Tag Futebol

For once, GT’s high-performing top order left the undercooked middle order with a lot to do, and they came through, with a little help from MI’s planning and execution

Vishal Dikshit07-May-20253:24

Should Hardik have stepped up to bowl the last over?

After dominating several games in IPL 2025, Gujarat Titans (GT) were finally thrown in at the deep end by Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede on Tuesday.GT had been riding on the form of their top three batters – Shubman Gill, B Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler – who had scored about 76% of the team’s runs until this game. The three had taken all their innings deep, with two of them usually scoring well in tandem. And on four occasions, Buttler had even seen the innings through.Until Tuesday, and some part of Wednesday, happened. Each of the three have now passed the 500-run mark (Gill and Buttler got there in this game) in IPL 2025 – which has never happened for a single team in a season before – but this was the first time in this IPL that none of the three got to 50. And also the first instance where all three had been dismissed within 15 overs.Related

Jayawardene: 'We lost the game when we had control of it'

Suryakumar, Sai Sudharsan, Gill take top three spots on IPL 2025 Orange Cap table

IPL 2025 scenarios: KKR in serious danger of missing out on playoffs

Hardik on MI's three no-balls: 'A crime in my eyes'

Rain, no-ball and a run-out fumble: Titans stun Mumbai to win a classic

GT’s bowlers had again ensured that the task for the batters was below-par chase – of 156, later reduced to 147 off 19 overs – but this was the first time that GT’s middle order had been left to fend for itself, to an extent. When Gill became the third man out, they needed 43 off 31. It’s not an equation that would scare any middle order, but with wickets falling regularly, the rain coming and going, a moist pitch that made the ball zip around, GT’s middle order had been exposed in a wildly see-sawing, low-scoring game.Sherfane Rutherford had not batted since April 19. Shahrukh Khan had faced all of 43 balls in the season. Rahul Tewatia was averaging 9.33 from eight innings. Rashid Khan had faced just 11 deliveries. Gerald Coetzee had not batted in nearly four months. They made up Nos. 6 to 8.But it was not all doom and gloom. Rutherford had hit some lusty blows earlier in the season, and when he joined a well-set Gill in the 12th over, GT still had to contend with two overs from Jasprit Bumrah and one from Trent Boult. So GT had to go after the other bowlers, who would bowl the remaining 30 of the 48 balls off which GT had to get 77.2:04

‘Bumrah can make the best batters look silly’

As soon as Rutherford came on, though, Hardik Pandya one-upped GT’s plans by bringing on offspinner Will Jacks for the left-hand batter, with MI ahead on the DLS equation at that stage. All of Jacks’ five wickets this IPL have been of left-hand batters, a list glowing with the names of Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant and Travis Head, among others. The dice was worth throwing, and the trick also worked for three balls, which Rutherford struggled to get bat on. The fourth was an edge, but it raced away for four, and Rutherford reacted with mighty inside-out swings to fetch ten more off the next two balls.The equation was a more gettable 62 off 42 now. Was it the right time to bowl one of Bumrah’s last two? It’s a matter MI will ponder when they assess the loss, because when Hardik gave the ball to the inexperienced Ashwani Kumar instead, Rutherford smashed his short delivery for a six to put GT ahead of the par score by the time the over ended and the covers came on for the first rain interruption.In the break of 25-odd minutes, Bumrah looked like he was itching to bowl. He was tossing the ball around in his hand, restlessly moving around to keep himself warm, and he rushed onto the field as soon as it was time to resume.3:53

Abhinav Mukund: ‘MI bowlers let the game drift a bit in the middle overs’

Bumrah struck almost immediately. His movement off the pitch shattered Gill’s stumps, and when Boult trapped Rutherford in the next over, the noise from the faithful Mumbai crowd would have rung in GT’s ears. The match was far from over. It was 38 to win from 24 now, Boult had bowled out, and Hardik decided to go all-in and finish Bumrah’s quota too. MI needed wickets and Hardik wanted to finish off GT’s middle order before it was too late.Shahrukh, however, was in no mood to see Bumrah off quietly. He took the gamble, and he succeeded, too. An over-pitched delivery outside off from Bumrah and Shahrukh hit it through the covers for four. Bumrah was not going to let this one pass without a classic riposte, though. He sent down a searing yorker that looked out of the syllabus for Shahrukh, and Bumrah followed it by shattering the stumps next ball when the batter missed with his wild heave.Ashwani was back for the 18th, and nailed his yorker to trap Rashid lbw, and GT fell well behind the DLS par score again with only three runs coming off Ashwani’s five balls. It was raining again, but not hard enough to take them off immediately. Coetzee then – perhaps not fully aware yet that he had killed two birds with one stone – hammered the last ball of Ashwani’s over for four. That released some pressure by reducing the asking rate, and also made sure Tewatia would be on strike next over. But first, another, longer rain break with 24 needed off two overs.1:20

‘It’s incredible what Rahul Tewatia does’

This was a period MI would not be proud of. Most of their players retired to the dressing room, and there emerged no clear candidate to bowl the last over once it became clear there wouldn’t be time for two. No one could be seen warming up until the last minute, and there was no apparent burning desire like the GT players and coaches were exuding as the clock ticked towards the cut-off time. Tewatia had his pads on in the dugout throughout, head coach Ashish Nehra was either in the match officials’ ears or almost wiring Tewatia’s brain to prep him for the last over.When it finally came down to 15 to win from six, Hardik made another contentious call, of bowling Deepak Chahar, a powerplay specialist, over himself.If Tewatia was the ice-cool presence that smoked the first delivery right back for four, Coetzee’s nerve-busting energy sent the ball crashing over the long-off boundary for six two balls later. Chahar overstepped next ball, and even though the two-required-from-three equation went down to the last ball, GT’s thrilling win under pressure against a top-quality bowling attack, clinching the crunch moments in a game with sharp twists and turns, proved that their batting was not only about their top three.They will also accept that their middle order’s night was far from perfect in what was their 11th game, which could even act as the perfect wake-up call before the playoffs.

No one scored a fifty, but a succession of high-voltage cameos led Kings past 200 for the third game in a row

Srinidhi Ramanujam30-Apr-20231:48

Moody: Jitesh a rare batter who can go out there from ball one

On Sunday, Punjab Kings breached the 200 mark for the third match in a row. It’s a rare feat: only one IPL team has done it before them, and it’s instructive that that team, Kolkata Knight Riders, also did it this season. Teams this year have scored big totals more frequently than ever before; with almost a month of the tournament remaining, IPL 2023 has already broken the record for most 200-plus totals in a season.The introduction of the Impact Player rule has had a lot to do with this. Every team bats deeper as a result of it, and it’s allowed every team to bat with a greater degree of freedom.But it’s Kings, perhaps, who have embraced this spirit of adventure more than any other team, and their victory on Sunday exemplified it.Related

Raza trumps Pathirana as Punjab Kings win last-ball thriller

Dhoni on death bowling: Need to see if execution was the problem or the plan was the problem

Up against Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, they were set a target of 201, and how they got there told a tale. None of Kings’ batters got to fifty; instead their chase comprised several quick cameos that culminated in a last-ball storming of CSK’s fortress. It was the first time an opposition had chased down 200 or more against CSK at Chepauk, and it was the third-biggest chase at the venue overall.Kings’ batters buzzed with intent from start to finish. The chase wasn’t always fluent, but every now and then a big over would come by, keeping them in touch with their asking rate.There were contributions all the way down the order: Shikhar Dhawan, Prabhsimran Singh, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran and Jitesh Sharma all scored between 21 and 42, with four of them striking at 160 or above and the other, Curran, at 145. When Jitesh fell in the penultimate over, Kings needed 15 off eight balls, and Sikandar Raza steered them home in a pulsating finish.Prabhsimran and Jitesh, in particular, exemplify this Kings side, and their innings here continued the good work they’ve done throughout the season. Prabhsimran has 210 runs this season at a strike rate of 153.28, and Jitesh 190 at 162.39. Both average in the 20s, but it’s a trade-off teams will be prepared to make if they have enough batting depth.Liam Livingstone’s urgency is a natural fit in Punjab Kings’ line-up•Associated PressJitesh was off the blocks straightaway, launching Ravindra Jadeja for a massive, second-ball six, and it’s something he does often, finding the boundary as soon as he arrives at the crease.”He [Jitesh] is such an impact player,” Tom Moody, the former Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach, said on ESPNcricinfo’s . “He is one of those rare players that seems to go from ball one and get after the bowling. Not many players can do that, they need a handful of balls, say two or three at least to feel the rhythm of the game. He is the player that has the rhythm before he goes out there. A great innings from him, a significant contribution around the success of that victory.”Dhawan is the only Kings player with more than 250 runs this season, but they have five batters who currently average in the 20s while striking at 140 or more.It’s a clear indication of how they approach innings, and it reflects in the fact that they have the joint-second-fewest 50-plus scores of any team this season (7), while putting up the joint-most 190-plus totals (5). And they’ve achieved all this without Jonny Bairstow.Sunday’s victory was a distillation of all that. It was only the second time in all T20s that a team had chased down 200 or more with fewer than five wickets in hand without any of their batters scoring a fifty.Intent right through the innings, and a reliance on a succession of small, impactful innings rather than big scores from one or two players. While there might be a element of Kings wanting to play this way, it’s also true that they might be forced to play this way, given that they have one of the weaker bowling attacks in the IPL. They may have scored three successive 200-plus totals, but they also happened to concede 200-plus totals in each of those games, with Lucknow Super Giants scoring an astonishing 257 earlier in the week.Kings’ bowling weaknesses, in short, force them to aim for well above par when they bat first, and to gun down big targets more often when they chase.Through a combination of design and circumstance, therefore, they’ve constructed a batting unit built around collective intent rather than individual brilliance, and it’s working fairly well for now. In tangible terms, it has brought Kings five wins from nine games, and it’s kept them very much in the running in the playoffs race.

The struggle with the body will be an ongoing one, but there remains no doubt about his ability

Sidharth Monga29-Mar-2021When India began this international season on the back of a gruelling IPL, nobody knew what to expect. It’s fair to say the actual cricket was not topmost on most minds: they were in Australia, we didn’t know how they were coping with quarantines and bubbles, we didn’t know to what standard they would be able to play. Naïve as it might be to overstate what they have gone through – their compatriots outside the bubbles have been through much worse – but in playing the cricket they have, winning five out of six series when they were outright favourites for only one of them, has kept a country entertained and engrossed in bleak times.Along the way, India have discovered the amazing depth in their cricket, forced as they were to cast the net wide because of Covid-19 complications. Rishabh Pant has shown the conservatives that his shot selection was not the problem, as he turned India’s fortunes around from the moment he played that cameo in Melbourne. Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill and Axar Patel demonstrated the riches in Test cricket. A whole host of other debutants – Shardul Thakur (not a debutant but his first Test was only about an over long), T Natarajan, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya – have made immediate impact.Related

Bhuvneshwar: I'm not prioritising white-ball cricket over red-ball cricket

Conway in top five among T20I batsmen; Stokes, Henry and Bhuvneshwar rise on ODI charts

India's recent heroes who may not play the WTC final

India – powerless in the powerplay

Bhuvneshwar the banker comes to India's rescue

Amid all these discoveries, though, just as sweet was the return of a grizzled veteran. When India were struggling in the ODIs in Australia, the only series they have lost this season, India’s problems looked massive. The world had caught up with their wristspinners, and their new-ball bowlers were not taking wickets. From the start of the year 2019 to the loss of the series in Australia, only Scotland and Bangladesh had a worse bowling average than India’s 51.52 inside the first ten overs. India had played more ODI cricket over this period than any other side.However, when Bhuvneshwar Kumar played, that average came down to 33.73. The problem was, Kumar played only 19 of the 36 matches because of injuries. And in the 17 matches that he didn’t play, India picked up just eight powerplay wickets.Kumar was not getting any younger. When a fast bowler gets into the fourth decade of his life, recurring and multiple injuries can be severely debilitating. Right from early 2018, he has been struggling with one injury after another. His workload was supposed to have been monitored during IPL 2018, but the Sunrisers Hyderabad say they didn’t receive any such instructions. Pushed back too soon in the ODI series decider, he injured his lower back – not for the first time – and lost out on the Test series in England. In the World Cup next year, he did his left hamstring, followed by sports hernia, and then the thigh injury during last year’s IPL.There was trepidation around how good and how fit the returning Kumar would be. Even he was cautious in his expectations, just wanting some reassurance from his body that could only come from eight intense international matches without any serious discomfort or injury.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe struggle with the body will be an ongoing one for the rest of his career, but there remains no doubt about the bowler. In his absence, Deepak Chahar has done a stupendous job in T20Is, but in these eight matches, Kumar has shown the No. 1 slot for the swing bowler who also bowls at the death belongs to him.In an ODI series in which 350 didn’t seem enough a lot of the time, Kumar went at just 4.65 an over. By the third match, he was back to picking new-ball wickets too. In the T20Is, too, he went at just 6.38 an over. In what might be reminiscent of his 4-0-23-0 during Chris Gayle’s 175 in the IPL, he was 2-0-6-1 amid the carnage of 127 for 1 in 12 overs in the final T20I and 4-0-13-0 in 131 for 0 in 14 overs in the first ODI. In the five T20Is, there was a boundary hit every 5.7 deliveries. Kumar conceded one every 8.3 balls. When a boundary was being hit every 7.5 balls in the ODIs, he went for one every 10.2 balls.These are superlative numbers, worthy of a Player of the Series in both the competitions, as Virat Kohli rightly pointed out after the ODI series. He scored truckloads in one of the series and looked good to do so in the other. He knows how difficult it is to bowl in these limited-overs matches. He knows where the difference was made.According to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, Kumar was the most impactful bowler in the T20I series, pipping Jofra Archer. In overall impact per match, he was behind only Archer, Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav.In an era that you need extreme pace or a different angle or hyperextension of the arm to be successful for more than one season in limited-overs cricket, Kumar’s success has endured without any of these attributes. What he has is the ability to extract every ounce of movement available, the accuracy and the absolute control over what he wants to bowl. He keeps upgrading his slower-balls repertoire to make sure he doesn’t become predictable at the death. He managed to get Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow only in the final ODI, but you could see he bowled for that dismissal in the first two matches too. His awareness of what plan is needed and its execution is spot on most of the time.India will welcome the reunion of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in their limited-overs international sides. In a season of debutants, when it might have been easy to forget Kumar, he has told the sunset and the horse to wait for another time.

The trophies haven’t always followed, but West Ham United have had some truly sensational players represent them over the years.

You’ve got the historical greats, like Bobby Moore, Billy Bonds, and Geoff Hurst, as well as some more modern ones.

Declan Rice, for example, or Dimitri Payet before him, and going back a little further, the livewire that was Paolo Di Canio.

All three made an enormous impact on the club during their time in East London, and Nuno Espírito Santo has someone in his squad today who should be spoken about in the same way.

Di Canio, Payet and Rice's West Ham careers

Starting in chronological order then, Di Canio joined West Ham in January 1999, and while there were some questions over the move for his rash behaviour, and the fact he had just been banned for 11 games for pushing a referee, Harry Redknaap justified the move by simply stating that the Italian could “do things with the ball that people can only dream of.”

Over the next four and a half years, the Roma-born icon would rack up an impressive tally of 50 goals and 19 assists in 139 games for the club, with his strike against Wimbledon in March 2000 later being named the league’s goal of the decade.

While he left to join Charlton Athletic following the Irons’ relegation in 2003, Di Canio made a lasting impression in East London and continues to call the fan base his second family.

Another maverick star who the East End fell head over heels for during his time in the capital was Payet.

The French magician joined the club from Marseille in the summer of 2015, and it didn’t take long for him to announce himself, providing the assist for Cheikhou Kouyaté from a well-taken free kick on his debut against Arsenal.

He ended that season with an outrageous tally of 12 goals and 15 assists in 38 games, which was enough for him to be named the Premier League Player of the Year at the 2016 London Football Awards, shortlisted for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and named West Ham United Player of the Year.

However, things would sour the following season, when, in the new year, he refused to play after making it clear that he wanted to return to Marseille, which he eventually did for around £25m.

Finally, the only academy product of the three, Rice was well and truly one of West Ham’s own.

He made his senior debut for the club in a Premier League game against Burnley in the 16/17 season, and over the next six years would go on to amass 244 more for the club, as well as becoming the captain in the summer of 2022.

His crowning achievement in claret and blue came the following summer, when he led the club to their first European title, beating Fiorentina in the Conference League final.

Unfortunately, he then left to join Arsenal a couple of months later, but he did at least bring in around £105m in the process.

In all, it’s impossible to deny that Di Canio, Payet and Rice are three of the very best players to have represented West Ham in the modern era, although another name might have to be added to that list.

The West Ham star emulating Di Canio, Payet and Rice

Now, while neither the results nor performances have been all that great this season, West Ham still have several incredibly talented players in their squad.

Chalkboard

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

However, when it comes down to someone who could emulate and be looked at in the same way as the three icons mentioned above, only one player comes to mind: Jarrod Bowen.

The 28-year-old joined the Hammers from Hull City in January 2020, and while there was some excitement around his transfer, it didn’t feel like it would be such a seismic one at the time.

After all, while his first six months at the club certainly weren’t bad, they also weren’t anything special, as in 13 appearances, he scored a single goal and provided four assists.

Things improved slightly the following year, as he recorded 14 goal involvements in 40 appearances, but it was the season after that, the 2021/22 campaign, when it became clear just how special a player he is.

For example, in 51 appearances, the “unplayable” winger, as dubbed by Thomas Frank, scored 18 goals and provided 13 assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.64 games, which was also enough to see him earn his first senior England cap.

However, it was the year after that in which his defining moment as a West Ham player came, as in the 90th minute of the Conference League final, he made a perfectly timed run, and under all the pressure in the world, scored the winning goal to send East London into delirium.

Since then, the firm fan favourite has continued to improve, and since being given the captain’s armband last year, it’s hard to think og what else he needs to do to cement himself as a West Ham legend.

Ultimately, while he might not get the same recognition outside the fan base, it would be fair to say that Bowen is well on his way to becoming one of the Hammers’ greatest ever – if he isn’t there already.

West Ham are brewing homegrown Diouf in exciting 18-year-old at Rush Green

The incredibly exciting youngster could be a future star for West Ham.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Oct 7, 2025

Manchester City are now reportedly willing to launch a stunning £100m+ move to sign a young talent who’s been compared to Lamine Yamal.

Guardiola: Man City "had everything" in Sunderland win

Say it quietly, but we might just have a Premier League title race on our hands. After Arsenal slipped up against Aston Villa, courtesy of a dramatic Emi Buendia winner, Man City took full advantage. The Citizens shoved Sunderland aside in vintage fashion as goals from Josko Gvardiol, Phil Foden and a Ruben Dias stunner sealed all three points.

Arsenal’s lead at the top has now been cut to just two points and Pep Guardiola couldn’t hide his delight at full-time, telling reporters: “It had everything. It was one of our best performances of the season, against a great team, considering what they have done so far.

“Definitely [pleased to get a clean sheet], as they don’t concede much. One action from Ruben [Dias] when he lost the ball and they had a chance, but the rest of the match we were composed. We created a lot.”

The Spaniard, a title veteran, also assured reporters that there’s still a long way to go before the season concludes, saying: “Many things are going to happen still. It’s down to the way we play, not how many points behind we are. It’s the way you perform. The players are not stupid, consistency doesn’t come from one result.

Man City now most interested in signing "pacy" £40m+ Arsenal target club chiefs love

The Citizens could get one over on their title rivals.

ByTom Cunningham Dec 6, 2025

“In the last 9 to 10 games, we have been good. We have suffered a lot but we have to learn from it so it doesn’t happen again. When you score five goals against Fulham, you are doing good things.”

Back in their groove on the pitch, City are now reportedly willing to send shockwaves away from the action with a stunning bid to sign Chelsea’s Estevao Willian.

Man City willing to launch Estevao offer

According to reports in Spain, Man City are now willing to launch an offer to sign Estevao worth as much as €120m (£105m). The Brazilian has enjoyed a sensational rise since arriving at Stamford Bridge and is now recognised as one of the best young players in the world.

The 18-year-old recently stole the spotlight from Yamal when he scored an excellent solo goal against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge and that only added credit to Gus Poyet’s comparison between the two.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has also been full of praise for the teenager, dubbing him “special” earlier this season. Everything is pointing towards a generational star that Man City should be desperate to sign.

Chelsea hatch Mykhailo Mudryk plan in 'carefully considered' roadmap to rescue career

Not that it wasn’t before the short-lived return of Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United, but the centre-forward berth has been an even bigger problem in the years since.

Indeed, the 2022/23 season saw Anthony Martial score just nine times in all competitions, including just six in the Premier League, while January arrival Wout Weghorst netted just twice following his surprise switch from Burnley.

The following campaign saw an injury-hit Martial score just twice himself in all competitions, while new man Rasmus Hojlund did fire 16 times, albeit with just ten of those coming in the league.

Hojlund then followed that up with ten goals across all fronts last term, with just four of those coming in the top-flight. £36.5m arrival Joshua Zirkzee, meanwhile, netted seven times, of which only three were in the league.

The fact of the matter is, United simply don’t have a proven goalscorer to rely upon, with the recent defeat to Everton highlighting why that man Zirkzee – who hasn’t scored a league goal for almost a year – just isn’t the solution.

The latest on Joshua Zirkzee's future

In the absence of Benjamin Sesko – who himself has scored only twice following his £74m switch from RB Leipzig – it was Zirkzee who got the nod against the Toffees, having featured for just 90 minutes in total all season prior to that.

Rusty or not on his first start of 2025/26, the Dutchman looked painfully out of his depth at times, so at odds with the rampant speed and physicality of Premier League football.

There were moments of quality, including two well-guided headers and an inviting cross across the box, but the 24-year-old was largely ineffective up against the wily James Tarkowski, notably losing the ball 12 times from just 35 touches.

Provided a rare opportunity to flourish, the former Bologna man showcased just why he has been a bystander to proceedings for much of the campaign so far, further throwing into doubt his long-term future at Old Trafford.

Indeed, the latest reports have suggested that the 6 foot 4 enigma might have already said yes to joining AS Roma on an initial loan deal in January, having previously been named Serie A’s Young Player of the Year back in 2023/24.

While United’s options in attack will be limited even further by Amad and Bryan Mbeumo’s upcoming AFCON commitments, it would not be a surprise for Zirkzee to depart upon their return in the New Year, with seven goals in 55 total games for the club making for grim reading for any centre-forward.

There is a talent in there, with his fleet of foot and silky touch sparking comparisons to a figure like Dimitar Berbatov, although in United’s current period of flux under Ruben Amorim, they desperately need an out-and-out goalscorer.

Thankfully, INEOS have already signed one.

Man Utd's "homegrown Osimhen" can replace Zirkzee

With Sesko and Matheus Cunha both sidelined, it was stark how little attacking depth United had in reserve, with Mason Mount the only real senior forward for Amorim to turn to on the bench.

Bryan Mbeumo

6

Casemiro

3

Bruno Fernandes

2

Benjamin Sesko

2

Harry Maguire

1

Matthijs de Ligt

1

Mason Mount

1

Amad

1

Matheus Cunha

1

While 18-year-old starlet Shea Lacey was featured in the matchday squad, there were eyebrows raised at the decision to overlook his academy colleague, Chido Obi, with Zirkzee ultimately playing the full 90 minutes.

Obi was parachuted into the first-team set-up as a drastic measure last season, amid United’s injury crisis, having made eight senior appearances in total 2024/25, albeit without scoring.

Frustratingly for the 17-year-old – who did score on the post-season tour against Hong Kong – he hasn’t been seen since in the senior set-up, with Amorim suggesting that he had been promoted “too soon” last term.

There’s no denying that Obi did look raw, not least on his solitary start against Brentford, but he also showed flashes of his undeniable talent, having come close to converting from the angle in the FA Cup clash with Fulham at Old Trafford.

Signed from Arsenal in the summer for 2024, the free-scoring forward has ripped it up at youth level in recent times, scoring 32 times in just 21 U18 games for the Gunners, as per Transfermarkt, while following that up with 12 goals in ten U18 games for United.

With five goals in 13 this term in the age group above, Obi is again showing just why he deserves a second chance under Amorim, with the teenager representing the orthodox centre-forward option that Zirkzee simply isn’t.

Described as a “homegrown Osimhen” by Arsenal content creator Will Balsam, the Danish youth international might be the perfect understudy to Sesko, rather than Zirkzee, with Amorim’s set-up demanding a more mobile, dynamic option to run the channels.

Of course, Amorim is wise to be careful with the development of such a talent, but at a time when a string of centre-forward signings haven’t worked out, why not dip into Carrington again?

Not Lammens: Man Utd flop is becoming their biggest liability since Onana

Manchester United have a player who has massively failed to deliver at Old Trafford since his transfer.

1 ByEthan Lamb Nov 27, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo visita o Audax Rio neste sábado (24), pela décima rodada do Campeonato Carioca. A bola rola a partir das 16h (de Brasília), no Estádio Nilton Santos, com transmissão da Band, do Bandsports e do Canal GOAT.

continua após a publicidade

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

✅FICHA TÉCNICA
Audax Rio x Botafogo
10ª rodada do Campeonato Carioca

Data e horário: sábado, 24 de fevereiro de 2024, às 18h (de Brasília)
Local: Estádio Nilton Santos, no Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Onde assistir: Band, do Bandsports e Canal GOAT

⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES

AUDAX RIO
Anderson Max; Ramon, Igor Silva, João Victor e Paulo Victor; Miticov, Romarinho e Bruno Paulo; Acácio, Fabinho Polhão e Edilson. Técnico: Luciano Quadros.

continua após a publicidade

BOTAFOGO
Gatito Fernandez; Mateo Ponte, Bastos, Alexander Barboza e Hugo; Danilo Barbosa, Marlon Freitas, Tchê Tchê, Eduardo e Savarino; Júnior Santos e Tiquinho Soares. Técnico: Fabio Mathias (interino).

Tudo sobre

BotafogoCampeonato CariocaOnde assistir

The Dodgers can’t stop making deals.

Just days after signing two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million deal, the World Series champions handed out another big contract—this one to utility man Tommy Edman.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Edman’s deal with the Dodgers is another five-year agreement that will pay him $74 million, and includes a sixth-year team option.

They say the rich get richer, but this is getting ridiculous.

While Edman is far from the biggest superstar or biggest contract on the Los Angeles roster, his new deal is another clear statement from the team that they are making a run at dynasty status.

Acquired at the trade deadline from the St. Louis Cardinals, Edman quickly proved a pivotal part of the Dodgers lineup through the homestretch of the regular season and their run to the World Series.

After batting .407 with 11 RBIs in the team’s playoff series against the New York Mets, Edman was named NLCS MVP. He added another home run and a .294 average against the Yankees as the Dodgers took home a championship ring.

He also urged the middle order to show more fight after Bangladesh failed to bat out 50 overs in any of the three ODIs

Mohammad Isam08-Jul-2025Bangladesh ODI captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz rued the lack of big partnerships that could have sustained the visitors in their 286-run chase after they went down by 99 runs in the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. With the loss, Bangladesh squandered the ODI series 2-1 after having lost the preceding Test series as well.Mehidy said that while Sri Lanka banked on a 124-run fourth-wicket stand between Kusal Mendis and captain Charith Asalanka after they were in a spot of bother, Bangladesh failed to stitch a similar stand.”When [Towhid] Hridoy and Jaker [Ali] were batting together, I still believed we could win the game,” Mehidy said. “We just couldn’t put together partnerships like Sri Lanka. They had a big partnership after they lost three wickets for 100 runs. Partnerships in the middle overs are crucial. We got a couple of 40s, but winning is hard without these partnerships in ODI cricket.”Related

Kusal 124 forms the centrepiece of Sri Lanka's series victory

Hridoy, who top-scored for Bangladesh with 51, had stands of 42 with Parvez Hossain Emon and 43 with Mehidy. However, none of the batters could carry on after getting starts.”We are getting out soon after getting set,” Mehidy said. “We can’t keep the momentum for too long. We have to work on it. When I was batting with Hridoy today, we nearly grabbed the momentum. Then I got out. Momentum is required for a partnership. Strike rotation is important in a partnership. We have to play more low-risk cricket, not the high-risk cricket we are playing.”Another area of concern, according to Mehidy, is Bangladesh’s failure to bat out the 50 overs in any of the three games. They were bowled out in 35.5 overs in the first ODI in Colombo, 48.5 overs in the second, and 39.4 overs in the third.Towhid Hridoy top-scored for Bangladesh with 51•AFP/Getty ImagesThe Bangladesh captain felt the middle order, including himself, needed to be more responsible. Mehidy, who now bats at No. 5, was guilty of throwing away his wicket in two of the three matches. On Tuesday, Mehidy, who struck four fours and a six in his 25-ball 28, holed out to long-on at a critical stage of the chase.”It is a concern for the team that we couldn’t bat 50 overs [in any of the matches],” he said. “It would have helped us if we had batted properly. Our middle-order batters need to take more responsibility. I couldn’t play a lot of balls, too. It would have been better [if I had done so]. We have a lot of room for improvement. We have a lot of cricket in front of us.”My dismissal put the team under pressure. I was trying to stay in touch with the run rate. I was looking for at least a boundary per over to meet the required run-rate. I didn’t want to put that pressure on Towhid Hridoy. I tried to take a calculated risk, but I couldn’t execute that shot properly. If I had, it would have gone for six.”Hridoy scored his second half-century of the series but failed to carry on. Mehidy said the other batters didn’t offer Hridoy enough support to enable him to accelerate when he was set at the crease. “I think he could have batted at a faster rate, but he couldn’t do it as we kept losing wickets,” Mehidy said. “Whenever he needed momentum, there was a setback. I won’t blame him for today’s defeat. If we could support him in a partnership, he could have batted at a faster rate. It is hard for a batter to bat in this type of situation.”Mehidy, however, said he would still back his batters playing their natural game, despite the setbacks in this series. “We could have hit more fours and picked up more singles,” he said. “It is also a matter of emotional control. Everyone likes to play cricket in certain ways. Our top order likes to play with a bit of risk. They like to find boundaries. I can’t stop them. It will make the situation difficult in the team. We are trying to back every player’s strength.”

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed what he thinks is the "most important tool" behind his longevity after plying his trade across Europe and now in Saudi Arabia. The Portuguese icon is showing no signs of slowing down, even at 40, as he continues to chase down records with Al-Nassr and on the international stage. He has set himself the mind-boggling target of reaching 1,000 career goals before hanging up his boots, and he is just 51 short of reaching that total.

• Still breaking records at 40

  Ronaldo's career has been built on microscopic attention to detail, be it his diet, post-match recovery or gym sessions. And this rigorous discipline has helped him maintain his gold standard even at 40. Since joining Al-Nassr, he has scored 105 goals in 118 appearances, clinching back-to-back Golden Boots in the Saudi Pro League. In this campaign, he is again one of the contenders with five strikes already in as many matches.

  What’s remarkable is that Ronaldo’s hunger remains insatiable. And to fuel that undying desire for success, Ronaldo revealed his secret formula. In a revealing new video shared by WHOOP on their social media platforms, Ronaldo disclosed that sleep and a regular routine are his 'most important tools'.

  “Sleep is the most important tool that I have," he said. "To be consistent with the time that I go to bed and that I wake up. I mean, like example, I go to bed around 11-12 and I wake up around 8.30. It is my routine. It is the most important thing that we have probably in terms of health-span."

Advertisement

• Two targets that are still pushing Ronaldo

  Ronaldo has long claimed that his target is to score 1,000 career goals, and people believe he might actually do it. Former Manchester United defender Danny Simpson, who shared a dressing room with Ronaldo during his early days at Old Trafford, insisted the legend’s story is far from over. Speaking to GOAL, Simpson was emphatic that Ronaldo could play well into his mid-40s.

  "I don’t think you can write him off," he said. "As long as he is scoring goals, as long as he doesn’t get any injuries, then it wouldn't surprise me because it’s him. I know he wants 1,000 goals. And I think he wants to play with his son."

  The Portuguese wants to build an enduring legacy that can withstand the test of time, as Simpson added: "Playing with your son, that’s probably one of the biggest targets that you can go for once you have won everything. Sharing a pitch with your son must be some feeling. You look at those targets. He does set targets and you look at those – 1,000 goals and play with his son – does he do those and think ‘right, I’ve done it all now’? I don’t know where you go after that. He’s just a phenomenal person, player. What he’s done for the game, it’s unbelievable."

• Getty/Instagram
  

  Following in his footsteps

  Ronaldo has never hidden his dream of one day sharing the field with his eldest son, Cristianinho. The 14-year-old is already turning heads in Al-Nassr’s youth setup, and according to his father, he’s progressing faster than he did at the same age.

  "When I was his age, he is a little bit bigger and stronger," he said. "I was smaller. I think he will be bigger than me. Let’s see if he has the hunger. The hunger is the most difficult."

  For a man who has conquered Europe’s toughest leagues, lifted five Champions League trophies, and carried his nation to European and Nations League glory, Ronaldo’s next challenge is deeply personal as he is battling time to continue long enough in the game to share the same dressing room with his son.

  "I would like it, I would like it," he had admitted. "It's not something that keeps me up at night, but I would like it. We'll see. It's more in his hands than in mine."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

• Unfinished business in the Middle East

  Ronaldo's spell in Saudi Arabia has produced individual accolades, but team success has remained elusive as he continues to chase domestic and continental glory. Riding on Ronaldo and Joao Felix's strong form, Al-Nassr have had a bright start to their league campaign and will look to build on their early momentum when they face Al-Hazm this Sunday.