واصل نادي اتحاد جدة سلسلة انتصاراته في دوري روشن السعودي، بعد أن تغلب على ضيفه الاتفاق بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين.

جاء ذلك في اللقاء الذي أُقيم مساء اليوم على ملعب مدينة الملك عبدالله الرياضية (الجوهرة المشعة)، ضمن منافسات الجولة التاسعة والعشرين من عمر المسابقة.

بدأت المباراة بإثارة مبكرة، حيث افتتح فيتينيو التسجيل للاتفاق في الدقيقة الخامسة، مستغلًا ارتباكًا في دفاع الاتحاد، ليمنح فريقه أفضلية مبكرة، إلا أن رد أصحاب الأرض جاء سريعًا، عندما أدرك دانيلو بيريرا التعادل للاتحاد في الدقيقة 11 بعد كرة ثابتة مُحكمة التنفيذ.

ترتيب الدوري السعودي بعد تعادل الهلال مع الشباب

وواصل الاتحاد ضغطه الهجومي، ليتمكن النجم الفرنسي كريم بنزيما من تسجيل الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 35، بعد تمريرة متقنة وضعته في مواجهة المرمى، أسكنها الشباك بثقة.

وقبل نهاية الشوط الأول، وبالتحديد في الدقيقة الثانية من الوقت بدل الضائع، عزز حسام عوار تقدم “العميد” بهدف ثالث بتسديدة قوية من داخل منطقة الجزاء.

في الشوط الثاني، حاول الاتفاق العودة إلى المباراة، وتمكن بالفعل من تقليص الفارق في الدقيقة 83، بعد أن سجّل دانيلو بيريرا بالخطأ في مرمى فريقه، مانحًا الاتفاق الهدف الثاني، لكن الوقت لم يسعف الفريق الضيف لتعديل النتيجة.

بهذا الفوز، رفع الاتحاد رصيده إلى 68 نقطة في صدارة ترتيب دوري روشن، محققًا فوزه الحادي والعشرين، مقابل 5 تعادلات و3 هزائم، مؤكدًا استمراره في المنافسة على اللقب بثبات.

في المقابل، تجمد رصيد الاتفاق عند 40 نقطة في المركز السابع في ترتيب الدوري السعودي، بعد أن تلقى الهزيمة الحادية عشرة، مقابل 11 فوزًا و7 تعادلات.

Manchester United claimed a third straight Europa League victory last night, beating Viktoria Plzen 2-1 in yet another hard-fought game of little quality.

Ruben Amorim’s side were rescued by substitute Rasmus Hojlund who came off the bench and scored a double, securing the three points for the Red Devils.

The result undoubtedly massively boosts their chances of securing automatic qualification come the end of the league phase, albeit despite the unconvincing display in the Czech Republic.

It’s safe to say that the 39-year-old has his work cut out after his first few weeks in the job, undoubtedly working out his best starting XI in the process.

Last night’s display certainly highlighted numerous players who may no longer have a future at Old Trafford should they continue in the same manner going forward.

Marcus Rashford’s stats for United against Plzen

Attacker Marcus Rashford has scored three goals since the appointment of Amorim but has still failed to recapture his best form from a couple of seasons ago.

The appointment of the former Portugal international has seen him feature in numerous attacking roles, including behind the striker or as the out-and-out centre forward.

Last night, he operated in the former, but like his recent couple of outings, the 27-year-old failed to take advantage of the trust shown in him by Amorim once again.

He featured for just 56 minutes before being replaced, highlighting his lack of impact and failing to offer the attacking threat the fanbase has often desired in recent months.

The Englishman only had 40 touches, achieving an 80% pass completion rate, but failing to register a single effort on goal – with goalscoring Hojlund coming on in his place.

Rashford was also caught offside once and collected a booking for his troubles, resulting in his early withdrawal from the encounter.

However, he wasn’t the only Red Devils player to produce an evening to forget, with one of his teammates also failing to impress after being recalled to the starting lineup.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The Man United player who was as bad as Rashford

Striker Joshua Zirkzee arrived with big expectations after his £36.5m move from Bologna in the summer, but up to now, he’s failed to deliver the goods in the final third.

The Dutchman has only notched three goals, failing to add to his tally in the victory in Plzen and handing supporters more of a reason to be discontent with their summer dealings.

He came into the starting lineup for Hojlund, but like Rashford, was taken off early in the second half as United looked to secure the win having being a goal down.

Joshua Zirkzee stats for United against Viktoria Plzen
Statistics	Tally
Games played	61
Touches	50
Pass accuracy	22/33 (67%)
Duels won	5/13 (38%)
Possession lost	19x
Shots taken	1
Fouls committed	1
Stats via SofaScore

Leaving his manager in “dismay” as quoted by the Mirror’s David McDonnell, Zirkzee featured for just 61 minutes but looked extremely wasteful in possession, completing 22 out of the 33 passes he attempted, a completion rate of just 67%.

He also only won five of the 13 duels he contested, losing the ball 19 times, the most of any Red Devils player throughout the entire contest – undoubtedly leading to his substitution.

As a result of his dismal showing in Europe, Zirkzee was handed a measly 3/10 match rating by the Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst, the joint lowest of any United player.

Given his performance, the Dutchman should be no way near the lineup for Sunday’s trip to face local rivals Manchester City at the Etihad.

Time is certainly running out for the 23-year-old to prove his worth at Old Trafford after his big-money move, potentially facing the chop completely should he not turn around his current dreadful form.

Man Utd need to sell £150k-p/w star who Murtough thought was "outstanding"

The Manchester United ace could find himself on the way out at Old Trafford by the end of the season.

By
Ethan Lamb

Dec 12, 2024

There is no escaping it: this season is turning into a disaster for Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou’s side find themselves in the bottom half of the Premier League table, with more losses than wins to their name, and as things stand, they seem to have an ever-growing injury list that has utterly decimated their defence.

However, there have been a couple of positives to take from the campaign so far, such as their progress in the League Cup and the fact that Dejan Kulusevski has taken a big step forward this year, but the manager still needs Daniel Levy and Co to dip into the transfer market this month and provide him with more options.

Fortunately, reports from late last month did link the club with an in-form attacker who’s won comparisons to the Swede and could be a dream upgrade on Brennan Johnson.

Spurs' attacking options

So, while the defence has been a massive problem for Spurs this season, both in terms of how defenders have performed and the number of them who have been injured, the attack has generally been pretty good for the North Londoners.

For example, the Lilywhites have already found the back of the net on 41 occasions in their 19 league games, and there are five players with seven or more goals in all competitions in the squad.

Moreover, while he’s not necessarily been a complete game-changer for Postecoglou this season, summer signing Dominic Solanke has now found his feet in the team and currently has a brilliant haul of ten goals and five assists to his name in just 25 games.

Likewise, Kulusevski, despite playing in a midfield role for much of the campaign, already has seven goals and eight assists in just 28 appearances, which means he’s averaging a goal involvement every 1.86 games – more than justifying the “world-class” tag given to him by talent scout Jacek Kulig previously.

Lastly, while he can be frustrating at times and has a handful of poor games this season, Johnson has been a useful attacker for the manager, racking up a haul of 11 goals and three assists in 28 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every other game.

However, while the Welshman has been good, a player Spurs were linked to just a few days ago could be the perfect upgrade, especially as he’s been compared to the incredible Kulusevski.

The Spurs target who could replace Johnson

So, to get straight to the point, the player in question is Celtic star Nicholas Kühn, who, according to a report from journalist Graeme Bailey late last month, is a player Tottenham are interested in.

The report claimed that while the Scottish giants are keen to keep the German attacker in Glasgow this month, a sizable offer could tempt them into selling and, according to another report from the Standard back in November, that fee could be up to £30m.

Now, that’s certainly a lot of money for a player from the Scottish Premiership, but given the fact he’s outperforming Johnson and has been compared to Kulusevski, he could be worth it.

So, before we look at how he’s outperforming the Welshman, it’s worth examining this comparison to the former Juventus star and where it comes from.

It primarily stems from FBref, which compares players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and, in this instance, has concluded that the Swede is the second most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the German over the last 365 days.

Non-Penalty Expected Goals

0.13

0.17

Assists

0.42

0.36

Shots on Target

1.02

1.08

Passing Accuracy

70.1%

71.2%

Crosses into the Penalty Area

0.20

0.20

Goal-Creating Actions

0.39

0.51

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty expected goals, assists, shots on target, passing accuracy and more, all per 90.

With that said, why do we think he could be an upgrade on Johnson? Simply put, his output for the Hoops this season has been utterly sensational.

For example, in just 26 appearances, the “outstanding” right-winger, as dubbed by former Celtic star Aiden McGeady, has scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists, meaning he’s currently averaging a goal involvement every 1.04 games for the Glaswegian side.

Now, there is certainly something to be said for the level of opposition he is facing north of the border, but his output is so far ahead of the former Nottingham Forest ace’s at this moment in time that this feels like a transfer worth taking a risk on.

Appearances

26

28

Goals

14

11

Assists

11

3

Goal Involvements per Match

0.96

0.50

Ultimately, Johnson has been a valuable player for Spurs and Postecoglou this season, but at the moment, it feels as if Kühn’s ceiling is just that bit higher, and therefore, the North Londoners should do what they can to bring him to N17 this month.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 3, 2025

كشف مصدر خاص برابطة الأندية المصرية المحترفة النقاب عن الاستعدادات لمباريات غدًا الأربعاء ببطولة الدوري المصري في ظل التحذيرات من العاصفة الترابية غير المسبوقة.

وقال المصدر في تصريحات خاصة لـ بطولات: “تواصلنا مع الارصاد بشأن مباراتي الغد، وتم اخطارنا بإن ذروة العاصفة ستكون الساعة الثانية عشر أو الواحدة ظهرًا”.

قائمة الأهلي لمباراة بتروجيت.. مفاجأة أولى من عماد النحاس

وأضاف: “مباراة حرس الحدود وبيراميدز لن يكون بها أزمات، بناءً على ما وصل إلينا من هيئة الأرصاد الجوية”.

وأتم: “أما بشأن مباراة الأهلي وبتروجيت، فسنسعى لمتابعة الأوضاع ساعة بساعة غدًا مع الارصاد من أجل تحديد مصيرها”.

ومن المقرر أن تقام غدًا الأربعاء مواجهات الجولة الثالثة من مجموعة حسم اللقب بالدوري المصري هذا الموسم.

ويواجه حرس الحدود نظيره بيراميدز على ملعب استاد المكس في تمام الساعة الخامسة مساءً، فيما يلاقي الأهلي منافسه بتروجيت في تمام الساعة الثامنة.

Four quick wickets before lunch brought Sussex back into the contest

ECB Reporters Network14-Jun-2022Sussex 376 and 86 for 2 (Clark 32*, Carter 22*) trail Glamorgan 494 (Ingram 178, Byrom 176) trail by 32 runsDespite a flurry of early morning wickets pegging them back, Glamorgan have finished the third day of the LV= Insurance County Championship match against Sussex with a chance to push for victory.The day started with Eddie Byrom and Colin Ingram taking their outstanding partnership past 300 before four quick wickets before lunch brought Sussex back into the contest.Glamorgan’s lower order took their score to 494, a first-innings lead of 118, with Byrom making a career-best 176 and Ingram dismissed for 178.Two early wickets, and Ingram picking up a third from the last ball of the day, has left Sussex with work to do to save this game, still 29 runs behind Glamorgan going into the final day.Having resumed with their partnership on 253, Ingram and Byrom took their stand to 328, the highest ever stand for the second wicket for Glamorgan, going past the 291 put on by Nick Selman and Marnus Labuschagne against the same opposition in 2019.It was a pretty miserable first 90 minutes of the day for Sussex with wicket-keeper Tim Seifert dropping a simple chance to dismiss Byrom for 126 being the lowlight, but the cluster of wickets before the lunch interval brought them back into the game.It was Ingram’s wicket which ended the partnership with Byrom, Henry Crocombe the bowler to make the breakthrough. Ingram’s attempted pull shot caught was at mid-wicket with Tom Alsop the fielder.Having waited so long for a second wicket Sussex had Glamorgan five down in quick time. Sam Northeast was bowled first ball with a lovely yorker as two wickets fell in as many balls. It was Crocombe who also got the fourth Glamorgan wicket with Kiran Carlson given out caught behind. Crocombe would go on to claim a career-best 4 for 84 in the Glamorgan first innings.When Sean Hunt trapped Billy Root lbw for 5 Glamorgan had lost four wickets in the space of 17 runs and were still 28 runs behind the Sussex innings.The sixth Glamorgan wicket fell with Sussex still four runs in front, Hunt bowling James Weighell for 16 and the home side were in danger of squandering the fantastic position they found themselves in overnight. Some excellent lower-order contributions took them to a lead of 118, one that could be telling at the end of this game.Byrom was dismissed just after Glamorgan had claimed maximum batting points but Michael Neser and Andrew Salter hung around with Chris Cooke who was batting at 10 with a runner due to the calf injury he sustained on the first day.The evening session saw Sussex attempting to erase the first-innings deficit on a pitch that had the odd ball keeping low. Sussex lost both openers early on to add more pressure, Alsop and Tom Haines both falling with the score on 29.First-innings centurion, Oli Carter was at the crease at the close but Tom Clark failed to keep out a ball from Ingram that trickled into his stumps to have him bowled for 34 by the last ball of the day.The draw is still the favourite result, but a Glamorgan victory is the close second.

Leeds United have put themselves into a fantastic position to go and attack the second half of the 2024/25 campaign in order to earn automatic promotion back to the Premier League.

The Whites will have extra motivation to finish in the top two after they ended up third and went on to lose to Southampton in the play-off final at the end of last season.

A 1-0 win over Derby County at Pride Park on Sunday ensured that the West Yorkshire outfit will go into the New Year at the top of the Championship table, two points ahead of Sheffield United in second.

Brenden Aaronson, as you can see in the highlights above, scored the only goal of the game by getting on the end of a flowing move from the away side.

That goal from the USA international ensured that Leeds will head into 2025 in first place, but the Whites must not rest on their laurels as there is plenty more football to be played.

The January transfer window officially opens for business on Wednesday and the club are reportedly looking at potential recruits to come in and bolster the squad ahead of the second half of the season.

Leeds keen on Championship forward

According to journalist Alan Nixon, on his Patreon page, as relayed by Leeds Live, Daniel Farke is lining up a swoop to raid Championship rivals Burnley.

The reporter claims that the Whites are interested in a deal to sign out-of-favour forward Mike Tresor from the Clarets, as he is yet to make an appearance in the league so far this season.

He states that Burnley chairman Alan Pace wants Tresor to play for the club but manager Scott Parker has not given him a single minute of action, despite claiming that the player has been available for selection throughout the campaign.

Nixon adds that some inside the training ground at Burnley have nicknamed him ‘hidden’, because of his lack of appearances in the first-team, and it remains to be seen whether or not the winger and Parker can patch up their seemingly fractured relationship.

The journalist reports that Leeds are now looking to take advantage of this situation with a swoop to sign the 25-year-old maestro when the January transfer window opens for business.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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However, it is said to be a very difficult deal for Farke and Leeds to get over the line next month because Burnley are directly competing with the club to secure automatic promotion and would be hesitant to bolster one of their rivals by allowing them to sign Tresor.

If the Whites can convince the Clarets to part ways with the Belgian gem, whether that is permanently or on loan, then the German head coach could land his own version of Pablo Hernandez.

Pablo Hernandez's Leeds career

The Spanish magician was a right-footed star who could play in the attacking midfield or wide right role in Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds side that last won promotion from the Championship at Elland Road in the 2019/20 campaign.

Hernandez, who moved on from West Yorkshire in the summer of 2021, was a phenomenal performer in the second tier during his time with the club, and proved himself to be an excellent scorer and creator of goals from a number ten position.

The former Swansea and Valencia star played a pivotal role in the promotion to the Premier League under Bielsa, with his ability to make a huge impact at the top end of the pitch.

Pablo Hernandez

18/19 Championship

19/20 Championship

Appearances

39

36

Goals

12

9

Assists

12

9

Big chances created

16

13

Key passes per game

3.0

2.3

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Hernandez provided regular quality across those two Championship seasons with the Argentine head coach in charge.

His return of 21 goals and 21 assists in that time speaks to the consistency he brought to the team in the final third, with his magic helping

the Whites to eventually win the title in the 2019/20 season.

Farke could, now, unearth his own version of Hernandez to win the Championship title for Leeds this term by swooping to sign Tresor from Burnley in the January transfer window.

Why Mike Tresor could be Pablo Hernandez 2.0

It is fair to say that the 25-year-old ace’s time with the Clarets has not gone as well as any party would have hoped when he made the move to Turf Moor last year.

Tresor, who joined on loan before signing permanently this year, made 16 appearances and started three times in the Premier League during the 2023/24 campaign, failing to provide a single goal or assist for his side.

And, now, he has not made a single appearance in the league for Burnley this term, although it is unclear as to exactly why that has been the case.

Tresor is far from the first player to take time to adjust to English football, though. In fact, Hernandez scored just five goals in 57 Premier League games for Swansea before his spell at Elland Road.

The Belgian gem’s form for Genk, his former club, suggests that the potential is there for him to explode in the Championship, as the Spaniard did, if given an opportunity by Farke.

22/23 Pro League

Mike Tresor

Starts

38

Goals

8

Big chances created

22

Key passes per game

2.8

Assists

24

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Tresor’s form in the 2022/23 campaign in the Pro League was unbelievable, as he recorded 32 goal contributions in 38 matches.

To put that into perspective, Leif Davis’ 18 assists led the league in the Championship last term and no player managed more than 11 in the 2022/23 season.

The 25-year-old whiz, whose form was described as “absolutely sensational” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has the potential to be an outstanding player for Farke if the German coach can help him to get back to his best at the top end of the pitch.

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Tresor, who can play as an attacking midfielder or off the left, could come in to bolster the club’s attack in the second half of the season, with his potential to provide goals and assists on a regular basis, but Leeds must, first, convince Burnley to part ways with him next month.

West Bromwich Albion supporters will be hoping that Carlos Corberan’s successor is found soon, after the successful Spaniard surprisingly joined Valencia on Christmas Eve.

A move back to his native country proved to be too alluring, but you wouldn’t have noticed his absence whatsoever in West Brom’s last win in the Championship, as three strikes in the first half for the Baggies proved to be enough to beat Preston North End 3-1.

Whoever is next handed the reins to start the post-Corberan era will know they have inherited a team that is good enough to seal promotion up to the Premier League, with a number of standout individuals shining.

Key West Brom players this season

There are many players in the current Baggies camp who wouldn’t look out of place lining up for a top-flight outfit, with Tom Fellows coming to mind in that regard.

After all, Everton have been noted as an interested party keeping tabs on the daring winger this January, as the homegrown product has already amassed 11 goal contributions this season in league action.

Moreover, Karlan Grant has also chipped in with six goals as another menace in attack, whilst the defence has remained resolute and stern off the back of Torbjørn Heggem being an absolute revelation, having now kept ten clean sheets in the Championship since joining last year.

There are also the likes of Alex Mowatt and Mikey Johnston in the camp who have a knack of coming up trumps in important moments for their side, with Johnston assisting the Baggies’ crucial second strike on New Year’s Day, whilst the ex-Leeds United midfielder – when he isn’t out with an injury – has four goals and two assists to shout about in the league.

But, there is one face that hasn’t been mentioned yet that the next Baggies boss will surely love working with the most, with his transfer value now soaring off the back of his frequent goalscoring heroics.

Josh Maja's importance at West Brom

Way out ahead as the West Midlands club’s top scorer this season in the Championship with an unbelievable 12 strikes, the free transfer decision to bring in Josh Maja to the building back in August 2023 continues to look like a masterstroke.

Indeed, the ex-Sunderland man is the only face in the second tier side’s camp that can boast double digits in terms of goals, leading to reports suggesting that the likes of AFC Bournemouth, Ipswich Town and Southampton are all eyeing up the potent Nigerian this January.

Stat – per 90 minutes

23/24

24/25

Games played

12

25

Games started

1

25

Goals scored

1

12

Assists

0

2

Value

£2.8m

£10m

Sourced by Sofascore/Transfermarkt

Already doubling his amount of games from last season – when injuries, unfortunately, got the better of the deadly attacker – it’s clear that the Baggies’ patience has paid off in this example, with his transfer value only coming in at £2.8m last December according to Transfermarkt.

Now, he’s worth around £7m more – amid a reported €12m (£10m) price tag – which means the dependable West Brom number nine is actually worth more than both Mowatt and Johnston combined, despite their reliable reputations in the Baggies camp too.

Johnston was picked up last year permanently for just £3m, which again shows off West Brom’s knack of being able to land a bargain, whilst Mowatt’s value – when looking at Transfermarkt once more – stands at just £2.8m.

Whoever is gifted the Baggies vacancy will know it’s crucial to keep Maja situated at the Hawthorns past this January, but if a £10m bid was to actually come the way of the promotion candidates, it might well prove to be too tantalising to turn down.

Whilst losing Corberan would have been a sucker punch, the present can still be bright, especially if Maja remains to try and fire his team to promotion.

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ByBrett Worthington Jan 2, 2025

Jenni Hermoso is aiming for a "beautiful" return to the Spain squad amid her five-month absence from the national team.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Spain squad announced this week
• Hermoso hoping to be called up
• Has not played for La Roja since October

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Spain's all-time leading scorer last featured for the World champions in October, with coach Montse Tome citing "sporting reasons" for leaving her out of the last two squads.

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• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  On Friday, Tome will name the squad for the upcoming double header against Portugal and Hermoso is hoping for a first call up since former Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales was found guilty of sexual assault for kissing her without consent after the World Cup final win in 2023.

• WHAT HERMOSO SAID

  Hermoso told : "For me it's the greatest honour I can experience in football because representing my country, Spain, is a beautiful thing. After more than 12 years playing for the national team, it's still very important to be able to go and continue contributing."

  She added: "I haven't stopped working because whether it's on a sporting level, or a footballing level, I've tried to continue to maintain myself at this level so they can still see me wearing that shirt. For me, it's the greatest pride I can experience in football because representing my country is very beautiful, and after more than 12 years of playing for the national team, it's still very important to be able to go and continue contributing."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR HERMOSO?

  Hermoso is in fine form in Mexico, having scored nine goals for Tigres so far this season and will hope to be on Tome's list for the Nations League matches.