The NWSL’s custom crystallized soccer ball continues it's tour across the NWSL, amazing various celebrities along the way
كشف محمد أسامة، رئيس الجهاز الطبي للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، عن تفاصيل الإصابة التي تعرض لها اللاعب ناصر ماهر خلال مواجهة اليوم أمام سيراميكا كليوباترا، في الدوري المصري الممتاز.
وسقط الزمالك، في فخ التعادل مع سيراميكا كليوباترا بهدفين لكل فريق، ضمن منافسات الجولة الخامسة من مسابقة الدوري المصري.
طالع.. محمد صبحي يغادر مباراة الزمالك وسيراميكا كليوباترا مصابًا
وأوضح أسامة في تصريحات للمركز الإعلامي لنادي الزمالك أن اللاعب تعرض لالتواء في الكاحل نتيجة التحام قوي خلال سير المباراة، مشيرًا إلى أنه سيخضع لآشعة طبية لتحديد حجم الإصابة بدقة وخطة العلاج المناسبة.
وأكد الزمالك أن الإصابة بعيدة تمامًا عن الركبة، رغم قوة التحام المنافس، موضحًا أن الوضع كان سيصبح أخطر لولا أن الإصابة جاءت في الكاحل فقط.
ومن المنتظر أن يعلن الجهاز الطبي للفريق المدة المتوقعة لغياب اللاعب بعد الانتهاء من الفحوصات اللازمة.
A “sensational” Manchester City player could agree a deal to leave the club in just a matter of days, according to a new report.
Pep Guardiola may have to be the mastermind behind a major rebuild in January and the summer, given that his ageing squad has been way off the pace this season, with results over the past couple of months causing major concern.
Both Kyle Walker and İlkay Gündoğan have been fantastic servants to Man City, but they have received their fair share of criticism for failing to reach the heights expected of them so far this season. The duo are in the latter stages of their careers, as is Kevin De Bruyne, who hasn’t had his usual impact on matches up to this point, amid speculation about a rift between the Belgian and Guardiola.
Guardiola emphatically denied rumours of a fallout, saying: “People say I’ve got a problem with Kevin. Do you think I like to not play with Kevin? I don’t want Kevin to play? The guy who has the most talent in the final third. I don’t want it? I have a personal problem with him after nine years together?
“He’s delivered to me the biggest success to this club. I’m desperate to have his best. But he’s been five months injured and two months injured. He’s 33 years old. He needs time to find his best.”
Even though there may not be issues between the 33-year-old and his manager, there are indications that his time at the Etihad Stadium could be coming to an end. According to a report from Football Insider, De Bruyne is now closing in on a move away from City, with his £400,000 a week contract due to expire at the end of the season.
The midfielder is free to speak to other clubs when the January transfer window opens, and a deal could be done in a matter of days, with a move now becoming increasingly likely and San Diego FC being touted as a potential destination.
Man City now eyeing move to sign Gundogan-like midfielder ahead of Arsenal
He’s one for the future…
1
By
Tom Cunningham
Dec 29, 2024
It would very difficult for any potential replacement to emulate what the Belgium international has done in a Man City shirt over the course of a trophy-laden nine years.
Lauded as “sensational”, the Man City star played a key role in his side’s Premier League title triumph just last season even when supposedly past his best, picking up four goals and 10 assists in 18 games.
Although the attacking midfielder has struggled with injuries for quite some time, he is still one of the first names on the teamsheet when fit, and Guardiola’s aforementioned comments indicate that he is still thought of very highly by his manager.
As such, it would be a real shame to see De Bruyne sign with another club this January, but his service to Manchester City has been unbelievable and nobody could begrudge him wanting a new challenge at this stage of his career.
Aston Villa continue to impress this season.
Last weekend’s 2-1 victory over Leicester City means Unai Emery’s team are now unbeaten in 13 Premier League or Champions League home games, winning eight of them, most notably defeating Bayern Munich and Manchester City in front of their own supporters.
This leaves the Claret and Blue Army eighth in the league, thereby occupying the last potential European position, also fifth in the gigantic Champions League standings, on course to go straight through to the round of 16, with games against Monaco and Celtic still to come later this month.
One Villa player in particular has caught the eye this season so far, with some of Europe’s leading clubs casting admiring glances.
Aston Villa's main man in demand
According to RMC Sport on Twitter, Ligue 1 champions and Champions League giants Paris Saint-Germain have made contact over the possibility of signing striker Jhon Durán.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
As per talkSPORT, the Colombian is valued at £60m, while Jacob Steinberg in the Guardian has also documented Chelsea’s long-standing interest.
Having lost Kylian Mbappé last summer, PSG are certainly in the market for the striker, with Randal Kolo Muani having been “discarded” by manager Luis Enrique, so could Durán be les Rouge-et-Bleu’s man?
Graham Ruthven of Total Soccer Show predicts that Durán is going “get a big transfer in 2025”, adding that Villa would be able to justify this given that they already have Ollie Watkins and, as noted by Adrian Clarke, Emery is struggling to get both of them into the same team.
Aston Villa's Jack Grealish repeat
Durán is currently suspended, following his red card at Newcastle on Boxing Day, but will serve the last of his three-match ban against West Ham in the FA Cup on Friday night, so it’ll be interesting to see if he returns in place of Watkins when Villa visit Everton on Wednesday.
It is quite the dilemma Emery is faced with, so let’s see how his two centre-forwards compare.
Statistics
Jhon Durán
Ollie Watkins
Appearances
26
29
Starts
7
22
Minutes
989
1,835
Goals
12
9
Goals – xG
+4.4
-3.6
Shots on target %
47.2%
39.3%
Assists
0
7
Shot-creating actions
20
51
Touches
324
467
Of course, Durán’s pure goal-scoring numbers are very impressive, scoring more goals than Watkins in little over half the number of minutes, while his goals – xG figure of +4.4 is very impressive, currently ranked eighth in the Premier League for this metric, while Watkins, in stark contrast, is sixth-bottom for the same statistic.
However, the Englishman’s tally of seven assists, to the Colombian’s zero, as well as Watkins’ greater number of shot-creating actions and touches suggests he is a superior all-round striker.
Losing Duran could then evoke memories of one of Aston Villa’s last big-money, high-profile sales, which saw Jack Grealish move to Manchester City for a then British record £100m.
At the time, it was viewed as an impossible task to replace Grealish, with Richard Jolly of FourFourTwo claiming they “squandered” the money on “failed” signings Leon Bailey, Emi Buendía and Danny Ings.
Nevertheless, since then, Villa have finished seventh, reached the UEFA Conference League semi-finals and got back into the Champions League for the first time in over four decades, so they haven’t done too badly.
Thus, of course, supporters will not want to see Durán go, but his departure may be necessary if they’re to avoid breaching Profit and Sustainability rules and, with Emery in charge, Villa have proven themselves capable of thriving, even in the face of losing star players.
For that reason, losing the former Chicago Fire striker may not actually prove the end of the road for the Emery revolution. Having arguably thrived since Grealish’s departure, Villa could well reinvest in similar fashion if Duran is to follow suit.
Like Grealish – who has now gone over a year without scoring for Man City – Villa’s number nine could find that the grass isn’t always greener elsewhere.
Talks opened: Aston Villa pursuing "top talent" who could be Duran 2.0
Aston Villa are looking to add to their attacking options
ByJoe Nuttall Jan 10, 2025
Nat Sciver will continue to lead the hosts with no replacement being called up
Valkerie Baynes03-Aug-2022
Heather Knight has missed out since being injured during a T20I against South Africa•PA Photos/Getty Images
Heather Knight, the England captain, has been ruled out of the remainder of the Commonwealth Games and the Hundred with a hip injury.Knight has not played either of England’s two fixtures at the Commonwealth Games so far after suffering the injury during the first T20I of the bilateral series against South Africa at Chelmsford on July 21.The England camp said on Wednesday that the injury had “failed to settle down as expected and Knight will continue to receive treatment”.Nat Sciver will remain England’s captain at the Commonwealth Games, where no replacement player can be called up, leaving the host nation with a 14-strong squad for the remainder of the competition. Knight will remain in Birmingham with the squad. Knight had injections in her hip joint while sitting out the last two matches of the South Africa series in an effort to overcome the injury but Sciver revealed on Tuesday that Knight had undergone further scans after only noticing minor improvement.”She’s not in a good place,” Sciver said. “She’s better than she has been in the last few days, still in a bit of pain with her hip.”It’s probably going to be a bit quick to play against New Zealand. She went and saw our team doctor and had another scan.”Related
Heather Knight to miss CWG 2022 opener due to hip trouble
England know they have lessons to learn from their Commonwealth Games opener
Capsey, the teenager thriving at No. 3 for England
England have won both their group games so far comfortably in Knight’s absence, with 17-year-old Alice Capsey performing well at No. 3, Sciver at No. 4 and Amy Jones holding down the No. 5 spot.England are already assured of a place in the semi-finals at Edgbaston, with their final group fixture against New Zealand on Thursday set to determine who finishes top of Group B.Australia, who are guaranteed to top Group A after beating Pakistan by 44 runs in their final group match on Wednesday, will play the second-placed team in Group B; and the Group B leaders will play the winner of Wednesday night’s match between India and Barbados in Saturday’s semi-finals.Knight was due to play a second season as London Spirit captain in this year’s edition of the women’s Hundred. London Spirit begin their campaign against Southern Brave at Southampton on August 12.
Tottenham Hotspur could move to spoil Manchester United’s attempts to bring in a new defender for Ruben Amorim, with the under-pressure Ange Postecoglou facing serious backline issues of his own.
Ange Postecoglou facing calls for sack amid Tottenham form
Spurs have slipped to 15th in the Premier League table, and are closer to the relegation zone than they are to the European qualification places.
Tottenham identify "class" £4.5m-per-year coach to potentially replace Ange
Spurs are doing their due-diligence on alternative managers.
ByEmilio Galantini Jan 21, 2025
This has piled pressure on Postecoglou, despite the club’s current injury crisis, which has resulted in 10 first-team players currently being unavailable for selection.
Tottenham’s next five Premier League fixtures
Date
Leicester City (home)
January 26
Brentford (away)
February 2
Man United (home)
February 16
Ipswich Town (home)
February 22
Man City (home)
February 26
Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Timo Werner, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert and striker Dominic Solanke all missed their 3-2 defeat at Everton last weekend, but there are still real question marks around Postecoglou.
Spurs have lost 12 Premier League games already, which hasn’t happened at this stage of a season for decades, but it appears chairman Daniel Levy is keeping faith with his current tactician for the time being – factoring in their serious lack of available star players right now.
“At the moment, no substantial updates on Ange Postecoglou’s position,” said Fabrizio Romano earlier this week.
“Let’s see what happens in the next few days but injuries are considered a massive issue and one of the reasons why Spurs’ plan is currently not working.”
One thing is certain, though – Postecoglou needs new signings through the door before deadline day on February 3.
Spurs appear badly in need of a new defender, and have been for a while considering van de Ven and Cristian Romero’s absences. While the duo are expected to return sooner rather than later, it is reliably believed that the Lilywhites are in the market for a new centre-back (Gary Jacob).
Udogie is currently out with a hamstring injury as well, and this has prompted interest in signing Lecce starlet Patrick Dorgu.
Tottenham could hijack Man United talks to sign Patrick Dorgu
The Denmark international, rumoured to command a price tag of £30 million, is attracting serious interest from United, but Spurs could attempt to hinder their advances.
According to The Boot Room and journalist Graeme Bailey, Tottenham hijacking Man United’s talks for Dorgu is a real possibility, and links to the left-back are nothing new – so this could hold some substance.
Spurs have been targeting Dorgu as an alternative to Udogie since as far back as last year, with the Serie A gem said to be keen on a move to England as well. The versatile 20-year-old has started all but one of Lecce’s 21 Serie A matches this term, making their joint-third highest rate of tackles per 90 whilst also averaging their second-highest number of shots per game on average (WhoScored).
“He has already had a lot of playing minutes in Serie A with Lecce, and he has done really, really well,” said Denmark Under-21s coach Steffen Højer to bold.dk.
“What is special about him is that he is a quiet and calm guy, but things are just incredibly natural for him on a football pitch.”
MatériaMais Notícias
Raphael Veiga segue com a pontaria calibrada. Neste sábado, na vitória do Palmeiras por 2 a 0 sobre o Red Bull Bragantino, no Allianz Parque, o meia marcou, de pênalti, o seu 18º gol em 2022, igualando seu recorde recorde pessoal, obtido nas temporadas 2020 e 2021.
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> GALERIA:ATUAÇÕES: Palmeiras vai bem coletivamente, e Danilo se destaca em primeira vitória no Allianz no Brasileiro
Veiga, no entanto, precisou de apenas 29 partidas para atingir a marca atual, bem menos do que nos anos anteriores. Em 2020, o jogador entrou em campo 53 vezes, uma a menos do que na temporada seguinte. Sua média atual é de 0,62 gols por atuação.
Além de maior goleador do Palmeiras no ano, Raphael é também o artilheiro da elite do futebol brasileiro. Entre os jogadores da Série A, quem mais se aproxima do palmeirense é Hulk, do Atlético Mineiro, que balançou as redes em 16 oportunidades.
RAPHAEL VEIGA EM 2022
29 jogos
18 gols
7 assistências
Faf du Plessis is set to lead Johannesburg Super Kings in the CSA’s T20 league, starting next year. Du Plessis, the former South Africa captain, has been picked by the franchise as one of its five direct signings, for US$375,000. The franchise, owned by Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited (CSKCL) who also own Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, has also acquired the services of Moeen Ali, for $400,000.Du Plessis has played a total of 100 matches for Chennai Super Kings in two stints, from 2011 to 2015, and then from 2018 to 2021. Moeen, too, became a Chennai Super Kings player in 2021.”Faf has been a backbone of Chennai Super Kings in the IPL for the last 10 years,” CSKCL CEO Kasi Viswanathan said in a statement issued on August 21. “He has been one of the most consistent players for our team. We were not fortunate to pick him during the last auction in the IPL. We were looking for an opportunity and that came up in the CSA T20 League.Related
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“As far as Moeen is concerned, everybody is aware of his potential as an all-rounder and his skills in white-ball cricket. We are very happy to have retained Moeen.”The Johannesburg franchise has picked up another of Chennai’s 2022 players, Maheesh Theekshana ($200,000), the Sri Lankan offspinner. West Indies allrounder Romario Shepherd ($175,000) and South African quick bowler Gerald Coetzee ($50,000) have also been signed on by the team.”In South African conditions, a spinner of his [Theekshana’s] caliber will be of great advantage and I’m sure that he will be able to do well there,” Viswanathan said. “We are also allowed to take one development player from South Africa. We have decided on Gerald Coetzee, as recommended by Faf.”Coetzee is one of the most consistent upcoming all-rounders from South Africa. We heard that he’s on the verge of making it to the next level. We’re hoping that the allrounder from South Africa will be a good addition to the team there.”Apart from the three players – du Plessis, Moeen and Theekshana – some members of the coaching staff are also old Chennai Super Kings men. Stephen Fleming will be the head coach at Johannesburg too, while Eric Simons will be his assistant. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that the franchise is also on the verge of signing Albie Morkel, the former South Africa allrounder, as part of the coaching staff. Morkel was part of Chennai Super Kings from 2008 to 2013 as a player, including when they won back-to-back IPL titles in 2010 and 2011.The six franchises are allowed direct signings from a pool of 30 marquee names, which were finalised by CSA recently.ESPNcricinfo Ltd
As reported by ESPNcricinfo, the English contingent dominated the marquee list, with the pair of Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone standing to earn up to half a million dollars each.Moeen was the third most expensive on the list, although there remains no clarity yet on how he will feature in the CSA-run league and in the UAE’s ILT20, where he has signed up with Sharjah Warriors (owned by Capri Global). The two leagues will run more or less concurrently in January-February 2023.The six franchises are allowed a squad strength of 17 players. While franchises have started individually announcing their direct signings, they will pick the remaining 12 players at an auction scheduled for September 20 this year.They have been given an auction purse of $2 million, but the maximum salary deducted as per the rules will be $250,000. Players getting more than that prescribed salary will still get paid in full, with the amount exceeding $250,000 counted as marketing cost.
Ruben Amorim has revealed whether or not he will pick Andre Onana in Manchester United's Europa League quarter-final second leg with Lyon.
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Coach reveals GK choice for LyonOnana in spotlight after first leg errorsZirkzee ruled out for seasonFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Amorim left Onana out of his squad for United's last Premier League match at Newcastle following his two massive errors in the first leg against Lyon. However, back-up 'keeper Altay Bayindir made a huge blunder in the 4-1 thrashing at St James' Park, leaving the coach to choose between two unconvincing shot-stoppers for the biggest game of the season.
AdvertisementWHAT AMORIM SAID
"Andre will play tomorrow," Amorim told a press conference. "I think as a former coach and a player, I try to do things that can help a player in this situation. We talk about managing players physically, but we also have to manage them mentally. This week, my thinking was to put Onana to play."
Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Amorim confirmed that Joshua Zirkzee will miss the rest of the season after injuring his hamstring against Newcastle. The coach also revealed that Matthijs de Ligt is not available for the second leg against Lyon but will return before the end of the campaign, while the same was true for Ayden Heaven, Jonny Evans and Amad Diallo.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Harry Maguire defended Onana as "an excellent goalkeeper" but said his confidence must be low after his twin errors in the first leg. "I think first and foremost, Andre has proved in the past that he is an excellent goalkeeper. He has won numerous trophies. But you always have spells in your career where you have ups and downs," the defender said. "At the moment, he is probably feeling that everything is going against him. Playing in front of Andre is great; I have confidence in Andre. We all know he is an excellent goalkeeper."
A half-century from Harmanpreet Kaur put India on course in a chase of 162 before they collapsed spectacularly
Shashank Kishore07-Aug-2022Australia gave yet another lesson in closing out games under pressure and crushed India’s dreams to clinch gold at the Commonwealth Games 2022. With India needing 44 off 30 with seven wickets in hand, Ashleigh Gardner produced an incredible plot twist by dismissing Pooja Vastrakar and the half-centurion Harmanpreet Kaur off successive deliveries.Related
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With a foot in the door, Australia barged it open by choking the lower middle order to clinch victory by nine runs as India lost their last eight wickets for just 34 runs. A crestfallen Harmanpreet, whose 43-ball 65 had lifted India into a match-winning position, sat motionless in the dugout, as did the rest of the team, who had to settle for the silver medal.Meanwhile, Australia, holders of the 50-overs and T20 World Cups, added the only accolade they lacked – a gold medal at a multi-sports event – to reaffirm their status as the best team in the world.Renuka delivers key breakthrough
India gave Alyssa Healy an early let-off two years ago in the T20 World Cup final, and saw her pummel a match-winning 39-ball 75. They may have briefly wondered if Healy would make them pay here too, when a thick edge off Renuka Singh flew just wide of where a regulation slip would be in the first over of the match.Fortunately for them, Renuka sent Healy back in her next over, aided by an excellent DRS call from Harmanpreet. Ball-tracking suggested that Renuka’s nip-backer, which Healy played all around, would have crashed into middle and leg stumps. It wasn’t until the final over of the powerplay that Australia began to shift gears as Meg Lanning muscled Renuka down the ground for six in a 13-run over that took Australia to 43 for 1.Beth Mooney scored a 41-ball 61•Getty ImagesLanning and Mooney push on
Despite the early loss and a few quiet overs, Lanning and Beth Mooney exuded a sense of calm, knowing the kind of damage they could inflict once set. Both batters targeted the short straight boundary effectively off the spinners, and raised their half-century stand off just 37 balls. Australia picked off six boundaries in the ninth and tenth overs, including four in a single Harmanpreet over, to set themselves up superbly at 83 for 1 at the halfway stage.Radha changes the mood
After a tight first over in which she conceded just three tuns, Radha Yadav left her mark on the game in the 11th over when she showed terrific game-smarts to run Lanning out at the non-striker’s end. Having stopped a straight hit from Mooney, she quickly reverse-flicked the ball between her legs and onto the stumps with Lanning’s bat in the air when the stumps were disturbed. In the next over, her prowling presence at point resulted in a stunning catch as she threw herself full-stretch to dismiss Tahlia McGrath, who played the game despite testing positive for Covid-19.Australia’s lower order goes big
Gardner offset any pressure Australia may have felt with some typically aggressive hits to pocket a quick 25 before she was stumped off Sneh Rana. Despite wickets falling around her, Mooney carried on, raising a half-century off just 36 deliveries. Australia didn’t allow the succession of wickets to stall their momentum, even as India’s fielders kept pulling off stunners, including a one-handed back-pedaling catch from Deepti Sharma to dismiss Mooney, and Meghna Singh’s catch running back from mid-on to remove the dangerous Grace Harris. Rachael Haynes muscled an unbeaten 10-ball 18 to push Australia past 160.India make nervy start
India lost both openers inside the first three overs. Smriti Mandhana was bowled behind her legs while looking to swing one into the leg side, ending an innings that had begun promisingly with scorching off-side strokes, while Shafali Verma slogged and holed out two balls after she was reprieved at cover by Megan Schutt.Harmanpreet Kaur made a 34-ball half-century•Getty ImagesHarmanpreet and Rodrigues keep India in the hunt
Five years after her knock for the ages in the 50-overs World Cup semi-final against Australia, Harmanpreet threatened to produce the T20 version of that epic 171* against the same opponents.Coming in with India 23 for 2 in the fourth over, Harmanpreet revived their innings with her drives and lofted hits, including a foray down the pitch for a six over wide long-on off Jess Jonassen in the tenth over. She began employing the sweep frequently too, as Australia’s spinners tried a leg-stump line against her. At the other end, the bat-slapping and fist-pumping Jemimah Rodrigues overcame a slow start – she was 1 off 7 at one point – to take some pressure off Harmanpreet by picking up regular boundaries in a run-a-ball 33. Their 96-run partnership had brought the equation down to a gettable 44 off 34 when Rodrigues was bowled looking to heave Schutt across the line.Gardner applies the choke
Australia’s relief turned into full-blown ecstasy when Gardner delivered a stunning second over, in which she removed the promoted Vastrakar and Harmanpreet off consecutive deliveries. While Vastrakar mistimed a hoick to deep midwicket, Harmanpreet fell attempting a paddle, the ball lobbing off her helmet to be caught behind by Healy. At that stage, Gardner’s figures were a magical 2-0-5-3.As India lost wickets, the pressure caught up on them as batter after batter committed hara-kiri. Rana and Radha were run out, and Deepti, seemingly India’s last hope with them needing 13 off 10, was out lbw to Schutt.It boiled down to India needing 11 off the final over, with Yastika Bhatia, who had come on as a concussion substitute for wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia, on strike to Jonassen. After turning down a single first ball, she ran an improbable second run off the second, in order to keep the strike, resulting in Meghna’s run-out at the danger end. With India now needing 10 off four balls, Yastika was out lbw attempting a reverse sweep.And just like that, just like 2017, India had fallen agonisingly short in a global final.