أعرب ثنائي فريق الكرة الأول بنادي الزمالك، محمود علاء ومحمد أشرف روقا، عن سعادتهما بتتويج الفارس الأبيض ببطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز هذا الموسم.

وقال روقا في تصريحات عقب المباراة: “أحمد الله على التتويج بدرع الدوري، رغم أن البداية لم تكن جيدة”.

طالع | موعد مباراة الزمالك القادمة أمام المصري في الدوري

وأضاف: “ولكن الزمالك ناد كبير جدًا، ودائمًا ما يستهدف البطولة، كما أنه يحظى بدعم ومساندة مجلس الإدارة، واستطعنا تحقيق المطلوب وإسعاد جمهورنا العظيم”.

وحرص محمود علاء على تهنئة جماهير الزمالك ومجلس إدارته، مشيرًا إلى أن الله كلل مجهودات الجميع بالنجاح.

وأردف: “أعتذر لجماهير الزمالك، بيننا (عشم) كبير جدًا، والجمهور هو من يجعل اسم اللاعب عاليًا، ولا يوجد من يتعمد الخطأ”.

وأتم: “أمير مرتضى منصور استطاع أن يُغلِق على الفريق، وبالتأكيد أنا مستمر مع الزمالك”.

واختتم: “يجب أن أكرر اعتذاري، عشنا مع بطولات كثيرة، وأُطلق على هذا الدوري، دوري جماهير الزمالك، حيث كانوا يساندونا ويدعمونا”.

A day that began with the threat of a total washout finished with England wishing the rain had continued to fall. In the 30 overs that were possible at the end of an unexpectedly dramatic day, Australia had responded to their Lord’s defeat with a bullish performance reminiscent of the resolve they showed in their vast first-innings performance in Cardiff three weeks ago. By the close they had batted with sufficient intent to make light of the loss of two sessions and ensure themselves enough momentum to have a proper go, in a fixture that many have already written off to the elements.”It was a positive result,” said Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen. “Thirty overs is a hard time for anyone to have any impact in the big scheme of things. It can be one of those periods where you lose two or three wickets or struggle your way through. To be 1 for 126 at stumps is as good as you could have hoped for.”On a day when Brad Haddin’s pre-match mishap drew uncanny parallels with Glenn McGrath’s ankle- (and series-) turning moment four years ago, so too did the scoreline after the opening session of the contest. Back in 2005, England responded to their defeat at Lord’s by racing to 132 for 1 at lunch on the first day, and today Australia’s own batsmen performed almost the same trick. The only difference is that England have the opportunity to regroup overnight, a point that their wicket-taker, Graeme Swann, emphasised.”At the start of any game, especially after a defeat, a team that is licking their wounds is going to come out fighting,” he said. “You obviously hope they don’t, but you have to expect that from Australia, and it’s disappointing we didn’t manage to match our performance at Lord’s in this first innings. Any game of cricket where you leak runs at four an over, you’re going to be at a disadvantage, but we’re in a fortunate position that the ball is only 30 overs old, so we can go home tonight, take stock, look at where we’re going to bowl tomorrow, to [Shane] Watson in particular, and I’m sure we’ll come back 100% improved.”Andrew Flintoff forgot the mantra that made him so effective at Lord’s, and pounded the ball in far too short and wide, while James Anderson’s figures of 10-0-45-0 were frustratingly familiar – he came closer than any of England’s seamers to forcing a breakthrough, but each of his seven four-balls were slashed away with alacrity as his radar failed to factor in a featherbed wicket that offered no margin for error.”It was obviously a little disappointing,” Swann said. “We didn’t think it was a bad time to bowl for just a 30-over session, but we didn’t put it in the right place consistently enough. It’s certainly not an easy wicket to bowl on because it’s a very good pitch but fair play to Australia and Watson in particular. I didn’t realise he was an opening batsman, but he played like one today, so all credit to him. He was obviously under pressure coming in, because it’s not easy opening the batting, but he played exceptionally well.”Watson’s inclusion at the top of the order might have caught England even more on the hop had it not been for Phillip Hughes’ untimely tweeting, but Swann claimed they had not had time to work out any plans for a player whom they had never before faced in Test cricket. “We had some good plans to Hughes that seemed to be working well, and coming into this game we were expecting that to continue and we were hoping he was still there,” he said. “To have a new guy in, we have to go back to the drawing board, but having seen him play we have a much better idea of how he can bat. Hopefully we can come up with something more useful tomorrow.”Swann denied that England had found the conditions tricky to negotiate after days of unrelenting rain, and instead heaped praise on the ground staff who worked all through the night to get the pitch fit for a belated start. “Yesterday when we trained here the outfield was a quagmire, and then when we left, with the rain and the puddles on the field, it was touch-and-go if we’d get going at all. So all credit to the Edgbaston ground staff. I know if I was in charge we wouldn’t have bowled a ball today.”

Arsenal return to Premier League action on Friday night as they welcome Aston Villa to the Emirates Stadium, where they’ll be looking to extend their unbeaten run with a more convincing performance.

The Gunners got away with one earlier this week as they salvaged a point against Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace outfit to take their recent record to six games without defeat in all competitions.

Their last two outings have been lacklustre draws in the wake of their 3-1 thumping of Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby, so something may need to change as Mikel Arteta needs to spark a more positive reaction.

It was Alexandre Lacazette who was the Spaniard’s hero on Monday night as he came off the bench to slot home the equaliser with effectively the last kick off the game, and he will be buoyed by confidence from that goal, so he must feature in the starting XI tonight.

Arsenal have Leeds United in the Carabao Cup next week and that’ll be the more tempting game to rotate his squad, but the current lineup is in need of a shake-up if the side are to get back to winning ways.

It was the Frenchman’s 68th goal for the club since his £52.7m move from Lyon in 2017. He actually has a pretty respectable record in north London, having averaged a goal or assist every 116 minutes across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

Previously described as a “goal machine” by former Gunners defender Sokratis, the 30-year-old forward proved this week that he can still be a game-changer for Arteta and he must be rewarded come kick-off.

“He is a bit like Ian Wright, really. You don’t seem to see him and then suddenly he moves,” the late Gerard Houllier once said of Lacazette, further suggesting that he has the ability to be a nuisance and a surprise threat.

The £19.8m-rated striker, who is out of contract in the summer, is yet to start in the Premier League this season, being restricted to only three top-flight appearances. When he has been given an opportunity from the off, like in the Carabao Cup, he has delivered with two goals and an assist in two games, per Transfermarkt.

It’s time for Lacazette to be handed the reins up top against Villa this evening.

AND in other news, Edu could secure Alexis Sanchez 2.0 in Arsenal swoop for £18m-rated “fox in the box”…

Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi could take his game to the next level after receiving guidance from Sol Campbell in recent weeks, according to journalist Tom Barclay.

What’s the story?

The 47-year-old former England international has been out of work since leaving Southend United in June 2020 but is keen to continue learning and remain in the game until another chance comes along.

Campbell left his managerial position on the south coast by ‘mutual consent’ following the club’s relegation to League Two after the 2019/20 League One season was cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

And now he’s been invited to take part in some Palace training sessions by former Arsenal teammate Patrick Vieira, something Barclay believes will be extremely beneficial to 21-year-old Guehi.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “He seems to really be one of those characters who is like a sponge. I know it’s a cliché but he’s particularly one of those players who listens to everything, really tries to pick up tips, and you start noticing it in his game.

“The more he’s played, the more he’s adding things to his game, and I think Campbell’s vast experience of playing right at the top could only enhance that.”

Crystal Palace fans will be excited

Guehi only arrived at Selhurst Park over the summer via an £18m move from boyhood club Chelsea, but he’s already made a big impression under Vieira’s tutelage.

The centre-back has played every minute of Palace’s Premier League campaign to date, averaging 1.2 tackles per game, 0.7 interceptions and a whopping 3.4 clearances, as per WhoScored.

But Campbell’s presence on the training ground could help the England U21 international elevate his game to new heights in the months ahead.

In a career spanning 20 years, Campbell made over 500 appearances for the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth, winning two Premier League titles, four FA Cups and one League Cup throughout his playing days.

Therefore, he could be the ideal tutor for Guehi at this early stage of his career, and Palace fans will surely be excited to see the progress that he makes during his time in south London.

And, in other news…Signed for £7.9m, made 238 outings: Palace struck gold over “warrior” who Vieira loves 

Andrew Strauss expects Andrew Flintoff to be fit for the third Ashes Test against Australia at Edgbaston on Thursday, and has confirmed that Ian Bell will bat at No.4 in place of the injured Kevin Pietersen

Cricinfo staff27-Jul-2009

Andrew Strauss expects Andrew Flintoff to be fit for the third Ashes Test against Australia at Edgbaston on Thursday, and has confirmed that Ian Bell will bat at No. 4 in place of the injured Kevin Pietersen.Flintoff, who retires from Test cricket at the end of the Ashes, continues to struggle with a chronic knee injury which has threatened to hasten his retirement. But Strauss has been encouraged by Flintoff’s fitness and remains confident that England’s allrounder will be fit enough to once again lead the attack.”All the indications are that Andrew will be fine. We need to see how he goes over the next couple of days during practice,” Strauss said at The Oval, where England announced their new team sponsors, Brit Insurance. “But at this stage we are very confident and obviously he will want to build on his performance at Lord’s.”I spoke to him the day after the second Test at a charity dinner and he said then he was recovering well. That’s encouraging. He won’t have bowled until practice tomorrow but has been in constant contact with our medical team. When you’ve had as many injuries as him you get a good indication of how you’re feeling. Everything we’ve heard so far has been positive.”Flintoff produced a typically talismanic final-day effort at Lord’s last week, taking five wickets for just the third time in his career as England ended a 75-year wait to beat Australia at the home of cricket. But while England can be heartened by Flintoff’s news, another instrumental player, Pietersen, has been ruled out of the series after undergoing Achilles surgery.Strauss confirmed that his replacement, Bell, will bat at No. 4 instead of shuffling the line-up to accommodate him. “Ian Bell will come in for Pietersen at four. We’re very clear on that,” Strauss said. “It causes the least possible disruption to other members of the side.”We’re all very excited for Ian. He was left out of the team and had to work very hard to get his place back. He’s done a huge amount of work on and off the field. He’s very hungry. We’re excited to have him back in the team.”Bell was dropped earlier this year after a string of inconsistent performances, with Ravi Bopara taking his place at No. 3. Bopara may not have set the Ashes alight, yet, but Bell – who himself has struggled against Australia in his two previous Ashes appearances – is confident he is in the right frame of mind, and in good enough form, to make the most of this surprise opportunity.”Of all the countries I’ve played, I’ve played well apart from against Australia. I know that – it’s in the back of my mind,” Bell told Sky Sports News. “This is a different Australian team than I’ve played in the past, but a very fine one as well. But cricket’s a stats game, and I’ve got those stats to put right and to improve on.”Shane Warne reignited an old friendship with Bell today when he wrote in his column that he hoped Bell’s return to England colours “will hopefully be greeted with ‘welcome back, Shermanator’, the nickname I gave him in 2006.”

Everton have suffered a fresh injury blow ahead of their Premier League encounter with Watford at Goodison Park this afternoon after it was revealed that Yerry Mina will be unavailable for selection.

What’s the word?

The Colombia international has been in fine form during the opening weeks of the new season, but Rafa Benitez confirmed that he won’t play any part in today’s encounter after picking up a hamstring problem.

“Always I say that I don’t like to lie, Yerry Mina was playing three games with the national team, coming back he felt his hamstring in training the other day, so he won’t be available,” said the 61-year-old in Friday’s press conference.

Mina is set to join the likes of Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dominic Calvert-Lewin on an extensive injury list for the Toffees, and Benitez also provided an update on his star striker’s recent recovery setback, saying: “We have some issues. Dominic has a re-injury. How long he will be out? We need to see. We will not see him for four or five weeks, maybe. I don’t like to put a timeframe on it.”

However, the former Real Madrid boss provided some positive news for Everton supporters, revealing that he’ll be able to call upon the services of Richarlison after a lengthy layoff due to a knee problem.

“Obviously, the match fitness is an issue, but he is happy and available for the visit of Watford,” Benitez confirmed. Benitez will be gutted over Mina

Despite the boost over Richarlison, the news that Mina will be unavailable for the visit of the Hornets will likely leave Benitez feeling gutted. The towering centre-back has started five league games this season and had put in some eye-catching performances prior to the international break.

As per WhoScored, the 27-year-old has averaged a whopping four clearances, 2.8 headers won, 1.5 interceptions and one tackle per league game, highlighting his influence over proceedings. Only two team-mates have made more clearances while just three have a better aerial duels record, illustrating the Colombian’s importance at the back for Everton.

While the likes of Michael Keane and Ben Godfrey are more than capable of filling in while Mina gets back to full fitness, having another key player on the treatment table will be a big concern for Benitez.

In other news… Report drops worrying Everton update over £40.5m-rated gem, fans will be concerned 

Rangers are looking to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to five matches as they host Aberdeen at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership.

The Gers are have not lost a competitive match in October, with their last defeat coming at the end of September against Sparta Prague in the Europa League.

Their last game was a 2-1 win over St Mirren away from home on Sunday, with Steven Gerrard’s side coming from 1-0 down to secure the three points.

One change Gerrard should make to the team ahead of the clash with Aberdeen is bringing Glen Kamara into the side ahead of John Lundstram. The Finland international watched on from the bench on Sunday and must now be unleashed at Ibrox to take on the Dons.

Lundstram struggled against St. Mirren at the weekend and was partly to blame for the opening goal. He was caught out in the midfield and too easily shrugged off, with Connor Ronan then firing the ball into the top corner from distance.

As per SofaScore, he failed to make a single tackle in the match as he made one interception and lost two of his three ground duels.

This suggests that he was not strong enough to compete in the middle of the park and that is why Gerrard should forget about starting him and, instead, unleash Kamara.

Neil McCann, his former manager at Dundee United, once hailed him as being “made of iron”. He said of Kamara: “He isn’t a big, physical lad but he’s made of iron and really strong. I knew immediately that he could handle the ball under pressure and not give it away, so he was perfect.

McCann added: “He’s a special talent. He’s lightning-quick but he doesn’t show it. He’s a player who takes instruction well.”

He has shown off these qualities for the Gers in the Premiership. Last season, the £6.2k-per-week beast averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 6.99 in 33 appearances, winning 59% of his duels over the course of the campaign and making 2.0 tackles and interceptions combined per game.

Therefore, he could provide the midfield stability Rangers need to control the game.

He is able to win the ball back off the opposition and come out on top in the majority of his individual battles, which is why he should start ahead of Lundstram tonight.

AND in other news, Gerrard must ruthlessly axe £18k-p/w Rangers dud v Aberdeen, he was shocking on Sunday…

With their 2-0 victory over Ipswich Town now behind them, Sunderland must focus on their next League One clash against Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday evening.

On the chalkboard

In terms of who Black Cats manager Lee Johnson could pick to be in his starting XI in midweek, one player that featured in the win against Ipswich that should not be in the team for this upcoming match against Shrewsbury is winger Lynden Gooch.

In the game against Ipswich, Gooch didn’t have any sort of attacking presence in the team by failing to register even one shot at goal.

Furthermore, he failed to make one key pass or cross, won just three out of the ten duels he was involved in and lost possession a whopping 15 times. All of that ultimately earned him a disappointing overall match rating of 6.1/10, making him the lowest-rated Sunderland player on the day according to SofaScore.

The 25-year-old, who has been described as a “versatile” player in the past by Johnson, also managed to get dribbled past on two occasions and pick up a yellow card, his fifth of the season across all competitions, showing that he was a bit of a liability on this occasion.

Looking at the season as a whole, despite making a total of 13 appearances across all competitions, the £5k-per-week earner has not registered a goal and has only provided one assist, showing that he has not been much of a threat for the team.

To make sure the winger doesn’t continue to become a liability for the team and put in another uninspiring performance, it might well be Johnson’s best option to take Gooch out of the team for the match against Shrewsbury. After all, they may well have a better chance of picking up another win to keep them in the race for a promotion place.

With Aiden McGeady managing to score Sunderland’s late penalty at the weekend after coming off the substitutes bench to seal the three points, perhaps it could be time to get him back in the starting XI for this game to see if he can have more of an attacking impact than Gooch did against Ipswich.

In other news: Forget Dajaku: Johnson must unleash “terrific” SAFC beast, he could terrify Ipswich – opinion

يستعد فريق الكرة بالزمالك لخوض مباراة قوية أمام الهلال السعودي في كأس لوسيل والمقرر إقامتها في قطر خلال سبتمبر المقبل.

ومن المقرر أن تقام المباراة التي ستجمع بين بطلي الدوري المصري والسعودي على أرضية استاد لوسيل الذي سيحتضن نهائي كأس العالم قطر 2022.

طالع أيضًا.. نفاذ 60 ألف تذكرة قبل مباراة الزمالك والهلال السعودي في كأس سوبر لوسيل

وكان فريق الهلال السعودي قد حصد لقب مسابقة الدوري عن الموسم الماضي بعد صراع قوي مع اتحاد جدة.

بينما استطاع الزمالك تحقيق لقب الدوري المصري للمرة الـ14 في تاريخه والثانية على التوالي بعد منافسة قوية مع الأهلي وبيراميدز. موعد مباراة الزمالك والهلال في كأس لوسيل

تنطلق مباراة الزمالك والهلال يوم الجمعة الموافق 9 سبتمبر المُقبل في الساعة الثامنة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، التاسعة بتوقيت السعودية وقطر. القنوات الناقلة لمباراة الزمالك والهلال في كأس لوسيل

تذاع مباراة الزمالك والهلال السعودي عبر قناة الكأس القطرية المفتوحة، وقناة بي أن سبورتس.

As per South American news outlet El Intransigente.com, it appears West Ham United and head of recruitment Rob Newman have their eyes on another striker as some Julian Alvarez news emerges.

The Lowdown: West Ham eyeing new forward…

It is perhaps the worst kept secret in football that West Ham wish to add a new striker to their ranks amid fitness concerns surrounding Michail Antonio.

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Manager David Moyes has been attempting to bring in a back-up for his Jamaica international since the start of 2021, confirming himself that bids had been lodged in January.

Over the most recent summer window, the Scotsman candidly admitted he was ‘desperate’ to bring in a centre-forward but to no avail as his hunt continues.

The arrival of new transfer chief Newman could help in this regard as they become linked to more and more strikers.

Alexandre Lacazette, Adam Hlozek and Andrea Belotti are just some of the names to be mentioned alongside the Hammers and now some news has surfaced on yet another target.

The Latest: West Ham in Alvarez hunt…

According to El Intransigente’s sources, West Ham are one of the several clubs across Europe in the race to sign promising Argentine forward Alvarez.

The Liga Profesional sensation has been attracting suitors from across the continent due to his fine form, with Moyes’ side joined by Real Madrid, Atletico, Juventus, Inter Milan, Fiorentina, Bayern Munich and, now, Borussia Dortmund.

The Verdict: Good candidate?

At 21-years-old with plenty of seasons ahead and real sell-on value, Alvarez may have just become one of the best candidates to reinforce West Ham’s forward line.

The five-cap international’s record in front of goal speaks for itself, having netted 19 strikes across 2021 alone as he draws some crazy comparisons.

Former Uruguay star and club football journeyman Sebastien Abreu bizarrely likened him to a ‘Lion’ in the jungle due to his ruthlessness whilst also comparing Alvarez to the likes of Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez for his hardworking style (archysport.com).

Lauded as ‘amazing’ whilst he develops ‘enormously’ by Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni (remonews.com), the young striker is also pretty affordable from West Ham’s perspective.

He reportedly has a release clause of around €20 million (£16.7m) which could rise to €25 million (£20.9m) depending on a special clause (El Intransigente), arguably a decent price to pay when taking into account his age and prolific form.

Alvarez has also averaged more shots per 90 domestically (3.3) than any West Ham player bar star man Antonio (WhoScored), perhaps indicating he would be a fine understudy.

In other news: ‘Yesssss’, ‘What a day’, ‘Get in’…ExWHUemployee’s ‘great news’ has many West Ham fans buzzing, find out more here.