Morocco has defeated Jordan 3-2 after extra time to claim the Arab Cup on Thursday thanks to two goals from Abderrazzaq Hamed Allah following a stunning long-range strike from Oussama Tannane.
Morocco opened the scoring after four minutes when Tannane's audacious shot from the centre circle caught advancing goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila off guard.
Jordan, set to make their World Cup debut in 2026, hit back with a second-half double from Ali Olwan's header and penalty in the 48th and 68th minutes respectively.
But Hamed Allah scored three minutes from the end to force extra time before grabbing the winner from close range.
Morocco enjoyed another success despite missing several Europe-based players ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.
They became the first African and Arab nation to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup – also in Qatar three years ago - eliminating Spain and Portugal before falling to France.
Morocco were crowned Under-20 world champions in October when they beat Argentina 2-0 in the final to become the first Arab nation to lift the trophy.
The under-17 side reached the World Cup quarter-finals, while the under-23 team won the Africa Cup of Nations and a place at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where they took bronze.
Morocco is set to host AFCON from December 21 to January 18.
Australia were dealt an early blow in their quest to reach the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup after the depleted former champions crashed to a 23-run defeat by Zimbabwe in Colombo on Friday.
Arsenal has wasted the chance to restore their six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Brentford on Thursday, with Noni Madueke's second-half header cancelled out by Keane Lewis-Potter.
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Brothers Justin and Anthony Mosca guided Twenty20 World Cup debutants Italy to their first win in the tournament, as their unbeaten half-centuries secured a dominant 10-wicket victory over Nepal in a Group C clash on Thursday.
The 2026 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will usher in the start of a new era for one of the Middle East’s most iconic sporting events with plans revealed for an extensive two-phase redevelopment that will transform the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium and surrounding Aviation Club Tennis Complex.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has launched the 11.5: Edge of Life Ramadan campaign to rescue 5 million children around the world from hunger.
Teams from Dubai Police and Kuwait have successfully dismantled an international drug trafficking network and foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 14 million Captagon pills inside sacks of corn grains.
The UAE’s Ministry of Education has announced that public school students will switch to remote learning on Fridays during the holy month of Ramadan, marking the second consecutive year of the initiative.