Al-Ittihad down Al-Nassr at the death to stay top of SPL table

Steven Bergwijn celebrates scoring Al-Ittihad's winner against Al-Nassr (X/@ittihad_en)
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Updated 07 December 2024
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Al-Ittihad down Al-Nassr at the death to stay top of SPL table

  • The 2-1 win leaves the Jeddah club five points clear of champions Hilal

JEDDAH: Al-Ittihad dramatically defeated Al-Nassr 2-1 to move five points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League table. In the final round of games until the start of 2025, an injury-time winner from Steven Bergwijn made the difference to perhaps knock the losers out of the title race for good.

When the big games such as the Classico come around, the big names make a difference, and that is exactly what happened here. Karim Benzema broke the deadlock early in the second half but Cristiano Ronaldo quickly restored parity — the two stars each have 10 league goals for the season so far — for the visitors, and it looked as though that was it.

Yet just as the game was heading for a draw, Bergwijn grabbed the victory to put Al-Ittihad on to 36 points from 13 games. Al-Hilal will move to within two points of the leaders if they win on Saturday. Al-Nassr stay on 25 points and drop down into fourth as Al-Qadsia earlier won 3-0 at Al-Kholood to take third. 

In the first half, Al-Nassr had more of the ball but Al-Ittihad looked more dangerous.

Both teams were feeling each other out in the early stages with the first real attempt coming as Nassr’s Aymeric Laporte headed a free-kick from deep just over the bar in the 19th minute. Only two minutes later, Karim Benzema cut in from the left and let fly from the top corner of the area, but his shot bounced just wide of the opposite post.

Midway through the first half, the hosts had the ball in the net. Benzema caused problems in the box and squared the ball to Bergwijn who slid home from close range, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

In the 27th minute, the Dutchman shot from just outside the area but Bento got down well to make the save. Seconds later, the goalkeeper was flying through the air to push a powerful Benzema effort just around the post.

Al-Nassr were struggling to fashion clear opportunities, but six minutes before the break Marcelo Brozovic picked up possession deep inside his own half and then picked out Sadio Mane with a fantastic through-ball. The Senegalese star took the ball past Predrag Rajovic but went too far wide, slipped and was then dispossessed. 

The match burst into life 10 minutes into the second half. Muhannad Al-Shantiqi ran down the right and provided the perfect low cross to the opposite side of the area where Benzema was waiting in space to pick his spot.

The lead lasted not much more than a minute — indeed, the home fans were still celebrating as Ronaldo became the first player to score against the league leaders in seven games. Angelo found space on the right byline and picked out the incoming Portuguese megastar with a smart pullback and Ronaldo made no mistake to score his 80th goal in total since signing for Al-Nassr almost two years ago.

With 10 minutes remaining, Mane had another chance to get on the scoresheet, but while the former Liverpool and Bayern Munich star timed his run in the area to perfection, he pulled his shot just wide from close range. It is the kind of chance that must be taken against a defense such as Al-Ittihad’s. 

And, sure enough, the punishment came. In the 92nd minute, Bergwijn was allowed to run at the Al-Nassr backline and the Dutchman cut inside from the left edge of the area and then curled a shot past the diving Bento to send the stadium wild. It could end up being a very important goal in the title race.


Al-Hilal slip up again following draw with Al-Riyadh

Updated 58 min 21 sec ago
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Al-Hilal slip up again following draw with Al-Riyadh

  • More ground lost in Saudi Pro League chase

RIYADH: Al-Hilal drew 1-1 with Al-Riyadh on Friday to slump to a second successive draw and lose ground on Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League.

Just six days after drawing 2-2 with Damac, the champions could not find a way to victory and they could fall four points behind Al-Ittihad if the Tigers win on Saturday.

It could have been worse as Al-Hilal could have been more than one goal down at the break.

Mohamed Konate hit the back of the net after 24 minutes. Sekou Lega swung over a beautiful cross from the left and Konate rose high in the area to head past Yassine Bounou. The effort, however, was ruled out for offside.

Konate did net in first-half added time, though, to give the visitors the lead. He ran onto a long ball, chested the ball down on the edge of the penalty area, and then lifted his shot into the back of the net with the classiest of finishes.

Al-Hilal’s players trudged off at the break with manager Jorge Jesus looking less than impressed.

The second half proved better for the hosts but Al-Riyadh had the ball in the net again just before the hour. This time it was Lega who finished smartly in the area but, once more, VAR intervened and it was no goal.

Just moments later, Al-Hilal were level with the sweetest of strikes. Marcos Leonardo’s defense-splitting pass found Salem Al-Dawsari arriving from the left and the winger took one touch inside the area and then slipped the ball past the goalkeeper with ease.

There was more pressure from the home team but they could not quite find the all-important winning goal.

Chances were missed but the home team seemed to have been given a route to victory when Abdulelah Al-Khaibari was ruled to have handled in the box. Referee Ivan Barton pointed to the spot but his decision was reversed following a VAR review.

That was that and Al-Hilal’s mini-slump continued.


Guenther clinches victory with last-ditch move at first Jeddah E-Prix race

Updated 15 February 2025
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Guenther clinches victory with last-ditch move at first Jeddah E-Prix race

  • Nissan’s Oliver Rowland beaten by dramatic last-lap charge

JEDDAH: Maximilian Guenther secured victory in the inaugural Jeddah E-Prix, overtaking Nissan’s Oliver Rowland at the last corner to claim his first win for DS Penske in round three of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Guenther, who started from pole position for the first time since Jakarta 2023, initially led the race but lost places as drivers navigated Formula E’s debut Pit Boost mandatory pit stops.

Rowland, Taylor Barnard, and Mahindra Racing’s Nyck de Vries capitalized on early energy deployment, while Guenther took a more measured approach, conserving power for a late-race push.

That patience paid off. Setting the fastest lap on lap 27, the German driver fought back to second place before launching a dramatic last-lap charge. With a slight energy advantage, he seized his moment on the final chicane, making a decisive move to snatch victory from Rowland just before the chequered flag.

Guenther said: “This means everything to me. It’s the first win with my new team, DS Penske. It was a lot of hard work, a big race but an amazing outcome for us. We lost quite a few places around the pit stop window, but we just stayed calm and did our race. I didn’t expect to come back all the way.

“I thought a podium would have been good, but to do it in the end and to win it is an extra special feeling. I didn’t want to leave it until the last corner but there was no other option — Oli was doing a mega job today, a great race. I believed until the end.”

The victory marked Guenther’s first win since Tokyo last season and broke a 17-race streak in which the pole sitter had failed to convert the start into a victory.

Rowland, despite his disappointment, moved to the top of the Drivers’ Championship standings with 43 points, ahead of Antonio Felix da Costa. Porsche lead the Teams’ Championship by a slim three-point margin over DS Penske, while Nissan top the Manufacturers’ table.

Rowland said: “We had a plan before the race and we executed it pretty well. I’m a little bit disappointed because when I had such a gap, if I’d under-consumed a bit I’d have had enough energy to defend from Max. He caught me napping a little bit and I couldn’t do much in the last corner. Nevertheless, we scored some great points and on to tomorrow.”

NEOM McLaren’s Barnard completed the podium, celebrating a strong third-place finish after starting from P4.

He said: “Starting from P4, a podium was always my hope, but you never know how the race is going to play out. It was the first Pit Boost race as well, so to know that we’ve done the procedure that well as a team, I couldn’t be happier to be P3.”

With round four set to take place in Jeddah on Saturday, the championship battle remains fiercely competitive as the season continues to deliver thrills.


Leverkusen’s Boniface ‘happy’ despite unsuccessful Saudi move

Updated 14 February 2025
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Leverkusen’s Boniface ‘happy’ despite unsuccessful Saudi move

  • Rolfes said on Friday that Boniface was fully focused and did not feel his chance of a big move had passed
  • “He’s very good now and I think he’s happy”

LEVERKUSEN, Germany: Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface is “happy” and “focused” even though a potential January move to Saudi Arabia fell through last month, the German club’s sporting director Simon Rolfes said Friday.
Boniface was left out of training and one matchday squad in January while Leverkusen were set to receive up a reported $73.50m from Saudi side Al-Nassr, according to German media.
Instead, the Saudi club signed Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran.
Boniface, 24, returned to training with the defending Bundesliga champions and has scored two goals in three games, including an extra-time winner in Leverkusen’s German Cup quarter-final win against local rivals Cologne.
Rolfes said on Friday that Boniface was fully focused and did not feel his chance of a big move had passed.
“He’s very good now and I think he’s happy. He’s happy with the guys. That’s what I feel every day when I see him.
“He’s laughing in the locker room with the other crazy guys.
“They have a lot of fun together and he knows he has a bright future, so it’s not a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”
Rolfes, who brought Boniface to the club in the summer of 2023, did not comment on the reported transfer fee or salary, but said it was “normal” for a player and a club to consider big offers.
“He likes the club, the teammates, our ambitions, but for sure when it’s a certain amount in salary the player also starts thinking about it and I think that’s normal and there was never a problem.”
“Sporting-wise, we have no doubt about his quality,” Rolfes said, adding “Xabi (Alonso), myself and the club, we wanted to keep Victor but for a certain amount you have to be open to speak.”
Leverkusen, who qualified directly for the Champions League last 16 and are through to the final four of the German Cup, host league leaders Bayern Munich on Saturday.


Saudi Arabia receives Olympic Council flag in handover as it prepares to host 2029 Asian Winter Games in NEOM

Updated 14 February 2025
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Saudi Arabia receives Olympic Council flag in handover as it prepares to host 2029 Asian Winter Games in NEOM

  • Head of Kingdom’s delegation, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, minister of sports and president of Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, received flag from Timothy Fok

HARBIN, China: Saudi Arabia officially received the flag of the Olympic Council of Asia on Friday, marking the start of its preparations to host the 10th Asian Winter Games in 2029 — the first time a country in West Asia will stage the prestigious continental event.

The handover took place during the closing ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, which hosted the Games this year.

The head of the Kingdom’s delegation, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, minister of sports and president of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, received the flag from Timothy Fok, vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia.

During the ceremony, organizers unveiled the official logo of NEOM 2029, which, according to a ministry statement, draws inspiration from NEOM’s mountainous landscape, symbolizing strength and ambition

The design incorporates dynamic shapes representing the energy and movement of winter sports, while the letter “A” connects the event’s identity to the Asian Winter Games and the region’s futuristic vision under NEOM’s “Future Rings” concept.

In a statement, Prince Abdulaziz welcomed all participating countries, pledging to deliver an exceptional and unforgettable tournament in NEOM.

“The Kingdom is witnessing a major transformation in the sports sector, thanks to the generous support and vision of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This has positioned Saudi Arabia as a leading destination for global and continental sporting events,” he said.

Prince Abdulaziz also thanked the Olympic Council of Asia, led by Raja Rhandir Singh, and to all Asian countries for their confidence in Saudi Arabia’s ability to host world-class sporting competitions.

The closing ceremony was attended by Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang and several prominent international sports figures.


Racing fans meet Formula E drivers at autograph session

Updated 14 February 2025
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Racing fans meet Formula E drivers at autograph session

  • 21 drivers featured at event at Jeddah’s circuit
  • Enthusiast Adel Hasanain got there early to interact with motor racing icons

JEDDAH: Fans at the Jeddah E-Prix were given the opportunity to meet some of motorsport’s biggest stars in person on Friday in a pit-lane walk and autograph session.
Some 21 superstar drivers were featured at the autograph session, all taking time out of their busy schedules to meet fans, have their pictures taken, and sign all kinds of memorabilia.
Hadeer Mohammed, a Saudi student who attended Jeddah’s first race of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship with her friends, told Arab News that she was an enthusiast, and added: “I’m a big fan of both Formula One and Formula E and I was very happy when they announced they would host the Formula E in Jeddah.”
She said she was happy to be given the opportunity to meet the drivers, take selfies and get autographs.
She said: “I just got an autograph of Oliver Rowland and Norman Nato of Nissan.”
The Formula E drivers made themselves available at the fan zone with the teams providing photos, postcards and other goodies.
Adel Hasanain said that he arrived early in the day to interact with the motor racing icons.
He said: “It was an excellent opportunity to meet our favorite drivers. I had the chance to get a signed cap from Jake Dennis and Nico Mueller of the Andretti team, and Jean-Eric Vergne and Maximilian Guenther of DS Penske.”
Fans made the most of the opportunity to obtain autographs and take photographs.
Talal Al-Katheri, an engineering student at King Abdulaziz University, said: “It was a great moment for us today as we got the chance to meet these drivers.
“I am a fan of NEOM McLaren so I got autographs and photos of Sam Bird and Taylor Bernard.
“What a day it was, walking on the track and seeing the participating drivers up close.”