Al-Nassr leave it late to snatch dramatic victory against Al-Batin

An astonishing three goals in stoppage time gave Al-Nassr a come-from-behind 3-1 win against bottom club Al-Batin. (Twitter/AlNassrFC)
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An astonishing three goals in stoppage time gave Al-Nassr a come-from-behind 3-1 win against bottom club Al-Batin. (Twitter/AlNassrFC)
An astonishing three goals in stoppage time gave Al-Nassr a come-from-behind 3-1 win against bottom club Al-Batin. (Twitter/AlNassrFC)
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An astonishing three goals in stoppage time gave Al-Nassr a come-from-behind 3-1 win against bottom club Al-Batin. (Twitter/AlNassrFC)
An astonishing three goals in stoppage time gave Al-Nassr a come-from-behind 3-1 win against bottom club Al-Batin. (Twitter/AlNassrFC)
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An astonishing three goals in stoppage time gave Al-Nassr a come-from-behind 3-1 win against bottom club Al-Batin. (Twitter/AlNassrFC)
An astonishing three goals in stoppage time gave Al-Nassr a come-from-behind 3-1 win against bottom club Al-Batin. (Twitter/AlNassrFC)
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An astonishing three goals in stoppage time gave Al-Nassr a come-from-behind 3-1 win against bottom club Al-Batin. (Twitter/AlNassrFC)
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Updated 04 March 2023
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Al-Nassr leave it late to snatch dramatic victory against Al-Batin

An astonishing three goals in stoppage time gave Al-Nassr a come-from-behind 3-1 win against bottom club Al-Batin.
  • Win sees the Riyadh club leapfrog Al-Ittihad at the top of the Roshn Saudi League, after the Jeddah outfit defeated Al-Khaleej earlier in the day

RIYADH: When the celebrations die down after an incredible late victory for Al-Nassr on Friday, even Cristiano Ronaldo will surely reflect on just how competitive and dramatic the Roshn Saudi League can be.

An astonishing three goals in stoppage time gave his side a come-from-behind 3-1 win against bottom club Al-Batin, a result that sent them back to the top of the table, two points clear of Al-Ittihad.

As the 90 minutes came to an end, visitors Al-Batin were leading 1-0 and seemed to be heading for an unlikely victory. Three minutes later, Abdulrahman Ghareeb equalized, Mohammed Al-Fatil put his team ahead 10 minutes after that, and then Mohammed Maran sealed the victory in the 105th minute to send a full Mrsool Park wild with delight.

If Al-Nassr go on to win their 10th league title, this game — or more specifically, the added time in this game — will be looked back on as a pivotal moment.

It was all incredibly harsh on Al-Batin, who can at least reflect on the fact they managed to keep Ronaldo quiet. The five-time Ballon D’Or winner had scored eight goals in his previous four games for title-chasing Al-Nassr, but here he cut a frustrated figure against hard-working and disciplined opponents.

Al-Batin remain seven points adrift at the bottom of the league but they have been a different team since Alen Horvat was replaced last month by fellow Croatian Zdravko Logarusic and deserved their half-time lead, which was provided by a Renzo Lopez header.

After failing to taste victory in the first 17 matches of the season, collecting just three points along the way, the players will, after recovering from Friday’s immense disappointment, no doubt feel that they can still stay up.

As fans flooded into the stadium, the fact that Ronaldo almost scored in the opening seconds, with Uruguayan goalkeeper Martin Campana having to get down quickly to deny the Portuguese star a simple tap-in, seemed to suggest it would be an easy three points for Al-Nassr.

It soon became clear, however, that this was not going to be a walkover. With the league’s top scorer, Anderson Talisca, and playmaker Pity Martinez out injured, the Riyadh giants looked a little lacking going forward.

Al-Batin had the ball in the net after 17 minutes, when Lopez headed home a right-sided cross from Andre Bukia. It was initially ruled out for a push by the Uruguayan forward in the back of Sultan Al-Ghannam. But after the referee checked the pitchside monitor, the goal was allowed to stand and suddenly a shock was on the cards.

Al-Nassr struggled to create clear chances against a team that did its utmost to deny Ronaldo any space to run into. That changed just after the half-hour when he ran on to a long ball from Abdullah Madu and skipped past Campana on the edge of the area. Forced a little further left than he would have liked, the 38-year-old sent a low shot toward goal, only to be denied by a fantastic goal-line clearance from Abdullah Al-Yousif.

Rudi Garcia’s men emerged for the second half with renewed vigor but Al-Batin, 45 minutes from a second successive victory, were equally determined. Ronaldo appealed for a penalty early on but there was little in the challenge. Then, after 55 minutes, his low shot was deflected wide but clear chances were still proving hard to come by.

This did not signal the start of domination by the hosts. Quite the opposite. Al-Nassr goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi had to dive smartly, twice, to keep out shots from outside the area. Meanwhile, Madu was forced to stretch to clear the ball, with Lopez lurking behind him waiting to tap it home.

Midway through the second half, Al-Nassr had what was perhaps their best chance of the game so far, only for Luiz Gustavo to head a free-kick straight into the grateful arms of Campana from close range. As the match entered its final 10 minutes, Ronaldo fired two free-kicks just over the bar. The ball would just not go in.

Al-Nassr’s hopes of turning things around were given a boost when the fourth official signaled that there would be at least 12 minutes of stoppage time — and with just a quarter of it gone, Gustavo lifted a fine ball over the packed Al-Batin back line for Ghareeb to slot home.

A similar set piece situation 10 minutes later resulted in Al-Fatil scoring after receiving the ball from a free-kick. A couple of minutes later, Maran fired into the net from inside the area to complete the comeback.

Earlier in the day, Al-Ittihad secured a comfortable 3-0 victory at Al-Khaleej. The newly-promoted side had managed to hold out until the 54th minute, when Abderrazak Hamdallah scored from the spot to claim his 12th goal of the season. Romarinho added a second at the midway point of the second half and the points were sealed 17 minutes from time when Ahmed Sharahili added a third.


Australia end losing streak with consolation win over India

Australia end losing streak with consolation win over India
Updated 11 sec ago
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Australia end losing streak with consolation win over India

Australia end losing streak with consolation win over India
  • Glenn Maxwell returns career-best figures of 4-40 to spearhead Australia to victory
  • Mitchell Marsh led batting onslaught by scoring 96 runs to take Australia to 352-7

RAJKOT: Glenn Maxwell returned career-best figures of 4-40 to end Australia’s five-match losing streak with a consolation 66-run win over India in the third one-day international on Wednesday.
Mitchell Marsh led the batting onslaught with his 96 as Australia posted 352-7, a total their bowlers defended by bowling out India for 286 in Rajkot.
The hosts took the three-match series 2-1 but Australia finish on a high ahead of the World Cup starting October 5 in India.
Maxwell, who returned to the team alongside Mitchell Starc after the two players recovered from injuries, scored just five with the bat but made an impact with his impressive off-spin.
“I feel like I’ve come into this World Cup nice and fresh and I’m excited to hit the ground running,” Maxwell said after being named man of the match. 
“Nice to get a nice result tonight.”
The all-rounder added: “It’s nice to chip in, if Mitch Marsh was there on the field, we would have chopped and changed (on the bowling). Since he was not there, had to bowl more. That will be the role of the allrounders in this World Cup.”
Maxwell got the first three wickets including skipper Rohit Sharma, for 81, and star batsman Virat Kohli, for 56, after a brisk start by India.
Rohit raised his fifty in 31 balls and seemed to have the chase in control but Maxwell got the captain with a stunning caught and bowled in his second over.
He then sent back Kohli soon after the former captain’s 66th ODI fifty and, despite a fighting 48 by Shreyas Iyer, the Indian batting folded in 49.4 overs.
Pace bowler Josh Hazlewood took two wickets as Australia ended the losing streak which started in South Africa earlier this month.
Batsmen set up victory after Marsh tore into the Indian bowlers in attacking partnerships that included a second-wicket stand of 137 with Steve Smith, who hit 74.
The top four batsmen stood out with Marsh, David Warner (56), Smith and Marnus Labuschagne (72) all contributing to a mammoth total that looked like going beyond 400 before India hit back.
Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets while left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav took two.
India had only 13 players to pick for their XI with some rested and a virus in the camp that made Ishan Kishan miss out.
Rohit said the players are fresh and raring to go.
“When we talk about the 15 we are very clear what we want,” said Rohit.
“We are not confused, we know where we are headed as a team. It’s a team sport and you need everyone to play their part and that’s how we win championships.”
Marsh took on Bumrah with three boundaries and a six in the paceman’s first two overs and the left-handed Warner soon joined in the charge.
Warner hammered Prasidh Krishna for three fours and a six in the seventh over and raced to his fifty in 32 balls in the next with another hit over the fence.
Marsh reached his half-ton in 45 balls but was denied a century when he casually slapped Kuldeep straight to cover. His 84-ball knock included 13 fours and three sixes.
Smith, Alex Carey and Maxwell fell at regular intervals, slowing the tourists down before Labuschagne took control until he was undone by Bumrah’s slower ball in the penultimate over.
The two teams now head into the World Cup warm-ups before they meet in the 50-over showpiece tournament on October 8 in Chennai.
 


Saudi Olympic Committee president attends 19th Asian Games esports competition

Saudi Olympic Committee president attends 19th Asian Games esports competition
Updated 21 min 27 sec ago
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Saudi Olympic Committee president attends 19th Asian Games esports competition

Saudi Olympic Committee president attends 19th Asian Games esports competition
  • Saudi handball team misses chance to qualify for 2nd round after 23-23 draw with Iran, which qualified along with Japan from the group
  • Table tennis players Ali Al-Khadrawi and Turki Al-Mutairi qualify for 32nd round in singles competition

HANGZHOU, China: Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee president, who is leading the Kingdom’s delegation to the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, on Wednesday attended the Saudi team’s esports competition.
The Saudi team reached the quarterfinals of the League of Legends game in the esports stadium, where they lost 0-2 to the Korean team.
Committee Vice President Prince Fahd bin Jalawi attended the Saudi handball team’s game against Iran as part of the handball competition group stage.
The Saudi team missed the chance to qualify for the second round after a 23-23 draw with Iran, which qualified along with Japan from the group.
A total of 193 Saudi athletes will compete in 19 sports at the Asian Games, which conclude Oct. 8.

Table tennis
Ali Al-Khadrawi and Turki Al-Mutairi qualified for the 32nd round in the singles competition after winning their 64th-round matches on Wednesday.
Al-Khadrawi defeated his Pakistani opponent 4-1, while Al-Mutairi beat a Mongolian rival 4-3.

Equestrian
Saudi rider Samantha Saifi concluded the qualifying round of the dressage competition, scoring 57.706 points in the second round of the competition on Wednesday. Saifi had previously scored 57.617 points in the competition on Tuesday, claiming 29th place in the overall standings.

Shooting
Prince Saud Al-Saud, Hatem Al-Shammari and Saed Al-Mutairi, who are representing Saudi Arabia in the shooting competitions, concluded their participation in the individual shotgun.
Al-Shammari finished 21st in the overall standings with a score of 116 out of 125, while Al-Mutairi ranked 25th with a score of 113. Prince Saud ranked 25th with a score of 113.

Taekwondo
Hisham Al-Dukhi and Mohammed Al-Suwaik exited the games in the quarterfinals of the taekwondo competitions after losing to China and the Philippines, respectively, on Wednesday.
Al-Dukhi defeated his Iraqi opponent Hussein Al-Lami 2-1 in the 32nd round before losing against China’s Chenming Xiao in the 16th round of the U-68 kg weight category. Al-Suwaik departed in the quarterfinals of the U-80 kg weight category.

Football
The Saudi U-23 football team trained for the last time ahead of their match against India in the 16th round on Thursday. National coach Saad Al-Shehri led the training session, which included fitness recovery exercises, a midfield mini-match, shooting practice and stretching exercises.


Increase in races and prize money for new Riyadh racing season

Increase in races and prize money for new Riyadh racing season
Updated 31 min 36 sec ago
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Increase in races and prize money for new Riyadh racing season

Increase in races and prize money for new Riyadh racing season
  • 700 races will be run at King Abdulaziz Racecourse with a total prize fund, excluding the Saudi Cup meeting, of $21.9m
  • Three other new cup races for Thoroughbreds have been added to the calendar

RIYADH: Prize money for the 2023-24 horse racing season in Riyadh, which begins on Oct. 16 and continues until Mar. 16, will increase by more than 7 percent compared with last season, and 56 additional races will be run at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, where the highlight remains the Saudi Cup in February.
The total prize money for the season, excluding the Saudi Cup meeting, will rise by $1.5 million to a total of $21.9 million, the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia said. The total number of races will increase to 700 across 59 meetings, all of which will comprise 12 races compared with the previous 11: 10 for Thoroughbreds and two for purebred Arabians.
This represents a significant increase in the number of races for purebred Arabians over the course of the season, the jockey club added, with 66 races added to the calendar. They include a new cup race, the $80,000 Abdulaziz bin Musa’id bin Jalooey Cup, which will be run for the first time on Feb. 10, 2024.
Five purebred Arabian contests have been introduced to the pattern, the highest level of races, this season and will be run as listed contests. The JCSA Cup will take place on Nov. 25, a week after a new, yet to be named listed race on Nov. 18. In the new year, the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Sword on Jan. 13, the Sprint Championship on March 8, and the King Abdulaziz Racecourse Championship on March 9 will be run as purebred Arabian listed events.
Three other new cup races for Thoroughbreds have been added to the calendar. The Imam Mohammed bin Saud Cup, worth $240,000, is a notable addition to the King’s Cup race day on Jan. 13, and the others are the $80,000 Prince Saad bin Abdulrahman bin Faisal Cup on Jan. 19 and the $80,000 Prince Fahad bin Jalawi Cup on Feb. 10.
A further development this season is the reduction of the distance in the listed Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup to 1,800 meters, the same trip as the $20 million Saudi Cup, to better reflect its status as a key qualifier for that contest.
The dates for the Saudi Cup meeting have been confirmed as Feb. 23 and 24. It will once again carry an enormous prize fund of $35.4m, with the centerpiece $20 million Saudi Cup race itself maintaining its position as the most valuable in the world.
For the first time this season, the Saudi Cup meeting will feature three international G1 races, after the Al-Mneefah Cup for purebred Arabians, which takes place the day before the Saudi Cup, was promoted to G1 status this season.
Prince Abdullah bin Khaled, chairperson of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia’s Technical Committee, said: “The announcement of the 2023-24 Riyadh program marks the JCSA’s continued commitment to the growth of racing in the Kingdom.
“The Riyadh program, held throughout the autumn, winter and spring at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, builds on the success of the Ta’if summer season and leads the Saudi Arabian racing community into the Saudi Cup weekend and beyond, to the conclusion of the season in March and then potentially an international campaign for the top performers.
“This season the listed Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup will be run as an 1,800-meter race for the first time, making it a true prep for the Saudi Cup, which is held over the same course and distance.
“In addition we have added to our purebred Arabian program, with almost double the amount of races on offer. Every race night will now feature 10 Thoroughbred races and two purebred Arabian contests, underlining our continued commitment to developing this code of racing both in Saudi Arabia and beyond.”
 


Pakistan cricket team arrives in India after 7 years for upcoming World Cup

Pakistan cricket team arrives in India after 7 years for upcoming World Cup
Updated 27 September 2023
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Pakistan cricket team arrives in India after 7 years for upcoming World Cup

Pakistan cricket team arrives in India after 7 years for upcoming World Cup
  • Pakistan will play warm-up matches against New Zealand and Australia on Sept. 29, Oct. 3 respectively
  • The last time Pakistan’s cricket team set foot on Indian soil was in 2016 during the T20 World Cup of that year

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national cricket team arrived in India on Wednesday after seven years to take part in the upcoming ODI World Cup tournament, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed in a statement.
The last time Pakistan played cricket on Indian soil was in 2016 when former captain Shahid Khan Afridi led the green shirts in the T20 World Cup of that year.
Political tensions between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors mean they haven’t played a bilateral cricket series against each other in over a decade. The two teams only lock horns in global cricket tournaments at neutral venues.
“Pakistan team has landed in Hyderabad, India,” the PCB said in a statement. A video accompanying the statement showed Pakistan captain Babar Azam, vice-captain Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and others exiting the plane with their suitcases.

This screengrab taken from a video shared by Pakistan Cricket Board shows the Pakistani team walking out of the passenger jetway at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, India on September 27, 2023, ahead of ICC World Cup 2023. (Courtesy: PCB/Screengrab)


Pakistan left for India during the wee hours of Wednesday, traveling to Dubai where they were joined by Bowling Coach Morne Morkel while Team Director Mickey Arthur will join the squad in India, the PCB said.
Only two players from Pakistan’s current squad have traveled to India before: Mohammad Nawaz, who was part of Pakistan’s 2016 T20 World Cup squad, and Agha Salman, who was in the Lahore Lions’ squad for the Champions League T20.
Skipper Babar Azam’s side will play two warm-up matches against New Zealand and Australia on Sept. 29 and Oct. 3 respectively before they begin their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on Oct. 6.
Pakistan will face India in Ahmedabad on Oct. 14 where over 100,000 fans are expected to attend the high-octane clash.
 


Pakistan agree contract deals that will allow players to get share of ICC revenue

Pakistan agree contract deals that will allow players to get share of ICC revenue
Updated 27 September 2023
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Pakistan agree contract deals that will allow players to get share of ICC revenue

Pakistan agree contract deals that will allow players to get share of ICC revenue
  • There had been deadlock between the cricketers and Pakistan’s cricket board since contracts expired on June 30
  • Three Pakistani cricketers in the top category will get a monthly retainer of $15,600, says Pakistan Cricket Board

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board has agreed a “momentous” three-year central contract deal with its international squads that will include players getting a proportion of International Cricket Council revenue.
There had been deadlock between the squads and the PCB for several months since the contracts expired on June 30, with the players asking for their share in the revenue the board gets from the ICC, the game’s governing body.
The new three-year contract is backdated to July 1, 2023, but the cricket board said the performance of the players would be reviewed every 12 months.
“As many as 25 cricketers will be offered a momentous deal that will include a proportion of ICC revenue,” the PCB said in a statement on Wednesday.
It is the first time the PCB has merged the red-ball and white-ball contracts of the players, saying it is “aimed at promoting fairness and a transparent selection process.”
Each player in the four categories received a raise of more than 100 percent. Three in the top category, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi, will get a monthly retainer of $15,600.
“It is a historic deal,” skipper Babar said. “It has been a lengthy and, at times, challenging negotiation process, but I believe we have reached a fair and beneficial agreement for both parties.”
The players will receive a share of three percent of ICC revenue, which will be around $1 million. The PCB will be earning around $34 million per year from the ICC.
Besides getting a monthly retainer, there is a raise of 50 percent in match fees for players who feature in test matches, an increase of 25 percent for ODIs and 12.5 percent for T20s.
The PCB also agreed that the centrally contracted players can play in two other T20 leagues aside from the Pakistan Super League.
“I am pleased to announce that after lengthy negotiations the PCB has come to a financial agreement with the players,” said Zaka Ashraf, chairman of the PCB managing committee.
Category A: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi
Category B: Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah and Shadab Khan
Category C: Imad Wasim and Abdullah Shafique
Category D: Fahim Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmad, Saud Shakeel, Shahnawaz Dahani, Shan Masood, Usama Mir and Zaman Khan.