Enzo Maresca has revealed Reece James' half-time substitution during Chelsea's 2-0 win away at Burnley was a planned switch. The Blues' skipper was replaced by fellow right back Malo Gusto, as the west London club prepare for a crucial week in their season. Maresca's men square off against Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday, before hosting rivals Arsenal next Sunday.
Among the many subplots, one involves Rob Walter coaching his new team against his former side
Ashish Pant13-Jul-2025After a two-Test series against South Africa, where they were blown away quite emphatically, Zimbabwe get ready to host South Africa and New Zealand for a T20I tri-series, starting July 14.T20I tri-series are not played too often. The last one involving at least one Full Member was in 2022 when New Zealand hosted Pakistan and Bangladesh. Zimbabwe will face South Africa in the first game of this series on Monday, while South Africa will then face New Zealand on July 16. Zimbabwe will take on New Zealand two days later.All the matches of the tri-series are scheduled to take place at the Harare Sports Club. Each team will face the others twice before the top two sides play the final on July 26. Here’s a lookahead to the series:
South Africa are yet to play a T20I this year and will be without a lot of their first-choice players, all rested. South Africa have had a strange run in T20Is since the highs and heartbreaks of the T20 World Cup 2024. Soon after losing to India in the final, they lost 3-0 to West Indies, drew 1-1 against Ireland and lost to India 3-1 at home.They did win a home T20I series against Pakistan in December last year and with the next T20 World Cup not far away, will look to quickly get back into the scheme of things. But they will have to do without regular captain Aiden Markram, and several other first-choice players. Despite that, this is a side packed with plenty of talent.Related
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Rassie van der Dussen will lead the side, which has Lhuan-dré Pretorius up top. The left-hander was the top scorer in SA20 2025 and scored a Test century on debut against Zimbabwe recently. Nandre Burger and Gerald Coetzee are also making a return to the national side after being sidelined due to injuries. They will spearhead the attack alongside Kwena Maphaka. The likes of Dewald Brevis, George Linde, Nqabayomzi Peter and Rubin Hermann have all been in decent domestic form recently and will want to leave a mark.
It will be interesting to see how the New Zealand players fare on their return to international cricket after more than two months away in the winter playing various leagues. New Zealand last played an international game on April 5 at home against Pakistan, while their last T20I was on March 26 against the same opponents. They have decent T20I form under their belt, though, having won seven of their last ten matches in the format.This will also be Rob Walter’s first stint as New Zealand’s head coach across formats. Walter was, as recently as April 2025, South Africa’s white-ball coach, where he enjoyed plenty of success but resigned two years into his four-year contract to further his career in his adopted home in New Zealand.Adam Milne showed excellent form in MLC 2025•Sportzpics for MLC
Devon Conway, who was initially left out of the tri-series squad and last played a T20I more than a year ago at the T20 World Cup, has got a lucky break and will want to make it count. He was only included after Finn Allen was ruled out due to a foot injury he sustained at the MLC 2025. Conway scored only 156 runs in six innings in IPL 2025 for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and recently played at MLC for Texas Super Kings (TSK), where he managed 135 runs in four innings.Adam Milne also makes a return for the first time since February 2024 and will be keen on making a mark with Lockie Ferguson rested. Milne, since undergoing an ankle surgery which kept him out of the T20 World Cup 2024, has been busy playing franchise cricket. He most recently turned out for TSK in MLC, where he picked 14 wickets in six innings with a best of 5 for 23.Bevon Jacobs is also in line for a debut against the country of his birth, now that a middle-order spot has opened up with Glenn Phillips set to miss at least the opening game of the tri-series, having been busy in the MLC final. Jacobs, an explosive middle-order batter, will want to tick off a few things on his checklist by the end of this tri-series if he gets a chance.Brian Bennett has been one of Zimbabwe’s best batters recently•Zimbabwe Cricket
After three back-to-back Test defeats, Zimbabwe will be glad to return to the comforts of T20I cricket. This is a format where they have been competitive in recent times. It’s also tremendous prep ahead of the Africa Qualifiers in September-October 2025 with 2026 T20 World Cup spots on the line.In T20Is, they’re coming off a 1-0 win against Ireland (two of the games were washed out) and won a T20I against Afghanistan and Pakistan in December last year.Zimbabwe will be buoyed with the return of fast bowler Richard Ngarava, who missed the two Tests against South Africa due to a lower back injury but has recovered. Top-order batter Brian Bennett, who has been Zimbabwe’s best batter in recent times, has also been cleared for the T20I series after being subbed out of the second Test against South Africa due to concussion.Zimbabwe have a good mix of fast bowlers and spinners, but it’s their batting that needs to step up. Bennett will lead the show up top while Sikandar Raza, the captain, provides stability in the middle. But the likes of Clive Madande, Dion Myers and Ryan Burl will need to score some runs to get Zimbabwe a move on.
Lamine Yamal maintains that he is not looking to be another Lionel Messi, with the Barcelona wonderkid tiring of constant comparisons to the Argentine GOAT. That discussion was inevitable, given that both stepped out of the fabled La Masia academy system, but a teenage superstar of the present remains determined to “follow his own path” and create a new legacy.
Just like Messi: Yamal treading similar career path
Yamal burst onto the senior stage at 15 years of age, with it becoming impossible for Barcelona to hold his mercurial talent back. The record books have been rewritten from there, with the 18-year-old Spain international a La Liga and European Championship title winner.
He has also landed Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy awards, while finishing second in the 2025 Ballon d’Or vote. The expectation is that he will soon have a Golden Ball of his own, which will allow him to start chasing down Messi’s historic haul of eight.
AdvertisementGetty/GOALYamal took inspiration from Messi when changing his game
Yamal is, however, adamant that he will not be looking to follow in the footsteps of a Barca great. He has told : “I think that Lionel Messi is the best footballer of all time, but he also knows that I’m a good player. There will be mutual respect if we play against each other. He knows that I’m not trying to be him, to play like him, or wear the 10 like him. I want to follow my own path.”
While Yamal is not looking to emulate Messi, he admits to taking inspiration from Barcelona’s all-time leading goal-scorer and the most decorated player to ever lace up a pair of boots. He added: “As a kid, I used to study Messi’s passes. Other players made good passes, but Messi’s passes were pretty much goals. I always thought passing was more interesting than dribbling. They’re somewhat more clever. It’s weird, because as a kid I was never really a dribbler. I was more of a goal-scorer and I ran a lot.”
Future plans: What Yamal is aiming to achieve
Yamal now boasts the ability to glide beyond defences with ease, much like Messi. The future appears to be bright, but the talented youngster insists that he will not get caught up in his own hype.
He went on to say of his future plans: “I don’t have any expectations. I just think about playing, not setting expectations. I think expectations are ultimately bad; when you meet them, you might feel like there are no goals left, and when you don’t meet them, you might feel frustrated. Playing football is the only thing that makes me forget everything else. I might have the biggest problem, but if I have a match, that’s the only thing I think about.”
Time is still well on Yamal’s side when it comes to breaking many more records, but he is giving little thought to individual accolades. The teen sensation added: “My goal isn’t to break all records, to score a million goals, to play a million matches. I’m an athlete who wants to enjoy himself. I hope kids want to be like me. In the end, the goal is for people to enjoy and deliver a bit of a show in football.”
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GettyElite mindset: How Yamal approaches the game
Yamal continues to get audiences on their feet, with it clear that he is cut from similar cloth to Messi. Both like to run at opponents, with there no fear in their respective games when it comes to making things happen.
Yamal said of his mindset when stepping onto the field: “If I see three players in front of me, I take them on. I have a great sense of self-confidence, and that’s my playing style. Even though they take the ball off of me, it happens. I would be a very different player if I stopped every time I saw two or three players.”
Yamal has registered seven goals and as many assists for Barcelona through 14 games this season. He has helped them to top La Liga, one point clear of Clasico rivals Real Madrid, and is counting down the days to a bid for World Cup glory with Spain in 2026.
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O Flamengo multou e retirou a camisa 10 de Gabigol, e o jogador desabafou nas redes sociais sobre a decisão do clube. A punição aconteceu em razão da foto vazada do atleta com a camisa do Corinthians.
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➡️As melhores e mais variadas ofertas para o Brasileirão estão no Lance! Betting! Abra já a sua conta!
➡️ Tudo sobre o Mengão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Flamengo
Gabigol explicou que acata a decisão e respeita o comando do Flamengo, mas também afirmou que o episódio não apagará a sua história com o Rubro-Negro.
CONFIRA A NOTA COMPLETA DE GABIGOL SOBRE A POLÊMICA COM O FLAMENGO
“Naquele dia 12/11 de 2022, depois de ter sentido as maiores emoções da minha vida com as glórias e expressivas conquistas pelo Flamengo, o clube me presenteou com uma camisa muito especial, a 10, simplesmente o manto usado por nosso maior ídolo, o Zico.
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Confesso que senti uma certa insegurança, pois junto com aquela camisa, vinha também um grande peso de responsabilidade.
No Flamengo, encontrei minha melhor versão e vivo o melhor ciclo da minha carreira. Sou fascinado por titulos e sempre expressei isso no excesso de vontade dentro de campo, que muitas vezes é interpretado de forma errada.
O Flamengo me proporcionou ganhar muitos títulos (2 Libertadores, 2 Brasileiros, 1 Copa do Brasil, 1 Recopa Sul-americana, 2 Supercopas do Brasil e 4 Cariocas) e viver esses momentos mágicos com a nação e ser acolhido pela maior torcida da América, isso sim é o verdadeiro significado da palavra felicidade.
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Nesses mais de 5 anos de alegria,e algumas tristezas, sempre tive uma certeza, a do meu amor por esse clube, a do amor pela nação rubro-negra.
Hoje fui comunicado pelos diretores do Flamengo que não vestirei mais a 10. Cabe a mim aceitar e respeitar o comando do clube. Mas isso jamais vai apagar a história que construí com meus companheiros de equipe. Aceito a próxima camisa e vou dar a vida em campo pelo Mengao até o fim da nossa história.
Te amo, Flamengo!”
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FlamengoGabigol
كشفت تقارير صحفية أن النجم الدولي المصري محمد صلاح، أصبح عدوًا داخل غرفة خلع الملابس بسبب صفقة ليفربول الجديدة.
كان صلاح قد خرج بعد انتهاء مباراة ليدز يونايتد بالدوري الإنجليزي وتحدث لوسائل الإعلام وفتح النار على الجميع، وعلى رأسهم مدربه آرني سلوت، بسبب جلوسه على دكة البدلاء لثلاث مباريات متتالية.
بعد تلك التصريحات، انهالت على صلاح تعليقات اللاعبين القدامى والمحللين الإنجليز وانتقدوا حديثه بشدة وعلى رأسهم جيمي كاراجر.
ووفقًا لتقرير نشرته صحيفة “ذا ميرور” أن محمد صلاح يُعتبر القدوة وأحد القادة في غرفة ملابس ليفربول، لكن تواجد فيرتز في الفريق كمستقبل لليدز هو أصل غضب صلاح.
اقرأ أيضًا | “أصبح متهورًا”.. هالاند يسخر من كاراجر بسبب محمد صلاح
كما وصف التقرير صلاح بأنه أصبح عدو داخل غرفة ملابس ليفربول، كما أوضحت أن جلوس صلاح على مقاعد البدلاء في آخر ثلاث مباريات بالدوري، ومشاركة فيرتز أساسيًا في جميعها، أثارت غضب صلاح وروحه التنافسية.
وأضافت أن ليفربول كان على دراية منذ فترة طويلة بأن صلاح يتمتع بأكبر قدر من الغرور في النادي ولكن نظرًا لسجله الاستثنائي من الأهداف والتمريرات الحاسمة، فقد تم تقبّل ذلك لكن في حال تراجع مستواه فإن الدعم الذي كان يحظى به من النادي سيختفي.
واختتمت أن تصريحاته الهجومية تجاه النادي تُظهر عدم اهتمامه بزملائه في الفريق، ويتضح ذلك من خلال صمته وسط الانتقادات التي تعرض لها فيرتز في بدايته المتعثرة مع ليفربول.
Jamie Carragher has delivered his verdict on Arsenal and their Premier League title challenge after their dramatic 2-1 loss at Aston Villa.
Arsenal’s agonising defeat at Villa has ended the Gunners’ 18-game unbeaten streak whilst threatening their title aspirations, with Man City’s subsequent 3-0 dismantling of Sunderland now reducing the gap to just two points.
Emiliano Buendia’s 95th minute winner highlighted familiar weaknesses that have plagued previous title challenges.
Mikel Arteta’s makeshift defence, deprived of William Saliba and Gabriel through injury, conceded soft goals that championship-winning teams simply cannot afford.
Matty Cash’s thunderous opener exploited Eberechi Eze’s defensive negligence, whilst Buendia’s late intervention punished Arsenal’s inability to clear.
Leandro Trossard’s second-half equaliser briefly sparked hope of a hard-fought victory in the Midlands, yet Arsenal ultimately succumbed to Villa’s relentless pressure.
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While Arsenal have only lost twice this campaign, Arteta will be hoping Saturday’s defeat doesn’t sap his squad’s confidence given the manner of their slip up.
Cristhian Mosquera’s ankle injury compounds their current defensive crisis, forcing 16-year-old Marli Salmon onto the bench against Villa.
Man City ruthlessly capitalised on Arsenal’s hiccup, delivering their arguable most complete performance this season against an in-form Sunderland side.
Rúben Dias opened the scoring with a spectacular 25-yard thunderbolt before Josko Gvardiol doubled the advantage through a towering header from Phil Foden’s corner.
Foden completed the scoring after 65 minutes, converting Rayan Cherki’s outrageous rabona cross for a serious highlight reel moment.
Pep Guardiola praised it as potentially City’s finest 95-minute display this season, emphasising how it is consistency rather than individual results that determines success.
The title race has dramatically intensified, with Aston Villa themselves now genuine contenders sitting third, merely three points behind Arsenal following seven consecutive wins in all competitions.
Make no mistake, it is all to play for, and Carragher is convinced that Arsenal have a ‘huge problem’ in the form of Foden.
Speaking on Monday Night Football, Carragher insists that the England international, alongside Erling Haaland, poses a massive threat to Arsenal’s quest to win a first Premier League title in 22 years.
After a difficult 2024/2025, Arsenal have every right to be concerned, as Foden is now back to his imperious best.
Foden has emerged as City’s most potent attacking threat bar Haaland during their resurgent title challenge, scoring nine goals across all competitions so far this term.
The 25-year-old has also notched six Premier League goals in thirteen appearances, averaging 0.51 goals per ninety minutes whilst contributing two assists.
His recent purple patch has been particularly devastating, with five goals scored in his last three league games. His goal involvement rate of 0.69 per ninety minutes highlights his constant influence in the final third, with Guardiola praising his exceptional qualities following Saturday’s performance.
Foden already surpassed his career milestone of 100 City goals during the summer’s Club World Cup, cementing his status amongst the club’s elite scorers.
His personal renaissance couldn’t have come at a worse time for Arsenal, but luckily for Arteta, the title is still theirs to lose.
Jamie Carragher believes Mohamed Salah's anti-Liverpool tirade was a "disgrace" and accused him of causing "maximum damage" with his outburst. The 33-year-old stated that the Reds have "thrown him under the bus" after being repeatedly benched by manager Arne Slot, while arguing that he deserves a place in their starting line-up. But Carragher feels the Egyptian is trying to get Slot sacked.
Salah goes on the attack
Shortly after being an unused substitute in Liverpool's 3-3 draw at Leeds United on Saturday, Salah said he no longer had a relationship with manager Arne Slot, that the club was throwing him under the bus and that someone at the Merseyside outfit wanted him to "get all of the blame". In response, Slot claimed he did not feel that his authority was being undermined by the former Chelsea man but said he had "no clue" whether Salah had played his last game for the Reds. For the time being, however, the veteran will not be part of Liverpool's squad travelling to Italy to take on Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday. Salah has been heavily criticised for his comments, and now Liverpool legend Carragher has taken aim at him, too.
AdvertisementCarragher tears into Salah
Last season, Carragher and Salah got into a war of words after the latter said he was "probably more out than in" as his Liverpool contract ticked down into its final eight months. This prompted Carragher to call him "selfish", before the forward eventually signed a new two-year deal. That feud looked set to escalate earlier this season after Carragher called on Salah to front up more and face the media amid their poor run. Now, he has torn the Egyptian a new one following his eye-opening comments.
He said on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football: "I thought it was a disgrace what he did after the game. Some people have painted it as an emotional outburst. I don’t think it was. I think whenever Mo Salah stops in a mixed zone, which he’s done four times in eight years at Liverpool, it’s choreographed with him and his agent to cause maximum damage and strengthen his own position. He did that 12 months ago, and I called him out on it. He played on the heartstrings of the Liverpool supporters. Liverpool were top of the league, he’d scored the winning goal at Southampton, and that was the time to come out and put pressure on the Liverpool ownership. He’s chosen this weekend to do this, and he’s waited, I think, to choose a bad result for Liverpool. Supporters, the manager, everyone at the club feels like they’re in the gutter and he’s chosen that time to go for the manager and maybe get him sacked."
'All about me, me, me'
Carragher did not stop there. He accused Salah himself of throwing Liverpool under the bus, rather than the other way around. The former defender also suggested the ex-Roma ace was thinking only about himself and not his team-mates.
"The one line that stands out for me is ‘thrown under the bus’. He’s thrown the club under the bus twice in the last 12 months. With the manager right now, he should be doing as much as he can to help the club get out of the worst run they’ve had since the 1950s, and he hasn’t done that," he said. "You weren't a big star before you came to Liverpool, you haven't really won much for Egypt, no matter how big you are, you need help from your team-mates, your manager and fans, it's important that he remembers that. When he talks after Leeds, it's all about me, me, me."
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Getty Images SportWhat comes next for Salah?
With Salah not set to be part of the Liverpool side facing Inter, his last game before heading off with Egypt to the Africa Cup of Nations will be against Brighton in the Premier League this weekend. It remains to be seen if he will feature in that contest, though.
The home side were skittled for just 64 with only two batters reaching double figures
AAP23-Nov-2025
Charis Bekker was part of an impressive Melbourne Renegades bowling performance•Getty Images
A quality four-pronged spin attack propelled Melbourne Renegades to a thumping eight-wicket win over Sydney Thunder at Drummoyne Oval.Chasing a miserly 65 for victory, the defending WBBL champions hit the winning runs on the first ball of the 12th over, but the win was set up earlier when their quartet of tweakers demolished a meek Thunder batting line-up.Charis Bekker, Georgia Wareham, skipper Sophie Molineux and England’s Alice Capsey bowled stump to stump and took wickets at regular intervals, assisted by some poor shot choices by Thunder’s batters.Molineux opened in the chase and finished unbeaten on 29, finishing alongside player of the match Capsey.The win sees Renegades jump into outright second on the WBBL ladder with four wins from their opening six matches, now just two points behind competition leaders, Hobart Hurricanes. With four regular season games to play, Renegades are in a great position to go deep into the finals again.In the first innings Renegades were on top right from the opening ball, restricting Thunder to 19 for 2 in the powerplay, and when in-form opener Tahlia Wilson became crafty left-arm orthodox spinner Bekker’s second wicket, the home side were struggling at 21 for 3.By the end of the 10th over they were in even more trouble at 48 for 5. Former England captain Heather Knight appeared their only hope of getting anywhere near triple figures, but when she fell lbw to Wareham topping 100 was never on the cards.Their 64-run total was the third-lowest in the competition’s 11-season history.Thunder star Georgia Voll, who struck consecutive boundaries before being dismissed by Milly Illingworth, wasn’t making excuses.”That’s obviously not what we rocked up here thinking that was going to happen,” Voll said on the player mic during the broadcast. “Obviously it’s pretty disappointing, to be honest.”[The wicket] was a little bit tacky early on, but I don’t think it was enough to be rolled for 65 probably, just some poor shots all around and not adapting to the conditions quick enough.”Thunder went into the game off the back of two wins that had followed losses in their first three matches. They now sit in sixth with the job ahead of them to turn their season around and qualify for the finals.
Gabriel Jesus will reportedly not be registered in Arsenal's Champions League squad for the league phase of the competition as Cristhian Mosquera's injury is worse than originally feared. The Brazilian is coming back from a serious knee injury that has kept him out since the start of the year but just as he nears a first-team return, it seems the forward has been dealt a new blow.
Jamie Carragher took aim at one Liverpool star, who was “really poor” against Sunderland, as Arne Slot’s side endured another mixed evening at Anfield.
Liverpool struggle at Anfield yet again
After victory over West Ham United last weekend, Liverpool looked to their game against Sunderland as an ideal chance to make it back-to-back wins in the Premier League and stop the rot. The Black Cats had different ideas, however, and soon reminded the Reds why they find themselves in the position they’re in.
In many ways, Chemsdine Talbi’s deflected effort summed up Liverpool’s recent fortunes. With the Premier League champions entering the game off the back of two Anfield losses, the last thing they needed was for Virgil van Dijk’s block to find the back of Alisson Becker’s net.
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One positive for Liverpool in recent weeks has been the form of Florian Wirtz, though, and at long last the German made his mark in the Premier League. His effort went down as a Nordi Mukiele own goal, but there’s no doubt that one of the summer’s most expensive signings stepped up to get his side level.
It was far from a vintage display from the champions, but they’ll at least be relieved to avoid another defeat. Following victory at West Ham, Slot’s side should see the Leeds United game this weekend as the opportunity to turn the narrative to two wins from three games in the same week.
That said, whether Alexander Isak plays a part this weekend remains to be seen. The Swede didn’t follow up from last weekend’s first Premier League goal for the club and had just 15 touches, much to Carragher’s frustration.
Jamie Carragher slams "really poor" Alexander Isak
Watching on from commentary, Carragher slammed Isak as “really poor” and said that the forward has no “excuses” for his disappointing form at this stage of the campaign.
After smashing their transfer record to welcome the £280,000-a-week star, Liverpool were in dreamland in the summer. Alas, that dream has quickly turned into a nightmare for all involved.
Isak has gone from strike to strike-less at times. Liverpool sit eighth and their attack has never seemed so toothless under Slot. With Hugo Ekitke also struggling to find the back of the net in recent weeks, there’s no doubt that the Reds have an attacking problem on their hands.
It doesn’t get any easier, either. On paper, a trip to a newly promoted side should be a routine affair, but Liverpool will be squaring off against a Leeds side who just defeated Chelsea.
Before then, Slot simply has to find a way to get Isak more involved. With just 15 touches, the Swede was always likely to struggle.
Liverpool open talks this week to sign "monster" Real Madrid target