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Chasing 152, Hurricanes were bowled out for 114 to register a second successive loss

AAP26-Nov-2025South African Marizanne Kapp has again showed how big a loss she will be to the Melbourne Stars once she leaves the WBBL for international duties. Kapp starred in the field as the Stars easily beat Hobart Hurricanes by 37 runs on Thursday at Junction Oval.Their third-straight win left the Stars second on the ladder ahead of Saturday’s massive home derby against the third-placed Melbourne Renegades.While teammate Amy Jones was Player of the Match, Kapp bowled Lizelle Lee with the first delivery of the Hurricanes innings. She removed fellow opener Danni Wyatt-Hodge in the third over and took an outstanding catch to remove No.4 Nicola Carey.But Saturday’s match will be the last for Kapp before she returns to the South African team.”Obviously Kappy is going to be a massive loss – it seems like she’s playing her best cricket, now that she’s leaving us, which is a bit frustrating,” teammate Kim Garth said. “But I feel like we do have the depth to cover it.”Garth added they were worried about what damage Lee could do.”I was pretty relieved – she was hitting them pretty well,” Garth said. “We did a lot of planning for her and when Kappy comes in and knocks her over first ball, it’s quite nice.”After starting the season with five-straight wins, Hurricanes have lost their last two and are in danger of ceding top spot to either Melbourne team.Renegades will host Perth on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s clash against the Stars, who are only one point behind Hurricanes.After Hurricanes won the toss on Wednesday at Junction Oval, Jones and Danielle Gibson gave momentum to Stars’ stalled innings and the home side reached 151 for 6 from their 20 overs. Hurricanes were bundled out for 114 with 22 deliveries left.Jones top-scored with 59 from 40 balls, featuring six fours and a six. Jones and Gibson came together at 91 for 4 in the 14th over – not yet a crisis, but Hurricanes would have felt they had the momentum.Instead, Gibson belted 39 from 27 deliveries, with five fours and a six, as they put on a quickfire 44 for the fifth wicket. Carey took 2-29 from her four overs.After Hurricanes slumped to 59 for 6, captain Elyse Villani and Hayley Silver-Holmes gave them a glimmer of hope with their 40-run stand for the seventh wicket.Then Sophie Day bowled Silver-Holmes for 18 from 14 deliveries and Sutherland bowled Villani for 38 off 21 balls to kill off the late rally.Kapp took 2 for 29 from her four overs, while Sutherland also snared two and Day cleaned up the tail on the way to 4 for 17 from three overs.

Manchester United have now joined the race to sign a “phenomenal” midfielder, who recently put in an impressive performance at Old Trafford.

Man Utd stepping up pursuit of new midfielder

Man United have set out to sign a new central midfielder in the January transfer window, and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Joao Gomes is the object of their desires, with it recently being revealed the 24-year-old has said ‘yes’ to a move to Old Trafford.

INEOS are now working on a deal for the Wolves star, with David Ornstein revealing the Old Gold may choose to cash-in during the January transfer window, as his value may decrease if they are a Championship club by the time summer comes around.

The need to bring in a new central midfielder may also be exacerbated if Kobbie Mainoo moves on, with it now emerging that talks over the 20-year-old signing a contract extension have been put on hold, amid interest from reigning Serie A champions Napoli.

However, it would be understandable if Wolves were unwilling to sell Gomes, given that he has been one of their key players this season and remains contracted until 2030, and the Red Devils have now joined the race for a potential alternative.

That is according to a report from talkSPORT, which names Man United as potential suitors for Everton midfielder James Garner, who is also being targeted by Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.

The Toffees have little interest in sanctioning a departure, however, and have recently stepped up talks over a new contract, with Garner’s current deal set to expire at the end of the season.

David Moyes is personally keen to keep hold of the central midfielder, and it is no surprise, given that he recently played an instrumental role in his side’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford.

Garner impresses in shock Everton win at Old Trafford

After Idrissa Gueye was shown a red card for an altercation with teammate Michael Keane on Monday night, United would’ve been expecting to take all three points, but they were unable to take advantage of their numerical superiority.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall scored the only goal of the game just before the half-an-hour mark, with Garner grabbing the assist, while also making three interceptions and one clearance to keep Ruben Amorim’s side at bay.

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He has a massive future in the game.

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Hailed as “phenomenal” by pundit Trevor Sinclair, a deal for the Englishman wouldn’t break the bank at £20m+, and he has outperformed Gomes across some key defensive statistics over the past year.

Key defensive statistics per 90 (past year)

James Garner

Joao Gomes

Interceptions

1.41 (85th percentile)

0.81 (34th percentile)

Blocks

1.41 (77th percentile)

1.31 (68th percentile)

Clearances

2.19 (80th percentile)

1.37 (40th percentile)

That said, both Garner and Gomes aren’t experienced at the highest level, and Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni would perhaps be a more exciting addition to the squad, with the Spanish side’s asking price recently being revealed.

Jofra Archer declared his performance in third ODI against South Africa at the Utilita Bowl as “one of those times you don’t want to put the ball down”, after routing his opponents with four powerplay wickets en route to England recording the largest margin of victory ever in a 50-over international match.Archer’s superb figures of 4 for 18 in nine overs weren’t enough to salvage the series for England, after their contrasting defeats in the first two matches at Headingley and Lord’s. However, in reducing South Africa to 18 for 5 in the space of his first 4.5 overs, he set up a thumping 342-run win that bettered England’s previous largest victory in the format by exactly 100 runs.With Brydon Carse claiming two wickets in his own opening spell, and with Temba Bavuma absent with a calf strain, South Africa were reeling at 24 for 6 in the ten-over powerplay, before Adil Rashid’s three wickets sealed the victory in 20.5 overs – the same figure that South Africa themselves had needed to complete their series-opening run-chase at Headingley last week.”I told Carse, when we were bowling, let’s just do it so nobody else has to bowl,” Archer said afterwards. “Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out that way, but we definitely did try. They were either going to get them or they were going to get bowled out trying to get them, and everyone’s figures are pretty good today. It’s good to win a game by that margin.”For Archer, the performance continued a hugely uplifting summer in which he has re-established his credentials across formats, including with his recall to the England Test team during the series against India in July.Related

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He admitted, after being named Player of the Match, that he had not expected to feature in his third match in a row, in light of the previous regime’s caution about his workload after numerous injuries. However, he acknowledged it “meant a lot” to be able to put in another strong performance for his team.”To be injury-free is always a plus,” he said. “This summer is a tick for me.”Archer’s first wicket came with the second ball of his spell, as Aiden Markram flashed outside off to nick off for a duck. But thereafter, he was nigh on unplayable, bowling back-to-back wicket maidens as Ryan Rickelton also edged to the keeper, before Matthew Breetzke and Tristan Stubbs were both dismissed by extra bounce.”There are some spells that you bowl like you hardly bowl a bad ball,” he said. “You can bowl good balls that go for boundaries. But when every single ball that you’ve released, you’re happy where it landed, today was one of those days.”Archer did, however, claim he had felt in even better rhythm in the series opener in Leeds, where his superbly economical figures of 5-1-8-0 were overshadowed by the brutal treatment meted out to Sonny Baker (7-0-76-0) on debut at the other end.”I felt I bowled better at Headingley, but obviously I didn’t get the wickets to show,” he said. “But for the first four or five overs, well, actually the first 10 of the powerplay today, it was overcast. The ball was hard, the pitch was nipping. I don’t know if a red ball would have done the same thing, but that’s probably one of the times you don’t want to put the ball down. I tried my best not to put it down today either.”Asked how it felt to be a part of such an emphatic victory, Archer admitted he had not known the specifics of the victory, mouthing “wow” when told that 342 runs was a world-record margin.”To be honest, I didn’t really look at the scoreboard much,” he said. “I actually don’t know what they finished on, we were so focused on just trying to get off. But it was exciting. There was an ‘ooh’ or an ‘aah’ every single over.”

The 2024 MLB season was one to forget for the Chicago White Sox. Unfortunately, it was so bad that it was rather unforgettable.

Heading into the White Sox' season finale against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, Chicago already had lost 121 games, breaking the modern day single-season record set by the New York Mets in their inaugural season in 1962 (120 losses). The 2024 White Sox, who won just three games in July and four games in August, will go down in history as the worst MLB team assembled since 1901.

White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf addressed his team's historically bad season in a long letter he wrote to the fan base on Sunday.

"By all measures, our on-field performance this season was a failure," Reinsdorf wrote. "As the leader of this organization, that is my responsibility. There are no excuses.

"I want to thank you for continuing to support the team throughout what was an embarrassing season. You all deserved better. This season's performance was completely unacceptable and the varying reactions and emotions from our fan base are completely understandable."

Reinsdorf went on to vow that he's determined to turn the franchise around in 2025 and beyond while backing general manager Chris Getz. He also highlighted a few positives in the franchise, like the Double-A Birmingham Barons winning the Southern League and the Single-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers playing in the Carolina League championship series.

The White Sox had a payroll of $133.8 million this season, which ranked 18th in baseball.

Getz and the rest of Chicago's front office will search for their third full-time manager since the 2022 campaign this offseason.

Needing two to tie and three to win off the final ball, Hurricanes could only score one

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jul-2025Azmatullah Omarzai and Khaled Ahmed helped Rangpur Riders successfully defend a total of 151 – by one run – against Hobart Hurricanes.Rangpur, the defending champions, now sit at the top of the GSL 2025 points table with wins in both their games. Hurricanes are third with a 1-1 win-loss record.Mohammad Nabi top-scored for Hurricanes with a 36-ball 44 and almost completed a stellar recovery but was dismissed by Omarzai off the final over’s fourth ball. Earlier in the over, his six had brought the equation down to six runs off the last five balls. Opener Ben McDermott (34) and No. 7 Odean Smith (20) played useful hands but Hurricanes were plagued by regular wickets through the middle overs, Iftikhar Ahmed picking up two of those for 13 runs.Hurricanes let the chase meander, hitting only one four and two sixes in the last 30 deliveries. When they needed three off the final ball, they could get only one run, with Billy Stanlake run-out looking to tie the game. Khaled collected consecutive four-fors in GSL 2025 by taking 4 for 26 as a follow-up to his 4 for 36 against Guyana Amazon Warriors.Rangpur’s batting performance also had its share of wobbles but No. 3 Kyle Mayers’ unbeaten 42-ball 67 held the innings together. He was involved in a partnership of 34 for the second wicket with Ibrahim Zadran (43), who had done most of the hitting in the powerplay.Usama Mir’s 3 for 15 in four overs, though, had strangled Rangpur’s scoring through the middle overs and it needed the big hits from Mayers in the back end to post a total that eventually turned out to be just enough. His innings comprised eight fours and two sixes, with the majority of those coming in the last five overs where Rangpur added 54 to their total. In comparison, Hurricanes scored only 40 in their final five.

MatériaMais Notícias

A passagem do técnico Bruno Lage pelo Botafogo chegou ao fim na noite de terça-feira (3). Pressionado por maus resultados e pelo desgaste perante líderes do elenco alvinegro, o português foi desligado do cargo após cerca de três meses no cargo.

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Lage encerrou uma trajetória iniciada com prestígio diante de Textor e até uma camisa 7 de presente. Porém, que acabou marcada por momentos peculiares à frente do líder do Campeonato Brasileiro.

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‘RODÍZIO’ DO ELENCO

Como o Botafogo disputava simultaneamente o Campeonato Brasileiro e a Copa Sul-Americana, Lage decidiu “rodar” o elenco. A equipe principal era lançada na competição nacional, enquanto um time misto disputava o título continental. Sua definição deu margem para Gatito Fernández voltar a ser titular da meta alvinegra depois de cerca de um ano. Atletas como Philipe Sampaio, Danilo Barbosa e jovens como JP Galvão, Hugo, Luís Henrique e Janderson receberam chances.

O Glorioso superou Patronato, da Argentina, com um empate em 1 a 1 em sua estreia no comando. Depois, levou a melhor no mata-mata com o Guaraní, vencendo por 2 a 1 no Niltão e arrancando um suado 0 a 0 no Defensores del Chaco, no Paraguai. Porém, deu adeus à Sul-Americana perdendo para o Defensa Y Justicia nas quartas de final. O treinador frisava que não tinha “11 titulares, mas 22 titulares”.

GRANDES MOMENTOS, MAS…

Em seu início de trabalho, o Botafogo engatou dez jogos sem perder. Porém, trouxe as primeiras oscilações. Carregado por sua torcida, a equipe fazia grandes exibições como as vitórias sobre o Coritiba, Internacional. Só que a força defensiva começava a vacilar, sofrendo alguns gols como mandante.

Além disso, a equipe perdeu força com a saída de Gustavo Sauer e não encontra afirmação pelo lado esquerdo de ataque. Outro marco foi o começo de uma sequência de empates, traço da “era Bruno Lage”.

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POUCA CRIATIVIDADE

Boa parte dos empates aconteceu no Brasileirão, em especial em jogos nos quais o Botafogo atuou como visitante. Nestas partidas, a equipe esbarrou na falta de criatividade.

Suas jogadas passaram a sobrecarregar Eduardo. Invariavelmente, a bola tinha de passar pelos pés do camisa 33 para ter alguma jogada ofensiva. Aos poucos, o jogador se tornou presa fácil. Defensivamente, porém, o Botafogo vinha atuando bem e garantia pontos graças a atuações fortes de Lucas Perri, Adryelson e Cuesta, especialmente.

‘ENTREGA’ DE CARGO

Em 2 de setembro, Bruno Lage causou surpresa após a derrota do Botafogo para o Flamengo por 2 a 1. Na entrevista coletiva, o treinador fez um breve pronunciamento e colocou seu cargo à disposição.

– Eu tenho contrato com o Botafogo até dezembro, é muito dinheiro de salários, tenho prêmios que já estão praticamente garantidos por ir à Libertadores. Tem o prêmio de campeão, mas não tenho nenhum problema de abdicar disso, porque não sou guloso pelo dinheiro. O que não posso permitir é que a pressão que está sendo exercida sobre mim seja exercida sobe meus jogadores. É isso que eu tenho para dizer. Meu lugar está à disposição de quem manda, sem qualquer outra coisa para dizer. Boa noite, obrigado – afirmou e foi embora.

Após horas, a cúpula alvinegra contornou o impasse e manteve o treinador. Lage, em entrevista ao “ge”, disse que frase foi uma “estratégia”.

POUCOS CHUTES E JOGADORES NO SACRIFÍCIO

Após a parada da Data Fifa, o técnico viu o poderio ofensivo decair sensivelmente. Na derrota para o Atlético-MG, por 1 a 0, nenhuma finalização foi em direção ao gol.

Diante do Corinthians, a expulsão de Marçal levou o treinador a alçar Tchê Tchê a curinga. O camisa 6 atuou tanto como meia, sua posição de ofício, quanto foi articulador, ponta, lateral-esquerdo e lateral-direito. Na partida contra o Goiás, Tchê Tchê foi lateral-direito, e Gabriel Pires atuou no meio ao lado de Marlon Freitas. Mesmo assim, a decisão de promover variações para surpreender adversários não foi suficiente para tornar o Alvinegro incisivo e quebrar o jejum.

Outros jogadores também atuaram de maneira improvisada, mas não tornaram a equipe ofensiva. As dificuldades de articulação nos jogos mais recentes também sobrecarregaram o setor ofensivo. Frequentemente, Tiquinho Soares voltou para engatar jogadas.

‘ACREDITEM COMO NÓS!’

O Alvinegro veio deixando escapar pontos. Mas, mesmo assim, Lage não perdeu a fé e fez um apelo após a derrota para o Corinthians.

– Puxem para cima agora, é do que eles (jogadores) precisam. O torcedor do Botafogo é apaixonado, de um clube grande, mas na primeira rodada estavam lá 10 mil. Agora estão 50, 60 mil a empurrar esse time. Foram eles (jogadores) que puxaram para cima. Agora eles precisam desse carinho. E não que “olha, vamos entregar o ouro, vamos perder”.Não, c…! Acreditem como nós, porque eles acreditam. Estavam com dez jogadores a correr, p…. Deram a vida pelo capitão, que teve que sair aos 25 minutos. Agora é o momento de estarmos todos juntos. Se tiverem que bater, batam em cima do treinador, sem problema nenhum – e destacou:

– Da mesma maneira que eu estou assertivo aqui, vocês entendam que é a forma que eu estou. As pessoas dizem: “Olha, como ele é parado na área técnica”. Sou parado porque estou me controlando. É assim que eu trabalho todos os dias com meus jogadores, passando energia positiva. Passem também, torcedores. Se tiverem que apontar o dedo, apontem para mim, sem problema nenhum. É no Bruno, é no Bruno, é no Bruno. Deem carinho máximo para eles, não exponham mais pressão ou mais ansiedade, deem liberdade total para eles jogarem o jogo- completou.

O objetivo foi manter mobilização, especialmente para evitar que a equipe perca mais pontos.

‘CASO TIQUINHO SOARES’ DEGRINGOLA TRAJETÓRIA DE LAGE NO BOTAFOGO

A semana desenhava um cenário de reação do Botafogo. O treino aberto para a torcida levou apoio maciço dos botafoguenses. Na segunda-feira à noite, cerca de 34 mil botafoguenses foram ao jogo com o Goiás no Niltão.

No entanto, a escalação logo assustou a torcida. O anúncio de Tchê Tchê na lateral e um meio com Marlon Freitas, Gabriel Pires e Eduardo chamaram atenção. Mas a escolha de Diego Costa no lugar de Tiquinho Soares rendeu uma forte vaia. O gol do Goiás acentuou a impaciência dos botafoguenses, que pediram o camisa 9 em campo. Tiquinho entrou e igualou o marcador. O empate em 1 a 1 desceu mal para os torcedores, que não pouparam Bruno Lage dos gritos de “burro, burro!”. Foram 17 pontos perdidos pelo Botafogo com Lage.

O dia seguinte, porém, trouxe detalhes que desenharam uma verdadeira falta de sintonia do treinador com o elenco. A insatisfação se alastrou por departamento de futebol e chegou a lideranças da equipe, que se queixaram para John Textor. Foi o fim do período de Bruno Lage no Botafogo.

West Bromwich Albion are now without a win from their last three games in the Championship.

Ryan Mason’s Baggies did look to be very close to an elusive win in the challenging second tier against Leicester City last time out; however, after Samuel Iling-Junior’s first goal for the promotion chasers had handed them a 1-0 advantage over Marti Cifuentes’ Foxes.

Yet, it wasn’t to be for Mason’s unlucky hosts come the full-time whistle, as various spurned chances came back to bite them courtesy of a Nathaniel Phillips’ own goal.

The former Tottenham Hotspur coach turned Baggies manager could now be prepared to change up what attackers take to the field for his side’s encounter later today versus Norwich City to ensure goal-shy displays don’t become frequent, with Isaac Price potentially facing the chop.

Price's showing vs Leicester in numbers

While the Northern Ireland international has received plenty of plaudits for his performances this season so far, he has also gone slightly off the boil over West Brom’s choppy last few Championship clashes.

Indeed, the former Everton youth product went through the entirety of September without picking up a single goal or assist, which is a notable drop-off when weighed up next to his outrageous form in August.

Price – August vs September

Stat

August

September

Games played

4

3

Goals scored

3

0

Assists

1

0

Stats by Sofascore

Price is unfortunately a victim of his own success here, with his three goals and one assist in August hard to keep up across a full season, as has been seen in his lacklustre offering the following month.

Mason’s experiment to throw Price in as a second striker alongside Aune Heggebo also didn’t work against Leicester, with the 22-year-old going to miss a big chance, even when handed the responsibility of leading the line.

On top of that, he didn’t link up with the Norwegian well enough to get him regularly involved in play, with the number 19 only managing a weak eight touches of the ball in total next to his new strike partner.

It could be that Mason is now preparing to drop Price from the first team altogether for the trip to Norfolk, with this Baggies goal machine primed for his first league start of the season ahead of the hot-and-cold number 21.

Mason's "special" Price replacement for West Brom

Away from Price sticking out with his three league strikes last month, West Brom haven’t been the easiest on the eye to watch so far this season.

Since putting three past Phil Parkinson’s Wrexham, the Baggies have only managed to find the back of the net a weak four times across their next five league encounters, with Josh Maja now potentially thrown into the mix to make West Brom a troubling threat in attack once more.

Mason is likely just erring on the side of caution with his injury-prone number 9 so far this season, hence his lack of starts to date, with his goal-laden campaign last season devastatingly derailed by an injury in January.

Still, he could be the spark now needed to enhance West Brom’s firepower in attacking areas, with this well-taken finish last campaign coming against Wednesday’s opponents, Norwich City, coincidentally going down as his ninth goal in total.

By the time he was sadly stricken with injury, he would boast a mightily impressive 12 strikes from 25 league clashes.

Maja’s Championship numbers (24/25)

Stat

Maja

Games played

25

Goals scored

12

Scoring frequency

Every 173 mins

Assists

2

Big chances created

6

Stats by Sofascore

It’s not just his explosive goalscoring form that will catch Mason’s eye here, however, with the former Sunderland centre-forward also amassing six big chances created across this span of league games.

This could result in Maja supplying Heggebo with chances galore moving forward, with the Brann menace’s goalscoring prowess – firing home a lethal 11 goals in the Eliteserien in 2024 alone – hopefully then coming to the forefront.

Hailed as “special” by Carlos Corberan when the Spaniard was still occupying the Hawthorns dug-out, it does feel like a waste not to try and get the best out of Maja again, with Norwich perhaps on the receiving end of the 26-year-old’s clinical edge later on, as Mason attempts to get West Brom’s faltering season back on track with tweaks here and there.

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Manchester United are reportedly lining up a reunion with former fan favourite Cristiano Ronaldo. The Red Devils have been left with a £100 million ($135m) financial hole to fill after missing out on European qualification for 2025-26. It has been suggested that glamorous midweek friendlies could be arranged in a bid to raise much-needed funds, with one of those potentially seeing Ruben Amorim’s side line up against Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr.

GettyRonaldo left Man Utd in 2022 & now plays in Saudi Pro League

Portuguese superstar Ronaldo, who has taken in two spells at Old Trafford over the course of his record-shattering career, is among those to represent Al-Nassr. The evergreen 40-year-old has committed to a new two-year contract in the Middle East that will take him beyond his 42nd birthday.

Ronaldo last severed ties with United in November 2022 when seeing his contract torn up. A falling out with then Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag led to the five-time Ballon d’Or winner becoming a free agent. He will, however, always be held in high regard by United supporters after helping them to Premier League and Champions League titles during Sir Alex Ferguson’s iconic reign.

AdvertisementNo documentary but glamour friendlies planned

It could be that his path crosses with the Red Devils again during the 2025-26 campaign. According to , Al-Nassr are one of the friendly opponents being considered by United. It is claimed that the Premier League giants are “holding early-stage talks with stakeholders while looking into possible dates and opponents”. Amorim’s side have plenty of gaps in their schedule having also suffered a humbling Carabao Cup defeat to League Two side Grimsby.

Failure to qualify for Europe has cost United around £100m, while co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe sees £750m ($1bn) worth of debt weighing heavy on the Red Devils. It is reported that the opportunity to take part in a money-spinning “fly-on-the-wall documentary”, which “could have earned them millions” has been shunned. Alternative ways to make money are now being explored.

Getty ImagesRatcliffe on trying to get Man Utd back on track

Ratcliffe has previously told of efforts to steady United’s ship on and off the field, with a long-term project being overseen in Manchester: “I didn't expect it to be a walk in the park. It's quite tough sometimes reading the press, obviously. But in a way I'd rather the press had a go at me than Ruben the coach. You know I suppose I've stood out there and said 'we can make Manchester United great again' so people are entitled to their opinions. In my view are on the trajectory I thought we would be on. We are in the process of change at the moment.

“We put a new management team in place. We didn't get that all right at the beginning, obviously. But today I think we have a really good management team in place. We are dealing with the financial issues in the club, because the club has got financial issues and we need to address those. Then we need to move on to the squad, recruitment, data analysis and those types of things. So we are on the path we anticipated we would be on.”

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Ronaldo & warm weather training: Man Utd's plan

The Sun has previously reported on how the likes of AC Milan, RB Leipzig, Lazio and Sevilla – four other leading clubs that have no European football on their agenda this season – have been sounded out regarding potential friendly dates. The plan is for said contests to take place in surroundings that would allow for warm weather training to be taken in – while Amorim and Co also work on building stronger bonds between underperforming players.

Saudi Arabia would fit the bill for United, especially if Ronaldo is involved. There would be plenty of interest in a meeting between the Portuguese GOAT and his former employers. United now need to determine whether a suitable date on their calendar can be found, with Al-Nassr also having to agree to a fixture that would be worked into a packed schedule that already sees them chasing down major honours in domestic and continental competition.

West Indies seamer signs for fifth consecutive season with defending champions

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2025Kemar Roach, the West Indies fast bowler, will return to Surrey for his fifth consecutive season of County Championship cricket after signing a deal to play in the first four rounds.Roach has taken 93 wickets at 25.60 in 28 first-class appearances for Surrey, the defending champions, playing a key role in the club’s three consecutive title wins. He will be available for the season-opener against Essex, starting next Friday, as well as games against Hampshire, Sussex and Somerset.”I’ve enjoyed every moment of my time with Surrey over the last four years and I’m excited to join up with the team again,” Roach said.Related

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Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson ready to have it all – again

Dan Lawrence still has shots to play after missing his Test opening

“The Kia Oval is my second home and the environment led by Alec Stewart, Gareth Batty and Rory Burns is one of the best I’ve been a part of. I’m looking forward to contributing to more success for Surrey in whatever way that I can.”Roach’s arrival adds further depth to a bowling attack that has been strengthened by the signing of Matt Fisher from Yorkshire over the offseason, with New Zealand allrounder Nathan Smith also due to join the club from May.Alec Stewart, Surrey’s high performance cricket advisor, said: “Kemar has been a big part of our dressing room in the last four years and it is great to have him back. His quality, work ethic, and commitment to the club speak for itself.”I am confident he will once again play an important role at the start of this season, and the group is looking forward to working with him again.”

Michael Owen has taken aim at Ibrahima Konate for the French defender's role in Liverpool's first defeat of the season away at Selhurst Park. Up until Saturday afternoon, the Reds had been unassailable in the Premier League, winning five of their opening five games and opening up a five-point gap at the top of the table. With Palace taking the three points, they climb to second in the table.

The Eagles rise to beat Liverpool again

Oliver Glasner's side reached their 18th game without defeat, a run which has seen them win both the FA Cup and the Community Shield – the latter coming against Liverpool at Wembley. The Eagles have been impressive and have now matched their longest-ever unbeaten run, closing the gap on Saturday's opponents and moving to within three points of the league leaders. Palace were dominant against the Reds in the first half, earning a well-deserved 1-0 lead through Ismaila Sarr, and looked set to strengthen their grip on the game. With the minutes ticking away, Palace appeared to be close to earning a great victory over the champions, but Federico Chiesa popped up late to equalise. The Eagles did not give up and Eddie Nketiah chested down a loose ball and flashed an effort past Alisson in the Liverpool goal to steal all the points in the 97th minute. The Eagles deserved the victory and Michael Owen believes the Liverpool defence were at fault for their first defeat of the season. The former Reds striker even singled out Konate for criticism, claiming the French defender was lost and unable to cope with the rampant Palace attack.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTiredness is not an excuse for Owen

Speaking after the game, via , Owen said: "I don't know whether it was tiredness, but they rested a fair few players in midweek in the Carabao Cup. They weren't their usual selves. We are early in the season, I'd be hesitant to blame it on that [tiredness].

"I mean, Konate in the first half didn't know what he was doing. I can't say that it was because of rustiness or tiredness. We've seen one or two performances like that from him this season that have been quite similar.

"I wouldn't use that excuse, I would give praise to Crystal Palace, they're a proper team. They've beaten Liverpool in the Community Shield, it wasn't a fluke. I'd be more inclined to say Palace played very well."

Slot spots weakness in the Liverpool team

Slot admitted that the Reds were not at the races in the first half and deserved to be behind at the break. The Dutch coach then added that he felt that the Reds turned the game around in the second half and could have earned a positive result, but fell apart thanks to a set-piece. Speaking to the , Slot said: "Very difficult first half. They did really well and deserved to be 1-0 up, we were lucky it was only 1-0. Second half it was the opposite. It took a while before we scored and we did with a few minutes left. But from a second set piece they won the game. If you want to compete you need a very positive balance with set pieces and even more in this league. It was one of our biggest strengths last season, now we have conceded two against Newcastle and two here. But this league is more and more and more about set pieces."

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Getty Images SportKonate still in Madrid's sights

Liverpool head to Istanbul this week to continue their European campaign. The Reds face Galatasaray before travelling to west London to take on a faltering Chelsea. The Blues made it back-to-back defeats after a loss to Brighton on Saturday, but will be determined to rebound with a victory over the Reds. It marks a tricky week for Konate who, under pressure from pundits and critics, will need to raise his performances to the level he reached last season. The Frenchman may have been distracted by rumours linking him with a move to Real Madrid. Los Blancos are plotting to bring Konate to the Spanish capital on a free transfer next summer, emulating the move they made on Trent Alexander-Arnold this summer. The Spanish giants may feel compelled to step up their interest in the central defender after their key target William Saliba turned them down. The Arsenal centre-half has agreed to a new deal with the Gunners that will keep him in north London until 2030.