Tuesday, October 13, 2026Jumada I 2, 1448 AH

العربية
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Netherlands Coach Xavi Says he Was at Fault for Poor 1st Half in Greece

Netherlands coach Xavi Hernandez said he was to blame for his side’s poor first-half performance in Thursday’s Nations League game against Greece after they trailed 2-0 before fighting back to draw. The result maintained the former World Cup winner’s unbeaten start to his tenure in charge of the Dutch national team, but it proved a close-run contest with Tijjani Reijnders equalizing a minute from the end at Stadio Toumbas.

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Verstappen Sets Pace in Opening Practice in Sepang

Red Bull's Max Verstappen topped Friday's opening Formula One practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, clocking the fastest time as the four-times world champion eyes his first victory of the season. The Dutchman lapped the 5.543-km circuit in 1 minute, 37.520 seconds, with Mercedes driver George Russell trailing by 0.383 seconds at the Sepang International Circuit, which is hosting the Bahrain race due to the conflict in the Middle East.

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Not-so-brave New World: Virtual Taekwondo Makes Asian Games Debut

Taekwondo dates back more than 2,000 years, but on Friday at the Asian Games the Korean martial art stepped into a not-so-brave future where nobody gets hurt: virtual taekwondo. At a gymnasium about a 90-minute drive from the main Games host city of Nagoya, a modest number of spectators watched with a mix of fascination and bewilderment. Taekwondo officials have billed it as "real-world martial arts meets cutting-edge virtual technology". Competitors wear a VR headset and motion tracking technology allows their movements to control their in-game avatars.

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Ronaldo’s Portugal Future in Doubt After Walkout

The international future of Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo hung in the balance after the 41-year-old walked out on the squad after learning that he would not start the game against Denmark on Thursday. Ronaldo announced late on Wednesday that he had left the team, shortly after a press conference in which coach Jorge Jesus confirmed the five-time Ballon d'Or winner would be left out of his starting line-up for a second consecutive Nations League game. In his absence, Portugal turned on the style to beat Denmark 4-2.

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Klopp Celebrates 1st Germany Win and Portugal Moves on From Cristiano Ronaldo in Nations League

Jurgen Klopp savored his first win as Germany coach and Portugal did just fine without Cristiano Ronaldo in the Nations League on Thursday. Florian Wirtz starred as Germany defeated Serbia 2-0 in Munich for Klopp’s first win at the third attempt — staving off an unwanted record. The 59-year-old Klopp was on the verge of becoming the first Germany coach not to win any of his first three games after opening with a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands last week before Sunday’s shock 1-0 defeat to Greece.

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