Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal stun Flamengo of Brazil to reach Club World Cup final

Update Al-Hilal are 90 minutes away from becoming world champions after a stunning 3-2 win over Brazilian giants and Copa Libertadores title-holders Flamengo. (Twitter/@AlHilal_FC)
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Al-Hilal are 90 minutes away from becoming world champions after a stunning 3-2 win over Brazilian giants and Copa Libertadores title-holders Flamengo. (Twitter/@AlHilal_FC)
Update Al-Hilal are 90 minutes away from becoming world champions after a stunning 3-2 win over Brazilian giants and Copa Libertadores title-holders Flamengo. (Twitter/@AlHilal_FC)
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Al-Hilal are 90 minutes away from becoming world champions after a stunning 3-2 win over Brazilian giants and Copa Libertadores title-holders Flamengo. (Twitter/@AlHilal_FC)
Update Al-Hilal are 90 minutes away from becoming world champions after a stunning 3-2 win over Brazilian giants and Copa Libertadores title-holders Flamengo. (Twitter/@Alhilal_EN)
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Al-Hilal are 90 minutes away from becoming world champions after a stunning 3-2 win over Brazilian giants and Copa Libertadores title-holders Flamengo. (Twitter/@Alhilal_EN)
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Updated 08 February 2023

Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal stun Flamengo of Brazil to reach Club World Cup final

Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal stun Flamengo of Brazil to reach Club World Cup final
  • Two first-half goals by World Cup hero Salem Al-Dawsari and a third by Luciano Vietto after the break stunned the Brazilians
  • The Riyadh side will face Real Madrid or Egyptian side Al-Ahly, who play on Wednesday, in the final on Saturday

TANGIER: Al-Hilal are just 90 minutes from being crowned world champions, after a stunning 3-2 victory on Tuesday over Brazilian giants, and Copa Libertadores title holders, Flamengo in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup in the Moroccan city of Tangier.

Al-Hilal, the most successful club in Saudi Arabia and Asia, already have dozens of trophies in their cabinet back home but have never come so close to a prize such as this.

Riyadh rivals Al-Nassr might have secured the services of high-profile signing Cristiano Ronaldo but Al-Hilal are now just one win away from a level of international glory unprecedented in the Kingdom. Coming just a few months after the national team’s victory over Argentina at the Qatar World Cup, these are heady times for Saudi football indeed.

Success in the final on Saturday would be the crowning achievement for Al-Hilal, though they are likely to find Real Madrid, arguably the biggest club on the planet, determined to block their path to glory.

Should the 14-time European champions lose their semi-final on Wednesday, Al-Hilal’s opposition will be Egyptian side Al-Ahly in what would be the ultimate dream match-up for fans in the Arab region.




The most successful club in Saudi Arabia and Asia have dozens of trophies in their cabinet back home but have never come close to a prize such as the FIFA Club World Cup. (Twitter/@AlHilal_FC)

Either way, it will be a huge occasion for Al-Hilal who, at the very least, have already improved upon two fourth-place finishes in their previous appearances in the tournament.

After coming through a grueling last-eight test against local favorites Wydad AC just three days previously, Ramon Diaz’s men delivered more than simply a battling performance on Tuesday, it was an intelligent and controlled one as well.

Just as Salem Al-Dawsari stunned Argentina with the winning goal for Saudi Arabia at the World Cup in November, so he stunned the Brazilian side with two first-half goals at the Ibn Batouta Stadium.

Both came from the spot, with a Pedro equalizer in between, and the second came after Gerson was sent off. Luciano Vietto sealed the victory after the break, despite a late consolation goal from Pedro.

The drama began in the fourth minute when the referee pointed to the spot after Matheuzinho brought down Vietto. Al-Dawsari had a penalty at the World Cup saved by Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny — a moment that, had it gone differently, might have made the difference in the Green Falcons progressing to the second round — but this time he made no mistake, shooting low into the bottom corner past the diving Santos.

The Brazilians were rattled on a cold and windy night on Morocco’s northwestern coast and gave coach Vitor Pereira, who took the job just over a month ago, much to ponder.

His frown turned upside down after 20 minutes when the Rio club equalized in smart fashion. Matheuzinho slipped the ball to Pedro just inside the right-hand corner of the area and his first-time shot flew low into the opposite corner past Abdullah Al-Mayouf. Seconds later, the Brazilians almost scored a second when the goalkeeper came out and missed a left-sided cross.

But it was Al-Hilal who finished the first half asking questions of the opposition defense and they were rewarded with a second penalty, their third of the tournament, on the stroke of half-time. Vietto went down in the area and after a video review, Gerson, already booked, was shown a second yellow. Once again, Al-Dawsari stepped up and, once again, scored.




The win was a mature, hard-working and composed performance from the Asian champions. (Twitter/@Alhilal_EN)

With a one-goal and one-man advantage, the Saudis were just 45 minutes from dreamland. They started the second half with composure, holding onto the ball and moving it around sharply and with growing confidence. The game began to open up as Flamengo were forced to attack and, as a result, leave bigger and bigger gaps at the back.

The South Americans were finally punished with 20 minutes remaining. The ball was fed to Vietto inside the area and he fired home into the roof of the net to spark wild celebrations among the visiting Saudi fans and on the Al-Hilal bench.

To their credit, Flamengo continued to push forward and there were nerves on display as Pedro bundled the ball home from close range in the first minute of stoppage time. But overall, this was a mature, hard-working and composed performance from the Asian champions.

Now, a team that came close to crashing out of the competition against Wydad on Saturday, eventually winning 5-3 on penalties after the game ended 1-1, have a chance to make magnificent history. Just getting to the final is a fine achievement but a return to Riyadh as world champions would never be forgotten.

After the national team’s World Cup victory over Argentina in November, and now Al-Hilal’s triumph over the South American champions, even Real Madrid will not be feared. Anything is possible for Saudi football at the moment, it seems.

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World champion Francesco Bagnaia avoids Marquez mayhem to win MotoGP opener

World champion Francesco Bagnaia avoids Marquez mayhem to win MotoGP opener
Updated 12 sec ago

World champion Francesco Bagnaia avoids Marquez mayhem to win MotoGP opener

World champion Francesco Bagnaia avoids Marquez mayhem to win MotoGP opener
  • Marc Marquez crashed and wiped out home favorite Miguel Oliveira on lap three to leave the way clear for Bagnaia

PORTIMAO, Portugal: World champion Francesco Bagnaia won Sunday’s season-opening Portuguese MotoGP after a costly mistake by pole-sitter Marc Marquez.

Ducati star Bagnaia coasted across the line ahead of Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales in the Algarve sunshine to follow up his win in MotoGP’s inaugural sprint 24 hours earlier.

Marquez crashed and wiped out home favorite Miguel Oliveira on lap three to leave the way clear for Bagnaia to get his championship defense off to a perfect start.

Bagnaia leaves Portimao with a maximum 37 points from the first of the 21-race season.

“That’s the start me and my team wanted,” the Italian told motogp.com. “We have to keep going like this.”

He then joked that after Saturday’s 12-lap dash in the sprint “I’m not used to such a long race.”

Bagnaia’s compatriot Marco Bezzecchi, riding Ducati’s VR46 bike, came in third to complete the podium.

If it was reasonably plain sailing for the world champion it was anything but for Marquez.

A rare moment of madness from the Spaniard provided the main drama of the afternoon.

The pole sitter clipped Jorge Martin and then his out-of-control Honda slammed into the back of Oliveira’s KTM, wiping out the Portuguese rider who had high hopes of a podium finish in front of his home fans.

Marquez received a hostile reception from some of the fans on his return to the pits where he quickly made his way to Oliveira’s garage to offer his apologies.

The six-time former world champion suffered a suspected hand fracture as well as a time-penalty.

Martin, facing an uphill task to get back into the race, eventually slipped out with six laps left.

Oliveira had led fleetingly, following a quick start from the second row on the grid, before Bagnaia forged to the front, seconds before Marquez made his intervention.

Vinales was encouraged by his promising start to the season.

“I feel good, I missed the chance to overtake because ‘Pecco’ (Bagnaia), I knew, had a little more (pace). “I’m actually really happy — we are going to fight in the front.”


Ireland wait on captain ahead of France clash

Ireland wait on captain ahead of France clash
Updated 5 min 5 sec ago

Ireland wait on captain ahead of France clash

Ireland wait on captain ahead of France clash
  • Seamus Coleman to be given chance to prove his fitness ahead of Euro 2024 qualifier on Monday

DUBLIN: Republic of Ireland captain Seamus Coleman will be given every chance to prove his fitness ahead of Monday’s Euro 2024 qualifier against France.

The 34-year-old Everton defender has a slight thigh strain and Ireland manager Stephen Kenny is prepared to wait until as late as possible before deciding if his skipper can take part in the Lansdowne Road tie.

“No, he is not ruled out, we will have to see how today goes. We train today,” said Kenny, at a pre-match news conference on Sunday.

“Seamus is a very good player. It’s not so much his experience, it’s that he’s playing well at the moment. Experience is a factor, but his performances for Everton have been very good.

“For footballing reasons, he merits his place in the team because he has been playing very well for Everton and had an injury-free run and been able to train regularly over the last number of months and performed very well for Everton.

“He is the captain, of course, but we’ll have to see on that.”

Republic left wing-back Callum O’Dowda suffered a groin injury during Wednesday’s 3-2 friendly victory over Latvia and while he too has yet to be ruled out, Preston’s Robbie Brady has been drafted in as cover.

Earlier, Morocco stunned Brazil 2-1 on Saturday as the north African side recorded a first ever win over the five-time world champions.

Midfielder Sofiane Boufal, in the 29th minute, gave Morocco the lead before Brazil skipper Casemiro levelled in the 67th minute in Tangiers.

But Abdelhamid Sabiri struck the winner in the 79th minute as Morocco showed that becoming the first Arab or African nation to reach the World Cup semifinals last year was no fluke.

Only 10 of the 23-man squad that took Brazil to a disappointing quarter-final exit at the World Cup made the trip to Morocco for the game.

The injured Neymar was again missing with his number 10 shirt passing to Real Madrid youngster Rodrygo.

Brazil also had a new manager in the dugout with interim coach Ramon Menezes having replaced Tite who stepped down after the World Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of Croatia.

The Brazilian Football Confederation hopes to be able to announce the name of its new coach before the start of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in September.

According to Brazilian media, the federation’s first choice is Carlo Ancelotti, currently in charge of Real Madrid.

However, he is not expected to make a decision on his future before the end of the European season.

Before kick-off at the Ibn Batouta stadium on Saturday, both teams paid tribute to Pele, who died last December at the age of 82.

Until Saturday, Morocco had suffered defeats in their only two other meetings with Brazil — 2-0 in a 1997 friendly and 3-0 in the group stage of the 1998 World Cup in France.


Manager Conte leaves Tottenham ‘by mutual consent’

Manager Conte leaves Tottenham ‘by mutual consent’
Updated 35 min 25 sec ago

Manager Conte leaves Tottenham ‘by mutual consent’

Manager Conte leaves Tottenham ‘by mutual consent’
  • The Italian launched into a rant about the club before the international break following a 3-3 draw at Southampton

LONDON: Manager Antonio Conte has left Tottenham “by mutual consent,” the Premier League club announced on Sunday.
The Italian, who took over in November 2021, launched into a rant about the club before the international break following a 3-3 draw at Southampton.
Conte leaves with Spurs fourth in the Premier League table.


Morocco stun Brazil and win for first time in friendly international

Morocco stun Brazil and win for first time in friendly international
Updated 26 March 2023

Morocco stun Brazil and win for first time in friendly international

Morocco stun Brazil and win for first time in friendly international
  • Abdelhamid Sabiri struck the winner as Morocco showed that becoming the first Arab or African nation to reach the World Cup semifinals last year was no fluke

TANGIERS, MOROCCO: Morocco stunned Brazil 2-1 in a friendly international on Saturday as the north African side recorded a first ever win over the five-time world champions.

Midfielder Sofiane Boufal, a former Southampton star, but now playing with Al-Rayyan in Qatar, gave Morocco the lead after 29 minutes, scoring with a powerful turn and drive from a pass by Bilal El Khannous.

Brazil skipper Casemiro leveled in the 67th minute when his weak shot was fumbled by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

But on-loan Sampdoria midfielder Abdelhamid Sabiri struck the winner with a volley in the 79th minute as Morocco showed that becoming the first Arab or African nation to reach the World Cup semifinals last year was no fluke.

“I wouldn’t say we lacked understanding, it’s about putting into practice the ideas of a new coach,” said Manchester United’s Casemiro.

“I think we played a good game and did everything as far as possible to win.”

Only 10 of the 23-man squad that took Brazil to a disappointing quarter-final exit at the World Cup made the trip to Morocco for the game.

The injured Neymar was again missing with his number 10 shirt passing to Real Madrid youngster Rodrygo.

Brazil also had a new manager in the dugout with interim coach Ramon Menezes having replaced Tite who stepped down after the World Cup last-eight exit at the hands of Croatia.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) hopes to be able to announce the name of its new coach before the start of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in September.

According to Brazilian media, the CBF’s first choice is Carlo Ancelotti, currently in charge of Real Madrid.

However, he is not expected to make a decision on his future before the end of the European season.

Before kickoff at the Ibn Batouta stadium, both teams paid tribute to Pele, who died last December at the age of 82.

Until Saturday, Morocco had suffered defeats in their only two other meetings with Brazil — 2-0 in a 1997 friendly and 3-0 in the group stages of the 1998 World Cup in France.


Scheffler, McIlroy at their best to reach Match Play semifinals

Scheffler, McIlroy at their best to reach Match Play semifinals
Updated 26 March 2023

Scheffler, McIlroy at their best to reach Match Play semifinals

Scheffler, McIlroy at their best to reach Match Play semifinals
  • Scheffler, who lost in the final in his Match Play debut in 2021, now has won 10 straight matches
  • McIlroy won with a 12-foot birdie putt, the proper ending to a match that both said was a testament to the quality of golf required

AUSTIN, Texas: The golf was as good as it gets. Rory McIlroy made 17 birdies in the 36 holes he played Saturday. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler rallied with six birdies in his last nine holes to reach the semifinals for the third straight year.

A little luck never hurts in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. And as great as McIlroy played, he needed some of that, too.

McIlroy never led in his quarterfinals match against Xander Schauffele. They came to the 18th hole all square, and McIlroy slumped slightly when he saw his drive headed left toward the trees. Schauffele hit his shot and quickly picked up his tee.

Imagine their surprise. McIlroy came upon a golf ball behind a tree and figured it was his. Schauffele was walking behind him and was stunned when McIlroy kept going.

“He hit a worse drive than I did and he ended up fine,” Schauffele said.

He got no argument from McIlroy.

“I expected my ball to be Xander’s ball on 18 behind that tree, and I got fortunate that mine trundled down the hill and obviously made the chip shot a lot easier,” McIlroy said. “Look, you need a little bit of fortune in these things, and that was a bit of luck for me today.”

McIlroy won with a 12-foot birdie putt, the proper ending to a match that both said was a testament to the quality of golf required. Schauffele applauded all the pivotal putts McIlroy made to stay in the fight.

It was like that all over Austin Country Club. The final version of Match Play lived up to its edge-of-the-seat reputation, with wild turns of momentum until four players remained.

Sam Burns advanced by beating Patrick Cantlay in 17 holes and then overcoming an early deficit to beat Mackenzie Hughes of Canada, 3 and 2, to reach the semifinals.

Burns advances to meet Scheffler, his best friend on tour with whom he often shares a house when they’re on the road. Their last encounter was at Colonial last year, when Burns made a 45-foot birdie putt to beat Scheffler in a playoff.

Cameron Young looked as if he had an easy time, until it wasn’t. He was 3 up at the turn, missed a chance to go 4 up on the 12th and then had to go to the 18th hole before he could dispatch of Bay Hill winner Kurt Kitayama.

Scheffler, who lost in the final in his Match Play debut in 2021, now has won 10 straight matches. He was 2 down against J.T. Poston in the morning with five holes left when he birdied the 17th to square the match and won the 18th with a par.

He was 3 down against former Match Play champion Jason Day through seven holes in the quarterfinals when he battled back, taking his first lead with a birdie on the 13th and then pulling away. He closed it out with a wedge to 2 inches on the 17th.

Scheffler said he and caddie Ted Scott had a chat when Day went birdie-birdie-eagle on the front nine to go 3 up. The eagle came on a 5-wood from 282 yards to 5 feet on the par-5 sixth hole at Austin Country Club.

“Just ride out the heater,” Scheffler said. “I had to stay patient.”

Day began to struggle with allergies on the eighth hole, and then Scheffler had a heater of his own by making six birdies over their final nine holes.

McIlroy reached the quarterfinals by making nine birdies against Lucas Herbert, and it still wasn’t decided until the 18th hole.

“I got to beaten by the best player in the world probably playing the best golf of anyone in the world would today,” Herbert said. “Pushed him all the way to the end. I just didn’t feel like there was a hell of a lot more I could have done.”

Schauffele made seven birdies against McIlroy and it wasn’t enough.

“I needed to dig deep,” McIlroy said. “He’s one of the best players in the world. I knew I was going to need to produce something similar to this morning. I was 16 under for two rounds of golf. That shows the caliber you need to play out there.”

Next up for McIlroy is Young, who finished ahead of him at St. Andrews last year with a 31 on the back nine. Young has made 31 birdies and two eagles in his five matches this week. He won his group on Friday with a 5-and-3 win. He made it through Saturday morning with a 5-and-4 rout of Billy Horschel. He was on his way to another romp against Kitayama.

But he missed a 5-foot birdie putt on the 12th that would have put him 4 up. Kitayama won the next two holes with birdies. Young missed from 10 feet for birdie, 15 feet for eagle and 10 feet for birdie on the next three, all three putts burning the edge.

Ultimately, he only needed two putts from 15 feet on the 18th for the win. That was about the only easy part of his back nine.

“I don’t think I made a bogey today and I was biting my nails trying to win my match,” Young said. “I think it just shows you the quality of golf that’s played out here and how hard it is to get through even just one day like today, never mind that today was our fifth match.”

Day earlier on Saturday beat Matt Kuchar, leaving the 44-year-old American one match short of the tournament record. Kuchar leaves sharing the mark of 36 wins with Tiger Woods.

Now it’s Scheffler’s turn. Woods is the only player to win Match Play back to back. One day remains, and it feels like a long way to go.