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Arsenal moved a step closer to the Champions League last 16 with a 3-0 victory over Monaco on Wednesday thanks to Bukayo Saka’s double.

In the final minutes of Mikel Arteta’s side’s revamped league campaign, Saka scored twice in each half, and Kai Havertz scored in the other.

With only two games left, the Gunners have a shot at winning four of their six European games, which means automatic passage to the last 16.

Play-offs will be held to decide whether a club will advance if it finishes between ninth and 24th in the 36-team first phase.

The north Londoners can expect to avoid that unneeded obstacle with games against Dinamo Zagreb and Girona coming up in January.

Arsenal’s fifth win in their last six games in all competitions came after a harrowing 1-1 draw with Fulham last weekend at Fulham in the Premier League.

With Arsenal’s defensive injury crisis showing no signs of abating, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Takehiro Tomiyasu were all absent.

Thomas Partey, a Ghana midfielder, left the starting position at right-back despite missing training on Tuesday.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, 18, came in at left-back for just his second Arsenal start, with his other coming in the League Cup against third-tier Bolton.

Lewis-Skelly rose to the occasion with a composed performance, becoming the youngest player to start an Arsenal Champions League game since Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in 2011.

In contrast, Gabriel Jesus has gone 32 games without a goal for Arsenal and the Brazilian’s lack of confidence was clear in the hosts ‘ first dangerous attack.

Jesus should have hit the target after Gabriel Martinelli had picked him up, but he was unable to prevent Monaco goalkeeper Radoslaw Majecki with a tense shot that was only able to eluded.

Moments later, Jesus was unable to accurately time his run to Mikel Merino’s teasing cross.

Saka sparkles

With a long-range strike that fizzed just past the far post, Aleksandr Golovin almost nearly outshot Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.

When Jesus was forced to make a low shot too close to Majecki, a raking long pass sent him clean through.

The 27-year-old was having a torrid time and, teed up by Martinelli, again he couldn’t beat Majecki with a close-range effort that drew a fine save from the ‘ keeper.

Jesus’ clever movement, however, was at least making Monaco problems, and he was a key part in Arsenal’s 34th-minute opener.

Jesus ran in behind the Monaco defense and delivered a low cross that Saka could tap in for just his fourth goal in his previous six games with a superb pass.

Just before half-time, Martin Odegaard squandered a golden opportunity to give Arsenal the lead when he beat Soungoutou Magassa with a wide shot that Majecki could only beat.

Arsenal should have paid for their tardiness in the opening half, but Thilo Kehrer’s header fired wide from 10 yards.

After the break, Arteta’s men struggled to concentrate, and Takumi Minamino tested Raya before Breel Embolo fired inches wide following poor defending from William Saliba.

However, Arsenal won the game in the 78th minute and won the win.

When Havertz put the “keeper under pressure,” Majecki was unable to clear his lines quickly enough, allowing Saka to direct his close-range shot into the empty net.

With the 88th minute of Havertz turning in Saka’s shot, Arsenal had still time to gloss over the result.

Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup, according to FIFA, while Morocco, Spain, and Portugal will host the 2030 World Cup in a joint bid that includes matches in South America.

There is no question about the outcomes of neither bid having a rival, but a vote on the hosting rights for both tournaments will be held during a virtual FIFA Congress.

As for 2034, FIFA invoked its principle of rotating its flagship tournament between continents, only welcoming bids from Asia or Oceania — the 2026 World Cup, the first involving 48 teams, will take place across North America.

Controversially, the body gave potential bidders barely a month last year to submit candidacies, and Australia and Indonesia quickly abandoned their interest.

Saudi Arabia became the only candidate after Qatar hosted in 2022, opening the door for the Saudi-Arab region to host the World Cup again.

The kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been using sport for some time to amass influence and improve its global image — critics though say he is effectively “sportswashing” by diverting attention from Saudi Arabia’s rights record.

Saudi Arabia already hosts a number of well-known sporting events, including the WTA Finals tennis tournament, heavyweight boxing competitions, the LIV rival golf course, and Formula One Grand Prix.

Saudi will receive hosting rights in the 2034 World Cup, which will be a crowning moment given that the country currently only has two stadiums with a capacity of 40, 000 when 14 are required.

Beyond that logistical difficulty, the summertime highs in the northern hemisphere might cause the tournament to be postponed until later in the year, as did Qatar in 2022.

However, the fact that Ramadan will take place in December that year is an added complication.

Additionally, Saudi winning the World Cup will rekindle discussions around the human rights debate, just as they did two years ago.

Rights groups highlight the restrictions on women under the conservative country’s male guardianship system, allegations of torture, and mass executions in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, free expression is severely restricted.

Unprecedented bid

Uruguay will host the 2030 World Cup, which will be the first World Cup competition since Uruguay, along with Argentina and Paraguay.

That makes it a completely unprecedented bid, involving three different continental confederations.

All other potential candidates have fallen by the wayside, according to FIFA, which made it known more than a year ago that Morocco, Spain, and Portugal were the only contenders for 2030.

When South Korea, China, Japan, and North Korea suggested making a bid, their decision to focus on hosting Euro 2028 was abandoned.

In 2019, four South American nations made a joint bid, claiming that the continent where the XXX World Cup will take place should be the sole site of the centennial celebration.

In late 2022, UEFA promoted a bid uniting Spain and Portugal with war-torn Ukraine in a show of “solidarity” following the Russian invasion.

However, South America agreed to step aside in exchange for hosting three games, one for Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina, while Morocco joined forces with the Iberian neighbors last year, and Ukraine was quietly dropped from that candidacy.

Morocco plans a mega stadium

The six teams involved will have to cross the Atlantic Ocean to play the remainder of the tournament following these “centenary celebrations” in the comparative cold of the southern hemisphere winter.

The final of this tentacular tournament will take place on July 21, but it’s still unknown where that contest will take place.

Spain, which hosted the 1982 World Cup, is set to be the centrepiece as it boasts 11 of the 20 proposed stadiums.

Morocco will follow South Africa in 2010 as the second African country to host the event after it has tried and failed on five previous occasions to win the tournament.

The Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid and Barcelona’s Camp Nou, both of which are nearing the completion of a significant renovation project, as well as the planned Hassan II stadium, which will be “the biggest stadium in the world” with a capacity of 115, 000, are potential venues for the final.

Portugal, which hosted Euro 2004, will offer two stadiums in Lisbon and one in Porto, and hopes to stage a semi-final.

Following a comprehensive crackdown on corruption in the domestic game, China released two more former top football officials on Wednesday for bribery, according to court documents.

Liu Yi, who was secretary general of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), was handed an 11-year sentence and fined 3.6 million yuan ($497, 000) for taking bribes, a court in central Hubei province said.

Tan Hai, the former head of the CFA’s referees management office, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison and fined 200, 000 yuan by a separate court in the same province.

Both statements read, “The property he obtained will be turned over to the state treasury in accordance with the law,” respectively.

Another court on Tuesday said Qi Jun, the CFA’s ex-chief of strategic planning, was sentenced to seven years and slapped with a 600, 000 yuan penalty, also for bribery.

READ ALSO: South Korean Police Raid President’s Office

Since he came to power over a decade ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping has spearheaded an unwavering campaign against corruption.

The policy is said to promote clean governance, but opponents claim that Xi can purge political rivals using it as a tool as well.

At the end of 2022, anti-graft authorities began to focus on football as part of a comprehensive crackdown on the sport.

Chen Xuyuan, the former CFA chief, was sentenced to life in prison in March for accepting bribes.

Former Premier League player and national team coach Li Tie admitted guilt the same month.

Although Xi professes to be a fan of football and wants China to one day host and win the World Cup, the men’s national team has failed to do so.

China is currently ranked 90th in the world, one place ahead of Curacao, a tiny Caribbean island.

After Mohamed Salah fired a penalty from the spot in the opening half of the Champions League group match, Liverpool’s tight 1-0 victory at Girona on Tuesday almost secured their place in the last 16.

Under the guidance of Arne Slot, Liverpool have had a spectacular start to the season, winning six of their matches and moving five points clear of Inter Milan.

The English giants, six-time winners of the competition, were given a tough night by Champions League debutants Girona, who fell to a fifth defeat and are on the verge of elimination.

Top eight teams will be spared from additional round of play-off games.

“If you ask me about all six games, I’m really pleased with all the results… (but) I’m far from pleased about the performance tonight”, Slot told reporters.

“(We had) hardly any control at all over the game, maybe the second half was a bit better but then I’m trying to be positive”.

Alisson Becker, the Brazilian’s fit-again goalkeeper, returned from a two-month injury layoff, and he displayed no signs of rust on a busy night.

After a storm at the weekend caused their Merseyside derby against Everton to be postponed, Slot chose a new team and chose arguably his strongest team to ensure a top eight finish as soon as possible.

With the assistance of spritely duo Bryan Gil and Yaser Asprilla, newcomers Girona, who lost a number of important players over the summer and are still rebuilding, chose Arnaut Danjuma to lead the attack.

In the opening ten minutes, Girona stopper Paulo Gazzaniga curled a Joe Gomez header. Liverpool held the hosts to a goal in the closing seconds.

After that Michel Sanchez’s Girona found their footing on a chilly night at their sold-out Montilivi stadium, reduced to under 10, 000 capacity due to UEFA regulations, and they began to put Alisson to the test.

Alisson sharp on return

Former Tottenham winger Gil slipped as he ran through on Liverpool’s goal after being saved from Alejandro Frances.

Alisson also deflected a Miguel Gutierrez drive as Real Madrid’s spirit shined through in the season that ended Real Madrid’s title defense.

The players may have wanted to see how physically fit he actually was, so they gave him a lot of work, jokingly said Slot.

“Alisson has been so important for this club for so many years, and showed today he is one of the best, the best in my opinion, goalkeeper in the world”.

Darwin Nunez spurned Liverpool’s first big chance after Salah slipped him in, with Gazzaniga keeping out the Uruguayan striker’s low poke.

Former Bournemouth forward Danjuma ran Alisson another test in the opening half of the second half.

The Dutchman then cleverly dribbled over to give Liverpool’s defense the slip as Slot’s prediction that Girona were better than the standings suggested was proved to be accurate.

The Premier League leaders took the lead with a controversial penalty won by Luis Diaz despite their valiant efforts. However, the Liverpool juggernaut is proving difficult to stop.

Donny van de Beek challenged the Colombian winger, and the referee then directed the player to the spot, much to the home side’s dismay.

Gazzaniga equals with Filippo Inzaghi as the 10th-highest goalscorer of all time with his 50th Champions League goal when Salah sent him the wrong way.

Although the winger’s contract expires at the end of the season, his 16 goals in every competition contributed to Liverpool’s fantastic first half.

As their Champions League dream comes to an end, Girona were deflated after conceding and unable to make any further inroads as the wasteful Nunez was replaced by Cody Gakpo.

“They deserve so much more than the three points they have in this Champions League campaign,” said Slot, “and I almost feel sorry for them.”

Sanchez, the coach of Girona, thanked the Liverpool coach for the praise his team received and expressed his pride in the end of the game.

“I’m very proud of the players ‘ performance”, said Sanchez.

Uncertain whether Riyadh’s bid to host the World Cup 2034 will be resisted by a new Netflix series on Saudi football that features crowded stadiums and top-flight talent.

Just three weeks before the FIFA Congress is scheduled to formally approve Saudi Arabia as the sole candidate for the quadrennial event, the six-episode “Saudi Pro League: Kickoff” debuted.

The de facto ruler’s use of sport to increase its influence and strengthen the Gulf kingdom’s reputation will be remembered for the vote on Wednesday.

The Netflix series shows how the Saudi Pro League has been transformed by the addition of international stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Karim Benzema, all of whom receive a lot of screen time.

The program aims to highlight what one commentator calls “historic passion for football,” which were rival clubs that were established nearly a century ago and have existed almost exclusively since.

In one scene, 17-year-old Saudi Talal Haji, a forward for Ittihad, walks with a friend through the old city of Jeddah.

Wearing a thobe, the white robes donned by Saudi men, he reflects on how the country is changing.

He says, “I’m very proud of how my future looks,” and that he anticipates playing in the World Cup on his own soil ten years from now.

The series’ main point is that it kind of humanizes Saudi football, according to Georgetown University’s Danyel Reiche, a researcher who studies the link between politics and sport in the region.

“Because so far, I think people all over the globe, they were just thinking about dollar signs”.

READ ALSO: A World Cup On Three Continents Sparks Climate Concerns

‘ Mission to change perceptions’&nbsp,

Politics gets little air-time in the series.

Prince Mohammed appears only once, presenting a trophy to Neymar’s Al Hilal after their victory against Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in the King’s Cup tournament.

Ronaldo claims that his only passion is football and isn’t related to his travels in Saudi Arabia.

I’m not here to win any money, or say anything else. I am here to win”, he says.

But the foreign stars “are not just on a football mission”, Reiche said.

They are “on a general mission to normalize Saudi relations with other countries and alter the perceptions of the nation.”

Saudi Arabia has hosted world-class tennis tournaments, heavyweight boxing competitions, and Formula One competitions in addition to signing football legends for the Pro League.

Each event has drawn allegations of “sportswashing” -– or using sport to distract from human rights abuses, such as the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi or the jailing of dissidents.

Prince Mohammed has brushed aside these complaints, telling Fox News last year that he would “continue doing sportswashing” if it would grow the Saudi economy.

If the World Cup bid is approved, the criticism will probably continue.

The series is unlikely to pique the interest of seasoned Saudi Arabian critics who view the country’s actions through the lens of sportswashing, according to Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy researcher Kristian Coates Ulrichsen. “The series is probably going to appeal to a general audience who are curious as to why Saudi Arabia is attempting to host the World Cup,” said Ulrichsen.

Saudi government officials declined to comment on the series in response to AFP’s request.

The Saudi Pro League, however, claimed that it had given the players and clubs more access, but that Netflix had the entire editorial control over the series.

Ups and downs&nbsp,

Officials and managers who were on the show appear to be primarily concerned with assisting the Pro League through any difficulties.

Abdulrahman Ghareeb, a Saudi winger for Al Nassr who spends time on the bench once the newcomers start arriving, says that the influence of foreign players on the league has both positive and negative effects.

Crowd numbers are an issue, despite frequent shots of flag-waving fans filling Saudi stadiums.

Average attendance for the 2023-24 season was 8, 158, according to Transfermarkt, down from 9, 701 in 2022-23, when Ronaldo arrived.

Some of the top recruits have also found it difficult to switch to football in Saudi Arabia, where games are frequently played late at night due to the extreme heat.

Jordan Henderson, a former Liverpool player, left Al Ettifaq for Ajax after just six months, something the Netflix series notes but doesn’t explain.

Karim Benzema, who won the Ballon d’Or, had to wait before making his first appearance at Al-Ittihad, and Neymar was sidelined for almost a year due to a left knee injury.

Saudis have a chance to shine thanks to the unanticipated absence of some foreign players.

“I’ve made it my goal that any Saudi player can play ahead of a foreign star”, says Feras al-Brikan, a striker for Al-Ahli.

A Saudi player should be the team’s focal point, according to the statement. Why should they be foreign”?

Many involved in Saudi Arabia’s sports-heavy makeover realise it is a long-term project.

“In football, it’s not how it starts. It’s how it ends”, said Al Hilal’s Portuguese manager Jorge Jesus.

Nuri Sahin, coach of Borussia Dortmund, lamented how his side’s injury-hit side are putting an “almost intolerable” strain on players as they prepare to play against Barcelona in midweek.

Sahin announced centre-back Niklas Suele would miss “several months” with an ankle injury, the latest addition to Dortmund’s overcrowded sick bay.

“The strain is almost unbearable, especially for international players. I don’t know when they are supposed to have a break”, said Sahin.

The Champions League finalists from last year’s competition, Suele, are missing midfielders Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi, forward Maximilian Beier, and defender Waldemar Anton, both of whom have recently represented Germany.

READ ALSO: A World Cup On Three Continents Sparks Climate Concerns

Before becoming a coach, the 36-year-old said travel and the style of modern football were also factors. He previously played for Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Dortmund.

They travel from point A to point B, point B to point C, and point A to point B, point B to point C, he said, “and I’m giving them information about their next opponents.”

“On top of that, the game has changed completely in recent years… 10 to 15 years ago, the game was different, fewer sprints and a lot less running.

You must push yourself to the limit in every game these days.

Other players and coaches have criticized the fixture schedule, with some even suggesting that there should be an industrial action.

Players were considering striking earlier in the year, weeks before he suffered a season-ending ACL tear, according to Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri.

Sahin pointed out that many of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Bayern, Barcelona and Real” had a lot of injuries this year”.

” Neither Pep (Guardiola) nor Jurgen Klopp were able to change that after speaking at press conferences, so if Nuri Sahin says something, it’s very likely FIFA will not say ‘ we will change it’, “he added.

” But the workload is simply too high. “

Dortmund and Barcelona are level on 12 points, with the Spanish side sitting in third, one spot ahead of Wednesday’s hosts, on goal difference.