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Manchester United dropped yet more points at Old Trafford after another lacklustre performance under Ruben Amorim. The Red Devils were held to a 1-1 draw by relegation-threatened West Ham United, failing to create many substantial chances despite having the lion’s share of the possession.

Indeed, the first half went by without the home side creating too many chances of note. The closest they came was thanks to an effort from Joshua Zirkzee.

The Dutchman, who was one of the best players in Red on the night, saw his well-directed effort cleared off the line by former United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

It took United until the second half to break the deadlock. It was a rare Premier League goal from Diogo Dalot, which was enough to put Amorim’s side ahead, and what a strike it was.

The ball dropped to the wing-back in the penalty area, and after a superb first touch, he fired the Red Devils ahead.

United never looked like doubling their lead, with Amorim making substitutions but once again opting against bringing Kobbie Mainoo on.

They paid the price with seven minutes left. The Hammers equalised thanks to a late strike from player of the match Soungoutou Magassa.

Indeed, Amorim’s underwhelming substitutions did not help United’s cause.

Amorim’s in-game management vs. West Ham

One of the biggest criticisms against the United manager throughout his 12-month tenure has been his in-game management. Well, the substitutions he made against the Hammers on Thursday night were underwhelming.

Zirkzee, who was linking up play nicely, was replaced by Mason Mount, and Manuel Ugarte was also brought on. That meant there was once again no place for Mainoo, who still cannot get the chance to showcase his skills for an extended period in the Premier League.

Lisandro Martinez also came on with the score at 1-1. It was a positive thing to see the 2022 World Cup winner coming stepping onto the Old Trafford pitch for the first time since February, but bringing a centre-back on when your side is chasing a goal to win the game is a strange call.

United social media presence, Alice said, the manager’s “subs and in-game management is shocking time and time again.” She also called out the decision to take Zirkzee off, and bringing Ugarte on over Mainoo when the Red Devils “need control” to help get over the line.

However, there was one substitution Amorim did get right, taking off one player who struggled.

The United star who's been overhyped

It was not the return from injury that Matheus Cunha may have hoped for. He was replaced by Ugarte on the 77-minute mark, after a performance which was “ineffective”, according to journalist Laurie Whitwell.

Indeed, the Brazilian struggled to get into the game against the East Londoners. He only had 46 touches across the 90 minutes, losing the ball 18 times and failing to create a chance in that time.

Off the ball, United’s number ten won just three from 11 duels.

Touches

46

Number of times ball lost

18

Pass accuracy

69%

Duels won

3/11

Key passes

0

Crosses completed

0

Expected goal involvements

0.29xGI

His disappointing performance earned him a 5/10 rating from Goal journalist Richard Martin. He noted that Cunha failed to make any sort of impact, describing his efforts at Old Trafford as ‘underwhelming’.

It remains to be seen if Amorim will keep Cunha in the starting lineup for the next game, a trip to his former club, Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Brazilian has not really hit the ground running for the Red Devils so far, with just one goal and no assists in 11 Premier League games.

Whilst that is not necessarily just his fault, United fans may well have wanted more from one of their marquee summer additions. Perhaps there was an element of Cunha getting overhyped, with CEO Omar Berrada suggesting he could be “Cantona-esque” for the club.

That is a lot of pressure for someone to have placed on them immediately after joining a huge club, despite the Brazilian’s obvious confidence.

Things have not really gone that way for Cunha so far in a United shirt, and his performances have certainly left a little to be desired, as the game against West Ham showed.

With other options, such as Mount and Mainoo, at Amorim’s disposal, he may well make the bold decision to rotate his number 10 out of the starting 11 next Monday. Cunha can certainly add a little bit extra in the final third to make him a more dangerous option going forward.

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Ireland will have to forget a rough Test in Sylhet if they are to spoil Bangladesh and Mushfiqur’s party

Mohammad Isam18-Nov-2025

Mushfiqur Rahim is due some runs•ICC via Getty Images

Big picture: Bangladesh look for series sweepThe second and final Test between Bangladesh and Ireland in Dhaka will start off as a celebration of Mushfiqur Rahim’s 100th Test match. Mushfiqur is the first Bangladesh cricketer to reach the milestone, and tributes poured in from current and former team-mates and coaches. Ireland, meanwhile, will no doubt try to spoil the party.Ireland were no match for Bangladesh in the first Test in Sylhet, where they went down by an innings and 47 runs. Only when Paul Stirling and Cade Carmichael batted well on the first day did Ireland look in the game. They crumbled for the rest of the game.Related

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Stirling and Carmichael hit fifties, while Andy McBrine also fought hard to get a half-century in the second innings. Left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys took an expensive five-wicket haul. But all told, Ireland had a forgettable outing.Bangladesh had plenty of strong performers including Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who returned to the Test side with 171. Mahmudul looked compact at the crease, and opened up his shoulders once he reached his second Test century. Najmul Hossain Shanto also struck a century, his eighth in Tests and fourth as the captain. It was a rapid knock, aided by Litton Das’ stroke-filled 60. Shadman Islam and Mominul Haque also made eighties.It was Bangladesh’s bowling that put them on top in the first place. The spinners Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam and Hasan Murad took 14 wickets among them. Murad, making his Test debut, bowled tight lengths with found subtle turn from time to time. Fast bowlers Nahid Rana and Hasan Mahmud too contributed with wickets in both innings.Mushfiqur was the only one in the Bangladesh top five who didn’t get a fifty. Perhaps he is saving one for the big occasion.Form guideBangladesh WLDWL
Ireland LWWWLMahmudul Hasan Joy celebrates his hundred in Sylhet•BCB

In the spotlight: Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Paul StirlingMahmudul Hasan Joy returning to Test cricket with an innings 171 is an encouraging sign for the young batter. He is said to have corrected his technique and worked on his mental make-up after he was dropped earlier this year. He played mainly in front of square on the off side, and struck a few good-looking drives. He looked focused and clearly wanted to play a long innings, which was the promise on which he was brought into the Test side in his debut four years ago.Paul Stirling looked comfortable in both innings in Sylhet, though he couldn’t quite make either a big one. He was enterprising in his handling of Rana in the first innings, cutting and square driving with ease. He had a tougher role in the second innings in Balbirnie’s absence from the top order and was later run out for 43. Stirling will have another major role in Dhaka, particularly because of his ability to handle low, spinning deliveries.Andy McBrine was one of the Ireland batters to give a good account of himself in Sylhet•Bangladesh Cricket Board

Team news: Teams likely to make one change eachEbadot Hossain could take Rana’s place in the only change in the Bangladesh playing XI.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Shadman Islam, 2 Mahmudul Hasan Joy, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Litton Das (wk), 7 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 8 Taijul Islam, 9 Hasan Murad, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Ebadot HossainGavin Hoey could enter the fray for Ireland, replacing Craig Young in the spinners’ paradise that is Dhaka.Ireland (probable): 1 Cade Carmichael, 2 Andy Balbirnie (capt), 3 Paul Stirling, 4 Harry Tector, 5 Curtis Campher, 6 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 7 Andy McBrine, 8 Jordan Neill, 9 Barry McCarthy, 10 Gavin Hoey, 11 Matthew HumphreysPitch and conditions: A spin test as alwaysThe spin fest during the Bangladesh vs West Indies ODI series in Dhaka last month could continue into this Test match. The weather is on the drier side.Stats and trivia: Mahmudul takes second spot Mahmudul’s 171 is the second-highest score by a Bangladeshi opener in Test cricket. Jordan Neill was Ireland’s youngest Test debutant in Sylhet, at 20 years and 69 days. During the Sylhet Test, Taijul became the third Bangladesh bowler after Abdur Razzak and Enamul Haque to reach 500 first-class wickets.

Rangers manager Danny Rohl revealed he has a clear picture of what is missing from his squad after a goalless home draw with Falkirk, as we approach the opening of the January transfer window.

Rohl sends message to his squad after dropped points against Falkirk

Rohl saw his impressive start to life at Ibrox come to an end in his fifth Premiership game in charge on Sunday. Scott Bain made an excellent one-handed stop from Djeidi Gassama on a Rangers counter-attack midway through the second half, but the Falkirk goalkeeper was largely untested outside of that.

The Bairns had some chances of their own and were more than worth their second point of the season against the Light Blues.

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Rohl agreed with a comment in his post-match media conference that his squad needed help in January.

“The group we have at the moment, it’s my job and my responsibility to bring the best out of them,” he said.

“You see too many up and downs. With some players you feel they are making the step, and in the next game they take a step back. We are not consistently on the highest point again and again.

“We have too much of a roller coaster. The job when I arrived was about finding a way to win games. This is the first draw. We are disappointed with this performance but for me it’s now week six or seven.”

In a clear warning to his current crop of players, the 36 year-old held back nothing as his side fell seven points behind Celtic, suggesting he will upgrade on certain members of his squad in the transfer window.

Who Rangers could sign in January

The first step to Rangers’ business ahead of the new year will of course be finding replacements for Patrick Stewart and Kevin Thelwell, with a recent report suggesting the Gers could turn to Chief Financial Officer James Taylor in the CEO role.

In terms of targets on the pitch, it is clear more quality is needed in midfield and in attacking areas, and those at Ibrox have reportedly already entered discussions for winger Galymzhan Kenzhebek.

The 22 year-old is reportedly also wanted by Dundee United, Aberdeen and a whole host of clubs on the continent, being praised for his direct style of play and instincts in front of goal.

David Watson is the other name on everyone’s lips, with the 20 year-old midfielder out of contract at Kilmarnock next summer and sure to attract interest from a whole host of sides in January.

Former West Ham boss David Moyes has set his sights on strengthening his Everton ranks in January, with reliable insider ExWHUemployee saying he could now spark a reunion.

West Ham are bracing for a significant clear-out during the January window as Nuno Espírito Santo looks to reshape his struggling squad.

With the Hammers languishing in the relegation zone, several high-profile players could be heading for the exit door.

Niclas Füllkrug tops the list of potential departures, after the German striker reportedly told West Ham he wants to leave in January. The £27 million signing from Borussia Dortmund has endured a nightmare spell plagued by persistent fitness issues, missing 28 games for club and country combined last season, and has failed to make any meaningful impact since his arrival.

His agent has even admitted that a move away would be best for both parties, though West Ham insist they won’t sanction his exit until a suitable replacement is found.

Achilles tendon

08/09/2024

02/12/2024

16

Hamstring injury

11/01/2025

01/04/2025

12

Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta is another player reportedly keen on securing a January departure. The Times reported recently that the 28-year-old outright wants to leave, with Fabrizio Romano also confirming in his GiveMeSport newsletter that a Paqueta exit is indeed possible.

Aston Villa came fairly close to signing Paqueta last summer after holding talks, but the move fell through, with West Ham’s star kissing the badge as a show of loyalty after scoring away to Nuno’s Nottingham Forest in August.

Nevertheless, an exit is apparently on the cards for him, as it is for out-of-favour midfielder Guido Rodriguez.

Rodriguez is actively seeking a January exit after a disappointing spell since joining on a free transfer from Real Betis in 2024, with River Plate, Espanyol, Club América and ex-club Betis all vying to sign him for a cheap fee mid-season (El Intransigente).

Young winger Luis Guilherme could also be moved on after failing to establish himself in the first team since his arrival from Palmeiras last year.

ExWHUemployee says David Moyes wants to sign James Ward-Prowse from West Ham

Finally, James Ward-Prowse appears destined to leave after being immediately axed from the squad following Nuno’s appointment.

Despite being a first-team regular and one of the captains under Graham Potter, the set-piece specialist is not in Nuno’s long-term plans and is resigned to departing in the winter.

Sharing an update on the 30-year-old’s future, ExWHUemployee has claimed that Moyes could look to sign Ward-Prowse for Everton after he initially brought him to the Hammers from Southampton during his spell in charge at the London Stadium.

Ward-Prowse actually did well under Moyes, making an impressive start and providing two assists in a 3-1 home win over Chelsea — becoming the first player to register two assists on his Premier League debut for West Ham.

His first season was rather productive. The midfielder, who Moyes called a “team player”, scored seven goals and registered seven assists in the Premier League alone, totaling 18 goal contributions across all competitions in over 50 appearances.

However, it was all downhill after Moyes left.

Ward-Prowse lost his importance under new manager Julen Lopetegui and was sent on loan to Nottingham Forest. The loan was then terminated mid-season by none other than Nuno, who was in charge of Forest at the time.

He returned to West Ham and played regularly under Graham Potter, but when Potter was dismissed and Nuno ironically became West Ham’s new manager, Ward-Prowse was immediately excluded from the squad again.

Now, Moyes is offering him yet another chance to shine at Everton, and he may well be eager to listen.

MatériaMais Notícias

A Seleção Brasileira está em Cuiabá-MT se preparando para dois jogos das Eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo de 2026. O primeiro contra a Venezuela, nesta quinta-feira (12), e depois diante do Uruguai, fora de casa, na terça (17). Quem deve pintar entre os titulares nessa Data Fifa é Gabriel Jesus, que agradou ao técnico Fernando Diniz nas últimas duas partidas. E o atacante já sabe bem o que fazer para se manter nas graças do treinador: fazer o que fazia no Palmeiras e no Manchester City-ING.

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+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

Na convocação anterior, a primeira de Diniz, Jesus ficou fora da lista inicial, mas acabou sendo chamado no lugar de Antony, que foi cortado por conta de problemas particulares. Os treinos e o dia a dia com o jogador acabaram sendo essenciais para ele voltar a ser escolhido nessa segunda chamada do comandante. Ele sabe que vai sair bastante da função de centroavante, que é onde gostaria de jogar, e pode até atuar vindo mais do meio.

– No Palmeiras, eu fazia bastante (o movimento de fora para dentro), acho que foi o clube que mais fiz, quando comecei a jogar mais centralizado. Joguei como centroavante, jogava muito solto e fazendo o “facão”. Foi onde fiz mais. A primeira coisa que o Diniz falou quando vim na outra convocação foi que ele queria ver o Gabriel do Palmeiras, do Manchester City.

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A movimentação mais “diferente” de Diniz acaba fazendo com que Jesus dê mais um passo abrindo mão daquilo que se propôs quando deixou o City. O brasileiro queria atuar mais como um centroavante fixo, algo que ele não teria chances por lá com a chegada de Haaland. Por isso, ao ir para o Arsenal, ele queria que seu desejo fosse atendido, mas as circunstância o fizeram ser mais flexível, como era antes.

– Eu venho fazendo muitas funções no Arsenal, óbvio que quando optei por me transferir do City para o Arsenal, o Edu (Gaspar, executivo de futebol) e o Arteta conversaram comigo, e eu deixei claro que gostaria de jogar de 9. A ideia do Arsenal era essa, eu jogar de 9, solto.

– Essa temporada está sendo diferente, tivemos lesões, e nos últimos jogos eu joguei três vezes de ponta e uma vez de centroavante. Por algum tempo, pensei em ficar nessa de falar que quero jogar de 9, mas estou aqui para ajudar o time. Sou abençoado por Deus por ter esse talento e a versatilidade de jogar nas três posições da frente. Prefiro não escolher.

+ Guilherme Arana brinca sobre sua impressão de Diniz antes da Seleção: ‘Escuto bastante ele xingar’

O recado, evidentemente, foi também para o “chefe” Diniz, que por conta de toda essa versatilidade e adaptação às diferentes funções no ataque, deve ter Jesus como uma peça fundamental na construção dos esquemas nessa sua passagem pela Seleção.

Du Plessis made 91 before retiring out while Milne’s five-wicket haul skittled Orcas for 137 in chase of 189

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2025Texas Super Kings produced a dominant all-round performance to crush Seattle Orcas by 51 runs and finish, for now, at the top of the table. With 14 points, Super Kings have a superior net run-rate than San Francisco Unicorns and Washington Freedom, who are placed second and third respectively but have a game to play in the group stage.After being put in to bat, Super Kings were powered by a sensational 91 off 52 balls from captain Faf du Plessis, who retired out in the penultimate over of the innings. His innings included six fours and four sixes. Du Plessis was well supported by Shubham Ranjane, who smashed 65 off 38 balls as the pair stitched together a 131-run stand off just 71 balls that laid the foundation for Super Kings’ imposing total of 188 for 4.Orcas’ bowlers had no answers once du Plessis and Ranjane got going, struggling to contain the run flow or break the partnership. Orcas did manage to take a couple of late wickets, but the damage was already done.In the chase, Adam Milne led the charge with the ball, producing a spell that tore through Orcas’ top and middle order. The fast bowler finished with 5 for 20, including a three-wicket 18th over.Orcas made a sluggish start and were always behind the game after racing to 42 for 2 in the powerplay. Kyle Mayers top-scored with 35. But David Warner struggled to find any rhythm, while Shayan Jahangir fell for a duck. Shimron Hetmyer showed some intent, but with the required rate climbing rapidly and little support from the other end, the odds were heavily against him. His solo effort of a quick-fire 26 couldn’t rescue the innings in their must-win clash. By the time Sikandar Raza walked in, the game had already slipped away with Orcas needing 98 runs off 47 balls. His impact came far too late.Only three batters managed to pass 20 as Orcas were bundled out for 137 in 18.4 overs.With a seventh loss in ten games, Orcas slipped to fifth with six points. Super Kings have to wait till tomorrow to see if they can hold on to the top-two position.

For so many years, the Europa League offered Rangers supporters a safe space away from their domestic trials and tribulations, but even that is no longer the case.

On Thursday night, Russell Martin suffered yet another defeat, with his side defeated 1-0 at the hands of Genk in their league phase opener.

Only 38,000 were in attendance at Ibrox, around 12,000 below capacity, as supporters voted with their feet against the manager and CEO Patrick Stewart, considering the Gers currently sit second bottom of the Scottish Premiership table, ahead of Sunday’s trip to Livingston.

In the Europa League meantime, former Celtic striker Oh Hyeon-gyu was the main character of the evening, seeing a penalty saved by Jack Butland, missing at least two guilt-edged opportunities, before eventually scoring the only goal of the night, poking home at the back post, getting on the end of Patrik Hrošovský’s ball across.

From a Rangers perspective, most of the heat will be on the under-fire manager, but many of his players simply aren’t pulling their weight, one in particular not having any discernible positive impact on the night’s proceedings.

Mohamed Diomandé's costly red card

Rangers are finding winning football matches difficult enough right now with the full complement of 11 players, let alone ten.

In the quarter of an hour before half time, referee Matej Jug took centre stage, making three key decisions that all went against the home side.

The most outcome-altering was of course the red card, with Mohamed Diomandé dismissed for a foul on Zakaria El Ouahdi.

The Ivorian did win the ball, but his foot then bounced off the top of the ball and into El Ouahdi’s calf, thereby deemed a dangerous tackle.

Mere moments before, the Ibrox faithful thought their side were going to be given a penalty, Joris Kayembe seemingly set to be penalised for a handball, but the referee instead adjudged that James Tavrnier had committed a foul, which Ally McCoist said, speaking on commentary for TNT Sports, was the “biggest cop out you’ll see all night… he’s invented a shove there to take the easy way out”.

Chalkboard

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

Even after the sending off, there was still time for Jug to award Genk a penalty in first-half injury time, following video review, but Oh’s attempt was saved by Jack Butland, eliciting the loudest cheer of the night.

Nevertheless, they were never truly able to recover from the loss of Diomandé and, even though he clearly didn’t mean to put in a dangerous challenge, he did ultimately, as McCoist put it, “cost his team”.

However, another Rangers starter offered even less on Thursday night, bringing into question why so much was paid for his services.

Rangers' anonymous attacker

Martin made just one change to his Rangers team that beat Hibs in the League Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, with Bojan Miovski, who actually scored his first goal for the club in that one, dropping to the bench, with Youssef Chermiti handed a first start for the club.

The 21-year-old joined the Light Blues for a reported fee of £8m, potentially rising to £10m, from Everton on deadline day, despite having scored zero goals in 24 appearances for the Toffees.

In fact, his most recent senior goal came for Sporting CP against Paços de Ferreira on 7 May 2023, underlining why this enormous fee raised so many eyebrows.

Well, as Chermiti seeks to change public perception of him in Glasgow, he didn’t do a very good job of it against Genk, as the table below outlines.

Shots

Zero

6th

Accurate passes

10

12th

Key passes

1

3rd

Duels contested

15

2nd

Duels won

5

4th

Possession lost

10

4th

Touches

24

11th

Sofascore rating

6.3

14th

As the table documents, Chermiti essentially had no impact on Rangers as an attacking force on Thursday, touching the ball a mere 24 times, nine fewer than the dismissed Diomandé, as well as five less than Oliver Antman, who was introduced as a half-time substitute. That return was also less than the aforementioned Butland, who recorded 45 touches.

Of course, it isn’t easy playing the role of a lone striker, especially when your side are down to ten men, but the Portuguese youngster lost possession ten times, as well as winning only five of 15 duels, not mustering a single shot, which simply isn’t good enough.

It is obviously unfair on the youngster, but when you cost as much as Chermiti has, big things are expected.

That fee will only prove to be value for money if he fires Rangers to league titles and scores crucial goals in European competition, so the fact that it is over two years since the striker scored a goal for anybody has to be alarming.

The most galling fact is that Martin left a proven goalscorer in Miovski, one who literally scored a goal less than a week ago, in reserve, watching on like the rest of the Rangers support, wondering how on earth this team are ever going to score a goal.

Reports suggest Martin now has three games to save his job, all away from home, facing Livingston, Sturm Graz and then Falkirk on the road in the next ten days, so, if he is to remain in situ during the international break, he must ditch Chermiti and get Miovski back up front.

Not Dyche or Gerrard: Rangers should axe Martin for future "elite manager"

With Russell Martin under intense pressure as Rangers boss, the 49ers should make a future “elite manager” their top target to replace him at Ibrox.

Sep 25, 2025

Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo finally made good on a promise in the wake of his team's 2-2 draw with Hungary in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday night. The Al-Nassr forward had long promised to swap his shirt with Liverpool star Dominik Szoboszlai, and the midfielder confirmed after the match that he had finally got his hands on the Portugal icon's jersey.

• Szoboszlai denies Ronaldo and Portugal with late goal

  Ronaldo and Portugal looked set to book their spot at World Cup 2026 on Tuesday night as they led Hungary 2-1 until the dying moments of the game. Szoboszlai then popped up with a 91st minute equaliser to deny Portugal and ensure Robert Martinez's men must wait to confirm their place in next summer's tournament. Although there was disappointment for Ronaldo, it was still a memorable night for the Portuguese superstar as he scored twice to become the player with the most goals in World Cup qualifying. Ronaldo spoke of his pride after the game but also sounded out a strong message to his team as he urged Portugal to "seal qualification for the World Cup" in their next fixture in November.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Ronaldo finally hands over his shirt

  Szoboszlai has made no secret of his admiration for Ronaldo and first met the Portugal legend back in 2009 when he was a mascot. When Hungary took on Portugal earlier in the campaign, Szoboszlai was spotted asking for Ronaldo's shirt after the game but was left disappointed as the skipper had already given it away. Ronaldo did promise the Liverpool star he could have his jersey the next time they met and was true to his word on Tuesday night. Szoboszlai was asked by reporters after the game if he had managed to grab Ronaldo's shirt and said with a smile: "Yes, I received it."

• Szoboszlai lifts lid on late equaliser

  Szoboszlal enjoyed a memorable night in Lisbon. Not only did he take home Ronaldo's shirt, he also grabbed a goal and an assist in an influential performance. The Liverpool star spoke about the match afterwards, telling reporters: "We started well, we fought, we tried hard, we had a bit of a slump, but we managed to overcome it. The players who came on contributed a lot, so I'm proud of everyone. I'm proud of the whole team. I couldn't get to the near post anymore, so I went to the far post. I don't know how many legs the ball passed through, but it worked. After a start like that, it couldn't have ended any other way. Now we can prepare for the November games."

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• Portugal frustrated after letting slip win

  Meanwhile, Portugal star Bruno Fernandes admitted that he and his team-mate were frustrated after letting slip a victory in stoppage time. He told reporters after the match: "It's frustrating that we didn't get the win, but we're focused on what we have to do in the next stage, which is to win to qualify. That's our mindset. We got into their game in the final minutes. We opened up the field a lot and I think we were controlling the game well, creating a lot of chances. But suddenly, we wanted to play transitions, and it didn't work out for us. 

  "Our strength is having the ball and pinning teams back. It's always better to have the ball, pin teams down, and create our chances than to open up the field and end up playing a game of attacking transitions.Every game serves as a learning experience for the next one. We were able to win the game against Ireland, and we have to be able to win again to go to the World Cup. If we qualify for the World Cup, we'll still be favorites. We're favorites, just like the teams that qualify. It doesn't affect our confidence or what we can do as a team. 

  "They're a very good team with second balls and with space for dangerous players to create danger. We have to give credit to what they did."

With less than a week to go until the transfer window slams shut, it would be fair to say Chelsea have had another brilliant summer.

The board have more than backed Enzo Maresca with several quality additions all over the pitch.

In attack, the likes of Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens and Liam Delap should help solve the side’s finishing issues from last season, and in defence, Jorrel Hato looks like a future star.

The West Londoners aren’t done there, though, as they continue to close in on Alejandro Garnacho, although if reports are to be believed, they’re now looking to sign another youngster who’d be a big upgrade.

Chelsea target Garnacho upgrade

Chelsea have been involved with several transfer sagas this summer, from Gittens to Xavi Simons, but the one concerning Garnacho has felt like it has dragged on the longest.

Transfer Focus

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

The Blues were first linked with the Manchester United ace back in the winter window, but things have really developed over the last few weeks or so.

While there remains a disagreement on the final price between the two clubs, the player has made it crystal clear that he only wants a move to Stamford Bridge, and it now feels like a matter of when, not if, he gets it.

Yet, even so, the West Londoners now appear intent on making another attacking addition to the team in someone who’d be an upgrade on Garnacho.

At least that is according to a recent report from Spanish publication Sport, which claims Chelsea are interested in Fermin Lopez.

In fact, the report goes further, revealing that the Blues have already submitted a bid worth around £50m for the player.

Moreover, another report from Mundo Deportivo has now claimed that the West Londoners have given the player 48 hours to decide if he wants to move to Stamford Bridge.

While that’s a lot of money to spend on a youngster, Lopez would be worth it for Chelsea, especially as he’d be an upgrade on Garnacho.

How Lopez compares to Garnacho

So, when comparing two positionally versatile attackers, it makes sense to start with their raw output, as, at the end of the day, they’ll be judged by the number of goals and assists they chalk up.

Unfortunately for Garnacho, when we do this, it’s Lopez who comes out looking far more impressive.

For example, in his 46 appearances for Barcelona last season, totalling just 2039 minutes, the young Spaniard scored eight goals and provided ten assists.

That means he managed to average a goal involvement every 2.55 games, or every 113.27 minutes, which is undeniably impressive for someone his age.

For his efforts, the United ace scored 11 goals and provided ten assists, but did so in 58 appearances, totalling 3568 minutes.

That translates to a far less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.76 games, or more crucially, every 169.90 minutes.

The one-sided nature of this comparison only continues when we take a look under the hood, at their underlying numbers.

Lopez vs Garnacho
Statistics per 90	Lopez	Garnacho
Non-Penalty Expected G+As	0.69	0.48
Non-Penalty G+As	0.79	0.33
Progressive Carries	2.23	5.78
Progressive Passes	5.68	2.30
Shots on Target %	36.6%	34.5%
Passing Accuracy	81.8%	78.9%
Key Passes	2.09	1.52
Passes into the Final Third	4.68	0.90
Passes into the Penalty Area	1.44	1.02
Crosses into the Penalty Area	0.43	0.20
Shot-Creating Actions	4.10	3.40
Goal-Creating Actions	0.50	0.25
Tackles Won	1.08	0.74
Blocks	0.79	0.78
Successful Take-Ons	1.80	1.07
Ball Recoveries	4.75	4.43
All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Season

When doing this, the “creative” Barça star, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, emerges as the top performer in most relevant metrics.

These include actual and expected non-penalty goals, progressive carries, key passes, shot- and goal-creating actions, tackles won, and more, all per 90.

In other words, these statistics paint a picture of a player who is a genuine goal threat, an accomplished creator, and more than willing to contribute to the defensive work.

Ultimately, while Garnacho could still be a massive success at Chelsea, it appears that Lopez is the superior player, and by some margin at that.

Better deal than Lopez: Ornstein expects £50m "diamond" will join Chelsea

As Chelsea make a move to sign Fermín López from Barcelona, will the Blues also snap up a “diamond” attacker for £50m who is an even bigger talent?

By
Ben Gray

Aug 27, 2025

Just four games into IPL 2025, CSK have tried 17 players and all seven overseas options in a bid to find a winning combination

Deivarayan Muthu05-Apr-20252:54

Fleming: CSK still ‘trying to get opening combination right’

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have responded to their early-season defeats – they have now lost three in a row in IPL 2025 – by ringing in the changes, but they are still struggling to find their best combination. It’s a “conundrum”. So says head coach Stephen Fleming, who is concerned by the lack of balance in the squad and the dearth of firepower in the batting line-up.Four games into IPL 2025, CSK have cycled through 17 players, including all seven overseas options, which is a departure from their usual strategy of continuity in selection. No other side has used as many players this season.”Yeah, that [finding the balance] is the conundrum at the moment,” Fleming said at the press conference after CSK’s loss to Delhi Capitals (DC) on Saturday. “To get more solidity at the top we have to remove obviously an overseas player, so we’re grappling just with the combination that we need. When it doesn’t go right, you pore over it and analyse that and see if it was the right call.”Related

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CSK have the worst scoring rate in the powerplay among all ten teams this season at this stage, and in order to remedy that, they brought in Devon Conway and reunited him with Rachin Ravindra at the top at the expense of Rahul Tripathi against DC. They also swapped out allrounder Jamie Overton for an Indian seamer in Mukesh Choudhary. The changes didn’t work out, however, with Conway compounding CSK’s powerplay troubles with another low score and Choudhary leaking 50 runs in his wicketless spell of four overs.”We felt that our batting in the powerplays has been below par and going too hard was probably not the way, particularly on our wicket, which is a little bit tricky,” Fleming said. “So we’re looking just to settle that with guys that have been in good form and have done it before, so that’s the theory behind that and that’s what we’ll possibly continue with.”But it just comes down to run production. You can have all the tactics you like, if you’ve got a couple of players in form they can cover for others. But at the moment we’re just not quite getting the big individual scores we need so that the cameos can do their part; we’re getting starts but not quite enough.”After crashing to their biggest-ever defeat at Chepauk in terms of runs, in late March against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), CSK seemed dreadfully off the pace and out of depth in another chase, this time against DC in a day game on Saturday. They managed only 69 for 4 in ten overs in pursuit of 184, and by the time MS Dhoni walked out to bat in the next over, the asking rate had almost touched 12. Vijay Shankar had a particularly tortured stay in the middle while Dhoni also failed to bring out the big hits in the face of a mounting asking rate.”The attempt was that we went out… a combination of they bowled well, I think the ball started to grip a little bit more,” Fleming said. “Well, we understood it was going to be good for the first half and then gradually get slower, so we were keen to bat and then take pace off the ball and they did it really well. Vijay Shankar struggled to get timing all the way through his innings. But that period from 12 to 16 was difficult for all, it was tough to watch and certainly tough to be out there, so the game was just slipping away and even with intent and different methods to do it, it was just too big a scale.”Noor Ahmad has a chat with MS Dhoni•AFP/Getty ImagesCSK have now failed to chase 180-plus targets in their last ten attempts, dating back to 2020. Fleming admitted that it’s another worry and called for more contributions from the top order.”Yeah, whenever you’re not doing something well, it concerns me,” Fleming said. “That’s the job. So we’re looking to find the formula that will get us over the line. We’re certainly well aware of the [180-plus] chasing stat.”We are focusing hard bowling-wise to restrict teams below that [180], but we do need to be better with the bat. There’s no doubt about it. We need to have one or two players in the form, predominantly the top three or four, and you look at the teams that are going, well, you’ll see that the majority of the runs are getting scored through there, through the top four, so we need a bit more production there, and that then allows the more power-hitters or the players to finish off the coming in the right spots.”We’re having to introduce players, just not quite at the right time, and we’ve got [Shivam] Dube as well, who’s close [to returning to form], but just not quite getting the job done.”