Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has offered an update on Kevin De Bruyne's future as he heads towards the end of his contract.
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De Bruyne into last few months of Man City contractHas been linked with MLS moveGuardiola coy on midfielder's futureFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
De Bruyne's future at Manchester City is uncertain as the midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season and yet to agree an extension. There has also been speculation linking the 33-year-old Belgium international with a move to the United States to play in Major League Soccer before he hangs up his boots.
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The midfielder has been at Manchester City for a decade and has won all the major club honours available at the Etihad Stadium. Yet Guardiola was coy when asked about the midfielder's future and insisted his current focus is on ensuring the club finishes what's been a difficult season strongly.
WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID
He told reporters: "It is between the club and Kevin and his agent. It is between the club and Kevin. In the position that I am in, we are just concerned about the team and finishing the season in the best position possible. We have to think about the best thing for the club with the FA Cup, the Premier League and the Club Wold Cup."
Guardiola was then quizzed further and asked if he expected De Bruyne to stay beyond the end of his contract, replying only: "He is our player."
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY
Guardiola's side return to action after the international break on Sunday against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
Prestes a estrear no Campeonato Brasileiro neste próximo domingo (10), contra o Athletico Paranaense, o São Paulo busca manter marca que é presente no confronto há três anos. Desde 2019, o Tricolor paulista não perde do Furacão.
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A última derrota foi em dezembro de 2019, em partida também válida pelo Brasileirão. Na ocasião, o São Paulo perdeu por 1 a 0, em casa, com gol de Cirino. Após esse jogo, as equipes se encontraram mais quatro vezes.
Destes quatro confrontos, o São Paulo venceu dois. As outras duas partidas terminaram em empate. Nessa margem de tempo, a primeira vitória foi em agosto de 2020, com um placar de 1 a 0, sendo Luciano o responsável por garantir a vitória do Tricolor. No ano seguinte, em janeiro, os dois times se enfrentaram no Estádio Joaquim Américo Guimarães e ficaram no empate.
TABELA > Veja a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro 2022 e simule os próximos jogos
Em agosto, novamente na casa do Furacão, o São Paulo venceu por 2 a 0, com gols de Pablo e Benítez. O último embate, portanto, foi novembro de 2021, no Morumbi, e terminou empatado por 0 a 0. Assim, o Athletico-PR atravessou quase três anos sem conseguir vencer o Tricolor paulista.
Agora, a equipe de Rogério Ceni busca iniciar na competição com o pé direito. Na última quinta-feira (7), o time estreou na Copa Sul-Americana contra o Ayacucho, no Peru, e garantiu a primeira vitória na fase de grupos da competição com um placar de 3 a 2, sendo Arboleda, Miranda e Luciano os autores dos gols. Luciano, inclusive, o responsável pelo desempate, após uma cobrança de pênalti que foi marcada em cima de Juan.
Para a partida na competição continental, Ceni optou por um time alternativo. Desta forma, nomes comoJandrei, Rafinha, Diego Costa, Léo, Welington, Pablo Mais, Igor Gomes, Alisson, Nikão, Eder e Calleri não foram relacionados, e assim, estão descansados para se apresentarem como opções titulares para a partida de domingo (10). Quem não foi ao Peru, seguiu treinando normalmente no CT da Barra Funda, com o foco no jogo do fim de semana. Esta foi uma tática do treinador para preservar peças importantes do seu elenco.
Além disso, contará com o fator casa e torcida. A partida será realizada no Estádio do Morumbi, que foi de grande força para o São Paulo durante sua trajetória no Campeonato Paulista, onde chegou até a final, contra o Palmeiras.
As fases finais do estadual tiveram a presença da torcida como um fator emblemático.Mais de 144 mil torcedores estiveram presentes no Morumbi nos três jogos decisivos do campeonato.Com isso, somando todos os jogos após a fase de grupos do Paulistão, o São Paulo embolsou, somente com bilheteria, R$ 6.476.299,95, nas partidas contra o São Bernardo, Corinthians e o duelo de ida na final contra o Palmeiras.
O jogo contra o Athletico-PR será neste domingo (10), às 19h, no Estádio do Morumbi.
Glasgow Rangers were unable to defend their crown in the League Cup final at Hampden Park against their closest rivals on Sunday afternoon.
The Light Blues were beaten 5-4 on penalties after a back-and-forth match at the national stadium that had plenty of twists and turns throughout.
It was Philippe Clement’s side that took the lead in the game, as Albania international Nedim Bajrami found the back of the net on the rebound after Hamza Igamane’s initial shot was saved.
However, goals from Greg Taylor and Daizen Maeda put Celtic 2-1 up in the second half, before Mohamed Diomande bundled in from close range to make it 2-2.
The Hoops may have thought that they had sealed the win when Nicolas Kuhn swept the ball into the back of the net from Arne Engels’ cutback in the 87th minute, only for Danilo to head home from close range a minute later to send the game to extra-time.
Rangers battled throughout extra-time to take the match to penalties and were ultimately let down by Ridvan Yilmaz, who was the only player to miss from the spot.
Ridvan Yilmaz's performance against Celtic
The Turkey international has rarely been seen on the pitch for the Gers this season, with two starts in the Scottish Premiership and one start in the Europa League,
Perhaps his lack of match action across all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign contributed to his performance at Hampden Park on Sunday because the full-back looked way off the pace after his introduction in place of Jefte.
Glasgow World handed the former Besiktas star a dismal player rating of 4/10 and cited his big miss from open play, blazing over the bar, and his miss from the penalty spot as the reasons for that poor rating.
Rangers defender Ridvan Yilmaz.
However, it was not only his lacklustre ball striking that let him down against Celtic, as his involvement in the third goal for the Hoops in the final left a lot to be desired.
Yilmaz, with no pressure to do so, completely overcommitted to a sliding interception on the halfway line, with Ianis Hagi and Nicolas Raskin already ahead of him, and allowed Kuhn and Engels to race clear on the right almost unchallenged.
That meant that Kuhn could carry the ball down the right flank under no pressure before sliding a pass down the outside of Robin Propper for the Belgian midfielder to cross back to the German to find the back of the net.
The Rangers defender, therefore, cost the team with his play in and out of possession in the cup final, which is why he was one of the worst performers on the pitch.
Clement must, now, consider ruthlessly binning Yilmaz in the January transfer window after interest from Besiktas in re-signing him in the summer, as he has become second-fiddle to Jefte and his cup final disappointment suggests that that is unlikely to change any time soon.
Jefte
Yilmaz is not the only player who should be brutally binned by the Belgian head coach, though, as central defender Propper also endured another tough afternoon in a Light Blues shirt.
Robin Propper's performance against Celtic
The summer signing from FC Twente did not enjoy his best match for Rangers in the cup final failure on Sunday, as his work on and off the ball left plenty to be desired.
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Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Glasgow World handed him a dismal player rating of 4/10, on par with Yilmaz, and wrote that he looked ‘nervous’ in possession, whilst struggling to deal with the pace of the likes of Kuhn and Kyogo Furuhashi.
Propper was questionable for all three of Celtic’s goals. He was, perhaps, unfortunate for the first one as Taylor’s effort from distance deflected off his boot and into the back of the net, although the Dutchman could have made himself bigger to avoid such a cruel deflection.
The former Eredivisie titan’s lack of pace was on show for the second goal as he failed to help out his centre-back partner Leon Balogun, after the Nigerian’s mistake allowed Maeda to race clear – and past Propper – to score the second.
Propper was then left isolated by Yilmaz’s poor decision on the halfway line for the third goal and got caught between two minds, retreating to defend the box or getting out to challenge Engels, and ended up doing nothing to prevent Kuhn from scoring.
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ByRoss Kilvington Dec 8, 2024 Why Robin Propper must be binned
Whilst it may be a bit premature to cash in on the centre-back, given he only joined in the summer, Clement must brutally bin him from the starting line-up and consider his options in that position in the January transfer window.
Propper was brought in to replace Rangers veteran Connor Goldson in the summer and has yet to live up to the Englishman’s legacy at Ibrox so far.
The 31-year-old flop has only featured in nine Premiership matches this season and has been an unused substitute in the last two league outings, as John Souttar – who is now sidelined through injury – and Balogun were preferred ahead of him.
Appearances
9
30
Dribbled past per game
0.6x
0.2x
Ground duel success rate
58%
73%
Aerial duel success rate
59%
67%
Fouls committed per game
1.1
0.7
As you can see in the table above, Propper has been far less dominant than Goldson was in his position in the 2023/24 campaign, winning a lower percentage of his duels on the ground and in the air.
Opposition players have also found it far too easy to get the better of him in dribbles, as he has been dribbled past far more often than the English colossus was.
These statistics suggest that Rangers have not adequately replaced Goldson, yet, and that is why Clement should bin the Dutch dud and look to land an upgrade on him in January.
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Whether or not that includes selling him or not, Propper must be dropped from the starting XI in the second half of the season because his performances, including his failure in the cup final, have not been good enough.
Struggling on the pitch, Manchester City have reportedly turned their attention to some much-needed reinforcements, including a future star who’s earned comparisons with Ilkay Gundogan.
Man City transfer news
What began as a blip has escalated into a full-blown crisis for Manchester City for the first time during their time with managerial great Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard is arguably enduring the worst season of his career after winning the last four Premier League titles.
The Citizens have simply been hit from all directions in the current campaign, from Rodri’s injury and the several absences that have followed to the realisation that those at The Etihad have an ageing squad in front of them. In need of a rebuild, City must first address a number of their issues in the January transfer window.
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On that front, names such as Martin Zubimendi and Tijjani Reijnders have already been mentioned in two deals which could instantly provide Guardiola with the midfield boost that he so desperately needs.
In the face of an ageing squad, the Premier League champions have also reportedly turned their focus towards a future star. According to Graeme Bailey for The Boot Room, Manchester City are now eyeing a move to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi from LOSC Lille in 2025.
The 17-year-old midfielder has also attracted the interest of Arsenal, but City could be hoping to get one over on their Premier League rivals to sign a player who’s already earned comparisons to being ‘Gundogan-esque’.
It would be quite the move, then, if City eventually ditched the ageing German to make room for a player who could quickly replicate the impact that he made at his very best under Guardiola. One for the future, Bouaddi is certainly one to keep an eye on.
"Impressive" Bouaddi is a future star
As Kevin de Bruyne’s and Gundogan’s contracts continue to run down, Manchester City must address their midfield problem in 2025, whether it be in January or in the summer transfer window. In their place must arrive young and emerging talent if the Citizens are to instantly return to their best after a season away from the top, and that may see Bouaddi complete the biggest move of his career yet.
League stats 24/25 (via FBref)
Ayyoub Bouaddi
Ilkay Gundogan
Starts
5
13
Progressive Passes P90
3.45
5.65
Progressive Carries P90
0.86
2.50
Ball Recoveries P90
5.17
5.08
Recording excellent numbers for a midfielder with limited experience, Bouaddi becomes even better when the reality sets in that he’s still just 17 years old. It then becomes even more important that Manchester City don’t allow such a talent to join another Premier League side, particularly if it is recent title rivals Arsenal.
Described as “impressive” by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig, the Lille teenager is undoubtedly one of the best young midfielders around. And whilst it’s important to note that it’s still just early days in what could be an illustrious career, working under Guardiola may only increase his potential to an even greater level.
Ipswich Town opened their 2025 account in the Premier League with a hotly contested 2-2 draw away at Fulham, with a staggering three penalties across the course of the thrilling 90 minutes.
If it wasn’t for Raul Jimenez’s second spot-kick of the day – which was awarded deep into added time – the Tractor Boys would have been boasting back-to-back wins in the top flight, which is an unheard-of feat for the newly promoted side.
Yet, that precious win would frustratingly slip through their fingers to now leave them in the relegation spaces on goal difference, but Liam Delap could certainly come off the pitch proud of his efforts again.
Top Ipswich performers at Fulham
Delap would confidently tuck away his side’s only penalty of the game after Sammie Szmodics’ first-half opener, with the ex-Manchester City striker making sure he leapt for joy when celebrating with the away end after his effort beat Bernd Leno.
He must have been fully expecting that to be enough to gift his side another well-needed three points after he had originally won the penalty via a tricky surge into the danger area, only for it not to be that way.
Away from just Delap, Szmodics also deserves plenty of credit for being in the right place at the right time to fire his side ahead courtesy of a generous deflection, whilst Nathan Broadhead also impressed going forward with four successful dribbles tallied up.
Even the Tractor Boys defence stood firm for most of the contest, as Jacob Greaves won four duels in the heart of the back five, but there was one notable underperformer for Kieran McKenna’s men who let his side down with an often reckless display.
Performance in Numbers
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Sam Morsy's numbers vs Fulham
It was the Ipswich captain who gave the Cottagers their first way back into the enthralling contest from the spot after a cynical foul from the Egyptian on an advancing Harry Wilson was initially waved away by the referee, only for VAR to intervene.
That was the tale of Sam Morsy’s game throughout, with the ageing midfielder winning just two of his seven duels on the day as a rash individual in the middle, meaning he lost out on 71% of his duels in total.
Minutes played
90
Touches
41
Accurate passes
31/33 (94%)
Dribbled past
2x
Fouls
3
Total duels won
2/7
Although the usually dependable 33-year-old did misplace just two of his 33 passes on the day, his calmness with the ball at his feet wasn’t present in every aspect of his showing at Craven Cottage, with three fouls given up across his topsy-turvy 90 minutes, on top of allowing himself to be dribbled past two times when the hosts broke forward with pace to burn.
Unfortunately for the Tractor Boys stalwart, this isn’t the only time he has looked off the pace of the game in recent matches, with just two duels also won at Molineux back in December, but that display was ultimately forgiven as a jubilant 2-1 victory was served up come full-time.
McKenna will know he cannot have Morsy be this overzealous in games to come, with the former Manchester United coach no doubt also having a word with Leif Davis, who saw his own tenacity get the better of him too when clattering into Jimenez at the death.
Of course, the Ipswich boss will want committed displays all-round, but if it wasn’t for Delap delivering the goods once more, faces such as Morsy could have cost the Premier League underdogs even more dearly in West London.
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Chelsea are now ahead of Real Madrid in the race to sign a “special” talent for Enzo Maresca as they look to add the final pieces to their squad in the transfer window.
Chelsea looking to sign defenders
Following the confirmation of Wesley Fofana’s injury, Chelsea have been strongly linked with signing a new centre-back this January, though Maresca has tried to quell the speculation.
“At this moment I think we are OK,” he explained when asked about the need for another defender, amid links to Premier League star Marc Guehi.
Tino Livramento battles with Marc Guehi
“The timing [for Fofana] is between 12 and 16 weeks which is three months and the season could be finished. If he can come back early we will all be happy.
“[But] we have Benoit who is close to being back, we have Josh who is doing well, Axel and Levi who can all do well in the position.”
However, defensive reinforcements will likely be needed sooner rather than later, with no clear alternative to Marc Cucurella in the Blues squad and Ben Chilwell set to depart this January after being frozen out for the first half of the campaign.
There are also concerns over the long-term ability of Chelsea’s current options, which has led to links to not just Marc Guehi but also Castello Lukeba, Benfica’s Tomas Araujo and more recently Bournemouth centre-back Illia Zabaryni.
Now they have been credited with an early advantage in the race to sign another option to bolster their backline, who would allow them to kill two birds with one stone.
Chelsea ahead of Real Madrid for "special" defender
That comes as Caught Offside report that Chelsea are leading Real Madrid in the race to sign Ajax sensation Jorrel Hato in what could prove to be a shrewd value move.
Still just 18-years-old, Hato is widely anticipated to be headed straight to the very top, with Football Analyst Ben Mattinson dubbing him a “special talent”. A Dutch senior international, he has featured 90 times for Ajax already despite his tender years, playing at both centre-back and more recently at left-back.
Appearances
15
Goals/Assists
6
Pass Accuracy
88.9%
Tackles and interceptions per 90
3.09
Yellow Cards
4
As per the report, Ajax are keen to keep hold of the teenager but “if they receive an offer between £40/45m, it will be difficult for them” to do so, which has opened the door to his potential exit.
And Chelsea and Todd Boehly “have jumped ahead of Real Madrid” in the race to land him, while Arsenal and Liverpool are also thought to be in the mix to land him in future transfer windows.
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It is added that Hato, who still has three and a half years left on his £16,000 a week deal in Amsterdam, “seems ready to continue his career outside the Dutch top-flight” and that Chelsea “are planning to sign the player due to his young age and versatility”, a move that would fit with their recent transfer policy.
The youngster would indeed provide cover across two key positions for Maresca’s side, able to rotate with Marc Cucurella at left back when needed but also fill in for Levi Colwill, who the Blues are also anticipating to have a big future.
Could Hato’s addition lock down Chelsea’s left side of defence for years to come?
The fast bowler will play three County Championship matches and five Royal London Cup games, subject to visa and regulatory approval
Matt Roller15-Jul-2022
Navdeep Saini in his pre-delivery leap•Cricket Australia via Getty Images
Fast bowler Navdeep Saini has become the latest Indian player to sign a contract to play county cricket after agreeing a deal with Kent.Saini, who plays his domestic cricket for Delhi and was part of Rajasthan Royals’ squad for IPL 2022, last played for India 12 months ago on their tour to Sri Lanka. He is due to play three County Championship matches and five Royal London Cup games, subject to visa and regulatory approval.He becomes the fifth Indian player to sign a county contract in 2022, following Cheteshwar Pujara (Sussex), Washington Sundar (Lancashire), Krunal Pandya (Warwickshire for Royal London Cup) and Umesh Yadav (Middlesex). “It’s a great opportunity to play county cricket and I’m looking forward to giving my all for Kent,” Saini said.Saini could make his debut against Warwickshire next week and is set to play alongside Matt Henry, the New Zealand seamer who is returning to Kent for a second stint after impressing in 2018. George Linde, the South Africa allrounder, is also on their books but counties can only field two overseas players in a playing XI.Kent have struggled to take Championship wickets all season due to a combination of fitness, form and flat pitches, and their defeat to Northamptonshire this week leaves them eighth in the 10-team Division One with five games left this season.Their ineffectiveness with the ball prompted Paul Downton, their director of cricket, to dip into the transfer market. “In a year when it’s been difficult to take wickets, we’re excited to have the opportunity to add a fast bowler of Navdeep’s quality to our squad,” Downton said.The Royal London Cup runs concurrently with the Hundred and it is an acknowledged source of frustration for the ECB that its new 100-ball competition does not feature any male Indian players.In February 2019, the former ECB chief executive Tom Harrison admitted that the involvement of Indian players was “a political conversation as much as anything … it’s not just the ECB and The Hundred that will be keen to get Indian players involved. Clearly that’s a wider discussion.”The BCCI do not allow active men’s players to take part in any overseas short-form leagues, but several recent India internationals, including Saini, will be involved in the second-string 50-over competition.
Ninth-highest first-class innings of all time sees Leicestershire lose despite posting 584
ECB Reporters Network23-Jul-2022Sam Northeast made an unbeaten quadruple-century before Glamorgan pulled off an astonishing victory on an extraordinary day of records in the LV= Insurance County Championship at the Uptonsteel County Ground in Leicester.Spectators at Leicestershire’s Grace Road headquarters had witnessed one of English cricket’s three greatest feats of batting as Northeast finished with a monumental 410 not out in a total of 795 for 5 declared in reply to Leicestershire’s first-innings 584.Then to cap it all Glamorgan dismissed their opponents for 183 in 59.4 overs to win by an innings and 28 runs.The victory – which lifts Glamorgan to second place in Division Two – capped an amazing day in which Northeast joined Brian Lara, Archie MacLaren and Graeme Hick as one of only four players in the first-class game in England to score more than 400 runs in an innings.The Leicestershire total of 584 is the highest in county cricket by a team that subsequently lost by an innings – smashing the previous mark of 527 scored in an innings defeat against Northamptonshire in 1995 – and is thought to be the highest in first-class cricket to suffer that fate anywhere in the world.Glamorgan’s coach, Matt Maynard, said: “To have a man, Sam Northeast, in your side who has joined only nine other players to have scored more than 400 in an innings is incredible. It was a remarkable feat and he batted selflessly as well, when we needed to up the scoring rate.”A lot of things go into a score like that. You have to maintain a high level of concentration but he never seemed to deviate from his plans until right at the end, when he started to be more aggressive.”I don’t think anyone here will have witnessed a better innings. The way he went from 200 to 300 on Friday, it was as if there were no fielders. Every attacking shot he played went for four. I’ve seen some good players, I’ve batted with some good players, but to see someone maintain that level for so long was just incredible.”ESPNcricinfo LtdGlamorgan won after declaring with a lead of 211 at lunch on the final day. They scored a breathtaking 232 runs in the pre-lunch session, a rate of scoring that left Leicestershire with 65 overs to survive – a task that proved beyond them as Michael Hogan (4 for 43) and Michael Neser (3 for 60) combined with spinner Andrew Salter (2 for 36) and James Harris (1 for 27) to blow them away.Northeast, who had never during his 16-year career imagined making 300 until he did so on Friday, now possesses the ninth-highest individual score in world cricket, behind only Lara’s all-time high of 501 not out for Warwickshire at Edgbaston in 1994 and MacLaren’s 424 for Lancashire at Taunton in 1895 as the third highest in England. Hick’s 405 not out for Worcestershire, also at Taunton in 1988 is nudged down to fourth place.Northeast numbered 45 fours and three sixes, sharing an unbroken stand of 461 in 71.3 overs with wicketkeeper Chris Cooke, who finished unbeaten on 191 – by coincidence Northeast’s career-best before this game.The stand was the eighth-highest partnership in County Championship history and, as far as a sixth-wicket stand was concerned, it was the highest ever recorded in English first-class record and the second highest in history.It was also a record total for Glamorgan, whose total is the ninth highest ever made in the county championship.Leicestershire will not need reminding that Cooke was dropped on just 3 and again on 15 on Friday – both comfortable catching chances – or that they missed Northeast at slip on 96.That error, one of only a handful in the entire marathon innings, seemed a distant memory as Northeast led the players off at lunch with almost every spectator on their feet prior to Glamorgan’s declaration after a morning session that saw 232 runs scored and a string of records set.
Sam Northeast becomes the first Glamorgan player ever to reach
Northeast eclipsed Steve James’s 309 not out as the highest score by a Glamorgan player and replaced Kevin Pieterson’s 355 not out for Surrey at The Kia Oval in 2015 as the highest individual score against Leicestershire.Glamorgan passed their highest previous total – 718 for 3 declared in the James match at Colwyn Bay – and the partnership overtook the unbroken 425 by Adrian Dale and Viv Richards against Middlesex in Cardiff in 1993 as the Glamorgan record for any wicket.Cooke completed his hundred off 161 balls, having hit 12 of his 19 fours to reach that mark, later adding three sixes in what would be the second highest score of his career, behind his unbeaten 205 against Surrey last season.Northeast, by nature a classical strokeplayer, reached the cusp of passing 400 having allowed himself the liberty of just one six. Only in the last over before lunch, presumably aware that it would be the last of the innings, did he throw caution to the wind.Related
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It paid off as he whacked Roman Walker over long-on for six to go to 402 and a place in the top 10 highest scores of all time, followed by another over long-off to move up another notch by taking down Hick’s 405.Leicestershire looked downcast in the field for much of the morning and misfielded several times on a parched and bumpy outfield.Glamorgan’s declaration at 211 in front gave them 65 overs to conjure a result and arrived sooner than they had expected, according to Maynard. “The original plan had been to bat on after lunch. But we just scored so quickly that we had the 210-lead at lunch that we thought would take us until 20 minutes or so afterwards. I thought it was perhaps a one in 30 chance of winning.”The pitch was still offering precious little help to the bowlers. But Salter dismissed Rishi Patel and Lewis Hill after Hogan had removed opener Louis Kimber via a fine catch by Northeast at second slip. When Hogan had Colin Ackerman and Joey Evison caught behind in the same over, Glamorgan sensed an opportunity with Leicestershire five down, still 83 behind and 27 overs remaining.Wiaan Mulder and Harry Swindells put on 42 over the next 14 overs, which seemed to tip the balance towards Leicestershire surviving, only for the momentum to swing back Glamorgan’s way as Neser dismissed Swindells and Ben Mike in the space of three balls, both leg-before.A fine catch at cover by Kiran Carlson accounted for Walker as Harris claimed a wicket before Hogan found some away movement from a ball 56 overs old to have Mulder caught behind and Neser produced a perfect yorker to bowl Wright to finish the match.
Newcastle United moved up into the top four in the Premier League as they secured a 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at St. James’ Park on Wednesday night.
The Magpies leapfrogged Chelsea to go into the Champions League qualification places and have Alexander Isak to thank, as their star striker scored twice and provided an assist.
Newcastle United managerEddieHowe
Eddie Howe will surely be delighted with the display by his centre-forward in the match, with his quality in the final third ultimately making the difference.
Alexander Isak's performance against Wolves
The Sweden international put in yet another exceptional display at the top end of the pitch for the Magpies and was directly involved in all three of the goals on the night.
His opening strike was aided by the deflection off Rayan Ait-Nouri but it was still a sweet effort from the edge of the box that forced the defender to put a boot in the way.
Isak, who won four of his nine duels, then scored the second goal with a terrific, composed, finish past Jose Sa after a fine first touch around the penalty spot.
The former Real Sociedad star completed his night with a sublime pass to pick out Gordon in the second half, opting to find his teammate instead of going for the glory of a hat-trick.
Isak, who has now scored 15 goals in the Premier League this season, was far from the only top performer on the park for the Magpies, as central midfielder Bruno Guimaraes showed that he is just as valuable as the striker.
Why Bruno Guimaraes is as valuable as Alexander Isak
The Brazil international proved, once again, that he is a pivotal player for Howe with a fantastic showing in the middle of the park for Newcastle, with his ability on and off the ball.
Whilst Isak is the man at the end of every move, scoring or assisting, Guimaraes is just as important because of the work he does to win possession back for the team, as well as being able to progress the play with his quality with the ball at his feet.
Bruno Guimaraes vs Wolves
Minutes played
90
Touches
88
Tackles won
5
Key passes
4
Duels won
7/12
Accurate passes
54/65 (83%)
Accurate long balls
2/5
Shots
2
Interceptions
1
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Brazilian dynamo’s performance against Wolves had it all; plenty of touches to control the play, tackles to win the ball back, duels won to compete physically, and key passes to split open the away side’s defence.
One of those key passes, of course, found Isak in the box for his second goal of the evening, which was Guimaraes’ sixth assist in the Premier League this season.
Bruno Guimaraes celebrates for Newcastle
The former Lyon star has averaged 3.2 tackles and interceptions per match and racked up one goal and nine ‘big chances’ created, illustrating the impact he has had in and out of possession for Newcastle throughout the campaign.
He is the hub of the team in the middle of the park, as everything runs through him, and that is why the Brazilian gem is just as valuable to Howe as Isak is, and the manager will be hoping that both of them can stay fit for the remainder of the season as they fight for a Champions League place.
Newcastle make approach to sign £60m star who'd be Howe's own "mini-Salah"
Newcastle United have a concrete interest in the Premier League winger.
Davina Perrin, a 15-year-old batter who is a member of the ACE elite programme, will become the youngest player involved in the Hundred this summer after signing for Birmingham Phoenix.Perrin was part of the Central Sparks team that reached the final of the Charlotte Edwards Cup this year and has been involved in Ebony Rainford-Brent’s ACE (African-Caribbean Engagement) programme since its roll-out in the West Midlands.”It’s a dream come true to have signed for Birmingham Phoenix this summer,” Perrin said. “To have the opportunity to train and potentially play alongside the likes of Ellyse Perry, Sophie Devine and Amy Jones is amazing and I can’t wait to get going.”Perrin was among a number of women’s signings confirmed on Thursday as teams finalised their squads for the second season of the Hundred. Mahika Gaur, a 16-year-old seamer who has represented the UAE in 14 T20Is, has signed for Manchester Originals, while Natasha Wraith, Nancy Harman and Grace Ballinger will all join London Spirit.Elsewhere, Beth Harmer and Rachel Slater have signed for Northern Superchargers while South East Stars’ Ryana MacDonald-Gay and Kirstie White have joined Oval Invincibles, White as a replacement for the injured Tash Farrant. Trent Rockets have re-signed Ella Claridge and signed Emma Marlow, the Northern Diamonds allrounder, to complete their squad.”Today is a really exciting moment as we confirm the squads for the second year of the Hundred,” Sanjay Patel, the tournament’s managing director, said. “It’s great to see players like Richard Gleeson and George Scrimshaw being rewarded for impressive performances in the Vitality Blast, while we’ve got some exciting youngsters joining the women’s competition with the likes of Davina Perrin and Mahika Gaur being signed up.”The men’s Hundred starts on August 3, when defending champions Southern Brave play Welsh Fire, while the women’s competition starts on August 11, after the T20 competition at the Commonwealth Games is complete.