goals after the tie finishes 3-3 on
aggregate. They are joined in the
semi-finals by Al Hilal who beat
fellow Saudi side Al Ittihad 3-1.
UEFA CHAMP LEAGUE: Liverpool
are the first holders in 25 years to
lose their first game in defence of
the trophy, losing 2-0 at Napoli.
Internazionale need a 92nd-minute
equaliser to avoid defeat at home
to Slavia Prague, while Red Bull
Salzburg thrash Genk 6-2 and
Chelsea miss a late penalty as
they lose 1-0 at home to Valencia.
Wednesday September 18
AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Two-
time winners Guangzhou eliminate
defending champions Kashima
Antlers on away goals after a 1-1
draw in Japan.
BRAZIL: Athletico Paranaense win
the Brazilian Cup for the first time,
beating Internacional 3–1 on
aggregate and claim a place
in the group stage of the 2020
Libertadores Cup.
FRANCE: The French League Cup
will be suspended from next season
with its European place going to
Ligue 1 instead.
HOLLAND: Kelvin Maynard of fifth-
tier side Alphense Boys is shot
dead in Amsterdam.MEXICO: Cruz Azul win the first-
ever Leagues Cup – a tournament
for MLS and Liga MX clubs –
beating Tigres 2-1 in the Final.
SUDAMERICANA CUP: Gabriel
Torres scores both first-leg goals
as Independiente del Valle beat
Corinthians in their semi-final.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: In
the opening group games, Paris
Saint-Germain beat Real Madrid
3-0 and Juventus drew 2-2 at
Atletico Madrid. Atalanta lose
4-0 to Dinamo Zagreb on their
debut in the competition, while
Lokomotiv Moscow pull off a
surprise 2-1 victory in Germanyagainst Bayer Leverkusen.
Thursday September 19
ENGLAND: Former Newcastle
United academy coach Peter
Beardsley is banned from all
football-related activity for eight
months after being found guilty of
using racist and abusive language.
EUROPA LEAGUE: Runners-up
last season, Arsenal begin this
term’s competition with a 3-0 win
away to Eintracht Frankfurt. There
are upsets as Lazio lose 2-1 to CFR
Cluj and Wolfsberger beat Borussia
Monchengladbach 4-0.
SUDAMERICANA CUP: Colon comepopular sport in Mongolia, a huge country with
a population of just three million that is far more
interested in wrestling, archery and horse-riding.
Facilities are scarce and, with the temperature dipping
below freezing on early September nights, it is a
challenge to get the game in the headlines.
But the situation is even worse in Yemen, where war
has ravaged the nation for most of this decade and the
absence of a football league for five years pales into
insignificance when compared to the human tragedy
and loss of life in the country.
Those players unlucky enough not to play overseas
have had to find jobs and the national team plays
its home games elsewhere, which
makes qualifying for any international
tournament difficult.
Yemen began their Group D
campaign with a creditable 2-2
draw in Singapore, before a
“home” game in Bahrain against
Saudi Arabia. And with the regime
in Riyadh heavily involved in the
war in Yemen, the meeting was more
than just a crucial qualifier against one
of Asia’s powerhouses.
In eight prior meetings between the two nations,
Yemen had failed to score a single goal, but this time
around they took the lead twice before having to settle
for a 2-2 draw.
Singapore have struggled in recent years but they
followed up the draw against Yemen with a fine 2-1
victory over Palestine, a surprise in Asian football termsas Palestine had previously beaten Hector Cuper’s
highly fancied Uzbekistan.
Malaysia, meanwhile, added to some encouraging
performances at youth level with a win that will be
remembered for some time on their side of the Strait
of Malacca. Facing bitter rivals Indonesia, Malaysia
won 3-2 watched by a crowd of 80,000 in Jakarta in
a game marred by crowd trouble. Before the Malaysian
players could start their post-match celebrations they
had to be taken from the stadium inside an armoured
personnel carrier.
And then there were the big guns who sat out the
first matchday but were involved in the second, all ofthem playing away from home. South Korea, Australia,
Iran and Japan all won, as did China, who beat the
Maldives 5-0.
China have only played at one World Cup before,
back in 2002, and are desperate to return. That much
was obvious just by looking at the teamsheet, which
contained the name of debutant Ai Kesen. Better
known as Elkeson, the 30 year-old Brazilian became
a Chinese citizen in August – having met FIFA’s five-
year residency requirements after
arriving in the Chinese Super
League in 2013 – and scored
the last two goals.
If Elkeson is a surprise addition,
then early coaching dismissals are
par for the course.
Back in international competition
for the first time since their two-
year ban ended in December 2017,
Kuwait thrashed Nepal 7-0. But that
was followed by a 3-0 loss at home
to Australia that saw Croatian coach
Romeo Jozak sent packing.
And Uzbekistan’s loss to Palestine
resulted in Cuper’s dismissal, with
former boss Vadim Abramov taking
charge once more.WORLD SERVICE
Creditable...Yemen’s Mudir Al
Radaei (in white) challenges
Ikhsan Fandi of SingaporeBack...Kuwait’s Bader
Al Mutawa holds off Bimal
Gharti Magar of NepalWar has ravaged Yemen for most
of this decade and the absence of a
football league for five years pales
into insignificance when compared
to the human tragedy and loss of life