Al-Ittihad rising: 5 talking points from Round 3 of the SPL season

Al-Ittihad rising: 5 talking points from Round 3 of the SPL season
Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick in the 7-1 win over Al-Wehda as Al-Ittihad stormed to the top of the SPL table. (X/@ittihad_en)
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Updated 16 September 2024
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Al-Ittihad rising: 5 talking points from Round 3 of the SPL season

Al-Ittihad rising: 5 talking points from Round 3 of the SPL season
  • Benzema-inspired Jeddah giants thrash We had to go top as Al-Hilal and Al-Ettifaq also maintain 100 percent starts

RIYADH: The Saudi Pro League swung back into action after the two-week international break with Al-Ittihad — champions in 2022-2023 — signalling their intention to once again challenge for the title after a crushing 7-1 win over Al-Wehda that puts them top of the table.

Al-Ittihad explode into action on and off the pitch

As Sunday morning dawned, Al-Ittihad knew that they needed to beat old rivals Al-Wehda by six goals to move above Al-Hilal into top spot and they did just that, winning 7-1.

It started with 60,000 fans at the King Abdullah Sports City putting on a show with top-class tifos. Al-Wehda had started the season well but were unable to live with the Tigers who seem to be enjoying life under new coach Laurent Blanc. Karim Benzema certainly is, firing home a hat-trick (which included one spectacular strike) to remind the rest of the league that Al-Ittihad have a world-class striker but also a team full of firepower as well as a desire to get back the title after a disappointing season last time around.

And there’s more. New signing Moussa Diaby recorded no less than four assists, a feat that has never been bettered in the history of the league. If he continues this way and Benzema stays fit and in this kind of form, then Ittihad have a real chance. No wonder, at the end, that fans chanted “Bring on Al-Hilal.” Saturday’s clash against the champions should be a classic.

Al-Hilal and Al-Dawsari looking ominous

Three games, three wins, but did anyone really expect anything different? After the 3-0 win over Al-Riyadh, the opposition coach Sabri Lamouchi said that Al-Hilal are the best team in Asia. Few would argue with that.

Especially when they have Salem Al-Dawsari in such form. The 2022 Asian Player of the Year returned from international duty in China to inspire the champions. Not only did he open the scoring, he then made both for Aleksandar Mitrovic — the Serbian striker is also picking up where he left off last season. Al-Dawsari said that the new boys Marcos Leonardo and Joao Cancelo have slotted right in.

That is what happens under coach Jorge Jesus. Just like Manchester City in England, Al-Hilal are looking ominous even at this early stage. The positive for the rest of the league is that they have not yet played one of their title rivals and they also have the Asian Champions League this week to focus on. Their next opponents, Al-Ittihad, do not.

Ronaldo may benefit from midweek rest

After Al-Nassr’s 1-1 draw with Al-Ahli, fans in Iraq may be devastated that Cristiano Ronaldo has not made the trip for their AFC Champions League clash, but it could help Al-Nassr’s domestic challenge. It will not have gone unnoticed in the yellow corner of Riyadh that last season, Al-Hilal dropped six points over the whole campaign. Already in the first three games, Al-Nassr have dropped four. There is still a long way to go but they really need to get into their groove. Only a 99th minute own goal gave them a share of the points against Al-Ahli.

It ended a memorable match. These are two of the biggest teams in Asia, with an impressive following from Al-Ahli generating a great atmosphere. There are more twists to come this season, but Nassr cannot afford to fall too far behind the leaders.

Steven Gerrard setting the pace

A 2-1 win at Al-Fateh made it three wins from three for Al-Ettifaq this season. Last season, Steven Gerrard’s men also started well but this already looks a more solid version of the team from Dammam. The Greens have conceded only one goal in the three games and are looking hard to beat.

Gerrard has brought in a number of new players since the start of last season but Moussa Dembele remains arguably the most vital, scoring winning goals in the first two games including an impressive 1-0 victory at Al-Shabab on the opening day. At the back, former Al-Nassr centre-back Abdullah Madu already looks to be a rock and new goalkeeper Marek Rodak has settled in quickly. With Gini Wijnaldum and Seko Fofana looking good in midfield, there are reasons for fans in the east to be optimistic. Next week’s clash against Al-Nassr, who will be looking for revenge for last season’s early loss, is going to be one to watch.

Al-Qadsiah get a reality check

The newly-promoted team from the east lost their first game of the season, 1-0 to an Al-Shabab team that is looking more solid than in recent years. Al-Qadsiah made waves in the summer with signings such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Marseille and Nacho from Real Madrid. With two wins in the first two games, it was all looking a little easy but Al-Shabab demonstrated that life in the big time is going to be anything but. Going up against a well-organised defence with Nader Al-Sharari a standout, was a different challenge.

That is OK, as Al-Qadsiah — owned by Aramco — are still a work in progress. Even with the big names that coach Michel has at his disposal, there are no expectations for a title challenge this season. Fans will be excited to see where they place at the end of it all but, more pressing, is how they bounce back from their first defeat. There are two winnable fixtures before the big clash against Al-Ahli.


Beterbiev beats Bivol to become undisputed light heavyweight champion

Updated 33 sec ago
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Beterbiev beats Bivol to become undisputed light heavyweight champion

Beterbiev beats Bivol to become undisputed light heavyweight champion
  • The 39-year-old Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) had won all 20 of his previous fights by knockout
RIYADH: Artur Beterbiev beat Dmitry Bivol by a points decision to become the first undisputed light heavyweight champion in the division for more than 20 years.
The 39-year-old Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) had won all 20 of his previous fights by knockout but was forced the distance by his fellow Russian rival in Riyadh in the early hours of Sunday morning in a fight that had several swings of momentum and was almost too close to call.
“I feel not bad,” Beterbiev said to DAZN after the fight. “I wanted to box with more quality. I’ll be better one day. It was a little bit uncomfortable.”
“Of course, it was a tough fight because Dmitry is a tough champion and he has tough skills, better than me.”
Throughout the bout there was never much between the two dominant fighters of the division as Bivol (23-1, 12 KOs) used his speed to land early blows, while Beterbiev warmed to the task in the middle rounds before a late flurry in the final rounds appeared to clinch it.
“During the fight, we always try to change something,” Beterbiev said. “I didn’t deliver more punches, I don’t know. Today I am lucky too.”
In the end, two judges scored it 115-113, 116-112 for Beterbiev, with a third judge scoring it as a 114-114 draw.
“I am a warrior. I have no explanation because it looks like excuses. I am a warrior,” Bivol told DAZN. “I don’t know, I did my job but I felt like I could do better but it was just the opinion of some judges.
“Congratulations to Artur. He is powerful, very powerful. I have a bruise from my hand, he hit it and it was so hard.”
It was the first undisputed title fight in the division since 2002 and was the first time all four major world titles — WBO, WBA, IBF and WBC — have been up for grabs in the four-belt era.
They now all belong to Beterbiev.
He came into the bout with the WBC, WBO and IBF light heavyweight titles after defeating Callum Smith by knockout in January, needing just Bivol’s WBA belt — which Bivol won with a shock upset points decision over Canelo Alvares in May 2022 — to complete the set.
Both Russians showed patience in the opening rounds before Bivol went to work with his left jab and right hook as his speed began to trouble Beterbiev.
The tide began to turn through the fifth and sixth rounds as Beterbiev began landing his right hook, forcing Bivol onto the defensive.
The bout spurred to life in the seventh as both fighters attacked. A big left by Bivol forced Beterbiev against the ropes, but Beterbiev responded with a heavy jab and short left hook as both fighters ended the round showing damage.
Beterbiev had only been beyond round seven five times in his 20 previous fights, but Bivol was going to make this go the distance here as he was again the more assertive through rounds eight and nine.
But Beterbiev came back again in the 10th with a strong round to leave the fight in the balance and continued the assault into the 11th as a right hook to Bivol’s body was followed by an uppercut in a rare clear round win.
The final round saw Beterbiev up the tempo even more as he sought to extend his incredible record of winning every bout inside the distance. Bivol held on to deny his compatriot a knockout blow but hadn’t done quite enough to clinch it.
Earlier, Australian WBC featherweight champion Skye Nicolson beat Britain’s Raven Chapman by a unanimous points decision in the first-ever women’s world title fight in Saudi Arabia.

Women’s World Cup: Pakistan braces for Kiwi challenge as S. Africa, NZ enjoy wins

Women’s World Cup: Pakistan braces for Kiwi challenge as S. Africa, NZ enjoy wins
Updated 8 min 51 sec ago
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Women’s World Cup: Pakistan braces for Kiwi challenge as S. Africa, NZ enjoy wins

Women’s World Cup: Pakistan braces for Kiwi challenge as S. Africa, NZ enjoy wins
  • New Zealand take on Pakistan in last group match on Monday
  • Pakistan lost to Australia by 9 wickets earlier this week

DUBAI: South Africa and New Zealand enjoyed easy wins at the Women’s T20 World Cup on Saturday to boost their bids for semifinal spots.
South Africa beat Bangladesh by seven wickets in Dubai and finished with six points from three wins and a loss in Group B. England and West Indies have four points each in the same group. England has two games left, West Indies one.
Earlier, New Zealand had an emphatic eight-wicket win over already-eliminated Sri Lanka in Group A at Sharjah.
Two teams advance from each group.
Opening batter Tazmin Brits top-scored with 42 runs off 41 balls as South Africa cruised to 107-3 with 16 balls to spare.
Bangladesh spinner Fahima Khatun (2-19) had skipper Laura Wolvaardt (7) stumped in the third over but Brits was well supported by Anneke Bosch, who scored a run-a-ball 25 as they put on a key second-wicket partnership of 53 runs.
Earlier, Marizanne Kapp (1-10) and the tournament’s leading wicket-taker Nonkululeko Mlaba(1-11), both in four overs, set up South Africa’s victory by restricting Bangladesh, which won the toss, to 106-3 on a slow surface of Dubai International Stadium.
Bangladesh batters couldn’t score freely against fast bowlers Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka and were restricted to 21-1 in the first six overs. Sobhana Mostary (38) and captain Nigar Sultana (32 not out) tried to push the scoring rate, but South African bowlers always looked in control in the latter half of the innings. Mostary hit four boundaries before she was bowled by Mlaba in the 18th over.
Bangladesh, which beat first-timer Scotland in the opening match of the tournament, lost three matches in a row and bowed out of the event with two points.
PLIMMER LEADS NZ CHASE
New Zealand opener Georgia Plimmer led the chase with 53 and Amelia Kerr was brilliant with an unbeaten 34 and two wickets. New Zealand reached 118-2 with 15 balls remaining after limiting Sri Lanka to 115-5.
Asian champion Sri Lanka crossed the 100-run mark for the first time in the tournament but rounded off its below-par campaign with four straight losses in Group A.
Unbeaten group leader and defending champion Australia has all but secured one semifinal berth. The other spot depends on if India beats Australia on Sunday then New Zealand’s last group match against contending Pakistan on Monday.
In an intense heat of 38 degrees, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu made 35 off 41 balls with five fours, but once Kerr bowled her in the 14th over, Sri Lanka struggled to hit boundaries in the death overs.
New Zealand struck through spinners Kerr (2-13) and Leigh Kasperek (2-27).
Plimmer’s second T20 fifty came off 44 balls. Her and Suzie Bates (17) shared a 49-run opening stand. Plimmer holed out in the outfield and gave Athapaththu a consolation wicket.
Kerr scored better than a run-a-ball 34 with three boundaries, and captain Sophie Devine knocked off the winning runs with the only six of the game.


South Africa and New Zealand enjoy easy wins at Women’s T20 World Cup

South Africa and New Zealand enjoy easy wins at Women’s T20 World Cup
Updated 13 October 2024
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South Africa and New Zealand enjoy easy wins at Women’s T20 World Cup

South Africa and New Zealand enjoy easy wins at Women’s T20 World Cup
  • South Africa beat Bangladesh by seven wickets in Dubai and finished with six points from three wins and a loss in Group B
  • New Zealand had an emphatic eight-wicket win over already-eliminated Sri Lanka in Group A at Sharjah

DUBAI: South Africa and New Zealand enjoyed easy wins at the Women’s T20 World Cup on Saturday to boost their bids for semifinal spots.

South Africa beat Bangladesh by seven wickets in Dubai and finished with six points from three wins and a loss in Group B. England and West Indies have four points each in the same group. England have two games left, West Indies one.

Earlier, New Zealand had an emphatic eight-wicket win over already-eliminated Sri Lanka in Group A at Sharjah.

Two teams advance from each group.

Opening batter Tazmin Brits top-scored with 42 runs off 41 balls as South Africa cruised to 107-3 with 16 balls to spare.

Bangladesh spinner Fahima Khatun (2-19) had skipper Laura Wolvaardt (7) stumped in the third over but Brits was well supported by Anneke Bosch, who scored a run-a-ball 25 as they put on a key second-wicket partnership of 53 runs.

Earlier, Marizanne Kapp (1-10) and the tournament’s leading wicket-taker Nonkululeko Mlaba(1-11), both in four overs, set up South Africa’s victory by restricting Bangladesh, who won the toss, to 106-3 on a slow surface of Dubai International Stadium.

Bangladesh batters couldn’t score freely against fast bowlers Kapp and Ayabonga Khaka and were restricted to 21-1 in the first six overs. Sobhana Mostary (38) and captain Nigar Sultana (32 not out) tried to push the scoring rate, but South African bowlers always looked in control in the latter half of the innings. Mostary hit four boundaries before she was bowled by Mlaba in the 18th over.

Bangladesh, who beat first-timer Scotland in the opening match of the tournament, lost three matches in a row and bowed out of the event with two points.

Plimmer leads NZ chase

New Zealand opener Georgia Plimmer led the chase with 53 and Amelia Kerr was brilliant with an unbeaten 34 and two wickets. New Zealand reached 118-2 with 15 balls remaining after limiting Sri Lanka to 115-5.

Asian champions Sri Lanka crossed the 100-run mark for the first time in the tournament but rounded off their below-par campaign with four straight losses in Group A.

Unbeaten group leaders and defending champions Australia have all but secured one semifinal berth. The other spot depends on if India beat Australia on Sunday then New Zealand’s last group match against contending Pakistan on Monday.

In an intense heat of 38 degrees, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu made 35 off 41 balls with five fours, but once Kerr bowled her in the 14th over, Sri Lanka struggled to hit boundaries in the death overs.

New Zealand struck through spinners Kerr (2-13) and Leigh Kasperek (2-27).

Plimmer’s second T20 50 came off 44 balls. Her and Suzie Bates (17) shared a 49-run opening stand. Plimmer holed out in the outfield and gave Athapaththu a consolation wicket.

Kerr scored better than a run-a-ball 34 with three boundaries, and captain Sophie Devine knocked off the winning runs with the only six of the game.


India sweep series against Bangladesh with 2nd highest T20I score powered by Samson’s ton

India sweep series against Bangladesh with 2nd highest T20I score powered by Samson’s ton
Updated 13 October 2024
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India sweep series against Bangladesh with 2nd highest T20I score powered by Samson’s ton

India sweep series against Bangladesh with 2nd highest T20I score powered by Samson’s ton
  • India hit the most runs in boundaries in a T20I game, that included 22 sixes, their highest total in a T20 game, and 25 fours
  • Samson put on 173 runs in 11 1/2 overs for the second wicket with Yadav that was India’s third highest partnership for any wicket in T20s

HYDERABAD, India: Sanju Samson smacked his first Twenty20 century off 40 balls as India beat Bangladesh in the third and final match by 133 runs to sweep the series 3-0 on Saturday.

Samson was out for 111 off 47 balls, including eight sixes and 11 fours.

He had help in Hyderabad from skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who hit a 35-ball 75. Hardik Pandya smacked 47 off only 18 as India finished at 297-6, the second highest total in T20 internationals and exceeded only by Nepal’s 314-3 against Mongolia in the 2023 Asia Cup.

India hit the most runs in boundaries in a T20I game. That included 22 sixes, their highest total in a T20 game, and 25 fours.

In reply, Bangladesh was restricted to 164-7. Towhid Hridoy was 63 not out off 42 deliveries, and Litton Das hit a 25-ball 42. Wrist spinner Ravi Bishnoi took 3-30 in four overs.

Opting to bat first, India lost opener Abhishek Sharma (4) early once again. It didn’t deter Samson though, who got going for once.

Samson raced to 50 off 22 balls, hitting two sixes and eight fours. His next 50 came off 18 deliveries — including another six sixes and three fours — in the second quickest T20 hundred by an India batter after Rohit Sharma’s 35-ball ton against Sri Lanka in 2017.

Samson put on 173 runs in 11 1/2 overs for the second wicket with Yadav. It was India’s third highest partnership for any wicket in T20s.

“The team management has backed me. I could have done much better (in previous matches), and it can get frustrating,” Samson said. “When you are playing for the country, it comes with a lot of pressure. But with experience, I learnt how to deal with pressure.”

The Tigers’ brief respite came from a floodlight failure in the ninth over, but it wasn’t enough. On resumption, player-of-the-match Samson smacked five sixes — 30 runs – off the next over bowled by wrist spinner Rishad Hossain.

Samson was finally caught in the 14th over, while Yadav had reached 50 off 23 balls. Overall, the India captain hit eight fours and five sixes, before falling in the next over.

India was then at 206-3 in 14.3 overs and it accelerated further thanks to a rapid 70-stand between Riyan Parag and Pandya.

Parag scored 34 off 13 but it was in-form Pandya who stole the show hitting four sixes and four fours.

In reply, Bangladesh was down to 59-3 in 5.2 overs. The top three didn’t contribute much, while Das propelled the innings. He hit eight fours.

Bishnoi became the second quickest Indian bowler to 50 T20I wickets, when Najmul Hossain Shanto (14) was caught behind. He also had Das out caught in the 12th over.

Das and Hridoy added 53 off 38 balls for the fourth wicket.

India had already sealed the series win with an 86-run victory in the second T20 on Wednesday. India won the first T20 in Gwalior by seven wickets. India swept the two-match Test series against Bangladesh 2-0.


Pogacar emulates icon Coppi with fourth straight Il Lombardia triumph

Pogacar emulates icon Coppi with fourth straight Il Lombardia triumph
Updated 13 October 2024
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Pogacar emulates icon Coppi with fourth straight Il Lombardia triumph

Pogacar emulates icon Coppi with fourth straight Il Lombardia triumph
  • World champion Pogacar capped an astonishing year in which he claimed a Tour de France and Giro d’Italia double by matching Coppi
  • Saturday’s triumph, his 25th in 2024, gives the Slovenian star a good claim to have had the greatest ever season in the history of road cycling

COMO, Italy: Tadej Pogacar won Il Lombardia for the fourth time in as many years on Saturday to equal a record streak of victories set by cycling great Fausto Coppi over seven decades ago.

World champion Pogacar capped an astonishing year in which he claimed a Tour de France and Giro d’Italia double by matching Coppi, who won five times in total, including four victories between 1946 and 1949 at the last “Monument” of the season.

Pogacar made his widely predicted move on the decisive Colma di Sormano climb, 48.5 kilometers from the end of the 255km “Race of the Falling Leaves” whose course had been modified following heavy rain and landslides in northern Italy.

After being guided through the race by his strong UAE support team Pogacar surged to his second victory in as many races since donning the rainbow jersey in Zurich a fortnight ago with a trademark solo attack.

“We planned it like this... I knew that if I had a decent gap there, I can come to the finish,” Pogacar said.

Pogacar finished over three minutes ahead of double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel who returned to the site of his horror crash from four years ago which left him with a fractured hip when he plunged into a ravine.

Local fans were cheered by Lidl-Trek’s Giulio Ciccone completing the podium, 4:31 off the pace.

The 26-year-old held his bike aloft in delight on the finish line just as he did eight months ago when he began his near-perfect season with victory at another big Italian race, the Strade Bianche.

“Like I started the season, I also finished it. Yeah, the same celebration. It’s nice to lift the bike. I hope for a nice photo,” Pogacar told reporters.

Pogacar was already the first-ever cyclist to win the triple crown of the Tour, Giro and worlds with at least one Monument victory in the same season.

And Saturday’s triumph, his 25th in 2024, gives the Slovenian star a good claim to have had the greatest ever season in the history of road cycling.

Also in Pogacar’s long list of wins this year were a second Liege-Bastogne-Liege, six stages in each of his victories at the Tour and Giro, the Tour of Catalonia, the Montreal Grand Prix and last weekend’s Giro dell’Emilia.

Those triumphs have made him the heir not just to seven-time Grand Tour champion Coppi but also Eddy Merckx, the greatest to ever sit on a bike.

No one since Merckx’s heyday of the 1970s has anyone expressed the sort of dominance Pogacar has over the rest of the field this year.

Pogacar has only been beaten twice this year, at Milan-San Remo where he finished third, while his seventh place at the Quebec Grand Prix was his worst finish of the season.

But he refused to put himself on the same level as Merckx, saying when asked if he realized the magnitude of his achievements: “Let’s see where we will be after the career.”

Pogacar’s task was made easier on Friday night by Ineos dropping Tom Pidcock who had finished second behind Pogacar at the Giro dell’Emilia.

Sensing an opportunity to maybe hold off Pogacar, an early breakaway group of 21 riders extended their lead to over four minutes heading toward the long Sella di Osigo and Madonna del Ghisallo climbs after the halfway point.

But UAE began pushing to get Pogacar in position to make his move, with less than two minutes separating the two groups come the descent back down toward the world-famous lake.

And 6.5km before the summit Pogacar charged off on his own with a timid response from his rivals, although Evenepoel desperately tried to follow him up the road.

Belgian Evenepoel went out on his own in pursuit of Pogacar on the descent but with over a minute separating the pair at the bottom the gap was too big.

Pogacar somehow looked fresher than his chasers and added even more time on Evenepoel, breezing through the final kilometers and going on a victory parade through the streets of Como.