VALENCIA: At international and club level, the past few years have been pretty memorable for Valencia and Morocco star Selim Amallah.

The 27-year-old joined the La Liga team on loan from Segunda Division club Real Valladolid in the summer of 2023, having been part of the Moroccan squad that reached the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

On Monday night the Belgian-born midfielder will be part of the Valencia team, currently eighth in La Liga and led by club legend Ruben Baraja, that will take on Barcelona at Estadi Olímpic Lluis Companys.

Amallah is delighted with the way things have worked out for him.

“I’m thrilled to be playing in Spain because it’s one of the best leagues globally,” Amallah, fresh from a practice session at Ciudad Deportiva de Paterna, Valencia’s state-of-the-art training complex, told Arab News.

“It’s a league I wanted to play in and I've succeeded,” he said. “I anticipated more playing time initially,” he added. “I recognize the invaluable learning experience this season has offered. Frankly, I’m very happy to be here.”

While historically many players from North Africa have thrived in La Liga and other European leagues, very few from the Middle East or Gulf states have even attempted to make that leap.

Amallah feels more Arab players should make that move, not just to experience new sporting challenges and cultures, but primarily to succeed as professionals on the pitch.

“Yes, of course, I believe making history in a championship or for your country is something you aspire to achieve, and it’s one of my goals,” he said.

Without question the highlight of Ramallah’s career to date was Morocco’s incredible march to the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Along the way, the Atlas Lions defeated Spain and Portugal, before losing out to France, who were defending world champions.

“It was truly incredible,” said Amallah. “These are memories that I believe will last forever. None of us expected to reach such a remarkable level. We also demonstrated that Moroccan players and our clubs can compete at the highest levels of football. We take immense pride in representing our country.”

Part of the experience in Qatar was the overwhelming support that teams from Arab countries received, with members of various communities uniting to support the regional teams.

“It was an immense source of pride, as our support extended beyond just the Moroccan people to encompass all Muslim communities,” said Amallah. “We took great pride in demonstrating the significant presence of Muslims in football, proving our ability to not only inspire pride among Moroccans but also among the entire Arab and African world through our dedication on the field.”

After the euphoria of Qatar 2022, there was more good news for Morocco when the country was named co-host of the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.

But before the football world showpiece, Amallah said that he and his colleagues will be eyeing more success on the pitch.

“I believe there’s still more for us to prove and demonstrate that Morocco remains a force to be reckoned with,” he said. “We have an exceptional team with talented players, and while the expectations may have risen, we’re determined to rise to the occasion and give our all to represent our country.”

Arsenal survived a late scare at Tottenham to stay narrowly ahead in the race for the Premier League title on Sunday.

A 3-2 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ensured Mikel Arteta’s team remained at the top of the standings, ahead of defending champion Manchester City, which won 2-0 at Nottingham Forest.

But Arsenal had to endure a nervous finish despite powering to 3-0 lead in a London derby that was supposed to be one of its biggest tests in the title chase.

“The last 20 minutes wasn’t nice, but it was worth it,” Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka said afterward. “We know it is a big derby and they don’t want to lose 3-0 at home. Momentum shifted their way, but I am proud of the boys — we managed to get the three points.”

An own-goal from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and further strikes from Saka and Kai Havertz put Arsenal into a commanding position at the break. But in the face of a potential rout, Tottenham responded in the second half through Cristian Romero and a penalty from Son Heung-min in the 87th minute.

Under pressure, Arsenal held on and remains one point clear at the top, having played a game more than City.

The advantage is still with Pep Guardiola’s team, which will clinch a fourth-straight title if it wins its remaining games this season and responded to Arsenal’s win with victory of its own at relegation-fighting Forest.

With Liverpool’s title hopes further diminishing after dropping five points in two games this week, it is down to Arsenal to challenge City’s domestic dominance.

Having collapsed late on in last season’s title race, Arteta’s players look more capable of going the distance this time around.

An away fixture against its fiercest rival, Tottenham, was a major test of its credentials at this stage of the campaign. And while Arsenal was guilty of letting Spurs back into a game that should have been killed off much earlier, victory when tension was high was a test of character.

“Maybe last season that could have ended in a draw and we showed we have the experience,” Saka said. “We know City are an amazing team, but they are not perfect, we just need to do our job.”

MAN CITY WINS

Arsenal’s win meant the pressure was on City to keep the heat on its title rival.

It was always favorite to beat a Forest team that is desperately fighting for survival but without Phil Foden, who was ill, and Erling Haaland on the bench, Guardiola was without two of its big match-winners in the starting 11.

An injury to goalkeeper Ederson also forced City into a change at halftime.

But Guardiola’s team looks to be in unstoppable form and a 2-0 win extended its unbeaten record in the league to 19 games, dating back to a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa at the start of December.

Back then there were questions about City’s ability to win a sixth title in seven years. While Arsenal may lead the way, City’s title-winning know-how could make the difference.

So could Haaland, who stepped off the bench to score the goal that effectively killed off Forest’s challenge.

Josko Gvardiol headed City in front in the first half, but Chris Wood had two clear chances from close range to score for Forest.

Haaland missed City’s last two games through injury, but was quickly back on the scoresheet with a clinically taken goal just nine minutes after coming on as a substitute.

Among those in the crowd to watch were his father, Alf-Inge, and rock star Noel Gallagher.

The goal saw Haaland move clear of Cole Palmer as the league’s top scorer with 21 goals.

“It’s an important win, it does not matter how we do it, and it is good to be back,” Haaland said. “We knew it was going to be a fight, and the pitch was not the easiest to play on but we cannot complain, it is about winning and that is exactly what we did.”

BOURNEMOUTH RECORD

Without a win in its first nine league games this season, Bournemouth is now in the top half of the table and has set its own Premier League points record.

A 3-0 win against Brighton moved Andoni Iraola’s team up to 10th and on 48 points. Bournemouth’s previous best in the top flight was 46 points in the 2016-17 season under former manager Eddie Howe.

Goals from Marcos Senesi, Enes Unal and Justin Kluivert secured victory against a Brighton team that is going in the other direction after six games without a win.