LONDON: Not even with the Premier League’s top scorer could England find a way past Scotland.
Maybe Harry Kane was as much as the problem as the solution.
On his good days, Kane is one of the game’s ultimate goal threats for both Tottenham and England. But the sluggish striker never came close to scoring in the 0-0 draw between the two teams Friday at the European Championship.
The England captain barely even touched the ball, and yet coach Gareth Southgate persisted with him for 74 draining minutes at Wembley Stadium in his 60th game this season for his club and his country.
“It was a tough game,” Kane said. “Scotland defended really well, made great blocks at the right times when we did have chances.”
England defender John Stones had one of those chances when hit the post with a header in the 11th minute, and Mason Mount had another when his shot was deflected wide at the start of the second half.
Scotland’s best opportunity to get the winning goal came when forward Lyndon Dykes had a shot cleared off the line by defender Reece James in the 63rd.
“We have got to look at the whole performance, the use of the ball and review where we can be better,” Southgate said. “So it’s not just about one person. Scotland, I thought, marked him extremely well. With the back five there wasn’t a lot of space.”
There was a shot from Kane in the 59th, but it was tame and was blocked by the defense.
Kane looked as exhausted as England looked devoid of ideas against the dogged and well-marshalled Scots, who lost their Group D opener to the Czech Republic but still have a chance to advance to the round of 16.
“I thought we were unfairly criticized after the game on Monday,” Scotland coach Steve Clarke said. “We worked ever so hard when England had the ball but the great thing is we played when we had the ball and had some chances.”
The English will advance as group winners with a victory on Tuesday against the Czech Republic, which also has four points from two games. Scotland and Croatia, who also meet on Tuesday, have one point each.
The heatwave in London when England opened Euro 2020 by beating Croatia was replaced by a chilly downpour for the 115th meeting with Scotland — and a first 0-0 draw between the neighbors at Wembley.
What also changed from Sunday was the stadium speakers blaring out the Euro 2020 official song, “We Are the People,” to drown out the smattering of boos that again greeted players taking a knee in their anti-racism gesture before kickoff.
For the renewal of soccer’s oldest rivalry there was something of a throwback with Scotland playing two strikers: Dykes and Che Adams.
England’s only changes from the 1-0 win over Croatia were in defense with Kieran Trippier dropped and Kyle Walker not even making the bench. Southgate decided to bring back a specialist left back in Luke Shaw, with James on the right for the technical ability and to rotate the squad.
The back line allowed the opposition far more space, and Stephen O’Donnell found a way through to force a one-handed save from England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the 30th minute.
“At times we kept the ball superbly well and frustrated them,” Scotland captain Andrew Robertson said, “and on another night we could have come away with more.”
The pandemic-restricted crowd of 22,000, most of them England fans, roared when Jack Grealish was shown on the big screens on the England bench. The clamor was for an injection of his creativity.
Grealish came on for Phil Foden in 63rd, but Scotland wouldn’t buckle. And by the time Southgate made his second and final change — despite being able to make five — Marcus Rashford lacked the time to make an impact as Kane’s replacement.
“We needed a few more runs behind,” Southgate said. “I felt Marcus would give us that energy and had to try to get the win at that point.”
The goal never came, with England managing only one shot on target. No wonder the fourth-ranked team was booed off by its own fans after being held by a team 40 places lower in the FIFA rankings.
“I totally understand their reaction,” Southgate said. “We are expected to beat Scotland. They will be frustrated by that.”
Kane struggles as England held 0-0 by Scotland at Euro 2020
https://arab.news/8e4q4
Kane struggles as England held 0-0 by Scotland at Euro 2020
Islamabad United beat Multan Sultans in last-ball thriller to clinch third PSL title
How Turki Alalshikh turned Saudi Arabia into the boxing capital of the world
- British newspaper highlights role of the Saudi Royal Court advisor behind attractions such as ‘Ring of Fire’ and ‘Battle of the Baddest’
LONDON: Saudi Arabia is yet again making headlines in sports and entertainment, and the newest association the kingdom is enjoying is with world-class boxing. Just recently, the London-based Daily Mail’s sports editor Oli Gabb highlighted the topic in a lengthy and detailed piece he wrote on the topic.
The profile highlighted the efforts and achievements led by Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA), under the leadership of its’ chairman, Turki bin Abdulmohsen Alalshikh, who successfully delivered a series of boxing and sporting events. The matches and fights were all part of a mega six month festival, known as the ‘Riyadh Season 2023’.
“Whether you are a fan of the growing boxing scene in Saudi Arabia or not, the investment from the Middle East has forever changed the face of this sport,” Gabb wrote. He added that there is one person behind all of what has been happening on that front.
“Behind the most powerful fights like ‘Battle of the Baddest,’ ‘Day of Reckoning,’ and ‘Ring of Fire’ is Turki bin Abdulmohsen Alalshikh,” he wrote
“ He didn’t stop there; he made boxing a force to be reckoned with through promotional shows that emulate Hollywood productions, huge winning bonuses for boxers, and a significant role in overseeing major events in the Kingdom,” Gabb adding that Saudi Arabia managed to achieve what many others failed to due to egos and negotiations getting in the way.
Through his efforts and personal touch, Alalshikh is credited with bringing together stars like Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Francis Ngannou to Saudi Arabia.
“Athletes in the field of boxing have every reason to be proud of the work done by Alalshikh. Boxing is often criticized due to the presence of numerous intermediaries that hinder negotiations. However, when Alalshikh gets involved, matches are quickly settled,” said the article.
As an example, the report said that prior to Alalshikh involvement in boxing, rival promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren ‘did not speak to each other’. But now, they are now seen side by side as organizers and even planning matchups between their fighters.
Hearn and Warren were brought in to work together when each of them participated in the Riyadh Season Joshua vs. Ngannou fight. Alalshikh found a quick way to improve relations between them—through a face-off between their top fighters. He proposed the idea of a “5 vs 5” card that would bring together five fighters from Hearn’s Matchroom team and five fighters from Warren’s Queensberry team to settle the debate about who has the better team.
Prior to Alalshikh involvement in boxing, rival promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren ‘did not speak to each other’. But now, they are now seen side by side
In a joint press conference featuring all three of them, Alalshikh jokingly remarked, “I don’t like peace between them,” and wrote a comment saying, “The ultimate showdown in Riyadh! Matchroom vs. Queensberry, the giants in the boxing world, finally clash in an exciting 5 vs. 5 battle. After years of promoting their own fighters, it’s time for these giants to face off. Prepare yourselves, people of Riyadh, for a night of epic confrontations.”
Additionally, the inaugural season of the Riyadh Season tennis championship took place in December, featuring top players such as Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, who emerged as the winner.
The report also highlighted Alalshikh’s organization of the first-ever professional snooker tournament in Saudi Arabia, the World Snooker Masters Championship, which took place earlier this month and renowned player Ronnie O’Sullivan emerge as the winner.
The tournament included the introduction of the Golden Ball and a prize of $500,000. And as no one achieved the required century break to claim the Golden Ball, Alalshikh announced after the final that he would double the prize fund for the Golden Ball in the following year and offered Ronnie the opportunity to open his own snooker academy in Saudi Arabia.
While the report also discusses Alalshikh’s success in bringing events organised by UFC, and WWE before it, to the kingdom, he says the Royal Court advisor’s biggest prominence has been in boxing. This is only due to the high-quality events he organized and the high-level fighters he attracted, but also because of the quality of promotion. The teaser for the “Day of Reckoning” event, which depicted Joshua and Wilder as zombies in a video clip, wowed the audience. The same level of quality was observed in the promotion of Joshua’s “Knockout Chaos” match against Ngannou, where they were portrayed as video game characters.
The report argued that: “A lot of effort and investment have been made in the events of the Riyadh Season, led by Turki Alalshikh, and this demonstrates the seriousness of his approach in making Saudi Arabia the boxing capital of the world. With numerous major matches held in Saudi Arabia, the Saudis have provided significant financial support and shown seriousness and credibility in their dealings. So why wouldn’t boxers prefer to come here?”
The report concluded by saying, “While the debate continues over whether Saudi Arabia is good for boxing, the argument against it diminishes as long as the person leading the campaign delivers the desired results.”
Howzat! Cricket-lovers in Saudi Arabia follow their favorite game with a passion
- Cricket kit is available at sports shops run by expats
- Formation of the SACF, in 2020, has seen the game thrive
RIYADH: Cricket is a hugely popular sport, second only to soccer as the most-watched sport on the globe, and has been played in Saudi Arabia for more than five decades, mainly by expatriate workers from Asian countries.
In the late-1970s, cricket associations were formed that began organizing matches on weekends in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. The game also gradually became popular with locals, but enthusiasts were still mostly Asian expatriates who were familiar with the game. Cricket is followed like a religion in South Asian countries.
These South Asian expatriates in the Kingdom supported their favorite game with a passion. However, the formation of the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation, established in 2020, has seen the game thrive and introduced a cricketing culture across the Kingdom by lining up a series of programs focused on promoting the game among locals and expatriates.
Those playing the game told Arab News that it was not easy to pursue their dream of playing cricket in the beginning as kit such as bats, pads, balls, gloves and helmets were not easily available. Previously players would bring equipment from their home countries, but now several shops provide cricket kits.
“Cricket is a game that requires a wealth of equipment in order to stay safe and reach optimum performance levels. This includes protective gear, cricket-training equipment and cricket-ground equipment,” Abdul Waheed, a star player of the Saudi cricket team that has won two successive ACC Men’s Challenger Cups — the inaugural one last year and this year’s one in Bangkok — told Arab News.
“All the cricket equipment is available in Riyadh with shops in Hai Al-Wizarat, Shumaisi and Manfuha districts. You can just visit the shops and buy it. If some equipment is not available or you want a better-quality brand, they take some time to get it for them from Pakistan and India,” Waheed said.
“At these shops you can get all the good-quality equipment. If you want normal equipment for practice or you want branded quality bats, pads and all the equipment, it’s available. If it is a big order, these shops also offer a discount.
“We the players in the Saudi cricket team also buy equipment from these shops,” he said.
Arab News spoke to some of the shop owners and retailers in Riyadh.
Ikramullah Khan, a shop owner at Sialkot Sports in Hai Al-Wizarat distrcit, one of the oldest outlets providing cricket equipment in Riyadh, told Arab News: “We have been providing cricket equipment for the past 22 years. My father started it and now I run this shop with my brother providing all cricket equipment for hard-ball cricket as well as soft-ball cricket. We sell everything, including trophies.
“Everyone interested in cricket is welcome to our shop and can buy it. We offer all types of equipment, normal as well as branded and high-quality equipment. If a customer wants some brand which is not available in my shop, I take time and provide once the consignment comes from Pakistan, but mostly equipment is available at my shop,” he said.
“If you buy a low-priced bat for soft-ball cricket, the cost ranges between SR90 ($24) to SR240, whereas the cost for a bat to play with the hard-ball ranges from SR350 to SR1,600, which is original-branded such as CA, MB Malik, and Ihsan.”
Khan said: “Like every other business in the market, our business too was badly affected during the pandemic, and even after that as many families left the Kingdom heading back to home. Now things are improving and with cricket popularity growing more than ever after the formation of the Saudi cricket federation, we are very hopeful that our sales will increase as cricket clubs here in Riyadh such as the Riyadh Cricket Association, Riyadh Cricket League and other clubs associated with it, as well as players from clubs in neighboring Al Kharj, Majmaah, Mazahimiyah, they all come to buy equipment from my shop. Sometimes people from as far as Buraidah, Qassim, come to buy equipment.”
Abid Meraj, of AR Sports, another major shop providing equipment at its outlets in different areas in Riyadh, told Arab News: “We welcome our customers to buy cricket-related equipment at our shop in Al-Ghubairah as well as Al-Wizarat.
“People can just visit our shops and buy all types of equipment to play their favorite game with required safety. Protective gears such as gloves, helmets, pads, armguards, are important to play hard-ball cricket, and we provide everything at our shops,” he said.
Khurram Mustafa, a cricket-lover and a Pakistani entrepreneur, in 2021 sought to boost the game in Saudi Arabia by supplying cricket kits to the Saudi Company for Hardware, or SACO, from Pakistan.
However, the initiative faced a setback as the response was not so enthusiastic, primarily attributed to the pandemic and absence of suitable cricket grounds for practice, he said.
Now that the popularity of cricket is growing with the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation at the helm, and there is an abiding enthusiasm for cricket in Saudi Arabia, especially among expatriates from Asian nations already familiar with the game, Mustafa is hopeful about resuming the supply of equipment.
Undeterred by the initial challenges, Mustafa remains resolute in his passion for cricket, and eager to facilitate its accessibility not only within SACO but also in sports shops across the Kingdom.
“My unwavering commitment to promoting the sport shows my determination to overcome obstacles and foster a thriving cricket culture in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Amna, Hamda Al-Qubaisi named Yas Heat ambassadors for F1 Academy season
- Emirati sisters will represent Yas Heat across 2024 season following recent drives for team at Abu Dhabi GP 2023
Abu Dhabi: With the new season of F1 Academy underway, Emirati stars Amna and Hamda Al-Qubaisi have been named as official ambassadors for the Yas Heat Racing, following on from their long-standing history of racing at Yas Marina Circuit to represent the UAE’s racing community on the international stage.
The Emirati sisters, beginning their second season in F1 Academy with impressive drives at the season-opening round in Jeddah with their new teams in Red Bull Racing and Visa Cash App RB, will serve as the official ambassadors to the Yas Marina Circuit-based team across the seven-round season aligned with Formula 1’s international schedule.
Ali Al-Beshr, executive director of motorsport development said: “It is a proud moment as we announce our new ambassadors of Yas Heat Racing in Amna and Hamda Al-Qubaisi, two inspiring young Emirati talents who are truly making history on the international racing stage.
“Having been witness to the growth of their careers from their early beginnings here at Yas Marina Circuit, I’m delighted to welcome Amna and Hamda back as official ambassadors to the program and for them to represent our team on the global stage across their season. I’m sure they’ll do us proud, and we wish them all the best for the upcoming season.”
The duo joins fellow young Emirati driver, Rashid Al-Dhaheri as official ambassadors to Yas Heat Racing as part of the team’s efforts to inspire and support the next generation of young racing talents in the UAE and beyond.
On their new ambassadorial role, Amna said: “It’s an honor to become an ambassador of Yas Heat Racing, a young driver program that will support young talents here at my home track at Yas Marina Circuit.
“I’ve enjoyed some incredible moments in my racing career with my family here, and I am proud to be a part of the academy in supporting new drivers to continue their development.”
As a returning Yas Heat driver, Hamda said: “It was a unique experience during my time with the team, and it was a privilege to be a part of their debut season on track.
“I’m delighted to come back to the team as an ambassador to the team across the new season and look forward to working with the team and its new drivers in the coming months.”
The Al-Qubaisi siblings have been prominent figures in the racing history of Abu Dhabi and the UAE ever since Amna’s first race victory at the Formula 4 UAE season-opening trophy round at the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2019, with Hamda recently competing with Yas Heat’s F4 team in the Formula 4 UAE season in 2023 before making the step to F1 Academy.
The duo, who raced for Yas Heat as part of the F4 UAE trophy round at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend in November, will support the Yas Heat Racing’s growth on a regional and international level, providing their wealth of experience competing on the international stage to the academy’s young drivers in the years to come.
With the 2024 season underway for Amna representing Visa Cash App RB and Hamda with Red Bull Racing, the opening round of action provided a promising start for the sisters in Jeddah. Hamda secured a top-five finish to cap off the first race weekend of the year.
With two and four race wins in 2023, Amna and Hamda will be looking to build on their impressive debut season across the seven-round series over the coming months.
Mbappe scores hat-trick as PSG hit Montpellier for six
- Mbappe completed the whole 90 minutes of a Ligue 1 game for the first time since informing the club in mid-February that he intended to leave at the end of the season when his contract expires
MONTPELLIER, France: An unstoppable Kylian Mbappe hit a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 6-2 win away to Montpellier on Sunday that allowed them to open up a huge 12-point lead at the top of Ligue 1.
Vitinha put PSG ahead at the Stade de la Mosson and Mbappe doubled their advantage midway through the first half, only for an Arnaud Nordin header and a Teji Savanier penalty to bring Montpellier back level at the interval.
However, a marvellous Mbappe goal restored PSG’s lead shortly after the break and Lee Kang-in made it 4-2 before the France captain completed his hat-trick.
Nuno Mendes put the seal on the victory late on, as Luis Enrique’s side ended a run of three successive draws in Ligue 1 and extended an unbeaten domestic record stretching back to September.
A 1-1 draw for nearest challengers Brest against Lille earlier on Sunday means the Parisians are now 12 points ahead at the Ligue 1 summit with only eight games left, and a 10th title in 12 seasons is an inevitability.
Mbappe completed the whole 90 minutes of a Ligue 1 game for the first time since informing the club in mid-February that he intended to leave at the end of the season when his contract expires.
His hat-trick, his third of the campaign, took him to 24 goals in Ligue 1 this season, and 38 in all competitions.
Portugal midfielder Vitinha opened the scoring in the 14th minute, collecting Mbappe’s pass 25 meters from goal before curling a low shot into the bottom-right corner.
Mbappe then made it 2-0 on the counterattack, feeding Randal Kolo Muani and then sprinting to get the ball back and slot into the far corner from a tight angle.
Montpellier got one back when Danilo Pereira could only help on a cross from the left and Nordin — a friend of Mbappe’s as a youngster at Clairefontaine, France’s national youth academy — headed in at the back post.
The home side then won a penalty right on half-time when Tanguy Coulibaly pounced on Pereira’s short back-pass before being clattered by PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Teji Savanier smashed in the spot-kick, but PSG were back ahead five minutes after the restart as Mbappe scored with a superb shot from range, in off the underside of the crossbar.
South Korean star Lee made it 4-2 on 53 minutes, playing a one-two with Kolo Muani and firing in from outside the area on his left foot.
Mbappe then completed his hat-trick with a right-foot finish after latching onto a ball over the top, before Montpellier had a second penalty award overturned following a VAR review.
Warren Zaire-Emery hit the post for the visitors, and Mendes made it 6-2 a minute from time, bursting into the box to run onto a Vitinha pass and fire in.