All posts by h716a5.icu

Arsenal star Beth Mead has made her return to the Lionesses after coming on as a substitute against Netherlands.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Mead suffers ACL injuryReturns after one yearSparks England comebackGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Mead, 28, was brought on by Sarina Weigman at half-time during their UEFA Nations League clash, with her team down 2-0 at the break to the Netherlands.

Mead's return to the pitch in an England sparked a dramatic comeback in the must win game, with England levelling the score-line just after the hour mark, thanks to goals from Georgia Stanway and Lauren Hemp.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The return arrives just over a year since her last appearance for England, which was a 4-0 victory against Japan in November 2022, after suffering a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

WHAT MEAD SAID

Speaking to last month regarding her comeback from injury, Mead opened up on her struggles throughout the last year. “In January I lost my Mum and because of the injury I couldn’t play football, which was always my escape, my happy place," she said. "Moments when people thought I was fine because of my outgoing personality, were very dark.

“It’s been a tough process to understand. Teammates, people at the club, family and friends that supported me were so important, without them I could have been in a far darker place. I want to help create an environment in which it’s totally normal to address mental health. There’s not a perfect way of dealing with it, but if you feel you’re not alone it helps so much. We need to normalise mental health and in doing so that would go a long way.”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MEAD

Following the Nations League fixtures with England against Netherlands and Scotland, Mead will return to Arsenal and prepare for the upcoming clash against Chelsea on December 10. Emma Hayes' squad currently sit at the top of the Women's Super League, with a three point gap on Arsenal in second.

A series win will see the ninth-ranked West Indies swap places with the eighth-ranked Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2018Shimron Hetmyer has recovered from the illness that kept him out of West Indies’ last Test against Sri Lanka to return to the squad for the two-Test series against Bangladesh.Left-handed batsman Hetmyer was not picked in the XI for the first two Tests of the series against Sri Lanka, before being taken ill ahead of the third Test. Keemo Paul, the right-arm fast bowler who had replaced Hetmyer in the squad, keeps his place in the squad.There was only one change, with the uncapped reserve wicketkeeper Jahmar Hamilton left out.West Indies Squad

Jason Holder (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich (wk), Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Keemo Paul, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Devon Smith

West Indies drew the series against Sri Lanka 1-1. They won the first Test by 226 runs, while a somewhat rain-affected second Test was drawn, but Sri Lanka came back well in the final match for a four-wicket win.While commending the team for the performance against Sri Lanka, the West Indies selection panel said they wanted more runs from the top-order. The selection panel “expects to see a greater effort from the top 5 batters and see them return to the focus and discipline we know they are capable of in the upcoming series against Bangladesh… We congratulate the team on a drawn series [against Sri Lanka] but recognise that victory was within our reach. The selection panel also acknowledge and commend the strong performances of captain Jason Holder, Shannon Gabriel and man of the series Shane Dowrich.”This series is also an opportunity for West Indies to go past Bangladesh in the Test rankings. Bangladesh are currently in eighth position with 75 points, with West Indies ninth on 72 points. A win for the home side will see them overtake Bangladesh, while a drawn series will maintain the status quo. Bangladesh will remain in the eighth spot even if they win 2-0, though they will narrow the gap with seventh-ranked Pakistan.

Tottenham Hotspur have been told that they could suffer a "massive" drop if one player comes into the fold.

Luton Town 0-1 Tottenham

Spurs' unbelievable start to the new Premier League season continued last Saturday with a scrappy 1-0 win away to Luton Town. Defender Micky van de Ven's second half goal handed Tottenham another big three points, making it six victories from eight in the top flight.

The Lilywhites also remain unbeaten and are enjoying their best ever start to a season since the 1960/1961 double-winning campaign. Yves Bissouma was spared blushes after his first half sending off with his side eventually doing enough to scrape past Luton, despite being down to 10 men for much of the 90.

Much has been made of this new-look, attacking Spurs style under Postecoglou but TNT Sports pundit Rio Ferdinand actually pointed out Tottenham's "steeliness" after their win at Luton.

"I think this is a huge result for the changing room," said Ferdinand. "The fan base too, obviously, but most importantly the changing room. I think there was a softness to this Tottenham team over the last year or so.

"Last season, they would have lost this game, they would have gone down to 10 men, and capitulated. This man here [Postecoglou] has put a steeliness into this team. Yes, it’s still early days in the league. When you go down to 10 men, the two centre halves have got to stand up and perform.”

Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero

Ferdinand's brief praise of Tottenham's centre-back partnership isn't unfounded, as both van de Ven and Cristian Romero have formed an absolutely solid understanding with one another at the heart of Postecoglou's defence. Van de Ven looks a steal from Wolfsburg after he joined in the summer, while Romero appears to have ironed out his rashness and constant bookings from 22/23.

The pair have been pivotal to Spurs' early-season success, a fact not lost on pundit and former Arsenal star Ian Wright. The Gunners icon praised Romero and van de Ven's importance to Tottenham, so much so that losing either one of them would be a big, big blow for Postecoglou. Speaking to Premier League Productions (09/10/23 at 2:35 pm), as transcribed by HITC, Wright says the reintroduction of defender Eric Dier would put the Spurs boss in "massive" trouble. Sharing his verdict on Dier at Tottenham, he said:

“If anything happens to van de Ven and Romero, then that is a massive drop-off because it’s Dier to come in. But the fact is it’s Eric Dier. It’s the drop-off – when you look at it, that team can challenge.”

Passing

Tackling

Concentration

Dier's £85,000-per-week Tottenham wages could be seen as a drain at this point, especially given he is yet to play a single minute for Postecoglou this season. Dier has lost his place to both van de Ven and Romero after he was a mainstay under Conte. According to recent transfer rumours involving Dier, he may well leave upon the expiry of his contract next year.

There has been a suggestion that the door could open for West Ham United to sign a "special" forward for manager David Moyes in January.

Latest West Ham news

After consecutive 3-1 Premier League losses at the hands of both Man City and Liverpool, the Hammers are back to winning ways after their 2-0 victory over Sheffield United at the London Stadium last Saturday. Goals from star winger Jarrod Bowen and midfielder Tomas Soucek handed them all three points against Paul Heckingbottom's newly-promoted strugglers, coming after their 1-0 EFL Cup victory over Lincoln City last week.

"It was a good win. I’m really pleased," said Moyes after their victory over the Blades.

"It was a day when some people were expecting an easy game, but as a manager I’ve never found an easy game, that’s for sure. I think if anybody looks at the result they’ll say it was a great result for West Ham, whether it was 2-0 or more. If you look at the results in the Premier League today, there are no guarantees. It’s a strange league and we did a really good job to get a good victory."

Moyes' side are now gearing up for their next Europa League group stage encounter on Thursday, where they will go head-to-head with Bundesliga side SC Freiburg in Germany. Thereafter, the east Londoners face their last league game before the international break against Newcastle United this Sunday.

Latest West Ham transfer news

Off the field, Moyes, West Ham sporting director Mark Noble and transfer chief Tim Steidten are reportedly planning moves ahead of the January window. The Irons sealed deals for James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Mohammed Kudus in the summer, but failed to add another striker to their ranks.

They've been tipped by various reports in the media to rectify that this winter, as the likes of PSG striker Hugo Ektike are linked with a move to West Ham. Meanwhile, it is also believed that Moyes' side could make a move for another PSG winger in Ousmane Dembele.

The Frenchman is apparently being targeted by the likes of Arsenal, Spurs and West Ham, with journalist Paul Brown suggesting that the door may well open for them to sign Dembele as soon as January. Speaking to GiveMeSport, the reporter said:

"That might open the door to a team like West Ham in January or in the summer, we'll see. I do think West Ham are still quite ambitious in the transfer market. Everyone knew they had the money from the Declan Rice deal to spend. They're not a club that makes a huge amount of money so they do have to be careful when it comes to FFP, but I do think you'll see West Ham continue to try and be aggressive and ambitious in the transfer market over the next couple of windows."

The former Borussia Dortmund star has struggled since signing for PSG, but Barcelona boss Xavi is a firm admirer of the player; calling him "special" and "different".

Glamorgan are the in-form team in South Group and that meant more gloom for Essex in Cardiff

ECB Reporters Network07-Aug-2018
ScorecardIn an exciting finish at Sophia Gardens, Glamorgan won their fourth successive game, and sixth in all, to advance to third place in the Southern Group with four games remaining. With 23 needed from the final over, Ravi Bopara did his best by striking ten from the first two balls, but Michael Hogan held his nerve for the next four deliveries.Essex, needing to score at 10 runs an over after Glamorgan had scored a creditable 198 for 7, powered there by Colin Ingram and Graham Wagg, lost Adam Wheater in Rory Smith’s second over, and he was followed Paul Walter who was well caught by Donald from Meschede’s first ball after the Powerplay.The visitors were 89 for 2 at the halfway stage,with Chopra and ten Doeschate settling into an useful partnership, with Chopra reaching his half century from 55 balls. They added 62 for the third wicket before ten Doeschate was bowled, taking a wild swing at one of Ingram’s leg breaks.Essex lost their fourth wicket in the next over, when Chopra, who made 54, top edged an intended pull from Van Der Gugten to wicketkeeper Cooke, and with five overs remaining, the visitors required a further 70 runs.Talking T20 Podcast: About time Rikki Clarke replaced Stokes?

Dan Norcross plants the thought in Alec Stewart’s head, as Will Macpherson joins him to round up all the action from the T20 Blast
Listen on ESPN radio
Subscribe on iTunes

But they lost another wicket when Zaidi holed out at long on, but Bopara and Harmer kept on attacking and 32 were needed from the final two overs. After Wagg dismissed Harmer, it was up to Bopara, with 24 runs needed from the final six balls.After they were asked to bat, Glamorgan soon lost their openers in Matt Quinn’s opening over. Craig Meschede was deceived by a slower ball, then Aneurin Donald, driving too early, was well caught low down by Simon Harmer.Ingram however was soon into his stride, striking a flurry of boundaries, racing to 54 from just 21 balls as Glamorgan reached 71 for 2 at the end of the power play. The unfortunate Quinn, after taking the early wickets was smashed for 30 in his second over, all struck by Ingram.Kiran Carlson helped Ingram add 85 in seven overs for the third wicket, before Carlson, had contributed only 11, was caught on the mid- wicket boundary. Ravi Bopara then struck twice for Essex as he had Chris Cooke caught at fine leg and with his next ball trapped Nick Selman leg before.Peter Siddle then ended Ingram’s excellent innings when the Glamorgan captain pulled a short deliver to fine leg- a knock that included nine fours and five sixes from 47 balls. When he departed no other batsman had struck a boundary, a statistic that illustrated how much Ingram had dominated the innings.At 136 for 7, Essex were back in contention, but Graham Wagg and Rory Smith the accelerated by adding 62 for the eighth wicket, with 60 coming in the final three overs, and Wagg reaching his fifty from 28 balls.

Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has been called up to the Argentina national team despite being out with a ligament injury.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Martinez named in squad for friendliesDefender still out with ligament injuryWill travel to USA with Argentina teamWHAT HAPPENED?

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni named the 26-year-old in his squad for the upcoming friendlies against El Salvador and Costa Rica this month. However, Martinez has been out with an injury since early-February and is not fit to feature for the Albiceleste.

Advertisement(C)GettyImagesTHE EXPLANATION

Scaloni opted to add the centre-back to the list of players who will travel to the United States for the upcoming matches because wants him to close to the team, even if he cannot play, reports. The World Cup-winning manager is already thinking about the Copa America and expects to have Martinez available for the summer competition, and feels it will benefit the player and the team to have him spend more time with Lionel Messi and the rest of his co-stars in the host country.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Martinez has managed just 10 appearances for United this season. He suffered a foot injury in mid-September that kept him out of action until January. After just four appearances, he sustained another issue that has seen him sidelined since early-February.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MARTINEZ?

The ex-Ajax star will continue his rehabilitation at United as he hopes to be available for Erik ten Hag's team before long. He will have to watch on from the sidelines as United take on Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday.

The 27-year old allrounder, looking to make a return to the national set-up after being omitted from NZC’s annual contracted players’ list, ends a seven-year tenure with Otago

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2018James Neesham, the New Zealand allrounder, has signed up with Wellington for the upcoming domestic season, ending a seven-year tenure with Otago. The 27-year-old is seeking a return to the national side after he was one of the notable omissions from the annual contracted players’ list announced by New Zealand Cricket earlier this month.Neesham said his relationship with the Wellington coach Bruce Edgar convinced him to make the move. “Me and Bruce always had a good relationship from back when he was a national selector,” he told . “When he knew I was looking at other opportunities, he had a good chat with me about Wellington. I liked the look of the set up and I flew down to meet a few of the lads, and it seems like it will be a great fit for me. I’m 27, I’m reaching the time when an all-rounder comes into his peak. This is a good chance to show it.”Auckland was the other team Neesham was looking at. However, his equation with Edgar, as well as a proud record at the Basin Reserve, eventually influenced his decision. Neesham has played six first-class matches at the venue and averages 42.72 with the bat. He also struck a career-best 137 not out against India in February 2014, in the same Test where Brendon McCullum became New Zealand’s first Test triple-centurion.”Jimmy is a quality player who will add a lot to our middle order with the bat and complement a pace attack who have done pretty well in recent seasons,” Cricket Wellington said in a statement. “We think that will make him an asset to our squad and he’s been very clear that a return to the national side is part of his focus and a strong incentive to contribute to the Firebirds this coming summer.”Neesham made his international debut in December 2012, in a T20 international against South Africa in Durban. He has since played 12 Tests, 41 ODIs and 15 T20Is. However, the previous season was marked by a dip in form, particularly with the ball, leading to his falling out of favour with the selectors.

The rich get richer. 

With the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline on Tuesday, July 30, World Series favorites Los Angeles Dodgers fortified its roster by way of adding prized right hander Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers. The Dodgers, littered with talented pitchers, have been dealing with injuries throughout its starting rotation and want to leave as little holes in the roster as possible in hopes of winning the World Series this fall. 

The Dodgers odds continued to shorten on the news that the team landed Flaherty, who was sought after by several contenders ahead of the deadline. Meanwhile, teams like the Philadelphia Phillies had a quieter deadline, seemingly satisfied with the current roster. 

The Yankees were quiet at the actual deadline, but did land Jazz Chisholm over the weekend, who is off to a scorching start in pinstripes, belting four home runs in three games with his new team. 

New York’s AL East rival, Baltimore Orioles, bolstered its starting rotation with Zach Eflin from the Rays and are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with slugger Eloy Jimenez from the White Sox. 

Teams further down the odds board were busy, most notably the Astros, who landed Yusei Kikuchi from the Blue Jays, and the Mets, who landed a hoster of different depth pieces to both their rotation and lineup. 

Here is where the current World Series odds stand at FanDuel Sportsbook following the end of trade season. 

2024 World Series OddsLos Angeles Dodgers: +300Philadelphia Phillies: +500New York Yankees: +550Baltimore Orioles: +600Atlanta Braves: +1200Houston Astros: +1300Cleveland Guardians: +1800Minnesota Twins; +1800Milwaukee Brewers:+2400Seattle Mariners: +2900San Diego Padres: +3000Arizona Diamondbacks: +4500Kansas City Royals: +5500Boston Red Sox: +5500New York Mets: +6000Texas Rangers: +6000St. Louis Cardinals: +800

Julian Nagelsmann is on Borussia Dortmund's shortlist should they part ways with Edin Terzic, adding to a long list of suitors for the German manager.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Dortmund considering Nagelsmann as Terzic replacementMan Utd, Newcastle also interested in hiringGermany boss not guaranteed contract beyond Euro 2024WHAT HAPPENED?

The German manager is expected to be on the market this summer, after overseeing the national team at Euro 2024. His next job, though, has been a topic of debate, and Dortmund have now entered the race, according to .

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT JULIAN NAGELSMANN SAID

In an interview with , the Germany manager spoke openly on his sudden sacking from Bayern Munich last March. "I was signed by Bayern with the proviso that I would change things,” he said. “There are clubs that give you time. Jürgen Klopp was at Liverpool for five years before he became champion there for the first time. Pep Guardiola only won the Champions League title with Manchester City after seven years. The coaches at Bayern Munich don’t get as much time to develop something."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Man Utd are yet to make a clear decision on the future of Erik ten Hag, but the former Ajax boss is in the hot seat after Sir Jim Ratcliffe completed a partial takeover of the club. Terzic's job, too, is under scrutiny, with Dortmund currently fourth in the Bundesliga.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR JULIAN NAGELSMANN?

Nagelsmann's future seems to be up in the air, with a handful ofclubs chasing his hiring. His immediate focus will be the German national side, with friendlies against France and the Netherlands scheduled for the international break.

Tom Westley moved Essex closer to the next stage but Sussex have found no immediate benefit from the return from IPL of Chris Jordan and Jofra Archer

ECB Reporters Network03-Jun-2018
ScorecardEssex are still in the hunt for a place in the knockout stages of the Royal London One-Day Cup after they chased a target of 282 to beat Sussex by four wickets at Eastbourne.Victory over Kent on Wednesday in a day-night game at Chelmsford could be enough, although they may need other results to go their way.The architect of their victory was Tom Westley who continued his impressive form with his fourth half-century in this season’s competition.He had some luck along the way. Chris Jordan put down a difficult chance at slip when he had scored one and he was also dropped on 68 at long off by David Wiese, also off Danny Briggs.The 29-year-old made the most of those reprieves with 88 from 89 balls including five fours and two sixes, adding 84 with Dan Lawrence to take Essex to within 35 runs of victory.There was a wobble when Westley was unnecessarily run out after being sent back by Lawrence when he was halfway down the pitch and Jofra Archer bowled Lawrence for 36 later in the same over. Ravi Bopara was pinned by David Wiese but by then Essex were only six runs short of their target which they reached with 12 balls to spare.Earlier, Laurie Evans had held Sussex’s innings together with an unbeaten 107 – his second List A hundred. The Sharks were in trouble on 46 for 3 in the 11th over when he joined Harry Finch to put on 113 in 22.5 overs.Against generally accurate Essex bowling it was never easy for the pair to accelerate on a slow wicket and they were forced to rebuild again when three wickets fell for six runs, including Finch for 56 who was stumped by Wheater off a wide, the first of two wickets in successive balls for Zaidi who then deceived Michael Burgess with an arm ball.Sussex were 174 for 6 with ten overs to go, but Evans found excellent support from Jordan and Archer as 107 were plundered off the last ten overs.Jordan made 35 at a run a ball before Archer hit out spectacularly with 33 from 15 balls including three sixes and two fours to the delight of a crowd of more than 4,000.Evans reached his century in the final over when he belted Sam Cole to the mid-off boundary for his eighth four. He also hit two sixes and faced 117 balls.Wheater and Varun Chopra gave Essex’s reply a good foundation with 86 in 14 overs before Jordan pinned Chopra for 33. Wheater looked in good touch, hitting eight boundaries in his 60 off 62 balls and it was a surprise when he missed a reverse sweep at Briggs.Archer had Zaidi caught behind in the 38th over but Essex were well ahead of the required rate by then and on their way to an important victory.