Shin Tae-Yong-Ho scores as South Korea draw 1-1 with Saudi Arabia in third World Cup qualifier

Shin Tae Yong Ho's Indonesia drew with powerhouse Saudi Arabia in their first test in their quest to qualify for the 2026 North and Central American World Cup.

The Indonesia national soccer team, led by head coach Shin Tae-yong, drew 1-1 away to Saudi Arabia on Saturday (June 6) at the King Abdullah Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in the first match of Group C of the third Asian qualifying round for the North American Championship.

Indonesia, the only Southeast Asian nation to qualify for the third round, earned a point against the Saudis.

Saudi Arabia is ranked 56th in the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) rankings, 토토사이트 while Indonesia is 133rd.

Indonesia will be looking to qualify for their first-ever World Cup.

In Group C, dubbed the Group of Death, Japan cruised to a 7-0 win over China while Australia dropped a 0-1 decision to Bahrain.

Indonesia looked to take the lead in the first half when Ragnar Oratmangoen opened the scoring in the 19th minute.

However, Musab Aljur equalized in first-half stoppage time to settle for a draw.

Ronaldo scores 900th career goal, breaks record for most appearances and most goals in an A-match

Soccer's living legend Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 900th career goal.

Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Nations League Group A match of the 2024-2025 season at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday (June 6).

Playing up front, Ronaldo's menacing presence rattled the Croatian defense, and it paid off.

He burst onto the scene in the 34th minute and slotted a cross from Nuno Mendes into the back of the net.

It was a goal that will live long in soccer history.

Ronaldo scored his 900th goal for Sporting (Portugal - 5), Manchester United (England - 145), Real Madrid (Spain - 450), Juventus (Italy - 101), Al Nasr (Saudi Arabia - 68), and the Portuguese national team (131).

He also extended his record for most appearances and most goals in A-matches to 213 and 131, respectively.

Ronaldo, who had dismissed speculation that he would retire from the national team as he set his sights on winning the Nations League, led Portugal to victory in the first game.

“It means a lot,” Ronaldo said of his 900th goal, according to US outlet ESPN, ”It's a goal I've wanted to achieve for a long time. 메이저사이트 I thought it would come naturally if I kept playing,” he said.

When he scored, instead of performing his trademark “downpour” celebration, Ronaldo covered his face and slumped in his seat.

“I was emotional,” Ronaldo said. Only me and the people around me know how hard it is to reach 900 goals. It's a special moment in my career,” he said.

Portugal, the inaugural winners of the 2018-2020 Nations League, will be looking to win the tournament for the second time.

They will face Scotland in their second Group A match at the same venue on September 9th.

“Last season at Liverpool” Salah bombshell for a reason

Mohamed Salah (32, Liverpool) is leaving Liverpool.

Liverpool defeated rival Manchester United 3-0 in the third round of the 2024-2025 English Premier League on Sunday at Old Trafford in Manchester, England. With three straight wins since the start of the season, Liverpool is second in the league behind Manchester City.

Salah put on a one-man show with a goal and two assists. It's hard to imagine Liverpool's offense without him, and his importance to the team is overwhelming.

After the game, Salah, who was named MVP, made some shocking comments. He told Sky Sports: “I had a good summer. I tried my best to stay at Liverpool. But, as you know, this season is my last,” he dropped the bombshell.

“I just want to enjoy it, I don't want to think about it. I just want to play football and see what happens next year. No one at Liverpool has spoken to me about a contract. I'll play my last season and see what happens. It's not up to me,” he said, pressing the Liverpool hierarchy.

The Liverpool Echo reported on May 5: “The truth is that Salah doesn't really want to leave Liverpool. He wants to stay. In August last year, Liverpool rejected a £150 million bid from Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad for Salah. Salah's family also loves Liverpool. If they give him what he wants, 카지노사이트 he will stay at Liverpool.”

In the end, Salah sent a message to the hierarchy that he might leave in order to stay at Liverpool.

Salah has been compared to Son Heung-min in a similar situation. He has just one year left on his contract until 2025, but Tottenham have made no mention of renewing his contract. Son has consistently said that he wants to stay at Tottenham.

His absolute loyalty to Tottenham is the reason why the club is in no rush to sign him. Like Salah, Son needs to show the nuance that he could leave even if he wants to re-sign.

FIBA World Cup qualifier advances to dramatic quarterfinals

South Korea's women's basketball team has secured its first win in FIBA World Cup 2026 preliminary qualifying and a spot in the tournament.

The women's national basketball team defeated Mali 87-63 in the third game of Group A on Wednesday (Feb. 23) at the Gymnasio Olimpico Juan de la Barrera in Mexico City, Mexico.

South Korea, ranked 13th in the FIBA rankings, defeated the 20th-ranked Mali by 24 points to advance in the tournament.

The Koreans were considered one of the strongest teams in Group A, but were in danger of being eliminated from the group after falling to Venezuela (No. 36) and the Czech Republic (No. 23) in games one and two on Feb. 20 and 21.

However, after all six Group A matches were played, the Czech Republic had three wins and South Korea, Mali, and Venezuela were all tied with one win and two losses.

South Korea's big win over Mali helped them finish second in the group with an 18-point goal difference.

The tournament features eight nations, including Korea, with the first- and second-place finishers in Groups A-B advancing to the semifinals to determine the winner. The winner will earn a spot in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.

On the day, South Korea defeated Mali behind the performances of aces Park Ji-soo (Galatasaray) 파워볼실시간 and Kang Yi-seul (Cheongju KB).

Kang Yiul was the top scorer for both teams with 26 points, including six three-pointers.

South Korea trailed Mali for the majority of the first quarter, but with about two minutes left in the first quarter, Kang made three straight three-pointers to take an 18-16 lead to end the first quarter.

After taking control of the first quarter and setting the tone, South Korea never trailed again and ended the second quarter with a five-point lead, 40-35.

The Koreans continued to extend their lead and finished the third quarter 57-45.

In the fourth quarter, Korea's younger players, including Kang Yiul and Park Ji-soo, as well as Lee So-hee (BNK) and Park So-hee (Hana Bank), played evenly to secure the victory, 87-63, a 24-point margin.

Women's basketball survives World Cup qualifier in dramatic fashion

South Korea Women's Basketball has reached the semifinals of the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in dramatic fashion.

The South Korean women's national basketball team, led by head coach Park Soo-ho, defeated Mali 87-63 on Wednesday (Feb. 23) in Mexico City, Mexico, in the third game of Group A of the FIBA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.

With the one win after two consecutive losses, South Korea finished second in the group and qualified for the semifinals. South Korea, the highest FIBA-ranked team in Group A (No. 13), had appeared to be out of the running for a spot in the quarterfinals following upset losses to last-place Venezuela (No. 36) and the 23rd-ranked Czech Republic (No. 23) in their previous games.

However, Korea's 24-point victory over Mali (No. 20) and the Czech Republic's big win over Venezuela helped them leapfrog Mali and Venezuela on goal differential to finish second in the group.

South Korea entered the second quarter with an 18-16 lead, thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from Kang Yiul at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Park Ji-soo and Lee So-hee added to the lead, giving Korea a 40-35 halftime lead.

The third quarter was the decider. Instead of holding Korea to 10 points, they scored 15 straight points to break the game open. Kang Yiul led the way with 26 points, including six three-pointers, 토토사이트 while Park Ji-soo had a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds. Park Ji-hyun also chipped in with 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

“It took us a long time to adjust to the high altitude in Mexico, but I don't think it will affect us in the rest of the games,” Kang said, adding, ”I think the things we've been practicing in Korea, such as transition and fast breaks, came out well.”

“Against a strong rebounding team, we only gave up one more rebound, which was the winning factor. I'm satisfied that the pattern play we prepared worked well.”

South Korea will play either Montenegro or Mexico in the semifinals on Thursday. The eight-team tournament is divided into groups A and B, with only the eventual winner earning a direct ticket to the final World Cup qualifier. The remaining teams will have to compete again in continental competitions such as the FIBA Asia Cup to qualify.