Gold Cup: Mexico into semifinals with shutout of Saudi Arabia
Defending champion Mexico found the scoring touch in the second half and advanced to the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals with a 2-0 victory over Saudi Arabia on Saturday night in Glendale, Arizona
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Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Al-Hilal climb ‘Mount Everest' Manchester City and shock world with stunning win at FIFA Club World Cup
DUBAI: Al-Hilal proved once again that few clubs in Asia, or even the world, are capable of hitting seemingly unreachable heights after a stunning 4-3 win against Manchester City in the round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup. Simone Inzaghi's team trailed at half-time in Orlando to Bernardo Silva's opener, but stormed back after the break to take the lead with strikes from Brazilians Marco Leonardo (46 minutes) and Malcolm (52). Erling Haaland leveled the score minutes later to ensure the match went into extra time. Then Kalidou Koulibaly's 94th-minute third for Hilal was cancelled by substitute Phil Foden 10 minutes later. The stage was set for Leonardo to score an emotional winner with 8 minutes left on the clock. In the aftermath of the victory, Al-Hilal's official account on X posted a video clip of the players celebrating in the dressing room with club President Fahad bin Nafel. Celebrating with El Presidente #FIFACWC | Watch free on @ — AlHilal Saudi Club (@Alhilal_EN) July 1, 2025 Al Jazeera commented that 'Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal have sent English giants Manchester City crashing out of the Club World Cup, snatching a shock 4-3 victory in extra time in the biggest upset of the tournament so far.' For 'all City's depth, Al-Hilal had a deep well of spirit to draw upon,' Al Jazeera added, highlighting the Riyadh club's powers of recovery against one of the world's best teams. The BBC reported that the former Premier League champions had been 'stunned in extra time by Saudi Arabia side Al-Hilal in an incredible seven-goal thriller.' And that Leonardo had delivered a 'monumental result for the 2021 AFC Champions League winners.' In his match report for the UK's The Guardian newspaper, Jamie Jackson highlighted the job the new Hilal coach has done in such a short period and in challenging circumstances. 'Inzaghi took over four days after Inter's 5-0 Champions League thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain,' the report said. 'He left an Italian giant for a Saudi one but before taking on Real Madrid in the group opener had only two weeks to implement his ideas, a central plank of which is the favored five-man backline he fielded here. He added that the 1-1 draw against 'the European aristocrats in his first game was an eye-catching calling card' but here Inzaghi was without his captain, Salem Al-Dawsari, and No. 9, Aleksandar Mitrovic. Inzaghi himself said the key to the result was 'the players, the heart they put on the pitch.' 'Tonight we had to do something extraordinary because we knew how good Manchester City are,' the Italian coach said. 'We knew we had to climb Mount Everest without oxygen and we were great.' 'We had to climb Mount Everest without oxygen and we made it.' Simone Inzaghi after Al Hilal's heroic win vs Man City 'The key was the players and the heart they put on the pitch. Against a team like City, we had to do something extraordinary.' — Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) July 1, 2025 'We played with a strong determination and we are really feeling the game. They deserved it,' Inzaghi added. 'They fought for every ball and it gives satisfaction to the family of Al-Hilal, Saudi Arabia and the fans here with us.' The former Inter Milan coach's tactics were lauded by fans and pundits on social media. On X, football analyst Roger Bonet wrote: 'Hats off to Simone Inzaghi again. Only a few weeks of work, yet Al-Hilal looks sharp and confident.' One X account, @sportsdokitor, posted that 'Simeone Inzaghi is one of the best managers in the world and he's proving it again at Al-Hilal,' while another was even more effusive with praise. @ChelseaWay_ posted: 'I genuinely don't think (I've) ever seen a manager put his stamp on a team as quick as Simone Inzaghi did with Al-Hilal. This is (genuinely) ridiculous. 'I am watching them this tournament, and their patterns of play, movements, pressing structure, link up in small spaces.' Meanwhile Al-Hilal match winner Leonardo received praise across the board for his return to form after a difficult recent period at the club. 'I've had a difficult time in the last two months. My mother spent 70 days in the ICU,' he said at the final whistle. 'Today, she's fine, thank God. When I scored those two goals, I thought of her. She was able to watch the match.' Marcos Leonardo Gives Al Hilal The Lead — Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) July 1, 2025 Arab football fans and accounts hailed the result and Al-Hilal's performances at the Club World Cup. Bilal Haddad (@bilalhd91), with 4.1 million followers on Instagram, posted an Arabic-language video in which he disbelievingly says 'am I dreaming or is this real.' Also on Instagram, Arab football fan @fayadzinho did not hold back his joy. 'The Saudi league just embarrassed the Premier League, yes Al-Hilal have done it. I've been waiting for this day for more than 11 years,' he said in an emotional video clip. A post shared by Fayad (@fayadzinho) Even Hilal's greatest rivals Al-Nassr joined in. 'Al-Hilal is demonstrating to the world the strength and quality of the Saudi Pro League,' @TheNassrZone, with almost 69,000 followers, posted on X. 'Their performance reflects the league's rising prominence and commitment to excellence. A well-deserved salute to them for elevating Saudi football even more on the international stage.'
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
NBA free agency opens with Spurs, Rockets, Hawks, Magic and Mavs among those making early moves
NBA NEW YORK: Victor Wembanyama has another big man to help him out in San Antonio. The Houston Rockets continued their offseason overhaul. And Orlando and Atlanta made moves with eyes on contending this coming season as the NBA's free agency period got underway Monday. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport The Spurs lured center Luke Kornet away from Boston with a four-year, $41 million deal, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team cannot announce the deal until the league's signing moratorium for most contracts is lifted on Sunday. Kornet was part of Boston's 2024 NBA title team and has shot 68 percent from the field in 205 games, mostly off the bench, over the last three regular seasons. He figures to add frontcourt depth to the Spurs, who are hoping to have Wembanyama — the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year and an All-Star this past season — back and ready to go after he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in a shoulder back in February. The Rockets, meanwhile, added veteran forward Dorian Finney-Smith on a four-year, $53 million deal shortly after free agency opened. ESPN first reported the deal, and a person with knowledge of the agreement confirmed the terms to AP. Houston becomes Finney-Smith's fourth team after stints with Dallas, Brooklyn and the Los Angeles Lakers. He'll be added to a Rockets club that earlier this summer landed Kevin Durant in a blockbuster trade with Phoenix, though that deal cannot receive formal approval from the NBA until next week. Finney-Smith averaged 8.7 points and was a 41 percent shooter from 3-point range this past season. ESPN also reported that the Rockets' run on free agents continued with the addition of center Clint Capela, who spent the first six years of his career in Houston before playing for the last five seasons in Atlanta. Capela agreed to a three-year deal with the Rockets, ESPN said. Dallas, which needed some point guard help especially because the newly re-signed Kyrie Irving — rehabbing from an ACL tear — may not be ready to play until about midseason, agreed with D'Angelo Russell on a two-year contract worth nearly $13 million. Russell would be part of the backcourt depth on a club with an imposing front line that, if healthy, would include No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis and promising young center Dereck Lively II. Hawks, Magic eyeing moves in East Atlanta added Nickeil Alexander-Walker from Minnesota on what will be a four-year, $62 million deal following a completion of a sign-and-trade with the Timberwolves. Minnesota will get a draft pick, cash considerations and will create a trade exception once the deal is finalized, a person with knowledge of the move told AP. The Magic, meanwhile, added Tyus Jones on a one-year deal. He joins an Orlando roster that already landed Desmond Bane from Memphis in a trade, and the Magic — who played long stretches last season without Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs because of injuries — should be a legit East contender this season if healthy. It was a big night for the Jones family: Tyus Jones' brother, Tre Jones, agreed Monday on a three-year deal to return to the Chicago Bulls. Free agency 'officially' starts The free agency period officially opened at 6 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, but in actuality, was rolling long before that. LeBron James has already opted in to a $52.6 million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers for this coming season, the Rockets traded for Durant — not a free agency move, obviously — and the Los Angeles Clippers saw James Harden decline his option in return for a new deal and a raise. There was even a surprise addition to free agency, with Portland announcing it has bought out the contract of former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton, allowing him to sign with any team he chooses. And on Monday, even before the shopping window officially started, more deals: Nicolas Batum will come back to the Clippers, his agency said, on a two-year deal, while Joe Ingles agreed to return to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Deals like those could get done before the official start time because teams are allowed to negotiate with their own free agents once the NBA Finals are finished. Other deals In other deals confirmed by AP on Monday night: — The Los Angeles Clippers added Brook Lopez — most recently of Milwaukee — on a two-year deal worth about $18 million. — Veteran guard Bruce Brown returned to the Denver Nuggets, a team he helped win the 2023 NBA title. — Center Kevon Looney agreed to a two-year deal with New Orleans, after he spent his first 10 seasons with Golden State. — Guard Caris LeVert will sign a two-year deal worth nearly $15 million annually with the Detroit Pistons, a team that won 14 games in 2023-24 and then won 44 games to earn the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference this past season. — Luka Garza joined Boston, after the Celtics lost Kornet, on a two-year, $5.5 million deal, agent Mark Bartelstein said. Salary cap set The NBA announced Monday that it has set the salary cap for the coming season at $154.647 million, the maximum allowed 10 percent increase over the level for this past season. The tax level for the 2025-26 season is $187.895 million, the league said. What's already happened — Julius Randle returns to the Timberwolves with a potential $100 million deal. — Bobby Portis stays with the Bucks, keeping the popular sixth man in Milwaukee. — Duncan Robinson terminates his contract with the Heat, though he may return. What's next In very specific situations, teams can announce signings when completed. But in most situations, and this even applies to some draft-related trades (such as the one involving Durant going to Houston), teams won't be able to announce those until at least July 6.
Al Arabiya
6 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal stuns with 4-3 win over Manchester City
Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal stunned Manchester City 4-3 in extra-time in Orlando on Monday to pull off one of the shocks of the Club World Cup and set up a quarter-final against Brazil's Fluminense. Marcos Leonardo scored his second of the night in the 112th minute as Simone Inzaghi's side saw off the Premier League club, who had taken a ninth minute lead through Bernardo Silva. Quick-fire goals from Leonardo and Malcom in six minutes immediately after the restart put Al-Hilal in front before Erling Haaland equalized for City in the 55th minute. Four minutes into extra-time, Kalidou Koulibaly headed in Ruben Neves' corner to put the Riyadh-based club back in front and while Phil Foden levelled again for City Leonardo netted with seven minutes left to take Al-Hilal through. 'We knew it was a difficult game against one of the best teams in the world,' said Koulibaly. 'We wanted to show our ideas, our talent, our power and I think that we made a very good game. 'Defensively we were very strong and offensively all of the opportunities we could put inside we put in, so we can be happy.' Portuguese playmaker Silva had put City ahead when he pushed the ball over the line after Renan Lodi's attempted clearance ended up at his feet inside the six-yard box. Replays showed the ball had brushed the wrist of City's Rayan Ait-Nouri earlier in the move but the referee waved away the Al-Hilal protests. Al-Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou then made a string of saves to deny City a second before the interval and within seconds of the restart the Saudi club levelled. Malcom drove down the right and found Joao Cancelo, whose ball into the six-yard box was initially blocked by a sprawling Ederson but Leonardo headed the looping rebound into the unguarded net. Six minutes later Malcom was released behind the defense by Cancelo's pass from deep inside his own half and the Brazilian showed composure to stroke his shot past Ederson. The lead was to last only three minutes, however, as Haaland pounced on Silva's corner and the Norwegian was denied a late winner by a desperate clearance on the line from Ali Lajami. The Saudis went ahead four minutes into extra-time when Koulibaly rose to glance home a header from a corner but City levelled once again, substitutes Rayan Cherki and Foden combining for the England international to steer a sublime first-time volley across Bounou and into the bottom corner. Al-Hilal would not be denied and Leonardo claimed his second of the night after seeing Ederson save Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's header, the weary Brazilian stumbling as he steered the winner home.
