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Shootout Win Sends Morocco Past Netherlands, Into Matchup vs. Canada

Morocco's Ismael Saibari (11) reacts after scoring the winning penalty during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between the Netherlands and Morocco in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Morocco's Ismael Saibari (11) reacts after scoring the winning penalty during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between the Netherlands and Morocco in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
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Shootout Win Sends Morocco Past Netherlands, Into Matchup vs. Canada

Morocco's Ismael Saibari (11) reacts after scoring the winning penalty during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between the Netherlands and Morocco in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Morocco's Ismael Saibari (11) reacts after scoring the winning penalty during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between the Netherlands and Morocco in Guadalupe, near Monterrey, Mexico, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Ismael Saibari scored in the fifth round of a penalty shootout and Morocco remained alive at the World Cup following a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands in the round of 32 on Monday at Guadalupe, Mexico.

Saibari's kick into the left side of the goal gave Morocco a 3-2 victory in the shootout and set up a round of 16 match against Canada on Saturday at Houston, Reuters reported.

Morocco trailed 1-0 and was minutes from elimination before 6-foot-4 defender Issa Diop scored on a header off a long cross from Chemsdine Talbi just seconds after the clock reached the 90-minute mark. Diop tallied his first international goal after ⁠switching his allegiance ⁠to Morocco from France earlier this year.

Yassine Bounou made one save for Morocco over the 120 minutes of regulation time.

However, his biggest stop of the night came in the fifth round of the shootout when he used his left hand to stop a shot toward the top of the goal from Crysencio Summerville.

Soufiane ⁠Rahimi and Talbi also scored for Morocco in the penalty shootout. Justin Kluivert, Quinten Timber and Summerville all missed from the spot for the Netherlands.

The Dutch had reached the round of 16 each of the previous 11 times they competed at the World Cup.

Cody Gakpo scored from near the penalty spot in the 72nd minute to give the Netherlands a late lead. Bart Verbruggen had four saves for the Dutch in regulation but guessed wrong and dived to his left on Saibari's decisive shot.

Morocco took 11 ⁠shots in ⁠the 120 minutes, while the Netherlands had six. The African side had a 5-2 edge in attempts on target.

In a duel of two top-10 teams in the FIFA world rankings, the seventh-ranked Netherlands finally broke through when Gakpo scored off a spinning pass from Summerville while on the turf.

Gakpo went to his knees and buried his head into the ground in a solemn celebration just days after announcing that he and his partner lost their unborn child.

Sixth-ranked Morocco advanced after they were the runner-up in Group C. They advanced to the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The Netherlands were eliminated after they were the winner of Group F.

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Sports

From Hunters to Hunted: Arsenal Ready to Retain Premier League Crown

Soccer Football - Pre Season Friendly - Arsenal v Como - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - August 12, 2026 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs
Soccer Football - Pre Season Friendly - Arsenal v Como - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - August 12, 2026 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs
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From Hunters to Hunted: Arsenal Ready to Retain Premier League Crown

Soccer Football - Pre Season Friendly - Arsenal v Como - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - August 12, 2026 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs
Soccer Football - Pre Season Friendly - Arsenal v Como - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - August 12, 2026 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

Arsenal finally ended a 22-year wait to win the Premier League title last season but history shows that successfully defending it is a rare achievement, leaving manager Mikel Arteta with the unenviable task of turning a breakthrough into a habit.

Only three managers -- Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola -- have retained the Premier League crown, a reminder that England's cut-throat top flight has a habit of consuming champions almost as quickly as it celebrates them.

Arteta enters the 2026-27 campaign attempting to join that exclusive company, no longer the hungry challenger looking up but the man everyone else is trying to knock down.

At 44, Arteta is still younger than many imagine when they hear the word "veteran", yet the Spaniard begins the new campaign with over 350 games in charge of the North London club and as the Premier League's current longest-serving boss.

In a league famous for its lack of ⁠patience with managers, ⁠Arteta has outlasted cycles of optimism and panic, expensive revolutions and emergency rebuilds, while around him benches have become revolving doors, not least among the "Big Six".

Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea all begin this season under new managers, while Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are still finding their feet after changing coaches earlier this year.

Stability could become Arsenal's greatest competitive advantage and remaining steadfast in their support of Arteta is what guided them to the promised land after three runner-up finishes.

"We have even more responsibility and more ambition than ⁠before. We know what is ahead," Reuters quoted Arteta as saying. "We know the qualities and the capacity that we have to compete with any other team. We need to prove that we belong at this level."

The question is no longer if Arsenal can win anymore, but whether they can keep winning and the squad suggests they can.

Arteta leads a group that has grown together, collecting scars before winners' medals - a collective that knows what it is to lose title races and fall short in Europe and now what it takes to finish first in the world's most demanding league.

Reaching the Champions League final, where they lost on penalties to defending champions Paris St Germain, confirmed that last season was not an isolated domestic surge but evidence of a side comfortable among Europe's elite.

Although a close-season splurge ⁠may not be on ⁠the cards, signing Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes for £75 million ($101.24 million) was a clear sign that they have no intention of resting on their laurels.

A complete midfielder who has often caused them problems in bruising encounters, Brazilian Guimaraes underlines Arsenal's determination to strengthen from a position of power rather than stand still.

"He's a warrior with a tremendous quality as well and intuition and leadership and charisma that is going to help us, that is going to really ignite something different in the team," Arteta said.

"He's going to push everybody inside the team as well and that's the type of player that we need."

Greece winger Christos Tzolis has also impressed with three goal contributions in as many pre-season games since arriving last month, with Arteta praising his 'unbelievable' work rate.

There is a different feeling around Arsenal now, with the fear of failure replaced by the expectation of excellence, and that is perhaps Arteta's greatest achievement.

He changed not only Arsenal's position but their identity, and they are no longer chasing the standard but setting it.

Sports

FIFA Chief Infantino Receives Support from 6 Arab Federations

FILE PHOTO: FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends the inauguration of Abelardo De La Espriella as Colombia's president, in Cali, Colombia, August 7, 2026. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends the inauguration of Abelardo De La Espriella as Colombia's president, in Cali, Colombia, August 7, 2026. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo
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FIFA Chief Infantino Receives Support from 6 Arab Federations

FILE PHOTO: FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends the inauguration of Abelardo De La Espriella as Colombia's president, in Cali, Colombia, August 7, 2026. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: FIFA President Gianni Infantino attends the inauguration of Abelardo De La Espriella as Colombia's president, in Cali, Colombia, August 7, 2026. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo

The heads of six Arab soccer federations expressed their “full support” and “confidence” in Gianni Infantino on Thursday as the embattled FIFA president fights to keep his job after his failed World Cup private investment plan.

The backing came from 2030 World Cup co-host Morocco, Qatar, Egypt, Mauritania, Lebanon and Sudan, with four of the signatories being FIFA council members.

“We, the undersigned leaders of our respective football associations, express our full support for Mr. Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, and reaffirm our confidence in his leadership and continued commitment to the development of football worldwide,” The Associated Press quoted the statement as reading.

“We deeply appreciate Mr. Infantino’s sustained efforts to advance football globally, expand opportunities across all regions and strengthen the game’s role in bringing people and communities together.”

The statement said the signatories “look forward to continuing our close cooperation with him towards a stronger and more prosperous future for world football, expanding opportunities and further enhancing Arab football’s contribution to the global game.”

The four FIFA council members among the signatories were Qatar Football Association president Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Egyptian Football Association president Hany Abo Rida, Moroccan Football Federation president Fouzi Lekjaa and Mauritanian Football Federation president Ahmed Yahya.

The other two were Lebanese Football Association president Hashem Haidar and Moatasem Gafar, president of the Sudan Football Association.

Infantino is facing a revolt after his plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private equity investors. He withdrew the $20 billion proposal after a furious backlash by global soccer officials, including European body UEFA, which has warned of a boycott of all FIFA games and events.

UEFA teamed up with CONCACAF — the confederation for North, Central America and the Caribbean — and the Asian Football Confederation — and issued an open letter Monday saying Infantino’s plan was a “fundamental breach of trust” and described it as “deception.”

And on Thursday, the Football Association of Ireland said in a statement it has withdrawn its support for Infantino to be re-elected as FIFA president in March, saying “recent events have raised significant concerns regarding governance, transparency and the lack of meaningful consultation.”

The soccer federations in England and Wales did the same last week, while Northern Ireland said it was backing UEFA's stance.

New Zealand Football, which is part of the Oceania confederation, issued a statement Friday local time saying it had withdrawn its support for the candidature of Infantino and was seeking an independent review of steps taken to develop the FIFA Forward Enterprise scheme.

New Zealand soccer's governing body said it “formed the view that decisions and actions within FIFA have contributed to a breakdown in trust and increased division within international football, and that an independent review is required to restore confidence and trust.”

Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016 and seemed sure to be re-elected unopposed next year in Morocco.

FIFA has set a Nov. 18 deadline for challengers to come forward.

Sports

Swiatek Defeats Rybakina to Claim Canadian Open Title

TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 13: Iga Swiatek of Poland poses with the trophy after defeating Elena Rybaina of Kazakhstan during the Final on day twelve of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 13, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP
TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 13: Iga Swiatek of Poland poses with the trophy after defeating Elena Rybaina of Kazakhstan during the Final on day twelve of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 13, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP
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Swiatek Defeats Rybakina to Claim Canadian Open Title

TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 13: Iga Swiatek of Poland poses with the trophy after defeating Elena Rybaina of Kazakhstan during the Final on day twelve of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 13, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP
TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 13: Iga Swiatek of Poland poses with the trophy after defeating Elena Rybaina of Kazakhstan during the Final on day twelve of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers at Sobeys Stadium on August 13, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP

Iga Swiatek captured her first title of the season with a swift 6-2 6-3 win against Elena Rybakina in the Canadian Open final on Thursday, giving the Pole a confidence boost heading into the US Open.

It was Swiatek's first final at the US Open tune-up event, and the six-times Grand Slam champion enjoyed the Toronto crowd chanting “Iga! Iga!” throughout the match on her way to victory, with a few Polish flags in the crowd.

But Swiatek told Canadian network Sportsnet that she felt angry after the win, having faced criticism from media back home amid an inconsistent season that has seen her fail to advance beyond the quater-finals at a Grand Slam ⁠and replace her coach.

"I ⁠think that's the first time in my life I have something like that after a victory but it hasn't been easy you know," Reuters quoted Swiatek as saying. "I'm happy that I kept my composure, kept my focus, and I keep growing every month no matter what the challenges and I'm super proud I could win this one."

The Pole was sharp and fast on the hard court in Toronto ⁠while Kazakhstan’s Rybakina was her own enemy for much of the evening.

Rybakina, the world number two, was broken twice in an opening set that also saw Swiatek save two break points to take command of the match. The first set was marred by 12 unforced errors for 27-year-old Rybakina, who struggled to strike the ball cleanly.

The Australian Open champion could not weaponize her serve either, with just one ace in the match, and Swiatek broke her again in the second set to take a 3-2 lead.

Swiatek, 25, dropped the next game but closed out the final three with confidence, landing a clean strike on ⁠match point to ⁠end her title drought.

"If she plays her best game she's probably better than everyone," Swiatek told reporters of Rybakina after the match. "You need to use all the opportunities, you can't let yourself make mistakes or bad decisions."

Fatigue had finally caught up with Rybakina, who played three hours more than Swiatek at the tournament prior to their meeting on Thursday as her previous three matches went to three sets.

"I was just very tired. You could see that I wasn't pushing with the legs enough," Rybakina told reporters after the match. "There was a lot of unforced errors, especially on top of the net. It was just a pure lack of concentration."

With the Canadian title, world number eight Swiatek will return to the top five in the rankings.