Messi’s Inter Miami to face Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in Saudi event

Messi’s Inter Miami to face Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in Saudi event
Lionel Messi's Inter Miami will face Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr next February in the Riyadh Season Cup for what could be the final showdown of the global football icons. (AFP/File)
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Updated 21 November 2023
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Messi’s Inter Miami to face Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in Saudi event

Messi’s Inter Miami to face Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in Saudi event
  • Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi is expected to meet Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner
  • Messi, 36, led Argentina to last year’s World Cup crown and has long been a rival of Portugal captain Ronaldo, 38

MIAMI, USA: Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr next February in the Riyadh Season Cup for what could be the final showdown of the global football icons.
Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi, who joined the US squad in July and sparked a championship run in the Leagues Cup against US and Mexican clubs, is expected to meet Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Messi, 36, led Argentina to last year’s World Cup crown and has long been a rival of Portugal captain Ronaldo, 38.
Inter Miami was named the guest international side and will join Saudi Pro League sides Al-Hilal and Al Nassr in next February’s Riyadh Season Cup, but no exact dates for matches at Kingdom Arena in the round-robin competition were announced.
Miami also features Messi’s former Barcelona teammates Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets who combined for five La Liga crowns.
Ronaldo, a five-time Champions League winner, is joined by former Liverpool standout Sadio Mane and former Inter Milan captain Marcelo Brozovic on Al Nassr.
Al-Hilal features Brazil all-time leading scorer Neymar, who is recovering from a knee injury.
Last January, Ronaldo made his first appearance in Saudi Arabia following his move to Al Nassr with a Riyadh All-Star XI that lost 5-4 to a Paris Saint-Germain side featuring Messi, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Sergio Ramos.


Kane limps off as frustrated Bayern held by Leverkusen

Kane limps off as frustrated Bayern held by Leverkusen
Updated 29 September 2024
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Kane limps off as frustrated Bayern held by Leverkusen

Kane limps off as frustrated Bayern held by Leverkusen
  • England captain Kane, who was largely anonymous in front of goal, hobbled off with a foot injury with four minutes remaining after a collision with Leverkusen’s Amine Adli
  • Bayern had been champions for 11 seasons before Alonso’s Leverkusen turned German football on its head last season

MUNICH: Harry Kane went off injured as Bayern Munich were held 1-1 at home by champions Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Robert Andrich put the visitors ahead after 31 minutes in Munich but Aleksandar Pavlovic pulled leaders Bayern level eight minutes later with an incredible long range shot.

England captain Kane, who was largely anonymous in front of goal, hobbled off with a foot injury with four minutes remaining after a collision with Leverkusen’s Amine Adli.

Coach Vincent Kompany said it was “too early” to know the extent of the injury but he was hopeful Kane would be fit for Wednesday’s Champions League clash at Aston Villa.

“I don’t have the exact information but hopefully it’s just a bit of pain and we’ll get him back this week,” said Kompany.

Bayern sporting director Max Eberl added: “When Harry leaves the field it means something because he’s pretty tough.

“(The incident) doesn’t look good, but we hope he’s made out of strong English wood and nothing’s broken.”

Bayern’s Serge Gnabry hit the woodwork twice in the second half, but Leverkusen held on for a draw.

“We deserved more, definitely,” said Bayern captain Manuel Neuer.

“We were clearly the better team and had the better chances. The goal we conceded was frustrating.”

Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso was happy.

“Against Bayern you need to be disciplined and make sacrifices,” he said, adding “that was the style and manner we needed to play here today.

“We were serious, restricted their chances and I’m happy with the point.”

Bayern had been champions for 11 seasons before Alonso’s Leverkusen turned German football on its head last season, becoming the first side to complete an unbeaten league and cup double.

The hosts were completely dominant early with their best chance a 19th-minute free kick which Michael Olize curled inches over.

Leverkusen took the lead against the run of play however, Andrich smashing in a low shot from a corner after a Pavlovic error.

Despite bossing field position, Bayern’s equalizer came through a stunning shot from well outside the box, Pavlovic making good on his error with a superb curling effort.

The hosts started the second half like they did the first, Gnabry hitting the woodwork twice in a matter of seconds after a classy Kane pass.

In the final minutes, both sides seemed content to hold on for a draw, but while Bayern remain three points clear of Leverkusen, Kane’s late injury will be a worry ahead of a packed fixture schedule.

Earlier Benjamin Sesko scored twice in five minutes as RB Leipzig’s young attack combined superbly to beat Augsburg 4-0 at home.

Sesko struck twice and laid on an assist for fellow 21-year-old Xavi Simons, who himself assisted a goal for 24-year-old Lois Openda.

Augsburg’s best chance of the game came when they had a penalty saved midway through the first half.

Leipzig coach Marco Rose credited his team’s “belief in ourselves,” saying “we were anything but happy” after a three-game winless run.

Last year’s runners-up Stuttgart came back to earth after Sunday’s 5-1 demolition of Borussia Dortmund, needing a stoppage-time Deniz Undav goal to snatch a 2-2 draw at Wolfsburg.

Jonas Wind put the Wolves in front 10 minutes in but the visitors equalized late in the first half, Enzo Millot tapping in a rebound after his penalty was saved.

Stuttgart were on the wrong end of a tough call midway through the second half, Atakan Karazor sent from the park for a second yellow despite looking the victim of a foul.

Wolfsburg hit the lead five minutes later through Mohammed Amoura, who escaped a send off through a VAR review. Undav’s late strike saved his side from a tough defeat.

St. Pauli won their first top-division match since February 2011 with a 3-0 victory at a wasteful and unlucky Freiburg.

A double from Elias Saad and a goal from Dapo Afolayan took St. Pauli to victory, with Freiburg having two goals ruled out for offside.

Tomas Cvancara’s goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time gave Borussia Moenchengladbach a 1-0 home win over Union Berlin, ending the latter’s unbeaten league record.

Heidenheim won 2-0 at 10-man Mainz.


Osasuna dismantle Barca’s perfect Liga start

Osasuna dismantle Barca’s perfect Liga start
Updated 29 September 2024
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Osasuna dismantle Barca’s perfect Liga start

Osasuna dismantle Barca’s perfect Liga start
  • The Catalans won all seven of their opening fixtures but Hansi Flick’s rotated side came badly undone in Pamplona

PAMPLONA, Spain: Osasuna shattered La Liga leaders Barcelona’s perfect start to the season with an emphatic 4-2 victory on Saturday.
The Catalans won all seven of their opening fixtures but Hansi Flick’s rotated side came badly undone in Pamplona as Ante Budimir scored a brace either side of Bryan Zaragoza’s strike.
Pau Victor had given Barca a lifeline to pull them back into the game before Budimir bagged his second from the penalty spot.
Abel Bretones added a sensational fourth from the edge of the box, before Lamine Yamal pulled one back with a fine effort of his own.
Victory would have matched Barcelona’s best ever start to a league campaign with eight consecutive wins, but they were not able to build on their four-point lead on second-place Real Madrid.
The Spanish champions visit Atletico Madrid, third, in a derby clash on Sunday.
“It’s normal there are rotations, there are a lot of games, it’s not an excuse,” Barcelona midfielder Pedri told Movistar.
“In the second half we deserved a bit more but we let in goals when we were at our best.”
Ahead of a Champions League match against Young Boys on Tuesday, Flick shuffled his pack.
The coach handed starts to defenders Gerard Martin and Sergi Dominguez as well as Pablo Torre in midfield and Victor in attack.
The coach rested Spain Euro 2024 starlet Yamal and Brazilian winger Raphinha among other regular picks.
As a result Barcelona failed to ignite in the first half and Osasuna winger Zaragoza took center-stage.
Last season Zaragoza struck twice while playing for Granada in a 2-2 draw against Barca, a performance which helped earn him a move to Bayern Munich.
On loan from the German giants, Zaragoza created the opener for target-man Budimir with a fine cross, which the Croatian nodded home with ease in the 18th minute after escaping the attentions of Dominguez.
Zaragoza finished the second himself 10 minutes later after being sent through on goal, with the winger bypassing goalkeeper Inaki Pena with a fine ball roll and then slotting into the empty net.
Barcelona complained there had been a foul on Victor in the build-up but the referee waved their complaints away.
The leaders created little themselves, with the best opening falling to Ferran Torres. However the Spanish winger miscontrolled on the edge of the box and was quickly swallowed up by the Osasuna defense.

Yamal, Raphinha and Ansu Fati warmed up at half-time, with Barcelona needing to turn to their stars to mount a comeback.
Before Flick had time to send them on, Victor pulled Barcelona back into the game.
Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera gave the ball away with a poor throw, intercepted by Martin, who fed Victor.
The forward took an early shot from distance which Herrera, who slipped as he made it back to his goal, should have kept out but could not.
Flick took off top scorer Robert Lewandowski, largely uninvolved, with 20 minutes remaining and moved Torres into the middle to fill the gap.
However Osasuna almost immediately stretched their lead when 19-year-old center-back Dominguez scythed down Budimir in the area as he went to shoot.
The striker buried the penalty with a low effort hit hard enough to beat Pena although he dived the right way.
Ruben Pena wasted a glorious chance to grab a fourth as he ran in on goal but was caught in two minds whether to pass or shoot, and Eric Garcia charged back to dispossess him as he dawdled.
Bretones, on the other hand, was lethal from the edge of the box when he won the ball back and powered an effort past Barca goalkeeper Pena.
Yamal hit back brilliantly from range and teed up Torres who struck the post, but it was too little, too late.
Osasuna rose to sixth and Zaragoza said his team had been determined to beat the leaders.
“We knew Barca were an incredible team, they had won everything and we knew we had to get stuck into it, and that’s how we went out there,” explained the winger.
“It’s a special game and really nice to play in.”


Man City held without Rodri as Palmer’s four-goal haul fires Chelsea

Man City held without Rodri as Palmer’s four-goal haul fires Chelsea
Updated 28 September 2024
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Man City held without Rodri as Palmer’s four-goal haul fires Chelsea

Man City held without Rodri as Palmer’s four-goal haul fires Chelsea
  • City’s second successive draw in the league was especially frustrating as Arsenal moved level on points with them with a last-gasp 4-2 win against Leicester a few hours later
  • Palmer became the first player ever to score four goals in the first half of a Premier League match with a stunning display at Stamford Bridge

LONDON: Manchester City felt the absence of star midfielder Rodri as the Premier League champions were held to a damaging 1-1 draw at Newcastle, while Cole Palmer scored four times in Chelsea’s 4-2 win against Brighton on Saturday.
City’s second successive draw in the league was especially frustrating as Arsenal moved level on points with them with a last-gasp 4-2 win against Leicester a few hours later.
Rodri has been ruled out for the rest of the season after surgery on a knee injury suffered in last weekend’s bruising 2-2 draw with title rivals Arsenal.
Josko Gvardiol put City in front at St. James’ Park, but Newcastle were well worthy of the point given to them by Anthony Gordon’s second-half penalty.
Guardiola described Rodri, who is unbeaten in his past 52 Premier League appearances stretching back to February 2023, as “irreplaceable.”
To fill the void left by the Spaniard, Rico Lewis was thrust into a central midfield role alongside Mateo Kovacic.
But City lacked the control and poise so often provided by Rodri on and off the ball.
“It is always difficult here with their physicality and they defend so deep. We had chances but (Nick) Pope (the goalkeeper) was brilliant so we take the point,” said Guardiola.
“We made bad decisions (with the chances) to make it 2-0.”
At the Emirates Stadium, Gabriel Martinelli put Arsenal ahead in the 20th minute with his first goal this season, the Brazilian winger drilled a low finish inside the far post from Jurrien Timber’s cross.
Martinelli turned provider on the stroke of half-time, setting up Leandro Trossard to stroke in Arsenal’s second goal.
James Justin reduced the deficit with a deflected 47th-minute effort and stunned the Emirates Stadium into silence in the 63rd minute when his thunderous volley cannoned in off the woodwork.
But Mikel Arteta’s men stole the points four minutes into stoppage-time when Trossard’s shot deflected off Leicester’s Wilfred Ndidi for an own goal, with Kai Havertz netting moments later to confirm the victory.
Palmer became the first player ever to score four goals in the first half of a Premier League match with a stunning display at Stamford Bridge.
Former Brighton duo Moises Caicedo and Robert Sanchez were guilty of mistakes when Georginio Rutter put the Seagulls ahead in the seventh minute.
Just moments after hitting the post and then having a goal disallowed, it was third time lucky for Palmer in the 21st minute.
Palmer equalized with a clinical finish after Nicolas Jackson seized on Adam Webster’s mistake to tee up his fellow forward.
When Jadon Sancho was tripped in the area by two Brighton defenders, there was never any doubt that penalty expert Palmer would step up to dispatch the 28th-minute spot-kick with ease.
Palmer completed his nine-minute-and-48-second treble in the 31st minute, curling a brilliant free-kick past Bart Verbruggen from 25 yards to make it five goals in six league games this term.
Carlos Baleba pulled one back in the 34th minute, but Palmer’s incredible afternoon wasn’t over and, in the 41st minute, the England star converted Sancho’s pass with an emphatic strike.
West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek rescued a 1-1 draw at Brentford, who made Premier League history thanks to Bryan Mbeumo’s quick-fire opener.
Under-fire Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui saw his side fall behind after just 37 seconds as Mbeumo’s superb volley made Brentford the first Premier League team to score in the first minute in three consecutive games.
But Soucek swept in West Ham’s 54th-minute equalizer to avoid a fourth defeat in their last five games in all competitions.
Dwight McNeil struck twice in the second half as Everton beat Crystal Palace 2-1 to end their winless start to the league season, just days after the Goodison Park takeover by a group led by American billionaire Dan Friedkin.
Raul Jimenez’s 51st-minute penalty gave Fulham a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest.
Liverpool will go top of the table if they win at Wolves in Saturday’s late game.


Guardiola wants close friend Arteta to explain himself after cryptic comments about Man City

Guardiola wants close friend Arteta to explain himself after cryptic comments about Man City
Updated 28 September 2024
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Guardiola wants close friend Arteta to explain himself after cryptic comments about Man City

Guardiola wants close friend Arteta to explain himself after cryptic comments about Man City
  • Arteta seems certain their relationship won’t be damaged
  • Guardiola, however, might have gotten irritated

MANCHESTER: The friendship between Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta could come under strain with the rivalry between their title-chasing Premier League clubs intensifying in recent days.
Arteta seems certain their relationship won’t be damaged.
Guardiola, however, might have gotten irritated.
Arsenal’s tactics, and use of soccer’s so-called “dark arts,” brought some criticism from a number of City players after the feisty 2-2 draw between the teams last weekend.
Arteta responded rather cryptically by saying he has “all the information” about City owing to his time there as an assistant to Guardiola from 2016-19.
“So I know, believe me,” Arteta said.
Those remarks were sufficiently vague for Guardiola to wonder whether Arteta may actually be alluding to the off-the-field issues at City, which are currently defending themselves against 115 charges of breaching Premier League regulations following an investigation into the club’s financial affairs.
“Next time he has to be more clear exactly what does he mean,” Guardiola said of Arteta. “He said he was here four years and we know exactly what happened here.
“It can be related (to) the process now with 115 charges, maybe it’s about that. He knows information about that maybe, or maybe he has something like ... I don’t know. OK, next time, like a good relation I have with him, hopefully this question has been asked. He can answer exactly what does it mean when he said he was here and ‘I know what’s happening here.’“
Guardiola was speaking Friday in a news conference that took place about the same time as Arteta was holding one at Arsenal’s training base.
Asked about his relationship with Guardiola, Arteta said: “I love him, I respect him, I admire him and I admire his team and everything that he does. This is sport. One thing is our profession, another is our personal relationship.
“If our relationship was damaged because one draws and the other one wins or the amount of times that they’ve beaten us, I would not talk to him anymore. So that’s not our relationship, especially the relationship that I consider both of us have. In sport it will never get in my way, a personal relationship, that’s for sure.”
Guardiola said he feels Arsenal might be provoking his players into a rivalry, picking up especially on post-match comments by Arsenal defender Gabriel.
“Gabriel said it perfectly after the match — so this is a war, we are here to provoke the opponent, to push them,” Guardiola said. “At the end what can you do? OK, you provoke me — I’m there. You want a war? I’ll do a war.”
Arsenal have finished runner-up to City in the league the last two seasons.


Champions Al-Nassr kick off new Saudi Women’s Premier League with win over AlUla

Champions Al-Nassr kick off new Saudi Women’s Premier League with win over AlUla
Updated 28 September 2024
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Champions Al-Nassr kick off new Saudi Women’s Premier League with win over AlUla

Champions Al-Nassr kick off new Saudi Women’s Premier League with win over AlUla
  • Al-Shabab overcame Al-Taraji 4-0 while Al-Ahli comprehensively beat Al-Amal 6-2

RIYADH: Reigning champions Al-Nassr kicked off their defense of the Saudi Women’s Premier League title with a 3-1 win over AlUla in Riyadh on Friday night.

It was one of three matches that got the 2024-25 season underway, with AlUla shocking the home team when they took the lead through Jaine Lemke on 23 minutes. However, Clara Luvanga equalized for Al-Nassr five minutes later to ensure the teams went into half-time on level terms.

Second half goals from Ruth Kipoyi (52) and Lina Boussaha (64) completed Al-Nassr’s comeback.

Meanwhile, Al-Shabab defeated Al-Taraji 4-0 at Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium in Al-Qatif with goals from Fatima Al-Sadah (9), Nataša Andonova (40, 63) and Al-Bandari Mubarak (76).

In Friday’s third match, Al-Ahli completed a comprehensive 6-2 win over Al-Amal at King Fahad Sport City Stadium in Taif to top the table with two more matches remaining in the opening round.

Al-Ahli’s goals came from a hat-trick by Naomie Kabakaba (11, 18, 87) and one each by Elodie Nakkach (45), Ayah Al-Majali (64) and Alice Kusi (71). Al-Amal’s consolation strikes came from Mariam Sidibe (74) and Stephanie Gbogou Tape (85).

On Saturday night, Al-Hilal will welcome Eastern Flames to Inaya Medical Colleges Stadium in Riyadh, while Al-Ittihad will play host to Al-Qadsiah in Jeddah.