Latest news with #Al-Hilal
Dubai Eye
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Dubai Eye
Al-Hilal down Pachuca to reach last 16 at Club World Cup
Al-Hilal beat Mexico's Pachuca 2-0 to reach the knockout stage of the Club World Cup on Thursday, the big-spending Saudi club's first win of the tournament enough to send them through as Group H runners-up behind Real Madrid. Salem Al-Dawsari opened the scoring in the 22nd minute and Marcos Leonardo added the second in stoppage time to earn the four-times Asian champions a last-16 clash with Manchester City in Orlando on Monday. Pachuca, already eliminated after losing their first two games, were lively but an Al-Hilal defence superbly marshalled by Kalidou Koulibaly shackled danger man Salomon Rondon and restricted the Mexicans to long-range shots and half chances. Al-Hilal were guilty of being a bit casual at times, and were given a few scares by Pachuca as they sat deeper to protect their lead in the final quarter, but held on for a victory that gave them five points to Red Bull Salzburg's four. "It was a hard game but I think we did a great game," said midfielder Ruben Neves. "We scored first off, we had control and we defended very well. A clean sheet and a win and we are through. That's the most important thing." The Al-Hilal squad is packed with top-class players expensively assembled from around the world but the opening goal came from a combination of two homegrown talents. Nasser Al-Dawsari took possession in the final third and lofted a pass into the area to his captain Salem, who controlled the ball with one touch of his right foot and lifted it over the goalkeeper with his second. Leonardo headed over the crossbar later in the first half and should have scored in the 83rd minute when sublime Al-Hilal approach play left him with only goalkeeper Sebastian Jurado to beat. His chip was too weak, however, and Jurado got enough of a touch on it to allow defender Eduardo Bauermann to clear it off the line. Pachuca substitute Illian Hernandez sounded a warning with a powerful header that flashed past the post in the 84th minute but Leonardo settled any Al-Hilal nerves five minutes into stoppage time. Neves found him in plenty of space in the box and this time the Brazilian rounded the goalkeeper and tucked the ball into an empty net. Manchester City are likely to provide a much sterner test than Pachuca and Neves said Al-Hilal needed to play in the same way as they did in their 1-1 draw with Real last week. "We are playing against, for me, one of the top three teams in the world. I know them very well," the Portugal international said. "We'll do our best, of course, we will prepare the game like we did in these three games and we'll see what happened."
ARN News Center
15 hours ago
- Sport
- ARN News Center
Al-Hilal down Pachuca to reach last 16 at Club World Cup
Al-Hilal beat Mexico's Pachuca 2-0 to reach the knockout stage of the Club World Cup on Thursday, the big-spending Saudi club's first win of the tournament enough to send them through as Group H runners-up behind Real Madrid. Salem Al-Dawsari opened the scoring in the 22nd minute and Marcos Leonardo added the second in stoppage time to earn the four-times Asian champions a last-16 clash with Manchester City in Orlando on Monday. Pachuca, already eliminated after losing their first two games, were lively but an Al-Hilal defence superbly marshalled by Kalidou Koulibaly shackled danger man Salomon Rondon and restricted the Mexicans to long-range shots and half chances. Al-Hilal were guilty of being a bit casual at times, and were given a few scares by Pachuca as they sat deeper to protect their lead in the final quarter, but held on for a victory that gave them five points to Red Bull Salzburg's four. "It was a hard game but I think we did a great game," said midfielder Ruben Neves. "We scored first off, we had control and we defended very well. A clean sheet and a win and we are through. That's the most important thing." The Al-Hilal squad is packed with top-class players expensively assembled from around the world but the opening goal came from a combination of two homegrown talents. Nasser Al-Dawsari took possession in the final third and lofted a pass into the area to his captain Salem, who controlled the ball with one touch of his right foot and lifted it over the goalkeeper with his second. Leonardo headed over the crossbar later in the first half and should have scored in the 83rd minute when sublime Al-Hilal approach play left him with only goalkeeper Sebastian Jurado to beat. His chip was too weak, however, and Jurado got enough of a touch on it to allow defender Eduardo Bauermann to clear it off the line. Pachuca substitute Illian Hernandez sounded a warning with a powerful header that flashed past the post in the 84th minute but Leonardo settled any Al-Hilal nerves five minutes into stoppage time. Neves found him in plenty of space in the box and this time the Brazilian rounded the goalkeeper and tucked the ball into an empty net. Manchester City are likely to provide a much sterner test than Pachuca and Neves said Al-Hilal needed to play in the same way as they did in their 1-1 draw with Real last week. "We are playing against, for me, one of the top three teams in the world. I know them very well," the Portugal international said.
NBC Sports
15 hours ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
How to watch Mexico vs Saudi Arabia live: Stream link, TV channel, team news, prediction
Mexico's bid to repeat as CONCACAF Gold Cup champions hits a non-CONCACAF road block on Saturday when tournament invitee Saudi Arabia hits Glendale, Arizona. El Tri won Group A with two wins and a scoreless draw against Costa Rica, while Saudi Arabia beat Haiti and lost to the United States before drawing with Trinidad and Tobago to secure a place in the knockout rounds. Mexico are also bidding to become the first 10-time winner of the Gold Cup. For live updates and highlights throughout Mexico vs Saudi Arabia, check out PST's live blog coverage below. How to watch Mexico vs Saudi Arabia live, stream link and start time Kick off time: 10:!5pm ET, Sunday How to watch: FS1, TUDN Stream online: or the FOX Sports app Mexico team news, focus Cesar Montes has been terrific at both ends for El Tri, scoring thrice and overseeing a team which has not allowed a goal since conceding twice in a 3-2 tournament-opening win. West Ham United's Edson Alvarez leads a strong midfield, and Raul Jimenez and Santiago Gimenez give Javier Aguirre plenty of danger up top Saudi Arabia team news, focus The Saudis have only conceded two goals in this tournament, a record bettered only by the USMNT and Canada. They've defended with vigor, racking up hard tackles and clearances as a measure of pride. Al Ittihad back Abdulelah Al Amri has been a standout for the Herve Renard's Green Falcons, but they'll have to find goals to advance in this tournament. Mexico vs Saudi Arabia prediction It's difficult to do this, but do it — forget the fact that the Saudis beat Argentina at the 2024 World Cup. If you're not willing to forget that result, which was three years ago, think of it as the first match of a 2W-9L-1D run that included losses to Oman and Bolivia. Arizona is going to be a veritable home atmosphere for El Tri, who would be favored on a neutral ground, and the Saudis are missing their Al-Hilal representation (12 different Al-Hilal players have been called up in the next 12 months). This would be a stunner if it didn't go the way of Javier Aguirre's El Tri. Mexico 2-0 Saudi Arabia.
Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Established order prevails at Club World Cup as minnows make little impact
MIAMI - The occasional threat of an upset result at the Club World Cup handed hope to the minnows of the world game but in the end the established order prevailed at the conclusion of the first round of the tournament in the U.S. All but three of the teams through to the knockout stages are from Europe and South America with the field for the last-16 settled after the last group-stage matches on Thursday. Among the last to qualify was Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal, but the Riyadh-based side is littered with players expensively purchased from European clubs like the Portugal internationals Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo, former Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly and ex-Brazil international Malcom. Also through are Monterrey from Mexico and Inter Miami, where Lionel Messi is the kingpin in a side filled with former Barcelona stalwarts. But for the rest, it was a disappointing return from clubs from other continents. Al-Hilal held Real Madrid to a draw in their opening game and won a decisive clash with Pachuca of Mexico on Thursday to advance, but it was one of only two matches won by Asian clubs in the first round out of a total of 12 played. Africa had similarly disappointing statistics. Its four representatives went home with a combined total of two wins in 12 outings. 'It is a big step up for the players,' said Miguel Cardoso of South Africa champions Mamelodi Sundowns, who collected four points but still finished third in Group F. 'The level of competition is just that little bit higher than what the players are used to,' the coach added. EXPERIENCES 'These experiences will stay with us hopefully for the coming games we play,' said Seattle Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer as his side make a quick return to Major League Soccer action at Austin on Saturday after playing Atletico Madrid, Botafogo and European champions Paris St Germain. 'There were a lot of similarities in the style and approach to the game between us and the powerful clubs we played against. But you have to factor in that their players are playing at a much higher level.' Egypt's Al Ahly and Tunisia's Esperance also brought plenty of fans and helped create atmosphere in the large stadiums but went home without achieving their ambition of progressing to the last-16. 'The moment that you drop a little bit your level against this quality of opponents, you pay a price,' added Jose Riveiro, coach of Cairo giants Al Ahly who had a rollicking 4-4 draw with Porto in their last group game. But he said competing at the Club World Cup was a special experience. 'The players have the opportunity to showcase their talent and a fantastic platform to do it. 'It's a special occasion for sure something that, well, you don't always have the opportunity to be involved in,' Riveiro said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Reuters
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Established order prevails at Club World Cup as minnows make little impact
MIAMI, June 27 (Reuters) - The occasional threat of an upset result at the Club World Cup handed hope to the minnows of the world game but in the end the established order prevailed at the conclusion of the first round of the tournament in the U.S. All but three of the teams through to the knockout stages are from Europe and South America with the field for the last-16 settled after the last group-stage matches on Thursday. Among the last to qualify was Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal, but the Riyadh-based side is littered with players expensively purchased from European clubs like the Portugal internationals Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo, former Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly and ex-Brazil international Malcom. Also through are Monterrey from Mexico and Inter Miami, where Lionel Messi is the kingpin in a side filled with former Barcelona stalwarts. But for the rest, it was a disappointing return from clubs from other continents. Al-Hilal held Real Madrid to a draw in their opening game and won a decisive clash with Pachuca of Mexico on Thursday to advance, but it was one of only two matches won by Asian clubs in the first round out of a total of 12 played. Africa had similarly disappointing statistics. Its four representatives went home with a combined total of two wins in 12 outings. 'It is a big step up for the players,' said Miguel Cardoso of South Africa champions Mamelodi Sundowns, who collected four points but still finished third in Group F. 'The level of competition is just that little bit higher than what the players are used to,' the coach added. 'These experiences will stay with us hopefully for the coming games we play,' said Seattle Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer as his side make a quick return to Major League Soccer action at Austin on Saturday after playing Atletico Madrid, Botafogo and European champions Paris St Germain. 'There were a lot of similarities in the style and approach to the game between us and the powerful clubs we played against. But you have to factor in that their players are playing at a much higher level.' Egypt's Al Ahly and Tunisia's Esperance also brought plenty of fans and helped create atmosphere in the large stadiums but went home without achieving their ambition of progressing to the last-16. 'The moment that you drop a little bit your level against this quality of opponents, you pay a price,' added Jose Riveiro, coach of Cairo giants Al Ahly who had a rollicking 4-4 draw with Porto in their last group game. But he said competing at the Club World Cup was a special experience. 'The players have the opportunity to showcase their talent and a fantastic platform to do it. 'It's a special occasion for sure something that, well, you don't always have the opportunity to be involved in,' Riveiro said.
