Barcelona and Boca Juniors to play for the Maradona Cup during Riyadh Season

Spanish side Barcelona and Argentina’s Boca Juniors will contest the Maradona Cup on Nov. 25 as part of Riyadh Season. (AFP/File)
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Updated 05 October 2023
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Barcelona and Boca Juniors to play for the Maradona Cup during Riyadh Season

  • The match between the Spanish and Argentinian giants on Nov. 25 will honor the late Diego Maradona, who played for both

Spanish side Barcelona and Argentina’s Boca Juniors will contest the Maradona Cup on Nov. 25 as part of Riyadh Season, Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, revealed on Monday night.

The announcement, in a message posted on Twitter, of the meeting between two of legendary Argentinian star Diego Maradona’s former clubs came a day after it was revealed that former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will coach a combined team of Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr stars in a match against Paris Saint-Germain in the Riyadh Season Cup next January.

Alalshikh’s tweet about the Maradona Cup match included a short video that showed the Argentinian star scoring his famous solo goal against England during the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, along with highlights from his time with Barcelona and Boca Juniors. It ends with the words “legend forever.”

The PSG match, in the third week of January will be the first time the French side has played in Saudi Arabia. Their match against an “all-star” team of players from two of the Kingdom’s biggest clubs, to be held in the third week of January, is expected to be one of the top events during Riyadh Season.

The inaugural Riyadh Season in 2019 attracted more than 10 million visitors. After a break because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it returns returns this month. Described as one of the biggest global entertainment festivals, with a diverse program of events and experiences spread across 14 venues in the capital, it will continue until March 2022.


Silva scores late equalizer as Dortmund grab 2-2 draw at Leipzig

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Silva scores late equalizer as Dortmund grab 2-2 draw at Leipzig

  • Silva then seized ⁠his moment with a left footed shot five minutes into extra time
  • Dortmund remained unbeaten in their last eight away games

LEIPZIG, Germany: Fabio Silva grabbed a stoppage time equalizer as Borussia Dortmund drew 2-2 at RB Leipzig to trim Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga lead to eight points on Saturday.
Second placed Dortmund had been heading for defeat after Christoph Baumgartner scored twice from close range in the first half.
The visitors came back after the break and their hopes were revived by a Romulo own goal five minutes into the half but they were still staring at defeat as the clock ticked into an added seven ⁠minutes.
Silva then seized ⁠his moment with a left footed shot five minutes into extra time.
Dortmund remained unbeaten in their last eight away games but their six match winning run came to an end at the Red Bull Arena.
Max Beir had looked like putting them ahead ⁠when he broke clear and went one-on-one on goal for Dortmund after eight minutes, but his shot was straight at goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt, and then Leipzig took control.
Baumgartner made the breakthrough in the 20th minute when Yan Diomande, in sparkling form, sent a low cross into the box for him to glance in right-footed with his back to the net.
The goal was given after an offside check.
Baumgartner took his ⁠10th goal ⁠of the season and doubled his tally in the 39th with a perfectly timed run to tap in a cross from David Raum as the hosts ripped Dortmund apart down the left.
Leipzig, with just one win from their last six outings, stayed fifth in the standings, one point behind VfB Stuttgart who have a game in hand.
Harry Kane struck his eighth brace of the season as Bayern beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2 in an earlier kickoff. Dortmund host Bayern next week.