Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday.
Saudi Arabia's Al-Ahli beat Japan's Kawasaki Frontale 2-0 to win the Asian Champions League Elite title for the first time at a raucous King Abdullah Sports City Stadium on Saturday.
Al-Ahli secured a 3-1 win over 10-man Al-Hilal to win the battle of the Saudi Pro League sides in Jeddah on Tuesday, booking a place in Saturday's final of the Asian Champions League Elite to keep their dream of a first continental title alive.
Al-Nassr top the standings and are two points clear of second-placed Al-Hilal. Al-Ahli are fourth on 25 points.
Ivan Toney came off the bench to score twice and earn Al-Ahli a 2-1 win over Al-Ain on Monday that moves the Saudi side into the knockout rounds of the Asian Champions League Elite and leaves the defending champions in danger of missing out on the last 16.
Al-Ahli beat Al-Nassr 5-3 on penalties to win the Saudi Super Cup final in Hong Kong after a dramatic 2-2 draw on Saturday as Cristiano Ronaldo netted his 100th goal for the losing side.
"I'll give everything I have to represent Algeria in the best possible way."
Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez has joined Saudi Arabia's Al-Ahli from Manchester City on a deal until 2027.
PSG beat Seattle to reach knockout stage at Club World Cup
Al-Nassr ensured all three Saudi Pro League teams reached the Asian Champions League Elite semi-finals as Stefano Pioli's side handed Yokohama F Marinos a 4-1 defeat on Saturday.
Indian Super League side FC Goa was drawn along with superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr of Saudi Arabia in Group D of the AFC Champions League 2.
Lionel Messi, arguably the most recognizable player in the Club World Cup, is steering viewership to his underdog team.
Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal slipped to a shock 1-0 loss in the first leg of their Asian Champions League Elite last 16 clash with Uzbekistan's Pakhtakor in Tashkent on Tuesday after Brazilian Flamarion scored the only goal.
Houssem Aouar scored a last-minute goal to help Al-Ittihad complete a comeback and secure a 3-2 win over Al-Nassr on Wednesday, taking them a step closer to clinching the Saudi Pro League title.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in the second half, including a penalty, to guide Al-Nassr to a 3-1 win over Al-Hilal in the race for the Saudi Pro League title on Friday.
Kawasaki Frontale's Tatsuya Ito compared lining up beside Cristiano Ronaldo before their Asian Champions League Elite semi-final to being in "a video game", as the J-League outfit handed the Saudi club a 3-2 defeat to progress to the final.
Underdogs Kawasaki down Ronaldo's Al-Nassr to book Asian final berth
Al-Hilal powered into the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League Elite in Jeddah on Friday as Jorge Jesus's Saudi Pro League side demolished South Korea's Gwangju 7-0 to move closer to a record-extending fifth continental title.
Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal as well as Al-Ahli and Al-Nassr confirmed their berths in the knockout rounds in West Asia late last year, and the big-spending trio have since been joined by Qatar's Al-Sadd and Al Wasl of the UAE.
Manchester City's spending of more than 180 million pounds ($223.58 million) was the second-biggest outlay ever worldwide by a club in the January transfer window.
Ivan Toney, once Brentford's lynchpin in attack, has moved to Al-Ahli for 40 million pounds ($52.50 million).
Premier League champions Manchester City were drawn on Thursday with Juventus, Wydad AC and Al Ain in Group G for next year's FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
Expressing shock over the tragic loss of lives in an attack on an hospital in Gaza, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict were a matter of serious concern and those involved should be held responsible.
Hamas claimed the attack on the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza on Tuesday evening was an Israeli strike. Israel produced visual and audio evidence to claim that a rocket launched by Islamic Jihad -- a Hamas rival in the Gaza strip -- had misfired, hitting the hospital. The jury is out on what really happened, but truth may be a victim in the fog of war.
However, Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour countered the Israeli prime minister's claim.
In a phone conversation, Modi, at the same time, shared with Abbas India's 'deep concern' over terrorism, violence and deteriorating security situation in the region.
The United Nations, its top leaders and agencies have expressed horror and strong condemnation over the killing of hundreds of civilians in a strike on a hospital in Gaza, underscoring that attack on hospitals or civilian infrastructure is against international humanitarian law and called for holding those responsible to account.
Hours after a deadly blast at a civilian hospital in the besieged Gaza Strip killed hundreds of people, Israel on Wednesday claimed that a lack of a crater at the blast site proves that it was not an air strike by its forces as claimed by Hamas-run health ministry.
Hundreds of people are feared dead after a deadly blast at a hospital in Gaza for which Hamas and Israel traded charges holding each other responsible for the incident.
Days after an attack on a hospital in Gaza triggered global outrage, India on Thursday called for strict observance of international humanitarian law.
The massive explosion at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital late on Tuesday night killed 471 people and injured 314 others, the Palestinian Health Ministry has said.
Al Hilal, managed by Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus, play Al Fayha on Saturday with Neymar expected to wear the number 10 shirt.
All the latest news from the summer transfer window...
Brazil forward Neymar has signed for Al-Hilal from French champions Paris St Germain
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Thursday pledged to stand with Israel in its "darkest hour" and welcomed the opening of a humanitarian corridor into Gaza as he held talks with the country's top leadership during his two-day visit to the Middle East aimed at preventing further escalation of conflict in the region.
An injured person is taken into a hospital after hundreds of Palestinians were killed in a blast at Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza that Israeli and Palestinian officials blamed on each other in Gaza City.
United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that based on what he saw, it appears that the deadly explosion at the Gaza hospital was done by 'the other team' and not the Israeli military, accepting the Israeli version of the story pinning the blame for the blast on the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad.
United States President Joe Biden arrived in Tel Aviv on Wednesday to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and show support to its Middle Eastern ally as Israel entered into the 12th day of war against the Hamas terror group.
'We request everyone to stop the war. The Israel police force will not be short of uniforms because of our decision. But this a moral decision. Bombing of the hospitals cannot be accepted... We have decided not to take further orders temporarily'
Venugopal said the horrific consequences of this war demand immediate attention from the international community, and India must lead efforts to bring peace and provide relief to the affected.
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