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Qatar opened their campaign in the main round of the Asian Handball Championship with a 32-25 win over Saudi Arabia Thursday. Ahmad Madadi led the scoring for Qatar with eight goals, followed by Frankis Marzo with six, while Rafael Capote and Nasreddine Megdich added four goals each. Qatar will take on Bahrain Friday, before meeting United Arab Emirates Saturday in search of a place in the semi-finals. The tournament, currently being held in Sabah Al-Salem, Kuwait, also serves as a qualifier for the World Men’s Handball Championship. Source link
UAE’s Sharjah were crowned champions of the third edition of Qatar-UAE Super Cup after defeating Al Gharafa on penalties at the Thani Bin Jassim Stadium.The match, which ended 1-1 in regulation time, saw Al Gharafa losing 5-4 during the penalty shootout, with Hyun Soo Jang missing the last kick for The Cheetahs after what had been an almost flawless kicks.The high-intensity match saw both sides wasting chances at goals in the first half. Yacine Brahimi had a glorious opportunity to give Al Gharafa an early lead in the 10th minute after pouncing on the rebound from Joselu’s thunderous strike, but Sharjah’s goalkeeper Adel al-Hosani made a superb double-save to deny the Algerian international the opportunity.Ferjani Sassi had his goal-bound header cleared on the line by Luan Pereira in the 61st minute, but the much-awaited opener eventually came three minutes later through Al Gharafa’s Florinel Coman who finished off a sublime exchange of passes initiated by Ayoub al-Oui inside Sharjah’s final third.The lead, however, only lasted for 10 minutes as Luan Pereira secured the equaliser for the Emirati side.Joselu had a great opportunity of restoring Al Gharafa’s lead two minutes later, but the Spanish striker headed straight at al-Hosani from a swerving cross by Coman.With scoring chances being few and far between from thereon, the match headed into the decisive spot kicks, which the Emirati side ended up winning. Related Story Source link
Sheikh Talal bin Khalid al-Thani, Assistant Director of HH The Father Amir’s Prix, presents the winners medal to Germany’s Christopher Klassner, who won the CSI5* 155cm…
Pep Guardiola said Manchester City are tasked with chasing down the best team in the world in Premier League leaders Arsenal as he launched a defiant defence of his players after a chastening week.City were well beaten by local rivals Manchester United last weekend before suffering one of the biggest upsets in Champions League history away to Norway’s Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday.Guardiola’s men are yet to win a league game in 2026, allowing Arsenal to open up a seven-point lead in the title race. But the City boss backed his “extraordinary” group of players to respond as they remain in contention for silverware in four competitions.”Absolutely, the best team right now in the world,” said Guardiola on the challenge of chasing down Arsenal, who have also won all seven of their Champions League matches. “So look in the Champions League, in the Premier League, look in (the) FA Cup, in Carabao Cup – it’s the best team right now. Hopefully we can be close and getting better, getting better and have the chance to catch them. I have an extraordinary team, an extraordinary group of players. And we are all together. We are a fantastic football team, I don’t have any doubts about that.”City’s dip in form has coincided with the loss of key defenders Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol to injury. The arrival of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace should mitigate their absence with the England international set to make his debut against Wolves today.”It’s going to help us because the experience of Mark is exceptional,” added Guardiola. “Considering the absence of central defenders it’s really good.”Dias, Gvardiol and Nico Gonzalez remain sidelined for City, but Matheus Nunes could return after missing the last two games with a virus. Source link
Al Wahda players celebrate after winning the Qatari-Emirati Super Cup clash for the Challenge Shield. Al Duhail suffered a 1-0 defeat to Emirati side Al Wahda in the Qatari-Emirati Super Cup clash for the Challenge Shield, which was played at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi.Syrian striker Omar Khribin scored the only goal of the match from the penalty spot in the 29th minute. Al Duhail started the match on the front foot and looked to threaten the Al Wahda goal early on, but their task became more difficult after goalkeeper Salah Zakaria was sent off in the 10th minute for fouling Khribin outside the area.Al Wahda capitalised on their numerical advantage and opened the scoring when they were awarded a penalty following Sultan al-Brake’s foul on Oliveira. Khribin stepped up and calmly converted the spot kick.Al Duhail came close to equalising when Adel Boulbina unleashed a powerful effort from the edge of the area, but the shot was saved by the Al Wahda goalkeeper in the 39th minute.French midfielder Benjamin Bourigeaud also missed a good opportunity in the 68th minute after failing to control Al Buraik’s cross when well placed in front of goal.Khribin threatened again in the 75th minute with a header following a cross, but goalkeeper Burki made the save. The clearance sparked a counter attack for Al Duhail, with Boulbina breaking through on goal, but a delayed shot allowed the Al Wahda defence to recover and clear the danger.Al Duhail continued to press in search of an equaliser, with Boulbina firing another powerful shot from distance in the 83rd minute, only for Al Wahda goalkeeper Naif Al Hammadi to turn it behind for a corner.In stoppage time, the referee disallowed a goal scored by Boulbina after consulting VAR in the 90+3 minute, before blowing the final whistle.Sadd to face Shabab Al Ahli todayMeanwhile, Al Sadd coach Roberto Mancini confirmed that his team is fully prepared and determined to win the Super Shield title when they face Shabab Al Ahli today at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.Mancini described the Super Shield as a final likely to be decided by fine margins, requiring maximum effort, focus, and the best possible performance from his players. He added that the match will be different from the previous meeting between the two sides in the AFC Champions League Elite group stage, which Al Sadd won, stressing that motivation will be high for both teams.Al Sadd forward Roberto Firmino said the players are eager to rise to the occasion and deliver a performance that will make the fans proud. “Finals are always exciting and competitive. I enjoy these matches and try to motivate my teammates to give extra effort to win the title, which is our main goal,” Firmino said. Source link
Qatar’s Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah and his co-driver Candido Carrera overcame two slow punctures to hold the advantage at the end of a punishing first leg of the 29th Oman International Rally today.The Autotek Skoda Fabia RS crew won five of the six gravel stages in the Hajar mountains to the north and west of Sohar and were able to build up a lead of 41.2 seconds over Oman’s Abdullah al-Rawahi and his Jordanian co-driver Ata al-Hmoud.Al-Rawahi returned to active competition for the first time since an injury last summer and he settled in well, despite a puncture on the last stage and not feeling totally ready for high-level competition.Al-Attiyah said: “We kept up the pace. Two slow punctures during the day but we tried to manage. Still a long way to go but we will try and change some things on the car now for Qatar and Jordan to try and understand a few extra things.”“Unfortunately, we had a flat tyre on the last stage,” said second-placed al-Rawahi. “We had a rock on the line. We didn’t actually make a mistake but my luck was not great. We will see tomorrow. It’s another day. We will still keep on pushing. Coming from an injury, I am not 100% ready physically but I did not want to miss my home rally.”Carnage unfolded on the second loop of the day on this opening round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC). Hamza Bakhashab and Lorcan Moore had been in the top three until their Toyota GR Yaris ground to a halt with suspension damage after an accident in the fifth stage. Their demise lifted Nasser Khalifa al-Atya and Ziad Chehab into third at the night halt in their Motortune Ford Fiesta.The sixth stage saw the retirement of Jordan’s Sheikh Bader al-Fayez with engine problems and similar issues sidelined the two QMMF Peugeots, driven by Mohammed al-Marri and Rashid al-Muhannadi, in the same stage.A heavy impact then sidelined Ihab al-Shorafa’s Skoda on the final stage and left just eight of the 14 starters running at the end of the day. Jordan’s Shaker Jweihan and Mustafa Juma stopped at the scene of their fellow countryman’s accident and were later handed back the time lost to lead the MERC2 category in fourth overall.The Kuwaiti duo of Jassim al-Muqahwi and Sulaiman al-Helal were fifth and second in MERC2, ahead of the sixth-placed local crew of Zakariya and al-Aamri and Mohammed al-Mazroui. Jordan’s Sami Fleifel and Ibrahim Ali and Mohammed al-Shorafa and Yazan Juma survived the carnage in seventh and eighth.Today, two passes through three other stages wrap up the competition. Al-Akak (25.30km) and Yanboa (13.84km) are both similar to the specials that were used in 2025 and the last stage of the loop will be at Rahab (18.92km). Source link
Qatar’s Racha Loghraibi clinched the U-11 girls’ title while young Al Annabi players delivered strong podium finishes as the WTT Youth Contender Table Tennis Championship which concluded at the Lusail Arena Thursday.Loghraibi defeated Egypt’s Zeina Farouk 3-2 in the final. “I am extremely happy to win the title after a strong and exciting final,” Loghraibi said. “This result came through continuous work and training. The competition was tough, but I stayed focused until the last point.”Loghraibi also finished runner-up in the U-13 girls’ category after losing the final to Egypt’s Malak Zaki. Her teammate Alia al-Baz claimed third place in the same category.In the U-13 boys’ event, Rabia al-Kuwari took third place after a semi-final loss to Uganda’s Joseph Sibatendara. Ahmed al-Abdullah secured third place in the U-11 boys’ category, losing his semi-final to Sri Lanka’s Taavi Samarweera, who went on to win the title, defeating Saudi Arabia’s Rayan Al-Manjoumi in the final.Abdulaziz al-Abdullah added another podium finish for Qatar by placing third in the U-15 boys’ category, after a semi-final defeat to Malaysia’s Lee Yong Rin.Elsewhere, the U-19 girls’ title went to India’s Syndrela Daz, who beat compatriot Divyanshi Bhowmick 3-1. Lee Yong Rin claimed the U-15 boys’ title with a 3-0 win over India’s Aditya Daze.The Youth Contender is the third event in the Qatar International Combined Series, which continues until the end of January with a total prize pool of $500,000. The series opened with the WTT Champions Doha from January 7 to 11, followed by the Star Contender from January 13 to 18.The fourth tournament in the series, the Star Contender Youth tournament, will begin Friday, running until Sunday. The series will conclude with the WTT Feeder from January 27 to 31. Related Story Source link
Jenkille Hipolyte delivered a rousing performance to claim the Al Arish Cup at the Al Uqda Racecourse Thursday.The seven-year-old bay, owned and trained by Osama Omer Al-Dafea, showed tenacity and class to prevail by a head in a nail-biting finish, under a well-timed ride from Arnaud De Lepine to the Purebred Arabian Conditions contest for four-year-olds and up over 1300m.The early lead changed hands repeatedly, with Taymoor Al Shahania showing the way initially before Shagraan took over briefly. That advantage was short-lived, however, as Kamun Du Nil surged forward to assume control, setting a solid tempo and maintaining the lead into the early part of the home straight.He was chased closely by Taymoor Al Shahania, Shagraan and Manjam, with Jenkille Hipolyte tracking that leading group patiently, always within striking distance. As the field straightened, Jenkille Hipolyte began to press in earnest, quickening smartly to reel in the front-runners.Inside the final 200m, he hit the front, but the contest was far from settled as Al Khbaib, who had been held up toward the rear for much of the journey, launched a thunderous late challenge from off the pace. The closing stages developed into a gripping duel, with Al Khbaib rapidly closing the gap and threatening to sweep past. Jenkille Hipolyte, however, dug deep under pressure, finding just enough to hold on gamely and secure victory on the line. Al Khbaib, racing for Al Shaqab Racing and trained by Jean de Mieulle, finished a close second under Olivier d’Andigne, beaten only a head, but two lengths clear of the remainder. RESULTS40th Al Uqda Race Meeting – Al Arish CupRESULTS (Horse, Trainer, Jockey)Al Arish Cup – Purebred Arabian Conditions (Class 2)Jenkille Hipolyte, Osama al-Dafea, Arnaud De LepineThoroughbred Handicap 75-95 (Shalfa Qualifier) (Class 3)Pacifiste, Mohd Ahmed Mohd Hasan al-Sulaiti, Jefferson SmithThoroughbred Handicap 70-90 (Class 3)Ponga (IRE), Khalifa Hamed Nasser al-Sawai, Mohammed Hassan Ali AlabdulmalikThoroughbred Handicap 70-90 (Class 3)Al Mundher (FR), Owaida Salem al-Hajri, Abdulla Rashid al-HajriThoroughbred Fillies And Mare Novice Plate (Class 5)Tabahi (IRE), Ibrahim Saeed al-Malki, Tomas LukasekLocal Purebred Arabian Handicap 0-65 (Class 6)Al Qaws (QA), Zuhair Mohsen, Saleh Faraj al-OtaibiLocal Thoroughbred Maiden Plate (Class 6)Jabroot (QA), Alban Elie De Mieulle, Soufiane SaadiPurebred Arabian Maiden Plate (4yo Only) (No Official Rating) (Class 6)Navarzato (FR), Mohammed al-Ghazali, Soufiane SaadiLocal Purebred Arabian Premium Maiden Plate (Class 6)Agshar (QA), Tareq Essa RA Abdulla, Szczepan M Related Story Source link
Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah and his co-driver Candido Carrera in action during the Oman International Rally. Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah and Candido Carrera surged into the lead of the 29th Oman International Rally after the opening 2.52km Sohar super special stage, which was held in dry and breezy conditions in Sohar. The Skoda Fabia RS crew stopped the clocks in 2min 30.7sec to take a lead of 8.1 seconds into the night halt. Local hero Abdullah al-Rawahi and his Jordanian co-driver Ata al-Hmoud were second quickest in a Skoda Fabia RS. Hamza Bakhashab and Lorcan Moore rounded off the top three in a Toyota GR Yaris. Several competitors attended the afternoon’s pre-event press conference before crossing the start podium to kick start another season’s action in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC). Al-Rawahi has only driven around 100km since his nasty accident in Lebanon last summer but the former regional champion is looking forward to his return. “Coming back from injury after the crash in Lebanon. It was a very bad one but I think I’m quite recovered. I didn’t want to miss this rally. It’s very important to me. It’s my home event. “I’m not sure we are 100% prepared. The car only arrived a week ago. We weren’t sure if we were going to participate or not. Now it’s here and I am very excited to be back. Let’s see how it goes. Last year we had good pace. We will try to do the same and push to at least win a few stages.” Jordan’s Shaker Jweihan and Mustafa Juma headed the FIA MERC2 runners in fourth overall in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. Defending FIA MERC Master Driver champion Nasser Khalifa al-Atya finished the opening Sohar stage in fifth position. The Qatari said: “The stages are going to be very smooth. We were stretching on the shakedown this morning, just to build the pace. The car was good. We checked the brakes and the suspension and now we are looking forward to the real stages on Friday.” Bakhashab survived a late scare after a transportation delay for his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 from Saudi Arabia. He was granted a late scrutineering slot on Thursday morning and was cautious on the opening stage as a result of the delayed arrival of further spare parts. Rashid al-Muhannadi got the better of his QMMF team-mate Mohammed al-Marri to lead the Rally4 category in 10th place. Lebanon’s Shadi El Fakih made a disappointing start in his little Renault Clio and lost around seven minutes with suspected fuel feed issues in the stage. Zakariya al-Ofi and Ammar al-Balushi were the early leaders of the 13-strong Oman National Rally in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. Today competitors face two passes through three stages. Ar-Rusays (15.69km) opens proceedings at 09.13hrs and precedes runs through Ar-Rassah (19.22km) and Al-Uwaynah (13.99km) from 09.56hrs and 10.39hrs. The three speed tests will be repeated at 13.18hrs, 14.01hrs and 14.44hrs after a return to Sohar for a late morning regroup and service. Source link
Al Sadd midfielder Mustafa Meshaal has become the latest Qatari footballer to move abroad after joining Belgian side KAS Eupen on loan until the end of the season.The move follows last week’s agreement between Spanish second division club Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa and Al Duhail for the loan of defender Homam al-Amin for the remainder of the campaign.Both transfers form part of the Qatar Football Association’s plan to send selected players overseas as part of preparations for this summer’s FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The programme is also expected to include players who are not yet regular starters for their respective clubs.KAS Eupen compete in the Challenger Pro League, the second tier of Belgian football, and are owned by Qatar Sports Investments. The club was previously under the Aspire Zone Foundation, which also hold a 99 percent controlling stake in Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa.In a statement issued Thursday, KAS Eupen said Meshaal “has good vision of the game and high passing accuracy” and can operate in central midfield in both attacking and defensive roles.The 24-year-old has been with Al Sadd since 2019, winning the Qatar Stars League four times. He has earned 25 international caps and was part of Qatar’s squad that lifted the AFC Asian Cup in 2023.Meanwhile, full-back al-Amin has previously played for KAS Eupen as well as Qatari clubs including Al Gharafa and Al Duhail. A full international since 2019, he represented Qatar at the Concacaf Gold Cup in 2021, the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and the Asian Cup triumph in 2023. Related Story Source link