LONDON: Al-Hilal lost to Qatari side Al-Rayyan 2-1 at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha in the AFC Champions League, with Al-Hilal going into the game with a changed line-up.
The win for the Qataris came thanks to goals in either half from Moroccan striker Abderrazak Hamdallah and club captain Rodrigo Tabata.
The visitors got their consolation goal in the 89th minute after Ahmed Yasser fouled Achraf Bencharki in the box and Yasser Al-Qahtani drove home the resulting penalty kick.
The Saudi side had a chance to snatch an equalizer through Al-Qahtani’s header after the onrushing goalkeeper failed to clear the ball, but Al-Qahtani saw his attempt blocked by defender Gonzalo Viera.
The result puts Al-Rayyan on six points with two games to play in the group stage.
Meanwhile, Al-Hilal face an uphill battle to get out of the group, sitting bottom of the table with two points and only two games to spare.
Al-Hilal face uphill task to progress in AFC Champions League after defeat in Qatar
Al-Hilal face uphill task to progress in AFC Champions League after defeat in Qatar
Pakistan to participate in T20 World Cup but won’t play against India on Feb. 15
- Controversy over Pakistan’s participation erupted after ICC rejected Bangladesh’s request to relocate their matches to Sri Lanka
- Pakistan are scheduled to play all their Group A matches in Sri Lanka and open their campaign against the Netherlands on Feb. 7
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will take part in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup but won’t play their scheduled group stage match against arch-rival India on Feb. 15, the Pakistani government said on Sunday.
The tournament will be played from Feb. 7 to Mar. 8 and co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, with matches being played across both countries and the final scheduled in Ahmedabad.
The controversy over Pakistan’s participation erupted after the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland, following Bangladesh’s decision to not play matches in India owing to security fears.
Last week, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi had hinted at an outright boycott of the event in protest over the ICC’s decision to reject Bangladesh’s demands to relocate their matches from India to Sri Lanka.
“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026,” read a post on the Pakistani government’s official X account.
“However, the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February 2026 against India.”
Pakistan’s refusal to play against India, who they have already played at neutral venues in Sri Lanka, is likely to have severe financial implications.
Both sides have not played bilateral cricket since 2012 and only face each other in multi-nation events. Under a deal signed last year, India and Pakistan agreed not to travel to each other’s countries in cases where either hosts an ICC event, instead playing at neutral venues.
Pakistan are scheduled to play all their Group A matches in Sri Lanka. The ‘Men in Green’ will open their campaign against the Netherlands on Feb. 7.
