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Goals from Hammam Al-Hammami and Firas Al-Buraikan give the hosts their fourth Arabian Gulf Cup trophy.

Saudi Arabia have ended a long wait for an Arabian Gulf Cup trophy with a 2-0 win over the United Arab Emirates amid a charged atmosphere at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.

The hosts held on to an early lead, thanks to goals from Hammam Al-Hammami and Firas Al-Buraikan, to lift the regional crown on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia set an early attacking pace in the game and were rewarded when Al-Hammami scored the opening goal in the 11th minute from the edge of the penalty area, setting off wild celebrations in the stands.

The home team’s dream start continued as, two minutes later, Al-Buraikan doubled the score with a close-range shot after a precise assist from Nasser Al-Dosari.

Saleh Abu Al-Shamat almost scored the third goal for Saudi Arabia in the 16th minute, but the ball was deflected off the goalpost after a one-on-one with UAE goalkeeper Khaled Issa.

The UAE’s first attack came in the 24th minute, when Nicolas Gimenez’s shot hit the post.

Six minutes before halftime, UAE’s Bruno thought he had won a penalty, only to be reversed by the video assistant referee.

Saudi Arabia’s head coach Georgios Donis credited his team’s discipline for the long-awaited home win.

“There were many difficulties, but the players showed focus and discipline and gave their best on the pitch,” he said after the match.

“I think we turned those difficulties into a title, and that’s important. We were the best team in this tournament. This title gives us confidence for the future, and we must continue to show the same qualities.”

Asian Cup boost

At the start of the second half, Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais saved a close-range shot from substitute Sultan Adel to maintain his impressive clean sheet in the tournament.

Despite Saudi Arabia’s wastefulness in front of goal, their coach was pleased with the team’s efforts.

“After the World Cup, we realised we made mistakes and went through bad moments, but we learned from that experience,” Donis said.

“We improved our level and developed our style of play. And I think they deserve this result. It reflects our hard work.”

Saudi Arabia have now won four Gulf Cup titles, with the last one clinched in 2004.

The Green Falcons exited the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the group stage but will look at their performance in the Gulf Cup as a foundation for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2027.

Saudi Arabia will host the continental tournament from January 7 to February 5, as it gears up to become the second Gulf country after Qatar to host the FIFA World Cup in 2034.

IT was the row that erupted all over TikTok a year ago – with insiders insisting there was no way back for Charly Anne and the Welsh 5.

But for the first time in more than a year, The Sun can reveal how Charly is attempting to make a ‘return’ to the social media stars for a very savvy reason – and the real reason she’s still secretly fuming with Becki Jones.

The Sun were the first to lay bare the feud between Charly and the other four members of the Welsh 5 – Cory, Lea, Kane and Ieuan – last year and told how it had even led to a devastating fallout between Charly and her own mother, Trudi Anne.

The rift originally began with a row over Charly’s relationship with girlfriend Emily Woodfin, with the other four members claiming she was controlling – an accusation which both Charly and Emily deny.

But bridges were left officially burned when Trudi sided against her own daughter by uploading a series of dance videos she made with Cory and Lea as well as Becki Jones, who also fell out with Charly amid the feud.

Now it seems that Charly may finally be having something of a change of heart – but is it all for the right reasons?

Sources close to Charly have told The Sun how the Welsh influencer is secretly considering publicly reuniting with her sworn enemies as part of a savvy business decision.

Our insider told us: “Things have all gone quiet on the Welsh 5 feud front in recent months.

“Everything exploded last year and it seemed there was zero chance of reconciliation when Charly’s own mother snubbed her in favour of the others.

“But amid the silence in the months that have followed it seems that some very interesting conversations have been going on.”

One of Charly’s pals has conceded that, since separating herself from the group, potential work opportunities have begun to slowly dry up.

Industry experts suggest that, for brands, the appeal of the Welsh 5 as a group is what drew them in – with Charly now no longer having a piece of that pie.

Our source told us: “Charly views her life as a business – like many influencers do.

“She was at the top of her game amid the Welsh 5 hype but things have certainly been slower since then.

“After the split, it is almost like she has ended up becoming the ‘problem child’ – and it has put people in the industry off wanting to work with her.

“For the first time, she has quietly been considering if now could be a good time to publicly reunite with her former pals but not necessarily because she wants to build relations but in order to continue building her career.

“Charly knows deep down that if everyone is seen to be on friendly and amicable terms, the interest in her could ramp up again.

“Her followers would have a field day if she started sharing content with Cory and Lea again!”

Moreover, Charly is still feeling annoyed that her greatest rival Becki is continuing to get bigger and bigger.

Her pals admit it is a sting every time she sees Becki’s success as she always felt she was destined for the same fate.

They told us: “Charly is determined to become as well-known as Becki – even all these months on.

“If a reunion with the Welsh 5 is what it takes – she thinks she’d be ready to do it.

“But, ultimately, this is all just private talks at the moment.

“It is very much speculative thoughts that Charly is having – no one knows if it is something she will actually go through with.

“Plus, the others in the Welsh 5 might also not be ready to make amends.

“The channels for a reunion are definitely there though. They still have the same team around them, it wouldn’t take much for a few strings to be pulled behind-the-scenes.

“It has all been a bit of a mess but for the first time it seems that the mess may be ready to come to an end.

“Only time will tell but it is certainly closer than ever to happening.”

The Sun has reached out to the Welsh 5 and Charly’s reps for comment.

A revamp of the points system for 2025 was welcomed by Evans; it also brought his tightest title race yet.

After second place to Ogier in the Monte Carlo curtain-raiser, the re-energised Welshman won in Sweden and Kenya – rallies the Frenchman sat out.

With a 36-point advantage, Evans had opened up the largest championship lead ever recorded after three rounds of a WRC campaign.

But he would not win again that season and though he never finished lower than sixth, Ogier gradually whittled away at his lead until it came down to just three points with one round to go.

That race was a brand new entry to the calendar, and there was uncertainty over what lay ahead at Rally Saudi Arabia.

The terrain proved brutal for all the drivers. Tyre problems galore saw the leaderboard shifting like the sand. It ended with Ogier in third and Evans in sixth.

The points-swing was seven. The Frenchman had won a record-equalling ninth WRC title by four points, and Evans had fallen just short for the fifth time in six years.

“We’ve done what we can, that’s it,” was his reaction.

“We’re competitors at the end of the day, we always want better, we always want more.”

Fans of dark crime dramas have a new thriller to look forward to, with a familiar face set to lead Sky’s latest big adaptation.

Fans of dark, gripping crime dramas have a new series to add to their watchlists.

David Oyelowo is set to lead the cast in Sky’s new series The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, alongside rising star Viola Prettejohn, who is known for playing young Princess Elizabeth in the sixth season of The Crown.

The eight-part Sky Original is adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s bestselling Millennium novels. It could be perfect for viewers who enjoyed shows such as The Fall and The Capture, with a dark mystery, complex characters and a dangerous investigation at its heart.

David, who is known for his roles in Selma and Interstellar will take on the role of investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist. Viola Prettejohn will play Lisbeth Salander, the brilliant but troubled hacker at the centre of Larsson’s story.

The story follows Blomkvist as he is hired by wealthy businessman Henrik Vanger to investigate the disappearance of his niece Harriet.

Harriet vanished more than 30 years earlier from the Vanger family’s isolated island home, but Henrik remains convinced that a member of his own family was responsible.

Blomkvist soon teams up with Salander, an exceptionally talented hacker with a complicated past and a fierce determination to uncover the truth.

Together, they begin to uncover secrets buried within the Vanger family, leading them towards a far more dangerous mystery than they initially expected.

The new adaptation will bring Larsson’s story into the modern day, exploring themes including power, misogyny, secrecy and technology.

The original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo novel was published in 2005 and went on to become an international bestseller. The Millennium books have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and have already been adapted for both Swedish and English-language audiences.

The first English-language film adaptation was released in 2011 and starred Daniel Craig as Blomkvist and Rooney Mara as Salander, with David Fincher directing.

The new Sky series will offer a fresh interpretation of the characters and story for a new audience and it comes from Left Bank Pictures, the production company behind The Crown and The Day of the Jackal.

Meghan Lyvers, Managing Director, Scripted Originals, Sky, said: “Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist are two of modern fiction’s most iconic and compelling characters, and we’re thrilled to have Viola and David bringing them to life for a new generation.”

She added: “Our brilliant writing team, Reinaldo Marcus Green’s bold vision and our fantastic partners at Left Bank Pictures are creating a series that honours everything audiences love about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, while taking its characters, mystery and themes into a world that feels unmistakably of the moment. We can’t wait for audiences to experience it.”

Filming is due to begin in Lithuania next month, with the series set to air on Sky and NOW in the UK and Ireland, as well as Sky platforms across Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo lands on Sky soon