Tag Futebol

England allrounder continues remarkable personal match with Derbyshire on ropes

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Jul-2025Derbyshire 189 and 98 for 4 need another 347 runs to beat Leicestershire 398 and 236 for 9 (Holland 90, Reece 5-64, Thomson 4-81)Leicestershire closed in on another victory with England all-rounder Rehan Ahmed again playing a starring role on day three of the Rothesay County Championship match against Derbyshire at Derby.Ahmed claimed 4 for 41 and 10 wickets in the Division Two match at the Central Co-op County Ground to leave the hosts on 98 for 4 at the close, still 347 runs away from a notional target of 446.Luis Reece celebrated career-best match figures of 11 for 120, taking 5 for 64, before Leicestershire declared on 236 for 9 with Ian Holland scoring 90 from 98 balls and Ben Green 45.Derbyshire chances were always slim at best on a used pitch and despite 41 from opener Caleb Jewell, they were sliding towards defeat when bad light halted play with seven overs still to bowl.Once Leicestershire decided not to enforce the follow-on, it was a question of how quickly they could get to the sort of lead that would put the game beyond Derbyshire.Reece had run through them on the second morning and he threatened to do the same again, removing both openers in his first three overs.Rishi Patel prodded a simple chance to short cover which gave Wayne Madsen his 100th first-class catch at Derby.Madsen held another one to remove Sol Budinger and after some typically flamboyant strokes, Ahmed pulled Reece to deep mid on.When Reece trapped Peter Handscomb lbw, there was still a chance Derbyshire could restrict Leicestershire to a target they had a realistic chance of chasing down but Holland dashed those slim hopes.Although Alex Thomson removed Lewis Hill, Liam Trevaskis and Louis Kimber before lunch, Holland was four short of 50 at the interval with the lead a daunting 345.Holland and Green took that past 400, adding 89 from 85 balls before Green was bowled by Reece who had now taken five wickets in both innings of a match for the first time.The declaration came when Holland drove a return catch to Thomson which left Derbyshire a highly improbable target on a challenging pitch.They made a decent start until Ahmed made his latest mark on the match, taking three wickets either side of tea.David Lloyd pulled a short ball to mid on and Harry Came edged a cut into the gloves of Handscomb in the last over of the afternoon.When Madsen went cheaply for the second time in the match, seeing a defensive shot spin back onto the stumps, his side was in trouble on 52 for 3.Jewell resisted for 110 balls before he was lbw playing back to Ahmed and Leicestershire will be confident of completing a sixth victory on the final day to take another step closer to promotion.

كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية ما جاء في تقرير حكم مباراة ريال مدريد وسيلتا فيجو في الدوري الاسباني، وما استند عليه لقيامه بطرد ثلاث لاعبين من جانب الفريق المضيف.

وكان سيلتا فيجو قد تغلب على ريال مدريد بثنائية نظيفة، بعد أن أكمل وصيف الليجا حالياً المباراة بتسعة لاعبين بعد طرد فران جارسيا وألفارو كاريراس، قبل طرد إندريك من دكة البدلاء.

وأفادت الصحفية “أرانشا رودريجيز” أن حكم مباراة ريال مدريد وسيلتا فيجو قام في الدقيقة 20 بطرد فران جارسيا لحصوله على البطاقة الصفراء الثانية.

بينما قام حكم مباراة الفريقين بطرد ألفارو كاريراس لاعب ريال مدريد في الدقيقة 90 بعد أن وجه كلمات له: “أنت سئ للغاية”.

أقرأ أيضاً.. تشابي ألونسو يهاجم حكم مباراة ريال مدريد وسيلتا فيجو: متساهل.. وقراراته أربكتنا

وفي الدقيقة 90 تم طرد إندريك فيليبي لاعب ريال مدريد لوقوفه من على مقاعد البدلاء ومغادرته المنطقة الفنية والصراخ على الحكم الرابع.

وبعد انتهاء المباراة، كتب الحكم في تقريره أنه في أثناء المرور في النفق المؤدي لغرفة الملابس، لاحظ عدم ارتداء داني كارفاخال ملابس التدريب حيث كان يرتدي ملابس عادية، فقد اقترب منه وقال: “هذا هو المستوى الذي تحكم به، ثم تبكي في المؤتمر الصحفي”.

MatériaMais Notícias

Atacante do Flamengo, Gabigol viaja nesta quarta-feira (5) à Suiça para participar presencialmente da audiência, que irá julgar de maneira definitiva a tentativa de fraude em exame antidoping por parte do jogador.

continua após a publicidade

➡️ Tudo sobre o Mengão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Flamengo

Na Europa, Gabigol estará acompanhado do gerente de saúde e alto rendimento do Rubro-Negro, Márcio Tannure, que estava presente na coleta de urina, em abril do ano passado, no Ninho do Urubu. O advogado Bichara Neto, representante do atleta, também estará presente para sustentar a defesa.

A audiência de julgamento, que acontece em Lausanne, na Suíça, está marcada para começar no início da tarde no horário local. A sentença será definida pelos mesmos três árbitros que concederam o efeito suspensivo a Gabigol anteriormente.

continua após a publicidade

No entanto, assim como ocorreu no efeito suspensivo, que permitiu ao atacante retornar aos gramados, o resultado do julgamento não deverá ser anunciado na sexta-feira (7). Sem data marcada para o anuncio da decisão, as partes serão notificadas pela secretaria do tribunal.

No julgamento da Corte Arbitral do Esporte (CAS), Gabigol tem duas opções: ser absolvido em definitivo das acusações ou cumprir a pena prevista pelo Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva Antidopagem (TJD-AD), que sentenciou o atacante a dois anos de suspensão.

continua após a publicidade

Vale lembrar que a punição começou a valer na data do exame, realizado no dia 8 de abril de 2023. Portanto, caso a pena seja mantida, Gabigol só poderá retornar aos gramados em abril de 2025.

Tudo sobre

FlamengoFutebol NacionalGabigol

Tony Meola reacted to Gio Reyna’s showing in the USMNT’s 2-1 win over Paraguay, praising his goal and chance created and noting his importance to the team despite lingering fitness questions. He said Reyna should be encouraged by the performance, which marked a strong return after a long spell away. The 22-year-old played 75 minutes on Saturday.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Reyna’s performance a positive step

  Meola noted that Reyna should feel encouraged by his recent display, which included both a goal and a chance created that led to Folarin Balogun's game-winner, marking a significant return to form after a lengthy absence from the national team. 

  “He should feel good about his performance, getting back to the national team,” Meola said on the podcast. “It’s a pressure moment for him. We talked about how this is the storyline for tonight. We can make up some of the other storylines, but Gio Reyna is the story.

  “He’s probably not even close to where he needs to be for his career with regards to fitness, minutes, and confidence, and all of that stuff. And we can only hope that his time at Gladbach continues to grow, and continues to get to a place where now he can go 90 minutes.”

Advertisement

• Pochettino views Reyna as an exceptional talent

  According to Meola, head coach Mauricio Pochettino regards Reyna as an exception in the USMNT roster, highlighting the unique skill set and creativity he brings to the team. This distinction underscores the coaching staff’s belief in Reyna’s potential to influence games decisively when fully integrated and fit.

  “Mauricio Pochettino has been steadfast on if you don’t play at your club, you’re not playing in the national team,” Meola explained. “And then you go make, what he calls an exception, he’s the exception. Every manager has one of those but then you gotta go and you gotta play well. Then you gotta go and you gotta perform. You gotta show the manager ‘Ok you got faith in me? I got to give you something in the end.’ He gets a goal and probably the assist [for the second], he’s involved in the play and has great touches in the first half."

• Getty
  

  USMNT’s performance elevated

  Meola has regularly argued that Reyna brings a rare creative profile to the U.S. pool – quick feet, tight-space vision, and the ability to unlock defences – and reiterated that view after the Paraguay game. His position is straightforward: the USMNT is a stronger team when Reyna is firing on all cylinders, but that upside is only useful if the player can combine fitness and form consistently.

  “I still think and I’ve said this all along, we’re a better team when he’s at his best version,” Meola said. “And whether he comes off the bench or whether he starts, he can make an impact for this team.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  What's next for the USMNT?

  The USMNT will face Uruguay next on Nov. 18.

Pakistan were hurt by dot balls while batting and in managing the fifth-bowling options while bowling

Danyal Rasool10-Aug-2025

West Indies overcame Pakistan’s spinners as well as the weather to power home by five wickets to level the ODI series 1-1. In a chase which ebbed and flowed, a blitz from Sherfane Rutherford and a controlled innings at the death by Roston Chase saw them home with ten balls to spare.Their task was made significantly harder than it might have been when Jayden Seales’ standout fast-bowling performance had restricted Pakistan to 171 for 7 in 37 overs. The target was slightly upwards (181 in 35 overs) of what was scored owing to multiple rain delays in the first innings.Pakistan were put in to bat first and played stodgy cricket inconsistent with the decade they were playing in. Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub found the occasional powerplay boundary but interspersed it with strings of dot deliveries; the first ten overs had just five singles taken. When Seales’ extra pace and Shai Hope’s canny field placement extracted an outside edge from Ayub in the ninth over, it was the ninth successive ball the left-hand batter had faced that had not produced a run.Mohammad Rizwan couldn’t make up for a slow start•AFP/Getty Images

Three balls later, Babar Azam was cleaned up by a Seales special that burst through the gate and made a mess of his stumps, and put West Indies firmly on top.It brought Mohammad Rizwan out, but he appeared to have left positivity behind in the dressing room – he scored just 4 off his first 23 deliveries. A shower that delayed play by 90 minutes did not help Pakistan find their rhythm. Jediah Blades took his maiden ODI wicket by drawing an edge from Shafique that ended his battle of an innings the over after play resumed.As run-scoring increasingly became a struggle, West Indies’ bowlers – spinners and seamers alike – kept making inroads. Gudakesh Motie trapped the Pakistan captain in front. Chase got a ball to keep low and produce an under edge off Hussain Talat’s bat to conclude his comparatively brighter innings. Salman Agha struggled to see any scoring area beside the little dab to deep third, and when Shamar Joseph surprised him with the straighter bouncer, a top edge sent him packing.Multiple rain breaks curtailed Pakistan’s innings•AFP/Getty Images

A further rain delay truncated the game to Pakistan’s benefit with the innings winding down, allowing Hasan Nawaz to go for broke in what became seven death overs. Cruelly for Pakistan, though, that stubborn cloud unloaded its contents upon the Brian Lara Stadium once more just as he had begun to get going. That little passage of play saw 32 scored in 3.1 overs, but Pakistan were denied a big finish with their final three overs wiped out.West Indies were set an entirely manageable target, though Hasan Ali’s opening salvo soon cast that expectation into jeopardy. Wickets in each of his first two overs sent the openers back, and the hosts found themselves stuck in the same mire that had dogged Pakistan. Rizwan, sensing an opportunity to strangle, brought the spinners on after six overs, with Mohammad Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed producing the desired results.The scoring rate briefly slowed to a trickle, particularly as far as Keacy Carty was concerned. His first 26 balls produced just three singles, piling the pressure on his captain at the other end. An intriguing plot point concerned Pakistan’s fifth bowling option; the one over Ayub had bowled leaked 10, and another from Salman shed another 11.Sherfane Rutherford took Shaheen Afridi down in the 17th over•AFP/Getty Images

With a newly arrived Rutherford at the crease and the asking rate over six, Rizwan made the fateful decision of turning to Shaheen Afridi, and the batter picked his moment. Two fours and a six saw him plunder 17 that over, and with Rizwan turning immediately to the part-timer Salman, another 20 were lopped off the target.It bought West Indies the cushion to see off the primary spinners Abrar and Mohammad Nawaz more respectfully, but the pair wasn’t content with containment. Nawaz found extra turn to have Hope stumped before, in what felt like a game-turning moment, he induced Rutherford into a smear that found square leg. It was part of an eight-over period that saw just 17 scored, but just as significantly, Pakistan had bowled out Nawaz.Chase slapped a couple of sixes the following Ayub over to wrench the asking rate below six once more, and it was there that it would stay for the rest of the game.The returning fast bowlers never packed the same threat, and West Indies began to milk them in addition to finding the odd boundary that took the game further out of the visitors’ reach. Justin Greaves had looked uncertain against the turn, but was impressively assured now, a wristy flick over mid-on for six off Hasan perhaps the shot of the innings. By now, the equation was purely mathematical, With Chase’s crisp drive through the off side sealing a topsy-turvy win on a day that promised each outcome at certain points, before settling on the one the Trinidad crowd had come to witness.

Manchester City cruise through to yet another Carabao Cup quarter-final.

On Wednesday night, despite actually falling behind early in South Wales, the Citizens ultimately swatted aside Swansea City 3-1, thanks to goals from Jérémy Doku, Omar Marmoush and then Rayan Cherki.

This is the 11th time in 19 seasons that the Citizens have reached the quarter-finals, hoisting the trophy aloft on six occasions since 2014, firm favourites to beat Brentford at home in the last eight just before Christmas.

As Manchester City, largely, motor on impressively this season, has Pep Guardiola found his new Lionel Messi, but it is not someone who caught the eye at the Swansea.com Stadium?

Rayan Cherki's importance

Having sat out eight matches due to a thigh issue, Rayan Cherki started for the first time since August on Wednesday night, putting in a sparkling, man of the match display, capped off by firing home the clinching third.

The table below documents just how impressive the Frenchman was in the EFL Cup.

Goals

1

1st

Assists

1

1st

Shots on target

1

1st

Shots off target

4

1st

Attempted dribbles

4

2nd

Accurate passes

74

3rd

Key passes

6

1st

Ground duels won

5

5th

Possession lost

31

1st

Touches

119

2nd

As the table highlights, Cherki was the outstanding player on the pitch in mid-week.

He ranked first for shots and second for attempted dribbles, behind only Jérémy Doku, while his tally of six key passes is off the scale; normally a player would not register that many in a month!

The Frenchman did lose possession on 31 occasions, almost twice as often as anyone else, which obviously isn’t ideal, but underlines that he is always trying to make something happen.

The 22-year-old arrived from Olympique Lyonnais for £34m too much excitement, given that Lyon teammate Ainsley Maitland-Niles labelled him “the best natural talent I’ve ever seen. An absolute master, a wizard with the ball”.

Upon his arrival in Manchester, Guardiola said that Cherki “is one of the most talented players I have ever seen in my career”, high praise from a manager who has coached Andrés Iniesta, Xavi, Thierry Henry, Franck Ribéry, Arjen Robben, Thiago Alcântara, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, oh and a certain Lionel Messi.

Despite their stylistic similarities, Cherki is not the new Messi in this Manchester City side, that acclaim goes to a rather more high-profile “monster”.

Guardiola's new Lionel Messi at Man City

By scoring twice against Nashville in Fort Lauderdale on Friday night in round one of the MLS Cup play-offs, Messi has taken his tally to 891 senior goals for club and country.

Of these, 672 were scored for Barcelona, with 211 coming during Pep Guardiola’s reign, most notably bagging 91 goals in just 69 appearances for club and country in 2012, featuring hat-tricks against Switzerland, Brazil, Bayer Leverkusen, Málaga twice, Valencia, Granada, Espanyol and Deportivo La Coruña.

This is surely a calendar year record that will never be beaten but, if there is one player who could come close, it is of course Erling Braut Håland.

Already this season, the Norwegian striker has scored 15 goals for Man City, which accounts for 65% of all goals they have managed across the Premier League and Champions League.

Former Bayern Munich striker Mario Gómez labelled Håland a “monster”, adding “I think every team on the planet has to fear” him, while Barney Ronay of the Guardian describes him as “the complete centre-forward” who is more than just a goal machine.

Nevertheless, right now, Håland’s goals are perhaps masking Manchester City’s issues, over-reliant on him to score in every game, but if you’re going to be over-reliant on someone, he isn’t a bad choice!

In 2025 so far, he has scored 43 goals for club and country, while his most productive year was 2023, netting 50 times overall, four more than he managed in 2022.

This merely underlines how mind-boggling it is that Messi reached 91 in 2012, but with Norway almost guaranteed to return to the World Cup next summer, their first appearance since France ’98, an injury-free Håland could trouble that record in 2026.

Back in 2010/11, when Guardiola’s Barcelona won La Liga and the Champions League, Messi scored 53 goals across all competitions, just one fewer than Barça’s next three highest scorers that season combined, namely David Villa, Pedro and Iniesta.

Well, considering Håland has 15 goals this season, while Man City’s second-highest scorers, namely Cherki and Doku, have just two goals, the Sky Blues are even more reliant on their superstar forward than Guardiola ever was in Catalonia.

Nevertheless, this is a recipe that has proved fruitful before, if Guardiola has the right ingredients of course, so Håland could well fire the Sky Blues to the game’s biggest trophies pretty much all by himself.

The Norwegian requires another 72 goals to become the highest scorer under Guardiola, a record held by Messi of course, but one that he could break in double quick time.

​​​​​​​

Not just Doku: Man City star who was "streets ahead" is now undroppable

Manchester City survived an early scare away at Swansea City to clinch a 3-1 victory in the EFL Cup.

ByKelan Sarson Oct 30, 2025

Toby Albert gives Hampshire the edge until formidable chase, with Dickson and Gregory key to finale

Alan Gardner13-Sep-2025

Somerset came out on top in a clash of the T20 Blast titans, pulling off the highest successful run-chase in the competition’s final to overcome Hampshire and claim a record-equalling third title under the Edgbaston lights. Will Smeed blazed 94 off 58 to get Somerset most of the way there, before Lewis Gregory obliterated the tension in the stands by hammering a four and two sixes in five balls to seal victory with an over to spare.Hampshire, whose total of 194 for 6 had been underpinned by 85 off 48 balls from young opener Toby Albert, seemed to be in control as the requirement for Somerset ticked beyond two runs per ball just past the halfway mark. But Scott Currie’s drop of Sean Dickson was to prove crucial, as a fourth-wicket partnership of 88 off 51 dragged the contest back Somerset’s way.Having been asked to bat, Albert and James Vince made up for the early of loss of Chris Lynn with a stand of 97 in 59 balls to put Hampshire in a formidable position. Albert, in particular, produced some audacious shot-making – including four reverse-hit boundaries in the space of six balls – as Somerset were asked to make the highest-ever score in the final of the competition.Their start was given the required fizz by Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who hit one enormous six over the roof of the Hollies Stand and out of the ground, and although Hampshire frequently seemed one good over from shutting the chase down, Smeed and then Dickson – the linchpin in Somerset’s 2023 Blast success – kept landing timely blows. With both teams making their 11th Finals Day appearances, it was always likely to be a tussle for the ages.Victory for Somerset ended the hoodoo for winners of the first semi-final, as they became the first team since Worcestershire in 2018 to lift the trophy after kicking their heels during the second game. It also marked a fifth consecutive triumph for the South Group – though that was confirmed earlier in the day by the exits of Lancashire and Northamptonshire.Toby Albert played some audacious reverse-ramps in his 85•Getty Images

TKC lands first blow, Baker hits backBatting second on a surface that was being used for the third time in the day meant Somerset knew they had to get a shuffle on. Smeed picked up boundaries in each of the first two overs – Sonny Baker also contributing with five wides from his first ball – and Kohler-Cadmore then took up the cudgels, hammering his fourth ball, a pull off Chris Wood, over the heads of those in the Hollies and out towards the River Rea.Scott Currie’s first delivery also flew all the way, as Kohler-Cadmore unleashed a scything uppercut over deep third. Baker returned, switching to the Pavilion End, only to be thrashed through the covers. But the Hampshire fast bowler showed why he is on England’s radar by splattering Kohler-Cadmore’s stumps with an 88mph yorker to end the opening stand at 46.Smeed carries the fightSmeed had ticked along to 18 off 15 but responded to the loss of Kohler-Cadmore by twice cracking James Fuller through point at the start of the sixth. Tom Abell departed for a duck in the same over, Somerset finishing the powerplay on 55 for 2, but James Rew picked off early boundaries as Smeed bedded into the middle overs.Currie’s return in the 10th saw the back of Rew, chopping on to his stumps, and Hampshire looked to squeeze through the nous of South Africa spinner Bjorn Fortuin. The required rate was approaching 12 an over, but Smeed kept Somerset in touch with back-to-back fours off Fortuin and then a thump off Howell. Then came the crucial drop of Dickson, with Smeed turning the screw in the following over by taking three more boundaries off Fortuin. That meant Somerset finished the 15th over on 136 for 3 – exactly the same score as Hampshire as the same stage of their innings.Sean Dickson played a key hand for Somerset•Getty Images

Finisher Dickson does it againWith 59 needed from 30 balls, Dickson produced his first flourish by ramping Baker over the keeper for his first boundary. Another driven four followed, and Smeed then crunched Currie into the Hollies to keep Somerset in touch. With dew becoming a factor, the 18th over was to prove decisive as Dickson – who is leaving Somerset for Glamorgan after not being offered a new contract – twice took Benny Howell for sixes, the first an outrageous reverse-swipe that sailed over deep third.Nineteen runs came off the over, leaving Somerset needing 18 from 12, and although Smeed picked out long-off to fall short of becoming the second man on the day to reach three figures, he walked off with the highest individual score in a final. The jig was up for Hampshire, and in came Gregory to ice the chase with a flurry of boundaries and spark a raucous rendition of “Somerset, la-la-la” in the stands.No Lynn-sanity this timeAfter his semi-final heroics, in which he became the first man to score a hundred on Finals Day, Lynn joked that he would be happy to keep batting, with just a 45-minute turnaround to the final: “Got the pads on, let’s go.” He got his wish, with Somerset opting to chase, and duly smoked his fourth ball back down the ground for his 12th six of the day; but he didn’t last much longer, chipping Craig Overton to cover in the third over.But where Lynn’s top-order colleagues had gone missing against Northants, here they stood up. Albert had got going with back-to-back drives for four, in the process overtaking D’Arcy Short at the Blast’s leading run-scorer for the season. After Vince chimed in with whipped sixes off Overton and Jake Ball, Albert signalled the Hampshire charge was well and truly on by taking Migael Pretorius’ only over of the night for 25 with a sequence of 4-6-6-4-4, only interrupted by a wide.Vince then launched Overton for his third six at the start of the sixth over, followed by consecutive fours – which meant eight legitimate deliveries in a row had disappeared to the rope. Even without the Lynn-sanity, Hampshire had piled up 83 for 1 at the end of the powerplay.Albert takes overWith the fielding restrictions relaxed, Hampshire opted for consolidation during the middle of the innings. Albert was the first to fifty, off 29 balls – his sixth of a breakthrough campaign – while Vince also reached the mark in the 12th over, from 32. Three balls later, the partnership was broken when Vince dragged Lewis Goldsworthy to deep midwicket, and Somerset then chipped out another when Ball’s brilliant return catch saw off James Fuller.Hampshire had only scored three boundaries between the start of the seventh over and the midway point of the 16th. Despite the slowdown, Albert decided it was time to jam the gearstick in reverse. Ben Green was twice reverse-swept off the stumps, despite bowling near-yorkers, over and past short third for back-to-back fours, and Albert then did the same to Ball when he went short, slapping another brace of boundaries to move into the 80s.Albert fell at the start of the next over, missing a swipe at Gregory’s change-up to see his off stump rattled. But Howell cleared the ropes twice in a useful cameo at No. 5, as Hampshire equalled Northamptonshire’s total of 194 for 2 (made from 18 overs) in the 2013 final. Somerset needed to set a new benchmark to claim their record-equalling third title. They duly obliged.

Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto decided to spend a portion of his Monday doing what he does best: pitching—the simulated version of him, anyway.

Yamamoto was crowned World Series MVP on Saturday night after his stellar October performances, from his historic complete game in Game 2 to his clutch close-out in the final key innings of Game 7. After winning baseball's biggest prize, the Japanese star prepared for the team's World Series parade on Monday while his teammate, Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki, had some fun with a Yamamoto simulator in batting practice.

In an Instagram Story shared by Sasaki, the Yamamoto simulator was seen pitching to Sasaki in a practice facility before Monday's championship parade. It seemed like there was some sort of contest going on, as what was presumably Sasaki's other Dodgers teammates could be heard egging on the Yamamoto machine.

"Strike him out! Strike out Roki!" one person said.

The Yamamoto simulator proceeded to do just that, and Sasaki took the loss in stride, captioning the video, "Yoshi is nasty."

Watch that funny moment below:

Yamamoto is just getting his Dodgers' career started, but after two title-winning seasons in L.A., he's already made his indelible mark in MLB history. Coming of this year's Fall Classic, the 27-year-old became the first player to win three games in a World Series since 2001, and just the fourth ever to record a win in Games 6 and 7 of the World Series.

Clearly, he's not finished yet, and neither is fellow Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani.

Pakistan’s nerves settled with the dismissal of Ryan Rickelton and Dewald Brevis, who threatened with a 73-run stand

Danyal Rasool15-Oct-2025Ultimately, reality had to bite. 276 has never been chased at the Gaddafi, and the prospect has become even more unlikely since Pakistan pivoted to rapidly deteriorating spin tracks. South Africa gamely hung around till deep into the middle session, but they had been cut too far adrift, and kept losing too many wickets. Shaheen Shah Afridi polished off the tail after Pakistan’s spinners made early inroads, sealing a 93-run win that breaks South Africa’s record 10-Test win streak.Pakistan’s nerves had been settled at lunch with the dismissal of the dangerous and the dogged – Ryan Rickelton and Dewald Brevis both falling to superb deliveries from Sajid Khan and Noman Ali. Senuran Muthuswamy was trapped in front shortly after the resumption, and for the next half hour both sides appeared to be going through the motions. Kyle Verreynne and Simon Harmer hung around without really making a charge towards the total, while Pakistan’s spin kept plugging away, but without the intensity before the break. Slowly, South Africa edged past Pakistan’s third innings total, the first time since Pakistan have prepared these tracks that the fourth innings has outscored the third.The reintroduction of Afridi broke the game open, though. Coming around the wicket, he found reverse with the ageing ball on the ageing surface, viciously dipping one back into Verreynne that struck him so square Afridi never turned around to confirm the umpire agreed with his assessment that ball was hitting the stumps.Numbers 10 and 11 were easy work for an amped up Afridi, who sensed an opportunity to pad his figures up in a game where his relevance to the side had hitherto been limited. Prenelan Subrayen and Kagiso Rabada had no answer for the swinging yorkers that rattled their stumps, sealing a win that had perhaps been secured when Pakistan ran up a large total in the first two sessions of the first day.Dewald Brevis and Ryan Rickelton gave South Africa hope•Getty ImagesA lively session of cricket had broken out in the morning in Lahore with Brevis taking the attack to Pakistan. The 22-year-old, playing just his third Test match, threatened to pull off the spectacular with a run-a-ball 54 but was unable to sustain such a breakneck tempo on a wearing subcontinent pitch. Noman took back the spotlight that South Africa have been trying to take away from him through the course of this entire game, bringing up his third Test-match 10-for and putting Pakistan on the road to victory. At lunch, they were four wickets off and had 139 runs with which to buy them.Nothing like this target of 277 has ever been chased before in a Test match in Lahore and that record seemed set to continue when the first four overs of Wednesday’s play yielded two wickets and just five runs. Afridi went through Tony de Zorzi’s defence with his third ball and the worry the visitors had about new batters struggling to find rhythm in these conditions came to pass. Tristan Stubbs only lasted eight balls before reverse sweeping Noman to Salman Agha at slip, who now has five catches in the match.South Africa’s overnight 51 for 2 had become 55 for 4 when Brevis walked in. He took a little time to get acclimatised and then, in the 34th over, he charged out to meet a half-volley from Noman and smacked it over mid-off. A slog sweep for six and a heave over midwicket for four followed, giving the young batter all the confidence he needed to trust in his attacking instincts. The battle between Brevis and Pakistan peaked when he hit a no-look six over long-on to bring up his half-century.Noman had been the recipient of most of Brevis’ punishment, but the canny left-arm spinner knew all he needed was one ball in the right area. That came in the seventh over before lunch when a ball fired into the pitch gripped well enough to turn right past the defending batter and clatter into the stumps. Brevis fell for 54 off 54 with six of South Africa’s 10 fours and all of their two sixes in the final innings.That was Noman’s 10th wicket of the match. Sajid, his spin-bowling partner, chipped in with one as well when he dismissed the other set batter, Ryan Rickelton, for 45 off 145 deliveries as Pakistan went to the break consolidating the upper hand they’ve had since the first day’s play.South Africa spent the best part of four days trying to claw back that advantage, and while they took Pakistan the distance, it was a task which proved just a bridge too far, even for the world champions.

The summer of 2023 was a landmark period for Arsenal. It signalled the arrival of a certain Declan Rice no less.

The midfielder arrived in a club-record £105m move. The Gunners had beaten Manchester City to his services, thus securing the talents of one of England’s finest players of his generation.

Since he moved across London from West Ham to Islington, there has still been a feeling that Arsenal have missed a player of the calibre of a certain Granit Xhaka.

Over the last year, in particular, Rice has eradicated memories of the Swiss warrior but their Arsenal stories are woven together.

The year Rice arrived, Xhaka left and in perhaps peculiar circumstances. The veteran had just enjoyed the finest individual campaign of his time at the Emirates Stadium, scoring nine goals in all competitions.

No longer was he the defensive midfielder that a great Arsene Wenger once signed. He was now a goalscoring number 8.

After departing, Xhaka enjoyed a fabulous time under Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen, where he won the Bundesliga but he’s now back in England and proving to be one of the signings of the summer.

How Xhaka inspired Sunderland to a draw with Arsenal

Over the last few years the newly promoted teams have been swept aside without so much as a noise. To put it frankly, they’ve been terrible.

However, Sunderland are bucking that trend. Ahead of Sunday’s fixtures in the Premier League, they sat fourth in the table and a large reason for that has been the performances of Xhaka.

The Switzerland midfielder signed for the Mackems in a £17m deal back in the summer and was swiftly made club captain. His displays since then have been admirable.

Sky Sports analyst and Sunderland supporter Dougie Critchley went as far as to say he is the “best player” he’s ever seen in the famous red and white strips after his goal against Everton last week.

While Xhaka did not find the net against Arsenal on Saturday, it was another fine display from Sunderland’s tempo-setting midfielder.

Xhaka is a warrior, a leader of men and he demonstrated that by completing 90% of his passes, winning four of his five ground duels and completing seven clearances this weekend.

Xhaka vs Arsenal

Minutes played

90

Touches

57

Accurate passes

35/39 (90%)

Key passes

0

Shots

0

Fouled

1x

Tackles won

2

Interceptions

1

Clearances

7

Recoveries

1

Ground duels won

4/5

Aerial duels won

1/1

Stats via Sofascore.

Dan Ballard and Brian Brobbey made the headlines but Xhaka issued Arsenal a timely reminder of his qualities.

Up against Rice and Martin Zubimendi, Arsenal’s midfield pairing exudes similar qualities but they aren’t the only men in Mikel Arteta’s ranks who bring a Xhaka-like presence to the squad.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Expand Collapse Arsenal's Granit Xhaka of 2025

The date is 28th October 2019. Unai Emery has chosen to substitute club captain, Xhaka. The response from Arsenal supporters inside the Emirates Stadium was remarkable.

He was booed and jeered as he left the field, which sparked an eyebrow-raising reaction from the Swiss. He cupped his ear, asked for more and then chucked the captain’s armband on the floor.

It was not a surprise to see that he was stripped of the captaincy just ten days later.

Speaking about the incident back in 2023, Xhaka labelled the situation as a “nightmare”. “The passports were out. I was done with Arsenal”, he said.

He ultimately stayed and enjoyed a remarkable change in fortunes under Arteta. The Spaniard turned him into a more forward-thinking midfield and after a hellish first few years in London, enjoyed a fabulous 2022/23 season, in particular.

That was the year Xhaka scored nine times and provided seven assists in all competitions.

The 33-year-old was still a vocal presence on the pitch and while he didn’t possess the armband, he still felt like a captain on the pitch. In the present day, the same could be said of defender Gabriel Magalhaes.

While the Brazilian hasn’t fallen out with supporters since moving from Lille in a £27m move, their Arsenal careers certainly have parallels.

Gabriel headed to London as an exciting talent but he was still incredibly raw. He showcased that during his first few years in English football.

The centre-back was rash and truth be told, a bit error-prone. Rio Ferdinand was particularly scathing of the defender back in 2022.

It was an incident that led to a DM exchange between Gabriel and Ferdinand and since that moment, he has gone from strength to strength.

Like Xhaka in his early days at Arsenal, the big Brazil international was a bit of an accident waiting to happen but they both enjoyed remarkable comebacks.

In the words of Jamie Carragher, Gabriel is now “the most influential player in the Premier League” this season and is in with a real shout of winning the PFA Player of the Year award if the Gunners win the league.

The defender has been a colossal presence in the heart of Arteta’s backline, a true “monster” as per pundit Troy Deeney. He’s a giant at the back, composed with the ball at his feet and has made a rather ridiculous impact from set-pieces.

So far this season, Gabriel has scored two goals and supplied three assists. Since joining in 2020, no centre-back in Europe’s top five leagues has scored more goals than him (22).

Like Xhaka, he’s also now one of the strongest commanders of men in the squad. He’s captained Arsenal on several occasions now and to quote Carragher once more, he is “the leader” in Arteta’s backline.

A midfielder he may not be, but he is certainly like Xhaka in plenty of ways. From being riddled with mistakes to becoming a cult hero at the Emirates, the parallels are certainly there.