News

Arsenal Reach UCL Semifinals after Defeating Real Madrid Madrid, 17 Apr (ONA) --- Arsenal advanced 5-1 on aggregate after a 3-0 first-leg win at home in London last week, keeping alive its chances of winning Europe's top club competition for the first time. It will face Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the semifinals. Inter Milan advanced past Bayern Munich in the other quarterfinal. It will meet Barcelona in the other semifinal. There was no historic comeback for Madrid this time. No late goals, no high drama, no magic at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, the Spanish MARCA ...

Mbappe Available for Copa del Rey Final Despite One-game Ban Madrid, 16 Apr (ONA) --- Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe will be available for the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona later this month after receiving a one-match ban for his sending off against Alaves. The France captain was shown a straight red card during Madrid's 1-0 La Liga win last Sunday for a lunge on Alaves midfielder Antonio Blanco. The referee's report stated Mbappe was sent off for violent conduct, which results in a punishment of between one to three matches. A three-match ban ...

Heroic Villa Comeback Falls Just Short against PSG Birmingham, 16 Apr (ONA) --- Aston Villa threatened to pull off a stunning comeback against Paris St-Germain (PSG) before going out of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) on a dramatic night at Villa Park. Villa were attempting to overturn a 3-1 deficit to reach the semi-final but their hopes looked in tatters when they were two goals down inside the first half-hour, BBC sports reported. Achraf Hakimi cashed in on Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez's mistake to put PSG ahead, then Nuno Mendes doubled the French side's ...

Royal Cavalry Riders Qualify for 2026 FEI World Endurance Championships Muscat, 14 Apr (ONA) —— Two riders from the Royal Cavalry, Mahmoud Marhoon Al Foori on his horse “Electra” and Hisham Saleh Al Farsi on “Plexima”, have qualified for the 2026 FEI World Endurance Championships, set to take place in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. The Royal Cavalry riders secured their spots after successfully completing the first day of the Sumor endurance race in France, organized by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI). The 160 km race featured 86 male and female riders from ...

Royal Camel Corps Makhayil Wins HM The Sultan’s Camel Cup 2025Muscat, 10 Apr (ONA) --- On behalf of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, HH Sayyid Shihab bin Tarik Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs, today presided over the closing ceremony of His Majesty the Sultan's Camel Cup Festival 2025. The event was held at the Royal Camel Corps Racecourse in Al Fuleij, Wilayat of Barka. The festival was organised by the Royal Court Affairs, represented by the Royal Camel Corps.The final day of the festival included 6 rounds. "Makhayil" of the Royal Camel Corps won His ...

Oman Hosts Meetings of International Tent Pegging Federation Muscat, 6 Apr (ONA) --- The Sultanate of Oman will host the meetings of the International Tent Pegging Federation (ITPF) which will kick off tomorrow “Monday” with the participation of more than 30 representatives of member states in the federation. The meetings will discuss several topics that serve and develop the tent pegging sport all over the world. It is worth noting that the Sultanate of Oman has been hosting the headquarters of the International Tent Pegging Federation since its inception in 2013. ...

Barcelona Draws with Real Betis, Maintains Top SpotMadrid, Apr 5 (ONA) ---- Barcelona drew 1-1 with visiting Real Betis last night in their 30th match of the Spanish La Liga season.Gavi put Barcelona ahead in the 7th minute, but Real Betis equalized through Natan Bernardo de Souza in the 17th minute.With the draw, Barcelona remains at the top of the La Liga standings with 67 points, while Real Betis moved up to 48 points, holding the 5th position. --- ...

Argentina Rout Brazil to Cap World Cup Qualification PartyBuenos Aires, 26 Mar (ONA) —- Two goals in the first 12 minutes helped propel Argentina to a dominant 4-1 victory over Brazil in their World Cup qualifying clash in Buenos Aires. Having secured their spot in next year's tournament prior to kick-off as a result of Bolivia's 0-0 draw with Uruguay, a Lionel Messi-less Argentina were in control from the opening whistle. Poor defending allowed striker Julian Alvarez to get Argentina on the board in the fourth minute and some slick passing enabled Enzo Fernandez to double the lead ...

Anthony Gordon Forced to Pull out of England Squad with Hip ProblemLondon, 23 Mar (ONA) --- Injury has forced Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon to pull out of England's squad for tomorrow's World Cup qualifier against Latvia. The 24-year-old came off the bench late in Friday's 2-0 win over Albania but sustained a hip problem which saw him limp off down the tunnel at the final whistle. Gordon underwent a scan and as a result has been sent back to Newcastle to begin treatment. After Friday's victory, new head coach Thomas Tuchel said of Gordon: "He looks injured. First of all I thought ...

Geovany Quenda and Dario Essugo join Chelsea from Sporting LisbonLondon, 20 Mar (ONA) —- Chelsea have completed the double signing of Geovany Quenda and Dario Essugo from Sporting Lisbon, agreeing a combined fee of around £62.5 million ($81.3 million) for the pair. The Portuguese club announced the deals, confirming 17-year-old winger Quenda would join the Blues for just under £44 million and Essugo for £18.5 million. Versatile winger Quenda, who had previously been linked with his former manager Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, will remain with Sporting until the end of next ...

Inter Beat Atalanta to Extend Italian Serie A Lead Milan, 17 Mar (ONA) --- Inter Milan moved three points clear at the top of the Italian Serie A after beating third-placed Atalanta. Napoli, who sit second, were held to a goalless draw by Venezia earlier in the day and Inter seized the opportunity to open up daylight in the race for the title. Midfielder Carlos Augusto opened the scoring early in the second half by heading home Hakan Calhanoglu's corner. Atalanta struggled to impose themselves on the game and were reduced to 10 men in the 81st minute ...

Two Late Goals as Barcelona Rally to Beat Atletico Madrid Madrid, 17 Mar (ONA) --- Atletico Madrid relinquished a two-goal lead in its 4-2 loss to Barcelona in the Spanish league in another setback for the club after it was eliminated by Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League. Playing at the Metropolitano stadium four days after it lost to Madrid in a penalty shootout, Atletico led Barcelona 2-0 at halftime but conceded a pair of stoppage-time goals to waste a chance to overtake the Catalan club for second place and move within a point of league leader ...

Oman Winds Up Participation in Special Olympics World Winter Games in Italy Turin, 16 Mar (ONA) --- The Sultanate of Oman concluded its participation in the Special Olympics World Winter Games, "Turin 2025", in the Republic of Italy. During the tournament, Oman won seven different medals—1 gold medal, 2 silver medals and 4 bronze medals. The gold medal was won by Hossam Nasser Al Amri, in the 300-metre speed skating event. One of the two silver medals was won by Hossam Nasser Al Amri—in the 200-metre speed skating event—and the other was won by Al Barraa ...

Norris Beats Verstappen in Dramatic Australia Opener Melbourne, 16 Mar (ONA) --- Lando Norris mastered treacherous, changing conditions in a dramatic, incident-packed race to beat Max Verstappen and win the Australian Grand Prix. Norris and his McLaren team made the right calls in a race punctuated by crashes, three safety cars and an aborted start as the Briton put together a statement drive at the start of a season he intends to end as world champion. Norris was forced to fend off a late threat from Verstappen, brought back into contention by a late safety car, ...

Mbappé Scores Twice to Give Real Madrid 2-1 Win against Villarreal in LaLiga Villarreal, 16 Mar (ONA) --- Kylian Mbappé scored twice to lead Real Madrid to a 2-1 comeback win at Villarreal and move three points clear atop the Spanish league. Mbappé scored in the 17th minute to cancel out Juan Foyth's opener for the hosts before the France striker put Madrid ahead for good six minutes later. Long gone are the scoring troubles Mbappé endured in his first months at Madrid. His brace at Villarreal took Mbappe's La Liga tally to 20 goals, only one fewer than ...

Real Madrid Advance after Heart-stopping Shootout in UCLMadrid, 13 Mar (ONA) —- Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid in a UEFA Champions League (UCL) penalty shootout - again - to keep its title defense alive and advance to the quarterfinals.Defender Antonio Rudiger scored the decisive spot-kick in a 4-2 shootout win after two Atletico players missed. Marco Llorente's shot struck the bar after Julian Alvarez's score after he slipped was disallowed because the ball struck his right foot twice.Madrid also beat Atletico in a shootout to win the 2016 final - part of a streak of eliminating its city ...

Kane Makes History as Bayern Book UCL Last-eight Spot Leverkusen, 12 Mar (ONA) --- Harry Kane made history as Bayern Munich confirmed their place in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarter-finals with victory against Bayer Leverkusen. The striker's close-range finish in the 52nd minute was his 10th in Europe this season, more than any other English player has scored in a single campaign in the competition's history. Bayern came into the second-leg tie with a 3-0 lead following a commanding performance at home last week, and were again the better side in ...

Inter Milan See off Feyenoord to Reach UCL Last Eight Milan, 12 Mar (ONA) --- Inter Milan reached the UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarter-finals with victory over Feyenoord at San Siro Stadium. Marcus Thuram jinked into the box and fired into the top corner as Inter went 1-0 up on the night and 3-0 ahead on aggregate. Hakan Calhanoglu was penalised for clattering into the back of Jakub Moder and the former Brighton midfielder scored from the spot to give Feyenoord hope. The Turkey international made up for his error after the break, converting a penalty after ...

PSG Knock Liverpool out of UCL with Shootout Win Liverpool, 12 Mar (ONA) --- Liverpool's UEFA Champions League (UCL) ambitions were ended after they lost on penalties to an outstanding Paris St-Germain (PSG) side after a night of drama at Anfield. PSG, needing to claw back a 1-0 deficit from the first leg at home, demonstrated how they have matured under coach Luis Enrique as they knocked out a Liverpool side touted as favourites to win the tournament. Ousmane Dembele's early goal provided the platform for the turnaround, with Liverpool unable to break the French ...

Barcelona Reach Quarterfinals of Champions League with 3-1 win over Benfica Barcelona, 12 Mar (ONA) --- Raphinha scored twice and Lamine Yamal once as Barcelona advanced to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League with a 3-1 win over Benfica. The Catalan club advanced 4-1 on aggregate score after last week's 1-0 victory and will play either Borussia Dortmund or Lille in the quarterfinals, the Spanish MARCA newspaper reported. Raphinha's double makes him the leading scorer in the Champions League this season with 11 goals. He had scored the lone goal last week in ...

Man United Unveil Plans to Build New 100,000-seater StadiumLondon, 11 Mar (ONA) --- Manchester United have announced plans for a new 100,000-seater stadium that co-owner Jim Ratcliffe said would be the "world's greatest" football ground. The Premier League club have been examining whether to redevelop their Old Trafford home or build a new stadium in the same area in conjunction with the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force. United have now confirmed their "intention to pursue a new 100,000-seater stadium as the centrepiece of the regeneration of the Old Trafford area" as they throw ...

Heated UCL Second Leg Fixture Awaited between Bayern and Leverkusen Munich, 9 Mar (ONA) --- A "heated" atmosphere is expected when Bayer Leverkusen host Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League (CL) on Tuesday after both sides lost at home in the Bundesliga this weekend, Bayern head of sport Max Eberl said. Ten-man Bayern lost 3-2 at third-bottom Bochum and Leverkusen were beaten 2-0 by previously slumping Werder Bremen, while also seeing star playmaker Florian Witz limp off with an ankle injury. It meant Bayern kept their eight-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga with just nine ...

Liverpool Stun PSG with Late Winner in Champions League Paris, 6 Mar (ONA) --- Liverpool completed one of the biggest smash and grabs in the UEFA Champions League history to come away from their last-16 first leg against Paris St-Germain (PSG) with a win. PSG completely dominated the game, with 27 shots, and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson had to make nine saves. But the hosts could not find an opener - and the Reds scored with their second shot of the night in the 87th minute. Harvey Elliott netted with his first touch, after replacing Mohamed Salah, when ...

10-man Barcelona Beat Benfica in Champions League Lisbon, 6 Mar (ONA) --- Raphinha was once again Barcelona's hero as they claimed a narrow win over Benfica in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie, despite going down to 10 men. The Brazilian capitalised on a defensive error to drive forward and slot in the bottom corner in the 61st minute, notching his 25th goal of the season and ninth in the Champions League campaign. Raphinha also came to the rescue for five-time winners Barca in January 2025 when the two sides met in the league group phase, ...

Real Madrid Beat Atletico 2-1 in Derby Madrid, 5 Mar (ONA) --- A superb goal from Brahim Diaz helped Real Madrid maintain its dominance of the Madrid derby on Europe's biggest stage with a 2-1 victory over bitter rival Atletico in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie. Atletico has been beaten by the record 15-time European champion in both Champions League final matchups and has won only three of 11 meetings with their city rivals in UEFA competitions. A tense encounter in the Spanish capital was decided by a moment of individual brilliance. Diaz ...

Barcelona Rout 10-man Real Sociedad 4-0 to Go Top in LaLiga Barcelona, 3 Mar (ONA) --- Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 rout over 10-man Real Sociedad to regain the lead in the Spanish LaLiga. Gerard Martín, Marc Casadó, Ronald Araujo and Robert Lewandowski scored a goal each to put Barcelona one point ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid at the top of the Spanish league. Barcelona is three points ahead of third-placed Real Madrid, which lost 2-1 at Real Betis on Saturday, when Atletico beat Athletic Bilbao 1-0 at home, the Spanish MARCA newspaper ...

Atletico Move Top of Spanish La Liga as Alvarez Sinks Athletic Club Madrid, 2 Mar (ONA) --- Julian Alvarez scored his 10th league goal of the season to help Atletico Madrid beat Athletic Club and move top of the Spanish La Liga. The former Manchester City forward ran on to a superb defence-splitting ball by Marcos Llorente before calmly slotting in to break the deadlock in the 66th minute, BBC sports reported. Athletic Club came agonisingly close to an equaliser when Benat Prados headed against the post and Inaki Williams crashed the rebound off the underside of the ...

Real Madrid Lose at Betis as Isco Leads a 2-1 Comeback Win over Former Team Betis, 2 Mar (ONA) --- Real Madrid stumbled in the three-way race for the Spanish league title as Isco Alarcón guided Real Betis to a 2-1 comeback win over the defending champion. The former Madrid player delivered a corner kick that was headed in by fellow midfielder Johnny Cardoso in the 34th minute, canceling out Brahim Díaz's opener for Madrid. Isco then put Betis ahead from the penalty spot in the 54th after he passed to Jesús Rodríguez and Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger knocked ...

Barcelona and Atletico Play out Epic Copa del Rey First Leg Barcelona, 26 Feb (ONA) --- Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both rallied from two goals down in a frantic 4-4 draw in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. Atletico scored twice in the first six minutes before conceding four unanswered goals and coming back to even the match with goals in the final 10 minutes, including the equalizer by substitute Alexander Sorloth three minutes into stoppage time, the Spanish MARCA newspaper reported. Barcelona saw Atletico jump to an early lead with goals by Julián ...

Liverpool Cruise Past Man City to Go 11 Points clear at EPL Top Manchester, 24 Feb (ONA) --- Liverpool tightened their vice-like grip on this season's English Premier League (EPL) title as they extended their lead to 11 points with a comfortable victory at Manchester City. The leaders had already seen their position strengthened when Arsenal lost at home to West Ham before moving into what looks like an unassailable position with a superb display against the fallen reigning champions. City opened brightly, but were caught cold by a clever Liverpool corner routine ...