Fresh from their seismic win over Manchester City, Al Hilal return to their Fifa Club World Cup quest on Friday with a semi-final spot up for grabs.
Standing in their way at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando will be Brazilian side Fluminense, who slayed a European giant of their own in the last 16, sweeping aside Italian club Inter Milan 2-0 on Monday.
With the dust still settling from that surprise win, Al Hilal produced the shock of the tournament so far by defeating Pep Guardiola's City 4-3 in a thrilling battle, despite being without captain Salem Al Dawsari and striker Aleksandr Mitrovic.
With the scores level at 2-2 at the end of 90 minutes, goals from Kalidou Koulibaly and Marcos Leonardo – his second of the match – would earn the Saudi Pro League side victory, despite Phil Foden pulling City level in extra-time.
Midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic described Hilal's achievement as “inexplicable” adding that their performances in the United States is testament to the growing stature of Saudi football.
“We played against one of the best teams in the world and this motivates us more for the next games,” said the Serb midfielder.
“It’s a historic accomplishment for us, the club and the whole country. We believed for every single second and we’ve done it.
“It was a massive game and a huge result. For anyone who doubts our league, we’ve shown on the pitch that the Saudi league is strong – we proved it to the world.
“We were missing several key players, which is never ideal. But our squad is deep and full of quality. Everyone who stepped on to the pitch played at a high level and helped us overcome one of the best teams in the world.”
The win was all the more remarkable for the fact that head coach Simone Inzaghi only took charge two weeks before the start of the tournament, replacing Jorge Jesus.
Despite the fact the Italian has had little time to work with the team, Inzaghi has led Hilal to draws with Spanish giants Real Madrid and Red Bull Salzburg before going on to beat Pachuca and now City.
“It is barely three weeks that we are together and you can see the level of application, they really put the effort in. As a coach clearly that is very satisfying,” said Inzaghi, who left Inter after their Uefa Champions League final thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain last month.
Should they triumph in the quarter-finals, Hilal could face another English Premier League side in the last four as they will take on the winners of Chelsea's clash with Brazilian side Palmeiras.
Ahead of Friday's game, Al Hilal have signed Morocco international Abderrazak Hamdallah on an emergency loan from Saudi club Al Shabab.
The 34-year-old striker and three-time SPL Golden Boot winner trained with the team on Wednesday and will bolster their attacking options with Mitrovic yet to play a single minute at the tournament.
Hamdallah has been a prolific striker in the kingdom, netting 150 goals in 163 SPL games for Al Nassr, Al Ittihad and Al Shabab – leaving him third behind Omar Al Somah (155) and Nasser Al Shamrani (154) in the country's all-time scoring chart.
A well-travelled career has also seen Hamdallah play in Norway, China and Qatar, while his 25 appearances for Morocco have yielded seven goals.
Fluminense, meanwhile, head into the game on a similar high to Hilal having denied Inter the chance of putting one over former coach Inzaghi thanks to goals from German Cano and substitute Hercules.
Like Hilal, Fluminense are unbeaten in the US with goalless draws with Borussia Dortmund and Mamelodi Sundowns sandwiching a 4-2 win over Ulsan HD.
Charismatic manager Renato Gaucho only took over three months ago but has brought the best out of a squad that narrowly avoided the drop from the Brazilian top flight in 2024.
“Despite the short time frame, I praise the players for believing in the new plan. I convinced them that it would work,” Renato said after beating Inter in Charlotte.
“We were not facing just any team. We were facing one of the giants of European football, a team that just a few days ago was playing in the Champions League final against PSG.
“We are very proud of ourselves for the affection and joy we are bringing to our fans and, without a doubt, to Brazilian football.
“We are proving that we have commitment and attitude on the pitch. Off the pitch, we can't compete financially, but on the pitch it's 11 against 11. That's it.”
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
More on animal trafficking
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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