Al Mohannadi leads ATTF delegation at meet with Uzbek Olympic Committee
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Qatar Tribune
2 days ago
- Qatar Tribune
Liverpool to focus more on defence for Bournemouth clash, says Slot
PA Media/dpa London Coach Arne Slot demanded Liverpool tighten up defensively before Friday's Premier League curtain-raiser after allowing Crystal Palace to come back and win the Community Shield in a penalty shootout at Wembley. Hugo Ekitike - one of four summer signings in Slot's starting XI - scored in the fourth minute of his competitive Reds debut, assisted by fellow new addition Florian Wirtz, an opener subsequently cancelled out by Jean-Philippe Mateta's 17th minute penalty. Jeremie Frimpong opened his own Liverpool account to restore their lead shortly afterwards, but Ismaila Sarr's 77th-minute equaliser ultimately forced penalties, decided by Northern Ireland international Justin Devenny as Palace came out on top 3-2 in the shootout. 'I think in the whole pre-season we saw that we are able to create more and we are more comfortable on the ball, we create more opportunities, chances, we dominate maybe even more,' said Slot. 'Last season we had a lot of ball possession but that didn't always lead to promising situations. Now, we are better in creating and getting promising situations than we were, in my opinion, throughout the whole of last season. 'But the other side is also true, that we have conceded four against Milan, one against the Japanese team (Yokohama F. Marinos), two against (Athletic) Bilbao and again two today. 'What made us really strong last season was we only won mostly by a margin of one goal and that had mostly to do with us keeping a clean sheet or as a maximum conceding one goal.' Liverpool kick off their Premier League title defence on Friday night, hosting Bournemouth at Anfield, where Slot hopes to see swift improvement. He added: 'In general there were not many chances because they went to a low block (and) we had a lot of ball possession. But after the 2-2 they had (chances), so it needs maybe a little bit of adjustment defensively at the moment because we don't concede a lot of chances but we do concede goals at the moment.' And while Slot was pleased for his newcomers, the Dutch boss expects they would have happily traded their goals for a better result. He said: 'I think it's always nice to score a goal. Not only for (Ekitike), also for Jeremie Frimpong - if you are starting your career at a new club. But it would have been even nicer to win a game of football because I think that's more important than scoring a goal.' Ekitike, who joined Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt last month, was substituted in the 71st minute at Wembley and replaced by Alexis Mac Allister, one of two Reds - alongside Harvey Elliott - denied by Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the shootout following Mohamed Salah's opening miss. Slot added: '(Ekitike) had a good impact but he is also an example of a player who came, I think, one-and-a-half to two weeks ago, at the end of our Asian tour. So for me, with only three or four days before the Friday game, it wouldn't be smart to play him for 90 minutes. 'There's not a lot to replace him with. So, if he gets an injury at this moment of time, that would be a big risk for the Bournemouth, Newcastle and Arsenal games. That's why I took him off but he had a good game today, that's for sure.'
Qatar Tribune
2 days ago
- Qatar Tribune
Rizwan backs Pak bowlers to bounce back after ODI loss
Icc Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan is confident his bowling group can find form as his side's three-match ODI series against the West Indies heads into a deciding game. The West Indies proved too strong in the second ODI of the series in Trinidad, with Roston Chase and Justin Greaves combining for an unbeaten partnership of 77 to help the Caribbean side chase down the adjusted victory target of 181 in a rain-affected contest at Brian Lara Stadium. Chase and Greaves took a particular liking to Pakistan's part-timers of Saim Ayub and Salman Agha, with the pair each conceding 33 runs from their spell as the West Indies squared the series at 1-1 ahead of the final match at the same ground on Tuesday. While Rizwan wouldn't confirm the duo will retain their place in Pakistan's side for the series decider, he backed them to perform well should they win selection for the eagerly-awaited contest. 'You could say our fifth bowler gave away too many runs (today), but in recent years, Salman Agha and Saim Ayub have both bowled well for us,' Rizwan said post-match. 'Saim didn't have the best day today, but he performed well in the T20Is. That's just part of the game.' The victory for the West Indies was their first over Pakistan in more than six years, with their most previous win against the Asian side prior to this match coming at the 2019 edition of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup when they cruised to a 7-wkt triumph in Nottingham. The landscape is very different now for the West Indies, who missed qualification for the most recent 50-over World Cup in India in 2023 and are chasing a return to the major tournament in 2027 according to coach Daren Sammy and skipper Shai Hope. Sammy said prior to the series against Pakistan that the matches were serving as preparation for the next 50-over World Cup and Hope confirmed the West Indies are trying to improve in all facets of the game.
Qatar Tribune
2 days ago
- Qatar Tribune
Al Duhail to meet Iran's Sepahan at Khalifa International Stadium today
Tribune News Network Doha The battle to reach the league stage of the AFC Champions League Elite (West) will see Al Duhail take on Iran's Sepahan SC at the Khalifa International Stadium on Tuesday at 7pm. Al Duhail are seeking a strong start to the season by winning and qualifying for the group stage of the continent's premier club tournament. The Red Knights are aiming to write a new chapter of Asian success under Algerian Djamel Belmadi, who has previously coached them to numerous domestic titles. Addressing the media on eve of the match, the experienced Belmadi said, 'A very tough match and a special challenge awaits us in a highly significant tournament, but we are confident in our team's ability to achieve victory. 'We have sufficient experience and potential to achieve victory and qualify for the league stage. We have undergone strong preparations and we are looking forward to a strong start to the new season. Sepahan is a serious team and we have keenly studied them technically and looked at our own strengths in preparing for the challenge,' he added. Al Duhail's star defender Karim Boudiaf, said, 'We will play a decisive match against Sepahan tomorrow, and we are ready for it, having undergone intensive preparations for three weeks. 'We are on the right track under the leadership of our coach, Djamel Belmadi, and we are very compatible with his approach. We aspire to win and we have great experience in the Asian championship.' Sepahan FC coach Moharram Navidikia also exuded confidence in his team's abilities. He said, 'The match against Al Duhail looks very difficult but we are confident in our ability to win because we are looking forward to qualifying for the league stage. It is one of the most important matches we will play this season. 'Al Duhail are a good team and have made many changes to their ranks by signing a new coach and players, but I have great confidence in my players, so I am certain that they will do their best until the last moment.' Sepahan player Ehsan Hajsafi, said, 'We have analyzed Al Duhail's strengths and weaknesses well, and we are looking forward to exploiting those weaknesses to our advantage and scoring goals. 'We've had good training sessions in recent days and are improving day by day. Therefore, we are 100% mentally and physically prepared for tomorrow's match, which we hope to win and please our fans.' Al Duhail have strengthened their ranks with a number of strong signings to bolster their chances this season, most notably Italian star Marco Verratti and young Algerian striker Adil Boulbina along with Senegalese Youssouf Sabaly, Polish striker Krzysztof Piatek and Brazilian Lucas Silva Melo, known as 'Tuta'. Both teams' last involvement came in 2023-24, with Al Duhail targeting a 13th appearance while Sepahan are eyeing a 15th; the two sides are also each featuring in the preliminary rounds for a second time, with the former succeeding in 2014 while the latter stumbled in 2024-25. Semi-finalists in 2022, Al Duhail finished as 2024-25 Qatar Stars League runners-up and hold a superior head-to-head record against the away side, winning three of their four previous encounters—all in the ACL Group Stage (2012 and 2022). Sepahan, 2007 finalists and 2024-25 league runners-up in Iran, will hope to overturn the losing streak. The two preliminary stage winners will join the 22 teams that were granted direct entry to the league stage, while the losing pair will enter the ACL Two Group Stage directly.
