Tag Futebol

Chelsea can end the 2024/25 campaign in the perfect way on Wednesday night. They face Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League final at the Stadion Wroclaw in Wroclaw, Poland, and have the opportunity to finish Enzo Maresca’s first season in charge with a trophy.

The Blues have been the dominant side in the competition this term. According to Sofascore, they have scored more goals than any other side, finding the back of the net 38 times, which is 16 more than their opponents. Their nine goals conceded were only bettered by two other sides, too.

The Blues surely go into this game as favourites, given their form in the competition so far. Indeed, Maresca seems to have much of his first-choice squad available for their final game of the campaign.

Chelsea’s team news vs. Betis

Luckily for the Blues, their final Premier League game of 2024/25 last Sunday saw them avoid any inquiries. That means star players, including Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo, will be available for the final this evening.

Further inclusions and absences have been noted, with there two first-team players who will certainly not make the squad this week. They are Wesley Fofana, who is still out with an injury, and Romeo Lavia, who is not registered in the squad.

On a more positive note, Nicolas Jackson will come back into the squad for the finale, given his Premier League suspension is not in effect in European competition. Another player who could return is Christopher Nkunku.

The Frenchman was not involved against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, but his record in the Conference League is excellent. He has five goals and three assists in nine games in the competition, so he could make a real difference.

With that in mind, it will be fascinating to see who Maresca lines up with on Wednesday. Given the importance of the game, it seems the likes of Palmer, Caicedo and club captain Reece James will start, in what will surely be a strong lineup.

Robert Sanchez

Goalkeeper

Marc Cucurella

Left-back

Levi Colwill

Centre back

Trevoh Chalobah

Centre back

Reece James

Right-back

Moises Caicedo

Central midfield

Enzo Fernandez

Central midfield

Noni Madueke

Right wing

Cole Palmer

Attacking midfield

Jadon Sancho

Left wing

Nicolas Jackson

Centre-forward

Another player who could be in line to start the game is defender Trevoh Chalobah.

Why Chalobah could start vs. Betis

It has been a curious season for Chalobah in 2024/25. After spending the first half of the campaign on loan at Crystal Palace, he was recalled to Stamford Bridge and has since been an important player under Maresca.

Since returning from his loan spell, the “outstanding” defender, as Statman Dave once called him, has featured 18 times across all competitions, with four of those games coming in the Conference League.

The 25-year-old has helped to keep two clean sheets in that time, playing a total of 245 minutes in the competition. Now, perhaps he will be in line to start the final. He is a player experienced in European finals, having helped Chelsea win the UEFA Super Cup back in 2021, a game which he started and played 120 minutes.

The defensive “monster”, as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has been called up to former boss Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad, although he did not start at the weekend. However, if he does come into the team for the final, potentially for Tosin, he will have the job of keeping Antony quiet.

The Manchester United loanee has been a standout player during his loan spell at Betis. In 25 games, he has nine goals and five assists. Half of those goal involvements have come in the Conference League, so he really does his best work there.

In fact, the Brazilian is similar to Palmer on FBref for this competition. For example, he averages 0.47xGA and 5.02 shot-creating actions each game. In comparison, Chelsea’s number 20 averages 0.48xGA and 4.11 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes.

It will be a tough task for Chalobah to keep Antony quiet, but it will surely be crucial for Chelsea’s success. He has proven in the past few months that he has the potential to hurt opponents when given time and space, so Chalobah’s excellent reading of the game will be crucial to preventing that.

Although the winger does operate on the right-hand side, he tends to drift inside a lot and look to cut in on his left foot to get a shot off. Thus, Chalobah may well have to come up against him directly.

However, that is a battle the Chelsea defender should be comfortable handling. His defensive stats for the Blues this season, via Sofascore, are impressive. For example, he averages 1.8 combined tackles and interceptions and wins 1.9 aerial duels per game. On top of that, he has been dribbled past just once in that famous Blue shirt this term.

If he does get the nod from the start, the boyhood Chelsea star has the chance to become a key player for the Blues as they look to win more European silverware. They could become the first side in history to win the three current European trophies. Chalobah has a huge role to play.

He's better than Joao Pedro: Chelsea hold talks to sign "the new Haaland"

Chelsea appears to be in talks to bring a new striker to the club

ByRoss Kilvington May 26, 2025

Potentially in a position to spend again at long last this summer, Newcastle United have now reportedly joined the race to sign a £51m striker who’s already received high praise from Alan Shearer.

Newcastle preparing for crucial Arsenal clash

There were stages in the first half of the season in which it seemed like Newcastle could miss out on Champions League football, as though their transfer failure was going to catch up to them. Now, however, with the Carabao Cup under their belt, the Magpies could finish as high as second in the Premier League. In fact, if they beat Arsenal this weekend, then Eddie Howe’s side will go above the Gunners and into the top two.

Newcastle battle Arsenal to sign star for less than £50m after scouts sent

What a signing he could be for the Magpies.

ByHenry Jackson May 17, 2025

Howe is well aware of the importance of his side’s trip to The Emirates this Sunday, too, as they look to take a major step towards Champions League qualification. He told reporters in his pre-match press conference: “It’s not done yet. The picture can change game to game and I think we’ve got to be really focused on our next game and trying to win it.

“We have been, our preparation has been good and the focus is there from the players. Nothing is achieved until it’s achieved. We have to be single minded in that and not get distracted.”

Liverpool (C)

83

36

Arsenal

68

36

Newcastle United

66

36

Chelsea

66

37

Aston Villa

66

37

Manchester City

65

36

Nottingham Forest

62

36

Those at St James’ Park need no reminder about the impact that Champions League football could have on their summer transfer window, either. A place among Europe’s elite could help convince Alexander Isak to stay put amid interest from the likes of Arsenal, whilst also helping to attract key upgrades for Howe in the coming months.

Newcastle join race to sign "superb" Pedro

The Magpies could even attract a Premier League rival with Champions League football to offer. According to Caught Offside, Newcastle have now joined the race to sign Joao Pedro, who Brighton & Hove Albion have valued at a hefty €60m (£51m) amid interest from Tyneside as well as Liverpool, Aston Villa and others.

Whilst a deal to sign the forward won’t come cheap, Pedro would provide Newcastle with an instant fail-safe in the event that Isak departs. The Brazilian, who has scored 10 goals and set up another six this season, has the potential and quality to replace the Swede in the long-term. What’s more, he’s also already got a fan in the form of Newcastle legend Shearer.

The iconic goalscorer sung Pedro’s praises on Match of the Day after he scored in Brighton’s 2-1 victory over Bournemouth in November, saying: “He was superb today and they just edged it in those forward positions. They are really strong with him, Rutter, Mitoma and Welbeck. Their understanding and they linked really well today in Rutter and Joao Pedro.”

The approval of Shearer certainly goes a long way in Newcastle, but whether it’s enough for PIF to make their move for Pedro remains to be seen this summer.

With no defeats from their last five Championship games, Leeds United are definitely in pole position when it comes to being crowned champions of the notoriously punishing division.

At one stage, it looked as if Daniel Farke’s Whites had fluffed their lines once more in the promotion race with defeats and draws aplenty seeping into their game, but two victories on the trot has now seen them thankfully push away from third-placed Sheffield United to the summit of the league.

Still, not every win that is being collected is the most easy-on-the-eye spectacle to watch, leading to rumours beginning to emerge that the table-toppers are looking at bringing in some new strikers.

Leeds in contact over deal for "phenomenal" star

As per a fresh report by TEAMtalk, the Whites are prioritising a number of signings ahead of potentially voyaging up to the Premier League, with the striker department one area that will likely be boosted by fresh personnel.

The report states that Leeds are especially taken aback by current West Ham United loanee Evan Ferguson, even with the Irishman’s notable struggles under Graham Potter to date.

Transfer Focus

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

After all, the 20-year-old attacker has shone in the past with parent employers Brighton and Hove Albion, meaning there is a potential there for him to light up Elland Road.

Moreover, the report further elaborates that Leeds are monitoring the 6 foot forward’s situation ahead of his return to the Seagulls, with contact already being made over a deal happening in the near future.

Winning the services of a readymade Premier League striker could signal the end for Joel Piroe as Farke’s main marksman, with the Dutchman putting in one too many ineffective performances for the promotion-chasers as of late.

Why Ferguson would be a Piroe upgrade

The former Swansea City man is yet to taste any action in the top-flight across his career, but if his continued wastefulness in front of goal in the second tier is anything to go by, he would struggle to adjust to the sharp step-up in quality.

Whilst he does boast a healthy 15-goal return in the Championship this season, Piroe has also been guilty of squandering 12 big chances across his 42 league outings and counting, with three of those coming about when Leeds just narrowly beat Preston North End 2-1 last time out.

Whereas, Ferguson – at the peak of his powers for Brighton – has proven himself to be a cool and deadly finisher under pressure by notching up an impressive 17 strikes from 80 Seagulls appearances, which included a devastating hat-trick coming his way against Newcastle United way back in 2023.

The worry would be that the 20-year-old has significantly gone off the boil on loan at the Hammers – with a worrying zero strikes hitting the back of the net from six West Ham contests – but Farke will view the previously potent attacker as an upgrade on Piroe regardless, based on what has come before.

Games played

19

27

Games started

10

15

Goals scored

6

6

Assists

2

0

Big chances missed

5

4

From just 25 combined starts across the campaigns above, Ferguson would fire home a lethal 12 goals, with just nine big chances given up across those two seasons also.

Around this time, the much-talked-about Irishman was even being heralded as a potential £100m sensation, with BBC pundit Danny Murphy also weighing in on the conversation surrounding Ferguson by labelling him a “superstar” in the recent past.

Of course, it would now be ludicrous to suggest the Brighton number 28 is worth anywhere near that crazy sum.

But, with Piroe only managing to find the back of the net once from his last ten encounters for Farke’s men, Ferguson would be seen as a big upgrade, particularly if Premier League football is clinched.

Farke already his next Rutter in Leeds "weapon" who's shining out on loan

Daniel Farke may have his next Georginio Rutter in this Leeds star who is out on loan.

ByDan Emery Apr 16, 2025

Hazlewood has been outstanding in the IPL following injury and indications from last season are that the hierarchy remains

Andrew McGlashan01-May-20252:12

What makes Hazlewood a much-improved T20 bowler?

Plenty of Australian cricketers are currently plying their trade overseas, and Josh Hazlewood is going as well as any of them for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the IPL in what has been an encouraging return from injury and shapes as bad news for Scott Boland’s hopes of featuring in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.As of Thursday, Hazlewood was the leading wicket-taker in the IPL – with 18 wickets in ten matches – and while the role and requirements of T20 are considerably different to a Test match, his trademark back-of-a-length mode of attack has been key to a number of his dismissals.Two years ago, Boland was the beneficiary when the selectors opted to preserve Hazlewood for the Ashes that followed the WTC final against India as he returned from a side injury picked up in that season’s IPL. Boland went on to bowl brilliantly at The Oval, claiming five wickets in the match, as Australia won the mace by 209 runs. This time, barring any setbacks for Hazlewood over the next month, it looks like going the other way.Related

• Boland: 'I just want to make their decision as hard as possible'

• Webster set for Warwickshire debut ahead of WTC final

• Green's return brings into focus Australia's big selection calls

• Finch: Selectors may have to 'cherry pick' Hazlewood's Tests

• RCB have the (Hazle)wood on their opponents now

For all Boland’s success that sees him sit with a Test record of 56 wickets at 17.66 from 13 matches he has only once been a first-choice selection when the big three quicks have been fit or not rotated: that was the opening Test of the 2023 Ashes when he was selected ahead of Mitchell Starc at Edgbaston. The two matches Boland played in that series have been the only occasion when a team has consistently dominated him – he finished with two wickets at 115.50 and an economy rate of 4.91 – as England’s Bazballers used his metronomic length to their advantage.Last season against India, Boland was the ultimate super sub. He replaced an injured Hazlewood in Adelaide where he zipped the pink ball around but then immediately made way in Brisbane only for Hazlewood to then suffer a calf strain. Boland took 16 wickets in the next two matches at the MCG and SCG, but the pace-bowling hierarchy remained clear. Again, Boland will likely need someone else’s misfortune to make the XI at Lord’s.Josh Hazlewood had an interrupted series against India•Getty ImagesHazlewood cut a distraught and frustrated figure as he walked off the Gabba after a ginger one-over spell on the fourth day after he tested the extent of the calf strain. Having emerged from an injury-hit period between 2021 and 2023, where he played just four Tests, he featured in 12 out of 13 matches after the WTC final, only missing at Headingley in the Ashes when he was rested.As Hazlewood recovered from the calf injury, a hip problem emerged, which ruled him out of the Champions Trophy. Through the various setbacks – both the recent ones and during 2021-2023 period – Hazlewood has remained adamant that it’s largely been bad timing rather than an indication that his body is becoming a genuine concern although Aaron Finch has previously suggested the selectors may need to start cherry-picking the Tests he plays.”I’ve had a little history of sides and calves, they are probably the two things that have kept me out for the majority of the last four years, but I [can] sort of just keep adding another layer to the defence hopefully,” he said late last year. “I’ve ticked a lot of boxes in the last 12 months and it’s just the timing again – they are only little two or three-week injuries, it’s just the timing of it and missing big games so that’s probably the frustrating thing.”Hazlewood has the 300-wicket mark in his sights should he be able to string appearances together this year, currently sitting on 279 at 24.57. There are landmarks approaching for all the big three: Pat Cummins is on 294 Test wickets, while Starc has 382 and is four games away from reaching 100 caps.There will be a couple of training camps in Brisbane during May for the Australian players who are based at home, which includes Boland who opted not to play county cricket after finishing the domestic season with a knee niggle.Initial WTC final squads, which will be 15 players, need to be submitted to the ICC by May 11 but can be amended until the end of the month. After that, the technical committee’s approval will be required for any injury replacements. Australia are expected to have a couple of travelling reserves with them in England, from where they head straight to the West Indies for a three-Test series.

And how many times has a World Cup innings featured three centurions?

Steven Lynch10-Oct-2023India’s first three batters were all out for ducks in the World Cup match against Australia. How often has this happened? asked Rajesh Gupta from India

It looked ominous for India when Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer all departed for ducks at the start of their chase against Australia in Chennai on the weekend, although it came out all right in the end.There have been 11 previous instances of the first three batters all being out for ducks in men’s one-day internationals. Four of those have been in the World Cup: by Pakistan against New Zealand at Edgbaston in 1983; by Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka in Pietermaritzburg in 2003 (when Chaminda Vaas took a hat-trick with the first three balls of the match); by Sri Lanka vs India in Johannesburg later in the 2003 tournament (actually the first four wickets were all ducks); and by Pakistan vs West Indies in Christchurch in 2015.India were only the second team to win an ODI after losing their first three men for ducks, after Pakistan against Australia in Hobart in 1996-97. After Aamer Sohail, Zahoor Elahi and Ijaz Ahmed were out for 0, Pakistan recovered to make 149, and then skittled Australia for 120.Three South Africans scored centuries in their first match. How often has this happened in the World Cup, and overall? asked Patrick McKenzie from South Africa

South Africa’s 428 for 5 against Sri Lanka in Delhi was the first World Cup innings to contain three individual centuries – by Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen and (from just 49 balls, another World Cup record) Aiden Markram.It was also the highest total in any World Cup match, beating Australia’s 417 for 6 against Afghanistan in Perth in March 2015. And the match aggregate of 754 runs in Delhi was yet another World Cup record, beating the 714 of Australia (381 for 5) and Bangladesh (333 for 8) at Trent Bridge in 2019.There have been 18 other World Cup innings that contained two centuries. The nearest to three in one innings before was in Australia’s match against South Africa in St Lucia in 2007, when Matthew Hayden made 101, Ricky Ponting 91, and Michael Clarke 92. No other World Cup innings has included three innings of 90 or more.In all ODIs, there have been three previous instances of three individual centuries in an innings. Two of them were also by South Africa – against West Indies in Johannesburg in January 2015, and against India in Mumbai a few months later, in October. The third was by England against Netherlands in Amstelveen in 2022.Every England player reached double figures against New Zealand. How often has this happened in the World Cup? asked Ken Paine from England

Rather surprisingly perhaps, England’s innings against New Zealand in Ahmedabad in the opening match of this year’s World Cup was the first time in any one-day international – and there have been more than 4650 of them – in which all 11 batters reached double figures. Here’s the list of previous instances of most batters in an ODI innings making it to double figures.There have been 15 instances in Tests of all 11 men reaching double figures. The record for a T20 international innings is nine, by Tanzania against Uganda in Rwanda in December 2022.Chris (left) and Stuart Broad are one of seven father-and-son pairs to play in World Cups•Getty ImagesBas de Leede followed his father as a World Cup player this year. How many fathers and sons have taken part in the World Cup? asked Jamie Harper from England

The Dutch pair of Bas de Leede and his father Tim (1996, 1999 and 2003) were the seventh father and son to play matches in the World Cup. A couple of days before de Leede Jr played his first World Cup game, England’s Sam Curran followed his father Kevin, who represented Zimbabwe in 1983 and 1987.The earlier pairings were Don Pringle (for East Africa in the 1975 World Cup) and his son Derek, who appeared for England in 1987 and 1992 (when he played in the final); New Zealanders Lance Cairns (1975, 1979 and 1983) and son Chris (1992, 1996, 1999 and 2003); the England duo of Chris (1987) and Stuart Broad (2007, 2011 and 2015); another Kiwi pair, Rod (1992) and Tom Latham (2019 and 2023); and Geoff Marsh of Australia (1987 and 1992), and his two sons Mitchell (2015 and 2023) and Shaun (2019).We should also mention Sam’s brother Tom Curran, who was in England’s 2019 squad but didn’t actually play a game, and the Indian pair of Roger Binny, who was part of the winning team in 1983 and also played once in 1987, and his son Stuart, who was in the 2015 squad but did not play.Has anyone ever scored a faster century in a one-day game than Jake Fraser-McGurk the other day? asked Kris Thompson from Australia

Jake Fraser-McGurk smashed a century in just 29 balls, with 12 sixes, for South Australia in a Marsh Cup one-day match against Tasmania in Adelaide last weekend. Remarkably, his side still lost!Fraser-McGurk, who is only 21, undercut the fastest century in all List A cricket – the 31 balls needed by AB de Villiers for South Africa against West Indies in an ODI in Johannesburg in January 2015.However, I think Fraser-McGurk has broken a more significant record – the fastest authentic century by balls in any professional match. The quickest in all T20 cricket is 30 balls, by Chris Gayle for Royal Challengers Bangalore in an IPL game against Pune Warriors in Bengaluru in April 2013. And the fastest in competitive conditions in first-class cricket is 34 balls, by David Hookes for South Australia vs Victoria in Adelaide in October 1982. There have been two 27-ball hundreds, by Glen Chapple for Lancashire in 1993 and Mark Pettini for Essex in 2006, but both of those were scored against friendly bowling aimed at expediting a declaration.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

England could do well to listen to voices from the past

George Dobell25-Feb-2021Chris Tavare, that famously obdurate England batsman*, had an expression he used at the start of each county season. “Every dot ball in April and May,” he would say, “is a run in July and August”.Even by Tavare’s standards, an innings that takes three or four months to build might be deemed excessive. But Tavare’s words provide a revealing insight into not just his mental approach, but the approach of another era of batsmen. What he meant, in essence, was that time invested at the start of an innings – or even a season – is time rewarded later.England’s batsmen could do worse than reflect on Tavare’s words in the coming days. For as much as we are often told ‘the game has changed’ and ‘you have to be positive’, the somewhat prosaic truth is a good Test technique is still built on a solid defence.Related

How do you deal with Axar Patel and Ashwin?

How do you bat on pitches like Ahmedabad? Take risks, choose your shots, use your feet

Axar Patel 11-for sees India surge to 2-1 series lead in two-day Test

Joe Root: 'A week like this doesn't define us as a team'

Virat Kohli: Spinners left no room for others in bizarre game

Let’s be clear: batting in this game was tough. The combination of the pitch, the ball and the bowling resulted in challenging conditions that would have tested any player of any era. Dennis Amiss, a man who went on three tours of India (two with England and one with a World XI) described it as “as tough as any I’ve seen,” so an England side who rarely encounter such circumstances can probably be cut a little slack however ugly this scorecard looks.A match aggregate of 193 runs is never going to be satisfactory, but they will probably bat worse and score double. They could console themselves too, that despite losing the one Test on this redeveloped ground, they hadn’t produced the worst performance here in recent months. No, that came when Donald Trump tried to pronounce Sachin Tendulkar’s name.There is a difference, however, between tough conditions and impossible ones. And if England really do want to be the best in the world, they are going to have to find a way. At present they have an Achilles heel which will cost them just about every time they come up against these conditions. And as we saw in Dhaka, in 2016, or Abu Dhabi, in 2012 (both occasions when their batsmen have been undone by the ball that skidded on as much as the one that turned), they going to come up against these conditions.The modern game is probably as entertaining as it has ever been. The scope of modern batsmen – who now routinely achieve things that could not have been imagined only a couple of decades ago – the agility of modern fielders and the skills of modern bowlers provides us with an almost endless string of breath-taking action. The draw is almost as endangered a species as the rhinoceros.But, somewhere along the way, we’ve lost a thing or two. And while the ability to defend the turning, spitting ball might seem arcane, there was a certain beauty – and yes, a certain entertainment – in it. Perhaps, as long as the longest format survives, there will be a place for it, too?

“You earn the right to hit the bad balls by being able to defend the good ones”Graeme Fowler

So, how can a batsman prosper in such conditions? It seemed the best people to ask were those who had done it. And while Amiss, Roger Tolchard, Graeme Fowler and Kevin Pietersen – all of whom, to varying degrees, helped in putting this article together – each had different scoring methods, they also each had the same premises behind their game: you build an innings on a strong defence.”The modern batsman seems to think you have to hit your way out of trouble,” Amiss, who averaged 48.05 in Test cricket in Asia, told ESPNcricinfo. “We used to think you play your way out of trouble.”This pitch was about as tough as any I’ve seen. So, as a batsman, you probably are going to need some luck. But yes, we did play on similar wickets. And yes, we did find a way to score runs on them.”India belt out an appeal on a track that offered turn from day one•BCCIAmiss went back to the Mumbai Test of 1973 for his example.”I don’t know if that was as tough as this surface in Ahmedabad, but it was very demanding,” he said. “It turned and it bounced and India had three great spinners.”But Tony Greig and Keith Fletcher found a way. They quietly went about their business – they didn’t try and blast the bowlers into submission – and they both made centuries. And because the rest of us learned from what they did, we went back to India a few years later and we won the series.”And how did Amiss succeed in such conditions? “I always looked to play forward,” he said. “But as soon as you saw it was short, you rocked back. You tired bowlers out. And, as you did, they would get more frustrated and give you more loose balls. It’s not so different to the way Joe Root and Dom Sibley were batting for a little while.”Like Amiss, Tolchard played for many years on uncovered wickets. Indeed, he recalls one match – in July 1966 – when he suffered a king pair in a day against Derek Underwood’s left-arm spin on a surface which overnight rain had rendered treacherous. But he wasn’t going to let the experience go to waste and, from then on, he utilised his quick feet to smoother such spin.”Lesson learned,” Tolchard told ESPNcricinfo. “I vowed never to get caught at slip playing defensively again. So [from then], I swept, cut, or ran down the wicket to block it. You get to the other end and you aim to survive six balls so you can gather your thoughts.”But it’s not easy. There were a lot of class batters on my two tours to India and Pakistan and they couldn’t all cope. And I’m not sure those pitches turned as much as this one. You have to be quick on your feet and some people aren’t.”Not everyone who has prospered in India had had quick feet, though. Fowler, the first England player to register a Test double-century in the country, did not sweep and did not come down the wicket. But he, too, found a way.”People talk about dominating a bowler as if that means hitting him for fours and sixes,” Fowler said. “But you can also dominate them by seeing out seven maidens in a row. You earn the right to hit the bad balls by being able to defend the good ones.”You can see batsman now are thinking ‘there’s one with my name on it here’ and they don’t give themselves a chance to build an innings as a result. The game’s got better in nearly every way. But I don’t believe the bowlers are faster and I don’t believe the batsmen have the defensive game they used to have.”I used the depth of the crease. I would look to play forward – I don’t know what Zak Crawley was doing playing back to the one that bowled him – and I’d look to frustrate the bowlers. If you defend long enough, they will get tired and they will bowl balls you can hit. It’s not like England ran out of time here, is it? There’s plenty of time to build an innings.”And I practised. I used to face the spinners in the worst net possible. My thinking was, if I could play the ball in that net, I should be able to play the ball on any pitch I encountered. I’m not sure many modern players think like that.”R Ashwin punches the air after claiming his 399th Test wicket•BCCIThere may be batsmen of a certain era rolling their eyes at all this and mumbling about the game having changed. And they have a point. For the introduction of DRS a decade or so ago did make a monumental difference. Where once the batsman could get far enough forward to win the benefit of the doubt from umpires, the advent of ball-tracking technology changed that. The pad stopped being another line of defence and instead became a target for bowlers.But while acknowledging that, one of England’s greatest batsmen of the modern era underlined the views of his predecessors.”DRS made batting more difficult, there’s no doubt about that,” Pietersen told ESPNcricinfo as he reflected on his Mumbai masterclass in 2012 (a piece to be published in the coming days). “You had to be more precise.”But I played best when I trusted my defence. The shots you see on highlights shows, they are great. But they come because you are able to trust your defence.”So, how tough were the conditions in Ahmedabad? All interviewed here agreed they were about as tough as it gets. But before we chastise the groundstaff – or, indeed, the BCCI – we do have to acknowledge that the pink ball contributed to the difficulty. That extra lacquer applied to gain that colour seemed to result in the ball skidding on with surprising pace when it came off the surface. The unpredictability of that was a huge factor in these low scores and that’s not down to the pitch.Clearly, the game cannot afford too many two-day finishes. Both broadcasters and hosts miss out financially in such circumstances. But we don’t want homogenisation, either, and most would agree this game was entertaining. More entertaining – and arguably less damaging – than the surfaces seen in Hamilton (2019), Melbourne (2017) and Trent Bridge (2014).Joe Root sets off for a run•BCCIAnd what can England do differently? Well, there’s not much chance of a return to uncovered wickets, though Root did call for “serious improvements” in the standard of county wickets to help England combat this long-existing weakness. He meant surfaces on which sides can score “400 or 500” and which enabled spinners to bowl long spells, but a more open mind to surfaces that turn, from the start, like this may be helpful, too.Modern batsmen tend to like flat tracks on which they can hit through the line of the ball and celebrate their power and audacity. But if they really want to improve – and if they really want to challenge in such circumstances – the ECB may want to rethink their attitude to spinning pitches in the modern game.Most of all, they may want to rethink their mind-set. Trying to hit your way out of trouble in Test cricket is the get-rich-quick scheme of the sport. It is, generally, there to mask a lack of faith in a defensive technique. If you really want to score runs in Asia – anywhere, really – you have to learn to defend in Asia.

MatériaMais Notícias

Morelos voltou a marcar pelo Santos após mais de dois meses. O centroavante fez o quarto gol do Peixe na goleada por 4 a 1 sobre o Guarani, pela terceira rodada da Série B do Brasileirão. Mesmo assim, o técnico Fábio Carille ainda acha que o jogador pode mais.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasSantosGol anulado do Santos contra o Guarani gera revolta em dirigente; vejaSantos06/05/2024SantosLance! Final: Santos goleia o Guarani e se mantém na liderança da Série BSantos06/05/2024Onde AssistirSantos x Guarani: onde assistir ao vivo, escalações e horário do jogo pela Série BOnde Assistir06/05/2024

➡️ Tudo sobre o Peixe agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Santos

– Morelos pode mais. Já conheço esse atleta há algum tempo. Eu dificilmente desisto de atleta. Claro que você tem um grupo que você conta com 30, 33. Ele não me deu problema nenhum no dia a dia. Todos os dias vem para treinar, comprometido, trabalhando bastante. Não me deu motivo algum para afastá-lo.

O colombiano foi titular no jogo de volta da final do Paulistão, contra o Palmeiras, mas não foi bem. No jogo seguinte, ficou fora da estreia santista na Série B, contra o Paysandu. Mas, entre a titularidade e o corte, o jogador retornou à equipe inicial no duelo contra o Avaí, pela segunda rodada da competição nacional.

continua após a publicidade

Muito do motivo de Morelos recuperar a posição foi a má condição física de Julio Furch. O atacante argentino sofreu uma lesão na região da coxa esquerda, voltou a ser relacionado, mas tem sentido bastante o púbis.

O garoto Enzo, que foi titular contra o Paysandu, na primeira rodada da segundona, perdeu espaço pela má atuação. Por outro lado, Willian Bigode retornou de uma lesão muscular que o tirou mais de dois meses de campo e agora voltouaseropção.

continua após a publicidade

Tudo sobre

Futebol NacionalSantosSérie B

MatériaMais Notícias

Neste sábado, a bola voltar a rolar pelo nos gramados do futebol brasileiro com o retorno do Brasileirão 2024. O Cuiabá recebe o Inter na Arena Pantanal, em partida válida pela 9ª rodada do campeonato brasileiro. O pontapé inicial vai ser dado às 18:30 e a transmisão será do SporTV Premiere. (Clique para assinar o Premiere por 30 dias grátis!)

continua após a publicidade

Confira todas as informações que você precisa saber sobre o confronto entre Fluminense e Juventude (onde assistir, horário, escalações e local).

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA:

🗓️ Data e horário: Sábado, 01 de junho de 2024;
📍 Local: Arena Pantanal, em Cuiabá.
📺 Onde assistir: SporTV e Premiere 2;

⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES – CUIABÁ X INTERNACIONAL – BRASILEIRÃO:

Cuiabá

Walter; Railan, Bruno Alves, Gabriel e Ramon; Lucas Mineiro, Denilson e Max; Eliel (Jonathan Cafú), Clayson e Isidro Pitta. (téc. Petit)

Inter

Rochet; Bustos, Vitão, Mercado e Renê; Fernando, Mauricio, Alan Patrick e Wesley; Valencia e Borré (téc. Eduardo Coudet)

Tudo sobre

Arena PantanalBrasileirãoBrasileirão 2024CuiabáEduardo CoudetInternacionalPremiere

أعلن الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم «فيفا»، اليوم الأربعاء، عن إيقاف قيد نادي الزمالك، للمرة السادسة.

وأوضح فيفا عبر موقعه الرسمي، أن الإيقاف يشمل 3 فترات قيد جديدة، ويستمر سريان القرار حتى يتم تسوية النزاعات المالية المرتبطة بالقضايا الثلاثة، دون الإفصاح عن التفاصيل أو الأطراف المسؤولة عن القرار.

طالع.. شوبير عن أزمة الزمالك وصلاح مصدق: يغضبون مني عندما أقول الحقيقة

ويأتي هذا الإجراء في ظل تراكم القضايا ضد الزمالك، حيث تعرض النادي لإيقاف بسبب 3 قضايا، في 3 نوفمبر، وقضية في 6 نوفمبر، وأخرى في 24 من الشهر نفسه.

ويستعد الزمالك حاليًا لمواجهة كهرباء الإسماعيلية، ضمن منافسات كأس الرابطة “كأس عاصمة مصر” يوم 9 ديسمبر الجاري.

وكان الأبيض قد تعادل مع كايزر تشيفز الجنوب إفريقي بهدف لكل فريق، ضمن منافسات دور مجموعات كأس الكونفدرالية.

MatériaMais Notícias

A Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF) suspendeu o Brasileirão até o dia 27 de maio. No entanto, a Copa do Brasil não será paralisada, com exceção dos confrontos que envolvem os clubes do Rio Grande do Sul.

continua após a publicidade

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

Os confrontos de volta da 3ª fase da competição mais democrática do país serão realizados entre os dias 21 e 23 de maio. Os classificados conquistarão uma vaga nas oitavas de final do torneio e irão garantir R$ 3,465 milhões.

O jogo de ida entre Internacional e Juventude já havia sido adiado, uma vez que não havia condições de realizar uma partida no Rio Grande do Sul. Já Grêmio e Ypiranga realizaram os confrontos de ida contra Operário e Athletico-PR, respectivamente, mas não serão disputados na próxima semana.

continua após a publicidade

CONFIRA OS CONFRONTOS DA COPA DO BRASIL:

RB Bragantino x Sousa – 21/05 – 19h30 (de Brasília)
Vasco x Fortaleza – 21/05 – 21h30 (de Brasília)
Atlético-GO x Brusque – 22/05 – 19h (de Brasília)
Fluminense x Sampaio Corrêa – 22/05 – 19h (de Brasília)
Sport x Atlético-MG – 22/05 – 19h (de Brasília)
Vitória x Botafogo – 22/05 – 19h (de Brasília)
Corinthians x América-RN – 22/05 – 20h (de Brasília)
Amazonas x Flamengo – 22/05 – 21h30 (de Brasília)
Criciúma x Bahia – 23/05 – 19h (de Brasília)
Botafogo-SP x Palmeiras – 23/05 – 19h (de Brasília)
Cuiabá x Goiás – 23/05 – 19h30 (de Brasília)
São Paulo x Águia de Marabá – 23/05 – 21h30 (de Brasília)
Ceará x CRB- 23/05 – 21h30 (de Brasília)

Tudo sobre

Copa do Brasil