أعلن أحد لاعبي آرسنال الإنجليزي، رحيله عن الفريق في بيان عبر حساباته على وسائل التواصل الاجتماعي.

وحاول آرسنال المنافسة على لقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز هذا الموسم، لكنه لم يتمكن من الصمود للنهاية أمام ليفربول المتوج باللقب.

وأنهى آرسنال الموسم في المركز الثاني بالدوري الإنجليزي، برصيد 74 نقطة خلف ليفربول بفارق 10 نقاط. 

وأعلن جورجينيو رحيله عن آرسنال، بمقطع فيديو مؤثر نشره عبر حسابه الرسمي على “إنستجرام”، مؤكدًا أنه سيغادر النادي عند انتهاء عقده.

جورجينيو البالغ من العمر 33 عامًا انضم إلى آرسنال قادمًا من تشيلسي مقابل 12 مليون جنيه إسترليني في يناير 2023.

وشارك جورجينيو في 79 مباراة مع آرسنال في جميع المسابقات، تحت قيادة المدرب ميكيل أرتيتا.

اقرأ أيضًا | أرتيتا يرد على أنباء اهتمام آرسنال بضم رودريجو في الصيف

وفي مقطع الفيديو قال جورجينيو: “أحيانًا، لا يقتصر الموسم على كرة القدم فحسب، بل يشمل أيضًا اللحظات والأشخاص والنمو، يتعلق الأمر بالشعور بأنك جزء من شيء أكبر من نفسك”.

مضيفًا: “عندما انضممت إلى آرسنال، لم أكن أنضم إلى نادٍ، بل كنتُ جزءًا من عائلة، فريق مليء بالشغف والطموح”.

وتابع: “لقد بذلتُ قصارى جهدي، كل يوم، في كل مباراة، ليس فقط من أجل النتائج، بل من أجل هذا القميص، من أجل الجماهير”.

وأكد: “دعمكم… كان له كل معنى، سواءً كنتُ أساسيًا أو على مقاعد البدلاء، جعلتموني أشعر بالتقدير والمحبة، هذا أمر نادر في كرة القدم ولن أنساه أبدًا، الآن، حان وقت الوداع، أو ربما، أراكم قريبًا”.

وأردف: “عندما أشعر في مكان ما وكأنني في بيتي، لا يكون الوداع سهلًا أبدًا، لكنني أغادر مرفوع الرأس وقلبي مليء بالأمل، إلى زملائي في الفريق، شكرًا لكم على ثقتكم بي، وعلى دعمكم لي”.

وأكمل: “إلى المدرب، وإلى الجهاز الفني، وإلى كل من يعمل خلف الكواليس، شكرًا لكم على دعمكم لي في الملعب وخارجه، وعلى وقوفكم الدائم بجانبي بلطف ومحبة”.

وأتم: “وللجماهير، شكرًا لكم على هتاف اسمي وإيمانكم بي، شكرًا لكم يا آرسنال، مع حبي واحترامي، جورجينيو”.

لم يعلن جورجينيو عن وجهته القادمة، وبحسب ما ذكرت صحيفة “ديلي ميل” البريطانية، نادي فلامنجو البرازيلي مهتم بالتعاقد معه قبل انطلاق كأس العالم للأندية.

ويُجري النادي البرازيلي محادثات متقدمة مع جورجينيو، بعد أن تواصل معه في ديسمبر الماضي.

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MatériaMais Notícias

Depois de sete partidas, o Corinthians voltou a vencer o Atlético-GO. A última vez que o Timão bateu o Dragão foi no Brasileirão de 2017, por 1 a 0, no estádio Serra Dourada, com gol de Rodriguinho.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansATUAÇÕES: Mantuan marca e defesa do Corinthians segura pressão do Atlético-GO; veja as notasCorinthians04/06/2022BrasileirãoFábio Santos fala do espírito do Corinthians contra o Atlético-GO: ‘Não faltou luta’Brasileirão04/06/2022CorinthiansCássio iguala Biro-Biro no top-5 de jogadores com mais partidas pelo CorinthiansCorinthians04/06/2022

+ GALERIA – Confira do Timão contra possíveis adversários na Copa do Brasil

Após o triunfo inédito no Antônio Accioly, por 1 a 0, Vítor Pereira destacou a entrega da equipe para superar as adversidades e conquistar a vitória que recolocou o clube alvinegro na ponta do Brasileirão.

– Jogo difícil, sabíamos que seria difícil. Difícil para preparar pelos muitos problemas que temos com jogadores importantes. Viemos com o espírito certo, sem esse espírito de equipe, não conseguiríamos os pontos. Essa forma de determinados momentos procurar jogar com qualidade em termos ofensivos, e em outros momentos, essencialmente quando os jogadores de mais qualidade técnica começam a ficar fadigados, e começam a entrar jogadores que não tem tempo de jogo, que necessitamos deles. Hoje, em um momento em que o adversário nos empurrou para trás, soubemos controlar e levamos a vitória com base nesse espírito de grupo e a força da torcida, que era o nosso objetivo – declarou o treinador na coletiva.

Ao ser questionado sobre o que pode ser feito para melhorar a atuação da equipe, Vítor disse que isso só será possível com a volta dos jogadores lesionados. Hoje, ele não contou com Fagner, João Victor, Paulinho, Ruan Oliveira, Willian e Jô, além de Maycon, suspenso. Ele ressaltou a importância dos jogadores que estiveram em campo, que souberam entender o momento para atacar e se defender.

– Melhorar? Melhorar só quando os sete jogadores que estão lesionados voltarem. Mais soluções, melhoramos automaticamente. O nosso trabalho é esse, recuperar os jogadores lesionados, jogadores importantes, e continuar a trabalhar. Quando foi possível jogar com qualidade, jogamos com qualidade, atacamos com qualidade. Quando não foi possível, defendemos com qualidade. Defender faz parte do jogo e é preciso defender com qualidade em determinados momentos do jogo. Conseguimos uma vitória importante. Alguns dos jogadores tinham pouco tempo. Precisamos de todos. Todos juntos mais a nossa torcida, vamos conseguindo vitórias e pontos. Tem que ser dessa forma, unidos, e contar com toda gente, os miúdos e os mais experientes – ponderou.

+ TABELA – Confira e simule os jogos do Corinthians no Brasileirão

Perguntado sobre a não utilização de Luan, que nem relacionado foi para o confronto contra o Atlético-GO, Vítor Pereira revelou que o camisa 7 ia ser escalado em três ocasiões, mas acabou se lesionando antes dessas oportunidades. O treinador cobrou mais entrega do meia nos treinos.

– O Luan já esteve três vezes para ser escalado, e no último momento, vai para o departamento médico. Portanto, não é da minha responsabilidade. Era para ele vir, só que no último treino, queixou-se de um problema e foi para o departamento médico. Isso aconteceu três vezes. Durante o tempo que aqui estou, tem ficado fora de muitos treinos, grande parte do tempo não trabalhou comigo. Se o Luan quiser se entregar no treino e no jogo, eu não coloco ninguém de parte. Precisamos de todos, e do Luan também. A verdade é essa – afirmou o treinador, que ainda não usou Luan desde que chegou ao Parque São Jorge.

O lusitano voltou a destacar a entrega e comprometimentos dos atletas que estiveram em campo e conquistaram os três pontos.

– Fundamentalmente, nas circunstâncias que jogamos o jogo, hoje valeu o espírito de equipe. Muitos jogadores importantes de fora. O que eu quero é valorizar o trabalho dos que estiveram em campo, trabalharam muito, um espírito de equipe muito forte. Forte também, só assim foi possível chegar aqui e levar os três pontos – concluiu Vítor Pereira.

The legspinner is confident the team’s recent defeats won’t mean much when they face New Zealand

Andrew McGlashan19-Oct-20223:19

Du Plessis, Kumble, Fleming, Moody head star line-up of experts

Adam Zampa has brushed off concerns about Australia’s form leading into their defence of the T20 World Cup title, believing that the extra edge provided by tournament play will bring the best of them.Australia were beaten 2-0 by England in the three-match series, and it would likely have been 3-0 without rain in Canberra, then also lost a close warm-up game against India at the Gabba when they lost four wickets in four balls during a late collapse.However, there has been a sense within the team that they have perhaps had a little too much cricket leading into the tournament – there was also a three-match series in India last month with Aaron Finch recently saying a bit of fatigue was a factor – and that it has been about biding their time ahead of facing New Zealand at the SCG on Saturday.Related

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“I think the intensity of the cricket we’ve played recently has probably dropped slightly due to the fact we are keeping in mind how close the World Cup is,” Zampa said. “And nothing gets the juices flowing like having a trophy there for the taking. We always want to perform our best when playing for Australia but think you’ll see a few pumped boys for the World Cup.”Think the comments about being tired were probably taken in the wrong way almost…the guys have been waiting around for this game for a while now.”Despite their recent losses Australia are considered one of the favourites for the tournament with added expectation of being on home soil where they were successful at the 2015 ODI World Cup. However, Zampa said that the nature of the T20 format means a rather philosophical approach is needed.Adam Zampa is preparing to bowl with a wet ball•Cricket Australia/Getty Images”Internally we all know T20 is a pretty fickle game,” he said. “The worst that can happen is we don’t win this thing, the best that can happen is that we defend our title at home at the MCG. Don’t know if we are totally expected to win…but we do understand we should give it a red-hot crack. We have to earn the right to win it again. Last year we did that, we played some crucial cricket at crucial times [and] played our best cricket at the right time towards the end.”There has been a considerable amount of tinkering with Australia’s T20 line-up in recent matches, but much of that was due to Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Marsh being restricted in their bowling and with an eye on the main event. On Tuesday, national selector George Bailey indicated that, as expected, Steven Smith would not be in the starting XI, being replaced by Tim David in the one initial change from last year’s winning team.The weather could play a part over the coming days with a high chance of showers for the game at the SCG. As he has in the past when expecting dew to be a factor, Zampa has been training with a wet ball that he dumps in a bucket but also added that any dampness in the wickets could also provide assistance for the spinners.”Feels like every time we are at the SCG or in Sydney we are looking for rain to come,” he said. “The way that I train I always have it at the back of mind, usually have a bucket to drop the ball into to prepare for that.”We play so much cricket under lights and a lot of the places we travel around the world, as soon as you bat first and bowl second to defend a total that dew really kicks in. Saw it last year in the World Cup. [Almost] every time you bowl second you are bowling with a wet ball so it’s really important to prepare for that.”

Manchester United endured a tough transfer window as they looked to bolster their ranks after a disastrous first half of the Premier League season, and now it has been revealed that they missed out on a late deal for a potential improvement to Ruben Amorim’s side.

Manchester United's awful 2025 continues

Amorim’s arrival at Old Trafford has done very little to improve matters at the Theatre of Dreams, and their latest 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace left the Red Devils marooned 13th in the Premier League.

A spot in Europe next season appears out of the question for the Red Devils, though they remain well clear of any relegation danger with Leicester City a full 12 points behind them in the final drop zone spot.

It was a difficult January transfer window too. The Red Devils landed young Lecce defender Patrick Dorgu in a deal worth up to £30m, but in Antony and Marcus Rashford lost two forwards, while speculation continued to swirl around Alejandro Garancho before he ultimately stayed put.

Though neither Rashford nor Antony featured heavily in Amorim’s plans, it has left United without any depth at the top of the pitch, and with neither Rasmus Hojlund nor Joshua Zirkzee insipring confidence with their performances, the United boss opted to play Kobbie Mainoo as a no.9 against Palace, a move that in turn leaves their midfield looking light.

Manchester United’s senior attackers

Rasmus Hojlund

Joshua Zirkzee

Amad Diallo

Alejandro Garnacho

Bruno Fernandes

Mason Mount

24 hours later, the news that Tottenham had won the race to sign Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel on loan emerged, leaving United without another forward joining the club before the deadline. And now, it has emerged that they also failed with a late bid to strengthen their midfield.

Man Utd midfielder offer rejected by Juventus

That comes according to reports in Italy, which claim that the Red Devils tried to make a late loan move to sign Douglas Luiz on transfer deadline day, only for the Red Devils to emerge too late as potential suitors.

It was widely reported that Luiz could leave Turin in January, but that Juventus were targeting a loan move with an obligation to buy the former Aston Villa man, who has endured a torrid time since signing for the Italian giants just months ago.

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Hailed as a “strong” by former Sporting Director Monchi, Luiz had been heavily linked with Manchester City, but it was the Red Devils who attempted a buzzer-beating swoop for the Brazilian. The report claims that “they made a last-minute approach to Juventus” to take the midfielder back to the Premier League.

However, they were too late. Juventus had already let Nicolò Fagioli depart for Fiorentina and as a result “decided to retain the Brazilian” for cover, with the bid coming too late for them to sign a replacement.

Instead, Juventus moved to add to their defence with a deal to sign Lloyd Kelly, keeping Luiz in limbo and leaving Manchester United short of one of their transfer targets.

West Ham United have now submitted a fresh deadline day bid as manager Graham Potter attempts to sign a “skilful” forward before the transfer cut-off at 11pm.

West Ham sign Evan Ferguson and chase other targets

On Sunday night, Fabrizio Romano gave his famous “here we go” to Brighton striker Evan Ferguson and his loan move to West Ham – in what was a big boost for Potter, who’s now set to be reunited with his ex-Brighton prodigy in east London.

West Ham dealt deadline day striker blow with transfer now "unlikely"

Graham Potter appears set to miss out in a late twist.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 3, 2025

Potter will be hoping that Ferguson can rediscover his fine 2022/2023 form after a mixed year at Brighton, where he has fallen behind both Danny Welbeck and Joao Pedro in the pecking order.

Chelsea (away)

Today

Brentford (home)

February 15th

Arsenal (away)

February 22nd

Leicester City (home)

February 27th

Newcastle United (home)

March 10th

Unfortunately for the Hammers, there is no option/obligation to buy in this deal, so West Ham could be facing a Jesse Lingard-type scenario if the Republic of Ireland international dazzles but doesn’t end up making a permanent switch to the London Stadium.

Following Ferguson, there are reports that West Ham are not done on deadline day.

Indeed, it is reliably believed that West Ham are attempting to sign Celtic starlet Daniel Cummings, who is in the final year of his contract and currently on fire at youth level.

The teenager has scored 24 goals across 26 appearances for the Hoops’ Under-19s, and made his Champions League debut for the senior side in their 3-2 defeat away to Aston Villa last week.

West Ham had a £500,000 bid rejected for Cummings, according to Sky Sports, but they’re not giving up on signing the 18-year-old.

West Ham submit improved offer for Daniel Cummings as Celtic reply

According to Dharmesh Sheth, via X, West Ham have now had an “improved” offer for Cummings rejected by Celtic, and the Hammers will now prioritise bringing the “skilful” Scotsman in on a pre-contract.

Commenting on his future recently, Rodgers sent a message to Cummings over being patient in his wait for regular senior football, but it now appears he’ll look to gain it away from Parkhead.

“Young players come through the system, had to take a loan away from here, and then at 21 he (McGregor) plays, and now tomorrow he’s playing his 500th game,” said Rodgers on Cummings’ development.

“There’s no greater example. But if you want to be patient and trust the club, you’ll get there. If you don’t, you might listen to your agent, who’s got a different agenda, that takes you away from here, and then you’ll go somewhere else. But there’ll always be chances here for young players. One, if they have the ability. Two, if they have a bit of patience.”

Newcastle United will hand a key player the “highest contract” in the club’s history, according to an exciting claim from football finance expert Stefan Borson.

Newcastle prepare for Arsenal after quiet January

In the end, it was a January transfer window to forget at St James’ Park, with the Magpies not spending a single penny throughout the whole month, much to the chagrin of some fans.

There was a feeling that Newcastle needed reinforcements in some areas of the pitch, including centre-back, but the likes of Paul Mitchell and Eddie Howe were seemingly content enough with the squad, as well as having to adhere to Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules at the same time.

It is now a case of the Magpies knuckling down and looking to enjoy a memorable second half to the season, not only looking to finish in the top four in the Premier League, but also winning the EFL Cup, although they may first have to get past Arsenal without Joelinton in the squad.

While new signings will clearly be looked at when the summer window arrives at the end of the campaign, there are also a host of current players who are indispensable figures and need to be tied down to new deals. Now, a promising update has emerged regarding one such figure.

Newcastle backed to hand "highest contract" to star

Speaking to Football Insider, Borson claimed that Newcastle will offer Alexander Isak a new contract that will smash their previous record deal, which is Bruno Guimaraes’ £8.32m-a-year contract.

“I am sure it will be the highest contract they have offered. The reason they have held onto their big players is because it would be very expensive to sign Guimaraes or Isak. There are very few teams that can play that game and compete for signings over £100million.

“I think Arsenal could do it if they really wanted to. If it wasn’t Arsenal, who is going to buy Isak and who can afford him? Basically nobody and I include basically everybody. Bayern Munich have got Harry Kane, PSG seem to be in a new world, where their acquisitions seem to be in that £70million range, so they are not going to pay £100million. Nobody in Italy can do it. Man City don’t need Isak as a priority. You always want quality players, but City won’t buy Isak, so there are no buyers.

“The bottom line is, there are not many places he can actually go. They will offer him a new contract. He’s already got quite a lot left on his contract, but he’s clearly one of the best players in the Premier League right now and I don’t see him going anywhere.”

Isak is Newcastle’s star player currently, enjoying an outstanding season that has seen him score 17 goals in 22 appearances in the Premier League. In this form, there arguably isn’t a better striker in Europe, and for Magpies supporters, losing him to another club in the summer doesn’t bear thinking about.

Isak clearly needs to see Newcastle as an ambitious side who can match his dreams in the coming years, and offering him such a lucrative contract would be a good place to start.

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At 25, there is still an enormous amount to come from the £120,000-a-week Swede, and if the Magpies can retain him for the foreseeable future, he could be one of the greatest strikers in the club’s history.

India’s captain also conceded that his players were “a little poor in the field” and “gave too many chances”

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2022

R Ashwin conceded 13 runs and took the wicket of Tristan Stubbs in the 18th over of South Africa’s chase•Associated Press

South Africa needed 25 from 18 balls with six wickets in hand when India captain Rohit Sharma decided to bring R Ashwin on for his final over.The Perth surface had assisted fast bowlers throughout the game, but India had one over of spin left to squeeze in. David Miller took advantage of that and hit Ashwin’s first two balls for two sixes to all but seal the game.Related

Ngidi, Parnell, Markram, Miller lead South Africa past India

While Ashwin trapped Tristan Stubbs lbw with his fourth ball, his over left South Africa needing a run-a-ball 12 off the last two overs, which Miller and Wayne Parnell knocked off with two balls to spare.After the game, Rohit said his decision to give Ashwin the 18th over was influenced by how spinners had fared in the final over at the 2022 T20 World Cup. In India’s opening game, Pakistan left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz had failed to stop India from scoring the 16 runs they required to win.”I have seen what happens in the last over with spinners, so I just wanted to go the other way and see if I could finish Ash and not keep him for the last over,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation. “I just wanted to make sure that the seamers were bowling the right overs but honestly, when you have options like that, you have to use them at some point. I thought given the new batter [Stubbs] came in, it was a perfect time for him to bowl. But things like that can happen. Miller played some good shots as well.”Ashwin finished with figures of 1 for 43 from his four overs, at an economy rate of 10.75. He was hit for four sixes and was the most expensive bowler on either side. After the match, Aiden Markram was asked if South Africa had pre-decided to attack Ashwin.”I think naturally that’s how our game would pan out when the seamers are all that difficult to get away,” Markram said. “We expected them to take on Keshav [Maharaj]. I’m sure they expected us to take on Ashwin as well, just because of the nature of the wicket, because the seamers were so difficult to get away.Rohit: “We gave too many chances on the field and we were not quite clinical”•Getty Images

“It almost got to a stage where we had to target someone because they bowled so well initially in the first ten overs up until the drinks break. It got to the stage where we had to pick someone. It could be anyone on any night. And sometimes you execute, sometimes you don’t.”You pick those match-ups according to who you’re most comfortable against on the night. You get to different conditions and those match-ups would change completely. Yeah, it was a discussion we had at the drinks break to pick one of the bowlers and commit to that, and if it comes off, then it might give us a chance.”Earlier, India scored 133 for 9 on a fast, bouncy surface before having South Africa 40 for 3 after ten overs. They had a couple of opportunities to press home the advantage but Virat Kohli put down Markram in the 12th over. In the next over, Rohit missed a run-out chance that could have sent Miller back. Markram and Miller made India pay for their mistakes, adding 76 off 60 balls to shift the momentum.”Honestly, when you see that score [40 for 3], you will always think you are in the game because the pitch is such that a wicket can come at any time for the seamers,” Rohit said. “But I felt that was a match-winning partnership from their perspective from Markram and Miller.”We were a little poor in the field as well. We gave too many chances on the field and we were not quite clinical. We have played in such [cold] conditions before so that was not an excuse at all. We were not just good enough.”The last two games we played, we were pretty good in the field and we want to continue to be consistent in that department. But unfortunately we couldn’t hold our chances, a few run-outs we missed, including myself. But we need to keep our heads high and think about what’s coming for us and take learnings from this game, what we need to do in games like that.”

Things have just not gone Arsenal’s way this season.

Mikel Arteta has had to deal with poor decisions, a mountain of injuries, and a frontline that, when fit, has underwhelmed.

While Bukayo Saka was on a tear prior to his injury, and even Kai Havertz looked on course for a 20-goal season, the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard have been disappointing.

However, with the German now out for the season, the Belgian and Brazilian – when back from his own injury – will need to seriously up their game, especially as they’re being outscored by a former academy star who was sold for just £2m.

Martinelli & Trossard's season in numbers

Following a stellar campaign in which he scored 17 goals and provided two assists in 46 appearances for Arsenal, which is an average of a goal involvement every 2.42 games, there was an expectation among fans that Trossard would be just as effective this year.

Unfortunately, that has simply not been the case, as while he’s looked a little better in recent weeks, the Waterschei-born ace hasn’t been anywhere near as dangerous as he was.

For example, in his 36 appearances thus far, totalling 2190 minutes, the 30-year-old has scored five goals and provided seven assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.08 games, or every 183 minutes, which really isn’t good enough for a winger in a title-chasing team.

Likewise, before his injury, Martinelli was having a rather underwhelming campaign in terms of his output.

He’s scored just seven goals and provided four assists in 35 appearances, totalling 2378 minutes, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.18 games, or every 216 minutes.

In short, neither winger has been playing to the standard required this season, and now that Havertz has been ruled out for the rest of the campaign, they’ll have to seriously step up their game, especially as a former youth player deemed surplus to requirements has been outscoring them.

The Hale End star outscoring Trossard and Martinelli

There are several Hale End graduates having great campaigns across England and Europe this season, from Emile Smith Rowe with Fulham to Donyell Malen, who just joined Aston Villa.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

However, in this instance, the player in question is not just a former academy player; he is the club’s second all-time top goalscorer for the U21s: Chuba Akpom.

Yes, before he went out on a myriad of loan moves that ultimately saw him move to Greek side PAOK Salonika for £2m in August 2018, the Canning Town-born poacher racked up an impressive tally of 33 goals for the U21s, which remains second only to Folarin Balogun’s 37.

Since leaving the Gunners, the Englishman has enjoyed fruitful spells with PAOK, Middlesbrough, and Dutch giants Ajax, and then on February 2nd, he joined French side LOSC Lille on a short-term loan with an option to buy.

Moreover, while the “terrific” striker, as dubbed by former manager Michael Carrick , has swapped teams halfway through the campaign, he’s enjoyed a relatively successful season in front of goal.

Appearances

35

37

35

Minutes

1698′

2190′

2378′

Goals

10

5

7

Assists

1

7

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.31

0.32

0.31

Minutes per Goal Involvement

154.36′

183′

216′

For example, in 35 appearances, totalling 1698 minutes, the 29-year-old sharpshooter has scored ten goals and provided one assist, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 3.18 games, or more crucially, every 154.36 minutes.

Ultimately, at the start of the season, the idea of Akpom possibly getting any game time at Arsenal would have been laughable.

Still, with the number of injuries the team now have, combined with the poor form of Trossard and Martinelli, we can’t help but think he’d be a useful squad player at the very least.

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Mohammad Isam02-Nov-20221:36

Moody: Litton aside, Bangladesh went about their power-hitting the wrong way

Following Bangladesh’s five-run loss to India on Wednesday, Nurul Hasan has claimed that the on-field umpires had missed an incident of “fake fielding” from Virat Kohli, which could have resulted in five potentially crucial penalty runs for Bangladesh.The incident in question took place in the seventh over of Bangladesh’s chase at Adelaide Oval, when Litton Das played the ball towards the deep off-side field off Axar Patel. As Arshdeep Singh sent in the throw, Kohli – stood at point – feigned a shy as the ball was going past him. At the time, it went unnoticed in the field as the on-field umpires, Marais Erasmus and Chris Brown, didn’t take action*.Nurul mentioned the incident while talking to reporters after the game.”We all saw that it was a wet ground,” Nurul said. “Eventually, when we talk about these things, there was also a fake throw. It could have been a five-run penalty. That also could have gone our way, but unfortunately, even that didn’t materialise.”Related

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'We didn't talk about it being fair or unfair' – Shakib

The day after the game, BCB cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus said it had been brought to the umpires’ attention. “The fake throw was brought to the umpire’s notice but he said he didn’t see it,” Yunus said. “That’s why it wasn’t taken to review. Shakib spoke extensively to Erasmus, during and after the match.”Cricket’s Law 41.5, pertaining to unfair play, prohibits the “deliberate distraction, deception or obstruction of [the] batter”, and if an incident is deemed to be a breach, the umpire can declare that particular delivery as dead ball, and award the batting side five runs.The replay could be interpreted as an attempt at deception from Kohli, given that Arshdeep’s throw from the deep passed by his right hand at the same moment that he motioned a relay throw. ESPNcricinfo understands that the ruling, which needs to be made by the umpires in real time, is about the attempt to deceive the batters, rather than them actually being deceived.It was one of three incidents that put umpiring in the spotlight during India’s narrow victory over Bangladesh. The first flashpoint came in the 16th over of the India innings, when Kohli, believing Hasan Mahmud had bowled two bouncers in his over, signalled a no-ball towards umpire Erasmus after top-edging a pull towards square leg.Virat Kohli and Shakib Al Hasan share a light moment in a tense World Cup clash•Getty ImagesErasmus called it a no-ball and then found himself standing between Kohli and Shakib Al Hasan, who had made his way from the covers. A conversation ensued for about 90 seconds before the two players hugged each other and walked away.The second incident came when the umpires approached Shakib, near the dugout, about play resuming following a rain break at the end of the seventh over, at which point Bangladesh, on 66 for no loss, were 17 runs ahead on DLS.Shakib first knelt down by the boundary’s edge to get a sample of the wet outfield, before continuing to talk with the match officials. Rohit Sharma, his opposite number, joined in the discussion, but Shakib’s animated gestures suggested that he was not satisfied with the conditions.”Shakib told him [the umpires] repeatedly that the ground can get dry if they take a bit more time. Start when the ground is dry,” Yunus said. “But the umpire’s decision is final. There was no room for argument. You have to decide if you want to play or not.”Later, in the post-match press conference, Shakib didn’t elaborate on the matter.

Whitecaps advance to the CONCACAF Champions Cup Final and gain respect in Mexico.

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• Cruz Azul and Tigres face each to determine second finalist (Aggregate 1–1)
• Whitecaps aim to become first Canadian Team to win the Champions Cup
• Sorensen's team visit Real Salt Lake City this weekend

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Vancouver Whitecaps made a powerful statement in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, becoming the tournament’s first finalist after eliminating Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami with a dominant 5–1 aggregate victory in the semifinals. Led by head coach Jesper Sorensen, the Canadian side now awaits the winner of Thursday’s all-Mexican semifinal between Cruz Azul and Tigres.

  The performance didn’t go unnoticed in Mexico, where media and pundits praised the Whitecaps for their consistency across both legs. With their strong showing, many analysts warned that neither Cruz Azul nor Tigres can afford to underestimate the MLS side in the final.

  Former Mexican international and analyst Ricardo Peláez acknowledged the strength of Liga MX clubs but cautioned against complacency.

  “Anyone who thinks Cruz Azul or Tigres already has the title in the bag is wrong. This final will be tight,” said Peláez. “The Whitecaps are solid in every line, and they showed real character against Miami.”

  His colleague from ESPN, Héctor Huerta, added that while Liga MX teams often benefit from home-field advantage, MLS sides tend to struggle on the road — a key factor in knockout tournaments.

  “Just look at what happened in the final between Pachuca and Columbus Crew — Tuzos ran right through them,” Huerta said. “Playing in Mexico changes everything.”

  Meanwhile, attention remains fixed on Inter Miami and their underwhelming exit, which reignited debates about the team’s long-term strategy and dependency on Messi. Former striker and current Fox Sports analyst Rafael Márquez Lugo didn’t hold back.

  “Without Messi, Inter Miami wouldn’t even exist,” he said. “Is this a project to win or just to sell shirts? You bring in the best player in the world, but surround him with an aging team — that’s not how you build a champion.”

  Christian “Chaco” Giménez, former Mexico international and father of Santiago Giménez, echoed that view, calling out the flawed roster construction.

  “Inter defends poorly – that’s their biggest weakness,” he said. “Vancouver could’ve finished them off earlier. They built the squad around Messi the wrong way. The Whitecaps are more balanced, more complete.”

  He also addressed the disproportionate criticism directed at the Argentine star.

  “People attack Messi just because of who he is, but if you really know football, Inter Miami reached its ceiling — and it wasn’t enough. This team wasn’t built to compete seriously.”

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Jesper Sorensen and his Vancouver Whitecaps have been the talk of this year's tournament. In the Round of 16, they stunned Monterrey — featuring Spanish star Sergio Ramos — and followed it up with a dramatic last-minute winner against Pumas in the quarterfinals. Both times, they sealed the series on the road, in tough Mexican stadiums.

  Last night, they delivered another masterclass, this time at Chase Stadium, eliminating none other than Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami with a confident and commanding performance.

  Remarkably, the Whitecaps have closed out every knockout round away from home — a rare feat in this competition — earning them growing respect from fans and analysts alike in Mexico.

  Now, only one question remains: can they finish the job and lift the Champions Cup as the first Canadian club to ever do it?

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  With their convincing semifinal win over Inter Miami, the Vancouver Whitecaps have become just the third Canadian team in history to reach the final of the Concacaf Champions Cup — following in the footsteps of Montreal Impact (2015) and Toronto FC (2018). Both of those previous finalists fell short, with Montreal losing to Club América and Toronto falling to Chivas in a dramatic penalty shootout.

  Now, Vancouver will look to break new ground by becoming the first-ever Canadian club to win the tournament. The last MLS side to claim the CONCACAF title was Seattle Sounders in 2022, when they defeated Mexico’s Pumas UNAM in the final.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WHITECAPS?

  Sorensen’s squad isn’t just excelling on the international stage — they’re also proving to be the hottest team in Major League Soccer. In addition to securing their spot in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Final, the Vancouver Whitecaps currently sit atop the Western Conference standings. They’ll return to league action this weekend with a home clash against Real Salt Lake, aiming to extend their strong run of form across all competitions.