https://arab.news/nh3ef
DUBAI: Al-Ettifaq defeated hosts Damac 3-0 in Khamis Mushait on Wednesday in their Saudi Pro League match.
Steven Gerrard’s team took an important victory, with goals from Mousa Dembele in the 22nd and 45th minutes, and Vitinho adding a third in the 83rd minute.
The win takes Al-Ettifaq’s points total to 18, moving them up to 11th in the league table. Damac are currently in 10th with the same number of points but a better goal difference.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday praised all Pakistan Super League (PSL) teams for demonstrating “excellent sportsmanship” in the tournament after Lahore Qalandars lifted the trophy for a third time.
Lahore Qalandars registered a six-wicket win over Quetta Gladiators on Sunday, with Sikandar Raza, who landed in Lahore just ten minutes before the toss, hitting the winning runs.
Needing 13 in the last over to complete a 202-run chase set by Quetta, the 39-year old Zimbabwean completed the task during his seven-ball 22 not out with two sixes and as many boundaries.
In a statement issued from his office, Sharif praised Quetta Gladiators and Lahore Qalandars for their excellent performance in the final match of the tenth edition of PSL.
“Lahore Qalandars successfully achieved the target after a thrilling match,” he was quoted as saying. “All the teams involved in PSL 10 showed excellent sportsmanship.”
Lahore Qalandars won their previous titles in 2022 and 2023.
The prime minister congratulated Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and the PCB administration on the successful conduct of the Twnety20 tournament.
“The prime minister paid tribute to all the players, especially the foreign players, whose participation made this successful event possible,” Sharif’s office said.
The tournament was put into jeopardy following a cross-border conflict between Pakistan and India this month. Both neighbors clashed for four days before agreeing to a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement on May 10.
Pakistan rescheduled PSL after a ten-day break, while the Indian Premier League — the world’s richest cricket tournament — was also interrupted.
LISBON: Sporting Lisbon defeated rivals Benfica 3-1 to claim the Portuguese Cup on Sunday and complete an impressive double after edging out the same opponent on the final day of the league season.
Rui Borges’ side forced extra-time with in-form striker Viktor Gyokeres’ penalty in the 11th minute of stoppage time after Orkun Kokcu sent Benfica ahead in the 47th minute.
Conrad Harder fired Sporting in front after 99 minutes and Francisco Trincao wrapped up the win at the death against their Lisbon rivals.
Sporting’s season was almost derailed when coach Ruben Amorim left to join Manchester United in November and his successor Joao Pereira struggled to get the team firing.
Little over a month later Borges came in and steadied the ship, taking the team to a second successive Portuguese crown before making it a double.
“We almost lost but in the last minute (we saved it), only a great team can do this,” Sporting midfielder Morten Hjulmand told Sport TV.
“It’s an honor to be part of this team, I really enjoy it.”
In the 2024 final, Sporting were beaten by Porto and Hjulmand was happy to rectify that this time around.
“We weren’t completely satisfied last year, we were left with a bit of an empty feeling but now the cup is ours and we want to celebrate,” he said.
It may be the last game Gyokeres plays for the club, with the 26-year-old striker in-demand among Europe’s top clubs after an excellent season, in which he scored 54 goals across all competitions.
“You have to ask him (about his future), he has a contract — if it were up to me he would stay,” added Hjulmand.
NEWCASTLE: Newcastle United squeezed into the Champions League places despite losing 1-0 to Everton at home in their final game of the Premier League season on Sunday, thanks to Manchester United’s 2-0 home win over Aston Villa.
The Magpies, who ended a 70-year domestic trophy drought by beating Liverpool to win the League Cup earlier in the season, ended up in fifth place on 66 points, edging out Villa on goal difference.
Newcastle dominated throughout but were undone by poor finishing and sloppy passing and they were punished for giving away the ball in the center of the pitch in the 65th minute, with Vitaliy Mykoloenko crossing for Carlos Alcaraz to score with a brilliant header.
The home side poured forward late in the second half as they sought to salvage some pride with an equalizer but Everton were in no mood to accommodate them and defended doggedly to the bitter end, finishing their season in 13th place on 48 points.
Meanwhile, Chelsea booked their place in the Champions League as Levi Colwill sealed a 1-0 win that shattered Nottingham Forest’s bid for a top-five finish.
Colwill struck early in the second half at the City Ground to ensure Enzo Maresca’s side returned to Europe’s elite club competition after a two-year absence.
The Blues finished fourth in the Premier League, four points above seventh-placed Forest, who were consigned to the UEFA Conference League after failing in their attempt to play in the Champions League for the first time since 1980-81.
Chelsea won five of their last six league games to earn their Champions League berth despite criticism of Maresca’s conversative tactics from frustrated fans.
With their Champions League fate successfully resolved, Chelsea can focus on winning their first trophy since the Club World Cup in 2022 when they face Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League final on Wednesday.
Leading Chelsea to Champions League qualification and silverware would be a fitting riposte to Maresca’s doubters after a turbulent debut season in charge for the Italian.
Chelsea had won only seven of their previous 18 away league games, in contrast to their impressive record of 12 wins from 19 at Stamford Bridge.
But they rose to Maresca’s challenge after he urged them to prove they could cope with the pressure of a must-win match on the road.
Forest, who were third for several weeks, paid the price for failing to win any of their last four home games.
Despite missing out on the Champions League, Forest’s highest finish since coming third in 1994-95 was an impressive achievement for a club that battled to avoid relegation on the final day of last season.
Forest’s players were greeted by hundreds of fans waving red flares and balloons when they stepped off the team bus, setting the tone for a raucous atmosphere that peaked when Taiwo Awoniyi came onto the pitch just before kick-off.
Awoniyi sustained a serious abdominal injury after colliding with a post against Leicester and has been recovering after being placed in an induced coma following surgery.
Nuno Espirito Santo had urged Forest to use the Nigerian striker’s recovery from his horrific injury as their inspiration.
There was no lack of endeavour from Nuno’s team as they worked tirelessly to rattle Chelsea, but chances were at a premium in a tense clash.
It took Chelsea half an hour to create a chance of note when Pedro Neto shot wastefully over from five yards after Cole Palmer’s cross picked out the winger.
Forest striker Chris Wood squandered a similar opportunity just before half-time as he met Ola Aina’s cross with a volley that flashed over from close range.
With an average age of 24 years and 36 days, Chelsea’s starting line-up was the youngest over the course of an entire season in the Premier League era.
Chelsea’s lack of experience has been an issue at times in a rocky season, but they got the job done in the 50th minute.
Neco Williams’ weak attempt to head clear was seized on by Neto and his low cross reached Colwill for a tap-in at the far post.
MONACO: Lando Norris celebrated his first Monaco Grand Prix win from pole position on Sunday and slashed McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri’s Formula One lead to three points in a race more about strategy than speed.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished runner-up in the home race he won last year, with Piastri third and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen fourth — all four finishing in the order they started.
The afternoon featured two mandatory pitstops for the first time but hopes of more action around the harborside circuit fell short.
Drivers through the field played a waiting game, with Verstappen holding off his final stop until the penultimate lap and those behind biding their time while keeping out of trouble. Norris ultimately lapped all but four cars.
The win was the Briton’s second in eight races and first since the Australian season-opener in March, as well as McLaren’s first at Monaco since 2008.
“Monaco baby!,” he shouted over the radio as the chequered flag finally fell.
“The last quarter was stressful with Leclerc behind and Max ahead but we won in Monaco,” said Norris.
“This is what I dreamed of when I was a kid, so I achieved one of my dreams.”
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was fifth with Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar sixth and Haas’s Esteban Ocon seventh.
Liam Lawson scored his first points of the season for Racing Bulls in eighth place and Williams completed the top 10 with Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz.
Mercedes had a dismal afternoon in the Mediterranean sunshine, after a nightmare in qualifying, with George Russell 11th and Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli 18th and the last car still running.
The virtual safety car was deployed on the opening lap when Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto went into the tire wall at Portier, the turn before the tunnel, as Antonelli passed on the inside.
Bortoleto made it back to the pits and continued.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was the first retirement, the Frenchman crashing into the back of Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull at the tunnel exit on lap nine and limping back to the pits with the front left wheel hanging off.
“Is he an idiot, what is he doing?” exclaimed Tsunoda.
Gasly, who said he had no brakes, almost took out Argentine rookie team mate Franco Colapinto as he careered through the Nouvelle Chicane.
Aston Martin’s double world champion Fernando Alonso was the second retirement, pulling off on lap 38 with a smoking car to continue his scoreless run for the season.
JEDDAH: Al-Ittihad striker Saleh Al-Shehri has returned to full training ahead of the club’s Saudi Pro League title celebrations and their final league fixture against Damac on Monday.
The Saudi international had been sidelined since April 17 with a hamstring injury sustained during a match against Al-Fateh in round 28.
He missed five games during his recovery but trained with the squad on Saturday under the watchful eye of head coach Laurent Blanc.
His return comes as a timely boost for the Jeddah club, which will also welcome back several key players ahead of a crucial fortnight.
French striker Karim Benzema and Algerian midfielder Houssem Aouar are both back from injury, while Brazilian enforcer Fabinho Tavares is available once again after serving a one-match suspension for yellow card accumulation.
Al-Ittihad resumed training on Saturday following a short two-day break, with preparations now focused on Monday’s season finale and the King’s Cup final against Al-Qadsiah on May 30.
With the league title already secured, Blanc’s side will be hoping to finish their campaign on a high before lifting the Roshn League trophy in front of their home fans at the King Abdullah Sports City.
