Latest news with #AlTaawoun
Saudi Gazette
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Saudi Gazette
Nassr held by Taawoun, miss out on AFC Elite qualification
Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Al Nassr's hopes of qualifying for next season's AFC Champions League Elite officially ended on Friday night, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by visiting Al Taawoun in Round 32 of the Saudi Pro League at Al Awwal Park. Despite dominating large spells of the match, Nassr failed to convert their momentum into three points, settling for a draw that lifts them to 64 points in fourth place — one point behind third-placed Al Qadsiah and seven adrift of runners-up Al Hilal, who have now mathematically secured the league's second AFC Elite qualification spot. With Cristiano Ronaldo absent, Sultan Al Ghanam led the team as captain, while Portuguese midfielder Otavio opened the scoring for the hosts with a tidy finish in the 51st minute. But Al Taawoun responded in the 70th minute, as Colombian forward Roger Martínez netted the equalizer to earn his side a hard-fought point, taking their tally to 42 points and consolidating eighth position. The result leaves Al Nassr with two games left to play but little at stake, as they are now locked out of continental competition for next season. Al Taawoun, meanwhile, continue their steady campaign with mid-table stability secured.
The Hindu
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Al Nassr vs Al Taawoun LIVE score: Saudi Pro League updates; Match kicks off
Welcome to Sportstar's live coverage of the Al Nassr vs Al Taawoun Saudi Pro League 2024-25 match being played at Al Awwal Park. LINEUPS Al Nassr: Bento (gk), Ghannam, Lajami, Fatil, Boushal, Brozovic, Sulaiheem, Yahya, Otavio, Mane, Duran. Al Taawoun: Atiah (gk), Mahzari, Girotto, Al-Ahmed, Rivas, Fajr, Mahdioui, Mandash, Sabiri, Barrow, Martinez. ALSO READ | Why is Cristiano Ronaldo not playing in Al Nassr vs Al Taawoun Saudi Pro League 2024-25 match? LIVE UPDATES PREVIEW Al Nassr will begin its quest to end its Saudi Pro League 2025-25 season on a positive note when it hosts Al Taawoun on Friday. Ronaldo's wait for a league title in Saudi Arabia continues as Al Ittihad secured the trophy with two games to spare, after beating Al Raed 3-1 on Thursday. Al Nassr fell out of contention for the title even before kick-off against Al Akhdoud earlier this week, and sits fourth in the table with 63 points from 31 games. Al Taawoun, on the other hand, is eighth with 41 points from the same number of games.
The Hindu
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Why is Cristiano Ronaldo not playing in Al Nassr vs Al Taawoun Saudi Pro League 2024-25 match?
Al Nassr is set to host Al Taawoun for their Saudi Pro League 2024-25 clash at the Al Awwal Park in Riyadh, on Friday. The Riyadh-based side is placed in fourth place on the points table and has 63 points from 31 matches. Al Nassr thrashed Al Akhdoud 9-0 in its previous league match, the side's biggest win in the club's history. Why is Ronaldo not in Al Nassr squad against Al Akhdoud? Skipper Ronaldo was not named in Al Nassr's matchday squad for its Saudi Pro League fixture against Al Taawoun. He was also absent from his side previous squad that faced Al Akhdoud. Reports suggested that the Portuguese forward was kept out of the squad because of physical exhaustion. He has played 39 games in all competitions this season, scoring 33 goals and assisting four in this period. The last time he was substituted off before the full-time whistle was during the side's win against Yokohama FM in the AFC Champions League Elite quarterfinals. Additionally, the decision must have been made after taking into consideration that Al Ittihad has already secured the title with two games to spare, after beating Al Raed 3-1 on Thursday. This also provides head coach Stefano Pioli the chance to give playing time to the youngsters who missed out for the majority of the season.
The National
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
AFC Champions League Two final: Who are Sharjah's opponents, and what does Lady Gaga have to do with it?
Cosmin Olaroiu will get his last chance to win a continental trophy before taking over as UAE coach when Sharjah play in the AFC Champions League Two final on Sunday. The Romanian will leave the club in order to oversee the national team's push for an automatic World Cup qualification place next month. Before he is installed in that role for vital qualifiers against Uzbekistan, on June 5, and Kyrgyzstan, on June 10, he has one final piece of club business to take care of. Olaroiu has won 14 major trophies in the UAE, in spells with Al Ain, Al Ahli and Sharjah. All have come in domestic competitions, though. He came closest to continental success when he took Ahli to their first AFC Champions League final, in 2015. Now he has a final chance with Sharjah in Singapore. The AFC Champions League Two is Asia's second most prestigious pan-continental club title. In European terms, it would be equivalent to the Uefa Europa League. Unlike in Europe, where English Premier League giants Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will play for that title later in the week, Asia's version involves some some less well-known participants. Sharjah are one of UAE football's most successful clubs. They clinched a place in the final in the most thrilling fashion possible. They were 1-0 down deep into stoppage time in their semi-final second leg against Saudi Arabia's Al Taawoun, before scoring twice to win it. Their opposition are Lion City Sailors, who became the first side from Singapore to make a continental final after they beat Sydney FC in their semi-final. Accepted wisdom has it that West Asia's clubs have started to become the powerhouses of Asian football, after years of dominance by the East zone. That is based on the inflated salaries sides from the Gulf have been offering players of late. While that is undeniable when it comes to Saudi Arabian clubs, whether it is the case for everyone else is debatable. Sharjah do have a squad of more recognisable stars than their hosts. That includes former Benfica players Adel Taarabt and Caio Lucas. But Lion City Sailors are themselves backed by a billionaire owner, Forrest Li, who was also recently elected president of the Football Association of Singapore. And their form completely contrasts with that of their guests. The home team clinched their domestic league title on Sunday, with two matches of the season to spare. Having challenged on multiple fronts, Sharjah's season has started to falter at the last. Since Olaroiu was confirmed as the next UAE manager on April 19, they have won just once in six matches. That included defeat in the President's Cup final to Shabab Al Ahli, who completed a league-and-up double in the process. As per the rules of the competition, the venue for the final of Champions League Two alternates between east and west zones on an annual basis. This time it is the turn of the east, so Lion City Sailors get to host it. Not that preparations for the game were entirely without issues. It is tempting to suggest the game is the hottest ticket in town, given the temporarily expanded 10,000 capacity Bishan Stadium sold out within a day of the box office opening. But that would not necessarily be true. Singapore's 55,000-seater National Stadium would usually host a match of such significance. But it was already booked for a Lady Gaga concert by the time Lion City Sailors earned their place in the final. Their six Champions League Two home fixtures this season have been staged at the Jalan Besar Stadium. That is a 6,000-capacity multi-sport venue, with an artificial pitch. Sharjah protested at the idea of the final being staged there. In the end, Bishan Stadium – a different venue elsewhere in the city, with natural grass - was settled on. It has had a spruce up for the big game, reportedly at a cost of $770,000. Three temporary stands have been erected, increasing the stadium's capacity to 10,000.
Arab News
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Benzema puts Al-Ittihad within touching distance of SPL title
JEDDAH: Karim Benzema fired Al-Ittihad to a 3-0 win over Al-Fayah on Sunday to put his team within touching distance of the Saudi Pro League (SPL) title. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport The Tigers are now nine points clear of Al-Hilal in second with three games remaining. If Hilal lose their game in hand against Al-Orubah on Monday then it will virtually be all over. Just when a little frustration was starting to creep in at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium, Benzema showed his attacking ability in the 24th minute. The former Real Madrid marksman swapped passes with Unai Hernandez on the left corner of the area but there was still a lot of work to do. Surrounded by defenders, the Frenchman made a little space for himself and then fired a low shot into the opposite bottom corner for league goal number 20. Number 21 came nine minutes after the restart. Abdulrahman Al-Oboud slipped the ball into Benzema on the edge of the area and the Frenchman side-footed coolly home, the goal of a striker confident and in form. Soon after, the 37-year-old went off with an injury but he had already done the damage to take the team towards a vital win. The points were sealed with 14 minutes remaining. Mohammed Al-Baqawi tried to get to a cross before Al-Oboud only to shoot past his own goalkeeper into his own net. Earlier in the day, Al-Qadsiah moved into third place with a 1-0 win at Al-Taawoun. An own goal from Andrei Girotto was enough to seal the win for the visitors. The newly-promoted club went above the newly-crowned Asian champions. Al-Ahli lost 3-1 at Al-Shabab. The star of the show was Abderrazak Hamdallah who scored twice –goals number 149 and 150 in the SPL to take him within four of the record holder Omar Al-Somah-- and 20 and 21 this season. The Moroccan was then sent off for a second yellow card with 13 minutes remaining but the real headlines belonged to Karim Benzema.
