BARCELONA, Spain: Barcelona mortgaged its financial future to give Xavi Hernández the talent he wanted.
But Rayo Vallecano showed Xavi he still has work to do to forge a winning team after his new-look Barcelona was held to a 0-0 draw on Saturday in their Spanish league opener.
The modest club from Madrid frustrated Robert Lewandowski and his fellow Barcelona newcomers by defending well and producing the most dangerous scoring threats. As the minutes ticked by, the energy drained from the 81,000-strong Camp Nou crowd that had turned out to cheer the team that was only made possible by the constroversial decision by club president Joan Laporta to sell off television rights and other assets in exchange for some much needed cash.
The biggest applause Lewandowski heard from the crowd was to show their appreciation for his hustle on defense late in the match with Barcelona stymied in attack. The closest the former Bayern Munich star went to scoring was a header flicked well over the bar in the first half.
Fittingly, given its poor finish to the match, Barcelona ended with 10 men after Sergio Busquets got a second booking in stoppage time when he swung his arm into the face of Rayo substitute Radamel Falcao. Busquets’ explusion will rule him out of Barcelona’s visit to Real Sociedad. Falcao then had what looked to be a winner waived away for offside as Rayo went close to claiming a third straight win over Barcelona after it stunned the Catalan club twice last season.
“It is too bad because we wanted to show our fans that we are on the right path,” Xavi said. “We had generated a lot of expectations, but this is just the beginning. Today is disappointing for every Barcelona supporter, but we have to keep our faith in this way of playing as being the right one to win titles.”
Lewandowski, winger Raphinha and defender Andreas Christensen, who also joined Barcelona this summer, all made Xavi’s starting 11. The three players along with fellow newcomer Franck Kessié and the recently re-signed Ousmane Dembélé and Sergi Roberto were only declared eligible to play by the Spanish league on Friday after Barcelona sold yet another stake in its in-house production company to improve its troubled financial balance.
The delicate state of Barcelona’s finances meant that it was unable to register Jules Koundé, its top defensive signing, in time for the season opener.
Xavi had said the demands placed on him and his team were higher this season because of the effort the club had made to give him a lot more talent after Barcelona won nothing last campaign following the exit of Lionel Messi.
But Xavi still has a way to go to create a team as well-honed as Andoni Iraola’s Rayo, which for a third meeting in a row held Barcelona without a goal. Iraola’s team, led by midfielders midfielders Isi Palazón and Óscar Trejo, erased all the passing lanes for Lewandowski. Barcelona was unable to find the answer through Raphinha and Dembélé, who both wasted the one good chance they each got.
Barcelona’s best chance came from late substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whose goal-bound shot was saved by defender Alejandro Catena in the 85th.
Previously, Barcelona had needed goalie Marc-Andre Ter Stegen to keep the game scoreless.
Ter Stegen closed out quickly to block Álvaro García’s point-blank shot after the forward had streaked away down the left flank and cut back past the sliding Ronald Araújo just before halftime.
Barcelona had another scare early in the second half when Sergio Camello pounced on a ball lost by Araújo. Again Ter Stegen came to the rescue, forcing Camello into taking a shot from a narrow angle that trickled just past the far post.
“My team played tense and with nerves. I had tried to tell them that the pressure was on me,” Xavi said. “But Rayo played well and closed off our passing game. They executed their game plan.”
Iraola, a former Athletic Bilbao player who has impressed as a coach, said his team played well enough to claim another victory at Camp Nou.
“I think we played a great match. I am not satisfied because we wanted a win. It is too bad we couldn’t take the three points,” he said. “Maybe they had more chances, but we had three or four clear opportunities. I am happy for the effort of my team and for having neutralized a great rival.”
New-look Barcelona held 0-0 by Rayo in Lewandowski’s debut
https://arab.news/pbdmb
New-look Barcelona held 0-0 by Rayo in Lewandowski’s debut
- Fittingly, given their poor finish to the match, Barcelona ended with 10 men after Sergio Busquets got a second booking in stoppage time when he swung his arm into the face of Rayo substitute Radamel Falcao
Koepka leads by 2 after second day of LIV Golf Singapore
- Smash GC lead team competition by one stroke from Ripper GC
SINGAPORE: For the third time in the last 18 LIV Golf regular-season tournaments, Brooks Koepka will take a three-shot lead entering the final round, this time thanks to a brilliant 7-under 64 in Saturday’s rain-delayed second round at LIV Golf Singapore.
When the Smash GC captain held such an advantage the previous two times, he closed the deal in Orlando and Jeddah last year. Given that the five-time major champion has found his form as his PGA Championship title defense looms later this month, it will be a big challenge for his Singapore pursuers to catch him.
Koepka’s Smash GC teammate, defending Singapore champion Talor Gooch, described the task succinctly: “Hard.”
But, he added, not impossible. “Winning golf tournaments is never easy,” Gooch said. “We all know that. Hopefully, we can make it not easy on him. Hopefully, I can make it not easy on him tomorrow.”
Koepka is at 12 under for the tournament, with Fireballs GC’s Abraham Ancer, Cleeks GC’s Adrian Meronk and the RangeGoats GC duo of Thomas Pieters and Matthew Wolff tied for second at 9 under. Four other players are another shot back – Gooch, Ripper GC’s Lucas Herbert and Marc Leishman, and HyFlyers GC’s Cameron Tringale.
If Koepka converts the three-shot lead into another victory, he will become the first LIV Golf player to win four individual tournaments. He also has a chance to lift two trophies on Sunday if his Smash team can convert its one-shot lead over the Rippers into the team title.
Although he’s playing with plenty of confidence, Koepka is taking nothing for granted.
“Anything is possible,” he said. “Gooch is trailing. He plays this place pretty well. I’ve just got to go out and do what I do, and from there, you can get beat. I have no problem with that if I get beat. But I just want to go out and play good golf, and that’s all I want to do, especially leading into the PGA.”
That good golf was evident following the 4 hour 45 minute weather delay that pushed the shotgun start back to the afternoon. After three pars to start his round, Koepka birdied the par-5 fourth when he threaded his second shot between a row of palm trees, his ball finishing just off the green.
That was the first of three consecutive birdies, and he finished his bogey-free round with four birdies in his last seven holes. A two-shot sequence seemed to epitomize his day — a 53-foot birdie putt on the 13th, then a near-ace on the 14th.
“Brooks was faultless today,” said Pieters, one of his playing partners on Saturday with first-round leader Sebastian Munoz. “I assume he’s going to do the same tomorrow, and it’s going to take a very low one from those of us behind him to win.”
“He’s comfortable being in the lead,” added Wolff, a former Smash teammate who was traded in the offseason to the RangeGoats. “He’s playing good. I think this golf course actually suits him really well. I’ll do what I can control, and other than that, just see what happens.”
Koepka has his wife Jena and nine-month-old son Crew in Singapore with him this week. It’s the third tournament Crew has attended, the first being LIV Golf Miami and the second at the Masters. His father finished T45 both times.
“I was reminded of that on the way over here,” Koepka said. “Hopefully get a little better result.”
Team Counting Scores
Standings and counting scores for Saturday’s second round of the team competition at LIV Golf Singapore. The three best scores from each team count in the first two rounds while all four scores count in the final round. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds wins the team title.
SMASH GC -23 (Koepka 64, Gooch 66, Kokrak 71; Rd. 2 score -12)
RIPPER GC -22 (Smith 65, Herbert 67, Leishman 67; Rd. 2 score -14)
RANGEGOATS GC -21 (Wolff 65, Pieters 67, Uihlein 70; Rd. 2 score -11)
T4. CLEEKS GC -20 (Meronk 66, Bland 68, Kaymer 69; Rd. 2 score -10)
T4. FIREBALLS GC -20 (Ancer 67, Garcia 68, Chacarra 69; Rd. 2 score -9)
LEGION XIII -17 (Hatton 68, Rahm 68, Vincent 68; Rd. 2 score -9)
STINGER GC -14 (Oosthuizen 69, Burmester 70, Schwartzel 70; Rd. 2 score -4)
T8. CRUSHERS GC -13 (DeChambeau 66, Howell III 66, Lahiri 69; Rd. 2 score -12)
T8. HYFLYERS GC -13 (Mickelson 68, Tringale 68, Ogletree 71; Rd. 2 score -6)
T8. TORQUE GC -13 (Niemann 69, Munoz 70, Pereira 70; Rd. 2 score -4)
4ACES GC -12 (Varner III 67, Reed 68, Johnson 70; Rd. 2 score -8)
IRON HEADS GC -10 (Vincent 66, Na 70, Kozuma 72; Rd. 2 score -5)
MAJESTICKS GC -7 (Poulter 68, Stenson 68, Westwood 71; Rd. 2 score -6)
Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli help Bengaluru stay in IPL play-off race
BENGALURU: Skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru hammer Gujarat Titans by four wickets for their third successive IPL win on Saturday.
Chasing a modest 148 for victory, Du Plessis, who hit 64, and Kohli, who made 42, laid the foundations with a stand of 92 in 35 balls as the target was achieved with 6.2 overs to spare at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Du Plessis’ departure triggered a collapse as Gujarat hit back with wickets from Joshua Little and Noor Ahmad to have the opposition in trouble at 117-6 when Kohli was dismissed.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik, who hit 21, and Swapnil Singh, who made 15, made sure there was no more drama as they steered the team home in an unbeaten stand of 35.
“It was important we didn’t look at the scoreboard when we went out to bat and try and play the way we play,” said Du Plessis.
“It was a bit nerve-wracking, another wicket, another wicket. Probably not the best but you’re trying to be positive, get your net run-rate up.”
Bowlers set up victory after pace spearhead Mohammed Siraj removed the openers including skipper Shubman Gill early and Gujarat lost regular wickets to be bowled out for 147 in 19.3 overs.
Siraj returned figures of 2-29 to be named man of the match but the pace bowler said he nearly missed the game after being “sick since last night.”
It was Bengaluru’s fourth win and third on the bounce in 11 matches as they jumped from the bottom of the table to seventh and keep their slim play-off hopes alive.
Gujarat’s hopes are also hanging by a thread as they slumped to their seventh loss in 11 matches.
“Very important to start from zero in our next match and move on from this game,” Gill said. “Learn from mistakes and not repeat them. All about winning from here on.”
Kohli, who reclaimed the top batting spot with 542 runs, came out roaring as he hit Mohit Sharma for two sixes in the opening over of the chase and Du Plessis soon joined in and moved ahead to raise his fifty in 18 balls.
The South African veteran smashed 10 fours and three sixes in his 23-ball blitz before being dismissed by Ireland left-arm quick Little.
Little took two more wickets including Glenn Maxwell for four as Bengaluru slipped to 107-4.
Little sent back Cameron Green and then Noor’s left-arm wrist spin silenced the home crowd when he had Kohli caught behind, but the hosts had the last laugh when Singh hit the winning six.
Earlier put into bat, Gujarat went three down for 19 inside six over before big-hitter Shahrukh Khan, who top-scored with 37, stood strong in a 61-run stand with David Miller, who hit 30 off 20 balls.
Left-handed Rahul Tewatia hit a 21-ball 35 and put on another key stand with Rashid Khan to add respect to the total.
2 Saudi players knocked out on day 1 of Saudi Smash 2024 table tennis tournament in Jeddah
- Ali Alkhadrawi creates chances but is unable to take advantage of them as he loses in three games to Japanese professional Maharu Yoshimura
- Abdulaziz Bu Shulaybi faces tough test against Lin Gaoyuan of China, and is on receiving end of a masterclass from a player considered one of the best in the world
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia suffered an early setback at the Saudi Smash 2024 table tennis tournament at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on Saturday, when Abdulaziz Bu Shulaybi and Ali Alkhadrawi were eliminated in the first round of the men’s singles competition.
Ali Alkhadrawi was first to fall, defeated by Japanese professional Maharu Yoshimura, who won three games straight to progress to the round of 32.
Competing in front of a home crowd, and with pride etched on his face, Alkhadrawi put up a brave fight. He got off to good start, opening up a 6-3 lead in game one, and had his chances in the third, too, including three game points. However, Yoshimura rallied on both occasions, showing great character as he recorded victories of 11-9, 11-4 and 15-13 to deny the local hero.
Bu Shulaybi, a wildcard entrant to the event, faced a tough test against Lin Gaoyuan of China, who is considered one of the best players in the world. He gave it his all but also lost in three games, ending up on the receiving end of a masterclass in the game as the No. 6 seed comfortably won 11-4, 11-2, 11-4.
Verstappen wins sprint race at Miami Grand Prix
- The reigning three-times world champion and current championship leader led from pole and was never challenged after a chaotic opening lap
- Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez was third as the world champions gave themselves a points boost ahead of qualifying later on Saturday
MIAMI GARDENS, United States: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen cruised to victory in the Miami Grand Prix’s sprint race on Saturday finishing a full 3.3 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
The reigning three-times world champion and current championship leader, who is looking for a third straight Grand Prix victory at Miami on Sunday, led from pole and was never challenged after a chaotic opening lap.
Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez was third as the world champions gave themselves a points boost ahead of qualifying later on Saturday.
Dutchman Verstappen held off Leclerc’s strong start to secure his place at the front but there was plenty of action and incident in the middle of the pack.
Haas’s Kevin Magnussen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton jousted hard but in the end the Dane picked up three penalties, adding 25 seconds to his time, after frequently leaving the track and gaining advantage.
Hamilton also received a penalty, leaving him outside the points positions in 16th after speeding in the pit lane.
The safety car was brought out after the first lap which saw a start line incident involving Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll and Lando Norris.
But away from those skirmishes, it was business as usual for Verstappen, who adds another eight points to his season tally with the victory.
“I think my engine wasn’t good in the start and so then I had to speed it a bit, luckily everything worked out in turn one,” said Verstappen.
“Then we had the safety car just to calm things down a bit after that. Steadily we could increase the gap a little bit, but it wasn’t entirely perfect so we still have a bit of work to do,” he added.
“We can still fine tune the car a little bit, so hopefully we can improve for later on in qualifying and especially for tomorrow in the race.”
Future champions shine as Riyadh hosts junior Asian tennis contest for first time
- Tournament featured 57 leading female and male junior players from 20 countries
RIYADH: The Asian Tennis Federation’s 14&U Grade A tournament concluded on Saturday in Riyadh, the first event of its kind to be held in the Kingdom.
The tournament was hosted by the Saudi Arabian Tennis Federation at the Mahd Academy, and featured 57 leading female and male junior players from 20 countries, including Iran, India, Hong Kong and Thailand.
The “A” category is the highest-grade system within the ATF, with the winner of the singles competition earning 1,200 points.
The week’s top winners were Dharma Pantaratorn from Thailand and Kiyarash Sadghi from Iran.
Many of the junior players, such as 12-year-old Aylara Kakabayeva from Turkmenistan, were visiting Saudi Arabia for the first time.
“I took seventh place. It was really good. It feels very good playing here. It feels like you’re playing in a pro tournament like the Grand Slam,” she told Arab News.
The tournament proved to be a meeting point for the youth taking part. Saudi national team player Hamza Elmansoury, 11, said that his best moments were making “friends from different nationalities like Georgian India, Syria and Iran.”
Saudi tournament referee Reham Almansour said: “My favorite part was seeing and watching these talented players coming from all around Asia.”
The tournament is part of the STF’s drive to develop and promote competition for local talents.
STF development officer Pablo Mosquera said that the event allowed local players to get ranked without traveling long distances and making huge investments.
“So, they have, basically, in their backyard, an opportunity to get points,” he said.
“The whole point about tennis is bringing everyone together, especially in these international tournaments, especially the age group of under 12 or 14,” STF technical director, Hassan El-Aroussi added.
The federation plans to host more international tournaments, particularly junior competitions, in cooperation with the International Tennis Federation.
These expansive goals are driven by “our love of tennis,” El-Aroussi said.
