Football beyond mainstream
Criticism Mounts Over Brazilian Selectors’ Bias Towards Domestic League. Brazilian national team selectors are facing scrutiny for their apparent preference for players in the weaker Brazilian league, while overlooking talents in the increasingly competitive Saudi Pro League. The trend was highlighted by Fabinho, who referenced Alex Telles’ call-up only after his move to Botafogo, despite…
Real Madrid’s La Liga title defense suffered a blow with a 2-1 loss to Real Betis on Saturday, allowing Atletico Madrid to claim the league lead. Atletico edged past Athletic Bilbao 1-0, moving two points clear of rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid. Former Real Madrid star Isco scored the winning penalty for Betis, while Brahim…
In a nail-biting final of the AFC U-20 Asian Cup, Australia emerged victorious over Saudi Arabia in a dramatic penalty shootout (5-4) to claim the championship title. The match, held on Saturday afternoon at the Bao’an Stadium in Shenzhen, China, saw both teams deliver a fierce and competitive performance, but it was Australia who ultimately…
Cavalier FC, a prominent Jamaican football club, typically hosts its home league matches at a modest 3,000-capacity venue located within the same complex as the iconic Jamaica National Stadium. However, for Concacaf competitions, Jamaican teams often move their games to the larger 35,000-seat National Stadium to meet continental venue standards. While these matches rarely sell…
In a surprising turn of events, 11th-placed Al-Orubah claimed a historic 2-1 victory over title contenders Al-Nassr at the Al-Jouf University Stadium, while Al-Shabab secured a comfortable 2-0 win against Damak in Friday’s Saudi Pro League fixtures. Al-Orubah, who had never beaten Al-Nassr in their previous five attempts, took a deserved lead five minutes before…
In a dramatic Saudi Pro League clash on Friday, Ivan Toney’s second-half hat-trick powered Al-Ahli to a stunning 3-2 victory over Al-Hilal at the Kingdom Arena, dealing a massive blow to Al-Hilal’s title aspirations. The result leaves Al-Hilal five points behind league leaders Al-Ittihad, with manager Lauren Blanc’s side now under pressure to bounce back…
Saudi media reports indicate that Al-Hilal is close to signing Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen from Napoli, who is currently on loan to Turkish club Galatasaray. The move aims to strengthen the team ahead of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Al-Hilal is reportedly prepared to meet Osimhen’s €130 million release clause, with the player expressing…
In an exciting turn of events, Australia’s U-20 national team has secured a spot in the final of the AFC U-20 Asian Cup. They will face Saudi Arabia in what promises to be a thrilling showdown this Saturday. Australia advanced to the final after a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Japan in the semi-finals on Wednesday….
Kostas Fortounis became the hero for Al-Khaleej, converting a 96th-minute penalty to secure a dramatic 1-1 draw against Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Ittihad. The late equalizer denied Al-Ittihad a chance to extend their lead at the top, keeping the title race alive. Al-Ittihad had taken the lead in the 78th minute through Abod, who finished…
Lionel Messi delivered another stellar performance, opening the scoring with a breathtaking strike in the 19th minute, as Inter Miami triumphed 3-1 over Sporting Kansas City in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup first round on Tuesday night. The victory sealed a 4-1 aggregate win for Miami, propelling them into the round of…
