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Elisabeth Terland was at her clinical best on Thursday night to fire Manchester United into the Women's Champions League proper for the first time, her hat-trick haunting former side Brann and giving the Red Devils a 3-0 win which rendered last week's 1-0 loss in Bergen meaningless.

A lack of ruthlessness condemned Marc Skinner's side to defeat in Norway but there was no such concern in the home leg, with Terland scoring twice inside the first 13 minutes to ease the nerves and put United in total control early on. The first was a gift from Ingrid Stevenik, the Brann defender who scored the only goal in Bergen, but the second was all about Terland's quality header – and the equally brilliant corner delivery by Julia Zigiotti Olme.

It looked like a hat-trick was going to elude Terland, though. She hit the base of the post just before half time and then had a goal ruled out shortly after the resumption, though the call of a foul against her certainly looked harsh. No matter, as the Norwegian certainly wasn't going to give up and she got her reward just past the hour mark, when another excellent finish made it 3-0 and ensured United will be in Friday's league phase draw, ready to make their debut in the Women's Champions League proper for the first time next month.

GOAL rates Man Utd's players from Leigh Sports Village…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

Phallon Tullis-Joyce (6/10):

Had very little to do for the most part, but was assured on the ball and in collecting crosses.

Jayde Riviere (7/10):

Did plenty of good work at both ends of the pitch.

Maya Le Tissier (7/10):

Great on the ball and made one of the most crucial interventions any United defender needed to on the night, intercepting a good pass from Gaupset just before it put Eikeland through on goal.

Dominique Janssen (7/10):

Good in possession and positioned herself well to be relatively untroubled defensively.

Anna Sandberg (7/10):

Got forward plenty to be a real asset in attack. Covered well when needed, too.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield

Julia Zigiotti Olme (8/10):

Ran the show in midfield with a classy display.

Hinata Miyazawa (7/10):

Did a lot of work off the ball that can go under-appreciated but is so important.

Ella Toone (6/10):

Sometimes hesitated with her final decision but most of United's best attacking moves went through her in the first half.

Getty Images SportAttack

Jess Park (6/10):

Had some lively moments in another encouraging performance.

Elisabeth Terland (9/10):

Deadly in front of goal and fully deserving of her hat-trick.

Melvine Malard (6/10):

Quieter than most would've expected her to be, given her excellent form, but did cause Brann some problems still.

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Getty Images SportSubs & Manager

Gabby George (6/10):

Slotted in at left-back solidly as she builds her minutes back up after a knock.

Fridolina Rolfo (7/10):

A really lively introduction, with her nearly creating one goal and scoring another just minutes after being introduced.

Lisa Naalsund (N/A):

Injected energy into the game and filled in admirably at right-back as United saw the game out.

Rachel Williams (N/A):

Made her injury return in the final minutes, replacing Terland to allow the Norwegian to have the ovation she deserved, too.

Marc Skinner (7/10):

Didn't change much after what was actually a good performance in the first leg and his XI delivered the result he trusted them to. Subs injected new life into the game to squash any momentum for Brann.

The captain Ashleigh Gardner chipped in with 52 as Giants chased down 144 with 12 balls remaining

Srinidhi Ramanujam16-Feb-20253:53

Mithali Raj impressed with Priya Mishra’s talent

Gujarat Giants were inspired by Priya Mishra’s three-wicket haul and captain Ashleigh Gardner’s breezy 52 to post a comprehensive six-wicket win over UP Warriorz in their second home game of the WPL 2025. Giants were a much-improved outfit with the ball and on the field, and followed it up with a clinical batting effort where the likes of Harleen Deol and Deandra Dottin also chipped in, to chase down a modest 144 in Vadodara with 12 balls remaining.With the injured Alyssa Healy not available and Chamari Athapaththu making way for Alana King, Warriorz lacked power up front. New captain Deepti Sharma’s 39 and Sophie Ecclestone’s excellent bowling performance went in vain as Giants bounced back from the opening-day loss against Royal Challengers Bengaluru to get off the mark early in the tournament.Related

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Gardner hits second fifty as Giants captainGardner carried on from where she left off, scoring yet another crucial fifty to lift Giants from 2 for 2. After her unbeaten 79 in the opener against RCB, Gardner came in to bat as early as the second over after Giants lost Beth Mooney and D Hemalatha early. She got going by scoring back-to-back fours off the debutant fast bowling-allrounder Kranti Goud in the third over.She was particularly brutal against Saima Thakor, who conceded 20 runs in the fifth over. Two of the three sixes of the over were hit by Gardner, one over long-on and another over deep midwicket. She used her feet well to charge down the ground when necessary and converted full tosses into fours or sixes. With Laura Wolvaardt, she stitched a crucial 55-run stand for the third wicket.She brought up her fifty off 28 balls, with a humongous six over deep square leg off Alana King after flicking away the previous ball to deep backward square leg for four. Overall, she hit five fours and three sixes.With 131 runs in two matches at an impressive strike rate of 195.52, Gardner is the leading run-scorer of the tournament as of now.Dottin’s all-round performanceAfter Tahlia McGrath dismissed Gardner in the 12th over, Giants needed 58 off 49 balls. But Dottin came in and swung her bat straightaway over midwicket to collect her first six, off King. Putting her power game to use, she punished McGrath for two more fours in the next over and released pressure off Giants.The dew factor and a few dropped catches didn’t help Warriorz either as Deol also played the role of anchor to keep the chase at a healthy run-rate. Deol made an unbeaten 34 off 30 balls while Dottin hit a quickfire 33 that included three fours and two sixes.Earlier, with the ball, Dottin struck in the second over, dismissing Kiran Navgire with an inswinger and then knocked off Uma Chetry with a short ball in the tenth over when Warriorz were just trying to steady the ship after a few early wickets.Ashleigh Gardner smacked a fifty off 28 balls•WPLMishra’s momentum-changing overWarriorz were 73 for 3 after 10 overs, and with McGrath and Grace Harris yet to come, they would have hoped for a lift-off. But Mishra landed a big blow by removing both the Australians in the span of three deliveries. For McGrath, she bowled a googly that skidded on in line of middle and off and scrapped past the batter’s inside edge and hit the pad first, and then off the bat and onto the pads. McGrath reviewed the lbw decision but it was struck down.A ball later, Mishra bowled another googly, a flighted delivery on off, and Harris went for a big slog across the line only to be beaten on the inside edge as the ball crashed onto the stumps. Mishra let out a loud roar after producing a statement performance.Warriorz struggle with the batAfter being asked to bat, Warriorz decided to open with Kiran Navgire and Vrinda Dinesh, who had suffered a shoulder injury last season after playing four matches. But neither of them made an impact with Dottin and Gardner striking inside the powerplay.Uma Chetry, at No.3, also toiled to middle a lot of deliveries but utilised her strong bottom hand to smash four boundaries in her 27-ball 24. With Deepti at the other end, the duo produced a 51-run partnership to rescue Warriorz from early jitters. Deepti, who had hit an unbeaten 88 against Giants last year while batting at No.4 the only other time before Sunday, was the positive of the lot and smashed 39 off 27. She used her trademark sweep shots to good effect and also kept the scorecard ticking in the middle overs with pull shots and punches off the backfoot. Eventually, Deepti was also dismissed by Mishra in the 15th over.Despite the late flourish at the end of the innings thanks to Thakor and King, Warriorz finished with an under-par total.The Ecclestone vs Wolvaardt battleWolvaardt was keen to charge down the track and disrupt the bowlers early into the chase but was challenged by Ecclestone. Though the scorecard might not offer a glimpse into the battle, Warriorz were briefly in the game, thanks to Ecclestone. After the England left-arm spinner picked up her first wicket off the second over, she was given another over in the powerplay.Wolvaardt shimmied down and smashed one down the ground for four after missing Ecclestone’s first ball of the fourth over. Four dot balls followed. Eventually, Wolvaardt fell to Ecclestone for 22 off 24 balls. In a moment of indecision that left her neither playing forward nor back, she was beaten on pace in the ninth over. Overall, Wolvaardt scored six runs off Ecclestone’s ten balls with only three scoring shots in it.Ecclestone finished with figures of 2 for 16 but that wasn’t enough for Warriorz.

Benfica boss Jose Mourinho has accused referee Sergio Guelho of having "no personality" after his side's disappointing 1-1 draw with Rio Ave. The ex-Chelsea manager's new club were pegged back in injury time against their lowly opponents, who are yet to win this season, much to the Portuguese's chagrin.

Benfica disappointed by late equaliser

Mourinho was appointed Benfica boss last week, and has already been on the receiving end of a dispiriting result. He took charge of the Portuguese giants against Rio Ave, who have yet to win a game this season, and saw his side concede an injury-time equaliser, having only gone ahead in the 86th minute through Heorhiy Sudakov.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesMourinho left fuming

The famously spiky tactician took aim at the officials at the end of the game, insisting that the referee played a pivotal role in Benfica letting three points slip through their fingers, as his side had a goal ruled out at 0-0 that would have given them an earlier lead. 

Mourinho's rant at match officials

Mourinho told reporters: “We didn’t do enough in the first half. The second half was good, within our limitations. We were dominant, aggressive and created chances, always playing in their half of the pitch. The two players who came on shook up the game.

“We scored a goal. If this is the new football, when goals are ruled out because a small toe steps on another small toe, I don’t like this new football. But that’s the way it is so we have to accept it. We kept trying and finally got the goal, but we conceded when we can’t concede a goal. It’s tremendously unfair and an awful result for us. It was the game that Rio Ave wanted and which the referee allowed.

“We are not an overly physical team or strong in the air. We have to penetrate using other routes. With Aursnes and Ivanovic there’s little width, because of the type of players they are. We tried with Dedic and Dahl, and also with Lukebakio, who is not yet fully fit, and with Andreas [Schjelderup].

“We were hit on the break and a team that is winning cannot concede a goal like that. We lost two points because of it.”

He also said about referee Guelho: "He has no personality." 

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AFPCan Benfica bounce back?

Mourinho's side will aim to bounce back in the league when they face Gil Vicente this weekend, before travelling to Stamford Bridge to play his former club Chelsea in the Champions League four days later. 

Considering their disastrous campaign last season, it would be fair to say that it’s been a pretty good summer of business for Manchester United and for director of football, Jason Wilcox.

They’ve dramatically improved Ruben Amorim’s frontline with the additions of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko, and overseen a few much-needed departures.

For example, while they’ve been unable to sell Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford is out of the squad, Rasmus Hojlund is close to joining Napoli, and, arguably most importantly, the disruptive Alejandro Garnacho joined Chelsea for a fairly sizable £40m plus a 10% sell-on clause.

And now, in even more good news, the Red Devils are being linked with a deadline-day move for someone who could be the perfect upgrade.

Manchester United eye deadline-day move for Garnacho upgrade

According to a recent report from Caught Offside, Manchester United are one of several top-flight teams interested in Fermin Lopez.

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Alongside the Red Devils, the report claims Chelsea, Newcastle United, Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur are all keen on the Spanish gem.

In addition to facing considerable competition, United will have to pay a substantial amount to secure their target, with Barcelona reportedly seeking offers of up to €90m, equivalent to approximately £78m.

With that said, Lopez would likely be worth the effort to sign, as not only is he an extraordinary talent in his own right, but a significant upgrade on Garnacho as well.

How Lopez compares to Garnacho

So, comparing Lopez to Garnacho to determine who is the bigger talent is actually relatively straightforward, as, like the Argentine, the Spaniard is a versatile attacker who primarily plays in attacking midfield and off the left wing.

In other words, we can take a look at their output and underlying numbers from last season and directly compare them to one another, and when it comes to the former, the Barça gem comes out on top.

In 46 appearances, totalling just 2039 minutes, the “creative” star, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, scored eight goals and provided ten assists.

That means he managed to average a goal involvement every 2.55 games, or every 113.27 minutes, which is undeniably impressive for someone his age.

In contrast, the Red Devils’ former troublemaker scored 11 goals and provided 10 assists in 58 appearances last season, totalling 3568 minutes, which comes out to a less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.76 games, or 169.90 minutes.

Unfortunately for the Madrid-born ace, the comparison is just as one-sided when we take a look under the hood at their underlying numbers.

For example, the “spectacular” Spaniard, as dubbed by former manager Xavi, comes out ahead in most relevant metrics such as expected and actual non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes, key passes, passes into the penalty area, shot and goal-creating actions, and more, all per 90.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.69

0.48

Non-Penalty G+As

0.79

0.33

Progressive Passes

5.68

2.30

Progressive Carries

2.23

5.78

Passing Accuracy

81.8%

78.9%

Key Passes

2.09

1.52

Passes into the Final Third

4.68

0.90

Passes into the Penalty Area

1.44

1.02

Crosses into the Penalty Area

0.43

0.20

Shot-Creating Actions

4.10

3.40

Goal-Creating Actions

0.50

0.25

Successful Take-Ons

1.80

1.07

Ball Recoveries

4.75

4.43

These numbers help to show that the El Campillo-born dynamo is a far more dangerous goalscorer, a considerably more accomplished creator, and an attacker who is also a more effective dribbler.

In other words, Lopez is simply a far better player than Garnacho and would therefore be a significant upgrade for United.

Therefore, Wilcox and the Red Devils should be doing all they can to sign him before the window slams shut at 7pm.

West Ham in shock talks for "one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United's history"

Potter is in a desperate situation.

ByCallum Kemp Aug 27, 2025

Russell Martin’s days as Glasgow Rangers manager are surely numbered.

To date, the shortest-serving permanent head coach in the Ibrox club’s 153-year history is Pedro Caixinha, who took charge of just 26 games in 2017.

For Martin to reach that mark, he would still need to be in charge by the time the Light Blues face Braga in the Europa League on 27 November which, right now, feels frankly fanciful.

On Saturday, the Gers were beaten 2-0 by Heart of Midlothian at Ibrox, meaning they’ve failed to win their opening five league fixtures for only the second time in their entire history, also doing so in 1978, currently sat tenth in the Premiership table.

Thus, supporters are already wondering who will replace Martin as manager, hoping the 49ers make this decision sooner rather than later, but should they go for a more left-field candidate, one praised for the “outstanding” job he did at his previous club, rather than the obvious options?

Leading candidates to become Rangers manager

According to reports, the two front-runners to become the new Rangers manager are Steven Gerrard and Sean Dyche.

Gerrard has been out of work since being sacked by Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq in January, having won only 19 of 55 matches in charge.

His time as Aston Villa boss didn’t go particularly well either, but the Liverpool legend did enjoy a very successful time at Ibrox.

In 192 matches as Rangers boss, Gerrard collected 124 wins, leading them to memorable European victories over Porto, Feyenoord, Braga, Galatasaray and others, historically guiding the club to their sole top-flight title since 2011, crucially denying Celtic ten-in-a-row.

Manager Focus

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Other candidate, Dyche, meantime was sacked by Everton in January, but is best known for his work at Burnley, leading them to two promotions, six successive seasons in the top division and a maiden European campaign since 1967.

The Englishman is vastly experienced, having managed 332 Premier League games; for comparison, Martin has overseen just 16, winning only one.

Dyche would represent the archetypal safe pair of hands appointment, while re-hiring Gerrard would suggest the new owners are simply looking to the past to rediscover former glories, so they should instead target an up-and-coming young coach.

Rangers' dream Russell Martin replacement

When searching through the current out-of-work managers, one name leaps off the page and that is Danny Röhl.

Reports emerged over the summer that he was on the Gers’ shortlist, but it’s unknown if any contact was made.

After an unremarkable playing career, appearing for lower league German clubs FSV Zwickau, Sachsen Leipzig and Eilenburg, he retired at the age of 21 to focus on becoming a coach.

Well, this has certainly paid off because, after joining RB Leipzig in 2010, he worked as a youth coach and a video analyst before being appointed assistant manager in 2016, following die Roten’s promotion to the Bundesliga, working alongside Ralph Hasenhüttl.

After that, he went with Hasenhüttl to Southampton, before moving on to Bayern Munich, learning under Niko Kovač and then Hansi Flick at the Rekordmeister, subsequently working under Flick again with the German national team for two years.

However, after Flick was sacked as die Mannschaft boss in 2023, he took his first head coach role, appointed Sheffield Wednesday manager, thereby becoming the youngest permanent boss in EFL history at the age of just 34.

Well, Röhl would oversee 89 games in charge at Hillsborough, very much beloved by supporters, with Philip Buckingham of the Athletic describing the job he did in charge of the Owls as “outstanding”, suggesting that numerous big clubs should “covet” his signature.

The table below documents his statistics from his time in Yorkshire.

Matches

89

Wins

34

Draws

19

Loses

36

Win %

38%

Goals scored

122

Goals conceded

137

First league finish

20th

Second league finish

12th

While finishing 20th and then 12th may not appear spectacular, worth noting that, in his first season, when the German arrived in October, Sheffield Wednesday had failed to win any of their first 13 EFL Championship fixtures, losing ten of them, collecting 14 points from their final six matches to pull off a great escape.

Meantime, last season’s mid-table finish looks even more impressive given that owner Dejphon Chansiri is essentially running the club into the ground, with players and other staff repeatedly not being paid on time, if at all, hence why Röhl walked out over the summer.

Rangers themselves have already benefited from the crisis at Hillsborough, signing star winger Djeidi Gassama for around £3m, when it is clear to everyone he is worth more than that.

Thus, Röhl has already proven that he is capable of managing a crisis club, as well as coming in and having an instant impact mid-season, all things Rangers need right now, so the 49ers should be bold and appoint the 36-year-old as soon as possible.

49ers can axe Martin at Rangers by bringing 5-time trophy winner to Ibrox

As pressure continues to mount on Rangers manager Russell Martin, the 49ers should use their contacts to appoint a trophy-winning manager at Ibrox.

ByBen Gray Sep 9, 2025

Chepauk will be abuzz on Sunday for the next installment of the IPL’s most-storied rivalry

Deivarayan Muthu22-Mar-20255:07

Can Mumbai Indians bounce back this season?

Big picture: IPL’s most-storied rivalryChennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI). The winningest IPL teams, with five titles each, will renew IPL’s most-storied rivalry on the opening weekend of the new season.It’s also a changing rivalry. An entire generation was used to seeing MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma walk out for the toss and call the shots. In IPL 2024, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Hardik Pandya took over captaincy but neither could lead their team to the playoffs. While CSK narrowly missed out, MI finished rock bottom and Hardik faced up to hostile receptions from their fans.Related

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Suryakumar to lead in Hardik's absence in MI's season opener

IPL to allow one ball change on demand to counter dew

Hardik has likely won the MI fans back by helping India to the T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy titles, but he will miss Sunday’s game at Chepauk because of an over-rate offence from last season, with Suryakumar Yadav set to stand in as captain. Jasprit Bumrah’s injury – he is likely to be unavailable until April – disrupts MI’s balance even further. How can they replace two irreplaceable players?History is also against MI. The last time they won the opening game of their season was way back in 2012. Coach Mahela Jayawardene said he was reminded of it even before their first press conference of the season.As for CSK, they’re back to their happy place – spin-friendly Chepauk. They have packed their squad with slower bowlers in a quest to maximise their home conditions. While R Ashwin will roll back the years – he has already said “it feels like 2011 again” at a recent book launch in Chennai – along with Ravindra Jadeja, Noor Ahmad might provide a peek into the future with his left-arm wristspin.Dhoni’s arrival in Chennai last month was enough to cause a stir. Imagine the kind of frenzy that could grip IPL 2025 if he reprises his age-defying six-hitting from last season.A full house at Chepauk, where the gates will be open to the public three hours before the start of the game, will be quite the spectacle.MS Dhoni prepares to bat at the nets•PTI New loyaltiesDeepak Chahar has played all of his 81 IPL games with Dhoni in the same squad at both CSK and Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS). For the first time in his career, he will go up against Dhoni and CSK. Chahar and Trent Boult could form a mouth-watering new-ball partnership for MI. Mitchell Santner, who was also a familiar face at CSK for a number of years, has also found a new home at MI.Rookie seamer Anshul Kamboj, who made his IPL debut for MI last season, has moved to CSK for IPL 2025. Given his ability to swing the new ball both ways, he’s a candidate to replace Chahar at CSK along with Khaleel Ahmed.Team news & likely XIIsCSK’s players are injury-free, but they have a problem of plenty. Devon Conway or Rachin Ravindra? Vijay Shankar or Deepak Hooda? Sam Curran or Jamie Overton? Khaleel Ahmed or Anshul Kamboj?Chennai Super Kings (probable): 1 Devon Conway/Rachin Ravindra, 2 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Deepak Hooda/Vijay Shankar, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Sam Curran, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), 9 R Ashwin, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Matheesha Pathirana, 12 Khaleel Ahmed/Anshul KambojIn the absence of Hardik, Suryakumar will lead MI in their opening fixture. South Africa allrounder Corbin Bosch, who won the SA20 with MI Cape Town, might be brought in to provide the balance that Hardik usually does, unless MI lean towards an extra overseas spinner in Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Satyanarayana Raju, who often bowled at the death in the Andhra Premier League, might come in as an Impact Player, in place of one of the batters, when MI bowl. Raju, 25, was among the first group of bowlers to bowl at the nets on the eve of the game.Mumbai Indians (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Ryan Rickelton (wk), 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Naman Dhir, 6 Robin Minz, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Corbin Bosch/Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Karn Sharma, 11 Trent Boult, 12 Satyanarayana Raju/Ashwani KumarBig questionMI have previously had high-profile overseas players like Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga. This season they have some relative unknowns in the IPL like Ryan Rickelton and Bosch. With two of their highest-profile Indian players unavailable for their opener in IPL 2025, how will they manage without compromising on their batting depth or bowling options? Is Bosch the best candidate to slot in for Hardik?In the spotlight: Noor Ahmad and Suryakumar Yadav Noor Ahmad, the 20-year-old Afghanistan wristspinner, has already been named by Gaikwad as a player to watch out for from CSK. His ability to turn the ball both ways at quick speed could give CSK’s attack a potent point of difference, especially at Chepauk. The last time he played a franchise T20 tournament on spin-friendly surfaces, he was often unplayable and came away with the Player-of-the-Tournament award in CPL 2024. Noor isn’t new to the Super Kings set-up: he has already worked with Stephen Fleming at Texas Super Kings in the Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA.Suryakumar Yadav has not passed 15 in his last five T20 innings – and fifty in his last nine innings – but MI have brushed off any concerns around his form. In his last innings against CSK at Chepauk, in 2023, he was tied down by Jadeja, Maheesh Theekshana and Moeen Ali on a slow track. Can he turn things around on Sunday?Key statsBoult has been bossing Gaikwad, having dismissed him three times in 26 balls in the IPL while conceding only 23 runs.Suryakumar has struggled against Jadeja in the IPL, managing 45 runs in 59 balls at a strike rate of less than 77 while being dismissed three times.Ashwin is the leading wicket-taker at Chepauk in the IPL with 50 strikes in 42 innings at an economy rate of 6.26.CSK have won five of their last six matches against MI, including three on the trot.Pitch and conditionsA slow track, which might aid spin, is likely to be rolled out for Sunday’s game. There’s a chance that both teams could pack their XIs (or XIIs) with three frontline spinners. Dew was a major factor during IPL 2024 and also during TNPL 2024, but the new IPL rules, which allow the team bowling second to get the ball changed on demand once anytime after the tenth over in evening games, might help counter that.Quotes”It [CSK’s opening combination] is decided, but it is not good to reveal here (laughs).”

“The show must go on. There are boys who can take up the responsibility and are very keen to take the field tomorrow.”
Next three fixturesCSK will have a four-day break before they face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Chepauk once again on Friday. They will have a shorter turnaround before they meet Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati next Sunday. They will then head back home for an afternoon game against Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 5.MI will continue to be on the road. Hardik will be back to lead them against his former team Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad on March 29 before they make the trip to Mumbai for their first home fixture of the season, against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, on March 31. From the high-scoring Wankhede, they will go to a potentially low-scoring Ekana stadium where they will face Lucknow Super Giants on April 4.

Kylian Mbappe bagged himself a hat-trick in the Champions League and became the third quickest to reach 60 goals in Europe's premier competition, which puts him on course to beat Cristiano Ronaldo's incredible record tally. The Real Madrid superstar reached the landmark in just 89 games, courtesy of a treble against Kairat, while it took Ronaldo 98 games to reach the same number. And the France international is the second youngest to hit 60 goals, beaten by a matter of days, by Lionel Messi.

Getty ImagesMbappe stars as Real run riot

Mbappe delivered a scintillating performance in Real’s 5-0 victory over Kairat Almaty, bagging himself a hat-trick, and contributing significantly to a dominant display that saw his team bounce back from the disastrous 5-2 defeat by Atletico Madrid in La Liga last weekend. Mbappe opened the scoring in the 25th minute from the penalty spot after Franco Mastantuono was fouled in the box, and doubled his tally shortly after half-time, latching onto a long ball from Thibaut Courtois before executing a deft chip over the advancing goalkeeper. He sealed his hat-trick in the 73rd minute with a powerful strike from the edge of the box following a skilful run from Rodrygo.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportIs Ronaldo's record under threat?

Mbappe has been breaking records since he burst onto the scene for Monaco in 2015. And he's on course to match or beat Ronaldo in the Champions League scoring tables. But he's got his work cut out. It's important to acknowledge that Ronaldo's dominance in the Champions League spanned an extended period and resulted in an unparalleled overall goal tally and a remarkable seven Champions League top scorer titles. Ronaldo also holds the record for most Champions League final wins with five. To eclipse Ronaldo's total of 140 goals, Mbappe would need to continue playing at a high level in the Champions League for many more years, potentially well into his late 30s, based on current scoring rates.

Fewest appearances to reach 60 Champions League goals:

80: Lionel Messi

85: Robert Lewandowski

89: Kylian Mbappe

98: Cristiano Ronaldo

111: Karim Benzema

115: Raul Gonzalez

Mbappe claims he should score even more

Following his hat-trick against Kairat, Mbappe said: "A player like me, when I have five chances I should score five goals. Today, I scored three, and that's good, but I could have scored more. I'll keep working to be more clinical in front of goal. You should never forget, we can't forget what happened this weekend (the defeat by Atleti), this is another competition, but we have to keep thinking about what happened, and work to be better so as not to experience another night like that."

And Mbappe also singled out goalkeeper Courtois for special praise after his incredible long-range pass set up his second goal. He added: "I don't know if he meant to do it, but it's a great pass. He made 80 per cent of the goal and I made the other 20 per cent."

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AFPFlying start to 2025-26 season at Real

Mbappe has enjoyed a prolific start to the 2025-26 season with Real, bagging 13 goals in nine games in domestic and European competition – he’s become the club’s ‘main man’. He has scored in four consecutive La Liga appearances and leads the league's scoring charts. His performances have been instrumental in Real Madrid's early successes in the season, despite that notable 5-2 defeat by cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid.

The next milestone for Mbappe is to reach 70 Champions League goals, and he's got 17 games to match Ronaldo's scoring rate.

Fewest appearances to reach 70 Champions League goals

90: Lionel Messi

93: Robert Lewandowski

106: Cristiano Ronaldo

126: Karim Benzema

139: Raul Gonzalez

Lancashire live to fight another day as visitors unable to press home advantage in small window of play

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay21-Apr-2025Lancashire 264 (Harris 77, Balderson 51, Scriven 5-46) and 90 for 3 (Bohannon 45*) drew with Leicestershire 491 for 8 dec (Handscomb 142*, Rehan 100, Hill 64)The Rothesay County Championship match between Lancashire and Leicestershire ended in a draw after the home side’s fourth-wicket pair, Josh Bohannon and Marcus Harris, safely negotiated what could have been a tricky final session at Emirates Old Trafford.Resuming on 16 for 3 at 4.30pm after persistent rain had prevented play getting under way in the first two sessions at Manchester, Bohannon and Harris extended their stand to an unbroken 79 and had taken their side to 90 for 3 by the time the draw was agreed with a minimum of eight overs left to be bowled.At that point, Bohannon was 45 not out and Harris was unbeaten on 34. However, the last session was not without its alarms for the home side. Bohannon was dropped twice in the opening seven overs by wicketkeeper Ben Cox off the bowling of Ian Holland, although neither chance was easy.Leicestershire take 15 points from the game to Lancashire 11 and the visitors will have left the ground disappointed not to have had a longer opportunity to press home their advantage.The home team had gone into the final day still needing 212 runs to avoid an innings defeat and Keaton Jennings’ players might be grateful for the week off they will have before their next game, at home to Gloucestershire on May 2-5, when it is expected that James Anderson will make his first appearance of the season.Leicestershire, on the other hand, are certain to remain among the Division Two leaders after this round of fixtures and will travel to Bristol for their match against Gloucestershire in good spirits.

It’s been an up-and-down start to the year for Newcastle United, and they suffered more adversity on their first Champions League appearance of the season when welcoming Barcelona to St. James’ Park.

Newcastle’s European campaign began with defeat. Marcus Rashford was at the double, scoring two spectacular strikes after a closely-contested opening half that will have left Eddie Howe rueing missed chances.

The manager made the bold decision to leave Nick Woltemade out of the starting line-up after the 23-year-old scored a debut winner against Wolves last weekend. Anthony Gordon deputised in his place.

It might have proved a shrewd call but for some shoddy finishing, with Harvey Barnes culpable of that and more on Tyneside.

Harvey Barnes let Howe down vs Barcelona

With Gordon up top, Barnes reprised his role on the left flank. It’s not been the finest start to the season for the 27-year-old, who has gone five games across the Premier League and Europe without registering a goal involvement.

And against the slick and stylish La Blaugrana, he toiled, not only missing a good chance to score but failing with every one of his crosses and not even attempting to win a duel, statistics courtesy of Sofascore.

Jules Kounde whipped in a neat delivery for the Three Lions star, who powered home with a header from around 12 yards out. Barnes should have closed down the French defender, who had space and time to find his target.

Woltemade will expect to start against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday, and Barnes will be sweating over his starting berth, with the goalscoring Gordon sure to be eyeing up a return to his natural position out on the flank.

However, Barnes wasn’t the only one who flattered to deceive, with Joelinton failing to pack a punch in the engine room.

Why Joelinton must be dropped

At times, it can seem inconceivable that Joelinton should be dropped from Newcastle’s starting line-up, so powerful and influential is the South American in the centre of the park.

But it doesn’t always work, and he was reduced in stature against silky opposition.

Chronicle Live weren’t too unforgiving in their post-match assessment, handing the Brazilian a 6/10 rating, but they did acknowledge he lacked his usual bite and brutish efficiency against a well-oiled and cohesive La Blaugrana midfield.

However, such analysis was perhaps generous. Joelinton left plenty to be desired against the Spaniards.

Joelinton lost the ball seven times, having taken 27 touches across his hour on the field. That equates to marginally under a concession of the ball every four touches, which is hardly the sharp and composed midfield play needed against a team such as Hansi Flick’s Barcelona.

After picking up a yellow card in the first half, Joelinton walked a tightrope, and it showed. He only won three of his six contested ground duels and made just one tackle all evening.

All told, it hasn’t been a fantastic start to the season for the hulking midfield presence, though he did catch the eye against Wolves last weekend and now Howe will expect him to return to form.

Minutes played

62′

Goals

0

Assists

0

Touches

27

Shots (on target)

1 (0)

Accurate passes

13/19 (68%)

Key passes

0

Dribbles

0/0

Tackles

1

Clearances

2

Duels won

5/8

With more technically dynamic options such as Joe Willock and Lewis Miley waiting in the wings, perhaps it would be a good idea to place the 29-year-old on the bench against the Cherries, allowing Howe to freshen things up and ensure his midfield does not become too rigid and predictable in its patterns.

Joelinton is a crucial part of this team, but this is a team of many parts, and players are ready to step up and add different dimensions when the need arises.

In this sense, there’s substance to both Barnes and Joelinton stepping to the dugout ahead of the weekend.

When Wissa could make his Newcastle debut as Howe confirms extent of injury

The forward has been sidelined at a frustrating time.

ByTom Cunningham Sep 18, 2025

Arsenal's run of four games without a win came to an end on Sunday, albeit only thanks to an own goal from Brighton's Marisa Olislagers in a narrow 1-0 victory. The Gunners will be relieved to have avoided extending their barren streak to what would've been their worst in 11 years but the same sluggishness in attack persisted, with Daphne van Domselaar's terrific second half save to deny Carla Camacho proving to be particularly important come the final whistle.

Van Domselaar has been struggling with her own individual form, too, with a high-profile mistake in the Champions League loss to Lyon in midweek highlighting as much. For the Dutchwoman to bounce back with a strong display here, then, will have been one of the most encouraging aspects of the entire afternoon for those of an Arsenal persuasion.

At the start of the game, there looked like there would be more positives, too. The Gunners started well, with Olivia Smith and Caitlin Foord causing plenty of problems in the wide areas before the two then linked up in the build-up to the only goal, which saw Smith's cross deflect off Olislagers and into the back of the net after 15 minutes. However, neither winger was particularly accurate with their final ball, while the overall slow pace of the Arsenal play failed to stretch a well-organised Brighton defence.

Instead, it was the Seagulls who had the better chances, as Kiko Seike and Fran Kirby tested Van Domselaar in the first half and Camacho started to find her range in the second, only for the goalkeeper to produce an outstanding reflex save on the hour mark to deny the young Spaniard what looked a certain goal. Stoppages in play for injuries not long after that halted Brighton's momentum, though, while Arsenal's introduction of Stina Blackstenius helped give the hosts more threat, with the Swede unlucky not to make the end of the game more comfortable for her team when her header struck the bar late on. 

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Emirates Stadium…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

Daphne van Domselaar (7/10):

Made a terrific save to deny Camacho an equaliser on the hour and positioned herself well to make her other stops very comfortable, too. A confidence-boosting performance for the goalkeeper, whose recent form has been shaky.

Emily Fox (6/10):

A solid display in which she did little wrong defensively, though couldn't make too much impact going forward.

Katie Reid (6/10):

A little sloppier on the ball today than she has been throughout her strong start to the season. Outstanding in her duels, however.

Steph Catley (6/10):

Was generally tidy in possession and relatively untroubled off the ball.

Katie McCabe (6/10):

Had some real problems dealing with Seike in the first half but fared better after the break.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield

Kim Little (6/10):

Kept the ball tidily at the base of midfield, though didn't do much to speed up the play going forward.

Mariona Caldentey (6/10):

Moved the ball well and was often central to Arsenal's best moves. Like Little, though, she could and should've done more to move the Brighton back line around.

Frida Maanum (5/10):

Had an effort cleared off the line from a corner but otherwise struggled to really make her mark against a well-organised Brighton defence.

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Olivia Smith (6/10):

Caused plenty of problems, with it her cross that produced the opening goal, but did lack efficiency with her end product overall.

Alessia Russo (5/10):

Worked hard off the ball but got so little service, with crosses just not finding her.

Caitlin Foord (6/10):

Arsenal's liveliest performer throughout the afternoon, though her final ball should have been better on numerous occasions.

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Subs & Manager

Kyra Cooney-Cross (6/10):

Made a positive impact in midfield with some driving runs and quality passing.

Stina Blackstenius (6/10):

Caused Brighton problems with her clever movement and was very unlucky not to add to Arsenal's lead when her header from McCabe's corner hit the bar.

Beth Mead (5/10):

Worked hard off the ball, though couldn't make a huge impact on it.

Chloe Kelly (N/A):

A late sub as Arsenal saw the game out.

Renee Slegers (6/10):

A win is a win but there wasn't much in this Arsenal performance to suggest their recent bad run is totally behind them. The Gunners started well but appeared content with the slender lead, doing little to add to it. That did improve a little with Slegers' subs, which were a little different to her usual changes, which was a positive.