Al-Hilal defeat Pachuca 2-0, advance to Club World Cup knockout phase
Salem Al-Dawsari scored a fancy goal in the 22nd minute, Marcos Leonardo added a clincher in second-half stoppage time and Al-Hilal defeated CF Pachuca 2-0 on Thursday in Nashville to advance to the knockout stage of the FIFA Club World Cup.
For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Johni Broome was a college force at Auburn. He'll start his NBA journey as a 2nd-round draft pick
Johni Broome was a college basketball headliner at Auburn, an Associated Press first-team All-American, an undeniable force powering the Tigers to the Final Four. His NBA journey is coming with less fanfare. The fifth-year big man went to the Philadelphia 76ers with the No. 35 pick in Thursday's second round of the draft. It offered an example of how elite college production doesn't always equate to high-end NBA potential or draft status, particularly when it comes to an older player deemed more of a finished product compared to the youngster with rising upside. For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Still, the player ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas described simply as 'a winner' is tough, tested and eager to start his pro pursuit all the same. 'I think what he said was right,' Broome said of Bilas during Thursday's ESPN broadcast. 'I'm a winner. I get things done offensively and defensively, so the Sixers got a good one.' The 6-foot-9, 249-pound Broome – who started his career as an unheralded recruit for two years at Morehead State – averaged 18.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks last year for Auburn, which started the year at No. 11 in the AP Top 25 poll but immediately climbed to a top-5 status it wouldn't yield for the rest of the year behind Broome's brilliance. That included eight straight weeks ranked at No. 1 from mid-January to early March. Broome stuffed box scores so thoroughly that he was the player of the year in a rugged Southeastern Conference, which was hands down the nation's top conference and produced a record 14 bids to the NCAA Tournament. And he finished as runner-up for AP national player of the year to Duke freshman and eventual No. 1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg in what was a true two-man spotlight this season, with Broome collecting a third of the vote as the only other player named on a ballot. He pushed the Tigers program to only its second trip to college basketball's biggest stage, grinding through an elbow injury suffered during the Elite Eight win against Michigan State and then being hampered by it during the loss to eventual champion Florida in the national semifinals a week later. That all seemingly had him positioned to be a first-round prospect, who led Auburn to 59 wins in the past two years alone. NBA evaluations, however, are different. Broome lacks elite athleticism. His testing and measurements at the combine didn't help his first-round chances: he had a 28-inch max vertical leap (tied for second worst at the combine), while only six players posted a lower standing vertical leap (24.0). He also finished tied for fourth-worst in the shuttle run (3.23 seconds), designed to test agility. Numbers aren't everything, of course. Maryland big man Derik Queen tied Broome for the second-worst max vertical and still went on to go late in the lottery (No. 13). But Queen is the still-developing prospect, growing into his upside at 20 years old and with just 36 games of college experience, compared to Broome being the as-is prospect who turns 23 on July 19 after playing 168 college games. When it comes to his game, he plays more below the rim and lacks the defense-stretching range essential in today's game built around floor-spacing. His jumper is rated as below average in Synergy's analytics rankings, with him making 27.1 percent to rank in the 25th percentile – with most of those attempts coming in catch-and-shoot situations. That underlying data aligns with his outside-shooting statistics, where Broome made just 31.4 percent of his 3-point attempts (53 of 169) over the last two seasons and had at least two made 3s in just 15 of 71 games. He was at his best in post-ups, as a cutter, working as the roll man in pick-and-rolls, and attacking the offensive glass, ranking good to very good in all of those categories in Synergy. He also ranked as very good in finishing layups and dunks at the rim, converting 65.9 percent of those attempts to rank in the 81st percentile. Metrics aside, there's a place in the NBA for guys who can rebound and defend with toughness. He's already proven he can, along with putting in the work going back to being a three-star signee with Morehead State. 'He may not be an above-the-rim big guy, but he carves out space and he gets things done,' Bilas said during the broadcast.
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
5 things we learned from Al-Hilal's FIFA Club World Cup win over CF Pachuca
NASHVILLE: Al-Hilal held their composure to defeat CF Pachuca of Mexico 2-0 in Nashville and book their place in the FIFA Club World Cup Round of 16. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport The hard-fought victory means coach Simone Inzaghi's side are the only team from Asia, Africa and Oceania to progress in the 32-team tournament. The Riyadh club will now meet Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City in Orlando on Monday. Defense holds strong CF Pachuca started the match the better side, with former Newcastle United striker Salomon Rondon threatening to stretch the Al-Hilal defense early on. Hassan Al-Tambakti, the Saudi center-back who was a doubt after limping off against Red Bull Salzburg, put a confident display, stepping in twice in the opening 15 minutes when Rondon looked like he would test Yassine Bounou. Of the three games Al-Hilal have played in the US this month, this match in 'Music City' was — somewhat ironically given his nickname — Bono's quietest. Pachuca managed 12 shots, but only two hit the target; both were central and neither worried the Moroccan, even if he did seem to give Rondon a sniff of a follow-up in the first half. Pachuca, the reigning Concacaf champions, had scored in both their previous matches against Salzburg and Real Madrid, yet never came close here. Every great team is built on a solid defense and Inzaghi, now with two successive clean sheets, certainly seems to have organized his backline. Al-Dawsari does it again Dressed all in white in the land of the 'Man in Black' — country star Johnny Cash — the Blues soon found their rhythm. They settled into the match with the help of captain Salem Al-Dawsari, who raised the heart rate of right-back Eduardo Bauermann as well as the noise levels inside GEODIS Park during a busy first half. Intent on driving at his Brazilian full-back, Al-Dawsari showed speed and trickery every time he touched the ball, to the delight of the 14,147 fans. His moment came in the 22nd minute. Nasser Al-Dawsari noticed his captain running in behind and lofted the ball forwards. Salem still had much to do, but he is not a player who struggles in high-pressure moments. The Saudi flyer needed just one touch to compose himself, before lifting the ball high and over Pachuca goalkeeper Sebastian Jurado. As the ball hung in the air so did a silence, but Al-Dawsari knew it was going in and reeled off to celebrate his 27th goal of the season with the customary cartwheel and backflip. 'Al-Hilal has been working well since last season and we believe we are on the right track,' he told the media. 'Our organization does not change just because the coach changes or a player leaves or arrives. Al-Hilal is built by many, many people — that is the secret of our continuity. Tonight we will celebrate, but tomorrow the focus switches to the next match.' Misfiring Marcos Leonardo For 95 minutes it looked like Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo would rue missed opportunities once again. The former Santos forward arrived at the Club World Cup having scored 26 times since joining Al-Hilal from Benfica last summer for $46.8m (€40m) and came close against both Madrid and Salzburg. Ultimately, he fumbled at the crucial moments — and it seemed more of the same against Pachuca, until the dying minutes. Lovely first-half play out from the back led to Malcom feeding the 22-year-old, but he had strayed offside. Later, Al-Hilal's No. 11 saw his header flash high and wide. As the match wore on, with nerves building and Pachuca pushing for an equalizer, Malcom picked his compatriot out again. He did well to chip it over the onrushing Jurado but failed to get enough power in the shot and the covering Bauermann cleared comfortably. With the match into the last of six additional minutes, however, Leonardo finally scored after collecting a long ball forward, rounding the Pachuca goalkeeper, and rolling it into an empty net. His own celebrations were muted, his team's ecstatic. The hope is this will give the Brazilian confidence going into the match against Manchester City, when chances will surely be slim. Mission accomplished, for now Inzaghi spoke of his 'great satisfaction' and revealed his target at the start of the month was to reach the Round of 16 — which his side has achieved. However, club president Fahad bin Nafel, speaking to Arab news, is now looking deeper into the expanded tournament. 'We are the only Arab club, the only Asian club, to progress to the Round of 16, so we are very proud of what we have achieved tonight,' he said. 'We are a great team with great players, great technical team and management. I am really supportive. That is our job — to fully support them, so they can push on and continue these great achievements and, inshallah, win the next game too.' Blue Wave in high spirits The Blue Wave swept through GEODIS Park on Thursday night. Nerves coursed through the concourse pre-match, while sheer joy was on display afterwards. Some Saudi fans paired cowboy hats with kanduras, while others draped the Kingdom's flag over their shoulders and danced in jubilation. The Saudi spectators may have been outnumbered by their Mexican opposites, but they were rarely outdone in terms of noise. As the Al-Hilal players headed down the tunnel after a short on-field celebration, a mass of blue fans gathered under the stands to savor the moment, wave their scarves and sing club songs. 'Bring on City! Bring on City,' they chanted. The Al-Hilal faithful, having traveled from Miami to Washington to Nashville, will now go to Orlando. They have proved both popular and respectful, posing for photos with other teams' fans and enjoying the chance to bring Saudi soccer culture to a wider audience. The victory against a team already eliminated allowed them to celebrate with no possibility of perceived antagonism. Their hope is that this victory, historic though it is, is not yet the highlight of their US road trip.
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Short-Handed Mystics Beat the Aces 94-83 for Third Straight Win
Rookie Sonia Citron scored 21 points, Sug Sutton added 17, and the short-handed Washington Mystics beat the Las Vegas Aces 94–83 on Thursday night for their third straight victory. Washington played without leading scorer Brittney Sykes, who is averaging 19.6 points per game, for the second straight game with a right lower leg injury. Guard Jade Melbourne left in the first quarter and did not return after getting hit in the face. Lucy Olsen came off the bench and scored 14 points in 37 minutes for Washington (8–8). Shakira Austin had 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Kiki Iriafen added 12 points and nine boards. Aja Wilson led Las Vegas (7–8) with 22 points. Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young each scored 13, and Jewell Loyd added 11. Washington opened the third quarter on a 9–0 run to take a 62–44 lead. The lead increased to 22 points, 79–57, later in the frame on Sutton's 3-pointer. Las Vegas got back in it by scoring the first nine points of the fourth to cut the deficit to 79–70. The Aces twice got within seven points, the last at 87–80, before Austin grabbed an offensive rebound and put it in with 1:31 left. Washington, which entered averaging 5.5 makes per game from 3-point range, went 10 of 19 from distance with three makes apiece from Citron, Sutton, and Olsen. The Aces were 6 of 23.
