Shaidorov Shines to Become the First Four Continents Champion from Kazakhstanin 10 Years
Mikhail Shaidorov won the free skate with a season-best score on Saturday to become the first skater from Kazakhstan to win the Four Continents title since Denis Ten in 2015.
Shaidorov held a 12-point lead after the short program and was equally impressive in the free skate, landing four quadruple jumps for 190.37 points for an overall total of 285.10.
Cha Jun-hwan of South Korea was second with 265.02 points followed by Jimmy Ma of the United States with 245.01.
Shaidorov opened with a superb triple axel, single Euler and quad salchow combination that set the tone for his routine. He followed with a quad lutz and a quad toe loop before adding another quad toe-triple toe combination later in his routine.
Cha was fourth after the short program and turned in a spectacular free skate to grab the silver medal before the home fans.
The South Korean skater started his routine with a quadruple salchow. His next element was supposed to be a quad toeloop but he could only manage a double, but that was the only major mistake for the 2022 Four Continents champion.
Ma, who was second after the short program, fell on a triple loop early in his routine and touched down on triple axel but was otherwise solid and finished with the bronze medal.
The ice dance free dance was later Saturday. The competition finishes Sunday with the women's free skate.
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Al Arabiya
03-05-2025
- Al Arabiya
As Ahli faces ACL Elite destiny, how did Saudi clubs fare in AFC Champions League finals?
When Al Ahli takes to the field in the AFC Champions League Elite final against Japan's Kawasaki Frontale on Saturday, it will be the 17th time a club from Saudi Arabia has made it to the final of Asia's biggest club competition. Al Ahli was the first club from the Kingdom to reach a final, back in 1986 when the competition was still called the Asian Club Championship. It lost to Daewoo Royals and was defeated by South Korean opposition again in 2012; now it is aiming to make it third-time lucky. For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Saudi Arabian clubs have a rich history in the AFC Champions League - one that has been shaped by unforgettable nights and painful near-misses. Here, Al Arabiya English looks back at every AFC Champions League final that has featured a Saudi team. 1985–86 - Al Ahli 1-3 Daewoo Royals (South Korea) Al Ahli made history by becoming the first Saudi club to reach the final of Asia's top club competition, then known as the Asian Club Championship. The tournament's final round was held in Jeddah, and Al Ahli topped their group with wins over East Bengal and Krama Yudha. They edged Syria's Al-Ittihad Aleppo 1–0 in the semifinal before facing Daewoo Royals in the final. Amin Dabo gave the hosts an early lead, but the Koreans equalized and then pulled away in extra time to win 3–1. Despite the defeat, it was a landmark campaign for Saudi football. 1986 – Al Hilal runner-up in round-robin final stage There was no single final in the 1986 edition - instead, the tournament was decided through a round-robin format hosted in Riyadh. 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Having narrowly progressed through the semifinal, Al Shabab - making its maiden appearance in the final - suffered a 1-0 defeat to PAS Tehran in Riffa, Bahrain. It was the first and only time Al Shabab's reached the final, though the club did win the now defunct Asian Cup WInners' Cup in 2001. PAS Tehran, meanwhile, only played once more in the tournament before the club was eventually dissolved in 2007. 1995 - Al Nassr 0-1 Ilhwa Chunma (South Korea) With the finals played in Riyadh, it appeared Al Nassr was set for a fairytale triumph at the King Fahd Stadium. It had advanced from its semifinal thanks to Khalid Al Farhan's 99th-minute golden goal against Thai Farmers Bank, but was undone by the same method of victory in the final. The showdown with South Korea's Ilhwa Chunma finished 0-0 after normal time and looked to be heading to penalties, until Lee Tae-Hong struck a 110th-minute winner. 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A brace from Mohammed Noor, who starred across both legs, plus strikes from Redha Tukar, Manaf Abushgeer and Hamza Idris sealed an improbable 6-3 aggregate win. It was the club's first title under the new format - which changed from Asian Club Championship to AFC Champions League in 2002 - and marked a new dawn of Saudi dominance in the revamped competition. 2005 – Al Ittihad 5-3 Al Ain (UAE) The reigning champion returned one year later to become the first - and still, only - team to win back-to-back AFC Champions League titles. Al Ittihad earned a 1-1 draw away in the first leg thanks to a goal from Mohammed Kallon and in the second leg at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Kallon netted again as Al Ain was overwhelmed 4-2. 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The second leg in Japan was tight, but an own goal from Al Hilal midfielder André Carrillo handed Urawa a 2-1 aggregate win. It was another painful defeat - particularly for coach Ramon Diaz, who had also lost to Urawa in the 2017 final.
Al Arabiya
18-03-2025
- Al Arabiya
Saudi clubs discover AFC Champions League Elite quarter-final opponents
Saudi Arabia's three AFC Champions League Elite contenders - Al Ahli, Al Hilal and Al Nassr - found out on Monday who they will face in the competition's quarterfinals. Asia's premier club tournament was revamped for this season and the final stage of the inaugural edition - comprising quarterfinals, semi-finals and final - will begin in Jeddah next month. At a gala draw at the AFC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, the Kingdom's trio of cubs discovered their fate, with four-time competition winner Al Hilal set to take on South Korea's Gwangju FC and Al Ahli facing Thai side Buriram United. Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr was handed arguably the toughest test as it will do battle with last year's losing finalist, Yokohama F. Marinos of Japan. Here Al Arabiya English explores what Al Ahli, Al Hilal and Al Nassr can expect from their AFC Champions League Elite opponents. 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In the East Asian group stage, Gwangju began with a bang as it beat 2024 AFC Champions League finalist Yokohama F. Marinos 7-3. The Korean team, coached by Lee Jung-Hyo, only lost one game - to Vissel Kobe - to finish fourth in the table. Its progress was made the more impressive as the other two South Korean representatives - Pohang Steelers and Ulsan HD - failed to make it through. Gwangju then beat group stage conqueror Vissel Kobe over two legs in the last-16, overturning a 2-0 first-leg deficit to produce a stirring fight back. Gwangju won 3-0 after extra-time to eliminate the Japanese side, with Albania striker Jasir Asani netting twice - including the decisive third goal. Al Hilal will need to be particularly wary of the threat of Asani, who is currently the top scorer in this season's ACL Elite with nine goals in nine games. Al Ahli vs Buriram United On paper, it appears that Al Ahli has been given the most favorable draw of the three Saudi representatives as it faces Thailand's Buriram United on April 26. Only one Thai club has ever won Asia's premier continental tournament, with Thai Farmers Bank claiming back-to-back titles in what was then known as the Asian Club Championship in 1994 and 1995. Bangkok outfit BEC Tero Sasana was the last Thai team to make the final, losing to Al Ain in 2003. Ahli is a two-time runner up in the competition - in 1985 and 2012 - but has well-grounded aspirations of winning the inaugural ACL Elite after a series of dominant displays in the West Asian group stage was followed by a 5-1 aggregate triumph over Qatar's Al Rayyan in the last-16. Its quarter-final opponent Buriram United finished sixth in the East Asian group stage, claiming impressive home wins over Korean giants Pohang Steelers and Ulsan HD, as well as a hard-fought away victory at Australia's Central Coast Mariners. In the last-16, the reigning Thai champion beat Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) 1-0 over two legs in an attritional contest. After drawing 0-0 at home, Buriram looked to be on the back foot but produced a determined second-leg showing - Suphanat Mueanta's single goal silencing the 35,000 home fans at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Johor. Suphanat is a star for club and country, averaging almost a goal every other game for the Thai national team. Brazilian coach Osmar Loss relies on a core of Thai players but also has a pair of talented compatriots in midfielder Lucas Crispim and forward Guilherme Bissoli to call on. Ex-Fulham and Cardiff City goalkeeper Neil Etheridge is a safe pair of hands between the posts, while Real Madrid academy graduate Marcelo Djaló and Austria international midfielder Peter Žulj bring valuable experience to the defense and midfield respectively. Yokohama F. Marinos vs Al Nassr If Cristiano Ronaldo is to become the first player to win Champions League titles in Europe and Asia, he must help navigate his side past last year's losing finalist Yokohama F. Marinos. The Japanese team, now led by former England national team assistant coach Steve Holland, won the first leg of last year's final against Al Ain, before being blown away 5-1 in the second leg in the UAE. After a shock 7-3 loss to South Korea's Gwangju in its opening East Asian group stage game this season, Yokohama regrouped impressively to record six straight wins and finish top of the table, above fellow Japanese team Kawasaki Frontale. Holland's side then swept through its last-16 encounter with China's Shanghai Port - the recently crowned Chinese Double winners. Yokohama won 1-0 in the first leg before a comprehensive 4-1 victory in the second leg booked a date with Al Nassr. Only Al Ahli and Al Hilal have scored more than Yokohama's 26 goals in this season's ACL Elite, with the team led by prolific Brazilian Anderson Lopes. The striker, who has been playing in Asia since 2016, has netted eight goals in the current campaign - one more than Ronaldo and the same number as Al Hilal's Salem Al-Dawsari and Al Ahli's Riyad Mahrez. Lopes scored at least one goal in each knockout round last year to help Yokohama reach the final and netted three times across his team's last-16 victory over Shanghai Port. Al Nassr, of course, has a substantial attacking arsenal of its own, with Ronaldo and record-signing Jhon Duran leading the line for Stefano Pioli's side. Both players scored in Nassr's 3-0 second-leg victory over Esteghlal in the last-16, as the Riyadh club overcame its Iranian opponent following a 0-0 draw in Tehran. Although Al Nassr won the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and Asian Super Cup in 1998, it has never lifted the continent's premier club title - something that Ronaldo and Co. are desperate to change. Kawasaki Frontale vs Al Sadd The last quarter-final, taking place in Jeddah on April 27, sees Qatar's Al Sadd - the AFC Champions League winner in 1989 and 2011 - face Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale. Of this season's competing clubs, only Al Hilal and Pakhtakor have played in more elite Asian tournaments that Al Sadd - which is making its 19th appearance in the competition. Al Sadd, led by reigning Asian Footballer of the Year and Qatar national team captain Akram Afif, finished fourth in the West Asian group stage before advancing through its last-16 tie thanks to a 4-2 aggregate victory over UAE side Al Wasl. Its opponent Kawasaki Frontale has never made it past the quarterfinals in Asian competition - reaching the last-eight in 2007, 2009 and 2017 before being eliminated. The Japanese team progressed to the inaugural ACL Elite finals stage thanks to a superb 4-0 second-leg victory over Shanghai Shenhua at the Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium.
Asharq Al-Awsat
22-02-2025
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Shaidorov Shines to Become the First Four Continents Champion from Kazakhstanin 10 Years
Mikhail Shaidorov won the free skate with a season-best score on Saturday to become the first skater from Kazakhstan to win the Four Continents title since Denis Ten in 2015. Shaidorov held a 12-point lead after the short program and was equally impressive in the free skate, landing four quadruple jumps for 190.37 points for an overall total of 285.10. Cha Jun-hwan of South Korea was second with 265.02 points followed by Jimmy Ma of the United States with 245.01. Shaidorov opened with a superb triple axel, single Euler and quad salchow combination that set the tone for his routine. He followed with a quad lutz and a quad toe loop before adding another quad toe-triple toe combination later in his routine. Cha was fourth after the short program and turned in a spectacular free skate to grab the silver medal before the home fans. The South Korean skater started his routine with a quadruple salchow. His next element was supposed to be a quad toeloop but he could only manage a double, but that was the only major mistake for the 2022 Four Continents champion. Ma, who was second after the short program, fell on a triple loop early in his routine and touched down on triple axel but was otherwise solid and finished with the bronze medal. The ice dance free dance was later Saturday. The competition finishes Sunday with the women's free skate.
