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Ed Barnard claimed four wickets as Worcestershire held their nerve on the final day to secure a first Championship win of the season

Jon Culley at New Road23-Jun-20182:01

Kent squash Warwickshire’s hopes of record chase

ScorecardIn reality, the chances of Lancashire reaching their monumental target of 602 to win here were always extremely remote. The fact that no one in the history of first-class cricket has scored more than 541 to win a match in the fourth innings is because, even when the best part of two days are at a team’s disposal, scoring so many runs before the opposition takes 10 wickets is extraordinarily difficult.Yet Glenn Chapple, who has no doubt seen a few potential records fail to materialise over his career, confessed that even he, for a short time at least, while Keaton Jennings and Dane Vilas were making relatively untroubled progress on the final morning, and six wickets were still in hand, allowed himself to contemplate the possibility that history might be made.”There is no point at the start in saying you are going to score 602, it is a ridiculous thing to contemplate,” he said.”Faced with a run chase like that it is just a case of concentrate on your performance, assess what your best chance is of staying in and scoring runs, and ultimately see where that can lead. And I think everyone realised that had Keaton and Dane been able to sustain their partnership into the afternoon it might eventually have become a reality.”But the truth is that we lost the match not because they could not do that but because of two passages of play on the first day.”After having Worcester 81 for 5, we let them score nigh-on 250, which was too many on that pitch. Then after being 77 for 0 ourselves with six or seven overs to go, we ended up five down.”And though we played very well to score nearly 400 in the last innings, when Keaton Jennings set such a fine example of discipline and professional approach, we should not have been four down overnight. So there are things we need to look at.”This is not a story, though, about a Lancashire failure, but about a Worcestershire victory, their first of a frustrating season, achieved moreover with their two leading wicket-takers sidelined, but whose stand-ins – the latest of whom, 19-year-old Pat Brown, is still a student at Worcester University – showed character and resilience on a durable pitch to make sure the winning chance was not wasted.Seeing Brown claim the prized scalp of Jennings, for 177, and Ed Barnard add four more wickets to his first-innings five, gave Brett D’Oliveira, making a successful debut as stand-in captain for the injured Joe Leach, as much pleasure as Daryl Mitchell’s two hundreds and Martin Guptill’s century on debut.”The conditions got better to bat on,” D’Oliveira said. “It did start to get a bit lower towards the end and we got a couple of lbws but overall it was a good wicket and they have some very good players, so it took everything to get those 11 wickets.”Pat Brown getting Keaton Jennings out was crucial, a moment that stands out among several outstanding performances. And Ed – it was a real challenge for him in that second innings and he really did work hard and deserved the rewards he got.”I’m proud of the players. We have been in good positions in a couple of games and haven’t quite done it so it feels good to have rammed home our advantage this time.”They have shown resilience and fight. A couple of years ago at 81 for 5 we might have crumbled but this time we showed we could fight back.”Vilas and Jennings both fell before lunch, Vilas bowled off an inside edge by Barnard, Jennings by one from Brown that kept a shade low and came with added zip too. Jordan Clark and Danny Lamb, whose historic appearance here as a concussion substitute is a footnote not to be forgotten, hinted at grinding out a draw but a double bowling change changed the dynamic in a flash.Ross Whiteley, whose left-arm seamers are only occasionally required, claimed his first Championship wicket for three years when Ben Cox, standing up, took a sharp catch to remove Clark, opening up the tail for Barnard to see off, the last four wickets falling for one run in four overs.

Lionel Messi scored his first ever CONCACAF Champions Cup goal as he fired Inter Miami back into the first leg of their tie against Nashville SC.

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Inter Miami draw 2-2 with Nashville SCMessi & Suarez net goalsHerons have away-goal advantageWHAT HAPPENED?

On his brilliant left foot, the Argentine fired from the edge of the box with a drilled looping effort that dipped over the Nashville goalkeeper. The goal was immediately met with chants of "MESSI – MESSI – MESSI" throughout the stadium, despite it being a road match for Inter Miami.

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The Herons had a rough first half, conceding four minutes into the match and then failing to find any momentum in the attacking third despite 70% possession. Then, one minute into the final 45 minutes, Jacob Shaffelburg net his second goal of the night for the hosts to give Nashville a 2-0 lead. Messi, however, earned a goal back to bring the Herons back into the match and that was the boost they needed.

The momentum swung in their favor and then, with just seconds to spare, their superstars came together to secure a second away goal. Luis Suarez was found by Sergio Busquets and the Uruguayan sensation nodded home to make it 2-2.

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The Herons will take on CF Montreal Sunday in an Eastern Conference clash between two powerhouses. Then, their focus will shift to Thursday when they will host Nashville in the second leg of the Champions Cup last 16. They do have an away goal advantage, though, which clearly boosts their chances of advancing.

The 2024 Africa Cup of Nations is on its way – or should that be 2023? Technically, this is the 2023 AFCON but the competition was moved from this past summer to January 2024 because of worries about summer weather in Ivory Coast.

Regardless of what you want to call it, AFCON promises to be a fantastic tournament once again. Senegal will defend their crown, having won for the first time in 2022 (though that, too, was technically the 2021 edition).

So, we at Football FanCast have provided you with everything you need to know about AFCON 2024, then, as countries prepare to compete once again.

When is the next AFCON?

Well, this was supposed to take place across June and July – a move made a few years ago in order to end the clash with European club competitions. But because of concerns around Ivory Coast and its summer weather, the decision was made to move the tournament to January 2024.

And so this is sort of AFCON 2023 but we're confident people will refer to it as AFCON 2024. Certainly confusing, though!

It all kicks off on the 13th of January 2024, so around the time European football restarts after the winter break.

When does AFCON 2024 finish?

February 13th. The tournament will run for around one month, with the final scheduled for February 13th in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. That's the latest a final has occurred when taking place mid-season – last time, things finished on February 6th.

That is offset a little by a slightly later start but it's still notable that things will run a week longer into the season.

How long is AFCON 2024?

Fans of clubs with star African players always feel this tournament drags on forever. It is actually under a month long, though.

Things start on January 13th next year and will run until February 11th. Of course, how long players are at the tournament for entirely depends on how their nation performs. Make the final and they're gone for nearly a month. Early exit? Perhaps players will return after just a few weeks.

All in all, then, this tournament runs for 30 days. It's actually one of the longest editions yet, in fact.

Where is AFCON 2024 taking place?

Just about everything to do with AFCON is complex. The host nation, though, bumps things up to another level.

So this tournament was supposed to be in Guinea. However, Cameroon were stripped of their rights to host the 2019 edition back before that started as they weren't properly prepared. They struck a deal to instead host in 2021, which meant the original 2021 hosts – Ivory Coast – would be pushed back to 2023.

Of course, this tournament isn't even taking place in 2023 now, so essentially nothing about the original plan is in place. It will now happen in Ivory Coast, though. Guinea will have the honours in 2025.

Who has qualified for AFCON 2024?

Algeria

Angola

Burkina Faso

Cameroon

Cape Verde

DR Congo

Egypt

Equatorial Guinea

The Gambia

Ghana

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Ivory Coast

Mali

Mauritania

Mozambique

Morocco

Namibia

Nigeria

Senegal

South Africa

Tanzania

Tunisia

Zambia

Ivory Coast were technically the first team to qualify, of course, as they're hosting the tournament.

March then saw Morocco, Algeria, South Africa, Senegal, Burkina Faso and Tunisia confirm their places. Egypt, Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Mali and Guinea then followed suit back in June this year.

Ghana and Angola just booked their own places, too, with Cameroon and Namibia rounded off the qualified sides, giving us our full cohort of competitors ready to battle it out for continental glory.

Who drew who in the AFCON 2024 draw?

The 2024 AFCON draw took place on 12th October and it is fair to say it has produced some seriously exciting match-ups to look forward to.

Tournament hosts Ivory Coast have been drawn in the same group as one of the favourites to lift the trophy, Nigeria. Meanwhile, holders Senegal have been drawn against Ghana in what promises to be a mouthwatering encounter.

Ivory Coast

Egypt

Senegal

Algeria

Tunisia

Morocco

Nigeria

Ghana

Cameroon

Burkina Faso

Mali

DR Congo

Eq. Guinea

Cape Verde

Guinea

Mauritania

South Africa

Zambia

Guinea-Bissau

Mozambique

Gambia

Angola

Namibia

Tanzania

Who was the top scorer in AFCON qualifying?

Plenty of elite forwards have competed in qualifying for this one, with former teammates Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané standing out as two of the absolute best. Neither, though, top the charts for scoring this time around.

Instead, Napoli star Victor Osimhen ended the campaign in top-spot with a genuinely impressive tally of ten goals – three of which came last time out thanks to a hat-trick against São Tomé and Príncipe. Mané is in a distant second place behind him with five of his own – Salah has only managed two.

Osimhen, of course, was sensational for Napoli last season as they won Serie A. He's widely tipped to be the top scorer at the actual tournament proper, too, and with his red-hot form in the qualifiers thus far, who'd bet against him?

Which Premier League players are going to AFCON?

African players are all over the Premier League, with more featuring than ever before. Of course, that means just about every club will be missing at least one player come January.

Now, a few teams will miss one not-so-important player. Then there's Liverpool, who will have to do without Mohamed Salah midway through the campaign. Nottingham Forest are a notable one, too – they'll potentially have seven players at AFCON this season.

In all, though, there are too many to mention in an article like this. Fortunately, we've got a handy cheat sheet to see exactly which clubs will be seeing an absence and who could be off.

Read more: Which Premier League players could miss matches due to AFCON?

Who won the last AFCON?

Senegal were the winners last time out, winning the tournament for the first time. It was a long time coming, too – they've consistently had one of the best sides for nearly two decades.

The final was a particularly notable one, too, as it saw Sadio Mané come up against then-Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah. The two forwards were seen as the two best players at the tournament, though neither had an international trophy to his name.

However, the two forwards couldn't find a way to goal. In fact, no one could and the final finished 0-0 after extra time. Things went to penalties and it was Mané who stepped up to seal the win after missing a penalty in the original 90 minutes. Notably, Salah was supposed to take no.5 for Egypt but never got the chance as Senegal wrapped things up 4-2.

Who are the favourites to win AFCON 2024?

It's difficult to name an outright favourite as the group stage hasn't been drawn that – the right or wrong group can push a team over the edge here. But there are certainly a few teams that stand out.

Senegal will draw eyes, of course. They won the competition in 2022 and boast several star names – though, it's worth mentioning that three of them now play in Saudi Arabia and outside of the elite European leagues. Sadio Mané, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy all made that jump this summer.

Nigeria deserve a mention, too. Victor Osimhen is arguably the best African player right now and is certainly the star striker on display. His 31 goals for Napoli last season make him a massive threat and he's the top scorer in qualifying.

Egypt boast Mohamed Salah. That's enough on its own to make them a threat in this one. Salah helped them get to the final last time and will believe he can push them to one better this time around.

It's Morocco who might have the best chance, however. They finished 4th at the World Cup last winter – the best of any African team in the competition's history. Their squad is littered with players across the top European leagues, too, with Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain), Sofyan Amrabat (Manchester United), Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla), and even Hakim Ziyech (Galatasaray) arguably the pick of the bunch.

Which country has won AFCON the most?

Egypt have won AFCON more than any other nation. They've lifted the trophy on seven separate occasions, including a three-peat from 2006 to 2010. Of course, they reached the final last time but lost to Senegal on penalties.

Next is Cameroon, who have managed to win the competition five times. Their most recent came in 2017 – 15 years after their previous win back in 2002. A third-place finish in 2021 put them very close to a sixth, too.

Ghana boast the next-best record with four – but we're going back quite a ways here. They haven't won the Cup of Nations since 1982 and have lost the final three times since then.

Nigeria are the fourth nation to win more than twice. They've picked up the trophy three times – the most recent of which was 2013.

Where to watch AFCON in the UK

Sky Sports and BBC Sport both have broadcasting rights for the tournament, with the former showing every match live, while the BBC will show a selection of matches throughout, including both semi-finals and the final across its BBC Three and BBC iPlayer platforms.

England have the chance to expose India’s middle-order muddle again as teams square up for another decider

The Preview by Alan Gardner16-Jul-20181:15

What is your favourite MS Dhoni shot?

Big PictureFor the second series in a row, England-India goes down to a decider. For the second series in a row, England have come back from being befuddled by Kuldeep Yadav to level things up. For the second series in a row, India will be hoping that one of the big guns of their top order fires them to victory and secures another trophy ahead of the marquee five-Test series.Spiking those cannons at Lord’s was the major contributor to England eventually running out comfortable winners. The common denominator in India’s three white-ball victories so far has been a centurion in the top three: KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma at Old Trafford and Bristol in the T20Is, and Rohit – backed up by a slick 75 from Virat Kohli – in the first ODI at Trent Bridge. India’s middle order has been less productive, and the match at Headingley could hinge on whether England can make inroads again.The scrutiny on MS Dhoni may go up a notch, too. India’s veteran tank commander rumbled into a ditch during the second ODI, a tepid 59-ball 37 so far removed from what is expected from him as a finisher that it left fans on both sides scratching their heads. He has talked about deciding to go up the order in T20, and maybe that is something to explore as India focus their World Cup plans.England were reassured twice over by their Lord’s performance. Despite Kuldeep striking with his second and 13th deliveries, they continued to attack the wristspinner; both openers fell taking the attacking option of sweeping, while Eoin Morgan hit a full toss to a fielder on the rope, but figures of 3 for 68 were eminently manageable. The performance of Joe Root, with his 12th ODI hundred (equalling Marcus Trescothick’s record for England), then reinforced the view that his method of busy accumulation has a home in an otherwise-macho hitting line-up.With anticipation of Kuldeep being named in India’s Test line-up growing, it will be interesting to see if Kohli is minded to protect him again – as occurred during the T20 decider at Bristol. With England and India set to remain No. 1 and No. 2 in the rankings whatever the result, Headingley will provide a useful marker as the last ODI to be played in England before World Cup year – with a little knockout pressure into the mix. It could also contribute another thread in the Test tapestry to come.Mark Wood trains ahead of the third ODI•Getty ImagesForm guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WLWWW
India LWWWLIn the spotlightArmed with a white ball that rarely swings and asked to bowl on the most benign of surfaces, all but the quickest of quicks face a fight for survival every time they walk out in ODIs. David Willey is a man with as much fighting spirit as any member of the England squad, however, and he is having a quietly effective season in coloured clothing. He can still just about talk the new ball into doing a bit, while his death bowling has improved – and his batting has also shone through, with a maiden half-century at Lord’s to follow a match-sealing contribution against Australia at The Oval last month. He is still a little way off being classed as a genuine allrounder, but his wickets and runs have helped make up for the absence of Chris Woakes.Suresh Raina had an opportunity to shepherd the chase after a top-order wobble at Lord’s. While he managed 48, the top score of the innings, his age-old nemesis, the short ball, had him hopping and fending awkwardly. His footwork lacked assuredness even to pitched-up deliveries. After being dropped twice, he was out bowled failing to read Adil Rashid’s googly. As key as his contributions have been in the past, the room for failures currently is minimal with India’s middle order still testing the waters as far as their combinations for the World Cup go. With Dinesh Karthik and Shreyas Iyer breathing down his neck, the onus is on Raina to ensure his return to the ODI squad after nearly three years is not short-lived.Teams newsEngland have called up James Vince as the spare batsman in the squad, with Dawid Malan heading to play first-class cricket with the Lions, and he could come straight into the side if Jason Roy is not fit to play, although Sam Billings has also been called into an ever-expanding squad. Roy suffered a “laceration” to the little finger on his right hand going for a catch at Lord’s and sat out of training on Monday. He remains a doubt, according to the ECB, and will have a fitness test in the morning to ascertain whether he’ll be fit to play. Sam Curran has also been released to play for the Lions against India A, but Jake Ball remains an option.England (probable) 1 Jason Roy/James Vince, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Liam Plunkett, 11 Mark WoodIndia seem set to continue with Raina, so the only change is likely to be in the seam-bowling attack. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was bowling smoothly in practice, having missed three games with a stiff back, and should replaces Siddarth Kaul.India (probable) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 KL Rahul, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Umesh YadavPitch and conditionsThe surface at Headingley is usually good for run-scoring, with the white Kookaburra unlikely to be persuaded to do much whatever the overhead conditions: England piled up 339 for 6 at the venue against South Africa last year. The UK’s extended dry spell has resulted in a very brown surface with hardly any grass, which should bring the spinners from both sides into play.Stats and trivia England have won their last four ODIs at Headingley, with their most-recent defeat coming against Sri Lanka in 2011. Kuldeep needs two wickets for 50 in ODIs – if he gets them at Headingley, in his 23rd match, he will equal Ajit Agarkar as the fastest for India. Dhoni became only the 12th man, and fourth Indian, to record 10,000 ODI runs during his innings at Lord’s. Jonny Bairstow needs 68 runs to reach 2000.Quotes”If we can use this game as a semi-final, a must-win with the pressure on, we can learn what we are doing wrong if we don’t win or what we are doing right if we do. Over the past year we have dealt with these situations well and hopefully we can carry on that trend.”
Going forward, still 16-17 games to go [before the World Cup], we are looking at in terms of the games remaining where we could look at settling the middle-order slots.”

Arsenal have seen an array of world-class talent make north London their home over the years, with some living up to expectation and some not so much.

The Gunners are in the process of showcasing their new wave of superstars, as Mikel Arteta continues to gun for glory and major silverware with his generation of heroes at the Emirates.

So many with legendary status have come and gone over the years at Arsenal, not helped by their assumed captain's curse, which has seen the best at the time leave soon after taking the armband.

From William Gallas to even Thierry Henry, many have fallen victim to the curse after being handed captaincy, with Arteta hoping that the feat of bad luck will end at Martin Odegaard, who was named skipper last summer.

In recent years, the theme has continued, with Odegaard being selected to take the role from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was ironically handed it from fellow cursed captain Granit Xhaka in 2019.

For whatever reason, there has been a narrative of poor captains at Arsenal, whether it be poor performance, attitude or desire to leave, being handed the armband hasn’t seemed to hold the honour that it does to some.

It would be difficult to discuss the Gunners’ captains of Arteta’s era without delving into the history of Aubameyang at the Emirates, with the striker arriving as royalty and leaving far from his throne.

When did Arsenal sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang?

In January 2018, Arsenal unveiled Aubameyang as their new addition, bringing joy to those associated with the club with reference to their lack of presence leading the line for years prior.

Captured for a club-record fee at the time of £60m, the former Borussia Dortmund hero arrived in north London with a stellar reputation due to his goal-scoring proficiency throughout his career, including bagging 141 goals in just 213 games in Germany.

The Gunners had only signed fellow striker Alexandre Lacazette in the summer of 2017, handing those at the Emirates a sense of belief in their squad as the goals looked as though they’d soon arrive.

What was the reaction when Arsenal signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang?

The stage was set for Aubameyang to eclipse those before him, as he took Thierry Henry’s number 14 shirt and scored on his debut in the fashion of a true poacher, resulting in Arsene Wenger expressing his delight with the Gabonese gem’s arrival at his former club.

As relayed by The Guardian, Wenger tipped the forward to follow in Henry’s footsteps, calling comparisons to the French wizard a “good example to follow”.

The undefeated manager of 2003/04 went on to dub the £60m man as “tremendous”, hyping up his calibre by saying, “you don’t score by coincidence for so many years”, which wasn’t the end of the high praise for the new arrival.

A few years down the line, Gary Neville formed another comparison to Henry when analysing a goal scored by Aubameyang, as relayed by the Daily Mail.

“This is Thierry Henry, everything about it. As he went through on goal you just imagined the great French striker sprinting down on goal, setting it out to that far post. It’s Aubameyang now, wonderful.”

All the signs were there that the striker could in some ways replicate the quality and impact of Arsenal’s record goal scorer, and for the majority of his time in red and white, he was adored in a similar sense to the World Cup winner.

How many goals did Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang score at Arsenal?

Aubameyang left Arsenal 136 goals shy of Henry’s record of 228, netting 92 goals in 163 games for the Gunners over his four-year stay.

At the end of his debut half-season, the Gabon international had scored ten league goals in only 13 appearances, which was a subtle sign of things to come as he claimed the golden boot in his first full campaign in 2018/19.

The forward scored 22 league goals that season, a tally that was replicated the campaign after as he scored another 22 in the 2019/20 term to cement himself as one of the top sharpshooters in the Premier League.

Things couldn’t get better for Arsenal and their striker in 2020 as he signed a new three-year deal, after being named as club captain in the winter of 2019 following Granit Xhaka’s stripping of the honour.

How much did Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang cost Arsenal?

Prior to signing his new contract, Aubameyang was earning £180k-per-week, amounting to £9.3m-per-year in wages alone.

The sum increased when he penned his refreshed deal, taking his salary to a monstrous £13m-per-year, equalling a weekly wage of £250k.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's career earnings

Club

Year

Weekly Wage

Borussia Dortmund

2014-2015

£40,000

Borussia Dortmund

2015-2016

£55,316

Borussia Dortmund

2016-2017

£79,237

Arsenal

2017-2020

£180,000

Arsenal

2020-2022

£250,000

Barcelona

2022

£41,529

Chelsea

2022-2023

£160,000

All figures via Capology

When adding up his wages over his time in north London, the figure amounts to around £52m, which when you add his transfer fee of £60m, reveals that Arsenal made an expenditure of around £112m to maintain their star striker at the Emirates.

Was he worth it?

Everything was looking rosy for both club and player following his renewal, until it all went very bleak very quickly.

Just two years after he was handed the captaincy due to Xhaka having the privilege revoked, Arteta dealt Aubameyang the same blow, taking the armband away from him due to disciplinary breaches.

The antics between player and manager away from the pitch resulted in a dip in form on the field, as the forward scored just ten goals in the 2020/21 league campaign, followed by scoring four the season after.

There was a clear breakdown in the relationship between Arteta and Aubameyang, which had made fans turn against the striker who seemed to have carried his “crazy boy” image from Dortmund to London, as he described himself in his farewell post to his former club.

In the winter transfer window of 2022, Arsenal mutually agreed to terminate the former captain’s contract, seeing him join Barcelona on a free transfer.

On his departure, Arteta told the media that his former striker’s “trajectory at the club and the importance of his goals was unquestionable”, however, the time was right for him to leave.

Aubameyang gave the Gunners plenty of things to cheer about during his time at the Emirates, reinstating the goals and the thrill of having a capable striker to the fans, yet his exit left a sour taste, with matters made worse by his moves following his exit.

What is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doing now?

After leaving the club in January 2022, it wasn’t long before the 34-year-old returned to the capital, as he signed for Chelsea in September in a transfer that left followers of the Gunners stunned.

To the joy of those bewildered by his decision, the Gabon international left the Blues after 21 appearances and just three goals, with him now representing Marseille in Ligue 1 with a market value of just €5m (£4.3m) – according to CIES Football Observatory.

From a cherished captain likened to Henry, to a villain representing Arsenal’s London rivals, Aubameyang’s trajectory took a sudden turn at the Emirates, as he failed to live up to the expectations he was showered with when he first arrived on English soil.

The Norwegian returned to the top of the Champions League scoring charts as Pep Guardiola's men brushed the Danish champions aside

Erling Haaland continued his Champions League odyssey with a customary goal as Manchester City swatted Copenhagen aside to win 3-1 and ease into the quarter-finals 6-2 on aggregate.

The Norwegian controlled a cross-field pass from Rodri to bulldoze his way past a defender and slot into the net just before half-time, grabbing his 41st goal in just 37 games in Europe's elite competition. It was enough to put him in the top 20 all-time scorers in the Champions League, despite playing just his fifth season in it.

Haaland's goal gave a much-changed City side an extra cushion in a pretty comfortable game after getting off to an ideal start thanks to a volley from Manuel Akanji. Julian Alvarez doubled their advantage with a fortuitous strike which went through the soft hands of Copenhagen goalkeeper Kamil Grabara.

The Danes then scored the best goal of the game, Mohamed Elyounoussi playing a one-two off Orri Oskarsson and curling into the far corner to complete a sweeping counterattack. But Haaland, just as he had in the derby win over Manchester United, made it 3-1, which allowed his team-mates to ease up in the second half, knowing their place in the last-eight draw was assured. It also ensured Haaland joined Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane on top of the competition's scoring charts.

GOAL rates Man City's players from the Etihad Stadium…

GettyGoalkeeper & Defence

Ederson (5/10):

Beaten with the first shot he faced but later blocked a stinging effort from Magnus Mattsson.

Rico Lewis (6/10):

He has had brighter displays, including in this competition, and got pushed about a bit.

Manuel Akanji (7/10):

Got the ball rolling with a clever volley from Alvarez's corner, his fourth goal of the season. Switched to right-back when Stones entered.

Ruben Dias (7/10):

Commanded the defence astutely and was given an early rest for his efforts.

Josko Gvardiol (5/10):

Misplaced too many passes and Guardiola had a firm word with him during a pause in play. Not for the first time and unlikely to be the last.

AdvertisementGettyMidfield

Matheus Nunes (6/10):

Rarely looked in trouble but doesn't provide anything like the composure of Phil Foden or Bernardo Silva. Forced off with a painful-looking finger injury.

Rodri (7/10):

Bossed the midfield, played his part in two goals and then got a rest at half-time. Job done.

Mateo Kovacic (7/10):

Brushed off a nasty early challenge to take control of the game and took on more responsibility when Rodri came off.

GettyAttack

Julian Alvarez (7/10):

Set up Akanji's opener then scored his fifth Champions League goal of the season, albeit with a helping hand from Grabara.

Erling Haaland (7/10):

It was a quiet evening for the Norwegian compared with his five-goal salvo at this stage of last season's competition but still got his customary goal, exhibiting his brute strength.

Oscar Bobb (7/10):

Another bright performance from a player who is doing exactly what his coach wants him to do and more.

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Sergio Gomez (5/10):

Got a rare 45 minutes but could not make it count, seeing little of the ball.

John Stones (6/10):

Replaced Dias midway through the second half and helped City keep control.

Micah Hamilton (5/10):

Replaced Haaland in the 74th minute but couldn't add to the goals.

Jacob Wright (N/A):

Made his Champions League bow in the 87th minute.

Pep Guardiola (7/10):

Made seven changes to the team that beat United but his side still dominated.

The captain was proud of the way his squad rallied to end the tour on a high and hoped it would be a spark for more consistent performances away from home

Peter Della Penna in Lauderhill06-Aug-2018Saturday night in Florida, Bangladesh faced long odds to defeat the reigning T20 world champions.Not only were they 1-0 down after a series-opening loss in St Kitts, but Bangladesh were heading to a venue for the remaining matches where West Indies were not only undefeated but had recorded two of their three highest totals in the format: 209 for 2 against New Zealand in 2012, and 245 for 6 against India in August 2016.A little after midnight on Sunday, Bangladesh etched a page in their own history books by completing a remarkable comeback courtesy of a Lauderhill sweep of West Indies to win the T20I series 2-1. With 2.5 overs to go in the match and West Indies well behind the par score in the chase, a second rain interruption occurred, but the majority of the overwhelmingly partisan Bangladesh crowd stayed back even after the match was called off. They were rewarded with a victory lap through the rain led by captain Shakib Al Hasan who paid tribute to the crowd for giving his squad an emotional lift in a series win.”So many Bangladeshis, they came from different parts of the US,” Shakib said at the post-match presentation. “They were supposed to fly back today but they stayed back because we won yesterday. Thanks to them because we never felt like we were away from home. Obviously, it was a long series and in the end the support we got, I think they played as 12th man.”Shakib was declared the Man of the Series for the role he played in a stirring pair of victories in Florida. The captain scored 84 runs and took a combined 3 for 41 in eight overs across the final two wins, his bowling figures especially impressive considering the traditionally high-scoring venue. He said his 60 off 38 balls while batting first in the second T20I spurred him on to deliver with the ball as well.”I think I was batting well throughout this series,” Shakib said. “I was hitting the ball well. I think that gave me a lot of confidence. That helped me bowl well and captain well. I was planning to prepare myself as well as I can to perform well and as I said, really proud of the boys the way they showed their character.”Everyone, even the guys who are not playing put the hard yards, they are always in the game for the team. Whenever they are needed, they try to help the team out so nothing more I can ask from the team.”The captain was especially proud of the way the rest of the squad stepped up after being behind in the series heading into Lauderhill. The openers provided fiery starts with Tamim Iqbal scoring 74 off 44 in the second match and Liton Das hammering 61 off 32 in the decider. Mustafizur Rahman also took three wickets in each win.Nazmul Islam took 3 for 28 in the second match but suffered a freak injury on the third ball of his spell the next day when he got tangled up with Chadwick Walton at the non-striker’s end while attempting a diving stop to a straight drive from Marlon Samuels. Walton momentarily lost his balance after Islam’s dive resulted in a collision and he inadvertently stepped on Islam’s left hand, with the spikes producing a nasty gash to force Islam off the field for the rest of the night. But Soumya Sarkar stepped up to fill in his overs and struck two balls later to get Walton. It was emblematic of a collective team effort.”After losing the first game, we showed a lot of character,” Shakib said. “We had the belief that we can win matches. Everyone had that belief that we can come back strongly and win matches. We played against the world champions and the way all the boys showed their character, we take a lot of confidence from here on. Because our record doesn’t show this, it’s a great performance especially in T20 so from now on hopefully we can kick on.”The T20I series win was part of a limited-overs double for Bangladesh, having won the preceding ODI series 2-1 as well. Considering the way West Indies dominated Bangladesh in the two Test matches to start the tour in a 2-0 sweep, Shakib was proud of the way his squad rallied to end the tour and hoped it would be a spark for more consistent performances away from home.”We have been doing really well in ODIs for the last three-four years,” he said. “Since the 2015 World Cup I think we have been really good. This T20 series will give us a lot of confidence that we can beat the big teams and we know now how to win matches, especially tight, tight matches.”We kept on losing so many matches that went close but now we are starting to win. This is the confidence we can take. Obviously, we need to work on our Test cricket but obviously back home we are doing really well. Just now we have to go overseas and try to do our best and get some results.”

Manchester United defeated Sheffield United in the Premier League to make it three wins from four matches, but Erik ten Hag will not be satisfied with yet another uninspiring performance.

Oli McBurnie restored parity for the home side shortly after Scott McTominay continued his hot streak in front of goal with a fine strike.

There were discernible improvements after the break, with Diogo Dalot's stunning effort enough to bag the three points, though with Manchester City looming next weekend there is much work to be done.

How did Rasmus Hojlund perform vs Sheffield United?

The lack of fluidity hindered United for large spells and exciting striker Rasmus Hojlund was made to feel the brunt of a lack of service and effective supplementation.

Having signed from Atalanta for £72m in the summer, the Danish centre-forward has plundered three goals from two matches in the Champions League but is yet to get off the mark in the English top-flight after five contests.

As per Sofascore, the 20-year-old striker only took 16 touches in a non-existent display, though he did manage to weave through the half spaces and squandered two big chances, also winning just one out of five duels.

Hojlund's issues stemmed from the unimpressive supplemantion of midfielders such as Sofyan Amrabat, while offering glimpses of his impressive skill set, not producing the best performance that he is expected to forge for the Theatre of Dreams side.

How good was Sofyan Amrabat against Sheffield United?

Amrabat was not exactly dreadful at Bramall Lane, but he certainly didn't produce the awe-inspiring performance desired and contributed toward an insipid display.

Branded with a 5/10 match rating by Manchester Evening News' Samuel Luckhurst writing: 'Struggled to match the intensity and his use of the ball was often errant. Better when United had more of the ball and he smacked the upright.'

He took 78 touches and completed 84% of his total passes – including all four of his attempted long balls – but he failed to make a single key pass and was somewhat ineffective in the first half especially.

Booth said: 'Sofyan Amrabat is having the proverbial shocker. Doesn't look like he knows where he's supposed to be.'

The £65k-per-week Moroccan did start to produce a performance of greater merit after the break, but Ten Hag will currently be questioning if his central midfield boasts enough creativity at present.

That being said, the 26-year-old did underscore his defensive calibre by remarkably winning nine of his ten duels and making five tackles, corroborating on the pitch past claims of his "defensive instinct" by pundit Joe Cole.

The Old Trafford side's Dutch manager has options at his disposal, with Casemiro set to return soon after picking up an ankle knock on international duty with Brazil, but more is definitely needed.

The Red Devils have quality in abundance, players of offensive and defensive distinction both and evidence from last year that success is attainable.

It's worth remembering that Manchester United now have back-to-back victories ahead of the Manchester derby next weekend. Now it's just about making it click into gear.

Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez was sent off for dissent in the first half of his team's La Liga clash with Atletico Madrid.

Xavi rages at refereeSent off in first halfJoao Felix opens scoringGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Xavi was handed his marching orders at the Wanda Metropolitano Satdium after raging at the match official. The Barcelona boss was booked for protesting after seeing Robert Lewandowski go to ground under a challenge from Axel Witsel. Xavi then continued his protests after an apparent foul on Ilkay Gundogan and was shown a red card.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Xavi has been no stranger to yellow cards in what is his final season as Barcelona boss. The former midfielder has already served two touchline bans in the current campaign and now looks set for more time in the stands. The red card will be a blow for Xavi but his team's performance will provide plenty of cheer with Joao Felix, Robert Lewandowski and Fermin Lopez all on target.

Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

Atletico have lost all four games against Barcelona since Xavi Hernández took charge of the Catalan giants.

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WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA

Xavi and the Catalans will move into second place in the table with a win over Atletico. The Catalans' next La Liga fixture is against Las Palmas on Saturday, March 30.

On Saturday, the Red Devils return to the scene of one of their most devastating defeats in recent years, one that quickly changed their tactical plan

Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium is not normally a ground that inspires dread in opponents, but the sight of the small, modern arena on the edge of west London is likely to bring back harrowing memories for Erik ten Hag when Manchester United face the Bees on Saturday night. It has been more than 19 months since United's previous visit, but no one with any connection with the club is likely to forget it, especially those who played or sat in the dugout.

The shock 4-0 drubbing by Thomas Frank's side in the second game of last season was one of the worst results United have endured in the Premier League era, and it had a profound effect on Ten Hag.

The Dutchman was hired by United on the strength of his achievements with Ajax, who had dominated Dutch football and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League playing attractive, possession football. Ten Hag had sought to impose that style on United in his first pre-season at the helm, but the battering in Brentford, which followed an opening day defeat at home to Brighton, forced him to have an urgent and radical rethink.

Getty Targeted and torn apart

United had dominated possession against Brighton and did the same in their visit to Brentford, seeing 66 percent of the ball. However, they were ripped apart by their wily hosts, who hunted them in packs, robbed them of possession and pounced quickly and ruthlessly.

The Red Devils also played their part in their own downfall by making some horrendous individual mistakes. Cristiano Ronaldo was tackled in his own half for the opening goal and went down in a heap. Brentford quickly worked the ball to Josh Dasilva, whose tame low shot sneaked under the body of David de Gea.

It was the first of many dire errors from De Gea in what would prove to be his last season with United, as only a few minutes later the Spaniard made another mistake, passing out to Christian Eriksen, who was dispossessed, allowing Mathias Jensen to strike from close range.

Brentford's third goal was helped by chaotic marking from a corner, with Diogo Dalot and Lisandro Martinez misjudging the flight of the ball and losing headers, leading to Ben Mee nodding home. Soon after, Bryan Mbeumo scored Brentford's fourth goal in the space of 25 minutes, this one coming from a counter-attack launched from deep in their own penalty box.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesRipping up the playbook

The defeat had two short-term ramifications. Firstly, Ten Hag cancelled the players' scheduled day off and made them run 14km, the difference in distance cover by United during the match compared to Brentford. In a show of solidarity, the Dutchman ran with the players.

The second ripple effect was that the club made two emergency and very expensive transfers, signing Casemiro from Real Madrid days later and then Antony from Ajax, costing the club around £155m ($195m) in transfer fees.

But the biggest impact was on the team's style of play. Ten Hag quickly decided to dispense with the style he had devised in his first few weeks in charge and instead played it safe, opting for a reactive, direct style not too dissimilar to that of his predecessors Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Jose Mourinho.

In United's next game against Liverpool, they had just 29.5% of the ball. But the difference was they beat Jurgen Klopp's side 2-1. The trend continued, albeit to varying degrees, against Southampton, Leicester and Arsenal, winning each time.

United ended up finishing last season third in the Premier League but ranked sixth in terms of average possession, having 53.8% of the ball per game. They ranked seventh on goals scored, with 59, as many as Brentford. They also came seventh in passing accuracy.

Getty Onana's limited impact

There was expectation that United would become a more expansive, more possession-focused team in Ten Hag's second season, especially after the club ruthlessly cut ties with De Gea and brought in Andre Onana, the Dutchman's goalkeeper from his Ajax days who was widely admired for his ability to play out from the back.

But Onana has not helped United radically change their style. While he has been willing to take risks with the ball and has occasionally been burned, such as against Galatasaray in the Champions League, he has often had to resort to pumping the ball downfield due to the reluctance of his defenders to progress the ball from their own area.

The Cameroonian has helped United score one goal, Marcus Rashford's stunner against Manchester City earlier this month, but that was from a long kick out of his hands that was chested down by Bruno Fernandes, not an intricate passing move he had engineered.

Only Martinez of United's defenders is comfortable enough in possession to work with Onana, and he has missed much of the campaign. Incidentally, the Argentine could make his comeback from a knee injury against Brentford.

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Getty ImagesHonouring United's DNA

Despite Onana's arrival, the move away from possession football has not only continued into Ten Hag's second season, it has accelerated. United are currently ranked ninth in terms of possession, with 50.1% per game. Ten Hag has addressed the change in style and been frank about it.

When asked during an interview with last October when his United side would start playing like his Ajax team, he gave an emphatic response: "Never. We will never play that football. Because those were different players. This is also not why I came here. We are playing different football than I showed at Ajax because I have to, because I can’t play the same way.

"That is not in the DNA of Manchester United at all. The football at Ajax is very typical, here we will play much more directly. We also have the players for that, especially in attack."

Ten Hag's words took many by surprise and were widely criticised as him giving up on imposing his style on the Red Devils. But he was also speaking the truth; United have always had a direct style of based on quick wing play, harking back to the days of Sir Matt Busby's teams of the 1950s and 1960s.

Sir Alex Ferguson's first great side were renowned for their counter-attacking through wingers Ryan Giggs and Andrei Kanchelskis, while David Beckham and later Cristiano Ronaldo continued that tradition. Ferguson was also known for his pragmatism in the biggest matches and would rarely play on the front foot against the top opponents, even when at Old Trafford.

Louis van Gaal was the one manager who successfully managed to get United to play possession football, but the abiding memory of his two years in charge is one of boredom. Indeed, fans were so apathetic about the sideways passing that was routinely being served up that the club began to worry that many would not renew their season tickets.