Latest news with #GiniWijnaldum
The South African
24-07-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Nkota spotted speaking Afrikaans to his new teammate in Saudi Arabia?
Mohau Nkota has taken the lead and joined Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia after shining for Orlando Pirates last season. The 20-year-old winger is already among some famous company. Former Newcastle, PSG and Liverpool midfielder Gini Wijnaldum is one of his esteemed new teammates. 'Nkota is already a better player' Pirates sign Mokoena to a three-year deal It hasn't taken Mohau Nkota long to brush shoulders with a Champions League winner and share a few laughs in the process. Gini Wijnaldum, now 34, became a cult favourite at Liverpool for his knack of scoring goals in big games. The Dutchman won the Premier League, Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup with the Reds, and he's also vastly experienced on the international stage with 96 caps and 28 goals for the Netherlands. There's also former PSG, Fulham, Lyon and Atlético Madrid attacker Moussa Dembélé. A South African 'X' user likes to think that Nkota and Wijnaldum were chatting in Afrikaans. Could have been! Details: Saleng returns to Orbit College Meanwhile, Thabiso Monyane sounds positive about his new Soweto chapter with Kaizer Chiefs. Only time will tell whether he's made the right move in terms of trophy success, but he'll certainly get more game time after becoming a fringe player behind Deano van Rooyen and Thabiso Lebitso at Pirates. Let us know by leaving a comment below or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Also, subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Arab News
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Arab News
Inconsistent Al-Hilal drop more points with time running out for title hopes
DAMMAM: Second-place Al-Hilal fell further behind in the Saudi Pro League title race on Friday as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Ettifaq. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport With just three wins from their last nine games, the defending champions are seven points behind league leaders Al-Ittihad with only seven games left to play. It was a game coach Jorge Jesus will know the Riyadh side should have won, especially after spending much of the second half on the attack. Ettifaq, driven forward by the in-form Gini Wijnaldum, enjoyed a bright first half and took the lead on the stroke of half-time with a spectacular opener. Joao Costa found the ball far from the Al-Hilal goal and the 20-year-old unleashed a fierce shot that flew into the net. The visitors emerged from the break full of purpose, with Aleksandar Mitrovic shooting straight at the goalkeeper from the edge of the area. Just three minutes before the hour mark, they were level. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic set Renan Lodi free down the left and the full-back reached the byline before pulling back a short ball to his Brazilian compatriot, Malcom, who fired high into the roof of the net from close range. It was suddenly anybody's game but the visitors were undoubtedly in the ascendancy. Just three minutes later, the 19-time champions almost took the lead with the same move, except this time Marcos Leonardo got on the end of it and could not quite wrap his foot around the ball at the near post. Next, a Kaio Cesar shot from the opposite side of the area was well-blocked. Deep into injury time, Abdullah Al-Hamdan came close with a flying header, only for his attempt to land on the top of the net. Al-Hilal left frustrated, while Ettifaq remain in eighth place. Earlier, Al-Ahli moved into fourth spot with a 2-0 win at bottom-of-the-table Al-Raed. Franck Kessie scored in the first half from the penalty spot, then Gabri Veiga, returning to action after a lengthy absence through injury, sealed the points midway through the second half.
