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They used to rule Galle Tests. This one, against Bangladesh, is going against them

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Jun-2025If you watched Sri Lanka play Tests in Galle through the 2010s, you can probably close your eyes and still see him. Rangana Herath, waddling to the crease pre-ball; Rangana Herath pivoting in his follow-through post-ball; Rangana Herath settling into one of his gentle celebrations post post-ball, the ball itself having taken sharp turn and collected an outside edge, or skimmed straight and clattered into the stumps.This Galle surface is better for batting than most Herath had bowled on. Which is partly why, six years after his retirement, the spinners trying to emulate his epic acts of second-innings match-winning here are struggling. Four days into this Test, Sri Lanka’s four spinners (two single-arm, two dual-arm) have bowled 140.2 overs between them and taken five wickets at a collective average of 97. Seamer Asitha Fernando, meanwhile, has a match haul of 4 for 117 so far. Seam-bowling allrounder Milan Rathnayake has 4 for 52. As Sri Lanka hunted desperately for wickets late on day four, Asitha seemed by a distance the greatest threat.There are two immediate problems here. Although this is a Galle deck that favours the batters most, it’s still a surface that favours spinners more than it does quicks. Seven of Sri Lanka’s first-innings wickets, for example, fell to Bangladesh spin. Even in previous high-scoring Tests at this venue, (as one example this) spinners have routinely been the greater threat.Related

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The second problem is that it should not take six years for an obvious successor to Herath to appear. We are talking about spin. For the majority of first-class seasons since 2010, only spinners appeared in the top five wicket-takers in any year. The emergence of the new National Super League has led to a healthier domestic ecosystem, which has shaped careers such as those of Milan, and Kamindu Mendis. But if Sri Lanka should have a smooth production line in any discipline, it should be in this one. Not only has Lankan spin bowling given Tests the most prolific right-arm (Muthiah Muralidaran) and left-arm (Herath) bowlers in history, Lankan spinners have also sparked little revolutions. Without Ajantha Mendis, would there ever have been a Mujeeb Ur Rahman, or Varun Chakravarthy?Beyond which – and only Sri Lanka fans can read this next section, the rest can skip ahead to the next paragraph – Sri Lanka do not have a track record of producing many other types of match-winning bowlers. Many of us are not especially tall. The tall ones tend to be skinny – through no fault of their own, this country only now coming out of our latest malnutrition crisis. And if you bowl at serious pace in Sri Lanka, there seems to be a rule that you have to be injured for many more Tests than you are available for. Lahiru Kumara is unavailable for this one, for instance. This country really, truly needs its wicket-taking Test-match spinners, whose strength is skill, rather than, you know, strength. Perhaps these should have been part of the demands in those 2022 protests.And if you look at Sri Lankan spin even in the last 15 years, Herath may perhaps be the outlier. Dilruwan Perera was effective at times alongside Herath, but averaged almost 36 by the end. Sri Lanka tried to blood other Test-match spinners – Tharindu Kaushal, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan, Praveen Jayawickrama, Lasith Embuldeniya, Ramesh Mendis, even Wanindu Hasaranga. For various reasons, these bowlers did not work out. Usually it had to do with them not finding wickets consistently enough, even on tracks that suited them. Malinda Pushpakumara has 980 first-class wickets, but did not impress in Tests.Schoolkids watch the cricket from the grass banks•AFP/Getty ImagesPrabath Jayasuriya is the latest potential spin-bowling matchwinner for Sri Lanka in Tests. Although he had had an excellent 2022, he has not been quite so hot since. He was the second-equal-fastest bowler – in terms of matches played – to get to 100 Test wickets. But against Australia earlier this year, he bowled 104 overs and averaged 40.44, having conceded runs at 3.50 an over. In this match, he was 0 for 154 in the first innings, and is currently 1 for 48 in the second.Right now, this track has dust exploding at almost every impact and on day five has every chance of turning into a spin fest. But where Sri Lanka used to have match-winning spinners who moved first and moved emphatically on surfaces offering them even a little bit of turn, their latest generations of spinners have tended to need rank dustbowls on which to impose themselves.The World Test Championship, for all its flaws, has put a premium on result Tests. Getting a draw out of a home Test match feels like more of a failure than it ever has before. For Sri Lanka to avoid that fate, or an even more humiliating defeat, they have to take wickets early on day five. On this pitch, it is the spinners who should be leading that charge.Sri Lanka have made gains in the batting and seam-bowling departments in the last two WTC cycles, but the same cannot be said of their spin. For years, since Herath, Lankan Test spin has just been lukewarm. If they are to make progress in the next cycle, they need it to be hot.

With India having played no ODI cricket since August, they will be looking to find a few answers in the upcoming series against England

Shashank Kishore04-Feb-20251:10

Manjrekar: ODIs the perfect format for Rohit and Kohli to get runs

Rohit and Kohli’s formThe ODI series against England is the last opportunity for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to find form ahead of the Champions Trophy.Both batters had difficult tours of Australia and did not make substantial scores in their one-off Ranji Trophy appearances since returning to India. Rohit was out for 3 and 28 against Jammu & Kashmir in Mumbai while Kohli, playing his first match for Delhi since 2012, was bowled for 6 in his only innings against Railways.The pattern of Kohli’s dismissals in Test cricket – nicking outside off frequently – was of particular concern in Australia and he was seen working with former India and RCB batting coach Sanjay Bangar at a training facility before his Ranji Trophy match.Related

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ODI cricket, though, is their best format with Rohit providing power as an opener and Kohli prolific at No. 3. Rohit made 157 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 141.44 in Sri Lanka in August, his last productive outing before his form slump. While Kohli did not fare as well in that series, he had broken records in his previous ODI appearance- 765 runs at an average of 95.62 and strike rate of 90.31 during India’s run to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup.Kohli’s also on course to score 14,000 ODI runs in the fewest innings. Sachin Tendulkar (350 innings) and Kumar Sangakkara (378) are the only ones to have achieved the landmark so far; Kohli is 94 away after only 283 innings. Can he get there against England?Pant or Rahul as wicketkeeper?With Rohit and Shubman Gill likely to open, Kohli and Shreyas Iyer at Nos. 3 and 4, and Hardik Pandya at No. 6, the wicketkeeper-batter is likely to slot in at No. 5. The choice is between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant against England and the Champions Trophy.Rahul has been India’s incumbent wicketkeeper in ODIs since August 2023, when Pant was recovering from his car accident. On the tour of Sri Lanka in August 2024, after Pant had made his comeback from injury, Rahul kept wickets in the first two matches – and scored 31 and 0 – while Pant played the third match and made 6.In terms of recent form, there’s little to separate the two. Rahul scored 276 runs in ten innings in the Test series in Australia, while Pant made 255 in nine innings. Rahul then scored 26 and 43 in Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy match against Haryana, while Pant scored 1 and 17 for Delhi against Saurashtra. Neither player was part of the T20I squad for the five matches against England.If India decide to stick with Rahul as wicketkeeper, they will not have a left-hand batter in their top six unless they promote one of their spin allrounders, while Pant at No. 5 gives them that variety if they deem it necessary. They could of course choose to play both, with Rahul as a specialist bat, but that would mean leaving Shreyas out of the XI.Does Jadeja fit into the XI?Ravindra Jadeja had not been picked in an ODI squad since the 2023 World Cup, until he was selected for the upcoming series against England and the Champions Trophy. While he was resting from the format, India invested in Axar Patel and Washington Sundar as spin allrounders.Axar was a key member of the ODI squad in Sri Lanka, where Washington also impressed with five wickets in three innings and an economy of 3.88. Axar took four with an economy of 3.86.Washington has the edge of being an offspinner, while both Jadeja and Axar are left-arm, if India are looking for a varied bowling attack. Washington, however, bowled only two overs in two T20Is against England, while Axar bowled in four out of five games and claimed six wickets in 14 overs with an economy of 7.07.Jadeja was in superb form for Saurashtra after returning from Australia, taking 12 wickets in their Ranji Trophy match against Delhi. However, he did not bowl at all in their next match against Assam, and is believed to have experienced minor back spasms.If he is fit, the team management have a tough choice to make between Jadeja, Axar and Washington.Bowlers fitness in focusThree of India’s bowlers are returning from injury layoffs. Jasprit Bumrah hasn’t played since he couldn’t bowl during Australia’s second innings in the Sydney Test. He’s been included in the squad for only the final ODI against England to see if he will be match-fit for the Champions Trophy.Kuldeep Yadav was out of action since October last year after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia. He only made his comeback last week, taking 3 for 124 for Uttar Pradesh against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy. He was part of India’s previous ODI series in Sri Lanka, where he took four wickets in 30 overs with an economy of 3.40.Mohammed Shami’s previous ODI was the 2023 World Cup final, after which he had ankle surgery followed by a long period of rehabilitation. He made his comeback for Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy but India picked him for only two out of five T20Is against England. Shami took 0 for 25 and 3 for 25 in those fixtures, bowling only 5.3 overs across both matches.While Arshdeep Singh, who is only eight-ODIs old, and Shami will be India’s first choice quicks in the first and second matches against England, one of them is likely to be benched if Bumrah plays the third game.

Celtic dropped some shocking, yet also unsurprising, news on Monday night when they confirmed that Brendan Rodgers had tendered his resignation.

The Northern Irish head coach has stepped down as manager of the Scottish Premiership champions, shortly after his side lost 3-1 to Hearts on Sunday.

The timing of the decision came as a shock, as there had not been any prior indication that he was likely to step down from his position, at least in the public domain.

However, it was also not a surprise because talkSPORT’s Alex Crook recently explained that the manager was likely to leave next summer, saying: “I have just been hearing a lot of whispers that maybe Brendan Rodgers could decide at the end of the season not to renew his deal, and that the time is right to leave Celtic for a second time.”

Instead of waiting until his contract expired next summer, though, the former Leicester City and Liverpool boss decided to walk away from it at the start of this week.

Only Rodgers will be able to give his full reasoning behind the decision, if he decides to speak about it publicly, but it could be the right decision for the club.

Why Brendan Rodgers leaving may be the right decision

The former Hoops manager won four Premiership titles, three SFA Cups, and four League Cups across two spells with the Scottish giants, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he had a lot of success at Parkhead.

There can be no denying that Rodgers will go down as a great Celtic manager, given his achievements, but all things come to an end, and the team’s form this season suggested that it was the end of an era in Glasgow.

The Hoops lost their last two Premiership matches under Rodgers and currently find themselves eight points adrift of Hearts in the league table, which is not a position that the ex-Bhoys manager was used to being in.

As you can see in the table above, Rodgers ends his second Celtic spell with only one Premiership season averaging below 2.16 points per game, which is the current campaign.

Of course, the head coach may have turned things around and gotten over that two points per game mark later in the season, but the side’s current form shows that they were on a downward trajectory under the Northern Irishman, which is why his exit from Parkhead may be a good call for all parties.

Martin O’Neill is back in interim charge, for now, but the attention will turn to who the club are going to appoint as their next manager, and a former player has told them who to go for.

Celtic plot approach for new manager

It looks as though O’Neill will be in charge for the club’s clash with Falkirk at Parkhead on Wednesday night, but they will need a longer-term solution in the dugout.

Former Celtic centre-forward and current Sky Sports pundit Chris Sutton has urged the Premiership champions to go and bring Ange Postecoglou back to Glasgow.

The Australian boss, who left Celtic in the summer of 2023, was recently sacked by Premier League side Nottingham Forest and that means that he is available and potentially ready to step into a new job.

In fact, Football Insider reports that the Hoops may make contact with the former Tottenham Hotspur head coach to discuss a sensational return to Parkhead.

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However, Football Insider does not reveal whether or not the former Celtic manager wants to make such a quick return to the game, or if he wants to return to Glasgow for a second spell at the club.

They do appear to be planning to make an approach to speak with the Europa League winner, though, which shows that they are interested in appointing him as Rodgers’ replacement.

Why Celtic should push for Ange Postecoglou to return

The Hoops board should be pushing to bring Ange Postecoglou back to Parkhead in the coming days because he could return to Scotland as an upgrade on Rodgers.

In his two seasons in charge in Glasgow, the Australian boss, whose football was hailed as “breathtaking” by Gary Neville, racked up a whopping 192 points in 76 Premiership matches, per Transfermarkt, which works out at 2.52 points per game.

Whereas, Rodgers won 453 points in 188 games in charge of the club across two spells at Parkhead, per Transfermarkt, which is an average of around 2.41 points per game.

These statistics suggest that the former Spurs boss got even more out of the team domestically, despite both managers winning titles in all of their full seasons in charge, as his sides won more points per game on average.

Hamish Carton, in the clip above, explains how impressive Postecoglou’s achievements at Celtic were off the back of the situation that he inherited when he first arrived, as Rangers had run away with the league title in the previous season.

This means that his dominance at Celtic was even more impressive than Rodgers’ was, because the 4-3-3 boss had to turn a bad situation around, whilst Rodgers came into a club that had just won the domestic treble in the summer of 2023, and he was able to build from that.

Postecoglou’s domestic treble in the 2022/23 campaign was not repeated by the Northern Irish boss in the 2023/24 or the 2024/25 seasons, which also shows that he had more success, in terms of trophies, than the recently departed manager.

Therefore, pushing to bring Postecoglou, who Carton also described as a “better manager” than Rodgers, back to Celtic could result in the club having an upgrade in the dugout for the rest of this season, and beyond, which is why they should take Sutton’s advice and make a serious move for his services.

After warming the bench throughout in England, Kuldeep Yadav picked up a four-for in his first T20I since the 2024 T20 World Cup final

Shashank Kishore10-Sep-20252:21

Can UAE take anything away from this thrashing?

Kuldeep Yadav couldn’t resist a bit of mischief at training.After a lengthy bowling session, as he settled in for a refreshment break, he turned to the journalists that had gathered to focus on every single aspect of India’s training ahead of the Asia Cup.Which of his team-mates had matched his Yo-Yo test score, he asked them. He was referring to the chatter he had apparently seen on social media about certain players achieving certain fitness benchmarks. It was all light-hearted fun after two hours of bowling in sapping heat and humidity.Related

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Kuldeep didn’t stop there. Soon the chatter veered towards Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal and Neymar, the latter his favourite footballer. Kuldeep was effortlessly drawn into a football tangent. Recently, the self-confessed football tragic has even found a new outlet for that obsession in the form of his own YouTube show, .As he bantered with journalists, he looked completely in his element. It spoke of the mindspace of a man at ease with where he is at with India returning to the white-ball formats, where he is more or less assured of a place in the XI. Only two months ago, the England Test tour had felt agonisingly long.He had spent the entire summer warming the bench, often spotted with an earpiece plugged in, listening to commentary when not running drinks. For a bowler at the peak of his powers, it must have taken enormous mental discipline to stay focused, knowing it wasn’t because of his primary skill, but because of the team’s need for batting depth, that he had to sit out.On Wednesday, when the chance finally came, Kuldeep grabbed it with both hands – taking four wickets to run through UAE in India’s Asia Cup opener. It was a nice evening out upon his return to the T20I set-up since that memorable June afternoon in Barbados at the T20 World Cup last year.ESPNcricinfo LtdThat tournament should have triggered another surge in his stop-start career, but a groin injury that was later diagnosed as sports hernia forced him to miss five months of cricket. He returned to play a part in India’s Champions Trophy win, and had a decent IPL – 15 wickets in 14 games at an economy of 7.07 – for Delhi Capitals, but the England tour was a setback of sorts personally.”It was tough for me,” Kuldeep said at the post-match presentation of the time spent sitting out in England. “I was working on my bowling and my fitness with Adrian [Le Roux, India’s strength and conditioning coach], and everything came together tonight. In this format, the length is the key – reading what the batters are trying to do and reacting to it ball by ball.”When Kuldeep came on to bowl, UAE were decently placed. Their only bright sparks came early in the innings when Alishan Sharafu’s audacious lofted drive over extra cover off Axar Patel and a flurry of boundaries from Muhammad Waseem against Jasprit Bumrah had them end the powerplay at 41 for 2.Kuldeep Yadav ran through UAE’s batting order•Getty ImagesBut two boundary-less overs thereafter, including one from Kuldeep, forced the batters to take extra risks. One such mistimed hit against a nicely tossed-up delivery had Rahul Chopra drag Kuldeep to Shubman Gill at wide long-on. Three balls later, Kuldeep picked up another with his trademark fizz, trapping Waseem lbw.He nearly had a third the very next delivery against left-hand batter Harshit Kaushik but the inside edge narrowly missed leg stump. But Kuldeep wasn’t to be denied. He tossed up a wrong’un that dipped, drew Kaushik forward, and ripped past the inside edge to crash into the stumps. The zing bails lit up, as did Kuldeep’s face.He had just taken three wickets in an over, all off different deliveries. It was as if he was laying out one trick after another for everyone to see. He finished with a fourth, off another wrong’un that brushed the batter’s pad on the way to Samson – a fortuitous wicket into his kitty only because UAE had run out of reviews. UAE were bundled for 57, which India knocked off in bext to no time.After a summer spent waiting for his turn, it felt like Kuldeep was finally beginning to revel in the joy of being back where he belongs.

Records tumbled as India became the first Full Member team to pass 200 in successive Women’s T20I innings

Namooh Shah28-Jun-2025210 for 5 – India’s total in the first T20I against England is their second-highest total in Women T20Is, bettered only by their 217 for 4 against West Indies in the last T20I they played. This is also India’s highest T20I total away from home.1 – India Women beat England by 97 runs at Trent Bridge, England’s biggest margin of defeat by runs in Women T20Is, leaving behind the 93 runs loss to Australia at Chelmsford in 2019.ESPNcricinfo112 – Smriti Mandhana’s score on Saturday is the highest by an Indian in Women T20Is leaving behind Harmanpreet Kaur’s effort of 103 against New Zealand in 2018. Both were captaining India in their respective innings.Related

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78 Runs off boundaries scored by Mandhana (15×4, 3×6), the most by an Indian in a Women’s T20I innings.3 – India scored their second consecutive 200-plus total in Women T20Is, becoming only the third team after Indonesia and Argentina to achieve this feat.5 – Mandhana became the fifth woman and the first Indian to score centuries in all three formats. Heather Knight, Tammy Beaumont, Laura Wolvaardt and Beth Mooney are the other four.21 – 50-plus partnerships in Women T20Is between Mandhana and Shafali Verma, the most by a pair surpassing the 20 between the Australian pair of Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney.ESPNcricinfo8 – 50-plus scores by Mandhana against England in T20Is; only Mooney has more such scores (9) against a single opponent (India). Mooney also has eight 50-plus scores against England, while New Zealand’s Sophie Devine has eight against South Africa.124 Runs scored by India in the middle overs (7-16), the most they have ever scored in that phase. Among Full Member teams, India’s effort stands behind only West Indies’ 125 against Australia in 2023.13.12 – Economy rate of English spinners on Saturday conceding 105 runs in eight overs, the worst for a spin unit in a women T20I innings where spinners have bowled a minimum of eight overs. Indian spinners on the other hand bowled 10.5 overs giving away only 72 runs and dismissing eight English batters. Shree Charani’s spell of 4 for 12 is the second-best for an Indian Woman on T20I debut.

When Andrea Berta arrived at Arsenal towards the beginning of 2025, the transfer plan for the summer was abundantly clear.

The fact of the matter was that during his first window in charge, the squad needed more firepower and, chiefly, a striker was a necessity.

While there were links to the likes of Alexander Isak and Benjamin Sesko, both of whom got big-money moves elsewhere in the Premier League, the Gunners concluded a deal for Viktor Gyokeres.

The Swede had only spent two prolific seasons in Portugal with Sporting but he was already on the move and deservedly so.

Yet, while the centre forward has done a lot to improve the overall attack, there is a sense that they could do better in future windows.

Arsenal looking to sign new striker

Gyokeres may well have signed but Arsenal still do require a little bit more in attack.

Gabriel Jesus is back in full training but it’s wild to expect him to be at a productive level for a good few months yet after recovering from an ACL injury. Even if he did recover, he’s been linked with the exit door as he approaches the final 18 months of his deal at the Emirates Stadium.

Kai Havertz has also been a long-term absentee which has left Arsenal with only one fit centre forward for much of 2025/26 to date.

So, while Arsenal’s options in several areas now are deep, another striker wouldn’t go amiss.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

That’s where Borussia Dortmund frontman Serhou Guirassy comes into the equation.

According to reports in Spain, it suggests that Arteta and Co are vying with the likes of PSG for the striker’s services.

The report notes that Arsenal are ‘seriously considering’ a move but it’s likely they’ll have to pay around £44m in order to conclude a deal.

The Guinean has a release clause in his contract of that amount, meaning that like Gyokeres, he wouldn’t cost the earth to bring to England.

It’s said that Arsenal are thought to be willing to pay the required amount to get him out of Germany.

How Guirassy compares to Viktor Gyokeres

When Gyokeres signed for Arsenal while the club were on their pre-season Asia tour, there was much fanfare.

At last, Arteta had a proper goalscoring centre forward to add to his ranks. Last term, the former Coventry City star scored 54 goals in 52 games. It was a breathtaking campaign, one that saw him take home the Gerd Muller trophy for the best striker in the world during the last Ballon d’Or gala.

Yet, in Arsenal colours, Gyokeres has not had it all his own way. He’s been wasteful in front of goal and went on a barren run of seven games without scoring at one stage.

That said, he’s not been a complete flop. The Sweden international still has six goals to show for his efforts and has particularly pleased Arteta with what he’s offered to the team.

While he did not score during Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Olympiacos in the Champions League, Arteta summed up why he’s been so delighted with what the centre forward is offering. “I think he did the rest of the things you ask for from a striker. The way he’s linking with his teammates, the way he’s opening spaces, the way he’s threatening constantly the back line.”

However, while it does seem unlikely Arsenal will sign another striker, Guirassy could be an upgrade on what they already have.

Described as “one of the best centre-forwards in the world” by one notable football analyst on X, the 29-year-old has been in the form of his life over the last year. Crucially, he’s also demonstrated that form in a top-five European league, something Gyokeres had not done before touching down in London.

In 2024/25, Guirassy found the net on 38 occasions in 50 games, bagging a remarkable 13 goals in 14 Champions League matches. That included scoring five times across two outings with Barcelona.

But what separates him from Gyokeres? Well, a scorer of seven goals this term, the numbers showcase why.

Goals

0.51

0.45

Assists

0.10

0

xG

0.59

0.52

Shots

2.76

2.13

Shot on target %

59.3%

36.8%

Pass completion

72.2%

60.7%

Key passes

0.71

0.90

Passes into final 3rd

1.02

0.45

Successful take-ons

0.20

0.45

Progressive carries

1.63

0.90

Aerial duels won

2.86

1.80

Not only has Guirassy scored more goals per 90 minutes and offered a higher xG, but he excels in bringing others into the game too.

During the 2025/26 season to date, the Dortmund sensation has completed more accurate passes and more assists per 90. It might be Gyokeres who has played more key passes but clearly it’s the former who is more decisive with his final actions right now.

If that wasn’t enough, Guirassy is a better and less chaotic carrier of the ball. Gyokeres resembles something of a raging bull when he’s gallivanting forward but there’s more of a smoothness to Arsenal’s latest transfer target. The fact he averages more progressive carries substantiates that point.

To round things off, Guirassy is also far more likely to win his aerial duels, something that Arsenal have perhaps missed since Havertz’s injury.

To put Guirassy’s numbers into further context, he won more aerial duels (3.77) per 90 than the German did (3.03) in 2024/25.

So, while the Dortmund striker may only be one goal ahead of Gyokeres this term, he offers something of a hybrid situation between Arteta’s two leading marksman. That could well offer the Spanish manager a fabulous balance as Arsenal hunt down their first Premier League title in over two decades.

MatériaMais Notícias

Antes intocável no Fortaleza, Juan Pablo Vojvoda começa a balançar no cargo. Após a derrota para o Ceará nos pênaltis, na tarde deste sábado (6), e consequentemente a perda do título cearense, técnico foi duramente criticado por torcedores nas redes sociais. Confira!

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCearáTítulo do Ceará encerra sequencia de cinco anos de conquistas do Fortaleza no CearenseCeará06/04/2024CearáCeará vence o Fortaleza nos pênaltis e é campeão estadual após cinco anosCeará06/04/2024Futebol NacionalFortaleza ou Ceará: quem é o maior campeão cearense?Futebol Nacional06/04/2024

➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

➡️ A boa do Lance! Betting: vamos dobrar seu primeiro depósito, até R$200! Basta abrir sua conta e tá na mão!

⚽ COMO FOI A PARTIDA?
O jogo começou com tudo. Equilibrado, o duelo reunia a vontade do Ceará de vencer a qualquer custo e o empenho tático do Fortaleza, que esperava um erro do rival para sair na frente. Mesmo assim, o primeiro tempo ficou marcado por poucas chances dos dois lados, com os destaques sendo Saulo Mineiro, pelo Ceará, e Lucas Sasha, pelo Fortaleza.

No segundo tempo, Saulo Mineiro seguiu se destacando, e acabou premiado com um golaço na segunda etapa. Animado, o Ceará segurou até o momento que pode, mas o artilheiro Lucero, com sua classe de sempre, empatou de cabeça. Após isso, o equilíbrio voltou, mas o Fortaleza perdeu Bruno Pacheco, expulso da partida. Com o empate, tudo acabou decidido nos pênaltis.

continua após a publicidade

Nos pênaltis, a parada só foi decidida após cinco cobranças, com o Ceará vencendo por 3 a 2 e o goleiro Richard sendo o herói.

➡️ O QUE VEM POR AÍ?

O Ceará volta a campo nesta quarta-feira (10), às 21h30, contra o Sport, pela Copa do Nordeste. O Fortaleza recebe o Nacional Potosí, às 19h, também na quarta-feira (10), pela Copa Sul-americana. Os dois jogos acontecem no Castelão.

Tudo sobre

Campeonato CearenseFortaleza

The Philadelphia Phillies know how to have a good time.

During Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Angels, the Phillies gave their home fans at Citizens Bank Park a show with a hilarious parody of the viral kiss cam moment that happened at a Coldplay concert earlier this week.

During the standard kiss cam segment of the game, and with Coldplay's "Clocks" playing in the background, the jumbotron showed none other than Phillie Phanatic cozying up to a female mascot in the stands. Phillie Phanatic looked startled as ever to be caught on camera and dove to the ground in the same panicked manner as the Astronomer CEO, eliciting lots of laughter from the crowd.

The stadium played an audio clip of Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin during the parody: "Uh-oh, what? Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy."

Just too good.

On top of that, the stadium's cameras panned to another couple right after and showed the man holding a sign that read, "This IS My Wife"—a very necessary clarification during these chaotic times.

History is against West Indies – they last won a Test in NZ in 1995 – and they have more questions than answers when it comes to their playing XI

Deivarayan Muthu01-Dec-2025

Big picture – all eyes on Kane WilliamsonThe Christchurch Test against West Indies will mark the start of New Zealand’s World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle and Kane Williamson’s return to Test cricket.Williamson’s previous Test was in December last year, and quite a lot has happened since.He has tapered back his international commitments, playing more games for others during this period. He has also retired from T20Is, and the entire cricketing landscape seems to be changing in New Zealand as well, with plans being developed for a T20 league in the country in 2027.After the three-match Test series against West Indies, New Zealand fans may have to wait until late 2026 to watch Williamson in Test action at home again (if he continues to play on). This is a rare chance for them, then, as speculation around his international future grows.Related

Zak Foulkes gears up for 'really special' homecoming at Hagley Oval

Roach, Hodge recalled to WI squad for NZ Tests

Williamson returns for WI Tests; Jamieson held back

While New Zealand have won 11 ODI series in a row at home, their recent home Test record isn’t as formidable. They have won just two of their last seven home series, with one of those coming against a second-string South Africa side. A number of New Zealand players are currently injured – or working their way back from injuries – but despite that, they will start as favourites because West Indies have bigger problems to deal with.Both the Josephs – Alzarri and Shamar – are nursing injuries, and West Indies have sent an SOS to Kemar Roach, who hasn’t played Test cricket since January. They have also called up Ojay Shields, a former high-school PE teacher. While Jayden Seales is available for this Test series, before joining the ILT20 in the UAE, there are serious concerns around West Indies’ depth, or lack of it.John Campbell and Shai Hope offered a sliver of hope with the bat in decent batting conditions against India in Delhi, but can they do the job on potentially green pitches in New Zealand? Who should be their No. 3, Alick Athanaze or Brandon King? Can West Indies relieve Hope of wicketkeeping duties, trust Tevin Imlach, and find the right balance? Johann Layne or Anderson Phillip? The visitors find themselves with more questions than answers.History is also against West Indies: the last time they won a Test in New Zealand was way back in 1995.An on-song Jayden Seales can single-handedly carve up batting line-ups with his swing, bounce and control•AFP/Getty Images

Form guideNew Zealand: WWWLL
West Indies: LLLLLIn the spotlight: Tom Latham and Jayden SealesSince leading New Zealand to a historic 3-0 sweep of India in India in November last year, Tom Latham has endured a difficult time. He oversaw New Zealand’s 2-1 defeat to England at home last December and then missed the Zimbabwe Test series with injury. His last Test hundred came in December 2022, but he has some recent form on his side, having compiled a half-century for Canterbury in the second round of the Plunket Shield. Prior to that, Latham had hit two fifties in three innings in the one-day Ford Trophy, which had kicked off New Zealand’s domestic seasonJayden Seales barely found support at the other end in India, and could face a similar scenario in New Zealand. But an on-song Seales can single-handedly carve up batting line-ups with his swing, bounce and control. His battle against Williamson is one to watch out for – the two have never faced each other in international cricket before.Against West Indies, New Zealand will have to choose between Devon Conway and Will Young•Zimbabwe Cricket

Team news: Devon Conway or Will Young?With Williamson back, New Zealand will have to choose between Devon Conway and Will Young. On the bowling front, they might also have to choose between Jacob Duffy and Blair Tickner. Local boy Zak Foulkes addressed the media on the eve of the game, which was perhaps a hint that he may play. Daryl Mitchell, one of the mainstays of the batting line-up, has recovered from a groin injury that had kept him out of the last two ODIs against West Indies.New Zealand (probable): 1 Tom Latham (capt), 2 Devon Conway/Will Young, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Mitchell Santner/Michael Bracewell, 8 Zak Foulkes, 9 Nathan Smith, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Jacob Duffy/Blair TicknerWest Indies’ team management had suggested they had picked Alick Athanaze in India for his ability to counter spin. In seam-friendly New Zealand, they might consider bringing back Brandon King, who is proficient against pace, and leaving out left-arm fingerspinner Jomel Warrican for an extra seamer. It remains to be seen if Jamaican fast bowler Shields gets a debut at 29. Captain Roston Chase could pitch in with his offspin when the quicks need a break.West Indies (probable): 1 John Campbell, 2 Tagenarine Chanderpaul, 3 Alick Athanaze/Brandon King, 4 Shai Hope, 5 Kavem Hodge, 6 Roston Chase (capt), 7 Tevin Imlach (wk), 8 Justin Greaves, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Jayden Seales, 11 Johann Layne/Anderson Phillip/Ojay ShieldsNew Zealand have beaten West Indies in their last five Tests•Associated Press

Pitch and conditionsThe conditions at Hagley Oval aid swing, though New Zealand surfaces are often misleading with the grass at the toss rarely lasting much beyond the first session. The weather is likely to be clear on the first day, but some showers have been forecast for the second in Christchurch.Stats and trivia Matt Henry has a good Test record at his domestic home ground: 36 wickets in seven games at an average of 23.91, including two five-fors. Since his debut in November 2022, Tagenarine Chanderpaul has faced 1564 balls in Test cricket. Only Kraigg Brathwaite (2376) has faced more balls than Chanderpaul for West Indies during this period. New Zealand have beaten West Indies in their last five Tests, including three innings wins at home.Quotes”It’s the purest form of the game, really, and it’s the first Test series for me at home, and I’m really excited. In December, the Test cricket arena is always the best time of the year, and [this is] certainly a format this team prides itself on playing well.”
“Any bowler will want to come in these conditions and bowl because it’s not too hot. So when it’s nice and cool, the fast bowlers like to bowl very long. The ball is bouncing and seaming around, so the guys are very happy about that and ready to bowl.”

Kylian Mbappe delivered a devastating four-goal performance to drag Real Madrid past Olympiacos in a chaotic 4-3 Champions League win and then mocked the home supporters for heckling him in “bad French” during the warm-up. The forward went on to score four goals as the Spanish giants edged past their counterparts in Greece on Wednesday.

Mbappe silences hostile crowd with four-goal display

Madrid’s trip to Greece produced one of the wildest games of the Champions League season, and once again, it was Mbappe who turned chaos into control. Olympiacos struck first through Chiquinho, sending their home crowd into a frenzy, the same fans who had mocked the striker before kick-off in broken French. But the atmosphere changed dramatically as the Madrid superstar responded with one of the most explosive bursts of scoring in his career. The forward levelled the match in the 22nd minute, finishing coolly after being sent through one-on-one. Two minutes later, he rose to power home Arda Guler’s cross. And before the half-hour mark, he had completed a breathtaking hat-trick by burying a ball over the top from Eduardo Camavinga.

Mbappe wasn’t finished. He added his fourth in the 59th minute, taking his tally to 22 goals this season, including nine in just five Champions League games. His second hat-trick of the Champions League campaign and fifth overall in the competition put him closer to overtaking Raul on the all-time scoring list. Olympiacos kept punching, but Mbappe punched harder. And after the match, he finally addressed the taunts that had greeted him during his warm-up, setting the stage for his post-match reaction.

AdvertisementAFPMadrid star laughs off Olympiacos heckling

The Frenchman was asked about the chants directed at him by Olympiacos supporters, and before speaking about the match, he chose to address them with humour. Speaking to , he said: “Oh yes, yes, yes, during the warm-up. They were speaking French, but bad French, you know. The accent was bad, but that's life. It didn't matter, I was focused on my team, on helping them, and I was thinking about our performance on the pitch and the positive reaction from the crowd.”

Attention then turned to whether Madrid depend too heavily on him, a suggestion he strongly pushed back against. “I find that absurd,” he said. “I don't mean to be disrespectful, I'm just saying it's the wrong question. Everyone has their role in the team, and mine is to score goals. How could I claim that without the other players, we wouldn't win matches? Every team has players who fulfill a specific function, and mine is to score… But I don't think about interdependencies or anything like that. That's a topic for journalists… or people outside the team.”

Mbappe defends Xabi Alonso amid pressure

Beyond the individual brilliance, one major storyline centred around Mbappe’s relationship with manager Xabi Alonso, a topic of intense scrutiny following recent frustrations and a three-game winless run. He spoke candidly about their relationship: “I think we need to tell the truth: we are very close. Life isn't always easy, and when you change projects or coaches, it's normal for things to evolve. But I don't think everything that's happened was deserved… we, the players, have to support each other, support the coach, the staff… and stay united.”

He also doubled down on the idea that Madrid fully back Alonso: “You can see it. Tonight, you could see that people were running and eager… we’ve always been loyal to him… We were on a three-game winless streak… but we're here, away from home, in the Champions League… and we're here to win.”

The timing of the Frenchman's comments is notable because they arrive against the backdrop of reports suggesting Madrid’s dressing room had recently split into two camps. According to reports, six players – Vinicius Junior, Federico Valverde, Rodrygo, Brahim Diaz, Endrick and Ferland Mendy were unhappy with Alonso’s tactical approach and substitutions. Vinicius, seen as the centre of the frustration, reportedly felt his role had been reduced after missing several major starting line-ups and being rotated more than expected.

Meanwhile, other key figures – Mbappe, Thibaut Courtois, Arda Guler, Dean Huijsen and Alvaro Carreras were said to be firmly behind the coach, forming a second group that publicly and privately supported the Spaniard’s leadership.

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AFPMadrid aim to build momentum after dramatic European escape

This victory ends Madrid’s three-game winless run and injects much-needed momentum back into their season. With Mbappe firing again, Los Blancos turn their attention to the weekend’s La Liga clash against Girona, a key fixture as they try to stay top of the table. The Olympiacos thriller may have started with taunts and tension, but it ended with Mbappe smiling, scoring, and reaffirming that Real Madrid remain firmly in the hunt on all fronts.