Category: Football

MANCHESTER: Manchester United completed the loan signing of Dutch international Wout Weghorst for the rest of the season on Friday to bolster Erik ten Hag’s forward options.

The 30-year-old had been on loan at Besiktas from Burnley, but the Turkish giants announced they had received 2.8 million euros ($3 million, £2.5 million) to cut that deal short.

United have been short of strikers since Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract at Old Trafford was terminated in November.

Weghorst joined Burnley from Wolfsburg for £12 million in January 2022 but scored just two Premier League goals as the Clarets were relegated last season.

However, he struck nine times in 18 games for Besiktas and scored twice for the Netherlands in a thrilling World Cup quarter-final against eventual champions Argentina last month.

“I feel privileged to be joining Manchester United,” Weghorst said in a club statement.

“I’ve seen United’s progress under Erik ten Hag this season and can’t wait to start playing my part in pushing the team towards its aims.”

Weghorst was not registered in time to be able to feature against Manchester City on Saturday.

But he will add extra depth with the Red Devils still involved in four competitions.

“Wout has a consistent goalscoring record across several European leagues, and his attributes will add a further dimension to our squad for the remainder of the season,” said United’s football director, John Murtough.

READ: Bangladesh stun Australia in U19 Women’s T20 WC opener 

PARIS: Lionel Messi scored in Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-0 win over Angers in Ligue 1 on Wednesday on his first appearance since leading Argentina to victory in the World Cup in Qatar.

Messi had been rested for PSG’s first three matches following the long break in the season caused by the World Cup but he returned to training in Paris a week ago and was back in the starting line-up for this game against Ligue 1’s bottom side.

The win, which came three and a half weeks after he captained Argentina to their World Cup final triumph on penalties against France in Qatar, saw PSG move six points clear at the top of the French table.

Neymar also started, having missed his team’s last two matches due to suspension and to undergo treatment on the ankle injury he suffered playing for Brazil at the World Cup.

Meanwhile Kylian Mbappe was rested for a second straight game having been afforded time off for a holiday in New York in the wake of his own World Cup campaign, which saw him score a hat-trick in the final but come out on the losing side.

Mbappe and Messi are expected to be reunited this weekend in Sunday’s match away to Rennes.

In the meantime the absence of the France star meant young striker Hugo Ekitike again started in the home attack at the Parc des Princes and he opened the scoring in the fifth minute from a Nordi Mukiele cross at the end of a move in which Messi also featured.

PSG were not at their sparkling best but Messi swept in his 13th club goal of the season to make it 2-0 with 17 minutes left.

Ekitike and Mukiele were again involved before Messi applied the finish. The goal was initially disallowed for offside but a VAR check allowed it to stand.

“Messi has recovered well. He is relaxed and in great shape physically, and with Leo the team looks different,” said coach Christophe Galtier.

Speaking to broadcaster Canal Plus, Galtier, who said he had come down with a fever during the game, added: “We are coming back off the World Cup so it is difficult for the players to find their reference points again.”

“We are all just getting used to playing together again and you could see at times that we lacked some of the connections between the players that we had more often before the World Cup.”

PSG extend lead over Lens 

It was a 10th straight league loss for Angers, while Galtier’s PSG team extended their lead at the top of the table as second-placed Lens were held to a 2-2 draw away at Strasbourg.

PSG’s unbeaten record this season had been ended in a 3-1 defeat away at Lens on New Year’s Day, but they bounced back to win 3-1 at third-tier Chateauroux in the French Cup at the weekend without any of their superstar attacking trio.

Lens are enjoying a fine season but could not get the better of struggling Strasbourg, who were playing their first game since the sacking of coach Julien Stephan.

Alexis Claude-Maurice put Lens ahead in Alsace only for Sanjin Prcic to equalise before Kevin Gameiro gave Strasbourg the lead.

Belgian international Lois Openda then made it 2-2 before the break, and there were no further goals.

Marseille are now just two points behind Lens in third place after a 2-0 win at Troyes, sealed thanks to goals by Chancel Mbemba and Jordan Veretout, the latter a member of France’s World Cup squad.

Rennes in fourth lost ground after having two men sent off before conceding in injury time to lose 2-1 away at Clermont.

Meanwhile fifth-placed Monaco drew 2-2 at Lorient, while Nice crushed Montpellier 6-1 in their first game since sacking coach Lucien Favre.

On-loan Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe and England international midfielder Ross Barkley both scored twice for Nice.

Lyon and Lille drew 0-0 away at Nantes and Brest respectively, while there were also wins for Toulouse and Ajaccio.

DAMMAM: Anmol Hira’s late decider aided Pakistan Women to kick off their four-nation Cup in style as the Green Shirts sealed a close 1-0 win over Comoros in their opening match on Wednesday. 

In a see-saw contest between the two sides, Pakistan came out victorious in the 89th minute when Hira’s strike went past the goalkeeper after a superb backheel from Zahmena Malika.

After a nil-nil first half, both sides upped the ante and created a few opportunities but failed to get into the scoresheet till the very last.

Pakistan will next face Mauritius on January 15 before taking on hosts Saudi Arabia on January 19.

It is worth mentioning here that this is Pakistan Women’s team’s second win in a row since FIFA lifted the ban on the Pakistan Football Federation last year.

Earlier, Pakistan thrashed Maldives 7-0 in SAFF Women’s Championship 2022 in Nepal.

READ: Ferreira’s blast gives Super Kings winning start in SA20

PARIS: Lionel Messi is expected to make his first appearance for Paris Saint-Germain since his World Cup triumph in a Ligue 1 clash at home against Angers on Wednesday, as the Qatar-owned club look to tie the Argentine down to a new contract.

The 35-year-old took part in training with his teammates on Tuesday, a little over three weeks after inspiring Argentina to victory over France on penalties in an epic World Cup final in Qatar.

He was granted a two-week holiday back in his home country following the tournament, before returning to Paris and being given a guard of honour at PSG’s training ground last Wednesday.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who scored 12 goals in 19 games this season for his club prior to the World Cup, did not take part in PSG’s win at third-tier side Chateauroux in the French Cup at the weekend.

But he could start as the Ligue 1 leaders play host to an Angers side who are bottom of the table and have lost their last nine league outings.

How Messi approaches the second half of the campaign in France after a career-defining World Cup will be closely observed, with his initial two-year deal in Paris coming to an end.

However, the Qatar-owned club are in talks to extend his contract with coach Christophe Galtier insisting the former Barcelona star is settled in the French capital.

“I know there are talks and that the club has spoken to Leo but I don’t know where they are at,” Galtier told reporters on Tuesday.

“Leo seems to me to be happy in Paris and I think there is a real desire on behalf of the club to extend Leo’s contract,” added Galtier, who said that Luis Campos, PSG’s football advisor, was in discussions with Messi’s representatives along with president Nasser al-Khelaifi.

Kylian Mbappe, scorer of a hat-trick for France in the World Cup final, may again be rested for PSG’s midweek game after missing their French Cup victory as he took a holiday in New York along with teammate Achraf Hakimi.

Neymar has been getting treatment on the ankle injury he suffered playing for Brazil at the World Cup, while Italy midfielder Marco Verratti is out for a PSG side who suffered their first defeat of the season in their last league outing at Lens on New Year’s Day.

DAMMAM: Pakistan Women’s Football team on Tuesday has landed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to partake in the upcoming four-nation cup, scheduled from January 11 to 19.

The national women’s team will feature in the four-nation tournament from January 11 to 19, the remaining three teams include hosts Saudi Arabia, Mauritius and Comoros.

The Green Shirts will kick start their four-nation cup campaign against Comoros on January 11 before taking on Mauritius on January 15 and Saudi Arabia on January 19.

Taking to Twitter, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) shared a picture of the national squad and supporting staff upon their arrival here.

We’ve arrived! ❤️🇵🇰🇸🇦#PakistanFootball #DilSayFootball #WomensFootball pic.twitter.com/JrnOXiGdPk

— Pakistan Football Federation (@TheRealPFF) January 10, 2023

 

It is pertinent to mention that this will be the second international engagement of the Pakistan Women’s team after FIFA’s nominated normalization committee took the charge of PFF.

Earlier, the green shirts participated in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF)  championship after an eight-year hiatus.

After losing to India and Bangladesh, Pakistan thrashed Maldives 7-0 to conclude their first international tournament on a winning note.

Consequently, Pakistan women’s football team also marked their return to FIFA rankings after a six-year absence.

Following their reinstation in the rankings table, the green shirts occupied the 160th rank with a total of 928.4 points.

READ: Brook, Gardner named ICC Player of the Month for December 2022

BILBAO: Osasuna held Athletic Club in a nil-nil draw at home to deny them a Champions League stand after failing to move Real Betis from fourth place in LaLiga table.

In the last game of matchday 16 on Monday, Athletic Club and Osasuna tied without goals at Nuevo San Mames.

Despite numerous chances, none of the teams was able to pierce into the rival’s defence after a 90-minute of high-paced action.

Athletic Club’s Nico Williams failed to capitalize on two very clear opportunities in the closing minutes, leaving Osasuna happy with their first point after two successive defeats.

Osasuna lost to Barcelona 2-1 and Real Sociedad by 2-0 in their last two encounters.

With the draw, the visiting side jumped a spot to the eighth position with 24 points.

Meanwhile, Barcelona has a three-point advantage over Real Madrid at the top of the standings. Real Sociedad is third, nine points behind the Catalan giants after 16 matches.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and are simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

READ: France captain Lloris retires from international football

PARIS: France captain Hugo Lloris has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 36, three weeks after his country lost the World Cup final on penalties to Argentina in Doha.

“I have decided to stop my international career, with the feeling that I have given everything,” Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Lloris said in an interview with French sports daily L’Equipe published on Monday.

“I think it is important to announce this now, two and a half months before the start of Euro qualifying.”

Lloris, who made his international debut as a 21-year-old in a friendly against Uruguay in November 2008, bows out after becoming France’s most-capped player during the World Cup.

He overtook previous record-holder Lilian Thuram’s mark of 142 appearances and finished with his 145th cap in the final, which France lost 4-2 on penalties after an epic 3-3 draw at the end of extra time.

“I have really been thinking about it since the end of the World Cup, but there has been something deep inside of me for maybe six months now and which grew during the competition, leading me to make this decision,” Lloris said.

Former Nice and Lyon goalkeeper Lloris captained France to victory at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

He played at seven major tournaments in total, including Euro 2016, when France lost in the final to Portugal as hosts.

France’s back-up goalkeepers at the World Cup were 37-year-old Rennes veteran Steve Mandanda and Alphonse Areola of West Ham United.

However, the replacement for Lloris as France’s starter is set to be the 27-year-old Mike Maignan of AC Milan, who missed the World Cup due to injury.

‘Go out at the top’

“There comes a time when you need to step aside. I have always said the French national team does not belong to any one person,” Lloris said.

“There is a goalkeeper who is ready (Maignan), and I need a bit more time for me, for my family and for my children.

“To have been the France goalkeeper for 14 and a half seasons is a big deal, but it is also mentally exhausting and I hope clearing some time for myself will allow me to keep playing at the highest level for a few more years.”

He added: “I prefer to go out at the top, having helped France get to a World Cup final.”

Lloris’ decision comes after coach Didier Deschamps — in charge since 2012 — signed a new contract to remain in the position through to the 2026 World Cup in North America.

“I must, we must, respect his decision even if he still had his place in our team, as he demonstrated during the last World Cup,” Deschamps said in a statement.

“A great servant of the France team is bowing out and I want to pay tribute to his exceptional career.

“Beyond all the records that his talent and professionalism enabled him to break, beyond the essential role that he played in our greatest victories … Hugo is a remarkable person on a human level.”

The next assignment for Deschamps and France is the qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 in Germany, which begins at the end of March with a double-header against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland.

They will also play Greece and Gibraltar in Group B, with the top two teams advancing to the finals which will take place from June 14 to July 14 next year.

READ: Gareth Bale calls time on glittering football career

LONDON: Gareth Bale announced his retirement from club and international football at the age of 33 on Monday, bringing the curtain down on one of the most decorated careers in British football history.

The former Real Madrid star, who played his final match at the recent World Cup, won five Champions League trophies and made a record 111 appearances for Wales, becoming their greatest goalscorer.

Bale led his country from the international football wilderness to two European Championships — reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2016 — and a first World Cup since 1958.

The forward, who also played for Southampton, Tottenham and Los Angeles FC, said after the World Cup in Qatar he would keep going for “as long as I’m wanted” but the Cardiff-born player has now decided to hang up his boots.

“After careful and thoughtful consideration, I announce my immediate retirement from club and international football,” Bale wrote on his social media accounts.

“I feel incredibly fortunate to have realised my dream of playing the sport I love.

“It has truly given me some of the best moments of my life, the highest of highs over 17 seasons. That will be impossible to replicate, no matter what the next chapter has in store for me.”

Bale started his career at Southampton but made his name in the Premier League at Tottenham, where he was twice named players’ player of the year.

After scoring 31 goals for club and country in the 2012/13 season, it was clear that Spurs would struggle to keep Bale and Real Madrid paid a then world record fee of around £85 ($104 million) to sign him in September 2013.

The high point of Bale’s club career came in May 2018 when he scored twice in the 3-1 Champions League final victory over Liverpool, including a stunning overhead kick.

He also won three league titles in Spain but had a troubled final few years in Madrid as injuries and a perceived lack of commitment pushed him to the fringes of the first team.

The forward joined Los Angeles FC last year and went on to win the MLS Cup in early November in his short stint in the United States.

Madrid ‘legend’

Bale started off his one and only World Cup campaign in style, scoring from the penalty spot in his country’s 1-1 draw with USA in November but defeats to Iran and England meant Wales bowed out at the group stage in Qatar.

The Wales talisman, whose 41 goals make him the top goalscorer in the country’s history, issued a separate statement to his “Welsh family”, saying his decision to retire from international football had been “by far the hardest of my career”.

“My journey on the international stage is one that has changed not only my life but who I am,” he said.

“The fortune of being Welsh and being selected to play for and captain Wales, has given me something incomparable to anything else I’ve experienced.

“I am honoured and humbled to have been able to play a part in the history of this incredible country, to have felt the support and passion of the red wall, and together have been to unexpected and amazing places.”

Real Madrid issued a statement saying they wanted to “show their appreciation, admiration and love for a legend of our club and world football”.

“He will forever be united to the history and legend of our club,” the club said.

Tottenham and Southampton congratulated Bale on an “incredible career” while LAFC also paid tribute to the star forward.

“We want to thank Gareth for everything he brought to our club,” LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington said. “He arrived here with a goal to win championships in LA and, like he has done everywhere else in his career, he succeeded.

“It was an honour to have one of the most talented, dynamic and exciting players of his generation finish his career with a title for LAFC.”

PARIS: Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain will play a friendly against a select side made up of players from Cristiano Ronaldo’s new club Al Nassr and their Saudi rivals Al Hilal in Riyadh on January 19, the French champions announced on Monday.

Qatar-owned PSG will travel to Doha on January 17 before moving on to the Saudi capital for the match at the King Fahd Stadium which will see Messi and Ronaldo renew their rivalry.

Messi returned to training with PSG last week after being given a fortnight off following Argentina’s World Cup triumph in Qatar in December.

Meanwhile Ronaldo, who will turn 38 in February, recently joined Al Nassr after agreeing a contract that runs until 2025 and is reportedly worth more than 200 million euros ($214m).

His arrival at Al Nassr, who are coached by Frenchman Rudi Garcia, comes as Saudi Arabia seeks to improve the profile of football in the country ahead of a possible joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup along with Greece and Egypt.

Ronaldo and Messi have dominated the sport over the last 15 years, winning the Ballon d’Or 12 times between them.

Their rivalry grew during nine years in which they came up against each other in Spain, when Messi was starring for Barcelona and Ronaldo for Real Madrid.

Riyadh clubs Al Hilal and Al Nassr are Saudi Arabia’s two most successful sides.

PSG have made a habit of travelling to Qatar in winter since the Gulf state bought the club in 2011.

However, this trip comes despite the Ligue 1 leaders having a French Cup tie scheduled for the weekend of January 21 and 22 against lower-league opponents yet to be determined.

READ: India’s Bumrah ruled out of Sri Lanka ODI series

MADRID: Ousmane Dembele scored the winner to take Barcelona three points clear at the top of LaLiga after defeating Atletico Madrid 1-0 in a tense game on Sunday.

Xavi Hernandez’s side went out to make a statement victory at Metropolitano following reigning champions Real Madrid’s shock 2-1 defeat against Villareal on Saturday.

The visitors started on high as Dembele earned the lead the in the 22nd minute with a side-foot finish off Gavi’s assist.

Atletico built up the pressure from then onwards but could not find an equalizer till the last as Antoine Griezmann’s effort was cleared off the line by Ronald Araujo in the added time.

The match ended with an ill-tempered affair between Ferran Torres and Stefan Savic with both getting red cards for the scuffle.

Barcelona solidified its position at the top with 41 points, three points ahead of second-placed Madrid after last night’s win.

Earlier David Silva produced a stellar to aid third-place Real Sociedad thump Almeria 2-0, while Real Betis climbed to fourth following a thrilling 2-1 win at Rayo Vallecano.

Meanwhile, beleaguered Sevilla claimed their first league win since October 15, lifting them out of the relegation zone with a late 2-1 victory over Getafe at home.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and are simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

READ: Bracewell replaces injured Henry in New Zealand squad for Pakistan ODIs