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Bergwijn Double Takes Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad Through in Asian Champions League Playoffs

Netherlands international Steven Bergwijn scored twice inside the opening 38 minutes for Al-Ittihad. (Getty Images/AFP)
Netherlands international Steven Bergwijn scored twice inside the opening 38 minutes for Al-Ittihad. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Bergwijn Double Takes Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad Through in Asian Champions League Playoffs

Netherlands international Steven Bergwijn scored twice inside the opening 38 minutes for Al-Ittihad. (Getty Images/AFP)
Netherlands international Steven Bergwijn scored twice inside the opening 38 minutes for Al-Ittihad. (Getty Images/AFP)

Former champions, Saudi Arabia’s ‌Al-Ittihad booked their place in the league phase of the Asian Champions League Elite on Tuesday with a 4-1 playoff win over Al-Jazira from the United Arab Emirates, while Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor won 3-0 against Jordanians Al-Hussein.

Netherlands international Steven Bergwijn scored twice inside the opening 38 minutes for Al-Ittihad, with Houssem Aouar and Marwan Al-Sahafi also on target for the Jens ‌Wissing-coached Saudi ‌Pro League outfit.

Dostonbek Khamdamov scored ‌in ⁠the seventh and ⁠30th minutes in Pakhtakor's win over Al-Hussein, before Bashar Resan netted his side's third seven minutes into the second half in Tashkent.

Japan's Gamba Osaka needed extra time to defeat Gangwon FC from South Korea, with Gaku Nawata striking ⁠in the 103rd minute to secure ‌a 1-0 win, ‌and Vietnam's Cong An Ha Noi recorded a 2-0 ‌victory against Australia's Adelaide United.

David Henen gave ‌Cong An Ha No a 41st-minute lead and Brayan Perea doubled the advantage in the 64th minute as Mano Polking's team booked their place in ‌the league phase draw, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur next ⁠week ⁠on August 18.

The league phase, which has been expanded from 24 to 32 teams, will begin on September 14 and run until February 17 with the round of 16 to be played over two legs in March.

Winners of those ties will advance to the finals phase, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final played on a centralized basis in Saudi Arabia from April 23 to May 1.

Al-Ahli from Saudi Arabia are the defending champions.

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Egypt's Salah Ruled Out of South Sudan Qualifier Due to Artificial Surface

Soccer Football - African Cup of Nations - Qualification - Group B - Egypt v Angola - Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt - September 25, 2026 Egypt's Mohamed Salah gestures during the match REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
Soccer Football - African Cup of Nations - Qualification - Group B - Egypt v Angola - Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt - September 25, 2026 Egypt's Mohamed Salah gestures during the match REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
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Egypt's Salah Ruled Out of South Sudan Qualifier Due to Artificial Surface

Soccer Football - African Cup of Nations - Qualification - Group B - Egypt v Angola - Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt - September 25, 2026 Egypt's Mohamed Salah gestures during the match REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
Soccer Football - African Cup of Nations - Qualification - Group B - Egypt v Angola - Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt - September 25, 2026 Egypt's Mohamed Salah gestures during the match REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Mohamed Salah will not travel with Egypt's squad to South Sudan for their second Africa Cup of Nations qualifier because the match will be played on an artificial turf pitch, the Egyptian Football Association said on Saturday.

Egypt were held to a goalless draw by Angola at Cairo International Stadium on ⁠Friday in their ⁠opening qualifier.

Salah, who joined Türkiye's Trabzonspor from Liverpool recently, started against Angola but did not complete the match after coach Hossam Hassan substituted him midway ⁠through the second half.

"The Egypt national team's technical staff, led by Hossam Hassan, has decided to rest Mohamed Salah for the match against South Sudan scheduled for September 29 because of the playing surface," EFA said on social media, according to Reuters.

"It was agreed between the national team's technical ⁠staff ⁠and Mohamed Salah before the Angola match that he would not play against South Sudan, and the technical staff preferred this approach in order to protect the player," EFA added.

The match between South Sudan and Egypt will be played at Juba Stadium, which has an artificial turf surface.

Sports

Organizer Says Sorry for Logistical Headaches at Asian Games

Gold medalists Wang Zongyuan and Zheng Jiuyuan of China, center, flanked by silver medalists Senri Ikuma and Haruki Suyama of Japan, left, and bronze medalist Rui Jie Yong and Nurgayyum Mohamad of Malaysia pose on the podium after the men's synchronized 3m springboard final at the Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Gold medalists Wang Zongyuan and Zheng Jiuyuan of China, center, flanked by silver medalists Senri Ikuma and Haruki Suyama of Japan, left, and bronze medalist Rui Jie Yong and Nurgayyum Mohamad of Malaysia pose on the podium after the men's synchronized 3m springboard final at the Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
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Organizer Says Sorry for Logistical Headaches at Asian Games

Gold medalists Wang Zongyuan and Zheng Jiuyuan of China, center, flanked by silver medalists Senri Ikuma and Haruki Suyama of Japan, left, and bronze medalist Rui Jie Yong and Nurgayyum Mohamad of Malaysia pose on the podium after the men's synchronized 3m springboard final at the Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Gold medalists Wang Zongyuan and Zheng Jiuyuan of China, center, flanked by silver medalists Senri Ikuma and Haruki Suyama of Japan, left, and bronze medalist Rui Jie Yong and Nurgayyum Mohamad of Malaysia pose on the podium after the men's synchronized 3m springboard final at the Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

The chief organizer of the Asian Games apologized on Saturday for the logistical headaches plaguing the event, saying a late influx of athletes and officials had made it difficult to extend smooth service.

The number of participants at the continental showpiece ballooned to 17,000 following a flurry of late entries — around 2,000 more than the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games Organizing Committee had initially projected.

The unexpected surge strained accommodation and transport networks, prompting complaints from athletes and team officials over cramped rooms, small beds and travel delays.

"There have been mistakes in accommodation and transport, for various reasons," AINAGOC Secretary General Satoshi Murate told a press conference, according to Reuters.

"Whatever the cause, AINAGOC is responsible for providing ⁠the service, and ⁠I frankly apologize for the mistakes.

"Our staff work every day to identify the causes of each mistake and make sure they don't happen again. I think you can see that accommodation and transport have improved greatly compared with the early days."

Murate added that maintaining consistent service standards had proved challenging following the "significant" increase in delegation sizes.

"Our top priority is making sure the ⁠athletes can compete at their best. We are fully committed to making the necessary improvements to ensure that they can do so," he said.

"We are already working on a number of improvements, and in the second half of the Games, we want to make sure those efforts produce results and that we can manage things more smoothly and effectively."

Mongolian women's basketball coach Javier Garcia Alvarez criticized the transport system after a training session had to be scrapped when the team bus failed to arrive.

"I played in many FIBA Asia basketball cups and even Asian Games in Incheon some ⁠years ago. I ⁠never had this kind of issue that the bus is not coming for practice," he told Reuters.

"It was kind of disappointing because we were planning some practice, some shooting for the girls and the mind was prepared for that, and then at the end we had to cancel."

Filipino squash player Yvonne Alyssa Dalida had to endure a lengthy wait before checking into her room aboard a chartered cruise ship, though she found a silver lining in the unconventional setup.

"I think Japan or AINAGOC could have prepared better for this event, but I find it cool as well because it's very unique.

"I've never been on a cruise, so I think that's also the upside of them using this."

Sports

Prozorova Says Physio 'Pressure' Led to Withdrawal from Singapore Open Semi-final

Russia's Tatiana Prozorova serves against Philippines' Alexandra Eala during the WTA Singapore Open Tennis round of 16 in Singapore on September 24, 2026. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP)
Russia's Tatiana Prozorova serves against Philippines' Alexandra Eala during the WTA Singapore Open Tennis round of 16 in Singapore on September 24, 2026. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP)
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Prozorova Says Physio 'Pressure' Led to Withdrawal from Singapore Open Semi-final

Russia's Tatiana Prozorova serves against Philippines' Alexandra Eala during the WTA Singapore Open Tennis round of 16 in Singapore on September 24, 2026. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP)
Russia's Tatiana Prozorova serves against Philippines' Alexandra Eala during the WTA Singapore Open Tennis round of 16 in Singapore on September 24, 2026. (Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP)

Russia's Tatiana Prozorova said her withdrawal from the Singapore Open semi-finals followed "pressure" from a WTA physiotherapist who diagnosed her with concussion after being struck by a ball.

The 22-year-old withdrew from the singles event this weekend due to injury, tournament organizers said, sending Australia's Talia Gibson to the final by walkover.

That announcement followed Prozorova and partner Sofya Lansere's retirement from their doubles quarter-final match on Friday after Prozorova ⁠was hit in ⁠the face by a ball.

"The physio called to the court insisted on taking me off-court to run a specific test," Prozorova wrote.

"Unfortunately I didn't know I could refuse. The test wasn't easy. Given that I'd ⁠spent over three hours on court each of the last three days, I was fatigued, and I struggled with some of the exercises like standing on one leg with my eyes closed.

"My team and I had a long discussion with the organizers... The physio pressured everyone present and even claimed I wasn't capable of taking responsibility for my ⁠own ⁠life."

She said tournament organizers had supported her desire to continue playing but the final decision rested with the WTA.

Prozorova said the outcome could jeopardize her participation at next week's China Open.

Her run to the semi-finals in Singapore was a career best. It involved a quarter-final win over China's Wang Xinyu after back-to-back three-set victories over Alexandra Eala and Sofia Costoulas.