Olympiacos club sent a message of support to its Moroccan international striker, Ayoub El Kaabi, after a serious injury he suffered on Saturday in the Greek Football League.
Al-Kaabi was injured as a result of contact with Volos goalkeeper, Marios Siabanis, amid initial indications that he had suffered a broken leg, according to press reports, although Olympiacos has not yet confirmed the nature of the injury or the extent of its seriousness.
Al-Kaabi (33 years old) left the field in the 45th minute + 3 minutes in the match that ended in a 1-1 draw in the third stage of the league.
Olympiacos issued a statement expressing its support for the Moroccan player, saying: “In this difficult moment, the entire Olympiacos family stands by you with all our hearts.”
He added: “You have inspired us many times with your strength, passion, and high spirit, and now it is our turn to return all this strength to you.”
The statement continued: “We will be with you every step of the way during your return journey until we see you again.” Stay strong to always get back to where you belong. get well soon".
Olympiacos has not yet announced any official medical update, which means that the extent of the injury and the expected duration of absence are still unclear.
The Moroccan international played 5 matches with the club in various competitions this season, during which he scored one goal and provided one assist.
German Alexander Zverev, ranked second in the world, reached the eighth final of the US Open, the last of the four major tennis tournaments, after defeating Chile's Alejandro Tabello 6-2, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 on Saturday. Polish Iga Szwiontek and American Coco Gauff also qualified for the same round for women.
On paper, Zverev, ranked first in the tournament in the absence of Italian Jannik Sinner, came out with a much better result in the third round compared to the previous two rounds, as he won the first two matches hard-fought in 5 sets. However, his third match was not easy either, even if he won in 3 sets; His performance was still far from reassuring.
“From the back line of the field it was clearly better,” the German said after the match. “I think I can play better (...), but I am happy with the direction things are going.”
Zverev presented an inconsistent performance, losing serve twice in the second set, and committing 32 direct errors throughout the match.
However, the Roland Garros champion is still in competition, awaiting his first big test in the second week against Italian Luciano Darderi (22).
In other matches, Argentine Francisco Cerundolo (25) eliminated American Taylor Fritz, number 10 and one of the most prominent candidates for the title, by defeating him 3 - 6, 4 - 6, 6 - 3, 6 - 4, 6 - 4.
Fritz reached at least the quarter-finals in the last three editions of the tournament in New York, and reached the final in 2024, where he lost to Italian Jannik Sinner.
The American struggled to reach his usual level, and was seen expressing his frustration in front of his team members on many occasions.
Fritz's performance, usually characterized by stability and precision, seemed out of rhythm this time; Many of his shots ended in the net or outside the baseline after long exchanges.
Cerundolo, who was recently crowned champion of the Queen's Tournament in London, confidently imposed his pace and built his points strongly, successfully exploiting the four corners of the court.
Cerundolo decided the match on his serve, and reached the quarter-finals in New York for the first time in his career.
The Argentine said after the match: “I was not at my best during the first two sets. After breaking serve in the third set, I gradually started to regain my level. In groups 4 and 5, I started to perform at the good level that I had not been able to reach until then.”
In the next round, Cerundolo will meet Belgian Alexander Blox. The 34th, who in turn achieved a surprise on Saturday after ousting Italian Flavio Copoli 6 with a score of 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-0, 6-3.
Argentine star Lionel Messi assisted both goals for Inter Miami in their 2-2 draw with Atlanta United on Saturday in the American Football League, in his first match since announcing his international retirement.
Thunderstorms and lightning delayed the start of the match by 90 minutes, but the excitement was strong on the field, and Messi, the all-time top scorer for the Argentine national team and its most international player, was the focus of events.
Inter Miami opened the scoring in the 32nd minute when Brazilian Casemiro rose to a corner ball executed by Messi and headed into the net.
Atalanta equalized three minutes later through Paraguayan striker Miguel Almiron with a powerful low shot.
Uruguayan Luis Soares, the former star of Liverpool, England, and Barcelona, Spain, restored Miami's lead with a perfect shot before the end of the first half, following an attack from the left side that began with a pass from Messi (45+1).
But Swiss striker Briel Embolo scored a penalty kick in the 87th minute to give his team an equalizing point.
Messi announced his international retirement on August 31, while his contract with Inter Miami extends until the end of the 2028 season.
In Toronto, Haitian substitute Derek Etienne scored a goal in the second minute of stoppage time in the second half, giving his team an exciting 4-4 draw against the Chicago Fire.
Joshua Sargent scored a hat-trick for Toronto, while Swiss Marine Haile Selassie scored two goals for Chicago, before an own goal and a goal from Poland's Robert Lewandowski in the 63rd minute contributed to the visitors' 4-3 lead.
The Philadelphia Union beat Montreal 2-0 thanks to goals from Haitian Danly Jean-Jacques (58) and Cavan Sullivan (16 years old) in the 75th minute.
This goal raised the teenager's tally to four goals and seven assists this season, making him the 16-year-old player who has contributed the most goals in a single season, surpassing the previous record of 10 contributions set by Freddy Adu in 2005.
In Orlando, Frenchman Antoine Griezmann gave the hosts a 1-0 victory over San Diego by scoring the only goal of the match in the 28th minute.
