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Mashael AlObaidan: Hail Int'l Rally Prepared Me for Dakar 2021

Mashael AlObaidan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Mashael AlObaidan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Mashael AlObaidan: Hail Int'l Rally Prepared Me for Dakar 2021

Mashael AlObaidan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Mashael AlObaidan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia's Mashael AlObaidan managed to finish second in the "T3" category of the Hail International Rally and finished 12th in the overall ranking. The driver aspired to use this experience to prepare herself to take part in the 2021 Dakar Rally that will kick off from Hail in less than a month.

AlObaidan told Asharq Al-Awsat: "I am very happy with my participation in the Hail International Rally in Saudi Arabia."

"I thank God for coming in second place," she added, saying the four-day race was a thrilling experience during which she witnessed the beauty of the Kingdom.

"The residents of Hail accorded us with a warm welcome and the event was properly organized," she remarked, describing the race stages as both "different and fun" with drivers from all over the world.

Commenting on the terrain, AlObaidan said: "It was fun, beautiful and different. As racers, we enjoyed the terrain. We were unfamiliar with it beforehand and so discovering it during the race is part of the fun."

"I participated in this competition so I could take part in the world championship, as well as the Dakar Rally," she sated.

"The Dakar Rally is considered the most difficult rally in world," she remarked, noting that 50 percent of the participants only ever complete the event due to how challenging it is. On her future ambitions, AlObaidan said she wants to continue to race in rallies and make a name of herself until she makes it to compete in T1 events.

She thanked all her supporters, including sponsors, the media and fans. She also expressed her gratitude to sports authorities in Saudi Arabia for organizing major rallies in the Kingdom. Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah set the fastest time on the short final stage of the Hail Cross-Country Rally to secure a fifth FIA World Cup Drivers’ Championship title.

The final stage stretched only 148 kilometers, but it was decisive in determining the winner because it demanded the leaders to drive safely until they reached the finish line so that they can secure their victory.

Mathematically, Al-Attiyah had won the title after recording two stage wins earlier in the event, but he and French co-driver Matthieu Baumel pressed on to record three stage wins and a winning margin of 21min 51sec over the Russian duo of Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov. The success also marked their fourth FIA World Cup title together after three successive wins between 2015 and 2017.

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PSG Retakes Ligue 1 Lead after Teenager Nets 1st Goal in Rout at Nice

PSG's Pedro Fernandez, center, celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the French League One soccer match between Nice and Paris Saint-Germain in Nice, France, Saturday, March 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
PSG's Pedro Fernandez, center, celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the French League One soccer match between Nice and Paris Saint-Germain in Nice, France, Saturday, March 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
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PSG Retakes Ligue 1 Lead after Teenager Nets 1st Goal in Rout at Nice

PSG's Pedro Fernandez, center, celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the French League One soccer match between Nice and Paris Saint-Germain in Nice, France, Saturday, March 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)
PSG's Pedro Fernandez, center, celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the French League One soccer match between Nice and Paris Saint-Germain in Nice, France, Saturday, March 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Philippe Magoni)

Dro Fernández scored his first goal for Paris Saint-Germain as it won at struggling Nice 4-0 and reclaimed top spot in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

The 18-year-old midfielder joined from Barcelona in January and grabbed his side's third goal after being neatly set up by Ousmane Dembélé in the 81st minute.

PSG moved one point above Lens, which crushed Angers 5-1 on Friday.

Defending champion PSG has played one game less and the sides meet on April 11 in Lens in what could be a title decider.

Nice competed evenly until a contentious handball decision gave PSG a penalty late in the first half. Désiré Doué's shot was off target and lightly brushed the arm of Nice midfielder Morgan Sanson, who was turning his back and unsighted.

The referee awarded a penalty following a video review and left back Nuno Mendes scored, The Associated Press reported.

Mendes then set up Doué in the 49th with a cross and, after Nice midfielder Youssouf Ndayishimiye was sent off on the hour, PSG added late goals from Fernández and right back Warren Zaïre-Emery.

Disability awareness Substitute Emersonn scored a late solo goal to give Toulouse a 1-0 home win against Lorient.

The Brazilian forward cut inside the penalty area, beat two defenders and fired in off the underside of the crossbar. The win moved Toulouse up to ninth place.

Toulouse goalkeeper Guillaume Restes needed brief treatment in stoppage time after receiving a powerful shot from Arsène Kouassi full in the face. He was able to continue.

Emersonn almost scored a second goal with another solo effort deep into added time.

Players from both sides had pictograms of different disabilities on their jerseys instead of their names as part of a disability awareness campaign aimed at providing better facilities in soccer stadiums for those with disabilities.

The game featured an accessible shuttle service; an audio description service; visual help devices, and spaces specifically designed for sensory and autistic disability. There were also introductory sessions about blind soccer and wheelchair rugby, which both featured at the Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024.

Easier with 10 players Auxerre goalkeeper Donovan Léon was sent off after six minutes but it still secured a 3-0 home win over Brest. He was shown a red card for impeding Rémy Labeau-Lascary.

American-born defender Bryan Okoh scored twice with powerful headers and Cameroon forward Danny Namaso added the third midway through the second half with a fine run and shot.

Auxerre remained in 16th place — which is the promotion-relegation playoff with the side finishing third in Ligue 2 — but closed the gap on 15th-placed Nice to five points.

Sports

Champions League Holders Pyramids and Record Winners Al Ahly Stunned in Quarters

Al Ahly players pose for a photograph prior to their CAF Champions League Quarter first leg match between ES Tunis and Al Ahly at Rades stadium in Tunis,Tunisia, 15 March 2026. EPA/MOHAMED MESSARA
Al Ahly players pose for a photograph prior to their CAF Champions League Quarter first leg match between ES Tunis and Al Ahly at Rades stadium in Tunis,Tunisia, 15 March 2026. EPA/MOHAMED MESSARA
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Champions League Holders Pyramids and Record Winners Al Ahly Stunned in Quarters

Al Ahly players pose for a photograph prior to their CAF Champions League Quarter first leg match between ES Tunis and Al Ahly at Rades stadium in Tunis,Tunisia, 15 March 2026. EPA/MOHAMED MESSARA
Al Ahly players pose for a photograph prior to their CAF Champions League Quarter first leg match between ES Tunis and Al Ahly at Rades stadium in Tunis,Tunisia, 15 March 2026. EPA/MOHAMED MESSARA

Holders Pyramids and record champions Al Ahly both crashed out of the African Champions League quarter-finals on Saturday, losing to Morocco's Royal Armed Forces and Tunisian Esperance respectively on a bleak night for Egyptian soccer.

Pyramids' 3-2 aggregate loss ended their title defense despite a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Rabat. The Egyptians won their first African Champions League crown last June, beating South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, Reuters reported.

Rida Slim put the visitors ahead in the ninth minute at Cairo's 30 June Stadium before Mohamed Rabie ⁠Hrimat doubled the ⁠lead with a 54th-minute header. Fiston Mayele halved the deficit in the 62nd minute but the Egyptians could not find the equaliser that would have sent the tie straight to penalties.

"This is a historic win and a historic qualification for the club," forward Youssef El Fahli said. "We ⁠have the determination to fight for the title this season and, God willing, we'll bring home the club's second continental crown."

Royal Armed Forces will face fellow Moroccans Renaissance Berkane or Sudan's Al-Hilal in the semi-finals, hoping to move a step closer to a second continental crown after winning the African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1985 when they beat AS Bilima (now AS Dragons) of then Zaire, now Democratic Republic of Congo.

Al Ahly, the record 12-times African champions, took ⁠a 10th-minute ⁠lead through Mahmoud Trezeguet but Esperance levelled in the 68th minute when Florian Danho drove in from outside the box past goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.

The Tunisian champions went ahead in the 78th when Mohamed Amine Tougai converted a penalty. Although Ahly drew level at 2-2 in the 84th minute via an own goal by Hamza Jelassi from a Marwan Othman header, Jelassi redeemed himself with a 94-minute winner from a Youssef Msakni corner to complete a second-leg 3-2 victory for a 4-2 win on aggregate.

Esperance will face Mamelodi Sundowns or Mali's Stade Malien in the semi-finals.

Sports

Osaka Weighs Clay Court Season, Motherhood 'Dilemma'

Mar 21, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Naomi Osaka (JPN) walks off the court after her match against Talia Gibson (AUS) (not pictured) on day five of the 2026 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Mar 21, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Naomi Osaka (JPN) walks off the court after her match against Talia Gibson (AUS) (not pictured) on day five of the 2026 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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Osaka Weighs Clay Court Season, Motherhood 'Dilemma'

Mar 21, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Naomi Osaka (JPN) walks off the court after her match against Talia Gibson (AUS) (not pictured) on day five of the 2026 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Mar 21, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Naomi Osaka (JPN) walks off the court after her match against Talia Gibson (AUS) (not pictured) on day five of the 2026 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Former world number one Naomi Osaka said she is considering how best to balance her tennis schedule with motherhood after a 7-5 6-4 loss to Australia’s Talia Gibson in her opening match on Saturday.

Osaka returned to the tour in 2024 after a 15-month break following the birth of her daughter and reached the US Open semi-finals last year. She withdrew ahead of her scheduled third-round match at the ⁠Australian Open in ⁠January due to an abdominal injury, Reuters reported.

The four-time Grand Slam champion lost to world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the Indian Wells pre-quarterfinals this month before another early exit in Miami.

Asked about her plans for the clay season, Osaka ⁠said she is weighing the demands of the tour with the time she wants to spend at home.

"I feel like this also is a dilemma for me," Osaka told reporters.

"For me, my daughter is very important, and I want to be a mom. I want to be the best mom I can, but sometimes I feel like I know what I have to ⁠do ⁠to become a really good player, and it's very difficult.

"Because for me, I want to win titles and I want to be the best player I can, but if I have to sacrifice having a lot of time with my daughter, I’d rather not do it.

"I'm not going to play Charleston. I hope I can play Madrid, Rome and then, obviously, the French Open."

Gibson, 21, will play Iva Jovic in the next round on Sunday.