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-19 cricket team secured a convincing 106-run victory over Sri Lanka in the ACC Under-19s Asia Cup in Oman on Monday, recording their third consecutive win in the tournament.

Asked to bat first after Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field, Afghanistan scored 275 runs in 49.5 overs.

Subhan Zakhail led the batting with an impressive 107 off 111 deliveries, while Abdiullah Nadarjan contributed 55 runs from 64 balls.

In reply, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 169 in 34.1 overs, falling 106 runs short of Afghanistan’s target.

Noor Ali Niazai was Afghanistan’s leading bowler, claiming four wickets. He had also delivered an impressive performance in the previous match against Malaysia, taking six wickets.

The victory marks Afghanistan’s third consecutive win in the tournament, following their earlier victories over Bangladesh and Malaysia.

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.