Ƶ

Ivan Toney gives Al-Ahli opening-day win against newly promoted Neom

Ivan Toney gives Al-Ahli opening-day win against newly promoted Neom
Ivan Toney. (X:@ALAHLI_FCEN)
Short Url
Updated 18 sec ago

Ivan Toney gives Al-Ahli opening-day win against newly promoted Neom

Ivan Toney gives Al-Ahli opening-day win against newly promoted Neom
  • England striker’s first-half goal is enough to give the reigning Asian champions all 3 points in a hard-fought victory
  • In the day’s other games, Ettifaq defeat Al-Kholood 2-1, while Damac grab a goal deep into injury time to rescue a point in a 1-1 draw with Al-Hazm

Ivan Toney was the hero as Al-Ahli kicked off the new Saudi Pro League season on Thursday with a hard-fought 1-0 home win over newly promoted Neom. The England striker’s first-half goal was enough to give the reigning Asian champions all three points.

It was a tough introduction to the top flight for Neom, as the hosts enjoyed the better of the first half. More 50,000 fans seemed to shout as one for a penalty in the ninth minute when Ali Majrashi went down in the area under a challenge from Mohammed Al-Dossari, but the referee was having none of it and waved play on.

The home fans did not have to wait too much longer for the opener, however, as Toney delivered a fine goal midway through the first half. Enzo Millot, making his league debut after a move from Stuttgart, slid through a majestic pass from deep that split the visiting defense and gave the former Brentford forward the chance to fire a low shot home from just inside the area.

Eight minutes before the break, there was more good work from the French midfielder when he found Riyad Mahrez in the area, but the Algerian sent his shot wide. Soon after, Toney had a goal-bound shot blocked by Ahmed Hegazi.

Neom looked livelier after the restart and Alexandre Lacazette was able to break into the area, only for his low shot to be saved by Edouard Mendy. The former Chelsea goalkeeper was in action again soon after, getting down well to save a dangerous effort on the turn by Abdulmalik Al-Oyayari.

The visitors continued to pile on the pressure in hopes of a share of the points. Lacazette did have the ball in the net in the 90th minute, but it was ruled out for offside and Al-Ahli hung on for the win.

There were two other games on opening day. Ettifaq defeated Al-Kholood 2-1, with Mohau Nkota and Gini Wijnaldum the scorers for the victors, while John Buckley got the visitors’ goal.

Earlier, the first game of the season ended in a 1-1 draw between Damac and Al-Hazm. Fabio Martins fired home from the spot to give the visitors the lead shortly before the hour mark, but they were denied the three points when Moroccan Jamal Harkass grabbed the equalizer with 98 minutes on the clock.


So far, so good for Naomi Osaka and her new coach at the US Open

So far, so good for Naomi Osaka and her new coach at the US Open
Updated 29 August 2025

So far, so good for Naomi Osaka and her new coach at the US Open

So far, so good for Naomi Osaka and her new coach at the US Open

NEW YORK: Naomi Osaka is back in the third round of the US Open for the first time since 2021, the year after she won her second championship at Flushing Meadows.
She’s playing rather well at the moment, too, under the guidance of a new coach. Just don’t expect Osaka to weigh in on whether she feels as if she is ready to make another deep run at the place.
“Honestly, I don’t really know. I don’t make it my business to know anymore. I kind of just leave it up in the air,” the 23rd-seeded Osaka said after eliminating Hailey Baptiste 6-3, 6-1 in the second round in just 70 minutes Thursday. “For me, I realize that I’ve done everything that I could. I’ve trained really hard. I practiced really hard. If it happens, it happens.”
Osaka’s four Grand Slam trophies all arrived on hard courts: two at the US Open, two at the Australian Open. Since her 2020 title in New York, her trips there have gone this way: losses in the third round in 2021, first round in 2022, second round last year.
The surface tends to favor the big serves and powerful, first-strike tennis Osaka is best known for, and something she displayed against Baptiste, of course, although she also demonstrated a willingness to vary speeds and spins.
The other talent Osaka is using to great effect so far this week is returning that gets an opponent on the defensive. Osaka already has won 11 of the 18 return games she’s played so far, including during a 6-3, 6-4 win over Greet Minnen in the first round.
After her third-round exit at Wimbledon last month, Osaka split from coach Patrick Mouratoglou and began working with Tomasz Wiktorowski, who used to be part of Iga Swiatek’s team.
One key, Osaka said: Wiktorowski has encouraged her to focus more on the placement of her shots “and not necessarily going for winners most of the time.”
They appear to be making quick progress — and Osaka said her impression of him changed quickly.
“Honestly, I didn’t know him, I thought he was very scary, because he’s very tall and he didn’t smile,” she said. “Now that we’re working together, I see that he smiles often. He has a very friendly smile, and it’s very nice. That’s my little fun fact about Tomasz.”
Venus Williams gets a US Open women’s doubles victory
Venus Williams earned her first win in a US Open women’s doubles match since 2014 — and this time, her partner wasn’t younger sister Serena but Leylah Fernandez. The 45-year-old Williams, who recently returned to the tour after a 16-month absence, and Fernandez eliminated the sixth-seeded pair of Lyudmyla Kichenok and Ellen Perez 7-6 , 6-3.
What else happened at the US Open on Thursday?
Wimbledon champions Swiatek and Jannik Sinner both won — his victory was much more straightforward than hers. Swiatek had some trouble before getting past Suzan Lamens, a Dutch player ranked 66th who’d never appeared at a Grand Slam tournament until this year, by a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 score. Sinner was just fine in a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win against Alexei Popyrin, who beat Novak Djokovic at the US Open a year ago.
Who is on Friday’s schedule at the US Open?
Carlos Alcaraz, the 2022 men’s champion, and Jessica Pegula, the 2024 women’s runner-up, play their third-round matches in Arthur Ashe Stadium during the day session. Djokovic, owner of 24 Grand Slam titles, meets Cam Norrie in Ashe at night, followed by American Taylor Townsend — who got into a back-and-forth with her opponent, Jelena Ostapenko, after their second-round match — against No. 5 seed Mirra Andreeva, an 18-year-old from Russia.


Arsenal forward Havertz has ‘minor’ surgery on knee injury

Arsenal forward Havertz has ‘minor’ surgery on knee injury
Updated 28 August 2025

Arsenal forward Havertz has ‘minor’ surgery on knee injury

Arsenal forward Havertz has ‘minor’ surgery on knee injury
  • Arsenal did not provide a timeline for Havertz’s return
  • Havertz missed several months last season with a hamstring injury

LONDON: Arsenal forward Kai Havertz underwent a “minor” knee operation on Thursday after being injured in the season-opening game at Manchester United, the London club said.

Arsenal did not provide a timeline for Havertz’s return, but said “he will shortly begin his recovery and rehabilitation program, with everyone fully focused on supporting Kai to ensure he is back to full fitness as soon as possible.”

Havertz missed several months last season with a hamstring injury, but British media reports said he is expected to only miss a few weeks this time.

Arsenal signed Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace after Havertz sustained his latest injury against United.


Man United agree to sell Garnacho to Chelsea for £40m

Man United agree to sell Garnacho to Chelsea for £40m
Updated 29 August 2025

Man United agree to sell Garnacho to Chelsea for £40m

Man United agree to sell Garnacho to Chelsea for £40m
  • Garnacho was among five players seeking to exit the club this summer
  • Rashford joined Barcelona on loan last month

LONDON: Manchester United have agreed to sell Argentine winger Alejandro Garnacho to Chelsea for 40 million pounds ($54 million), a source close to United said on Thursday.

The 21-year-old’s sale value would be the fourth largest for a United player after Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Angel di Maria.

Garnacho, who played 93 Premier League matches for United, was among five players seeking to exit the club this summer, along with Marcus Rashford, Antony, Tyrell Malacia and Jadon Sancho. Rashford joined Barcelona on loan last month.

Manager Ruben Amorim has left Garnacho out of his squad this season, as United failed to win their first two Premier League games before being knocked out of the League Cup on penalties by fourth-tier Grimsby Town.

Chelsea host Fulham in the Premier League on Friday.


Pakistan announce squad for AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 Ƶ qualifiers

Pakistan announce squad for AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 Ƶ qualifiers
Updated 28 August 2025

Pakistan announce squad for AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 Ƶ qualifiers

Pakistan announce squad for AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 Ƶ qualifiers
  • Pakistan Football Federation says squad features “mix of talented players” ready to compete internationally
  • Pakistan will play first qualifier match against Iraq on Sept. 3 before meeting hosts Cambodia on Sept. 6

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) announced on Thursday its squad for the qualifiers of the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup 2026 Ƶ, saying its footballers were ready to compete at the international level.

While the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2026 will be held in Ƶ, the qualifier matches for Pakistan’s Group G teams will be held in Cambodia. The qualifiers will feature 44 sides each drawn into 11 groups, which will be contested from Sept. 1-9.

“Under the guidance of Head Coach Nolberto Solano, the squad features a mix of talented players ready to compete at the international level,” the PFF said in a press release.

The 23-member squad features Adam Najeeb, Hassan Ali and Umair Arooj as Pakistan’s goalkeeper prospects. Mckeal Abdullah, Umair Bahader, Furqan Umer, Ali Raza, Suleman Ali, Adeel Younas and have been included among the forward.

Tufail Khan, Hayyaan Khattak, Muhammad Junaid, Ali Zafar and Adnan Justin have been included as midfielders. Haseeb Khan, Mohib Ullah, Muhammad Adeel, Ans Amin, Muhammad Haroon, Hamza Munir, Ahmed Salman, Junaid Shah and Abdul Rehman have been included as defenders in the team.

Pakistan’s training camp has been set up at the Jinnah Sports Complex in Islamabad, which the PFF said would continue for a few more days.

Pakistan will play their first match against Iraq on Sept. 3, followed by their second one against hosts Cambodia on Sept. 6. The Green Shirts play their final group stage match against Oman on Sept. 9.


PSG get tough slate of Champions League opponents, as Real Madrid are going to Liverpool and Almaty

PSG get tough slate of Champions League opponents, as Real Madrid are going to Liverpool and Almaty
Updated 28 August 2025

PSG get tough slate of Champions League opponents, as Real Madrid are going to Liverpool and Almaty

PSG get tough slate of Champions League opponents, as Real Madrid are going to Liverpool and Almaty
  • PSG’s easiest opponents, in theory, in the league phase will be Newcastle and Athletic Bilbao
  • Liverpool fans will welcome Trent Alexander-Arnold back to Anfield with Madrid

MONACO: Paris Saint-Germain were handed a tough start to the defense of its Champions League title with games against Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and Thursday’s draw also served up opponents from England and Spain from the pot of lowest-ranked teams.

PSG’s easiest opponents, in theory, in the league phase will be Newcastle and Athletic Bilbao.

Tottenham, the Europa League champion, also will play PSG in a repeat of their Super Cup game two weeks ago. PSG’s eight-game schedule is completed by Bayer Leverkusen, Atalanta and Sporting Lisbon.

Real Madrid also got a challenging draw, including a trip far east to play Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan — 6,420 kilometers (4,000 miles) from the Spanish capital.

Record 15-time champion Madrid got two English opponents from the pot of highest-ranked teams. Madrid will host Manchester City, which they beat in the knockout playoffs last season, and return to Liverpool after losing 2-0 at Anfield in the league phase last year.

Madrid also will face Juventus in a repeat of their 2017 final win, and two French opponents, Marseille and Monaco — where superstar forward Kylian Mbappe started his career.

Liverpool fans will welcome Trent Alexander-Arnold back to Anfield with Madrid, and have away trips to the vibrant stadiums of Inter Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt, Marseille and Galatasaray.

Bayern Munich will have rematches of two recent finals – at home to Chelsea where the German champion lost the 2012 title game on home turf, and away to PSG, which they beat in the 2020 final. Bayern also will go to Cyprus to face Pafos.

Manchester City will travel north of the Arctic Circle to face Bodo/Glimt of Norway, and host former fan favorite Kevin De Bruyne with his new club Napoli.

This is the second season of the league phase format with 36 teams playing eight different opponents on a weighted schedule through January, and ranked in a single-standings table.

Four newcomers to the main stage of the Champions League are: Bodo/Glimt, Kairat Almaty, Russian-owned Pafos and Belgian champion Union Saint-Gilloise.

Games in Bodo and Almaty shape to be the longest-ever trips for visiting teams, and their home games in January among the coldest in competition history. Bodo play on a heated artificial turf field.

The computerized draw gave each team two opponents drawn from each of the four seeding pots. Teams are seeded based on their ranking over five seasons of results in UEFA competitions.

Retired great Zlatan Ibrahimovic picked each team out of its draw pot and former Ballon d’Or winner Kaka pushed a button to reveal the slate of opponents.

Games start on Sept. 16 and the final league phase matchday is Jan. 28. On that Wednesday evening, all 36 teams play in 18 games kicking off at the same time.

The top eight teams in the final standings advance to the round of 16 in March. Joining them will be winners of eight knockout playoffs, featuring teams ranked ninth to 24th, scheduled in February. The bottom 12 teams are eliminated.