Sport
Morocco make history with shock win over Portugal to reach semifinals

Morocco have become the first African side to reach a World Cup semifinal after dumping Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo out in the quarterfinals.
Youssef En-Nesyri got the only goal in a dramatic 1-0 win at Al Thumama and denied Portugal what would have been a place in the last four for the first time for 16 years.
Morocco, who had substitute Walid Cheddira sent off late on, set up a semifinal against either France or England at Al-Bayt Stadium on Wednesday, where they will again be supported by a fierce crowd who roared them past Portugal.
Their shock victory at Al Thumama — just days after surprising Spain in the second round — was played out amid an atmosphere of ear-splitting whistles every time Portugal had the ball. And they had a lot — touching 80% possession at different points in the game — but Morocco defended well and, particularly in the first half, made the most of their chances to break quickly.
En-Nesyri’s header just before half-time was helped by a mistake from Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who came for a cross he got nowhere near, but Morocco were so assured on the ball when they had it, they fully deserved their lead when it came.
Morocco ended the game without three of their usual back four on the pitch, but head to the semifinals having conceded just one goal in their five games, and even that was an own goal against Canada.
Meanwhile, Portugal have been both good and bad at this tournament and this was a bad day, although Morocco deserves great credit for making it so hard to create anything of note.
Cristiano Ronaldo, again named on the bench, came on early in the second half to equal FIFA’s official record for the most-capped international men’s player with 196, but even he couldn’t find one last great World Cup moment. If this is the last we see of one of history’s great players on this stage then it was a very meek way to bow out, ESPN reported.
Up next
Morocco: Incredibly, a World Cup semifinal against England or France is next on the agenda at the Al Bayt Stadium on Dec. 14.
Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo and his side are out and on the plane home.
Sport
IPL 2025 celebrates 18 years of immense success

With just four days to go until the opening match of this year’s IPL, cricket fever is already taking hold and for fans across Afghanistan, Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN) will once again bring this thrilling event into the homes of Afghans in the country.
This year’s IPL is in fact the 18th season and has undoubtedly become a firm favorite on the world’s annual cricket schedule.
The popularity of the IPL is so immense that the cumulative brand value was estimated at $12 billion in 2024, a 13% increase from $10.7 billion in 2023, according to the 17th Brand Finance IPL 2024 valuation report.
According to Brand Finance, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) leads as the most valuable IPL franchise in 2024, with a brand valuation of $122 million.
This 52% growth is attributed largely to the enduring legacy of their former captain MS Dhoni.
CSK is followed by Mumbai Indians, which is valued at $119 million and
Royal Challengers Bengaluru is worth $117 million.
Defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders is at $109 million; Sunrisers Hyderabad is $85 million; Rajasthan Royals is $81 million and Delhi Capitals is $80 million.
Saturday’s opener will see KKR take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Kolkata.
IPL 2025 gets underway on Saturday, March 22, and runs for two months, ending on May 25.
IPL fans can tune in to Ariana Television from 6:15pm for a pre-match show on Saturday. The KKRvsRCB match will start at 6:30pm
For more news and updates follow us on social media and watch this space.
Sport
Cricket Ireland cancels Afghanistan series for ‘financial reasons’
However, in the same statement Cricket Ireland confirmed a line up of action-packed cricket this summer.

Ireland’s cricket board announced this week they have cancelled a multi-format series against Afghanistan scheduled for later this year.
Cricket Ireland said in a statement issued on Tuesday that they were cancelling the series due to “financial reasons”.
“One planned series that won’t go ahead for financial reasons is against Afghanistan.
“This decision is part of our management of short-term budgetary constraints, as well as our requirement to comply with the Board’s mandate to deliver balanced investment across the organisation’s strategic objectives,” said Warren Deutrom, Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland.
However, in the same statement Cricket Ireland confirmed a line up of action-packed cricket this summer.
West Indies will play six limited-overs matches in Ireland in May and June before England arrive in September for a three-match Twenty20 series.
In addition, Zimbabwe Women and Pakistan Women will tour Ireland in July and August respectively; and Ireland Women will compete in two ICC World Cup qualifier tournaments.
In addition to this, Ireland Wolves will head to the UAE to play Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A as part of a multi-format tour.
Cricket Ireland added that “further fixtures and tours in 2025 will be announced in due course”.
Deutrom meanwhile said Cricket Ireland will also invest to upgrade infrastructure and facilities across the country.
The Irish government announced last August it would build a stadium at the national sports campus in Blanchardstown, which will also stage matches of the T20 World Cup in 2030, which Ireland will co-host with England and Scotland.
“All in all, on and off the pitch, in time this will be recognised as one of the more consequential years in Irish cricket history,” Deutrom added.
In response to this news, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has clarified that the matches have not been canceled and that efforts are underway to reschedule them at a more suitable time.
Sport
Asian Cup: Afghanistan’s beach soccer team arrives in Thailand

Afghanistan’s national beach soccer team arrived in Thailand on Tuesday to participate in a training camp ahead of the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Thailand 2025.
Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) said in a post on Facebook that a 10-day training camp has been organized for the national beach soccer team in order for the players to enhance their skills ahead of the tournament.
The Afghan national beach soccer team is placed in Group C of the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup 2025 alongside the beach soccer teams of Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia.
AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Thailand 2025 will kick off on March 20 and run through to March 30. Thailand is the official host.
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