JEDDAH: Al-Ittihad are not hanging around in replacing manager Ramon Diaz as the Jeddah club are set to appoint Saudi Arabia U-23 coach Saad Al-Shehri as their new boss.
Diaz was fired on Saturday after two defeats in the opening two games of the Saudi Pro League season.
The 3-0 defeat at home to Al-Qadisiyah at the weekend sent the eight-time champions to the bottom of the table and resulted in the instant dismissal of the Argentine who was handed the reins only in May.
Al-Shehri has a growing reputation. Without any over-age players, the 38-year-old led the young Green Falcons to the last eight of the 2018 Asian Games which included a famous 4-3 win over a strong Chinese team in the second round and then a narrow 2-1 loss to finalists Japan.
“The question for the club now is one of stability in the coaching side,” an Al-Ittihad official told Arab News. “There have been a lot of changes and it is time to grow the club and Al-Shehri could be the man to settle everything down. He deserves a chance.”
Al-Shehri is regarded as the opposite of Diaz. The 59-year-old South American had a stellar playing CV and a long coaching resume that stretches back to 1995 while the Saudi Arabian saw his promising career cut short through injury.
So far, the former physical education teacher has been heavily involved in youth football, winning titles at that level with Al-Ittifaq and Al-Nassr before leading the U-20 team to the knockout stage of the 2017 World Cup and a hard-fought 1-0 loss to Uruguay.
“He is young but has had plenty of time to prepare for a coaching career after he finished as a player in his early twenties,” added the official. “His football is more positive as we saw at the Asian Games and the players enjoyed that experience and he also knows the local players really well. Al-Ittihad want to play more aggressive football than under Diaz. He wasn’t here a long time but the style of play did not fit the expectations of fans.”
The club are keen to get the deal done as soon as possible, though Al-Shehri is holding out for a contract until the end of the season. In the meantime, Bandar Basirah will take temporary charge of the team for the crucial trip to Al-Taawon on Thursday, a team that has drawn its first two games of the season.
“I am proud to be part of this big club and I thank the management here for having faith in me,” Basirah said. “I don’t have a magic wand to wave to change everything overnight but we will do everything we can to make the fans happy. We don’t have much time to prepare for the next game but I trust the players and we are all focused on getting the victory and get our season really started.”
At the very least, there is a desire to play more entertaining football. “We know that we haven’t been at our best this season so far but we have studied the opponent well and are ready to get the three points.”
Assuming that Al-Shehri comes in sooner rather than later, there will be funds available to strengthen the team. President Nawaf Al-Muqairn has promised fans that better times are around the corner.
“We will give our players a chance in the coming weeks but when the time comes, we will not hesitate to strengthen the team with local and foreign talent.”
Al-Ittihad banking on experience of Saad Al-Shehri to replace Ramon Diaz
Al-Ittihad banking on experience of Saad Al-Shehri to replace Ramon Diaz
- Al-Shehri led the young Green Falcons to the last eight of the 2018 Asian Games
- Diaz was fired on Saturday after two defeats in the opening two games of the Saudi Pro League season
Dubai’s historic Euroleague Basketball winners now head to Berlin
- Adidas Next Generation Tournament Qualifier took place for the first time at Coca-Cola Arena from March 22-24
- Ratiopharm Ulm emerged victorious to secure a spot at the 2024 ANGT finals in Berlin from May 24-26
DUBAI: The Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament made history in Dubai as the first such contest at the Coca-Cola Arena from March 22 to 24, and now Berlin beckons for the winners in May.
The event marked a significant milestone in Dubai’s basketball scene, featuring eight teams representing over 25 nationalities, with Dubai contributing nine, including the local heroes Falcons Academy.
Ratiopharm Ulm clinched victory over Zalgiris Kaunas 89-84 in the final to secure a spot in the final four in Berlin from May 24 to 26, while Adidas Next Generation Team finished third. Ratiopharm Ulm’s Noah Essengue was awarded the title of Most-Valued Player.
The tournament in Dubai — hosted by Falcons Academy — marked the first time a qualifier has been hosted in the Middle East, and outside of continental Europe. This has highlighted Dubai’s growing involvement in the global basketball sports arena.
The tournament featured a three-point shootout and slam-dunk contest and was sponsored by DMCC, La Gazzetta dela Sport, Phoenix Capital, Nirvana Tourism, MARCA, and the longstanding partnership with adidas spanning over a decade.
The tournament also received significant support from the Dubai Sports Council, the UAE Basketball Association, Dubai Holding and the Coca-Cola Arena.
Hawks hold off Celtics in NBA overtime thriller
- Murray scored all 11 of the Hawks points in overtime, posting a career-high of 44 to help the Hawks maintain their push for an Eastern Conference play-in berth
- Zion Williamson scored 28 points and CJ McCollum added 25 to lead the Pelicans to a 107-100 victory over Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee Bucks
LOS ANGELES: Dejounte Murray drilled the go-ahead jump shot in the final second of overtime to lift the Atlanta Hawks to a 123-122 victory over Boston Thursday, their second win over the NBA-best Celtics in four days.
Murray scored all 11 of the Hawks points in overtime, posting a career-high of 44 to help the Hawks maintain their push for an Eastern Conference play-in berth.
The Celtics, with a league-best record of 57-16, are already assured of top seed in the East, but they’ve dropped two games this week in Atlanta, where the Hawks erased a 30-point deficit to triumph on Monday.
The rematch was a tense back-and-forth battle that featured 41 lead changes — neither team leading by more than eight points.
Boston star Jaylen Brown’s pull-up jumper put the Celtics up 122-121 with 6.6 seconds left in overtime.
Murray responded with his basket over Jrue Holiday.
“That’s the best team in the league — we competed,” Murray said of a Hawks team coming off a 120-106 victory over Portland on Wednesday. “We didn’t use being tired, a back-to-back, as an excuse.
“We came out and competed, and these are games I want to be a part of.”
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 24 points and De’Andre Hunter added 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Hawks, who won their fourth straight game.
Jayson Tatum led Boston with 31 points and 13 rebounds but missed a potential game-winning three-pointer in the final second of regulation.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 20 points and Brown finished with 18.
But the hustling Hawks out-rebounded the Celtics 53-43 and had 28 second-chance points to Boston’s 11.
“We’re fighting for a play-in/playoff spot,” Murray said of the Hawks team currently holding down 10th place — and the final play-in spot. “We all showed up.”
In New Orleans, Zion Williamson scored 28 points and CJ McCollum added 25 to lead the Pelicans to a 107-100 victory over Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Jonas Valanciunas notched his 32nd double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds for New Orleans.
Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Antetokounmpo scored 35 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for Milwaukee, but the Bucks dropped their second straight, unable to bounce back after a stunning overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
The Pelicans led by as many as 18 in the first half but the Bucks had cut the deficit to five with 3:27 left to play.
New Orleans kept attacking and closed it out from the foul line, Williamson making five free throws in the waning minutes.
“Z’s been amazing, night-in, night-out,” said Pelicans coach Willie Green. “He’s putting the team on his shoulders.”
The Pelicans pulled off the victory despite a poor shooting night. They made just 36 of their 91 attempts from the floor and just eight of 32 from three-point range.
“That was a gutsy win on our home floor,” Green said. “It was a good defensive performance by us. We played with force from start to finish.
“Even when we didn’t hit shots we still continued to make winning plays.”
Ohtani wins in Dodgers home debut, Rangers open Major League Baseball title defense with victory
- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts liked what he saw from the leadoff trio of Betts, Ohtani and Freeman
- Juan Soto made a spectacular New York Yankees debut, throwing out Houston’s Mauricio Dubon for the second out of the ninth inning to deny Astros a tying run
LOS ANGELES: Japanese star Shohei Ohtani made a triumphant Los Angeles Dodgers home debut on Thursday, getting help from fellow Most Valuable Player teammates in a 7-1 rout of St. Louis.
Leadoff hitter Mookie Betts bashed a solo home run in the third inning and scored three times, Freddie Freeman homered and drove in three runs and Ohtani went 2-for-3 and scored on Freeman’s homer in the third to spark the Dodgers.
“I was the only guy who couldn’t hit a homer, but overall I thought I had a pretty good game,” Ohtani said. “Overall, I had quality at-bats.”
Tyler Glasnow struck out five while allowing only one run on two hits over six innings to earn the victory for Los Angeles, whose fans cheered Ohtani in his first home game since signing a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers following six years with the Los Angeles Angels.
“I’m very grateful... being able to be received by the Dodger fans,” Ohtani said. “Obviously, I’ve been here before, as a visiting player, so it was a little intimidating. But I’m very grateful for the fans — and there are a lot of them.”
Ohtani is part of a Major League Baseball investigation looking into alleged illegal gambling activity by his former translator, but controversy took a back seat to success as the US national pastime enjoyed the start of another campaign.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts liked what he saw from the leadoff trio of Betts, Ohtani and Freeman — all former MVPs producing a furious top of the batting lineup for his club.
“Mookie does what Mookie does, still swinging a hot bat and Shohei put on a nice show,” Roberts said. “I think in any discussion you can argue that they’re the best hitters in baseball.
“We’re fortunate to have three of ‘em at the top of the order. Certainly a first word that comes to mind is ‘daunting’ for me.”
Corbin Burnes struck out 11 batters, a record for any pitcher in his Baltimore debut, to spark the Orioles to an 11-3 home rout of the Los Angeles Angels.
Angels slugger Mike Trout smashed the first home run of the MLB season in the first inning off Burnes, who retired every other hitter he faced.
Burnes had the second-most strikeouts in an opener in the club’s 70-year history, the most since Dave McNally’s 13 in 1970.
The Orioles held a moment of silence for six workers killed when the Francis Scott Key Bridge — less than 10 miles from Camden Yards ballpark — collapsed on Tuesday after a support was struck by a cargo ship.
A flag was also lowered in the ceremony, which came before a sellout crowd of 45,000 fans that included new team owner David Rubenstein.
Juan Soto made a spectacular New York Yankees debut, throwing out Houston’s Mauricio Dubon from right field for the second out of the ninth inning to deny the Astros a tying run and a preserve a 5-4 victory for the visiting Yankees.
Soto also ignited New York’s rally from a 4-0 deficit with a run-scoring single in the fifth, his first hit in Yankees pinstripes.
The World Series champion Texas Rangers celebrated last season’s success with fans, displaying the Commissioner’s Trophy before the game.
The evening was capped by a bases-loaded run-scoring single from catcher Jonah Heim in the 10th inning that sealed a 4-3 victory for Texas over the Chicago Cubs.
San Diego’s Yu Darvish struck out seven and scattered five hits over five innings but it was Japanese countryman Yuki Matsui who got the win with 1 2/3 innings of no-hit relief in the Padres 6-4 home win over San Francisco.
Cincinnati’s Nick Martini smashed a three-run homer and a two-run homer while Frankie Montas struck out four and scattered four hits over six scoreless innings as the Reds ripped visiting Washington 8-2.
Opening Day festivities in Miami included a ceremonial first pitch from Brazilian footballer Neymar before the Marlins’ home opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Twelve innings later, Jared Triolo’s flare single scored Ke’Bryan Hayes for what proved to be the winning run in the Pirates’ 6-5 victory extra-innings victory.
Thailand’s Pajaree storms to top of crowded LPGA leaderboard in Arizona
- Pajaree: It was a great day out there. I actually was in the zone
- Vu, who withdrew from two tournaments on the LPGA’s recent Asian swing with back trouble, was delighted to find herself in contention
LOS ANGELES: Thailand’s Pajaree Anannarukarn birdied her last five holes in a 9-under par 63 on Thursday to break free atop a log-jammed leaderboard after the first round of the LPGA Ford Championship in Gilbert, Arizona.
With five players in the clubhouse on 8-under, Pajaree rolled in a birdie putt at her final hole, the ninth to seize a one-shot lead over world No. 2 Lilia Vu of the US, Spaniards Carlota Ciganda and Azahara Munoz, Germany’s Isi Gabsa and Australian Gabriela Ruffels.
“It was a great day out there,” said Pajaree, who claimed the most recent of her two LPGA titles at last year’s LPGA Match-Play. “I actually was in the zone. I didn’t realize that I holed my fifth birdie in a row on the ninth green. But it was a great day.”
Pajaree, who matched her career low round on the LPGA tour, said she knew she had the makings of a good round after her third birdie of the day at the 18th.
“Bogey-free, came out with three-under par going into the back nine. I played some really good shots today,” she said. “Hit a lot of good drivers off the tee and gave me a lot of benefit just going into the green with short irons.
“I was able to just hit some good long irons in as well, so that helped,” she added.
Vu, who withdrew from two tournaments on the LPGA’s recent Asian swing with back trouble, was delighted to find herself in contention.
“Today, honestly, my only goal was to hit the ball solid,” she said. “It’s been rough the past couple weeks with how my body is doing and just struggling with a back injury.
“But I’m almost 100 percent, so it was really fun to play without pain today and focus on where I wanted to hit the ball instead of bracing for pain.”
Vu had nine birdies with one bogey, joining the group on eight under with a birdie at the 18th.
“I was really excited to pull off shots that I saw in my head,” Vu said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been able to hit a shot that I see, so I think it was super fun to be like, OK, I can hit a nice little draw here. Ends up maybe like 10, 15 feet, and go and try and make it.”
Ciganda and Gabsa both had eight birdies without a bogey, while Ruffels and Munoz each had an eagle on the way to 64 at the Seville Golf and Country Club.
French star Celine Boutier, who won the LPGA’s most recent event in Arizona when she won at Superstition Mountain last year, was two off the lead on 65, where she was joined by South Korean Kim Hyo-joo.
Another 11 players were a further stroke back on 66. That group included American Nelly Korda, who supplanted Vu as No. 1 in the world with her victory in the Seri Pak Championship on Sunday — Korda’s second victory in as many starts this season.
Grigor Dimitrov ousts top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz in the Miami Open quarterfinals
- This was Dimitrov’s first victory over a top-five player since he beat then-No. 3 Roger Federer in the quarterfinals of the 2019 US Open
- On the women’s side, Elena Rybakina once again had to go three sets, pushed to the edge before beating No. 27 Victoria Azarenka in the semifinals
MIAMI GARDENS, Florida: Eleventh-seeded Grigor Dimitrov came out strong against top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday night and went on to win 6-2, 6-4 in the Miami Open quarterfinals, his first victory over a top-five player in nearly five years.
Fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev, who beat unseeded Fabian Marozsan 6-3, 7-5, will play Dimitrov in the semifinals Friday. Second-seeded Jannik Sinner will face No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in the other semifinal, a rematch of last year’s final that Medvedev won.
Dimitrov said he didn’t want to evaluate the quality of his play against Alcaraz “since I have to play again tomorrow. I’m trying to stay on point. This is how our sport is. You appreciate it, of course. You’re very happy with the current win. Then you have to quickly move on and start focusing on the next match.”
Alcaraz, the 2022 champion, entered this tournament off a victory over Medvedev at Indian Wells. But the world’s second-ranked player had trouble finding his game against Dimitrov and became visibly frustrated numerous times in the first set.
But Alcaraz didn’t go away even after falling behind a break at 4-2 in the second set. He broke Dimitrov at love and then held serve to even the set at 4-4. Dimitrov, though, won the final two games, breaking Alcaraz in the clincher.
Alacaraz said Dimitrov played “almost perfect.”
“I have a lot of frustrations right now because he made me feel like I’m 13 years old,” the 20-year-old Alcaraz said. “It was crazy. I was talking to my team saying that I don’t know what I have to do. I don’t know his weakness. I don’t know anything.”
This was Dimitrov’s first victory over a top-five player since he beat then-No. 3 Roger Federer in the quarterfinals of the 2019 US Open.
On the women’s side, fourth-seeded Elena Rybakina once again had to go three sets, pushed to the edge before beating No. 27 Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (2) in the semifinals.
Rybakina, ranked fourth on the WTA Tour, will on Saturday face unseeded Danielle Collins, who defeated No. 14 Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-2. Rybakina also made last year’s final, losing in straight sets to Petra Kvitová.
“This year, it’s much different,” Rybakina said. “I was not expecting, honestly, to be in the final because I was not prepared that well for this tournament, but really happy that I managed to battle through all these matches and be in the final again.”
A day off will likely be welcome for Rybakina, who has been pushed to three sets in all but one match this tournament. Thursday’s match lasted 2 hours, 33 minutes, and she told the Tennis Channel that for the first time in her career, she has rested on the days between matches during a tournament.
“In the beginning, these long matches were helping me to get back in shape,” Rybakina said. “Now I’m not in shape just because I’m tired of all these long matches, but overall, it was really successful tournament no matter how I do in the final.”
Rybakina appeared to take control when she broke Azarenka’s serve to take a 3-2 lead in the third set. Azarenka fought off four break points before hitting a two-handed backhand into the net to give Rybakina the game.
It was quite a response from the second set when Azarenka lost only two points on her serve, and one came on a double fault.
But Azarenka wasn’t done. With Rybakina serving for the match, Azarenka broke back to even the final set at 5-5. Both players then held serve to send the match to a tiebreaker, which belonged to Rybakina, who went up 6-1. She wrapped up the victory with a cross-court forehand.
Rybakina is seeking her third title this year. She is 4-0 in her career against Azarenka, including two victories this year.
Azarenka, 34, was attempting to become the tournament’s oldest winner. She became the second-oldest semifinalist; 36-year-old Venus Williams made the semis in 2017.