Rahane, Sarfaraz and Suryakumar’s efforts go in vain; Shami picks up 4 for 13 against Services

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Dec-2025

Samson, Sharafuddeen and Asif propel KeralaSanju Samson, Sharafuddeen and KM Asif were the stars as Kerala handed Mumbai their first loss of the season, beating them by 15 runs in Lucknow.Samson, who is back to opening the innings this season, laid the platform with 46 off 28 balls. Vishnu Vinod struggled in the middle and managed only 43 not out off 40 balls, but Sharafuddeen’s unbeaten 35 off 15 took the side to 178 for 5.Sharafuddeen then removed Ayush Mhatre in the first over of the chase but Ajinkya Rahane (32 off 18) and Sarfaraz Khan (52 off 40) kept Mumbai going. By the time Sarfaraz got out, Mumbai needed 80 from eight overs. Suryakumar Yadav brought it down to 31 required from three. But Asif’s three wickets – including Suryakumar’s for 32 off 25 – in the 18th over derailed Mumbai. They needed 18 from the final over with two wickets in hand. Asif took only four balls to wrap up the innings and complete his five-for.File photo: Ayush Badoni had a solid outing with both bat and ball•PTI

Badoni seals Delhi’s win over KarnatakaAyush Badoni’s 35-ball 53 and 4 for 12, backed up by Priyansh Arya and Tejasvi Dahiya’s fifties, helped Delhi get the better of Karnataka by 45 runs in a high-scoring Group D contest in Ahmedabad. Batting first, Delhi thumped 232 for 3 in their 20 overs. Devdutt Padikkal then hit a 38-ball 62 while R Smaran struck 72 off 38 balls, but with little support from the others, Karnataka were bowled out for 187 in 19.3 overs.Delhi lost opener Yash Dhull in the second over to Vidyadhar Patil but Arya and Badoni forged a 110-run stand in 9.2 overs for the second wicket. Arya struck six sixes and two fours in his 33-ball 62 while Badoni hit four fours and two sixes.When both batters fell within two overs of each other, Karnataka may have sniffed a chance of a comeback, but Dahiya and Nitish Rana gave them none. They added 105 runs for the fifth wicket in just 41 balls. Dahiya hit five sixes and three fours in an unbeaten 19-ball 53 while Rana remained 46 not out.Karnataka lost wickets regularly in the chase. BR Sharath fell in the opening over to Ishant Sharma, while Mayank Agarwal was removed by Digvesh Rathi inside the powerplay. Rathi also picked up Karun Nair as Karnataka slipped to 48 for 3 in seven overs. Smaran and Padikkal gave Karnataka hope with a 76-run stand for the fourth wicket, but once Padikkal fell to Ishant, the end was nigh.Badoni then wrecked the Karnataka middle order, picking up four wickets in two overs. Prince Yadav closed the innings with two wickets, giving Delhi crucial points after their loss against Tripura.File photo: Raj Limbani picked up 3 for 5 in 2.1 overs•ICC/Getty Images

Limbani, Sheth star as Baroda crush GujaratFast bowler Raj Limbani picked up 3 for 5 in 2.1 overs and allrounder Atit Sheth 2 for 14 in three as Baroda crushed Gujarat by eight wickets in Hyderabad. Hardik Pandya also had a decent outing a day after being named in India’s T20I squad to face South Africa, picking up 1 for 16 in four overs, which included a maiden, and scoring 10 off six from No. 3 in the small chase.The match, originally scheduled to take place at the Gymkhana Ground, was relocated to the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. “Fan turnout, enquiries, and crowd movement exceeded our projections by a huge margin, “a senior organising official told PTI. “To ensure safety and smooth match operations, we decided to shift the match to the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium.”Sent in, Urvil Patel and Aarya Desai added 29 runs for the opening wicket, but it all went downhill thereafter for Gujarat. Hardik removed Urvil for 7 with Desai falling the very next ball to Limbani. Dhrushant Soni was run out, Rasikh Salam removed Saurav Chauhan, and Krunal Pandya too picked up a wicket. Sheth then picked up two lower-order wickets before Limbani had Hemang Patel caught and bowled as Gujarat were bowled out in 14.1 overs.Shashwat Rawat and Vishnu Solanki were quick in the chase, adding 55 runs in just five overs. Hardik struck two fours in his innings, while Rawat remained unbeaten on 30 off 19 to seal Baroda’s chase in 6.4 overs. Legspinner Ravi Bishnoi was the only Gujarat bowler to take a wicket, returning 2 for 26 in 1.4 overs.File photo: Mohammed Shami was named the Player of the Match•Garima Agarwal/CAB

Shami, Akash Deep headline Bengal’s winMohammed Shami picked up his second-best T20 haul of 4 for 13 in 3.2 overs, while Akash Deep returned 3 for 27 as Bengal defeated Services by seven wickets in Hyderabad. Sent in, Services were bowled out for 165 in 18.2 overs. Abishek Porel and Abhimanyu Easwaran then struck quick fifties as Bengal got over the line in 15.1 overs.Shami got Gaurav Kochar with the first ball of the game before dismissing Ravi Chauhan for a nine-ball 26 in the third. Akash Deep then got into the act, removing Nitin Tanwar inside the powerplay. Mohit Ahlawat and Vineet Dhankhar added 67 for the fourth wicket but both fell in back-to-back overs. Akash Deep then picked up Pulkit Narang and Sandeep Nishad before Shami ended the innings, adding two more wickets to his tally.Bengal lost opener Karan Lal in the second over, but Porel and Easwaran kept the chase going with a 93-run stand in 50 balls. Porel struck eight fours and two sixes in his 56 off 29 balls, while Easwaran scored 58 off 37. Yuvraj Keswani (36* off 19) and Akash Deep (14* off five) ensured Bengal got over the line with 29 balls to spare.R Sai Kishore steered TN’s innings with a half-century•TNPL/TNCA

Sai Kishore, Jagadeesan wipe Tripura outNarayan Jagadeesan and R Sai Kishore dug Tamil Nadu out of a deep hole to eventually help them beat Tripura comfortably by 61 runs in a Group D game in Ahmedabad.Sent in, TN slipped to 26 for 4 in the sixth over, which included B Sai Sudharsan falling for just 5. But Jagadeesan and Sai Kishore added a 119-run stand for the fifth wicket in 11.1 overs to take them to safety. Jagadeesan smashed six fours and four sixes in his 49-ball 83 while Sai Kishore hit an unbeaten 39-ball 87 with three fours and eight sixes. He also added 59 runs in 20 balls with R Rajkumar as TN zoomed to 204 for 5.In reply, Tripura were never really in the chase, losing wickets at regular intervals. Vijay Shankar, playing against his former side, top-scored with 39, while Manisankar Murasingh struck a 23-ball 33 as Tripura were bowled out for 143 in 18.5 overs.

If you're in the process of building a dynasty in EA Sports FC 26, you will need to invest in young talent – GOAL has you covered.

If you're kicking off a new save in EA Sports FC 26 Career Mode, you simply need to have an eye on the future and that means signing the best young players available. Whether you are a major club looking to secure the talent of the next Lionel Messi or a smaller team looking to make a profit by serving as a stepping-stone, buying high-potential young players is a key aspect of the game.

Here, GOAL brings you the best young players to sign in every position – from strikers and midfielders to defenders and goalkeepers – to help you get off to a flying start in Career Mode.

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  Best young strikers & forwards in EA Sports FC 26: Wonderkid CFs & STs

  Player	Club	Age	POS	CR	PR
  Endrick	Real Madrid	19	ST	77	91
  Francesco Camarda	Lecce	17	ST	65	87
  Mathys Tel	Tottenham	20	ST	77	86
  Eli Junior Kroupi	Bournemouth	19	ST	74	85
  Conrad Harder	RB Leipzig	20	ST	74	85
  Charalampos Kostoulas	Brighton	18	ST	72	85
  Chido Obi	Man Utd	17	ST	65	84
  Christian Kofane	Bayer Leverkusen	19	ST	68	84
  Marc Guiu	Chelsea	19	ST	71	84
  Francesco Pio Esposito	Lombardia	20	ST	72	84
  Jeronimo Domina	Union Santa Fe	19	ST	70	84
  Nelson Weiper	Mainz	20	ST	70	84
  Santiago Castro	Bologna	20	ST	76	84
  Kaye Furo	Club Brugge	18	ST	63	83
  Kaua Elias	Shakhtar Donetsk	19	ST	71	83

  Real Madrid's Brazilian striker Endrick remains the best young striker in EA Sports FC 26, having also been deemed the forward with the most potential in FC 25. His rating at the beginning of the game is 77, but he has an exceptionally high ceiling of 91 – a rating which, if reached, would place him at a similar stature to players such as Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.

  AC Milan youngster Francesco Camarda, who is on loan at Lecce in the game, follows Endrick in the potential stakes, with a possible rating of 87, putting him slightly ahead of Tottenham's Mathys Tel, whose potential is 86. Manchester United fans will be excited to see how Chido Obi develops, with the teen boasting a potential rating of 84 in the game.

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  Best young midfielders in EA Sports FC 26: Wonderkid CAMs, RWs, LWs, CMs & CDMs

  Player	Club	Age	POS	CR	PR
  Lamine Yamal	Barcelona	18	RM	89	95
  Desire Doue	PSG	20	RW	85	91
  Joao Neves	PSG	20	CM	85	90
  Estevao	Chelsea	18	RM	78	89
  Jorthy Mokio	Ajax	17	CDM	70	89
  Kenan Yildiz	Juventus	20	CAM	79	89
  Arda Guler	Real Madrid	20	RM	81	89
  Rodrigo Mora	Porto	18	CAM	76	89
  Rio Ngumoha	Liverpool	17	LM	68	88
  Franco Mastantuono	Real Madrid	18	CAM	77	88
  Geovany Quenda	Sporting	18	RM	76	88
  Antonio Nusa	RB Leipzig	20	LM	76	88
  Pablo Garcia	Real Betis	19	RM	68	87
  Assane Diao Diaoune	Como	20	LM	76	87
  Lucas Bergvall	Tottenham	19	CM	77	87
  Ethan Nwaneri	Arsenal	18	RW	76	87
  Warren Zaire-Emery	PSG	19	CM	80	87
  Arthur Vermeeren	Marseille	20	CM	77	87
  Julien Duranville	Borussia Dortmund	19	RM	72	87
  Kees Smit	AZ	19	CAM	72	87
  Lennart Karl	Bayern Munich	17	CAM	63	86
  Ayyoub Bouaddi	LOSC Lille	17	CM	75	86
  Konstantinos Karetsas	Genk	17	CAM	70	86
  Maher Carizzo	Velez	19	RM	72	86
  Joao Costa	Al Ettifaq	20	RM	71	86

  It will come as little surprise to learn that Lamine Yamal is the best young midfielder in EA Sports FC 26 and, given that he is just 18, he will likely be so for the next few years. The Barcelona wonderkid is already one of the best players in the game and boasts a potential rating of 95, which means he is capable of emulating talents such as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

  Paris Saint-Germain duo Desire Doue and Joao Neves follow Yamal, with potential ratings of 91 and 90 respectively, while the likes of Chelsea's Estevao (PR: 89) and Ajax defensive midfielder Jorthy Mokio (PR: 89) will be sought-after talents, especially if you are in control of a bigger club. Liverpool's exciting winger Rio Ngumoha leads an array of 17-year-old talents in our list, with the Anfield sensation possessing a potential rating of 88.

  Other intriguing talents within that 17-year-old cohort, include Bayern Munich youth Lennart Karl (PRL 86), Lille central midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi (PR: 86) and Genk's Greek CAM Konstantinos Karetsas (PR: 86).

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Best young defenders in EA Sports FC 26: Wonderkid CBs, LBs & RBs

  Player	Club	Age	POS	CR	PR
  Dean Huijsen	Real Madrid	20	CB	82	89
  Jorrel Hato	Chelsea	19	LB	78	89
  Pau Cubarsi	Barcelona	18	CB	82	88
  Givairo Read	Feyenoord	19	RB	75	88
  Finn Jeltsch	Stuttgart	19	CB	72	87
  Myles Lewis-Skelly	Arsenal	18	LB	78	87
  Luka Vuskovic	Hamburg	18	CB	72	87
  El Chadaille Bitshiabu	RB Leipzig	20	CB	75	87
  Pietro Comuzzo	Fiorentina	20	CB	74	86
  Leny Yoro	Man Utd	19	CB	78	86
  Joaquin Seys	Club Brugge	20	RB	73	86
  Joane Gadou	RB Salzburg	18	CB	66	85
  Yarek	PSV	20	CB	73	85
  Pau Navarro	Villarreal	20	CB	70	85
  Jan-Carlo Simic	Al-Ittihad	20	CB	70	85
  Diego Leon	Man Utd	18	LB	64	85
  Martim Fernandes	Porto	19	RB	75	85
  Josh Acheampong	Chelsea	19	RB	70	85
  Tobias Palacio	Argentinos Juniors	18	CB	69	85
  Ayden Heaven	Man Utd	18	CB	69	84

  The two best young centre-backs in EA Sports FC 26 both play for Spain, but on either side of the Clásico divide. Real Madrid's Dean Huijsen (PR: 89) and Barcelona's Pau Cubarsi (PR: 88), look set to form the defensive foundation for La Roja for years to come. German youth Finn Jeltsch and Croatian centre-half Jusko Vuskovic aren't far behind, with each boasting a potential rating of 87.

  Chelsea's Jorrel Hato is the best young left-back in the game, while the best young right-back is Givairo Read, who plays for Feyenoord. Manchester United should be well set for the future, with Leny Yoro, Diego Leon and Ayden Heaven all among the brightest young defensive talents in the game.

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• Best young goalkeepers in EA Sports FC 25: Wonderkid GKs

  Player	Club	Age	POS	CR	PR
  Guillaume Restes	Toulouse	20	GK	78	86
  Matthieu Epolo	Standard Liege	20	GK	73	85
  Dennis Seimen	Paderborn	19	GK	66	84
  Mike Penders	Strasbourg	20	GK	73	84
  Lucca Brughmans	Genk	17	GK	59	82
  Tiago Pereira Cardoso	Borussia Monchengladbach	19	GK	67	82
  Robin Risser	Lens	20	GK	72	82
  Ewen Jaouen	Reims	19	GK	68	82
  Mathys Niflore	Dunkerque	18	GK	63	81
  Joeri Heerkens	Ajax	19	GK	64	80

  While he is getting to the older end of the wonderkid grouping, Guillaume Restes continues to be the best young goalkeeper in the game. However, the Toulouse shot-stoppers's potential has dropped from 88 to 86 in EA Sports FC 26. Matthieu Epolo has a similar ceiling (PR: 85), while German goalkeeper Dennis Seimen is still among the best young net-minders around.

  France appears to be a fertile ground for goalkeeper talent, with the likes of Robin Risser, Ewen Jaouen and Mathys Niflore all plying their trade in the country.

Despite Corbin Bosch’s best efforts, South Africa fell short of the 350-run target by 17 runs

Sidharth Monga30-Nov-20254:46

Takeaways – Kohli in comfort zone; Jansen, Kuldeep and Rana sparkle

Virat Kohli added to his world record of most ODI hundreds, Rohit Sharma brought up the world record for most ODI sixes, and a Sunday full house on a pleasant evening in Ranchi enjoyed watching India beat South Africa in a close first ODI of the three-match series. Kohli and Rohit turned back the clock in a 136-run partnership, Kohli went on long enough to hit seven sixes, and the fast bowlers inflicted just enough damage before the pitch eased out in the dew under the lights.The toss disadvantage that India had to overcome – having lost a 19th consecutive one in ODIs – was huge. During the afternoon, the old ball proved to be difficult to hit, resulting in a slowdown after the start Kohli and Rohit gave India. In the night, the pitch became dramatically easier to bat on.Related

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Kohli: 'If I'm arriving somewhere I'll arrive at 120%'

In the end, India needed every last bit of that start of 161 in 21.2 overs and the two wickets in the first over that Harshit Rana bowled with the new ball. Even after being 11 for 3, this is how South Africa’s next three partnerships went: 66 in 10.2 overs, 60 in 6.4 and 97 in 11.1. Marco Jansen and Matthew Breetzke scored 70s, Dewald Brevis and Tony de Zorzi 30s, and the target came down to 123 from 17 overs when Kuldeep Yadav got the wickets of Jansen and Bretzkee in the same over to ease India’s breath.South Africa still refused to go away with Corbin Bosch’s 67 bringing them to needing 19 off 10, but with only the last man for company, Borch found himself handcuffed against Arshdeep Singh’s yorkers. It was especially heartbreaking for Bosch after he had bowled overs 46, 48 and 50 for just 21 runs to keep India down to 349.This ODI followed the grammar of ODI cricket in recent years in India. The new ball does nothing in the afternoon, but you can cleverly offset it with the pitch’s slowness when the balls go soft. Under lights there is a small window of movement with the new ball, which you need to maximise, because once the dew sets in, batting gets easier on every count.Kuldeep Yadav celebrates after getting rid of Tony de Zorzi•BCCIKohli and Rohit respected the need to maximise the new ball themselves when the early wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal brought them together. For the first time when batting first in his career, Kohli hit two sixes in the first 10 overs, both off-drives that not long ago he might have kept down. Rohit, who is generally used to quicker starts, hit successive slog-swept sixes off offspinner Pernemal Subrayen to catch up with Kohli in no time.Rohit’s third six, a pull off Jansen moments after bringing up his fifty, took him past Shahid Afridi’s world-record tally of 351. It was also India’s eighth, the most they have hit in the first 20 overs of an innings. The next short ball from Jansen stayed low, trapping Rohit in front.Kohli, now 72 off 61, five sixes to his name, was deprived of strike as the next two batters struggled to come to terms with the slowness of the pitch. Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 8 off 14, Washington Sundar 13 off 19, and they also dominated the strike. Kohli had to grit his teeth and get through this period. He kept picking up singles with ease, but the period from Rohit’s dismissal to Kohli’s hundred brought India just 72 runs in 16.3 overs.When he brought up the hundred, Kohli broke into an emotional celebration. This was his first hundred since February; while he plays only one format, there is scrutiny around his and Rohit’s future. And now, Kohli went into a renewed assault, hitting two more sixes and scoring 35 off the next 17 balls. KL Rahul, who fought through the initial period, took India’s six tally to 16 and the score to 349.Rana immediately showed why the selectors and the team management show so much faith in him. In the second over of the innings, he swung the ball both ways and also found seam both ways to take the wickets of Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock for ducks. Rickelton lost the top of middle with the ball swinging away and nipping back. Away swing and away seam were enough to take de Kock’s outside edge. Aiden Markram, captaining in the absence of the resting Temba Bavuma, looked to manufacture a cut off Arshdeep at the start of the fifth over but edged through to Rahul.Marco Jansen struck several meaty blows•Associated PressBy now the ball had stopped moving, the pitch had begun to skid, and the outfield had become moist only to become damp pretty soon. Everything played into the batters’ hands, leaving you wondering what a massacre it would have been but for those three early wickets.Kuldeep got de Zorzi lbw for 39 off 35, clever bowling from Rana contained a marauding Brevis for 39 off 28, and still Jansen and Breetzke proceeded to give India a right scare. After de Zorzi’s dismissal, Breetzke took upon the role of taking singles and watching the damage other batters did. What damage Jansen did in his 39-ball 70, the fastest fifty by a South Africa batter in India and the second-fastest against India.The dew got so heavy India had to forget about spinners for a while. Washington bowled only three overs. It was after having run through the fast bowlers that Rahul went back to Kuldeep, who, as wristspinners can sometimes do, drew the toe end from Jansen on a long hop. In the same over, Breetzke holed out to long-on, perhaps having got too close to the pitch of the ball.Incredibly, South Africa still refused to go away. Bosch kept South Africa interested with his maiden fifty, but never had the support left to pull off this heist. Arshdeep’s wicket-maiden in the 47th over seemed to have sealed the game, but Bosch still kept gasping. In the end, it probably came down to the two full tosses he missed from Prasidh Krishna in the 46th over.

Tottenham Hotspur have added Mathys Tel to their Champions League squad as they were forced to remove the injured Dominic Solanke from their European roster. The star striker has been restricted to just three competitive club appearances this term owing to an ankle problem sustained in pre-season. Tel was initially not included in the squad for the league phase of the Champions League.

Tel included in Spurs squad ahead of Slavia Prague clash

Head coach Thomas Frank had initially kept Tel out of their squad for the league stages of the Champions League after his move from Bayern Munich was made permanent in the summer. However, with Solanke out of action on a long-term basis, the Spurs boss has now named the 20-year-old French forward in their European roster ahead of their home fixture against Slavia Prague on Tuesday night.

AdvertisementAFPFrank hinted at Tel recall

Frank had suggested Tel would be added to the European squad during his pre-match press conference on Monday, as the manager told reporters: "Of course, if I knew back then what I know now, it maybe would have changed the decision, no doubt about that. Of course, it’s something we can have in consideration. We need players that are fit and available, so we have enough players to shoot with from the bench."

Solanke frustrated with injury problems

Solanke, who has undergone surgery, recently spoke to and discussed his injury struggles as he said: "It’s been very difficult. At first, I didn’t think I would be out for too long but we didn’t really understand the extent of the injury. I was trying to get back as quickly as I could but it didn’t happen, so I had to have surgery. Since then, I have been working to get back. 

"I’m not putting a timeline on it because I’ve been telling everyone ‘I’m going to be back soon’ for the last few months. I’m taking it day by day but hopefully I won’t be much longer."

The 28-year-old isn't the only Spurs attacker sidelined at present, with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski also long-term absentees owing to respective knee injuries.

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Getty Images SportClub legend's homecoming on European night

Tuesday night's Champions League fixture against Slavia Prague will be extra special for the home fans as Spurs legend Son Heung-min is back in north London for the first time since leaving for LAFC in the summer.

The club's official statement read: "Sonny will take to the pitch before the team walk-outs ahead of the 20:00 kick-off against the Czech champions. He will then have the opportunity to personally address the supporters that took him into their hearts following his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 and treasured him for the next 10 years – it is sure to be an emotional occasion in N17."

أكد هانز فليك، مدرب نادي برشلونة، على قيمة بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا وأنها منافسة مختلفة، وذلك قبل مباراة فريقه ضد آينتراخت فرانكفورت يوم غدًا الثلاثاء.

وسوف يستضيف برشلونة فرانكفورت يوم غدًا الثلاثاء على ملعب كامب نو، ضمن الجولة السادسة من مرحلة الدوري في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويسعى برشلونة إلى تحقيق الفوز على فرانكفورت، من أجل إنعاش حظوظه في التأهل إلى دور الـ16 بشكل مباشر ضمن الـ8 الأوائل في مرحلة الدوري بالمسابقة الأوروبية.

وقال فليك خلال المؤتمر الصحفي الخاص باللقاء والذي نقلته صحيفة سبورت: “دوري أبطال أوروبا مختلف، كل ما حدث حتى الآن لا يحتسب، آينتراخت يمتلك فريقًا قويًا، شابًا، سريعًا، ومتماسكًا ويتأقلمون مع نظام اللعب، وعلينا أن نظهر أعلى مستوياتنا، ستكون المهمة صعبة لأنهم قادرون على إلحاق الضرر بنا كثيرًا، على الرغم من أن مبارياتهم الأخيرة لم تكن جيدة”.

واعترف فليك أن برشلونة عانى كثيرًا من الإصابات هذا الموسم، حيث أضاف: “الجميع يعلم ما حدث في الأشهر الثلاثة الماضية، إصابات كثيرة وغياب لاعبين أساسيين، لم نتمكن من توزيع الدقائق وفي الدقائق العشر الأخيرة ضد بيتيس كان اللاعبون مرهقين، ليس من السهل اللعب دائمًا بهذا المستوى”.

وأوضح: ”إنهم يقدمون أداءً رائعًا ومترابطين تحت الضغط. بالنسبة لي لقد لعبوا بمستوى مختلف عما كانوا عليه قبل شهر، وأبرزهم كوبارسي، البالغ من العمر 18 عامًا، هذا موسمه الثالث، لكنه مرر 87 تمريرة ضد بيتيس بدقة 100%، كان أول لاعب في تاريخ الدوري الإسباني يحقق ذلك”.

اقرأ أيضًا .. جيرارد مارتن يعلق على مشاركته كقلب دفاع مع برشلونة.. ويشيد بـ فليك

وعن التأهل ضمن الثمانية الأوائل إلى دور الـ16 من دوري الأبطال والمنافسة مع ريال مدريد على لقب الدوري الإسباني أردف فليك: “ننظر إلى أنفسنا ولا ننظر إلى ريال مدريد، لا نريد الحديث عنه، نحن متقدمون بأربع نقاط في ترتيب الدوري لكن الطريق طويل جدًا وعلينا أن نبذل قصارى جهدنا. أهم مباراة الآن هي غدًا ضد آينتراخت”.

وعن استعادة برشلونة لمستواه الذي كان عليه الموسم الماضي تابع: “أعتقد أننا لا ننهي ما حققناه أبدًا فالتقدم ممكن دائمًا، ليس لدينا متسع من الوقت للتدريب لكن ما أراه هو أن اللاعبين يحاولون إظهار ذلك على أرض الملعب، أنا سعيد بالجودة التي نمتلكها لكننا نسعى دائمًا للتطور، لدينا إمكانيات كبيرة للتطور”.

وعن وضع حراسة المرمى في برشلونة هذا الموسم واصل فليك حديثه: “من الواضح أن خوان جارسيا هو الحارس الأول”.

واستكمل: “كان اللعب في كامب نو مرة أخرى حلمًا للجميع، إنه مهم أيضًا لدوري أبطال أوروبا، إنها مباراة يجب أن نحصد فيها النقاط الثلاث”.

وعن لاعب برشلونة، جيرارد مارتن ، استطرد فليك: “أحيانًا لا بأس بوجود لاعبين في الفريق يحبون العمل، بفضل عقليته يسعى دائمًا لتقديم أفضل ما لديه للفريق، لقد تحقق حلمه باللعب مع برشلونة، فهو واثق بنفسه ويؤمن بقدراته، إنه لأمر رائع، ففي مركزه وقدرته على اللعب بقدمه اليسرى تتيح لنا خيارات أكثر”.

وعن خسارة ريال مدريد أمام سيلتا فيجو في الدوري الإسباني قال المدرب الألماني: “كما حدث الأسبوع الماضي، كنت نائمًا واكتشفت ذلك عبر واتساب، لا أركز على هذا، فالأمر يهدر الكثير من الطاقة وأريد التركيز على فريقي”.

وعن سيطرة برشلونة على مجريات المباريات أضاف فليك: “لا أريد الكشف عن الكثير الآن لأننا سنلعب غدًا ضد خصم مهم، عندما نفقد الكرة علينا أن نغير أسلوب لعبنا”.

وأوضح: ”علينا أن ندافع ونركض أكثر، عندما نمتلك الثقة ونؤمن بأنفسنا علينا أن نكون في وضع جيد للسيطرة على الكرة، نحن فريق متماسك للغاية وعندما يكون الفريق مترابطًا جيدًا، حتى لو خسرت الكرة يمكنك خلق الفرص”.

وعن فرانكفورت أردف فليك: “آينتراخت فريق مميز، كنت أعيش بالقرب منه، حفيدي من مشجعي آينتراخت، إنهم يقدمون أداءً جيدًا وربما يفتقرون إلى بعض الثبات في المستوى، لكنهم يتميزون بالقوة والإيقاع ويمكنهم إيذاء الخصوم”.

واختتم فليك مؤتمره بالحديث عن وضع حارس مرمى برشلونة، مارك أندريه تير شتيجن، وإمكانية مشاركة الأخير مع منتخب ألمانيا في كأس العالم العام المقبل، إذ أتم: “أتحدث دائمًا مع مارك ولكن ليس مع جوليان ناجيلسمان، فهو لم يتصل بي”.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are parting ways with longtime third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes, having reportedly agreed to trade him to the Cincinnati Reds, per a report from ESPN's MLB insider Jeff Passan.

Hayes, 28, is in his sixth MLB season, having played his entire career with the Pirates. He's emerged as one of the best defensive players in all of baseball and won a Gold Glove at third base in 2023. His hitting leaves plenty to be desired, however. In 2025, Hayes is logging a career-low .569 OPS with two home runs, 36 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.

Per Passan, heading to the Pirates as part of the trade will be shortstop prospect Sammy Stafura, as well as veteran left-handed pitcher Taylor Rogers. Stafura, 20, is ranked as the No. 9 prospect in Cincinnati's farm system by MLB Pipeline and is currently playing at Single A.

Rogers, who could potentially be dealt again by tomorrow afternoon, owns a 2.45 ERA with 34 strikeouts across 33 innings in relief this season.

The Kansas City Royals used a whopping nine pitchers on Wednesday in their 1-0 shutout win over the Atlanta Braves in a 10-inning game.

This is only the second time in MLB history in which nine pitchers were used in a shutout win, with the Cleveland Guardians achieving the feat back in 2016 in another 10-inning game. The Royals tied the record on Wednesday. They are the first team to have a shutout game in which all the pitchers logged at least one inning each, Royals broadcaster Joel Goldberg reported.

Using nine pitchers was part of the strategic plan the Royals had to use on short notice after the team lost starting pitcher Kris Bubic for the rest of the season with a left rotator cuff strain. Royals manager Matt Quatraro planned to utilize the bullpen during Wednesday's game, and it worked out in their favor.

Angel Zerpa, normally a relief pitcher, started in the first inning and saw one batter in the second—the Braves had one hit on him. Jonathan Bowlen was next, pitching through the third and striking out three batters and walking one. John Schreiber came in for the fourth, striking out another three batters. Taylor Clarke entered for the fifth, striking out one, then Hunter Harvey came in for the sixth and had two hits on him. Steven Cruz was next, striking out one batter in the seventh. Lucas Erceg gave up one hit in the eighth. Carlos Estevez pitched the ninth. Then, finally, Sam Long threw two strikeouts and gave up one hit in the 10th inning.

Thankfully for the Royals pitching staff, Salvador Perez hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th to end the game.

The Royals bullpen is going to need to rest on Thursday before their three-game series against the Blue Jays starting on Friday.

MatériaMais Notícias

A Seleção Brasileira segue os trabalhos de preparação para enfrentar a Inglaterra, no sábado (23), e o técnico Dorival Júnior ainda não deu grandes pistas sobre a escalação que colocará em campo. A grande novidade desta quinta-feira (21) foi a preservação de Richarlison em algumas atividades.

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O atacante do Tottenham sofreu lesão no joelho e ficou afastado de três partidas do time inglês. Ele retornou recentemente e atuou alguns minutos na derrota por 3 a 0 para o Fulham, no sábado (16), pela Premier League.

A razão da preservação de Richarlison foi um trabalho de controle de cargas, para que ele não corra risco de se contundir novamente.

A informação sobre o controle de carga do atacante foi publicada inicialmente pelo “Ge” e confirmada pelo Lance!.

Ainda com mistério sobre a escalação da Seleção Brasileira, Dorival Júnior colocou em campo dois times para se enfrentar no treino de quarta (20), mas sem indicativos claros da equipe que enfrentará a Inglaterra.

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O Brasil treina no CT do Arsenal, em Londres, e vai jogar contra os ingleses às 16h (de Brasília) de sábado (24), em Wembley.

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Liverpool have lost four games on the spin in the Premier League and their latest setback came under controversial circumstances at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Arne Slot’s side slipped to another damaging defeat on Saturday night after being beaten 3-2 by Brentford, adding to recent defeats against Manchester United, Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

The defending Premier League champions are now sat seventh in the table, seven points behind leaders Arsenal, and Wayne Rooney has concerns about the leadership within the team.

“Three or four weeks ago no one saw this coming. It has hit them quick, it’s hit them hard and I think they’re struggling to find a way out of it,” the former England and Manchester United striker said on his podcast this weekend.

“This is a time where the manager, the leaders in the team need to figure it out very quickly. (Virgil) Van Dijk and (Mohamed) Salah signed new deals, but I don’t think they’ve really lead that team this season, with performances and body language.

“Body language tells you a lot and I think we are seeing slightly different body language from the two of them. They are the top two players in that team. If their body language isn’t right that affects everyone else.

“If I was a Liverpool fan or the manager that would be a big concern for me.”

Move over Salah: Slot's 5/10 Liverpool star is the new Jordan Henderson

Liverpool’s crisis deepened as they were condemned to a fourth successive Premier League defeat at Brentford.

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 26, 2025 Hooper praised for role in Liverpool penalty decision

Van Dijk was furious about the decision to award Brentford a penalty for his challenge on Dango Ouattara during the second half, a call that was made by back-up referee Tim Robinson after Simon Hooper had to be replaced due to an injury.

Hooper had his own controversy to deal with in the first half however, neglecting to award Liverpool a penalty after Nathan Collins tangled with Cody Gakpo.

The incident has now been reviewed by former PGMOL referee Dermot Gallagher, who labelled the decision “marvellous”.

“When you look, Nathan Collins plants his foot, he does no more, he doesn’t make a challenge, I think Gakpo anticipates the challenge, it doesn’t come and he goes over, it’s not a foul,” he said on Sky Sports’ ref review show.

He continued: “I think Simon Hooper has done really marvellous there. Because it does look a penalty, there’s no doubt it looks a penalty… you look at the replay and you see it’s so different. But Simon Hooper has one look, makes one decision, gets it right.”

While it certainly would have been a soft penalty, Liverpool fans will be incensed by Gallagher’s claims that Collins “doesn’t make a challenge”, but they can have little complaints about the final score.

Brentford were just the latest team to walk away with a higher expected goals rate than the Reds, and Arne Slot’s side are being outfought on a weekly basis, which will be the most worrying aspect of the current rut for owners FSG, who pumped huge funds into the Dutchman’s squad this summer.

Whether conversations begin about the manager’s future may be determined by their fixtures prior to the November international break, as they face Crystal Palace, Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Man City in the next four.

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O Palmeiras recebe o Botafogo-SP no Allianz Parque, nesta quinta-feira (2), no jogo que marca a estreia do Verdão na Copa do Brasil 2024, competição pela qual o clube busca o pentacampeonato neste ano.

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A diretoria alviverde abaixou consideravelmente o preço dos ingressos para este jogo, mas mesmo assim a procura por cadeiras está bem diferente do normal.

Restando apenas um dia para o jogo, 21 mil ingressos foram vendidos e o clube precisa vender praticamente a outra metade de cadeiras até então vazias, para ter casa cheia para o duelo decisivo na Copa do Brasil.

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Diante do Liverpool-URU, pela Libertadores, apenas 28 mil palmeirenses tiveram presentes no Allianz Parque e Abel Ferreira cobrou mais apoio da torcida ao atual tricampeão paulista na coletiva após a partida.

Atualmente, o Palmeiras é o clube brasileiro com o maior número de sócios-torcedores, ultrapassando a casa dos 183 mil associados.

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Os ingressos para Palmeiras x Botafogo-SP seguem à venda no site www.ingressospalmeiras.com.br

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