful start to Domenico Tedesco’s tenure as coach of Belgium, which is also playing under a new captain in Kevin De Bruyne.

Tedesco will know the importance of having Lukaku healthy if the Red Devils are to finally win an international trophy.

The striker wasn’t fully fit at the World Cup and that was a big reason why Belgium went out in the group stage. Lukaku has been playing regularly for Inter Milan since then, and was a constant threat against Sweden as he scored in the 35th, 49th and 83rd minutes.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden’s 41-year-old striker, came off the bench for his first national team appearance in nearly a year and had a couple of chances to score.

Loss for Lewandowski

Euro 2024 could be the last major international tournament for 34-year-old Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski, though Poland’s bid to make it to Germany got off to a sticky start.

Poland lost 3-1 at the Czech Republic, which went ahead when Ladislav Krejcí scored after 27 seconds — the earliest goal netted by the national team in its history.

Tomas Cvancara and Jan Kuchta also were on target for the Czechs as Lewandowski was kept scoreless in the Group E game.

Austria beat Azerbaijan 4-1 in the group containing Belgium and Sweden, with on-loan Manchester United midfielder Marcel Sabitzer scoring twice, and Greece won at Gibraltar 3-0 in France’s group.

There were wins for Serbia (2-0 at home to Lithuania) and Montenegro (1-0 at Bulgaria) in Group G.


Tough night for the Green Falcons as they suffer Venezuela friendly defeat

Tough night for the Green Falcons as they suffer Venezuela friendly defeat
Updated 25 March 2023

Tough night for the Green Falcons as they suffer Venezuela friendly defeat

Tough night for the Green Falcons as they suffer Venezuela friendly defeat
  • The last time the Saudis faced South American opposition they shocked Argentina at the World Cup, but this time they received a lesson in clinical finishing

JEDDAH: The last time Saudi Arabia met South American opposition, in November at the World Cup in Qatar, they shocked billions around the world by coming from behind to defeat eventual champions Argentina.

On Friday, however, there was no such comeback as the Green Falcons were brought down to earth with a bump, losing 2-1 in a friendly against Venezuela in Jeddah.

Much of the damage was done in the first half, during which the visitors, who also defeated Herve Renard’s men 1-0 last June in the build up to the World Cup, gave the hosts a lesson in clinical finishing.

It was the Saudis’ first game on home soil since the World Cup, but as a homecoming it was not quite what anyone had in mind. There was plenty of energy and effort on display from the hosts but they struggled to create clear, meaningful chances against determined opponents, although in the end they did come close to equalizing.

The first goal came came in the 26th minute courtesy of Josef Martinez. Salomon Rondon floated a ball over from the left and Martinez, at full stretch, volleyed it home with a low shot from the edge of the area.

Just eight minutes later, Rondon, who now plays his club football for River Plate in Argentina after saying goodbye to the English Premier League in December, made it two. The former Everton star received the ball 18 yards out, and then turned smartly to fire a low shot into the bottom corner.

The night could have gotten worse for Saudi Arabia as Martinez once again found the back of the net three minutes before the break but the goal was ruled out by the video assistant referee.

Haroune Camara came closest to getting the home fans on their feet during the first half but the Al-Ittihad forward’s shot was saved by Alain Baroja in the Venezuelan goal.

As the second half progressed, coach Renard, linked recently with the vacant position of coach for the French women’s national team, threw on several substitutes. Just after the hour mark, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, who scored his first goal for Al-Nassr during a recent 3-1 win over Abha, took over from Hussein Al-Qahtani and Camara was replaced his Al-Ittihad club colleague Abdul Aziz Al-Bishi.

Almost immediately, Saudi Arabia thought they deserved a penalty when Samuel Sosa barged over Saleh Al-Shehri in the area. After VAR took a look, however, the appeal was waved away.

Then, with 17 minutes remaining, Salem Al-Dawsari pulled a goal back in style. The 30-year-old, who scored the winning goal against Argentina, received the ball with his back to goal just inside the area and turned quickly to curl a lovely shot into the corner and finally get the fans in Jeddah cheering and believing.

Suddenly there was a renewed sense of urgency from the players in green and soon after, Baroja was diving to save a twisting header from Abdullah Al-Hamdan.

The goalkeeper was busy again three minutes from the end, as he palmed away a powerful header from Al-Shehri. As much as the two-time Asian champions tried, however, they could not get the all-important equalizer.

Despite all their efforts, in the end it was not quite enough. With the Asian Cup taking place next January, the result was not the most important aspect of this game but Saudi Arabia will look to get back to winning ways against Bolivia on Tuesday.
 


Jabeur crashes out to Gracheva in Miami

Jabeur crashes out to Gracheva in Miami
Updated 24 March 2023

Jabeur crashes out to Gracheva in Miami

Jabeur crashes out to Gracheva in Miami
  • Tunisian Jabeur, beaten finalist at Wimbledon and the US Open last year, has been working her way back from injury
  • Jabeur underwent surgery after suffering a knee injury at the Australian Open

MIAMI GARDENS, United States: Fourth seed Ons Jabeur crashed out of the Miami Open on Friday, losing her opening match to Russian qualifier Varvara Gracheva 6-2, 6-2.
Tunisian Jabeur, beaten finalist at Wimbledon and the US Open last year, has been working her way back from injury and on her return earlier this month went out in the third round at Indian Wells.
Jabeur underwent surgery after suffering a knee injury at the Australian Open, and subsequently missed the WTA Tour’s Middle East swing.
She looked well short of her best against the 22-year-old Gracheva and had two medical visits during the one hour 11 minute match.
The win was the biggest scalp yet for Gracheva, who earlier this month reached her first WTA final, losing in Austin to Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.
“The plan was, of course like all matches, to be as stable as possible, to try to make her work as much points as possible, and of course wait for comfortable ones to attack,” Gracheva said after her third career win over a top ten opponent.
“I’ve just probably caught this wave where I’m stable, where I always have a chance to play my game, be aggressive, cause troubles for the others by the game style. I’ve just got to try to keep rolling on this way,” she added.
Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic advanced with a 6-2, 6-4 win over China’s Wang Xinyu and her compatriot Barbora Krejcikova also enjoyed a straight sets win, 6-3, 6-2 against Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovic.


Thomas Tuchel: brilliant tactician with ‘challenging’ streak

Thomas Tuchel: brilliant tactician with ‘challenging’ streak
Updated 40 min 8 sec ago

Thomas Tuchel: brilliant tactician with ‘challenging’ streak

Thomas Tuchel: brilliant tactician with ‘challenging’ streak
  • The 49-year-old former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain coach has a reputation as a brilliant tactician who is not afraid to overhaul his side constantly
  • Yet Tuchel's turbulent CV has also shown that he has the capacity to bounce back to lead subsequent top flight clubs

MUNICH, Germany: Welcomed with fanfare by Chelsea but then sacked just over a year later, Thomas Tuchel, who is returning to Germany as Bayern Munich’s new coach, is one of Europe’s most sought-after bosses but is not without controversy.
The 49-year-old former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain coach has a reputation as a brilliant tactician who is not afraid to overhaul his side constantly.
But he also has a streak of sackings behind him — with a bad-tempered exit at Borussia Dortmund in 2017 followed by an acrimonious parting from PSG in December 2020, and most recently in September, a tumultous departure from Chelsea.
Yet Tuchel’s turbulent CV has also shown that he has the capacity to bounce back to lead subsequent top flight clubs.
The announcement Friday that he is taking over the reins at Bayern, Germany’s most successful club, from Julian Nagelsmann is yet another testimony to Tuchel’s employability.
“Tuchel is not interested in marketing, in his image. He is interested by his work, he just wants to be judged by his work and only that,” said Daniel Meuren, who wrote a biography on the German coach.
On the field, the verdict so far is unanimous — every club that Tuchel has handled has obtained results and play attractive football.
He led Chelsea to Champions League glory, won two French titles with PSG and lifted the German Cup with Dortmund.
At once charismatic and prickly, Tuchel, by his own admission, can be a challenging personality.
“I wasn’t easy to deal with as a player,” he admitted in a 2009 interview.
A knee injury cut short Tuchel’s playing career as a defender at third-division Ulm in 1998 and he turned his hand to coaching.
He cut his coaching teeth in the youth academies at VfB Stuttgart and Augsburg but his career took off at Mainz where he was promoted from Under-19s boss to first-team head coach two days before the start of the 2009-2010 season despite having no Bundesliga experience.
Like his role model, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, Tuchel is not afraid to switch formation or tactics two or three times during a game, making it impossible for opposing coaches to second-guess him.
But he is also not shy about picking fights with club management.
After a pipe bomb attack that rocked Dortmund’s team bus ahead of a Champions League quarter-final match against Monaco in 2017, Tuchel lashed out at the club’s bosses for agreeing to play the game a day later rather than give players more time to recover from the shock.
At Qatar-owned PSG, the central issue for Tuchel was his relationship with sporting director Leonardo, with whom he did not see eye-to-eye and who was eager to bring in his own man.
Tuchel was eventually pushed out, despite having won the Ligue 1 title in his first season and then, in 2019/20, he secured a clean sweep of domestic honors before reaching the Champions League final in Lisbon, where PSG lost narrowly to Bayern Munich.
Given his record, his relationship with Bayern’s sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic and outspoken chairman and former Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn will be closely scrutinized.
After all, it was also Salihamidzic and Hansi Flick’s tense relationship that eventually led the former coach to leave Bayern to become Germany’s national coach in the summer of 2021.