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Al Duhail secured their first win after defeating Shabab Al Ahli 4-1 in their AFC Champions League Elite tie at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium Monday.It was a stunning victory as UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli had come into the tie very much in form, having accumulated seven points from their earlier matches while Al Duhail had only managed a draw from their preceding games.Al Duhail survived an early blunder when Federico Cartabia pounced on Bogdan Planic’s stray pass to find Sultan Adil but keeper Bautista Burke came to the rescue, denying the forward inside the opening minute. Luis Alberto turned the tables on Shabab Al Ahli a minute later when he threaded a sublime pass to Edmílson Junior on the left flank with the Brazilian cutting inside before unleashing a rasping shot, touching the fingertips of keeper Hamad Al Meqbaali before nestling into the bottom right corner.The Qatari outfit thought they had a penalty in the fourth minute following Benjamin Bourigeaud’s apparent handball inside the area but the decision was ruled out for a free-kick at the edge of the box, which Cartabia sent wide.Al Duhail continued to dominate, coming agonisingly close when Krzysztof Piatek struck the post after a clever exchange with Marco Verratti.Their pressure paid off in the 39th minute when Benjamin Bourigeaud had the time and space to send a curling effort from just above the box past Al Meqbaali off Edmilson’s corner.Shabab Al Ahli refused to give up and reduced the deficit three minutes later with Breno Cascardo converting Cartabia’s corner with a glancing header.Shabab Al Ahli started the second half brightly, with Guilherme Bala firing narrowly wide from distance in the 52nd minute, while Yuri Cesar saw his close-range effort blocked following a period of sustained pressure.Al Duhail, however, put the brakes on Shabab Al Ahli’s momentum in the 57th minute with Adil Boulbina latching on to Benjamin Bourigeaud’s cutback and rifling his shot into the corner.Shabab Al Ahli escaped going further behind in the 65th minute when Al Meqbaali was forced to tip over Bourigeaud’s effort from just above the box before the shot stopper guessed the right way to deny Piatek from the spot after Mateus Henrique conceded a penalty for bringing down Edmílson.The Emiratis threatened through Kauan Santos in the 76th minute, who saw his stinging free-kick palmed away by Burke while at the other end, Al Meqbaali was kept on his toes, denying Luis Alberto from distance.Boulbina was denied his second after hitting the left post in the 79th minute with Al Duhail completing the emphatic win through Luis Alberto’s strike in stoppage time.

Al Shamal handed Umm Salal a 5-0 thrashing in the Qatar Stars League at the Al Khor Stadium Saturday to go second in the table behind leaders Al Gharafa.Their fifth win of the league took Al Shamal’s tally to 17 points to be second in the standings, ahead of Qatar SC on goal difference. Umm Salal with a sixth loss are in 11th with 6 points while Al Gharafa are at the top with 19 points.Umm Salal were also reduced to 10-man in the 88th minute when Diyab Haroon Taha was sent off for a foul against Baghdad Bounedjah.In what a forgettable day for them, Umm Salal also suffered from two goalkeeping errors at the start which saw Al Shamal go up with a 2-0 lead before they added three more to the scoreline. Al Shamal led 3-0 at half time.Alex Collado (11th & 54th minutes), Issoufou Dayo – Own Goal (18th minute), Badghdad Bounedjah (38th minute), and Moufak Awad (90th minute) contributed the goals.Umm Salal goalkeeper Jehad Mohammad Hudib had a horror when a powerful Collado kick went through his hands and legs. Seven minutes later, there was more trouble as Hudib failed to read a back pass from Dayo, getting beaten to his right as the ball rolled into the net. Bounedjah added a third scoring from in front of the goal off a fine assist from Collado.In the second half, Collado struck again from top of the box with his left-footer finding the left corner of the net. Just ahead of added time, a Bounedjah free kick was blocked by a leaping Hudib but Moufak Awad lunged forward to kick the ball in to complete a 5-0 rout. On a day when nothing seemed to go right for Umm Salal, a second half free kick also hit the right post before falling away in what was the only glimmer of hope.Ahli beat SailiyaEarlier at the Grand Hamad Stadium, Al Ahli scored a 2-1 win over Al Sailiya to move to 9th spot. Al Sailiya with 6 points are in tenth.Julian Draxler scored a brace (27th & 90 +1 minute - penalty) to bounce Al Ahli back to winning ways while Al Sailiya’s only goal was scored by Youssef Sinana (45 + 3 minute) via a penalty.Draxler’s made a stunning right-footed shot from the right side of the box to open the scoring, while Al Sailiya’s Sinana restored parity via a spot kick just before half time after Al Ahli’s Hilal Mohammed handled the ball in the danger area. With the match heading for a draw, Draxler, once again, made the difference as he scored from the spot at the stroke of regulation time to give The Brigadiers an important victory.

Al Wakrah struck late to edge Qatar SC 1-0 in the Qatar Stars League at the Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Stadium Friday.Both teams battled hard for a breakthrough and it was only in the 86th minute that substitute Raul Gomez managed to connect a corner kick with his outstretched leg to score for The Blue Wave.The goal left their fancied rivals a bit frustrated. In 90+3 minute, Qatar SC’s Serigne Fallou Diouf was sent off after a second yellow for a foul against Al Wakrah’s Hamdi Fathi.It was Qatar SC’s first loss of the league championship and saw them move a rung down from the top position with their tally remaining on 17 points while Al Wakrah moved to fourth with a total of 14 points after their fourth win.Al-Naimat, Olunga fire Arabi past ShahaniyaAt Al Thumama Stadium, Al Arabi secured their second straight victory after defeating Al Shahaniya 2-0.The ‘Dream Team’ dominated possession for most of the match but had to wait until the closing stages to make their superiority count. Jordanian striker Yazan al-Naimat broke the deadlock in the 84th minute, before Kenyan forward Michael Olunga doubled the lead just three minutes later to seal Arabi’s third win of the season.The result lifted Al Arabi to eighth place in the standings with 10 points, while Al Shahaniya remain bottom with four points, facing increasing danger of relegation. After being named player of the match, al-Naimat expressed his delight at contributing to the win. “I dedicate this victory to Al Arabi fans and hope for a bigger turnout in the coming matches,” he said. “The team has changed a lot under coach Cosmin Contra, who is doing an incredible job. I came in and did my duty — scoring a goal and providing an assist. I dedicate this award to all my teammates and to our fans.”In Saturday’s matches, Al Sailiya will face Al Ahli at 5.30pm at the Grand Hamad Stadium while Umm Salal meet Al Shamal at 7.30pm at Al Khor Stadium.

Al Sadd and Al Rayyan will renew their storied rivalry in the Qatar Clasico Thursday at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, headlining the ninth round of the Qatar Stars League.The two giants of Qatari football meet under contrasting circumstances — Al Sadd are desperate to end a worrying winless run, while Al Rayyan arrive brimming with confidence after climbing into the top four.The reigning champions Al Sadd have struggled to find their rhythm this season, going four games without victory, including a 3-1 defeat to Al Arabi in the previous round that left them languishing in seventh place with eight points. For Sergio Allegri’s men, a turnaround is imperative if they are to keep their title hopes alive.“It is clear that the match against Al Rayyan will be very evenly matched,” said Al Sadd coach Allegri Wednesday. “They are coming off a good win and will have high morale, but we are working hard to get the three points and move up the standings. The players are motivated — they know how important this match is for everyone at the club, especially the fans.”Al Rayyan, meanwhile, are enjoying a strong campaign under Portuguese coach Artur Jorge. A 2-0 victory over Al Wakrah in the last round lifted them to fourth place on 13 points, with Brazilian striker Roger Guedes leading the league scoring charts with seven goals.“The Al Sadd match will be a big one because it’s against the league champions and the best team in the league,” said Jorge. “We’ll play with the same approach — to win — and we’re confident of achieving victory. The management did a great job in the transfer window, and now we need to build a winning mentality. I promise the fans we’ll fight for every title.”Rayyan forward Rodrigo Moreno is also relishing the challenge. “It will be a big match against the league champions, and we must prepare in the best possible way,” he said. “We’re focused, and the coach is always pushing us to perform at our best to get the three points.”In another high-stakes showdown Thursday, Al Gharafa will take on Al Duhail at Thani Bin Jassim Stadium in a clash that could reshape the top of the standings. Al Gharafa sit second with 16 points after defeating Al Ahli 3-1 in the previous round, while Al Duhail are fifth with 11 points following a 2-0 victory over Al Shamal.Friday’s fixtures will feature league leaders Qatar SC, who face Al Wakrah at the Saud bin Abdulrahman Stadium. Qatar SC, under Spanish coach Marquez Lopez, lead the table with 17 points after edging Umm Salal 2-1 last week. Al Wakrah, who slipped to sixth with 11 points after losing to Al Rayyan, will be determined to bounce back and stay within reach of the leading pack.Also Friday, Al Arabi will look to build on their morale-boosting 3-1 win over Al Sadd when they meet Al Shahaniya at Al Thumama Stadium. The victory lifted Al Arabi to eighth place, while Al Shahaniya, rooted to the bottom with four points, are under pressure to respond following a narrow 1-0 loss to Al Sailiya.Saturday’s action sees Al Sailiya take on Al Ahli at Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium. Al Sailiya have surged off the bottom with back-to-back wins and now sit ninth with six points, while Al Ahli are second from bottom on goal difference after their defeat to Al Gharafa. At Al Khor Stadium, Umm Salal will meet Al Shamal in a crucial tie for both teams. Al Shamal dropped from first to third following their first loss of the campaign to Al Duhail, while Umm Salal, with just six points, are desperate to stop a run of two straight defeats.

The 2026 Diamond League season will begin in Doha on May 8 and finish at the two-day series final in Brussels on September 4-5. The world’s greatest athletes will return to the global stage next year as they embark on another continent-crossing Wanda Diamond League campaign in 2026.Following another record-breaking year in 2025, many of the sport’s biggest names will be hoping to make history once again as athletics’ premier one-day series returns for its 17th season. As in previous years, athletes will compete for points at 14 meetings as they bid to qualify for the series final in Brussels and a shot at the iconic Diamond Trophy.The 2026 Road to the Final will begin in Asia, with Doha hosting the season opener on May 8 before back-to-back Chinese meetings in Shanghai and Xiamen. The African leg of the series will take place in Rabat on May 31, before the first European meeting of the season in Rome the following week.After stops in Stockholm, Oslo and Paris, the world’s biggest stars will head to Eugene on the US west coast for a meeting which has seen five world records in the past three seasons alone. The series then returns to Europe for meetings in Monaco and London, before the Road to the Final enters the home straight in August.Lausanne, Silesia and Zurich will be the last stops before the world’s biggest stars assemble in Brussels for the Wanda Diamond League Final on September 4-5. With meetings on four different continents, the Diamond League is one of the most truly global series in world sport.In 2025, it welcomed 400,000 spectators to some of the planet’s most iconic arenas and was broadcast on television in 170 different countries. It also reached an online fanbase of five million social media followers worldwide, notching up more than one billion impressions and more than 900mn video views across all platforms.In 2026, that global reach will only grow as the sport’s biggest names return to Diamond League action. Swedish pole vault sensation Mondo Duplantis will be out to claim a sixth successive Diamond League title in 2026, as he looks to improve on his latest world record of 6.30m.US sprint star Noah Lyles became the most successful track athlete in Diamond League history with his sixth series title in 2025, and now has the chance to equal or even surpass the overall record of seven Diamond Trophies.For newly crowned world champions such as the USA’s Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Jamaica’s Oblique Seville, the 2026 Diamond League offers the chance to confirm their top-dog status in a season-long struggle for one of the sport’s biggest prizes. With no Olympic Games or World Championships, the Diamond Trophy will be one of the biggest global titles up for grabs in 2026.Schedule:May 8 – Doha; May 16 – Shanghai; May 23 – Xiamen; May 31 – Rabat; June 4 – Rome; June 7 – Stockholm; June 10 – Oslo; June 26 – Paris; July 4 – Eugene; July 10 – Monaco; July 18 – London; August 21 – Lausanne; August 23 – Silesia; August 27 – Zurich; September 4-5 – Final in Brussels

Arsenal stretched their Premier League lead to four points as Eberechi Eze’s goal beat his former club Crystal Palace 1-0, while Manchester City lost 1-0 at Aston Villa Sunday.Bournemouth are now the Gunners’ closest challengers in second after they beat Nottingham Forest 2-0, while Tottenham climbed to third after a 3-0 win at Everton.After Liverpool’s latest defeat to Brentford on Saturday, Arsenal enjoyed the perfect weekend as both their title rivals fell further behind as they go from strength to strength.Eze left the Eagles to join Arsenal in a £60 million ($80 million) deal in August and his first Premier League goal was decisive as Mikel Arteta’s men were again able to lean on their set-piece prowess and a solid defence.The England international blasted in on the volley after Palace failed to clear Declan Rice’s free-kick six minutes before half-time.Arsenal again failed to hit top gear going forward, but didn’t need to as they kept a 10th clean sheet in 13 games in all competitions this season.“The technique from Eze is unbelievable. We needed something special,” said Arteta.“We didn’t score a second goal and when you don’t do that you are in danger, but we restricted them to very little.”The only concern for Arteta was the sight of Rice and William Saliba having to be replaced in the second half due to injury.Arsenal now lead fifth-placed City by six points and have a seven-point cushion over Liverpool in seventh.City appeared to be emerging as Arsenal’s biggest obstacle in the title race after a nine-game unbeaten run. But Pep Guardiola’s men lost at Villa Park for the third consecutive season as Erling Haaland’s 12-game scoring streak came to an end.Matty Cash’s stunning strike from outside the box on 19 minutes secured a fourth consecutive league win for Villa as Unai Emery’s men climb to seventh.Haaland had a late goal ruled out for offside, but City’s lack of goal threat other than the Norwegian finally cost the visitors. No City player other than Haaland has scored in the Premier League for a month.“We were not aggressive enough,” said a disappointed Guardiola. Spurs captain Micky van de Ven scored twice as Tottenham inflicted Everton’s first defeat at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium.Pape Mate Sarr added a third late on to continue Tottenham’s strong start under Thomas Frank.Bournemouth climbed up to second as Forest’s struggles continued despite a change in management. Sean Dyche got his reign off to a winning start against Porto in the Europa League on Thursday, but Forest remain in the bottom three after they were convincingly beaten on the south coast.Marcus Tavernier opened the scoring for the Cherries directly from a corner as the swirling wind caught out Matz Sels. Eli Junior Kroupi then blasted in his fourth goal in six Premier League games to double Bournemouth’s lead.Wolves remain bottom of the table after Burnley edged a 3-2 thriller in stoppage time at Molineux thanks to Lyle Foster.Zian Flemming’s double put the visitors 2-0 up inside 30 minutes but Wolves hit back before half-time through Jorgen Strand Larsen and Marshall Munetsi.Foster’s late strike propelled the Clarets five points clear of the relegation zone and left Wolves now six points adrift of safety.

Joao Pedro scored a brace to give 10-man Qatar SC 2-1 win in the Qatar Stars League (QSL) match against Umm Salal to lift them to top spot Sunday.Qatar SC are now top of the table with 17 points, one more than second-placed Al Gharafa, while Al Shamal are at the third place with 14 points. Former champions Al Rayyan, who defeated Al Wakrah 2-0 Sunday for their fourth win of the season, are at the fourth place with 13 points.At the Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium, Pedro scored a penalty in the 51st minute before finding the net again in the 85th minute after Rami Suhail had given Umm Salal the lead in 45+3 minute.Qatar SC were reduced to 10 men as early as the 14th minute, with Ahmed Sayyar given the boot after a second successive booking for nasty fouls committed by him.With their one-man advantage, the pendulum began to swing in favour of Umm Salal, and they made their numerical strength count with Rami Suhail bagging the opener with a header from the centre of the box just before the half-time break. Qatar SC came back for the concluding half of the match, determined to fight to a standstill, irrespective of being a man down, and their resilience paid off in the 51st minute with Joao Pedro scoring a fantastic penalty goal to restore parity following a bad foul on Ali Saoudi by Umm Salal’s Naim Laidouni.Pedro emerged as the star of the night for his side when he scored his second of the night and the winning goal for The Kings with a right-footed shot from outside the box, which perfectly located the bottom left corner of Umm Salal’s goal to ensure the maximum points for his team.Al Sailiya 1 Al Shahania 0Al Sailiya clinched a crucial 1-0 win over Al Shahania in an absorbing match at the Al Khor Stadium Sunday. The only goal of the match was scored by Diogo Amaro, who deflected in a teammate’s header, in the 35th minute of the match.The win, Al Sailiya’s only second of the league, took their tally to six points. Al Shahania, who tried really hard in the second half to force a deadlock, were unsuccessful in finding a good finish. A Francesco Antonucci free-kick sailed just over the bar, while a Pelle van Amersfoort charge in dying moments was cut off by Al Sailiya goalkeeper Fahad Younis.It was Al Shahania’s fifth loss and pushed them into the 12th place with four points.

Bayer Leverkusen found some solace at home Sunday after a Champions League humbling by Paris Saint-Germain with a 2-0 win over Freiburg in the Bundesliga.Dismantled 7-2 by the European champions at the same venue five days ago, Leverkusen got back to winning ways thanks to strikes by Ernest Poku and Edmond Tapsoba either side of the break.The victory took the 2023-24 double winners to fourth spot in the table, two points clear of Stuttgart, who host lowly Mainz in Sunday's final match.Leverkusen midfielder Jonas Hofmann told DAZN his side "shook off the 7-2 defeat" to PSG with Sunday's victory.Leverkusen have now won four in a row in the Bundesliga as part of a seven-match domestic unbeaten run.Coach Kasper Hjulmand, who replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag two games into the league season, is yet to taste defeat in the Bundesliga.The loss was Freiburg's first in the league since August.These two sides played out a 2-2 draw in May but only three players who started for Leverkusen on Sunday were at the club last season.After 22 minutes, Spain midfielder Aleix Garcia played a clever one-two with Poku, who hit a low shot into the bottom right corner to give the hosts the lead.It was the eighth time in eight league games this season Leverkusen have scored first.The hosts doubled up seven minutes into the second half when Tapsoba muscled through the Freiburg defence to head in an Alejandro Grimaldo cross.With 15 minutes remaining, Freiburg were reduced to 10 men when Philipp Lienhart picked up a second yellow."I feel everything was decided even before the red card. It feels good," Hofmann added of Leverkusen's performance.

Al Gharafa went top of the table after defeating Al Ahli 3-1, while Al Arabi stunned defending champions Al Sadd 3-1 in the Qatar Stars League Saturday. Al Duhail, meanwhile, earned a crucial 2-0 win over Al Shamal, who slumped from top spot to third.At the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Al Sadd suffered a surprise defeat to Al Arabi, who came from behind to seal an impressive win. Akram Afif had given Al Sadd the lead in the 39th minute with a right-footed finish from the centre of the box after a clever through ball from Guilherme. However, Al Arabi responded swiftly through Michael Olunga, who headed home a fine cross from Rodri Sanchez just four minutes later.Misfortune struck Al Sadd moments before half-time when defender Ahmed Suhail inadvertently turned a Mohammed Khaled cross into his own net to hand Al Arabi the advantage. Matters worsened for the hosts when Paulo Otavio was sent off for violent conduct, leaving them a man short before the break.Al Arabi sealed the result late in the second half when Sanchez capitalised on a rebound after substitute Salem Reda’s shot struck the upright, firing home to make it 3-1. The win lifted Al Arabi to ninth place with seven points, while Al Sadd remained on eight points in seventh.Al Sadd goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham said that the match against Al Arabi was difficult and that the team is going through its toughest period. “The match was difficult, and the expulsion of Otavio affected us, especially since the players were feeling exhausted. We are going through a difficult period and it has been a while since we achieved any victory. We do not know exactly what the problem is. The fans support the team and we must return in better shape,” he said.Meanwhile, at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium, Al Duhail recorded a vital win over Al Shamal. Krzysztof Piatek opened the scoring in the 25th minute before Tahsin Jamshid doubled the lead in the 41st. Despite Benjamin Bourigeaud missing a penalty late on, the Red Knights held firm for their third win of the campaign, taking their tally to 11 points as they stayed fourth. Al Shamal, suffering their first defeat of the season, remained on 14 points and dropped to third.Al Duhail coach Djamel Belmadi praised his side’s display, saying: “We achieved an important victory against Al Shamal. This result reflects our teamwork and determination. The players gave a great effort tonight, and I thank them for their performance and commitment.”In the day’s other fixture, Al Gharafa climbed to the summit with a convincing win over Al Ahli at Al Thumama Stadium. Goals from Ferjani Sassi (47th minute), Seydou Sano (62nd minute) and an own goal by Amin Tihi (90th minute) helped Al Gharafa to victory, while Al Ahli’s lone goal was scored from the penalty spot by Julian Draxler in the 59th minute.The result took Al Gharafa to 16 points at the top of the standings. Qatar SC, who are in action Sunday against Umm Salal, can leapfrog Gharafa with a win.After an exciting but goalless first half, Sassi opened the scoring for Al Gharafa two minutes into the second half with a beautiful header from the centre of the box following a corner. The goal seemed to spur the hosts into action, and they responded 12 minutes later from the spot through Draxler following a foul on Michel Vlap by Sassi in the penalty area.The Cheetahs restored their lead through Sano three minutes later, who nodded home from an unmarked position following a corner kick by Yacine Brahimi. Al Ahli’s woes were further compounded at the stroke of regulation time when Tihi unwittingly turned the ball into his own net from a blocked shot to ensure a convincing win for Al Gharafa.

Arsenal's miserly defence has conceded three Premier League goals so far this season and manager Mikel Arteta hopes their fortress-like foundation can finally deliver the silverware that has eluded the North London club for so long.With David Raya in goal and the commanding centre-back partnership of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, clean sheets have become Arsenal's trademark in this campaign. Arsenal have conceded just three times in the league this season and have kept three successive clean sheets in the Champions League, meaning their defensive record after 12 matches is the best in the club's 138-year history. Jose Mourinho's Chelsea side of 20 years ago let in just 15 goals on their way to winning the league, which is a Premier League record.Their defensive solidity even extends to Europe where the formidable back line remain unbreached after three Champions League games and will be put to the test again when the Premier League leaders host Crystal Palace tomorrow."We hope that these records that we are getting a lot bring silverware at the end and the trophies that we want. But the more we can produce, the closer we are going to be able to achieve what we want to do," Arteta told reporters. "Our defensive record is very good but we need to be consistent. It's only the start of the season and our aim is to keep improving things, which we can do to keep getting better."The teams with the best defensive records, most of the time, apart from the last three seasons in the Premier League, you normally win the title. The stronger we are with the foundations, the more probability we have of winning."While Arsenal's defensive wall has frustrated opponents, it's their prowess from set pieces that has been rewriting the record books at the other end of the pitch. Arsenal have already plundered 10 goals from set plays in eight games, the earliest any side has reached double figures for set-piece goals in Premier League history.Arteta admitted he knew set pieces – including free-kicks and corners – would be essential to any success during his Arsenal reign. Crucially, Arteta was doing his coaching badges when he met Nicolas Jover, who would later become set-piece coach at Brentford before joining Arsenal in 2021. Jover has been instrumental in Arsenal's remarkable ability at set-pieces.Arteta credited the training ground obsession that has turned dead-ball situations into Arsenal's secret weapon. "First of all, creating the culture, giving to that part of the game the importance it has," he said. "Also, understanding that football is evolving and the way opponents are acting against us, we have to maximise certain things that happen very frequently. Something that happens very frequently has a lot of value to us, so we try to maximise that and be effective."Tomorrow's encounter carries extra significance after Palace held Arsenal to a damaging 2-2 draw in April, a result that effectively handed Liverpool the title initiative. "It's the fourth game in a row that we have played against an opponent that we dropped points against last year," Arteta said. "This season we've been able to beat them, so our focus is on continuing that."The match also gives attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze the chance to face his former club after the England international's 68mn move in August. Local boy Eze scored the winner for Palace in last season's FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley as the South London club won 1-0 to lift their first major trophy. "For Ebs (Eze) we know it is going to be a very special match with the history and what he did for Palace, but the focus is on the team," Arteta added.

Viktor Gyokeres says he is eager to respond to manager Mikel Arteta’s call to take his goal-scoring momentum into the Premier League, after Tuesday’s impressive performance against Atletico Madrid. Attacker Gyokeres ended a run of seven games without a goal by scoring twice in Arsenal’s 4-0 rout of Atletico in the Champions League at the Emirates Stadium.It took the 27-year-old’s tally for the Gunners to five goals following his £58mn ($77mn) transfer from Sporting Lisbon, where he scored 97 times in 102 appearances.Gunners boss Arteta challenged Gyokeres to keep the goals coming, with Arsenal back in domestic action against London rivals Crystal Palace at the Emirates on Sunday. “I’m more hungry now,” said Gyokeres. “You always want to contribute with work rate and other stuff, but when you score goals as well, it’s a bit special. So that’s something I always want to do.“The group we have and the spirit is something different and something very special. When you win games and you do these performances, it builds confidence in the team. The belief has to always be there, but of course this helps to boost it. We just want to keep going like this.”Manager Arteta said Gyokeres fully deserved the ovation he received from the Arsenal fans. “I think he deserved it because everything that we were seeing in terms of what he was bringing to the team and how much he was helping the team in many areas, apart from scoring goals in the last few weeks,” Arteta told reporters.“There was no debate about that. It was about keeping that belief in himself, that emotional state that he can enjoy and play freely. I look at his teammates as well, in the picture and the video, they are all so happy for him.”His opening goal was a messy affair as his weak shot dribbled into the net via a deflection while his second came from yet another Arsenal set piece with Gabriel heading a corner into the path of the Sweden international.“He makes us a much better team. I think we’ve become much more unpredictable. He’s so physical, the way he presses the ball, holds the ball, that’s phenomenal,” Arteta said. “He’s scored two very different ones today, and hopefully he starts to get some momentum and a good run of goals.”Arsenal have won their three games in Europe so far this season with as many clean sheets. They have conceded just three goals this term, away to champions Liverpool and Newcastle and at home to Manchester City, with just one of those coming from open play, in their first 12 fixtures.Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, who has posted five consecutive shutouts, said: “I give clean sheets the same credit as goals. If we’re keeping clean sheets, it’s going to make games easier to win. It’s really, really important for the whole team, not giving away that many chances and being very, very solid. The depth of the squad is incredible. We have a lot of players who can play in two, three or four positions. (Mikel) Merino came on as a striker (against Atletico), but he can play as a number six, eight, or as a number 10, and that is the variety that the boss has and he is using it to our advantage. It gives us an extra level in training and in games, because if you are not at it you can lose your spot and everybody is on board with that.”Premier League table-toppers Arsenal will head into this weekend’s round of fixtures with a three-point lead over second-placed Manchester City. Liverpool are a further point adrift.

Al Rayyan were held to a 1-1 draw by Oman’s Al Nahda in the second round of the Gulf Club Champions League at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Musacat Wednesday.The hosts took the lead through Cameroonian striker Olomo in the 55th minute, but Rodrigo Moreno restored parity for Al Rayyan ten minutes later with a fine header. Despite dominating the closing stages and missing a penalty opportunity, Al Rayyan had to settle for a point from their second outing of the tournament.Al Rayyan had won their opening match in emphatic fashion 5-0 against Yemen’s Al Tadamun Hadramaut.