Asian Games begin with Qatar basketball win, nine days before opening…

Tokyo: The Asian Games began in Japan on Thursday with Qatar beating Iran in men's basketball, the first action in the continental multi-sport showpiece that has more participants than the Olympics.

Over 17,000 athletes and officials are expected to take part in 43 sports at the Nagoya-Aichi Games -- which do not officially start until the opening ceremony on September 19 and will run until October 4. iwanktv.club

Several events such as basketball, football, cricket, hockey and modern pentathlon will get under way before the opening ceremony.Qatar held off a comeback from Iran to win their Group B encounter 59-35 at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya in the first match of a men's basketball competition that will hold medal finals on September 20, the day after the opening ceremony.

"We know we need to win at least one game so we can qualify for the next round," said Qatar's Michael Lewis, the United States-born player who scored a game-high 21 points.

الأخبارللموسم 2026–2027 .. 32 مدرسة تشارك في كأس العالم المصغّرة للسلةأعلنت اللجنة المنظمة لكأس العالم لكرة السلة قطر 2027، بالتعاون مع الاتحاد القطري للرياضة المدرسية، توزيع المدارس المشاركة في الموسم الجديد من كأس العالم المصغّرة لكرة السلة على ...فتح →

"Feels good to get some team camaraderie back, and now we have got to keep going."

Later in Group B, Taiwan beat Jordan 83-80.

Los Angeles 2028 Olympics qualifying spots are up for grabs in several sports at the Asian Games, which are returning to Japan for the first time since 1994.

Organisers hope the athletes will have a "unique experience" staying in accommodation ranging from a cruise liner and wooden containers to standard hotel rooms.

Officials are confident that the plan will not be affected by Japan's typhoon season, which is usually in full swing in September-October.Weather has already caused disruptions, with record rainfall on Tuesday forcing hundreds of athletes briefly to evacuate their accommodation.

Rainwater also leaked into some competition venues, with more wet weather forecast for the coming days.

Among those in action at the Games will be Philippine tennis sensation Alexandra Eala and a pair of world-class teenage talents in 15-year-old Indian cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi.

London: Hull held free-scoring Chelsea 2-2 at Stamford Bridge to go third in the Premier League as Liverpool failed to find a way past struggling Fulham in a 0-0 draw on Saturday.

It was a familiar tale for Chelsea as the front three of Morgan Rogers, Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer dazzled, but the Blues were undone by an inability to defend.
In five games against top-flight opposition since Xabi Alonso took charge, Chelsea have scored 16 times and conceded 12.

Hull were the last side in the Premier League to concede, but after three clean sheets they were finally breached when Rogers drilled in at the near post on seven minutes.

Mohamed Belloumi took advantage of Chelsea's slackness at the back to blast home on the volley after Jorrel Hato got caught under a cross to the back post.

The Algerian winger then put Hull in front with a deflected strike after Emi Martinez failed to deal with a corner.

Pedro drilled a Palmer cross into the top corner to bring Chelsea level just after the hour mark.

But the home side could not find a winner as Hull's honeymoon back in the Premier League goes on with only defending champions Arsenal and Manchester City above them in the table.

"We have to be happy," said Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic. "It's a huge result for us."

Liverpool remain unbeaten under Andoni Iraola but there were boos at Anfield after Fulham picked up their first point under Alvaro Arbeloa.

Former Liverpool defender Arbeloa was reportedly fighting for his job after losing his first three league matches since arriving in west London from Real Madrid.

Yet a Liverpool forward line featuring three £100 million ($135 million) players in Bradley Barcola, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak failed to click against the Cottagers' leaky defence.

"When you draw, especially at home, you can't be happy," said Iraola, who blamed fatigue after his side's Champions League exertions against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

"Today we lacked a bit of freshness and we did not do enough offensively to make the difference."

It was Fulham who had the better chances to take all three points as Gonzalo Garcia missed a glorious opportunity in the first half and Alisson Becker produced a brilliant save to deny Josh King the winner.

Liverpool climb to sixth but could find themselves already six points off the top should Arsenal win at Sunderland later on Saturday.

Aston Villa are rooted in the relegation zone after Nottingham Forest exacted revenge with a 2-1 win at Villa Park.

Villa beat their Midlands rivals in the Europa League semi-finals last season on their way to lifting a first trophy for 30 years.

Eyebrows were raised at the club record reported £45 million Forest paid Chelsea for Liam Delap after failing to make the grade at Stamford Bridge.

But Delap proved his worth with a long-range strike into the bottom corner to open the scoring.

Alysson levelled with Villa's first league goal of the season, but Igor Jesus secured Oliver Glasner's first win as Forest boss.

Glasner's old club Crystal Palace's poor start to the campaign continued with a 3-2 home defeat to Ipswich.

The visitors were aided by Axel Disasi's first half red card as Zian Flemming's first goal for the Tractor Boys snatched all three points in stoppage time.

Brentford remain unbeaten thanks to Kevin Schade's double in a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth.

The Cherries, by contrast, are yet to win in the Premier League under Marco Rose despite leading in all four games.

Tottenham are aiming to kickstart their league season with a first goal and win at home to Everton later.

Manchester United host local rivals City in the pick of Sunday's action.

فاز منتخبنا الوطني لكرة السلة على نظيره الإيراني بنتيجة (59 - 53)، خلال المباراة التي جمعتهما امس، في مستهل مشواره ضمن منافسات دورة الألعاب الآسيوية العشرين /آيتشي-ناغويا 2026/،
ونجح العنابي في تحقيق أولى انتصاراته بالمجموعة الثانية التي تضم إلى جانبه منتخبات إيران والأردن والصين تايبيه. ويخوض العنابي مباراته الثانية في الدورة غدا السبت عندما يلتقي المنتخب الأردني، قبل أن يختتم مبارياته في الدور التمهيدي يوم الأحد المقبل بمواجهة منتخب الصين تايبيه.
وتضم منافسات كرة السلة للرجال في الدورة، 12 منتخبا موزعة على ثلاث مجموعات، حيث تضم المجموعة الأولى منتخبات اليابان وكوريا والسعودية وإندونيسيا، وتضم المجموعة الثانية قطر وإيران والأردن والصين تايبيه، فيما تضم المجموعة الثالثة منتخبات الصين والفلبين والبحرين وكازاخستان.

Karachi: A young Razaullah arrived in the northern Pakistani city of Mardan with his two elder brothers, dreaming to make it big in cricket with his thunderbolt deliveries and powerful hitting.

His brother Samiullah did not want his sibling to be a truck loader like him, and instead made sure the tall and strapping fast bowler went to the town's cricket academy on his way to play for his country.

Razaullah dismissed one of the world's best batters Joe Root with his fourth ball on his Test debut before smashing nine sixes in a sensational innings of 81 against England at Edgbaston.

The 21-year-old's fearless batting brought Pakistan from the brink of an innings defeat on Friday as he added a fighting 121 runs for the ninth wicket with Mohammad Abbas, who scored 42.

His sensational hits -- some landing in the under-construction hotel adjacent to the stadium -- caused a sensation from England's Midlands to Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa back home.

"This is the beauty of Pakistan's raw talent," said commentator Urooj Mumtaz, a former Pakistan women's captain. "He batted fearlessly and entertained all those who were watching. It was sensational."

Razaullah himself admitted he wanted to entertain others and enjoy himself.

"I just had to bat, you are the ones who get to enjoy it," he said in post-match comments on Sky.

Just like his sensational Edgbaston knock, Razaullah's induction to the Pakistan team was as much out of the blue.

Smarting from humiliating defeats in the first two Tests, Pakistan withdrew seven players in a shock reaction, drafting as many new ones -- with unheralded and uncapped Razaullah one of them.

Number 14

Razaullah's coming of age at the international level will inspire the next generation of players.

The unassuming young man left his remote village of Wari in the hilly parts of Upper Dir -- an area close to Lower Dir from where another fast bowler Naseem Shah emerged in 2019.

He endeared himself to everyone at the Mardan academy for his obsession to bowl as fast as Shoaib Akhtar -- the former Pakistan express pacer -- and ability to clear the boundary off many deliveries bowled to him.

"He (Razaullah) came for Under-19 trials in 2023 wearing spikes bigger than his size and with his first delivery he sent the batter staggering with his speed," Mardan and Abbottabad coach Ahmed Said told AFP earlier this year.

"I asked him not to bowl another delivery for fear of causing injury to any young and inexperienced batter."

Said recalled Razaullah always wanted the Number 14 shirt that Akhtar used to wear.

"Razaullah insisted he wanted a Number 14 shirt in the National Twenty20 Cup and was elated after he got it, albeit two sizes bigger, and we all started to call him Shobby."

Former Pakistan coach Abdul Rehman spotted Razaullah in a Twenty20 tournament in Quetta and recruited him for the Rawalpindi team in the Pakistan Super League, where he impressed with his speed.

Pakistan selector Aaqib Javed helped his growth in the High Performance Center in Lahore, from where he jetted to England.

Razaullah's idol Akhtar was impressed with his play.

"Look at his intent and fearless batting and this was the intent Pakistan players were missing in earlier matches," Akhtar said on television.

"He is a product of the Pakistan Cricket Board's pathway, and it's now the duty of the coaches to manage him properly so that he can progress further."