Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad Loses Second Straight Game in Asian Champions League Elite https://english.aawsat.com/sports/5192370-saudi-arabia%E2%80%99s-al-ittihad-loses-second-straight-game-asian-champions-league-elite%C2%A0
Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad Loses Second Straight Game in Asian Champions League Elite
Football - Saudi Pro League - Al-Ittihad v Al-Nassr - King Abdullah Sport City Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - September 26, 2025 Al-Ittihad fans during the match. (Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad Loses Second Straight Game in Asian Champions League Elite
Football - Saudi Pro League - Al-Ittihad v Al-Nassr - King Abdullah Sport City Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - September 26, 2025 Al-Ittihad fans during the match. (Reuters)
Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad fell to a second straight defeat in the Asian Champions League Elite, losing 1-0 to Al-Ahli Dubai on Tuesday.
Iranian midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi scored the only goal in Jeddah, heading in a corner after 40 minutes to silence the home fans of the Saudi Pro League champion and two-time continental winner.
Al-Ittihad, which fired coach Laurent Blanc three days earlier, remains without a point after two games.
Elsewhere, Qatar’s Al-Sadd drew 1-1 with Sharjah of the United Arab Emirates.
FC Seoul defeated Thailand’s Buriram United 3-0. Fellow South Korean team Gangwon FC lost 1-0 at Chengdu Rongcheng in China.
Both Japanese clubs settled for draws: Sanfrecce Hiroshima tied 1-1 with Shanghai Port, and Machida Zelvia played out a goalless stalemate at Johor Darul Ta’zim in Malaysia.
India’s Mohun Bagan Super Giant exited Asia’s second-tier tournament after refusing to travel to Iran to face Sepahan, citing safety reasons.
It was the second consecutive season the Kolkata club has declined to travel to Iran with Tractor SC the opponent in 2024.
The AFC confirmed the team’s earlier 1-0 loss to Ahal of Turkmenistan will be expunged from the competition record.
Iraq Conclude World Cup Preparations with a Defeat to Venezuelahttps://english.aawsat.com/sports/5282342-iraq-conclude-world-cup-preparations-defeat-venezuela
Iraq's forward #11 Ahmed Qasim runs with the ball past Venezuela's midfielder #05 Ted Quintero during the international friendly football match between Iraq and Venezuela at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois on June 9, 2026. (AFP)
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Iraq Conclude World Cup Preparations with a Defeat to Venezuela
Iraq's forward #11 Ahmed Qasim runs with the ball past Venezuela's midfielder #05 Ted Quintero during the international friendly football match between Iraq and Venezuela at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois on June 9, 2026. (AFP)
Iraq lost 2-0 to Venezuela on Wednesday in their final warm-up friendly before the World Cup.
Midfielder Cristian Casseres opened the scoring for the South Americans in Bridgeville, Illinois in the 17th minute with a close-range finish.
Venezuela doubled their lead immediately after interval when Casseres won the ball before passing to striker Jesus Ramirez, who dribbled past a defender and fired in a powerful shot.
Iraq finished the match with 10 men after forward Ali Youssef was shown a straight red card in the 72nd minute.
Iraq return to the World Cup finals for the first time since their only appearance 40 years ago, and will begin their Group I campaign against Norway on June 17 before facing France and Senegal.
Venezuela is not a participant in this year's tournament in North America, and remains the only South American nation to never qualify for the World Cup finals.
Messi Plushies See Roaring Trade as China Firms Get World Cup Boosthttps://english.aawsat.com/sports/5282336-messi-plushies-see-roaring-trade-china-firms-get-world-cup-boost
In this photo taken on June 5, 2026, a worker packs merchandise of Lionel Messi of Argentina's national football team, which will participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026, at the All Star Partner factory in Yiwu in eastern China's Zhejiang province.(AFP)
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Messi Plushies See Roaring Trade as China Firms Get World Cup Boost
In this photo taken on June 5, 2026, a worker packs merchandise of Lionel Messi of Argentina's national football team, which will participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026, at the All Star Partner factory in Yiwu in eastern China's Zhejiang province.(AFP)
Toy charms shaped like a goat and decked out in Lionel Messi's Argentina number 10 shirt pepper a factory tabletop in China, where sellers are betting on the country's lucrative fan market for a big World Cup boost.
The World Cup begins in North America on Thursday, but China won't be there after failing to qualify once again, leaving their sole appearance back in 2002.
Yet there's still plenty of interest in the country and the showpiece is a boon for Chinese merchants crunching out kits and accessories for fans spending on "emotional value" -- a rare bright spot in a domestic economy plagued by sluggish consumption.
The palm-sized soft-toy goats -- homage to Messi's title as the GOAT ("greatest of all time") -- are a bestseller for All Star Partner, a Chinese firm who have a contract with teams including Argentina to make branded products.
The company's sales are up five-fold this year compared to the 2022 World Cup, according to its CEO.
At the factory in Yiwu, China's wholesale hub in the east of the country, workers affixed chains to the blue and white Messi "goats", which are designed to be attached to bags.
They are then packaged and sent out for storefronts across the country.
Nearby were soft-toy footballers resembling Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, fluffy roosters in France polos and teddy bears in Spain kits.
A "very ordinary" bear was the first iteration of the company's now-booming plush charms, sharing a market with Chinese toymaker Pop Mart's wildly popular Labubus.
"We dressed it in a football kit and it sold really well," said CEO Luo Bin.
"We sold tens of thousands as soon as it came out, so very quickly we felt that this category was very popular."
Luo admitted that the plush pendants had little practical use.
"Perhaps now because of the economic environment... people's choices are no longer practical ones," he said.
"People now care a lot about emotional value. That is, 'I want to buy something that I really love. That, when I look at it, makes me really happy.'"
This photo taken on June 5, 2026, shows merchandise for Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal's national football team, which will participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026, at the All Star Partner factory in Yiwu in eastern China's Zhejiang province. (AFP)
- 'Emotional exits' -
On a weekday at a nearby All Star Partner storefront, shoppers trickled in to browse racks of jerseys and plush bag charms, along with display tables scattered with key chains, pet toys and inflatable neck pillows stored in a silicone horse.
"Right now, young people are under a lot of pressure and they need some emotional and economic exits," said Fang Tian, a football fan since the 2014 World Cup.
The 79 yuan ($11.60) Messi goats -- which appear closer to lambs -- were probably the most popular products in the store, added influencer Zhu Hui.
"I've found that Chinese people are actually highly enthusiastic about football stars, and (their enthusiasm) lasts a long time," the 28-year-old said.
"My friends are all willing to fight to stay up to watch the games."
During the Qatar 2022 World Cup, despite their team not playing, China accounted for half of all viewing on digital and social platforms, according to FIFA.
England superfan Shang Jianxing, who bought a Portugal pet carrier for a friend, believes China's football culture is at the start of becoming a way of life.
The 43-year-old has been to several World Cups and plans to travel to the United States for a semi-final match.
Shang, who is from the eastern province of Zhejiang, chased his obsession with England's David Beckham and Michael Owen to north London where he studied business from 2003 to 2008.
He still hopes to see China's return to football's biggest stage, having watched them beaten 4-0 by Brazil at the 2002 World Cup.
China lost all three group games in 2002 and failed to score a goal.
Shang pointed to growing youth football programs in China as signs of better days ahead for the nation's much-maligned men's team.
"It's a pity" China has missed out on every World Cup except 2002, he said, given football's popularity at home.
"I think sooner or later the Chinese team will play in the World Cup again."
Tuchel Says England’s Saka Still Recovering from Injury, Needs Managing for World Cuphttps://english.aawsat.com/sports/5282334-tuchel-says-england%E2%80%99s-saka-still-recovering-injury-needs-managing-world-cup
Football - World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - Group K - England v Serbia - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - November 13, 2025 England's Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring their first goal. (Reuters)
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Tuchel Says England’s Saka Still Recovering from Injury, Needs Managing for World Cup
Football - World Cup - UEFA Qualifiers - Group K - England v Serbia - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - November 13, 2025 England's Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring their first goal. (Reuters)
Bukayo Saka is still recovering from an Achilles injury and needs to be carefully managed ahead of the World Cup, England manager Thomas Tuchel said.
The 24-year-old forward sustained the injury in March, but played through the discomfort to feature for his club Arsenal towards the end of the season to help them secure their first Premier League title in more than two decades.
Saka also appeared in the Champions League final against Paris St Germain, which Arsenal lost on penalties.
"Bukayo is still getting there, playing through discomfort at the end of the season, but obviously managing it and playing at a high level, but still not at 100%. He is the one we are building and taking care of in training," Tuchel told reporters on Tuesday.
"Some things are missing... consecutive trainings. They (Arsenal) took very good care of him and were very aware of it... and we will do a little bit the same.
"They brought him back against Fulham when the season and title was on the line, and he was straight away decisive.
"And then they decided together, Bukayo and Arsenal, to let him play through his pain and discomfort, even if it was not possible to train the whole week in the build-ups."
Saka's fitness could be key for England's World Cup ambitions. He played in the 2020 and 2024 European championships and scored three goals in four appearances at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
England kick off their campaign on June 17 in Dallas with a repeat of their 2018 World Cup semi-final against Croatia.
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