Neymar has gone viral for his exasperated reaction to Vinicius Jr being substituted and Brazil’s dismal draw with Costa Rica at the 2024 Copa America.
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Selecao among favourites for continental crown
Wobbled out of the blocks on California
All-time leading scorer missing through injury
WHAT HAPPENED?
One of the pre-tournament favourites stumbled out of the blocks in California, with a star-studded squad unable to break the deadlock in a 0-0 stalemate with Group D rivals. Brazil dominated proceedings for long periods at SoFi Stadium, firing in 19 efforts on goal, but were unable to find a way through.
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Selecao boss Dorival Junior tried shuffling his pack during the final 20 minutes in a bid to find a goal, with Real Madrid superstar Vinicius replaced by teenage wonderkid Endrick. That decision left Neymar – his country’s all-time leading scorer – confused as he raised his arms in disbelief.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Neymar was also left with head in hands at one stage, as Brazil toiled to no avail. The 32-year-old was kicking every ball with his international team-mates, having seen an unfortunate ACL injury suffered on World Cup qualifying duty in October 2023 rule him out of another bid for Copa glory.
Neymar has earned the nickname “magician” at Al-Hilal despite his injury nightmare, with the Brazilian following Cristiano Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia.
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Brazilian moved to Middle East in 2023One of several household names in Pro LeagueStandard considered to be on the riseGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
The South American superstar opted to head for the Middle East when severing ties with Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2023. He agreed a lucrative contract with new employers, but suffered knee ligament damage after taking in just five appearances.
AdvertisementWHAT KOULIBALY SAID
Neymar has sat out league and cup triumphs for Al-Hilal, but club colleague Kalidou Koulibaly has told of why the 32-year-old forward is still held in the highest regard: “Neymar is a really important player for us. I call him the ‘Magia’ – magician – because he has so much magic in his feet. When he touches the ball, he is incredible.”
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Ex-Napoli and Chelsea defender Koulibaly has enjoyed better fortune at Al-Hilal, with the Senegalese centre-half adding on why more household names are heading to Saudi Arabia: “At the start, nobody really knew much about this league. It was a big decision for me. But when I saw players like Ronaldo, [Karim] Benzema, [N’Golo] Kante – who I was playing with at Chelsea then – make those moves, I also made my choice. I had a difficult year at Chelsea, and I wanted to see something else. When they called me, I studied up about the club, and I’m really happy to be here today.”
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DID YOU KNOW?
Koulibaly added: “When I came, I was thinking this league would be easier than others, but I was surprised about the standard of my team-mates, and surprised at the level of the league. Even clubs that don’t have big, big-name players are very good – it’s difficult to play against them all. The level is not quite the same as Europe, but over time it will get there because the players will want to come and improve the league.”
The senior quick bowler lashes out at his team-mates, says they haven’t learnt from their mistakes even as the losses have piled up
Jarrod Kimber in Cardiff03-Jun-2019Sri Lanka quick bowler Lasith Malinga was scathing in his criticism of his team-mates’ attitude, saying that they have moved from one defeat to another in recent times without learning any lessons.Speaking to the Sri Lankan press before their game against Afghanistan in Cardiff on Tuesday, Malinga said, “In the last one-and-a-half years or two years, we have been saying, ‘we have lost one game, move on, do well in the next game’. You can’t play cricket like that. We need to learn lessons from those defeats. There’s no point in forgetting those defeats.”I have played four World Cups and I still feel the pressure for tomorrow’s match. The other players must also feel it. You can’t play cricket anywhere without feeling the pressure. If a player doesn’t feel that pressure, that excitement, the nervousness, then there’s no chance of getting 100% from that player. They must think to themselves that if they don’t deliver, they have not done justice to the team.”
We can’t improve our skills at the moment. We need to become mentally tough
In the last three years, Sri Lanka have won just 26% of their ODIs; they have lost to Scotland in a List A match, and Afghanistan beat them in their most recent contest in the Asia Cup.In their opening match of the World Cup, Sri Lanka, who have won just four of their 21 completed ODIs in the past 12 months and lost warm-up matches to South Africa and Australia before the tournament, went down by ten wickets to New Zealand after folding for 136.”All the players must realise their own mistakes first. We can’t repeat the same mistakes over and over,” Malinga said. “As a senior player and as a member of the squad, I hope everyone will have that fear of not doing their duty and feel the shame of losing. Everyone must realise that it’s a must that they perform because if not our cricket will not go forward.”At least from tomorrow, I hope everyone will have that fear because they have been selected as the best 15 to represent the country, not to be passengers. It’s essential that they identify different game situations and support each other in the middle.”I feel players need to get confidence, but we can’t improve our skills at the moment. We need to become mentally tough.”Dimuth Karunaratne, leading Sri Lanka in the World Cup despite not being an ODI regular since March 2015, was the only batsman to show some grit against New Zealand, carrying his bat for 52 runs as wickets fell in a heap around him.”I feel our top-seven batsmen have to take responsibility,” Malinga said. “We need to be patient. Patience is very important.”We know these conditions; we can have someone get 60-70 runs and some balls can still move around. Each bowler has their own method of setting up a batsman and taking wickets. So each bowler has their own ways of bowling those wicket-taking deliveries. I can’t decide that for the others.”
No one has elicited fear quite like Andre Russell and Hardik Pandya in IPL 2019. After an epic face-off at Eden Gardens, where Hardik’s late heroics with the bat were pipped by Russell’s all-round show, the stage is set for round two and the venue couldn’t have been a better one.Wankhede Stadium has seen 874 sixes hit, the second most for any ground in IPL history. Russell hits a four every 2.4 balls, Hardik every 3.2. The difference in their balls per six is greater as Hardik hits one every 6.3 balls, while Russell takes just 3.7 balls to clear the ropes. How both captains and bowlers try to minimise the damage against these two gun batsmen on a fast-scoring ground would make for compelling viewing.
Form guide (last three games, most recent first)
Mumbai Indians: won the one over eliminator v Sunrisers, lost to Knight Riders by 34 runs, beat Super Kings by 46 runs Knight Riders: beat Kings XI by seven wickets, beat Mumbai by 34 runs, lost to Royals by three wickets
Bowling has been a major issue for Knight Riders, despite the two recent wins – over Mumbai at home and Kings XI away. While Sandeep Warrier has been a good addition with the new ball, compared to Mumbai, they still leak runs at a higher economy rate in all three phases of the game: Powerplay, seven to 15 and the last five. They were smashed recently by Sam Curran in Mohali, as the last four went for 51.What might encourage them is the success spinners have had at Wankhede lately. Knight Riders have the pair of Shimron Hetmyer and Gurkeerat Singh to thank for keeping their hopes alive. With Royal Challengers Bangalore beating Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru on Saturday night, the equation is simple: Knight Riders need to win on Sunday, the margin is irrelevant. Should they slip up, though, Sunrisers will go through with a higher net run rate. For Mumbai, a win will clinch a top-two finish, ensuring that they have two shots at making the final, the first of those in Chennai where they haven’t lost since 2011.Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell have a chat•BCCI
Previous meeting
Knight Riders snapped a six-match losing streak after the promotions of Shubman Gill and Andre Russell up the order worked wonders. They posted 232 and had Mumbai on the mat before Hardik Pandya blazed to a 34-ball 91 that had Mumbai believing briefly. Russell picked up two wickets with the ball in addition to his 40-ball unbeaten 80 as Knight Riders won by 34 runs.
Russell hasn’t been tested enough against left-arm pacers this season and Mumbai have three of those to choose from. Since 2015, Russell has fallen five times to left-arm pace in just 54 deliveries in IPLs. To that end, Mumbai could consider roping in one of Jason Behrendorff or Beuran Hendricks in place of Lasith Malinga, in addition to Barinder Sran, who played the last match.
Mumbai’s top three; Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav have all fallen to the pull shot regularly since last season: 6, 7 and 7 times. With the extra bounce available at the Wankhede, Knight Riders could consider bolstering their pace attack by including Lockie Ferguson instead of Harry Gurney, who relies more on cutters.
Mumbai have won six of the nine matches in which they have batted first this season. Their bowlers have shown to be more adept at defending targets: concede only 7.7 RPO as compared to 10.2 when bowling first, average 21.9 runs per wicket as against 42.8 bowling first, and strike every 17 deliveries vs 25.3 bowling first. But can they afford to bat first against Knight Riders, who have the best record in run chases this season, having won four out of five matches?
Stats that matter
Suryakumar Yadav has the seventh-worst batting average for players with over 200 runs this season: 24.33. Furthermore, he has repeatedly squandered starts, with just one fifty in 13 matches.
Knight Riders’ fate has often been decided by their bowling performance in the Powerplay. When they have gone for over nine runs an over during that period, they have gone on to lose all three matches. Conversely, when they have conceded less than seven runs an over in the Powerplay, they have won three of the four matches.
Andre Russell needs 34 runs to reach 5000 in T20s
Rohit Sharma needs four sixes for 100 sixes in IPL as a captain
This will be Rohit’s 150th match for Mumbai Indians
Dinesh Karthik needs two more catches to reach 150 in T20s
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti got his wish after dancing with Los Blancos star Eduardo Camavinga at their La Liga title parade.
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Real Madrid win La Liga title
Club enjoys victory parade
Ancelotti dances with Camavinga
WHAT HAPPENED?
Ancelotti and his Real players took their La Liga title celebrations to the Spanish capital on Sunday with an open-top bus parade. With the party in full swing, manager Ancelotti wanted to bust some moves with French midfielder Camavinga, who duly obliged in joyous scenes.
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Madrid are going from strength to strength at present. They won their 36th La Liga title and they are into the Champions League final, where they will play Borussia Dortmund. Ancelotti is doing a stellar job at Los Blancos and he is clearly very popular among the fans and the players.
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WHAT NEXT?
Camavinga and his side return to La Liga action on Tuesday at home to Alaves, followed by a trip to Villarreal on May 19. Before facing Borussia Dortmund on June 1 in the Champions League final, they take on Real Betis a week prior in the league.
Ollie Palmer appears to be taking lessons from Ryan Reynolds, with the Wrexham star living the A-list lifestyle by attending the Met Gala in New York.
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Red Dragons headed to Sin City
Frontman now in the Big Apple
Enjoying break from football
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The Red Dragons striker has swapped a promotion party in Las Vegas, alongside the likes of Paul Mullin and James McClean, for a swanky showbiz bash in the Big Apple. Palmer now boasts his own fashion label, WXM Clothing, and is making a name for himself on and off the field.
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THE GOSSIP
He has been taking full advantage of that by rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous. Palmer is accustomed to doing that in North Wales, with Wrexham’s Hollywood co-owners – Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – often bringing celebrity friends along with them to SToK Racecourse.
DID YOU KNOW?
Palmer has now been attending the same event as Kim Kardashian, Zendaya and Jennifer Lopez, with the most glamorous of superstars hitting the red carpet at the Met Gala. Palmer attended alongside his wife, Caitlin, and rubbed shoulders with Brit Award-winning musician Raye at an after-show party.
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WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?
After making the most of a break in professional duties, Palmer will form part of Wrexham’s plans for the 2024-25 campaign. They are readying themselves for a step up into League One, with another trip to North America – for a pre-season tour – set to be taken in before competitive action resumes.
Harsh lessons of 2014 serve England’s new director of cricket well, as he lays out vision for his tenure
George Dobell09-Jan-2019It speaks volumes for Ashley Giles’ determination – and confidence – that even at one of the lowest points of his career, he was planning his comeback.In April 2014, Giles was sacked as England coach. Paul Downton, who was the managing director of England cricket at the time, called at his house one day and informed him that he was to be replaced by Peter Moores.His reaction? Anger, certainly. But also determination. And before Downton’s car had disappeared from sight, Giles had turned to his wife, Stine, and informed her he would be back and he would be the boss.”I don’t know if I was sacked or made redundant,” Giles says, “but whichever way it was, it wasn’t very nice.”But I said I would be back at the time. I don’t know if I said it to Paul, but I certainly said it to my wife. And, if you look at my career progress over the last four or five years, I have sort of prepared for this role. If you are a performance director, this is the pinnacle.”You can understand why Giles was angry. He was one of only two long-serving men – Kevin Pietersen was the other – completely cut adrift by the ECB after the debacle of the 2013-14 Ashes, despite having no direct involvement in the coaching of that team. And while results at the 2014 World T20 were not pretty – England had been eliminated even before a heavy defeat against Netherlands – Giles had some mitigation. As the junior partner in a split coaching structure – Andy Flower was very much the dominant figure – he had become used to seeing his first-choice players rested from white-ball cricket.But that anger has long since faded into something more constructive. And while Downton has now made the reverse journey – he is doing a fine job as director of cricket at Kent – and Flower is a strong favourite to take up Giles’ old role as director of cricket at Warwickshire, Giles himself now looks back on the episode as the making of him.”We all feel hard done by when you leave positions,” he says now. “But now I think it was a great learning curve for me.”I didn’t manage that balance between the short-term plans and long-term vision well. I always had in mind that I would one day become Test coach and perhaps, if I hold my hand up, I took my eye off the importance of winning tomorrow. In coaching you can’t afford to do that.”I think that experience will help me in this role. In this role you have to worry about tomorrow and the long-term strategy.Ashley Giles, ECB’s new director of England cricket, at Lord’s•Getty Images
“That period with Andy Flower and the unravelling of the team in the Ashes and then the debacle against the Netherlands in Bangladesh, I guess that was almost a catalyst for me going back to university, studying, taking a masters and changing paths slightly. It was a good life lesson. It got me where I am today.”Giles’ behaviour in the months following that sacking is instructive. Instead of publicly criticising the ECB – as Pietersen did in a now-infamous book – Giles persuaded them to fund his return to university as part of his severance package. As a result, he went to Manchester Metropolitan Business School and gained a Master of Sport Directorship.And, instead of applying for coaching jobs, which he concluded left him vulnerable to fluctuations in fortune that could not always be controlled, he turned his interest to director of cricket roles which seemed more secure and more appropriate to a man with a hip replacement who no longer feels especially comfortable in a tracksuit. Less than a year ago, he declined an invitation to apply for the role of National Selector – a role subsequently filled by Ed Smith – in the belief that was a backward step for a man who had already served as a selector.So, what can we expect from Giles? Well, any player expecting a relaxation of the curfew that has been in place since the last Ashes tour is likely to be disappointed, for a start. And, in the long term, it seems the habit of playing football ahead of training every day may well be in jeopardy.”Curfews are in place to protect the guys,” he says. “I discussed curfews years ago. I don’t think we should look at those as being a negative thing. Everyone needs boundaries so it’s important that we have things in place that protect our guys.”We have got a responsibility to protect our players and the discipline side of things is really important to me. I have a reputation as being quite firm, but I think I am fair.”We’ve got to keep our best players on the park and I’m not sure playing football is the best way of going about that. If you look at what football does, the benefits from a physiological and fun point of view are outstripped by the dangers. In the long term we’ll perhaps see a change there.”But when you talk about short-term derailers I don’t want to be blamed for losing the World Cup because we are not playing football. I am not coming in with an iron rod right now. It’s something I’ll speak to the captains and coaches about.”There are other areas we may see change. Giles is likely to be asked to ‘rationalise’ – a euphemism for ‘cut’ usually – the budget at Loughborough with a growing realisation that spending has exceeded achievement there over the last few years. And he hopes to improve the relationship between the counties and the England team, drawing on the knowledge around the circuit and ensuring domestic cricket is well placed to produce international players.”The domestic system is hugely important,” he says. “So it’s important we get our system right in Championship cricket, because that is where our Test cricketers are coming from.”The counties do a fantastic job. There was a meeting yesterday of the county directors of cricket and I looked round the table and realised there was a hell of a lot of knowledge I can tap into. That relationship is important and I think it could be better than it has been. I want to see much stronger collaboration with the counties.”And then there’s the coaching role. Despite his own experiences, Giles has always maintained that a split coaching arrangement could work well. There is an acknowledgement that some of the best candidates may be reluctant to take the year-round workload required for an England coach, so there seems every chance that the role will be split once more. Paul Collingwood (for the white-ball sides) and Gary Kirsten (for the Test side) may well be among the frontrunners.”Whatever we do – two coaches or one – we need to make it normal and acceptable that coaches have time off and are able to watch some other cricket or have a break,” Giles says. “The programme is extremely busy, so to expect one or two head coaches to be there all the time is quite challenging.”Part of my role is coach development so, absolutely, we should be developing future England coaches and giving them opportunities. Perhaps the new competition is part of that? But I’m not silly enough to think the next coach has to be English. We need the best man – or two men – for the job.”
It's not the bells of Christmas ringing at Crystal Palace, it's alarm bells following four defeats in their last five Premier League matches.
The latest of those – a 2-1 defeat against Luton Town – happened to be the worst of the lot with the Eagles throwing away a one-goal lead as the Hatters launched a second-half fightback to secure only their second victory of the campaign.
Statistically, that was a game Palace should never have lost having registered eight shots on target to their opponent's two, as per Sofascore, while accumulating an expected goals (xG) of 1.67.
Nonetheless, the visitors were undone by their own wastefulness once more and although tasting defeat against Luton was a bitter pill to swallow, it wasn't the worst result to come from that game as star player Eberechi Eze was forced off the pitch through injury in the 49th minute.
Eberechi Eze
Roy Hodgson now needs to somehow find a replacement for his exceptional talent, who is crucial to everything that Palace do in the final third, ahead of their London derby fixture against West Ham United later today.
Eberechi Eze's statistics this season
With only two goals and one assist to his name this term, such statistics would normally imply a player hasn't had much of an impact on proceedings, but that isn't the case with Palace's superstar.
The 25-year-old, who was hailed by former manager Patrick Vieira as "different class", has still delivered on the Frenchman's praise by producing sensational attacking metrics.
Statistic
Value / Palace squad ranking
Key passes per game
2.2 / (1st)
Successful dribbles per game
3.2 / (1st)
Penalties won
1 / (1st)
Shots on target per game
1.2 / (1st)
Big chances created
2 / (1st)
All stats via Sofascore
Considering he reached ten goals and six assists in all competitions last term, it hasn't been the best start to the season from Eze's point of view, but the above table implies that he's still a dominant force and the one most likely to produce some magic in the final third.
The fact he's top across most attacking metrics in the Palace squad, including successful dribbles per game and big chances created, suggests Hodgson has the near-impossible task of replacing him, with Eze likely to be out for about four weeks.
That said, the injury to the Englishman could see him unleash talented teenager Matheus Franca against West Ham.
Why Franca should start against West Ham
Although several big clubs were previously interested in the Brazilian, it was the Eagles who pulled off the astute £26m capture of Franca from Brazilian side Flamengo in the summer.
Despite so much hype surrounding his name upon arrival, with journalist Antonio Mango describing him as "immense", the 19-year-old has been used sparingly by Hodgson this season having featured across just 31 minutes in the Premier League.
Flamengo midfielder Matheus Franca.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig even hailed him as "one of the most exciting teenagers in Brazil" two years ago after plundering 19 goals and supplying ten assists for Flamengo's underage sides.
With such quality being broadcast to the rest of the world, it was no surprise to see many people wax lyrical over his precocious talents.
This is evidenced by the fact he's outperformed Eze across most attacking metrics in the past year, including successful take-ons (3.09/2.86), progressive carries (4.64/2.43) and non-penalty goals (0.39/0.31), as per FBref.
Whilst the £40k per-week gem was strutting his stuff in a division with much less quality than the Premier League, he's still outperformed arguably Palace's best player, which suggests it could be time for him to unleash those attacking attributes in England's top flight.
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has revealed the one quality which makes Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham one of the world's best players.
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Guardiola explains what makes Bellingham stand outCity coach praises midfielder's brainEngland star has scored 20 goals this seasonWHAT HAPPENED?
City were interested in signing Bellingham last season but Real Madrid beat them to the punch after paying Borussia Dortmund €103m (£88m/$111m) for the England international.
Advertisement(C)GettyImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Bellingham has exceeded all expectations at Madrid, scoring 20 goals in all competitions, and will be one of the main threats City face when they take on Los Blancos in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg.
WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID
"He played when he was 17 with Dortmund and I said with not just his skills but the difference is what he has in his brain and his mind," Guardiola told a press conference. "He came to this club with exceptional players and manager like Carlo [Ancelotti] who has the incredible ability to know the best position and Carlo found it so he clicked quick. He's done an incredible season in terms of goals, assists, his presence in the box. Not just Madrid but with the England national team he has been brilliant. At just 19, 20 , he has a long career ahead of him."
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BELLINGHAM?
Madrid will be seeking for revenge for last year's semi-final tie with City, when they were thrashed 4-0 by Guardiola's side. The second leg at the Etihad Stadium is on April 16.
علق إيريك تين هاج، المدير الفني الهولندي لفريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي مانشستر يونايتد، على أنباء رغبة النادي في التعاقد مع ماتياس دي ليخت.
دي ليخت ارتبط بـ مانشستر يونايتد لتدعيم خط الدفاع، ولم الشمل مع تين هاج، بعدما اجتمعا من قبل في أياكس الهولندي قبل رحيل المدافع في 2019 إلى يوفنتوس.
طالع أيضًا | “استراتيجية جديدة”.. مانشستر يونايتد يحدد شروطه لضم دي ليخت
لاعب بايرن ميونخ ضمن أهداف مانشستر يونايتد لتدعيم الدفاع، وهو ما جعل تين هاج يعلق على المفاوضات في تصريحات لصحيفة “Algemeen Dagblad” الهولندية: “أعرف ماتياس دي ليخت جيدًا بالطبع، لن أنكر ذلك. قبل عامين كنت أرغب في التعاقد معه بالفعل، لكنه كان في محادثات متقدمة جدًا مع بايرن ميونخ”.
وأضاف: “في هذه العملية اسمه لم يصدر مني على وجه التحديد، ولكن لا يزال علينا أن ننتظر ونرى ما إذا كان دي ليخت سيأتي أم لا، كل هذا في المستقبل يمكن أن يحدث”.
وأكمل: “خلال 3 أو 4 أسابيع كنت في الخارج خلال إجازتي، النادي وقسم الكشافة هو من جلب هؤلاء اللاعبين في الميركاتو الحالي”.
وتمكن مانشستر يونايتد خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية حتى الآن، من ضم الثنائي ليني يورو من ليل الفرنسي، وجوشوا زيركزي لاعب بولونيا الإيطالي السابق.