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The Qatar Stars League will resume Thursday following a short suspension since March 1 due to the ongoing regional conflict, with several crucial encounters lined up as the competition enters a decisive phase of the season.The pause had led to the postponement of two Round 17 matches – Qatar SC against Al Shamal and Al Arabi versus Al Sailiya – which have now been rescheduled for April 7. With the league returning to action, attention now shifts to Week 18, where teams will look to regain momentum and strengthen their positions in the standings.Three matches will kick off simultaneously at 9.30pm tonight. Al Sailiya will face Al Duhail at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Al Wakrah will meet Al Shamal at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, while Qatar SC will take on Al Gharafa at Al Thumama Stadium.The remaining fixtures of the round will be played Friday, with Al Ahli facing Al Arabi at Al Thumama Stadium, Al Rayyan taking on Al Shahania at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium and leaders Al Sadd hosting Umm Salal at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.Al Sadd sit at the top of the standings with 38 points, maintaining a four-point advantage over closest challengers Al Gharafa, while Al Shamal occupy third place with 31 points as they continue their impressive campaign.Among the most anticipated matches Thursday will be the clash between Al Gharafa and Qatar SC. Gharafa are determined to keep pace with leaders Al Sadd as they continue their pursuit of the title. The Cheetahs know that any slip-up at this stage could allow their rivals to widen the gap at the top.Gharafa coach Pedro Martins confirmed that his players are fully prepared for the challenge despite the unusual circumstances surrounding the recent break in the league schedule. “Facing Qatar SC is important and we must make the necessary effort to achieve victory,” Martins said ahead of the match.He added that the stability in Qatar had helped the team maintain its preparations despite the regional situation. “Despite the circumstances in the region, the stability in Qatar has allowed the players to continue following the training programmes set by the coaching staff,” he explained.Martins also noted that several players have shown improved physical condition after the brief pause in competition. “Over the last few days training has become more regular for the team as a whole. Some players were feeling fatigue after the break, but from what I have seen they are now in better physical condition than they were about 10 or 12 days ago,” he said.Qatar SC currently occupy fifth place with 24 points and remain firmly in the hunt for a top-four finish. A victory against Gharafa would not only boost their position but also strengthen their confidence heading into the final stretch of the competition.Qatar SC assistant coach Miguel Andreu acknowledged the difficulty of the challenge but expressed confidence in his team’s preparations. “Our match against Al Gharafa will be difficult and we have prepared for it in the appropriate manner,” Andreu said. “I have confidence in our players and our ambition is to win in order to continue our winning streak.”He emphasised the importance of each match as the league approaches its final stages. “Every match during this period is of great value to us, so we strive to deliver good performances and achieve the results we are looking for because our goal is to continue moving forward in the standings,” he added.At Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, another intriguing contest awaits as Al Wakrah host Al Shamal. Wakrah are in seventh place with 23 points and are eager to return to winning ways after recent mixed results. The Blue Wave suffered a 1-3 defeat to Al Sadd in Round 16 before playing out a 2-2 draw with Umm Salal.Head coach Vicente Moreno believes his players are ready to resume the league campaign after the brief interruption. “The team has prepared well for the match and the objective is naturally to collect the three points,” Moreno said.He also acknowledged the quality of the opposition and the challenge his side will face. “We know very well that we are playing against a strong team that has strong elements in all lines. Their position in the standings is clear proof of their strength, so overcoming them requires maintaining the highest level of focus throughout the match.”Shamal, meanwhile, have been one of the standout teams this season and currently occupy third place with 31 points from 16 matches. A victory would allow them to maintain pressure on the top two while further consolidating their position among the league’s leading contenders.Coach David Prats expects a demanding encounter. “We are expecting a tough match against a strong team which, in my opinion, is one of the best teams in the league,” Prats said. “They have top-level players with excellent abilities and are guided by a competent coaching staff. We have trained hard over the past period and are ready for the match, which we know will not be easy, like all league matches.”Meanwhile, Al Duhail will be looking to rediscover their form when they take on Al Sailiya. The former champions have endured a difficult spell, failing to win their last four matches and dropping to eighth place in the standings with 21 points. The team will be eager to secure a positive result to revive their campaign and regain momentum in the closing stages of the season.Duhail coach Djamel Belmadi emphasised the importance of the match for his side. “The match against Al Sailiya is crucial for us and we need the three points to climb the standings,” Belmadi said. “We know very well that the match will not be easy given the circumstances our opponents are facing in their fight against relegation, and they are also determined to win.”He added that the team will continue to work hard in training to deliver the performance required. “We will strive to give our best and secure the three points,” he said.Al Sailiya, for their part, enter the match determined to improve their position as they battle to avoid the relegation zone. The side currently sit in 10th place with 15 points from 16 matches, level on points with Al Ahli but ahead on goal difference and just one point above bottom side Al Shahania.Coach Mirghani Al Zain believes his players are ready for the challenge and capable of delivering a strong performance. “The team is entering the match with high morale and complete preparations,” Mirghani said. “Training sessions have gone well, characterised by great discipline and clear commitment from the players. Our main objective in this match is to achieve victory and secure the three points.”He added that he has full confidence in his squad’s ability to compete against one of the league’s strongest teams.FIXTURES Week 18 (kick-off s at 9:30pm)Thursday: Al Sailiya vs Al Duhail at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium; Al Wakrah vs Al Shamal at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium; Qatar SC vs Al Gharafa at Al Thumama StadiumFriday: Al Ahli vs Al Arabi at Al Thumama Stadium; Al Rayyan vs Al Shahania at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium; Al Sadd vs Umm Salal at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium Source link
INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 10: Jannik Sinner of Italy plays a backhand against Joao Fonseca of Brazil in their fourth round match of the BNP…
Tottenham Hotspur interim coach Igor Tudor has been criticised for his treatment of goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after substituting him after 17 minutes of his side’s 5-2 loss at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday. Tudor sprung a surprise by dropping regular keeper Guglielmo Vicario for the last-16 first leg tie and handing Czech Kinsky his first start since October. But the move backfired in spectacular fashion as Tottenham conceded three goals in the opening 15 minutes – two of them resulting from glaring errors by the young keeper. Tudor immediately sent on Vicario, the Croat standing stony-faced as a stunned Kinsky headed for the sanctuary of the dressing room. “He’s (Tudor) made decisions that he maybe thinks is going to one, keep him in a job, or two, keep Tottenham in the Premier League and performances are going to turn around,” former Leeds United, Tottenham and England keeper Paul Robinson told the BBC. “It was a very selfish decision (to substitute him) as a manager. “I think he brought Kinsky in tonight thinking that if he does well I have got an excuse to keep him in now until the end of the season. He reverted on that decision very, very early on in the game. “It’s quite blatantly for self preservation by the manager because it was a decision that he thought was best for him and his team at the time, without consideration for the young goalkeeper.” Joe Hart said he was shocked by Tudor’s treatment of Kinsky. “The whole stadium is feeling sorry for him. He walks past Igor Tudor – and he doesn’t even acknowledge him. If that’s man-management, I am flabbergasted,” the former England keeper, who also had a spell at Tottenham, said. “He’s had a bad moment, a slip, and then another bad moment. But the fact he (Tudor) has taken him off, at 22, to just rip him off, how is that good for him?” Atletico coach Diego Simeone said he had never seen anything like it before and there was even sympathy from Atletico’s fans and players. “Mentally, it must be very tough for the goalkeeper. It wasn’t the best solution,” French striker Antoine Griezmann said. Support also came from former Manchester United keeper David de Gea. “No one who hasn’t been a goalkeeper can understand how difficult it is to play in this position. Keep your head up and you will go again,” the Spaniard said on X. The defeat set an unwanted record for Tottenham who suffered a sixth successive loss for the first time in the club’s history. It also raised serious questions about whether Tudor will remain in his post. He replaced Thomas Frank last month with a reputation for helping turn around clubs in trouble but he has lost all four of his games in charge and if anything relegated-threatened Tottenham’s performances have deteriorated. “I need to apologise to the fans, to everyone. It’s incredibly difficult to explain, at least for the first 20 minutes, I’ve never seen in my life, things like this. It’s very strange to explain,” Tudor said. Source link
Twenty20 was designed to favour batters, but few anticipated the bowlers’ bloodbath that unfolded across four weeks in India and Sri Lanka at the just-concluded Twenty20 World Cup. The 20-team tournament became a high-octane showcase of power-hitting, redefining the upper limits of scoring and rewriting what a “par” total looks like in this format. A staggering 780 sixes were hit in this year’s tournament, a 50.87% jump from the 517 hammered in the 2024 edition in West Indies and the United States. The 200-mark was breached a record 14 times and eventual champions India alone posted three of the four 250-plus totals in the tournament. Flat tracks across both host nations combined with fearless intent pushed the collective batting strike rate to 134, the highest in tournament history and a stark indicator of where white-ball batting is heading. As India muscled their way to a mammoth 255-5 in the final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, former England captain Michael Vaughan took to X to say: “fantastic striking … but let’s be honest this isn’t a fair balance between Bat & Ball.” New Zealand coach Rob Walter, however, saw little point in complaining about batting carnage if fans were enthralled. “I guess it comes down to what you view as entertainment, really,” Walter told reporters. “It seems to be the trend around the world that runs are the thing that people want to see. Of course, I believe you still want to have an even contest.” That appetite for fours and sixes was reflected off the field as well. The India-England semi-final in Mumbai shattered digital records, with ICC chairman Jay Shah noting on X a peak concurrency of 65.2 million viewers – the highest for any live event worldwide. “It is tough, the bats are very good,” Walter said. “The guys obviously practise hitting the ball far, and when the pitches give not much to the bowlers, it does make it very tough. But ultimately, if that’s the way the game’s going then the onus is obviously on the bowlers to develop their skills and develop them quickly.” India’s Jasprit Bumrah is probably the template. The seam-bowling genius, for the third time in a T20 World Cup, walked away with the best economy rate (6.21) of any player to have bowled 100-plus balls – a reminder that elite skill can still choke scoring even on highways. “Bumrah is a once-in-a-generation bowler. I can call him a national treasure,” India captain Suryakumar Yadav said of his pace spearhead. Related Story Source link
INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 10: Aryna Sabalenka returns a shot to Naomi Osaka of Japan during Day 7 of the BNP Paribas Open at the…
The Qatar Stars League (QSL) Foundation announced the resumption of the Qatari football league, the Doha Bank Stars League, on Thursday and Friday with matches of week 18.In a statement issued this evening, QSL said three matches will be played simultaneously on Thursday evening. Al Sailiya will face Al Duhail at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, while Al Wakrah will take on Al Shamal at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. In another match, Qatar SC will meet Al Gharafa at Al Thumama Stadium.Week 18 will conclude on Friday with three additional matches. Al Ahli will face Al Arabi at Al Thumama Stadium, while Al Rayyan will play Al Shahania at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. In the final match of the week, Al Sadd will take on Umm Salal at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.Al Sadd SC currently top the league standings after Round 17 with 38 points, followed by Al Gharafa SC in second place with 34 points, while Al Shamal SC occupy third place with 31 points. Source link
India became the first team to retain the men's Twenty20 World Cup title after handing out a 96-run demolition of New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday.India also became the first team to lift the title three times, while New Zealand's wait for a maiden white-ball World Cup continues.The victory will taste particularly sweet for India since it came at a venue where they were beaten by Australia in the final of the 50-overs World Cup three years ago.Put in to bat, India capitalised on a 98-run opening stand between Sanju Samson (89) and Abhishek Sharma (52) to rack up 255-5.Number three Ishan Kishan smashed 54 but James Neesham bowled a three-wicket over to apply the brakes on India's scoring rate towards the end of the innings.Chasing such a daunting target, New Zealand could not recover from a top-order collapse and were all out for 159 in 19 overs despite defiant knocks by Tim Seifert (52) and Mitchell Santner (43).’This feels extremely special because I've played one final in my home venue but couldn't win that one, but today I won,’ said India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, whose 4-15 fetched him player of the match award.’I knew the wicket was a flat one so had to use all my experience.’Samson, who smashed his third successive 80-plus knock, was adjudged player of the tournament.Earlier, wary of having to bowl with a hard-to-grip, dew-soaked ball later in the evening, New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner elected to field.New Zealand used four different bowlers in the first four overs but could not stop India from milking 92 without losing a wicket after the six powerplay overs.BATTING CARNAGERachin Ravindra dismissed Abhishek with his first ball to bring relief to the New Zealand camp, ending the opener's 21-ball knock that included three sixes.With Samson continuing in the same vein and Kishan joining him in a batting carnage, there was hardly any respite for New Zealand.Both found boundaries with remarkable regularity as India reached the 200-mark in the 15th over.Samson, who smacked Ravindra for three sixes in a row, was finally caught in the deep off James Neesham, who also removed Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav in a three-wicket over.India could not maintain the tempo after the departures of their set batters and yet comfortably breached the 250-mark.New Zealand's top order wilted early in their chase and they could never really recover after being reduced to 47-3 inside five overs. Finn Allen, who smashed a 33-ball hundred in the semi-final against South Africa, got a reprieve when Shivam Dube dropped him in the first over from Arshdeep Singh. Allen could not capitalise on it though, and holed out against spinner Axar Patel in the third over. Bumrah dismissed Ravindra with his first delivery and Axar got rid of Glenn Phillips to rattle New Zealand.Stymied by lack of partnerships and faced with a spiralling required run-rate, Seifert had to go for the jugular but it did not pay off.Spinner Varun Chakravarthy had Seifert caught in the deep as New Zealand lost the top half of their batting for 72 to effectively drop out of the hunt. Santner, dropped on 26, went on to make 43 but India had the match in the bag by then. BRIEF SCORESIndia 255 for 5 (Samson 89, Kishan 54, Abhishek 52, Neesham 3-46) beat New Zealand 159 (Seifert 52, Santner 43, Bumrah 4-15, Axar 3-27) by 96 runs Source link
Elche’s Spanish forward #11 German Valera fights for the ball with Villarreal’s Ivorian forward #19 Nicolas Pepe during the Spanish league football match between Villarreal CF…
Soccer Football – FA Cup – Fifth Round – Port Vale v Sunderland – Vale Park, Stoke-on-Trent, Britain – March 8, 2026. REUTERS Sunderland suffered an embarrassing FA Cup fifth round exit against third tier strugglers Port Vale, while Championship side Southampton upset Fulham.Sunderland have enjoyed an impressive first season back in the Premier League, but this was a dismal defeat for Regis Le Bris’s side. Ben Waine, a boyhood fan of Sunderland’s arch rivals Newcastle, capitalised on poor marking to head the 28th-minute winner, sending Port Vale into the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1954.Jon Brady’s side appear destined for relegation, but they beat second-tier Bristol City in the fourth round and produced an even more remarkable performance to make a mockery of the 56-place gap between them and Sunderland. The giant-killing will delight their most famous fan, pop star Robbie Williams, who grew up near their Vale Park stadium in Burslem, and is now the club’s president.It was also a memorable moment for Brady, a 50-year-old Australian who replaced the sacked Darren Moore in January and has spent his managerial career in the shadows with Brackley and Northampton. “I’m trying to let it sink in at the moment. It was tremendous from the boys, we had to suffer at times,” Brady said. “I couldn’t believe we were in the last 16, I told my kids we were in the last 32 by mistake. It’s nice to create history, isn’t it!”Le Bris said: “I don’t think we were complacent. We went strong with the ambition to win, with the knowledge that it was a tough challenge. Full credit to them.”At Craven Cottage, Ross Stewart’s ice-cool penalty in stoppage-time sealed Southampton’s 1-0 upset win. It was a bitter loss for Fulham manager Marco Silva, who paid the price for a selection gamble that backfired. Silva made nine changes following a disappointing 1-0 defeat against West Ham in the Premier League earlier this week, but his switches failed to produce the desired result.Southampton won it in the first minute of stoppage-time when Finn Azaz was fouled by Fulham defender Joachim Andersen and Stewart drilled his spot-kick past Benjamin Lecomte. Relegated from the Premier League last season, they are through to the FA Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2022.Southampton’s success served as a fitting tribute to the greatest day in the club’s history. Their players wore a yellow commemorative kit to mark 50 years since they wore the same shirts when Bobby Stokes sealed second tier Southampton’s shock 1976 FA Cup final win against Manchester United at Wembley.Southampton’s current crop still have a way to go to emulate the achievement of Lawrie McMenemy’s men. But Tonda Eckert’s side are unbeaten in 10 games in all competitions as they chase FA Cup glory and a place in the Championship play-offs. “You see how much it means to the club,” Eckert said. “You can definitely say we feel the importance of it.”Premier League strugglers Leeds beat second tier Norwich 3-0 to reach their first FA Cup quarter-final since 2003. Leeds boss Daniel Farke twice led Norwich to promotion to the Premier League before being sacked in 2021. Prioritising his fight to avoid relegation, Farke’s decision to make nine changes paid off against his former club.Chasing a first appearance in the final since 1973, Leeds went in front in the 32nd minute at Elland Road. Sean Longstaff scored for the first time since September with a clinical finish from inside the area. Gabriel Gudmundsson slotted home in the 43rd minute and Joel Piroe bagged Leeds’s third in the 85th minute.Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool booked their quarter-final places on Friday and Saturday. Related Story…
Soccer Football – Scottish League Cup – Quarter Final – Rangers v Celtic – Ibrox, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain – March 8, 2026. REUTERS The Scottish Football Association launched an investigation after Celtic defender Julian Araujo and a member of his team’s backroom staff were attacked by Rangers fans in ugly clashes after Scottish Cup quarter-final.Backed by 7,500 fans, Celtic beat their Old Firm rivals 4-2 on penalties following a 0-0 draw after extra-time at Ibrox. Fighting broke out when dozens of visiting Celtic supporters invaded the pitch to celebrate their victory. That sparked an incursion from hundreds of Rangers fans, who attempted to attack their Old Firm rivals.Fans threw missiles and fireworks. They continued to trade after police and stewards finally formed a barrier across the pitch. Police apprehended a man after Celtic players, including Tomas Cvancara, ran to the scene amid an incident involving a Celtic member of staff.Cvancara was later interviewed on television with blood stains on his strip, while Celtic right-back Araujo was pushed by a Rangers supporter. “An investigation will be carried out immediately in line with the Judicial Panel Protocol,” the SFA said as they condemned the “behaviour from supporters entering the field of play”.Celtic boss Martin O’Neill added: “As we were making our way back, I think there was some sort of fracas; somebody tried to get on the field. There is a natural euphoria about winning a game and about fans joining in. If this has gone too far, that would be disappointing.”The ugly scenes came in the first Old Firm derby for almost a decade to feature a large allocation of tickets for away fans.Following numerous hooligan clashes in previous meetings between the Glasgow rivals, away supporters were banned from the matches in 2023, before being allowed to return on a reduced basis last year.The Scottish Cup tie was seen as a test for greater numbers of away fans. O’Neill’s side moved into the semi-finals despite failing to register a single shot on target in 120 minutes.In the shoot-out, Rangers captain James Tavernier hit the bar with the first penalty before Djeidi Gassama blazed over. Cvancara converted to seal Celtic’s victory before chaos erupted. “There were a few tete-a-tetes. It’s unfortunate. Hopefully it doesn’t dilute the performance,” O’Neill said. “Old Firm games are explosive games, they always have been. That’s maybe one of the reasons why the derby is one of the best in the world.”Rangers boss Danny Rohl added: “I was not on the pitch in this moment. I didn’t see it until now. I heard just that there was something on the pitch. I think we all know the emotional situation after a game. Nobody likes to see this.”Despite amassing 24 shots and having a goal wiped out by VAR following a handball by Emmanuel Fernandez in extra-time, Rangers once again stumbled against their hated neighbours. The defeat was a bitter blow after Rangers blew a two-goal half-time lead in their 2-2 draw with Celtic in the Scottish Premiership at Ibrox last weekend. Related Story…