Mbappe scores as sub to help PSG see off Nantes

Mbappe scores as sub to help PSG see off Nantes
Kylian Mbappe Celebrates with teammates. (AP)
Updated 18 February 2024
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Mbappe scores as sub to help PSG see off Nantes

Mbappe scores as sub to help PSG see off Nantes

PARIS: Kylian Mbappe came off the bench and scored a penalty as Paris Saint-Germain beat Nantes 2-0 on Saturday after the France captain informed the club this week he plans to leave at the end of the season.
Lucas Hernandez’s deflected strike broke the deadlock on the hour at the Stade de la Beaujoire before Mbappe made sure of the points after he was fouled inside the area.
PSG stretched their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to 14 points with a record-extending 12th title surely now a formality after Nice suffered a fifth loss in nine games Friday.
The main talking point in Paris though will be the future of Mbappe, who is seemingly entering the final months of a seven-year stint with the French champions.
The 25-year-old has told club officials he intends to depart on a free transfer when his contract expires, and has been widely tipped to move to Real Madrid.
It is understood that Mbappe’s exit will be formally announced in a few months’ time.
“It’s all going very well with Mbappe, there’s no problem,” PSG coach Luis Enrique told Canal Plus after the game.
PSG toiled for an hour without the league’s top scorer as Mbappe, who struck in the 2-0 win over Real Sociedad in the Champions League in midweek, started on the bench in Nantes.
“It’s very easy yet difficult to explain,” Luis Enrique said of the decision to leave Mbappe out of the line-up.
“After our Champions League match two days ago I thought we needed energy to play well and that it was necessary to give minutes to those who didn’t play (on Wednesday).
“We have ambitious goals and we need all the players.”
Nantes had the clearer chances in the first half, Mostafa Mohamed denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma’s foot and Nicolas Cozza thwarted by a desperate Marquinhos block.
Nicolas Pallois’ volley was ruled out for offside just before the break, with his dipping long-range drive tipped over by Donnarumma early in the second half.
PSG benefited from a considerable degree of good fortune to go in front as Hernandez’s shot hit Moussa Sissoko and left Nantes goalkeeper Remy Descamps stranded.
Mbappe, introduced straight after along with Ousmane Dembele and Achraf Hakimi, needed little time to make his mark.
He drew a foul from Douglas Augusto and converted from the spot for his 21st league goal in 20 games this season, extending PSG’s unbeaten away run to 18 matches.
Elsewhere, Jonathan David bagged a hat-trick as Lille swept Le Havre aside 3-0 to move into third place, one point behind Nice.
After a slow start to the campaign, the Canada international now has 11 goals — striking nine times in his past 10 games.
Monaco could climb to second on Sunday when they play Toulouse, while Brest take on Gennaro Gattuso’s reeling Marseille who are without a win in five games.


Al-Hilal held at Damac to stay second

Al-Hilal held at Damac to stay second
Updated 08 February 2025
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Al-Hilal held at Damac to stay second

Al-Hilal held at Damac to stay second
  • It was an exciting game but in the end, the champions had to settle for a point
  • The Riyadh giants had their chances and hit the woodwork early in the game

RIYADH: Al-Hilal drew 2-2 at Damac on Saturday to stay in second place in the Saudi Pro League, two points behind leaders Al-Ittihad.
It was an exciting game but in the end, the champions had to settle for a point after their Jeddah rivals won 2-1 at Al-Taawoun on Thursday thanks to a last-minute winner from Karim Benzema.
The Riyadh giants had their chances and hit the woodwork early in the game. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic thought he had opened the scoring on the half hour, nodding home at the far post after a fine sweeping cross from Malcom. The Serbian was, however, caught offside.
No matter, as just two minutes later, the visitors were ahead. Ruben Neves swung over a cross from the right and there was Marcos Leonardo, on red-hot scoring form, to send a diving header into the net.


It was a beautiful goal. Al-Hilal had more chances to extend their lead but were left to regret their wastefulness as five minutes after the restart, Damac were back on level terms.
Georges-Kevin N’Koudou intercepted Kalidou Koulibaly’s clearance and the ball bounced into the path of Habib Diallo and the Senegalese striker made no mistake in stroking the ball home.
It was a shock for Al-Hilal but then they were given a penalty just before the hour as Kaio Cesar was brought down in the area. Up stepped Neves but his shot was well saved by Florin Nita.
Neves was kicking himself with 17 minutes remaining as Damac took the lead thanks to a second goal from Diallo who swept home a first-time shot after good work from Francois Kamano.
Four minutes later and Hilal drew level. The ball dropped nicely for the Milinkovic-Savic at the edge of the area and then the midfielder fired a low shot into the net.
Al-Hilal continued to push forward but could not get the all-important winning goal and had to settle for a point. Al-Ittihad will be happy but there is, however, still a long way to go.
Earlier, Ettifaq won 2-0 at Al-Okhdood to go ninth in the table.


Man City survive Orient scare, Newcastle beat Birmingham

Man City survive Orient scare, Newcastle beat Birmingham
Updated 08 February 2025
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Man City survive Orient scare, Newcastle beat Birmingham

Man City survive Orient scare, Newcastle beat Birmingham
  • The introduction of De Bruyne made the difference as the Belgian midfielder scored 11 minutes from time
  • Newcastle were also troubled by third-tier opposition as Birmingham

LONDON: Kevin De Bruyne spared Manchester City’s blushes with a late strike to beat third tier Leyton Orient 2-1 in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, while Newcastle also came from behind to win 3-2 at Birmingham.
Pep Guardiola’s troubled side were rocked when Jamie Donley’s long-range effort came back off the bar and rebounded in off City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega to give Orient an early lead at Brisbane Road.
The English champions finally drew level after 56 minutes when Uzbekistan defender Abdukodir Khusanov deflected in Rico Lewis’s shot for his first goal since signing for City from Lens in the January transfer window.
Guardiola had to turn to his bench more than he would have liked just four days before a mammoth Champions League play-off round first leg against Real Madrid.
But the introduction of De Bruyne made the difference as the Belgian midfielder scored 11 minutes from time.
“It was a typical FA Cup game, that is why this competition is unbelievable. For the fans, how the crowd support and we knew they are strong,” Guardiola said.
“It is my ninth season in England. I played many times against lower division teams. It was a tight game and we knew it for the situation that we have, but we reacted really well with great character.”
Victory came at a cost for City, though, as new midfielder Nico Gonzalez hobbled off just 22 minutes into his debut after a £50 million ($62 million) move from Porto.


Newcastle were also troubled by third-tier opposition as Birmingham, who are co-owned by NFL legend Tom Brady, led after one minute through Ethan Laird at St. Andrew’s.
A quickfire double from Joe Willock and Callum Wilson turned the tie in Newcastle’s favor, but Tomoki Iwata’s blistering strike levelled before half-time for the League One leaders.
The Magpies, though, rounded off a fine week after reaching the League Cup final on Wednesday as Willock restored their lead on 82 minutes.
Bottom of the Premier League and seemingly destined for relegation, Southampton got no respite in the FA Cup as Burnley won 1-0 at St. Mary’s.
Scott Parker’s team went in front after 77 minutes when Marcus Edwards scored from close-range on his debut after signing on loan from Sporting Lisbon.
It is almost 600 minutes since Championship promotion chasers Burnley last conceded a goal, with 10 clean-sheets in their last 11 games.
What turned out to be the last FA Cup tie at Goodison Park ended in disappointment for Everton, who are moving to a new stadium next season, as Bournemouth cruised to a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Antoine Semenyo and Dan Jebbison.
Rodrigo Muniz scored twice as Fulham won 2-1 at League One Wigan.
Ipswich, second bottom of the Premier League, swept to a 4-1 win against Frank Lampard’s Coventry.
George Hirst’s second minute penalty was quickly canceled by out Joel Latibeaudiere’s eighth minute equalizer for the second tier hosts.
But Jack Clarke restored Ipswich’s lead in the 28th minute and struck again after 37 minutes before Jaden Philogene’s 63rd minute effort sealed the rout.
Millwall reached the fifth round for the first time since 2018-19 thanks to Femi Azeez’s double in a 2-0 win at Championship leaders Leeds.
Leeds boss Daniel Farke made 10 changes and paid the price as Azeez opened the scoring with a deflected effort from the edge of the area in the 30th minute.
Azeez netted again for the 2004 FA Cup finalists with a fierce drive in the 55th minute before Millwall keeper Liam Roberts saved Pascal Struijk’s penalty.
Chelsea travel to Brighton later on Saturday.
Aston Villa host Tottenham in the pick of Sunday’s action, while Premier League leaders Liverpool visit Plymouth.


Leverkusen lose ground on Bayern with Wolfsburg stalemate

Leverkusen lose ground on Bayern with Wolfsburg stalemate
Updated 08 February 2025
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Leverkusen lose ground on Bayern with Wolfsburg stalemate

Leverkusen lose ground on Bayern with Wolfsburg stalemate
  • Without their star trio, Leverkusen lacked fluency
  • Wirtz and Frimpong came on after 60 minutes but the visitors had few chances despite dominating possession

WOLFSBURG, Germany: Bayer Leverkusen dropped eight points behind league leaders Bayern Munich after a scoreless draw at Wolfsburg on Saturday, setting up a potentially season-defining duel between the top two next weekend.
Bayern’s 3-0 win over Werder Bremen on Friday, their seventh straight league win, increased the pressure on Xabi Alonso’s defending champions, who host the leaders next Saturday.
Alonso named a weakened starting lineup with Florian Wirtz, Patrik Schick and Jeremie Frimpong all left on the bench after playing 120 minutes in Tuesday’s extra-time German Cup win over Cologne.
Without their star trio, Leverkusen lacked fluency. Nordi Mukiele had a golden chance to put Leverkusen in front after 22 minutes, but headed over the bar while unmarked from point-blank range.
Wirtz and Frimpong came on after 60 minutes but the visitors had few chances despite dominating possession.
Wirtz went down in the box with 13 minutes remaining after some light contact prompting a VAR check, but the referee waved it away.
The 21-year-old had a chance to snatch his side the win in stoppage time, but blasted just wide.
Leverkusen have dropped four points in their past three league games, leaving their bid to defend their debut title on a knife-edge.
Conceding the eight-point gap to the league leaders was “much bigger than it should be,” Leverkusen captain Lukas Hradecky said “this weekend hasn’t made it easier for us to achieve our dream.
“With the way Bayern are at the moment, we can’t have anything but a home win,” Hradecky said of Bayern’s visit next week.
His manager struck a different tone, saying he was “not overly worried” about the widening gap.
“We’ll have a bit of a break and start preparing on Tuesday. We’re playing Bayern at home — top game, top atmosphere — we’re still focused on us, and what we can achieve.”
In Saturday’s late game, Eintracht Frankfurt drew 1-1 away at Borussia Moenchengladbach, continuing their struggles since the loss of Omar Marmoush to Manchester City in January.
Hugo Ekitike’s 31st-minute goal — his fifth in his past five games — canceled out a 26th-minute Tim Kleindienst header.
Frankfurt have won just two of six since Marmoush’s last game, but they still sit third, four points clear of fourth-placed Stuttgart.
Stuttgart won 2-1 at Borussia Dortmund to go fourth, spoiling Niko Kovac’s debut in the home dugout.
Stuttgart’s Deniz Undav and Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi had chances in the opening half before center-back Waldemar Anton, who left Stuttgart for the Westfalenstadion in the summer, put the visitors in front in the 50th minute.
Stuttgart’s Jeff Chabot put the visitors two goals up on the 61st-minute mark, knocking in a superb volley for his first Bundesliga goal.
Julian Brandt scored late but it was not enough, as Stuttgart beat Dortmund for a fifth straight time.
Kovac, named coach this week after Nuri Sahin was fired in January, has his work cut out for him, with Dortmund mired in 11th spot.
“The boys gave it their all — we shouldn’t have left the field as losers,” said Kovac.
Freiburg climbed to sixth with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Heidenheim, with a first-half header from Vincenzo Grifo the difference.
Italy winger Grifo, known for his set-piece prowess, headed in a Ritsu Doan cross to keep his side on track for a third European qualification in four seasons.
Union Berlin chalked up a statement victory in their battle to avoid the drop, winning 4-0 at struggling Hoffenheim.
Union, who were in the Champions League last season but started Saturday’s game in 14th, won thanks to a brace from Benedict Hollerbach and goals from Marin Ljubicic and Andrej Ilic.
The win took Union 10 points clear of Heidenheim, who sit in the relegation playoff spot.
Also on Saturday, Mainz and Augsburg played out a scoreless draw.


Belgian cycling team withdraws from Tour of Rwanda because of conflict in neighboring Congo

Belgian cycling team withdraws from Tour of Rwanda because of conflict in neighboring Congo
Updated 08 February 2025
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Belgian cycling team withdraws from Tour of Rwanda because of conflict in neighboring Congo

Belgian cycling team withdraws from Tour of Rwanda because of conflict in neighboring Congo
  • Soudal-QuickStep CEO Jurgen Foré said staff members of the team were concerned
  • Organizers of the Tour of Rwanda said: “All measures have been taken to ensure that this doesn’t happen again”

BRUSSELS: Belgian cycling team Soudal-Quick Step has withdrawn its development team from the upcoming Tour of Rwanda because of safely fears over the violent conflict in neighboring Congo.
Some 3,000 people have been killed and nearly as many injured since late January in eastern Congo, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels recently captured the key city of Goma.
Soudal-QuickStep CEO Jurgen Foré told Belgian broadcaster Sporza on Friday that staff members of the team were concerned about the fighting near the start and finish area of one stage of the race, which is due to take place from Feb. 23 to March 2.
“We started looking at the advice from the (Belgian) ministry of foreign affairs on Monday and that shows a number of points of attention. Especially for the region with the border with Goma,” Foré said.
Organizers of the Tour of Rwanda said Thursday that that were was only “one occasion recently when this fighting has briefly directly affected those living on the Rwandan side of the border. All measures have been taken to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”
They said life in Rwanda “continues as normal” and that “riders, teams and supporters can be assured of a safe and enjoyable event.”
Rwanda is due to host cycling’s Road World Championships from Sept. 21-28.


Saudi sports minister welcomes IOC president in Riyadh

Saudi sports minister welcomes IOC president in Riyadh
Updated 08 February 2025
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Saudi sports minister welcomes IOC president in Riyadh

Saudi sports minister welcomes IOC president in Riyadh
  • Dr. Thomas Bach makes fourth official visit to Kingdom since becoming IOC president in 2013

RIYADH: Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, the minister of sports and the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s president, met Dr. Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, in Riyadh on Saturday.
It is Bach’s fourth official visit to Saudi Arabia since his election to IOC president in 2013.
His visit reaffirms the strong relationship between the IOC and the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030.
This vision has made the Kingdom a global hub for major sports events, a fact underlined by last year’s announcement of a historic partnership to host the first-ever Olympic Esports Games in Saudi Arabia.