The Los Angeles Dodgers failed in their attempt to sweep the New York Yankees in the World Series, losing Game 4 on Tuesday night, 11-4.
Freddie Freeman, however, was able to make some cool history when he became the first player in history to hit a home run in six straight World Series games.
The lefty's historic blast came in the first inning when belted a 2-1 pitch over the wall in right to give the Dodgers a quick 2-0 lead.
Later in the game, Freeman heard it from a Yankees fan during the Stand Up for Cancer moment when mics picked up someone in the crowd yelling, "You suck, Freeman!"
Freeman, as the stats and history clearly show, doesn't suck. Not even close.
Mikel Arteta has revisited memories of Son Heung-min's miss for Tottenham Hotspur against Manchester City in May 2024 to explain the fine "margins" that determine the title race, with Arsenal looking to end a 22-year wait for the Premier League crown. The second of three successive seasons in which the Gunners finished as runners-up saw them nearly come top.
The miss that changed everything
In May 2024, Tottenham were facing Pep Guardiola’s relentless Manchester City, and Arsenal’s title hopes hinged on their rivals – if Spurs at least drew, the Gunners would go into the final day of that season top of the table. With City leading 1-0 in the dying minutes, Son raced clear on goal, one-on-one with substitute goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, who had replaced Ederson. A goal would’ve made it 1-1 and surely kept Arsenal in first place, but Ortega stood tall, made himself big, and parried the effort away. City went on to win the match 2-0 and the Premier League title on the next matchday by just two points. Arsenal's hopes were dashed and after that painful miss, Son admitted to the profound emotional toll it took on him.
"I’m also human," Son told the later in an interview. "But I take the responsibility not to score that big chance for the team, because the team was working really hard and trying to get a good result."
That miss from Son reshaped the landscape of English football in ways no one could’ve imagined. Tottenham were licking their wounds from missing out on the top four, but later embarked on a remarkable run through Europe and went on to win the Europa League, ending a 17-year trophy drought. Aston Villa, who finished fourth thanks to City’s win, secured Champions League football for the first time since 1983. But for Arsenal and Arteta, it was nothing short of agony.
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Arteta talks about 'margins' that determine a title race
As Arsenal once again find themselves top of the table, four points clear of second-placed Bournemouth, Arteta reflected on that defining night when asked if this could finally be the season they go all the way.
"At the end, you learn that the margins at the end to achieve it or not are multiple," he said. "So it can be that an opposition player is one against one against the keeper, he scores that goal, you are champion. The other keeper saves it you are not champion. It can be other injuries, it can be other decisions, it can be a mistake of mine, it can be that many factors that we cannot control that outcome or we can control it while we can do the best. That's it."
Arteta learnt through heartbreak that perfection isn’t always rewarded. However, this season, the Gunners have been in fine form and look perfectly in control of their destiny, at least for now. But he refuses to get carried away.
"So it's a lot of factors that have a lot of factors that have to go your way. You can do a lot of great things, and still a lot of things have to go your way, and the injuries and the players that you have to play, and they have to be there, and the personal lives have to be perfect because if not, it can unbalance," he went on a rant. "It's so many things guys, and it's still so so long, and we've seen already the turnaround in the league and going to the Champions League is the same. All the leagues are the same. We are not really in a specific context at the moment, and let's focus day by day."
Arteta vows to keep away all distractions
Arsenal have come close to being crowned champions but have always fallen short in the last lap. When Arteta was asked, when does the title race start for him, he fired back: "In pre-season. So, for me it's the first day in pre-season just trying to prepare the team and individuals in the best possible way and go with them back in because this is it's going to be so long.
"We have to focus on the journey and what we have to do every single day. Fixing the outcome, of course, we want to win it, and the preparation is towards that. Great. And now we have set all the protocols, processes, ambitions, everything and now you have to focus on what you have to do. If not, you get distracted with the rest, and I don't want any of that in and around the team."
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Will Arsenal's 22-year-wait finally end in 2026?
It’s been more than two decades since Arsenal’s Invincibles stormed to an unbeaten league title under Arsene Wenger. Since then, the north London giants have endured countless false dawns, near-misses, and seasons that promised so much but fell apart under pressure. However, there is a renewed belief in the squad as they appear determined to right those wrongs and finally bring back the Premier League trophy to the Emirates.
Mohamed Salah stormed down the tunnel shortly after hearing the final whistle in Liverpool’s Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt, with the Egyptian superstar being accused of throwing a “strop” after being named on the bench. Salah was only introduced 74 minutes into a contest that saw the Reds snap their losing run with an emphatic 5-1 victory on German soil.
Liverpool return to winning ways in Champions League
Questions had been asked heading into that game of whether Salah, despite all that he has achieved at Anfield down the years, should be considered a guaranteed starter. On the back of signing a contract extension, the 33-year-old has endured a slow start to the 2025-26 campaign.
He has just three goals to his name, with the last of those coming in a European victory over Atletico Madrid on September 17. A lacklustre performance was put in as Premier League title holders Liverpool suffered a 2-1 defeat to arch-rivals Manchester United. Arne Slot had some big selection calls to make against Eintracht.
One of those saw him name Salah among the substitutes, having also benched his talismanic No.11 for a 1-0 loss at Galatasaray. Slot opted to go with Hugo Ekitike on the right of his attack, with record signing Alexander Isak leading the line as a central striker. Ekitike scored against the club that he severed ties with in the summer transfer window.
AdvertisementGettySalah strop: Why Egyptian superstar was left frustrated
Salah eventually replaced Ekitike in the 74th minute. He managed three shots, with two of those on target, but was unable to hit the net or provide an assist – with criticism coming his way after opting not to tee up Florian Wirtz for what would have been a glorious opportunity for the German playmaker to open his competitive Liverpool goal account late on.
Salah cut a frustrated figure at the end of the game, despite Liverpool recovering from going a goal down to snap their sequence of four successive defeats. Daily Mail reporter Lewis Steele said on X, before deleting said post: “Mo Salah straight down the tunnel at FT. Loads and loads of positives to take from tonight for Liverpool but he looked in a strop.”
Why did Liverpool bench Salah? Slot explains
Salah did find time to clap Liverpool fans in the away end before making his way off the field. He was, however, clearly disappointed with his night’s work. Slot had told prior to kick off when asked why he had left Salah out and if that was a tough decision to make: “The first answer is always yes. But that is also to do with Mo and all the players I have. Every time I select a team, it's always difficult because I have so many good players. That's also the reason why I use these players.
“I liked the way we ended the game against United. Mainly the second half. Created a lot of chances. And Ryan [Gravenberch] is out, so that means we have to restructure our midfield a little bit as well – defensively and offensively. So all together with the way Frankfurt usually plays, we decided to start like this. But as always, I have players who start the game and I have players who can impact the game off the bench and that is (the case) today as well.”
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Getty Images SportLiverpool fixtures: Will Salah start against Brentford?
Reds legend Jamie Carragher, who is among those to have suggested that Salah can no longer expect to start every game, told of the ‘Egyptian King’ being rotated: “It remains to be seen on the game, but I just think when Mo Salah isn't being 'the legendary Mo Salah', he gets treated like one of the other players which is right.
“And you don't forget his age as well. He's 33 years of age, Liverpool will have three games in six days. So at the moment, if he's not at his absolute best, he shouldn't play six games in three days because there's other options there as well. We know Liverpool have spent a lot of money. Liverpool have got a big game as well on Saturday, so great decision, Arne.”
Liverpool will take in a Premier League trip to Brentford on Saturday. They will then face Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup fourth round next Wednesday. A testing run before the next international break will also see them play host to Aston Villa and Real Madrid before going to Manchester City on November 9.
Matheesha Pathirana was one of Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) great success stories in 2023, when he picked up 19 wickets in 12 games with an economy rate of 8.01. A hamstring injury curtailed his participation in 2024. In IPL 2025, it’s been nine wickets in eight games, a high economy rate of 10.40, and an average of 33.11.Part of the reason for the lack of success, kind of mirroring the season CSK have had, is a changed action.”I think it’s been pretty well documented that there was a bit of [an] action change,” Eric Simons, CSK bowling consultant, said after CSK lost to Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Wednesday to be eliminated from the playoffs race. “But I think he’s pretty much back to where he was, just in terms of the height of his arm on a reasonably consistent basis.”Related
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Stephen Fleming, CSK’s head coach, had seemed to suggest after CSK’s previous match, against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), that the action change had become evident in South Africa during the SA20 earlier this year and that Sri Lanka Cricket were possibly responsible for it.”Pathirana, in South Africa, he was way off. And yes, there was an issue with his action and that might be a question for Sri Lanka Cricket,” Fleming had said in a press conference. “But we’ll certainly look to try and get him back into form and get him back to what we think is his best action and his best opportunity at performing well.”He’s not far away. He’s made a massive improvement in the two months since South Africa. And we just hope he keeps making that improvement part of his evolution; he is going to try things, and be asked to try things, and he’ll settle at some point on an action that will give him the best results.”Pathirana’s worst day in office was against Mumbai Indians (MI) on April 20 at the Wankhede Stadium, when he came on to bowl the 14th over, conceded 14 runs chiefly to Rohit Sharma, and then got tonked for three sixes by Suryakumar Yadav in his next over, finishing with 1.4-0-34-0.2:10
Is CSK losing five times at home IPL’s biggest shocker?
“I’m not sure that he is less accurate. I think batsmen are playing him a lot better. We can certainly see a trend the way batsmen are playing against him. Particularly against Mumbai the other day, the technique they are using, they understand what his plans are [and] what he does,” Simons said. “So the evolution might just be: what’s next for him? Tactically, what he needs to do to keep evolving. Batsmen need to keep evolving. Bowlers need to keep evolving.”Again, tonight, his channels were quite good. His lines were quite good, obviously he got his lengths… you prefer a fuller length. But the batsmen are treating him differently this year. So it’s about the evolution of him, but if you check his accuracy, it’s not a reflection of the runs that were scored [off him].”He picked up the wickets of Nehal Wadhera and Shreyas Iyer against PBKS, but gave away 45 runs in his four overs.”It’s a feel thing for him,” Simons said, “much more than the conversation around his technique. We feel he’s pretty much back there.”
Burnley have joined other English clubs in eyeing a move for a free agent who has scored at Turf Moor already.
Parker wants more flexibility from Burnley
The Clarets face a daunting task when they return from the international break this weekend, hosting Premier League champions Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
It promises to be a stern test for Burnley, and speaking ahead of the game, manager Scott Parker has discussed the need for his side to be more “flexible” in their approach.
“I think it’s just trying to be practical in certain moments, what the game demands of you, what you have in your squad, what that demands of you, really. So, of course, I’d love to…like we all would, you’d love to be sitting here playing a certain way of football and free-flowing, scoring loads of goals, defending and stuff like that. But at times, as a coach, you need to be flexible.
“You need to understand the dynamics of what you have and certainly the competition you’re going up against and how best to try and get results. And that’s fundamentally what I did last year, to be honest with you. Of course, it was a different competition and it was flipped in terms of we had extra bits of quality in certain moments.”
Now, Burnley have been linked with a move for a former Liverpool player as they look to provide the boss with more high level experience.
Burnley eyeing Premier League champion Oxlade-Chamberlain
According to a fresh claim from The Boot Room‘s Graeme Bailey, Burnley are “on alert” regarding a potential move for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on a free transfer. The 32-year-old is no longer a Besiktas player, having brought an end to his time in Turkey, and a return to England could now be on the cards soon. Everton, Leeds United, Brentford and Rangers are among the clubs credited with interest, too.
Oxlade-Chamberlain could be a shrewd addition for Burnley, bringing in a Champions League and Premier League winner who has proven himself at the highest level for much of his career, whether it be for Liverpool, Arsenal or England.
His versatility could be a real asset for Parker, with the Englishman able to shine in deeper or attacking midfield roles, as well as out wide, and if the move doesn’t work, the fact that it is a free transfer takes away the risk element.
At 32, Oxlade-Chamberlain isn’t getting any younger, but he still has plenty to offer if he can stay fit under the right manager, with Jurgen Klopp describing him as “super” in the past.
Champions League (Liverpool)
2019
Premier League (Liverpool)
2020
Club World Cup (Liverpool)
2019
FA Cup (Liverpool)
2022
FA Cup (Arsenal)
2017
FA Cup (Arsenal)
2015
FA Cup (Arsenal)
2014
EFL Cup (Liverpool)
2022
UEFA Super Cup (Liverpool)
2019
Turkish Cup (Besiktas)
2024
He will surely be hungry to prove himself back in England, and should Burnley pip some bigger clubs to his signature, it could be a real coup for them.
With less than 10 days remaining in the summer transfer window, Celtic are now finally “expected” to sign a long-term target following a latest meeting.
Rodgers "very pleased" with Livingston thrashing
After a 0-0 draw against Kairat in midweek to plant doubt in their Champions League qualification, Celtic were back to their clinical best against Livingston. Goals from Benjamin Nygren, who has enjoyed an excellent start to life in Scotland, and Johnny Kenny from the bench were enough to seal a comfortable 3-0 victory for the Bhoys, much to Brendan Rodgers’ delight.
The aim will now be to take that performance into their Champions League play-off tie against Kairat as they look to make up for last week’s frustrating draw at Celtic Park.
New signing Nygren is likely to play a large part in the result on Tuesday, just as he did against Livingston. The talented winger has got off to an electric start in a Celtic shirt, scoring three goals in five games for the Scottish Premiership champions.
His form proves just how well Celtic’s recruitment can go as the transfer window approaches the deadline, and they potentially look to repeat their genius to welcome further reinforcements.
To that end, whilst names such as Jamie Vardy have been mentioned in recent weeks, it looks as though Celtic’s next signing could finally see a long-term target arrive.
Celtic now "expected" to sign Balikwisha
According to Sacha Tavolieri, Celtic are now “expected” to sign Michel-Ange Balikwisha, who has “decided” to join after a last meeting with the talented winger finally resulted in a breakthrough. The 24-year-old has reportedly reached an agreement in principle over personal terms and the deal is now “expected” to be completed in the coming days.
Of course, Celtic fans have been here before with Balikwisha. Just one year ago, he looked destined to arrive in Scotland before the most untimely injury prevented his move from Royal Antwerp.
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With no injuries recorded this time around, however, it seems as though they’re finally set to get their man. Given the praise of U23 scout Antonio Mango, who described the winger as “direct” and “intelligent”, it’s clear that Balikwisha will at least prove to be worth the wait for Celtic.
On life after the World Cup, she says without further explanation, “I’ve got some thoughts in the back of my mind about what it looks like for me moving forward”
Alex Malcolm01-Feb-2025
Alyssa Healy featured only as a batter in the MCG Test•AFP/Getty Images
Alyssa Healy has confirmed she will miss the upcoming Women’s Premier League (WPL) due to the stress injury in her right foot and was coy about her future in international cricket beyond the ODI World Cup in India in October.Healy, who turns 35 in March, missed the T20I portion of the women’s Ashes and was touch and go for the MCG Test. She ended up passing a fitness test to play. But Australia had to completely reconfigure their team to accommodate her not wicketkeeping and batting in the middle order.Beth Mooney took the gloves while Healy moved to the middle order, with Georgia Voll picked to open on debut and Tahlia McGrath selected to bat at No. 8 ahead of three specialist bowlers. McGrath ended up batting at No. 7 because Ellyse Perry corked her hip in the field.Related
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Healy declares herself fit but not locked in
Healy got through the match, scoring 34 with the bat and fielding without issue, but confirmed post-match that she would not play in the WPL for UP Warriorz and would also miss Australia’s three-match T20I series against New Zealand that starts just two days after the WPL final in March.The Australia women’s team do not have any international cricket scheduled after that until an ODI series in India in September that runs straight into the World Cup.”Unfortunately for me, I’ve got a couple of months with [my] feet up, so I’m pretty bummed by that,” Healy said. “But at the same time [I am] elated to have a little bit of downtime and try and get my body right. It’s been a really frustrating probably 18 months for me.”You get yourself right back playing and something else goes wrong. So [I am] just going to have a look at a couple of things and how I can be better, maybe a bit more disciplined in some areas, and make sure I’m right to go in particular for that ODI World Cup. It’s going to be a huge load coming off not a lot of cricket for a lot of the girls in the winter. So just managing things to get right for that. But I’m looking forward to sticking my feet in an ice bucket for a bit.”Healy: “It’s been a really frustrating, probably 18 months for me”•ICC/Getty Images
Healy has had a wretched run with injuries over the past five months. She ruptured her plantar fascia in her foot at the T20 World Cup in October last year which saw her miss Australia’s final group match and the semi-final against South Africa. That injury, she believes, has played a part in this stress reaction.In between, she suffered a knee injury in the early stages of the WBBL that saw her miss the remainder of the season and the ODI series against India. She played the December ODI series in New Zealand as a specialist batter before being fit to keep in the first three ODIs of the Ashes.Healy was asked about her future beyond the ODI World Cup later this year, but she did not reveal her plans.”I’ve got some thoughts in the back of my mind about what it looks like for me moving forward,” she said. “But I think most importantly for me, when I took on this role I wanted to get us to that ODI World Cup, and get us into a place where we wanted to be in a really great place as a group, playing some really good cricket, and obviously to hold that trophy at the end of it.”That was what I said in my four-point PowerPoint plan to present my case as to why I could be captain.”But I think for me, what I’ve kind of really enjoyed over the last sort of 18 months, two years of doing the job, is what we’ve been able to achieve and probably how the group has come along such a long way. I think for me personally to have played a little bit of a role in that, in helping drive that has been really cool. So we’ll wait and see what the future looks like.”
Fair to say, it’s been a pretty miserable summer for Newcastle United supporters so far.
Let’s start with the positives; they have signed Anthony Elanga and Aaron Ramsdale, with the latter saving a penalty during Friday night’s pre-season friendly against Espanyol at St James’ Park.
One man who remains conspicuous by his absence is, of course, Alexander Isak, yet to feature at all during pre-season, as he pushes for a move to Liverpool.
Thus, as Eddie Howe’s team brace themselves for life without the superstar Swede, have they identified their ideal replacement?
Newcastle's search for a new striker
As has been widely reported by David Ornstein of The Athletic and many others, Newcastle found themselves in a head-to-head battle with Manchester United for striker Benjamin Šeško, with the Slovenian choosing to go to Old Trafford instead.
He is simply the latest in a long line of players Newcastle have been rather publicly and ignominiously turned down by during this window, including strikers Hugo Ekitiké, Liam Delap and João Pedro, to name but a few, so have they turned their attention to a new target?
Benjamin Sesko 2024-25 stats (timeless)
Well, according to Graeme Bailey of TBR Football, Newcastle United have been offered the chance to sign Samu Aghehowa from Porto.
Adam Crafton and Ornstein of The Athletic add that the Magpies are ‘considering’ making a move for the 21-year-old, who is reportedly valued at around £65m by the 30-time Portuguese champions.
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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
So, could the Spaniard soon swap the Estádio do Dragão for Tyneside?
What Samu Aghehowa would bring to Newcastle
First and foremost, to avoid confusion, worth stating up front that, up until November last year, he was known as Omorodion, but requested to go by Aghehowa henceforth, his maternal surname, in honour of his mother.
On the pitch too, he’s had an interesting start to his burgeoning career.
Samu Omorodion for Alaves
On the opening day of the 2023/24 La Liga season, then a teenager, he marked his senior debut with a goal for Granada against Atlético Madrid during a 3-1 defeat at the Metropolitano.
Well, los Colchoneros were so impressed that they signed the unknown youngster just a few days later, paying his €6m (around £5.1m) buyout clause, although he would never actually play for Atleti.
He was immediately loaned out to Deportivo Alavés, scoring eight La Liga goals for los Blanquiazules, including netting home and away against Barcelona, which certainly caught the attention of clubs around Europe.
Sesko vs Hojlund
On the back of this, Chelsea agreed to pay £34m to secure his signature last summer, but the deal collapsed at the 11th hour due to ‘major problems… finalising’ the striker’s contract, supposedly relating to image rights.
Instead, he joined Porto for a reported fee of £12.7m, where he has taken his game to a new level.
In the last 12 months, the 21-year-old has become a full Spain international, debuting against Switzerland in Tenerife last November, before also coming off the bench during June’s Nations League semi-final victory over France.
Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout was certainly impressed by his performances in Portugal, labelling Aghehowa a “monster”, praising his “pace, physicality and aerial ability”.
FC Porto's SamuOmorodioncelebrates scoring their first goal
Meantime, Elias Burke and Gillian Kasirye of the Athletic document how he is the ‘prototype’ of a modern-day centre-forward, given that the Spaniard is ‘tall, quick, and physically imposing’, noting that he also possesses ‘exceptional pace’ and ‘excellent off-ball positioning’ in the penalty area.
Nevertheless, the question still remains; would he be a better signing than Šeško? Let’s compare the duo to find out.
Samu Aghehowa vs Benjamin Šeško 2024/25 comparison
Statistics
Aghehowa
Šeško
Appearances
45
45
Minutes
3,400
3,258
Goals
27
21
Assists
3
6
Goals – xG
+6.6
+2.8
Shots on target %
41.2%
47.5%
Shots per 90
2.83
2.92
Big chances missed
25
18
Big chances created
7
7
Shot-creating actions
64
58
% of touches in penalty area
20.4%
10.4%
Average SofaScore rating
6.99
6.92
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt, FBref.com and SofaScore
As the table documents, in a near-identical number of minutes, the pair’s statistics are remarkably similar across the board.
The Spaniard scored more goals and overperformed his expected goals by an impressive amount, while the fact he takes over 20% of his touches inside the opposition’s penalty area underlines his poachers’ instincts.
Worth noting that Aghehowa was playing at a slightly lower level; according to Global Football Rankings, the Primeira Liga is the seventh-strongest league in the world, four places below the Bundesliga.
Also, Porto were, and still are, stuck in the Europa League, while RB Leipzig competed in last season’s Champions League, albeit the Spaniard did score six times in nine European appearances, also netting twice during the Club World Cup back in June.
RB Leipzig's BenjaminSesko
Thus, with Šeško snubbing a possible move to Tyneside, Aghehowa appears to be the next-best option on the market, so it would be smart for Newcastle to turn their attention to the Spain international.
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Rabada finished with a six-for to deny Mehidy a century before South Africa’s batters made short work of the 106 chase
Firdose Moonda24-Oct-2024South Africa 308 (Verreynne 114, Mulder 54, Taijul 5-122) and 106 for 3 (De Zorzi 41, Stubbs 30*, Taijul 3-43) beat Bangladesh 106 (Mulder 3-22, Rabada 3-26, Maharaj 3-34) and 307 (Mehidy 97, Jaker 58, Rabada 6-46) by 7 wicketsSouth Africa have moved up to fourth place on the World Test Championship table after a seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in Mirpur. They chased a target of 106 in 22 overs to seal victory before lunch on the fourth day after Kagiso Rabada finished the match with nine wickets.This was their first Test win in the subcontinent in 15 matches, dating back a decade to when they beat Sri Lanka in Galle in 2014.Aggression and intent was the tone of final exchanges South Africa hit 15 fours and two sixes, and ticked along at a shave under five runs an over. They lost three of their top four in pursuit but the batters were largely comfortable on unfamiliar surfaces and new No. 3, Tristan Stubbs, who was unbeaten on 30, impressed with his ability to adapt.Related
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Markram hopes Mirpur win will end South Africa's Asia hoodoo
With a small total to defend, Bangladesh opened the bowling with their sole seamer Hasan Mahmud and their most successful bowler of the first innings, left-arm spinner Taijul Islam. His first ball was a full toss, which Aiden Markram slashed through extra cover and the take down of Taijul had begun. Three balls later, Markram drove Taijul through the covers and in his next over, Tony de Zorzi took two boundaries off him.Hasan was more threatening upfront and drew an edge from de Zorzi, which fell short of second slip and Taijul thought he had a breakthrough when he had Markram given out lbw in the eighth over, on 13. Markram missed a sweep and was hit on the pad but reviewed straight away and replays showed he had under edged the ball.South Africa were undeterred by the incident and de Zorzi finished the over by sweeping Taijul past square leg for four more. The opening pair put on 42 inside 10 overs before Taijul finally had some success. He bowled Markram through the gate, with South Africa still 65 runs away.De Zorzi and Stubbs shared a stand of 29 in 32 balls and had settled well but de Zorzi became a little too ambitious. He advanced on Taijul to try and hit him out of the ground but dragged the ball to Hasan at long-on. Again, there was no slow-down. Stubbs took 10 runs off the rest of the over.David Bedingham was done by a good delivery from Taijul that turned away and took the edge and was dismissed with victory nine runs away. Taijul finished with match figures of 8 for 165, after a first-innings five-for.Earlier, South Africa needed just 4.5 overs to bowl Bangladesh out and keep their target to just over 100 after the hosts’ lower-middle order forced the match into a fourth day. Bangladesh’s lead grew to 81 on the third evening when they faced the second new ball for five overs as South Africa were forced to use spinners in fading light. That changed on the fourth morning. The second new ball was available and taken and it had an almost immediate impact.Rabada opened proceedings and his third ball seamed in to Nayeem Hasan and struck him on the front pad. Nayeem’s wicket gave Rabada a 15th Test five-for to cap off a memorable game in which he also took his 300th wicket.Mehidy moved into the 90s with a boundary off Wiaan Mulder but was tested by Rabada, who teased the outside edge and induced an aerial flick that was dropped by Tony de Zorzi. Bangladesh’s 300 came up when Taijul Islam hit Mulder through gully but his fun didn’t last long. Two balls later, he feathered one to second slip to leave Mehidy with the last batter.He was in a rush to get to his hundred and was on 97 when tried to ramp Rabada, but the length was not quite right and he steered the ball to slip instead. Rabada finished with 6 for 46. Bangladesh had added 24 runs to their overnight score and even if they felt they had something to bowl at, South Africa soon showed that was not enough.South Africa have played Tests in Bangladesh just twice in the last 16 years and both matches of their 2015 series were washed out. The last time they won a Test in the country was in 2008, when they won both matches by an innings. The second match in this series starts next Tuesday in Chattogram. Thereafter, South Africa have four home Tests, two each against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. If they win at least four of their remaining five matches, they will be in with a good chance of getting to the WTC final.
تحدث رئيس نادي برشلونة الإسباني، خوان لابورتا، عن حفل الكرة الذهبية “بالون دور” وترشيح عدة لاعبين من فريقه للجائزة المرموقة.
وسلط لابورتا الضوء على أهمية حضور الحفل، وتأتي تصريحاته في الوقت الذي يقاطع فيه غريمه ريال مدريد حفل الكرة الذهبية منذ العام الماضي، تشكيكًا في نزاهة اختيار الفائز لعدم فوز فينيسيوس جونيور وتتويج رودري بها.
وصرّح خوان لابورتا لدى وصوله إلى باريس لحضور الحفل، في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية: “ما أريده هو فوز لاعب من برشلونة، شرف لي أن أكون هنا، التواجد هنا هو احترام لكرة القدم، وللكرة الذهبية، وللمرشحين”.
وواصل لابورتا: “حضور الحفل مصدر فخر لنا، إنه أحد أهم الأحداث في عالم كرة القدم، ما أريده هو فوز لاعب من برشلونة، لدينا مرشحين لجائزة كوبا، وأفضل لاعب، والكرة الذهبية، وأفضل حارس مرمى”.
وأفاد: “ولدينا أيضًا المدرب هانز فليك، الذي تكرم بالحضور، تعلمون أن فليك مجتهد، لكنه يعلم أن النادي يجب أن يكون ممثلًا تمثيلًا جيدًا، بالنسبة لي، هو أفضل مدرب في العالم”.
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وعن إمكانية فوز لاعبه لامين يامال بالجائزة هذا العام، علّق: “في العام الماضي، حدثت مفاجأة (فوز رودري) ونحن جميعًا ننتظر بفارغ الصبر فوز أحد مرشحينا، لن يكون الأمر مفاجئًا بالنسبة لي؛ أعتقد أن لاعبينا أفضل”.
وواصل لابورتا: “ترشيح اللاعبين أمرٌ رائعٌ بالفعل، إن القدرة على منافسة الأفضل مصدر فخر، ولكنه أيضًا حافزٌ لمواصلة العمل وإظهار طريقتنا في التعبير عن الرياضة وكرة القدم للعالم”.
وأشار: “بالنسبة لبرشلونة، الأمر يتعلق أيضًا بالقيم، إن ترشيح أيتانا، وأليكسيا (فريق النساء)، ولامين، ورافينيا، وبيدري، وليفاندوفسكي لبرشلونة هو مصدر فخر، نحن نعمل لتحقيق النجاح الجماعي، والذي بدوره يجلب النجاح الفردي، وهم يستحقونه”.
وشدد: “أرى لامين يامال لاعبًا رائعًا؛ إنه مليء بالحماس المُكبوت، مثل زملائه في الفريق، يُعجبني أسلوبه في التعامل مع هذه الأحداث، يُعاني من ألم في الفخذ، ويقول إنه قد يكون جاهزًا لمباراة ريال مدريد… لكنني أراه مُتحمسًا”.