Qatar revive U-20 Asian Cup qualifying campaign with 3-0 win over Hon…

Doha: Qatar revived their AFC U-20 Asian Cup China 2027 qualifying campaign with a convincing 3-0 win over Hong Kong, while Saudi Arabia maintained their perfect start with a 3-2 victory over Oman.

Qatar, who had suffered a 2-1 defeat to Oman in their opening match, dominated from the start at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium and took the lead in the 10th minute through captain Ahmad Al-Sayed. Omar Ali doubled Qatar’s advantage seven minutes later before forward Yazan Mohamed added a third in first-half stoppage time to seal Qatar’s first win. forestarrow.help

The result moved Qatar level on three points with Oman, while Saudi Arabia sit top of Group E with six points after winning both their matches.

At Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium, Saudi Arabia took the lead in the 18th minute when Awaji Mohammed’s header from Yasir Al-Dhafeeri’s corner deflected off Fahad Abdullah and into his own net. Oman responded five minutes later, with Aly Al Alawi setting up Hassan Al Qassmi to score from close range following a well-worked free-kick.

Saudi Arabia regained the lead two minutes after the restart when Faris Yousef’s cross was headed by Elyas Abu Bakr, with the ball looping over goalkeeper Hassen Al Hinai before crossing the line off the underside of the bar. Yousef then made it 3-1 in the 66th minute, acrobatically steering Fawaz al-Mashhur’s cross into the net.

الأخبارRonaldo-less Portugal beat Norway to reach Nations League quartersPorto, Portugal: Portugal defeated Norway 2-1 without sulking superstar striker Cristiano Ronaldo on Sunday to qualify for the Nations League quarter-finals. Goncalo Ramos secur...فتح →

Ghanim Al-Samin reduced the deficit three minutes later, sidefooting home from the edge of the box after combining with Al-Alawi, but Oman could not find an equaliser as Saudi Arabia held on for the win.

Paris, France: Paris Saint-Germain's slow start to the French season continued on Friday as the reigning European champions went in front only to lose 2-1 at home to Monaco, who are top of Ligue 1.

Captain Marquinhos gave PSG the lead just past the half-hour mark at the Parc des Princes, where Luis Enrique's team were playing in front of their own fans for the first time in this campaign.

But Monaco hit back in the second half as Flavio Nazinho equalised before Belgian winger Stanis Idumbo fired in the winner for the principality side, who are top of the early standings with three wins from three.

PSG, who announced before kick-off that coach Luis Enrique had signed a three-year contract extension to stay at the club until 2030, will begin their bid to win a third consecutive Champions League title next midweek at home to Slovan Bratislava.Paris Saint-Germain's French forward #10 Ousmane Dembele (L) and Monaco's Moroccan midfielder #47 Safouane Benzahra fight for the ball during the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and AS Monaco at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on September 4, 2026. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)

However, they will do so off the back of a stuttering start domestically, with just two points on the board three games into their latest Ligue 1 title defence -- that leaves them seven points behind Monaco already.

The Qatar-owned club beat Aston Villa last month to win the UEFA Super Cup, but then lost to Lens in the French Champions Trophy before drawing their first two Ligue 1 outings, away to Rennes and Lille respectively.

They had come from two goals down late on in both of those games, with Marquinhos grabbing a last-gasp leveller a week ago in Lille.

The Brazilian defender, PSG's captain, opened the scoring here on 31 minutes when he converted Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's ball across the face of goal with his chest.

PSG looked on course at that point for a welcome victory against a Monaco side coming off a turbulent week.

The principality side, now coached by Brazilian ex-Atletico Madrid defender Filipe Luis, had been hoping to make a big sale to the Premier League before the transfer window closed to offset failing to qualify for this season's Champions League.

Balogun missing

But they were left reeling as United States World Cup star Folarin Balogun backed out of an agreed £40 million ($54 million) transfer to Everton on deadline day.

That was just after Monaco had pulled out of a deal to sell Lamine Camara to Chelsea, when they were banking on Balogun finalising his move.

Balogun, who was at the centre of controversy at the World Cup after US President Donald Trump successfully intervened to force FIFA to suspend a red card so he could play against Belgium in the last 16, was left out here and has not played for his club this season.

Senegal midfielder Camara did feature for the visitors, who drew level on 58 minutes when Portuguese left-back Nazinho headed in at the back post from a Jordan Teze delivery.Monaco's English defender #15 Eric Dier (C) and Monaco's Swiss midfielder #06 Denis Zakaria celebreate their win at the end of the French L1 football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and AS Monaco at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on September 4, 2026. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)

That was Monaco's reward for a good start to the second half, and they went ahead on 72 minutes when Aleksandr Golovin supplied Idumbo and he beat Matvey Safonov at the goalkeeper's near post.

It is the second season running in which PSG have lost at home to Monaco, with the introduction off the bench late on of reigning Ballon d'Or Ousmane Dembele and Spain World Cup final hero Ferran Torres not enough to save the hosts.

Torres had a late goal disallowed for an offside against Dembele, before the latter was denied by a superb Lukas Hradecky save deep in stoppage time.

Lyon beat Auxerre 3-1 earlier and are in second place, two points behind Monaco and level on points with Lille who won 1-0 at Toulouse on Thursday thanks to an Ayase Ueda goal.

DOHA: Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan advanced to the Round of 16 of the Asian Beach Volleyball Championship 2026 in Shangluo, China, after topping Group B with a perfect three-win record.

The Qatari duo sealed their third victory by defeating Thailand’s Netitorn and T. Poravid 21-18, 21-11 in straight sets.

Younousse and Tijan opened their campaign with a straight-sets win over Malaysia’s Teh and Yong Jian before overcoming New Zealand’s Sam and Ben Odia in a three-set encounter, 21-14, 19-21, 21-15.

The Group B winners now advance to the Round of 16 as they continue their bid for the title and qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s Moussa Al-Khair and Mohamed Ehab Zaki ended their group-stage campaign with their first victory, beating Hong Kong’s pair 21-12, 21-12 in straight sets.

Al-Khair and Zaki had opened the tournament with a 0-2 defeat to China’s Wang and Du Hongjun before losing 2-0 to Thailand’s Pitak and Watchrawit, 21-19, 21-18.

The championships feature 24 pairs divided into six groups of four, with teams playing a single round-robin format.

حقق الأهلي انتصاره الأول في دوري نجوم بنك الدوحة لكرة القدم للموسم 2026-2027، بعدما تغلب على قطر بهدف دون رد، على استاد الثمامة، في افتتاح منافسات الجولة الثالثة وسجل يونس حسين ياسر هدف المباراة الوحيد في الدقيقة 83، ليرفع الأهلي رصيده إلى أربع نقاط. في المقابل، تجمد رصيد قطر عند نقطة واحدة، بعدما تعادل مع الوكرة بنتيجة 2-2 في الجولة الافتتاحية، قبل أن يخسر أمام السد 2-6 في الجولة الثانية، ليتلقى بذلك هزيمته الثانية تواليًا.
وشهدت المباراة أفضلية واضحة للأهلي، خاصة بعد النقص العددي المبكر في صفوف قطر، إثر طرد عيسى أحمد، لاعب نادي قطر، في الدقيقة 12، ليكمل فريقه اللقاء بعشرة لاعبين.
وحاول الأهلي استغلال التفوق العددي من خلال الاستحواذ والضغط المستمر على دفاع قطر، وصنع العديد من الفرص على مدار الشوطين، إلا أن التنظيم الدفاعي للمنافس وتألق حارسه حالا دون وصوله إلى الشباك مبكرًا. واستمر الأهلي في محاولاته الهجومية حتى نجح في فك شفرة دفاع قطر قبل سبع دقائق من نهاية الوقت الأصلي، عندما انطلق الألماني جوليان دراكسلر من الجبهة اليسرى ومرر كرة عرضية وصلت إلى إدريس فتوحي، الذي سددها لترتطم بعارضة حارس نادي قطر علي نادر، وترتد أمام يونس حسين ياسر، الذي أفلت من الرقابة وتابع الكرة داخل المرمى، مسجلًا هدف الفوز.
وحافظ الأهلي على تقدمه في الدقائق الأخيرة، ليحصد أول انتصار له هذا الموسم، بعدما كان قد خسر أمام السد 1-3 في الجولة الأولى، وتعادل مع لوسيل 3-3 في الجولة الثانية. وبهذا الفوز عمق العميد جراح القطراوي بعدما نال الخسارة الثانية تواليا.