Latest from Al-Ahram Weekly
Al-Ahram Weekly
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Barrios double gets Atletico back on track
Atletico were outclassed by PSG in a 4-0 loss at the Rose Bowl in Group B on Sunday but their quality was on full display in a convincing victory at Lumen Field. Seattle were hoping to emulate Inter Miami's upset victory over European opposition earlier in the day but while the Florida side can call on Lionel Messi, the Sounders have more modest talents and were fortunate to escape a heavier loss. The Spanish side looked determined to put the game to bed as soon as possible and with some better finishing they might have done so. Norwegian Alexander Sorloth missed an early opening and then Julian Alvarez showed deft footwork to weave his way into the box but floated his shot wide of the post. But the breakthrough came in the 11th minute when Giuliano Simeone, son of Atletico coach Diego, burst down the right and crossed low to Barrios whose fierce strike crashed in off the underside of the bar. Sorloth then wasted a great chance from close range, chesting down and blasting over the bar and he was denied by Stefan Frei when one-on-one with the Sounders keeper. It was one-way traffic but somehow Atletico only had the single goal to their name. They thought they had a penalty when Simeone was ruled to have been brought down in the box by Reed Baker-Whiting and the referee pointed to the spot but after being called to the monitor for a video review, he overturned his decision. At the other end, Baker-Whiting whistled a shot just wide on the stroke of half-time as Seattle began to show some of the spirit that they had shown in their narrow 2-1 loss to Botofogo in their opener. Simeone brought on Belgian Axel Witsel at the break and the 36-year-old made an instant impact - Marcos Llorente's shot was tipped onto the underside of the bar and Robin Le Normand clipped the ball across the box for Witsel to nod in and make it 2-0. That looked to be game over but Seattle fought back with a smart shot on the turn in the box from Albert Rusnak. Five minutes later though Barrios added his second when a long throw reached him at the back of the box and he placed his shot with precision into the far corner. Alvarez saw a volley from edge of the box hit the top of the post and the glimmer of hope gave Seattle cause to fight hard in the latter stages. The Sounders will be eliminated from the tournament if PSG avoid defeat against Botofogo later on Thursday. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Messi's 'winning spirit' surprising: Inter Miami's Mascherano
Veteran playmaker Messi curled home a fine free-kick in a man-of-the-match performance at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the winning goal in Miami's 2-1 Group A victory over their Portuguese opponents. Mascherano said his Argentine compatriot's competitive spirit at 37 was more surprising to him than the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's quality. "Beyond his goal... he's a player who shows us how to compete, his hunger, his desire to continue competing at whatever level it is," Mascherano told reporters. "In a footballing sense, what else is there to say? He's the best player that has played this sport in its history, but what is surprising is his will to win. "Today, even in the last minutes, tired, with a knock, he kept helping the team in any way he could, in attack, in defence, to get the result... "We know having him gives us an advantage, but above all, through his contagious spirit, the winning spirit that he has." Many expected Porto to beat Inter Miami but the American side recorded a first ever victory in a competitive match for an MLS team against European opposition and the first shock at the Club World Cup. "I think that we understood that in football there are obviously hierarchies, and we were facing against a team at a high level, with international players," said Mascherano. "But we were convinced that if we did what we had to do, if we had a plan, if we supported each other, if we were together, but above all, if we dared to play, we could compete." Samu Aghehowa netted a first-half penalty for Porto but Telasco Segovia and Messi's strikes after the break earned Inter Miami victory which puts them level on four points with Palmeiras at the top of the group. "What I told them (at half-time) was... to raise their spirits, because we had clearly showed we could compete, and that we had reached a moment where I didn't care about the result," added Mascherano. "What I was interested in was showing we were capable of playing with and without the ball, and they understood, they picked themselves up and in the end it was a great afternoon for us." (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Jorginho gunning for old side Chelsea with Flamengo at Club World Cup
The 33-year-old Italy midfielder returned to the country of his birth earlier this month when he joined Rio de Janeiro powerhouses Flamengo on a three-year contract. That ended a long career in Europe, which began in Italy -- the land of his paternal great-grandfather -- 15 years ago and saw him star in Serie A for Hellas Verona and Napoli before a move to Chelsea in 2018. He made more than 200 appearances for the Stamford Bridge side, helping them win the Europa League in 2019 and Champions League in 2021. "It is nice to come up against a former team, and see old friends," Jorginho told reporters this week in Philadelphia, where Chelsea and Flamengo will meet at FIFA's new tournament. The two clubs are jostling for supremacy in Group D after both won their opening matches on Monday, with Flamengo defeating Esperance while Chelsea overcame Los Angeles FC. "I am ready to help in any way I can, on or off the field. It will be a really difficult game. We know how good a team they are and we will have to be prepared for it." Jorginho, who spent the last two and a half years at Arsenal, has joined a Flamengo side who are top of the Brazilian league and through to the knockout phase of the Copa Libertadores, a competition they last won in 2022. He will have to wait until next month to run out for his new team at the legendary Maracana in Rio, but his debut for Flamengo came in their 2-0 victory over Tunisian side Esperance in their opening Club World Cup game at Lincoln Financial Field on Monday. "I have not yet had the chance to play at the Maracana and I can't wait for that but I think it was a good debut for the whole team. The fans were right behind us as always. It has been easy for me to adapt and settle in," he said. Jorginho is working under another former Chelsea player in Filipe Luis, the 39-year-old who took over as coach late last year. Flamengo have real ambitions of making a big impact at the Club World Cup, with their experienced squad also featuring the likes of Danilo and Alex Sandro, two Brazilian international defenders who returned home after spells in Europe. Midfielder Gerson, striker Pedro, Chile's Erick Pulgar and Uruguay's Giorgian de Arrascaeta are others who add knowledge of top-level international football in South America. Flamengo are hoping to extend the impressive unbeaten record so far at the tournament for the six South American representatives -- four from Brazil and two from Argentina. "It is an important competition and those of us who are playing in it are privileged," said Jorginho, who has appeared over 50 times for Italy but grew up in Imbituba, a port town in southern Brazil. He believes his new team can go far at the competition, with Friday's game being followed by a meeting with Los Angeles FC in Orlando next Tuesday. Bayern Munich, Benfica and Boca Juniors are possible opponents in the last 16 if they make it through to the knockout phase. "I believe we have a chance of winning if we keep faith in our squad and in the work we are doing. Brazilian teams don't usually get to play against European teams and everyone is eager to see Flamengo compete." (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Messi strikes as Inter Miami stun Porto at Club World Cup
The Argentine superstar found the top corner with a second half set-piece to clinch a surprise victory for the MLS side and give them a strong chance of progressing from Group A. Inter Miami and Palmeiras have four points each, after the Brazilian side beat Ahly 2-0 earlier on -- the Egyptians like Porto have one point. Samu Aghehowa's early penalty gave the Portuguese side the lead as they had the better of the first half and could have scored more. However Telasco Segovia blasted Miami level and then Messi's free-kick helped them claim a noteworthy scalp, in a match many thought would be straightforward for Porto. Co-owned by former England international David Beckham, Inter Miami played their first MLS match in 2020 and signed Messi in 2023, raising their profile significantly. This was the first competitive victory for an MLS side over European opposition, in their second encounter after Chelsea beat Los Angeles FC earlier in the week. Even with Messi, arguably the face of the tournament, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium was under half-full at kick-off, hamstrung by another 3:00 pm kick-off on a working day as it was for Chelsea's opener at the venue. More fans entered throughout the game, keen to get a glimpse of the 37-year-old widely considered to be the game's greatest ever player, with nearly 32,000 present in the end. Messi did not disappoint and was the game's outstanding player, involved heavily from the off. The former Barcelona great clipped a dipping ball in behind for veteran striker Luis Suarez, who could only prod it at the goalkeeper and had strayed offside in any case. Porto took the lead in the eighth minute after being awarded a soft penalty after a VAR review, as Miami defender Noah Allen made light contact with Joao Mario in the box. Spain international Samu Aghehowa beat Oscar Ustari, who had saved a penalty in the goalless draw against Al Ahly, even though the stopper got a hand to his low effort. Uruguayan striker Suarez, 38, might have levelled after Messi threaded him through on goal but, forced to use his weaker left foot, Porto goalkeeper Claudio Ramos denied him. Javier Mascherano's side almost levelled through US international Benjamin Cremaschi after a charge forward from Suarez broke open Porto's defence, but Ramos made a smart near post stop to thwart him. Maximiliano Falcon brilliantly headed off his own goal-line with Ustari beaten by Rodrigo Mora's effort to keep Inter Miami hopes alive. Ustari denied Aghehowa and then scrambled the ball to safety as it rolled towards his net after Alan Varela crashed a shot off the upright and it hit him on the back, as Porto turned the screw before the break. Miami comeback Inter Miami levelled right at the start of the second half, with Segovia blasting home Marcelo Weigandt's inviting cut-back to stun the Portuguese side. Messi then sent Miami ahead with a goal all of his own making after 54 minutes. The playmaker was brought down outside the area and dusted himself down before arrowing a classic Messi free-kick into the top right corner. Miami battled hard to keep Porto at bay and groans travelled around the stadium after seven minutes of stoppage time was announced. Mascherano's players thew themselves in the way of shots in a way the former Argentine defensive midfielder would have done himself, and Inter Miami were eventually able to claim their much-craved victory. Find more details on group standings, match schedules, and competition statistics. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
'We failed to create chances against Palmeiras': Ahly coach
Ahly slumped to a 2-0 loss in the Group Stage on Thursday, further complicating their position in the group. Striker Wessam Abou Ali scored an own goal just four minutes into the second half, while substitute José Lopez added a second one minute before the hour mark. 'A free kick cost us a goal, and another misplaced pass made it 2-0,' Riveiro told FIFA's official website after the match. 'Before those two goals, I think the game was equal.' 'We tried to get back into the game especially after the storm, but it was very difficult,' he added. The match was interrupted for around 30 minutes due to adverse weather conditions just before the hour mark. Upon resumption, Ahly made four substitutions—introducing Mohamed 'Afsha' Magdi, Achraf Bencharki, Nejc Gradisar, and Ahmed Ramadan in place of Hamdi Fathy, Trezeguet, Abou Ali, and Achraf Dari—but their efforts proved in vain. Ahly now sit at the bottom of the group with just one point from two matches and will need to secure a win against FC Porto to stay alive in the competition and advance to the round of 16. Find more details on group standings, match schedules, and competition statistics. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Short link:
