Afghanistan’s Under-18 futsal team missed out on a place in the gold medal match at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Portugal in the semi-finals on Monday.

Portugal took the lead through Joao Carvalho, who capitalised on a goalkeeping error by Afghanistan’s Ahmad Esmaeili to score into an unguarded net from inside his own half.

Diego Ferreira doubled Portugal’s advantage before half-time, putting the European side firmly in control of the match.

Afghanistan pushed hard to get back into the game in the second half, creating several opportunities to reduce the deficit. However, they were unable to find the net, with Portugal goalkeeper Bernardo Borges making several important saves.

The victory sends Portugal into the gold medal match, while Afghanistan will now compete for the bronze medal at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.

Afghanistan’s under-18 futsal team stormed into the semi-finals of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games with a commanding 6-0 victory over hosts Senegal on Sunday.

Ali Ahmadi was the star of the match, scoring a hat-trick, while Zakir Hussain Abdullahi, Ahmad Esmaeili and Hussain Hassani also found the net to seal an emphatic win for the Afghan side.

Afghanistan made a flying start, with Ahmadi scoring twice with his left foot to put his team in control. Senegal created several dangerous opportunities in response but were unable to beat Afghan goalkeeper Ahmad Esmaeili.

Zakir Hussain Abdullahi extended Afghanistan’s advantage before the interval, giving the visitors a comfortable lead at half-time.

Senegal came out strongly after the break, needing three goals to keep their hopes of reaching the medal round alive. However, Esmaeili stunned the hosts by scoring from a long clearance that sailed over the opposing players and into the net.

Hussain Hassani added another goal before Ahmadi completed his hat-trick to round off Afghanistan’s impressive performance.

Following the match, Ahmadi expressed his happiness at scoring three goals and praised his team-mates for their support, saying Afghanistan were aiming for the gold medal.

“Our team is playing very well. My team-mates support me and, with the support of Allah, I scored three goals. I feel so happy. Of course, we are coming for the gold medal and, inshallah, we will win it,” he said.

Afghanistan will face Portugal in the semi-finals on Monday at 3:30 p.m. Afghanistan time.

Ariana Television will broadcast the match live and exclusively across Afghanistan.

Afghanistan produced a determined batting performance on the fourth day of the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in Sharjah on Sunday, with captain Rahmat Shah and Zia-ur-Rehman setting a new national record for the highest eighth-wicket partnership in Test cricket.

Resuming their innings 102 runs behind Zimbabwe with only three wickets remaining, Rahmat and Zia added 92 runs for the eighth wicket, helping Afghanistan surpass Zimbabwe’s first-innings total of 504 and secure a narrow 10-run lead.

Rahmat Shah led Afghanistan’s resistance with 173 runs from 347 deliveries, recording his second-highest Test score. Zia contributed 15 runs from 99 balls, holding his ground for nearly three hours alongside the Afghanistan captain.

The partnership eventually ended when Blessing Muzarabani dismissed Zia, while Rahmat was later stumped off Graeme Cremer. Newman Nyamhuri then removed Mohammad Saleem to complete his maiden five-wicket haul, bringing Afghanistan’s first innings to a close at 514.

Afghanistan carried their momentum into Zimbabwe’s second innings as Zia-ur-Rehman dismissed Innocent Kaia and Ben Curran, reducing the visitors to 38 for two.

However, Brendan Taylor scored 82 runs to help Zimbabwe recover, while captain Brian Bennett remained unbeaten on 49. Taylor was run out following a mix-up with Bennett, but the Zimbabwe captain and Craig Ervine, who was unbeaten on 20, added an unbroken 44-run partnership.

Zimbabwe ended the fourth day with an overall lead of 154 runs and seven wickets remaining.

Afghanistan will aim to take early wickets on the final day and limit Zimbabwe’s advantage as both teams seek a result in the Sharjah Test.