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Chris Green gave Tallawahs a glimmer late in the game but they failed to make the semi-finals

Peter Della Penna13-Sep-2021Falling for a first-ball duck to an Imad Wasim arm ball, Odean Smith went back to the dugout with TV cameras showing his eyes welling up as Guyana Amazon Warriors slipped to 75 for 7 having chosen to bat first as a CPL playoff berth appeared to be slipping away. But a little over two hours later those impending tears of sadness turned to joy for Warriors thanks to one of the great all-round shows in CPL history from Romario Shepherd, who smashed an unbeaten 72 off 31 balls before following it up with 3 for 31 in the field to help his side clinch a 14-run win over Jamaica Tallawahs, sealing the playoff fates for both teams in the process.The loss by Tallawahs also clinched the final playoff berth for St Lucia Kings, who needed help from the Warriors after a shock loss to Barbados Royals earlier in the day left the playoff door ajar for the Tallwahs before Shepherd slammed it shut.Following an 80-minute delayed start that caused the match to be reduced to 18 overs, the Tallawahs’ decision at the toss to leave out Veerasammy Permaul for Fidel Edwards looked all the more foolish after Imad Wasim and Chris Green took a combined 5 for 34 in eight overs. Edwards leaked 0 for 27 in his two overs, and was hit out of the attack by Shepherd who ended the 14th with two sixes having been felled earlier in the over by a bouncer to the helmet.But the biggest punishment was meted out by Shepherd to Russell, who regularly misfired on the length of his attempted wide yorkers only for Shepherd to crunch him for a trio of sixes and two more fours in the final three overs to take Warriors up to 142 for 7. Gudakesh Motie did his best to stay out of the way during their 67-run partnership, contributing five runs while Shepherd wisely turned down multiple singles in the final three overs.The inability of Tallawahs’ attack to dislodge Motie and get through the rest of the tail cost them dearly in the end. Imran Tahir bowled a double-wicket maiden in the second over of the chase, removing Kennar Lewis with a googly before Kirk McKenzie missed a sweep to another wrong’un and was given leg before. Shepherd then produced a double-strike of his own in the eighth, getting Rovman Powell to heave a catch to deep square leg before Imad Wasim gifted his wicket away with a loose cut to Nicholas Pooran at backward point to make it 42 for 6.Russell could be held back no longer and entered to strike 19 off 13, but Shepherd’s angle coming around the wicket to bowl wide yorkers slanted across the right-hander finally paid off with a catch sliced to Pooran at long-off. Needing 54 from the last pair, Green kept the faintest hope alive hitting a trio of sixes and headed into the final over on strike with Tallawahs needing 15 to win. But he was controversially given out next ball to Smith to end the match after swinging and missing at a length ball with replays showing no noise and a clear gap between bat and ball.

Arne Slot explained "three elements" that are central to Liverpool's strong defensive structure amid an excellent start to the Premier League season.

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• Reds have best defensive record in Premier League
• Have conceded just three times in eight matches
• Slot revealed the secret to success

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  With an exceptional record of seven clean sheets in 12 games across all competitions, Slot’s Liverpool have only allowed five goals in total. In the Premier League, they have shipped in three goals, while Nottingham Forest, the next closest, had conceded six before facing Leicester City on Friday.

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  WHAT SLOT SAID

  Slot attributes Liverpool’s defensive resilience to three key elements: dominance in possession, the high-calibre players in defence, and remarkable teamwork during challenging game phases. Speaking to the press, the Dutch manager explained: "One of them is that we – most games, almost all of them, maybe except for one – we dominated and controlled for large parts of the game. So it helps if you dominate, if you have the ball. But I also like that if there were difficult parts in the game, or for large parts in the game like we had against Chelsea, that the work rate is incredible. That is something that’s very important.

  “If you combine that with having the likes of Virgil and Ibou and the two goalkeepers we’ve used until now, that is probably one of the reasons why we haven’t conceded that much. Then to be aware of the fact that we also have Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez, we’re in a good place when it comes to centre-backs – and the goalkeeper speaks for itself I think.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Although Liverpool have maintained a tight defence, recent games have seen the Reds securing victories by narrow margins. Each of their last three league matches has been won by just one goal, a trend that also appeared in their recent Champions League fixture against RB Leipzig. Nonetheless, Slot is not concerned with the margin of victories and added: "I think every game has its own story. The Leipzig game, I said about the difference in the period of rest we had in between the games, so that could be a factor where Leipzig were, in the end of the game, a bit better than we were.

  “I don’t know if it had anything to do with it, but it could. I think when I look at the Crystal Palace game it was one or two transition moments where we were still, in my opinion, dominating the game but we were a bit unlucky or we didn’t have a good enough rest defence – combined with some set-pieces. I liked the last six minutes of injury time we had in Leipzig where we constantly had the ball and controlled it. Those moments were not difficult.

  “Also the Leipzig game, the first chance they had in the last 10 to 15 minutes was from a second phase set-piece. But yeah, you also concede the set-pieces, the other team is a bit stronger than you at that moment. I’m not worried, but I would prefer to see that we dominate until the end of the game. But it’s also good to see that, if we have to defend, that we have a team that defends with 11, with two outstanding centre-backs and a goalkeeper that makes saves as well.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

  Liverpool’s commanding start to the season sees them narrowly leading Manchester City by a single point at the top of the Premier League standings. However, Slot's defence will be tested by a free-flowing Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, who have scored 15 times in eight matches.

Having played in the shadow of Shakib Al Hasan for a long time, he has now surpassed his hero’s wickets tally

Mohammad Isam22-Nov-2025To grasp Taijul Islam’s big moment, you have to get as close to the pitch as possible. You can’t sit in a cushy, soundproof press box to get a feeling of the height he has scaled. As a Bangladesh fan, the best you can do is witness the moment at the Shere Bangla National Stadium’s grandstand. A seat in the lower part of the grandstand could be useful, given how close it is to the action. It is a side view, though, so you might miss the nuances of Taijul’s bowling, but it is about moment.Bangladesh declared their second innings shortly after the lunch break on the fourth day in the Dhaka Test. Taijul broke Shakib Al Hasan’s record of most Test wickets for Bangladesh in the sixth over of Ireland’s chase. The Ireland captain Andy Balbirnie, trying to work the ball away towards square leg, was undone by a slightly quicker delivery. The huge appeal was followed by the raised finger, before Balbirnie called for the review.The small crowd cheered. Taijul ran a little bit with his clenched fist. Mushfiqur Rahim, the man of the moment in Dhaka, tried to pick him up to take the celebration to the next level. Taijul would have none of it, as he politely asked to be let down. After the TV umpire confirmed the three reds, Taijul calmly walked back to his mark. If you blinked, you would have missed his smile.Related

• Taijul, Murad leave Bangladesh four wickets away from 2-0

In terms of Test wickets, Taijul has now surpassed the man who has practically built Bangladesh cricket. Shakib is someone he looked up to before he made his Test debut, and in whose shadow he became a top-class operator. If you peel back another layer, Taijul now rightfully wears the crown of the best Bangladesh bowler – the one that has come down from Mohammad Rafique, the first bowler to take 100 Test wickets for the country, and, of course, Shakib, the first to 200 Test wickets.According to Taijul, though, he never really targeted records but wanted to play for Bangladesh for a long time. He said that he understands what he needs to do at the highest level, although he doesn’t enjoy the “underrated” tag. “I always wanted to have a long career,” he said. “I never really thought that I would be on top of the wicket-takers’ list. You just don’t plan that way, especially when you are starting a Test career.”I think around the time [I got to 200 wickets], I probably had the consistency and experience to convince myself that I can serve Bangladesh cricket for a longer time. I think it was around this time that I considered that I might get a few more wickets. It is not about proving myself to anyone. I think performance is the most important aspect at the highest level. I am always tagged as an underrated bowler, but I think it’s only the media that considers me as underrated.”Seven of Taijul’s 17 five-fors have come in wins•Associated PressTaijul was Shakib’s understudy and played second fiddle to him for a long time. He wasn’t always an automatic choice outside the subcontinent. And if you consider his celebration on Saturday, he is an unassuming person who doesn’t have glamour or a glitzy social-media following.But he is reliable, and bowls tirelessly. He has made contributions, big and small and mostly impactful, in his 11 years at the highest level. Seven of his 17 five-wicket hauls and one of his two ten-wicket hauls have come in Bangladesh’s wins.His 10 for 184 in Bangladesh’s 150-run win against New Zealand in Sylhet in 2023 is probably his greatest moment. He took Kane Williamson’s wicket in both innings. When the chips were down, as was the case in Bangladesh’s first day-night Test in Kolkata in 2019, Taijul was the 12th man who had to step up as a batter as Nayeem Hasan’s concussion substitute. He took Ajinkya Rahane’s wicket and took a splendid catch of Virat Kohli. He batted bravely too.There were numerous times when Taijul stepped up when Bangladesh ran into trouble. Still, he is the one who has to prove his worth to the selectors often.Taijul took on the mantle of being the lead spinner in the attack in 2017, since Shakib became irregular in Tests. Ten of his 17 five-fors have come in the last five years, a period in which Bangladesh have increasingly played more Tests, and mostly without Shakib.”The national team is where you have to keep performing,” he said. “Look at Shakib – he was No. 1 in the world for a reason. He was always performing. That was his quality. We remember his suggestions. He would always share his experience with us.”Even in private conversations, Taijul doesn’t really stick out for his big proclamations. He will enjoy a quiet dinner with friends. His dry sense of humour will stick out from time to time. He will make his point, smile and enjoy the conversation. But at the same time, he is serving as a good example of hard work for the next generation. The good news is that finally, many are not only noticing him but also following him.

The summer transfer window officially opened for business on Friday and Glasgow Rangers have already been hard at work to improve their playing squad.

Head of recruitment Nils Koppen has brought in Oscar Cortes on loan from Lens, Jefte from Fluminense on a permanent deal, and Clinton Nsiala is set to arrive at Ibrox from AC Milan at the start of next month after his contract with the Italian giants expires.

The Light Blues are also reportedly in pole position to sign winger Yusuf Kabadayi from Bayern Munich on a permanent deal to add to their collection of new recruits.

They have strengthened their defensive options with Nsiala and Jefte and look set to add to the wide areas with Cortes and Kabadayi, but they could also add more firepower by bringing in a new centre-forward.

Cyriel Dessers was the main number nine for Rangers during the 2023/24 campaign and the former Cremonese attacker failed to make the most of the chances that were created for him.

His 16 goals in the Scottish Premiership came from an xG tally of 21.59, an underperformance of 5.59, and no other player in the Gers squad underperformed their xG by more than the 29-year-old dud.

Koppen could, therefore, dip into the market to land a more clinical forward for Philippe Clement to work with, and he already reportedly has at least a couple of names on his list.

Rangers targeting SPFL marksman

According to Football Insider, the Light Blues are eyeing up Hearts centre-forward Lawrence Shankland for a possible move to Ibrox this summer.

The report claims that the Scotland international, who came on as a substitute for his country against Germany in the opening game of the European Championship on Friday, is a target for Clement and Koppen.

It states that the Premiership team would struggle to turn down a 'big' offer for his services, although it stops short of revealing what sort of figure would represent a big bid, as he has one year left to run on his current contract.

Football Insider adds that Rangers are also interested in signing Rapid Bucharest marksman Albion Rrahmani in a deal that could be worth up to £5m.

However, it does not reveal whether or not the Scottish giants would like to sign the Kosovo international as well as the Hearts skipper this summer.

The outlet does, though, state that Shankland would be up for a move to Ibrox if the two clubs can thrash out an agreement, which suggests that personal terms would not be an issue as the player is keen to make the switch to Glasgow.

If Koppen does decide to go ahead with a deal, the Scottish ace could come in and be lethal alongside Todd Cantwell at the top end of the pitch for the club next term.

Why Todd Cantwell is a striker's dream

The former Norwich City star is a dream attacking midfielder for a centre-forward because of his busy style of play, which sees him constantly buzzing about the field to link up play and create chances.

He averaged 51.6 touches per game in the Premiership this season, compared to Tom Lawrence's 35.3 per match as his alternative in the ten role, which illustrates how often the English whiz looked to get on the ball to make things happen.

This means that the lone striker for Rangers is rarely left isolated as Cantwell is always around them to provide a link between the midfield/wide players and the number nine.

The 26-year-old wizard also has the quality to be lethal in the final third as both a scorer and a creator of goals to form an exciting partnership with whichever forward is picked to play in front of him.

As you can see in the table above, the former Premier League ace produced 12 direct goal contributions in 24 starts – one every other start on average.

The fact he only registered five assists from seven 'big chances' created and 51 key passes, though, suggests that the Light Blues need a better finisher up front to make the most of Cantwell's creativity, and that is what they could get by signing Shankland this summer.

Why Lawrence Shankland would thrive with Todd Cantwell

Firstly, the Hearts star is a proven Premiership performer who would be able to hit the ground running at Ibrox due to his experience in the division.

The Glasgow-born centre-forward has played over 100 matches in the Scottish top-flight in his career, which means that he would not need time to adapt to the quality and physicality of the league – unlike an addition from a foreign division with no prior experience in Scotland may need.

Shankland's ability in front of goal on the pitch is another reason why he could be a lethal striker to play in front of Cantwell for the Gers next season.

The 28-year-old star, whose campaign was hailed as "remarkable" by journalist Josh Bunting, showcased his quality week-in-week-out in the Premiership.

He racked up a staggering 31 goals and eight assists in all competitions for the Scottish side, including three goals in four Europa Conference League qualifiers, and the majority of those goal contributions came in the top-flight.

He was crowned PFA Scotland Player of the Year thanks to the statistics above, as he consistently found the back of the net for Steven Naismith's side.

The Scottish marksman scored 24 goals from an xG tally of just 18.36, an overperformance of 5.64, and this shows that he was far more efficient with the chances that came his way than the aforementioned Dessers.

Bad news for Dessers: Rangers plotting bid for Scotland international

The Light Blues are reportedly interested in signing the Scottish centre-forward.

By
Dan Emery

Jun 13, 2024

Shankland has the quality to outperform his expected goals return, whereas the Nigerian forward spurned far too many opportunities, and that is why he could be a phenomenal addition to the team to finally make the most of Cantwell's creativity at the top end of the pitch next season.

Edin Dzeko made a sensational claim that Inter chose to sign Romelu Lukaku permanently over retaining his services as he took a dig at the Belgian.

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• Dzeko claimed Inter released him to sign Lukaku in 2023
• Started ahead of the Belgian in Champions League final
• Dzeko joined Fenerbahce last summer

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After helping Inter reach the final of the Champions League in the 2022-23 season, Dzeko had to leave the Italian giants as the club reportedly opted to sign Lukaku permanently from Chelsea. Lukaku's transfer, however, did not materialise as he joined AS Roma on loan last summer before completing a permanent move to Napoli in 2024.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The former Manchester City star has now claimed that Inter could have easily retained his services for no cost, however, they chose to decide otherwise. The Nerazzurri went on to win the Serie A title and the Italian Super Cup in the 2023-24 season while the Bosnian forward joined Fenerbahce which is currently managed by Jose Mourinho.

• WHAT EDIN DZEKO SAID

  Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the attacker said, "If they chose this way, it means that everyone agreed, coach and executives. To me, it looked like a strange decision, because you could keep a player who started all the important games, including the Champions League final, at no cost and have four strikers in your squad. It looked very strange to me, that’s all. Then, I understood it with time and respected it, also because everyone treated me very well at Inter."

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  'He came with the scoreline still being 0-0, and then…'

  The 38-year-old was included in Simone Inzaghi's starting lineup in the Champions League final against City as Lukaku had to start on the bench. The Belgian came on as a substitute with 30 minutes left in the clock, however, he failed to make an impact and squandered an easy chance as they eventually lost 1-0.

  Speaking on the final match, Dzeko added, "Everyone can talk… But I say: do you think that a coach can choose to field a player who is not as good as the one he keeps on the bench? And doing it in a Champions League final? I remained calm, I knew what I could give to the team. For sure Lukaku was not happy not to start, it’s normal. But then you come on and make a difference, if you can: he had 30 minutes [in the Champions League final], he came with the scoreline still being 0-0, and then…"

Punjab Kings head coach says their batters should have finished the chase in 19 overs

Shashank Kishore21-Sep-20214:52

Steyn: The better team lost tonight

Anil Kumble, the Punjab Kings coach, was at a loss of words to explain yet another loss from a winning position. Kings failed to score the eight runs they needed off the last two overs to lose to Rajasthan Royals by just two runs. It made their qualifying chances that much harder. A sixth loss in nine games now means Kings will have to win every single game to control their own fate.

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“It’s sort of become a pattern for us especially when we get to Dubai, it seems,” Kumble said. “The approach was clear, we needed to finish it in 19 overs. That was the approach, to not let it go till the end. But unfortunately, when you leave it to the last couple of balls, it becomes a lottery. Credit to [Kartik] Tyagi for the way he bowled.”The loss followed a somewhat similar pattern to their game against Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi last year. Back then, they lost despite needing just 22 off 18 balls with nine wickets in hand. On that occasion, they turned a cruise into complete wreckage by throwing their bats around and then being bested by Sunil Narine. Here, they couldn’t quite get bat to ball.Kumble was particularly irked by his batters not being able to read Tyagi’s plans towards the end.”It was pretty clear he was going to bowl wide outside off, and somehow our batters didn’t take the right options,” he said. “We need to discuss this and sort it out. We have five more games to go, we don’t want to get bogged down by this defeat but it’s certainly a bitter pill to swallow.”Related

• Stats – The Rahul-Agarwal century partnership jinx, and Tyagi's excellent final over

• Mustafizur Rahman, Kartik Tyagi pull off a coup as Punjab Kings suffer yet another meltdown

• How Mustafizur and Tyagi won it for Rajasthan Royals

• Kartik Tyagi concedes just one run in final over to stun Punjab Kings

Asked if he thought Royals left them with too much to chase, Kumble felt the bowlers had done everything that was asked of them on a “good wicket.” And it was simply a case of the batters failing to see off the chase. Arshdeep Singh picked up his maiden T20 five-for, while Mohammed Shami’s late strikes meant Royals finished well short of the 200-plus they looked to get. In fact, they lost 6 for 19.”I think it was a very good wicket, and we really came back in the last four overs where we gave away just 20 runs and picked up six wickets or so. Arshdeep bowled brilliantly, as did Shami. [Harpreet] Brar bowled really well on a tough pitch. On a ground where one side of the boundary is short, at one stage Royals looked good to score 200-210. So to really squeeze them in the last four, I thought the bowling effort was really good.”With the bat also, we showed it till the 17th over. We were cruising but we were pulled back in the 18th and 19th overs after [Aiden] Markram’s six. As batters, they know what their scoring shots are. All it needed was a bit of hitting. Even if someone got out first ball, the next batter had five balls to get the runs. When it goes to the last couple of balls, it becomes hard. The messaging was clear. We had to finish it in 19 overs, unfortunately that didn’t happen today.”

There were a number of records made in Headingley as England scripted another memorable win

Sampath Bandarupalli24-Jun-2025371 – The target England chased down at Headingley. It is the second-highest fourth-innings chase for England in Test cricket and the second-biggest by any team against India. The highest was when England chased down 378 against India in 2022 at Edgbaston.ESPNcricinfo Ltd350 – The runs England needed to score at the start of the fifth day’s play. Only one team has successfully chased a higher total on the last scheduled day of a Test match – 404 by Australia against England on day five of the 1948 Headingley Test.1 – India became the first team to lose a Test match after scoring five individual centuries. Only once before has a team lost a Test with four hundreds – Australia against England in Melbourne in 1928.835 – Runs that India aggregated in the Headingley Test, the fourth-highest to end up on the losing side. The previous highest for India in a losing cause was 759 against Australia in 2014 in Adelaide.ESPNcricinfo Ltd3 – Number of Test matches with 350-plus totals in all four innings. The previous two such instances came in the Ashes – in 1921 in Adelaide and in 1948 in Headingley.1673 – Runs aggregated by England and India at Headingley, the highest for any Test match between the two sides. The previous highest was 1614 runs in Manchester in 1990, which ended in a draw. The 1673 runs are also the fifth-highest aggregate for any Test match not to end in a draw.5 – Number of successful 300-plus chases in the fourth innings at Headingley. The only other venue with more than two successful 300-plus chases is Durban’s Kingsmead with three.ESPNcricinfo Ltd149 – Ben Duckett’s score is the highest by any batter in the fourth innings of a Test match against India, bettering Joe Root’s 142* at Edgbaston in 2022.Duckett’s 149 is also the second-highest score by an England opener in the fourth innings, behind Mike Atherton’s 185* against South Africa in 1995.188 – The opening partnership between Duckett and Zak Crawley is the fifth-highest in the fourth innings of a Test match. It is also the second-highest for England, behind the 203 by Atherton and Graham Gooch against Australia in 1991.12 – Batters to have ended on the losing side despite scoring hundreds in both innings of a Test match, Rishabh Pant joining the list after the Headingley Test. The last of the previous eleven was Brendan Taylor against Bangladesh in 2018.

Manchester City have been handed something of a boost as one of their targets seems increasingly likely to leave this summer, with the Citzyzens among those credited with an interest should he do so.

Summer of change for Manchester City

It is shaping up to be a big summer for Manchester City despite having won their fourth Premier League title on the bounce under Pep Guardiola. Kevin de Bruyne is being regularly linked with Saudi Arabia, and has revealed that he has "to be open to everything", fanning the flames of his rumoured departure.

Meanwhile, fringe duo Sergio Gomez and Kalvin Phillips are both likely to depart, with the Spaniard being tracked by clubs in La Liga and Phillips returning from a dreadful spell on loan with West Ham.

In addition, there has been speculation around the futures of Julian Alvarez and Bernardo Silva, with the latter having a £50m release clause in his contract in Manchester. Between the posts, Stefan Ortega has ended speculation surrounding his future by penning a new contract at the Etihad stadium, which will keep the German at the club until 2026.

However, there remains significant speculation over the future of last season's no.1 Ederson, who is thought to be subject to interest from Saudi Arabia and could yet depart this summer, with the club not set to stand in his way should he choose to do so.

Man City eye "exceptional" manager as Guardiola successor, Pep loves him

He could be the next man to dominate English football.

By
Ben Browning

Jun 11, 2024

If he does leave, they will need to move to find a new shot-stopper, with veteran Scott Carson the only other recognised goalkeeper on their books. Now, they may have been handed a boost in their chase.

City target likely to move on

That comes in the shape of FC Porto and Portugal no.1 Diogo Costa, who is set to start the EURO's as Roberto Martinez's first choice. The 24-year-old has long been linked with a move to the Premier League but for the majority of the time it has been with cross-city rivals Manchester United.

He still has three years left to run on his £23,000 a week deal at the Estadio de Dragao, but there remains a 75m euros (£63m) release clause in his contract, something that has prevented his departure until now.

As per reports in Portugal [via Sport Witness], departure this summer is becoming an 'increasingly real scenario' as it has been claimed that Porto may need to make a big sale this summer to balance their books.

City's interest is matched by Arsenal and of course Chelsea, who are not content with the two goalkeepers signed last summer and would reportedly like to add another.

He won't be available for nothing though, with Porto still keen to receive a fee close to the release clause, though anything less will surely be considered if there is a real need to sell the goalkeeper.

He remains a work in progress, but has been hailed for his "world class" potential by compatriot and Man City rival Diogo Dalot: “I grew up with him, he’s my friend, there’s a great relationship between us and I know perfectly well that he has the capacity to one day be world-class.”

If City make a move, the friends will be facing off next season.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including Pulisic's scoring streak and Adams' return

This much is true for the U.S. men's national team: this roster is pretty beat up right now. Mauricio Pochettino's first camp in charge saw his side limited by injuries. He was missing up to six starters by the time the U.S. lost 2-0 in Mexico, and as a result, there are still many unknowns under the new coach.

All of that extended into this weekend's European club matches, as well. The USMNT storylines were focused on those who are injured and, as important, those who were able to return to the lineup.

There were several key comebacks, which will be good news for Pochettino and his staff. And aside from those injuries, the USMNT headliner continues to be Christian Pulisic, who contributed to another goal for the seventh consecutive game for AC Milan. Who could have seen that coming?

From key returns to more Pulisic heroics, GOAL assesses the major takeaways from this weekend's Americans Abroad.

• Pulisic's run continues

  Once again, it all starts with Pulisic, who continues to deliver major moments week in, week out.

  Pulisic was the subject of some recent criticism, despite his incredible form. The decision to have him leave USMNT camp early and return to Milan rubbed some critics, such as former USMNT player Tim Howard, the wrong way. Pulisic assisted on a goal in the USMNT's win over Panama, but then – along with Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi and two other players – were released back to their clubs before the U.S. played in Mexico.

  "I did find it strange what (Pochettino) did in the game against Mexico, in terms of sending players back and not keeping those players together," pundit Jamie Carragher told GOAL. "They got beat 2-0, so I don't quite understand that. I understand we might say, ‘Oh, we're managing the minutes.’ But I think sometimes as an international manager you’ve got to be a little bit selfish, because the clubs are being selfish and you’ve got to look after your own situation."

  That was a common theme: How could Pulisic miss the Mexico game? Why should load management take precedence over a match against a rival?

  Well, this is why. Pulisic started and played all 90 minutes in 10-man Milan's win over Udinese Saturday, assisting on Samuel Chukwueze's winning goal. That marked seven straight games with a goal contribution for the American, making him the first player across Europe’s top five divisions to do so in seven straight this season, bettering top performers from the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 and Bundesliga.

  He's been the best player in Serie A of late, and it doesn't feel particularly close.

  Milan are going to embrace that fact, too. They're going to ride with Pulisic, both in the league and the Champions League. Last season, the world was wondering if Pulisic could hold down a starting spot. Now, the world is wondering what Milan can do to continue building their team around him.

  That's why he was allowed to leave pre-Mexico. He had nothing to prove. For now, the most important thing is keeping Pulisic fit and confident in Milan.

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  Adams inches closer

  This wasn't THE breakthrough for Adams, but it was at least a major moment. You can't accomplish everything all at once.

  For the first time this season, Adams was named to the Bournemouth bench for Saturday's 2-0 upset of Arsenal. The American midfielder didn't play, remaining among the substitutes, but the fact that he even sat there with his training bib on can be seen as a sign of progress.

  We haven't seen him on the field since the Copa America, when he was clearly less than 100 percent. Bournemouth haven't put him on the field since March, when he made his only three appearances of the 2023-24 season. Since March 2023, Adams has played a whopping 118 Premier League minutes and, because of that, it is somewhat easy to forget how good he is.

  For both the USMNT and Bournemouth, getting Adams back is crucial. Staff on both sides of the Atlanta will have to manage him and his minutes as they look to build him back up to the monster the world saw at the 2022 World Cup. The two years since then have largely been derailed by injuries, but all involved will hope that Adams can put that behind him.

  This weekend was a step towards that. It was a small step, but it was nonetheless a step.

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  Weah's significant cameo

  Yunus Musah ran things from the right-wingback position for the USMNT's 2-0 win over Panama last week – could Tim Weah play there when healthy?

  Weah was an injury absence for the USMNT, but he made his return over the weekend for Juventus after nearly a month on the sidelines. He came into the game in the second half of a 1-0 win for the Old Lady, who needed a late own goal despite being up a man for about 65 minutes.

  The American completed 21 of his 23 passes and created two chances, helping Juve pile on the pressure. He had some decent moments defensively, too, during the few sequences Lazio was able to get forward.

  The USMNT does not have a player like Weah anywhere in the pool. His ability to stretch defenses and make teams uncomfortable opens up space for everyone. After scoring in Juve's season opener, it seemed like this could be a breakout year for Weah, who looked set to add more goals to his game.

  The hope is that'll happen but, for now, it's all about Weah getting his legs back under him after missing signficant time to start the campaign.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Sargent's hysterical assist

  Sometimes, things just don't go your way. Josh Sargent felt that with the USMNT this past week. That said, sometimes things do end up going your way, even in hilarious fashion. Sargent felt that side of the phenomenon this weekend.

  The American striker was credited with an assist in Norwich City's 1-1 draw with Stoke. History will say he set up Ante Crnac's goal. Anyone who watched, though, will know that the actual story is much more humorous.

  Sargent knew nothing about his "assist." His contribution was a clearance smashing off his head and falling right into the path of Crnac. Sargent was as surprised as anyone in the stadium when the ball was in the back of the net, but the record will show that he'd earned an assist, and perhaps an assist bonus, for his role in it all.

  It was exactly the type of bounce Sargent didn't get during the international break. Maybe it's a sign that his luck has turned as he continues the grueling run through the Championship.

An ankle surgery kept Tushar Deshpande out of the game for a while, but the wickets are coming again and so is the confidence

Deivarayan Muthu30-Aug-2025Mumbai fast bowler Tushar Deshpande is keen to make up for lost time after missing the entire 2024-25 domestic season with a major ankle injury.After undergoing surgery for it last October, Deshpande was hoping to return to action for the Ranji Trophy knockouts in February 2025, but his rehab needed more time. The 30-year-old eventually made his comeback in IPL 2025 for Rajasthan Royals (RR) and then proved his red-ball fitness for India A against England Lions in Northampton in June.More recently, in the lead-up to the Duleep Trophy, Deshpande bowled 18 overs in Chennai’s unforgiving heat against Haryana in a three-day Buchi Babu fixture.Related

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“I have put in a lot of effort, actually,” Deshpande said in Chennai. “It was a major ankle surgery and that being my landing foot, it was necessary that I get operated at that moment of time because coming ahead are a lot of international tours as well. I’m aiming for that and I’m feeling good now for the start of the season.”The aspiration is always to play Test cricket for India, but I’m taking one match at a time, one day at a point, and just following a good process and keeping myself fit because I’ve lost considerable time off the game last year. So just keeping myself fit so I can again hit the hard yards for Mumbai.”With an India A series coming up against Australia A at home from September, Deshpande hopes to perform well in the Duleep Trophy and stay in the mix for the two unofficial Tests in Lucknow.”Absolutely, like I said, now I’m fit and fine,” Deshpande said. “So any challenge which comes up, I’m ready for it. Playing in England also… I was ready for the challenge. Even if I would have been called for the Test squad, I was ready for it because I did well in the second game which I played for India A.”So everything revolves around my fitness. Last year I wasn’t fit, I had a surgery that’s why I was away from the game. Now I’m fit and fine, so I always wanted to play the game and play for India.”

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