Category: Football

MADRID: Argentinian striker Ángel Correa scored twice to script a triumphant comeback for Atletico Madrid in the La Liga season 2023/24 as they defeated Cadiz 3-2 after being two down at Civitas Metropolitan Stadium on Monday.

The home side started strongly with Antoine Griezmann finding Correa’s cross two minutes into the game, however, the ball hit the right post. A minute later another of his attempts was brilliantly saved by Jeremias Ledesma.

Despite the home side’s attempts Cadiz did not let them get through and scored the first goal in the 12^th minute as Chris Ramos’ cross met Lucas Pires who sent the ball from the left side of the six-yard box to the bottom left corner.

They doubled their lead 15 minutes later with Roger Martí getting in the scoresheet.

However, only five minutes later Ángel Correa scored his first goal to reduce the deficit for Atletico Madrid. César Azpilicueta’s shot was met by Correa who headed from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner.

Watch LA LIGA 2023/24 Live on ARY ZAP

Atletico Madrid started the second half with Nahuel Molina’s equalizer from a difficult angle to go past the goalkeeper and hit the bottom right corner of the net.

Antoine Griezmann made two more excellent attempts but were blocked before Saúl Ñíguez met Ángel Correa who scored the match-winning second goal.

This was Atletico Madrid’s third consecutive victory in the ongoing season of La Liga, which propelled them to fourth spot in the points table.

Meanwhile, in another La Liga fixture, Las Palmas edged past Celta Vigo 2-1 at Gran Canaria Stadium to register their second victory in the ongoing season.

READ: Jaiswal ton powers India to victory in Asian Games debut

Pep Guardiola rejected any suggestion that complacency was to blame for Manchester City’s shock 2-1 at Wolves on Saturday as the champions’ perfect start to their Premier League defence came to an end.

Manchester City had won their opening six games in their quest to become the first side to ever win four consecutive English top-flight titles.

Wolves had taken just four points from their first six games but stunned Manchester City at Molineux thanks to Hwang Hee-chan’s winner.

Guardiola had dismissed talk of City cruising to victory on the eve of the game and said it was outsiders rather than his players that expected a comfortable afternoon.

“You have to ask other people what they think about that (complacency),” said Guardiola.

“When you win four Carabao (League) Cups in a row and the Premier League four years in five and a treble, it is not complacency. Sometimes the other players can do better than you and beat you.”

The visitors missed the presence of the suspended Rodri as Wolves were a constant threat on the counter-attack.

Despite the Spaniard’s absence, Guardiola again overlooked Kalvin Phillips as Mateo Kovacic started in the holding midfield role.

The Croatian was partly at fault for the opening goal, but Guardiola refused to point the finger of blame at Kovacic, or having to deal without Rodri, who was sent off against Nottingham Forest last weekend.

“Mateo is an exceptional player and it was the first time he played in that position,” added Guardiola. “When we win and lose we do it together. Today we were not at our best.”

The victory was sweet for Wolves boss Gary O’Neil after a difficult start to the season.

A second win of the campaign lifts Wolves four points clear of the relegation zone.

“Beating the best team in the world, and possibly ever, is a massive result for us,” said O’Neil.

“Beating Manchester City with where they are, and off where we were, and what people were saying about it. To answer it with that was pretty pleasing.”

Guardiola had to watch from the stands after picking up three yellow cards for his behaviour on the touchline in the early weeks of the season.

City’s start made for uncomfortable watching for their boss as Pedro Neto burst past Nathan Ake and his low cross was deflected by his Portuguese compatriot Ruben Dias into his own net.

Guardiola responded by substituting Matheus Nunes on his return to Molineux at half-time for Oscar Bobb.

The 20-year-old won the free-kick from which Julian Alvarez brilliantly found the top corner to equalise.

But City’s momentum was quickly halted when Hwang swept home his fifth goal of the season.

Hwang’s first effort was blocked by Dias, but the Korean made the most of his second chance when Matheus Cunha laid the loose ball back into his path.

Only Erling Haaland has scored more than Hwang in the Premier League so far this campaign but the Norwegian was kept quiet as City struggled to break through the mass ranks of the Wolves defence.

The chances that did come to the treble winners fell to the wrong men as Phillips curled wide and Kyle Walker shot straight at Jose Sa.

Defeat could see Manchester City lose top spot by the end of Saturday should Liverpool win at Tottenham.

And it ramps up the pressure on City’s trip to Arsenal next weekend with the Gunners now just one point behind their title rivals.

READ: India thump Pakistan to win SAFF U19 Championship 2023

KATHMANDU: India won the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U19 Championship 2023 with a resounding 3-0 victory over Pakistan at the Dashrath Rangasala Stadium on Saturday.

The fierce rivals went hard at each other in the first half of the blockbuster SAFF U19 Championship 2023 final, barring each other from scoring the opener.

Pakistan’s team, fuelled with momentum, heading into the final, displayed great resilience against the Indian attack and denied several chances.

The Green Shirts, however, failed to imitate their defensive skills in the second half and India, as a result, managed to open their account in the 64th minute, courtesy of an outside-the-box thunderbolt from Kigpen.

The second-half opener boosted India’s morale and they pressed Pakistan’s defence with more intensity and eventually got the reward in the 85th minute when Kigpen successfully converted a free kick.

India went into a ruthless counter-attacking mode in injury time, which paved the way for them to score their third goal by Goyary’s header.

A thumping 3-0 victory over Pakistan in the final meant India successfully defended their title, which they won in last year.

Pakistan made their way to the SAFF U19 Championship 2023 final as they edged Bhutan 6-5 on the penalty shoot-out after their nail-biting semi-final finished goalless at the end of extra time.

Pakistan’s goalkeeper Sahil Gul’s sensational save in the penalty shoot-out propelled the green shirts to clinch a narrow 6-5 victory over spirited Bhutan.

Earlier, Pakistan booked their spot in the final four of the ongoing tournament by holding Maldives for a 1-1 stalemate.

Pakistan Squad for SAFF U19 Championship 2023

Goalkeepers: Sahil Gul, Mohsin Khan and Muhammad Abdullah

Defenders: Muhammad Sadam, Muhammad Adeel, Asad Nasir, Ans Amin, Khurshid Alam, Muhammad Raheel, Shayan Ali, Kamil Ahmad Khan, Abid Ali, Hannan Naveed and Najeeb Ullah

Midfielders: Ali Zafar, Muhammad Azan and Awais Khan

Forwards: Shahjahan, Muhammad Hassan, Faisal Ahmad, Abdul Wahab, Muhammad Haroon Zafar and Muhammad Adeel Younas

Team Officials: Shadab Ifthikhar (Head Coach), Mohsan Ul Hussnain (Assistant Coach), Khurram Shahzad (Goal Keeper Coach), Aamna (Media), Muhammad Abdullah and Muhammad Samama (Physio) and Zohair Gondal (Team Manager).

READ: Asian Games 2023: India blunt Pakistan in Hockey

PAMPLONA: Atletico Madrid won back-to-back matches in the ongoing La Liga season as they thumped Osasuna 2-0 in a heated clash on Thursday at El Sadar.

After defeating city rivals Real Madrid 3-1 on Sunday, Atletico Madrid carried the momentum against Osasuna and created a few chances early on before Antoine Griezmann hit the net in the 20th minute to draw first blood.

The home side could not do much in the first half, however, they dominated the second half in their quest for an equalizer and after 76 minutes, they earned the reward as David Garcia scored from a corner, but the goal was disallowed because Ante Budimir was found to have fouled Axel Witsel.

Atletico Madrid, doubled their lead a few minutes later, thanks to Samuel Lino breaking forward and passing to Rodrigo Riquelme who made no mistake to make it 2-0 to seal the game for the visitors.

The closely fought encounter saw players losing their cool towards the end as Chimy Avila and Alvaro Morata got into a fight and both got red. After seeming to stamp on Morata, the Osasuna player was given a straight red, while Morata received a second yellow for his response.

Meanwhile, two other La Liga fixtures ended at a 1-1 draw as Celta Vigo drew with Alaves at Estadio de Balaídos, and Granada drew Real Betis at Nuevo Los Cármenes.

Granada were on a three-match losing streak prior to the game, and it appeared that it would be extended to four losses, however, Bryan Zaragoza’s cross met Lucas Boyé in the 67th minute, who netted from very close range to equalize and save his team from another defeat.

READ: Surrey win English County Championship

Real Madrid registered a comfortable victory 2-0 over Las Palmas and moved to the second position, however, Girona jumped to the top of the La Liga 2023/24 points table after edging Villarreal 2-1 on Wednesday.

Coming off the La Liga derby defeat, Real Madrid dominated visitors from the first whistle at Santiago Bernabeu and came close to opening the scoring after just eight minutes as Joselu picked out Rodrygo in the box, who made a fierce attempt but Alvaro Valles made the save.

They kept the pressure on, but Las Palmas did not let them score throughout a thrilling first half until Brahim Diaz netted to give Los Blancos the lead in the stoppage time.

Real Madrid doubled their lead early in the second half as Joselu scored off a header on Rodrygo’s cross, with the ball hitting the far corner of the net to make it 2-0.

Meanwhile, in another La Liga fixture, Girona came from behind to win after being at a goal deficit early in the second half against Villarreal at Estadio de la Cerámica.

The visitors conceded a penalty courtesy of Iván Martín’s foul in the penalty area four minutes into the second half, which was successfully converted by Dani Parejo.

However, visitors made a comeback and equalised only seven minutes later as Sávio’s cross found enough of Artem Dovbyk’s to hit the bottom right corner of the net.

Girona did not wait long and only four minutes later Eric García scored the match-winning header from very close range to the bottom right corner after finding Aleix García’s cross following a corner.

Real Sociedad on the other hand, registered their third win in the ongoing La Liga season at the expense of home team Valencia courtesy of Carlos Fernández’s shot after an assist by Kieran Tierney following a set piece situation at Mestalla Stadium.

Meanwhile, two other La Liga fixtures ended at a stalemate Athletic Club drew 2-2 with Getafe, and Cadiz’s game against Rayo Vallecano ended goalless.

READ: Netherlands eye semi-final place at ICC World Cup 2023

KATHMANDU: Pakistan edged Bhutan 6-5 on the penalty shoot-out at the Dashrath Rangasala Stadium to qualify for the SAFF U19 Championship 2023 final after their nailbiting semi-final finished goalless at the end of extra time.

Pakistan’s goalkeeper Sahil Gul’s sensational save in the penalty shoot-out propelled the green shirts to clinch a narrow 6-5 victory over spirited Bhutan.

Pakistan will now lock horns with arch-rivals India in the final of the ongoing SAFF U19 Championship 2023 on Saturday at the same venue.

Pakistan booked their spot in the final four of the ongoing tournament by holding Maldives for a 1-1 stalemate.

The Green Shirts started their second SAFF U19 Championship 2023 fixture on a high as they dominated the possession for a notable period but failed to convert into a goal.

Pakistan’s error in conversion allowed the Maldives to capitalize on the situation and they successfully netted the opener in the 39th minute, courtesy of a brilliant outside-of-the-box finish.

Maldives went into the break with a 1-0 lead over Pakistan.

In the second half, Pakistan made numerous efforts but were denied the equalizer by the strong Maldives defence.

Pakistan, however, finally got luck in their favour when Shah Jahan netted the equalizer late into the game before pulling off an animated celebration.

Pakistan scripted a triumphant start to their SAFF U19 Championship 2023 campaign with a thrilling 1-0 victory over hosts Nepal.

Pakistan and Nepal went hard at each other in their SAFF U19 Championship fixture and showcased thrilling skills and tenacity before the former prevailed.

With a thrilling victory over Nepal, Pakistan ended a 12-year-long victory drought in an international match.

Pakistan’s U19 team last secured a victory on the international stage in 2011, when they defeated India’s U19 team.

The ongoing SAFF U19 Championship 2023 is being held at the Dashrath Stadium here from September 21 to 30.

For the unversed, this is the fifth edition of the SAFF U19 Championship, a highly competitive international football tournament for men’s under-19 national sides, organised by the SAFF.

India are the defending champions, having won their second title in 2022 by defeating Bangladesh in the final.

Pakistan Squad for SAFF U19 Championship 2023

Goalkeepers: Sahil Gul, Mohsin Khan and Muhammad Abdullah

Defenders: Muhammad Sadam, Muhammad Adeel, Asad Nasir, Ans Amin, Khurshid Alam, Muhammad Raheel, Shayan Ali, Kamil Ahmad Khan, Abid Ali, Hannan Naveed and Najeeb Ullah

Midfielders: Ali Zafar, Muhammad Azan and Awais Khan

Forwards: Shahjahan, Muhammad Hassan, Faisal Ahmad, Abdul Wahab, Muhammad Haroon Zafar and Muhammad Adeel Younas

Team Officials: Shadab Ifthikhar (Head Coach), Mohsan Ul Hussnain (Assistant Coach), Khurram Shahzad (Goal Keeper Coach), Aamna (Media), Muhammad Abdullah and Muhammad Samama (Physio) and Zohair Gondal (Team Manager).

READ: Fermin Lopez helps Barcelona seal comeback draw against Mallorca

PALMA: Youngster Fermin Lopez rescued La Liga toppers Barcelona with a 75th-minute goal against Mallorca to draw the game at Iberostar Stadium on Tuesday.

Fermin Lopez came off the bench and netted his first senior goal for Barcelona in about 12 minutes to help his team avoid their first loss of the ongoing La Liga season.

Mallorca started the game on high and gained an early advantage in the 8th minute as Vedat Muriqi took advantage of Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s mistake to play the ball out causing a scramble in the penalty area.

Barcelona’s Raphinha scored the equalizing goal in the 41st minute, but Mallorca managed to get the lead again only seven minutes later in stoppage time with a goal from Abdon Prats, assisted by Muriqi’s long ball.

The home side dominated and kept Barcelona’s attackers silent until Lopez helped his team equalize 15 minutes before the final whistle as both teams shared points.

Watch LA LIGA 2023/24 Live on ARY ZAP

In another La Liga fixture, Sevilla thumped Almeria 5-1 at their home Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium on Tuesday.

This was Sevilla’s second victory in the la Liga 2023/24, while, Almeria suffered their fifth loss in the season and are yet to win a game this season.

The home side raced to a two-goal advantage in eight minutes with back-to-back goals by Youssef En-Nesyri and Dodi Lukebakio.

Sevilla further extended their lead in the 38th minute as Suso scored off a left-footed shot from outside the box to the bottom left corner, thanks to a timely assist by Djibril Sow.

The first half ended at 3-0, however, the home side started the second half the same way as the first with Adrià Pedrosa’s cross reaching Erik Lamela, who netted the fourth goal for Almeria.

Almeria scored their only goal when Luis Suarez converted a penalty as Jesús Navas was shown a yellow card.

The match appeared to end at 4-1, but Kike Salas added another goal to the home side’s tally in the stoppage time.

The Sevilla will next face defending champions Barcelona on September 30.

READ: Fastest fifty and ton power Nepal to highest T20I total, victory margin

KATHMANDU: Pakistan will face Bhutan in the first semi-final of the ongoing South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U19 Championship 2023.

The much-anticipated semi-final between Pakistan and Bhutan will start at 12:45 PM (Pakistan Standard Time) on Wednesday, the same day, India will be squaring off against hosts Nepal in the second semi-final of the SAFF U19 Championship 2023.

Pakistan booked their spot in the final four of the ongoing tournament by holding Maldives for a 1-1 stalemate.

The Green Shirts started their second SAFF U19 Championship 2023 fixture on a high as they dominated the possession for a notable period but failed to convert into a goal.

Pakistan’s error in conversion allowed the Maldives to capitalize on the situation and they successfully netted the opener in the 39th minute, courtesy of a brilliant outside-of-the-box finish.

Maldives went into the break with a 1-0 lead over Pakistan.

In the second half, Pakistan made numerous efforts but were denied the equalizer by the strong Maldives defence.

Pakistan, however, finally got luck in their favour when Shah Jahan netted the equalizer late into the game before pulling off an animated celebration.

Earlier this week, Pakistan scripted a triumphant start to their SAFF U19 Championship 2023 campaign with a thrilling 1-0 victory over hosts Nepal.

Pakistan and Nepal went hard at each other in their SAFF U19 Championship fixture and showcased thrilling skills and tenacity before the former prevailed.

With a thrilling victory over Nepal, Pakistan ended a 12-year-long victory drought in an international match.

Pakistan’s U19 team last secured a victory on the international stage in 2011, when they defeated India’s U19 team.

Midfielder Ali Zafar netted the lone goal in the 74th minute, which turned out to be the difference maker between the two sides, who appeared inseparable in the first half.

Besides Ali Zafar, Pakistan’s goalkeeper Sahil Gul played a pivotal role in his team’s triumph over Nepal, denying several threatening efforts from the home side.

The ongoing SAFF U19 Championship 2023 is being held at the Dashrath Stadium here from September 21 to 30.

For the unversed, this is the fifth edition of the SAFF U19 Championship, a highly competitive international football tournament for men’s under-19 national sides, organised by the SAFF.

India are the defending champions, having won their second title in 2022 by defeating Bangladesh in the final.

Pakistan Squad for SAFF U19 Championship 2023

Goalkeepers: Sahil Gul, Mohsin Khan and Muhammad Abdullah

Defenders: Muhammad Sadam, Muhammad Adeel, Asad Nasir, Ans Amin, Khurshid Alam, Muhammad Raheel, Shayan Ali, Kamil Ahmad Khan, Abid Ali, Hannan Naveed and Najeeb Ullah

Midfielders: Ali Zafar, Muhammad Azan and Awais Khan

Forwards: Shahjahan, Muhammad Hassan, Faisal Ahmad, Abdul Wahab, Muhammad Haroon Zafar and Muhammad Adeel Younas

Team Officials: Shadab Ifthikhar (Head Coach), Mohsan Ul Hussnain (Assistant Coach), Khurram Shahzad (Goal Keeper Coach), Aamna (Media), Muhammad Abdullah and Muhammad Samama (Physio) and Zohair Gondal (Team Manager).

READ: PCB writes to ICC over non-issuance of visas for ICC World Cup 2023

MADRID: Alvaro Morata scored twice to end Real Madrid’s perfect start in the La Liga season 2023/24 as Atletico Madrid earned an inspiring 3-1 victory over the city rivals at Civitas Metropolitan Stadium on Sunday.

Real Madrid entered the game with a five-match winning streak in the ongoing season of La Liga, while Atletico Madrid were coming off an away loss against Valencia.

However, the home team wasted no time and gained an early advantage in the fourth minute as Morata scored off a header.

Real Madrid maintained possession and made several vain attempts to equalize before Antoine Griezmann got into the scoresheet as he netted a header to extend the lead for Atletico Madrid at the 18-minute mark.

Real Madrid finally managed to reduce the two-goal deficit, thanks to a brilliant strike by veteran Toni Kroos in the 35th minute, leaving no chance for goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

Kroos attempted to equalize before half-time with an assist from Eduardo Camavinga, however, Oblak made the save in the bottom left corner to deny the comeback for Los Blancos.

Atletico Madrid continued their dominant performance in the second half, with Morata scoring off a header less than a minute after the restart to extend their lead to two goals once again.

They then defended well enough to keep Real Madrid’s aggression limited and ended the game at 3-1 to hand Real Madrid their first loss of the ongoing La Liga season.

Watch LA LIGA 2023/24 Live on ARY ZAP

On the other hand, Las Palmas registered their first victory in the La Liga season 2023/24, as they triumphed over Granada at Estadio Gran Canaria. Kirian Rodríguez scored a mere five minutes before the final whistle to lead his team to victory after being reduced to ten men.

Meanwhile, two La Liga games ended at a 1-1 stalemate, as Real Betis drew with Cadiz at Benito Villamarín, and, Rayo Vallecano drew with Villareal at Estadio de Vallecas on Sunday.

In another La Liga fixture, Real Sociedad made a stellar comeback to a 4-3 victory over Getafe at Anoeta Stadium.

The home side started the game with Takefusa Kubo scoring in the first minute, thanks to an assist by Brais Méndez, however, Getafe’s Carles Aleñá scored off a header from very close range in the 39th minute to level the scores.

Getafe further extended their lead as Borja Mayoral converted a penalty in the extra time after Álex Remiro was shown the yellow card. The first half ended with Getafe on top with 2-1.

Real Sociedad equalled in the 61st minute as Mikel Oyarzabal scored off the penalty, and got the lead only five minutes later with Brais Méndez scoring off a header from the centre.

Mikel Oyarzabal got his name in the scoresheet once again as he scored in the 88th minute, thanks to an assist by Mikel Merino to make it 4-2.

Juanmi Latasa scored one for Getafe to reduce the deficit to end the game at 4-3.

READ: Bangladesh defeat Pakistan Women’s team to clinch bronze in Asian Games 2023

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said winger Vinicius Junior would be in the squad to face Atletico Madrid in the ongoing season of La Liga on Sunday.

The Brazilian has been out since suffering a hamstring injury against Celta Vigo on August 25 but has recovered quicker than expected.

Vinicius, 23, may start on the bench in the Madrid derby at the Metropolitano where league La Liga table-toppers Real Madrid are looking to maintain their 100 percent start to the ongoing season.

“Vinicius trained yesterday with the team, he’s in good condition, the injury is forgotten, he trained today very well — he will be in the squad,” said Ancelotti.

“Later, we’ll decide what role he has in the game tomorrow.”

The Italian coach did insist the club would take no risks with Vinicius.

“He trained yesterday because the risk was zero, he trained today because the risk was zero,” said Ancelotti.

“If tomorrow there is one percent risk, we won’t play him.

“The important thing is that Vinicius has recovered, he’s lacking a bit of match fitness but that’s normal, they are things we’ll evaluate tomorrow.”

Last season a group of Atletico fans caused outrage with racist chants outside their stadium aimed at Vinicius before the derby clash in La Liga.

Watch LA LIGA 2023/24 Live on ARY ZAP

In January, Atletico supporters hung an effigy of the forward near Real Madrid’s training ground, with four fans later fined and banned from games.

“I think that something has changed after last year … there’s a more calm, respectful atmosphere, and I think tomorrow will be the same,” continued Ancelotti.

Ancelotti confirmed midfielder Jude Bellingham was fit for the game after a brief illness troubled him in the week, but Dani Carvajal was still out with a leg problem.

Atletico, seventh, have struggled at the start of the season and were beaten 3-0 last week by Valencia in what their coach Diego Simeone described as the “weakest” performance of his reign.

“Derbies are great opportunities,” added Ancelotti.

“They are special occasions. These are two teams from the capital, two teams with great quality, the game will be very high intensity.”

Atletico coach Diego Simeone believes his team can compete with their city rivals, despite the two sides’ differences.

“Madrid and Barcelona can always afford to have great players, but we’ve always been able to compete with them,” said Simeone.

“So we have to concentrate on ourselves and continue to compete with them as we have done for the last 11 years.”

Atletico have various injury problems, including Thomas Lemar who will be out for months after rupturing his Achilles tendon last weekend.

“As (Pep) Guardiola (the Manchester City manager) said, there are a lot of matches, a lot of travelling, three international breaks before December… but we have to adapt as best we can to this situation,” added Simeone.

READ: La Liga: Barcelona makes a late comeback to sink Celta Vigo