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Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has adamantly denied that his team have "fallen apart" despite a recent string of disappointing results, culminating in a 2-2 draw against Elche. While admitting that they "can't be happy" with their latest setback, Alonso insisted that the connection between his coaching staff and the players is "improving" and that the team spirit remains good.

• Real Madrid held to dramatic draw by Elche

  Madrid endured another frustrating evening as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Elche on Sunday. Despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances, Los Blancos found themselves trailing twice in the match. Aleix Febas opened the scoring for Elche in the 53rd minute, only for Dean Huijsen to equalise for Real Madrid in the 78th minute.

  However, Elche regained the lead through Alvaro Rodriguez just six minutes later, threatening to inflict a shock defeat on the Spanish league leaders. It took an 87th-minute equaliser from Jude Bellingham to rescue a point for Real Madrid, ensuring they avoided a second league defeat of the season. The result leaves Real Madrid still at the top of the La Liga table with 32 points from 13 matches, but their lead over rivals Barcelona has been cut to just one point.

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  Alonso insists team spirit is good despite recent setbacks

  Following the match, Alonso addressed the media and faced questions about his team's recent form, which has seen them draw their last two league games. When asked if the team had crashed, Alonso was defiant in his response.

  "We haven't fallen apart," Alonso insisted. "We're still competing; the context of each match is different. The result is what matters, and we're aware of that and self-critical. The spirit is good; we have to respond to adversity. This is Real Madrid. We live with criticism; we want to improve."

  Despite his positive outlook on the team's spirit, Alonso acknowledged the disappointment of the result. "After a good run, we've had several results we didn't want. We know what we want; we have to keep pushing forward. We're not happy; we always want to win. We can't be. There are many games left, so we need to focus on the next one by analyzing what we did today."

• Player-coach connection is 'improving'

  Another key topic addressed by Alonso was the relationship between his coaching staff and the players. Amidst the recent dip in form, there have been questions about the connection within the squad. However, Alonso maintained that the relationship is strengthening over time.

  "The connection is improving; we have more time and interact more, we know each other better," Alonso stated. "We're all in the same boat, we celebrate victories. We suffer if we don't win. The connection is good. We need to turn this situation around, starting with Athens."

  The Madrid manager also clarified the situation regarding Vinicius Jr, who has seen reduced playing time recently and started on the bench against Elche. Alonso assured that he has open communication with the Brazilian winger and that Vinicius understands his current role.

  "No, we had discussed it. We talk about it often," Alonso explained. "He understands; he knew the role he could play. We've done it before, like in Getafe. Today we're not happy, but everyone is eager to get back on track."

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  What next for Real Madrid?

  Madrid will need to quickly put this disappointing result behind them as they turn their attention back to the Champions League. They face Olympiacos in Athens on Wednesday, where they will be looking to secure a victory to boost their morale and solidify their position in the group stage. Following their European commitment, they will return to La Liga action next Monday with a home fixture against Girona, who are 18th in the table. Alonso and his players will be aiming for a return to winning ways in both competitions to silence the critics and get their season back on track.

Right-arm quick Matiullah, left-arm spinner Simranjeet are additions to the squad playing ongoing T20I tri-series

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2025

Muhammad Waseem will lead UAE’s 17-member squad at the 2025 Asia Cup.Right-arm quick Matiullah Khan and left-arm spinner Simranjeet Singh are the two additions to UAE’s side from the ongoing T20I tri-series against Pakistan and Afghanistan, with the rest of the players retaining their places.Matiullah, 32, has played one ODI and five T20Is so far. The last of those T20Is came against Nigeria in the Pearl of Africa Series in July. Thirty-five-year-old Simranjeet has played five ODIs and 11 T20Is. He last represented UAE at the Gulf T20I Championship last December.UAE previous Asia Cup appearance was in 2016 in Bangladesh, when the tournament was played in the T20 format as well.Related

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UAE are part of Group A in this year’s Asia Cup, which starts on September 9, and will be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The other three teams in their group are India, Pakistan and Oman. UAE start their campaign on September 10, when they face India in Dubai. While they are yet to beat India or Pakistan in any format, they have beaten Oman in five T20Is.The top two teams from the group will progress to the Super Fours stage.UAE squad for Asia CupMuhammad Waseem (capt), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wk), Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D’Souza, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Matiullah Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra (wk), Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh and Saghir Khan

One of the big issues Ruben Amorim has faced at Manchester United during a tough first season in charge at the club is the number of goals his side have conceded.

United have let in 100 goals in just 53 matches, only five more than they’ve scored.

This is certainly a huge concern for their boss, who, as a result, doesn’t have the strongest record despite going unbeaten in their last four games. Amorim has won 22 games and lost 21 during his year-long tenure so far, with a big reason for that such a shaky defensive record.

That is in spite of the strong performance of Matthijs de Ligt this season.

Why De Ligt has been so important for Man Utd

Despite their unbeaten run of four Premier League games, United’s defence have left a lot to be desired once again this term. The 16 top-flight goals they have conceded is better than just five teams.

However, De Ligt’s performances as the central centre-back in Amorim’s infamous back three have been excellent. The 26-year-old has been a key member of Amoirm’s backline with United’s number 4 having racked up 90 minutes in all ten of their Premier League games.

H, football analyst and host of The Overlap: The Breakdown, has been full of praise for the Dutchman. He described him as a “great box defender” and said he “steps up in the press so well.”

In some instances, he has put up better numbers than one of the best centre-backs in world football, Arsenal star Gabriel.

The Brazilian, described as the Premier League’s “number one” centre-back by pundit Paul Merson, averages 2.1 tackles and interceptions and wins 3.3 aerial duels per 90 minutes. In comparison, De Ligt has made 2.7 tackles and interceptions and won 3.7 aerial duels each game.

Both defensive warriors for their teams, the similarities between the two are clear to see, but there is a United player who has been even more similar to Gabriel this term.

Man United's own Gabriel

One of the big upsides to Gabriel’s game is not just his defending, but his set-piece threat. The Brazilian has “been the main exponent” from set pieces for the Gunners, with his side bagging 12 this season already.

Whilst that is double the number United have managed, they do rank joint-fourth in the top flight for set-piece goals with six.

Casemiro has been one of the biggest threats from those situations, with football content creator Lyes describing him as “one of the best setpiece threats we’ve [United] had in years.”

Indeed, the Brazilian’s most recent strike came from a set-piece. He headed home a Bruno Fernandes corner against Nottingham Forest last Saturday, the third goal he has scored this season. His first strike of the campaign against Chelsea was not directly from a set piece, but was a header from the phase after.

Standing at 6 foot 1 and with a powerful leap on him, it is easy to see why Casemiro dominates from set pieces. His 2.31 aerial duels won per 90 minutes rank him in the top 5% of Premier League midfielders.

However, is not just from deadball scenarios that the vastly experienced 33-year-old has shone for United.

The former Real Madrid star has been excellent in the pivot alongside Fernandes, with his 5.03 tackles and interceptions each game placing him in the 98th percentile for English top-flight midfielders.

Passes into penalty area

1.08

80th

Blocks

2.34

99th

Tackles and interceptions

5.03

98th

Clearances

2.46

89th

Aerial duels won

2.31

95th

As important as De Ligt has been for United this season, their number 18 has been equally as vital. With his set piece threat, you can easily draw comparisons to Brazil teammate Gabriel, and his work off the ball in the pivot has been second to none.

Football statistician Statman Dave described him as a “monster” for the Red Devils this season. It is fair to say Casemiro is living up to that praise, with some superb showings.

Man Utd have a "beast" in the academy who's another Casemiro in the making

Manchester United would benefit from the emergence of the next Carrington superstar this season.

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Os atletas do Palmeiras que encerraram a temporada lesionados passaram por tratamento sob supervisão do Núcleo de Saúde e Performance nesta terça-feira (9), na Academia de Futebol, com o objetivo de acelerar a recuperação para o início do próximo ano.

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O quarteto formado por Lucas Evangelista, Figueiredo, Felipe Anderson e Paulinho seguirão cronograma personalizado até o dia 23 de dezembro. O restante do elenco alviverde, por sua vez, retorna às atividades no dia 4 de janeiro.

O Palmeiras volta a campo no dia 11 de janeiro, fora de casa, para enfrentar a Portuguesa pela primeira rodada da fase de grupos do Campeonato Paulista.

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Lucas Evangelista trata uma cirurgia na coxa direita feita em outubro. Felipe Anderson sofreu entorse no tornozelo esquerdo na final da Libertadores. Figueiredo, por sua vez, lesionou o joelho direito durante a Libertadores Sub-20, em março. Já Paulinho passou por procedimento na perna direita, em julho, para corrigir uma fratura na tíbia.

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Palmeiras fecha temporada sem títulos

O Palmeiras encerrou 2025 com três vice-campeonatos e sem títulos pela primeira vez desde a chegada de Abel Ferreira. No início da temporada, perdeu a final do Campeonato Paulista para o Corinthians.

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Na reta final do ano, viu o Flamengo ultrapassá-lo nas últimas rodadas do Brasileirão e, depois, vencer a decisão da Libertadores por 1 a 0, em Lima, no Peru. Apesar dos resultados aquém do esperado, o time terminou o calendário com duas vitórias como visitante, diante de Atlético-MG e Ceará.

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يستعد الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا” لسحب قرعة كأس العالم المقررة في العاصمة الأمريكية واشنطن يوم الجمعة، الخامس من ديسمبر.

وأكد الصحفي البريطاني “بن جاكوبس” أن دونالد ترامب رئيس الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية سيحضر قرعة كأس العالم يوم الجمعة.

ومن المتوقع أن يمنح الاتحاد الدولي لدونالد ترامب، جائزة فيفا للسلام، ليكون أول فائز بهذه الجائزة المقدمة من إنفانتينو.

اقرأ أيضًا.. غيابات مهمة عن برشلونة أمام ريال بيتيس في الدوري الإسباني

وكان دونالد ترامب قد سبق وأن صرح بأنه سيشارك في هذا الحدث، وسيكون هناك فقرات ترفيهية عالمية المستوى، خلال إعلان قرعة دور المجموعات في كأس العالم.

ويؤكد حضور ترامب لقرعة الاتحاد الدولي لكأس العالم على علاقته الوثيقة مع جياني إنفانتينو رئيس فيفا، والذي سبق له وأن زار البيت الأبض عدة مرات.

وستقام كأس العالم في هذه النسخة بمشاركة 48 منتخبًا بدلاً من 32 والذين شاركوا في كأس العالم قطر 2022، وستنطلق البطولة في الفترة من 11 يونيو إلى 19 يوليو في الولايات المتحدة والمكسيك وكندا.

Daniel Farke, manager of Leeds United, has been questioned for his side’s performance against Nottingham Forest.

Morgan Gibbs-White produced the perfect response to his England omission by helping Forest to their first Premier League win since the opening day of the season.

Gibbs-White was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s squad for next week’s World Cup qualifiers, but reminded the German of his talent with a decisive goal in Sunday’s 3-1 victory over Leeds.

The midfielder’s second-half header helped end Forest’s nine-game winless streak in the league as they secured three points for the first time under head coach Sean Dyche.

It was far from pretty as they had to come from behind, Ibrahim Sangare cancelling out Lukas Nmecha’s opener for Leeds.

Elliot Anderson’s late penalty sealed a vital triumph for Forest, who have now taken four points from their last two games and look to be heading in the right direction.

They are just two points behind Leeds, who have lost four out of their last five matches. Following their latest defeat, manager Farke has been called into question.

Farke should have made earlier changes against Forest

Since arriving at Leeds in 2023, Farke has sometimes been questioned for his decisions surrounding substitutes. Often, the German seems to bring new bodies into the game only after the majority of minutes have been played.

Against Nottingham, Leeds made no changes until the 74th minute. This is despite having lost their one-goal advantage, finding themselves 2-1 down and offering little threat to their hosts. Such a decision was noted by commentator Jon Newsome who at the time of United’s substitutions, as per BBC Sport West Yorkshire.

England midfielder Anderson killed the game from the spot in the 90th minute after the lively Hutchinson, introduced from the bench, was fouled by Jack Harrison, a natural wide midfielder who replaced left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson.

In attack, Leeds were bereft of inspiration. They had just four shots before the 70th minute and of the 10 they had across the game, as per SofaScore, only three were on target. Beren Cross of The Athletic commented on the fact that, despite Farke saying he had been in team training for a fortnight, Italian forward Willy Gnonto, who would offer a much-needed creative spark, was not in the squad against Forest.

With an international break ahead of them, Leeds will face a number of tough fixtures as they look for what will be a needed improvement in form. With four defeats within their past five Premier League games, questions may soon be asked of Farke’s future at Elland Road if such a run continues.

Leeds must unleash their "best finisher"

New Zealand’s domestic T20 competition will kick off on Boxing Day for 32 days and 64 games in all

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Aug-2025The Hagley Oval in Christchurch is set to host the Super Smash women’s and men’s elimination and grand finals games for the upcoming season. It means the teams that make it to the last stage will get together for these finals games in the last three days of January, just like it was done at the Basin Reserve in Wellington last season.New Zealand’s domestic T20 competition will kick off on Boxing Day for 32 days and 64 games in all, starting with Northern Brave hosting Auckland’s men’s and women’s teams at Seddon Park in Hamilton.While announcing the fixtures for the next season, an NZC release stated the 2024-25 season was a “watershed one for Super Smash with TVNZ broadcasts reaching over one million people, along with a record 7.3 million views across Super Smash content on NZC’s digital channels.”Related

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Tom Bruce, Central Districts captain and Men’s Player of the Year last season in the Super Smash spoke of the competitive nature of the season which forced players to constantly evolve.”You’ve got BLACKCAPS and WHITE FERNS scattered across the teams along with plenty of up and coming stars pushing for their chance at the next level,” he said. “With only six teams in the competition, you have to constantly be thinking about evolving your game as you often play similar squads a few times a season.”You’re forced to progress your game as individuals and as a team, otherwise players will figure you out pretty quickly. It’s also great for players to get used to playing in front of a large crowd and a pretty substantial TV audience too.”If they can get a taste of playing in that context, then once they make the step up to BLACKCAPS or WHITE FERNS, they already have some invaluable experience playing in that sort of environment.”Suzanne Pearce, executive manager of the Canterbury Cricket Trust which owns and operates the Hagley Oval, was confident Christchurch hosting the finals games would inspire more youngsters.”We think we have the best ground in New Zealand and it’s a huge vote of confidence in the venue, the city and the cricket community here in Christchurch, so we’re very pleased,” she said.”Our crowds the past few seasons are testament to how loyal the fans are here. It’s a big win, not only for the city but the wider Canterbury region. It’s a chance for our fans to see the best players in the country play some awesome cricket and for those young players coming through to be inspired.”There is something really special about having a world-class international cricket ground in the middle of our city park. You look one way and see the southern alps and see the city and the port hills at the other end.”New Year’s Day will see last season’s finalists – Canterbury and Central Districts – come face to face again, at the Hagley Oval.Canterbury will be chasing their first T20 title in 20 years after coming agonisingly close as runners-up in the past five seasons.The NZC release also said KFC’s “6’s for Surf” will be back too, with KFC pledging $100 for every six hit, with $38,100 donated to Surf Lifesaving NZ last season.

For the first time since Game 1 of the Wild Card series, Paul Goldschmidt has drawn into the Yankees' starting lineup.

After extending the series with a comeback win in Game 3, New York has announced its lineup for Game 4 at Yankee Stadium, and they'll bring the experienced Goldschmidt back into the mix for just the second time this postseason.

With Goldschmidt starting at first base, Ben Rice is headed back to the bench for the Yankees, but he'll likely be called upon in a pinch-hit situation. But with Rice out of the starting lineup, what does the Yankees' batting order for Game 4 look like?

Yankees Lineup for ALDS Game 4 vs. Blue Jays

1. Trent Grisham – CF
2. Aaron Judge – RF
3. Cody Bellinger – LF
4. Giancarlo Stanton – DH
5. Jazz Chisholm Jr. – 2B
6. Paul Goldschmidt – 1B
7. Austin Wells – C
8. Anthony Volpe – SS
9. Ryan McMahon – 3B

Righty Cam Schlittler will be back on the mound for the Yankees after his historic outing against the Red Sox during the Wild Card series.

As for the Blue Jays, here's how their lineup will look for Game 4.

Blue Jays Lineup for ALDS Game 4 vs. Blue Jays

1. George Springer – DH
2. Nathan Lukes – LF
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B
4. Addison Barger – 3B
5. Alejandro Kirk – C
6. Daulton Varsho – CF
7. Anthony Santander – RF
8. Ernie Clement – 2B
9. Andres Giménez – SS

Toronto will utilize a bullpen game in Game 4, and the opener for the contest is right-hander Louis Varland, who has pitched in each of the first three games of the series.

It's do or die for the Yankees, and with the Blue Jays expected to roll with a bullpen game, Aaron Boone opted to bring Goldschmidt back into the lineup. In three games in the ALDS, Rice went 2-for-11 with five strikeouts and two RBIs.

Mets star slugger Pete Alonso now stands alone atop the franchise's all-time home runs list after hitting a laser of a two-run home run in the third inning on Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves.

Alonso turned on a 1–1 95-mile-per-hour fastball and hit a line shot opposite field home run to right center field to notch his 253rd career blast, which moved him past Darryl Strawberry in New York's record books.

The historic home run sent Citi Field into a frenzy and continued a strong season from Alonso, who has hit .264 with 27 home runs and 95 RBI. He made his fourth consecutive All-Star team last month and was named to the roster for the Midsummer Classic for the fifth time in his career.

Hot on the heels of Jayant Yadav’s departure comes another high-profile move away from Haryana, with India seamer Harshal Patel signing with Gujarat for the 2025-26 domestic season.Having completed all formalities, Harshal will be available for Gujarat’s pre-season preparations, which kick off with a tri-series later this month that also features the other two teams from the state, Baroda and Saurashtra.Related

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• A 'long rope' and a 'slap on the face': how Haryana created a winning culture

• Jayant Yadav signs with Puducherry for 2025-26 domestic season

Harshal’s return to Gujarat completes a circle. He was born there, and made his List A debut for the side in 2008-09 following an impressive Under-19 season. However, he made the switch to Haryana soon after returning from the Under-19 World Cup in 2010, when he was unable to make further inroads in Gujarat.He eventually made his first-class debut, for Haryana, in 2011-12 and had been a key member of their squads across formats since. In all, Harshal has picked up 246 first-class wickets in 74 matches at an average of 24.02, with 12 five-wicket hauls.He was instrumental in Haryana becoming a force across the white-ball formats over the years, and was part of the side that went on to clinch their maiden Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2023-24.”Right from 2010-11 since my Under-19 days, almost the entirety of my professional career has been with Haryana, I owe a lot to them,” Harshal told ESPNcricinfo. “If that move to Haryana as an 18-year-old hadn’t worked out for me I would have probably moved to the USA and not played cricket in India.”Harshal divides his time between the USA – where he has extended family – and Ahmedabad, where he lives. Harshal’s decision to switch teams comes at a time when he felt he needed to prioritise spending time with his young family between cricket commitments.”It was getting difficult for me to be away from the family for long periods of time,” Harshal said. “So I wanted to come back and see if I could finish my career here. Glad I got an opportunity to do that.”Harshal had been approached by another team, but he wanted to first see if Gujarat would be keen. As it turned out, they were “more than happy” to have him back.”I first asked Anil Patel [secretary, Gujarat Cricket Association] and he was gracious enough to say, ‘this is your home, welcome back.’ Having come back, I’m open to play everything and anything that the team wants me to play.”While my specialisation will remain white-ball, I’m only more than happy to take any opportunities that come my way with red-ball cricket.”Harshal hasn’t played for India since January 2023 but an international comeback isn’t on his mind•BCCI

Harshal hasn’t been a first-class regular for the past two seasons, only playing seven red-ball games over that period. But looking ahead, he’s happy with where his body is at and is keen to get back to the grind if picked.”My body allows me to bowl 20 overs in a day over two months or however long the Ranji Trophy season is; it doesn’t bother me,” he said. “I love the grind. The goal has always been to play the best cricket that I can play for as long as I can irrespective of the format.”At 34, Harshal remains an IPL regular and is coming off an excellent season with Sunrisers Hyderabad – 16 wickets in 13 games at an economy rate of 9.80. He played the most recent of his 25 T20Is in January 2023, and isn’t in the mix currently. The prospects of an India comeback, though, aren’t on his mind.”My India selections and IPL and all of these things have come as a byproduct of that mindset of giving it my best wherever I play,” he said. “My motivation has nothing to do with whether I’ll play for India or not or whether I’ll play IPL or not.”My motivation has everything to do with whether I still have the hunger to go to the ground and bowl 10-15 overs in a day, and if I can do it over a period of two-three months. And the answer is yes.”At Gujarat, Harshal hopes to lend his experience to a set-up that is largely in a transition phase under head coach Ramesh Powar.”I’m pretty excited to see what I can add here to the team’s betterment,” he said. “That’s what I spoke about with Ramesh and Axar [Patel] recently. If I can contribute in some way to the development of players, mentor them and help them in their journey, there’ll be no bigger satisfaction.”As far as my own journey is concerned, I’ve always asked myself how can I be the best player I can be. That has kept me going for all these years, and it still keeps me going. My training consistency is probably better than it has ever been.”I’ve been really lucky and I’ve been really fortunate that I don’t have that financial anxiety anymore [thanks to the IPL]. So now that factor is taken away, the only thing that still pushes me is I want to play this game because I love playing this game.”