Latest news with #AbdullahMadu
CNA
6 hours ago
- Sport
- CNA
Vega's strike, Madu's own goal send Mexico to semis with 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia
Alexis Vega's strike just after the break and an own goal by Abdullah Madu secured a 2-0 victory for Mexico over Saudi Arabia in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-finals in Glendale, Arizona on Saturday, setting up a clash with Honduras in the last four. Fulham forward Raul Jimenez's quick through ball set up Vega's sprint into the box, and although keeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi blocked the first attempt, the Toluca striker found the target from the rebound, putting the 12-time champions ahead in the 49th minute. Tournament debutants Saudi Arabia had done well to stay even in the first half, with Ali Majrashi's overhead kick clearing Roberto Alvarado's dangerous ball and Vega shooting wide off a cross from Gilberto Mora, who became the youngest to play for Mexico at 16. But Matteo Chavez's cross from the left took a deflection off defender Madu and went into the net in the 81st minute, ending Saudi Arabia's hopes of making a comeback and ensuring Mexico's progress to Wednesday's semi-finals.
Reuters
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Vega's strike, Madu's own goal send Mexico to semis with 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia
June 28 (Reuters) - Alexis Vega's strike just after the break and an own goal by Abdullah Madu secured a 2-0 victory for Mexico over Saudi Arabia in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-finals in Glendale, Arizona on Saturday, setting up a clash with Honduras in the last four. Fulham forward Raul Jimenez's quick through ball set up Vega's sprint into the box, and although keeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi blocked the first attempt, the Toluca striker found the target from the rebound, putting the 12-time champions ahead in the 49th minute. Tournament debutants Saudi Arabia had done well to stay even in the first half, with Ali Majrashi's overhead kick clearing Roberto Alvarado's dangerous ball and Vega shooting wide off a cross from Gilberto Mora, who became the youngest to play for Mexico at 16. But Matteo Chavez's cross from the left took a deflection off defender Madu and went into the net in the 81st minute, ending Saudi Arabia's hopes of making a comeback and ensuring Mexico's progress to Wednesday's semi-finals.
Associated Press
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Vega snaps scoreless streak, Mexico beats Saudi Arabia 2-0 in CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Alexis Vega snapped a 19-match scoreless streak in international play with a goal in the 49th minute and defending champion Mexico beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals on Saturday night. Mexico will face Honduras in the semifinals on Wednesday in Santa Clara, California. Honduras beat Panama in a penalty shootout earlier Saturday after the teams played to a 1-1 draw in regulation. The 27-year-old Vega scored after finding some room to work following a nice pass from Raúl Jimenez. His first shot bounced off goalkeeper Nawaf Alaquidi, but the forward quickly corralled the rebound and sent it through Alaquidi's legs and into the net. Vega was initially ruled offside but after review, the goal was allowed and Mexico had a 1-0 lead. Vega's goal snapped a scoreless streak in international play that dates back to 2022. It also ended a dry spell for Mexico, which scored for the first time in 166 minutes of play. El Tri's final match in group play ended with a scoreless draw against Costa Rica. Mexico pushed ahead 2-0 in the 81st minute on an own goal by Saudi Arabia's Abdullah Madu. Mexico's Mateo Chavez sent a crossing pass to Roberto Alvarado, who never made contact with the ball. Instead, it caromed off a defending Madu and into the net. Saudi Arabia stifled Mexico's offense for much of a scoreless, physical first half. The tension escalated just before the halftime break — Saudi Arabia's Ali Majrashi and Mexico's Jesús Gallardo were both being shown yellow cards after the two exchanged shoves. Gallardo will be suspended for the semifinal round because he has too many yellow cards in the tournament. Gilberto Mora — a 16-year-old midfielder — made his international debut for Mexico and played well over 72 minutes. He's the youngest player to ever play for El Tri. Mexico is in the knockout stage of the Gold Cup for the 18th consecutive time. Saudi Arabia is playing in its first Gold Cup as an invited guest and advanced to the quarterfinals after beating Haiti, losing to the U.S. and playing to a draw with Trinidad and Tobago. El Tri is two wins away from a 10th Gold Cup championship, which would be the most in the tournament's history. The United States has won seven times while Canada won once. Saudi Arabia has never beaten Mexico in international play, with six losses and a draw. ___ AP soccer:
Arab News
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Arab News
Saudi Arabia complete preparations ahead of Gold Cup quarterfinal clash with Mexico
GLENDALE, Arizona: Saudi Arabia's national football team have concluded their final preparations ahead of their high-stakes quarterfinal encounter against Mexico in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup on Saturday. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport The Green Falcons held their last training session at Phoenix Rising Stadium in Arizona, with head coach Herve Renard overseeing the workout. The session featured warm-ups, passing drills, tactical routines, and stretching exercises as the squad fine-tuned their approach for the match at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. There was some positive news on the injury front, with defender Abdullah Madu rejoining full team training. However, midfielder Hammam Al-Hamami was sidelined after suffering an ankle injury during Thursday's session and did not take part in the final run-out. Kick-off for the quarterfinal is scheduled for Saturday night local time, as Saudi Arabia look to book their place in the semifinals of the tournament for the first time since joining the Gold Cup as a guest nation.
