Category: Games

Egypt qualified for the final of the African Nations Championship by defeating Cameroon on penalties from the penalty spot, with a score of 3-1, after the match’s original time and its two overtime periods ended with a goalless draw.

The Egyptian team will meet its Senegalese counterpart in the final of the tournament next Sunday.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency

Youth and Sports Minister Ashraf Sobhi commended Egypt’s national football squad for their superb performance during their match against Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals in Cameroon.

 

During a phone call with national team’s mission on Sunday, Sobhi congratulated all players and members of the coaching staff, hailing also their great performance and determination during their previous match against Côte d’Ivoire.

 

The Egyptian people, whose support was critical for the team’s improved performance, are now expecting more from their team, the minister said.

 

Coming from behind, Egypt beat Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals on Sunday, booking a spot in the semifinals.

 

Seven-time African champions, the Pharaohs will face hosts Cameroon in the semi-finals on Thursday, as they look for their first AFCON title since 2010.

 

Sobhi has earlier promised to give the national team players a hefty reward if they beat Morocco.

 

Source: State Information Service Egypt

Hong Kong, South Korea’s World Cup qualification hopes remain in their own hands as they prepare to take on Syria in Dubai on Tuesday, knowing victory will secure their place in Qatar after celebrations were put on hold last week.

 

Paulo Bento’s side defeated Lebanon in Thursday’s matches in Group A of Asia’s preliminaries and would have claimed a place at a 10th straight World Cup had the United Arab Emirates not defeated Syria the same evening, Reuters reports.

 

Although the UAE’s 2-0 victory over the Syrians put a pause on Korean qualification, a win against Valeriu Tita’s side will be enough to take the Taeguk Warriors into the finals alongside already-qualified Iran.

 

“The most important thing is that we managed to get the three points that we came here to get,” Bento said after the win in Sidon, which came via a first half goal from Cho Gue-sung. “Despite the victory we are not yet in the World Cup but we are so close to qualifying.”

 

The Iranians claimed their berth at a third successive World Cup with victory over Iraq on Thursday and will face the UAE looking to extend their unbeaten run to 12 matches in qualifiers since Dragan Skocic took over as coach from Marc Wilmots.

 

Lebanon and Iraq, fourth and fifth in Group A respectively, face off in Sidon with both still harbouring hopes of a third-place finish in the group.

 

Although the top two finishers in each of Asia’s two preliminary groups advance automatically to the finals, those finishing third will go head-to-head for the right to face a South American side in a final eliminator for a place in Qatar.

 

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, could clinch a spot at back-to-back World Cup finals at Saitama Stadium when they meet hosts Japan in the battle between the top two in Group B.

 

Herve Renard’s side lead the Samurai Blue by four points with three games remaining and would qualify if they were to defeat Hajime Moriyasu’s team and third-placed Australia failed to beat Oman in Muscat.

 

The Japanese will again be without first choice defensive pairing Takehiro Tomiyasu and Maya Yoshida because of injury, with Ko Itakura and Shogo Taniguchi likely to deputise for the duo as they did in the 2-0 win over China on Thursday.

 

Oman, currently in fourth, must defeat Australia to have any hope of making a late push for third place in the group while China face winless Vietnam knowing their chances of staying alive in qualifying have all but ebbed away.

 

Source: Bahrain News Agency

Damascus, The Syrian Basketball Federation has announced that it signed a contract with the Spanish coach Javier Juárez to lead Syria’s men national basketball team.

The Federation statement came in a press conference that was held on Sunday at  al- Fayhaa Sporting City  in Damascus with the sponsorship of Cham Wings Airlines.

Head of the Federation Tarif Qoutrash said that the new coach is a very good trainer and it has been agreed with him to train the team during the Asian qualifying for the World Cup.

 

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

Prague, Syrian athlete Majd Eddin Ghazal won on Friday a gold medal in the high jump with a height of 2.25 meters at Kladno Forum in Czech Republic.

The personal record of Ghazal is 2.36 meters in the Challenge Course in Beijing 2016.

In his latest achievements, he won the bronze medal in the World Championships in London in 2017, after jumping 2.29 meters.

In 2019, he achieved the gold of the Asian Championship in Doha.

He has earned the best world and Asian record by jumping to a height of 2.31 meters.

 

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

Damascus, Al-Wahda basketball team topped the men’s basketball league after its winning of al-Ittihad 69-67 points in the 11th round matches Super Basketball league , held on Friday at al-Fayha stadium in Damascus.

Al-Wahda finished the first round without any loss with 22 points.

 

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

Egypt will host Senegal in the first leg of their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers’ playoff on March 24, with the second-leg clash taking place on March 29, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced Saturday.

Egypt were drawn against Senegal in the playoff stage of African qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, to be hosted by Qatar in Jan. 2023.

The CAF WC 2022 play-off draw was staged in Cameroon’s Douala Saturday.

The draw also put Cameroon against Algeria, Ghana against Nigeria, DR Congo against Morocco, and Mali against Tunisia.

 

Source: State Information Service Egypt

The Sports and Youth Ministry launched on Friday “Her World Her Rules” initiative in Dakahlia governorate meant to encourage girls across the country to play basketball.

The initiative, which targets girls from six years old to 16, is being launched in cooperation with the Egyptian Basketball Federation and International Basketball Federation.

Under the initiative, 100 girls will be chosen from each governorate to train them well and join teams affiliated with the Egyptian federation.

 

Source: State Information Service Egypt

President of Lebanon’s National Olympic Committee, Pierre Jalkh, on Wednesday received Chinese Ambassador to Lebanon, Qian Minjian, at the NOC headquarters in Hazmieh.

The pair discussed the administrative and logistical preparations for Lebanon’s participation in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

The Premier League top scorer’s admirers spotted a strange subplot as he was overlooked for the men’s honor

Mohamed Salah did not attend alongside Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski as the football icon missed out on a major award again ? and his supporters have called out a confusing piece of judging at the Best FIFA Awards.

Angry Salah fans said they could understand why the Liverpool and Egypt hotshot had not joined Argentina legend Messi and award winner Lewandowski in appearing at the ceremony by video link.

An image of the former Puskas Award winner was instead shown while Ballon d’Or winner Messi and Bayern and Poland powerhouse Lewandowski learned the results of the governing body’s annual competition.

The runaway top scorer in the English top flight is considered by many to be the best player in the world, with Jurgen Klopp among them after the Liverpool boss said in October 2021 that his star striker was above Messi and five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.

While Lewandowski finished behind Messi as the Paris Saint-Germain forward won his record-extending seventh Ballon d’Or in November, Salah was adjudged to be the seventh-best player on the shortlist.

“Rate Salah not turning up,” said one viewer as they watched the verdict being delivered.

“Why waste my time if I wouldn’t be awarded [the win]?” asked another. “And why would he?” a fellow critic of the decision scorned. “It’s a disgrace how they treat him. Makes me so angry.”

While Salah provided 37 goals and 11 assists during the 2021 calendar year the award is based upon, the prolific 29-year-old was unable to add to a trophy collection which includes the Champions League and the Premier League with the Reds.

Messi won the Copa America for the first time with his nation and Lewandowski scored an astonishing 69 times in 69 matches as he captained Poland and played an instrumental role in Bayern Munich winning more silverware.

Much to the bemusement of Salah acolytes, FIFA also featured Messi and Lewandowski in their men’s team of the year but preferred Borussia Dortmund and Norway prodigy Erling Haaland to Salah.

That led to confusion over how a player not deemed worthy of including in the first XI could be considered one of the top three players.

There was predictable contention elsewhere. “Lewandowski also deserved two Ballon d’Ors which he was robbed out of,” said one fan. “Messi just won the popularity contest lottery with his seventh Ballon d’Or.”

Two-time African Footballer of the Year Salah is currently at the continent’s Cup of Nations with his national side.

The Pharaohs recovered from losing their opening game of the tournament to Nigeria by beating Guinea-Bissau on Saturday, when Salah scored the only goal of the game.

Salah is currently preparing to face bottom-of-the-table Sudan with Egypt in their final Group D match on Wednesday.

Victory would guarantee the seven-time winners of the tournament a place in the knockout stage.

 

Source: Big News Network

Minister of Youth and Sports, George Kallas, on Tuesday received President of the Lebanese Scouting Federation George al-Gharib and Vice President Hussein Ajami, with whom he discussed Lebanon’s ongoing preparations to host the Arab Scouting Conference.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

Sports and Youth Minister Ashraf Sobhi witnessed Saturday 15/01/2022 at the Giza Pyramids plateau the ceremony of the draw of basketball World Cup, to be hosted in February by Egypt, the first ever African country to host the international basketball tournament in its history.

President of the Egyptian Basketball Federation Magdi Fereikha, FIBA Africa Zone 5 president Hesham El-Hariri, FIBA representative Patrick Komnenos, representatives of the participating teams along with former football player Ahmed Hossam Mido were present during the draw ceremony.

In his speech, Sobhi praised the Egyptian Basketball Federation as a patriot and united, noting that it spared no effort for supporting the game in Egypt.

Holding the tournament in Egypt is seen as a continuation to Egypt’s plans for hosting different world events and tournaments, a move having the full support the political leadership, under President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.

 

Source: State Information Service Egypt