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Messi’s Argentina go through on penalties, but shock exit for Brazil

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Argentina beat the Netherlands 4-3 in a penalty shootout to keep Lionel Messi's World Cup dream alive on Friday after the Dutch had snatched a 2-2 draw from the jaws of defeat in an extraordinary quarter-final.

Emiliano Martinez saved the first two Dutch penalties to give Argentina a huge advantage and Lautaro Martinez sent Andries Noppert the wrong way to set up a date for the South Americans with Croatia in the semi-finals on Tuesday.

Messi celebrated with arms aloft in front of the massed ranks of Argentina fans, his hopes of securing football's biggest prize at the fifth attempt intact for a few more days, Reuters reported.

"Argentina are among the four best in the world because they show that they know how to play every game with the same desire and the same intensity," said the seven-times Ballon D'or winner.

"A lot of joy, a lot of happiness. We didn't have to go to extra time or penalties, we had to suffer. But we got through and it's impressive."

The defeat was the first for the Dutch in 20 matches going back to last year's European Championship and brought an end to 71-year-old Louis van Gaal's third spell as coach.

It was the second time a Van Gaal team had lost to Argentina via a shootout in the knockout stages of the World Cup after a 4-2 defeat following a 0-0 draw in 2014 semi-finals.

Livakovic cements Croatia hero status

Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic cemented his hero status with a stunning display to help his team knock out five-time champions Brazil on Friday and reach the World Cup semi-finals.

The stopper had already won hearts back home after making three penalty saves against Japan in the last 16 shootout, which set his team on a collision course with favorites Brazil.

He produced a string of brilliant saves on Friday to keep Brazil’s attackers at bay and ensure Croatia reached extra time with the match goalless.

The game eventually finished 1-1, with Bruno Petkovic canceling out Neymar’s brilliant solo opener in the dying minutes of extra time.

The stage was set again for Livakovic and he did not disappoint, denying Rodrygo from the spot to help Croatia triumph 4-2 on penalties.

The 27-year-old made 10 saves against the Selecao, who were favorites to win the World Cup, on another historic night for Croatian football.

“We know if it comes to penalties we have the edge on our side,” said Croatia defender Borna Sosa. “He’s shown many, many times through his career he’s a magnificent goalkeeper.

“He gives us a lot of confidence because against a team like Brazil they will always have chances, because you cannot contain these kind of players.

“To win against Brazil you need to have this kind of luck a little bit, and a goalkeeper on the maximum level that we had today.”

Saturday’s line up

England will go up against France on Saturday looking to take another step towards World Cup glory. The Three Lions have won three of their first four matches in Qatar so far, with a draw against USA the only blotch on their record. And with the tournament going well, Gareth Southgate isn’t expected to make any changes when it comes to his starting XI.

England has been impressive so far, scoring 12 goals and overcoming the likes of Iran, Wales and Senegal to make the last eight of the competition.

In the other match of the day, Morocco will take on Portugal and, according to their coach, Walid Regragui, Morocco will have the backing of an entire continent when they attempt to become Africa’s first World Cup semi-finalists.

The North Africans will take on Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium as the first Arab nation to reach the last eight after beating Spain on penalties in the last 16.

A World Cup semi-final against either England or France is up for grabs, alongside a place in the history books.

Cameroon in 1990, Senegal’s 2002 side and the 2010 Ghana team all fell at the quarter-final stage.

“We have nothing to lose. The challenge is to do as well as we did in the previous games,” Regragui said on the eve of the match against Portugal.

“We want to show that Africa deserves to be here, Morocco deserves to be here.

Morocco have the best defensive record in the tournament, having conceded only one goal in their four matches.

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

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Faf du Plessis smashes 75 off 32 balls in Abu Dhabi T10 League

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South African player Faf du Plessis showcased his batting brilliance by blasting a blistering 75 for Morrisville Samp Army against New York Strikers in the fifth game of the 2024 Abu Dhabi T10 League on Friday.

The 40-year-old reached his fifty in just 22 balls. He remained unbeaten on 75 off 32 balls, hitting five boundaries and six sixes.

Samp Army posted 135-1 in 10 overs, 41 of it coming from Adndries Gous’s bat, and they won the match by 36 runs.

It was one of the four matches played on Friday.

In the other matches, Northern Warriors defeated Delhi Bulls by 7 wickets, with Jonson Charles hitting a fifty.

Team Abu Dhabi thrashed UP Nawabs by 8 wickets after bowling them out for just 51. Mark Adair claimed four wickets. Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar and Zeeshan Naseer picked up two wickets each.

In the last match of the day, Deccan Gladiators beat Ajman Bolts by 20 runs. Gladiators set a target of 138 runs, with Jos Buttler making 60 runs off 22 balls.

In reply, Ajman Bolts fell short on 117 despite captain Mohammad Nabi blasting 43 off 13 balls.

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Ariana News to broadcast IPL auction live and exclusively in Afghanistan

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The highly anticipated TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) Player Auction will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Sunday November 24 and Monday November 25 - an event that will be broadcast to Afghanistan’s cricket fans live and exclusively by Ariana Television and Radio Network (ATN).

The two-day event will be broadcast live and exclusively on Ariana News.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this year. It will be the second time that the IPL mega auction is held outside India after last year's event in Dubai.

This year's mega auction will have 1,574 players registered, of which 574 names will go under the hammer.

Of those 574, a total of 366 players will be Indian and 208 will be foreign cricketers.

A number of big names will be in fray, with as many as 81 players choosing to register themselves under the highest base price bracket of Rs 2 crore ($237,000).

Afghan players

Eighteen Afghan players have been shortlisted for the IPL mega auction.

Two hundred and four (204) slots will be up for grabs with 70 available slots for overseas players.

Full list of Afghan players shortlisted for the auction:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Noor Ahmad
Waqar Salamkheil
Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar
Mujeeb-ur-Rahman
Azmatullah Omarzai
Naveen-ul-haq
Zahir Khan Pakten
Sediqullah Atal
Mohammad Nabi
Gulbadin Naib
Fazalhaq Farooqi
Najibullah Zadran
Ibrahim Zadran
Qais Ahmad
Karim Janat
Faridoon Dawoodzai
Nangyal Kharote

For cricket fans across the country, the IPL mega auction broadcast will be on Sunday and Monday from 1.30pm Kabul time on Ariana News. For more information and updated stories be sure to watch this space and follow us on social media.

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Pakistan trumps Afghanistan by only 13 runs in U19 Tri-Series One Day match 

Chasing 245 to win, Afghanistan lost their opening batter Mahboob Khan in the first over but recovered as Uzairullah Niazai and Faisal Shinozada secured a 104-run partnership for the second wicket

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Afghanistan’s U-19 cricket team went down to Pakistan by only 13 runs on Wednesday in their third tri-nation series One Day match at the ICC Academy in Dubai. 

This was Pakistan’s first win over Afghanistan in the ongoing tournament after the Afghans defeated their opponents by 100 runs at the same venue on Friday.

Chasing 245 to win, Afghanistan lost their opening batter Mahboob Khan in the first over but recovered as Uzairullah Niazai and Faisal Shinozada secured a 104-run partnership for the second wicket. 

After Faisal’s departure, Uzairullah soon followed with Afghanistan at 142 for three in 26.5 overs. 

Afghanistan were bundled out for 231 in 46.4 overs. 

Earlier, after opting to bat first, Pakistan’s opening pair Shahzaib Khan and Usman Khan provided a solid 129-run stand to Pakistan.

Left-handed Usman, who scored a century against Afghanistan in the previous match, scored an 88-ball 77, which included eight fours. 

Shahzaib meanwhile top-scored for the side with 78 off 101 balls, hitting seven boundaries.

For Afghanistan, Abdul Aziz Khan and Khatir Khan Stanikzai bagged three wickets apiece, while Naseer Khan Maroofkhil snapped two wickets.

Pakistan will take on the hosts UAE U19 in their last group match on Friday, 22 November.

In a post on X, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said late Wednesday: “Not the result we would have wanted but Afghanistan Future Stars will look to bounce back in the next match.”

Afghanistan will take on UAE U19 on Sunday, November 24.

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