West Indies needed five to win from the last over with six wickets in hand but offspinner Anna Peterson took two wickets and added a run-out on the penultimate ball to seal the win

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2018Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesJust the way they had welcomed West Indies on their shores – with a one-run win in the first ODI – New Zealand sealed the T20 series in similar fashion in New Plymouth, and kept the visitors away from their first win of the tour. Chasing 135, West Indies needed five to win from the last over with six wickets in hand but offspinner Anna Peterson took two wickets and added a run-out on the penultimate ball to add to West Indies’ woes. When they needed three off the last ball, Merissa Aguilleira failed to connect to a flat delivery and only managed a leg bye.West Indies showed their intent by making captain Stafanie Taylor open along with Hayley Matthews, and they were scoring at more than run a ball before offspinner Leigh Kasperek trapped Taylor lbw for 14. West Indies wobbled further when Kasperek struck again in her next over and 17-year-old Amelia Kerr – the fifth bowler to bowl by the seventh over – had Matthews caught for 14. Deandra Dottin’s boundaries and Aguilleira’s patience put the chase back on track by taking them past 70 in the 12th over but Kasperek had Dottin also stumped, in the same over.Even as Suzie Bates kept rotating her bowlers, Aguilleira and Kycia Knight scored briskly for the fifth-wicket stand and brought the equation down from 60 off 48 balls to 12 from 12. They collected seven from the penultimate over but Peterson conceded only three in the last over and stole the win. Kasperek finished with 3 for 31 and Peterson ended with 2 for 25.Earlier, West Indies opted to bowl but saw openers Sophie Devine and Bates race past the 50 mark in the sixth over, after Devine collected 18 runs off Shamilia Connell in the third over. Devine was soon bowled for an 18-ball 41 by Matthews and West Indies pulled things back from there.Even though Bates moved along to score her 16th T20I half-century, she didn’t find much support with only two other batsmen – Maddy Green and Amy Satterthwaite – reaching double-figures. Matthews collected two more wickets for her 3 for 24, Dottin took 2 for 23 while Taylor ended with a miserly 4-0-19-0 to restrict New Zealand to 134 for 7. They lost four wickets in the last 16 balls but Bates struck a four on the last ball of the innings to remain unbeaten on 52, which eventually turned out to be useful runs.The remaining two T20s will be played on Thursday and Sunday.

Southampton have played numerous blinders in the transfer market over the years as they have been able to turn profits on the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Romeo Lavia, Tino Livramento, and Sadio Mane, among others.

However, they also had a number of expensive flops throughout their most recent stint in the Premier League before their relegation to the Championship earlier this year.

Who are Southampton's most expensive signings?

Tino Livramento

£22.6m*

Danny Ings

£21.7m

Kamaldeen Sulemana

£21.6m

Jannik Vestergaard

£21.6m

Sadio Mane

£19.8m

*Includes the sell-on fee that Chelsea received from his move to Newcastle United this summer.

FFC recently published an article detailing Mauricio Pellegrino's blunder in signing Argentine forward Guido Carrillo from Monaco in 2018 but he is just one of several examples of lacklustre recruitment over the last five years or so.

Indeed, another player who turned out to be a poor addition to the club was Norway international Mohamed Elyounoussi, who arrived at St. Mary's in the summer of 2018.

How much did Southampton pay for Mohamed Elyounoussi?

The Saints reportedly splashed out a sizeable fee of £16m to secure the winger's services from Swiss side FC Basel ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.

Mark Hughes was the club's manager at the time and described him as an "exciting" signing after the forward had enjoyed a terrific time in Switzerland.

The talented winger appeared to be a promising addition for Southampton on paper as he had produced goals and assists on a regular basis for Basel throughout the previous two seasons.

In the 2016/17 campaign, Elyounoussi caught the eye with ten goals and 13 assists in 32 Super League outings for the Swiss outfit, although he did fail to chip in with a single goal or assist in three Champions League matches.

He followed that up with 11 goals and 15 assists in 33 top-flight games during the 2017/18 season and stepped up his game in Europe's premier cup competition.

The Norwegian ace racked up two goals and two assists in eight Champions League appearances and averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.08 as his side were eventually knocked out by Manchester City in the last 16.

His impressive spell with Basel came after he started his career in his home country with 36 goals and 13 assists in 108 Eliteserien matches for Molde and Sarpsborg combined.

These statistics show that Elyounoussi had proven himself to be a reliable attacking outlet out wide in both Norway and Switzerland by that point in his career, which convinced Southampton and Hughes to lavish a £16m fee out to secure his signature in the summer of 2018.

How many goals did Elyounoussi score for Southampton?

However, the now-29-year-old dud was unable to carry his form over to English football as he struggled to deliver consistent performances out wide at St. Mary's.

Elyounoussi ended his Southampton career with nine goals in 90 appearances in all competitions across his five years on the south coast, although he did spend time away on loan at Celtic in Scotland.

The Norway international's first season with the club was a disaster as the £16m signing failed to score or assist a single goal in 16 Premier League appearances for Hughes and averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.75 – the 14th-highest within the squad.

He lost 53% of his physical duels, as opposition players found it too easy to knock him off the ball, and missed four 'big chances' in front of goal, as per Sofascore, indicating that he did have the opportunities to find his first goal in English football.

Southampton then opted to send him out on loan to Celtic and he ended up with the Scottish giants for two seasons, in which time the ex-Basel star racked up 24 goals and 14 assists in 67 outings.

His solid form at Parkhead convinced Ralph Hasenhuttl to reintegrate him into the first-team set-up at St. Mary's in 2021 but Elyounoussi was unable to offer consistent quality at the top end of the pitch throughout the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns.

He produced five goals and three assists in 63 Premier League games over his last two seasons with the club and struggled badly last term as the club were relegated to the Championship.

Elyounoussi averaged a dismal Sofascore rating of 6.64 across 33 top-flight outings, which included 27 starts, and that was the 20th-highest score within the squad of a team that was not good enough to avoid the drop.

The 29-year-old contributed at the top end of the pitch with one goal and one assist to go along with just 0.5 key passes per match, which to put that into context, was less than nine of his teammates managed per game.

His former assistant coach at Sarpsborg, Ian Burchnall, once claimed that the winger "frustrated" supporters with his one-dimensional player and lack of positional discipline. That is very hard to argue against.

How much did Southampton receive for Elyounoussi?

Southampton did not receive a single penny in transfer fees for the Norway international as they decided to release him upon the expiry of his contract at St. Mary's earlier this year.

This meant that the attacker left the club for £0 after a disappointing five-year spell with the Saints, in which time his best form came during a loan with Celtic in Scotland.

Therefore, Hughes had a howler with the former Basel marksman as Elyounoussi consistently failed to do enough to impress on the pitch with his poor performances and lack of a cutting edge in the final third.

He did not provide goals or assists on a regular basis and ended up being an expensive flop for the Saints as they spent £16m and did not receive much back in the way of quality on the pitch to go along with allowing him to leave for nothing this summer.

Elyounoussi was not cut out to play at Premier League level, based on his poor form for Southampton, and impressed when playing in Switzerland, Norway, and Scotland.

Unfortunately, Hughes and the club were not able to predict that he would not be able to translate his form for Basel over to England.

Hopefully, the Saints will have better luck when plucking a player from a league outside of the major European divisions in the future, particularly when they they spend a significant fee to secure their services on a long-term deal.

Newcastle United are a club like any other, they've had their fill of success stories and endured their burden of talented starlets to have failed to kick on after such tantalising early promise.

Football is enthralling, awe-inspiring; a sojourn from the harsh realities of life and a chance for camaraderie, revelling in the highs and nursing the wounds of chastening defeats with those suffering the same inflictions.

For those actually playing the beautiful game, it's the opportunity for a spot in the limelight and a lucrative career that wide-eyed, far-dreaming kids all so dearly yearn for.

But it doesn't always work out. So many fall prey to the unrelenting pressures of an unrelenting business, and for those that do fall by the wayside – be that in their formative years or after graduating and initially bursting onto the major scene with a flourish – football can be a cruel mistress indeed.

Players like Mehdi Abeid and Sammy Ameobi both flattered to deceive after an exciting introduction to life on Tyneside, while Remy Cabella – older when signing at 24, mind – arrived at St. James' Park with such fanfare, only for the attacking midfielder to founder and scored just once from 31 matches before leaving with his tail between his legs.

Perhaps one of the most poignant failures of recent years is that of Rolando Aarons, who actually plied his formative years with Newcastle as a player of immense quality, and despite dazzling upon his breakthrough, has now plummeted into the murky abyss.

When did Newcastle sign Rolando Aarons?

Released from Bristol City as a 13-year-old youth, Aarons was faced with a future of the worst kind for an aspiring footballer, the kind that feels like a veritable quagmire, so much hard work amounting to nothing.

Newcastle provided the Jamaica-born winger with some incredible respite, offering him a place in their academy ranks with the view to nurturing him to the first team.

What excitement the fleet-footed prodigy held; across the 13/14 campaign, a teenage Aarons would score three goals and supply an assist from 13 matches in the Premier League 2, alerting erstwhile manager Alan Pardew to his talents.

It was then that Aarons' budding career started to build steam, with a date with prominence surely awaiting over the hill.

What was said about Rolando Aarons when he first joined Newcastle?

After dazzling in pre-season in 2014 and earning a place in Newcastle's senior Premier League squad at the maiden stage of the 2014/15 season, the ace, then aged 18, was touted as a precocious player capable of filling the void left by a disgruntled Hatem Ben Afra's departure on loan to Hull City.

And he announced himself to the stage with deadly, prodigious promise, scoring two goals and supplying an assist from just six outings across the 2014/15 campaign, including a goal and assist apiece in just his second match, a cameo in the English top-flight against Crystal Palace.

Sadly, what hinted at being a remarkable entrance to the big time was detrimentally disrupted by injury, with a hamstring problem sidelining the gem for almost the entirety of that year.

Indeed, those around him were waxing lyrical as a confident, electric and ferocious wide forward demonstrated skills requisite for success at the highest level, with sports performance expert Ray Wilson holding the then-teenager in high regard in 2015.

He said, “I believe he can go all the way. He’s got the right mentality. He’s not afraid of hard work. If you throw a hurdle at him he’s brave enough and strong enough he will attempt it. And if he can’t succeed today he’ll make all the small steps that he needs tomorrow."

The Daily Mail's Craig Hope even envisaged a future to match that of the burgeoning Raheem Sterling in 2014, who at the time plied his trade with Liverpool, with the reporter writing that 'Aarons boasts all of the same attributes as the Liverpool star and is strikingly similar in build and style.'

Sterling had just starred for Liverpool during the historic 2013/14 title-challenging season, with the deadly Anfield strikeforce ultimately failing to stop Manchester City from claiming the Premier League title.

A young Sterling claimed nine goals and seven assists during his breakout year and looked a talent set for the top, soon earning a £49m transfer to the Citizens – and the rest, as they say, is history.

Where is Rolando Aarons now?

A career tainted by injurious injustice; a possible England star stained by his hapless luck in the medical room. Aarons would only play 27 times for the Magpies, scoring four goals and providing three assists, before finally leaving the club with more than a little pathos.

A range of loan spells – including stints with Scottish side Motherwell, Sheffield Wednesday and Serie A outfit Hellas Verona – all bore rotten fruits.

In fact, having scored four times for Newcastle, Aarons has actually found the net just four more times across the rest of his career so far.

Now 27 years old, the two-cap Jamaica international is without a club after an inauspicious, two-year spell with Huddersfield Town, where he played just 12 times and failed to register a single direct goal contribution.

Injuries have ravaged his chances of sustaining minutes with any meaningful regularity, and Aarons will now just be hoping to find a club to rekindle his career as soon as possible.

A sobering story that epitomises the strife that many players must endure after being lionised in the embryonic period of a hard, gruelling fight to cement a starting berth at a first-rate football club, Aarons will forever rue the woes on the injury front that hindered his career from really taking off.

For a player who could have emulated his homeland peer in Sterling, it's a case of what could have been. But injuries aside, supporters will hold Aarons in an endearing light, having captivated so many when waltzing onto the pitch with such swagger all those years ago.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Santos chegou a 12ª partida seguida sem perder na temporada ao bater o Grêmio por 2 a 1, neste domingo (11), pela 15ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, na Vila Belmiro. Marinho foi novamente o destaque santista, marcando dois gols, ambos de pênalti, sendo que ele mesmo sofreu a falta no segundo. Diego Souza anotou o único tento dos visitantes.

RelacionadasSantosApós dois anos, presidente do Santos volta a ver jogo na Vila BelmiroSantos11/10/2020SantosPara resolver problemas do Santos, Rollo tem aberto mão de sono e refeições; entendaSantos11/10/2020SantosRobinho fala sobre retorno ao Santos: ‘É hora de ajudar’; assista entrevistaSantos10/10/2020

SANTOS COMEÇA MELHOR

O Santos dominou as ações no primeiro tempo. Pressionando desde o primeiro minutos, o Peixe atuou na chamada “linha alta”, não dando espaço para que o Grêmio o agredisse. Nas poucas descidas dos gaúchos, eles eram neutralizados pelo zagueiro Lucas Veríssimo. E assim, o Peixe dominou os primeiros 45 minutos.

MARINHO OUSADO

Aos 19 minutos do primeiro tempo, o Peixe teve um pênalti ao seu favor, após Kaio Jorge ter um cruzamento interceptado com o braço pelo gremista Paulo Miranda. Com muita tranquilidade, o artilheiro santista deu uma cavadinha no meio do gol, deslocando Vanderlei para o canto esquerdo.

SANTOS NÃO MATA O JOGO

Ainda que estivesse melhor e sofrendo pouco sustos do Grêmio, o Peixe pecou em não definir a partida quando tinha mais amplitude ofensiva. No primeiro tempo, uma bola na trave de Jean Mota após boa jogada construída por Kaio Jorge. No início da etapa final, Marinho também carimbou o poste em boa trama. Além desses momentos, o Alvinegro não levou efetivamente grande perigo a meta do goleiro Vanderlei.

GRÊMIO CRESCE E EMPATA

Após os 20 minutos do segundo tempo, o Grêmio passou a agredir mais do que fez em todos os 65 minutos anteriores. Aos 28 minutos, em boa descida pelo lado direito de campo, a bola foi cruzada para a entrada da área para Diego Souza empatar em um chute de primeira, na única chegada de perigo dos tricolores no jogo até o então.

COM O AUXÍLIO DO VAR

Cinco minutos após sofrer o empate, o Peixe conseguiu o gol da vitória, novamente em um pênalti, que desTa vez contou com a revisão do árbitro BráulIo da Silva Machado no monitor do VAR, confirmando entrada do zagueiro David Braz em Marinho, que sofreu, bateu e converteu a cobrança, marcando o seu segundo gol na partida.

JOÃO PAULO FEZ A BOA

No último minuto da partida, o goleiro João Paulo, que não havia sido exigido na partida, fez uma grande defesa, após chute de Maicon na entrada da área, garantido a vitória santista.

DAVID BRAZ EXPULSO

O zagueiro ex-Santos, que hoje defende a camisa gremista, já havia levado um cartão amarelo por ter cometido pênalti em Marinho. No último minuto da partida, após uma entrada no atacante próximo à bandeira de escanteio, o jogador recebeu o segundo cartão e foi expulso.

FICHA TÉCNICA
SANTOS 2 X 1 GRÊMIO

Estádio: Vila Belmiro, Santos (SP)
Data/hora: 11/10/2020, às 16h (horário de Brasília)
Árbitro:Braulio da Silva Machado/SC
Assistentes:Kléber Lucio Gil/SC e Éder Alexandre/SC
Árbitro de vídeo:Wagner Reway/PB
Cartões amarelos: Jobson (Santos); Robinho e David Braz (Grêmio)

GOLS: Marinho (20’/1T) (1-0); Diego Souza (28’/2T) (1-1) e Marinho (34’/2T) (2-1)

SANTOS: João Paulo; Pará, Lucas Veríssimo, Luan Peres e Felipe Jonatan (Laércio, 40’/2T); Jobson, Diego Pituca e Jean Mota (Madson, 30’/2T); Marinho, Kaio Jorge (Lucas Lourenço, 43’/2T) e Arthur Gomes. Técnico: Cuca.

GRÊMIO: Vanderlei; Orejuela, Paulo Miranda (Rodrigues, 9’/2T), David Braz e Cortez (Diogo Barbosa, 24’/2T); Lucas Silva (Maicon, 24’/2T), Thaciano e Robinho (Isaque, intervalo); Luiz Fernando, Diego Souza (Everton,39’/2T) e Pepê. Técnico: Ricardo Portaluppi.

* Sob supervisão de Vinícius Perazzini

اكتسح منتخب جامبيا نظيره سيشل، بخمسة أهداف مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم السبت، ضمن منافسات تصفيات كأس العالم 2026.

ويتواجد منتخبا جامبيا وسيشل في المجموعة السادسة من التصفيات الإفريقية المؤهلة لـ كأس العالم بجانب كوت ديفوار والجابون وكينيا وبوروندي.

والتقى منتخب جامبيا مع منافسه سيشل، في إطار الجولة الثالثة من عمر مرحلة المجموعات في تصفيات كأس العالم.

وأحرز أهداف منتخب جامبيا، محمد باداموسي “هدفين” في الدقيقتين 10 و66، وموسى بارو من ركلة جزاء في الدقيقة 52، ويانكوبا مينتيه في الدقيقة 55، وأداما صديبة في الدقيقة 78.

طالع | مدرب جامبيا السابق: كنت مرشحًا لتدريب الزمالك.. وخروج الكبار من كأس أمم إفريقيا ليس مفاجأة

هدف منتخب سيشل الوحيد جاء في الدقيقة 14 من عمر الشوط الأول عن طريق اللاعب ريان هنرييت.

وبتلك النتيجة، يحصد منتخب جامبيا أول 3 نقاط له في المجموعة السادسة، ليحتل المركز الخامس، بينما منتخب سيشل يتواجد في المركز السادس والأخير دون نقاط.

ويتصدر المجموعة منتخب كوت ديفوار بالعلامة الكاملة برصيد 9 نقاط من الفوز في الثلاث جولات، في المركز الثاني يتواجد الجابون بـ 6 نقاط.

وفي المركزين الثالث والرابع على الترتيب في المجموعة، يتواجد منتخبا كينيا وبوروندي برصيد 4 نقاط لكل منهما. أهداف مباراة جامبيا وسيشل اليوم في تصفيات كأس العالم

MatériaMais Notícias

O Santos pode ter uma Libertadores ‘diferente’ nesta edição da competição continental. O sorteio colocou o Peixe em um chaveamento repleto de brasileiros. Grêmio, Flamengo e Internacional podem se encontrar com o Alvinegro nas fases seguintes da Libertadores.

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Como a final está marcada para acontecer no Maracanã, o Santos pode nem precisar viajar para outro país até o final da competição, caso avance até lá e todos os outros brasileiros também passem de fase.

O primeiro adversário brasileiro do Santos pode ser o Grêmio, nas quartas de final. O clube gaúcho enfrenta o Guaraní-PAR nas oitavas. Já nas semifinais, um possível confronto pode acontecer contra Flamengo ou Internacional. Os cariocas enfrentarão o Racing-ARG nas oitavas e o Colorado pega o Boca Juniors-ARG.

Portanto, as quartas de final pode ter somente brasileiros na chave: Santos x Grêmio e Flamengo x Internacional, colaborando para jogos somente no Brasil.Os jogos de ida das oitavas acontecerão na semana dos dias 24 e 25 de novembro. A volta acontece na semana seguinte, nos dias 1 e 2 de dezembro.

Esse pode der um fator importante para o Santos. Como o Alvinegro está disputando além da Libertadores, a Copa do Brasil e o Brasileirão, uma viagem para fora do país pode comprometer a forma física e desgastar mais rapidamente os jogadores.

Football is unquestionably the world's game, and with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon even the US is starting to succumb to the beautiful game. Nowhere is that more clear than with Major League Soccer seeming to go from strength to strength with every passing season.

With that in mind, we here at Football FanCast have decided to rank all of the stadiums in MLS' Western Conference.

14

Toyota Stadium – FC Dallas

Kicking off the list is the first of the three Texan stadiums in the Western Conference, FC Dallas' Toyota Stadium.

The main problem with this stadium is that, for some inexplicable reason, the designers opted not to put any overhangs or cover above the seats, so when games are played during the Texan summer, fans essentially evacuate the sunny side of the stadium to get away from the blinding heat.

The ground was at least designed specifically for football, but that and good sight lines are about the only things it has going for it. Although, with just the 20th-highest average attendance in the league, we don't think that's enough to bring in more fans.

13

Shell Energy Stadium – Houston Dynamo

Following close behind their Texan rivals, Houston Dynamo's Shell Energy Stadium ranks as the second-worst stadium in the West.

Unfortunately for Houston, this ground really isn't one to shout about, which becomes immediately apparent when you look at the attendance figures.

The ground can hold 22,039 fans, but the team only averaged 16,426 per game last year. That said, unlike their neighbours, they were at least smart enough to install covers above the seats so as not to fry their supporters during play.

12

America First Field – Real Salt Lake

Questionable name aside, there really isn't anything about Real Salt Lake's America First Field that makes it stand out, for good or bad, that is.

The design feels very by the numbers, with the two sides covered and the two ends left open, which can sometimes be an issue with Utah's hot summers.

The one thing it does have going for it is the view of the mountains in the distance, but we aren't sure if that's enough to place the ground any higher.

11

Dick’s Sporting Goods Park – Colorado Rapids

Colorado Rapids' Dicks Sporting Goods Park is a perfectly fine stadium for anywhere other than central Colorado. The state is famous for its extreme weather and, in particular, its snow storms, so to leave the ground open to the elements seems pretty short-sighted in our books.

Images of games being played in blizzard-like conditions aren't a rare occurrence, and for as cool as that might be once, we're sure it gets old pretty quick for the players and fans.

So, while some of the surroundings are nice, we can only really place it as high as 13th.

10

Citypark – St. Louis City SC

St. Louis City SC, are the newest team in the league, having joined this year, and from looking at their stadium, you'd probably be able to guess that.

Citypark, at least from a purely visual standpoint, is a lovely stadium. They didn't do anything particularly out there with the design, but it looks incredibly well done, and with its location downtown, it's ideally positioned for the fans as well.

The ground can hold up to 22,423 fans and has been a sell-out for every game this season, which makes sense given their current position atop the Western Conference.

This popularity and success have also helped to cultivate an impressive atmosphere at the ground.

9

BC Place – Vancouver Whitecaps

The only Canadian team in the Western Conference, Vancouver Whitecaps' BC Place is next on the list.

The design of the stadium is very, very cool. It is completely enclosed, and during MLS games, a 'secondary ceiling' is deployed to completely envelop the lower tier of seats to help create a better atmosphere for matches. While the stadium proper has a capacity of 54,500, the secondary ceiling brings that down to 22,120.

Unfortunately, the club didn't even get close to this number last season, averaging an attendance of just 16,399. So, without an atmosphere to match the unique design, we can't place the ground any higher than it is.

8

PayPal Park – San Jose Earthquakes

San Jose's PayPal Park is undoubtedly one of the league's most interesting stadiums. The ground is a large U shape, with the seats going around three sides of it and leaving one end completely open to the elements – think Oxford's Kassam Stadium.

What's more interesting is that there are only two tiers, with the first being tiny, which essentially means the pitch is surrounded by three huge stands, creating a unique look that we are big fans of.

The team could only average 15,260 fans a game last season, although, with a maximum capacity of just 18,000, that's not as poor as it first sounds.

7

Dignity Health Sports Park – LA Galaxy

As arguably the biggest team in the league's history, you'd probably expect LA Galaxy to place higher on our list, but for as nice as their stadium is – and it is nice -it's not the best in the league.

The ground has two issues. First of all, it isn't in downtown LA, meaning that getting to the games can be more complicated than it needs to be – especially when compared to their new neighbours.

The second issue is sightlines; some seats provide dreadful viewing angles for fans, which is a problem you see less with the league's newer grounds.

That said, with an average attendance of 22,841 last season, the atmosphere can be brilliant when it gets going.

6

Allianz Field – Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United's Allianz Field is one of the league's newer grounds, hosting its first MLS game in April 2019 as New York City FC came to town.

The stadium can hold 19,400 fans, and given that the club averaged an attendance of about 19,000 last year, we'd say it's been a success so far.

Visually, though, it might be a bit polarising. It's clearly modelled after Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena – led facade and all – which some might take issue with. That said, we'd argue that it's a great addition to the league and looks great both inside and outside.

5

Children’s Mercy Park – Sporting Kansas City

The Children's Mercy Park stadium opened in 2009 and has been the home of Sporting Kansas City ever since.

The ground itself doesn't particularly stand out, with a fairly standard design for the league, but it does stand out for the atmosphere you can find within it.

The fans often hold up a banner saying 'Welcome to Blue Hell,' and with the club regularly selling all 18,467 tickets, it's easy to see why.

Everton defied all the odds last night, as they recorded back-to-back away wins by once again comfortably dispatching Aston Villa 2-1 at their own place.

With Sean Dyche masterminding another wonderful trip for the travelling Toffees, he has the midfield exploits of James Garner to thank, who showed what good he could do when played in his natural role…

How did James Garner play vs Aston Villa?

Having finally been deployed in the engine room, rather than the right midfield position he has inhabited in five of their opening six Premier League fixtures, it was a truly stellar display from the 22-year-old who ran the show until once again moving out wide for the final period of the clash.

Aside from scoring the opener, a sweet left-footed finish he took well from close range, his 8.2 Sofascore rating was largely buoyed by a tireless work rate that led their press throughout.

However, he would add a plethora of other starring statistics to uphold such a figure, with his one key pass and three successful dribbles indicative of a fine creative performance, via Sofascore.

Perhaps most impressively was the mammoth 11 ground duels he won out of the 13 competed in, keeping the game ticking over and ensuring the hosts remained quiet.

And yet, despite all the praise rushing in for the Manchester United academy graduate, it could be argued that his England U21 teammate Jarrad Branthwaite truly stole the show.

How did Jarrad Branthwaite play vs Aston Villa?

With particular interest unsurprisingly surrounding his continued presence in the first team, given the growing list of suitors the youngster is maintaining, it was impressive just how calm and collected the left-footed titan remained at the back.

His 7.1 Sofascore rating perhaps belies the importance the 20-year-old enjoyed as the left side of a rigid back three, silencing Mousa Diaby and Ollie Watkins when he came on.

Such a notion was supported by his two tackles, one interception and one clearance, whilst the former Carlisle United man also won four of the five duels competed in at an 80% success rate, as per Sofascore.

Although such solidity is always preferable for a centre-back, in the modern game it is particularly useful to boast some confidence in possession too. Fortunately, with a 90% pass accuracy, and four out of four long balls hitting the mark, this is another attribute in which Everton's new defensive hero shines.

The sky truly is the limit for a man who grows in quality and confidence every game, and continues to add to his price tag. Given it was set at £25m during the summer, after a full year of Premier League football, it could have grown as much as £20m more on his current trajectory. After all, remember a certain defender in John Stones once departed Goodison for £47.5m.

Journalist George Priestman was equally effusive in his praise for Branthwaite, offering the following summation in his post-match player ratings for Liverpool World, which ranked the defender at a 7/10: "Another solid outing for the youngster who continues his good form."

The young colossus is going from strength to strength under Dyche, and will hope to maintain his and the team's form going into two wholly winnable home league fixtures. All that matters for now is that the Toffees remain firmly up for the cup, with Burnley at Goodison Park their next EFL Cup challenge.

After a disastrous start to their Premier League campaign, losing their opening three games without finding the back of the net, Everton are beginning to show signs of life under Sean Dyche, winning consecutive games in all competitions. The Toffees won't want to stop there, though, with consistency the key to survival in the coming months.

What may help with their survival bid is reinforcements when the January transfer window opens, and with the fresh investment of 777 Partners, Everton could get exactly that in the winter window, which could see a particular out of favour duo make an unexpected move to Goodison Park.

What's the latest Everton transfer news?

In truth, during the summer transfer window, Everton arguably should have strengthened more, but the arrival of the likes of Beto, Jack Harrison and Arnaut Danjuma should have helped them to a better start than they managed. Nonetheless, a victory over Brentford and dumping Aston Villa out of the Carabao Cup show that the Toffees may have turned a crucial corner for the sake of their Premier League status.

When January does arrive, reinforcements could prove to be more important than ever, with claims this week that 777 are eyeing up moves for both Aaron Ramsdale and Kalvin Phillips.

According to reports in Spain, Jordan Pickford could yet be sacrificed in January for the sake of FFP, making Ramsdale a viable option, with a loan deal not a "far-fetched" idea. The Arsenal goalkeeper has, of course, just lost his place to David Raya at The Emirates, and could yet pursue permanent game-time over a place on Mikel Arteta's bench, with EURO 2024 on the horizon.

Meanwhile, if Amadou Onana decides to depart in January, then Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips will apparently be an option for Everton. The former Leeds United man has made just 25 appearances in the Premier League for City, despite making the move to The Etihad last summer, meaning that a move may not be ruled out.

Should Everton sign Kalvin Phillips and Aaron Ramsdale?

Even though both seem to be break glass in case of emergency options, Phillips and Ramsdale would be excellent signings for Everton. These are Champions League players we are talking about, who would undoubtedly significantly increase Everton's survival chances.

That said, any deal for Ramsdale, in particular, would be a difficult one, given that he signed a contract extension in the summer, and Pickford firmly remains the number one under Dyche. Phillips, on the other hand, could be an easier player to pursue when considering his lack of game-time under Pep Guardiola.

Both players have received plenty of praise during their Premier League careers, with David Seaman saying about Ramsdale, via The Daily Mail: "People forget he’s only 24. So that is amazing for me because I didn’t join Arsenal until I was 26 – what he’s doing now at 24 is just phenomenal."

Meanwhile, Yannick Bolasie Tweeted about Phillips, saying: "Kalvin Phillips has been a monster today! MOTM."

With that said, it will be interesting to see whether Everton decide to push on and sign the duo when the January transfer window opens. Both players would certainly hand them a much-needed boost.

أعلن الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم “يويفا” عن الفائز بجائزة رجل مباراة كرواتيا وألبانيا في منافسات كأس الأمم الأوروبية “يورو 2024”.

والتقى المنتخب الكرواتي مع نظيره الألباني، ضمن مباريات الجولة الثانية لدور المجموعات في يورو 2024.

وتمكن منتخب ألبانيا من إدراك التعادل في الوقت المحتسب بدلاً من الضائع ليحسم المباراة بتعادل إيجابي بهدفين لمثلهما.

وحصد لاعب منتخب كرواتيا أندريا كراماريتش، على جائزة رجل المباراة أمام ألبانيا.

وشارك كراماريتش لمدة 84 دقيقة في المباراة وسجل هدفًا لصالح كرواتيا، وبلغت سرعته 28.7 كم في الساعة.

وتتصدر إسبانيا المجموعة بثلاث نقاط بالتساوي مع إيطاليا، وتأتي ألبانيا في المركز الثالث بنقطة واحدة بالتساوي مع كرواتيا التي تتذيل الترتيب.