Sports

AMMAN — The focus of football fans will turn to league and Asian club action, after ten days of international qualifiers, as well as the first local competition which ended with a new winner.

Jordan played two Round 3/Group B qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup, tying Iraq 0-0 in Basra and holding Kuwait again 1-1 to drop to third place in the group, after Palestine drew 1-1 with South Korea and Iraq beat Oman 1-0.

Observers analyzing the team’s performance in the Kuwait match, noted that the individual efforts of Yazan Nu’eimat hadsaved Jordan while the exit of goalie Yazeed Abu Laila with a jaw injury, was a turning point. Others underlined Montpellier striker Mousa Ta’mari has been below par coinciding with the absence of Ali Alwan, Noor Rawabdeh on the injury list. Some noted that the reserve players should be given more playing time as they played with more energy than the starting lineup,but could not convert to goals late in the game.

Jordan next plays Palestine on March 20, 2025 followed by South Korea on March 25 before facing Oman and Iraq in the final qualifiers in June. In earlier matches, Jordan held Kuwait 1-1, beat Palestine 3-1, lost 2-0 to South Korea before beating Oman 4-0.

Jordan’s Moroccan coach Jamal Sellami’s remarks following the match  “a draw was better than a defeat against Kuwait”, havecome under fire, after the coach earlier told underlined “Jordan cannot afford losing any points at this stage.” His defensive tactics and replacements were the main points under scrutiny.

Jordan, which earlier this year, reached the Asian Cup final, in their fifth time at the Asian Cup, has a chance to make history and reach the World Cup for the first time after FIFA expanded the format to include 16 more teams in the upcoming 2026 World Cup edition. 

Meanwhile, on the local scene, Salt won their first ever major football title on Wednesday when they upset Wihdat to take home the Jordan Football Association Shield Cup– the second major competition on the local football calendar.

Salt were the only undefeated team in the Shield Cup and after being 1-0 down they tied the match to win 4-3 on penalties. Wihdat were looking to win the first of the season titles as they strive to make a strong local comeback after Ramtha and Hussein won the Pro League in the past two seasons. On their way to the final, Salt eliminated league champs Hussein on penalties while Wihdat ousted Sarih who earlier ousted Faisali from the event.

Shield tournament winners are: Wihdat 10 time, Faisali 9, Ramtha 5, Hussein 3, Jazira,  Amman and Shabab Urdun twice, Salt, Jalil, Kufrsoum and Yarmouk once. Hussein were finalists 7 times. Amman, have since scrapped football while Qadissieh were relegated and have since merged with Shabab Urdun.

Last season, Hussein won the Professional League crown for the first time, Wihdat won the Jordan Cup for the 12th time as well as the Super Cup for their 15th time, while Faisali won their 9thJordan Football Association Shield.  

Next week, Hussein and Wihdat also return to Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Champions League Two matches hoping to advance to the quarters of the second tier Asian event that has replaced the AFC Cup.

LOS ANGELES, United States — Ty Jerome scored 29 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from their first defeat of the season with a 128-100 rout of the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday.

The Cavs, who saw their 15-game unbeaten streak brought to an abrupt end by the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, shrugged off that setback to dominate New Orleans with a wire-to-wire victory before their home crowd.

Cleveland were always in control against a struggling Pelicans side who slumped to their ninth loss in 10 games.

After cruising into a 69-55 halftime lead, the Cavs dropped the hammer in the third quarter, outscoring New Orleans 36-18 to open up a 32-point advantage heading into the final period before cruising to win.

The Cavaliers had struggled from outside the arc in Tuesday's NBA Cup defeat to Boston but enjoyed greater success from three-point range against New Orleans.

Jerome drained seven of 12 attempts from three-point distance, rattling in six of them during a remarkable second quarter display that saw him bag 20 points.

Georges Niang also caught fire, shooting six threes to finish with 20 points.

The win saw Cleveland improve their record to 16-1 at the top of the Eastern Conference. The Pelicans fell to 4-12 and remain one place off the bottom of the Western Conference.

Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson saluted Jerome's electic second quarter barrage that had the home crowd on its feet.

"It was great -- those moments don't happen a lot in the NBA," Atkinson said. "It was like a superstar performance quite honestly -- that's so rare. It was great for the crowd, great for the group and great for Ty."

In other games on Wednesday, Giannis Antetokounmpo bagged his third 40-point game of the season after scoring 41 points with nine rebounds and eight assists in the Milwaukee Bucks' 122-106 blowout of the Chicago Bulls.

Antetokounmpo was backed by 21 points from Brook Lopez and 20 points from Damian Lillard as Milwaukee improved to 6-9 for the season to move up to 10th in the Eastern Conference.

In Memphis, Joel Embiid shrugged off recent off-court controversy to score 35 points, but it was not enough to stop the Philadelphia 76ers from falling to a 117-111 defeat against the Grizzlies.

Embiid was reportedly taken to task by teammate Tyrese Maxey for his tardiness during a tense locker room discussion following the Sixers' loss to Miami on Monday.

Embiid responded with a season-high 35 points in what turned out to be a losing effort. The Sixers are 2-12 for the season and remain rooted to the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, second in the Western Conference, kept up their pursuit of leaders Golden State with a 109-99 defeat of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Jalen Williams led the Thunder scoring with 30 points while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 28.

AMMAN — In an exciting Group B Round 6 match of the AFC Asian Qualifiers played at Ahmad Al Jaber Stadium, on Tuesday Jordan and Kuwait tied 1-1.

Both teams showcased their determination in a game filled with dramatic turns.

Jordan opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a dribble and a brilliant strike from Yazan Al Nueimat, who fired a long-range shot into the net from outside the box.

The visitors maintained their lead through the first half, missed couple of opportunities, but the game took an unfortunate turn for Jordan in the 57th minute when goalkeeper Yazeed Abu Laila had to leave the pitch due to injury. He was replaced by Abdallah Al Fakhouri.

Kuwait responded soon after, leveling the score in the 68th minute through Mohammed Daham, who blasted the ball from 30 metres passed Fakhori.

Despite both teams pushing for a winner, the match ended as a draw, with each side adding a point to their tally.

Jordanian team had a full control in the first half, missed to capitalised possession, and in the second half completely lost the midfield.

As for the table South Korea remains on top with 14 points after drawing 1-1 with Palestine while Iraq moved to second place with 11 points following an away 1-0 win over Oman. 

Jordan is now on the third place with 9 points after sharing the spoils with Kuwait.  Oman remains fourth with six points after their narrow loss to Iraq, while Kuwait are in fifth place with four points and Palestine sits at the bottom with three  points after earning a draw with South Korea.

Jordan’s next group matches will be in March when it faces Palestine in Amman and South Korea in an away encounter.

LOS ANGELES, United States — Jayson Tatum scored 33 points as the Boston Celtics ended the Cleveland Cavaliers' 15-game unbeaten start to the season with a hard-fought 120-117 victory in the NBA Cup on Tuesday.

The Celtics unleashed a barrage of 22 three-pointers to overwhelm Cleveland, who clawed their way back to within two points of the lead late in the game after trailing by 21 early in the second half.

Despite the Cleveland fightback reigning NBA champions Boston held their nerve and kept the scoreboard ticking over to close out a deserved win.

Tatum's 33 points included six three-pointers while the Boston star added 12 rebounds and seven assists in an all-round Celtics effort that saw six players finish in double figures.

Tatum said Boston's championship pedigree had helped the Celtics over the line as Cleveland threatened late in the game.

"We've played a lot of basketball, we've played in the biggest games," Tatum said.

"NBA is a bunch of talented teams -- guys are gonna make plays, they're gonna make shots.

"I say it all the time -- how you respond shows your growth and how special your team is."

Tatum admitted that ending Cleveland's unbeaten record, which has left them sitting on top of the Eastern Conference, had motivated the Celtics.

"They came in 15-0 feeling like they were the best team. We felt like we were the best team -- it's all competition. We were ready to play today," Tatum said.

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said his team had been caught off-guard by Boston's superior intensity.

"They had playoff force and physicality, we had regular-season force and physicality," Atkinson said. "That's why we were down by whatever we were down. Second half we turned it up, but it was kind of too late.

"We're just going to have to put it in the bank and make adjustments."

Tatum drained a superb three-pointer in the final seconds of the first half to give Boston a commanding 65-48 lead at the break.

The Celtics stretched into a 21-point lead early in the second half, but the Cavaliers clicked into gear and came roaring back to close the gap to two points at 88-86.

Tatum though had the last word, nailing an imperious three-pointer to give Boston a five-point lead heading into the final quarter.

A nip-and-tuck final period saw Cleveland repeatedly close to two points but Boston pulled clear in the final minutes to seal victory.

Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland's scoring with 35 points while Evan Mobley added 22 with 11 rebounds and six assists.

Westbrook bags 200th triple 

In other games, Russell Westbrook became the first player in NBA history to amass 200 career triple-doubles, finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists as a depleted Denver Nuggets overpowered the Memphis Grizzlies 122-110.

In Dallas, Luka Doncic finished with 26 points as the Mavericks crushed the New Orleans Pelicans 132-91.

The San Antonio Spurs shrugged off the absence of French star Victor Wembanyama to record an impressive 110-104 defeat of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Los Angeles Lakers extended their recent unbeaten streak to six games with a 124-118 win over the Utah Jazz.

Rookie Dalton Knecht was the star for the Lakers, scoring 37 points from 12-of-16 shooting while LeBron James and Anthony Davis each scored 26 points.

In New York, the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Charlotte Hornets 116-115 after a 34-point display from Cameron Johnson.

The NBA Cup was introduced last season as a way of providing a knockout competition in the early months of the league season.

All 30 league teams are drawn into six groups of five, with eight teams advancing to single-elimination knockout rounds.

The semifinals and final take place in Las Vegas on December 14-17.

PALLEKELE — The third and final One-Day International(ODI) between New Zealand and Sri Lanka on Tuesday was abandoned after only 21 overs of play due to persistent rain in Pallekele.

As the rain refused to relent, the umpires officially called off the game at 19:45 local time (14:15 GMT).

The game was a dead rubber with Sri Lanka already having clinched the series 2-0, following their thrilling three-wicket win on Sunday.

The victory was Sri Lanka's fifth one-day series win in the year.

"We had a very good year," said Sri Lanka skipper Charith Asalanka.

"We have put in lot of hard work this year," he said. "We wanted to give players a fair run and that faith is paying back."

Before the rain hit, New Zealand seemed set for a decent total after winning the toss and deciding to bat first.

A solid 88-run partnership for the second wicket between Will Young and Henry Nicholls propelled them to 112 for 1 in 21 overs before it started pouring.

Young was unbeaten on 56 off 68 balls. The right-handed batsman's half-century, his ninth in one-day internationals, featured eight boundaries.

At the other end, Nicholls was 46 not out off 51 balls.

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner called the washout a "shame".

"We had a good start and it was a pretty good wicket," he said. "We were eyeing a big score."

Sri Lanka managed an early breakthrough when Asalanka pulled off a sensational diving catch to dismiss opener Tim Robinson, handing Mohamed Shiraz his maiden international wicket.

But New Zealand consolidated from there on.

Having achieved an unassailable lead heading into the match, the hosts rested Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis and Asitha Fernando.

Left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage was also given a break, with seam-bowling all-rounder Chamindu Wickramasinghe making his debut.

New Zealand, too, shuffled their lineup, bringing in pacer Adam Milne and debutant all-rounder Zakary Foulkes in place of Nathan Smith and Jacob Duffy.

Foulkes, however, did not get a chance with the bat or the ball.

The one-day series followed a T20 series that ended in a 1-1 stalemate.

New Zealand will now host England for a three-match Test series starting later this month.

"We will go back home and get ready for that series," said Santner.

AMMAN — Jordan plays Kuwait in an away match Tuesday evening in Round 3/Group B qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup.

Last Thursday, Jordan tied Iraq 0-0 in Basra and now hopes to beat Kuwait, now fifth in the group with a winless record, to boost the team’s chances of securing early qualification from the group.

Jordan’s Moroccan coach Jamal Sellami told the pre match press conference his team “expected a tough match”, underlining the encounter set for 9:15pm was vital and that the national squad needed to come back home with a win. 

Sellami said drawing against Kuwait 1-1 in the first encounter had made their task tougher, therefore “Jordan afford losing any points at this stage”.

Jordan has a chance to make history and reach the World Cup for the first time, after FIFA expanded the format to include 16 more teams in the upcoming 2026 World Cup edition.

Currently, 18 Asian nations are playing in three groups in home and away format with the top two from each group advancing directly to the World Cup while the rest will play Round 4 in two groups with group leaders advancing and a possible ninth team advancing through intercontinental play-offs.

The Kingdom’s team seems to be having a rough ride after a change to coaching staff in summer.

Now coach Sellami has to contend with having a coherent lineup and keep up a steady overall performance so as not to leave qualification undetermined. 

The national team, dubbed “Al Nashama” has had to overcome a string of injuries, with Montpellier striker Mousa Ta’mari making a return but still not in top form to an ankle injury.

Similarly, Yazan Nu’eimat had recent rib and wrist injuries. 

Now the Kuwait match will miss Ali Alwan also with an ankle injury while Noor Rawabdeh is out after surgery for an injury sustained during his club’s Malaysian league match in addition to Aref Haj.

Jordan is now second in the group after they held Kuwait 1-1, beat Palestine 3-1, lost 2-0 to South Korea before beating Oman 4-0.

In other matches, Oman beat Palestine 1-0, South Korea beat Kuwait 3-1, Palestine held South Korea 0-0 and Kuwait 2-2, Iraq beat Oman and Palestine 1-0, South Korea beat Oman 3-1 and Iraq 3-2, while Oman upset Kuwait 4-0.

It is the 7th time for Jordan in World Cup qualifiers since 1986 with Jordan reaching Round 3 twice.

In 2014, they advanced to play then FIFA 6th ranked Uruguay in an intercontinental qualifying tie before exiting. 

Earlier this year, Jordan reached the Asian Cup final, in their fifth time at the Asian Cup since 1972. 

Their previous best past performance was reaching the quarterfinals twice in 2004 and in 2011.

Jordan exited the group stages in 2015 and in 2019 they made it to the Round of 16.

PARIS — Netherlands outclassed Hungary with a 4-0 victory in its winner-takes-all Nations League encounter on Saturday while Germany hammered Bosnia and Hercegovina 7-0.

Netherlands and Hungary went into the match tied on five points each and with the winner set to join Germany in ensuring their progress from Group A3 to the quarter-finals.

First-half penalties by Wout Weghorst and Cody Gakpo sent the Oranje on their way, before Denzel Dumfries and Teun Koopmeiners made the game safe in the second period.

The match at the Johan Cruyff Arena was briefly interrupted in the seventh minute following a medical emergency on the Hungarian bench.

The referee stopped play for some 10 minutes while Hungary's assistant coach Adam Szalai received treatment, shielded from view by huddled players and staff members, as well as a large white sheet.

Szalai, 36, was stretchered off to applause from spectators and players alike, the Hungarian FA later released a statement saying he was "conscious" and in a "stable condition" at an Amsterdam hospital.

Almost forgotten in the aftermath of the worrying incident was the handball by Tamas Nikitscher as the ball was crossed into the Hungarian box.

The referee consulted the touchline video monitor and promptly restarted play by pointing to the spot, allowing Weghorst to sweep the Netherlands in front.

Denes Dibusz was the busier of the two goalkeepers as the first period wore on and had to be alert to keep out efforts from Tijjani Reijnders and Donyell Malen.

In the 11th minute of added time, Dutch dominance told and Malen was clipped by Zsolt Nagy in the box.

Gakpo dispatched the resulting spot-kick, sending Dibusz the wrong way and Netherlands into a two-goal lead.

Right-back Dumfries sealed the Netherlands' spot in the quarters as he latched onto Malen's flick-on at the back post and fizzed a volley back into the far corner shortly after the hour.

Koopmeiners marked his first international match since 2022 by nodding in a fourth in the 86th minute.

'Good fun' 

Germany cemented its spot at the top of the group with a 7-0 win over Bosnia -- the heaviest in the six-year history of the Nations League.

"It was good fun tonight. After a couple of goals we did the work defensively and then everything came together offensively. The more that happens, the more fun we have on the pitch," German attacker Jamal Musiala told UEFA's website.

Musiala opened the floodgates after two minutes with a header from Joshua Kimmich's cross.

Tim Kleindienst scored his first goal for Germany in the 23rd minute and Kai Havertz made the game safe eight minutes before the break, slotting home after a slick one-two with Florian Wirtz.

Wirtz then made it four on 50 minutes with a sublime swerving free-kick from wide on the left, before doubling up seven minutes later.

"Seeing Flo [Wirtz's] free-kick was kind of nice but just in general everyone played well, had good moments. We're just playing good football," added Musiala.

Substitute Leroy Sane scored Germany's sixth in the 66th minute and Kleindienst completed the rout just over 10 minutes from time as he guided home a pinpoint cross from centre-half Antonio Rudiger.

The emphatic result leaves Germany five points ahead of Netherlands with only one match left to play.

In Group B1, Georgia played out a 1-1 draw at home to Ukraine and stay two points ahead of the fourth-placed visitors.

The Czech Republic drew 0-0 in Albania and remain top of the group on eight points, one ahead of Georgia in second and their third-placed opponents.

Turkey stayed top of Group B4 with a 0-0 draw at home to Wales, while Iceland beat Montenegro 2-0.

Turkey was presented with a golden opportunity to grow their two-point lead over Wales but Kerem Akturkoglu sent his 89th-minute penalty wide.

AMMAN — In a tense Group B Round 5 match at Al Basra International Stadium, Jordan held Iraq to a 0-0 draw on Thursday, preserving its hopes to qualify for the World Cup in 2026.

The game’s closest chance came when Yazan Nueimat broke through the Iraqi defence, trying to chip a ball over Ahmed Basil who saved the shot.

The game started when both teams tested each other in the midfield but could not connect a few precise passes. The first half ended with no chances as many fouls interrupted the flow of the game. Iraqi team relied on set pieces but with no concrete prospect to score.

The best opportunity for the host happened in the injury time when the ball was blasted over the crossbar from the right flank, some seven metres from the net.

Meanwhile, Oman defeated Palestine 1-0 while South Korea beat Kuwait 3-1. The leader of the group is South Korea with 13 points, Jordan is second with eight points, Iraq also has eight points, but worse goal difference., Oman is on fourth place with six points, Kuwait clinched three while Palestine is the last with only two points.

In the next round, Jordan will play Kuwait on Tuesday at Jaber Al Ahmad International Stadium. It might be one of the match balls to secure the second spot in the group.

AMMAN — HRH Prince Feisal, chairman of Jordan Motorsport, on Thursday flagged off the Jordan Baja Rally, the seventh and penultimate round of the FIA Cross-Country Bajas World Cup, from the Great Arab Revolt Plaza in Aqaba. 

The rally also serves as the seventh and penultimate round of the World Cup for motorcycles and quad bikes in the FIM Bajas World Cup, as well as the third round of the Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, the National Jordan Baja, and the inaugural Wadi Al Qamar Rally, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Prince Feisal reviewed the preparations for the rally, expressing his satisfaction with the number of participants and stressing the importance of this global sporting event in boosting Jordan’s position on the international sports map.

The three-kilometre prologue stage took place at Aqaba's southern beach, determining the starting order for Friday’s competition, where results from this stage will contribute to the overall rankings in both the FIA and FIM Bajas World Cup standings.

The rally covers a total distance of 566.46 kilometres, divided over two stages on a route totalling 775.31 kilometres.

In the seventh and penultimate round of the FIA Cross-Country Bajas World Cup, there are 19 competitors, along with 13 participants in the FIM Bajas World Cup for motorcycles and quads. 

The National Jordan Baja includes 11 competitors, and 27 participants are competing in the Wadi Al Qamar Rally.

In the three-kilometre prologue stage, Argentinean Diego Martinez recorded the fastest time in the Jordan Baja, while Jordanian rider Abdullah Abu Aisha achieved the best time in the motorcycle category. Saudi Abdulaziz Shaibani posted the quickest time in the quad category, and Palestinian competitor Taha Masoud recorded the fastest time in the National Jordan Baja.