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Barcelona's return their newly renovated Spotify Camp Nou has reportedly been delayed until February due to UEFA regulations.

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Barcelona's Camp Nou return delayed till FebruaryUEFA regulations postpone return dateWill become the fifth-largest stadium in the worldFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱GettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Following their record-breaking La Liga title win in the 2022-23 season, Barcelona announced that their home stadium Spotify Camp Nou would be undergoing a massive renovation. The Catalan club also announced that they would not return to the stadium in Les Corts until the 2024-25 season and would play at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Montjuic, just outside the main city. Delays had hit the stadium last year, and Barcelona had announced their plans to return to the stadium by November end. However, the club has now informed their season ticket holders that the return has been pushed to February.

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The club asserted that a UEFA regulation that forbade teams from switching stadiums during the first round of the Champions League was a significant contributing element. Barcelona will host Atalanta on January 29 in the last round of the new Champions League group stage. Barcelona cited the expense of simultaneously maintaining two locations as justification for delaying their domestic return to Camp Nou.

WHAT BARCELONA'S STATEMENT READ

In a statement to season ticket holders, Barcelona said: "Due to UEFA regulations preventing a change of stadium in the initial phase of the Champions League and the logistical difficulties and cost of maintaining two large capacity venues operational at the same time, the Club has decided to continue playing its home games at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys until the end of the initial phase of the Champions League.

"Therefore, the games against Valencia and Alaves in weeks 21 and 22 of La Liga, as well as the game in week eight of the Champions League against Atalanta will be played at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys."

Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?

As per the Daily Mail, Barcelona's renovation of the Spotify Camp Nou cost the club £1.25 billion ($1.58bn). The overhaul of the stadium will give Camp Nou a capacity of 105,000, making it the fifth-largest sports stadium in the world after Narendra Modi Stadium in India, Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in North Korea, Michigan Stadium and Beaver Stadium in the United States.

Leicester City will hope their ongoing quest to replace Enzo Maresca doesn't stretch on for too long, knowing that they need to start adding players to their squad soon ahead of a season back in the top flight.

A large majority of the current Foxes camp, who are just fresh off being crowned as Championship title-winners, have tasted Premier League football before, however, with the likes of Jamie Vardy even boasting a Premier League winners medal on his mantelpiece, alongside that more recent second-tier success.

That means Maresca's replacement won't have his work cut out too much entering into the hot seat, knowing that the squad is littered with top talents already, but one major frontrunner for the King Power Stadium vacancy could get more out of a particular member of Leicester's defence, if appointed.

Leicester narrowing down their hunt for a new manager

Many different outlets have now reported that Graham Potter is the standout name the powers that be at Leicester want as their next boss, with a toss-up between the ex-Chelsea boss and Steve Cooper forming according to Football Insider.

Potter might well need some convincing to take on the Leicester vacancy, however, as the newly promoted side wait it out to see if the 49-year-old does want to take on the reins or not, with the precarious situation at Manchester United now settled, which Potter was previously in the running for.

If they are finally successful in their approach for the in-demand manager, players such as Wout Faes could be boosted by this news, having witnessed what the former Brighton boss did with Lewis Dunk when in charge of the Seagulls.

Dunk now finds himself in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the forthcoming Euros off the back of Potter's time on the South Coast, and so Faes will want to shine in a similar fashion for the East Midlands side next campaign, having found his introduction to Premier League football tricky under previous management.

How Potter could get the best out of Faes

The 6 foot 2 defender was always going to be expected to immediately set the world alight when joining from Stade De Reims in 2022, relocating to England for a bumper £15m.

It was somewhat of a disappointing debut season for the £50k-per-week signing therefore, not helped obviously by Leicester slipping down to the Championship during this same campaign, with the 26-year-old keeping just seven clean sheets from 31 contests.

Yet, making the drop-down, Faes has excelled – as can be seen when glancing at the table above – and will strive to continue being an "aggressive" gem, as he was labelled by Gary Lineker, when venturing back up to the Premier League.

Potter could be the exact manager the Belgian needs to truly help him come into his own in the top division, therefore, with the ex-Brighton boss turning Dunk into a fantastic performer in the elite division, having gifted the now 32-year-old the captain's armband on his arrival in 2019.

The England international would go on to shine after his manager's decision to gift him these duties, picking up three goals and three assists from the back during his first campaign as captain, whilst nearly matching Faes' passing accuracy total at 87% across his stellar 33 matches.

Even stating that he was "proud" of Dunk back in 2021, for how much he had seen his game be elevated under his management, Potter will hope he can have a similar transformative impact on Faes soon, who will want to kick on after an excellent second-tier campaign.

Leicester still eyeing Potter alternative who could be perfect for Justin

Leicester City look to be closing in on Enzo Maresca’s successor.

By
Kelan Sarson

Jun 12, 2024

MatériaMais Notícias

da dobrowin： O Conselho Deliberativo do Flamengoaprovou, em votação online nesta segunda-feira, a prorrogação do contrato com a Adidas, que seguirá como fornecedora de material esportivo do clube até 2025. Dos 1.208 conselheiros que votaram, 1.201 foram favoráveis ao contrato, e sete rejeitaram a proposta.

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da apostebet： Vice-presidente geral e jurídico do Flamengo, Rodrigo Dunshee comemorou a aprovação, destacando o fato de ser o “melhor contrato da América Latina”

– O contrato teve um incremento financeiro enorme e também recuperamos várias propriedades e direitos. Muito bom. Podem ficar tranquilos e satisfeitos que é o melhor da América Latina. Parabéns a todos! – publicou o dirigente.

A celebração pelo acordo passa pelos novos valores que o clube passará a receber. O valor mínimo, por exemplo, passa de R$ 30 milhões para R$ 32 mihlões, sendo que a expectativa de arrecadação nos próximos anos é de R$ 69 milhões. Isso porque, entre outros fatores, o clube passará a ficar com 35% dos royalties sobre a venda de camisas. No acordo anterior, o repasse era de 10%.

O clube também passa a ter o direito de criar produtos próprios de “moda casual’ e explorar o e-commerce. De acordo com Luiz Eduardo Baptista, nome forte da gestão do presidente Rodolfo Landim e atual presidente do Conselho de Administração, essas áreas podem gerar receitas anuais de R$ 50 milhões.

The Stump Out Sexism (SOS) campaign has called upon Marylebone Cricket Club to revoke its traditional invitation to Oxford and Cambridge universities to play the men’s Varsity match at Lord’s, unless a women’s game is also included.Replying to a request from the campaign to “step in” to find an “equitable solution” to a disagreement about gender parity in university cricket, the MCC chief executive, Guy Lavender, wrote in a letter on Friday that Lord’s would be “very happy to accommodate a men’s and women’s T20 double header on the same day next year” in response.But he also suggested the dispute was “primarily a matter for [the] respective universities” and stopped short of committing to intervene to ensure the match came to fruition.While that response has encouraged the organisers of the SOS campaign, who have noted they won more commitment from MCC in two days than they had from the universities’ cricket clubs in two-and-a-half years, they describe themselves as “not completely satisfied”.They argue that MCC could go further and use their power as hosts to insist on gender parity. The men’s varsity match has been played (in various formats) at Lord’s for almost 200 years. The women’s match has never made it beyond the Nursery Ground and this year, with Lord’s undergoing a redevelopment, has not even made it that far.Now, while expressing their appreciation for the MCC offer, the SOS campaign have called for a “further commitment to ensuring the Varsity fixture is equitable”.Related

• MCC to shelve annual Oxford-Cambridge, Eton-Harrow fixtures at Lord's

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The men’s Varsity match, a 50-overs a side affair, is scheduled to be played on May 23. Despite previous requests from figures involved in the SOS campaign (notably the former Oxford University captain, Vanessa Picker) to share the day with the women’s teams (meaning the men’s match would become a T20), the universities’ cricket clubs have been reluctant to do so. While SOS were delighted to gain such a swift reply from MCC, they have now called upon them to go a step further and compel the clubs to comply.”We do not accept that, as their letter states, this is primarily a matter for the universities,” SOS said in a statement. “The MCC have control over their own calendar and thus have the power to influence the parameters of fixture invitations and to raise the bar further.”We, therefore, ask the MCC to specify that the offer of next year’s Oxbridge Varsity match being played on the main ground is entirely conditional upon both the men’s and the women’s teams being involved equally. If the clubs continue to insist that any date should be exclusively for the men, the invitation must be revoked.”A tentative offer of a double-header T20 Varsity event in a future season (which is still contingent on the clubs agreeing to do this) does not make up for years of exclusion.”While acknowledging that “it may indeed be too short notice” to convert this year’s Varsity fixture at Lord’s into a T20 double-header – not least because is being used as a test event to enable MCC to gain a license to host the first Test against New Zealand 10 days later – the campaigners have requested a “women’s match to be scheduled for later this season.”Their statement continues: “We request that the MCC utilise one of the days currently unallocated on the 2021 fixture list (of which there are still 95) to schedule at least a 100-ball format match for the women.”It is perhaps worth noting that, among those taking to Twitter to express their support for the SOS campaign was Beth Barrett-Wild, the Head of The Hundred Women’s Competition and Female Engagement at the ECB. She played in three Varsity matches – all on the Nursery Ground at Lord’s – and also previously worked in the MCC communications department. She is, therefore, not without influence.In the longer term, though, the disagreement could compromise the future of Varsity cricket at Lord’s. The MCC executive is already acutely sensitive to the club’s reputation towards inclusivity – a reputation they feel is out-dated – and may have little tolerance for being dragged into what they see as someone else’s fight. Their attitude might be summed up with a phrase uttered by many a frustrated parent: if you can’t share nicely, you won’t get to play at all.MCC have, over the last couple of decades, pumped millions of pounds in university cricket (as sponsors of the MCCU scheme), funded numerous leagues and coaching schemes in the community, started to recognise the achievements in women’s internationals on the ground on honours boards and recently announced the appointment of their first female president (former England captain Clare Connor starts the role in October). As a result, they are more than a little peeved at any suggestion they may be the villains of the piece.At the same time, the disagreement may also draw attention to the somewhat antiquated tradition of hosting Varsity matches at Lord’s at all. There are many other organisations (not least other universities) with equal claims on the basis of cricketing merit and Oxbridge’s connotations with privilege and entitlement may not be helpful to the modern MCC.SOS campaigners have also confirmed they will be approaching the cricket clubs at both universities to request “confirmation that they will respond favourably to the MCC’s invitation for a men’s and women’s T20 double-header”. They are also asking “that an apology be made by the clubs for failing to address this issue sooner despite repeated requests”.ESPNcricinfo contacted MCC and officials at both university cricket clubs for comment. MCC declined; officials from the cricket clubs had not, at the time of publication, responded

The opener will be available for the County Championship and one-day tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2021Leicestershire have signed Australia opener Marcus Harris for their County Championship and Royal London Cup campaigns.Harris returned to the Australia side in January when he partnered David Warner in the final match of the series against India in Brisbane, his first Test since being dropped during the 2019 Ashes.In the Sheffield Shield this season he has scored 516 runs at 64.50 including 239 when he formed a record partnership of 486 with Will Pucovski. Harris will join Leicestershire when Victoria’s season finishes.Related

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“I am delighted to have signed for Leicestershire and cannot wait to get up and running within English domestic cricket,” Harris said. “To play domestic cricket in England has always been an ambition of mine.”Leicestershire coach Paul Nixon said: “Marcus is a high-class opening batsman and will add both quality experience to the top of our batting order. He has an excellent first-class record in the Sheffield Shield.”He has represented Australia at the highest level in the test match arena and will also add a high-class option to our 50-over side, which also fits the bill with Colin Ackermann winning selection for Manchester Originals in the Hundred.”The club previously announced that South Africa allrounder Wiaan Mulder would not be taking up his contract due to uncertainty around the international schedule.Harris is the latest in a long list of Australian players securing county clubs, either new ones or deals delayed from last season due to the pandemic, including Billy Stanlake joining Derbyshire and Cameron Bancroft returning to Durham.

Messi will be able to add another trophy to his cabinet, becoming the inaugural recipient of the award.

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Messi to receive MARCA awardArgentine nominated for 2024 MLS MVPLed Miami to MLS Supporters' ShieldGet the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowWHAT HAPPENED?

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi was named the 2024 MARCA America award recipient, being handed the accolade for his soccer legacy and is the first-ever winner of the award.

Over his storied career, the Argentine has won eight Ballon d'Or awards, three FIFA Best Men's Player awards, four UEFA Champions League titles, two Copa Americas, a FIFA World Cup, and numerous individual trophies.

Now, competing in MLS with Inter Miami, he has continued to grow and establish himself as one of the most important and influential athletes in the country.

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For nearly 100 years, MARCA has been Spain's leading sports outlet for national and international sports.

Since 1997, they have held the MARCA Legends Awards, with previous notable winners being Michael Jordan, Pele, Diego Armando Maradona, Tom Brady, Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Alonso, Pau Gasol, and Rafa Nadal. The aim of the award is to recognize individuals who have helped shape sports worldwide.

With U.S. expansion in 2024, MARCA has now introduced the American award, taking all of Major League Soccer, UFC, boxing, the NFL, MLB, and the NBA into account for it.

DID YOU KNOW?

Across his illustrious career, Messi has won 56 individual footballing awards and 46-total team awards, amounting to an impressive 102 total.

Thursday's award will be presented to him by Juan Ignacio Gallardo, director of MARCA, alongside Jorge Mas, one of the owners of Inter Miami.

Despite some negative noise regarding attacking regressions, Tottenham Hotspur have made headway under Thomas Frank’s management, fifth in the Premier League and in a promising position in the Champions League group stage.

But Spurs could certainly do with a bit more fluency and impetus when on the charge, and such creases must be ironed out over the coming months to make this a season to remember.

It was always going to be difficult, selling Harry Kane to Bayern Munich in 2023, and Ange Postecoglou deserves credit for establishing an attractive, entertaining playing style (when things were going his way).

But it’s true that some members of the squad aren’t quite pulling their weight. That said, Tottenham do have some top talents who have the capacity to secure the club’s place at Europe’s elite table and lead Frank toward trophy-winning success.

Mohammed Kudus being chief among them.

Kudus' start to life at Spurs

There was an air of controversy about Kudus’ summer transfer to Tottenham. After all, the Ghanaian winger had plied his trade down the road at West Ham United for the past couple of years, and the sale has left the Irons fanbase feeling hot under the collar.

But West Ham’s loss is Tottenham’s gain, with the 25-year-old having registered five assists in the Premier League this season, more than any other player.

His pace and potency have seen him add a dimension to Frank’s outfit that Tottenham simply didn’t boast last term, and in this, he is offering shades of Kane, taking on the responsibility of leading the club forward, bringing a unique flavour to the table.

Kudus is indeed emerging as Tottenham’s new principal source of attacking inspiration, but there’s actually another member of Frank’s squad who’s looking somewhat Kane-esque.

Spurs' new version of Kane

We’re not talking about one of the Tottenham forwards here. Instead, it’s Micky van de Ven whose growth into a talismanic role down N17 is leaving him in line to take Kane’s leadership berth, belatedly.

The 24-year-old has been a revelation since joining from Wolfsburg for around £43m in 2023, with injuries his biggest weakness. So strong and fast and commanding, with journalist Sonny Snelling even labelling him as “world-class”.

It was the 6 foot 4 star’s injury that derailed the Ange hype train a few years ago, sending that project into a spin. Then, last season, hamstring injuries reigned supreme over the defender’s hopes of availability. He started only 12 Premier League fixtures all season, eight of which came across Spurs’ first nine fixtures of the campaign.

While Cristian Romero is Tottenham’s captain, Van de Ven is the perfect counterpoint and every bit as impressive. It’s perhaps important to remember that, like Kane, Van de Ven is not the skipper, with the Three Lions striker behind Hugo Lloris in that regard.

Of course, Kane and Micky van de Ven are hardly similar players. They are so different across physical and tactical bases as to be diametrically opposed.

But Van de Ven offers so much more than his central defensive role demands, and in this, he shares a likeness with Kane, whose range of passing and ability to drop deep and influence make him a very unique number nine, and with 23 goals from 17 games for Bayern this season, he’s still rather good at his primary job.

Tottenham have struggled to replace Kane since selling him to Bayern, but that’s more because of the 32-year-old’s remarkable, unique qualities. When he left, the Lilywhites didn’t only lose their record goalscorer, but their shrewdest playmaker and source of inspiration across so many years.

But his pace. Such speed. It’s astonishing, in many ways, and hard to define. In the Premier League this season, furthermore, Van de Ven has completed 92% of his passes and come out on top in 63% of his ground duels, as per Sofascore.

Micky van de Ven

Tottenham

37.38

Kyle Walker

Man City

37.31

Jackson Tchatchoua

Wolves

37.30

Micky van de Ven

Tottenham

37.23

Micky van de Ven

Tottenham

37.12

It tells much of the Dutchman’s athleticism that he is first, fourth, and fifth on the all-time speed rankings (beginning 2020/21), and is a further illustration of the above-and-beyond approach he brings to his centre-half role.

As per FBref, he also ranks among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored per 90, emphasising an attacking threat that has been on full show this season, six goals from 16 matches in all competitions.

This is a top-class player, and one whose special skills will inevitably see a wave of interest in his signature before long, Europe’s heavyweights squabbling over his signature.

It is perhaps a given that Van de Ven will eventually move on. The lure of Real Madrid and Barcelona, outfits bound to have earmarked the Netherlands international among a list of loose long-term targets, may ultimately prove too much for him to ignore.

This could see him shape into the next version of Kane in more ways than one. But, whatever happens down the line, Van de Ven is a unique player who Tottenham must keep a grip on for as long as they can, for he will spearhead the Frank era toward a surface only scratched when Postecoglou defied the odds and lifted the Europa League title last season, Van de Ven playing that final and thriving.

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ByAngus Sinclair Nov 17, 2025

After the 15th-place finish in the Premier League during 2024/25, all eyes were on Ruben Amorim this campaign to try and resurrect his career as Manchester United boss.

The 40-year-old was certainly on borrowed time before a ball was kicked, but there’s no doubt the pressure has been eased, given the recent results in England’s top-flight.

He’s led his side to a five-game unbeaten run in the last couple of weeks, with such a period even seeing the Red Devils claim three wins in a row for the first time in his tenure.

As a result, Amorim claimed the division’s Manager of the Month award for October, also achieving such a feat for the first time since taking the reins a little over 12 months ago.

However, he wasn’t the only United representative to receive recognition for their efforts, as one player endured a month to remember at Old Trafford under his guidance.

Why Bryan Mbeumo won the October Player of the Month award

Like Amorim, Bryan Mbeumo was a player with expectations placed upon him by the United faithful, after the hierarchy splashed a reported £71m on his signature in the summer window.

The Cameroonian scored a staggering 20 league goals at Brentford last season, with the supporters placing faith in the forward to transform the club’s fortunes in the final third.

However, upon his move to Manchester, it was evident he would be asked to operate in a slightly different position compared to his right-wing role in West London during 2024/25.

Amorim’s system operates with two narrow number tens behind the striker, with the big-money addition being brought into the club to feature in such a position rather than out wide.

However, it hasn’t seemed to have hindered his progress, as he scored his first league goal against Burnley back in August, before springing into life at Old Trafford back in the month of October.

The 26-year-old featured in three games during the aforementioned month, subsequently registering a goal or assist in every one of his appearances for Amorim’s side – leading to his Player of the Month award.

His first contribution came at the start of the winning run, with his assist for Mason Mount helping secure the Red Devils a 2-0 victory over newly-promoted Sunderland.

Mbeumo’s biggest moment in October undoubtedly came against Liverpool at Anfield, with the forward slotting home just minutes into the clash and securing the club their first win at Anfield in nearly a decade.

His final outing came against Brighton & Hove Albion on home soil, with the Cameroonian netting twice and securing a phenomenal 4-2 triumph over the Seagulls.

The United star who’s been a better signing than Mbeumo

Whilst it’s still early days in his career at United, Mbeumo has already made an immediate impact and is starting to showcase why the hierarchy splashed such a huge fee on his signature.

He’s already found the back of the net on five occasions, with his latest effort against Tottenham Hotspur cementing his place as the club’s top scorer in 2025/26.

Other figures, such as 1.3 shots on target per 90 and a 2.5 assist xG, rank him top within the Red Devils squad, further highlighting his incredible start to life in Manchester.

Mbeumo wasn’t alone in moving to Old Trafford during the off-season, with Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko also joining him in the final third to transform the club’s fortunes in front of goal.

Senne Lammens was the final addition made by the United hierarchy in the summer window, with the Belgian coming in to provide competition in the goalkeeping department.

Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir both struggled to nail down the starting position last campaign, with the former of the duo registering eight errors that led to goals last season alone.

The Cameroonian was subsequently shipped out on loan to Turkish outfit Trabzonspor, leaving new addition Lammens to stake his claim for the number one shirt under Amorim.

Whilst he was an unused substitute in each of his first three matches for the Red Devils, the 23-year-old was handed his maiden start against Sunderland at the start of October.

Since then, the player and supporters haven’t looked back, with Lammens providing the quality which the first-team have massively lacked between the sticks in recent seasons.

He’s already claimed two Man of the Match awards in his first five appearances, with the club yet to taste defeat when the Belgian is named in the starting eleven.

His underlying stats further prove his importance to Amorim’s men, as he’s undoubtedly saved the side in numerous key matches since his arrival at Old Trafford.

Games played

5

Minutes played

450

Saves made

14

Goals prevented

0.3

Goals conceded

7

Clean sheets

1

High claims

5

Passes completed

75

The goalkeeper is currently averaging 2.8 saves per 90, whilst he also has a positive goal prevented record, with most of his efforts coming in the superb triumph over local rivals Liverpool last month.

Lammens, who’s been dubbed “world-class” by one analyst, has also made 1.2 high claims per 90, subsequently offering the needed aerial presence in the 18-yard box – something which Onana massively struggled with last season.

One of his most important assets is his ball-playing ability, which has seen him register 9.1 long balls per 90 – which ranks him in the top 5% of all ‘keepers in the division.

There’s little denying that Mbeumo has transformed the club’s frontline in recent weeks, with his transfer one that has proved to be a success in the early stages.

However, the goalkeeping situation was the glaring problem for Amorim last season, with Lammens now handing the club an incredible option to rely upon for at least the next decade and beyond.

Should he carry on such a path, there’s no reason why the Belgian can’t play a vital role in any success endured during Amorim’s tenure at the Theatre of Dreams.

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ByEthan Lamb Nov 13, 2025

As many as five Afghanistan batsmen fell for ducks in the second innings

Firdose Moonda03-Mar-2021Zimbabwe sauntered to a big win over Afghanistan in the first Test meeting between these two sides, which lasted just two days, in Abu Dhabi. After bowling Afghanistan out for scores of 131 and 135, Zimbabwe needed just 17 runs to win and got them unscathed in 3.2 overs in their second innings.On a surface that was green-tinged to start where there was ample movement to be found and good bounce throughout, scoring was tough but not impossible. Zimbabwe’s captain Sean Williams, who brought up his third Test century and second as captain, and 19-year-old Afghan opener Ibrahim Zadran, who top-scored for his team with 76 in the second innings, showed the application required to craft an innings on this pitch. Solid defensive technique was a must and any errors in length could be punished, which they both did.No other batsmen on either side managed more than 44 runs, with only four Zimbabweans other than Williams getting into double figures and one other Afghan player, Afsar Zazai, making more than 30. Eight Afghan batsmen were dismissed for single figures in their second innings, five of them for ducks. Neither Zimbabwe nor Afghanistan played Test cricket for a year before this and the struggles of their batsmen was as much an illustration of the dearth of long-form cricket as it was an indication of the comparative strength of their bowling styles. Zimbabwe’s quicks Victor Nyauchi, Blessing Muzarabani and Donald Tiripano shared 16 of the 20 Afghan wickets among them while left-arm spinner Amir Hamza took a career-best 6 for 75, his second successive five-for in Tests.Ultimately Williams, and the two half-century stands he shared with Sikandar Raza and Regis Chakabva, proved to be the biggest difference between the two sides. While Raza and Williams stabilised Zimbabwe from 38 for 4 on the first day, Chakabva’s proactive presence helped push Zimbabwe into a commanding lead, while Williams acted as the fulcrum around which the innings was build.Williams lost his overnight partner Ryan Burl in the second over of the second morning, but Chakabva transferred pressure back on to Afghanistan. He scored 24 runs off the first 34 balls he faced, and struck Zimbabwe’s only six.Williams’ approach had been watchful throughout and he scored 11 runs in 22 balls in the morning before he had the opportunity to drive Yamin Ahmadzai through extra cover. Ahmadzai thought he had Williams caught behind on 70, and there seemed to be a sound, but umpire Ahmed Shah Pakteen was unmoved. But, Afghanistan did find a way to break the partnership. With less than 15 minutes for lunch, Zahir Khan drew Chakabva forward in an attempt to defend a ball that took the inside edge onto the pad and to Abdul Malik at short leg.Williams entered the 90s with a pull off Zahir before Tiripano departed in similar fashion to Chakabva. Muzarabani took the lead over 100 with a heave over square leg, and Williams went to lunch on 97. He reached his hundred in the third over after the break with a single to square leg, but only scored five more runs before flicking Hamza to midwicket. Williams’ hundred was his second successive three-figure score in Tests and he showed the temperament required to succeed in the longest format.To a lesser degree, so did Zadran, with good awareness of his off stump and an eye for any small errors in line or length. He was especially comfortable against spin and will serve as an example to the rest of the line-up, especially those in the top order.Debutant opener Abdul Malik has work to do on his technique against shorter deliveries after he picked up a pair, edging Nyauchi to Regis Chakabva in the second over. No. 3 Munir Ahmed, also in his first match, played down the wrong line to a full Muzarabani ball and Rahmat Shah was undone by swing from Nyauchi, and tried to turn a ball that dipped on him square but was hit on the pad to be dismissed lbw for a duck. Hashmatullah Shahidi top-edged a short ball to deep square leg, Zazai went forward to defend a Williams delivery that pitched on middle stump and spun past the edge to trap him lbw, and Asghar Afghan left a bat-pad gap that Muzarabani burst through with a delivery that jagged back in.By tea, with Afghanistan 49 for 6, Zimbabwe had an innings victory in their sights, which only got closer when Burl bowled fellow legspinner Abdul Wasi shortly after the interval. Hamza stuck with Zadran and shared a 48-run eighth-wicket stand that ended when Zadran’s concentration waned and he drove a wide Tiripano delivery only to edge behind. Tiripano had Ahmadzai caught at second slip off the next ball and Zahir toe-ending a slog to mid-off to end the Afghanistan innings and leave Zimbabwe with a small target to take the series lead.The second Test starts on March 10 at the same venue.

Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup campaign continues. Eddie Howe’s fine record against Tottenham Hotspur continues. The sense that the Magpies are gearing up for yet another glittering chapter in this incredible story grows stronger.

A pair of headers got the job done against Thomas Frank’s Spurs, courtesy of centre-back Fabian Schar and new striker Nick Woltemade, who arrived from Stuttgart for a club-record £69m fee in August, replacing Alexander Isak.

The German striker faced his detractors upon that high-profile and much-scrutinised move to the Premier League, but he’s passing each test with flying colours, and he proved his worth once again with a strong performance in the cup.

Nick Woltemade continues to impress

Woltemade, 23, has scored six goals from just 11 matches in a Newcastle shirt. That’s quite the return for a raw, up-and-coming forward trying their hand in a new country for the first time.

Premier League

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482′

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Champions League

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Carabao Cup

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But he’s been immense, and his confident header against Tottenham, latching onto Joe Willock’s cross, underscored the quality and potential still to come.

Woltemade has drawn all the plaudits, with onlookers singing his praises once again as he helped his team advance to the quarter-finals. Yet again, he proved he’s more than just a goalscorer, creating two chances and winning four duels (as per Sofascore).

However, he wasn’t the best player on the pitch, and that’s a testament to the outfit Howe has crafted.

Indeed, there’s one man in particular who is starting to look like one of the very best in the business.

Newcastle's "absolute joke" outplayed Woltemade

Newcastle are defined by their recruitment, and while you could pick any number of Howe signings as jackpot additions, none stand taller than Sandro Tonali, whose rise has been well-documented over the past year, and yet he still shocks onlookers with his quality.

After a tough maiden year in England, the Italy international has grown into his skin and is now one of the Premier League’s best players. He simply has so many dimensions to choose from, and was praised to no end for his Man of the Match performance.

Described as an “absolute joke” who “just keeps getting better and better” by journalist Andy Sixsmith, there’s a feeling across Tyneside that the 26-year-old could be the key to shattering expectations this term, and he took Newcastle that step closer with a controlled performance against the Lilywhites.

Schar opened the scoring in the first half, but it was Tonali’s inch-perfect delivery that found the Swiss’s head. This is a man of many talents, who won both of his tackles and made seven ball recoveries besides.

But most impressive of all is that the 92-touch Tonali lost the ball only three times on the evening. He was sitting in the centre of the park, and yet he was almost untouchable as he orchestrated and engineered.

The Shields Gazette were blown away by the tireless performance, hailing Tonali’s 9/10 display and drawing attention to his energy and quality. In a sentence: he was peerless in the middle of the park.

Tonali just continues to be so effortlessly good. His football is a work of art, but he’s tenacious and gripping too, absolutely a completely-shaped midfielder.

Woltemade might be the goal-getter, and someone like Bruno Guimaraes the stylish leader, but Tonali is the metronome, making everyone tick.

Not just Joelinton: Newcastle's "true legend" may now be on borrowed time

Newcastle may well part ways with this Howe mainstay at the end of the campaign.

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 29, 2025