Shohei Ohtani is plenty familiar with all of the animosity that comes with the rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. Every time the two teams meet, it makes for a tense game and plenty of jeering from fans.
One heckler during Sunday's game at Petco Park was silenced by Ohtani the old fashioned way: with one swing of the bat. In the ninth inning of the Dodgers' 8–2 win, Ohtani parked a ball in the bleachers, hitting a solo shot out to center field. When he got back to the visitors dugout, he paused to shake the hand of a Padres fan who had been relentlessly heckling him throughout the game.
The fan looked totally shocked to see Ohtani coming up for a handshake, and he shrunk in his seat as Ohtani packed his bat while celebrating his solo homer.
Dave Roberts and some others in the dugout were loving their front-row seats to Ohtani's bit of sassy retaliation. The team was all tuned in and laughing as the Dodgers' designated hitter addressed the heckler head-on.
Sunday's win sees L.A. get back on level-pegging with the Padres for the NL West lead, with both teams now tied up at 74-57 on the year.
O próximo confronto do Vasco pelo Brasileirão será nada menos que o Clássico dos Milhões, contra o Flamengo, neste domingo (2), no Maracanã. Como trunfo para esta partida, o Gigante da Colina tem uma coincidência interessante. Na última vez que venceu o rival pelo Campeonato Brasileiro, o Cruz-maltino teve um treinador estreante. Relembre!
continua após a publicidade
➡️ Tudo sobre o Gigante agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Vasco
Celso Roth começou sua caminhada pelo Vasco contra o Flamengo
Em 2015, o Clássico dos Milhões aconteceu na 9ª rodada. Na Arena Pantanal, Vasco e Flamengo entraram desesperados em campo e precisavam de uma vitória para deixar o Z-4. Àquela altura, o Gigante da Colina ainda não havia conquistado vitória alguma no Brasileirão.
Logo na primeira etapa, Madson deixou Riascos na boa para abrir o placar e definir o jogo. 1 x 0. No mesmo ano, mas pela Copa do Brasil, Jorginho também estreou com vitória diante do Rubro-negro.
continua após a publicidadeÁlvaro Pacheco deu injeção de ânimo à equipe
Os primeiros contatos do elenco vascaíno com Álvaro Pacheco foram animadores. Com uma característica forte e paixão pelo trabalho, o português já começou a conquistar os jogadores do Vasco.
-Os primeiros contatos do elenco vascaíno com Álvaro Pacheco foram animadores. Com uma característica forte e paixão pelo trabalho, o português já começou a conquistar os jogadores do Vasco-, disse Lucas Piton, em Media Day do Grupo Globo.
Ruben Amorim has now been Manchester United manager for just over one year, but there hasn’t exactly been much for Red Devils fans to shout about.
The Portuguese manager failed to bring them European football, and has a frankly poor record during his 12-month stint at Old Trafford.
The former Sporting CP manager has taken charge of 55 games for the Red Devils so far, winning 22, losing 22 and drawing 11.
His record in the Premier League is even worse, with United winning just 12 times under his tutelage in the top flight, suffering defeat 18 times.
One of the issues Amoirm has struggled with is profiling players in his infamous 3-4-2-1 system. There are still question marks over the suitability of Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes in a pivot.
The continued struggles of Fernandes and Casemiro
In modern football, having athletic midfielders is essential for success. A pivot of Casemiro, now aged 34 and still a brilliant ball-winner, next to Fernandes, who has been shoehorned into a deeper role by Amorim despite being one of the best number tens in the Premier League, has struggled.
That particular pairing has been Amorim’s go-to this term, but there is nothing to suggest it is optimising them. In fact, with Fernandes so deep, there is a case to be made that it is hurting the team.
United great Paul Scholes said earlier in the season that “there is no doubt” United’s captain should be playing as a ten.
He excels close to goal, with this goal in his recent hat-trick for Portugal a prime example of how effective he is in the final third.
As for Casemiro, the Brazilian is certainly lacking physically, despite being such a good ball-winner, averaging 3.62 tackles and interceptions per game this term.
As far back as 2023, Jamie Carragher said his “legs have gone.” He certainly needs someone more physically dominant playing next to him.
It is not just Fernandes and Casemiro who are being misprofiled by Amorim, though.
The two players struggling under Amorim
You certainly need to sign very specific players for Amoirm’s system to be a success. Indeed, the misprofiling of Fernandes as a deep-lying playmaker is just one example of making square pegs fit into round holes.
An area similar to that is at wing-back. They are, essentially, wingers, often the highest players for United, in one-vs-one situations with opposition full-backs. Amad is a player who fits the mould, but Patrick Dorgu and Noussair Mazraoui do not.
Premier League Panel, an account on X, said their efforts in Monday’s 1-0 home defeat to Everton were “plain garbage.” Indeed, it wasn’t their best night at the office, but the roles they are being asked to perform, acting as wingers, are not playing to their strengths.
The fact that they are full-backs by trade certainly shows. Dorgu has just one assist playing high and wide on the left under Amorim. Mazraoui has also managed just the one, although he has played at centre-back, too.
Looking at their creative stats, you get a clear picture of the fact that they are misprofiled.
For example, focusing on the Premier League from last season and the start of 2025/26, Dorgu averages 0.3 crosses per game compared to 0.2 for Mazraoui.
Dorgu & Mazraoui – Attacking stats
Stat (per 90)
Dorgu
Mazraoui
Key passes
1.24
0.58
Expected assists
0.12xA
0.06xA
Crosses
0.3
0.2
Take-ons completed
0.36
0.87
Goal-creating actions
0.18
0.06
Stats from FBref
United lack an attacking threat out wide at the moment. Playing two full-backs at wing-back, who, it is worth noting, are good players when used correctly, is not helping.
It is certainly something Amorim should look to address in the coming weeks.
His time at United has been one to forget so far, but there is still time to salvage the season. It will be interesting to see if he keeps Dorgu and Mazraoui out wide, or switches them up for more attacking players.
Cunha upgrade: Man Utd could see £80m bid accepted for world's "best player"
This attacking star could improve Man Utd going forward
O meio-campista Cazares assinou com o Santos para a disputa da Série B em 2024. O equatoriano firmou um pré-acordo com o clube nesta terça-feira (26). A informação foi publicada inicialmente pelo jornalista Ademir Quintino e confirmada pelo Lance!.
➡️ Tudo sobre o Peixe agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Santos
O jogador estava no América-MG, mas chega livre no mercado após deixar o vínculo com o Coelho terminar. Para fechar de vez com o Peixe, o atleta precisará passar nos exames físicos.
➡️ Santos negocia empréstimo de titular para o futebol japonês
O esquema do presidente do Santos de assinar compromissos com os jogadores para a próxima temporada já possui outros três nomes: os laterais Jorge e Aderlan, e o meio-campista Giuliano.
Confirmado para a temporada 2024, Diego Pituca possui o salário readequado com a realidade do Peixe e está com tudo pronto para ajudar o time na Série B.
O Peixe ainda considera como certos outros dois jogadores: o meio-campista Otero e o atacante Willian Bigode.
Os novos reforços do Santos devem ser anunciados no mês janeiro, quando tudo puder ser formalizado oficialmente.
Stephanie Apstein: At first glance, this feels like a lot of money! Incredibly, Luis Severino's three-year, $67 million deal marks the largest contract in franchise history, narrowly outpacing the six years and $66 million extension Eric Chavez signed in 2004 and more than doubling the previous high for a free agent, Billy Butler's three years for $30 million from ’15. It well outpaces the three years, $51 million MLB Trade Rumors, which tends to be good at this sort of thing, predicted Severino would get.
But if you look closely, you can see the logic. The Oakland A’s believe their young position player core, headlined by catcher Shea Langeliers and right fielder Lawrence Butler, is rounding into form. The AL West is likely to be softer than ever before, as the Houston Astros almost certainly lose star third baseman Alex Bregman. You have to squint to see it, but there's a window.
And if you're going to ask a major leaguer to play in a minor league stadium, you're going to have to overpay. I can't believe I'm saying this, but good on owner John Fisher for shelling out some money here to try to improve his roster.
VERDUCCI: Luis Severino Signing Reflects Sudden Pressure Surrounding A’s
Emma Baccellieri: First: Severino was clearly right to decline the qualifying offer from the New York Mets. He ended up with a contract here that beat nearly all of the public mainstream projections. Second: The … A’s? The putatively-soon-to-be Las Vegas A’s formerly of Oakland and currently of Sacramento? Those A’s? This is the largest guaranteed contract in the history of the franchise. (It just beats out a four-year, $66-million extension with Chavez from 2004. Yes, that’s right, it’s been two decades since the club spent this kind of money.)
There was just one player on the A’s roster last season to earn more than $3 million. (That was Ross Stripling, acquired in a trade with the San Francisco Giants, and even he did not earn more than $10 million.) Severino’s deal has an average yearly value of just over $22 million. That’s how drastic a shift this signing is for the A’s.
This does fill a clear need here. The A’s could badly use some competent starting pitching, and they should get that from the soon-to-be 31-year-old Severino, who is fresh off a solid rebound campaign. (This was his first season pitching more than 110 innings since 2018.) At the very least, Severino can offer stability and a veteran presence on a club that has very little of either.
But the A’s have lots of needs to fill—as they have for years!—and suddenly paying up to address this specific one in such a big way is puzzling. And that’s putting it lightly.
Will Laws: Signing Severino (our No. 27-ranked free agent) makes the A’s MLB’s third-highest spending team thus far this offseason, behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and … the Los Angeles Angels? It looks like the AL West’s bottom feeders are gearing up to return to respectability in light of disappointing campaigns from the three teams above them, as 88 wins proved enough to win the division this year.
More cynically, however, this also seems like Fisher needed to show sign of upward mobility to key stakeholders in Las Vegas, where ground has yet to be broken on the team’s proposed stadium on the Strip. In related news, a major hurdle was cleared Thursday to allow progress on that front.
It’s encouraging that Fisher appears primed to spend more money to improve what’s been an embarrassing on-field product for the last three seasons. But it also must feel like a slap in the face to the team’s Oakland fan base that he was only willing to do so after leaving them scrapping for literal dirt.
Tom Alsop makes 72 as Matt Critchley’s legspin chips away for visitors
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay24-Jul-2025
James Coles continued his prolific form but Sussex slipped in trouble•Getty Images
Sussex 204 and 245 for 7 (Coles 99*, Alsop 72) trail Essex 504 (Harmer 53) by 55 runsJames Coles led Sussex’s resistance with an unbeaten 99 but his efforts seem unlikely to deny Essex victory over Sussex at Hove.Coles was on the verge of a third successive Rothesay County Championship century when rain arrived at 5.20pm and play was abandoned shortly afterwards with Sussex 245 for seven in their second innings, still trailing by 55 after conceding a first-innings deficit of 300.Coles is Sussex’s man in form. He made 148 not out at Durham and 150 in Sussex’s last home match against Warwickshire and he top scored in their first innings with 52. Only five batters have scored more Championship runs this season than the 21-year-old, and he didn’t offer a chance here after arriving in the seventh over with Sussex 33 for 2.While he and Tom Alsop (72) were adding 141 in 72 overs for the third wicket Sussex harboured hopes of stalling Essex’s push for victory.But Alsop was lbw to Matt Critchley in the leg-spinner’s second over and after tea Sussex lost four wickets for 26 in 40 balls including their leading run scorer John Simpson, calamitously run out going for a second run on an overthrow.At the start of the day Essex skipper Simon Harmer clubbed three sixes to reach a half-century before he was last out for 53 as Essex’s first innings ended on 504, a lead of 300.Essex’s new-ball pair Sam Cook and Jamie Porter soon made inroads. Tom Haines nibbled fatally at Cook’s first ball and edged it to third slip beforePorter struck in the seventh over to remove Daniel Hughes, courtesy of a fine low catch at second slip by Harmer.But from 33 for two Coles and Alsop rebuilt patiently. Alsop’s fourth fifty of the season came off 104 balls and the normally more attacking Coles took 117 deliveries for his, but neither offered a chance as the Kookaburra ball quickly lost its effectiveness and Essex had to settle for containment.Having had little success himself, Harmer turned to Critchley in the 47th over and with his first ball he nearly won an lbw verdict against Alsop. But the fourth delivery of his next over straightened enough to beat Alsop’s defensive push. He faced 150 balls and hit nine fours.Essex had a breakthrough and after tea they rammed home their superiority, aided once again by some pretty poor shot selection by the Sussex middle and lower order.Dan Ibrahim (19), who’d helped Coles add 48 for the fourth wicket, got a leading edge in the first over after the resumption and Khaleel Ahmed took the catch in his follow through, while Simpson was run out by Sam Cook’s throw looking for a second run on an overthrow after a moment’s fatal hesitation between him and Coles.Critchley then struck in successive overs. Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s mistimed drive was caught well in the covers by Harmer and Jack Carson tamely picked out mid-wicket aiming to hit Critchley over the top.As the clouds rolled in, Ari Karvelas defied Critchley and Harmer for 33 balls but it would need a lot more resistance from him, Coles and Sussex’s tail to keep Essex at bay on the final day.
Fifties from Luke Procter and Lewis McManus help steady hosts after Middlesex post 413
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay 23-Jun-2025
Saif Zaib continued his prolific season•Luke Adams via Lancashire Cricket
Saif Zaib resumed his rich vein of Rothesay County Championship form by passing 50 for the fourth time in as many red-ball innings to spearhead Northamptonshire’s recovery against Middlesex at Wantage Road.Despite Luke Procter’s knock of 62, the home side were under pressure at 132 for 4 when Zaib arrived at the crease, but the left-hander struck an unbeaten 83 to guide them to 308 for 5 at stumps. Spinner Zafar Gohar prised out four of Northamptonshire’s top five before Zaib and Lewis McManus, who finished 55 not out, guided their side towards a position of parity with an unbroken partnership of 111.Middlesex had earlier posted 413, with overnight centurion Joe Cracknell dismissed for 112 as left-arm seamer Liam Guthrie registered career-best figures of 7 for 94.Beginning the day just three runs short of a fourth batting bonus point, Middlesex quickly secured that when Toby Roland-Jones hooked Procter to the boundary – and a fifth even looked within the realm of possibility. Those hopes were dashed when Calvin Harrison pouched an outstanding one-handed catch at point, leaping to his right to cut off Cracknell’s robust drive and Lloyd Pope’s maiden Championship wicket in the next over castled Tom Helm to end the visitors’ innings.Northamptonshire started well in reply, with Procter dispatching both Roland-Jones and Helm to the fence as he and Ricardo Vasconcelos – who looked scratchy at the outset – built an opening stand of 69. The visitors tried a range of tactics without success, including the deployment of a heavily leg-side field for Ryan Higgins that included four men clustered around midwicket at one stage.It was Gohar who eventually stifled Northamptonshire’s progress, switching ends prior to lunch and immediately tempting Vasconcelos to sweep him straight into the hands of deep square leg.Promoted to three in the batting order, Harrison looked lively as he thumped Helm over midwicket for six, but Middlesex’s spinners soon established control and captured three further wickets during the afternoon.Harrison was caught behind off an inside edge, playing back to Gohar, while Luke Hollman struck with his fourth delivery, deceiving James Sales with flight and hitting him on the toe to secure a leg before decision. Procter, who completed his fifth half-century of the campaign, proved harder to dislodge but the captain was neatly snapped up at short leg off Gohar to leave Northamptonshire in some difficulty.Displaying a tendency to play the spinners late, Tim Robinson began their fightback in tandem with Zaib, though a dreadful mix-up between the pair should have seen the New Zealander run out but for Leus du Plooy’s fumble in the field.Robinson, signed on a short-term deal at Wantage Road, looked on course to mark his debut with a half-century, advancing to 43 before he was harshly given out leg before attempting to sweep Gohar.However, Zaib maintained his side’s momentum, striking the ball cleanly on both sides of the wicket and passing 5000 runs across all formats for Northamptonshire en route to his half-century from 87 balls. McManus weighed in with a string of attacking strokes, cutting Gohar for two to post his fourth 50 of the season and take the partnership beyond three figures shortly before the close.
Celtic return to Scottish Premiership action on Sunday as they welcome Motherwell to Parkhead after suffering the disappointment of a defeat at the hands of Braga in the Europa League.
In what turned out to be a bleak night, the Bhoys failed to turn up and Brendan Rodgers will feel a sense of frustration at the way matters panned out, especially after Kelechi Iheanacho’s controversial disallowed goal that was overturned by VAR.
Celtic’s last five results – a cause for concern?
Celtic 0-2 Braga
Celtic 0-0 Hibernian
Crvena Zvedza 1-1 Celtic
Partick Thistle 0-4 Celtic
Kilmarnock 1-2 Celtic
Either way, the focus turns back to league duty and even at an early stage, their encounter against the Steelmen feels like a match that will arrive in must-win territory as a disgruntled fanbase continue to vocalise their discontent with matters on and off the field.
Claiming three points will be the only option to quell some of that anger, so with that in mind, who could Rodgers look to start at home to Motherwell?
GK – Kasper Schmeichel
Veteran Denmark international Kasper Schmeichel’s error meant Ricardo Horta opened the scoring for Braga with a long-range strike in Thursday night’s Europa League, leaving some supporters wondering if it is time to grant Viljami Sinisalo a run in the side.
Truthfully, the 38-year-old looked shaky against the Primeira Liga outfit and not for the first time this season. However, Rodgers has always been a big advocate for his talent and experience. He will likely allow the former Leicester City goalkeeper a chance to atone on Sunday.
RB – Anthony Ralston
Colby Donovan started at home to Braga on Thursday in light of his positive emergence from the academy. Nevertheless, he failed to shine on a night where the Hoops were second best.
Anthony Ralston was preferred against Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership last weekend after returning from injury and helped to keep a clean sheet, offering Rodgers a straight swap that may make a degree of sense heading into a must-win fixture.
CB – Cameron Carter-Vickers
Uncharacteristically, Cameron Carter-Vickers was another who fell below his usual lofty standards earlier in the week, though he is too important to drop at an early stage in the season where Celtic are fighting Heart of Midlothian for top spot. Expect him to start.
CB – Liam Scales
Partnering Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales has arguably been Celtic’s best player of the season so far and has barely put a foot wrong in spite of deficiences elsewhere on the pitch.
The Bhoys have only conceded a solitary goal in the Scottish Premiership this campaign, illustrating their resilience, so it feels unlikely that the Irishman would be rested against Motherwell.
Chris Sutton named Celtic legend his "best" ever teammate and as good as Shearer
He was full of praise…
ByTom Cunningham Oct 2, 2025 LB – Marcelo Saracchi
Left-back will be a toss-up between Marcelo Saracchi and Kieran Tierney, and it may be more prudent for the former to start as Rodgers looks to manage Tierney’s fitness.
Coming in on loan from Boca Juniors, Saracchi has been continually impressive when called upon and is establishing himself as a favourite among supporters.
CDM – Callum McGregor
Looking at his performances, Celtic captain Callum McGregor has some room for improvement as the Bhoys’ engine room struggles to find their best collective form. Still, he will be present and is someone you write off at your peril.
CM – Reo Hatate
Reo Hatate is another who has endured an inconsistent start to the season. Putting that aside, his defence-splitting qualities may be needed against an unbeaten Motherwell side on Sunday afternoon.
The Japan international is capable of playing line-breaking passes and takes on an average of 1.3 shots per league game, according to Sofascore, which is something Rodgers will hope to see in action as his side aim to take all three points.
CM – Benjamin Nygren
Luke McCowan, Arne Engels and Paulo Bernardo may be players some supporters will make a case for starting, albeit Benjamin Nygren is hard to look past due to his encouraging numbers from midfield.
Three goals and four assists in his first 12 matches across all competitions is a decent tally, and the Swede will hope to do the damage as Celtic return to domestic endeavours.
RW – Hyunjun Yang
Daizen Maeda has recently featured on the right wing for Celtic, but Rodgers may opt to grant the Japan international a rest in favour of counterpart Hyunjun Yang. With a lack of options at his disposal on that side, the South Korean may be more of a natural fix.
LW – Sebastian Tounekti
The star of the show for Celtic this season, Sebastian Tounekti is someone that Rodgers can’t afford to drop, even if Michel-Ange Balikwisha is waiting in the wings for an opportunity.
Capped three times by Tunisia, he has created six chances in 162 minutes of Scottish Premiership football, making him a nailed-on starter.
ST – Kelechi Iheanacho
Nigerian striker Kelechi Iheanacho has had the ball in the net four times in his opening five games for Celtic. Only two of which have counted, though he has impressed with his link-up play and ability to sniff out opportunities.
With the correct support, he could be the man to seperate the sides at Parkhead and appears to be finding his feet under a familiar face in Rodgers.
England 565 for 6 dec (Pope 171, Duckett 140, Crawley 124) beat Zimbabwe 265 (Bennett 139) and 255 (Williams 88, Raza 60, Bashir 6-81) by an innings and 45 runsEngland began their home international summer with a comprehensive win over Zimbabwe after bowling them out twice inside five sessions and finishing the four-day Test with more than a day to spare. Offspinner Shoaib Bashir, playing in his 16th Test, headlined the final day with his fourth Test five-for – the most by an England player before turning 22 – and second in Nottingham.The magnitude of the defeat did not wipe the smiles off the faces of the visitors and their boisterous fans, who filled Trent Bridge with noise and colour, and stayed to applaud them in a lap of gratitude afterwards. This was Zimbabwe’s first Test in England in 22 years and a strong expat crowd delighted in brave batting from Sean Williams, Ben Curran, Sikandar Raza and Wessly Madhevere.Williams fell 12 short of a century and put on 122 for the second wicket while Raza reached a 10th Test half-century and shared a 65-run fifth-wicket stand with Madhevere. Zimbabwe did not disgrace themselves as they came within 45 runs of making England bat again and showed promise ahead of home Tests against South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan later this year.England, meanwhile, have had their first bit of preparation ahead of a massive eight months in Tests which includes a five-match home series against India and the Ashes in Australia. They may have some concerns over their frontline seamers, who lacked some bite. Captain Ben Stokes was the most threatening on his return to bowling after hamstring surgery, and also maintained the highest pace, across his two four-over spells. In total, he bowled 11.2 in the match, while Bashir finished with nine for 143, his best match figures.Zimbabwe began the day on 30 for 2, 270 runs behind and needing a big batting performance from someone. Williams, an international veteran of 20 years who averages 66.56 in the last five years, delivered. He played a typically energetic knock, laced with boundaries. He hit 16 fours in his innings, nine through the covers and mid-off as England overpitched and occasionally offered width. He also ushered Curran through a cautious knock that spanned 104 balls for 37 runs.Stokes began the morning’s proceedings and immediately caused problems for Zimbabwe. His third ball was wide and full, Curran drove hard and edged past gully for four. Stokes would have known he’d also planted a seed of doubt and in his next over, he could have reaped the rewards. On 10, Curran drove the ball back to Stokes, who stuck out both hands but could not hold on in his followthrough. That would have stung and more so when Williams smoked Stokes through point and over midwicket later in the over.Williams reached fifty in the next over with a pinpoint straight drive off Josh Tongue, off the 42nd ball he faced. In the next over, Tongue hit Williams on the bottom forearm, with a delivery that reared up from back of a length and drew blood. Williams was treated on-field and appeared unaffected as he drove a wide Atkinson ball in his favoured region for four more.Sean Williams produced a fighting 88 to lead Zimbabwe’s resistance•Getty Images
Joe Root was used for an over for Tongue to change ends and England went double-spin with the introduction of Bashir. Williams reverse-swept his first ball for four to enter the seventies. At the other end Tongue began a short-ball assault on Curran that almost paid off. Curran, having hauled his way to 29, pulled Tongue to Stokes at midwicket but the England captain could only get fingertips to it.Curran survived again when Umpire Kumar Dharmasena gave him out lbw after he missed a sweep against Bashir but Curran reviewed. Hawkeye showed the ball was bouncing over the top of the stumps. Williams was not quite as lucky. On 88, he was hit on the pads, given out and reviewed. Replays showed the ball was clipping the top of the leg stump. Having faced 82 balls, he had been on course to reclaim the national record for fastest century that Brian Bennett’s 97-ball effort had taken on the previous day.Post-lunch, Curran adopted a more aggressive approach and drove Bashir aerially but only as far as Stokes at short cover, for whom the third time was a charm. He had no trouble holding on. That brought Raza and Madhevere together and they took on the spin and the short ball from Sam Cook with confidence. They had a couple of nervy moments: when Bashir induced Raza’s edge once and the ball ricocheted off Jamie Smith and onto the peak of Harry Brook’s cap at first slip, which saved him from being hit on the forehead. Then, Cook got a full ball to jag back into Madhevere and hit his front pad and convinced Stokes to review. Ball-tracking showed it was missing leg stump.In the end it took a moment of magic, and the return of Stokes, to separate the pair. He went short to Madhevere and found extra bounce, Madhevere attempted a cut but found an outside-edge and the ball seemed to be heading over second slip. Brook jumped, stuck his right hand up and plucked the ball out of the air, to everyone’s surprise. Madhevere looked back, astonished that he had to go while Stokes placed his hand over his mouth a la Stuart Broad, who celebrated in the same way when Stokes himself pulled off a blinder in the Ashes a decade ago on the same ground.With Madhevere went Zimbabwe’s last real hope of making England bat again and the result was only a matter of time. Tafadzwa Tsiga was bowled by Bashir when he came down the track to a ball that turned in and through the bat-pad gap. Zimbabwean emotions see-sawed as Raza reached fifty in the next over when he creamed Stokes through the covers for his eighth four but in the over after that Blessing Muzarabani slog-swept Bashir straight to Root at deep midwicket. Bashir bagged his fifth when Raza, who had added two more fours to his count, tried to heave him over the leg side and managed a leading edge which Brook pouched.Fittingly, Bashir finished things off when he struck Chivanga on the back pad as he played inside the line and was hit in front of middle and off. Richard Ngarava, Zimbabwe’s No.11, did not bat in either innings after leaving the field on the first day with a back injury.
Leeds United ended the window in frustrating fashion, but could now be ready to make amends with a statement signing in January.
Leeds miss out on late window targets
Supporters at Elland Road will feel a sense of frustration at the closing stages of the market period, where the Whites missed out on a number of targets that would’ve helped Daniel Farke to shape his squad for the bulk of the campaign.
Despite Leeds lodging a late move for Gustavo Hamer, Sheffield United made it clear that he wouldn’t be sold for under their valuation of the playmaker, hence why he remained at Bramall Lane.
Report suggest that the Whites also missed out on Fulham star Harry Wilson, while Pete O’Rourke has signalled that Farke has to carry a level of frustration amid the club being unable to bring Manor Solomon back to Yorkshire from Tottenham Hotspur.
He told Football Insider: “There will be a hint of frustration for Daniel Farke – they missed out on some targets. They are still lacking a bit up front, Leeds and he fears for them on that front – not getting the deal done for Manor Solomon will be a blow to Farke and the Leeds fans, because he had such a great impact there on loan last season.
“They tried to sign Harry Wilson on deadline day from Fulham and weren’t able to get that deal over the line as well, so they were looking to add some creativity in the final third.”
Joe Rodon’s injury scare has issued a reminder that there is still work to do at Leeds to bring in the depth required to handle Premier League football, and they may now look to add to their backline once the transfer window opens.
Leeds plotting January move for Nico O'Reilly
According to CaughtOffside, Leeds are plotting a January move to sign Manchester City star Nico O’Reilly, who is also said to be in the sights of Brighton & Hove Albion, Lyon, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea. Capable of playing at left-back or central midfield, the 20-year-old has registered five goals and two assists in 23 appearances across all competitions for the Sky Blues.
Tottenham plan January talks for £160k-a-week Man City star after Frank request
Spurs have their eyes on another City man after links to Savinho and Manuel Akanji.
ByEmilio Galantini Sep 4, 2025
Dubbed “awesome” by Mark Kennedy, Bayer Leverkusen saw two bids rejected for the England Under-21 international during the summer window, and he may be set to pen new terms at the Etihad Stadium on a long-term basis.
Nevertheless, Leeds could look to offer first-team guarantees before that scenario becomes a reality. The outlet claim nothing has been signed yet, offering a chance for Farke’s men to sell a vision before January comes around, when Leverkusen will again be in the mix.
Acquiring promising talent could be one avenue to securing Premier League survival, but it remains to be seen whether the 49ers could push such a statement deal over the line.