MENA Sports Wrap: Trophies galore across region as season nears end

Trophies were won across the region this week, including by leading football clubs Galatasaray, Al-Sadd and Shabab Al-Ahli. Iranian team Tractor SC made history by clinching their first-ever Persian Pro League title.

Qatar's handball team reigned supreme in the Arab Cup, defeating Bahrain to secure the title.

Region's top clubs sweep more trophies as season nears end

Several trophies were claimed over the past week across the region, as the 2024-2025 football season approaches its end.

Qatar’s Al-Sadd edged rivals Al-Duhail to claim their fourth Qatar Cup final following a nervy penalty shootout at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Saturday.

The two sides were held to a 2-2 draw following goals from Claudinho and Rafa Mujica for Al-Sadd. and Michael Olunga and Benjamin Bourigeaud for Al-Duhail, before the match went to penalties after a goalless added time.

Goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham was the hero of the night, producing two crucial saves in the shootout. Hassan Al-Haydos, Akram Afif, Mujica, and Claudinho converted their spot kicks for Al Sadd.

For Al Duhail, Almoez Ali, Edmilson Jr., and Bourigeaud found the net, but Michael Olunga and Karim Boudiaf were denied by Barsham – ultimately leading them to their win.

Al-Sadd coach Felix Sanchez said after his side’s victory: “We played a strong match against a strong team. We were behind twice and came back. I think we deserved the title."

Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al-Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, presented the trophy to Al-Sadd captain al-Haydos.

Saturday’s win marked Al-Sadd’s second trophy of the season, having won the 2024-2025 Qatar Stars League championship in April.

In the UAE, Shabab Al-Ahli club won the President’s Cup on Friday, after the Dubai-based side clinched a 2-1 win over Sharjah to lift the trophy.

Brazilian winger Yuri Cesar emerged as the hero for Shabab Al-Ahli after scoring both the equaliser and the winning goals in the 47th and 64th minutes.

The club went down 1-0 to rivals Sharjah, after Brazilian-born UAE international Marcus Meloni broke the deadlock.

Friday’s trophy caps off a successful season for Shabab Al-Ahli. The Dubai-based outfit have already added the UAE-Qatar Challenge Shield and Emaar Super Cup trophies to their cabinet, and have already emerged domestic champions with three matches remaining in the ADNOC Pro League.

Shabab Al-Ahli are now the President’s Cup’s most successful team with 11 titles, while Sharjah have 10.

Meanwhile, Istanbul club Galatasaray on Wednesday claimed their 19th Turkish Cup title on Wednesday, beating Trabzonspor at the Gaziantep Stadium with three goals to nil.

Turkey international Baris Alper Yilmaz fired the Istanbul side into an early lead with a goal in the fifth minute, finishing off a pass from Yunus Akgun.

But star player striker Victor Osimhen stole the show after he extended Galatasaray’s lead not once but twice, netting goals just after the break and in the 63rd minute, respectively.

Osimhen’s performance earned him a Player of the Match trophy and a new record for Turkish football.

The Nigerian international’s two goals against Trabzonspor brought his season tally to 35 goals in 39 matches– the most by a foreign player in a single Turkish top-flight season.

Galatasaray’s win also ended a five-year Turkish Cup drought for the Istanbul club, having won it last during the 2018-2019 season. They are currently leading the Super Lig table, and a win or draw against Kayserispor would guarantee them their 25th Turkish league title.

Qatar defeats Bahrain to win Arab handball championship title

This week, Qatar's national handball team was crowned champion of the 10th edition of the Arab Handball Championship, hosted by Kuwait, after defeating Bahrain in the final with a score of 25–22.

The Qatari team ended the first half ahead at 12–11 and extended their lead in the second half, securing a well-deserved three-goal victory. This marks Qatar’s first title in the history of the tournament.

Kuwait claimed third place with a 29–25 win over Egypt. In the first half, Kuwait’s players struggled to find their rhythm, allowing Egypt, who participated with a young squad, to finish the half level at 11–11. However, the Kuwaiti side returned to form in the second half, gradually pulling away to seal a deserved victory.

In the classification matches for fifth to ninth place, Tunisia defeated Morocco 35–32, while Saudi Arabia overcame Iraq 25–20. A total of nine Arab teams took part in the tournament, which were hosts Kuwait, along with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Tunisia, Morocco, the UAE, and Bahrain.

Iraq also recorded its first win of the tournament, marking a milestone for its team.

Egypt won the first two editions of the Arab Men’s Handball Championship in 1975 and 1977. Subsequent titles went to Kuwait in 1979 and 1988, Tunisia in 1986 and 1993, Saudi Arabia in 1998, Algeria in 2000, and Bahrain in 2002.

Tractor SC win Persian League title, make history for Iran's Azerbaijan region

Tractor SC, a team based in Iran's Azerbaijan region, has made history by winning its first-ever Persian Pro League title.

The team had already sealed their title win with two games to spare before Thursday's final round of Iranian league matches, where they comfortably beat Esteghlal Khuzestan 3-1.

Their win also means the Tabriz-based outfit will compete for next season's AFC Champions League for the first time ever, where the country is usually represented by football giants Persepolis. 

The title win is particularly meaningful as the country's largest minority, the Iranian Azerbaijanis, who have their first Iranian championship to celebrate.

The club started out 55 years ago, after it was founded by the Iran Tractor Manufacturing Company in a bid to set up  a team for its workers and residents in Tabriz.

Its fans are known for pushing back against the Iranian government's Persian-centrist rhetoric, often chanting songs representative of the Azerbaijani region.