أعلن الألماني هانز فليك، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة قائمة فريقه لمواجهة آينتراخت فرانكفورت ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا.
ويستضيف ملعب “كامب نو” مباراة برشلونة وآينتراخت فرانكفورت، في إطار منافسات الجولة السادسة من مرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.
ويمتلك برشلونة 7 نقاط محتلًا المركز الثامن عشر في ترتيب جدول دوري أبطال أوروبا، في حين أن آينتراخت فرانكفورت لديه 4 نقاط في المركز الـ 28.
ويسعى برشلونة إلى تحقيق الفوز في مباراة اليوم بعدما تعثر في الجولة الأخيرة وخسارته أمام تشيلسي بثلاثة أهداف دون رد على ملعب “ستامفورد بريدج”.
وشهدت القائمة عودة مارك تير شتيجن لأول مرة هذا الموسم، بيما ما زال رونالدو أراوخو غائبًا عن الفريق لمعاناته من ظروف نفسية. قائمة برشلونة أمام آينتراخت فرانكفورت في دوري أبطال أوروبا
TORONTO — The inside story of how the Toronto Blue Jays won the American League pennant begins where most stories do about the peskiest, most annoying and toughest-to-kill team to make it to the World Series in a decade: the batting cage.
It was about two hours before Game 3 of the AL Championship Series at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. The Blue Jays trailed the Mariners two games to none, having fallen so flat in two home losses that they lost to two pitchers on short rest. Of most concern was the rare clunkiness of the swing of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the heartbeat of the offense and, at a freshly invested $500 million, of the entire franchise.
In going 0-for-7, Guerrero grounded out six times, three times in back-to-back games for the first time all year. Toronto is 19–33 when Guerrero is held hitless.
“Time to go to work,” hitting coach David Popkins said to Guerrero.
When Guerrero is right, he wields a Lamborghini of a swing. It is long (7.5 feet), fast (76.7 mph, eighth fastest in MLB) and sleek (at 1°, he has the flattest attack angle in MLB). He shifts smoothly through many gears to get it on time: step back, bat tilt, stride and crescendo. But it kept misfiring oddly in Games 1 and 2.
On the off day before Game 3, Popkins looked at the diagnostics and discovered the problem. It wasn’t the swing. It was a timing issue. Guerrero was making contact only a few inches or so farther in front of his body than ideal, turning line drives and long flyballs into turf-hugging grounders.
What Popkins needed to do was the equivalent of replacing the timing belt, chain and tensioner. Don’t overhaul anything; just re-set the timing.
Popkins brought Guerrero into the cage to hit against the curveball machine.
“It slows him down,” Popkins says. “Let’s him get a little confidence in his path.”
After Guerrero left the shop, he hummed through the remaining five ALCS games by slashing .526/.609/1.158 to win the ALCS MVP and continue one of the most sublime hitting performances in postseason history. Guerrero is the first player to slug as many as six homers in a postseason while striking out just three times. Barry Bonds (2002) and Albert Pujols (’04) whiffed a previous-low six times while banging six homers.
The story is instructive because of how the Blue Jays play offensive baseball as designed by a hitting coach who went undrafted out of college, played six minor league seasons without reaching Triple A, including three seasons with the Wild Things (of Washington, Pa.) and the Canaries (of Sioux Falls, S.D.), and who, after being fired by the Twins, was hired by Toronto manager John Schneider after meeting him for the first time. Turning 36 next month, Popkins is two months younger than Toronto DH George Springer.
“I’m a big fight fan,” Popkins says, “and you’ve got to be able to win different ways. You’ve got to be able to wear out the body … You’ve got to be unpredictable. And that's what we pride ourselves on.
“If we were a fighter, we’d be Jon Jones or maybe Floyd Mayweather. That’s the type of offense I say I want. It’s just this dynamic fighter. And we're going to face a great challenge in L.A.”
How the Blue Jays Match Up With the Dodgers
The World Series starts Friday in Toronto, not L.A., because the Blue Jays, fighters to the finish that they are, ground out four wins in their last four games to not only seal the AL East title but also wrest homefield from the Dodgers by one game. The series is blockbuster stuff if only for whatever jaw-dropping unprecedented greatness Shohei Ohtani has in store for us, this time against the Blue Jays, the team that thought it had a shot at signing him before the Dodgers closed the deal. Ohtani loves hitting at Rogers Centre (.288/.417/.610 in 16 games) because it reminds him of the Sapporo Dome, his former home with the Nippon Ham Fighters. In his first trip to Rogers Centre after signing with Los Angeles, Ohtani, for one of the rare times, was roundly booed—to which he responded by smashing a home run.
But for a baseball aficionado, the series is a fascinating contrast—to borrow from Popkins’s love of pugilism—of fighting styles. It’s the swing-and-miss stuff of the Dodgers’ pitchers versus the feint-jab-and-slug peppering of the Blue Jays. It’s an especially delicious matchup for Popkins, who went to minor league camp in 2019 with the Dodgers and coached in the Dodgers’ minor league system in ’20 and ’21.
“It’s going to be great,” Popkins says, “You know, I love those guys. They’re great, great players, a great staff, a great organization. I love those guys over there. And it's going to be a great, great matchup.
“Still to this day I still talk to a good amount of those guys and I can’t wait. I couldn’t be more happy that it’s them. This movie could not have written itself any better than this. I can’t wait.”
The Blue Jays blitzed the Yankees in the ALDS by hitting .338 and they sent Seattle home by putting the ball in play against the Mariners’ steady diet of in-zone fastballs. Toronto struck out only 40 times in seven ALCS games while Seattle fanned 71 times.
The Game 7 sequence for Toronto that turned a 3–1 defeat into a 4–3 win in the seventh inning was vintage 2025 Blue Jays when it came to throwing combinations. Leadoff walk (Addison Barger), 0-and-2 single (Isiah Kiner-Falefa), sacrifice bunt (Andrés Giménez), earth-shaking, roof-raising, drought-killing, jaw-dropping three-run bomb by George Springer. Gnats are less irritating than the Toronto lineup.
Seattle manager Dan Wilson kept bringing in fastball-pumping strike throwers: George Kirby, Bryan Woo and Eduard Bazardo. The Mariners chucked more heaters this regular season than any team (55.5%) and they boosted that percentage in the ALCS (59%). It did not work, not against the contact-heavy, ambush-happy Toronto lineup.
After the Giménez bunt, Wilson had eight outs to cover to get the Mariners to their first World Series. He had one more at-bat each with which to navigate against Springer and Guerrero. He chose to put the lead and those at-bats not in the hands of his closer, Andrés Muñoz, but a rubber-armed Bazardo.
Putting Bazardo on Springer meant Muñoz never faced Springer in the series but Bazardo would get him for a third time. The first pitch was a sinker that missed. Bazardo had thrown Springer eight pitches in the series. Seven were sinkers. Four of those were inside sinkers. What do you think Bazardo would throw at 1-and-0 on the ninth pitch? Yep, sinker inside.
At every turn, the Mariners could not shut down innings and get off the field without stress, if not runs. The Blue Jays struck out 1,099 times this year, the fewest for a full-season World Series team since the 2017 Astros, or, if you dismiss teams that cheat to steal signs, the 2015 Royals.
Dodgers pitchers are averaging 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings this postseason. The Dodgers need only to make 17 plays in the field to win a game. They are not an elite defensive team. Their defensive efficiency (turning batted balls into outs) ranked 11th, their worst showing in a decade. They ranked below average in defensive runs saved. By putting the ball in play and turning the lineup over, the Blue Jays can pressure the Dodgers defense and the trigger of manager Dave Roberts as to when he goes to his bullpen.
The Blue Jays came back from a 2–0 series deficit to win the ALCS. / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
“I think one of the things that’s so exciting about this group,” says vice president of baseball operations Ross Atkins, “is regardless of the talent or the skill level, we have something to combat it with.
“We’ve shown that that [Seattle staff] was about as good a pitching as you're going to see, and we were able to not just put it in play, but drive it. So that would be the same approach. Really, nothing changes.”
The Positive Effects of Hitting Coach David Popkins
The Blue Jays were a bad offensive club last season. They ranked sixth in fewest strikeouts, 19th in batting average, 23rd in runs and 26th in home runs. Immediately at the conclusion of the season they fired hitting coach Guillermo Martínez. About two weeks later, they flew in four candidates to interview on the same day. Popkins was the last of the four to sit down with Schneider.
“I didn’t know him at all,” Schneider says. “All I knew was that Rocco Baldelli and Jayce Tingler had high recommendations for him.”
“At the end of the interview,” Schneider says, “I got up and walked into Ross’s office and said, ‘I think we’ve got our guy.’ He was that impressive.”
Popkins had been fired by the Twins, where Baldelli managed and Tingler was the bench coach.
Something Popkins told Schneider that day would not only impress the manager but also become the mantra of the Blue Jays’ offense: “We want to be the most creative offense in baseball. We want more ways to score runs than anybody else.”
The effects were obvious, even if Toronto ran back mostly the same lineup but for free agent acquisition Anthony Santander, who played in only 54 games because of injuries. The Jays upgraded to second fewest strikeouts, first in batting average, fourth in runs and 11th in home runs.
When it comes to facing swing-and-miss, strikeout-heavy pitching staffs, the Blue Jays are fine with punching above their weight. The Yankees ranked seventh in strikeout rate (23.7%). The Mariners ranked ninth (23.3%). The Dodgers ranked second (24.8%).
The Blue Jays will not see as many challenge fastballs as they did from the Mariners. The Dodgers swept the Brewers by throwing just 40.8% fastballs. Their four starters—Ohtani, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow—threw just 37.5% fastballs. The World Series will turn on how Toronto can defeat, or at least withstand, the swing-and-miss spin and splitters from Dodgers pitchers.
“The guys are really about team at-bats,” Popkins says. “There's no one that’s selfish in our lineup, so it just makes it a tough one through nine. You kind of have to grind through it. Usually with a lot of lineups, you have a breather when you're a pitcher and you kind of just go through and attack them. There’s no stamina that’s wasted on a pitcher.
“But this team? You can really wear guys down mentally and their stamina breaks down. That’s when they make mistakes.”
I tell him that sounds like the line he gave Schneider in the interview about his philosophy.
“The most creative offensive team in baseball,” he says, like a proud parent.
This is getting serious now. Liverpool’s abject run of form under Arne Slot’s management this season has been a massive concern, but one which all of a Reds persuasion have been steadfast in their belief that the blip will be overcome.
Mohamed Salah’s flaming comments at the weekend have threatened to split the Slot machine wide open, with terms such as civil war and crisis being bandied about like never before.
What sparked this latest drama in a season weighed further and further down by setbacks? Well, Liverpool blew a two-goal lead at Elland Road in the Premier League, and Salah did not get even a flash of the action.
Liverpool's implosion at Elland Road
Liverpool just can’t pull all the strings together at the moment, having blown their two-goal advantage over Leeds United to draw 3-3. Dominik Szoboszlai thought he’d salvaged a draw late, but the hosts struck deep into stoppage time to condemn the Reds to their latest in a long litany of disappointments.
The frustrating part is Liverpool were comfortable and well worth their lead until spineless, error-riddled habits crept in after the break.
It was Konate’s lunging challenge, clumsy, needless, which started the Leeds fightback, and this underlines the point that Liverpool keep putting themselves through the wringer, incapable of playing to their strengths and retaining balance and composure throughout 90 minutes.
Konate is only months away from the end of his Liverpool contract, and while FSG continue to keep a door open regarding the France star’s renewal, Spanish sources suggest they could be open to cashing in for £15m this summer.
It would possibly be unwise to sell Konate right now, given the dearth of depth across Slot’s backline. Salah, too, is a player FSG wish to keep, but there is another struggler who flattered to deceive at Leeds and should be sold first.
FSG must get rid of Liverpool's "major issue"
Two things can be true: Salah has been well out of sorts this season, and he cannot convincingly tout the undroppable status he has carried through his glittering Liverpool career on his current form; Salah has every right to feel aggrieved, with players like Cody Gakpo reprising their starting berths in spite of dire performances.
It is Gakpo who is becoming a “major issue” for the Anfield side, and in more ways than one, as has been observed by analyst Raj Chohan.
Though the Dutchman has been a moderately efficient force on the left flank this season, scoring four goals and providing three assists in the Premier League, it’s clear that he is limited in his approach, and that the Reds could do with a more dynamic left winger to replace Luis Diaz, sold to Bayern Munich in August.
Gakpo, 26, has been at Liverpool for three years, scoring 46 goals and providing 21 assists across 149 appearances. He is versatile and has played his role throughout his time on Merseyside, but the Netherlands man has been exposed as lacking dimensions as Liverpool’s main man on the left wing.
There’s no doubt that Gakpo is a naturally prolific player, but if anything, this underscores the significance of the concerns surrounding his name: thee is a lack of expansiveness about his skillset, and he is averaging just 0.4 shots on target per Premier League match this season, ranking among the bottom 4% of league forwards for percentage of shots on target per 90, as per FBref.
Mohamed Salah
39 + 26
65
Cody Gakpo
23 + 11
34
Dominik Szoboszlai
12 + 14
26
Luis Diaz
17 + 8
25
Alexis Mac Allister
8 + 8
16
Someone like Antoine Semenyo, perhaps, who is ostensibly gearing up for an exit from Bournemouth in January, with Liverpool right at the top of the shopping list.
Liverpool may need a central defender, but there is a reason Slot suggested during a presser last month that he and sporting director Richard Hughes are looking further up the pitch as a priority position to smooth out the many wrinkles in the tactical fabric.
Though it would be foolish to start thinking about selling Gakpo in January, and an upgrade on the left is desperately needed, and bringing someone like Semenyo in would solve a ‘major issue’ and help launch Slot’s squad back into the ascendancy.
Salah and Konate’s respective futures are in doubt, but it might be that getting rid of Gakpo is the move Hughes needs to make first.
Salah upgrade: Liverpool prepare British record bid to sign £131m magician
Mohamed Salah may leave Liverpool in January after an extraordinary outburst at Elland Road.
Mumbai Indians allrounder Nat Sciver-Brunt, Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Smriti Mandhana and Gujarat Giants allrounder Ashleigh Gardner have been retained for the maximum price of INR 3.5 crore ahead of the 2026 Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction.The WPL officially released the list of players retained by the franchises on Thursday and Sciver-Brunt – not the captain Harmanpreet Kaur – was MI’s first retention. RCB wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh was retained for INR 2.75 crore, the second-highest bracket, while Harmanpreet and Giants opener Beth Mooney were retained for INR 2.5 crore each. There were a few notable surprises in the retention list. UP Warriorz chose not to retain Deepti Sharma, the recent ODI World Cup’s Player of the Tournament, holding on to only one player in Shweta Sehrawat. Among other major releases were Amelia Kerr, Alyssa Healy, and Delhi Capitals captain Meg Lanning.As per WPL retention rules, franchises can retain a maximum of three capped Indian players, two overseas players, and at most two uncapped Indian players. If a franchise wanted to retain five players, at least one of them should be an uncapped Indian player. The WPL has for the first time given teams right-to-match (RTM) options at the auction to buy back a player who was part of their 2025 squad.Each franchise has been allotted INR 15 crore to build their squad for WPL 2026. It is understood that the mega player auction will take place in Delhi on November 27.Here’s the full list of players retained by all five franchises:
Players retained: Smriti Mandhana – INR 3.5 crore, Richa Ghosh – INR 2.75 crore, Ellyse Perry – INR 2 crore, Shreyanka Patil – INR 60 lakh Money spent: INR 8.85 crore; Purse remaining: INR 6.15 crore; One RTM option available Notable players released: Renuka Singh, Sophie Devine, Sophie Molineux, Danni Wyatt-HodgeWhat they said: “Her association with risk and how she faces pressure situations is exactly what we want in our batting order,” new head coach Malolan Rangarajan said of retaining Ghosh. “And somebody we view with leadership potential as well.”
Delhi Capitals
Players retained: Jemimah Rodrigues – INR 2.2 crore, Shafali Verma – INR 2.2 crore. Annabel Sutherland – INR 2.2 crore, Marizanne Kapp – INR 2.2 crore, Niki Prasad – INR 50 lakh Money spent: INR 9.3 crore; Purse remaining: INR 5.7 crore; No RTM available Notable players released: Meg Lanning, N Shree Charani, Radha Yadav, Arundhati ReddyWhat they said: “It’s been really tough,” DC head coach Jonathan Batty told JioStar about not retaining Lanning. About who could now lead DC in WPL 2026, he said: “Jemimah’s got a great captaincy record [in domestic cricket]. Obviously, Annabel Sutherland captains in WBBL as well. So there’s lots of candidates out there. We also got the mega auction to come, so there’s some candidates out there as well. So we’re leaving our options open.”
Player retained: Shweta Sehrawat – INR 50 lakh Money spent: INR 50 lakh; Purse remaining: INR 14.50 crore; Four RTM options available Notable players released: Deepti Sharma, Alyssa Healy, Sophie Ecclestone, Tahlia McGrath, Alana King, Kranti Gaud, Chinelle HenryWhat they said: “I feel the thought process from the think tank, from the support group, was more so to go in with a clean slate, try and have as much money in the purse, to make sure we can not only get the team that we feel we need to win that championship, but also get a lot of these players back in the auction, given the opportunity,” Abhishek Nayar, newly appointed head coach, said. “But the thought process also behind having someone like a Shweta Sehrawat in the ranks and retaining her, was the faith this franchise has put into as a youngster playing three years, being someone who’s played almost every game for us and being able to perform, and now going up the ranks in domestic cricket. We just felt we would love to have someone like that back in our set-up.”
Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso is under increasing pressure after a tough start to life back in the Spanish capital, with reports going so far as to claim the Los Blancos boss could be sacked if his side lose to Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday night. But is dismissing the former Madrid midfielder the right decision?
Alonso at risk of early dismissal
According to reports, the hierarchy at Madrid have held a meeting over the future of their head coach and offered no guarantees that Alonso will remain in the job if the club's form does not improve. The Spanish giants have forfeited their lead at the top of La Liga, and now sit four points behind champions Barcelona. That is despite beating the Blaugrana 2-1 in the first El Clasico of the season back in October. With the pressure now ramped up, Alonso faces arguably his toughest test yet – Pep Guardiola.
The City boss is certainly not going to take it easy on his fellow countryman, and he refused to be drawn into speculation about his future. Guardiola said: "I wish Xabi all the best, but his future is an answer I don't know. You all know the situation better than I do; I'm far removed from it. I haven't spoken with Florentino, and he hasn't told me that tomorrow will be Xabi's last match. If you don't win big games, things get difficult. But Xabi is in control of the situation and knows what this whole thing is about. My concern is seeing what we've done well. To beat Real Madrid in this competition, it's not enough to be better; you have to be much better."
AdvertisementGetty Images SportMadrid must ease expectations
Alonso has a proven track record. He led Bayer Leverkusen to their first-ever Bundesliga title and their biggest success since claiming the 1993 German Cup. The 44-year-old then had the whole of Europe at his doorstep, begging him to join, but he chose Madrid, the club he represented 158 times during his career. There is no doubt that he is a world-class coach, and it would benefit Los Blancos to loosen the weight of expectation during his first term as manager. Understandably, it is not always that simple in Madrid, and failure is very rarely rewarded; however, despite their run of just one win in their last five games in La Liga, four points is not an insurmountable deficit to overturn in the second half of the season, and the club are better off putting their trust in Alonso, rather than ripping his project up and starting again.
Alonso's toughest task: Managing a team of superstars
One of Alonso's biggest threats is managing the ego-driven squad Madrid currently possesses. Sometimes, too many big personalities can cause more harm than good, and given time, the Spaniard can drive out the unwanted crop and replace them with players he knows will thrive in his system. Fans have already seen him clash with Vinicius Junior, but Alonso must also contend with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham and Endrick. Three of the five mentioned have been linked with moves away from Madrid; perhaps that is the action needed to give the manager a stronger grip over his team.
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Getty ImagesPatience will be rewarded
Arsenal are the ultimate example of a club who are being rewarded for their patience and trust in the process. Madrid are not exactly battling relegation, although you could argue that with the quality of their team, challenging on all fronts is the bare minimum. After a few short months, it is incredibly hard to gauge an idea of how well things are going under new leadership, especially when that person is taking over from Carlo Ancelotti, a man who was given four years to deliver, and did not always manage it. If Madrid fans can take anything away from the opening months of the 2025-26 campaign, let it be the big wins rather than the losses. Victories over Barcelona and Juventus are clear indicators of what the team can be; it might just require a bit of patience in the short-term.
What do you think? Should Madrid sack Alonso if they lose to Madrid in Wednesday night's blockbuster Champions League clash? Cast your vote in the poll below!
From Harmanpreet Kaur’s 171* to Anya Shrubsole breaking hearts, we look back fondly at the past three tournaments
Vishal Dikshit26-Sep-2025
Alyssa Healy bosses the 2022 knockouts
The Australians are known to step up on the big stage, against the best opponents, and in the knockouts. Alyssa Healy did it all at once and on her own in the 2022 edition to send Australia to their seventh ODI World Cup.Batting first in the semi-final against West Indies, Healy raced to a 91-ball century after being given a life early, but then sped from 50 to 100 in just 28 balls for her maiden World Cup hundred to finish on 129 off 107, studded with 17 fours and a six that set up their 157-run victory.Four days later, she hit new highs – again after being given a life – with a commanding 170 against England to take home the Player of the Match and Series awards along with the main trophy. Her magnificent knock helped her finish the tournament with 509 runs, the most in a World Cup edition.”It was an amazing 50-over World Cup for the Australian women’s team, but for me personally the innings in the final was pretty special,” Healy later told ESPNcricinfo. “To contribute and get them over the line in a big match was obviously pretty special for our group.”
The 171* Harmonster in the 2017 semi-final
0:45
Harmanpreet on her 171*: ‘A lot of things changed in women’s cricket’
If there was one recent World Cup that gave women’s cricket lift off, it was in 2017, and if one had to pick a knock from that tournament that did the same, it would be Harmanpreet Kaur’s epic 171* off 115, that too in a rain-curtailed match.Despite a strained shoulder, Harmanpreet knocked the daylights out of the Australia attack in unexpected and unprecedented fashion, relentlessly belting 20 fours and seven sixes. She raced from 50 to 100 in just 26 balls and then from 100 to 150 in just 17 balls. Her barely believable manner of eliminating Australia from the tournament was immediately chronicled in cricket history.”That knock was really special to me and for women’s cricket,” Harmanpreet said last month in Mumbai. “After that knock a lot of things changed personally in my life, and especially in women’s cricket also, because at that time I didn’t really know what had happened because I was totally off social media. But when we came back to India, and even though we lost the World Cup [final], the amount of people who were waiting for us, cheering for us, that was something very special. Still, when I remember that innings I get goosebumps.”
Jhulan Goswami’s peach to Meg Lanning in the 2017 semi-final
It’s highly likely that had it not been for Harmanpreet’s jaw-dropping 171*, the world would have celebrated this dismissal a lot more. Australia would have barely recovered from that knock when the experienced Jhulan Goswami bowled an absolute peach to one of the most feared batters in the world. It started on a short of length and angled in from Goswami’s tall release, and as Meg Lanning covered her off stump, the ball straightened and then seamed away just a hint to knock over the top of off stump. Lanning’s walk as soon as the bails went flying and Goswami’s lion-like roars were testament to the worth of the wicket and the magnitude of the occasion.Goswami later revealed she had asked the India coach to drop her from the XI after she went wicketless in the first two games. But Tushar Arothe asked her to lead the bowling attack, and she did it with aplomb.”Meg Lanning is among the best players in the world and she is very strong square of the wicket,” Goswami said later. “Two days before the match I told Mithali [Raj] to bat in a way that I can bowl square of the wicket and then she will give me the feedback. That’s how I prepared. Luckily everything went our way.”
Sri Lanka’s first big World Cup triumph
A last-ball six. A one-wicket victory. Their first against a big-four side. The most sixes in an innings by a Sri Lanka batter in women’s ODIs. Sri Lanka did the unthinkable in their first match of the 2013 edition, by bringing down the defending champions, England, in a see-saw affair for the ages.England put up a competitive 238 for 8 and saw a 23-year-old Chamari Athapaththu lead Sri Lanka past 100 in the 23rd over to set things up. But Sri Lanka slipped to 157 for 5 with 82 to get from 71. No. 6 Eshani Lokusuriyage then not only chaperoned the lower order and the tail but also struck at 136.58 with three sixes under immense pressure to stretch it to the final over with wickets tumbling. With nine to get from six, Lokusuriyage hammered a six on the second ball but was run-out two balls later with scores level before Dilani Manodara smashed a six to seal a historic win.”The first thing that comes to my mind when you mention the 2013 World Cup was how we rushed the field after the win. I can see it so clearly in my head,” then captain Shashikala Siriwardene recalls. “We were running towards her (Manodara) and she was running to us. It was incredible.”Our lives and our cricket changed with that match. It started with that game. We actually didn’t celebrate massively. We shouted a little bit in the dressing room, and the coach (Harsha de Silva) said a few words. And then we just went to our rooms. But I couldn’t sleep! I was up most of the night remembering all the little things in that match, and the big moments. I was overjoyed. It was only the next day that I got a little sleep. I think that happened to a lot of the others as well.”
Anya Shrubsole breaking hearts, again and again
First South Africa’s and then India’s. Anya Shrubsole broke millions of hearts two game days in a row when she sealed two knockout thrillers to help England lift their fourth World Cup title, in 2017.It came down to the last over in the semi-final against South Africa, when England needed three runs but with only three wickets in hand. After Shabnim Ismail conceded just one run on the first two balls and dismissed Laura Marsh, Shrubsole came down the pitch and hit the winning boundary to leave the South Africa players distraught and in tears.When a nail-biter loaded in the final too, it came down to Shrubsole again, this time with the ball when India were just 11 away from their maiden World Cup triumph, but with only two wickets and two overs left. Shrubsole started her last over with the wicket of Deepti Sharma, and three balls later rattled the stumps to remove Rajeshwari Gayakwad and stamp England’s name on the trophy with her historic six-for, to be named Player of the Match.”I’m a little bit lost for words, if I’m honest,” she said soon after the game. “Just an unbelievable game.”
Where to begin? That sentence, perhaps, sums up the malaise at Liverpool this season, the catastrophic failure that has tainted not just the form of Arne Slot’s side but the culture and the club-fanbase connection too.
The overwhelming frustration that the supporters have felt since this abject run of results started is clearly shared by the players, with Mohamed Salah’s audacious outburst after Liverpool’s 3-3 draw at Leeds United leading to an overspill that has threatened to engulf the club.
Slot is walking a tightrope, now, but the plain truth is that FSG are right to givew the head coach their overwhelming support. Backing a player, even Salah, over the boss is something the ownership simply cannot do, even with Slot pitted against a peerless hero, even against Salah.
This is a mess of a situation, so far removed from the culture and stability that has left rivals so envious over the past decade, Jurgen Klopp starting the fire.
Salah’s calculated gambit will prove the end for one of Liverpool’s leading parties, to be sure.
Liverpool already looking at big-money Salah replacement
Slot and Salah’s long-term futures at Anfield are now mutually exclusive, with the Egyptian King’s incendiary comments after being benched for three successive games confirming a breakdown in the relationship between the two.
The Premier League champions have been sent in a tailspin, and Salah’s divorce from Slot’s plans stands as a symbol of the staggering collapse.
But, whichever side of the fence you stand on, there’s no denying that Salah is 33 years old and has been well below expectations this season, just five goals and three assists to show for his campaign, 19 matches in.
That’s why Spanish sources suggest plans to sign Desire Doue from Paris Saint-Germain have been ramped up, with FSG ready to launch a British-record €150m (£131m) bid in 2026.
Doue, 20, was crowned the European Golden Boy after his incredible breakout campaign in Paris, now established as one of the most talented wide attackers in the world.
He is not as polished as Salah in his prime, but this would be the perfect signing to replace the £400k-per-week superstar on Merseyside, should push come to shove.
Why Doue would be a Salah upgrade
Doue is quite the talent, unique in his dynamic and versatile wing play. He is a talented technician, but he also wears his qualities with such personality and gusto, splitting defences open with fleet footwork and calculated passing.
He was hailed as a “magician” by talent scout Jacek Kulig after his “incredible performance” against Inter Milan in the Champions League final last year, a fine indication of his ability to showcase his skills on the grandest of stages.
Moreover, the France international is able to balance his output; not shy to shoot, he is a fierce playmaker, and this is why he could prove such a perfect upgrade on the ageing Salah.
Doue has yet to get going in Ligue 1 this season, but Sofascore data presents an average of 5.1 duels and 1.5 tackles in the league last year, underlaying a return of 16 goals and 16 assists across all competitions, and plenty of flashy dribbling besides.
Salah’s deterioration this season has been well documented, but he was in contention for the Ballon d’Or last year, and when looking at how he compares to Doue over the past year, you begin to see why this French up-and-comer is so highly touted.
Mo Salah vs Desire Doue (past 12 months)
Stats (per 90)
Salah
Doue
Goals scored
0.52
0.55
Assists
0.30
0.35
Shots taken
3.07
2.90
Shot-creating actions
4.09
5.13
Touches (att pen)
8.72
6.27
Pass completion (%)
70.2
82.0
Progressive passes
4.06
6.19
Progressive carries
4.11
5.02
Successful take-ons
1.34
2.66
Ball recoveries
2.70
4.82
Tackles + interceptions
0.70
3.64
Data via FBref
Doue is a combative player, and the energy and mobility he would add to Liverpool’s right flank would help steer Anfield back into calmer waters, flowing toward the attacking successes and fluency of last year.
It is clear that some measure of change is needed, and while FSG will fight tooth and nail to retain Salah’s services for now, Doue would mark a significant upgrade, nailing down the right-sided wing for many years to come.
Salah is a one-of-a-kind sort of winger, and Liverpool would likely fall by the wayside if signing someone mimicking his style. Doue is his own player, and his creative emphasis would help service the likes of Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike in the centre.
In this way, he would prove an upgrade on a legend whose Liverpool career sadly seems to be winding down.
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Chelsea’s opening goal in the 1-1 draw against Arsenal on Sunday should have been disallowed under IFAB Law 11.
Arsenal unable to take all three points against ten-man Chelsea
With Moises Caicedo being shown a straight red card after fouling Mikel Merino in the first half, the Gunners would’ve been expecting to pick up what could be a crucial three points at Stamford Bridge, but the hosts refused to lie down.
In fact, Trevoh Chalobah opened the scoring for Enzo Maresca’s side just after half-time, although the north Londoners were ultimately able to come away with a point, as Mikel Merino was able to level things up just over ten minutes later.
Speaking after the game, Maresca made it clear he had no problem with Caicedo being given his marching orders, although he did question why Tottenham Hotspur’s Rodrigo Bentancur was not sent off for a similar challenge last month.
However, Mikel Arteta may have complaints of his own, with VAR being accused of going “completely blind” and missing Enzo Fernandez in an offside position during Chalobah’s opening goal.
IFAB’s Law 11 describes offside offences, and Fernandez’s position battling against Cristhian Mosquera certainly meets the criteria for ‘interfering with an opponent’.
A player in an offside position at the moment the ball is played or touched* by a team-mate is only penalised on becoming involved in active play by:
interfering with play by playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a team-mate or interfering with an opponent by: preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision or challenging an opponent for the ball or clearly attempting to play a ball which is close when this action impacts on an opponent or making an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball
However, the goal stood and Maresca’s side managed to hold out for a draw, despite having ten men for most of the game, so Arteta arguably has a right to feel aggrieved the Gunners were unable to extend their lead at the top.
Arsenal should have taken three points regardless
Although there is a case to be made that Chalobah’s goal should’ve been ruled out, Arsenal will be kicking themselves, given that Caicedo’s early red card presented them with a golden opportunity to pick up a victory.
Arteta concurs that it was two points dropped, saying after the game: “I think overall it’s been a really positive week because the difficulty was immense.
“But I have this flavour that today we should have and we could have won the game and we haven’t. That’s a learning point from it.”
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That said, the north Londoners shouldn’t be too disheartened, as getting a point at Stamford Bridge is still a good result, and they have a healthy lead at the top of the Premier League table, currently sitting five points clear of Man City.
Dominik Szoboszlai was at a loss to explain Liverpool’s dramatic 3-3 draw with Leeds United, saying he cannot “understand” how his side managed to twice throw away the lead to drop more points in the Premier League. Arguably the Reds’ best player in what has been a torrid season so far, the midfielder thought he netted the winner at Elland Road before the hosts equalised once again in stoppage time.
Liverpool were in cruise control before Konate conceded penalty
Looking to bounce back from Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with high-flying Sunderland, striker Hugo Ekitike scored twice as Liverpool took a two-goal lead early in the second half against Leeds. Handed a start ahead of fellow forward Alexander Isak, the France international netted his first league goals since bagging in September’s 2-1 victory over Everton in the Merseyside derby.
However, with Liverpool cruising in Yorkshire, defender Ibrahima Konate gave Leeds a route back into the game from the penalty spot when he brought down winger Wilfried Gnonto inside the area. Dominic Calvert-Lewin successfully converted the spot-kick before Daniel Farke’s Leeds found an equaliser just two minutes later when midfielder Anton Stach sent the home supporters into raptures.
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Szoboszlai has been rare shining light in difficult season for Reds
In a season which has seen several Liverpool players struggle to replicate their form from the 2024-25 title-winning campaign, one man who has led from the front has been midfielder Szoboszlai. Whether operating as a makeshift right-back or as a midfielder, the Hungary international has performed regardless of his position on the pitch in 2025-26.
And the former RB Leipzig ace thought he had scored the all-important winner for Liverpool when he raced into the box before coolly slotting the ball past Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri after 80 minutes.
But in a final twist in what was a breathless affair, Leeds scored a last-gasp equaliser through man-of-the-moment Ao Tanaka, who also found the back of the net in his side’s impressive 3-1 victory over Chelsea in midweek.
Hungary ace unable to explain how Liverpool conceded momentum
Understandably devastated after watching his side drop more precious points, Szoboszlai was unable to put his finger on why Liverpool conceded momentum in a game they were in complete control of.
Speaking to after the final whistle, he said: “I don't know what happened after 2-0. I think we thought the game was over and we just made sure at the beginning of the game that this is the kind of game where you can never underestimate the team. Maybe after the penalty they [Leeds] just had the momentum. We came back which showed a good reaction but we conceded again from a set-piece which is not the nicest way.
“I don't know [if there is a confidence issue], maybe you're right but after 2-2 we showed a great reaction and showed our mentality. We knew we made a mistake by letting them come back to 2-2 but I have nothing to say about the result."
When asked what was said in the Liverpool dressing room after the game, Szoboszlai added: “What is in the dressing room stays in the dressing room, it is not for the public. We have to manage it, we have to find solutions.
“I can always come up with the opportunity on Tuesday or on the weekend again but there are also times where you have to look at yourself. You have to go home and think if you did everything what was possible and if the answer is yes then we just keep going and the momentum will come.”
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Slot's Liverpool aiming to bounce back against in-form Inter Milan
Liverpool will look to bounce back when they lock horns with Italian giants Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday. While Arne Slot’s side sit eighth in the Premier League table, they are currently 13th in the Champions League standings.
Inter, meanwhile, should provide a difficult test for the Merseysiders. Cristian Chivu’s side are fourth in the Champions League table, having won four of their five fixtures. They are also top of Serie A after winning 10 of their 14 league games this term.
Zimbabwe’s collapse from a rollicking 91 for 1 left them with a below-par total
Andrew Fidel Fernando18-Nov-2025Zimbabwe lost seven wickets for 37 runs to slip to 147 for 8, when a total greater than 180 had been on the cards. Still, they pushed Pakistan’s chase into the final over, their seamers striking three times in the powerplay to slow Pakistan’s advance, before also squeezing the hosts in the middle overs.Pakistan’s Nos. 5, 6, and 7, however, dug them out of the hole. Playing his comeback T20I innings, Fakhar Zaman hit 44 off 32, putting on a 61-run partnership with Usman Khan. Usman was then joined by Mohammad Nawaz, who had earlier been the best of Pakistan’s bowlers. The required rate had become something of a challenge at this stage, but Nawaz’s 20 off 12 balls ensured victory was ultimately comfortable.Had Brian Bennett held a straight-forward chance off Nawaz on the midwicket boundary, with 15 needed off 10, Zimbabwe could have mounted a sterner challenge at the business end. In the end, Nawaz struck the winning boundary with four balls to spare.Zimbabwe veteran Graeme Cremer, playing his first T20I in over seven years and after 122 matches – the latter, a record – conceded 27 runs in three overs for one wicket.Nawaz triggers Zimbabwe’s tailspinAfter seven overs, Zimbabwe were running the show. The openers had hit 11 fours and a six between them. The run rate was in touching distance of 10. And the first two overs of spin had conceded 26 runs. But Nawaz, bowling quicker and more accurately than the legspinners, made the breakthrough that soon brought a flood of wickets when he had Tadiwanashe Marumani caught at deep square leg, though that first wicket came off a full toss. Later, he would also have Ryan Burl holing out.It was Nawaz’ economy, though, that set him apart. He conceded only 22 form his four overs, and had by far the lowest economy rate (5.50) of any bowler to bowl four overs in the game. With the bat, he was fortunate to be reprieved on nine, but struck a six and two fours to ensure Pakistan didn’t flounder at the finish.The Zimbabwe collapseThe period in which Zimbabwe crashed hardest was through the middle of their innings, when they slipped from 91 for 1 in the 11th over, to 128 for 8 in the 19th. Pakistan’s spinners bossed this period, with Saim Ayub and Abrar Ahmed also picking up key wickets. Although there was not much turn off the surface, the legspinners frequently beat batters in the flight, and created pressure through dot balls. It is this pressure that also caused two Zimbabwe run-outs.In the eight-over stretch between the 11th and 19th overs, Pakistan conceded only 30. It took an unbeaten 34 from Sikandar Raza 34 off 24 balls to avert complete disaster.Zimbabwe seamers boss the powerplayEarly wickets are crucial when defending a modest score, and that’s exactly what Zimbabwe got, when Brad Evans removed both Sahibzada Farhan and Babar Azam in the fifth over, before Tinotenda Maposa trapped Salman Agha in the sixth over. At the end of the powerplay, Pakistan were 31 for 3.They would struggle through the next four overs too, and when Ayub was dismissed by Cremer’s legspin in the 10th over, the required-rate was up to nine, and Zimbabwe looked like defending their total. But a sensible stand between Zaman and Usman gave the Pakistan chase some substance and Nawaz finished the job.