العنابي يفتتح مشواره الآسيوي بمواجهة كوريا الجنوبية

يستهل منتخبنا الوطني تحت 23 عاماً مشواره في دورة الألعاب الآسيوية المقامة في اليابان، عندما يلتقي اليوم الثلاثاء مع منتخب كوريا الجنوبية، في افتتاح منافسات المجموعة التي تضم إلى جانبهما المنتخب السعودي، في مواجهة قوية يسعى خلالها العنابي إلى تحقيق بداية مثالية وحصد النقاط الثلاث.
ويدخل منتخبنا اللقاء بمعنويات عالية، بعدما خاض تحضيراته الأخيرة بجدية وتركيز كبير، وسط رغبة واضحة في الظهور بصورة قوية منذ المباراة الأولى، خاصة أن المنافسة في المجموعة لن تكون سهلة في ظل وجود منتخبات قوية وطموحة. وأكد الإسباني خوسيه أنخيل، مدرب منتخبنا الوطني تحت 23 عاماً، أن الفريق يدرك صعوبة المهمة، لكنه يتمسك بطموحاته، وقال إن المجموعة صغيرة وتضم فرقاً قوية، مشيراً إلى أن ضغط المباريات وقلة فترات الراحة يمثلان تحدياً أمام جميع المنتخبات.
وأوضح المدرب أن العنابي يملك مجموعة شابة تضم عدداً من لاعبي منتخب تحت 20 عاماً، ويعمل الجهاز الفني على تعزيز الانسجام بينهم، مؤكداً أن البطولة تمثل فرصة مميزة لهذه العناصر لإظهار إمكاناتها واكتساب المزيد من الخبرة من خلال الاحتكاك مع لاعبين أكبر سناً.
ويعتمد العنابي على الروح الجماعية والرغبة في التطور، حيث ركز الجهاز الفني خلال التدريبات الأخيرة على رفع الجاهزية الفنية والبدنية ومعالجة بعض الجوانب التي يحتاجها الفريق قبل خوض المنافسات.
وتكتسب مواجهة كوريا الجنوبية أهمية كبيرة، كونها ضربة البداية التي يسعى من خلالها منتخبنا إلى وضع قدمه مبكراً في الطريق الصحيح، قبل مواجهة المنتخب السعودي، وهو ما يجعل الفوز هدفاً أساسياً للعنابي، مع ضرورة التعامل بتركيز كبير مع قوة المنافس وعدم منحه المساحات.
وقال خوسيه أنخيل إن التركيز ينصب على تطوير المنتخب من خلال التدريبات والمباريات، مؤكداً أن المشاركة في دورة الألعاب الآسيوية ليست فقط من أجل النتائج، وإنما أيضاً لبناء جيل قادر على تمثيل الكرة القطرية مستقبلاً.
ويأمل العنابي أن يترجم جاهزيته وطموحه إلى أداء قوي أمام كوريا الجنوبية، وأن يخرج من المواجهة الافتتاحية بنتيجة تمنحه دفعة معنوية كبيرة لمواصلة مشواره الآسيوي والمنافسة بقوة على بطاقة التأهل. sport-tr.bet

Doha, Qatar: Al Gharafa gave Al Hilal a tough fight before suffering a 2-1 defeat in their AFC Champions League Elite opener at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh yesterday.

Seeking a fifth Asian title, Simone Inzaghi’s Al Hilal side got the start they wanted but not without a slow start with both sides going down to 10 men midway through the first half.

Al Gharafa took the game to Al Hilal in the opening minutes as Yassine Bounou was forced to make saves to deny Adam Ounas and Jang Hyun-soo as the home side started with 18-year-old Kader Meite up front.

Al Hilal worked their way into the game with Gabriel Martinelli having a left foot effort from an acute angle saved by Ahmed Kone before Sergej Milinkovic-Savic nodded over unchallenged from a good position.

The game took a turn in the 32nd minute when Crysencio Summerville was shown the red card for shoving Abdulrahman Al Rasheedi off the field but in the heated exchange, Ismael Bennacer was also sent off for tugging at the Al Hilal forward’s hair.

Al Rasheedi was involved again when he tripped Saimon Bouabre in the box, gifting Al Hilal a late first half penalty which Ruben Never nervelessly slotted home in the third minute of added time.

Al Hilal continued to test Kone’s reflexes after the interval with Neves, Martinelli and Bouabre all having a go but the Al Gharafa custodian stood strong to keep the Qatari side in the game.

Maintaining sustained pressure, it was no surprise when the second goal arrived in the 72nd minute, Neves delivered a perfect cross to the back post for Milinkovic-Savic to power home from close range.

Al Gharafa struck in stoppage time through a spectacular Alaaeddin Hasan strike from outside the box but it was nothing more than a consolation with the final whistle blowing seconds after the restart.

A tough test awaits Al Hilal on Matchday Two as the Saudi Pro League side face another Qatari side in Al Sadd SC on October 13 while Al Gharafa will count on home advantage when they host Esteghlal FC of Iran a day earlier.

Doha, Qatar: World No.1 Mostafa Asal moved into the semi-finals of the 2026 Qatar Classic after overcoming Egyptian compatriot Aly Abou Eleinen in 91-minute thriller at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha yesterday.

Asal, chasing a maiden Qatar Classic title after finishing runner-up in each of the past two editions, prevailed 11-5, 11-4, 12-14, 12-10 to advance.

The top seed Asal looked to be in control after taking the opening two games, but Abou Eleinen fought back brilliantly to claim the third game 14-12 before pushing Asal to his limits in a tense fourth game.

Asal eventually sealed the victory closing out the game 12-10 to keep his title hopes alive.

Following the tense match which saw several heated moments, Asal called for players and officials to act responsibly.

“Sometimes it can be a proper squash match, and then it turns into a feast of decisions and stuff, acting, milking and all of this kind of thing,” Asal said.

“Responsibility for all of us as players. We had to take that on board and just sit down together, all of us, the referees, everyone.”

Asal also claimed that some players were deliberately exaggerating situations on court.

“There are players blocking, there are players taking movements, but there are players also, at the same point, milking it,” he said. “From the physical side, they couldn’t cope with the other top players, and they’re using their tactics for acting and lots of stuff.”

Asal now meets English opponent Marwan ElShorbagy for the 13th time in their careers, for a place in what could be his third Qatar Classic final.

Meanwhile, seventh seed ElShorbagy reached his first Qatar Classic semi-final after surviving a five-game battle against France’s Gregoire Marche.

ElShorbagy won the opening two games 11-5, 11-9, but Marche responded by taking the third 11-1 and the fourth 11-3 to force a decider.

The former Egyptian star then regained his composure to close out a 11-5, 11-9, 1-11, 3-11, 11-7 victory after 52 minutes.

“Greg and I always deliver entertaining matches. We did in Windy City earlier this year,” ElShorbagy said.

“It was in the same round. Last time it was his turn, this time it was my turn.”

“He’s an unbelievable player. He played better as he gets older. He uses experience,” he said.

“He’s the same generation as my brother, so I’ve been watching him for maybe 20 years or so,” ElShorbagy said, referring to his sibling Mohamed, a four-time Qatar Classic champion.

“I’m so happy for him to be able to play at this level, so I’m really happy to get into my first semi-finals at the Qatar Classic,” the 33-year-old said.

Meanwhile, there was no women’s action at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex Yesterday.

The women’s draw saw two quarter-finals decided without a ball being struck, with injuries forcing Nouran Gohar and Tinne Gilis to withdraw from their quarter-finals.

As a result, top seed and defending champion Hania El Hammamy advanced to the semi-finals via a walkover, while fourth seed Sivasangari Subramaniam also progressed without stepping on to the court.

El Hammamy was to face former World No.1 Gohar in one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament, while Sivasangari was scheduled to meet eighth seed Gilis.

Doha, Qatar: Alexander Zverev held off Ben Shelton to win the US Open on Sunday, September 13, 2026, claiming the second Grand Slam title of his career months after winning the French Open.

The 29-year-old then touched hearts as he paid tribute to his mother for refusing to let diabetes define his future.

At the trophy presentation, the top-seeded German said, "I want to thank one more person who is never actually watching my matches but is the most important person in my tennis life and in my life in general.

He went on to reveal that he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of four, saying, "When your four-year-old son gets diagnosed with diabetes, and doctors in the office tell you that life and sports will be very, very limited for that child, it takes a very very strong mother to walk out of those office and to say, 'My son will be whatever he wants to be.'"

To loud cheers, he added, "If he wants to be a tennis player, he will be a tennis player. If he wants to do something else, he'll do something else. But this illness will not define us and I am happy that we worked through it and we're doing things that we are doing right now."

His tribute left his father and longtime coach, Alexander Zverev Sr., in tears.

Zverev then went on to thank his coaching team, including his brother Mischa. “We went almost 30 years without winning a Grand Slam title and now we’ve won two in a span of three months,” he added.