SAINT-DENIS, France: Moments before lifting the French Cup again, Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva beckoned the valiant skipper from beaten third division side Les Herbiers to join him.
After a moment’s hesitation, unheralded Sebastien Flochon shuffled across to the Brazil defender and they held the trophy aloft together.
It was a fitting tribute to the resilience of the tiny club from western France following its 2-0 defeat against vastly superior opposition.
The performance by the players of Les Herbiers — whose average annual salary of about 30,000 euros ($36,000) dwarfs the massive pay packets at PSG — was full of courage and spirited defending.
It earned a guard of honor from PSG and a rousing ovation from the traveling, red-and-white clad fans of Les Herbiers.
The club’s coffers will also be significantly boosted, with the third division team earning 1.5 million euros ($1.8 million) — 75 percent of its annual budget.
That’s a drop in the ocean for PSG, which has an annual budget of more than 500 million euros.
A fourth straight French Cup and League Cup double seemed assured. But while PSG secured a domestic treble, the team made hard work of seeing off Les Herbiers — whose population of 16,000 is five times less than the capacity of the Stade de France.
PSG fielded its strongest side and went close several times before midfielder Giovani Lo Celso opened the scoring after 26 minutes.
PSG then missed a succession of chances, and had a goal from Kylian Mbappe disallowed by the Video Assistant Referee system, before Edinson Cavani slotted in a penalty in the 74th minute.
Roared on by its fans, Les Herbiers went close when substitute Clement Couturier raced through in injury time.
PSG coach Unai Emery hugged his counterpart Stephane Masala after the final whistle, visibly impressed by the way his superbly-organized side had resisted so well.
“I’m very proud of my players, my club, and my town,” Masala said. “We held on and didn’t get routed. At the end, we even almost scored.”
Masala’s players continue their fight to avoid relegation to the fourth tier with a crucial match on Friday.
PSG won a record-extending 12th French Cup and claimed a 42nd straight victory in domestic cup competitions since Jan. 2014.
While PSG’s stars head to the World Cup in Russia in June, this is likely to remain the biggest game of their lives for Les Herbiers.
Before kickoff the team met French President Emmanuel Macron, who said “enjoy yourself” as he shook the hand of each player.
Masala told Macron “you’re a source of inspiration for me,” referring to his improbable rise to the presidency last year.
Les Herbiers had the first shot in the first minute, deflected by a defender for a corner. It was all PSG after that.
Lo Celso and Mbappe hit the post, winger Angel Di Maria headed over and Lo Celso struck the woodwork again, all inside 20 minutes.
Then, Lo Celso picked his spot from 22 meters (yards) with a curling strike into the bottom left corner.
Cavani was denied by goalkeeper Matthieu Pichot and, moments later, Mbappe bundled the ball in from close range but referee Mikael Lesage used the VAR and ruled it out because Brazil defender Marquinhos had handled.
Cavani was then brilliantly thwarted again from close range by Pichot as chances kept coming.
Mbappe, twice, and Cavani miscued again before the Uruguay striker drilled his spot-kick into the bottom corner after being upended by Pichot.
Lesage could have sent Pichot off but only showed him a yellow card and the goalkeeper tapped the referee’s hand in appreciation.
It was a quiet night for PSG goalie Kevin Trapp, who remarkably did not touch the ball until the 54th minute.
“They fought very well and played good football, too,” Trapp said. “Honestly, it was tough. We had a lot of chances and some bad luck.”
PSG beats valiant minnow Les Herbiers 2-0 to win French Cup
PSG beats valiant minnow Les Herbiers 2-0 to win French Cup
- Resilient Les Herbiers from western France lost 2-0 to a vastly superior opposition
- Les Herbiers courageous performance earned a guard of honor from PSG
Saudi Yoga Committee speaks to Arab representatives to discuss establishment of federation
- Committee president stresses importance of move
- Meeting aimed to support, increase participation
JEDDAH: The Saudi Yoga Committee has held a meeting to discuss the potential of a proposed Arab Yoga Federation.
The meeting, which was held via video conference on April 24, looked at the development of yoga among people across the Arab world and the need for an official Arab umbrella to be constituted at regional level to promote it in the correct way in all its forms, whether the traditional yoga for health and well-being or as a discipline to participate in future competitions and tournaments.
The meeting was attended by representatives of federations and committees from eight countries: hosts Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Algeria, Palestine, Mauritania, and Syria.
The President of the Kingdom’s Yoga Committee Nouf Al-Marwaai spoke of the importance of establishing an Arab federation to include all Arab countries.
The meeting looked at supporting the spread of yoga and increasing participation to create a supportive environment which strengthened the Arab presence on the international scene.
The Saudi Yoga Committee stressed its desire to lead the initiative following its progress in organization and governance.
Aramco, FIFA announce global partnership
- Company becomes major worldwide partner in energy category
- Deal includes sponsorship rights across events including FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027
RIYADH: Aramco on Thursday signed a four-year global partnership with football’s governing body, FIFA, becoming a major worldwide partner in the energy category.
One of the world’s leading integrated energy and chemicals companies, Aramco will receive sponsorship rights for multiple events including the FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, according to the agreement, which runs until the end of 2027.
The deal also builds on a shared commitment to innovation and development, and will combine football’s global reach with Aramco’s history of championing innovation and community engagement.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that the body is “delighted” to welcome Aramco to its family of global partners.
“The partnership will assist FIFA to deliver its flagship tournaments over the next four years and, as is the case with all our commercial agreements, enabling us to provide enhanced support to our 211 FIFA member associations across the globe,” he added.
Aramco has a strong record of supporting world-class events, but also developing grassroots sports initiatives, according to Infantino, who added that FIFA looks forward to collaborating with Aramco on a variety of schemes over the coming years.
“Through this partnership with FIFA, we aim to contribute to football development and harness the power of sport to make an impact around the globe,” said Amin Nasser, Aramco’s president and CEO.
The partnership reflects Aramco’s ambition to enable vibrant communities and extends the company’s backing of sport as a platform for growth, he added.
Through the partnership, Aramco and FIFA will leverage the power of football to create impactful social initiatives around the world.
Aramco will also work with FIFA to drive innovation, identifying opportunities to deploy its expertise and technologies in the delivery of football events globally.
President, fan support key in decision to stay: Barca coach Xavi
- This week, after a meeting with president Joan Laporta and the board, Xavi pulled off a dramatic U-turn and decided to stay
- “It was a not a simple decision, in January I said (I would leave) because I thought it was best for the club,” Xavi told a news conference
BARCELONA: Xavi Hernandez said Thursday he has decided to stay on as Barcelona coach for a “cocktail of reasons,” including support from key figures at the club and supporters.
In January, with Barcelona on a miserable run of form, Xavi said he would walk away from his post in the summer despite having a year left on his contract.
However, this week, after a meeting with president Joan Laporta and the board, Xavi pulled off a dramatic U-turn and decided to stay, despite the club poised to end the season trophyless.
Barcelona were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain last week and lost against Real Madrid in the Clasico, trailing their rivals by 11 points in La Liga.
“It was a not a simple decision, in January I said (I would leave) because I thought it was best for the club,” Xavi told a news conference.
“I am full of hope, these three months have made me change, the players believe in it, and wise people are willing to rectify, here I am.
“It’s not about ego, or money, I have energy, I see the fans are happy and proud — it’s a cocktail of reasons, above all the confidence of the president and (sporting director) Deco.”
Xavi said although the team he took to La Liga glory last season have failed to achieve their objectives, they have now proved they can equal Europe’s best sides.
“Above all I said yesterday to Deco, the president... that the team has improved a lot,” explained Xavi.
“Two years ago we went to Bayern (Munich) and I had the feeling that we weren’t up to it. Now I think we’re in shape to compete with the biggest teams in Europe.
“I have the feeling that this year (the Champions League) escaped us by just a couple of small things, we will try again, I’m excited to — now it’s in our hands.”
Xavi said reports he was only staying because of money were designed to “hurt” him.
In January he claimed coaching Barcelona was “unpleasant” and “cruel,” and Xavi said he did not expect that to change.
“Coaching here is very hard, but I see myself with the energy to keep leading the project,” he added.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta said he was glad Xavi was staying and that it was good for the stability of the club.
“It’s great news that Xavi is staying,” said Laporta.
“The team we have, that is (still) consolidating, with very young players, needs that stability.
“Xavi is a reference for young players and we can see that — today I’m especially pleased, and the board have unanimously supported this decision.”
Professional Fighters League confirms debut fight card for Riyadh
- Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Al-Qahtani takes on Morocco’s Taha Bendaoud in a featherweight main event
- Season opener scheduled for The Green Halls in Riyadh on Friday, May 10
RIYADH: The Professional Fighters League has announced the matchups for its debut PFL MENA: Riyadh fight card which will feature some of the region’s rising stars.
The season opener at The Green Halls in Riyadh will feature fighters in the featherweight and bantamweight divisions, competing in the PFL Playoff win-and-advance format, the company announced on Thursday.
Headlining the card will be Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah “The Reaper” Al-Qahtani taking on Morocco’s Taha Bendaoud in a featherweight bout.
“We’re proud to offer fighters in the MENA region a chance to compete. By bringing top-tier events to the region, we’re not only serving passionate MMA fans but also pushing the sport forward. Our goal is to grow MMA and expand PFL’s reach globally,” Pete Murray, CEO of PFL, said.
All four PFL MENA Season events will be broadcast live on MBC Action and Shahid.
The complete fight card:
Featherweight: Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs Taha Bendaoud
Bantamweight: Ali Taleb vs Nawras Abzakh
Bantamweight: Xavier Alaoui vs Rachid El-Hazoume
Featherweight: Islam Reda vs Adam Meskini
Bantamweight: Tariq Ismail vs Jalal Al-Daaja
Bantamweight: Elias Boudegzdame vs Hassan Mandour
Amateur Female Atomweight: Hattan Alsaif vs Nada Faheem
Featherweight: Maraoune Bellagouit vs Motaz Askar
Featherweight: Ahmed Tarek vs Abdelrahman Alhyasat
Showcase featherweight: Mido Mohamed vs Yazeed Hasanain
Showcase flyweight: Malik Basahel vs Harsh Pandya
Pakistan eye comeback against New Zealand in fourth T20I today
- A second-string New Zealand squad beat Pakistan by seven wickets on Sunday in Rawalpindi
- Skipper Babar Azam says pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah have ability to make comeback
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will be eyeing a comeback today, Thursday, in the fourth match of the T20I series against New Zealand in Lahore after suffering a defeat at the hands of a second-string Kiwi squad last week.
Pakistan will head into today’s match against Michael Bracewell’s squad without star batter and wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan, who has been pulled from the series after he felt discomfort in his right hamstring.
New Zealand are missing key players including Trent Boult and skipper Kane Williamson as they opted to play in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) while pulled out of the Pakistan series due to injuries.
Despite that, the Kiwis managed to beat Pakistan on Sunday by seven wickets in Rawalpindi, shocking the 2009 T20I world champions on their own turf.
“We did not lose because of any two or three players,” Pakistan captain Babar Azam said at a press conference in Lahore on Wednesday night. “We lost as a team. In the batting, bowling and fielding [areas] we did collapse a little.”
Pakistan’s premium fast bowlers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi failed to impress against New Zealand in the third T20I. However, Azam backed both bowlers, describing them as Pakistan’s “best” bowlers.
“They know how to make a comeback, even if it [bad performance] happens in one game. It is part of life,” he said. “It can’t happen that one person performs every single day.”
The series is an important one for both sides as they gear up for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and USA scheduled to be held in June.
The last match of the Pakistan-New Zealand series will be played in Lahore on May 27. Pakistan and New Zealand have both won one match against each other so far, with the first T20I fixture washed away by rain.
The match begins at 7:30 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time.
