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Messi Shines in What Could be his Last Argentina Home Game, a 5-0 Farewell Friendly Win

Soccer Football - International Friendly - Argentina v Zambia - Estadio La Bombonera, Buenos Aires, Argentina - March 31, 2026 Argentina's Nicolas Otamendi celebrates scoring their third goal with Lionel Messi REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian
Soccer Football - International Friendly - Argentina v Zambia - Estadio La Bombonera, Buenos Aires, Argentina - March 31, 2026 Argentina's Nicolas Otamendi celebrates scoring their third goal with Lionel Messi REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian
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Messi Shines in What Could be his Last Argentina Home Game, a 5-0 Farewell Friendly Win

Soccer Football - International Friendly - Argentina v Zambia - Estadio La Bombonera, Buenos Aires, Argentina - March 31, 2026 Argentina's Nicolas Otamendi celebrates scoring their third goal with Lionel Messi REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian
Soccer Football - International Friendly - Argentina v Zambia - Estadio La Bombonera, Buenos Aires, Argentina - March 31, 2026 Argentina's Nicolas Otamendi celebrates scoring their third goal with Lionel Messi REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

In what was likely his final home appearance for Argentina's national squad, Lionel Messi scored a goal and provided an assist in a 5-0 rout of Zambia on Tuesday night in a farewell friendly ahead of the World Cup.

The 38-year-old Messi set up Julián Álvarez in the fourth minute and then scored in the 43rd at La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires, his 116th international goal in 198 appearances for Argentina.

The crowd gave him a standing ovation and pleaded with him to help Argentina win another World Cup, The Associated Press reported. The global tournament kicks off June 11 in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Nicolás Otamendi and Valentín Barco also scored for Argentina.

The defending world champions raised some concern after their lackluster performance last Friday in a 2-1 victory over Mauritania.

In the lead-up to the Zambia friendly, coach Lionel Scaloni had warned that if the team didn’t improve its performance he would take drastic measures regarding the 26-man World Cup squad, which must be submitted by May 30.

For the last home game before the World Cup, Scaloni started with a lineup similar to that which defeated France in the 2022 final, with the notable exclusion of midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, who is recovering from a muscle injury and performed poorly against Mauritania.

Argentina, which also won the World Cup in 1978 and 1986, will open against Algeria on June 16 in Group J, followed by games against Austria on June 22 and Jordan on June 27.

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Sports

French Open Boss: Prize Money Will Not Change Despite Players' Complaints

A ballgirl stands during the draw for the French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A ballgirl stands during the draw for the French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
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French Open Boss: Prize Money Will Not Change Despite Players' Complaints

A ballgirl stands during the draw for the French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A ballgirl stands during the draw for the French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

The French Open prize money will not change this year despite players complaining they deserve a bigger share, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said on Thursday.

Top players have criticized the Open organizers for reducing the players’ share of revenue to an alleged 14.3% — compared to 22% at standard ATP and WTA events.

To show their discontent, many competing at Roland Garros, where play begins on Sunday, are planning to limit their interaction with reporters to 15 minutes during Friday’s traditional pre-tournament media day.

Mauresmo, a former Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, said she remained open to dialogue and was confident of a solution. A meeting is expected on Friday between tournament organizers and the players and their representatives.

But asked whether there was a chance the prize money would change this year, Mauresmo said: "No, we are not going to change anything. We are going to initiate discussions and that is what everyone wants.”

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and No. 4 Coco Gauff were among leading players this month who supported a boycott of the Grand Slams if they don’t start receiving more compensation.

Roland Garros organizers increased the prize money by about 10%, after the US Open last year raised their's by 20% and this year's Australian Open by 16%.

The entire French Open pot was 61.7 million euros ($72 million), up 5.3 million euros from last year. But the players claimed their share of Roland Garros revenue declined from 15.5% in 2024 to 14.9% projected in 2026. They say the event generated 395 million euros in 2025, a 14% year-on-year increase, yet prize money rose by just 5.4%, reducing players’ share of revenue to 14.3%.

The singles champions at Roland Garros will each receive 2.8 million euros, an increase of 250,000 euros compared with 2025.

“I’m not going to tell you that everything will be resolved with the snap of a finger," Mauresmo said. “But the discussions will continue, probably after the tournament.”

Sports

Sinner, Djokovic Kept Apart in French Open Draw

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2026 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his men's final match against Norway's Casper Rudd REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2026 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his men's final match against Norway's Casper Rudd REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File Photo
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Sinner, Djokovic Kept Apart in French Open Draw

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2026 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his men's final match against Norway's Casper Rudd REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2026 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his men's final match against Norway's Casper Rudd REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File Photo

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic will not be able to meet until the French Open final after the pair were placed in opposite halves of the draw on Thursday.

Sinner, the red-hot title favourite in the absence of injured rival Carlos Alcaraz, will start his bid for a maiden Roland Garros crown against French wildcard Clement Tabur, the world number 165.

World number one Sinner is slated to meet big-hitting American fifth seed Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals.

Daniil Medvedev is a possible semi-final opponent for the Italian, AFP reported.

The Russian gave Sinner a rare scare in the Italian Open semis earlier this month before eventually succumbing in three sets.

Djokovic will kick off his latest tilt at a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title against home player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

Second seed Alexander Zverev is a potential semi-final opponent for Djokovic.

The German has played Djokovic twice before at Roland Garros, suffering quarter-final defeats against the Serb in 2019 and last year.

The stand-out first-round tie sees in-form French number one Arthur Fils take on former champion Stan Wawrinka, featuring at the tournament for the last time before retirement.

 

 

 

 

Sports

Saudi Arabia Tops AFC Club Rankings for Sixth Consecutive Year

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia Tops AFC Club Rankings for Sixth Consecutive Year

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia has retained its top position in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) club rankings, according to the latest update for the 2025–2026 season.

The Kingdom leads the standings with 132.545 points, followed by Japan in second place with 120.410 points, and South Korea in third with 87.334 points.

This marks the sixth consecutive year Saudi Arabia has topped the AFC rankings, reflecting the strong performances of Saudi clubs in continental competitions and their consistent competitiveness in Asian tournaments.