O São Paulo segue firme e forte em sua jornada no Campeonato Brasileiro. Na tarde desta quarta, o Tricolor recebeu o Iranduba, no estádio Marcelo Portugal Gouvêa, em Cotia, e venceu, por 1 a 0. É a terceira vitória seguida da equipe do Morumbi, que agora ocupa a 5ª colocação no torneio nacional, com 23 pontos ganhos após 12 rodadas.
O confronto aconteceu sob uma temperatura de 37ºC no município da Grande São Paulo. Mesmo assim, as equipes partiram para o ataque e o começo do duelo foi bem equilibrada. Ainda no primeiro tempo, o Tricolor ficou com uma a mais em campo com a expulsão da goleira Sol, do Iranduba. A vantagem numérica mudou completamente o panorama da partida. O São Paulo buscava o gol de qualquer maneira, e a equipe amazonense se defendia.
Na volta do intervalo, depois de muito tentar, a equipe do Morumbi conseguiu abrir o marcador com Duda. O São Paulo ainda criou boas chances, sobretudo após Petra ser expulsa também por falta em Carol. Entretanto, a goleira reserva Stefani estava inspirada e não permitiu que a equipe da casa ampliasse o placar em Cotia.
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O triunfo deixa o São Paulo na 5ª posição, com 23 pontos, e cinco de distância para a primeira equipe fora da zona de classificação para o mata-mata. Já o Iranduba, segue com 10 pontos, e está na 13ª colocação.
O próximo jogo do Tricolor no Brasileirão será no dia 4, domingo, contra o Vitória, no Barradão. A partida começa às 15h. Um dia depois, o Iranduba mede forças com o Minas Brasília, em Manaus.
Rashid Khan’s whirlwind career will blow him into Hove for the T20 Blast. Rashid, the Afghan legspinner who has become one of the hottest properties in T20 cricket and lifted the stature of Afghanistan cricket in the process, will play for Sussex for the first half of the tournament.Rashid will join Sussex with confidence because he teams up again with Jason Gillespie, the county’s new head coach, who was in charge of Adelaide Strikers when they won this season’s Big Bash.Rashid was one of the Strikers’ chief assets, finishing joint top of the wicket-taking charts with 18 wickets in 11 innings at a startling economy rate of 5.65 runs per over – the most meagre in the tournament. He missed the final because of international duties, but Adelaide survived without him, comfortably beating Hobart Hurricanes.A stint in the IPL will dominate his thinking before he arrives on the south coast of England. At the recent IPL auction, Sunrisers Hyderabad paid US$1.4m for his services, leading him to be dubbed by some as “the million dollar baby”.At 19, his brief career has also taken him to the Caribbean Premier League and Bangladesh Premier League as the advance of T20 – not the discussions of international administrators in sparking-water filled committee rooms – promises to become the main driver for global opportunity.Gillespie needed a lift after losing both Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan to the IPL, so deflating Sussex’s promotion challenge from Division Two of the Specsavers Championship before it has begun. But the prospect of Rashid and Archer, a key performer in Hobart’s BBL campaign, teaming up in T20 will give Sussex one of the most talked-about bowling attacks in the competition.Sussex have become the sixth domestic T20 side to snap up Rashid Khan•ESPNcricinfo Ltd
“We are delighted that Rash has agreed to join us at Sussex,” Gillespie said. “His form for Afghanistan and the T20 teams he has played for over the last couple of years has been phenomenal. I have worked closely with Rash at the Adelaide Strikers in the BBL and have been incredibly impressed with his attitude, work ethic and team-first mentality.”We look forward to welcoming him to the Sharks where I’m sure he will quickly become a fan favourite.”Amongst bowlers who have bowled at least 500 deliveries, Rashid has the lowest average (13.82) in the history of international T20 cricket. His economy rate of 5.86 runs per over is the second lowest of all time.Sussex’s relatively small boundaries will offer up a new challenge, especially the tight boundaries square of the wicketSussex’s director of cricket, Keith Greenfield, expressed his delight at the signing. “Rashid is the most sought-after spin talent in the world,” he said. “He has made a significant impact in all the teams he has played for to date, so to make this move happen is fantastic.”
Matchweek Five sees the first-ever meeting between Fulham and Luton Town in the Premier League when the Hatters travel to Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon to take on the Cottagers. Football FanCast has everything you need to know about the fixture before the two sides go head-to-head in the Premier League this weekend.
Well, technically, all of Luton’s first 19 games this season will be the first time that fixture has been played in the Premier League due to this season being the club’s first foray into England’s top division in its current guise. And even though it’s still early in the season, the five games played by Fulham and the four by Luton can give us a small insight into their form and how they might fare in this upcoming clash.
Fulham started the season strong with a 1-0 away win against Everton, but have seriously struggled since with a 3-0 defeat to fellow West Londoners Brentford and a 5-1 thumping away to treble-winning Manchester City. Granted, they came away from the Emirates with a point, but it’s hard to say that their performance merited one, given that they had less than a third of the possession, and the Gunners ended the game with 11 shots on target.
That said, they were able to halt Ange Postecoglou’s new-look Tottenham Hotspur at home in the EFL Cup thanks to a penalty shoot-out win, which looks to be no small feat at the moment.
Luton, on the other hand, have had an interesting start to their first campaign back in the top flight, as despite looking quite good at points against Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United, they came away from both games empty-handed. They also suffered a pretty heavy 3-0 defeat away to Chelsea, with their only win so far coming against Gillingham in the EFL Cup.
Ultimately, neither side has started the new season how they would’ve liked and with Fulham in 13th place and Luton all the way down in 19th, both will be desperate to get some more points on the board as soon as possible.
Fulham vs Luton: What's their head-to-head record?
Despite never facing off against one another in the Premier League, Fulham and Luton Town are no strangers to one another, having played each other 47 times across all competitions since their initial meeting in January 1908, over 100 years ago.
While 47 games is a relatively significant number, it also seems much smaller than you might expect, given that their first encounter was over a century ago. Well, the reason the number isn’t much higher is the 20 year gap between their first meeting in 1908 and their second in 1928. They also went another 20 years without meeting between 1999 and 2019.
This is because, in those periods, Luton were often in the leagues below Fulham, falling all the way down to the Conference from 2009 to 2014.
You’d probably expect then that because the Cottagers have spent more time in the top flight than their Bedfordshire opponents, the history of this fixture would be heavily weighted in their favour, not necessarily.
While the West Londoners have won more games – 22 to be exact – Luton aren’t far behind, with 16 to their name. In all, this is quite the competitive fixture, and there’s no reason this weekend’s encounter will be any different.
Fulham Wins
22
Draws
8
Luton Town Wins
16
Fulham vs Luton: What's their Second Division record?
The two sides have only ever met in the old First Division twice in their entire history, in the 1959/60 season, with both sides winning their home ties. So it seems more apt to compare their records against one another from their far more frequent encounters in England’s second tier. These games took place both pre and post-Championship.
The numbers here, perhaps unsurprisingly, mirror the overall record between these sides, with Fulham just about edging things. In total, the West Londoners have won 18 of their 37 second-tier encounters with Luton, giving them a win rate of 48.6%.
The Hatters, on the other hand, are just behind with 14 wins, giving them a win rate of 37.8%, while there have been just five draws.
Fulham Wins
18
Draws
5
Luton Town Wins
14
Fulham vs Luton: What's their record at Fulham?
Well, while the fixture on a whole has tended to be reasonably balanced, with the Cottagers just about edging things, this certainly isn’t the case when they play host. In the 24 games played at Craven Cottage, Fulham have won a seriously impressive 16 times, which means they hold a 66.6% win rate at home.
For their part, Luton have won just three games at the Cottage, one less than the number of games they’ve drawn. We’re sure Rob Edwards will be hoping to buck the trens come Saturday.
Fulham Wins
16
Draws
4
Luton Town Wins
3
Fulham vs Luton: What's their record at Luton?
The Hatters have been able to establish some dominance of their own at Kenilworth Road over the years, even if it doesn’t quite stack up to Fulham’s. In total, the Bedfordshire side have played host to the West Londoners 23 times and come away winners on 13 occasions – a win rate of 56.5%.
Fulham have put up a better fight when away from home compared to the hosts, winning six times and earning at least a point four times.
Fulham Wins
6
Draws
4
Luton Town Wins
13
Fulham vs Luton: Which team has the most goals?
Well, given their slight edge in this game over the years, it probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to hear that it’s Fulham who have scored more goals against Luton and not the other way around. That said, with only 19 goals separating the sides, It’s once again a reasonably close affair.
The Whites have scored 85 goals against their Bedfordshire opponents in their 47 games, meaning they score an impressive average of 1.8 goals per game. Whereas, Luton’s 66 goals give them a still respectable average of 1.4.
Ben Stokes has pleaded not guilty to a charge of affray over an incident outside a Bristol nightclub in September
George Dobell in Bristol and Alan Gardner13-Feb-2018Ben Stokes is set to join up with his team-mates in New Zealand and could resume his England career in the coming weeks after he pleaded not guilty to a charge of affray over an incident outside a Bristol nightclub in September. His case was referred to Bristol Crown Court, with a first hearing set for March 12.Although Stokes will not currently be considered for the T20 triangular series involving New Zealand and Australia, he is set to depart the UK on Wednesday. The ECB released a statement saying that he would link up with the team in Hamilton, where England play New Zealand on Sunday.”Having entered his plea at Bristol Magistrates’ Court today, Ben Stokes will now travel to New Zealand to join the England squad,” an ECB spokesperson said. “He departs tomorrow, Wednesday 14 February, and will arrive on Friday 16 February, ready to train with England team-mates in Hamilton.”Any decision to include him in upcoming matches will be made by head coach Trevor Bayliss and the England management team. He is not currently being considered for the ongoing international T20 tri-series.”ECB fully respects his right to defend himself in court and any obligations he has within the legal process will always take precedence over England commitments. It has been confirmed that he will not be required to return to the UK for the first hearing at Bristol Crown Court on Monday 12 March.”Stokes arrived at the Magistrates’ Court in the city shortly before 10am, to be met by a scrum of cameras and reporters. Stokes spoke in court only to confirm his name, address and enter his plea on the basis of self-defence or the defence of another. Two other men charged with the same offence, Ryan Hale and Ryan Ali, also entered not-guilty pleas on the same basis. All were offered unconditional bail.Having played no part in the Ashes, Stokes has now been cleared to represent England but a comeback in New Zealand during the tri-series was deferred by his need to appear at the Magistrates’ Court. He was named in England’s squads for the one-day series with New Zealand, which starts on February 25, as well as the subsequent Tests, on March 22-26 and March 30-April 3.He is also expected to play in the IPL, which begins in early April, after being bought for GBP1.37m by Rajasthan Royals in last month’s auction.Stokes was charged with affray last month, having not been considered for selection during England’s tour of Australia while police investigated the Bristol incident. He was arrested in the early hours of September 25 on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm; his England team-mate Alex Hales was also present and is likely to be called as a witness as the trial.After the announcement by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Stokes tweeted his intention to defend himself: “I am keen to have an opportunity to clear my name but, on advice, the appropriate time to do this is when the case comes to trial. The CPS’ decision to charge me, as well as Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale, at least means that my account of what happened that night can come out in court and be made public.”Affray is an each-way offence – meaning it can be tried either at Magistrates’ Court or Crown Court – with a maximum possible prison sentence of three years.
أصدر نادي بوروسيا دورتموند الألماني بيانًا رسميًا بشأن مدربه إدين ترزيتش، مؤكدًا رحيله عن منصبه.
وأفاد دورتموند في بيانه أن المدرب إدين ترزيتش أبلغ النادي برغبته في الرحيل عن منصبه، وإنهاء عقده على الفور.
وأشار إلى أن النادي قرر الاستجابة لطلب ترزيتش، وقد امتثل بوروسيا دورتموند لطلب إجراء مناقشة مشتركة.
فاز ترزيتش بكأس ألمانيا مع بروسيا دورتموند في عام 2021، وكان الوصيف في عام 2023 ووصل إلى نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا في عام 2024.
وقال ترزيتش: “عزيزي بوروسيا، على الرغم من أن الأمر يؤلمني حقًا الآن، أود أن أبلغك بأنني سأغادر دورتموند اعتبارًا من اليوم”.
وأضاف: “لقد كان شرف كبير أن أتمكن من قيادة هذا النادي العظيم للفوز بكأس ألمانيا ومؤخرًا إلى نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا”.
وتابع: “لقد طلبت من المسؤولين إجراء محادثة بعد المباراة النهائية في ويمبلي لأنه بعد عشر سنوات في دورتموند، بما في ذلك خمس سنوات في الفريق التدريبي وسنتين ونصف كمدرب رئيسي، لدي شعور بأن الفترة المقبلة ستكون مصحوبة بشيء جديد، وينبغي أن أكون على الهامش”.
وأشار: “أي شخص يعرفني يعلم أنه خلال عملية اتخاذ القرار هذه خلال الأسابيع القليلة الماضية، كان هناك قلبان ينبضان في صدري، لكن حتى بعد مناقشات مكثفة، لم يتغير شعوري الأساسي، أتمنى دائمًا الأفضل لبوروسيا دورتموند ولا أقول وداعًا، بل مرحبًا دورتموند!”.
اقرأ أيضًا | ميسي يُعلن موقفه من أولمبياد باريس ويعترف: شجعت دورتموند أمام ريال مدريد
وأكد هانز يواكيم فاتسكه، الرئيس التنفيذي لبوروسيا دورتموند: “قام إيدن ترزيتش بعمل رائع خلال فترة وجوده في دورتموند، ونحن جميعًا مدينون له بدين كبير من الامتنان، أنا وإيدين سنكون صديقين دائمًا”.
وأكد المدير الرياضي، سيباستيان كيل: “إيدين هو لاعب في بوروسيا دورتموند بكل معنى الكلمة، وهو شخص عظيم وأصيل للغاية وقد التزم دائمًا بنسبة 100 بالمائة مع بوروسيا دورتموند،، لقد شهدنا الكثير معًا”.
وأتم: “إن نجاحاتنا على مدى السنوات القليلة الماضية ستظل مرتبطة به دائمًا، وأنا متأكد من أننا سنرى بعضنا البعض مرة أخرى، سيذهب إيدن في طريقه الخاص”.
Manchester United will visit Turf Moor to face Burnley this weekend as they look to stop the rot in the Premier League.
If Erik ten Hag’s side are to get back to winning ways on Saturday night, Marcus Rashford could be the difference maker.
We at Football FanCast have looked into the history of this fixture to gauge what we can expect from Rashford when his side travel slightly further north.
What is Marcus Rashford’s goal record against Burnley?
Marcus Rashford has come up against Burnley 11 times in all competitions and whilst his team has never lost, his personal record doesn’t stand out massively.
Rashford has scored one Premier League goal against them from 10 meetings and then he also scored in his only EFL Cup clash with Clarets. The most recent meeting was that EFL Cup fixture, though, so he comes into this outing having scored in the previous one against these opponents.
What is Marcus Rashford’s assist record against Burnley?
Marcus Rashford vs Burnley
Marcus Rashford’s assist record against Burnley doesn’t differ at all from his goal record, contributing two assists, both of which came in the league.
Both of his assists against the newly promoted side came in the 2020/21 season, one in either game as Manchester United won by an aggregate scoreline of 4-1.
How many goal contributions does Marcus Rashford have against Burnley?
Totalling up the goals and assists from Rashford against Burnley and he has amassed four goal contributions across 11 games.
The last two league meetings, which came in the 2021/22 season, saw him left on the bench at Old Trafford and then he played the majority of the Turf Moor clash.
What is Marcus Rashford’s head-to-head record against Burnley?
As previously mentioned, Manchester United have dominated this fixture since Marcus Rashford burst onto the scene, his side having not lost once.
Seven of the 11 games have gone the way of United with the other four ending in draws. His first-ever league meeting with them was a draw and the most recent one saw the game end honours even as well.
What is Marcus Rashford’s record at Burnley?
Six of the 10 Premier League meetings featuring Rashford took place on Burnley’s home soil across six seasons. It doesn’t total out at 12 clashes due to the aforementioned game that he watched on from the sidelines and then he was absent from another Old Trafford outing, a Burnley win in fact, due to a back injury.
The first five of these games at Turf Moor went the way of Manchester United and they didn’t concede a single goal along the way. They won those games by an aggregate of 8-0 and then the February 2022 matchup finished 1-1, Paul Pogba opening the scoring before Jay Rodriguez struck back for the home side.
Who has Marcus Rashford scored the most goals against?
England'sMarcusRashfordcelebrates
It won’t be surprising to read that with just two goals against them, Burnley aren’t Marcus Rashford’s favourite opponents.
In all competitions, Leicester City have conceded to Rashford the most with eight strikes in 16 meetings. Across these games, Man United have won 10, drawn four and lost two.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool come next with Rashford having scored six times against each of them.
Who does Marcus Rashford have the most goal contributions against?
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford.
Rashford has eight goals and one assist against Leicester City so they are towards the top end when it comes to goal contributions, but they’re not at the top.
The England international has nine goal contributions against West Ham United and Chelsea whilst he has hit double digits, with 10 contributions, when facing Newcastle United and Arsenal.
How many goals does Marcus Rashford have in September?
Marcus Rashford has certainly enjoyed playing in September and particularly in the Premier League. In all but one September of his professional career he has found the back of the net in the league and on two occasions, he bagged twice.
Overall, Rashford has scored 14 times in September, breaking down as one Champions League goal against FC Basel in 2017, four EFL Cup strikes and then nine Premier League goals.
And this September is no different with the England international having found the back of the net against Arsenal earlier on in the month. However, it was not enough to help United to victory with the Red Devils seeing the points go to the Gunners late on in the game.
In the only league game since the defeat in north London, Rashford failed to get his name on the scoresheet against Brighton & Hove Albion.
What is Marcus Rashford’s overall Manchester United goal record?
Man Unites starMarcusRashford
For Manchester United, Rashford has made 364 appearances, totaling over 24,000 minutes. In that time has scored 124 goals.
77 of these strikes have come in the Premier League and he is ahead of names such as Daniel Sturridge, Gabriel Jesus and Luis Suarez in the scoring charts for the division.
What is Marcus Rashford’s overall Manchester United assist record?
Rashford is best known as a goalscorer, but his assist numbers are certainly impressive, showing that he is a valuable contributor on both ends of it.
For Manchester United, he has 69 total assists with 45 of these coming in the Premier League and then 12 coming on the continent, in either the Champions League or the Europa League.
Amid all the turmoil that has beset the pitch of Goodison Park over the past several years, Everton have maintained an impressive youth academy at Finch Farm, admired by those in English football.
Sean Dyche has got a task on his hands in navigating away from danger in the Premier League this season, especially after falling to defeat across the opening three matches of the term, without scoring a single goal.
A battling away draw against newly-promoted Sheffield United last time out did provide a platform for the club to now build from, but there will be many twists and turns yet in the coming weeks and months.
Dyche, understanding the issues Everton were blighted by, strove to replenish the attacking ranks; and he has, signing the likes of Beto, Arnaut Danjuma, Jack Harrison, Youssef Chermiti and co to provide the Blues with a chance to finally end several years of malaise around the bottom of the Premier League table.
They will have to do so without creative midfielder Alex Iwobi, however, with the Nigeria star completing a £22m move to divisional rivals Fulham, having held just one year left on his deal with the Merseyside outfit.
Everton will also have to make do without Demarai Gray, who transferred away from the club in acrimonious circumstances earlier this month.
Why did Everton sell Demarai Gray?
One week after the transfer window had slammed shut for European outfits, Gray completed an £8m transfer to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq, ending weeks of speculation regarding the player's imminent future.
The Toffees had initially rejected a bid from the Saudi Pro League team, despite the winger's role on the periphery and with his contract having been set for expiry next summer.
Gray's mind was clearly fixed on pastures new, with the 27-year-old sharing a post on his social media conveying his thoughts and desire to leave the club.
It was a bit of a blow for Everton after Gray played an instrumental role in the Premier League last season, scoring six goals across all competitions and impressing with his dynamism and versatility, which was paramount amid the injury woes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and the woeful efforts of Neal Maupay, who scored once all term.
Gray had made 75 displays in total for Everton, scoring 12 goals, since joining from German side Bayer Leverkusen for roughly £2m – a paltry fee in the modern game – and had been noted for his "attacking threat" by journalist Josh Bunting.
While Dyche will feel he has adequately compensated for Gray's exit with the acquisitions made over the past several months, there is undoubtedly a sense of poignancy surrounding the nature of an exit of a player who served so well against the threat of relegation last year.
The transfer window is now shut, and the Goodison Park side will have to wait until January if they wish to bring in fresh faces, but there may already be a tailor-made replacement in Katia Kouyate, with the talented academy winger eyeing up his senior debut this season.
Who is Katia Kouyate?
Kouyate, 20 years old, has been impressing among the Finch Farm academy ranks for several years now, and has chalked up 55 total appearances, plundering 11 direct goal contributions.
Described as "brilliant" by journalist Dan Ghorbal, the player's official club profile claims that he 'possesses impressive speed, skill and power'.
Praised for his "good work" already this season by reporter Joe Thomas, the starlet has been making increments to his game over the past several seasons and is now a regular member of Everton's development squad, penning a new two-year contract in 2022.
The Manchester-born forward has demonstrated his dynamism this season, playing across the frontline already after just four matches – and netting his first goal last time out – and could be in line for a big season this year, earning an opportunity to impress among the seniors.
Although he only posted two goals and assists apiece from 25 matches in the previous edition of the Premier League 2, Kouyate did clinch each contribution across the final 13 outings, starting ten times.
Blessed with a naturally impressive physique, lightning speed and awe-inspiring power, Kouyate is pushing for inclusion and will perhaps earn a shot if he keeps his head down and continues to ply his trade for David Unsworth's development side.
The talented prospect offers a slightly different profile to the recently departed Gray, focusing on his direct threat and utilising his pace and power to beat his man and drive the ball into promising openings.
Gray, comparatively, is slightly more fleet-footed, weaving around defenders and creating confusion with his deft shimmies and ball-playing skills, often the instigator with his looping balls from deep.
This could prove to be an invaluable asset, though, with Lewis Dobbin, who enjoyed a promising loan spell with Derby County last season in League One and has already made three appearances in the top flight this year, starting in the 1-0 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Praised for his "relentless" approach and role as a "crowd-lifter" by BBC Radio Derby reporter Dominic Dietrich, Dobbin, also aged 20, certainly brings an extra dimension to the Toffees attack.
Also described as "explosive" by one talent scout, Dobbin is a proficient dribbler and could be the sort of progressive presence suitable to step in and fill the void left in Gray's wake, although Kouyate would offer something different still.
Lewis Dobbin
Indeed, this could be the start of an exciting new era at Goodison Park, with these two homegrown talents blending skill sets to wreak havoc down, primarily, the left channel.
Although he has not yet found his shooting boots with the regularity Dyche will hope for, Kouyate continues to burgeon and could now thrive in the position vacated by the Jamaica international, gone to enjoy the riches of Saudi Arabia.
Given Everton's toothless attack, who showed promise in the 2-2 draw at Bramall Lane but still face uncertainty around their reliability, especially after finishing as the second-lowest scorers in the Premier League last term, and Dyche may well be wise to delve deeper into the club's resources and unleash a precocious talent of Kouyate's ilk.
When Dinesh Karthik scythed that final delivery for six, the release from the fans was one of unbridled ecstasy. Sri Lankan and Indian fans were embracing each other in kinship
Madushka Balasuriya19-Mar-2018
NurPhoto/Getty Images
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. So goes the ancient Sanskrit proverb that for Sri Lankan cricket fans has probably, during the better part of the last two decades, been exhaustively internalised when it comes to drawing allegiances in neutral contests involving India.Exactly how that became the case though is unclear. Circa 1996 there was genuine camaraderie between the two sets of fans, and while certainly the antipathy between them has grown in recent times – no doubt accelerated by India’s recent sporting superiority – there was always a sense over the years that Sri Lankan supporters took an undue amount of pleasure from India’s failures.As such, when Bangladesh eventually sit down to take notes on what went wrong in Sunday’s dramatic and heart-wrenching final defeat to India, there is one moment in particular that they might come to rue. In the aftermath of that now-notorious disagreement over a no-ball, it was not just a dressing room door that was shattered, they had also lost any potential Sri Lankan home support.As the teams took to the field, murmurs were heard of Sri Lankan fans – some 20,000 of them – turning up for the final in support of India.”We don’t expect the away crowd to support us. We were not focusing on that,” a dismissive Shakib Al Hasan said after a game in which the partisan support was bordering on the surreal.”It would have been nice if they had supported us but these things can happen. We were not worried about who was supporting whom. It was important for us to play some good cricket on the field.”While Shakib’s take may well be an honest reflection on events, it fails to account for the impact such fervent support had on a fairly inexperienced Indian outfit. Buoyed by the ‘home’ support, India put in their best fielding display of tournament. The team threw themselves at every delivery, with even Suresh Raina, who had been guilty of several errors earlier in the tournament, seen racing towards the ball like a hare at a dog race.”The crowd was brilliant, it was magnificent. We didn’t feel that we were playing outside India,” India captain Rohit Sharma said. He wasn’t wrong.As the match drew to its conclusion, the tension in the stadium was arguably at a higher plane than at any point during a game involving Sri Lanka this tournament. Every Indian piece of fielding, every wicket by an Indian bowler, every dot ball was cheered by a bouncing Khettarama stadium.With the bat, Indian boundaries were willed across the ropes, while wickets were mourned with deathly silence. Even the stadium DJ was in on it, his loyalty clear for all to see, as he repeatedly failed to play music after a Bangladesh boundary.”They came out in large numbers and their support was very crucial,” Rohit said. “It is always good when you get that support, just to get you going, it is very important. They supported us throughout the course of 40 overs. Even when we were bowling and making those stops, and when we started off batting, they were there for us.”While it would be tempting to draw a line under this sudden shift in allegiance down to the mere dislike of Bangladesh, it’s definitely something that has been rolling along unspoken in the background for a while now.The upswing in relations might have begun on India’s tour of Sri Lanka last year, where Virat Kohli’s image underwent significant rehabilitation in the eyes of Sri Lankan fans. There was already begrudging respect for Kohli the cricketer on the field, but his numerous match-winning efforts against Sri Lanka had made him an easy villain.However, with Kohli and his team-mates immersing themselves in the local culture on that tour – with a strong social media offensive to boot – that begrudging respect steadily began to evolve into a begrudging fondness. The sporting animosity was also thawing, as fans’ acceptance of the dismal run Sri Lanka Cricket was going through allowed them to appreciate the quality of Indian cricket unabashed.That journey eventually came to a head on Sunday night. When Dinesh Karthik scythed that final delivery for six, the release from the fans was one of unbridled ecstasy. Sri Lankan and Indian fans were seen in droves performing the now iconic (cobra) dance, and embracing each other in kinship. Bonds were being formed; even Sri Lanka’s most iconic supporter, Percy, was seen joining the Indian side on their lap of honour.All the while firecrackers – reserved usually for Sri Lankan wins – were set outside the stadium and in the distance. As Hindi music blared in the background, Colombo was awash with the sounds of a once great friendship being rekindled.
Everton have been backed to appoint an up and coming English manager to replace Sean Dyche, with one BBC pundit hinting the man in question would be well suited to the role at Goodison Park.
Is Sean Dyche under pressure?
In the Premier League, Sean Dyche’s side have had a hugely disappointing start to the new campaign having suffered four defeats and secured just one draw from their opening five games, so with only a single point on the board, they find themselves in the relegation zone.
Speaking to TalkSPORT, a Toffees supporter recently called for the boss to be relieved of his duties with the side yet to show any signs of improvement, and interestingly, there was one out-of-work coach that he named as someone he’d like to take to the dugout instead.
Following his departure from Chelsea back in April, Graham Potter is yet to return to the sidelines and start his next adventure, but that has been more of a personal choice to take a break because he has been offered the chance to get back to work.
Scottish Premiership giants Glasgow Rangers reportedly earmarked the 48-year-old as a potential candidate to replace Michael Beale should he be sacked, but the same outlet claim that he has rejected the opportunity to make the move north of the border, meaning that he is still a free agent on the market and waiting to be snapped up.
Are Everton appointing Graham Potter?
Speaking to the Premier League Weekend Wrap, BBC Radio 5 Live man Don Hutchison delivered his verdict on Everton’s poor opening to the season and name-checked Potter as someone who could revitalise the squad.
As quoted by Goodison News, he said: “I wonder what they can do under Graham Potter. Because that group of players are underperforming. You have to take six points from Brentford and Luton Town if you are Sean Dyche.”
Chelsea's former manager Graham Potter.
What is Graham Potter's managerial record?
Since the start of his managerial career, Potter has recorded 185 victories and 118 draws from 440 games whilst averaging 1.53 points per match, via Transfermarkt, and even though his spell at Chelsea didn’t go as well as hoped, he’s still a coach with plenty to offer.
The Solihull-born boss has been hailed for his “attacking” style of play by journalist Josh Bunting, while his preferred formation is a 4-2-3-1, and that is a tactic that’s worked well in the past with him twice beating the outfit on Merseyside when in charge of the opposition.
Furthermore, Potter shares the same agent, Wasserman, as Andre Gomes and Joao Virginia, so this existing connection that his representative already has to the club could give the hierarchy a small advantage should they decide to sack their current leader and replace him with the man who used to be at Stamford Bridge.
Whilst Everton fans will be aware that this is nothing more than speculation at this stage, they will end up wanting someone new in charge should performances and results not improve in the near future, so this could be one to watch over the next few weeks and months.
Aston Villa will head into the first international break of the season off the back of a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool as they failed to pick up any points in the Premier League on Sunday.
How did Aston Villa lose to Liverpool?
The hosts opened the scoring through Hungary international Dominik Szoboszlai as he was afforded too much room on the edge of the box and his left-footed strike floated into the far corner.
It did not take long for the Reds to double their lead as Darwin Nunez’s strike from around 12 yards cannoned back off the post and into the net off the unfortunate Matty Cash, who had little time to get out of the way.
Mohamed Salah then made it 3-0 in the 55th minute as he pounced at the back post from Nunez's flick-on to tap into a virtually empty net, with Villa's defenders completely switching off from the corner.
That said, the backline weren't the only members of the Villa squad to underperform, with Ollie Watkins also out of sorts.
How did Ollie Watkins perform against Liverpool?
Whilst there were a number of less-than-impressive performers for Unai Emery's side on Sunday, Watkins stood out as the true villain for the head coach with his display at the top end of the pitch.
Cash did score an own goal to help put Liverpool on their way to a comfortable win but the Poland international was not without his redeeming qualities.
The former Nottingham Forest man won four of his six ground duels and made two clearances alongside four tackles to win possession back for his team, which shows that he was – at least – strong in his physical battles.
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.
Watkins, meanwhile, was worse than Cash as he struggled with both sides of the game, failing to offer enough in and out of possession throughout his 73 minutes on the pitch.
The England international racked up 0.20 xG during the game and the best opportunity came when Lucas Digne's cross found him in the box but he was only able to scuff his effort wide of the post instead of testing Alisson.
As per Sofascore, the £75k-per-week earner only completed seven passes out of nine attempted and no other starter for Villa – including Diego Carlos who came off injured after 19 minutes – made fewer than ten passes.
This shows that Watkins was unable to get himself into the game and was left isolated at the top end of the pitch. He did not do enough to get involved in the match, leading to his lack of effectiveness in the final third.
Whilst you could point to Liverpool's dominance, with 64% possession, as an explanation for his lack of involvement, the 27-year-old did not help himself with a lack of physicality up against Joe Gomez and Joel Matip as he lost three of his four (75%) duels and was pushed aside far too easily.
Indeed, it's clear to see that Watkins produced a disappointing display with his contributions on and off the ball. He did not offer the strength to hold the ball up to be an out ball to relieve pressure for his side and wasted the one presentable chance that did fall his way to get the team back into the match.