Category: Football

BARCELONA: Marcos Alonso went from hero to zero as Espanyol held toppers Barcelona to a 1-1 draw on Saturday yet the Catalan giants still claimed the top spot on goal difference.

Referee Antonio Matue Lahoz, however, took the centre stage he handed out fifteen yellow cards and two red cards in the game at Camp Nou.

After Alonso gave Barcelona an early lead Lahoz sprang into action and before the break, he booked four players besides awarding Espanyol a penalty in the second half, which Joselu converted to equalize for his side.

Jordi Alba was laid off in the final half after getting two yellow cards inside four minutes for his protests to Mateu Lahoz and two minutes later Esoanyol’s Vinicius Souza was also brandished a red card by the Spanish referee.

In minute 81, he awarded Souza’s team-mate, Leandro Cabrera, a red card after adjudging that the defender had deliberately hit a boot on Robert Lewandowski’s head but a VAR review forced him to change the decision.

While Xavi’s men were clearly unhappy with the chaotic referring decisions, Lahoz, however, used his card once more, booking Barca’s manager and Raphinha, for protesting his decisions.

Meanwhile, in another Saturday fixture, Real Sociedad sank visitors Osasuna 2-0, thanks to Brais Mendez and Alexander Sorioth’s goals in each half.

Villareal, however, edged past Valencia 2-1 with help of a late decider by Juan Foyth in the last fixture of the day.

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: No more flat surface, bouncy pitch prepared to help pacers in second Test

KARACHI: Two of the biggest football superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are likely to come face to face in a friendly match in January 2023, reports suggested.

According to the details, the two football greats Messi and Ronaldo could meet mid-season after a long delay, subjected to Messi’s club Paris Saint Germain’s (PSG) possible tour to Saudi Arabia to play a friendly match on January 19.

The reports further suggested that the Saudi team will field players combined from clubs Al Nassr and Al Hilal.

The possibility of the two former La Liga rivals coming face to face once again when Ronaldo joined Arab club Al Nassr after month-long speculation following the termination of his contract with English Premier League club Manchester United.

“History in the making. This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves. Welcome Cristiano to your new home,” Al Nassr said in a statement as they posted a picture of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner holding up the team’s jersey.

History in the making. This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves. Welcome @Cristiano to your new home @AlNassrFC pic.twitter.com/oan7nu8NWC

— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) December 30, 2022

 

Meanwhile, Messi, who won the recently-held FIFA World Cup 2022 to complete his trophy cabinet, confirmed that he will be staying at PSG as the reports suggested that the Argentine superstar agreed to pen a one-year extension with the French club.

READ: Interim chief selector Afridi inspects pitch for second PAK-NZ Test 

MADRID: Karim Benzema shrugged off his World Cup misery with two late goals that powered Real Madrid to thump Valladolid 2-0 on Friday to take over the top spot in LaLiga standings.

Ballon d’Or winner Benzema was initially named in the French squad for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar but an untimely thigh injury amid training forced the striker to withdraw hours before the commencement of the opening game.

Benzema then decided to hang his boots from international football, following the conclusion of the mega event in which France endured a frustrating defeat in the final against Lionel Messi’s Argentina.

In his first La Liga fixture after the World Cup however, the French striker scored his first goal in the competition since October 19 when Real Madrid defeated Elche.

However, it took him 83 minutes to score his first goal of the game, which came from a penalty that was granted after Javi Sanchez was fouled for handball.

Benzema then soon made it double when he scored from a pass by French compatriot Eduardo Camavinga to add further to the misery of 10-men Valladolid, courtesy of a red card for Sergio Leon.

Following the victory, Real Madrid claimed the top spot in the league’s standings one point clear of second-placed Barcelona, who, however, can reclaim the top position on Saturday when they take on city rivals Espanyol.

Meanwhile, the other two La Liga fixtures between Sevilla and Celta Vigo and Almeria versus Cadiz ended in a one-all draw.

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: Two Pakistanis included as Wisden unveils men’s ODI team of 2022

RIYADH: Star footballer and Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on a two-year contract.

“History in the making. This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves. Welcome Cristiano to your new home” Al Nassr said in a statement.

The terms on offer to Ronaldo are understood to be worth $75 million a year, according to CBS Sports.

Ronaldo, 37, left Premier League giants Manchester United last month following an explosive television interview in which the forward said he felt betrayed by the club and did not respect their Dutch manager Erik ten Hag.

He represented Portugal in Qatar, where he became the first player to score in five World Cups after netting a penalty in his side’s opening Group H game against Ghana. Portugal were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Morocco.

Ronaldo said Qatar would probably be his last World Cup as he plans to retire at 40, with a move to Saudi Arabia likely to mark the swansong in the career of one of the game’s greatest current players alongside Lionel Messi.

READ: Atletico Madrid make perfect LaLiga return with a win over Elche 

MADRID: Alvaro Morata and Jao Felix struck in Atletico Madrid’s dominant 2-0 victory over Elche in their side’s first LaLiga fixture after the World Cup.

With a dominant victory in their first match on return, Atletico moved up to the third spot behind leader Barcelona and second-placed Real Madrid.

The home side started the match with an aggressive approach as it looked to push the ball up the pitch quickly and into wide areas.

Despite pushing the rock-bottom Elche desperately in the first half, Diego Simeone’s side remained unable to fire the opener.

Elche endured a major setback on the stroke of half-time when Gonzalo Verdu received a red card for pulling Morata down just outside the box.

Madrid’s domination in terms of men, however, did not last for long as in the 50th minute Mario Hermoso was given a second yellow card in the space of two minutes.

Simeone’s side, however, did not bother being a man down as just six minutes later they had their breakthrough when Antoine Griezmann intelligently clipped it back across the goal for Felix to head home.

Morata then made it 2-0 for Atletico in the 74th minute as his effort took a fortunate deflection and looped up and into the back of the net.

Following the victory, the Madrid-based side moved just eight points behind the leader Barcelona.

Meanwhile, in another LaLiga fixture, Samuel Saiz’s 75th-minute penalty propelled Girona to hang on for a 2-2 draw against Rayo Vallecano, while Real Betis and Athletic Club’s match ended in a goalless draw.

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: Bad light forces enthralling first PAK-NZ Test to end in a draw 

SAO PAULO: Brazilian football icon Pele, widely regarded as the greatest player of all time and a three-time World Cup winner who masterminded the “beautiful game,” has died at the age of 82, his family said Thursday.

“Everything we are is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace,” daughter Kely Nascimento wrote on Instagram.

Named athlete of the century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999, Pele is the only footballer in history to win three World Cups — 1958, 1962 and 1970.

Nicknamed “O Rei” (The King), he scored more than 1,000 goals in one of the most storied careers in sport, before retiring in 1977.

He had been in increasingly fragile health, battling kidney problems and colon cancer — undergoing surgery for the latter in September 2021, followed by chemotherapy.

– ‘Samba football’ –

Born October 23, 1940, in the southeastern city of Tres Coracoes, Edson Arantes do Nascimento — Pele’s real name — grew up selling peanuts on the street to help his impoverished family get by.

His parents named him for famed American inventor Thomas Edison.

But he was soon given the nickname Pele, for his mispronunciation of Bile, the name of a goalkeeper at Vasco de Sao Lourenco, where his footballer father once played.

Pele dazzled from the age of 15, when he started playing professionally with Santos. He led the club to a flurry of titles, including back-to-back Intercontinental Cups, against Benfica in 1962 and AC Milan in 1963.

Known for his genius with the ball, he epitomized the sublime style of play called “samba football” in Brazil, where he was declared a “national treasure.”

He scored an all-time record 1,281 goals in 1,363 matches for Santos (1956-74), the Brazilian national team, and the New York Cosmos (1975-77).

But beyond his records, he will be remembered for revolutionizing the sport, his ever-present number 10 on his back.

The first global football star, he played a lead role in the game’s transformation into a sporting and commercial powerhouse, tapping his preternatural athleticism despite his relatively small size — 1.70 meters (just under five-foot-seven).

He also played with heart, visible in the iconic black-and-white footage of the 17-year-old phenom bursting into tears after helping Brazil to its first World Cup title, in 1958.

Eight years earlier, seeing his father cry when Brazil lost the 1950 World Cup final at home to Uruguay, he had promised to bring the trophy home one day.

– Sports royalty –

Pele reached the pinnacle of his greatness at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, the first broadcast in color, where he starred on what many consider the greatest team of all time, with talents such as Rivellino, Tostao and Jairzinho.

He was often welcomed like royalty when traveling abroad with Santos or the national team. Legend has it in 1969 his arrival in Nigeria was the occasion for a 48-hour truce in the bloody Biafra war.

Pele declined offers to play in Europe, but signed for a brief, lucrative swan song with the Cosmos at the end of his career, bringing his star power to the land of “soccer.”

His reign extended beyond the pitch, with gigs as a movie star, singer and later sports minister (1995-1998) — one of the first black cabinet members in Brazil.

But he faced criticism at times in Brazil for remaining quiet on social issues and racism, and for what some saw as his haughty, vain personality.

Unlike Argentine rebel Diego Maradona, his rival for the title of greatest of all time, Pele was seen as close to those in power — including Brazil’s 1964-1985 military regime.

– Final match –

Pele’s public appearances had grown increasingly rare, and he frequently used a walker or wheelchair.

He was hospitalized several times for urinary infections, then again in 2021 and 2022 for the colon cancer that marked the beginning of the end.

But he met his health problems with trademark humor.

“I will face this match with a smile on my face,” he posted on Instagram in September 2021, after surgery to remove his colon tumor.

He was deeply moved when Maradona, his longtime friend and rival, died of a heart attack in 2020 at age 60.

“The world has lost a legend,” he wrote.

“One day, I hope, we will play soccer together in the sky.”

PARIS: Kylian Mbappe said he will never get over the disappointment of losing the World Cup final after the France star scored the winner on his return to action for Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.

“I think I’m never going to get over it,” Mbappe said, speaking 10 days after he scored a hat-trick in the final against Argentina which the South Americans won in a penalty shootout.

Mbappe said he had been through some “difficult times” since the defeat but he showed few signs of the setback in Qatar as he won and converted a 96th minute penalty to give PSG a last-gasp 2-1 win against Strasbourg on Ligue 1’s resumption following the World Cup break.

“As I said to my teammates, there is no reason why the club should pay the price for the failure of the national team, they are two very different situations,” 24-year-old Mbappe said.

“It does me good to come back with a win and to have a link with the club, the supporters and my teammates.”

Neymar, who was left in tears after Brazil were knocked out by Croatia in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, was sent off for two yellow cards in PSG’s victory.

READ: Rizwan nominated for ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year award

AMSTERDAM: Dutch international defender Daley Blind is to leave Ajax six months before his contract expires, the club announced on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old former Manchester United star played every match of the Netherlands run to the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar where he scored a goal against the United States.

But Blind has now agreed to leave Ajax by mutual consent.

“Over the course of the last few days, we reached an agreement with Daley to terminate his contract. I hope he can find another club to end his successful career with,” Ajax president Edwin van der Sar said.

“Together with Daley, we have decided on a match in the ArenA where he can say a proper goodbye to the supporters.”

READ: England to tour Bangladesh for historic white-ball series

PARIS: Blaise Matuidi, a World Cup winner with France in 2018, said on Friday he is retiring, a year after he last played.

The 35-year-old, who started the World Cup final win over Croatia in Russia four years ago, had been omitted from Inter Miami’s squad for this season.

Midfielder Matuidi won Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain and Serie A with Juventus after spending time with Saint-Etienne and Toulouse.

He made 84 international appearances, scoring nine times before his final Les Bleus game in 2019.

“I’ve decided to end my career as a professional footballer,” he said in a video on YouTube.

“I had the chance to play for the biggest European clubs, wear the France shirt, give my family a buzz, live my passion and they are images that will stay with me,” he added.

He is the first member of France’s 2018 squad to retire.

“My head, my heart, tell me to stop and to think about those close to me, my wife, my children, and this life I built,” he said.

“I think I’ve come to the end of what I’m able to bring to the table.”

Matuidi was present last Sunday as France lost in the final of this year’s World Cup to Argentina in Qatar.

LONDON: FIFA are investigating how celebrity chef Salt Bae gained “undue access” to the pitch after the World Cup final where he enthusiastically posed for photos with surprised Argentina players including a bemused and irritated Lionel Messi.

Salt Bae, whose real name is Nusret Gokce, was pictured holding and kissing the trophy after Argentina beat France in Sunday’s final in Qatar.

The Turkish entrepreneur was widely criticised for twice grabbing the arm of Messi, who tried to sidestep the unwanted attention.

He was also photographed with Angel di Maria, Lisandro Martinez and even seen sinking his teeth into another player’s medal.

FIFA rules state the World Cup trophy can only be held by the tournament winners and the likes of FIFA officials and heads of state.

“Following a review, FIFA has been establishing how individuals gained undue access to the pitch after the closing ceremony at Lusail stadium on December 18,” a spokesman told the BBC.

“The appropriate internal action will be taken.”

Salt Bae, 39, owns a chain of luxury restaurants around the world including Beverly Hills in Los Angeles and London’s swish Knightsbridge.

His technique for preparing and seasoning meat has become an internet meme.

Earlier in the World Cup, he posted a video of himself at a match sitting alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

READ: PCB unveils star-studded commentary panel for New Zealand series