PARIS: England and Germany cruised and World Cup champions Spain downed Portugal on matchday three in the women’s Nations League on Friday.
First-half headers from Lucy Bronze and Millie Bright set England on the road to beating Belgium in Bristol, with maiden Lionesses goals from Aggie Beever-Jones and Keira Walsh and substitute Jess Park also contributing to the lop-sided 5-0 win.
The two sides meet again next Tuesday in Leuven with England manager Sarina Wiegman firmly focused on her side’s European Championship title defense and an event further ahead.
“Now, of course, every game is competitive, but you have to win because we want to get in the best possible position for the World Cup draw too,” Wiegman said.
“I would never be complacent. We’ll bring the team on the pitch that we think at that moment is the best team to play against Belgium.”
World champions Spain downed Portugal 4-2 to go second by one point to England in group A3.
Germany were also in trigger happy mood, routing Scotland at Dundee’s Tannadice Park 4-0.
Scotland conceded their first goal with less than a minute on the clock after a terrific strike from Elisa Senss.
The hosts responded well and were in the match until Scotland’s Germany-born defender Sophie Howard’s own goal.
The top seeds and third-ranked side in the world completed Scotland’s miserable night with goals from Cora Zicai and Lea Schuller.
Scotland have plenty of food for thought before round two in Wolfsburg on Tuesday.
Germany are top of their group on goal difference from the Netherlands, 3-1 winners over Austria with Sherida Spitse becoming the joint most capped European player.
France, beaten finalists to Spain in last year’s Nations League, beat women’s Euro 2025 hosts Switzerland 2-0 in St. Gallen.
Sandy Baltimore opened the scoring with Selma Bacha’s powerful long strike lifting France five points clear at the top of their group from Norway, who they face in Oslo on Tuesday.
The four League A group winners qualify for the finals in the autumn.
The group standings also determine the teams contesting promotion and relegation matches to establish their starting league position in the European Qualifiers for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, running through 2026.
England, Germany and Spain on mark in women’s Nations League
https://arab.news/ptwfy
England, Germany and Spain on mark in women’s Nations League
Chelsea ease past Djurgarden to reach Conference League final
LONDON: Chelsea advanced to the final of the UEFA Conference League after a 1-0 win over Swedish side Djurgarden on Thursday sealed a 5-1 aggregate victory in their last-four tie.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall struck the only goal at Stamford Bridge late in the first half on a night 16-year-old Reggie Walsh became the youngest player to start a European game for Chelsea.
The Blues can become the first club to win all three of UEFA’s current competitions if they beat either two-time runners-up Fiorentina or Real Betis in Wroclaw on May 28.
Defender Marc Cucurella was the only player retained from the team that beat Liverpool in the Premier League last weekend as manager Enzo Maresca made sweeping changes to his line-up with an eye on Sunday’s crucial game at Newcastle.
The Italian has been criticized for his cautious tactics but he has fifth-placed Chelsea on course to qualify for the Champions League via a top-five finish in England.
Teenage midfielder Walsh made his debut off the bench in the 4-1 win in Stockholm a week ago as Chelsea seized control of the tie, but that result didn’t deter some 6,000 Djurgarden fans from making the trip to London for the second leg.
Dewsbury-Hall and Tyrique George forced saves from Djurgarden goalkeeper Jacob Rinne before the two Chelsea players combined to put the hosts in front in the 38th minute.
George threaded a pass through for Dewsbury-Hall who accelerated past a couple of defenders before sweeping in a crisp finish via the base of the post.
That goal killed off any remote hopes for Djurgarden, the first Swedish club to appear in a European semifinal since Gothenburg won the 1986-87 UEFA Cup.
Dewsbury-Hall had a chance to double his tally when he headed Malo Gusto’s cross straight at Rinne, but the visitors rarely threatened with the exception of a long-range shot from Daniel Stensson that was tipped over by Filip Jorgensen.
Chelsea haven’t won a major trophy since the 2021 Champions League, but they will be strong favorites to win their first silverware since Todd Boehly’s consortium took over from Roman Abramovich three years ago.
Man United and Tottenham reach Europa League final and are one win away from Champions League
MANCHESTER, England: For Manchester United or Tottenham, a miserable campaign will end in Europa League glory.
Despite both teams languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League, the Champions League is now just one game away.
That’s the reward on offer after the two troubled English clubs advanced to the final of Europe’s second tier competition on Thursday.
United beat Athletic Bilbao 4-1 in the semifinal second leg at Old Trafford and won 7-1 on aggregate. Tottenham won 2-0 away at Bodø/Glimt to seal a 5-1 aggregate victory.
It sets up an all-English Europa League final for the second time in six years after Chelsea beat Arsenal to lift the trophy in 2019.
United came back from 1-0 down against Bilbao, with Mason Mount coming off the bench to score twice in the second half. Casemiro and Rasmus Hojlund were also on target.
Dominic Solanke and Pedro Porro struck for Tottenham against Bodø/Glimt in Norway.
A major title, alone, would be enough to salvage what has otherwise been a season to forget for both United and Spurs. But the added prize of a place in the lucrative Champions League would put the winner back among Europe’s elite next term.
That hasn’t looked likely for either team for most of the campaign as they have languished closer to the relegation zone than the top five.
Saudi woman wins gold at first Asian Camel Racing Championship
- Jockey Kholoud Al-Shammari races to victory on Bashar
- Countryman Abdulmajeed Al-Huwaiti takes silver in men’s category
ABU DHABI: A Saudi jockey on Thursday became the first winner of the Asian Camel Racing Championship in the women’s category.
Kholoud Al-Shammari raced to victory and the gold medal on Bashar at the Al-Wathba track in Abu Dhabi, UAE. She was followed home by countrywoman Abeer bint Ahmed Hakami, aboard Namrood.
In the men’s race, the Kingdom’s Abdulmajeed Al-Huwaiti steered his mount, Uboor, to a second place finish.
Saudi Camel Federation President Prince Fahd bin Jalawi congratulated Al-Shammari on her victory in what he called an “important continental tournament.”
He also praised Hakami and Al-Huwaiti for their achievements.
All three riders’ performances reflected the “high level and strong competitiveness of Saudi camel racing,” he said.
“This success comes amid the great support and attention from the wise leadership of the Kingdom for the sports sector in general and camel racing in particular, in recognition of its role in preserving cultural heritage and enhancing Saudis’ presence on both the regional and international sports stage.”
The prince also congratulated Minister of Sports Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal for his support for all sports.
Beckham and Neville part of new ownership group at English soccer club Salford
- Butt, Giggs, Scholes and Phil Neville are no longer shareholders
- Beckham also is a co-owner of Major League Soccer club Inter Miami
LONDON: David Beckham and Gary Neville are part of a new consortium to have taken ownership of English fourth-tier soccer club Salford City.
The club were previously owned by Beckham, Neville and other former Manchester United teammates in their so-called “Class of ‘92” — Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Phil Neville — along with Singapore businessman Peter Lim.
A new ownership group, containing Beckham, Gary Neville and other shareholders from the United States, India and England, has bought Salford and have committed to “invest significantly in the club, the team and their facilities,” Salford said on Thursday.
Butt, Giggs, Scholes and Phil Neville are no longer shareholders but “will continue to contribute to the next step of this journey with roles in the club,” Salford said.
Beckham grew up in Salford and said he had “such fond memories of my time living there and the place and its people played such an important part in my early life in football.”
“Salford City is at the heart of its community ... it has a rich history and I am delighted to be a part of the next chapter.”
Beckham also is a co-owner of Major League Soccer club Inter Miami.
Neville said the consortium contains “a diverse range of minds and expertise, held together by a love of football.”
“Football will come first, however it’s critical that we drive the club toward sustainability in the next four, five years,” Neville said. “I can’t wait for the next part of this journey.”
Salford finished in eighth place — outside the playoff spots — in League Two this season.
Beckham said he has been inspired by Wrexham’s rise through English soccer under the ownership of Hollywood celebrities Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney since 2021.
“I’m not saying this is why we’re doing it because it’s not,” Beckham told The Athletic in an interview. “But I’ve spoken to Ryan about it so many times now and he said the feeling around the city, the feeling around the club, is so exceptional. That’s the kind of thing that we want to create.”
Beckham added that the dream was to take Salford to the Premier League.
“But there’s a lot of hard work and a lot of investment to be done up until that point,” he said.
Extraordinary developments are affecting cricket’s top echelons
- Political tensions threaten to further stoke the rivalry between India’s and Pakistan’s cricket teams
Cricket’s changing landscape is generating unanticipated situations. These are occurring not just because of cricket but also because of geopolitics. These are most notable on the Asian subcontinent where increased tensions threaten to cause further fissures in the rivalry between India’s and Pakistan’s cricket teams.
The 2025 Asian Cricket Council Cup is scheduled to be held in September in T20 format, involving eight countries. These are the five full members of the ACC — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan — plus three that emerged from a qualification process. They are the UAE, Hong Kong and Oman. Teams have been divided into two groups of four, the top two teams from each group qualifying for a single-group Super Four stage.
It has never been made clear which country or countries would host the tournament. In July 2024, the ACC’s Invitation for Expression of Interest indicated that India would be the hosts. Later reports suggested that India and Sri Lanka would be joint hosts. Now, rumours are rife that the tournament may be cancelled or switched to a neutral venue. More extreme suggestions are to expel Pakistan from the tournament and disband the ACC, replacing it with a different composition that excludes Pakistan.
Security is, of course, the overriding concern and in the current febrile atmosphere where trust between the parties is broken, this will be difficult and expensive to provide.
The Indian team’s coach, Gautam Gambhir, is reported to have said “that India should refrain from playing against Pakistan till terrorism is stopped and something is done.”
This view seems to gel with those of Rajeev Shukla, the vice president of the Board for Control of Cricket in India, who recently declared that bilateral cricket with Pakistan “would never happen.”
Currently, the prospects of the two countries playing cricket against each other are not very propitious. India’s stance is hardening by the day and the Asia Cup would appear to be in jeopardy.
Matters are made more complicated by the fact that the ACC’s current president is Mohsin Naqvi, who is also chair of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan’s interior minister. At the time of his election as ACC president in February 2022, he said that he was “committed to working with all member boards to accelerate the game’s growth and global influence, together unlocking new opportunities, fostering greater collaboration and taking Asian cricket to unprecedented heights.”
Harold Wilson, a former British prime minister, is widely credited with saying, nearly 62 years ago, that “a week is a long time in politics.” This epithet can certainly be applied to the situation in which Naqvi finds himself, given his initial aspirations.
In the past week, the already sticky relations between Pakistan and India have worsened significantly. How difficult it must be for him now to balance the presidency of the ACC with statements as interior minister about how Pakistan might react to any acts of aggression by India.
While pondering the deteriorating relations between India and Pakistan and their unfortunate impact on international cricket, I received an email from a Pakistani whom I met at the Chiang Mai International Sixes in 2023. Syed Usman Javaid led a team, called the Doosras, to play in the tournament. After talking with him, it was clear that the team was not like a usual cricket team in Pakistan. It is a community, character and leadership-building initiative that welcomes people from all backgrounds.
The trip to Thailand was the Doosras first international venture and I featured their experience in a column titled “Amateur Cricket Shows Game Can be Force for Good.” In his email, Usman informed me that, after the Thailand trip, the Doosras initiated a five-month training and fitness program for team members — with the incentive of a tour to Sri Lanka at the end. This took people who could not run 300m at a stretch to compete and complete 10-kilometer races at the Islamabad night marathon.
In 2025, the Doosras have their eyes set on Nairobi, Kenya, where they aim to take part in the Rhino Cup in June to help raise funds for Rhino preservation. This will also involve work with a local NGO to use cricket for character development, creating connections with people in Kenya and playing three one-day games. Amid all the current political wrangling on the subcontinent, it is heartening that altruistic motivations can prevail.
Some distance from the subcontinent, it was a surprise to learn of a bold move by New Zealand Cricket to become the first national governing body to invest in an overseas T20 franchise. This will be in the Major League Cricket in the United States, which is expected to expand from six to eight teams by 2027. One of these is to be launched by True North Sports Ventures, which is majority owned by MLC co-founders Sameer Mehta and Vijay Srinivasan, the league’s former chief executive.
The investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers is among the private equity investors in the venture and NZC is a foundation investor. It will provide high-performance support and expertise, operational support and expertise in cricket infrastructure and turf management. Toronto and Atlanta have been mentioned as possible venues. If the former is chosen it would represent an expansion into a Canadian market that already has its own T20 franchise.
NZC is very conscious that it has already lost several of its leading players to franchise cricket and may be in danger of losing others. It has always punched above its weight in international cricket but a player drain would endanger that ability. The MLC initiative is a strategic move to aid the sustainability of NZC by diversifying its revenue streams, expanding its global brand and providing controlled opportunities for its players and coaches.
An expanded MLC will lead to an increase in the number of matches played and, possibly, a longer duration of the competition in an already crowded calendar. In 2025, the month-long MLC will start earlier than in the two previous editions. This is an attempt to occupy a slot between mid-June and mid-July that does not clash with The Hundred in England and Wales in August and the Caribbean Premier League between mid-August and mid- September.
In pursuing its objective of expanding the game’s reach, cricket’s governing body, the International Cricket Council, has chosen not to regulate or control the number of franchise leagues. At the same time, the participation of the two countries with the greatest power to attract audiences in international events is in jeopardy. In turn, this has serious implications for the ICC’s future revenue generating abilities.
In the face of the reality of challenging issues faced at the apex of cricket, it is always comforting to be reminded that, at grass roots level, the game is played and followed for the purposes of human enjoyment and development, as is the case with the Doosras.
