Awesome Omar Abdulrahman and unlucky Al-Hilal: Five things we learned from the AFC Champions League group stage

Omar Abdulrahman was key to Al-Ain's progress to the second round.
Updated 17 April 2018
Follow

Awesome Omar Abdulrahman and unlucky Al-Hilal: Five things we learned from the AFC Champions League group stage

  • Al-Hilal exit can be explained by bad luck with injuries.
  • Omar Abdulrahman found form to power Al-Ain to knockout stages.

The group stage of this year’s AFC Champions League finishes today after two months of great goals, shocks and sackings. Here are five things we have learned ahead of the knockout stage.
SHORT-CHANGED SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Arabia are the most successful West Asian nation in terms of continental club championships won — only Japan and South Korea have bagged more. So it does not sit right that this continental powerhouse had only two teams in the group stage. Iran had four, the UAE had four and Qatar had four, so it seems strange that Saudi Arabia (provider of two teams in the past four finals) had just the two. If those other nations deserved to have a quartet in the group stage, then so did Saudi Arabia.

INJURIES HAMPER AL-HILAL

It was only last November when Al-Hilal were unlucky to lose the final of the AFC Champions League. The Riyadh giants should have won against Urawa Reds, but were hampered by the injury to star Brazilian attacking midfielder Carlos Eduardo in the first leg. If he had stayed on the pitch, Al-Hilal might have won the title and also got out of their group. Add in the fact Omar Khribin played no part in this year’s group stages, also because of injury, and you can see why the Saudi powerhouses might be bemoaning their luck.

EAST ASIA HOLDS NO FEARS

There are two teams that look especially dangerous in the eastern side of the draw — Shanghai SIPG of China and South Korea’s Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. With Hulk and Oscar, the Chinese team have the firepower to trouble the best Asian defenses. Jeonbuk have strength in depth and an experience in the competition that is hard to match. Apart from that duo, though, there is little West Asian teams have to fear.

UAE HOPES REAT ON OMAR

Al-Ain may have been champions in 2003 and runners-up in 2016, but they struggled in the group stage with no wins in the first four games. Ultimately, it was left to Omar Abdulrahman to step forward in the final two games to inspire his team to two wins and second place in Group D. If Al-Ain are to repeat their earlier success than it all depends on their much-lauded playmaker. If he does not shine in Asia, neither do they.
 
UZBEKS DISAPPOINT AGAIN

There is real talent in the Central Asian nation, but for some reason their teams rarely make any impact. Whether at club or country level, Uzbekistan sides never quite deliver. The national team has been on the brink of World Cup qualification more than once, but when the big prize has been in sight, they have failed to step up. It is the same at club level where they rarely fulfil their potential.


World’s best pool players arrive in Jeddah for $1m World Nineball Tour event

Updated 02 June 2024
Follow

World’s best pool players arrive in Jeddah for $1m World Nineball Tour event

  • $250,000 first prize, total pool biggest in event’s history
  • Top Saudis in draw alongside world No. 1 Francisco Sanchez Ruiz

JEDDAH: The world’s best billiards players arrived in Jeddah on Sunday to compete for $1 million in prizes at the Saudi Arabia World Pool Championship 2024.

This is the first time the Kingdom has hosted a World Nineball Tour event and the $250,000 first prize and total pool are the biggest in its history.

A total of 128 players will compete in the event, which runs from Monday to Saturday at the Green Halls.

“The World Nineball Tour is a global professional pool tour committed to staging world-class international sporting events,” Emily Frazer, managing director of Matchroom Multi Sport, said on Sunday.

“We are delighted to announce our partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Sport and the Saudi Arabian Billiard & Snooker Federation. We are incredibly grateful … for this unique opportunity. We believe this landmark 10-year deal will provide the catalyst to developing the stars for tomorrow from this country.”

She added that the inaugural Saudi Junior Championship would run alongside the elite event, from Monday to Friday, at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal City Sports Hall in Jeddah.

Nasser Saab Al-Shammari, president of the SABSF, said: “This is a historical moment for Saudi Arabia as we are hosting this elite tournament for the next 10 years and we welcome world class talents to play live in front of our fans here.

“This is really extremely special for us to host the top stars but also we are very happy to see the best 13 local Saudi players take part in this international tournament, which will give them the experience of a lifetime.”

World Nineball Tour No. 1 and reigning champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz said: “The world championship in Saudi Arabia marks a historic moment for pool and I am really looking forward to defending my title among the world’s best in Jeddah.”

The Spaniard said that while he had been in the Kingdom he had also been able to watch the King’s Cup football final and see his favorite player, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Also in this week’s field are five-time US Open champion and 2022 world champion Shane Van Boening, 2018 world champion Joshua Filler and Europe’s No. 1 Jayson Shaw.

The field comprises the top 100 from the World Nineball Tour rankings and 28 wildcards, including Germany’s Pia Filler — the only woman in the event — and several Saudi players. Among the locals are Saad Aldress, Ahmed Al-Jabar, Khalid Alotaibi, Ahmed Fairaq, Khalid Al-Ghamdi, Hussain Mustafa, Ahmed Al-Ahmadi, Fahad Alharbi, Nawaf Shamardal and Othman Alzahrani.

The Kingdom’s No. 1, Al-Jabar, said he was delighted to be able to compete against the best pool players in the world.

“First of all, I am honored to represent my country in this elite tournament along with my other Saudi players and glad to have the opportunity to compete directly and experience a world-leading tournament right in Saudi Arabia,” he said.

Fans of nine-ball pool can watch the tournament via Matchrooom’s broadcast partners, Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, and Saudi Sports Center.


Kylian Mbappe signs with Real Madrid for upcoming season

Updated 02 June 2024
Follow

Kylian Mbappe signs with Real Madrid for upcoming season

MADRID: Kylian Mbappe has signed every document completing his transfer to the LaLiga club Real Madrid next season, according to noted Italian sports journalist Fabrizio Romano on X.
The French striker made his decision in February to leave Paris Saint-Germain after seven years of playing for them. His contract was set to expire this summer making him a free agent.


Mbappe’s stint with Paris Saint-Germain has won him six Ligue 1 titles, three French Cups, two League Cups and a record five Player of the Year awards.
Real Madrid celebrated a record-extending 15th Champions League title on Saturday after defeating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley Stadium. 
Madrid’s latest triumph came without a recognized striker after club icon Karim Benzema departed last year. The gap was filled by English midfielder Jude Bellingham, but by next season Ancelotti will have more fire power to call upon. 
Mbappe is the name most wanted by Madrid fans after a decade-long pursuit of the man many believe to be the heir to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the world’s greatest player.


No marathon this time as Swiatek sprints into French Open quarterfinals

Updated 02 June 2024
Follow

No marathon this time as Swiatek sprints into French Open quarterfinals

  • Defending champion dismisses Anastasia Potapova in just 40 minutes with a crushing 6-0, 6-0 win
  • Swiatek remains on course for her third consecutive French Open title and fourth overall

PARIS: After the French Open marathon came the sprint.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek swept into the quarterfinals at Roland Garros in just 40 minutes after a crushing 6-0, 6-0 win against Anastasia Potapova.
Swiatek won without even facing a game point against her. The match ended when Potapova hit a forehand into the net on the first match point.
“I was just really focused and in the zone,” Swiatek said. “It went pretty quickly, pretty weird.”
Their match started at around 11 a.m.
That’s just eight hours after men’s defending champion Novak Djokovic finished his five-set, 4 1/2-hour marathon against Lorenzo Musetti at just after 3 a.m. in the latest finish in tournament history.
Swiatek remains on course for her third consecutive French Open title and fourth overall. The top-ranked Pole will play Wimbleon champion Marketa Vondrousova after the fifth-seeded Czech beat unseeded Serb Olga Danilovic 6-4, 6-2.
They played on Court Suzanne Lenglen, the only other court with a roof. After five consecutive days with rain delays, play on the other roofless courts got underway on time.
Later Sunday, third-seeded American Coco Gauff took on unseeded Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner and two-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz were in men’s fourth-round action.
Second-seeded Sinner faced Frenchman Corentin Moutet and third-seeded Alcaraz played No. 21-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.


Pakistan will look to be positive in T20 World Cup— skipper Babar Azam 

Updated 02 June 2024
Follow

Pakistan will look to be positive in T20 World Cup— skipper Babar Azam 

  • Pakistan, T20 world champions in 2009, reached semifinal and final stages in 2021, 2022
  • Their preparation for this year’s World Cup includes losses against Ireland and England 

Pakistan captain Babar Azam called on his side to stay in high spirits as they begin their Twenty20 World Cup campaign off the back of a poor run of form.

Pakistan, T20 World Cup champions in 2009, have performed well in the past two editions of the competition, reaching the semifinals in 2021 and losing to England in the final in 2022.

However, their preparations for this year’s tournament in the United States and West Indies has been far from ideal, with a sobering defeat by Ireland in an eventual 2-1 series victory followed by a 2-0 defeat by England in a rain-affected series.

“Effort is in our hands, but results, we do not know,” Babar said in an episode of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) podcast released on Sunday.

“How we present ourselves on the ground, our body language and how we communicate with each other will matter. We must be positive, so results will come... Conditions in the USA may pose challenges as we are going there as a national side for the first time.

“We are in the process of collating various cricket and match-related information from players who have played there, which can help and assist us in our preparations.”

Pakistan are in Group A of the World Cup and begin their campaign against hosts US on June 6. They will then take on arch-rivals India in one of the event’s highly-anticipated matches three days later.

Pakistan and India have faced each other seven times at the T20 World Cup, with Pakistan winning just once.

“An India-Pakistan match is always the most talked about; it is discussed too much wherever you go in the world,” Babar said.

“The players get different vibes and excitement. What will happen is that everyone supports their country, so the focus is on that match. The whole world is focused on the day when the India-Pakistan match is held.

“Naturally, there will be nerves, but we need to keep our focus, stick to the basics and play easy cricket. It is always a pressure game; the more you keep cool and calm, believe in your skills and hard work, then things get easier.” 


Turkish club Fenerbahce announces Jose Mourinho as its new coach

Updated 02 June 2024
Follow

Turkish club Fenerbahce announces Jose Mourinho as its new coach

  • Former Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho will be unveiled as the new coach of Fenerbahce soccer club, the club said

ISTANBUL: Former Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho will be unveiled as the new coach of Fenerbahce soccer club later Sunday, the club said.
Following days of strong indications that Mourinho was to take charge of the Istanbul club, it said in a post on social media platform X early Sunday that the Portuguese manager was to attend a ceremony at its Sukru Saracoglu ground.
“Saracoglu is waiting for its new coach Jose Mourinho and its great fans at 19.00!”
On Saturday night Fenerbahce had posted a video message from Mourinho, 61, in which he told Fenerbahce fans he would “see you tomorrow in Kadikoy and let’s start our journey together.”
It’s Mourinho’s first job since he left Roma in January after two and a half years marked by winning the Europa Conference League in 2022 and a series of disputes with referees.
The Portuguese has not worked outside of the top five European leagues since 2004, when he left Porto after winning the Champions League and joined Chelsea, which was on the rise under then-owner Roman Abramovich.
Since then he has also coached Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham in a career filled with trophies and off-field controversy.
Fenerbahce finished second to fierce rival Galatasaray in the Turkish league this season and clashed with the Turkish soccer authorities, including by taking its team off the field in the Turkish Super Cup game in protest.