Make-or-break time for Saudi’s hopes of automatic World Cup qualification

Analysis Make-or-break time for Saudi’s hopes of automatic World Cup qualification
Salem Al-Dawsari celebrates scoring Saudi's goal in the 1-0 win over China. (X/@SaudiNT)
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Updated 24 March 2025
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Make-or-break time for Saudi’s hopes of automatic World Cup qualification

Make-or-break time for Saudi’s hopes of automatic World Cup qualification
  • Green Falcons need a result against Japan in Tokyo if top-two finish in the group is to remain realistic target

LONDON: Tuesday could make or break Saudi Arabia’s quest for automatic qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Any result in Japan, the toughest fixture in Asia, as coach Herve Renard admitted, is a good one. A win, however would have belief surging among the Green Falcons and send a message to the other teams in their AFC qualifying group. Defeat would not be a disgrace but could be a blow that almost ends hopes of a top-two finish.

That 1-0 win over China last Thursday was not just welcome and needed, but put Saudi Arabia third in Group C with nine points, one behind Australia. Those two are likely going to be the ones fighting it out for that second automatic spot now that Japan has already qualified.

Missing out does not mean the end of the North American dream, but while some teams would welcome finishing third and fourth and then progressing to another stage of qualification, Saudi Arabia, seeking a seventh World Cup appearance, is not one of them.

There is some good news. Japan are through with 19 points from seven games. Coach Hajime Moriyasu has said that he will try to win the three remaining matches, and while there was never a suggestion that the Samurai Blue would take it easy, there is no doubt that the pressure is off and the intensity on the pitch and in the stands will not be quite as high. Japan do not need to win.

There may even be a little experimentation from Moriyasu as he takes a look at some of the other squad members. There are already fitness doubts over English Premier League star winger Kaoru Mitoma as well as Ayase Ueda and Hidemasa Morita. Any suggestion that Japan will be below strength would be welcomed by the visitors.

China could also lend a helping hand. Australia are a point ahead of the Saudis with a far superior goal difference after thrashing Indonesia 5-1, and take on Team Dragon in Hangzhou. After the action at Saitama Stadium finishes, whatever the result, fans back in Riyadh, Jeddah and elsewhere will be tuning in to the goings-on in China, willing the hosts to get a point or even three. It is not just about the points, but erasing Australia’s goal difference advantage. There may come a time when this becomes crucial. 

How Japan set up and how Australia get on may be on the minds of fans, but the most important factor is how Saudi Arabia approach this game. Renard’s best result in charge was that 2-1 win over Argentina at the 2022 World Cup when the team played with courage and skill.

Noises coming out of the camp as they touched down in the east (that long journey could be a factor but there is nothing that can be done about that) is that the coaching staff want a slow start in Saitama to try to calm things down in the opening period of the game — the worst thing that could happen is Japan taking an early lead.

At some point, there has to be aggression and ambition. Going to Japan and defending deep for 90 minutes is unlikely to work. In eight games in 2024, the Blues scored 32 (including that 2-0 win in Jeddah). There were 34 scored in the eight before that including a 4-1 win over Germany in Germany. 

Saudi Arabia have been practising attacks from wide positions, looking to get behind the hosts. The injury to Roma right-back Saud Abdulhamid, who made the goal last week, does not help in that regard. Midfielder Mohamed Kanno is another big miss, as is defender Hassan Kadesh, carried off against China.

That win in Riyadh was promising as well as deserved. The major criticism was that too many of the chances made were wasted but, after four previous qualifiers without a goal, at least the opportunities were there to begin with.

Salem Al-Dawsari was the man who made the difference once again and there is also good news in that midfielders Nasser Al-Dawsari and Musab Al-Juwayr look to be fit and ready.

Japan are not going to sit back, which will mean plenty of defending to do but also opportunities to attack. Just how well Saudi Arabia manage both will determine whether this goes down as a glorious result and a big step toward the 2026 World Cup, or something a little different.


Alcaraz into French Open third round as Swiatek and Sabalenka cruise

Alcaraz into French Open third round as Swiatek and Sabalenka cruise
Updated 25 sec ago
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Alcaraz into French Open third round as Swiatek and Sabalenka cruise

Alcaraz into French Open third round as Swiatek and Sabalenka cruise

PARIS: Reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz overcame a minor blip to reach the French Open third round on Wednesday as women’s title rivals Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka made short work of their opponents.
Second seed Alcaraz came through 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 against Hungarian Fabian Marozsan to earn his 17th win in 18 matches on clay this season.
“Second set, he started to play better and he didn’t miss a lot so it was a little bit difficult to deal with his game,” said Alcaraz.
“I’m really happy I stayed strong and refreshed myself. In the third set, I started to play better and better which helped me have a really good last two sets.”
Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam winner, goes on to face Bosnian journeyman Damir Dzumhur for a place in the last 16.
In the women’s draw, Swiatek continued her bid for a fourth straight Roland Garros crown as she outclassed fellow former US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
The Pole beat Raducanu 6-1, 6-2 to make it five wins in as many meetings with the Briton. She racked up her 23rd consecutive victory at Roland Garros to improve her career record at the tournament to 37-2.
Swiatek is bidding to become the first woman to win four consecutive French Open titles since Suzanne Lenglen 102 years ago.
The 23-year-old arrived in Paris under a slight cloud, having not reached a WTA final since lifting the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen last year, but has made serene progress through the first two rounds.
“Honestly, I just love playing here. This place inspires me and that makes me work harder,” said Swiatek, who also captured the trophy as a teenager in 2020.
The fifth seed will play Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian for a place in the last 16.
Swiatek’s slide down the rankings has left her in the same half of the draw as world number one Sabalenka, last year’s runner-up Jasmine Paolini and Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen.
Sabalenka shook off a sluggish start to blow past Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann.
After dropping serve early in the first set, Sabalenka won 11 of the final 12 games to power to a 6-3, 6-1 win.
“It doesn’t matter what the scoreboard says, she really made me work for every point,” said Sabalenka, who has conceded just five games through two rounds.
The Belarusian has never reached the French Open final and is hoping to banish the memories of a painful quarter-final loss to Mirra Andreeva in 2024.
Paolini moved into the third round as she brushed aside Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3, 6-3 to stretch her winning streak to eight matches following her triumph at the Italian Open.
The fourth seed from Italy advances to play Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva.
Zheng punched her ticket to the last 32 with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Colombia’s Emiliana Arango.
The Chinese star faces another Grand Slam debutant in the next round, 18-year-old Victoria Mboko of Canada.
Other seeds to progress included former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, Elina Svitolina and Amanda Anisimova.
Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open winner, rallied to win in three sets, but Russian 11th seed Diana Shnaider lost to Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska.
Twice former French Open runner-up Casper Ruud was the biggest casualty on Wednesday, crashing out in four sets to Portugal’s Nuno Borges.
Seventh seed Ruud won the first set against world number 41 Borges but was hampered by a knee injury as he slumped to a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 defeat.
“I actually felt it quite early in the first set,” said Ruud, uncertain whether he would be fit for Wimbledon. “It’s hopefully nothing too serious.”
There were no such problems for in-form Italian eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti, who raced past Colombian lucky loser Daniel Elahi Galan 6-4, 6-0, 6-4.
Musetti has reached at least the semifinals in all three Masters 1000 events on clay in 2025. He will next play Argentina’s Mariano Navone.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 20th seed, suffered his earliest French Open exit in seven years as the 2021 runner-up lost in four sets to Matteo Gigante.
The Italian qualifier goes through to face Ben Shelton, who received a walkover as Hugo Gaston pulled out with an injury.
Denmark’s Holger Rune, the only man to beat Alcaraz on clay this year in the Barcelona final, beat American wild card Emilio Nava 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 in the night match.


Egypt’s Al Ahly earn record-extending 45th league title

Egypt’s Al Ahly earn record-extending 45th league title
Updated 25 min 10 sec ago
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Egypt’s Al Ahly earn record-extending 45th league title

Egypt’s Al Ahly earn record-extending 45th league title

CAIRO: Al Ahly clinched a record-extending 45th Egyptian Premier League title with a 6-0 rout of Pharco after Wesam Abou Ali scored four goals in their final game on Wednesday.
Abou Ali also provided the assist for the fifth goal, scored by Hussein Elshahat, with Imam Ashour wrapping up the win in added time as Al Ahly earned a third consecutive league crown.
The win brings Al Ahly’s tally to 58 points, two ahead of their closest rivals Pyramids.
Local media reported that Pyramids have gone to the Court of Arbitration for Sport demanding three points to be deducted from the champions for failing to show up for a match against arch-rivals Zamalek.
The Egyptian Professional Football Club Association had punished Al Ahly with a three-point deduction for not playing the match in March – after the club’s request for foreign officials was turned down – but backed down after the Cairo-based club complained to the local Olympic Committee.


Chelsea roar back to beat Real Betis in UEFA Conference League final

Chelsea roar back to beat Real Betis in UEFA Conference League final
Updated 31 min 18 sec ago
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Chelsea roar back to beat Real Betis in UEFA Conference League final

Chelsea roar back to beat Real Betis in UEFA Conference League final

WROCLAW: Chelsea roared back to beat Real Betis 4-1 in the UEFA Conference League final in Wroclaw on Wednesday, becoming the first club to claim all four major European trophies.
Manuel Pellegrini’s enterprising Betis caught the favorites cold in Poland through an early goal from Abde Ezzalzouli but Enzo Maresca’s team were a changed side in the second half.
Two goals in five minutes changed the complexion of the game, with man-of-the-match Cole Palmer creating both openings for Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Jackson.
Substitute Jadon Sancho made the game safe in the 83rd minute, finishing from an tight angle and Moises Caicedo added gloss to the scoreline.
It means Chelsea become the first club to win the full set of Champions League, Europa League, Conference League and the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup.
It is also the first silverware for the club since Todd Boehly’s consortium took over from former owner Roman Abramovich in 2022, following an era of unprecedented success for the club.
After a bright start from both sides, Betis broke the deadlock in the ninth minute through Ezzalzouli, who scored the goal against Fiorentina that took his side to the final.
Malo Gusto lost the ball in midfield and Betis surged forward. Captain Isco produced a clever pass to find Ezzalzouli on the edge of the box and the Moroccan drilled a left-footed shot across Filip Jorgensen.
Minutes later Marc Bartra tried his luck from distance as Betis pressed for a second, but this time Jorgensen was equal to the task, producing a flying save.
Urged on by their massed ranks of fans at Wroclaw stadium, Betis went close again when Johnny Cardoso’s shot from inside the box was deflected behind by Benoit Badiashile, with Chelsea clinging on.
The Premier League side were enjoying the bulk of possession but struggling to create meaningful chances, with Betis defending well and Isco, a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, pulling the strings.
As half-time approached Betis goalkeeper Adrian raced off his line to deny Enzo Fernandez but Chelsea went in at half-time goalless.
Maresca brought on Chelsea captain Reece James for the struggling Gusto at the break.
The Betis boss was forced a change when goalscorer Ezzalzouli was forced off, with Jesus Rodriguez coming on to replace him.
Chelsea were level in the 65th minute following a fine move down the right after Cole Palmer produced a fine cross to pick out Fernandez.
The midfielder got between two defenders to head the ball down and past Adrian.
Suddenly Chelsea’s tails were up and the fans behind the goal were in full voice.
In the 70th minute Palmer produced some magic on the edge of the box before producing a delightful cross which hit Jackson’s chest and went in.
Jackson should have scored a second goal but a heavy touch allowed Adrian to gather.
But Sancho made it 3-1 when he combined with fellow substitute Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Caicedo added a fourth.
Victory for Chelsea breaks an astonishing cycle of wins for Spanish teams.
Taking into account World Cups, European Championships, Champions League and the UEFA Cup/Europa League, of the previous 27 men’s finals involving Spanish teams, all 27 had had Spanish winners.
Four Spanish club sides had been defeated in that time, but in all cases by fellow La Liga sides.
Earlier, the center of Wroclaw was packed with fans from both clubs, with green-and-white clad Betis fans outnumbering their English rivals.
Poland’s interior minister said police made 28 arrests after supporters clashed in the city’s market square.


Italian flag flies high on damp French Open day

Italian flag flies high on damp French Open day
Updated 28 May 2025
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Italian flag flies high on damp French Open day

Italian flag flies high on damp French Open day
  • Italians Jasmine Paolini, Lorenzo Musetti surge into third round; Ruud in shock exit

PARIS: Italians Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti lit up a damp day at Roland Garros as they both surged into the third round of the French Open with commanding victories, while two-time runner-up Casper Ruud suffered a shock exit on Wednesday.

Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz then survived a minor scare as the Spaniard beat unseeded Hungarian Fabian Marozsan 6-1 4-6 6-1 6-2 to advance.

Fourth seed Paolini, a surprise runner-up last year, barely put a foot wrong on Court Philippe-Chatrier as she brushed aside Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic 6-3 6-3.

The diminutive Italian, who is trained by Rafael Nadal’s former mentor Marc Lopez, even paid homage to the Spaniard’s newly installed footprint on court before delivering a polished display in front of a sparse crowd.

“It’s hard to play against Ajla; she’s very aggressive but I tried to mix it up and play aggressively myself,” said Paolini.

Musetti continued his claycourt resurgence with a clinical 6-4 6-0 6-4 dismantling of Colombian lucky loser Daniel Galan on court Simonne Mathieu.

The eighth seed, a finalist in Monte Carlo and semifinalist in Madrid and Rome, overcame patchy weather to extend his recent successes on clay.

“It was a solid performance from the beginning until the end,” said Musetti, whose confidence has soared since reaching the Monte Carlo final last month. “After that, I felt like another player. The results in Madrid and Rome confirmed this step forward.”

Ruud, the seventh seed and runner-up in Paris the last two years, saw his campaign unravel in spectacular fashion as he fell 2-6 6-4 6-1 6-0 to Portugal’s Nuno Borges.

The Norwegian appeared in control after claiming the opening set but faded as Borges took command, with Ruud requiring a medical timeout for a calf issue before being bagelled in the fourth.

Borges, 28, will next face Alexei Popyrin, who eased past Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo in straight sets.

China’s Zheng Qinwen, the Paris 2024 Olympic champion on these courts, powered past Emiliana Arango of Colombia 6-2 6-3. The eighth seed’s big-hitting game proved too much for the world number 85, though Zheng had to overcome some mid-match turbulence.

“It was not easy to finish the points,” Zheng admitted. She now faces Canadian 18-year-old qualifier Victoria Mboko, who continued her dream run with a 6-4 6-4 win over Germany’s Eva Lys in her Grand Slam debut.

Earlier, former French Open semifinalist and 16th seed Amanda Anisimova brushed aside Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic 6-0 6-2 in 55 minutes to march into the third round.


Saudi Arabia’s brightest e-sports stars to reach greater heights on global stage

Saudi Arabia’s brightest e-sports stars to reach greater heights on global stage
Updated 28 May 2025
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Saudi Arabia’s brightest e-sports stars to reach greater heights on global stage

Saudi Arabia’s brightest e-sports stars to reach greater heights on global stage
  • Red Bull will serve as the Falcons’ official performance partner during the 2025 Esports World Cup
  • The collaboration aims to support players at the highest competitive levels

RIYADH: One of the world’s premier electronic sports organizations, the Falcons, signed on Wednesday a landmark partnership with Red Bull, giving Saudi Arabia’s brightest e-sports stars the wings to reach greater heights on the global stage.

The partnership reflects a shared mission to push boundaries in gaming, e-sports, and entertainment by introducing bold, youth-driven ideas that align with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, said a media statement.

Red Bull will serve as the Falcons’ official performance partner during the 2025 Esports World Cup, taking place in Riyadh from Jul. 7 to Aug. 24, added the statement.

The collaboration aims to support players at the highest competitive levels by enhancing physical and mental performance and providing an ideal environment for creativity and professionalism in the gaming arena.

Official performance partner for the Esports World Cup
Central to this effort is the Athlete Performance Center, where cutting-edge training, fitness, and recovery programs are tailored specifically for e-sports athletes, as Musaed Al-Dossary, known professionally as Msdossary, personally experienced in 2021 as part of his quest to develop his own outstanding skills.

With two main facilities in Salzburg and Los Angeles, and a global network, the center offers training and performance development opportunities for a wide range of athletes, wherever they are in the world, under the best conditions and supervision of a skilled team of medical experts and coaches.

A center for developing bright talents
Red Bull supports ambitious youth around the world through a series of initiatives, including this facility. Prominent athletes have experienced this center, including Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen, Austrian Grand Slam tennis champion Dominic Thiem, Dakar Rally winner Sam Sunderland, as well as Saudi motorsport star Dania Akeel.

A new era of esports excellence
Co-founded by Saudi e-sports icon Msdossary, the Falcons have already carved out a dominant international presence. With major championship titles under their belt, the team has set a new benchmark for Middle Eastern representation in competitive gaming.

Making history
The Falcons made headlines by winning the inaugural Esports World Cup in 2024, hosted in Riyadh. Competing in top titles like “Call of Duty: Warzone” and “Free Fire,” they outperformed nearly 500 teams and 1,500 pro players from across the globe.

Their groundbreaking win in a major “Dota 2” championship marked a milestone, not just for the Falcons, but for the entire Middle East e-sports scene. It showcased the region’s growing talent pool and its ability to compete on the global stage.