Latest news with #ChampionsLeagueTwo
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The goals kept coming but no title – so what now for Cristiano Ronaldo?
For a social media post described around the world as 'cryptic', it doesn't seem all that hard to decipher. Minutes after Al-Nassr's last game of a disappointing season ended in defeat on Monday, Cristiano Ronaldo – who had previously said that he was happy to finish his career in Saudi Arabia – posted on social media. 'This chapter is over. The story? Still being written. Grateful to all.' The biggest star in the Saudi Pro League (SPL) looks to be on his way out of Riyadh after two and a half years of personal milestones but no major trophy with Al-Nassr. With the Yellows no closer to a first title since 2019 than when he joined in December 2022 and no place in Asia's Champions League next season, the 40-year-old may not, as the club had long expected, extend his contract – which ends on 30 June – for another year. Advertisement Related: Melbourne City Women suffer penalty agony in Asian Champions League final The season was similar to the one before for captain and club but not quite as good. Al-Nassr finished third, one place lower and 12 points fewer than last season. Ronaldo finished as top scorer with 25, 10 fewer than his record haul of 35 from the previous campaign. There were some spectacular strikes, some trademark headers and eight penalties. All in all, 99 goals in 111 games for Al-Nassr in all competitions is impressive. The club would have been even worse off had they not been handed three extra points on Monday morning. Just hours before the final round of games kicked off, Al-Nassr won their appeal to overturn a 2-1 loss at lowly Al-Orobah in February. The Al-Orobah goalkeeper Rafi al-Ruwaili was, the claim went, ineligible as he was not a full-time professional (in contravention of the league's rules) and instead worked for the government. That decision meant that, going into the final game, there was still a chance of Al-Nassr finishing second and taking the last Champions League spot from Al-Hilal, whose midfielder Rúben Neves said it was all a disgrace. Al-Nassr lost anyway but, thanks to their successful appeal, did manage to squeeze into the Champions League Two, Asia's second-tier tournament. It could be that Ronaldo did not fancy playing in what is a low-key affair, though his presence would have changed that to some extent. Advertisement It is not the only tournament that would like a bit of the stardust provided by the most followed person on Instagram. There is talk of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner being loaned to one of the 32 teams in the Fifa Club World Cup that kicks off on 14 June. The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, said as much last week to the online streamer IShowSpeed. 'There are discussions with some clubs, so if any club is watching and is interested in hiring Ronaldo for the Club World Cup … who knows, who knows?' Those comments understandably went down badly with Ronaldo's current employers. Their Riyadh rivals Al-Hilal are one of the reported interested parties. For Al-Nassr fans the idea of their biggest star in the shirt of their biggest rivals may be unbearable but the two clubs have, after all, the same Public Investment Fund (PIF) owner and, after losing Neymar, Al-Hilal want a big star for the tournament. Off the pitch there are none bigger but on it Ronaldo was unable to lift a misfiring team to the next level. Al-Nassr produced in moments but struggled for fluency and consistency. It was not a surprise when Luis Castro was fired early in the season and the former Serie A winner Stefano Pioli came in and had similar issues. On Monday, Sadio Mané admitted that it had been a poor season but also put some of the responsibility on the fans for not coming out in big numbers consistently. The former Liverpool man may have been thinking of Al-Ittihad's support, which averaged almost 40,000, more than double Al-Nassr's. Such energy may have helped the Jeddah team win a 10th title. Laurent Blanc arrived to bring some calm after last season when the Tigers had fired Nuno Espírito Santo and then brought in Marcelo Gallardo from River Plate for a short-lived spell. Advertisement Karim Benzema had fewer injury problems this time around, scoring 21 with none coming from the penalty spot. Moussa Diaby excelled in his first season after arriving from Aston Villa and ended sharing top spot in the assist charts with Salem al-Dawsari of Al-Hilal. Steven Bergwijn impressed as did N'Golo Kanté in midfield. Last year Al-Hilal stormed to the title on the back of a world record 34-game winning streak but were less impressive this time round, finishing second and also crashing out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage. By that time, the coach, Jorge Jesus, had seemed to lose control of his players and the Portuguese left before the end of the season. Al-Ahli, led by Riyad Mahrez and the increasingly prolific Ivan Toney – who ended on 23 goals, second only to Ronaldo and enough for an England recall – were satisfied with a first Asian title. And that is the PIF-owned Big Four but perhaps there are more now. Al-Qadsiah, backed by the oil giant Aramco and led by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, finished fourth (and would have ended a place higher without Nassr's late appeal) and look to be here to stay, Next season, the newly promoted Neom SC will be there too. The end of season headlines, however, belong to Ronaldo. Since he arrived in Saudi Arabia, it has been that way, which was always part of the plan. Now the focus is on what happens next.
New Paper
18-05-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
Lion City Sailors denied at final hurdle as Sharjah FC clinch AFC Champions League Two title
For six electrifying minutes on May 18, the air of excitement inside the Bishan Stadium was palpable as the majority of the 9,737 capacity crowd was suddenly charged by hope in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Two final. The hosts, Singapore's Lion City Sailors, had just clawed their way back with Maxime Lestienne's equaliser in the first of 11 minutes of stoppage time against United Arab Emirates' Sharjah FC, who had taken a 74th-minute lead. But the Sailors supporters' hearts were shattered in the seventh minute of stoppage time, as Sharjah midfielder Marcus Meloni silenced the stadium with a clinical winner, dashing the Sailors' bid to become the first club from Singapore to win a continental title as they won 2-1. At the final whistle, the Sailors slumped to the ground while a long night of celebrations was just getting started for Sharjah and their 500 travelling fans. Sailors captain Hariss Harun was crestfallen after the late defeat. "For a moment, when we got the goal back, we had the belief to try to go and win the game. But of course, it's risk and reward. They got a second goal and we ran out of time. We are disappointed," said the Singapore skipper, 34. "It's been historic for us as a club to come this far. Obviously, when we get to the final, we want to win it as well. But today showed that it wasn't meant to be." The tight encounter saw the Sailors enjoy most of the chances, but it was Sharjah who made the breakthrough in the 74th minute. Brazil-born attacker Caio Lucas was afforded time to pick out the overlapping Khaled Ibrahim at the far post. He then pulled the ball back for Tunisian international Firas Ben Larbi to finish past Izwan Mahbud. There was a glimmer of hope yet when the fourth official signalled 11 minutes of added time, a just reward for the Sailors who were often frustrated by Sharjah players going down to receive treatment. Just a minute into stoppage time, Lestienne looked to have sent the game into extra time. The Belgian expertly guided Diogo Costa's low cross into the bottom corner of the net. But Sharjah restored their advantage six minutes later when Meloni, who was born in Brazil but represents the UAE internationally, found space just inside the left side of the box and found the far corner of Izwan's net, as the travelling fans erupted in sheer delirium. The hosts went close twice in search of another equaliser, first a scramble in the box in the ninth minute of added time from a Lestienne cross and then substitute Shawal Anuar went close minutes later but could not connect with the ball as Sharjah saw out the game to bag the US$2.5 million (S$3.2 million) prize money, with the Sailors receiving US$1 million. Lion City Sailors' goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud in action during the match. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO While it will count as consolation, the Sailors, who became Singapore's first privatised football team in 2020, had already made history by being the first team from the Republic to feature in a continental final. President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the guest of honour who handed out medals to both the winners and runners-up, said in a Facebook post later: "The players and their coaches and trainers did give it their all, eventually going down 2-1 in a close-fought match. "It will always be tough competing internationally. But there's something to the spirit of a small country." The point of pride is one that Sailors coach Aleksandar Rankovic made in his post-match conference. The Serb said: "The No. 1 lesson (from our campaign), is that you should never stop dreaming and believing. Every game we played in this campaign, we were the underdog and rightfully so because we come from Singapore. This year showed me that if you believe it... if you have a group of players that I have, you can go so far. "Is that going to be the case next year? I don't know, but if we can repeat at least half of what we did this year, especially in the Champions League, I will be very satisfied." His counterpart, Romanian Cosmin Olaroiu, who will be taking over as UAE coach, said: "My dream was to win a continental trophy... and finally, I did this. And of course, I have the dream to participate in the World Cup and I will do my best to reach this one. And I think this fantastic nation deserves that." ACL2 Champions Sharjah FC, lifting the trophy after beating Lion City Sailors, at Bishan Stadium. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR The Sailors' unprecedented voyage to the final started with them topping Group F ahead of 2023 Chinese Super League second runners-up Zhejiang Professional, Thai League 1's third-placed Port FC and Indonesia Liga 1 champions Persib Bandung. In the knockout rounds, there was a convincing aggregate win over Muangthong United from Thailand in the round of 16 before lady luck shone on them, as they were able to turn a 6-1 quarter-final, first-leg loss to Sanfrecce Hiroshima into a 3-0 win after the Japanese side fielded an ineligible player. They then held the Japanese side to a brave 1-1 draw at home. In the semi-finals, the Sailors came through with a 2-1 aggregate win over Australia's Sydney FC. Having clinched the 2024-25 Singapore Premier League title on May 10, the Sailors are still on course for a double, though. They will face Brunei DPMM in a two-legged Singapore Cup semi-final on May 21 and 27. Will the Sailors enjoy such support again when they return to domestic competition? That was on the mind of several local football supporters after the match. One of them, Nicole Yang, who works in the banking industry, was in the South Stand, where she said fellow home supporters barely sat down during the match. "It was electrifying when the Sailors equalised, but heartbreaking when Sharjah got the late winner," said the 26-year-old. "It would be great for Singapore football if this level of support can be translated to the Singapore Premier League."
Straits Times
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Spirited Sharjah rejoice after AFC Champions League Two final victory over Lion City Sailors
Sharjah FC coach Cosmin Olaroiu, flanked by captain Shahin Abdulrahman and goalkeeper Adel Al-Hosani, lifting the Asian Champions League Two trophy after a 2-1 win over Lion City Sailors on May 18. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR SINGAPORE – They have had to survive penalty shoot-outs in the last 16 and quarter-finals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Two last 16 and quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, Sharjah were minutes away from being eliminated by Saudi side Al Taawoun, before they scored twice in added time to win 2-1 on aggregate. It was no surprise that the Emirati side brought the same of the never-say-die spirit to the final against Lion City Sailors at Bishan Stadium on May 18. After breaking the deadlock through Firas Ben Arbi in the 74th minute, they were pegged back by Maxime Lestienne in the second minute of added time. Instead of holding out for extra time, the visitors went for the kill and were rewarded five minutes later when Marcus Meloni's solo effort sent the 500 away fans, many of whom came dressed in traditional white thobe tunic, into raptures. Tournament MVP Caio Lucas, a 31-year-old forward, admitted to struggling with the humidity as it rained during the match, and said: 'It was hard, and some players were getting tired. 'In the second half, when I was sprinting and shooting, I could not see anything and I had to lie down. But we still try our best until the final whistle.' Fellow Brazil-born Emirati Meloni, a 24-year-old midfielder whose goal helped Sharjah become the first team from the United Arab Emirates to win Asia's second-tier club competition, said: 'We are very happy and proud. This means a lot to the players, the team and the country, because we worked very hard to get this title. 'We were talking about it during dinner one day, about our struggle throughout the competition. I'm happy to score for the team and for the coach, because he deserves this.' The post-match press conference was gatecrashed by the Sharjah players, who cheered and doused their coach Cosmin Olaroiu with energy drinks, having given a perfect send-off to the Romanian, who will take over as UAE coach from their next World Cup qualifier against Uzbekistan on June 6. Olaroiu was vindicated for his decision to forgo the UAE Pro League title challenge to put in their best effort in the ACL2. In their last five matches, they dropped 11 points in the league to cede the championship to Shabab Al-Ahli, and lost in the President's Cup final to the same opponents. Their reward is a first continental title, along with US$2.5 million (S$3.25 million) for winning the final and US$3.28 million in all. The 55-year-old said: 'We had eight games in 27 days and we had to try to change players to avoid injury and be effective. 'Sometimes we have to sacrifice some competitions to be ready for another competition. We have to focus on the competition we have the biggest chance in. 'In the end our strategy worked, we had a target and we reached it. We are not happy to lose any game, but we have to accept the way we choose is not always smooth.' As Olaroiu moves on after winning five cups in four seasons with the team, he hopes Sharjah can build on the success as he attempts to lead UAE to only their second World Cup appearance following their debut in 1990. He said: 'I hope this is the beginning of a new era for Sharjah, that they will start to build a strong team with a strong mentality. I may be leaving but for them but I hope they won't stop here, that they will continue and be bigger and stronger. 'One of my dreams is to participate in the World Cup and I will do my best to achieve this. I think this fantastic nation deserves it for how they have developed the country and grown the sport.' Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Upgraded Bishan Stadium to host 10,000 fans in ACL 2 final between Lion City Sailors, Sharjah FC
The Bishan Stadium has undergone upgrading work for the ACL Two final between Lion City Sailors and Sharjah FC on May 18. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR SINGAPORE – For die-hard fans like Eddy Hirono and Tan Chin Heng, attending a Lion City Sailors home match at Bishan Stadium has become a weekly ritual. But even this devoted duo, who have attended nearly every home game since 2023, have been wowed by the stadium's near-overnight transformation for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Two final. On May 8, the two fans and media were given a preview of the venue that will stage the clash between the Sailors and Sharjah FC of the United Arab Emirates on May 18. 'My first reaction is that it is really breathtaking. I can already imagine what the stadium, the atmosphere, will feel like, with 10,000 fans backing the team, so I'm really looking forward to match day,' said Tan, 35, an engineer. Eddy, 37, a legal counsel, added: 'Of course, it's a very foreign sight, but a very welcome sight. We were joking around and said it's like the rainbow stadium now, because of all the different coloured stands, it does remind me a bit of the National Day Parade.' Work on the Bishan Stadium began on May 3, after the AFC granted provisional approval. The match is being held in Singapore owing to the AFC's decision to alternate the showpiece venue between the East and West Asia finalists annually, with East Asia hosting the 2025 final. The Sailors hosted six ACL Two home games at the Jalan Besar Stadium this season, notching four wins, a draw and a loss. But the venue was deemed unsuitable for the final, while the 55,000-capacity National Stadium is unavailable due to the Lady Gaga concert. Upgrading and cleaning works being conducted at Bishan Stadium on May 8, 2025. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR The Straits Times understands that it cost an estimated $1 million to get the Bishan Stadium ready for the ACL2 final. The Sailors, Sport Singapore (SportSG), the Football Association of Singapore and the AFC have chipped in to fund the preparations, which includes the opening and closing entertainment during the final. Three spectator stands have been erected around the pitch as part of the upgrading work, increasing the stadium's capacity from about 2,800 to 10,000. Tickets to the continental decider – the first to be played on Singapore soil – were sold out a day after they went on sale. The added seating was required to accommodate VIPs, AFC staff and media. An onsite medical room, rooms for AFC's technical officials and working committee have also been set up at the stadium. A press conference room, media tribune and media centre that can accommodate a minimum pax of 50 have also been installed. Other improvements include enhancements to the floodlights to meet TV broadcast requirements. The horizontal illuminance – the amount of light that falls on a horizontal surface – has been upgraded to 1,800 lux. ST understands that the previous level of 1,500 lux – similar to Jalan Besar – was deemed sufficient for the competition's earlier stages, but not the final. To accommodate both teams' coaches, managers, and players, the benches from the National Stadium's dugouts have been brought in, and the away dressing room has been renovated. The renovated away dressing room is among the upgrades at Bishan Stadium for the ACL Two final. ST PHOTO: DEEPANRAJ GANESAN Sailors sporting director Badri Ghent told ST that the club met with SportSG and the FAS to put up a plan to meet the AFC's requirements for hosting the ACL Two final, and that work began 'in ernest after the General Elections'. The pitch at Bishan Stadium – which has at times this season looked worse for wear – also received the care needed to be ready for the final. While the stadium was used for a PAP rally on April 30, a pitch protection cover was used to prevent serious deterioration. Workers inspecting the field at Bishan Stadium on May 8, 2025. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR As a result, the pitch looked in prime condition on May 8. Jonathan Teo, pitch architect at Kallang Alive Sport Management – which oversees the maintenance of the National Stadium field – and his six-man team have been working on the field since May 3. He has been conducting frequent tests to assess the quality of the pitch and he is confident that the surface will be of competition-level standard on game day. 'When the maintenance regime is the same, you would expect that the performance and the service level (of the field) will be the same, because my objective is to get it to a competition level, and that is to get it conformed with the Fifa standards or requirements,' said Teo. Badri also noted that the Sailors want to deliver more than physical upgrades to fans on the day. He added: 'Beyond the physical tweaks, we want to also make the atmosphere an unforgettable one for the fans. We are planning a carnival-like setting complete with food trucks, games and merchandise for fan engagement zones.' Die-hard Sailors fans and members of The Crew, the official fan club of the Sailors have also prepared a special tifo – a large banner– to be unveiled in the stands on matchday. Members of the prominent local fan group SingaBrigade which forms the most vocal section during national team matches will also lend their support to the Sailors. Eddy said: 'I think it's such a happy occasion that Singapore team makes the finals, and we're so happy that there'll be so many new fans, not just the usual Sailors fans who will turn up for the games. I hope that the team, the staff, and, of course, the fans ourselves, we make it a night to remember forever.' Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The National
16-04-2025
- Sport
- The National
Cosmin Olaroiu works magic again as Sharjah reach Asian final but UAE job looms large
Sport Football Last Emirati club left in AFC competitions make Champions League Two title match after stunning late win over Saudi side Al Taawoun
