DOHA: Musab Al-Battat has led Palestine on the pitch with his all-action performances and off it as the voice of a team who have battled the odds to reach the Asian Cup knockout rounds for the first time.
The 30-year-old captain will be the man his team look to once again for inspiration when Palestine face hosts and reigning champions Qatar in a daunting last-16 tie on Monday.
Palestine’s first time in the knockout rounds of the regional championship was sealed with their first ever victory in the tournament, 3-0 over Hong Kong.
The attacking defender set up two of the goals and was named man of the match.
“He is the kind of captain who leads by example,” said Bassil Mikdadi, founder of the Football Palestine website.
“The story or the journey of Palestinian football over the last 10 years can be told through Musab Al-Battat,” added Mikdadi.
The right-back made his international debut in 2013 and is at his, and the team’s, third Asian Cup.
The side ranked 99 in the world have progressed into the next round despite a deeply troubled build-up overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war in the Palestinian territory of Gaza.
Some of the players have lost loved ones and have family trapped in Gaza. The team trained and played matches abroad in the build-up to their third Asian Cup.
As skipper and a highly respected senior player, Battat has been the public voice and face of the team in Qatar.
Wearing the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh headscarf along with his team tracksuit, he emerged at the opening ceremony to deliver the players’ oath in front of more than 80,000 spectators.
Normally it would be the host nation’s skipper who does it.
On the eve of Palestine’s first game, which ended in a 4-1 defeat to Iran, Battat described what being at the Asian Cup meant to him and his team-mates.
“We as players are part of the Palestinian people and live through the same suffering as the people,” said Battat.
Battat plays for his hometown club of Shabab Al-Dhahiriya SC in the West Bank Premier League and, except for a period in Egypt, has spent his whole career in Palestinian football.
He has won 61 caps, scoring once and making six assists, since his debut over a decade ago.
He has played every minute of the Asian Cup campaign and won more tackles than any other play at the tournament with 12, according to stats experts Opta.
He has also created seven chances — second only to Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in, with eight for South Korea.
Battat set up two of the goals against Hong Kong, flying down the right to deliver pinpoint crosses on both occasions which ended in headed goals.
Added to a 1-1 draw against the UAE, it was enough to advance to the next stage as one of the four best third-placed teams in the group phase.
“He’s softly spoken but there’s a ton of respect for him because of the work he puts in,” Mikdadi told AFP in Doha.
“He’s the toughest trainer on the pitch, super professional, takes care of his body, gets the right amount of sleep, eats right.
“He’s the type of personality that people gravitate to because when they know it’s time to get serious and get down to work, they look toward what he is doing and they follow his lead.”
Battat was named man of the match against Hong Kong but, after delivering another captain’s performance, said that it was not about personal accolades.
“We believed in our group (of players) and team spirit,” he said.
“Reaching the last 16 showcased the spirit of the Palestinian players and we aim to maintain this spirit for future success.”
Skipper Battat leads Palestine on and off pitch at Asian Cup
https://arab.news/mwtdp
Skipper Battat leads Palestine on and off pitch at Asian Cup
- Palestine’s first time in the knockout rounds of the regional championship was sealed with their first ever victory in the tournament, 3-0 over Hong Kong
- The attacking defender set up two of the goals and was named man of the match
Harry Kewell’s Yokohama edge Hernan Crespo’s Al Ain in Asian Champions League final first leg
- Yokohama made a bright start in front of almost 55,000 home fans
- The second leg will be played in the UAE in a fortnight’s time
YOKOHAMA: Harry Kewell’s Yokohama F-Marinos fought back to claim a narrow Asian Champions League final advantage over Hernan Crespo’s Al Ain on Saturday with a 2-1 first-leg win in Japan.
Mohammed Abbas scored in the 12th minute for United Arab Emirates side Al Ain but Yokohama’s Asahi Uenaka levelled midway through the second half before substitute Kota Watanabe grabbed the winner six minutes from time.
The second leg will be played in the UAE in a fortnight’s time.
Kewell and Crespo were meeting as coaches almost 20 years after facing each other as players in the UEFA Champions League final in Istanbul.
Crespo was part of the AC Milan side that took a 3-0 half-time lead before Kewell’s Liverpool famously came back to draw 3-3 and then win on penalties.
Kewell has led Yokohama to their first Champions League final only four months after taking over at the Japanese club.
Al Ain are the UAE’s most successful club and they are playing in the final for the fourth time, having won it in 2002 and reached the decider in 2005 and 2016.
Yokohama made a bright start in front of almost 55,000 home fans and Elber and Yan Matheus both had attempts at goal within the first five minutes.
But Al Ain threw a spanner in the works with the opening goal just over five minutes later when Abbas stuffed home the rebound after goalkeeper William Popp had denied Soufiane Rahimi.
The UAE side thought they had scored a second in the 30th minute when Matias Palacios fired the ball between Popp’s legs, only for a VAR check to rule it out for offside.
Yokohama had several chances to get back on level terms and Al Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa had to tip a Takuya Kida shot onto the crossbar with one of them.
Nam Tae-hee then missed a gilt-edged opportunity in first-half injury time with the goal at his mercy.
Yokohama were much scrappier in the second half but they got their equalizer when Matheus’s cross picked out Uenaka to head home in the 72nd minute.
Yokohama substitute Watanabe put the ball in the net again in the 84th minute only to be flagged for offside.
But the goal was allowed to stand after a VAR check, giving Yokohama a precious lead to take into the second leg.
amk/tym
Neymar left off Brazil’s squad for Copa America. 17-year-old Endrick is included
- Neymar, who plays for Saudi club Al-Hilal and is recovering from a torn ACL, was expected to be omitted from the tournament in the US in June and July
- The 17-year-old Endrick, who will soon join Real Madrid, scored for Brazil in a 1-0 win over England at Wembley Stadium and in a 2-2 draw against Spain at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in March
RIO DE JANEIRO: Neymar was left off Brazil’s squad for the Copa America on Friday and teenage striker Endrick was included.
Neymar, who plays for Saudi club Al-Hilal and is recovering from a torn ACL, was expected to be omitted from the tournament in the US in June and July.
The 17-year-old Endrick, who will soon join Real Madrid, scored for Brazil in a 1-0 win over England at Wembley Stadium and in a 2-2 draw against Spain at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in March — the national team’s only matches since Dorival Junior took over as coach in January.
Striker Richarlison and midfielder Casemiro, who were starters for Brazil at the last World Cup in Qatar, also didn’t make the cut.
Brazil will play friendlies against the US and Mexico ahead of the tournament.
At the Copa America, Brazil will play in Group D with Costa Rica, Colombia and Paraguay.
Brazil squad:
Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Manchester City) Bento (Athletico Paranaense)
Defenders: Danilo (Juventus), Yan Couto (Girona), Guilheme Arana (Atletico Mineiro), Wendell (Porto), Beraldo (Paris Saint-Germain), Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain), Eder Militão (Real Madrid), Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Andreas Pereira (Fulham), Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), João Gomes (Wolverhampton), Lucas Paquetá (West Ham)
Forwards: Endrick (Palmeiras), Evanilson (Porto), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Raphinha (Barcelona), Savinho (Girona), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Vinícius Junior (Real Madrid)
Mbappe confirms he will leave PSG at end of season
- Mbappe’s arrival in the capital as a teenager in 2017 came after he had helped Monaco win the league title
PARIS: Kylian Mbappe confirmed on Friday that he will leave French champions Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, with Real Madrid widely expected to be his next destination.
The announcement brings an end to a prolific association with his hometown team, which began when he signed from Monaco in 2017 in a deal worth 180 million euros ($194 million).
“I wanted to announce to you all that it’s my last year at Paris Saint-Germain. I will not extend and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks,” Mbappe, 25, said in a video posted on social media.
“I will play my last game at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.”
PSG have already secured the Ligue 1 title, their 10th in the last 12 seasons, and the Qatar-owned club will pick up the trophy after Sunday’s game against Toulouse, which will be their last of the campaign on home turf.
Luis Enrique’s side were eliminated from the Champions League by Borussia Dortmund in the semifinals on Tuesday when a 1-0 loss in the second leg at home sealed a surprise 2-0 aggregate defeat.
It means Mbappe will be denied the send-off he had hoped for in the Champions League final at Wembley on June 1 and will end his seven-year spell at PSG without ever having won Europe’s elite club competition.
Mbappe informed PSG privately in February of his intention to depart when his contract expires at the end of the current campaign.
The 2018 World Cup winner had never confirmed publicly he was leaving, though, far less said where he will be going next, but it appears certain that he is bound for Real Madrid.
Spanish media have claimed for several months that Mbappe has signed an agreement which would see him join the Liga champions in July once his PSG deal runs out.
“It’s a lot of emotions, many years where I had the chance and the great honor to be a member of the biggest French club, one of the best in the world,” said Mbappe.
“It allowed me to arrive here, to have my first experience in a club with a lot of pressure, to grow as a player of course, by being alongside some of the best in history, some of the greatest champions,” he added.
“It’s hard and I never thought it would be this difficult to announce that... but I think I needed this, a new challenge, after seven years.”
Mbappe’s arrival in the capital as a teenager in 2017 came after he had helped Monaco win the league title.
After initially joining PSG on loan, his transfer fee became — and still is — the second largest in football history.
It came just weeks after PSG paid a world-record 222 million euros to sign Neymar from Barcelona.
PSG have dominated French football since their 2011 Qatari takeover, but despite also adding Lionel Messi to their line-up for two seasons, European success has remained tantalisingly out of reach for a club that has spent billions on some of the world’s best players.
The closest they came was the 2020 Champions League final defeat by Bayern Munich, when PSG academy graduate Kingsley Coman scored the winning goal against his former club.
The defeat to Dortmund this week ruled out the prospect of Mbappe facing his likely future employers, 14-time European champions Real Madrid, in this year’s final.
Mbappe did not find the net in that tie but has scored 43 goals in all competitions this season, with 26 of those coming in Ligue 1.
He will still hope to add to his club-record tally of 255 goals for PSG and win another medal in the French Cup final on May 25 — Mbappe has so far won six Ligue 1 titles, three French Cups and the now defunct League Cup twice in his seven years at his hometown team.
After Sunday’s game, PSG will complete their league campaign with away matches at Nice and at relegation-threatened Metz, before Mbappe wraps up his career with the club in that Cup final in Lille.
Mbappe was frozen out at the start of the campaign with the club putting pressure on him to sign a new deal or agree to be sold rather than simply run down the last year of his contract.
His relationship with PSG boss Luis Enrique has also come under the spotlight since he told the Qatar-owned club of his plans to leave earlier this year.
Now the worst-kept secret is out and Mbappe’s departure follows that of Messi and Neymar at the end of last season, which left PSG in a period of transition, but the loss of the France captain is an even greater blow.
Time running out for Arsenal as Man City hunt Premier League glory
- Arsenal, boasting a superior goal difference, need City to stumble but the signs are not promising
- Newcastle and Chelsea are both making a late-season charge for a European place, helped by Manchester United’s slump
LONDON: Arsenal have barely put a foot wrong in the Premier League in 2024 but, as the title race approaches the finish line, they desperately need a favor from Fulham, who host relentless Manchester City this weekend.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, who travel to Manchester United, are one point clear at the top of the table with two matches to play but Pep Guardiola’s men, crucially, have a game in hand.
Nottingham Forest will take a huge step toward safety if they beat in-form Chelsea, who are battling Newcastle and Manchester United for a European spot.
Here’s a look at three talking points ahead of the action.
When the 2023/24 fixture list came out, Sunday’s trip to Manchester United would have seemed a tricky task for Arsenal, but it is not looking that way now.
The Gunners, chasing their first Premier League title for 20 years, are likely to have been dislodged from the top of the table by the time they kick off at Old Trafford on Sunday.
That is because second placed City, in the hunt for a historic fourth straight Premier League title, are in action at Fulham the previous day.
City are unbeaten against the London side in 21 games in all competitions.
Arsenal will be confident they can beat a sputtering United team, who appear increasingly likely to miss out on European football next season after their embarrassing 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace on Monday.
City’s game in hand is next week at Tottenham, where they have never even scored a goal in the league, but Spurs’ form has deserted them and Erling Haaland is back to his marauding best.
Arsenal, boasting a superior goal difference, need City to stumble but the signs are not promising.
Newcastle and Chelsea are both making a late-season charge for a European place, helped by Manchester United’s slump.
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle are in pole position to take either a Europa League or UEFA Conference League spot, depending on results in the last few rounds of the Premier League and in the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Manchester United.
They could even finish in fifth spot if Tottenham implode further.
Sixth-placed Newcastle, who host Brighton on Saturday, have won five of their past seven league games.
Free-scoring Chelsea were well off the pace just weeks ago, but a run of one defeat in their past 12 league games has given them hope of salvaging a troubled season.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men travel to relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest knowing a win will keep alive their hopes of a European spot.
Nottingham Forest learned this week that an appeal against their four-point penalty for breaching Premier League financial rules had been unsuccessful, but they are still close to securing top-flight safety.
If Forest better Luton’s result against West Ham they will be on the brink of securing a third straight year in the top-flight.
It has been a rollercoaster season for Forest, who were charged with improper conduct by the Football Association earlier this month after the club criticized VAR Stuart Attwell on social media following their defeat to Everton.
Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo said he had “already moved on” after the failed appeal over their points deduction.
They are favorites to avoid the drop but if results go against them this weekend, they could yet face a shootout for survival with Burnley on the final weekend.
Fixtures
Saturday (1400 GMT unless stated)
Fulham vs. Man City (1130), Bournemouth vs. Brentford, Everton vs. Sheff Utd, Newcastle vs. Brighton, Tottenham vs. Burnley, West Ham vs. Luton, Wolves vs. Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest vs. Chelsea (1630)
Sunday
Manchester United vs. Arsenal (1530)
Monday
Aston Villa vs. Liverpool (1900)
Yokohama’s Kewell and Al-Ain’s Crespo meet again for a continental title. This time it’s in Asia
- Victory in Asia could send the Sydney-born coach back into Europe
- Crespo, who won league titles in England and Italy as a player with Chelsea and Inter Milan, has already had success as a coach
TOKYO: Harry Kewell and Hernan Crespo will shake hands as head coaches with the Asian title on the line on Saturday, almost two decades after facing each other when Liverpool met AC Milan in the famous 2005 UEFA Champions League final.
Kewell is now in charge of Yokohama F. Marinos, the Japanese club hosting Al-Ain of the UAE on Saturday in the first leg of the Asian Champions League final series.
He was the victor in ‘05 when Liverpool recovered from a 3-0 deficit to triumph in a penalty shootout. Crespo scored two goals for Milan in Istanbul that day but ended as a losing finalist. He’s hoping to lift the Asian trophy at Al-Ain after the second leg on May 25.
Unlike Al-Ain, continental title winner in 2003 and finalist in ‘05 and ‘16, Yokohama has never before reached this stage of the continental club championship.
Kewell has led the five-time J.League winner through the knockout stages, including a comeback victory over Ulsan HD of South Korea in the semifinals.
After a 1-0 first leg loss in the semifinals, the 45-year-old Kewell — the third successive Australian to take charge of Yokohama following Ange Postecoglou and Kevin Muscat — invoked the spirit of Liverpool’s historic comeback 19 years ago.
“I was part of a special team that night that was able to come back from a scenario where a lot of people thought it was dead and buried,” Kewell said. “It just goes to show that a game is never finished, especially when you’ve got a hunger and a desire in a team.
“And I see that hunger and desire in this team to go out there and do something magical.”
Kewell’s coaching career is yet to reach the heights of his time as a player who starred for Leeds United and Liverpool in the English Premier League and represented Australia at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. A stint with Crawley Town in England’s fourth division in 2017 was the first of his three short-term jobs head coaching before he arrived at Barnet, where he was fired after just seven games in 2021.
Invited by Postecoglou to join the coaching staff at Scottish giant Celtic in 2022, Kewell worked as an assistant there until he took over at Yokohama last December.
Victory in Asia could send the Sydney-born coach back into Europe.
Crespo, who won league titles in England and Italy as a player with Chelsea and Inter Milan, has already had success as a coach .
After winning trophies in South America, he led Al-Duhail to the 2023 Qatar league title. The season was blighted by a heavy 7-0 loss to Al-Hilal in the semifinals of last season’s Asian Champions League.
With Al-Ain, the 48 year-old Crespo got the better of the Saudi club at the same stage last month, winning 5-4 on aggregate in the semifinals.
Al-Ain went into that semifinal series on the back of a victory over another Saudi club — Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.
“We talk so much about the two teams we eliminated because we were underdogs in the quarterfinals and semifinals, and we went through,” Crespo said. “We always need to say thankyou to the players, congratulations to the players. They believe, they work hard, they fight, and they deserve to go through … I’m very happy to be part of it.”
