News

Barcelona Score Five in Cup Win over Betis Madrid, 16 Jan (ONA) --- Barcelona backed up their Spanish Super Cup triumph by thrashing Real Betis to cruise into the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey. Teenager Lamine Yamal scored one and assisted another as Barca netted five goals for the second consecutive game, having beaten rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in Saudi Arabia last Sunday. Gavi gave the hosts a third-minute lead before Yamal, 17, set up Jules Kounde for Barcelona's second. After the restart Raphinha, Ferran Torres and Yamal all found the target. Real ...

Oman Sail to Host 2025 IODA Optimist Asian & Oceanian Championship Al Mussanah, 13 Jan (ONA) --- Oman Sail has been chosen to host the 2025 IODA Optimist Asian & Oceanian Championship, to be organised in collaboration with the Oman Marine Sports Committee and International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA). The event is scheduled to take place from 25 October to 1 November 2025 at Oman Sail’s Mussanah Sailing School and will welcome sailors from across Asia and Oceania to Oman for a week of high-level competitive sailing. The Mussanah Sailing School was designated ...

Barcelona Rout Real Madrid Again to Win Spanish Super Cup Final 5-2 Jeddah, 13 Jan (ONA) --- Real Madrid came out looking for some payback in the latest "clasico" against Barcelona, but ended up being embarrassed again. Madrid lost 5-2 to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia. That followed a 4-0 loss at home to Barcelona in the Spanish league last October, the Spanish MARCA newspaper reported. Kylian Mbappé put Madrid ahead early in his second clasico, but Barcelona then ran away with goals by Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha - who ...

Wolves Sign Reims Defender Agbadou for £16.6m London, 9 Jan (ONA) --- Wolves have completed the £16.6m signing of defender Emmanuel Agbadou from Reims. The 27-year-old centre-back has signed a four-and-a-half year deal at Molineux, with the option of an extra 12 months, and becomes Vitor Pereira's first signing at the club. It also ends Wolves' interest in Lens defender Kevin Danso as the club moved for Agbadou over the Austria international. English Premier League (EPL) strugglers Wolves had been looking for a defender since selling captain Max Kilman ...

Ipswich Agree £20m Deal for Villa Winger Philogene London, 9 Jan (ONA) --- Ipswich Town have agreed a £20m deal to sign Aston Villa winger Jaden Philogene. The 22-year-old is due for a medical at Portman Road, which will end his brief six-month return to Villa Park. Philogene also had European interest, including from La Liga, but Ipswich are due to finally end their pursuit of the England Under-21 international, with boss Kieran McKenna's influence proving crucial. Ipswich agreed a fee of about £18m with Hull in the summer only for Villa to activate ...

Barcelona Beat Athletic Club to Reach Spanish Super Cup Final Jeddah, 9 Jan (ONA) --- Lamine Yamal and Gavi scored as Barcelona beat Athletic Club to reach the Spanish Super Cup final. Hansi Flick's side made a flying start to the match, held at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Saudi Arabia, and took a 17th-minute lead when Gavi slotted in from Alejandro Balde's pass. Teenager Yamal got the second seven minutes into the second half when he ran on to a chipped pass before driving past Unai Simon, BBC sports reported. Inaki Williams thought he had ...

Sultanate of Oman Accords Special Attention to Equestrian SportsMuscat, 6 Jan (ONA) --- The Sultanate of Oman attaches a great importance to equestrian sports and it lends constant support to participants in horse races organised by the Royal Horse Racing Club and Oman Equestrian Federation, in addition to jockeys from the Royal Cavalry who participate in various international competitions.Royal Horse Racing Festivals constitute a cultural asset for the Sultanate of Oman. They were first organised at Madinat Al Adiyat racing track and they were initially limited to horse racing. Then, the ...

Liverpool vs Manchester United to Go Ahead at Anfield Liverpool, 5 Jan (ONA) --- Liverpool's English Premier (EPL) League match against Manchester United this afternoon will go ahead as planned despite overnight snow at Anfield Stadium. A final safety meeting was held at midday when it was decided that the game could kick off as planned at 16:30 (UK time). Much of the north-west of England woke up to snow on the ground this morning and the weather and travel conditions had to be assessed before it was ruled the game could be played. --- Ends/Khalid ...

Tottenham Sign Czech Goalkeeper Kinsky for £12.5m London, 5 Jan (ONA) --- Tottenham have signed 21-year-old Czech goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague in a deal worth about £12.5m. Spurs have been without first-choice keeper Guglielmo Vicario since he fractured an ankle on 24 November during the 4-0 win over Manchester City. Fraser Forster has been deputising for Vicario, but he missed Saturday's 2-1 defeat by Newcastle with illness, which led to a debut for 25-year-old Brandon Austin. Spurs have only won two of their past 11 games and are 12th in ...

Guardiola Celebrates Milestone as Man City Win at Leicester Leicester, 30 Dec (ONA) --- Pep Guardiola celebrated 500 games in charge of Manchester City with a nervy win over Leicester. Savinho and Erling Haaland gave the floundering defending champions just a second win in their last 10 English Premier League (EPL) games. It was still not enough to lift them back into the top four, instead leaving them fifth and 14 points behind leaders Liverpool who beat West Ham 5-0. Guardiola had promised not to give up amid the worst run of his managerial career, but ...

Liverpool Thrash West Ham to Go Eight Points Clear London, 30 Dec (ONA) --- Liverpool thrashed West Ham United 5-0 at the London Stadium to stretch their Premier League lead to eight points with Mohamed Salah once again in irrepressible form. The Egyptian has been enjoying a vintage season despite uncertainty over a new contract and scored once and provided two assists as Liverpool dismantled their outclassed hosts. He now has 20 goals in all competitions this season, has scored and assisted in eight English Premier League (EPL) games and appears to be firing ...

All Tickets Bought for Oman Football Team’s Share Vs Saudi Team in 26th Gulf Cup Semi-final Kuwait, 29 Dec (ONA) --- Mohsen Mohammed Al Masroori, Deputy Chairman of Oman Football Association (OFA) and Head of the National Team Mission to the 26th Gulf Cup said that all tickets for the Sultanate of Oman's share in the semi-final match against the Saudi national team have been purchased, equivalent to 5,600 tickets. The decisive fixture will be played at Jaber Al Mubarak Stadium after tomorrow (Tuesday). He explained in a press statement that the public initiatives began ...

GCC Age Groups Golf Championship ConcludesMuscat 24 Dec (ONA) --- The GCC Golf Championship for age groups (the 3rd U-13, the 8th U-16, the 7th Females’ championship and the first Girls’ U-16) concluded today.The closing ceremony was held under the auspices of HH Sayyid Hamoud Qais Al Said, in the presence of officials and representatives of the participating teams. --- Ends/Bishara/AG ...

Mbappé Scores Again as Real Madrid Ends 2024 in 2nd Place in Spanish League Madrid, 23 Dec (ONA) --- Kylian Mbappé added to his scoring streak with a superb strike 10 minutes into a Spanish league match as Real Madrid beat Sevilla 4-2 on Sunday to finish the year one point behind leader Atletico Madrid. Mbappé sent a right-footed shot into the upper corner for his fourth goal in as many matches with Madrid in all competitions. It was Mbappé's sixth goal in his last eight games with Madrid. Federico Valverde, Rodrygo and Brahim Díaz also scored in the ...

Atletico Madrid Stun Barcelona in Stoppage Time to Snatch La Liga Lead Barcelona, 22 Dec (ONA) --- Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone ran down the touchline in joy while Barcelona players sunk to the turf in dismay. Super sub Alexander Sørloth struck again deep in stoppage time to hand Atletico a 2-1 comeback win at Barcelona and ensure Atletico will spend La Liga's short winter break on top of the table. Atletico's 12th straight win in all competitions lifted it three points above Barcelona, the Spanish MARCA newspaper reported. Barcelona has only two ...

Kehl Gives Dortmund Ultimatum After More Dropped PointsDortmund, 16 Dec (ONA) --- Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl said his side simply have to win next Sunday's Bundesliga game at Wolfsburg before the mini mid-season break. The Black and Yellows were held 1-1 at home by Hoffenheim yesterday (Sunday) following their former winger Jacob Bruun Larsen's late leveller. Dortmund, who started the season so strongly at home, failed to win for the third home game in a row in all competitions and risk going the whole of December without a victory, just like ...

Southampton Sack Manager Martin after Spurs Thrashing London, 16 Dec (ONA) --- Southampton have sacked manager Russell Martin after a 5-0 thrashing by Tottenham, which left them nine points off the English Premier League (EPL) safety. Martin, 38, guided the Saints to promotion last year (2023) in his first season in charge, beating Leeds United in the play-off final at Wembley. But the loss against Spurs was Southampton's 13th in the league this campaign from 16 games, BBC sports reported. Their only win this season was against Everton in November, while ...

Barcelona Suffer Surprise Defeat to Leganes Barcelona, 16 Dec (ONA) --- Barcelona suffered a surprise defeat at home to Leganes to see their lead at the top of the Spanish La Liga cut. Hansi Flick's side are only above Atletico Madrid on goal difference and one point above third-placed Real Madrid. Leganes, who move up to 15th, took the lead in the fourth minute when Sergio Gonzalez headed in from Oscar Rodriguez's corner, BBC sports reported. That would prove to be the only goal of the game. Barcelona dominated, with 20 shots in total, and the ...

Delegated by HM, Commerce Minister to Preside Over Sultan’s Cup for Youth Results AnnouncementMuscat, 15 Dec (ONA) --- Delegated by His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, Qais Mohammed Al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, tomorrow, 16 December 2024,  will preside over a ceremony to announce the results of "His Majesty the Sultan's Cup for Youth" for the 2023-2024 Sports Season.The Cup assumes special significance to the sports and youth sector. It provides major support to clubs in achieving their desired goals. Testimony to this is a steady rise ...

Wolves Sack Manager O'Neil London, 15 Dec (ONA) --- Wolves have sacked manager Gary O'Neil in the wake of Saturday's 2-1 defeat by Ipswich Town. Multiple sources have told sports channels of the 41-year-old's departure, which has not yet been confirmed publicly by the club, BBC sports reported. His sacking comes just three days after Wolves chairman Jeff Shi said the club was "united" behind O'Neil following Monday's 2-1 defeat at West Ham. Saturday's defeat was their 11th in the English Premier League (EPL) this season - they have had only two wins - and ...

Arsenal Held to Frustrating Goalless Draw by Everton London, 15 Dec (ONA) --- Arsenal failed to capitalise on the English Premier League (EPL) leaders Liverpool dropping points as they were held to a frustrating goalless draw by Everton at Emirates Stadium. Mikel Arteta's side remain third, six points behind Liverpool having played a game more than the Reds, who drew 2-2 draw at home to Fulham, BBC sports reported. The Gunners had 76% possession and a total of 13 shots, but could not find the breakthrough against an Everton side that defended resolutely and had ...

Liverpool Twice Fight Back with 10 Men to Deny Fulham Liverpool, 15 Dec (ONA) --- The returning Diogo Jota scored a late equaliser as English Premier League (EPL) leaders Liverpool twice fought back with 10 men to deny Fulham following Andy Robertson's red card at Anfield. Jota, sidelined with injury since October, slotted in an 86th-minute leveller after Rodrigo Muniz looked to have ended the Reds' second-half resistance. Cody Gakpo's header from Mohamed Salah's sublime cross shortly after half-time had cancelled out Andreas Pereira's 11th-minute opener, BBC ...

Real Madrid Held to Draw at Rayo Vallecano in La Liga Madrid, 15 Dec (ONA) --- Real Madrid was held at Rayo Vallecano to 3-3 in a thrilling derby, missing a chance to overtake Barcelona at the top of the Spanish La Liga. Rayo set a fast pace and stunned the powerhouse with two headed goals from Unai López and Abdul Mumin headers to lead 2-0 by the 36th minute. Federico Valverde struck with a powerful shot from well outside the area to pull one back for Madrid then Jude Bellingham headed the visitors’ level from a pass by Rodrygo just before halftime, the Spanish MARCA ...

PSG Earn Comfortable Win at Red Bull Salzburg Salzburg, 11 Dec (ONA) --- Paris St-Germain (PSG) claimed a comfortable victory at Red Bull Salzburg to record their first win in the Champions League since September. The French outfit proved far too strong for their Austrian counterparts, controlling the tempo and tone of the game from the outset. Salzburg goalkeeper Alexander Schlager made several fine saves, including a double stop to keep out Achraf Hakimi and Goncalo Ramos, before he was eventually beaten by the latter from close range, BBC sports ...

Liverpool Continue Shining in Champions League Girona, 11 Dec (ONA) --- Liverpool are all but through to the Champions League last 16 after Mohamed Salah's penalty clinched victory at Girona. Arne Slot's side were gifted a second-half spot-kick when former Manchester United and Everton midfielder Donny van de Beek caught Luis Diaz's heel in the penalty area. Salah dispatched his penalty with ease, sending Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga the wrong way to net his 46th Champions League goal, BBC sports reported. Returning visiting goalkeeper Alisson Becker ...

Bayer Leverkusen Score Late Winner against Inter Leverkusen, 11 Dec (ONA) --- Nordi Mukiele scored a dramatic late winner as Bayer Leverkusen inflicted a first Champions League defeat of the season on Inter Milan. The result means Xabi Alonso's side leapfrog the Italians, moving second in the table behind Liverpool and into an excellent position to advance to the last 16 automatically as one of the best eight teams, BBC sports reported. The 90th-minute intervention from on-loan Paris St-Germain (PSG) defender Mukiele came as a largely uneventful contest appeared ...

Bayern Munich Come from Behind to Thrash Shakhtar Donetsk Gelsenkirchen, 11 Dec (ONA) --- Bayern Munich came from behind to thrash Shakhtar Donetsk and boost their chances of reaching the Champions League last 16. Brazilian forward Kevin put hosts Shakhtar in front with just five minutes gone, curling beautifully into the far corner for his first goal in the competition. Falling behind seemed to spur on Bayern, who were without England international Harry Kane because of injury, and they were level six minutes later when Konrad Laimer lashed into the roof of the net, ...

Real Madrid Get a 3-2 Win against Atalanta, Mbappé Injured Bergamo, 11 Dec (ONA) --- Real Madrid's big stars turned on the style to revive the Spanish giant's faltering Champions League title defense. Galacticos Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all scored in a thrilling 3-2 win at Italian league leader Atalanta. But Madrid still had to ride its luck as Mateo Retegui fired over from in front of goal in stoppage time when handed a golden chance to level the game. It was only Madrid's third win in the competition's revamped league phase and leaves the ...

At HM The Sultan’s Behest, Sayyid Harib to Preside over Final Match of HM Hockey Cup Muscat, 8 Dec (ONA) --- At the behest of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, HH Sayyid Harib bin Thuwaini Al Said will preside over the final match of His Majesty the Sultan's Hockey Cup for 2024. The final will be played on Tuesday, 24 December at Oman Hockey Stadium in the Wilayat of Al Amirat. --- Ends/AH ...

Oman Wins Gold in CISM World Military Equestrian Championship Doha, 1 Dec (ONA) --- The Sultanate of Oman won the first place and the golden medal at the conclusion of its participation in the 24th CISM World Military Equestrian Championship, held in Doha. The win was achieved by Staff Sargant Madian Said Al Yousefi from the Royal Cavalry of the Diwan of Royal Court. It is worth noting that as many as fifteen countries participated in the competitions. --- Ends/AG ...