Sport

Friday’s Matches: South Korea advance, Portugal win group

Published

4 years ago

December 3, 2022

In a thrilling finish to Group H play on Friday, South Korea stunned Portugal 2-1 on Hee-Chan Hwang’s goal in stoppage time to advance to the knockout stage at the World Cup at Al Rayyan, Qatar.

South Korea and Uruguay finished with the same record (1-1-1) in Group H, but South Korea advanced on goals scored (4-2).

Portugal, which won the group despite the loss to South Korea, got on the board first on Ricardo Horta’s goal in the fifth minute. Young-Gwon Kim evened it at 1-1 in the 27th minute. In a tightly contested match, both teams had 13 shots, including six apiece on target.

South Korea advanced from group play for the first time since 2010 and only the third time in its history. The team will play Group G winner Brazil.

Uruguay 2, Ghana 0

Competing with South Korea for the second spot in Group H, Uruguay needed to extend its two-goal lead in the final minutes, but it did not score again and was eliminated along with Ghana at Al Wakrah, Qatar.

Giorgian de Arrascaeta scored in the 26th and 32nd minutes for Uruguay, which failed to advance past group for the first time in four World Cup appearances.

Uruguay totaled 12 shots (seven on target), while Ghana finished with 10 shots (four on target). Ghana hasn’t advanced to the knockout round since 2010.

Switzerland 3, Serbia 2

Remo Freuler scored the go-ahead goal in the 48th minute to allow Switzerland to defeat Serbia in Doha, Qatar, and advance to the Round of 16 for the third straight World Cup.

Switzerland finished second in Group G, tied with Brazil with six points but behind on the goal differential tiebreaker.

The Chicago Fire’s Xherdan Shaqiri struck first for the Swiss with a goal in the 20th minute, but Serbia fought back to take a 2-1 lead thanks to goals by Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic.

Breel Embolo tied the match 2-2 for Switzerland in the 44th minute before Freuler’s score three minutes after halftime.

Vanja Milinkovic-Savic made four saves for Serbia, which placed last in the group with one point.

Cameroon 1, Brazil 0

Vincent Aboubakar’s goal in the second minute of second-half stoppage time was enough to hand Cameroon a 1-0 win over favorite Brazil in Lusail, Qatar.

Due to Switzerland’s victory, it wasn’t enough for Cameroon (four points) to advance to the Round of 16.

Brazil, which won Group B despite the result, outshot Cameroon 21-7, including 7-3 in shots on target. But Cameroon goalkeeper Devis Epassy stopped all seven shots he faced.

Aboubakar was shown his second yellow card of the day for excessive celebration after his goal and was sent off.

Where to watch

Afghan fans need not miss out on any of the excitement of this year’s tournament which is being broadcast live and exclusively by Ariana Television in Afghanistan.

For the full broadcast schedule CLICK HERE

Related Topics:#FIFAWorldCup #SouthKorea featured FIFA Football Portugal

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Afghanistan futsal team heads to Thailand for Continental Championship

Published

5 hours ago

July 29, 2026

Ariana News

The Afghanistan national futsal team has departed for Bangkok, Thailand, to compete in the 2026 Continental Futsal Championship.

According to the Afghanistan Football Federation, the tournament will be held from August 1–6 and will feature Afghanistan, Thailand, Russia, Vietnam, and New Zealand.

Afghanistan will kick off its campaign against host nation Thailand on August 2.

Sport

Afghanistan set for crucial five-match ODI series against Ireland

The first two matches will be played at Bready on August 5 and 7 before the series moves to Stormont in Belfast for the remaining three ODIs on August 10, 12 and 15.

Published

6 hours ago

July 29, 2026

Ariana News

Afghanistan will return to international one-day cricket next week when they take on Ireland in a five-match ODI series, with the opening match scheduled for August 5 at Bready Cricket Club in Northern Ireland. The series will run through August 15 and forms an important part of both teams’ preparations for future ICC competitions.

The first two matches will be played at Bready on August 5 and 7 before the series moves to Stormont in Belfast for the remaining three ODIs on August 10, 12 and 15.

Afghanistan will be led by newly appointed ODI and Test captain Rahmat Shah, with explosive wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz serving as vice-captain. The squad features a blend of experienced campaigners and emerging talent as the team looks to continue its strong record against Ireland in the 50-over format.

Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has not been included as Afghanistan continues planning for the future, while left-arm fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi returns to strengthen the pace attack. Star leg-spinner Rashid Khan is expected to play a key role alongside rising spinner AM Ghazanfar.

Afghanistan squad:

Rahmat Shah (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (vice-captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (wicketkeeper), Nangyal Kharotai, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Yamin Ahmadzai, Saleem Safi, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi.

Reserve players: Qais Ahmad, Fareed Malik, Bilal Sami and Bashir Ahmad.

Ireland, meanwhile, has named an injury-hit squad for the opening three matches of the series, with several first-choice players unavailable. The hosts are expected to confirm their squad for the final two ODIs closer to the matches, depending on player fitness.

The five-match series is expected to provide valuable match practice for both teams as they continue preparations for upcoming international commitments and the ICC qualification pathway.

Series schedule:

August 5: 1st ODI – Bready Cricket Club
August 7: 2nd ODI – Bready Cricket Club
August 10: 3rd ODI – Stormont, Belfast
August 12: 4th ODI – Stormont, Belfast
August 15: 5th ODI – Stormont, Belfast

Watch the series

Fans across Afghanistan can tune in to Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN) to watch the series live on Ariana Television.

Fans are also encouraged to follow Ariana Television, Ariana Sport and Ariana News’ social media pages for updated schedules, news and other exciting information.

Sport

Qosh Tepa and Akhawat to face off in AWPL final

Published

1 day ago

July 28, 2026

Ariana News

Qosh Tepa secured its place in the final of the inaugural Afghanistan Wrestling Premier League (AWPL) after defeating Setareha on the eighth day of the competition in Kabul on Monday.

The league, which has brought together some of Afghanistan’s top wrestlers, continued with a series of closely contested bouts as teams battled for a place in the championship match.

Qosh Tepa made a strong start when Masihullah Nazari defeated Sayed Omar Zazi of Setareha in the 61kg weight category.

In the second bout, Najibullah Hassani extended Qosh Tepa’s advantage with a 6-2 victory over Murtaza Ayobi in the 65kg division.

The day’s third contest featured Mohammad Sarwar Sarwari of Akhawat, who produced one of the most dominant performances of the tournament, defeating Mohammad Ali Turkmanwal of Fath 14-1.

Qosh Tepa continued its winning momentum in the fourth bout as Shams Qureshi overcame Abdul Salim Qaderi of Setareha 7-1 in the 70kg weight category.

The team went on to claim three more victories, sealing an emphatic overall win and booking its place in the league final. The defeat ended Setareha’s hopes of competing for the inaugural championship.

The Afghanistan Wrestling Premier League will pause on Wednesday before returning for its final day of competition on Thursday, when Qosh Tepa will face Akhawat in the championship match to determine the first-ever AWPL title winners.

The final will be followed by the league’s closing ceremony.