Saudi Arabia’s youth volleyball team crowned Gulf champions after win over Bahrain
The triumph is the Kingdom’s first ever in the competition, having finished second in 2011
Updated 31 August 2021
Arab News
Saudi Arabia has won the sixth Gulf Youth Volleyball Championship after overcoming Bahrain 3-2 in the final played at Isa Bin Rashid Hall in Manama.
Bahrain won the first set 25-17, but Saudi Arabia came storming back to win the next two 25-23 and 25-20. Bahrain tied the match by winning the fourth set 33-31, but Saudi claimed the decider 19-17 to be crowned champions.
The young Saudi team reached the final after beating Kuwait 3-0 in the semifinals, while the host nation defeated the UAE, also in straight sets.
In the group stages, Saudi beat Kuwait and the UAE but lost to Bahrain.
The triumph is Saudi’s first in the competition, having previously finished second in 2011.
Kane helps Bayern past Leipzig into German Cup semis
Bayern join defending champions Stuttgart, Bayer Leverkusen and Freiburg in the last four of this season’s competition
Updated 12 February 2026
AFP
MUNICH, Germany: Harry Kane scored a penalty and Luis Diaz struck again as Bayern Munich beat RB Leipzig 2-0 on Wednesday to reach the German Cup semifinals for the first time since 2020.
Already on the wrong side of two Bayern thumpings this season, Leipzig were much improved but the hosts grabbed hold of the match with two goals in four second-half minutes.
Bayern join defending champions Stuttgart, Bayer Leverkusen and Freiburg in the last four of this season’s competition.
Kane’s penalty was his 39th goal in all competitions for Bayern this season, while Diaz’s goal was his fifth in his past three matches.
Winners of this competition a record 20 times, 14 more than any other club, Bayern had failed to make it past the quarter-finals since 2020, when they beat Leverkusen in the final.
Bayern Munich's English forward #09 Harry Kane is fouled by Leipzig's Austrian midfielder #14 Christoph Baumgartner during the German Cup (DFB-Pokal) quarter-final football match between FC Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig in Munich, southern Germany on February 11, 2026. (AFP)
Leipzig had won two of the past four German Cups but Bayern had form over the visitors this season, winning their two Bundesliga clashes by a combined score of 11-1.
Leipzig pressured the hosts early and were celebrating a goal after just four minutes, but an acrobatic Christoph Baumgartner strike was disallowed for a narrow offside.
Bayern immediately made the most of the let-off, Kane forcing a last-ditch clearance from Ridle Baku with the Leipzig goalkeeper laying on the turf.
The home side gradually wrestled control of the match and were unlucky not to take the lead with 57 minutes gone when Leipzig ‘keeper Maarten Vandevoordt denied Serge Gnabry with a stunning save.
Bayern were in front just five minutes later, Kane converting from the spot after Vandevoordt felled an advancing Josip Stanisic in the box.
Kane’s spot-kick, his fifth goal versus Leipzig this season, was his 12th penalty in all competitions this campaign.
Bayern’s goals this season have come in bursts and the Bavarians scored again just four minutes later, when Michael Olize found Diaz on the counter to help book a spot in the final four.
The German Cup final will be held at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on May 23.
