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da roleta： A Alemanha ainda respira na Copa do Mundo. Depois da vitória da Costa Rica sobre o Japão na manhã deste domingo (27), a equipe viu as chances de ser eliminada precocemente já nesta rodada acabarem. Depois do empate em 1 a 1 com a Espanha, esses são os resultados que os germânicos precisam para chegarem nas oitavas de final.

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+ TUDO O QUE ROLA NO QATAR: Acompanhe o dia a dia das seleções e as notícias mais importantes da principal competição esportiva

Em primeiro lugar, o único resultado possível para os alemães é a vitória sobre a Costa Rica, na última rodada da chave, na próxima quinta-feira (1/12), às 16h (de Brasília).

Com os três prontos do hipotético triunfo, os germânicos chegarão à quatro. E aí é torcer.

Se a Espanha vencer o Japão, a Alemanha estará classificada.

Em caso de empate entre espanhóis e japoneses, a Alemanha teria de vencer a Costa Rica por pelo menos dois gols para avançar às oitavas de final à frente do Japão, que terá o mesmo número de pontos.

Se o Japão vencer a Espanha, contudo, a coisa aperta. Somente uma goleada germânica garantiria ela no mata-mata da Copa, já que os espanhóis possuem sete gols de saldo pela goleada histórica aplicada na Costa Rica na primeira rodada.

Como diria um famoso narrador brasileiro, haja coração!

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A maiden T20 century by Rishi Patel powered Leicestershire Foxes to an impressive six-wicket Vitality Blast victory over Durham at the Uptonsteel County Ground, Grace Road.The 24-year-old right-hand bat – dropped on 38 – struck 103 from 49 balls with 12 fours and four sixes as the Foxes cruised home with 14 balls to spare with comfortably their most emphatic performances of an otherwise dismal season to date, Lewis Hill hitting the winning runs to finish on an unbeaten 54 from 41 balls.It was Durham’s second defeat by Leicestershire in six days although the Foxes remain bottom of the North Group table, having lost their other six games.Aussie Ashton Turner’s unbeaten 60 from 38 balls lifted Durham’s total to a challenging 172 for 4 against a makeshift Foxes bowling attack from which key man Naveen ul-Haq was missing though injury. Ollie Robinson made 30 from 31 balls and Graham Clark 27 from just 14 in the powerplay but spinner Callum Parkinson (2 for 21) and teenage pace bowler Josh Hull (1 for 26) made sure that the visitors were never able to dominate.Asked to bat first, Durham posted 59 for 2 from the opening block of six, 35 of those runs coming in two overs after the visitors went hard against the two new faces in the Foxes attack, with Matt Salisbury and Tom Scriven drafted in for their county Blast debuts after injuries to Mikey Finan and Will Davis as well as Afghan international Naveen.Salisbury, who did not play in the Blast during his four years at Durham but made eight appearances for Essex in 2014, took a wicket with his fifth ball against his ex-team-mates when Alex Lees swung optimistically and was bowled, but took some punishment in his second over as Clark and Michael Jones plundered 17 runs, the pair having taken 18 off Scriven in the previous over, although Clark survived a difficult chance to point on four.Hull finished the powerplay well for the Foxes as Jones miscued to mid-on and when left-arm spinner Parkinson produced a fine, full delivery to trap Clark in the crease in the next over, Durham were 61 for 3. At halfway, with Colin Ackermann and Rehan Ahmed applying the squeeze, they were 80 for 3, advancing to 112 for 4 from 15 overs after Parkinson made another big breakthrough, bowling Robinson to register his 100th Blast wicket for the county.The Foxes would have been disappointed not to claim more wickets in the last five, which saw Turner and Bas de Leede swell the total by 62 runs, both clearing the ropes of Rehan’s legspin, but Hull, the 18-year-old left-arm quick of whom they have high hopes, produced an impressive final over costing just eight runs to finish with 1 for 26.Needing to score at 8.65 runs per over, the home side suffered an immediate setback, losing Nick Welch to the fifth ball of their reply as he missed an attempted sweep against left-arm spinner Liam Trevaskis, but recovered well, with Hill pulling and scooping profitably and Patel hitting powerfully down the ground, to be 69 for 1 from six, although the latter had an escape when Ben Raine dropped what should have been a straightforward chance at wide long-on.Back-to-back boundaries off Turner took Patel to a 21-ball half-century and two more off legspinner Nathan Sowter’s next over brought the target down to 70 with 70 balls remaining.And there was no holding the Foxes back on this occasion with Patel in destructive mood, needing just 24 more balls to reach his hundred, getting there his second six in three balls over wide long-on off Sowter, and although it all ended anticlimactically in the next over as an ill-advised decision to go for a second run to de Leede at midwicket off Wayne Parnell saw him run out.Nonetheless, the home side went into the final five overs needing just 21 to win and though Parnell dismissed Colin Ackermann, who chopped on, and Louis Kimber, caught behind, with consecutive balls, to induce a little anxiety in the home crowd, only 14 more were needed, Hill finishing the job by pulling Sowter for his third six before driving the same bowler through extra cover for four next ball.

After losing the first Test to Pakistan, Sri Lanka are determined to “come out harder” in the second, says coach Chris Silverwood

Andrew Fidel Fernando23-Jul-2023

“There’s no hiding from it – we need to improve our fielding,” Chris Silverwood said•AFP/Getty Images

In the days since their loss in Galle, Sri Lanka have been through an honest appraisal through their many flaws in the first Test.This is according to their coach Chris Silverwood, who highlighted fielding and bowling as particular areas for improvement.But they need to improve in “all three departments”, he said. After the loss in Galle, captain Dimuth Karunaratne had also highlighted the twin failures of Sri Lanka’s top order, after they had been 54 for 4 in the first innings, and 99 for 4 in the second.Related

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“There are certain areas that we need to improve on, fielding being one of them,” Silverwood said one day before the second Test, in Colombo (SSC). Sri Lanka missed at least three clear-cut chances in the first Test. “There’s no hiding from it – we need to improve our fielding. There’s progression in that department. We analysed the last Test match, and if we’re honest, I think we fell short in all three departments.”I think it’s part of learning as a group, we have to be honest with ourselves and reflect inwards. Without pointing fingers out we have to be honest with ourselves.”Sri Lanka have serious ambitions of playing the next final of the World Test Championship (WTC), and a loss in Galle is about as poor a start to the new WTC cycle as could have been hoped for. Despite that rough start, the desire to make a mark on the WTC remains, Silverwood said.”The motivation is there. The players know how important it is to be picking up WTC points. And they know how important it is to be winning at home as well. The pride is there to do that. The motivation’s there. We have to continually do that all the time.1:24

Decoding Abdullah Shafique’s mind-blowing catch at short leg

“The determination is there that this game they’ll come out harder. I want to see them come out of their shells and express themselves and have the confidence to show how good they are.”On the batting front, Sri Lanka will have to contend with Pakistan’s seamers – Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah – again. In the first Test, they were outstanding in the first session of the match, and returned frequently with the old ball to deliver testing spells of reverse-swing.”First of all, we have to accept that the two fast bowlers Pakistan have are very good,” Silverwood said. “They are very good at their craft and have good pace. And they don’t give many runs away. The one thing they can do is hammer a length hard, skilfully, time and time again. And their bouncers are accurate. We have to give them a lot of credit for the way they operate. I think they make life difficult for any batting line-up anywhere in the world.””We have to be ultra-positive. I’m not saying we go out to slog or anything like that. We have to make sure our footwork is positive and our decision-making is strong. And that we find a way of combating these guys.”

Tara Norris, Amelia Kerr share five wickets as Spirit strangle home side for first win

Matt Roller15-Aug-2023London Spirit clinched their first win of the season to leave their rivals Oval Invincibles’ bid for a three-peat in tatters, battling back from 53 for 6 and 87 for 9 to defend 118. The back-to-back champions are three points behind third-placed Northern Superchargers, and need not only to win their last two games but to hope other results go their way.Invincibles were in control of the game after taking early wickets. Suzie Bates – captaining for the rest of the season with Dane van Niekerk sidelined – used Marizanne Kapp aggressively: she bowled 15 of the first 20 balls, and 20 of the first 35.And she struck twice early, bowling Niamh Holland and taking a return catch off Heather Knight, and when she completed her allocation, Spirit were 37 for 4 after 35 balls. Spinners Mady Villiers and Sophia Smale strangled Spirit through the middle and when the ninth wicket fell, Spirit were 87 for 9 with 22 balls left in the innings.But Tara Norris and Lauren Filer, Spirit’s No. 10 and 11, ensured that they not only avoided being bowled out, but had a total to defend. In the final set of five balls, Filer hit Alice Capsey for a straight six and a four through mid-off, breaking the record for the highest 10th-wicket stand in the women’s Hundred (31*) in the process.Filer was an unlikely source of runs. She has one senior half-century for Western Storm but admitted afterwards: “I don’t like batting.” She said: “I feel like I’m a ‘go big or go home’ type of batter, but I’ve obviously had to work technically on it as well. Tara has to take credit as well. The first eight or nine balls, I couldn’t find the middle but in that last set of five, I found it.”And Invincibles never got going in the chase. It took until the 20th ball for them to hit a boundary, by which time Lauren Winfield-Hill had holed out to deep midwicket, and Capsey’s cameo of 11 off 6 balls was not the innings they required, with van Niekerk’s absence leaving them light on batting.Bates struggled to time the ball, hitting a solitary boundary in her anchoring innings of 24 off 34, and while Kapp showed her more intent in hitting Filer back over her head for consecutive boundaries, she was the only batter to adjust to the demands of a slow pitch.Sophia Smale picked up two cheap wickets•PA Photos/Getty Images

After Bates sliced Charlie Dean to short third, shortly after the strategic timeout, Kapp had a life: she spooned Norris’ slower ball up towards the edge of the ring, but Knight dropped a tough chance over her shoulder, running back from cover-point. Paige Scholfield fell three balls later, holing out to long-on.Kapp had another life on 28 when Richa Ghosh dropped an under-edge and failed to gather for a stumping chance, but skied a catch behind two balls later. Invincibles were well beaten, eventually bowled out off the final ball of the innings when Amelia Kerr held a blinding return catch to finish with 3 for 16.”We’re ecstatic,” Filer said. “We’ve had rain every game and it’s been up and down. We just needed to come the other side of the river! It’s one of those things. We’ve got a few tough games coming up but we’ve take this going forwards.” Spirit are mathematically still in contention, but need to win their final three games.For Invincibles, van Nierkerk’s absence proved too much to overcome. “It’s a massive hole to fill – she’s such a good batter, as well as a leader,” Smale said. “But I don’t think we should be relying on Dane: we’ve got some really good domestic players in that middle order that have stepped up really well. It’s obviously massive to lose her.”They need to beat Southern Brave in Southampton on Saturday but their title defence looks all but over.

Manchester United and Leicester City face off in the FA Cup this Friday evening, with the Red Devils’ quest to retain the famous domestic trophy continuing at Old Trafford.

United, who defeated Manchester City in the final last year, come up against former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was actually in interim charge at Old Trafford earlier this season.

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1 ByRoss Kilvington May 12, 2025

Both clubs have struggled in the Premier League this season, making the FA Cup a welcome distraction and a real chance to save their campaign with silverware.

Man Utd v Leicester City team news Man Utd

The Red Devils were without Jonny Evans, Mason Mount and Luke Shaw last time out, and none of the trio look likely to feature at Old Trafford on Friday. A first appearance for January signing Patrick Dorgu could be one to keep an eye on, though.

United were also handed a new serious injury concern to Lisandro Martinez, who was stretched off against Crystal Palace and looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Leicester City

Long-term absentees at Leicester City are Issahaku Fatawu, Ricardo Pereira, Nathaniel Opoku and Wilfred Ndidi, however, Ndidi has been back in training and van Nistelrooy has confirmed the Nigerian will return to the squad against Man Utd.

When asked about any more injuries, van Nistelrooy said: “There are two or three with light injuries who will be assessed.”

Where to watch Man Utd v Leicester City on TV

For viewers in the UK, the game will be shown live on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player on Friday 7 February with kick-off at 8pm (GMT).

In the USA, the match will be streamed on ESPN+, and in Canada, live on TV with channel Sportsnet.

Man Utd v Leicester City referee and is there VAR?

Interestingly, the FA has decided this season that VAR will only be introduced from the fifth round of the FA Cup onwards, meaning fans won’t have to worry about it on Friday evening.

The man whose decision will be final is referee Michael Salisbury. He will be assisted by Matthew Wilkes and Steven Meredith, with Thomas Bramall as the fourth official.

Salisbury has taken charge of four games for both clubs, and as can be seen, the Red Devils enjoy having the 40-year-old as the man in the middle with a 100% win ratio.

Games

4

4

Record

4W, 0D, 0L

1W, 0D, 3L

Cards received

3 Yellow, 0 Red

12 Yellow, 0 Red

Cards to opponents

6 Yellow, 0 Red

7 Yellow, 0 Red

Penalties for/against

1/0

0/0

Man Utd v Leicester City form Man Utd

Ruben Amorim’s side have struggled for consistency at Old Trafford, highlighted by recent Premier League defeats at Old Trafford to Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace.

The Red Devils began 2025 in positive fashion with a draw at Liverpool and an FA Cup triumph at Arsenal, as well as qualifying for the last 16 of the Europa League.

Date

Opponent

Competition

Result

Sun 2nd Feb

Crystal Palace (h)

Premier League

L 0-2

Thu 30th Jan

FCSB (a)

Europa League

W 0-2

Sun 26th Jan

Fulham (a)

Premier League

W 0-1

Thu 23rd Jan

Rangers (h)

Europa League

W 2-1

Sun 19th Jan

Brighton (h)

Premier League

L 1-3

Leicester City

Things haven’t exactly gone to plan for van Nistelrooy at the King Power Stadium so far, with the Foxes coming into the cup encounter off the back of a heavy 4-0 defeat to Everton.

The highlight of 2025 was certainly the 2-1 win at Tottenham which took them out of the relegation zone, however, they are now back in the bottom three and in real danger of an immediate return to the Championship.

Date

Opponent

Competition

Result

Sat 1st Feb

Everton (a)

Premier League

L 4-0

Sun 26th Jan

Tottenham (a)

Premier League

W 1-2

Sat 18th Jan

Fulham (h)

Premier League

L 0-2

Wed 15th Jan

Crystal Palace (h)

Premier League

L 0-2

Sat 11th Jan

QPR (h)

FA Cup

W 6-2

Man Utd v Leicester City head-to-head

This will be just the fourth time these two sides have faced off against each other in the FA Cup. The first two meetings were back in 1963 and 1976, both won by the Red Devils.

The last FA Cup clash was in 2021 at the quarter-final stages, where Leicester ran out 3-1 winners thanks to two goals from Kelechi Iheanacho and one from Youri Tielemans. Overall, though, Manchester United have more wins against Leicester throughout history.

Man Utd wins

72

Draws

31

Leicester City wins

36

The PCB’s proposed hybrid model for the Asia Cup is likely to be approved by the Asian Cricket Council

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2023The PCB’s proposed hybrid model for the Asia Cup is likely to be approved by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), with Sri Lanka as the neutral venue where India can play their games. The model sees four – and possibly five – of the tournament’s 13 games being played in Pakistan. All the India-Pakistan games will be played in Sri Lanka, as will the final if India is involved.ESPNcricinfo understands an official announcement is likely after the weekend. The window set aside for the tournament currently is between September 1-17. For the Pakistan leg, the games are likely to be played in Lahore.The likely approval represents a significant breakthrough in an impasse which has not only dragged on for some time but has also threatened fallout for ICC events, most pressingly the World Cup in India this year but also the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan. There is a possibility now that an agreement here could ease Pakistan’s path to traveling to India for the World Cup.The hybrid model was proposed as a solution due to India and Pakistan unwilling to travel to the other’s country. India’s refusal to tour Pakistan prompted Pakistan to go with this model in order to retain the hosting rights.Pakistan initially offered UAE as a second venue citing the lucrative opportunity for gate receipts during Pakistan-India matches in the tournament, but Bangladesh raised concerns over the extreme weather in the middle east in September.The PCB head Najam Sethi had presented details of the hybrid model to Pankaj Khimji, head of Oman Cricket and the ACC’s vice-president, in a meeting in Dubai a couple of weeks ago. It was the solution the PCB had proposed to account for the fact that India will not travel to Pakistan for the tournament because of ongoing political tensions between the governments of the two countries.Those political ties have led to a long and cumbersome path to this solution – the PCB, as appointed hosts, have been keen to ensure that at least part of the tournament is played in Pakistan. The UAE was in the running as a neutral venue, and Sri Lanka was keen to host the entire tournament. At one stage the BCB and SLC had said no to a hybrid model.India and Pakistan have been grouped together along with Nepal in the six-nation Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in the 50-over format as preparation for the World Cup. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are in the other group.A total of 13 matches, including the final, are expected be played across 13 days. Like the format from 2022, it is expected that the top two teams from each group will advance to a Super 4s round, before the top two teams from that contest the final. That leaves open the possibility of India and Pakistan playing each other three times, should they make the final.

Hampshire 330 (Organ 97, Abbott 89, Bashir 3-88) and 34 for 2 trail Somerset 500 (Rew 221, Aldridge 88, Bess 54, Abbott 4-56, Dawson 4-118) by 136 runsFelix Organ and Kyle Abbott produced a ninth-wicket stand of 177 to boost Hampshire’s prospects of avoiding defeat on the third day of the LV= County Championship match with Somerset at Taunton.The visitors had slumped to 152 for 8, replying to 500, from an overnight 58 for two when Abbott strode to the crease to strike 89 not out off 152 balls, including 15 fours and a six. Organ contributed a more measured, but equally valuable 97.Hampshire were eventually bowled out for 330, teenaged offspinner Shoaib Bashir claiming 3 for 88 from 31 overs. They were invited to follow-on 170 behind and reached 34 for 2 in their second innings by the close.The day began with a big moment for 19-year-old Somerset left-arm seamer Alfie Ogborne, who claimed his maiden first-class wicket on debut with the fifth ball of the opening over when James Vince, on 16, edged to Tom Lammonby at third slip.Soon it was 64 for 4 as the next over saw Nick Gubbins edge Jack Brooks to wicketkeeper James Rew who held a low diving catch.At 80 for 4, Somerset introduced another 19-year-old in the tall Bashir, from the River End. He wasted no time dismissing Liam Dawson, who slog-swept a catch to deep midwicket and James Fuller, bowled playing down the wrong line.Hampshire were suddenly 88 for 6. Ben Brown and Organ were forced to play cautiously, although Organ cleared the short boundary on the town side of ground with a slog-sweep off Bashir.The pair put together a half-century stand in 121 balls. By the time rain took the players off on the stroke of lunch, Hampshire had reached 138 for six.Brown fell for 39 in the first over after the interval, getting an inside edge onto his stumps to give Ogborne a second wicket. Kasey Aldridge then had Keith Barker caught behind for 12, and the batting side were in deep trouble, still 348 behind.But Organ had settled meticulously to his task and found a reliable partner in Abbott, who brought up the 200 by lofting Bashir back over his head for four.Organ struck two more sixes on his way to a patient half-century, which occupied 148 balls, and the pair were still together when the second new ball was taken at 241 for 8 after 80 overs. Just before it was taken, Organ appeared to survive a sharp chance to short-leg off Dom Bess.Abbott looked untroubled in moving to a 76-ball fifty, including 10 fours, and advanced the total to 250 with a single in the same over from Brooks. Another Abbott four, off Ogborne, took the ninth-wicket stand into three figures from 146 balls and by tea Hampshire had progressed to 258 for 8.The new ball had little effect and an Organ sweep for six over midwicket off Bashir earned his side a second batting point before Abbott’s 14th four took the stand to 150. It was already the highest ever for Hampshire’s ninth wicket against Somerset, beating the 135 put together by Nigel Cowley and Bob Stephenson at Taunton in 1977.Finally, with the total on 329, Somerset broke through as Organ advanced down the pitch to Bashir, who cleverly adjusted his length to beat the outside edge and provide Rew with a simple stumping.Organ looked crestfallen as he dragged himself off the pitch, having worked so hard to keep his team in the game. He had battled away for four hours and 25 minutes, facing 206 balls and hitting nine fours and five sixes.Abbott was also denied a deserved hundred when last man Mohammad Abbas was pinned lbw by Bess for a duck. There were only 14 overs left in the day and Somerset skipper Tom Abell enforced the following on, probably reasoning that his bowling attack could soon rest tired limbs ahead of another assault in the morning.Abbott was sent out to open the Hampshire second innings with Fletcha Middleton and had made 15 when giving a waist-high return catch with the score on 31. Joe Weatherley edged Bess through to Rew with only a single added and Organ walked out at No. 4 with his team back in the mire.

أكد ألفارو كاريراس ظهير ريال مدريد المنضم من صفوف بنفيكا البرتغالي أنه سيكون مستعدًا لبدء منافسات الموسم الجديد مع فريقه.

وكان ريال مدريد قد أعلن في وقت سابق من الشهر الماضي عن تعاقده مع ألفارو كاريراس، والذي وقع على عقد يربطه بناديه الجديد حتى عام 2031 مقابل 50 مليون يورو.

اقرأ أيضاً.. فينيسيوس يلهمه.. لاعب ريال مدريد يرفض الاستسلام وينتظر فرصته مع ألونسو

وفي تصريحات للموقع الرسمي لنادي ريال مدريد، قال كاريراس: “سعيد للغاية، أخيرًا انضممت للفريق مع جميع زملائي، نستعد لما هو قادم”.

وأضاف عن ما يراه في زملائه الجدد: “أرى تواضعًا من الجميع، روح الفريق الواحد والجودة العالية، فوجئت بأن جميع اللاعبين على مستوى عالي وهذا ما توقعته”.

وواصل عن مدربه تشابي ألونسو: “إنه قوي والأهم من ذلك لديه أفكار واضحة وهذا ما يعجبني، إنه يقوم بالأشياء بالطريقة الصحيحة، ويطلب مني المساعدة في الهجوم والدفاع”.

وحول الفترة التحضيرية للموسم الجديد: “علينا أن نكون مستعدين ومركزين، والتعرف على بعضنا البعض، ونعمل معاً، وهذا ما سيقودنا للفوز بالألقاب”.

واختتم عن ظهوره الأول المنتظر في ملعب سانتياجو برنابيو: “هذا ما أحلم به، لقد ارتديت قميص ريال مدريد التدريبي وشعاره، لكني أتطلع بشوق لهذا اليوم الذي سألعب فيه في ملعبنا”.

GOAL has learned that the Chilean is not part of André Jardine’s plans for the Apertura 2025

Article continues below

Article continues below

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• América paid $11 million for Diego Valdés in 2022 to Santos Laguna

• Has recorded 38 goals and 31 assists in 135 appearances for the Coapa side

• He is currently valued at $4.5 million, according to Transfermarkt

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  GOAL has learned that Diego Valdés is not part of André Jardine’s plans for the upcoming Apertura 2025 season, signaling that the Chilean midfielder is likely in his final weeks at Club América. But despite
  growing speculation about a potential exit, Valdés' agent, Gastón González, said there has been no official communication from the club regarding a departure. Speaking to Diario AS in Chile, González emphasized that Valdés remains committed to the Águilas – at least for now.

  "América hasn't told me they want to part ways with Diego. He's an attractive player because of his performance and experience in the Mexican league, but for now, there's nothing official," González said. He also acknowledged that the rumors may be fueled by the reduced minutes Valdés has seen during the Clausura 2025.

  Valdés' role at Club América has diminished this year. He missed the start of the Clausura 2025 while considering his future after receiving interest from Toluca. Although he is no longer viewed as a key figure under Jardine, a wave of injuries and América’s involvement in the Champions Cup temporarily opened the door for him to rejoin the rotation.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  With a contract running through December 2025, América is reportedly looking to place Valdés with another club.

  Meanwhile, are preparing for the Liguilla quarterfinals, awaiting their opponent from the Play-In match between Monterrey and Pachuca. Valdés continues training with the team and remains focused on winning another title with América.

  Valdés, who has been a key player in past tournaments, has seen limited action this season, which has fueled media speculation.“The press speculates a lot because they were used to seeing Diego play 80 or 85 percent of the minutes. I think that’s where the rumors start,” his agent explained.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  América paid $11 million for Diego Valdés in 2022 to Santos Laguna. Since then, the Chilean has become a fan favorite at the club, recording 38 goals and 31 assists in 135 appearances for the Coapa side. Valdés has also been a key presence on the field and played an important role in América’s historic three-peat championship run.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR CLUB AMÉRICA?

  The Águilas will be keeping a close eye on the TV this Sunday when Monterrey and Pachuca face off in the Play-In match, as the winner will go on to face América in the Quarterfinals on May 7 or 8. Meanwhile, held a friendly match this Saturday at Coapa to stay in rhythm ahead of the Liguilla.

The Pakistan captain is relishing the opportunity to play India in front of what is expected to be a record crowd in Ahmedabad

Danyal Rasool26-Sep-2023

Babar Azam addresses a press conference before Pakistan’s departure to India•AFP via Getty Images

Pakistan may have endured a tumultuous Asia Cup campaign where they finished last in the Super Four stage, but Babar Azam was keen to remind everyone they were the top-ranked ODI side in the world just days earlier. And while Pakistan missed out on a semi-final spot at the last ODI World Cup, Babar was adamant that their goal this time around was not just making it to the top four but going beyond.”The top four is a small goal for us,” he said at a pre-departure press conference. “We want to come out as winners. We did not have enough time to put together a camp before the World Cup because we had been playing for too long continuously. Instead, we gave the players a break so they could come back refreshed and with the hunger to win. You play well when you have that hunger.”Before the last two games in the Asia Cup, we were doing really well with the same team. Although we could not deliver the way we could, we have learned from our mistakes, as individuals and as a team. We have discussed all our mistakes as a team with the support staff and put it behind us. Asia Cup was a different tournament, the World Cup is entirely different.”Related

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Pakistan squad receive visas less than 48 hours before flying out to India

Hasan Ali replaces injured Naseem Shah in Pakistan's World Cup squad

The build-up to the tournament has been rife with on and off-field disruptions for Pakistan. A side that looked among the favourites just weeks ago has had to play whack-a-mole with issues that began to suddenly snowball. A chastening defeat to India at the Asia Cup was followed by injuries to Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, with the former being ruled out of the World Cup. Shadab Khan’s loss of form has also led Pakistan to shore up their legspin ranks by retaining Usama Mir rather than Faheem Ashraf.In addition, problems off the pitch have also rumbled along in the background. Pakistan were forced to cancel a training and bonding camp in Dubai before the World Cup because visas to India were not finalised until Monday, less than 48 hours before the team was due to depart for the tournament. To boot, the players and the PCB remain in a deadlock, which is now approaching its fourth month, over the signing of new central contracts.”We try our best to block out the noise and play with our 100% attention,” Babar said. “I try to make sure that the noise does not get to the team and I handle all issues I can outside the dressing room. The visas are now here, so we are good to go. As far as the contracts are concerned, they are still being negotiated, but we are hopeful we will get a good outcome as I believe the PCB always has our interests at heart.”There is no ill will in the dressing room. There are discussions after every loss but they get twisted into something else entirely [in the media]. The entire team is like a family and there is love and respect there.”Pakistan’s clash against India, on October 14 in Ahmedabad, remains a major talking point. Even the professionally media-trained Babar wasn’t able to hide his excitement at the prospect of playing in front of a potentially record crowd in Ahmedabad. Despite going much of the press conference stressing that this World Cup was about the whole competition and not just one marquee game, he couldn’t help drawing attention to the very game he had earlier tried to downplay when asked about his personal goals.”I am excited to play in Ahmedabad as it will be jam-packed,” Babar said. “I will try my best to perform up to my potential. Whenever you are playing a big tournament, it is a very exciting opportunity. It is a chance to become a hero as every World Cup performance gives you a different kind of confidence. Everyone is at their best during the World Cup, so whenever you perform there, it is an altogether different feeling. Performances come when you do not take pressure.”But Babar was quick to rein himself back in. “I am not worried about my individual accolades,” he said, settling back into that familiar rhythm. “I want to make sure whatever I do helps the result for the team.”And with that, he was off, to be seen next in India, virgin territory to be trod for all but two of his team-mates. Pakistan were vocal about their desire not to play in Ahmedabad a few weeks ago, but it says something about their captain’s ambitions that he’s now adamant he wants to lead his team out in that stadium twice.