Latest news with #RobertoFirmino
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Roberto Firmino lined up for Liverpool reunion in unlikely transfer plan
Roberto Firmino is being linked with an unlikely move to Real Madrid in the Spanish press, and he could link up with former Liverpool team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold in Spain Joselu remains something of a cult hero at Real Madrid, so much so that they want to create another one. The former Stoke and Newcastle forward may have flopped in the Premier League, but he's fondly remembered in the Spanish capital after scoring crucial goals en route to Real's 2024 Champions League victory, most notably his late brace in the semi-final win over Bayern Munich. Joselu, who had come through the ranks at Real as a youngster and these days plays in Saudi Arabia, was only back on loan at the club for that one season, but he managed 18 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions as he played a vital support role. And having been without such a player for the past season - a campaign which saw Real lose out on the La Liga title to Barcelona and crash out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage to Arsenal - Real are now reportedly on the lookout for someone to play a similar part in their squad. Enter Roberto Firmino. The Liverpool legend is being linked with a surprise switch to the Bernabeu by Spanish publication AS, with the Brazilian, 33, having just finished his second season in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli. Having initially struggled to settle in Saudi, Firmino has managed 21 goals in 65 appearances there, and he captained Al-Ahli to the AFC Champions League Elite title this season. The AS report states that Real are looking for a 'pure, old school' No.9, and while that doesn't exactly describe Firmino during his time at Liverpool, it is thought that he could do a good job for a season to supplement Kylian Mbappe in attack. Firmino is also seen as someone who could play a vital bench role for the team and allow the young forwards in the club's academy to develop for another year, with Gonzalo Garcia, 21, catching the eye after scoring 25 goals for the B team this season. Should he complete a switch to the Bernabeu then Firmino would of course be linking up again with Real Madrid's newest recruit Trent Alexander-Arnold, who won it all alongside him at Liverpool during Jurgen Klopp's golden years at Anfield. He would also have fellow Brazilians Eder Militao and Vinicius Jr to call upon as team-mates, although it remains to be seen whether new Real boss Xabi Alonso will be receptive to the move.
Free Malaysia Today
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
Al Ahli beat Kawasaki Frontale to win Asian Champions League
Roberto Firmino (centre) lifts the AFC Champions League Elite trophy as Al Ahli celebrate their win at King Abdullah Sports City. (AP pic) JEDDAH : Al Ahli were crowned champions of Asia at the third attempt after the Saudi Arabian side overpowered Japan's Kawasaki Frontale 2-0 in Jeddah on Saturday. The Jeddah club, runners-up in 1986 and 2012, triumphed at their King Abdullah Sports City stadium thanks to two goals in seven minutes towards the end of the first half from Brazilian Galeno and Ivory Coast captain Franck Kessie. The Asian Champions League's latter stages have all taken place in Jeddah. With the win, Roberto Firmino, Edouard Mendy and Riyad Mahrez become the first players to capture both Asian club football's premier title and its European equivalent. The trio won the Champions League with Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City respectively. 'We are so proud,' Al Ahli goalkeeper Mendy said. 'Once we knew that the final eight would be in Jeddah, it was our goal to be champions in front of our fans. Since I came here 18 months ago, they supported us so much. 'As I said when I signed here, it's to make history, to continue to win trophies and make this club as big as it was before. 'The secret is the team effort. If someone makes the effort it will make it easier for the one next to him. We just played like this; you saw the fire, you saw the spirit.' Al Ahli, who are majority-owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, are awarded US$10 million for clinching the title. Matthias Jaissle's side went unbeaten through all 13 matches of the campaign. Frontale, meanwhile, were contesting the final for the first time having never previously been beyond the last eight. Al Ahli began on the front foot, summer signing Ivan Toney stinging the palms of Louis Yamaguchi on five minutes before the Frontale goalkeeper then saved Ziyad Al Johani's close-range effort from the resultant corner. At the other end, Frontale's Brazilian forward Marcinho showed some fast feet down his side's left, before sending his effort inches past Mendy's far post. Yet Al Ahli always looked the more dangerous. Toney lashed wide on the half-volley, defender Roger Ibanez curled narrowly off target and Firmino sent a volley straight at Yamaguchi. However, on 35 minutes, Firmino rolled a pass to winger Galeno, who curled a spectacular effort from 25 yards into the top corner. Galeno, a winter signing from Porto for a reported €50 million, has actually taken Firmino's spot in Al Ahli's Saudi Pro League squad, meaning the former Liverpool forward is not registered to play in the domestic league. Three minutes before half-time, Firmino floated a cross into the Frontale six-yard box for Kessie to power home his header and double Al Ahli's advantage. The assist lifted Firmino, the club captain, to seven in this season's Champions League – and to one behind Mahrez at the top of the tournament's assist charts. Frontale, who defeated Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr in the semi-final, did not have a shot on target in the opening 45 minutes. In the second half, Firmino and Mahrez each flashed efforts well wide, with the former substituted on 74 minutes to rapturous applause. Not long after, Frontale substitute Tatsuya Ito fired two shots in quick succession inches off target. In the end, Al Ahli celebrated becoming only the third Saudi club to win the Champions League, after record four-time winners Al Hilal and two-time champions Al Ittihad.
Free Malaysia Today
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
Firmino, Toney fire Al Ahli into AFC Champions League final
Al Ahli players celebrate with Ivan Toney (centre) after he scores the second goal against Al Hilal at Alinma stadium in Jeddah. (AP pic) JEDDAH : Roberto Firmino and Ivan Toney helped fire Al Ahli into the final of the AFC Champions League Elite with a fiery 3-1 victory against fellow Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal on Tuesday. The Jeddah club, effectively playing at home as the tournament's latter stages take place in the port city, will now face either Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr or Japan's Kawasaki Frontale on Saturday for the continent's premier club trophy. Al Ahli got off to an ideal start at King Abdullah Sports Stadium when, on nine minutes, Brazilian winger Galeno raced to the byline and cut back the ball for compatriot Firmino to finish emphatically. The former Liverpool forward, the Al Ahli captain despite not being registered in their Saudi Pro League squad, took his tally for the tournament to six goals. Al Ahli went 2-0 up just before the half hour, Riyad Mahrez putting Toney through on goal with a defence-splitting pass to leave the Englishman to round goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and roll into the net. Toney, a summer signing from English Premier League club Brentford, moved alongside Firmino in the scoring charts. Former Manchester City winger Mahrez, meanwhile, leads the tournament in assists, with eight. Record four-time Asian champions Al Hilal halved the deficit three minutes before half time, when captain Salem Al Dawsari pounced on an inadvertent touch from Al Ahli midfielder Franck Kessie to slam home his 10th goal of the campaign. Al Dawsari now leads the scoring charts by one. A frantic second-half ensued, with Toney having two goals ruled out for offside and Firmino and Galeno hitting the post, while Al Hilal were reduced to 10 men right before the hour after ex-Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly deservedly received a second yellow card. Kessie then saw his 85th-minute penalty saved by Bounou after Mahrez had been felled in the area, before substitute Feras Al Buraikan sealed the result deep into injury time moments after being introduced. Runners-up in 2012, their only other final appearance, Al Ahli remain the only unbeaten side in this season's competition. Al Nassr and Frontale meet in the other semi-final on Wednesday, also at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, with an all-Saudi final still possible.
Free Malaysia Today
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
Mahrez and Firmino propel Al Ahli into Asian semis
Al Ahli's Roberto Firmino (left) celebrates after scoring the third goal against Buriram United at King Abdullah Sports City. (Al Ahli pic) RIYADH : Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino helped fire Al Ahli into an all-Saudi Arabian AFC Champions League Elite semi-final after the Jeddah club beat Thailand's Buriram United 3-0 on Saturday. Effectively playing as hosts since the quarter-finals to final are staged in Jeddah, Al Ahli needed only four minutes to take the lead at King Abdullah Sports City. Captain Firmino slid the ball through to Mahrez, who rifled his right-footed shot past Neil Etheridge in the Buriram goal. It took the Algerian, a treble winner with Manchester City, to nine goals in this season's competition, making him the joint-top scorer alongside Al Hilal's Salem Al-Dawsari and Gwangju's Jasir Asani. Mahrez also leads the assist charts, with seven. Within two minutes, Al Ahli had another. This time, defender Roger Ibanez's expert pass sent fellow Brazilian Galeno through and the winter-signing from Porto fired through Etheridge's legs to double the hosts' advantage. On 16 minutes, Firmino missed a golden opportunity to make it 3-0, the former Liverpool forward somehow glancing wide with the goal at his mercy. Firmino, a Uefa Champions League winner during his time at Anfield, does not play for Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League having been replaced in their domestic league squad by Galeno. On the half hour, Firmino atoned for his earlier miss, tapping home Medih Demiral's flick from a Mahrez corner. Al Ahli seemed to ease off in the second half, although Demiral and Ivan Toney did have efforts at goal, while Mahrez fired off target in injury time. Matthias Jaissle's side will now meet Al Hilal, another Saudi club, in the semi-finals on Tuesday. Al-Hilal, the record four-time Asian champions, booked their spot in the last four on Friday with a thumping 7-0 win over South Korea's Gwangju. Later on Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr have the chance to make it three Saudi clubs in the semi-finals, when they take on last year's runners-up Yokohama F-Marinos of Japan at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City.
Free Malaysia Today
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
Ronaldo scores as Al Nassr give Saudi Arabia 3 Asian semifinalists
Cristiano Ronaldo, the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League, has netted eight goals in seven matches in this season's Asian Champions League. (Al Nassr pic) RIYADH : Cristiano Ronaldo scored as Al Nassr became the third Saudi Arabian side into the Asian Champions League semi-finals with a 4-1 victory over Japan's Yokohama F-Marinos on Saturday. Earlier, Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino scored as Al Ahli, effectively playing as hosts since the last three rounds of the revamped tournament are being staged in Jeddah, beat Thailand's Buriram United 3-0 at King Abdullah Sports City. In the evening, at the same venue, Ronaldo, seeking a first major trophy with Riyadh-based Al Nassr, continued his fine goalscoring form netting his side's third. Ronaldo, 40, was involved in Al Nassr's first real chance of note, when he back-heeled Marcelo Brozovic's pass back into the path of the Croatian. But the shot was parried by Yokohama goalkeeper Park Il-gyu. Yokohama, last year's runners-up, last week sacked former England assistant manager Steve Holland. Midway through the first half, winter signing Jhon Duran looked set to at least test Park, but the former Aston Villa striker skewed his attempt well off target. Duran then did open the scoring on 27 minutes. Sadio Mane's cross from the left was sent crashing against his own post by Yokohama defender Thomas Deng's mishit clearance, leaving Duran to place into the empty net from close range. Al Nassr made it 2-0 four minutes later when a break ended with Otavio rolling in former Liverpool and Bayern Munich forward Mane, who drilled a low effort inside Park's near post. Ronaldo got in on the act seven minutes before half time. Park could only palm Brozovic's deflected shot into the air, leaving the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to pounce to volley home from inside the six-yard box. Ronaldo, the top scorer in this season's Saudi Pro League, has eight in seven appearances in this campaign's Champions League Elite, one short of joint-top scorers Riyad Mahrez, Salem Al-Dawsari, Anderson and Jasir Asani. Duran got his second of the night on 49 minutes after a Ronaldo-led counter-attack. The Colombia international pouncing on a rebound to put Al Nassr four up. Yokohama pulled one back three minutes later through Kota Watanabe's low strike that nestled in the net beyond Brazil goalkeeper Bento. Ronaldo was withdrawn on 66 minutes, as manager Stefano Pioli looks to Wednesday's semi-final. Watanabe was later sent off for receiving a second yellow card, leaving Yokohama to finish the match with 10 men. Al Nassr will meet either Qatar's Al Sadd or Japan's Kawasaki Frontale in the last four, with those teams to meet on Sunday. In the other semi-final, to be played on Tuesday, record four-time Asian champions Al Hilal take on fellow Saudi side Al Ahli.
