Sri Lanka’s top order hasn’t had the best time on tour so far, but in Auckland on Sunday, they finally clicked into gear. Pathum Nissanka may have fallen first-ball, but Kusal Mendis scored 25 in just nine balls, Dhananjaya de Silva 15 in 10, and then Charith Asalanka and Kusal Perera raced at nearly 10-an-over during a century-plus stand.It helped Sri Lanka tie the game and then score their first win of the tour in the Super Over. For Perera, playing his first competitive match for some 15 months, the intent shown by all those batters should be the blueprint going forward for success in the format.”It’s hard to play a T20 without momentum, and to win in T20 cricket you need a batter to provide that momentum,” Perera said after the game.Related

• Asalanka, Theekshana star in Sri Lanka's Super Over win against New Zealand

• Mitchell puts emphasis on 'winning little moments' with young team after Super Over thriller

“I went ahead with a positive mindset, I wasn’t thinking about how long I had been out. Likewise, all the other batters also went out with a positive mindset, and that’s how we managed to capitalise on the conditions.”As for his own game, while he wasn’t completely at his destructive best, Perera was hopeful that with more consistent game time a more familar “match rhythm” would return.”Of course being out there in the middle and playing, I’m very happy with my performance. More than that I’m happy that the team won. That said I know there’s room for improvement and that will only come as I improve my match rhythm.”Charith Asalanka made a 41-ball 67•AFP/Getty Images

Now 32, Perera is one of the seniors in the squad, and his 45-ball 53 where he batted through the innings highlighted his evolving role in the side. Whereas once he was the player the side looked to for impetus, now he’s seemingly content to bat deep and allow the likes of Mendis and Asalanka to take on the bowling. In this game, Asalanka scored 67 off 41 in their 103-run partnership.”A lot of the batters showed good initiative, but batting with him [Asalanka] was easy as he took the strike and took on the bowling. That took the pressure off me, and what I tried to do from that point was turn over the strike and bat deep. When you have an innings like that [of Asalanka’s], more often than not you’re going to be nearing 200.”The action now moves to Dunedin and Queenstown thereafter, where the weather is expected to be much colder. Perera believes overseas tours such as these, in unfamiliar situations and conditions, will provide invaluable experience to younger members of the squad.”We know that the next venue is going to have different conditions, we just need to figure out how to be as competitive as we were today.”For me, experience means knowing how to handle certain situations. There are a lot of young players in the squad, and what I’ve told them is you have start learning now how to handle uncomfortable situations. Bowlers aren’t going to bowl how you like, they’re going to analyse you and be aware of your strengths and weaknesses. We need to be smart in those situations.”

تلقى محمود الخطيب، رئيس مجلس إدارة نادي الأهلي، خطابًا من باتريس موتسيبي، رئيس الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم (كاف)، بشأن بطولة كأس العالم للأندية 2025.

وعبر موتسيبي عن دعمه الكامل ومساندته للنادي الأهلي خلال مشاركته المرتقبة في بطولة كأس العالم للأندية التي ستُقام في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية.

طالع| هل توجد إصابات؟.. موقف لاعبي الأهلي قبل مواجهة إنتر ميامي وأعرب موتسيبي في خطابه عن ثقته الكبيرة في الأهلي، إدارةً ولاعبين، لتقديم أداء مشرّف يعكس مكانة الكرة الإفريقية عالميًا، مؤكدًا أن النادي الأهلي بتاريخه العريق وإنجازاته المميزة يمثل مصدر فخر دائم لملايين الجماهير في القارة الإفريقية.

واختتم رئيس كاف رسالته بالإعراب عن تطلعه للقاء الخطيب خلال البطولة، مشيرًا إلى أهمية هذه المشاركة في تعزيز صورة الكرة الإفريقية على الساحة الدولية.

ويستهل الأهلي مشواره في مونديال الأندية بمواجهة قوية أمام إنتر ميامي الأمريكي يوم 14 يونيو الجاري في تمام الساعة الثامنة مساءً بتوقيت أمريكا والثالثة صباحًا بتوقيت القاهرة، ضمن المجموعة الأولى التي تضم إلى جانبه فرق بالميراس البرازيلي وبورتو البرتغالي.

Real Madrid have announced Xabi Alonso as their new manager, replacing Carlo Ancelotti in the Bernabeu hotseat.

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• Real Madrid announce Alonso as manager
• Replaces Ancelotti
• Will be unveiled on Monday

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Alonso, who played for the La Liga giants between 2009-14, leaves Bayer Leverkusen after achieving extraordinary success, notably beating Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title last season. He now succeeds Ancelotti, who has departed to take on the Brazil national team job after a trophyless campaign at the Bernabeu.

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• WHAT REAL MADRID SAID

  A Real Madrid statement said: "Real Madrid CF announces that Xabi Alonso will be Real Madrid's manager for the next three seasons, from June 1, 2025, to June 30, 2028. Xabi Alonso is one of the greatest legends of Real Madrid and world football. Now he returns to Real Madrid as one of the best coaches in the world, after making history at Bayer Leverkusen, where he won the League, Cup, and German Super Cup in three seasons."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Alonso will be unveiled at an event in Madrid on Monday before getting to work. He will be tasked with unlocking the potential of a squad featuring global superstars Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr, while Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to become his first signing.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

  Alonso will not have long to get his feet under the table, with Real's Club World Cup campaign beginning against Al-Hilal on Wednesday June 18. He will also hold his first press conference on Monday May 26.

And so the cycle continues at Manchester United. With the end of the season on the horizon, the Red Devils will head into the summer window in need of a major overhaul yet again in this grim post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

Getting it right on the recruitment front has long been an issue at Old Trafford, even stretching into the glory days under Fergie. Who can forget the 2009 window, in which the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez were replaced by Michael Owen, Antonio Valencia and Gabriel Obertan…

A word must also be said for 2013, when new boss David Moyes spent the summer chasing Cesc Fabregas and Gareth Bale – in came Marouane Fellaini. The 2020 window, under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, is another that requires further scrutiny, with the Norwegian coach handed the likes of Donny van de Beek, Edinson Cavani, Alex Telles and a teenage Facundo Pellistri.

As can be seen above, far too often have the Manchester side made a mess of things with regard to incomings, with INEOS – who may have questions to answer regarding their own business last summer – now left to try and rebuild the squad in Ruben Amorim’s image.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co will no doubt need to cover up the mess of the previous regime, with there seemingly a number of Erik ten Hag signings who need to be shown the door ahead of 2025/26.

How Man Utd's stars compare under Ten Hag & Amorim this season

When Amorim walked in the door back in November, United were languishing in mid-table, albeit with just seven points separating them and the top four, amid a slim but realistic chance of ending the season in the Champions League berths.

As it stands, the 15th-place strugglers are now 13 points behind Chelsea in fifth, having also slipped to ten points adrift of eighth-place Brighton and Hove Albion, ensuring any form of European qualification is likely to rest on Europa League glory.

Those woes lay bare the difficulties that Amorim has faced since replacing Ten Hag in the dugout, with far too many of his side having gone even further off the boil following the change in manager.

Ten Hag

Games

Goals

Assists

Bruno Fernandes

13

0

5

Amad Diallo

12

1

1

Alejandro Garnacho

14

5

3

Joshua Zirkzee

13

1

2

Rasmus Hojlund

8

2

0

Christian Eriksen

11

4

2

Amorim

Games

Goals

Assists

Bruno Fernandes

23

7

6

Amad Diallo

20

6

5

Alejandro Garnacho

23

1

2

Joshua Zirkzee

23

4

0

Rasmus Hojlund

23

5

1

Christian Eriksen

10

0

1

As indicated in the table above, the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo – prior to his cruel injury blow – have been the major beneficiaries of the Portuguese’s arrival, with the attacking pair having found their shooting boots amid the change in set-up.

On the flip side, Alejandro Garnacho – who was linked with a move to Chelsea in January – has scored just once under the new regime, with questions still to be asked over whether the Argentine truly fits in the 3-4-3 system.

The 20-year-old winger isn’t alone in having suffered of late, with Andre Onana’s strong early-season form having rapidly faded over the past three months or so.

Man Utd's "best player this season" needs to be sold

Prior to Amorim’s arrival – and the meteoric rise of Amad – there was a time in which it looked like Onana was blossoming into becoming United’s key performer, with journalist Steven Railston stating in late November that the Cameroonian had been the club’s “best player this season” at that stage.

Indeed, the former Inter stopper had produced a real highlight reel of saves in the early months of the campaign, even as Ten Hag’s fortunes dwindled, having notably produced stunning double saves away to the likes of Crystal Palace – as shown above – and Porto.

Since Amorim’s appointment, however, things have quickly taken a turn for the worse, with the 28-year-old making a string of costly mistakes across all competitions. After conceding just 17 times in 13 games under Ten Hag, Onana has now conceded 32 goals in just 20 games under Amorim in 2024/25.

Against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford, for instance, the experienced ‘keeper failed to keep out Morgan Gibbs-White’s long-range effort, before both he and Lisandro Martinez watched on as Chris Wood’s header looped in at the back post.

Just days later, Onana’s errant pass out from the back was swiftly punished as Viktoria Plzen took a shock lead away in Czechia, while the new year has seemingly been the same old story, with the one-time Ajax man at fault for Brighton’s third goal after palming the ball into the path of Georginio Rutter.

That was followed by the £120k-per-week star also pushing the ball into the path of James Maddison in the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, while he also produced a strange parry into the air for Abdoulaye Doucoure’s header in the 2-2 draw at Goodison Park.

That growing list was then added to in the narrow 3-2 win over Ipswich Town, with Onana – who had raced out of his goal – partially at fault along with Patrick Dorgu for the away side’s opener, having also failed to keep out Jaden Philogene’s curling cross.

With three errors made leading to a goal by United’s number 24 in the Premier League this term, he is now looking back to the player who proved so costly in last season’s Champions League group stage horror show.

As analyst H noted on X, Onana will “never fill the Old Trafford crowd with any sense of confidence”, be it with the ball at his feet or when making a save. As The Overlap’s tactics man also went on to state, such uncertainty and nervousness is “impossible to come back from”.

Player

Errors

Arijant Muric

5

Robert Sanchez

5

Bart Vebruggen

4

Andre Onana

3

Alex McCarthy

2

Nick Pope

2

The Manchester Evening News has reported in recent days that the current first-choice is keen to stay put next season, yet with Amorim himself seemingly looking to acquire a new goalkeeper, Onana’s days at Old Trafford should well be numbered.

And so, while the £47.2m signing did show signs of life in the early months of 2024/25, old habits have crept back in since then. INEOS may have other more pressing issues to consider this summer, but seeking out an upgrade in the sticks should certainly remain high on the agenda.

Not just Lindelof: Amorim must sell Man Utd man who earns more than Mainoo

Manchester United should move on from the winger in the summer transfer window.

ByDan Emery Mar 3, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

Nesta quarta-feira (20), Internacional e São Paulo se enfrentam pela 18ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, às 20h30, no estádio Beira Rio. A equipe mandante busca alcançar a liderança da tabela, enquanto o Tricolor procura chegar, pelo menos, perto do G6.

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Galeria
>Confira a situação de todos os jogadores contundidos no elenco do São Paulo

Tabela
> Veja tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro

Com 29 pontos, a equipe de Mano Menezes ocupa atualmente a quarta posição da tabela do campeonato. Caso saia com os três pontos, ultrapassa o vice-líder, Atlético-MG, que soma 31. O Colorado vem de quatro partidas sem derrotas, sendo seu jogo mais recente um empate por 0 a 0 com o Athletico-PR.

Quanto aos possíveis relacionados, o treinador do Internacional poderá contar com a volta deWanderson, que foi liberado pelo departamento médico após enfrentaruma lesão no músculo anterior da coxa esquerda.

Já o São Paulo vem de um empate por 2 a 2 com o Fluminense na última rodada do Brasileiro, que disputou em casa. A equipe de Rogério Ceni mira em alavancar sua posição na tabela. Com 24 pontos, ocupa atualmente a 9ª posição, caso saia com vitória, encosta nos seis primeiros colocados.

Porém, a equipe paulista terá alguns percalços em seu caminho. O Tricolor viajou para Porto Alegre com muitos desfalques. Sem Jandrei, Léo e Miranda, que ficaram em tratamento no Reffis, Ceni não poderá contar nem com os outros nomes lesionados e nem com duas peças importantes que estão suspensas: o artilheiro Calleri e Patrick. Por outro lado, terá Marcos Guilherme disponível, já inscrito no BID.

Veja as informações sobre o jogo:

INTERNACIONAL X SÃO PAULO

Local: Arena Beira Rio, Porto Alegre (RS)
Data/Horário: 20/7/2022, às 20h30 (de Brasília)
Árbitro:Marcelo de Lima Henrique (CE)
Assistentes:Nailton Junior de Sousa Oliveira e Renan Aguiar da Costa (CE)
VAR:Adriano Milczvski (PR)
Onde acompanhar: Premiere e em tempo real no LANCE!/Voz do Esporte

INTERNACIONAL

Daniel; Heitor, Moledo, Mercado, Moisés; Gabriel, Edenilson; Pedro Henrique, Mauricio, De Pena; Alemão. Técnico: Mano Menezes.

Desfalques:Taison (lesão muscular na coxa esquerda), Alan Patrick (lesão muscular na coxa esquerda), Bustos (lesão muscular na coxa direita) e Renê (lesão na coxa esquerda).
Pendurados:Kaique Rocha, Carlos de Pena, Maurício, Daniel, Mano Menezes [técnico] e Keiller
Suspensos: –

SÃO PAULO

Thiago Couto; Rafinha, Diego Costa, Luizão e Welington; Gabriel Neves, Nestor, Igor Gomes e Talles Costa; Luciano e Éder. Técnico: Rogério Ceni.

Desfalques: Jandrei (pancada nas costas), Léo (Edema na coxa direita), Miranda (dores musculares),Arboleda (cirurgia no tornozelo esquerdo), Reinaldo (Estiramento na coxa direita), Luan (Cirurgia no músculo adutor da coxa esquerda), Caio (cirurgia no joelho direito), André Anderson (dores musculares) e Alisson (entorse no joelho direito).
Pendurados:Igor Vinicius, Pablo Maia, Reinaldo, Éder e André Anderson
Suspensos:Calleri e Patrick (Ambos pelo 3º Amarelo)

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly made a £29m offer to sign a new defender who has been likened to Micky van de Ven.

Tottenham manager rumours with pressure on Ange after Fulham defeat

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou is coming under more scrutiny in the media following the club’s latest Premier League defeat to Fulham.

In fact, Cottagers boss Marco Silva is thought to be a leading candidate to replace the Australian at Tottenham, should those in north London decide to part ways with Postecoglou.

Ange replacement: Spurs now eyeing "outstanding" 4-3-3 coach who Pep loves

Tottenham have now shortlisted another manager as a potential replacement for Ange Postecoglou.

ByDominic Lund Mar 19, 2025

Speaking after the loss at Craven Cottage, Postecoglou said: “I said to the players, I’m not going to let anyone just think about Europa and nothing else. We can’t let this league season go the way it has. We’ve lost way too many games, unacceptable.

“I understand the supporters’ frustrations with that. It was another day where we let a game get away from us when we shouldn’t. We had chances to go 1-0 up which would have put pressure on them, then they scored a really soft goal. Today the opposition haven’t blown us off the park. For 75 minutes we were where we wanted to be, the fact we came out of that game with nothing is disappointing.”

Alongside Silva, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is on Spurs’ radar, with contact already made with his agents. Elsewhere, ex-Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has also said he’s open to returning to north London in the future.

However, with Postecoglou still in charge, transfer chiefs behind the scenes at Tottenham appear to be working hard and have reportedly tabled an offer to sign a new defender.

Tottenham make £29m bid to sign Premier League defender

According to Africa Foot, Tottenham have made a bid to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Rayan Ait-Nouri.

The report claims that Spurs have tabled a bid in the region of €35m (£29m) for the 23-year-old, who is also wanted by Liverpool and West Ham.

However, it is Tottenham who are leading the race and are ‘the most likely candidates to sign’ Ait-Nouri this summer.

A left-back at the top of his game with a career-high €35m Transfermarkt valuation, Ait-Nouri has been compared to a number of defenders by Football Transfers, including van de Ven.

Micky van de Ven

Tottenham

Javi Galan

Atletico Madrid

Valentino Livramento

Newcastle

Kieran Tierney

Arsenal

Luke Shaw

Man Utd

Ferdi Kadioglu

Brighton

He’s under contract at Molineux until 2026, although Wolves have the option to extend that by 12 months, however, following this update, it looks as if a move to Tottenham could be on the cards for the Algeria international.

Fresh from their Wembley disappointment, Liverpool are now reportedly facing the prospect of losing a star man amid interest from Atletico Madrid, who are seemingly readying their first offer.

Liverpool could face £30m loss

It took eight months, but Arne Slot’s Liverpool side have finally lost back-to-back games and they couldn’t have picked a worse week to do so. First exiting the Champions League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in a resilient display before penalty heartbreak, the Reds saved arguably their most frustrating performance for Newcastle United and Wembley.

From minute one, the Reds looked a step below the champions-elect they’ve become throughout the current campaign and Newcastle soon smelled blood, punishing Slot’s side to end their long wait for silverware.

Related Slot can axe Jota for Liverpool teen who's a "better finisher than Nunez"

Liverpool are planning for significant changes in the transfer market this summer.

Posts 1 ByAngus Sinclair Mar 19, 2025

In a week to forget, Liverpool’s problems have never been so apparent under Slot. Panic is beginning to set in regarding Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contracts now that we’re in March and it’s quickly becoming clear that the Reds need an attacking overhaul this summer.

With that said, the interest in one particular star man will certainly be well-timed. According to reports in Spain, Atletico Madrid are now preparing a €40m (£34m) offer to sign Darwin Nunez this summer in what would finally end his Anfield misery.

Whether Liverpool would accept such a bid after initially paying £64m plus add-ons to sign the forward back in 2022 remains to be seen. They’d instantly be taking a £30m loss on their initial investment, but after such a disastrous run, those at Anfield may be left with little choice.

Whether it’s been Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota or Nunez leading the line this season, that has been Liverpool’s point of weakness – leaving Cody Gakpo and particularly Salah to drag the frontline to potential glory.

Liverpool must commence overhaul with Nunez sale

If last week proved anything, it’s just how much Liverpool rely on Salah. When it’s not the Egyptian, there hasn’t been anyone else dragging the Reds to victory in recent weeks. Nuno Mendes kept him quiet and PSG succeeded.

Newcastle barely gave Liverpool’s star a significant touch and they were left lifting the Carabao Cup come full-time. And that’s a major problem for Liverpool, who will be bidding farewell to Salah at the end of his contract this summer as things stand.

First and foremost, keeping hold of Salah should be Liverpool’s top priority. Then they must rebuild their attack around their star man – starting with the sale of Nunez.

Once dubbed “outstanding” by Jurgen Klopp, Nunez has failed to kick on under Slot even as the No 9 role has become more up for grabs than ever during his time at Anfield. The excuse of settling in can no longer be afforded for the big-money striker, who simply must move on after three years of frustration on Merseyside.

Luis Diaz rejected rumours about leaving Anfield this summer amid interest from Al-Nassr and Barcelona.

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Article continues below

• Diaz opened up on exiting Liverpool
• Linked with a move to Al-Nassr and Barcelona
• The striker claimed he is 'happy' at Anfield

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After playing an important role in Liverpool's Premier League-winning campaign in the 2024-25 season, Diaz is now attracting interest from Saudi Pro League giants Al-Nassr. The Riyadh club has started to look for attacking options in case Cristiano Ronaldo leaves the club and have identified the Colombian as a replacement for their veteran star.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Reds forward is also linked with a move to Barcelona, who are looking to sign a new attacker, despite their financial constraints. However, in a recent interview with the Liverpool website, Diaz quashed all exit rumours as he claimed he is happy at the Merseyside club.

• WHAT LUIS DIAZ SAID

  The 28-year-old said: "I feel I’m going through a really good period. I’m really happy to be here, to be part of this great institution, this great club and to have great team-mates around me. From the moment I arrived, I felt great pride. I always tried to work hard for this, and to see that nowadays things are working out for me fills me with pride and I’m really happy because that’s what I work for.

  "[But] we are nobodies without our team-mates. We are a team. The forwards and wingers always try to help with goals and assists, and right now I’ve achieved good numbers to back that up. It’s about playing and then playing well, supporting the team in the way I play and enjoying it, like always."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

  The newly crowned English champions have already started working on their squad rebuilding plans. They have signed Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen and are also closing on signing the German club's star midfielder, Florian Wirtz.

MatériaMais Notícias

O nome da vitória do Internacional contra o Atlético-MG é o meia Mauricio. O jogador anotou dois gols e ajudou a sua equipe a vencer o Galo por 3 a 0.

– VEJA A TABELA DO BRASILEIRÃO

Durante a comemoração de um dos gols, o jogador não controlou a emoção e chorou com os companheiros.

Após a boa atuação, Mauricio explicou o que significou os gols e o choro no gramado do Beira-Rio.

‘Foram gols muito especiais para mim, com estádio cheio, clima muito bom, jogo grande, respeitando o Atlético-MG, equipe que dispensa comentários pelo que fez na temporada passada. Emoção grande, estava lutando, trabalhando bastante para que saísse (o gol), no jogo contra o Palmeiras o Weverton fez grande defesa, mas não deixei de trabalhar e me esforçar por que eu sabia que uma hora ia chegar’, afirmou ao Premiere.

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Washington Sundar, the Sunrisers Hyderabad allrounder, will play no further part in the ongoing IPL season due to a hamstring injury, the franchise confirmed on Thursday.Washington played seven matches for Sunrisers this season, scoring 60 runs from five innings and taking three wickets overall, with his team currently in ninth place on the table.This is Washington’s third straight injury-interrupted season in the IPL. In 2021, Washington was ruled out of the UAE leg of the tournament due to a finger injury, after he had picked up three wickets for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first half of the season.Washington’s luck wouldn’t get any better, as he was then forced to miss the ODI leg of India’s tour of South Africa in January 2022 after testing positive for Covid-19, while a hamstring injury kept him out of the three-match T20I series at home against West Indies.During IPL 2022, Washington, having been signed by Sunrisers, missed four games due to a split webbing in his bowling hand. Last August, Washington injured his left shoulder while fielding for Lancashire during a county stint, and subsequently was ruled out of the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe.