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Celtic could wrap up the Scottish Premiership title this week as they prepare to travel away from Parkhead to face off against Dundee United on Saturday.

The Hoops head into the game off the back of a thumping 5-0 win over St. Johnstone in the semi-finals of the SFA Cup at Hampden Park on Sunday, securing their place in the final against Aberdeen.

Brendan Rodgers knows that a win against Dundee United this weekend will secure the league title for the second time in as many seasons under his leadership, and for the fourth time in as many seasons as a club.

This means that there is still a chance for Celtic to win the domestic treble this term, after they failed to do so last season, if they can win the title and go on to beat Aberdeen at Hampden Park in the final of the SFA Cup.

Focus will then turn to the summer transfer window and how the Hoops can make changes to their squad in order to continue their success next season.

Celtic are already, reportedly, fighting to keep hold of one of their players ahead of the summer, as they are attempting to tie Greg Taylor down to a new deal.

The latest on Greg Taylor's Celtic future

The Daily Record reported last week that the club are in talks with the Scotland international over the possibility of a contract extension for the full-back.

It was claimed that the Scottish giants want to tie him down to a new three-year contract to extend his stay in Glasgow, with his current deal due to expire at the end of this season.

The outlet added that the three-year deal that has been tabled for the defender would see his wages significantly increased. They currently sit at £15k-per-week, but it is not revealed what they would be increased to if he put pen to paper on this three-year extension.

Despite this, there remains uncertainty over Taylor’s future at Celtic because the report outlined that he would still have to play second-fiddle to the returning Kieran Tierney next season.

Wage Burners

Football FanCast’s Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.

The Daily Record also outlined the level of interest in the left-footed star’s services. He has an offer on the table from Dinamo Zagreb and has interest from unnamed clubs in the MLS, in Italy, and in England, which suggests that he has plenty of options to pick from and would not be left without a club by leaving the Hoops.

It now remains to be seen whether or not Taylor would be happy to remain at the club to be behind Tierney in the pecking order, with the carrot of a wage increase that could see him move further up in the club’s top ten earners.

Celtic's top ten wage earners

The Scottish defender’s £15k-per-week wages at the moment place him tenth in the wage bill, as per Salary Sport, although they are yet to add Jota’s wages to their data since his move from Rennes in January.

Cameron Carter-Vickers and Callum McGregor are supposedly the joint-highest earners in the squad with wages of £37k-per-week, over £20k more per week than Taylor earns.

Cameron Carter-Vickers

£37k

Callum McGregor

£37k

James Forrest

£19k

Daizen Maeda

£18k

Alistair Johnston

£16k

Reo Hatate

£16k

Arne Engels

£16k

Adam Idah

£16k

Luis Palma

£16k

Greg Taylor

£15k

As you can see in the table above, most of the top earners in the team are the regular starters in Rodgers’ team who have earned their place in the top ten earners, including the likes of Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate, and Arne Engels.

Luis Palma, who earns more than Taylor, however, does not fall into that category. In fact, his lack of impact in the first-team led to him joining Olympiacos on loan in the January transfer window.

Why Celtic must finally sell Luis Palma

The Hoops must finally cash in on the Honduras international when the summer transfer window opens for business because he is clearly not a part of the manager’s plans and is, therefore, bleeding the club dry with his high wages.

Olympiacos reportedly have an option to sign him permanently for £3.4m, but it has been claimed that they are not going to exercise that option. This means that Palma is due to return to Parkhead in the summer, as it stands.

Dynamo Kyiv are reportedly interested in a deal to snap up the forward ahead of next season, though, and Celtic must push to do a deal with them in the coming weeks and months, in order to finally part ways with the flop.

Appearances (starts)

28 (18)

8 (1)

Goals

7

0

Big chances created

14

1

Assists

9

0

Key passes per game

2.4

1.5

As you can see in the table above, his game time and his performances regressed from the 2023/24 campaign to the current season, which suggests that Rodgers lost faith in the attacker – culminating in his loan exit to Olympiacos in January.

Palma has had some good moments in a Celtic shirt, including the spectacular goal in the clip above, but his lack of minutes and goal contributions this season suggests that the club are wasting significant wages on him.

Earlier this term, former Hoops striker John Hartson was not afraid to be scathing in his assessment of the winger. The Daily Record quoted him as saying: “For me I am watching him thinking ‘go, make something happen’ and it just comes to nothing. For me as a winger Palma doesn’t do enough. He is just too wasteful.”

Palma has, therefore, not impressed pundits, not impressed Rodgers, and not impressed his loan club enough to seal a permanent move to Olympiacos, with zero goals and zero assists in six Super League matches for his temporary team.

Celtic fumbled the next Dembele when "generational" star left on the cheap

Celtic fumbled another Karamoko Dembele when they lost Ben Doak on the cheap.

ByDan Emery Apr 22, 2025

It is now down to the board to find a suitor, whether that is Dynamo Kyiv or another club, to finally part ways with the £16k-per-week dud ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

South Africa’s all-right-hand batting lineup faces a growing test against left-arm spin, a tactic opponents are exploiting early in the tournament

Vishal Dikshit08-Oct-20254:32

Preview: Left-arm spin to the fore in Vizag?

Around the time Pakistan’s Nashra Sandhu was running through the Australia middle order in Colombo with her left-arm spin on Wednesday, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur was taking left-arm spin throwdowns in Visakhapatnam to prep for their next clash. That match is against South Africa, who had dramatically crumbled to the left-arm spin of Linsey Smith in their opening game.The theme of left-arm spin kicked off this World Cup especially after South Africa had rolled over for 69 in Guwahati, that too against the new ball, when Smith struck in each of her first three overs with deceptive use of her drift and natural variations. If Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits hardly moved their feet, Marizanne Kapp tried to reach the pitch of the ball and still saw the ball go through the gate, making the top order look clueless against left-arm spin.But do South Africa really have a problem against left-arm spin?Related

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Wolvaardt had been prepping with batting coach Baakier Abrahams on match eve for England’s left-arm spinning duo of Smith and Sophie Ecclestone, and the use of Smith with the new ball turned out to be key for England. It was, however, no surprise that Wolvaardt dismissed any similarities between that and how South Africa lost six wickets to Sandhu – four by the 17th over – in the third ODI against Pakistan just before the World Cup, because in the series before that, South Africa didn’t look troubled while facing left-arm spin against West Indies and in the tri-series involving India and Sri Lanka earlier this year. In fact, since the start of 2024, the South Africa batters average a solid 42.50 against left-arm spin, which ranks third among Full Member teams, after England and Australia.But it’s for a reason that England handed the new ball to Smith as soon as they opted to field. South Africa’s scoring troubles against left-arm spin appear more prominent when the ball is new: since the start of 2024 and until that match against England, South Africa had been scoring at just 4.03 an over in the powerplay against left-arm spin – much slower than England, West Indies, Sri Lanka and India – even if they weren’t losing as many wickets (just three in 192 balls).1:33

De Klerk: ‘We do expect to be spin-heavy for game against India’

England were also not the first ones to use the left-arm spin threat against South Africa, who have faced the most such deliveries since the start of 2024 (192 in 11 innings), while India have had to face just 120 such balls in 10 innings. Even if England employed Smith early on to put the brakes on South Africa, the Guwahati pitch that had turn and grip on offer worked wonders for her, while the South Africa batters played the wrong lines.It obviously doesn’t help South Africa that their entire line-up is stacked with only right-hand batters, which gives the opposition the luxury of attacking or strangling them with left-arm spinners. It’s a tactic New Zealand, South Africa’s next opponents, could not employ as their only left-arm spinner – the uncapped Flora Devonshire – was ruled out of the World Cup just before their clash, and South Africa had no issues in tackling the New Zealand’s offspinner or legspinner on a much flatter track in Indore.But why are left-arm spinners tougher to face for right-hand batters than offspinners or legspinners?”…Especially with the conditions that we’ve got in Guwahati and in Sri Lanka with the ball gripping and turning a bit, it’s always an advantage for a [left-arm] fingerspinner,” India’s Jemimah Rodrigues said on Wednesday. “And if someone has that good quality who can mix it up with bowling in (angling it in) and bowling out (turning it away), I think that’s where the challenge comes. I think it’s always great to have a good left-arm spinner on your team.”Laura Wolvaardt will be key for South Africa against India’s spin threat•ICC/Getty ImagesCome Thursday, South Africa will be up against a team who have two left-arm spinners in the squad, even though only Shree Charani has played the two India games so far while Radha Yadav has sat out. Whatever the conditions in Visakhapatnam, if India pick the more experienced Radha as well, it will surely plant a seed of doubt in South Africa’s mind of how to go about their approach against them.It’s not all doom and gloom for them though. Even if South Africa have the third-worst powerplay scoring rate (2.60) and the most wickets lost (three) against left-arm spinners in the early stages of this World Cup, they can take confidence from the fact that their captain Wolvaardt, who opens the innings, doesn’t fall too often to left-arm spinners and has largely picked up her scoring rate against them since her debut in 2016, averaging 67 and 51 while facing them in 2024 and 2025 respectively. South Africa will hope she leads them from the front on Thursday and then against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan as well, who can all slot a few left-arm spinners in their XIs.

A recap of some of the standout numbers from a run-fest in Guwahati

Sampath Bandarupalli28-Nov-202321 Runs needed for Australia at the start of the 20th over in Guwahati. These are the most target runs successfully chased by any team in the 20th over in T20Is. The previous highest was 19 runs by West Indies against England in the 2016 T20 World Cup final and Sri Lanka against Australia in the last year’s Pallekele T20I.4 Hundreds for Glenn Maxwell in T20Is, the joint-most by any batter in the format, equaling Rohit Sharma.ESPNcricinfo Ltd3 out of 4 T20I hundreds by Maxwell have come in run-chases. That is the most by any batter in men’s T20I chases, going one ahead of KL Rahul, Babar Azam and Muhammad Waseem. All three hundreds from Maxwell came while batting at No. 4 and lower, which is also a record.123* Ruturaj Gaikwad’s score in this match is the second-highest individual score for India in T20Is, behind Shubman Gill’s 126* against New Zealand in Ahmedabad in February. Gaikwad’s 123* is now the highest T20I score by any batter against Australia, surpassing Brendon McCullum’s 116* in 2010 in Christchurch.Related

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1 Number of individual T20I scores higher than Gaikwad’s 123* to be on the losing side. Shane Watson’s unbeaten 124 against India in 2016 at the SCG remains the highest T20I score in the losing cause.1 Maxwell also became the first batter to score a century in their 100th T20I match. The previous highest score in career’s 100th T20I game was 85 by Rohit Sharma against Bangladesh in 2019.47 Balls Maxwell needed for his century, the joint-fastest by an Australian in men’s T20Is, equaling Aaron Finch (vs England in 2013) and Josh Inglis (vs India in 2023).ESPNcricinfo Ltd3 Instances of two batters scoring hundreds in the same men’s T20I before Gaikwad and Maxwell did in Guwahati. Twice it was by the opposing batters – Evin Lewis and KL Rahul in Lauderhill in 2016 was the first, while Johnson Charles and Quinton de Kock replicated it earlier this year in Centurion.Sabawoon Davizi and Dylan Steyn, the Czech Republic openers, scored hundreds in the same game against Bulgaria in 2022, the only instance of two centuries in a men’s T20I innings.223 The target chased down by Australia in Guwahati is the highest in T20Is against India, surpassing South Africa’s 212-run chase in Delhi last year. It is also the second-highest successful chase for Australia, behind the 244 against New Zealand in 2018.ESPNcricinfo Ltd68 Runs conceded by Prasidh Krishna in his four overs are the most for India in a T20I match. Yuzvendra Chahal’s 64 runs against South Africa in 2018 were the previous most.53 Runs between India and Australia in the 20th over of this match. These are the most runs aggregated in the 20th over of any men’s T20 game, where ball-by-ball data is available. Maxwell, who bowled the 20th over in the Indian innings, conceded 30 runs but helped Australia score 23 in the chase, with 18 runs in four balls he faced.

Who has scored the most first-class hundreds without ever making a double-century?

Steven Lynch19-Apr-2022Dewald Brevis made his IPL debut before playing a single first-class match. I know some Indians have done this, but is it unique for an overseas player? asked Shekhar Mehra from India

Mumbai Indians’ 18-year-old South African signing Dewald Brevis – one of the stars of the recent Under-19 World Cup – is actually the sixth overseas player to appear in the IPL before making his first-class debut. The first was the Jamaican seamer Krishmar Santokie, for Mumbai Indians in 2014, and he’s been followed by the Afghan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane in 2018, Australian allrounder Chris Green in 2020, and the hard-hitting Singapore-born batter Tim David in 2021.Santokie played a dozen T20Is for West Indies, and 119 T20 matches in all, but never did appear in a first-class match; Green (137 T20 games) and David (91, including 14 internationals) have not yet played first-class cricket. Mujeeb has played just one first-class match to date, and it was a Test – Afghanistan’s first one, against India in Bengaluru in 2018.No fewer than 63 Indians have played in the IPL before making their first-class debuts.I notice that Shan Masood has a List A average of 57.46. Is he top of the list? asked Tom McGuirk from Canada

The Pakistan left-hander Shan Masood, who has made such a good start to his county career with Derbyshire, is actually third on this list at the moment (given a qualification of 50 innings). His current List A average of 57.46 puts him just behind Michael Bevan (57.86), but ahead of Virat Kohli (56.83) and Babar Azam (56.07).The identity of the top man is rather a surprise: it’s Warwickshire’s Sam Hain, who’s yet to play for England despite a List A average of 59.78.Keshav Maharaj took seven wickets in the second innings of both recent Tests against Bangladesh. How many people have done this? asked Richie Knight from South Africa

South Africa’s slow left-armer Keshav Maharaj, who took 7 for 32 in Durban and 7 for 40 in Gqeberha, was only the tenth man to take seven-fors in successive Test matches, a list headed by the old England bowler George Lohmann, who actually did it in three consecutive matches, against South Africa in 1895-96.The others to manage two were England’s Tich Freeman (1929), Clarrie Grimmett (in what turned out to be his final two Tests for Australia in 1935-36), England’s Alec Bedser (in his first two, in 1946), South Africa’s Hugh Tayfield (1956-57; he took 8 for 69 and 9 for 113), Tony Lock of England (1958), the distinguished Pakistan trio of Imran Khan (in the year 1982), Abdul Qadir (in the year 1987) and Waqar Younis (1990-91), and India’s Harbhajan Singh (in two matches against Australia in 2000-01 in which he took 28 wickets in all). Of these, only Tayfield, Lock and Maharaj took both their seven-fors in the second innings.Keshav Maharaj became the tenth man to take seven-fors in consecutive Tests•AFP/Getty ImagesWho has scored the most first-class hundreds without ever making a double-century? asked Gokul Mohan from the UAE

The leader here is the New Zealand opener John Wright, who made 59 first-class centuries with a highest score of 192, for Canterbury against Central Districts in New Plymouth in 1986-87. Next come the former England batter Arthur Milton, whose 56 first-class centuries included a highest score of 170, and Bill Athey (55, highest score 184). The most first-class runs without a double-century is 34,994, by Brian Close, whose 52 tons included a highest of 198 for Yorkshire against Surrey at The Oval in 1960.In Tests, both Mohammad Azharuddin (highest score 199) and Colin Cowdrey (182) made 22 centuries without a double, while Alec Stewart scored 8463 runs with 15 centuries, the highest being 190.Further to last week’s question about one-cap wonders, how many people have played just the one Test for Australia? asked Kraig Tyrrell from Australia

To date, 72 men have been lucky enough – or unfortunate enough, depending on your point of view – to win just one Test cap for Australia. That includes a few who might yet play again, notably opener Will Pucovski and seamer Michael Neser, who both made their debuts during 2021. The stories of the other 70 have been collected together in a beautifully produced book, Fifteen Minutes of Fame, by the industrious Melbourne writer Ken Piesse (for details, see his website www.cricketbooks.com.au).There are also 40 women (again including some current players), who have played one Test for Australia.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Arsenal have now reportedly joined Liverpool in the race to sign Jean-Philippe Mateta from Crystal Palace, as contract talks continue to drag on between the striker and the South London club.

The Gunners return from the international break looking to get back to winning ways after entering it off the back of a dramatic 2-2 draw against Sunderland and it doesn’t get much bigger than the North London derby. Up against rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Mikel Arteta’s side will be aiming to prove their title credentials once again and at least maintain their four-point lead at the top.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the derby, Arteta reiterated just how big a rivalry it is, saying: “It’s just different. it’s a big city, but it’s a big rivalry; it’s a part of London that we want to conquer, and they want to do the same.

“There’s been a lot of shifts as well over the years, we’ve been more dominant and it’s just beautiful, especially when we play at home in front of our people, we know what it means to them.

“The energy that they’re going to bring, the energy that the team is going to bring in every single action, it’s just a privilege to play those kind of games. We cannot wait to get to Sunday.”

Arteta must axe Eze & unleash Arsenal star who's "very similar" to Bergkamp

With Eberechi Eze failing to catch fire at Arsenal, Mikel Arteta could seek a replacement against Spurs.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 22, 2025

It marks the beginning of a crucial week for Arsenal, who have the small task of playing host to Bayern Munich just days after the Tottenham clash before then travelling to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea. Three points from three in such a run would highlight just how serious the Gunners are about winning major honours.

In their current run, it would also be difficult for many players to turn Arsenal down and that may even be the case for Palace star Mateta.

Arsenal join race to sign Mateta

According to Caught Offside, Arsenal have now joined the race to sign Mateta from Crystal Palace in what could be their second major signing from the Eagles following their recent move for Eberechi Eze.

The Frenchman is set to become a free agent in 2027 and with contract talks yet to reach a resolution, the South London club may be forced to cash in sooner or later – allowing the Gunners to make their move.

A player who’s already been on the scoresheet at the Emirates in the past, Mateta could yet get the chance to wheel away in celebration every week in North London. Such a move would certainly be well-earned, too. From initial struggles, the 28-year-old has become one of the best strikers in the Premier League.

Minutes

959

800

Goals

6

4

Assists

0

0

Expected Goals

8.1

4.6

There’s a reason why Palace boss Oliver Glasner has dubbed his star striker “excellent” in the past and the comparison with Gyokeres shows the level that he’s operating at. If Arsenal want to ensure that their goalscoring problems are ended for good, then they should sign the Palace star.

Arsenal hold talks with £71m ex-Man Utd star after post-Old Trafford transformation

Hampshire have recruited Australia allrounder Amanda-Jade Wellington as one of their overseas players for the 2026 season.Wellington, 28, has previous experience of playing at the Utilita Bowl with Southern Brave in the Hundred – she is the second-highest wicket-taker across five seasons of the competition – and joins after a successful campaign with Somerset in the inaugural women’s Tier 1 season earlier this year.”I’m really excited to join Hampshire for the upcoming season,” Wellington said. “I had a great time at Utilita Bowl in my two years at Southern Brave and I look forward to catching up with familiar faces and making new memories which will hopefully result in trophies come end the end of the summer.”Related

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An attacking legspinner and capable batter, Wellington has played 23 times for Australia across all formats, but not since 2022. She is expected to be available throughout the summer for Hampshire.Regional director of women’s cricket, Adam Carty, said: “We’re really pleased to secure Amanda-Jade for the whole of next season. She’s a friend of the club and a vastly experienced cricketer, who boasts a fine record with bat and ball in England having featured effectively in the Hundred and in Tier 1.”We look forward to welcoming her back to Utilita Bowl in 2026.”

علق إبراهيم حسن، مدير منتخب مصر الأول لكرة القدم، على قرعة كأس العالم 2026 والتواجد مع منتخبات بلجيكا وإيران ونيوزيلندا.

وأسفرت قرعة كأس العالم 2026، عن تواجد منتخب مصر بقيادة حسام حسن في المجموعة السابعة، وتضم منتخبات بلجيكا وإيران ومصر ونيوزيلندا.

طالع | منافس منتخب مصر في كأس العالم 2026 حال التأهل من دور المجموعات

وتنطلق منافسات بطولة كأس العالم، خلال الفترة من 11 يونيو وحتى 19 يوليو 2026، بمشاركة 48 منتخبًا، في كندا والمكسيك والولايات المتحدة الأمريكية.

وقال إبراهيم حسن لبرنامج “الناظر” مع أحمد شوبير على قناة “النهار”: “شعوري بتواجدي في محفل مثل قرعة كأس العالم فخر وشرف كبير جدًا، في حضور رئيس أمريكا ورئيس الاتحاد الدولي وأساطير العالم، الأمر لم يكن سهلًا”.

وتابع: “قبل القرعة تحدثنا مع بعض المنتخبات لكي نخوض مباريات ودية معهم، كان من ضمنها إيران، وبعد القرعة تحدثنا مع بعض المنتخبات مثل ألمانيا ومع مدرب إسبانيا”.

وأكمل: “واجهنا منتخب بلجيكا من قبل ويضم لاعبين أقوياء جدًا، مجموعتنا أفضل من غيرنا، لو عملنا حساباتنا بشكل صحيح”.

واختتم: “نتمنى تكون خطوة أولى في تاريخ مصر، والتأهل من دور المجموعات بالعمل وليس بالكلام، طموحي أنا وحسام حسن ليس له حدود، أهم شيء المساندة والمنظومة تكون في ظهرنا”.

West Ham are scouring the market for a new striker as Niclas Füllkrug prepares to depart the London Stadium in January, and a former Tottenham forward has now entered their radar.

Nuno Espirito Santo has called upon Callum Wilson and Lucas Paqueta to play the striker role in Fullkrug’s latest injury absence, but even once the Germany international returns, he won’t be donning Claret and Blue for long.

The 32-year-old’s disappointing spell at the London Stadium is set to end after just 18 months, with trusted sources like Fabrizio Romano confirming that Fullkrug plans to seek a new challenge as soon as the transfer window reopens.

Discussions have already been initiated and the player’s representatives are said to be in contact with potential suitors from Germany and beyond.

Fullkrug has made just 27 appearances for West Ham since his arrival on a four-year contract in August 2024, scoring only three goals, with his first season heavily disrupted by two long-term injuries that saw him miss a combined 28 games for club and country.

Achilles tendon

08/09/2024

02/12/2024

16

Hamstring injury

11/01/2025

01/04/2025

12

Romano revealed in his GiveMeSport newsletter this week that West Ham are hopeful of finding a striker who would be a better fit than Füllkrug, with the club already considering options.

West Ham have Man United’s Joshua Zirkzee on their list of targets, with the Dutch striker struggling for regular opportunities under Ruben Amorim. The Hammers are also reportedly quite interested in signing Ivan Toney on loan as the England striker looks to battle his way back into Thomas Tuchel’s squad.

Nuno’s side explored the possibility of signing Real Madrid’s Endrick on loan too, but the Brazilian teenager is now on the verge of a move to Lyon instead.

Reports in Italy suggest AC Milan striker Santiago Gimenez will cost around £21 million to sign in January, amid reports that West Ham are keen on handing the Mexico international a fresh start in the Premier League after a tough time at the San Siro.

While January is a notoriously difficult window, the east Londoners do have options on the table, and one of them is now former Tottenham striker Troy Parrott.

West Ham eyeing former Tottenham striker Troy Parrott

According to Turkish media, West Ham are eyeing a move for Parrott amid his scintillating Eredivisie campaign so far, as Fullkrug also ‘prepares to leave’.

The Republic of Ireland international left Spurs permanently in 2024 to join AZ Alkmaar in a deal worth just under £7 million, and he’s since found a new home in the Netherlands.

Parrott’s racked up 13 goals in 14 appearances for AZ already this season, with six of them coming in the Dutch top flight.

The 23-year-old has also fired them to third in the table and four wins from their last five games, with Parrott’s form now attracting West Ham’s attention as AZ make his price tag known.

They want at least £26 million to consider parting company in January, and such a fee would mean they make a near-quadruple profit off hs sale.

Parrott heroically guided his country to the World Cup play-offs after scoring a hat-trick in their 3-2 qualifying win over Hungary on Sunday.

It’s turning out to be quite the year for him, and a return to London could be on the cards if he wills it and West Ham are prepared to pay AZ’s asking price.

MatériaMais Notícias

Com cinco vitórias em seis jogos, o Santos lidera o Paulistão e contou com a presença de Neymar na Vila Belmiro durante a vitória sobre o Corinthians. O Peixe bateu o Timão por 1 a 0 nesta quarta-feira (7), e o craque ‘invadiu’ a entrevista coletiva do técnico Fábio Carille para cumprimentá-lo.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Peixe agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Santos

A dupla se abraçou, e o treinador encheu o camisa 10 da Seleção Brasileira de elogios, além de brincar sobre a presença dele na Vila Belmiro.

– É um ídolo que o Santos tem. Não veio antes do jogo, achei bom para não tirar nosso foco (risos), deixa ele vir só no final. Mexe com todo mundo, jogador de muito grandeza – afirmou.

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Tendo Neymar como expectador no estádio, Carille enalteceu a vitória do Santos sobre o Corinthians. Ele deu mérito aos jogadores que, mesmo com poucos treinos em campo, absorveram as ideias da comissão técnica.

– Tem o meu dedo e da comissão neste início, mas muito da qualidade dos jogadores em entender rápido. As mensagens, avisos, vídeos são rápidos. Trabalho no campo estamos fazendo pouco. É muito da qualidade e sabedoria dos jogadores. Sei que pode ser mais, pela vontade e qualidade deles.

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SEQUÊNCIA

A próxima partida do Santos será contra o Mirassol, no domingo (11), pela sétima rodada do Paulistão.

Tudo sobre

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Los Angeles Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto gave his team a gift on Saturday. He carried a one-hit game into the seventh inning of a World Series outing against the New York Yankees. And while the opening part of that sentence was nice—of course—it was the clause that followed that might ultimately prove to be the most important. This was one of the best games that Yamamoto has pitched in his first year in MLB. But its greatest value may come from its length.

The Dodgers are in an enviable position. They now sit up 2–0 in the World Series over the Yankees after Saturday’s 4–2 win. But there are still pockets of this roster worthy of concern. This rotation could generously be described as threadbare: The only place to look for a full starting five around here is on the injured list. Los Angeles has navigated the playoffs thus far with just three starting pitchers, two of whom missed significant time with injuries this year themselves, making it difficult to rely on them for any serious length. The Dodgers’ top relievers have admirably carried the resulting load, including navigating bullpen games in every round, even in critical situations. But that weight accumulates. Yet they collectively got a critical opportunity for breathing room with Yamamoto’s outing Sunday.

It was just the second time in 13 playoff games this year that a Dodgers starter pitched into the seventh. 

“Obviously, the bullpen is going to be leaned on a lot during this series,” said Dodgers reliever Michael Kopech, who pitched the eighth inning on Saturday. “And for him to give us some length and not only be able to pitch well, but dominate, that’s huge.” 

This was the most important start that Yamamoto has made for the Dodgers, and it was one of his best, too. In 6 1/3 innings, he allowed just one hit and two walks and struck out four. Yamamoto managed to look his best as he settled in and the night wore on: He retired the last 11 batters he saw. It was a performance made all the more impressive by the fact that it had been more than four months since he worked so deep into a game. 

A strained rotator cuff kept Yamamoto out for much of this summer. Entering Saturday, he had not thrown more than 79 pitches in any game since he returned to the mound in mid-September, and he had not pitched beyond the fifth inning. While the Dodgers have won in all four of his outings this postseason, his performance had been somewhat uneven, with a notably rough first career playoff start in the National League Division Series. Yet he cruised through the middle innings of his first World Series game with such ease that Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts had no doubts about letting him go past 80 pitches to get to the seventh inning.

“Watching how he was throwing the baseball,” the manager said, “there wasn't much stress in the game.”

Asked what he thought had played up the best for him, Yamamoto gave a straightforward answer: “Everything was working well today,” he said through an interpreter. Which was similar to the answer given by Yankees manager Aaron Boone. “I thought his fastball was good, slowing us down with a little curveball, and then the slider and the split, of course,” he said. In other words? Everything. It was a showcase of what the diminutive righty can be at his best.

This particular stage may not be familiar to Yamamoto. But he’s delivered in championship series before. Nearly a year ago, in his final professional game in Nippon Professional Baseball, he took the mound for Game 6 of the Japan Series. He stepped up with one of the most dazzling performances of his decorated career: Yamamoto threw a complete game on 138 pitches and set a record with 14 strikeouts. Six weeks later, he’d signed his 12-year, $325-million contract with the Dodgers, hoping to deliver a similar performance one day in a World Series.

“He was made for those moments,” said Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández. “He was doing it in Japan before he got here, and as soon as he got here, he was doing it here. We trust in him.”

That has paid off. Los Angeles’s bullpen is trying to manage both its workload and its exposure to the New York lineup. Yamamoto got them a break on both fronts on Saturday. 

“It really took a lot of stress off the bullpen,” said Dodgers reliever Anthony Banda. “What he did here was huge.”