Latest news with #Koulibaly
Times of Oman
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Times of Oman
Fluminense edges Al Hilal to enter Club World Cup semifinal
ORLANDO-- Hercules scored the winner as Fluminense beat Al Hilal 2-1 in the FIFA Club World Cup here on Friday, securing a place for the Brazilian side in the FIFA Club World Cup semifinals. Fluminense broke the deadlock in the 40th minute, when Matheus Martinelli curled the ball into the top far corner, assisted by Gabriel Fuentes. Al Hilal was awarded a penalty in the stoppage time of the first half after a tangle of legs, but the referee's decision was revoked by VAR for "no foul". The Saudi side found the equalizer in the 51st minute as Kalidou Koulibaly headed the ball into the goal area, allowing Marcos Leonardo to score his fourth goal of the tournament. However, Al Hilal failed to repeat their comeback victory over Manchester City once again, Fluminense re-took the lead in the 70th minute, after Hercules netted with a powerful right-footed shot. In the last 15 minutes, Al Hilal players constantly fell down in the box and asked for penalty. But they couldn't convince the referee and Koulibaly was shown a yellow card for diving. In the mixed zone, Koulibaly spoke with confusion. "We did everything to win. Fluminense played very well defensively. I don't understand [referee's decision]. I think everyone saw it, but I don't know why the referee didn't go to check the VAR for me [in the second half]." "Sometimes we want to accept everything, but when you lose like this, I think it was a shame, because it was the chance of our life. I think the referee didn't do his job," Koulibaly added. "If you check the VAR in the first half, you should check it in the second half." Al Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi said it had been unfortunate for his team to lose. "It has been a good World Cup for us, but clearly we leave with a little bit of a bitter taste in our mouth because after what happened in that second half, we deserved much more," he said. Fluminense coach Renato Gaucho said their fans can be proud for wearing a jersey in the street. "We didn't have many chances, but we made the most of them, the entire group worked and were committed."
Morocco World
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Morocco World
Manchester City vs Al-Hilal: When, How to Watch & Score Prediction
Manchester City face Al Hilal today in the Round of 16 of the Club World Cup at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Kick-off is at 2 a.m. Moroccan time (GMT+1) and fans can catch the action live for free on the DAZN website and app. Pep Guardiola's men arrive in typically terrifying form. After a slow-ish start against Wydad Casablanca, they've been scoring for fun – 13 goals in three games, including a 6–0 hammering of Al Ain and a 5–2 thrashing of Juventus. Suddenly, City look like the classic City again. Al Hilal, now under Simone Inzaghi, aren't just here for a sun-soaked holiday in the US either. They held Real Madrid to a draw in the first game of the group stage, drew against Salzburg, and beat Pachuca to make it out of Group H in second place with five points behind group leaders Real Madrid. But they've been hit with a couple of setbacks – Salem Al-Dawsari is out with a hamstring injury, and target man Aleksandar Mitrović is still in the treatment room. Still, they've got muscle. Koulibaly, Neves, Milinković-Savić, Malcom…and even João Cancelo, who'll be itching to prove a point to former boss Guardiola who shipped him away after a short spell in Northern England. Erling Haaland is expected to start after a brief rest, and with Phil Foden, Jérémy Doku, Savinho, and Rayan Cherki all firing, Pep's got more attacking options in his arsenal than most clubs. The midfield is fluid, the defence looks steel-solid, and there are no fresh injury concerns. Al Hilal will likely sit deep, play on the break, and pray the Moroccan shot-stopper Yassine Bounou has the game of his life standing between the posts. But unless Inzaghi pulls off a tactical masterclass, this could get away from them quickly. Predicted Lineups Man City (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, Aït-Nouri; Gonzalez, Gündoğan; Savinho, Foden, Doku; Haaland Al Hilal (4-3-1-2): Bounou; Cancelo, Tambakti, Koulibaly, Lodi; N. Al-Dawsari, Neves, Kanno; Milinković-Savić; Malcom, Leonardo Score Prediction: Guardiola's team are in their groove again — and unless Bounou turns into Spider-Man and weaves his web in the goal, it's hard to see Al Hilal stopping them. MWN expect City to cruise through to the next round. Verdict: Man City 3–0 Al Hilal Tags: Al HilalCityClub World CupDAZNguardiola
Leaders
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Leaders
Preview: Al-Hilal Target Vital Win Over Salzburg in Club World Cup
Saudi powerhouse Al-Hilal will be seeking to build on their strong draw against Real Madrid when they face Red Bull Salzburg on Sunday in a pivotal Group H second round Club World Cup showdown, as the Blue Waves aim for a victory that will significantly boost their chances of advancing to the next stage. New Leadership, Strong Performances The Riyadh-based team entered this tournament with a new manager after they appointed Simone Inzaghi following his recent departure from Italian giants Inter Milan after a a tough 5-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in UEFA Champions League final. The Saudi Pro League side earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Los Blancos. Ruben Neves successfully converted a penalty, canceling out Gonzalo Garcia's early opener. However, Al-Hilal enjoyed some good fortune when Federico Valverde missed a stoppage-time penalty. The draw means Al-Hilal avoided defeat in their last six matches overall, with their previous loss was a 3-1 setback against Al-Ahli in the AFC Champions League semi-finals. Furthermore, they have consistently found the net in their last 15 competitive outings. This impressive scoring run includes ten Saudi Pro League games, ultimately allowing them finish that campaign as the league's highest scorers with 95 goals. Inzaghi expects his team to display this attacking firepower, as the 49-year-old seeks another win against Salzburg, boasting a strong record. He has won three of his previous four encounters against the Austrian side during his coaching career. Salzburg's Strong Position and Offensive Threat Meanwhile, Salzburg, led by Thomas Letsch, clinched second place in the Austrian Bundesliga after his December appointment as a replacement for Pep Lijnders. they started their tournament well, defeating Mexico's Pachuca 2-1, with Oscar Gloukh and Karim Onisiwo provided the decisive goals, to climb to the top of the group ahead of this match. Consequently, Salzburg now sit two points ahead of both Real Madrid and Al-Hilal. They understand that a win on Sunday will secure them a spot in the tournament's last-16, making this game a crucial match ahead of their challenging final group game against Los Blancos. However, despite boasting an exciting, youthful attacking approach, they may struggle to contain Al-Hilal's potent attack since they have recorded only one clean sheet in their previous nine games. Predicted Lineups Inzaghi will likely deploy the same squad that drew with Real Madrid, including stars like Bounou, Koulibaly, and Neves to dominate this Al-Hilal vs Salzburg Club World Cup clash. Salzburg rely on young attackers like Gloukh and Onisiwo to challenge Al-Hilal's defense. However, Al-Hilal's experience and form give them an advantage. Expect a tight match, with Al-Hilal edging a narrow win. Possible Starting XI: RB Salzburg: Zawieschitzky; Lainer, Gadou, Ramussen, Kratzig; Bidstrup, Diabate; Dorgeles, Gloukh; Onisiwo, Vertessen. Al-Hilal: Bono; Cancelo, Tambakti, Koulibaly, Lodi; Neves, N. Al-Dawsari; Malcolm, Milinkovic-Savic, S. Al-Dawsari; Leonardo. Watch this thrilling matchup as Al-Hilal seek to confirm their place in the knockout stage, promising an engaging clash of style and strategy. Short link : Post Views: 1
CBC
13-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
3 Hamilton festivals get loans from Ottawa to help in a year with tourism uncertainty
Three prominent Hamilton festivals — FrancoFEST, Because Beer, and Festitalia — are receiving loans worth $320,000 from the federal government to support their growth, attract more visitors and boost the local economy. The funding for these festivals is being provided by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) as part of its Tourism Growth Program. The funding was announced on March 7. While the financial support will help expand the events, some of the festival organizers are worried about the impact of ongoing tariff war, including a possible decline in U.S. attendance this year. Lanciné Koulibaly is director general of Centre Francophone Hamilton which runs FrancoFEST, an event serving the local Francophone community that has been running for more than 35 years. It takes place over three days in June. Koulibaly said despite the new funding, he feels worried about the year ahead. "We are expecting some decline in U.S. attendance, especially with the current economic climate and the tariff situation," he told CBC Hamilton this week. But the funds will help, he added, and allow FrancoFEST and other local festivals to make a bigger impact, particularly in attracting new audiences locally and creating economic opportunities for Hamilton's local businesses. FrancoFEST is expecting about 6,000 people this year, he said. Because Beer expanding to Guelph Meanwhile, Tim Potocic, founder of Sonic Unyon Records which runs the Because Beer Craft Beer Festival, is hoping a favourable exchange rate of the Canadian dollar could encourage U.S. visitors. The funding will allow his team to expand the festival into Guelph, in addition to Hamilton, and to "enhance the overall experience," said Potocic, whose team also runs Supercrawl and event space Bridgeworks. Because Beer, which first launched in 2014, is expecting about 10,000 people to attend in Hamilton this year — it runs at Pier 4 Park in July — and another 3,000-5,000 in Guelph. However, Potocic emphasized, funding awarded to the festivals is not a grant but a repayable loan. The $185,000 Because Beer received has a two-year repayment plan starting in January 2027, he said. Both Potocic and Koulibaly said that their team had applied for a higher amount but are happy with what they received. FrancoFest is receiving $38,500 and Festitalia $100,000. "It's allowing us to finance an expansion at a higher level than I would have been able to on my own," Potocic said. CBC Hamilton reached out to the organizers of Festitalia, which celebrates 50 years this year during a two-expo in June, but did not receive a response before publication.
