Football

Two goals from substitute Yacine Brahimi late in the game propelled Al Rayyan to a hard-fought 2-0 win over Al Ahli in Round 4 (Group B) of the 2020-21 season Ooredoo Cup at the Al Arabi Stadium on Tuesday. Al Rayyan moved on to four points with their first victory, while Al Ahli remained on one point as they crashed to their third defeat. Al Rayyan wasted a number of chances before Brahimi converted a penalty in the 85th minute and then produced

Umm Salal rallied for a 2-1 win over Al Kharaitiyat in Round 4 (Group B) of the 2020-21 season Ooredoo Cup at the Al Khor Stadium on Tuesday. Evans Mensah opened the scoring for Al Kharaitiyat in the 61st minute, but Umm Salal were helped to their win after goals by Adnan Mustafa (64th) and Ilyes Brimil (87th). Umm Salal now have four points, while Al Kharaitiyat stood on six points. In the 21st minute, Al Kharatiyat’s Mehadi Al Khamasi clipped a neat

Al Gharafa and Al Arabi played out a goalless draw in Round 4 (Group B) of the 2020-21 season Ooredoo Cup at the Al Arabi Stadium on Tuesday. The result saw Al Gharafa drop points for the first time in the tournament. They are now on 10 points, whereas Al Arabi have eight points. Al Gharafa were more on the attack in the first half, with Jonathan Kodjia and Sofiane Hanni at the helm of their offensives. Kodjia almost scored in the fourth

Al Duhail beat Qatar SC 1-0 in Round 4 (Group A) of the 2020-21 season Ooredoo Cup at the Qatar SC Stadium on Wednesday. The only goal of the match was scored by Yasen Abdallah in the 43rd minute. Al Duhail thus opened their account with their first victory, while Qatar SC stayed on four points. Al Duhai’s Under-23 player Walid Othman, after finding a little open space near the Qatar SC box, fired a powerful shot that was palmed away by keeper

A goal at the start of second half helped Al Sadd beat Al Khor 1-0 in Round 4 (Group A) of the 2020-21 season Ooredoo Cup at the Qatar SC Stadium on Wednesday. Hashem Ali netted the winner in the 48th minute as Al Sadd registered their first win in the tournament. The Wolves have four points and Al Khor six. In the fifth minute, Al Sadd’s Baha Mamdouh was shown the yellow card for a reckless push against Leonardo De Souza. Two

Al Sailiya and Al Wakrah were locked in a 2-2 draw in Round 4 (Group A) of the 2020-21 season Ooredoo Cup at the Al Khor Stadium on Wednesday. Abdullah Al Marri (18th minute) and Tiago Bezerra (42nd-minute penalty) scored for Al Sailiya. Jassim Al Jalabi (45+1-minute penalty and 59th-minute penalty) scored for Al Wakrah. Al Sailiya and Al Wakrah are now on five and eight points respectively. Al Sailiya opened the scoring when Al Marri capitalised on Al Wakrah’s defensive lapse and

NEW DELHI: Although he was not a part of the Blue Tigers’ 2019 AFC Asian Cup campaign in UAE, his team-mates and Assistant Coach Shanmugam Venkatesh believe Eugeneson Lyngdoh was instrumental to India’s qualification for the Continental championship. Lyngdoh, who had appeared on AIFF TV for a candid live chat, was flooded with wishes from his former teammates and current rivals, as he makes a comeback from injury in the upcoming Hero Indian Super League season with SC East Bengal. “He had a huge

NEW DELHI: The upcoming edition of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) is set to feature a number of graduates from the latest batch of the All India Football Federation (AIFF)'s developmental side Indian Arrows and with the competition set to kick off in Goa on November 20, the young guns are hard at work as they prepare to take their Hero ISL bows. Among them is the rapidly-rising forward Vikram Partap Singh, who has 27 appearances for the Indian Arrows in the Hero

A member of Iraq’s national team since 2014, Justin Meram understands the Middle East’s passion for football. The US-born midfielder – a familiar face to Major League Soccer fans following spells with Columbus Crew, Orlando City and Atlanta United – qualifies to play for Iraq through his parents. Now playing his trade with Real Salt Lake, the 31-year-old is well positioned to speak about next FIFA World Cup™ hosts, having visited and played in the country on various occasions during his international career.

NEW DELHI: Arjuna awardee Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the only Indian footballer to have played in the Europa League so far, feels Bala Devi's “path-breaking” journey can inspire not only the women footballers but also their men counterparts in India – all in an effort to take Indian Football Forward Together. "It (Bala's maiden start for Rangers Women FC) is a proud moment for the country. She is a true example of hard work and dedication. Her path-breaking journey is not only a proud moment

The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) participated in the first Focus Day held in collaboration with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC (Q22) and Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) as part of the 2020 Qatar Sustainability Week. Entitled ‘Green Hospitality for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™’, the virtual event aimed to encourage sustainable operation practices in tournament-related hospitality sectors and highlight ongoing best practices in Qatar. Speakers discussed the FIFA World Cup™ as a legacy driver in implementing sustainable operation practices within

Xavi Hernandez of Al Sadd has been named as the 2020-21 season QNB Stars League’s Best Coach for the months of September & October, 2020, according to STATS, the official statistics and figures provider for the Qatar Stars League. Under Xavi, Al Sadd played five matches. They won four of them and drew one game. The Wolves beat Al Kharaitiyat (5-1), Al Sailiya (5-1), Al Duhail (3-1) and Al Ahli (7-1). The only time they dropped points was when they were held to

Santi Cazorla of Al Sadd has been adjudged the 2020-21 season QNB Stars League’s Best Player for the months of September & October, 2020. The attacking midfielder, who joined the Al Sadd ranks this season, scored four goals and gave as many assists, according to STATS, the official statistics and figures provider for the Qatar Stars League. In the process, Cazorla, who has had highly-successful stints with many European teams (mainly Arsenal and Villarreal), played a crucial role in Al Sadd’s impressive run

Humam Al Ameen of Al Gharafa has been adjudged the 2020-21 season QNB Stars League’s Best Under-23 Player for the months of September & October, 2020. Humam, one of the key players of Al Gharafa, has been playing a vital role in the team’s Serbian coach Slavisa Jokanovic’s scheme of things. He played in Al Gharafa’s all five matches, spending a total of 440 minutes on the pitch, according to STATS, the official statistics and figures provider for the QNB Stars League. After

NEW DELHI: Amarjit Singh, who captained the country in the only FIFA World Cup that India have participated till now feels their family can be labelled as "World Cup family" should his cousin Kritina Devi represent India in the forthcoming FIFA U17 Women's World Cup 2021. "She is one of the few girls from our place who started playing football with boys. I hope she gets selected and plays in the upcoming U-17 Women's World Cup. It will be a very proud moment for our

DOHA: Al Sadd came back from a goal down to outplay Al Duhail 4-1 and reach their 26th Amir Cup final at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium on Saturday. It was a game of two halves yesterday with Al Duhail dominating the first, only to be outplayed by Al Sadd in the second. Edmilson had put Al Duhail ahead in the 10th minute after an error from Al Sadd goalkeeper Meshaal Barshem. Al Duhail, after a disciplined defensive show in the first half,

DOHA: Qatar coach Felix Sanchez on Saturday announced a squad of 27 players ahead of the two international friendlies against Costa Rica and Korea Republic on the 13th and 17th of November. The national team’s training for the current gathering will start on Sunday until the return date from Austria on November 18, after which the players will join the ranks of their clubs. The team’s list included: Muataz Barsham, Pedro Miguel, Tariq Salman, Abdel-Karim Hassan, Boualem Khoukhi, Hassan Al-Haydos, Akram Afif, Musab

NEW DELHI: Since its launch in 2018 the Golden Baby Leagues project has sparked a revolution across the length and breadth of India with over 35,000 children taking part in the 2019-20 season itself. The initiative has engaged and brought together a number of stakeholders – from academies to clubs to schools to companies to NGOs to local football authorities – such as the Lunglei District Football Association (LDFA) in Mizoram. The latest edition saw nearly 300 school children in a 12-km radius in

DOHA: Al Arabi ended a 26-year wait to reach the final of the Amir Cup with a convincing 2-0 win over Al Markhiya at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium. After several years of frustration, the Doha historic outfit fans will be dreaming of a ninth Amir Cup title, though holders Al Duhail or Al Sadd wait for them in the final. Goals from Aron Gunnarsson (17th minute) and Abdulaziz al-Ansari (59th) were enough for Al Arabi to see off Markhiya, ending the second

Because of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, many things around the world were halted and so were games and sports. However, things are getting back to normal with some strict precautions and guidelines regarding health and hygiene. During the pre-season training of the Bhubaneswar-based Hero Indian Super League (ISL) team Odisha FC, the club’s media team caught up with Team Doctor Dr Praveen Choudhary for a short interview. “As you all know, we all are in a pandemic stage of Covid 19 and it