Category: Football

RIYADH: Star player Cristiano Ronaldo has been making headlines due to his unexpected celebration after scoring a match-winner for Al-Nassr as he bowed for a Sujud followed by his trademark celebration.

Cristiano Ronaldo performed a Sujud, the act of low bowing or prostration to Allah facing the qiblah (direction of the Kabba at Mecca).

The star footballer then followed it up with his trademark “Siiuuu” celebration.

@Cristiano performing Sajood after leading Al-Nassar to crucial victory to stay Alive in Saudi league. What a sight. May Allah guide him to right path. Aameen#Al_NassarvsAl_Shahab #CristianoRonaldo #Ronaldo𓃵 pic.twitter.com/OWXsIlyWLE

— Khawaja Haris Ismail (@H_I_khawaja) May 24, 2023

 

The Portuguese great struck the match-winner in the 59th minute as Al Nassr fought back from 0-2 down to keep their title hopes alive in the Saudi Pro League.

The Riyadh derby was a crucial encounter for the second-placed Al Nassr as a defeat would mean that the leader Al-Ittihad, which beat Al-Batin 1-0 earlier, would be crowned the champions of the Saudi Pro League with two games to spare.

Cristian Guanca opened the scoring for Al-Shabab from the penalty spot in the 24th minute after Luiz Gustavo was booked for handball.

Guanca then struck again to double their lead in the 40th minute but the advantage was shortlived as Talisca struck to reduce the deficit for Al Nassr.

Abdulrahman Ghareeb then equalised in the 51st minute after being left unmarked in the box and slotting home from close range.

Cristiano Ronaldo put Al Nassr ahead just before the hour mark, racing past two defenders and curling a shot into the top corner from the outside of the area.

It is worth mentioning here that it was Ronaldo’s 14th goal for Al Nassr since joining the club after FIFA World Cup.

READ: Asian federation foresees Saudi bid for 2030 or 2034 World Cup

BEIRUT: Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa, said the body wanted to host another World Cup, in 2030 or 2034, and that “Saudi Arabia is coming in force”.

Asia has staged the World Cup twice: in South Korea and Japan in 2002 and in 2022 in Qatar.

“I think Saudi Arabia is a country capable of organising a similar tournament,” Sheikh Salman, who is from Bahrain, told journalists in Beirut on Monday during a visit to Syria and Lebanon.

“But we have to choose the right time: 2030 or 2034? If our chance of hosting the tournament is better in 2034, we are looking into that, and if our conditions in 2030 are better, why not?”

In 2026, when the World Cup increases to 48 teams, it will split three ways for the first time with United States, Canada and Mexico as hosts.

There are two proposed multi-nation bids for 2030, one from Spain, Portugal and Morocco, and one by Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay, which would return the centenary World Cup to the site of the first final, in Montevideo.

Last September, a spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports, Muhammad Fawzi, said his country was studying a joint bid with Saudi Arabia and Greece.

The Saudi Minister of Sports, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, told AFP in February that his country had not submitted a candidacy file, but added that “anything is possible.”

Sheikh Salman said he wanted to make sure the AFC was united behind any bid and had support from elsewhere.

“We are coordinating with the continental federations and FIFA on the basis that we will host the 2030 or 2034 World Cup in agreement with everyone, so that when the file is presented, we must ensure that it succeeds by at least 90 percent,” he said.

“We have 47 votes, while you need more than 110 votes to host the World Cup. We must have support from other continents. We are coordinating the appropriate time to host this championship.”

Emulating neighbours Qatar and United Emirates, Saudi Arabia has been investing heavily in sport as part of the “Vision 2030” strategy to diversify an oil-dependent economy.

The kingdom will host the AFC’s Women’s Cup in 2026, its Asian Cup for the first time in 2027, the multisport Asian Games in 2034, and is scheduled to stage the 2029 Asian Winter Games on artificial snow in the planned giant futuristic city of Neom.

It already hosts a Formula One race in Jeddah, the annual Spanish Super Cup, golf tournaments and boxing title bouts.

Cristiano Ronaldo joined Saudi club Al Nassr in January and the country’s sovereign wealth fund finances the breakaway LIV golf tour and owns Newcastle United in the English Premier League, although these investments draw accusations that it is “sportswashing” its human rights record.

READ: ICC suspends Devon Thomas over corruption charges

MADRID: Spanish police arrested seven people Tuesday over two incidents of racial abuse targeting Real Madrid’s Brazilian star Vinicius Junior, including one this weekend that sparked an international outcry.

Spain’s football league, La Liga, has been engulfed in a racism scandal after the 22-year-old forward was subjected to racist taunts during Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Valencia and later sent off.

The player has been taunted by opposition fans since he joined Real in 2018 but the latest incident has kicked up a storm over whether Spain is doing enough to stamp out racism in football.

Early on Tuesday, police confirmed arresting three youths in Valencia for “insults and gestures with racist overtones” towards the player that amounted to “an alleged hate crime” during Sunday’s match.

The game was held up for several minutes and the referee wrote in his post-match report that shouts of “monkey” had been directed at Vinicius.

Police said the investigation remained open to identify further suspects.

In a statement, Valencia confirmed three fans had been arrested, reiterating its “strongest condemnation against racism and violence” and saying the club was acting against those involved “by banning them for life from our stadium”.

Also Tuesday, Madrid police arrested another four men suspected of hanging an effigy wearing a Real Madrid shirt with Vinicius’ number on it from a bridge in January.

The dummy was hung by the neck from a highway bridge near Real Madrid’s training ground on January 26 ahead of their match against Atletico Madrid.

Above it was a banner in Atletico’s red and white reading: “Madrid hates Real”.

Government spokeswoman Isabel Rodriquez welcomed the arrests, saying they showed Spanish authorities had “zero tolerance” for racism in sports.

“We must clearly say we are anti-racists, Spain fights these behaviours, condemns them and does everything to eliminate them,” she added.

The Brazilian government has formally protested to the Spanish ambassador and will lodge an official complaint with authorities in Madrid.

Brazil “deeply regrets that no effective measures have yet been taken to prevent the recurrence of these racist acts,” it said in a statement.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Sunday’s incident showed FIFA’s racism protocol in football was “obsolete”.

Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea activated the racism protocol after Vinicius squared off with fans, singling out one supporter whom he accused of abuse.

But Ancelotti said the protocol should have been “applied when the team bus reached the stadium, because the insults started there”.

“It’s a moment to take drastic measures. Institutions have chances, above all now, to take radical measures on this important subject,” he added.

Vinicius was sent off later in Sunday’s game for hitting Valencia’s Hugo Duro after the referee watched VAR footage of a brawl between the two teams.

Spain’s refereeing committee on Tuesday sidelined official Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva for his upcoming matches after his involvement in awarding Vinicius a red card against Valencia.

During the match, Iglesias Villanueva was in charge of VAR but the video he showed the referee did not include footage of Duro grabbing the Brazilian around the neck before the incident — which would also have been a red card offence.

Vinicius Junior was dismissed and will likely miss the next two or three matches, meaning he may not play again for Madrid this season.

Spanish media said Iglesias Villanueva had been sacked but the Spanish football federation would not confirm that when questioned by AFP.

There is growing anger in Brazil over the incident, with the lights on the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro turned off for one hour in solidarity with the player.

“Black and imposing,” Vinicius Junior tweeted of the darkened statue, saying he was moved and thanking followers for their support.

“But I want, above all, to inspire and bring more light to our fight,” he added.

MADRID: Real Madrid filed a criminal complaint Monday with Spanish prosecutors over the racist abuse its Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior received during a weekend La Liga match, calling it a “hate crime”.

The 22-year-old Brazilian international forward was targeted by a home supporter during the 1-0 defeat at Valencia on Sunday and was later sent off.

“Real Madrid strongly condemns the events that took place yesterday against our player Vinícius Junior,” the Spanish giants said in a statement.

The club said it belives the abuse “constitutes a hate crime” and had filed a complaint with the prosecutors’ office “in order for the facts to be investigated and for those responsible to be held accountable.”

Vinicius has frequently been singled out for racial abuse in La Liga and the latest incident came at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium.

He stood in front of fans behind the goal and pointed to the apparent culprit. Play was delayed for several minutes in the second half.

Referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea spoke to stadium officials, who made an announcement calling for racist insults to stop before play resumed 10 minutes later.

The referee wrote in his post-match report that a fan shouted “monkey, monkey” at the player.

Vinicius was sent off in added time at the end of the game for hitting Valencia player Hugo Duro during a brawl.

READ: Wishes pour in from cricket fraternity as Sarfaraz Ahmed turns 36

MUZAFFARABAD: As Norway Cup — the largest international football tournament for players between 10 and 19 years old – draws closer, the process to pick the best street talent from Pakistan has kicked off on Monday.  

Muslim Hands, a charity organization based in Islamabad, began the trials from Muzaffarabad to select a 16-player squad of Pakistan street child football team.

In the first phase, trials will be conducted in different areas of Azad Kashmir, including Rawalakot, Bagh, Bhimber and Kotli.

In the second phase, camps will be set up across three different cities in Punjab which include Bhera, Wazirabad and Lahore.

Meanwhile, players from Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta will get their turn in the third phase.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan’s street football team will participate in the Norway Cup, scheduled from July 29 to August 5 in Oslo.

Last year, Pakistan finished second in the Street Child World Cup in Doha, Qatar after impressive performances.

They remained unbeaten throughout the tournament but lost the final against Egypt on penalties (4-3).

Pakistan’s forward Tufail Shinwari, who scored 13 goals, was adjudged the best player of the tournament. The 16-year-old hit back-to-back hat-tricks against Bosnia and Qatar before his side entered the knock-out stage.

READ: Vinicius Jr. faces racist abuse during Real Madrid’s defeat at Valencia

VALENCIA: Valencia beat Real Madrid 1-0 in a La Liga game on Sunday marred by an ugly racism episode targeting Vinicius Junior. 

The Brazilian forward was subjected to racist chanting from the crowd at the Mestalla stadium and was sent off in the final minutes of the game following an altercation with Valencia player Hugo Duro.

“The championship that once belonged to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cristiano and Messi today belongs to racists,” Vinicius wrote on Instagram.

The incident happened in the second half and the game was paused for a few minutes when the 22-year-old pointed out fans in the stand for the alleged racial abuse.

He was ushered away by teammates and Valencia players and brought the incident to referee Ricardo de Burgos’s attention and spoke to his manager Carlo Ancelotti.

The referee’s official report said, “In the 73rd minute, a spectator from the southern ‘Mario Kempes’ tribune directed himself towards player No. 20 of Real Madrid CF Mr. Vinicius José De Oliveira Do Nascimiento, screaming at him: ‘Monkey, monkey’ which led to the activation of the racism protocol.”

.”I don’t want to talk about football today, there is no meaning in talking about football today,” said Ancelotti after the match.

Real Madrid, however, slipped to third place, one point behind city rivals Atletico Madrid following the defeat.

Diego Lopez struck from close range in the 33rd minute to give Valencia crucial points and keep them well above relegation with only three games to spare.

Barcelona have already won the title last week when they beat Espanyol 4-2.

READ: Man City win fifth Premier League title in six seasons

LONDON: Manchester City won the Premier League for the fifth time in six seasons on Saturday, taking a first step to a possible golden treble of trophies as second-placed Arsenal lost 1-0 at Nottingham Forest.

The Gunners’ challenge finally evaporated after a second consecutive defeat left Mikel Arteta’s side four points adrift of City with one game left for them to play.

Taiwo Awonyi’s first-half goal also ensured Forest avoided relegation in their first season back in the top flight for 23 years.

City’s third successive English title has turned Sunday’s league game at home to Chelsea into a celebration match.

Pep Guardiola’s men will now look to complete a treble when they face local rivals Manchester United and Italian giants Inter Milan in next month’s FA Cup and Champions League finals respectively.

City have become the dominant force in the English game since an Abu Dhabi-backed takeover transformed their fortunes in 2008.

But admiration for the quality of their football under manager Guardiola has also been accompanied by questions over their financing, with City facing a mammoth 115 charges for breaking Premier League rules.

Nevertheless, City captain Ilkay Gundogan insisted his side had been pushed hard this season.

“The Premier League is without doubt the most demanding and competitive league in the world so that tells you everything about what an achievement this is,” he said.

But for Arsenal manager Arteta, a former assistant to Guardiola, there were thoughts of what might have been for the longtime leaders.

“First of all congratulations to Manchester City for winning the championship but it is a sad day for us,” Arteta told Sky Sports.

“Now we have to face the reality, today we gave a goal away and we were not good enough to break them down. We could play for three hours and we would not have done it.”

By contrast, Forest manager Steve Cooper told the BBC: “We limited them (Arsenal) to very little, incredible desire and we got over the line. It was everything we wished for from today. It is what the players and the supporters particularly deserve.”

– Man Utd, Newcastle eye Champions League –

Manchester United and Newcastle were on the brink of qualifying for next season’s Champions League after Liverpool’s 1-1 draw against Aston Villa.

United’s 1-0 victory at Bournemouth, combined with Liverpool’s failure to beat Villa, left Erik ten Hag’s men and Newcastle within touching distance of ensuring top-four finishes.

Fourth-placed United and Newcastle, in third, are both three points clear of fifth-placed Liverpool, who have only one game left.

At the Vitality Stadium, United took the lead in the ninth minute through Casemiro’s acrobatic bicycle kick from close-range.

“We are nearly there, but we are not there. I don’t care what happens in Liverpool, it’s about us,” Ten Hag said.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp watched from the stands at Anfield as he served a touchline ban following his recent rant about referee Paul Tierney.

Villa wasted a 22nd-minute penalty when Ollie Watkins fired wide after the striker was brought down but they still went ahead five minutes later through Jacob Ramsey’s volley.

Fans’ favourite Roberto Firmino, set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, came on late in the game  and the Brazilian forward then marked his Anfield farewell with a close-range finish in stoppage-time.

– Everton late show –

“We would have loved to make it exciting for another week, but we will make the Europa League our competition. I am not that spoilt,” said Klopp.

For Liverpool’s local rivals Everton, dreams of European football have long been replaced by the need to avoid relegation.

Yerry Mina’s last-gasp equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Wolves boosted the Toffees’ hopes of avoiding playing in the second tier for the first time since 1954.

Sean Dyche’s men fell behind after 34 minutes when Hwang Hee-chan netted from close-range.

Mina bundled in Everton’s leveller nine minutes into stoppage-time to leave them fourth bottom, two points above the relegation zone, with Leeds and Leicester snapping at their heels.

“If you are a footballer you can’t just sign up for the good things,” said Everton manager Dyche. “You have to fight to be in the Premier League and we are fighting.”

Tottenham’s season to forget hit a new low with a 3-1 home defeat against Brentford.

Spurs took the lead through Harry Kane’s 28th league goal this season, but a Bryan Mbeumo brace and Yoane Wissa’s late strike left them floundering in eighth place.

Frustration has mounted throughout the final weeks of a troubled season for Tottenham and fans hung banners outside the stadium pointing the finger of blame at owners ENIC, while chanting for chairman Daniel Levy to resign.

Fulham and Crystal Palace shared a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage.

READ: PCB makes three key appointments to national selection committee

BARCELONA: Mikel Merino and Alexander Sorloth struck goals in each half to give Real Sociedad a 2-1 win at Barcelona on Saturday in La Liga.

Sociedad inflicted the first home defeat of the season upon La Liga champions on a day when they were celebrating their title triumph.

With the league title already at their disposal, the fans at Camp Nou were unmoved by the team’s loss and remained seated to see the post-game celebrations when Barca would lift the La Liga trophy.

However, Real Sociedad made sure to strengthen their position for the Champions League spot as they moved to 65 points, five ahead of fifth-placed Villarreal who beat Girona 2-1 earlier on Saturday.

Winners Barcelona have an unassailable 14-point lead over second-place Real Madrid, who face Valencia on Sunday. Atletico Madrid are third with 69 points.

Merino scored the opener for Sociedad with a tidy finish in the fifth minute. They doubled their lead through Sorloth in the 72nd minute before Robert Lewandowski headed in a consolation goal for Barcelona from close range in the dying minutes.

READ: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe Live: Shaheens elect to bowl in third one-day

CADIZ: Theo Bongonda struck twice in Cadiz’s dominating 2-0 victory over Valladolid at home in the clash between teams trying to avoid relegation from La Liga.

Both teams fought hard for a place in the top division for the next season, but it was Cadiz who made the critical step with a timely win.

Despite a strong start from the visitors, Cadiz found a perfect opportunity before halftime to move the scoreboard in their favour when Ruben Alcaraz was rewarded with the penalty.

The central midfielder, however, failed to capitalize on the opportunity as his strike thudded into the crossbar.

The missed opportunity, however, did not threaten Cadiz much as Theo Bongonda struck home in the 69th from long range to break the deadlock.

The goal by Bongonda changed the tone of the game, and the DR Congo international extended the home team’s lead six minutes later by successfully converting a penalty.

Valladolid competed with 10 men in the closing minutes of the game when Martin Hongla was sent off for elbowing Lozano in the head while fighting for the ball.

Cadiz’s safety buffer grows to four points, which likely be enough to ease their La Liga relegation worries while Valladolid fights on.

READ: Shahid Afridi to represent Pakistan in Over-40 Cricket World Cup

SEVILLE: Erik Lamela propelled Europa League specialists Sevilla into the final once again with a 2-1 victory over Juventus on Thursday, sealing a 3-2 aggregate triumph in a gripping clash.

Lamela headed home in extra-time to complete an impressive comeback for the record six-time winners of the competition, who will face Jose Mourinho’s Roma in Budapest on May 31 after they edged past Bayer Leverkusen.

Dusan Vlahovic fired visitors Juventus ahead in the second half, two minutes after coming on as a substitute, but Suso smashed home from outside the area to take the game to extra-time.

Lamela connected perfectly with Bryan Gil’s cross in the 95th minute to delight the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, and Sevilla held on to reach the final for the first time since 2020.

“A lot of things went through my head, good moments, bad moments. It was a unique moment,” Lamela told Movistar.

“Now we are a step away, it’s a great opportunity. It’s a night I will remember forever, it’s something incredible to play here, in front of all these fans.”

Juventus failed to set up an all-Italian final against Roma, but Italy still has with one representative in each of the three European finals.

Inter Milan reached the Champions League showdown against Manchester City by seeing off rivals AC Milan on Tuesday, while on Thursday Fiorentina beat Basel to reach the Conference League final where they will face West Ham.

Defeat is concerning for Juventus, who are second in Serie A but braced for a potential points deduction which could knock them out of the top four. Winning the Europa League would have been an alternative route to Champions League qualification.

Massimiliano Allegri’s side, without the injured Paul Pogba, were significantly better than in the first leg but fell short.

“You have to put them in the back of the net when you have the chances,” Allegri said.

“The boys played a good game, but it was a European semi-final, we had to give a little more.”

He said his young Juventus side paid the price for their lack of experience compared to Sevilla.

“It’s a team that lacks experience at international level, these are physical matches, which require a lot,” he added.

Sevilla, who dominated in Turin but were pegged back at the death in the 1-1 draw, shaded the first half but Juventus threatened on the counter.

Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny produced a superb save to claw out a Lucas Ocampos header at his near post.

At the other end his counterpart Yassine Bounou produced an equally strong fingertip stop to tip a Moise Kean effort onto the post.

Sevilla were fuming before half-time when Juan Cuadrado sliced down Oliver Torres and no penalty was awarded by VAR, despite replays indicating the foul began in the area.

Gleison Bremer’s header scraped the post as the Italians pushed harder to break the deadlock in the second half.

Substitute Vlahovic made Juventus’ pressure count as he burst away from two Sevilla defenders and dinked the ball past Bounou.

– Sevilla spirit –

However, Sevilla substitute Suso levelled from outside the area, carving out some space before launching a rocket into the top corner.

Jose Luis Mendilibar’s team, who saw off Manchester United in the quarter-finals, showed their desire to again succeed in a competition which they have dominated in the past decade, with four triumphs in the previous nine editions.

Youssef En-Nesyri, who struck for Sevilla in the first leg, was denied by Szczesny in the 90th minute, stretching to tip his header over.

However the Polish goalkeeper could not keep Lamela’s header out, with the Argentine midfielder nodding home Bryan Gil’s cross in the fifth minute of extra-time.

Marcos Acuna was sent off for Sevilla after 115 minutes, leaving the hosts hanging on, but they dug deep to extend their Europa League legend and book their ticket to Budapest.

“Being with your childhood team, living each game and another final now, is incredible, and you have to enjoy it,” said veteran Sevilla defender Jesus Navas.

“The team was impressive, we gave everything, and the fans, they deserve everything.”

READ: Pakistan vs Zimbabwe Live: Shaheens elect to bowl in second one-day