YAOUNDE, Cameroon: Mohamed Salah scored the equalizer and created the winner to inspire Egypt’s comeback on Sunday to beat Morocco 2-1 after extra time and reach the African Cup semifinals.
Egypt fell behind to an early penalty won by Achraf Hakimi and converted by Sofiane Boufal in the seventh minute.
Salah reacted to knock in a rebound to make it 1-1 in the 53rd and sent in a perfect low cross for Trézéguet to tap in near the end of the first half of extra time.
Egypt was left to rely on third-choice goalkeeper Mohamed Sobhy for most of extra time after an injury to Mohamed Abou Gabal, who was already in the team in place of first choice Mohamed el-Shenawy.
Egypt are through to a semifinal against hosts Cameroon, which is a repeat of the 2017 final that was won by Cameroon.
Egypt hasn’t won the African Cup since its record-extending seventh title in 2010. Salah made his debut for the national team the year after that triumph and is still searching for a first major title with his country.
Salah shines as Egypt advances to African Cup semifinals
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Salah shines as Egypt advances to African Cup semifinals
- Salah sent in a perfect low cross for Trézéguet to score the winner against Morocco
- Egypt will face Cameroon in the semifinal, a repeat of the 2017 final which Cameroon won
Ittihad close gap on Al-Ahli in race for third
Karim Benzema may have missed another penalty kick on Friday but Al-Ittihad beat Al-Fayha 3-1 to stay in fourth place and to move within two points of Jeddah rivals Al-Ahli in third in a busy day of action in the Roshn Saudi League.
Despite going behind to a 25th minute penalty that was converted by Abdelhamid Sabiri, one that silenced the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, the defending champions came roaring back to make it a sixth win in seven league games.
It wasn’t looking good however when Benzema, who just returned from an injury that has kept the Frenchman out for the last five games , saw his 20th minute penalty kick well-saved by Vladimir Stojkovic who got down quickly to his right. It was the fourth spot kick missed this season in all competitions by the former Real Madrid marksman.
It got worse five minutes later for the hosts as Ahmed Hegazi brought down Henry Onyekuru in the area and then Sabiri put the visitors ahead.
Five minutes after that and the Tigers were level. A perfect cross from Fawaz Al-Yami from the right found Abderrazak Hamadallah at the far post and the Moroccan marksman made no mistake from close range.
Benzema put his earlier disappointment behind him and was the provider just before the break, slipping a pass through for Ahmed Al-Ghamdi to twist and turn on the right side of the area to put Marcelo Gallardo’s men ahead.
Both teams continued to push forward for the all-important next goal. It went to Al-Ittihad in the 94th minute as Marwan Al-Sahafi sealed what could be a crucial win for the hosts.
It means that A;-Ittihad are now breathing down the neck of their local rivals as Al-Ahli drew 2-2 with Ettifaq in Damman.
Firas Al-Buraikan scored against Tajikistan in 2026 World Cup qualification earlier in the week and he put Al-Ahli ahead after just eight minutes though much of the work came from Riyad Mahrez. The former Manchester City wing wizard put it on the plate for the Saudi Arabian hotshot to score from close range.
Both teams had some clear chances but it was Ettifaq coach Steven Gerrard smiling on either side of the break. Seko Fofana levelled in first half injury time, shooting home from a tight angle. Soon after, the hosts broke at pace and while Moussa Dembele’s shot from the left side of the area took a deflection, it was very much the Frenchman’s goal and it was suddenly 2-1.
The home fans were ready to celebrate a famous victory but with just two minutes remaining Mahrez slipped a clever pass through for Abdullah Al-Ammar to score the equaliser to deny Ettifaq what would have been a famous win. It means however that Al-Ahli stay in third.
Ettifaq stay in sixth but Al-Taawoun moved seven points clear in fifth after a 4-0 defeat of Al-Hazm. Al-Khaleej continue their impressive season with a 1-0 win at Damac.
The top two of Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr are both in action on Saturday.
Kolkata cruise to IPL win in Bengaluru despite Kohli’s 83 not out
- Chasing the home side’s 182-6, Knight Riders reached target with 19 balls to spare
BENGALURU: Virat Kohli batted out the innings for Royal Challengers Bengaluru with his second straight Indian Premier League half-century on Friday but Kolkata Knight Riders still cruised to a seven-wicket victory.
Chasing the home side’s 182-6, Kolkata reached their target with 19 balls to spare when skipper Shreyas Iyer hit an unruffled six off Mayank Dagar.
Their chase was off to a roaring start with Phil Salt (30) and all-rounder Sunil Narine (47) putting on 86 for the visitors, earning fulsome praise from Bengaluru captain Faf du Plessis.
“I just thought they were excellent,” he said. “Really broke the game in the first six overs.”
Narine hit five sixes in his 22-ball knock before Dagar bowled him in the seventh, with Salt following in the next over when he was caught at deep square leg.
Venkatesh Iyer made 50 to keep up the momentum before he was caught by Kohli while Shreyas saw out the innings with his 39.
“On that pitch it was very tough,” Shreyas said. “It was important to assess the pitch and wait for those loose deliveries,” Iyer said.
Kohli notched up 83 and made his 50 off 36 balls, throwing a thumbs-up to the jubilant home crowd, and his knock made him the leading tournament run-scorer since the season began last week.
But a lack of able partners left Bengaluru’s innings a one-man show.
Du Plessis was out for eight at the end of the second over when he scooped a perplexing delivery from Harshit Rana straight into the arms of Mitchell Starc.
Cameron Green was the next top-scorer at 33 but was sent back after when he missed a lightning delivery from Andre Russell crashed off his back pad and into the stumps.
Glenn Maxwell survived two easy catches fumbled by Ramandeep Singh and Narine in consecutive overs.
But Narine had his revenge soon afterwards when he sent a bouncer to Maxwell that was powered to deep point and into the arms of Rinku Singh, who kissed the ball in triumph.
Maxwell finished with 28 from 19 balls while Kohli survived a close run out later that over when a replay showed his sliding dive had put him over the crease in time.
Dinesh Karthik made 20 before being run out by Salt on the last ball with Andre Russell pick of the Kolkata bowlers at 2-29.
Reigning champion Jon Rahm to lead field of Masters winners at LIV Golf Miami
- Seven Masters champions with a combined 10 green jackets to tee off April 5-7
- The field at Doral will not only feature the reigning Masters champion, but four of the top six finishers from 2023
MIAMI: Fans attending LIV Golf Miami will get a sneak peek of the year’s first major as defending Masters champion Jon Rahm and six other past winners take on the Blue Monster at Trump National Doral, April 5-7.
The event — LIV Golf’s fifth tournament of the 2024 schedule — will feature 13 LIV Golf players scheduled to compete at Augusta National the following week, including past champions Phil Mickelson (2004, 2006, 2010), Charl Schwartzel (2011), Bubba Watson (2012, 2014), Sergio Garcia (2017), Patrick Reed (2018) and Dustin Johnson (2020).
Additionally, red-hot Joaquin Niemann, who has already captured two LIV Golf individual titles this season, will compete that week alongside five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, 2022 Open Champion Cameron Smith, 2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, English star Tyrrell Hatton and 2023 DP World Tour Player of the Year Adrian Meronk in their quest for a green jacket.
The field at Doral will not only feature the reigning Masters champion, but four of the top six finishers from 2023, including Koepka and Mickelson, who finished tied for second, and Reed, who tied for fourth. Rahm’s elite performance has continued in his debut season with LIV Golf, where he currently sits second in the individual standings behind Niemann, the Chilean star and Torque GC captain who is excited for the test ahead in Miami.
“It’s a great track,” said Niemann of the Blue Monster. “It’s one of the toughest courses we play around the world. It has everything – you’ve got to hit it long, you’ve got to hit it straight, you’ve got to hit greens and you’ve got to do everything right to have a great week. It pushes you a lot.”
Third in the individual points race is Johnson, who will look to replicate his title success in Las Vegas while being chased closely by a pack of global stars including Paul Casey, Abraham Ancer, Talor Gooch, DeChambeau, Smith and Louis Oosthuizen.
“We’re playing Trump National Doral, which is a fantastic golf course,” Johnson said. “I feel like it will be good preparation going into Augusta — it’s tough, it’s long and you have to use all your clubs in your bag. Anytime you’re playing a challenging golf course going into a major, it’s going be good prep.”
In the team standings, Crushers GC — winners of the last two team events — sit in first place ahead of Torque GC, Smash GC, Legion XIII and Stinger GC as they get set to return to Doral, site of the Crushers’ 2023 Team Championship victory.
As fans gear up for the League’s star-studded event in Miami, LIV Golf is offering its LIV X members a direct say in who plays together. Fans can currently vote on which three of LIV Golf’s seven Masters champions they want to see grouped together for Round One of LIV Golf Miami. Fans may sign up for free to receive an email invitation to select their preferred player groupings, with the top three player selections to play together on April 5.
Newcastle United in dark over Sandro Tonali ban — but Eddie Howe pleads for FA leniency
- ‘Player needs help — not further punishment,’ says Magpies head coach
- Tonali weighs up response to fresh charges as April 5 deadline looms
NEWCASTLE: Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe says he does not know if Sandro Tonali could face a betting ban extension after the Football Association slapped the Italian with further charges.
This week the 23-year-old, who has not kicked a ball since October due to his original ban, was hit with 50 fresh charges about bets placed between August and October, during his time in England.
Tonali is currently serving a 10-month worldwide ban from football after admitting guilt in betting while a player at AC Milan and Brescia. The new charges address his time as a Premier League player.
And while head coach Howe does not know if the FA will look to extend any ban beyond his current August 27, 2024, return date, he hopes they will be lenient for the sake of the player, especially given the charges do not date after he was called in for questioning by Italian authorities.
Howe thinks the player needs help — not further punishment for his battle with addiction.
“We don’t know (what will happen), is the honest answer,” said Howe when quizzed by press at the club’s Benton training base ahead of the visit of West Ham United to St. James’ Park this weekend. “But I certainly hope for Sandro that there are no further consequences.
“He has suffered during this period. He has sought help, he’s been very honest. He has admitted he has an issue, and I think the best thing for Sandro would be to resume his career having taken his punishment and having learned a lot of lessons from this.
“That illness was there and people should look at it that way and not, ‘Let’s throw the book at him and let’s punish him even further’, because I don’t think that gets to the root of the problem. We need to protect all our players because this is something that’s open to everybody and becoming a bigger problem in society, so this isn’t just a problem for Sandro.
“If that ban was extended, we’d still be feeling that pain and so would Sandro, because he wants to play football, and he is in a good place, doing well off the pitch. I think he should be allowed the chance to move forward with his career. I will be hugely disappointed if that ban was extended.”
Newcastle United signed Tonali from Milan in the summer for around $65 million, not knowing that he could be hit by a ban. Does Howe feel let down by his midfielder?
“I don’t feel let down,” he said. “Sandro has an illness. If this was associated with another form of illness, I think there would be a lot more sympathy and understanding. That illness did not stop the minute he moved to England. That illness was still there.
“It was only when everything that had happened — instantly he was very apologetic and sorry for what he had done — that he needed help. We have tried, along with Sandro’s representatives and his family, to get him the help that he needs to recover from this. This is something that won’t go away for him, so he has regular meetings in Italy and in England to deal with the problems that he has.”
The hiding of the addiction has drawn many to question the role of outgoing sporting director Dan Ashworth, whose task it was to make sure due diligence was carried out on any new signings.
Howe has sympathy with all parties in that regard. He said: “When someone has something they want to hide on a personal level from their closest family, there is no way a football club could have known,” he said.
“I think this could happen to any club at any time. Even for us in the future, you just don’t know. It’s very difficult to dig that deep if someone wants to hide something. We will endeavour to do everything possible to ensure in any future transfer there are no problems like this again.”
Tonali has until April 5 to respond to the 50 charges. While it is not known what course of action the FA will seek to take should a guilty plea be entered, it is possible the ban will run concurrently to the one he is serving now. This would see the player still remain on course for an August return to football.
Liverpool target Xabi Alonso says staying as Leverkusen coach
- The 42-year-old Spaniard has Leverkusen on course for a trophy treble, including their first ever German league crown
- “Last week I had a meeting when I informed (Leverkusen’s directors) of my decision to continue being coach of Bayer Leverkusen”
MUNICH: Xabi Alonso, who was seen by many as Liverpool’s top target to replace Jurgen Klopp as their manager, said on Friday he is staying at Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen next season.
The 42-year-old Spaniard has Leverkusen on course for a trophy treble, including their first ever German league crown.
“It’s been a season of speculation regarding my future,” Alonso told a press conference.
“Up till now we have been busy and focused on the season and I wanted to reflect during the international break and take a decision.
“Last week I had a meeting when I informed (Leverkusen’s directors) of my decision to continue being coach of Bayer Leverkusen.”
Alonso said he was still developing as a coach and he felt Leverkusen, his first senior team coaching post, is the best place for him to continue growing.
“At the moment this is the right place for me to develop as a coach, I am a young coach,” he said.
“Right now this is the right place. I have to thank the management.
“The club had been supportive and I feel respected by all departments.”
Alonso has a contract until 2026 but had been linked with moves to Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, all clubs where he spent time as a player, having done a stunning job at runaway Bundesliga leaders Leverkusen.
Leverkusen are unbeaten this term with 34 victories and four draws and are 10 points clear of Bayern Munich and on track for their first ever Bundesliga title with eight games remaining this season.
The former Spain midfielder, who was a member of the side that won the Euro in 2008 and 2012 as well as the 2010 World Cup, is aiming to complete a treble.
Aside from topping the table they are in the final four of the German Cup and the quarter-finals of the Europa League and could potentially meet Liverpool in the final.
Alonso’s coaching experience was limited to the Real Sociedad B team when he was appointed Leverkusen coach in October 2022, but he showed he had natural talent as a coach as he saved them from relegation.
With Alonso out of the race to replace Klopp the frontrunners are believed to be Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim and Brighton’s Italian manager Roberto De Zerbi.
De Zerbi can further impress his potential employers on Sunday as he takes his side to Liverpool and is yet to come off second best against Klopp in four meetings.
Speaking in Liverpool after Alonso had made his announcement, Klopp said he understood his decision.
“He is doing an incredible job there. Leverkusen has a good team and they will probably keep the team together,” Klopp said.
“That’s a possibility and not all years it is like that. So I understand that he wants to do that.”
Klopp shocked the football world when he announced in January he would be standing down from the Liverpool job after a hugely successful nine-year stay.
In 2020 he delivered their first league title since 1990, a year after landing the 2019 Champions League.
Alonso preferred not to comment directly about the Liverpool vacancy or indeed Bayern Munich, who were hoping to attract him to replace Thomas Tuchel, who is leaving at the end of the season.
Tuchel’s departure is a consequence of Alonso’s success — should Leverkusen hold their nerve and lift the Bundesliga trophy it will bring to an end Bayern’s run of 11 successive league crowns.
“I think it wouldn’t be correct of me to talk about other clubs when they are in this situation,” said Alonso, who remains a devoted Liverpool fan and encouraged his son to be one as well.
“For sure there are clubs I have a strong link, I play there. So I respect them. But it’s not correct for me to talk about them right now.
“It’s more that the conviction I am in the right place at Bayer Leverkusen and I want to keep growing with the club, growing with the players.
“I am at this stage in my young career. I had to feel the decision was in a natural way and that’s why I have taken it.”