BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund’s 17-year-old forward Youssoufa Moukoko has reportedly been included in Germany’s preliminary squad for the World Cup.
Union Berlin midfielder Rani Khedira, Borussia Mönchengladbach defender Luca Netz and Werder Bremen forward Niclas Füllkrug — who is joint top scorer in the Bundesliga with eight goals — all made coach Hansi Flick’s preliminary list, German tabloid Bild said Tuesday.
National team coaches had to submit their selection of up to 55 players before a deadline of Oct. 21 to ensure their eligibility for the tournament, which starts Nov. 20. Any players who don’t make the preliminary selections will not feature in Qatar.
Moukoko has scored four goals and set up three more in 10 Bundesliga appearances so far for Dortmund this season. Khedira, the younger brother of 2014 World Cup winner Sami Khedira, has started every Bundesliga game for Union and helped the modest club surprisingly lead the table. The 19-year-old Netz is seen as a good prospect for the future.
There have been calls for Flick to include Füllkrug in the final squad as the Bremen striker’s strong physical presence creates opportunities for teammates. The 29-year-old Füllkrug has eight goals and three assists in the Bundesliga so far.
Bild only reported 44 names. It wasn’t clear if Flick had included more. The Germany coach is due to announce his 26-player final squad on Nov. 10 and didn’t want his initial selection published.
Germany have their last World Cup warmup game against Oman on Nov. 16. The four-time champion have been drawn in Group E and play Japan on Nov. 23, Spain on Nov. 27, and Costa Rica on Dec. 1.
Moukoko, 17, in Germany’s preliminary WCup squad
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Moukoko, 17, in Germany’s preliminary WCup squad
- Moukoko has scored four goals and set up three more in 10 Bundesliga appearances
- 19-year-old Luca Netz is seen as a good prospect for the future
Al-Hilal win tightens Saudi Pro League title race
- The 3-2 victory over Al-Khaleej leaves Al-Hilal a single point behind Riyadh rivals Al-Nassr, who play on Saturday
DUBAI: The gap at the top of the Saudi Pro League table was cut to just one point on Friday night, following Al-Hilal’s 3-2 win over Al-Khaleej.
Simone Inzaghi’s team leapfrogged Al-Taawoun into second place to remain the closest challengers to Al-Nassr in the title fight, with the leaders set to host Al-Okhdood on Saturday.
Al-Hilal opened the scoring on 18 minutes when Mohammed Kanno met Hamad Al-Yami’s lay-off on the edge of the penalty area, his long-range shot beating Al-Khaleej goalkeeper Anthony Moris at his left-hand post.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic doubled the lead on 39 from Malcom’s assist to leave the visitors with a mountain to climb in the second half. Al-Hilal looked to have secured all three points comfortably when Malcom made it 3-0 on 57 minutes, but Al-Khaleej had other ideas.
Joshua King’s goal on 79 minutes looked to be nothing more than a consolation, but five minutes later Al-Hilal were left sweating after Giorgos Masouras cut their lead to a single goal. The visitors’ revival was short-lived, however, with no more additions to the score.
The defeat leaves Al-Khaleej in eighth place, with three matches still to be played on Saturday.
Earlier on Friday, Al-Taawoun briefly climbed to second place in the table after an away win against Al-Kholood at Al-Hazem Stadium. Their goals came from Christopher Zambrano after 22 minutes and a William Troost-Ekong’s own goal in the 75th; Al-Taawoun ended the match with 10 men after Muteb Al-Mufarrij was sent off in stoppage time, but the three points were already secured.
Al-Hilal’s win later in the day meant Al-Taawoun dropped to third, while Al-Kholood sit in 12th.
The first match of the day saw Al-Fateh shock reigning Asian champions Al-Ahli with a 2-1 win, after falling behind at home to Valentin Atangana’s 22nd-minute goal. However, the home team turned the match around with two goals from Maria Vargas either side of half time.
The win saw Al-Fateh rise to 14th while Al-Ahli stayed in fourth.
