JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia: Cristiano Ronaldo led Saudi Arabian team Al-Nassr to a 4-1 win over Yokohama F. Marinos of Japan in the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League Elite on Saturday.
The 40-year-old scored his eighth goal of the tournament during a dominant first half performance in Jeddah, which is hosting all of the games in the tournament from the quarterfinal stage to the final on May 3.
In Wednesday’s semifinal, Al-Nassr will take on Al-Sadd of Qatar or Kawasaki Frontale of Japan, who meet on Sunday.
Jhon Duran, signed for over $100 million from Aston Villa in January, opened the scoring from close range.
Four minutes later, Sadio Mane doubled Al-Nassr’s lead, the former Liverpool forward firing home a fierce low shot from the left of the area.
There was still time before the break for Ronaldo to give Al-Nassr, looking for a first ever continental title, one foot in the last four. Goalkeeper Park Il-kyu spilled a shot from Marcelo Brozovic and Ronaldo, from close range, was on hand to score his 33rd goal of the season in all competitions.
Duran scored his second and Al-Nassr’s fourth four minutes after the break, and Anderson Lopes grabbed a consolation for the five-time Japanese champion.
Al-Nassr’s Saudi Pro League rival Al-Ahli defeated Buriram United of Thailand 3-0.
The damage was done early. After just four minutes, former Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez scored with a low shot from the right side of the area after Buriram failed to clear. Two minutes later, Brazilian winger Galeno made it 2-0 and Roberto Firmino finished off.
Al-Ahli, a two-time finalist, will take on Al-Hilal, the four-time champion, in an all-Saudi semifinal on Tuesday.
On Friday, Al-Hilal thrashed Gwangju 7-0 with all seven coming from different scorers.
After Al-Hilal’s relatively poor run of form domestically, coach Jorge Jesus was delighted with the result and performance. “We’ve been under pressure in the Saudi Pro League, and the players have shown great focus despite that,” Jesus said.
“Without commitment, we couldn’t have achieved this. I believe we’re on the right path, creating a good atmosphere for everyone involved — players and staff.”
Ronaldo scores and leads Al-Nassr into AFC Champions Elite semifinals
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Ronaldo scores and leads Al-Nassr into AFC Champions Elite semifinals
- In Wednesday’s semifinal, Al-Nassr will take on Al-Sadd of Qatar or Kawasaki Frontale of Japan, who meet on Sunday
Birthday boy Djokovic avenges Arnaldi loss in Geneva
GENEVA: Novak Djokovic overcame soggy conditions on his 38th birthday to beat Matteo Arnaldi on Thursday and reach the Geneva Open semifinals in a tune-up event for Roland Garros.
The former world number one retrieved a break in the second set to claim a 6-4, 6-4 win over the 39th-ranked Italian who dumped him out at the first hurdle in Madrid last month.
Djokovic is hunting the 100th title of his career on the eve of the French Open having not won a tournament since capturing Olympic gold in Paris last August.
“It’s great to be in the semifinals again. Last year I played the semifinals. Hopefully this year I can go at least a step further. That’s the goal,” said Djokovic.
Djokovic, who received a wild card to play in Geneva after skipping Rome, will meet British qualifier Cameron Norrie for a place in Saturday’s final.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion had not won a match on clay this season after also losing his Monte Carlo opener at the start of April to Alejandro Tabilo.
A single break early in the first set enabled Djokovic to take control, but the sixth-ranked Serbian had to rally from 4-1 down in the second.
He drew audible gasps from the crowd when he grabbed his right knee after stretching for a shot in the fifth game.
But Djokovic, who had surgery last year to repair a torn meniscus suffered at the French Open, quickly rebounded and let out a mighty roar as he broke to go 5-4 ahead before putting away Arnaldi.
He said an angry outburst after dropping serve helped him reset as he won the final five games.
“I think I’m playing really, really good tennis,” said Djokovic, who was presented on court with a chocolate cake topped with sparklers after his victory.
“Today it was a lot of tension on the court. A straight-sets win but it was much closer than maybe the score indicates.
“I was 4-1 down in the second. Somehow after that racquet breaking I didn’t lose a game and kind of found my optimal state and balance, mentally and emotionally.”
Norrie ousted Australian fifth seed Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 in the day’s last quarter-final.
Hubert Hurkacz put out top seed Taylor 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) earlier and will play Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner in the other semifinal.
The 128th-ranked Ofner came from behind to beat fourth seed Karen Khachanov 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Raphinha extends Barca deal until 2028
- “Barcelona and Raphinha have reached an agreement for the renewal of his contract,” said the Catalan giants
- Raphinha, a candidate to win the Ballon d’Or, has scored 34 goals and provided 25 assists
BARCELONA: Barcelona winger Raphinha signed a contract extension until 2028 on Thursday after a spectacular season.
The Brazilian, whose previous deal was set to expire in 2027, was vital as Barcelona won a domestic treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
“Barcelona and Raphinha have reached an agreement for the renewal of his contract, which will link him to the club until June 30, 2028,” said the Catalan giants in a statement.
Raphinha, a candidate to win the Ballon d’Or, has scored 34 goals and provided 25 assists in 56 matches across all competitions.
The 28-year-old is the joint top goalscorer in the Champions League with 13, but Barcelona were knocked out in a thrilling semifinal tie against Inter Milan.
He netted a hat-trick in Barca’s group stage win over Bayern Munich and a brace in the recent Clasico win over Real Madrid which took Barca to the verge of their La Liga conquest.
Raphinha’s contract renewal follows coach Hansi Flick’s on Wednesday, with the German penning a new deal until 2027.
Teenage winger Lamine Yamal, 17, is also expected to sign a new contract in the coming weeks.
His agent Jorge Mendes told reporters “he will renew (his deal) soon,” after having lunch with Yamal on the outskirts of Barcelona on Thursday.
Raphinha and Yamal have been devastating on the flanks for Barcelona, either side of veteran striker Robert Lewandowski.
The Catalans have scored 99 goals in 37 La Liga matches and are hoping to pass a century on Sunday when they visit Athletic Bilbao in the last match of the season.
Raphinha arrived in 2022 from Leeds United for around £55 million ($74 million) and helped Barcelona win La Liga in his first season.
However he came close to leaving the club after a disappointing 2023-24 campaign, but was convinced to stay by Flick.
Marsh ton powers Lucknow to IPL upset over Gujarat
- Mitchell Marsh smashed 117 off 64 balls studded with 10 fours and eight sixes to help Lucknow post a formidable 235-2 off 20 overs
- Gujarat, who have already qualified for the playoffs, could only make 202-9 in reply at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad
AHMEDABAD: Mitchell Marsh struck his first Indian Premier League century as Lucknow Super Giants pulled off an upset 33-run win against table-toppers Gujarat Titans on Thursday.
Marsh smashed 117 off 64 balls studded with 10 fours and eight sixes to help Lucknow post a formidable 235-2 off 20 overs.
Gujarat, who have already qualified for the playoffs, could only make 202-9 in reply at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
“We gave 15-20 runs extra. If we’d stopped them at 210-220 it would’ve been better, that was a huge difference,” said Gujarat skipper Shubman Gill.
“Getting momentum back will be key in the next game.”
Lucknow were playing for pride after being eliminated from the playoffs.
Gujarat lost in-form opener and the tournament’s highest run-getter Sai Sudharsan for 21, caught by Aiden Markram off Will O’Rourke, who ended with figures of 3-27.
Sudharsan’s opening partner Gill looked in good touch before he was caught in the deep by Abdul Samad off Avesh Khan for 35.
Jos Buttler (33) tried to steady the innings but was dismissed by Akash Singh in the 10th over.
Shahrukh Khan (57) and Sherfane Rutherford (38) revived hopes of a comeback but O’Rourke took two wickets in the 17th over to seal Gujarat’s fate.
“We had a lot of fun out there, T20 is fickle,” said O’Rourke.
Earlier, Marsh combined with Markram to give Lucknow a steady start, putting on 91 runs for the opening wicket after Gujarat won the toss and elected to bowl.
Markram (36) hit fellow South African Kagiso Rabada for two sixes in a row before being caught by Shahrukh near the boundary off Sai Kishore.
Marsh continued his onslaught at the other end, hitting Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan for 25 runs in his first over of the game.
The right-hander, who raced to his century off just 56 balls, was finally caught by a diving Rutherford off paceman Arshad Khan for 117.
Nicholas Pooran also impressed, making an unbeaten 56 runs off 27 balls with four fours and five sixes.
Lucknow’s struggling skipper Rishabh Pant made 16 not out.
The IPL resumed last Saturday after being paused due to a deadly conflict between India and Pakistan, forcing overseas players to revisit their season plans.
Pulisic leads list of US absentees for Gold Cup
- Pulisic plans to take a break following a demanding season with his Serie A club
- Fellow Milan midfielder Yunus Musah and Fulham defender Antonee Robinson were also left out of the squad
ROME: AC Milan’s Christian Pulisic will miss next month’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, leading a group of notable absentees from Mauricio Pochettino’s 27-man US squad announced on Thursday.
Pulisic plans to take a break following a demanding season with his Serie A club, where he featured in 49 matches across all competitions, tallying up 17 goals and 12 assists, while dealing with some minor injuries.
“Christian and his team approached the federation and the coaching staff about the possibility of stepping back this summer, given the amount of matches he has played in the past two years at both the club and international level with very little break,” US Soccer Sporting Director Matt Crocker said in a statement.
“We made the collective decision that this is the right moment for him to get the rest he needs. The objective is to ensure he’s fully prepared to perform at the highest level next season.”
Fellow Milan midfielder Yunus Musah and Fulham defender Antonee Robinson were also left out of the squad, while Juventus pair Weston McKennie and Tim Weah, along with Borussia Dortmund’s Gio Reyna, will be unavailable due to their clubs’ participation in the Club World Cup in the US which starts on June 15.
Defenders Alex Freeman and Quinn Sullivan, midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and forward Damion Down have all received their first senior call-ups.
“As we continue preparations for the World Cup, this is a fantastic opportunity to work with this group of players for an extended period and it’s important we take advantage of every moment,” Argentine manager Pochettino said.
“Of course, we want to win and to perform in a very good way. These players have earned the chance to compete for our fans and to show their quality and mentality.”
The US host Turkiye on June 7 before facing Switzerland three days later, with both friendlies serving as warm-ups ahead of the Gold Cup which runs from June 14 to July 6 in the US and Canada.
PSG sporting director Campos extends contract to 2030
- Campos “will oversee the sports strategy of the whole QSI group“
- His existing deal was due to expire at the end of this season
PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Luis Campos has extended his contract with the French giants in a boost to the club ahead of the upcoming Champions League final.
In a statement issued on Thursday, PSG’s owners Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) announced that Campos had renewed his contract “for an additional five years until 2030.”
Campos, who is from Portugal and began working with PSG in an official role of football adviser in 2022, “will oversee the sports strategy of the whole QSI group.”
That includes Braga, who finished fourth in this season’s Portuguese league and in whom QSI holds a minority stake.
Campos’s existing deal was due to expire at the end of this season and the announcement is welcome news for PSG as they prepare for the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Munich on May 31.
Before that they face Reims in the French Cup final on Saturday as they bid to complete a clean sweep of the domestic honors in France for the second season running.
Campos previously worked at Monaco and at Lille and has overseen the successful squad rebuild at PSG following the shift away from the superstar approach that led to the signings of Neymar and Lionel Messi.
