During England's 1-0 loss to Brazil, Gareth Southgate handed debuts to three players and later presented them with commemorative caps.

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• Mainoo, Gordon and Konsa make England debut
• All three commemorated with special caps
• Will likely be involved in action against Belgium

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The three players who were handed their debuts were Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon, Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa and Manchester United's Kobbie Mainoo. The trio were handed the commemorative caps by the Three Lions boss which beared the numbers 1278, 1279 and 1280, marking the number of players to have represented the national team.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Out of the three debutants, Gordon was the only player to have started the game for the Three Lions and was substituted off in the 75th minute. Konsa came onto the playing field in the 20th minute, replacing the injured Kyle Walker. Finally, Mainoo came on 15 minutes from time, replacing Chelsea's Conor Gallagher in the middle of the field.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR THE DEBUTANTS?

  It is likely that Gordon and Konsa may get the full start in the nation's next friendly against Belgium on Tuesday, March 26. Mainoo on the other hand may be utilised as a substitute yet again unless Southgate feels particularly adventurous on the night.

Chelsea received positive news as Cole Palmer returned to training after being forced to miss England's recent friendlies with Brazil and Belgium.

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Palmer absent from England squadAttacker back in training with BluesMalo Gusto also joined his team-matesWHAT HAPPENED?

Despite being included in the squad, Palmer was absent from the England's recent international matches as it was reported he was struggling with fitness issues. However, the 21-year-old was back on the training field on Wednesday, Chelsea confirmed, just one day after the Three Lions' second friendly against Belgium.

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Full-back Malo Gusto also made his return to training in midweek after he withdrew from the France Under-21 team. However, coach Mauricio Pochettino is still without Levi Colwill, Reece James and Christopher Nkunku in training as the trio continue to struggle with injuries.

DID YOU KNOW?

Palmer has been an integral asset for Chelsea since joining the club from Manchester City last summer. He has scored 11 goals and made eight assists in 23 Premier League appearances, making him their most productive player in the English top flight.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR PALMER?

The attacking midfielder will likely be involved when Chelsea take on Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday. They will then start preparing for the clash against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on April 4.

يستعد منتخب مصر الأولمبي تحت القيادة الفنية للمدرب البرازيلي روجيرو ميكالي، لافتتاح مشواره في دورة الألعاب الأولمبية “أولمبياد” باريس 2024، بمواجهة الدومينيكيان.

المباراة المقرر إقامتها في السادسة من مساء غد الأربعاء، على ملعب استاد لا بوجوار بمدينة نانت الفرنسية، ضمن منافسات الجولة الأولى لحساب المجموعة الثالثة بالأولمبياد.

ويتواجد منتخب مصر في المجموعة الثالثة التي تضم إلى جواره منتخبات إسبانيا وأوزبكستان والدومينيكان.

طالع | القنوات الناقلة لـ أولمبياد باريس 2024

ويخوض منتخب مصر مباراته مرتديًا القميص الأحمر والشورت الأسود والجورب الأسود، بينما سيرتدي منتخب الدومينيكان الزي الأبيض كاملًا.

وكان منتخب مصر قد تأهل للمنافسة في الأولمبياد بعد حصده المركز الثاني في بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيًا بالمغرب تحب 23 سنة، فيما فاز أصحاب الأرض بالميدالية الذهبية.

فيما تأهل منتخب الدومينيكان إلى الأولمبياد بعد احتلاله المركز الثاني في بطولة الكونكاكاف للشباب تحت 20 عامًا، سنة 2022.

وكشف بطولات في وقت سابق عن استقرار ميكالي على تشكيل منتخب مصر لتلك المباراة والذي من المنتظر أن يأتي على النحو التالي:-

حمزة علاء، أحمد عيد، عمر فايد، حسام عبد المجيد، كريم الدبيس، كوكا “إذا تعافى من الإصابة”، محمد شحاتة، محمد النني، زيزو، أسامة فيصل، (أحمد عاطف قطة أو مصطفى ميسي).

خاص | باستثناء مركز واحد.. ميكالي يحسم تشكيل مصر أمام الدومينيكان في الأولمبياد

وكان منتخب مصر قد خاض مباراتين وديتين في معسكر الاعداد لـ الأولمبياد أمام أوكرانيا والعراق، تعادل في الأولى وخسر الثانية بهدفين دون رد.

وأسندت اللجنة المنظمة لـ دورة الألعاب الأولمبية، إدارة مباراة مصر والدومينيكان إلى طاقم تحكيم نسائي بقيادة اليابانية يوشيمي ياماشيتا.

ScorecardKyle Abbott registered his best bowling figures of the season as Hampshire completed a 114-run victory over Worcestershire in the Specsavers County Championship relegation battle at New Road.Abbott ended with 6 for 39 from 14 overs as Worcestershire, who resumed on 120 for 8, were dismissed for 133.Abbott claimed one of the two remaining wickets to fall as he followed up yesterday’s first hat-trick of his career to finish with eight wickets in the game.Hampshire’s third win of the season earned them 19 points and lifted them above Lancashire into fifth spot.It enabled them to complete a double over their opponents and was the perfect response after last week’s hammering by an innings and 52 runs against current champions Essex at Chelmsford.Their experienced international pace trio of Abbott, Dale Steyn and Fidel Edwards were a handful throughout for the home batsmen in seamer-friendly conditions. Ball dominated bat throughout with the only half-century of the game registered by Hampshire wicket-keeper Tom Alsop.”It was a great effort. The first morning, we knew it was going to be tough so to get 190 was a good effort and then to bowl them out and take a 70 run lead into our second innings was crucial,” Craig White, the Hampshire coach, said.”The partnership between Alsop and Dawson in our second innings was fantastic and then Abbott’s spell last night sort of cracked things open for us. There were a lot of key performances and it was generally a great team effort. Everyone chipped in.”You play a brilliant game like we did against Nottinghamshire, you perform like we did against Essex and then like we did today. It is so up and down. But when we are on form, we know we can match anyone.”Whilst Hampshire have significantly boosted their hopes of survival, Worcestershire are now facing an uphill task to avoid an instant return to Division Two after back to back defeats. They picked up only three bowling bonus points from this game and remain in bottom spot.The challenge to survive does not get any easier as champions elect Surrey head to New Road next week ahead of a visit to Essex and the final game of the campaign at home to Yorkshire.Worcestershire resumed on 120 for 8 with Ross Whiteley unbeaten on 37 and Wayne Parnell 17 not out. A cover drive for four by Parnell against Steyn brought up the half century stand.But Abbott’s first delivery of the day accounted for Whiteley who was beaten all ends up and bowled without addition to his overnight score.Parnell and last man Dillon Pennington hung around for nine overs. But it was Steyn who ended proceedings when Parnell on 26 nicked through to Jimmy Adams at second slip.

Manchester United returned to winning ways as they secured a 1-0 victory over Luton Town in the Premier League this afternoon.

Erik ten Hag will be relieved to see his side head into the international break having secured all three points, but there are still plenty of problems at Old Trafford and an expected win against the Hatters won’t change that. While the Red Devils dominated possession throughout the tie, they couldn’t finish Luton off and missed several big chances during the match.

Defender Victor Lindelof was the unexpected match winner, scoring the only goal in the first half, but there were several poor performances, most notably Rasmus Hojlund.

Rasmus Hojlund’s game in numbers vs Luton Town

The Danish striker entered the game having scored another Champions League double, taking his total in Europe to five goals this term, yet oddly, he had yet to score in the Premier League. His drought didn’t end today either, as the youngster wasted two big chances during the match, including what looked like a simple tap in.

Hojlund took just 18 touches before he was substituted in the 79th minute, fewer than Andre Onana in goal, while he completed just five of his eight passes, indicating how isolated he was up front.

The former Atalanta frontman also struggled in one on one battles this afternoon as he failed to win a single duel, losing all three along with losing possession eight times in total, and despite shining on the continent, it appears as though he still has a lot to learn in the top flight.

Rasmus Hojlund’s season in numbers

There is no doubt the 20-year-old will eventually find his feet at United, and he would get on better if he was given better service during matches. His form in the Champions League is promising and among the United squad in the competition, Hojlund not only ranks first for overall Sofascore rating (7.55), but also first for goals and assists (five), shots on target per game (1.5) and fifth for key passes per game (0.8), demonstrating he has what it takes to shine in Europe’s premier club competition.

For whatever reason, he hasn’t been able to translate this form onto the domestic scene, and he drops down to seventh across the squad for shots on target per game (0.5) and ninth for key passes per game (0.9) and this is something Ten Hag will be working on to improve.

His first league goal surely will be just around the corner, yet missing two glaring opportunities against Luton wont exactly help his confidence. Perhaps the international break comes at the right time and with Denmark playing Slovenia and Northern Ireland over the next nine days, it gives Hojlund a chance to add to his seven goals across just ten matches for his country.

It wouldn’t do his confidence any harm and the young talent may just arrive back in Manchester ready to break his Premier League drought and push United up the league table in the process.

Chelsea look like they have turned a corner in recent weeks as Mauricio Pochettino looks to continue their good run of form with a win against Brentford today.

The Blues have not lost since a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa in September and while it has taken the Argentinian a few months to assert his authority on the squad, it looks as though it is working.

Chelsea have vastly improved in recent weeks

After that loss, the Blues rebounded by defeating in-form Brighton and Hove Albion in the EFL Cup before claiming comfortable wins over Fulham and Burnley in the Premier League in the space of five days, and they headed into the match against Arsenal riding the crest of a wave.

The Stamford Bridge side went two goals up and looked set for their most important win of the season, yet the Gunners fought back to claim a 2-2 draw, and upon reflection, it was still a positive result.

The Blues struggled for goals during the early weeks of the season, scoring just seven in their opening seven matches, yet since the aforementioned loss to Villa, Pochettino’s side netted two or more across three of their four matches.

Brentford have endured their struggles this term, yet they could be tough to play against and the former Paris Saint-Germain coach may look to rejig his side ahead of the match.

Nicolas Jackson could make the difference vs Brentford

The 6 foot 1 forward arrived at the club during the summer transfer window from Villarreal having scored 12 La Liga goals during a breakthrough season with the senior side.

The Senegal international can play across the front three, yet operating in a more central role is perhaps his strongest position and this is where he can be the most effective for Chelsea.

Indeed, he has already scored three times for the club, leading the scoring charts alongside Raheem Sterling, yet he had to make do with a place on the bench for the tie against Arsenal.

Across the Chelsea squad in the Premier League, he currently ranks first for shots on target per game (1.1), while also ranking seventh for key passes per game (0.8) and second for successful dribbles per game (1.6), indicating a decent start to life at the club.

If he had been a bit more clinical in front of goal, Jackson would have certainly scored more as he has missed seven big chances which ranks him first across the squad.

The more he plays, the better he could get, and the 22-year-old was hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig following his 2022/23 La Liga seas, who said it was “the beginning of something extraordinary” and this is high praise indeed.

He deserves a chance to start against the Bees and given the good run of form that the club are on, everyone appears to be full of confidence.

Jackson could terrorise Thomas Frank's side if he is able to use his dribbling and shot-taking attributes to constantly make things happen at the top end of the pitch, if his finishing is of the requisite quality this afternoon.

The former Villarreal starlet could get better under Pochettino and by securing another vital win today, the Blues will continue their march up the league table.

تحدث الحكم الدولي الأسبق والخبير التحكيمي الحالي أحمد الشناوي عن الحالات المثيرة للجدل في مباراة الزمالك وبيراميدز بالدوري المصري.

المباراة أقيمت على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي ضمن مؤجلات الجولة 18 وانتهت بالتعادل الإيجابي 1-1، وأدارها تحكيميًا الدولي محمد عادل.

جوميز: بيراميدز أجبرنا على تغيير أسلوبنا.. وجميع الأندية لم تفعل مثل الزمالك

وقال الشناوي في تصريحات تلفزيونية لفضائية “أون تايم سبورتس 1”: “هدف بيراميدز الملغي بداعي التسلل، لحظة لعب الكرة لاعب بيراميدز كان يسبق بيده”.

وأضاف: “تقنية الفيديو تدخلت وقدمت عملًا جيدًا والتسلل كان حاضرًا وقرار صحيح بالغاء هدف بيراميدز”.

وأضاف: “أما ركلة جزاء بيراميدز، فتوجد عرقلة لمرون حمدي والخطأ حاضرًا وقرار محمد عادل كان صحيحًا باحتساب ضربة جزاء لصالح بيراميدز”.

الجدير بالذكر، أن تعادل بيراميدز اليوم أدى لفقدانه صدارة ترتيب الدوري المصري، لصالح الأهلي الذي فاز على المصري بهدف نظيف.

Arsenal could already be looking towards the January transfer window, with additional attacking reinforcements linked with a move to the Emirates this winter.

While Mikel Arteta’s side have started the season in encouraging fashion, sitting one point from the summit after 12 games played, the recurring issue of squad depth is looming over north London as key players to the XI suffer injury.

January could be the opportunity for the manager to not only bolster his numbers, but also welcome added star quality to keep his side pushing in the title race, with one of the top-performers in Europe said to be admired by Arsenal.

Arsenal transfer targets – Florian Wirtz

Last month, a report from TEAMtalk claimed that the Gunners had ‘made checks’ on Bayer Leverkusen phenomenon, Florian Wirtz.

With a market value of €100m (£87m), the German will likely be out of Arsenal’s budget for the January window, unless the club can generate profit from sales, however it’s clear to see just why the north Londoners have eyed the playmaker.

At the age of 20, the attacking midfielder has already secured 120 career appearances and has more astonishingly recorded 69 goal contributions in that time, showcasing his prominence in the final third.

What Florian Wirtz could offer to Arsenal

Lauded as an “elite talent” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Wirtz could offer Arteta another world-class option in the number ten role, currently occupied by club captain Martin Odegaard.

In signing a player of the calibre of the Germany international, the manager could reintroduce a creative flame at the Emirates that was extinguished when Mesut Ozil departed in 2021.

Aside from being a top creator, ranking in the top 1% of those in his position in Europe’s top five leagues for his rate of 0.53 assists per 90, and in the top 2% for his average of 3.28 key passes per 90, the 20-year-old’s playing style is similar to the former Arsenal magician.

Earlier this year, journalist Stefan Bienkowski commented on how Wirtz’s approach to play reminded him of Ozil’s creative mastery, suggesting that Arteta could capture Arsenal’s true heir to the World Cup winner by signing the Leverkusen ace.

Mesut Ozil 15/16 Premier League vs Florian Wirtz 23/24 Bundesliga

Statistic

Mesut Ozil

Florian Wirtz

Key passes per game

4.2

2.7

Pass completion %

86.3%

84.2%

Shots per game

1.4

2.1

Dribbles per game

1.3

2.6

Average passes per game

65.1

51.2

Through balls per game

0.5

0.2

Figures via WhoScored

As highlighted in the table above, the 12-cap German international has identifiable traits identical to those of Ozil during arguably his best season at Arsenal, in which he claimed 19 Premier League assists during the Gunners’ second-place finish under Arsene Wenger in 2015/16.

What’s notable is that Wirtz is just 20, reinforcing just how prominent his talents are currently, and could grow to become, similar to those of the former north London hero who made his name at Real Madrid.

From goals, to assists, to an innate reading of the game, Arteta could significantly bolster his options in the final third by signing the highly-rated Leverkusen dynamo, whose talents will only get better in time.

Afghanistan put up 249 on a slow pitch and their spinners did the rest

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Sep-20180:59

Dasgupta: Sri Lanka had no gameplan

Three days into the tournament, Sri Lanka have become the first team to crash out of the Asia Cup, hurtling to a shock 91-run defeat against Afghanistan, who had hauled themselves to 249 on the back of Rahmat Shah’s 72, then defended doggedly with the ball, extracting maximum benefit from Sri Lanka’s copious batting mistakes. The win means Afghanistan are through to the Super Four stage of the tournament, along with Bangladesh.It was in the field and with the bat that Sri Lanka dug their own grave, as had been the case on Saturday against Bangladesh. Another catch was dropped off the opposition’s top-scorer, while run-out chances were missed, and ground fielding continued to be sloppy. Then, with bat in hand, Sri Lanka never seemed to have the measure of the target. Kusal Mendis was out second ball, trapped lbw by a drifting Mujeeb Ur Rahman delivery. And although at times Sri Lanka threatened to build partnerships, they somehow found ways to self-destruct. There were two run-outs in the innings, several strange and fatal shot choices, and an overall theme of inadequacy and mayhem to the innings.As expected, Afghanistan’s trio of match-turning spinners wreaked havoc, but right-arm seamer Gulbadin Naib also shared in the fun. Naib, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb and Mohammad Nabi took two wickets apiece, with all four of these bowlers conceding comfortably less than four an over. So comprehensive was this victory, that you would never guess Sri Lanka were the team who have won this tournament five times, and the opposition were the upstarts. Afghanistan seemed in control of this game from the very outset, when they put on 57 for the first wicket. Their only wobble was in the final 10 overs of their innings, when they managed only 66 runs, and lost seven wickets.Twice, Sri Lanka suggested they would set about calmly knocking off this score, only for disaster to strike. Upul Tharanga and Dhananjaya de Silva put on 54 for the second wicket, without being too sorely tested by the oppostion’s bowlers, until de Silva attempted an ill-advised second run despite the strong protestations of his partner, and got himself run-out in a scenario in which both batsmen ended up at the same end. Later, after a second running mix-up – for which Angelo Mathews was largely to blame – Sri Lanka were tottering at 108 for 5. Mathews and Thisara Perera seemed to dig in and start a rescue, only for Mathews to hole out to long-on attempting to hit a much-needed boundary.It is true that Sri Lanka’s batsmen often attempted poorly-conceived strokes – Kusal Perera was a prime example, attempting a pre-meditated slog sweep off Rashid’s very first over, which ended with his off stump pegged back. But they were usually bullied into a panic by a disciplined and relentless Afghanistan attack, which gave away very few loose deliveries, while their fielders backed the bowlers up in clinical fashion. If there is some kind of modest defence of the Sri Lanka batsmen, it is that they generally tried to pierce the field before losing their wicket trying to hit over it. In the end, Sri Lanka didn’t even get close – the last five wickets falling for 15 runs – with Rashid landing the final blow.In their own innings, Afghanistan had been steady, right up until the 42nd over. Mohammad Shahzad hit 34 – occasionally flirting with disaster, without embracing it like several Sri Lanka batsman would do later in the evening. His opening partner Ihsanullah hit 45 off 65 balls, before eventually being dismissed lbw by Akila Dananjaya, just like Shahzad.Although neither opener reached a half-century, they had left Afghanistan in a decent position – at 107 for 2 in the 25th over, at Ihsanullah’s departure. Shah took over after that, and his was mostly a controlled innings – the likes of which he has played many times over the last 18 months, as Afghanistan’s most consistent batsman. Though his first scoring shot was streaky – an outside edge off Dananjaya evading first slip – he settled nicely thereafter, finding singles and twos into a now-spread field. Afghanistan’s first three dismissals were all lbws, but Shah ensured he blocked out the majority of the straight deliveries the spinners delivered to him.He was so conservative, in fact, that he didn’t hit his first boundary until his 44th ball, crashing Shehan Jayasuriya’s offspin through the covers after backing away and making room. He was more adventurous later in his innings, reaching fifty off the 63rd ball he faced with a four over mid-on, and then venturing a couple more boundaries square, on either side of the pitch. Attempting to raise the tempo in the 42nd over, he could only hit a slower ball from Dushmantha Chameera as far as long-on, where Thisara completed an overhead catch.Sri Lanka’s bowlers would regroup through the last nine overs, with Thisara proving penetrative in particular, completing his first five-wicket haul since 2012, relying mostly on yorkers for those wickets. Three of Thisara’s dismissals, however, came in the final over of the innings and so as five-fors go, this one did not have a substantial effect on the opposition’s score.In any case, Sri Lanka batted so poorly against a spirited Afghanistan attack, there was perhaps little their bowlers could have done to save them.

Tottenham Hotspur have been heavily linked with a move for Al-Ittihad forward Jota, and a transfer insider has now shared the chances of him completing a loan move to the Premier League in January.

What happened to Jota in Saudi?

Over the summer, Jota completed his big switch from Celtic to Al-Ittihad, but he’s so far failed to make any kind of positive impression at his new club having started zero games and made just five substitute appearances in the Saudi Pro League (WhoScored – Jota statistics).

The Portugal international reportedly had a fallout with some of his teammates early on, which has resulted in his exclusion from the team, and the fact that he’s fallen out of favour has alerted Ange Postecoglou, who is looking to create a reunion with the left-winger.

Indeed, Spurs have been linked wirh a deal for Jota and he would apparently love to join, and with Rudy Galetti further since suggesting that the boss would be happy to replace Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon to make room for his former star, this is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Jota to Spurs transfer update

Speaking to GiveMeSport to deliver a transfer update on Jota, Dean Jones claimed that Spurs have a good chance at wrapping up a deal for the attacker, even if it is only on a temporary basis.

"If it is possible on a loan deal, I think it's got more potential for Spurs because it really does feel like a no-brainer for Postecoglou, who has worked with him before and wants more players of that type around his frontline.

"Bringing in Jota on loan and then weighing up the purchases longer-term seems like something which probably makes more sense to me."

How many goals has Jota scored?

During his time at Celtic, Jota racked up 54 involvements, 28 goals and 26 assists, in 83 appearances (Transfermarkt – Jota statistics), so Postecoglou clearly knows how to utilise him to the best of his ability in the final third, therefore, it would be a massive coup if he could do the same at Tottenham.

The Lisbon native, who pockets £195k-per-week (Al-Ittihad salaries), also knows what it takes to compete and be successful having secured seven club trophies since the start of his career.

Celtic’s former “idol”, as hailed by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, is even a versatile operator having been deployed in six various positions over the pitch since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and two roles in the midfield, so he really could make a huge difference in N17.