Glasgow Rangers manager Philippe Clement may have been offered plenty of backing by new CEO Patrick Stewart, but the Ibrox faithful know that he isn’t the right choice to lead the club into the future.

Indeed, during the 3-1 victory over St Johnstone in Glasgow on Sunday afternoon, the Union Bears departed in the 55th minute as a sign of protest against the board and their decision to back the manager.

With the January transfer window in full swing, the only thing that might save Clement will be a deep run in Europe and winning the Scottish Cup.

The Premiership title race is all but over, as Celtic currently top the standings by a staggering 15 points.

The only positives from recent weeks have been the performances of certain individuals. Nico Raskin has impressed in recent weeks, even captaining the Gers to a memorable 3-0 win over Celtic at the start of the year.

Hamza Igamane has been the other big positive in the previous few months, emerging as someone who shouldn’t be dropped from the starting XI.

If he maintains this current form, then there will be a host of clubs queuing up to secure his signature this summer.

Hamza Igamane’s amazing season in numbers

Rangers were in need of another striker last summer. Despite Cyriel Dessers scoring 22 goals, he wasn’t the answer for Clement.

The arrival of Igamane for a fee believed to have been £1.7m was certainly a surprise, especially considering the youngster had not played senior football outside of Morocco before.

While seen as a big gamble, if the striker could settle and score goals, there was no doubt the Light Blues might strike gold on the Moroccan starlet.

Struck gold they have. Just seven months after moving to Scotland, Igamane has emerged as a hot prospect, one that has already scored 12 goals in just 21 appearances for the club thus far.

A few weeks ago, it was reported that Everton had sent scouts to watch the striker during the Europa League clash against Tottenham Hotspur. Igamane did his chances of a big move no harm by scoring the opener against the Premier League outfit.

Although the 22-year-old has eventually settled into the rigours of Scottish football, it has been in Europe where he has showcased his true talents and that he belongs at this level.

Across four Europa League games, he has netted four goals, scoring once every 48 minutes, along with having a stunning 67% goal conversion rate in the competition.

Furthermore, averaging 1.3 key passes and 1.3 successful dribbles on the continent indicates that Igamane offers more than just a clinical threat in the final third.

He has already endeared himself to the Ibrox faithful, who see the striker as the ideal heir to Alfredo Morelos, with the pair sharing similar attributes.

The more goals he scores, the higher the interest will be heading into the summer transfer window. If a big-money move comes in, he might just make the Light Blues a significant profit.

Having excellent players operating behind him will allow Igamane to improve as the season progresses. Though, should he stay, he could well be complemented by one of the SPFL’s top young talents.

Rangers eye move for Dundee star

According to the Sun, Rangers are considering making a pre-contract move for Dundee starlet Lyall Cameron, who has enjoyed a wonderful season at Dens Park.

Cameron was briefly linked with a move to Glasgow last summer, but nothing materialised in the end. Celtic were the ones to sign a Dundee star, bringing Luke McCowan to the club, who has settled in well at Parkhead.

Could Cameron perhaps follow in his former teammate’s footsteps by making the switch from Dundee to Glasgow?

The report from the Sun claims that the Gers are leading the chase for Cameron’s signature, although there is plenty of interest from other parties.

Fabio Silva

Wolves (loan)

2024

Mohamed Diomande

FC Nordsjaelland

2024

Oscar Cortes

Lens (loan)

2024

Todd Cantwell

Norwich

2023

Nico Raskin

Standard Liege

2023

The chance to win trophies and compete in Europe on a consistent basis suggests a move to Ibrox could be the perfect one for the player to take his game to the next level.

Why Rangers should sign Lyall Cameron

Earlier this season, following a game against Rangers, analyst John Walker took a look at his performance, saying: “Had a look at him closely v Rangers on Saturday & he was an absolute stand-out.”

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

So, he’s already stood out against Clement’s side but what could he offer if he signs in the summer? Well, in the Premiership this season, the Dundee sensation has already scored five goals and registered four assists. When taking into account all competitions, he has registered a total of 15 goal contributions.

This tally is made even more remarkable considering he has operated either in the centre of the Dundee midfield or at times, as a defensive midfielder.

Should he move to Ibrox, could his future be in a more advanced role? It’s something that would see him linking up directly with Igamane.

Considering Cameron has created four big chances in the top flight throughout 2024/25, along with averaging 1.7 key passes and succeeding with 0.6 dribbles per game, he could be excellent if he moved slightly further forward should he join Rangers.

Averaging 59.7 touches of the ball per game demonstrates his willingness to often get involved during games, not shying away from the challenge of more illustrious teams.

These statistics should be enough for Clement to see that he could add a quality midfielder to his squad for nothing, boosting the homegrown quota in the process.

Aged just 22, Cameron still has plenty of development to do. A move to Ibrox could be fundamental in achieving his dreams while improving as a player.

At the time of writing, the youngster has 12 caps for the Scotland U21 side. Switching to Rangers ahead of next season could see him garner the attention of Steve Clarke, who might find it hard to ignore him.

Enquiry made: Rangers could sign a "vastly experienced" Barron upgrade

Rangers could target a player who can potentially leave his club for free

ByRoss Kilvington Jan 11, 2025

Opportunity for meaningful practice for tourists at high-scoring venue

Matt Roller11-Jul-2022South Africa marked the start of their England tour by training in the Taunton sunshine on Monday afternoon, ahead of the first of two 50-over warm-up games against England Lions. They will play three ODIs, five T20Is (including two against Ireland in Bristol) and three Tests over the next two months, a return to old-school touring after two years of short series being squeezed into schedules following the Covid pandemic.That means that they will have the opportunity to acclimatise rather than heading straight into a series, beginning their trip at a venue that played host to the highest English domestic T20 total of all-time on Saturday night. Rilee Rossouw, who starred as Somerset piled on 265 for 5 against Derbyshire, will only come into the mix for the T20I leg of the tour but South Africa’s batters will be enticed by the combination of short boundaries and a flat, hard pitch.The second tour match, at New Road in Worcester on Thursday, will carry List A status but despite the ECB’s efforts, Tuesday’s will not; South Africa were keen to give as many of members of their 17-man squad a chance as possible. “We can try and get all of our batters to bat and all of our bowlers to bowl,” Mark Boucher, their head coach said, returning to the venue where he suffered a career-ending eye injury a decade ago.”Hopefully, we get the proper headache of having everyone in the runs. The second game will be a proper game of cricket, classed as a List A game. It’s going to be a good opportunity for us in the next couple of days to get everyone ready and also see where each individual is in these conditions.”Keshav Maharaj will stand in as captain for the 50-over leg of the tour, with Temba Bavuma missing through injury. “He’s a massive loss for us,” Boucher said, “but we have our back-up plans as well.”The England series is not part of the ODI Super League, in which South Africa have struggled, leaving them facing the possibility of having to play in next year’s qualifiers in order to reach the World Cup in India. “There’s maybe been a bit of a lack of form and continuity in certain series as well, where we’ve lost players to IPL,” Boucher added. “Our plans are good. If we can just settle on that then the results will naturally come.”Related

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The ECB have picked a strong Lions squad for this series, with the usual blend of “next-best” and “future-best” players, according to Mo Bobat, England’s performance director. “We cross over with the England ODIs so we had to be really mindful of which players we picked and also think about the county game,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “You could easily decimate the Championship.”The Lions have hardly played since the start of the pandemic, with the demands of England’s schedule often meaning they have required two enlarged squads simultaneously. When they did, in Australia last winter, the tour was badly affected by quarantine demands and inclement weather.They are due to play South Africa in a red-ball game on August 9 and will tour Sri Lanka this winter if the political situation allows, but this week effectively marks the full return of the programme after what Bobat described as a “pretty difficult” couple of years.”It’s always quite tricky playing Lions cricket in the summer anyway because of the congested schedule, so getting to a point where we could put this game on and put a decent side out felt like quite an important thing. It’s nice for us to feel like we’re getting Lions cricket going again. It’s a good opportunity this week for these guys to play some 50-over cricket against international opposition.”Keshav Maharaj (right) will captain South Africa in the absence of Temba Bavuma•AFP/Getty ImagesTom Abell, the Somerset captain, will lead the side on his home ground and expects the Lions to replicate England’s attacking style. “Getting to captain is a huge privilege and it’s extra special being here at Taunton,” Abell told ESPNcricinfo. “We’ve got a really good group. Hopefully we can come together and put South Africa under a bit of pressure.”A lot of us haven’t really experienced playing at this level against international opposition so the next couple of games are going to be amazing for us. What we want is for the group to feel free and be able to express themselves. We’ve all been playing T20 cricket and everyone’s approach is pretty positive so it’ll be about adapting to the 50-over format, but still trying to maintain that mindset: we want to have that positive, attacking intent at all times.”There are three capped players in the 14-man squad – Tom Banton, Ben Duckett and David Payne – and a mix of recent Under-19 graduates like Rehan Ahmed and Will Smeed, and older players with strong recent form such as Benny Howell and Jake Lintott. Not that many of them have played much 50-over cricket of late, since the Royal London Cup now clashes with the Hundred.”I haven’t played a 50-over game for God knows how long – a club game, probably,” Smeed, who could make his List A debut on Thursday, told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s not something that’s been on my radar but it was a lovely call to get. They’ve got a lot of tall, quick bowlers which will be fun. It’ll give me a good reflection as to where my game is at against that sort of bowler – you don’t get loads of them in the Blast so this should be a good challenge.”England Lions squad: Tom Abell (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Banton (wk), Sam Cook, Ben Duckett, Stephen Eskinazi, Sam Hain, Adam Hose, Benny Howell, Jake Lintott, David Payne, George Scrimshaw, Will SmeedSouth Africa ODI squad: Keshav Maharaj (captain), Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Anrich Nortje, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams, Khaya Zondo, Kyle Verreynne

Newcastle United are reportedly ready to sign a “ridiculous” £25m international defender during the January transfer window, with his current club already lining up his replacement.

Latest Newcastle news

It has been a solid period in the season for the Magpies, who haven’t been perfect by any means, but have picked up some important results in the Premier League. On Saturday, they strode to a 4-0 win away to Ipswich Town, thanks to the in-form Alexander Isak’s hat-trick, and they now sit eighth in the table after the weekend action.

It is important that reinforcements continue to be added to Eddie Howe’s squad, however, with a lack of investment in the summer causing frustration for both the manager and sporting director Paul Mitchell. Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford continues to be linked with a move to Newcastle in 2025, as they look to nail down a successor to Nick Pope.

The Magpies’ centre-back options feel sparse currently, not least after lengthy injuries to Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles, and Barcelona defender Eric Garcia is thought to be a target for Newcastle. He has found it hard to be a key man at the Catalan club this season.

Meanwhile, the Magpies are reportedly in the race to sign Southampton’s highly-rated teenage midfielder Tyler Dibling, who looks like a player with a huge amount of potential. His technical ability has shone throughout the season, despite Saints’ vast struggles in the Premier League.

Newcastle ready to move for £25m centre-back

According to MilanLive [via Sport Witness], Newcastle are ready to move for AC Milan centre-back Fikayo Tomori, with a January move not ruled out. Milan are lining up Lazio’s Mario Gila as a direct replacement for the England international next month and want to raise funds before they complete that move.

The Magpies aren’t the only Premier League club showing an interest, however, with both West Ham and Aston Villa also mentioned in the report. It is thought that £25m could be enough to acquire the services of the England international.

Tomori could be a great signing for Newcastle, while a return to English football may also appeal to him, enhancing his hopes of getting himself back in the England fold more regularly.

At 27, the former Chelsea man could be coming right into his peak years, with Ally McCoist heaping praise on him in the past in a game against Newcastle: “That is a ridiculous tackle incredible. Almiron goes with his left-foot as he thinks it’s a tap-in, if he goes with his right-foot then it’s a goal. Tremendous tackle.”

Tomori possesses Premier League experience, making 17 appearances in the competition, and could represent a cheaper alternative to Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, who continues to be linked with a move to the Magpies in a deal that could cost around £70m.

Newcastle favourites to sign amazing Murphy rival who's "like Cole Palmer"

Eddie Howe is on the hunt for a brand new Newcastle United attacker.

1 ByKelan Sarson Dec 23, 2024

The fact that Milan potentially have a successor lined up can only bode well for Newcastle, suggesting that a January switch isn’t out of the question.

It would be fair to say that this season has been tough for Tottenham Hotspur.

The club may still be in three cup competitions at present, but their form in the Premier League has been diabolical, with Wednesday night’s defeat to Arsenal being their 11th of the campaign.

What’s worse is that Ange Postecoglou’s usually ultra-positive side didn’t even offer much in attack and looked bereft of ideas for much of the encounter.

Fortunately, recent reports have linked the club with an incredibly exciting Premier League star who could be their answer to the Gunners’ Bukayo Saka.

Spurs chase Premier League star

According to a recent report from French outlet RMC Sports, Tottenham are one of several clubs interested in Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo.

Alongside the Lilywhites, the report has claimed that the Gunners and Manchester United are also incredibly keen on landing the inform winger this month.

However, the story has also revealed that, due to the Bees’ position in the league and successful campaign thus far, it would take a ‘big cheque’ to tempt them into selling, with reports from earlier this month claiming an offer in the region of £50m might do.

It would be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Mbeumo’s immense ability, it’s one worth fighting for, especially as there are some apparent similarities between him and Saka.

How Mbeumo could be Spurs' Saka

Now, Spurs fans might not like Saka for understandable partisan reasons, but there is no denying that the Arsenal man is one of the best wingers in world football, let alone the Premier League, as before suffering his hamstring injury, he had racked up a haul of nine goals and 13 assists in just 24 games this season.

So, the fact that Mbeumo shares some similarities with him can only be a good thing, and the first similarity is his productivity.

For example, in just 25 appearances this season, the former Troyes star, whom pundit Dan Bardell recently dubbed “one of the best players in the Premier League,” has found the back of the net on 13 occasions and provided four assists for good measure, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.47 games.

Appearances

24

25

Goals

9

13

Assists

13

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.91

0.68

On top of this ability to change games with a goal or assist, the Cameroonian international shares some physical traits with the Hale Ender.

For example, while the Englishman is three inches taller than the 5 foot 7 Bees star, they are both unassumingly strong and share a low centre of gravity, which helps them manoeuvre with the ball and send opposition full-backs the wrong way when out on the wing.

Moreover, both are left-footed right-wingers, which facilitates their nature to cut in and fire off a shot from just outside the box or from inside when they time their runs just right.

Finally, both players have become the focal points of the respective teams, with the Arsenal ace taking up the mantle in light of a weaker left-side and lack of clinical strikers, while Mbeumo stepped up in the absence of Ivan Toney last season and hasn’t relinquished that spotlight since.

Ultimately, it might cost an arm and a leg to get down this month, but if Spurs want to instantly improve Ange’s attacking options, then they have to sign the Brentford star, as he’s got all the ingredients to explode at a top six side, and maybe even become their answer to Saka.

A big Solanke upgrade: Spurs offered one of the best forwards in the world

The incredible forward would supercharge Spurs, subsequently replacing Solanke.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 16, 2025

Wriddhiman Saha, the India wicketkeeper, has parted ways with Bengal, the team he represented in domestic cricket, after a public fallout with a state association official. He is now a free agent, having obtained an NOC from the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).”Mr Wriddhiman Saha came to CAB and in an application to President Avishek Dalmiya sought the NOC from the association,” stated an association press release. “CAB gave concurrence to the request of Mr Saha and provided the NOC to him for playing for another state. CAB also wished him the very best for his future endeavours.”It began in February, when CAB joint-secretary Debabrata Das issued a statement accusing Saha of giving “all sorts of excuses” to “skip” Ranji Trophy matches. This didn’t go down well Saha, who sought an apology that wasn’t forthcoming.Related

• Wriddhiman Saha chooses Tripura for 2022-23 domestic season

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• Saha opts out of Bengal's Ranji squad for personal reasons

At the time, Saha had just been left out of the India Test team, with head coach Rahul Dravid having spoken to him of the possibility of not being picked in the Test squad going forward. Consequently, he pulled out of the Ranji Trophy league phase citing “personal reasons”.In May, Saha was picked in Bengal’s squad for the Ranji Trophy knockouts, but he pulled out saying his permission wasn’t sought before naming him in the squad. Saha is believed to have spoken to the CAB officials, who promised him Das’ statement wasn’t a reflection of CAB’s stance.However, Saha reiterated his stance and said that in case the dispute could not be resolved, he wanted a no-objection certificate to leave the state. With the matter being unresolved two months on, Saha finally decided to obtain an NOC.While there are murmurs over Saha possibly taking up a role as mentor-cum-player with Tripura, they remain in discussion stage with neither party willing to make a comment at the moment. Earlier, Gujarat and Baroda, who were briefly linked as Saha’s potential teams, had categorically denied initiating talks.Saha, 37, has played 122 first-class matches, scoring 6423 runs at an average of 41.98. So far, he has hit 13 centuries and 38 half-centuries. In his 40-Test career, he made 1353 runs at an average just shy of 30. The home Test series against New Zealand last December was Saha’s most-recent appearance in India colours.While his immediate international future seems bleak, Saha is still contracted to IPL champions Gujarat Titans with whom he had an impressive season, scoring 317 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 122.39.

MatériaMais Notícias

A partir das 15h desta quarta-feira, a bola vai rolar para o início do Campeonato Paulista sub-20 2022. A edição contará com 72 times, divididos em 12 grupos de seis equipes. Uma dessas está o Monte Azul, clube que completou 102 anos há cinco dias.

Comandado por Andrews Deco, treinaor com licença A na CBF, o Monte Azul está no grupo B, completado por Francana, Inter de Bebedouro, Ribeirão Preto, Olímpia e Botafogo-SP. O treinador comentousobre as expectativas para estreia e como foi a preparação de toda equipe para o primeiro confronto no torneio.

– Conseguimos montar um time competitivo e qualificado, a preparação foi bem importante e vantajosa para nossa equipe. Queremos fazer um bom campeonato, pois esses meninos merecem e vamos trabalhar muito por isso. A expectativa é a melhor possível e quando entrarmos em campo, é buscar jogar bem, compactados e acima de tudo desfrutar dessas oportunidades que a vida nos dá – afirmou o treinador.

A primeira partida do Monte Azul será contra o Botafogo-SP, às 15h pelo horário de Brasília, no estádio Otacília Patrício Arroyo, em Monte Azul. Posteriormente, no próximo dia 11 (quarta-feira), a equipe viaja até Francana para encarar o time da casa.

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Ipswich Town fans will be hoping that 2025 is the year their side bravely remains put in the Premier League, despite recent poor results suggesting that an immediate return to the Championship is a more likely outcome.

At the time of writing, the Tractor Boys only have a sorry two wins next to their name and a low 12-point total to shout about, as the task of keeping his side up against all the odds continues to weigh heavy on Kieran McKenna.

But, the January transfer window could breathe some belief back into proceedings, especially if the relegation candidates are proactive and improve in certain areas of the pitch ahead of a slog of fixtures to come in the New Year.

Ipswich transfer news

One of those positions McKenna is reportedly interested in strengthening is the centre of the park, with ex-Leeds United midfielder Glen Kamara allegedly on the club’s radar.

As per a report by football journalist Graeme Bailey, the Finland international could up and leave his current employers Rennes this coming window in a bid to return to English shores with the Tractor Boys.

Ipswich aren’t a lone suitor looking at Kamara, however, with Ivan Juric’s Southampton also eyeing up the experienced midfield head to help with their own relegation concerns, alongside further speculation suggesting that Burnley and Middlesbrough are keen from the Championship.

A switch in the region of £8.4m could potentially secure a deal – considering that is what Kamara joined Rennes for just this summer – with McKenna presumably wanting to improve his options centrally away from a stuttering Kalvin Phillips.

Moreover, having once been referred to as a “monster” in the heart of midfield by former boss Steven Gerrard when the pair were together at Rangers, he could link up with Jens Cajuste well if he relocates to Suffolk, with the Swede impressing those at Portman Road of late with his own full-blooded offerings.

What Kamara could offer Ipswich

Having been a rip-roaring success in the Scottish first division, time will only tell if the 29-year-old can go on to be a top buy for Ipswich in another high up league.

The 2020/21 season for Kamara playing week in week out for Rangers in the league saw him average a sterling 91% pass accuracy per clash, whilst also displaying a bite in his game that could be key when games are attritional near the foot of the top-flight, with 3.9 duels won also averaged.

Stat – per 90 mins*

Kamara

Cajuste

Phillips

Games played

13

12

9

Games started

8

9

8

Goals scored

0

0

0

Assists

1

0

0

Touches*

38.2

33.1

49.8

Accurate passes*

28.5 (91%)

20.2 (86%)

28.4 (82%)

Tackles*

1.8

1.3

1.8

Ball recoveries*

3.2

3.1

3.9

Total duels won*

3.9

2.8

4.3

Whilst Phillips has averaged more duels and ball recoveries this season in the Premier League when thrown into action by McKenna, Kamara would likely offer the Tractor Boys a calmer presence as well as one unafraid to be dirty, with the Rennes number 15 completing more accurate passes per 90 this season in Ligue 1, despite averaging less touches.

Moreover, Kamara has been dependable wherever he’s been over the last couple of seasons unlike a topsy-turvy Phillips, with the 29-year-old making 42 appearances last season for Phillips’ ex-employers in Leeds, becoming known as a composed figure on the ball in the second tier.

It does remain to be seen whether Kamara would start from the get-go – owing to the fact McKenna has remained loyal to long-standing club servant Sam Morsy centrally this season – but if Morsy was out of the first-team picture on occasion, he wouldn’t hesitate playing him alongside Cajuste in attempting to make his side harder to break down.

January will prove to be a crucial month for McKenna’s side, with additions such as the £29k-per-week Kamara in through the door perhaps boosting their chances of survival.

Ipswich Town now make offer to sign "fantastic" 22 y/o defender in January

An offer has been made for the player.

ByHenry Jackson Dec 27, 2024

أعرب عماد النحاس، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، عن سعادته بعد الفوز على حرس الحدود بخماسية دون رد، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما ببطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

والتقى الأهلي مع حرس الحدود، على استاد القاهرة الدولي، في إطار لقاءات الجولة الرابعة من عمر المرحلة النهائية من بطولة الدوري المصري.

وقال عماد النحاس في تصريحات خلال المؤتمر الصحفي: “أبارك للاعبين والجهاز الفني والجماهير على المكسب المهم بالنسبة لنا، مكسب أفضل من الفوز الماضي الحمد لله لم نستقبل أي هدف، كنا محتاجين هذا المكسب الذي يمنح الثقة بشكل أكبر للاعبين”.

طالع أيضاً.. محسن صالح: الأهلي قدّم سيمفونية كروية أمام حرس الحدود.. والنحاس أدار مباراة “شطرنج”

وتابع: “أدخلنا لاعبين جدد للقاء مثل علي معلول، ظروف المباراة الماضية كانت مختلفة، كنت أتمنى أن تسمح الظروف لمشاركة نيدفيد وعمر الساعي، نحاول أن نُجهز أكبر عدد ممكن من اللاعبين، أجرينا تغييرين بسبب الإصابة، كل اللاعبين جاهزين للعب وهذا دورنا في الوقت الحالي”.

وأوضح: “نتائج المنافسين تساعدك ومازلنا مكملين في الدوري، إضاعة الفرص تعني أنك تصل للمرمى أكتر وكذلك أمام فريق مثل حرس الحدود الذي لم يخسر بهذه النتيجة خلال الموسم الحالي، أتمنى إن شاء الله المباريات المقبلة تكون أولا فوز ثم نتيجة”.

وبسؤاله عن السبب وراء تغيير طاهر محمد طاهر أجاب: “لم نصل لمرحلة الإصابة وكان إجراء احترازي، وارد يحدث تعادل في عدد النقاط بيننا وبين المنافسين، وأكيد نحن أبلغنا اللاعبين بذلك”. وعن سبب بكاء إمام عاشور بعد المباراة.. قال: “أنا لم أراه ولم أعرف السبب، كنت أشاهده وهو يستلم جائزة رجل المباراة وبعد اللقاء صافحته وفي غرفة تغيير الملابس اللبس رأيته كان جيداً، موضوع أنه متأثر بإهدار الفرص أم لا إمام لاعب كبير وينافس على هداف الدوري، لكننا نافس حالياً على بطولة الدوري وهذا مهم لكل اللاعبين”.

وأتم: “كانت لدينا وحدة تدريبية فقط للتدريب على الشق الدفاعي وإن شاء الله سنكون أفضل، تمت إضافة محمد نجيب للجهاز الفني وهو مدافع وكذلك محمد شوقي، لذلك نحاول تجهيز الفريق بشكل جيد”.

Zimbabwe denied Netherlands their third straight championship at the T20 World Cup Qualifier as the hosts defended a total of 132 to secure a 37-run win in the final in Bulawayo. Netherlands – who have already claimed a spot at the T20 World Cup – collapsed from 45 for 2 to be bowled out for 95 in 18.2 overs as Sikandar Raza’s extraordinary tournament concluded in a Player-of-the-Match performance as he took 4 for 8.The result means that Zimbabwe will go to Hobart for the opening round of the T20 World Cup in Australia this October, where they will be in a group with Ireland, Scotland and West Indies. Netherlands will be sent to Geelong for their opening round fixtures against Namibia, Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates. The top two teams in each opening round group will advance to the Super 12 stage.Both teams had produced dominant performances with the bat throughout the tournament before a low-scoring thriller unfolded on Sunday in which nobody made more than the 28 off 25 balls by Sean Williams at No. 3. But along with Regis Chakabva’s 27 off 16 balls, it was significant enough to put Zimbabwe in a defendable position.Logan van Beek struck in the third over for Netherlands, bowling captain Craig Ervine, who was attempting to back away from leg stump for a booming drive, for 10. Chakabva paid the price for trying one too many reverse shots to Bas de Leede’s medium pace and was given lbw in the fifth. Wessly Madhevere was next to go, sweeping a full toss from left-arm spinner Tim Pringle out to deep midwicket for 9 to make it 54 for 3.But Williams and Raza came together for the biggest partnership of the match, adding 39 for the fourth wicket to get Zimbabwe back on solid ground. The stand finally ended when Williams heaved a half-tracker from legspinner Shariz Ahmad out to deep midwicket.Van Beek returned in the 13th and was on a hat-trick a short time later during a double-wicket maiden. A one-handed swipe to the leg side by Milton Shumba produced a swirling top edge taken by wicketkeeper Scott Edwards. Raza crossed with the ball in the air and fell on the next delivery for 19 playing across the line to a back of a length delivery and was given lbw.Zimbabwe only scored two more boundaries the rest of the innings, but both were struck by Ryan Burl to start and finish a pivotal 10-run over bowled by Fred Klaassen in the 17th. Burl was run out for 15 in the first ball of the 18th over, and the tail was wiped out a short time later with three balls left unused.Madhevere trapped Netherlands opener Max O’Dowd heaving across the line for 12 in the third over of the chase before de Leede, the hero of semi-final win over USA, became Madhevere’s second lbw victim in the space of five balls. But Netherlands recovered well from 17 for 2 to speed along to 43 by the end of the powerplay thanks to Stephan Myburgh and Tom Cooper.That was until chaos erupted in the seventh when Cooper was run out by a direct hit from short fine leg to the non-striker’s end for 9. After hitting two fours and three sixes during the powerplay, Netherlands did not find the rope again until the 17th over as spinners Raza and Williams strangled the run rate.The mounting pressure finally burst in the 10th when Myburgh was pinned in front for 22 during a wicket-maiden for Raza. Another false sweep followed from Edwards in the 11th as he top-edged Williams to short fine leg for 7.Raza then bowled Logan van Beek in the 12th for a third-ball duck before ending his spell with wickets on his final two deliveries, bowling Pringle for 4 and pinning Klaassen in front for a golden duck. Netherlands slid from 17 for 6 to 62 for 8.A late burst of sixes from Paul van Meekeren and Teja Nidamanuru off Burl’s legspin in the 17th produced a 14-run over. But van Meekeren was dismissed by Jongwe two balls into the 18th for 10 before Richard Ngarava removed Nidamanuru in the next over to end the match.Papua New Guinea defended a total of 97 to beat USA by five runs in the third place playoff at Bulawayo Athletic Club. USA needed 11 runs to win off 12 balls with three wickets in hand before captain Assad Vala struck twice with his offspin in the 19th, including No. 6 batter Vatsal Vaghela for a top score of 29 chipping a skied drive to extra cover. Chad Soper then speared a yorker into middle stump on the first ball of the 20th to bowl Yasir Mohammad for 16 to clinch a dramatic consolation win.In the fifth place playoff, Uganda held on in almost identical circumstances, defending 102 to beat Hong Kong by four runs. Hong Kong needed six runs off three balls with four wickets in hand, but Cosmas Kyewuta bowled Zeeshan Ali for 26 and then removed Ehsan Khan first ball. No. 10 batter Aftab Hussain could only manage a single after entering to face the final ball. Jersey comfortably chased down a target of 141 with 26 balls to spare to beat Singapore by six wickets in the seventh place playoff.

Emi Martinez's "attitude" has been questioned by a fellow World Cup winner, but the Argentine is considered to be the same level as Thibaut Courtois.

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South American won the World Cup in 2022On-field behaviour has been questionedRegarded as one of the best in the businessFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Martinez’s antics, particularly in penalty shootouts, have attracted criticism. His record speaks for itself, though, with Argentina being helped to a global crown in 2022 and two Copa America triumphs.

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Their No.1, who plays his club football for Premier League side Aston Villa, is a two-time winner of the FIFA Best Men’s Goalkeeper award. He is about to test himself against European heavyweights as Villa face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals.

WHAT FRANK LEBOEUF SAID

Former Chelsea and France star Frank Leboeuf, who won the World Cup with France in 1998, has told when assessing Villa’s upcoming clash with PSG: "Aston Villa are having a great season; Unai Emery is having a brilliant time there and it’s nice to see players like Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio playing their best football and fitting in well. I’m a big fan of Boubacar Kamara too.

"I’m less of a fan of Emiliano Martinez – he’s a great goalkeeper but I don’t like his attitude. He’s up there with Thibaut Courtois on ability for me and they can absolutely trouble Paris Saint-Germain.

"If PSG play how they did against Liverpool, it’s hard to see Villa progressing but you never know. Villa must believe they can do something and it’s great to see teams like this at this level with a real chance against a European titan, good luck to them. It will be hard; PSG have already taken out the tournament favourite, Liverpool."

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Martinez has been beating Real Madrid shot-stopper Courtois to prestigious individual prizes. He is now hoping to emulate the Belgium international by landing a Champions League title of his own.