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African Champions Pyramids Hit Back to Draw in Morocco

An aerial view shows Cairo's traffic with buildings and houses, through the window of a Turkish Airlines plane, in Cairo, Egypt March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
An aerial view shows Cairo's traffic with buildings and houses, through the window of a Turkish Airlines plane, in Cairo, Egypt March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
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African Champions Pyramids Hit Back to Draw in Morocco

An aerial view shows Cairo's traffic with buildings and houses, through the window of a Turkish Airlines plane, in Cairo, Egypt March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
An aerial view shows Cairo's traffic with buildings and houses, through the window of a Turkish Airlines plane, in Cairo, Egypt March 12, 2026. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Pyramids of Egypt preserved an unbeaten record in defense of the CAF Champions League title by coming from behind to draw 1-1 at FAR Rabat of Morocco late on Friday.

The home team were ahead after just eight minutes of the quarter-final first leg when Ahmed Hammoudan scored his first goal of the campaign.

Mahmoud Zalaka equalized in the seventh minute of the second half in a match staged behind closed doors due to crowd trouble during an earlier FAR match.

The second leg is set for March 21 in Cairo and the overall winners will face another Moroccan club, Renaissance Berkane, or Al Hilal of Sudan in the semi-finals during April.

Pyramids and FAR also clashed in the quarter-finals last season with the Cairo club winning 4-3 on aggregate.

Surprise winners of the premier African club competition last season, Pyramids have won eight matches and drawn three in pursuit of back-to-back titles.

They pocketed four million dollars (3.5 mn euros) after defeating Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in the 2024/25 final.

This week, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced that first prize had been increased by 50% to six million dollars. The runners-up prize is unchanged at two million dollars.

FAR rattled Pyramids by taking an early lead amid the silence of the Olympic Stadium in the Moroccan capital, AFP reported.

A pass into space behind the Pyramids defense found Hammoudan, who raced in from the left flank and beat veteran goalkeeper Ahmed El Shenawy with an angled shot into the far corner.

Both sides had spells of territorial dominance in the opening half, but there were no further goals before half-time with few clearcut chances.

Pyramids pressed for an equalizer from the restart and were rewarded on 52 minutes when Zalaka claimed his second goal of the African campaign.

FAR goalkeeper Ahmed Tagnaouti parried a close-range shot from Ahmed Atef after a corner and Zalaka reacted quickest to poke the loose ball into the net.

Mahmoud Mayele, the Democratic Republic of Congo striker and leading scorer in the Champions League last season with nine goals, was substituted after 83 minutes.

After scoring three goals in qualifiers this season, the 31-year-old has gone eight matches without adding to his tally.

The quarter-final in Rabat kicked off only at 2200 local time due to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

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Lionel Messi Says He’s Retiring from Playing for Argentina

19 July 2026, US, East Rutherford: Argentina's Lionel Messi stands in the stadium before the 2026 FIFA World Cup final soccer match between Spain and Argentina, at New York-New Jersey Stadium. (dpa)
19 July 2026, US, East Rutherford: Argentina's Lionel Messi stands in the stadium before the 2026 FIFA World Cup final soccer match between Spain and Argentina, at New York-New Jersey Stadium. (dpa)
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Lionel Messi Says He’s Retiring from Playing for Argentina

19 July 2026, US, East Rutherford: Argentina's Lionel Messi stands in the stadium before the 2026 FIFA World Cup final soccer match between Spain and Argentina, at New York-New Jersey Stadium. (dpa)
19 July 2026, US, East Rutherford: Argentina's Lionel Messi stands in the stadium before the 2026 FIFA World Cup final soccer match between Spain and Argentina, at New York-New Jersey Stadium. (dpa)

Lionel Messi announced his retirement from international football on Monday after two decades representing Argentina.

“It was a decision that hurt — and still hurts deeply — but I understand that the time has come,” the 39-year-old Messi said on his Instagram account.

“I swear to you that I always gave it my all — not just in these last few years when we won everything, but before that too; I always fought and left everything on the field for this jersey, to bring you joy and make you feel proud to be Argentine through football.”

Messi played in a record-tying six World Cups, won it in 2022 in Qatar and led Argentina to this year's final, losing to Spain in extra time in New Jersey.

He explained he wrote his retirement letter on June 21 — two days after the World Cup final — but waited to publish it because his father was facing health issues that eventually claimed his life.

Jorge Messi died on Aug. 8 in his native Rosario.

Messi will continue to play for Inter Miami. Over the weekend he scored four times in a 7-1 win over CF Montreal.

He made his Argentina debut in 2006, but his journey was fraught with frustration until he finally lifted the World Cup in 2022.

“Thank you for all the love these past 20 years," he said. "I’m going to miss hearing you all from the inside so much. Now I’m going to be one of you, cheering and supporting you from the outside (through thick and thin, even more so).”

In the letter, the Inter Miami captain did not say how long he intends to continue playing.

“I leave with the peace of mind and pride of having given you — along with my teammates — moments we once only dreamed of. Experiencing this with you was incredible. I love you all,” he added.

The second retirement Messi's stellar recent success with Argentina nearly didn’t happen.

A decade ago, before the World Cup triumph and Copa América titles in 2021 and 2024, he retired from the national team. The decision followed Argentina's defeat in the 2016 Copa América final to Chile on penalty kicks, one of which he missed.

But Messi shook off the notion of not being able to win the big match. He continued starring for Barcelona, then Paris Saint-Germain, then Inter Miami.

He’s the two-time defending Most Valuable Player in Major League Soccer, the star of the league reigning champion, someone who still creates goals in the biggest moments.

“He is pure history,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said during the recent World Cup. “History. A legend.”

Sports

Al-Hilal and Karim Benzema Agree to Mutually Terminate Contract

Karim Benzema is officially leaving Al-Hilal (Reuters photo)
Karim Benzema is officially leaving Al-Hilal (Reuters photo)
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Al-Hilal and Karim Benzema Agree to Mutually Terminate Contract

Karim Benzema is officially leaving Al-Hilal (Reuters photo)
Karim Benzema is officially leaving Al-Hilal (Reuters photo)

Former Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema is leaving Al-Hilal just six months after joining from rival Al-Ittihad.

The Saudi club said in a statement on Monday that they have agreed to mutually terminate their contract, The AP news reported.

It's unclear whether the 38-year-old Benzema will join another club or retire.

Benzema moved to Saudi Arabia in June 2023 when he left Real Madrid after 14 years and 648 games in which he scored 354 goals.

Benzema won a club record 25 titles with Madrid, including five Champions League trophies. He has 97 caps and 37 goals with France.

Sports

The US Open Is Getting Longer as Players Already Worry Tennis Tournaments Are Becoming Too Long

Tennis - US Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - August 30, 2026 Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik in action during his first round match against J.J. Wolf of the US. (Reuters)
Tennis - US Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - August 30, 2026 Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik in action during his first round match against J.J. Wolf of the US. (Reuters)
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The US Open Is Getting Longer as Players Already Worry Tennis Tournaments Are Becoming Too Long

Tennis - US Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - August 30, 2026 Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik in action during his first round match against J.J. Wolf of the US. (Reuters)
Tennis - US Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - August 30, 2026 Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik in action during his first round match against J.J. Wolf of the US. (Reuters)

The US Open was a week old by the time Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz opened their title defenses.

What once was a two-week quest for a Grand Slam championship now extends into a third week, and US Tennis Association CEO Craig Tiley was asked how he hoped to continue that growth.

“Four weeks,” he said with a smile.

Some players might fear he is serious.

They were already becoming wary of an overcrowded schedule that makes it hard to find many breaks, even before the US Open moved up the beginning of the singles main draw last year to make it a Sunday start.

“I just hope they will not start on Saturday at some point, you know? And then on Friday and on Thursday, Tuesday, Wednesday,” said Marta Kostyuk, the No. 11 seed from Ukraine. “So I hope this is it.”

Kostyuk was one of the winners Sunday, and those players get the benefit of two days off before their next matches. Sabalenka and Alcaraz started Monday, the former opening day, and top-seeded Alexander Zverev and 2023 champion Coco Gauff are scheduled Tuesday on the final day of a first round that until last year was completed over two days.

“So they’re finding ways to extend the tournaments, which I think is tough for the players,” said Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

Leylah Fernandez, the 2021 runner-up in Flushing Meadows, said she would enjoy the extra day off after her victory Sunday to spend time with her sister, who is in New York with her.

But Shapovalov, a 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist, argued that an extra day between matches doesn’t mean more time off.

“Being off is when you’re at home, able to sleep in your bed and not focus on tennis, right?” he said. “We’re still going to have to come back tomorrow, practice the next two days. You’re still in that match environment, tournament environment where I’m locked in and I’m not doing things that I would be doing when I’m off. You know, having a brownie.”

The expansion to a three-week event set in last year, when along with starting singles play on Sunday, the USTA shifted the mixed doubles tournament to a two-day event on the Tuesday and Wednesday preceding it. That was in hopes that top singles players would compete, which most of them wouldn’t when it was contested once their priority event began.

Another day was added to that this year with a qualifying tournament that was held Monday for the final two spots in the 16-team field. With more real matches beyond the singles qualifying tournaments that take place the week before, and admission to the grounds free, there were huge crowds for what the USTA calls “fan week,” and organizers clearly want more.

“This will become the tennis Disneyland,” Tiley said.

He stressed that doesn’t necessarily mean extending the length of the tournament, but by finding more types of events to do during it.

But extending events is exactly what tennis seems to be doing these days.

It's perhaps felt more at the Masters 1000 level, just below Grand Slams. Those have swelled to 10 days, so long that players have trouble keeping track of time. Tommy Paul was noting how well his fellow Americans performed at the recent ones in Montreal and Cincinnati, reaching the final weekend, when he caught himself.

“I say weekend. I think the finals in Montreal was, like, Wednesday or something,” Paul said.

Close. Ben Shelton won the title on a Thursday.

Some players point to the obvious, that longer tournaments mean shorter time to recover before the next event for those who do well. Frances Tiafoe got to the final in Cincinnati, then had to pull out of the mixed doubles, where he was supposed to partner with Fernandez, for more rest.

“To be honest, speaking in the locker rooms, I don’t think anybody’s a fan of how long the seasons in general are right now, fans of these three-day starts, fans of the 10-day Masters,” Shapovalov said. “You know, I think everything’s just gotten too long.”