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The U.S. men's national team is out of the World Cup, undone by its own mistakes as the Netherlands showed a higher level in a 3-1 defeat.

The USMNT's 2022 World Cup run ended under the bright lights of Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday.

After spending the last two weeks showing how far it had come in developing an international identity, the team was shown by a true superpower what elite, ruthless soccer looks like.

It's clear that while the USMNT has grown, there is yet more growing up left to do before 2026.

The tears flowed as the full-time whistle blew, with frustration at individual mistakes and missed opportunities in front of goal in the 3-1 defeat. A feeling that the Netherlands was better, but the USMNT also hurt itself.

"If you give them three, four chances, they're going to put them away," said a disappointed Tyler Adams to FOX afterwards.

This was a lesson in what it takes to be among the best in the world. Top teams are clinical, cruel, vicious. And, throughout this tournament, the U.S. showed time and time again that it wasn't quite there. Finally, the players paid for it.

The Netherlands, meanwhile, cemented its status as World Cup contenders. The Oranje warped the USMNT's defense, ruining a group stage's worth of hard work in 90 minutes. The U.S. made seismic error after seismic error, effectively engineering its own undoing as a quick two-goal deficit proved too much to overturn.

It'll be a bitter pill to swallow. The USMNT has gotten better, that's for sure. The group stage was great evidence of that.

But American soccer is still nowhere near the very best.

Getty ImagesThe Winners

Matt Turner:

Say what you want about Berhalter's squad selections, but he sure got his goalkeeper right.

Turner was on his game once again, despite seeing three shots fly past him for his first goals conceded from open play at this tournament. There's little a goalkeeper can do in those situations, so we'll let them go.

Throughout the rest of the game, though, Turner was spectacular. His back-to-back saves just prior to the USMNT's goal helped keep hopes alive.

Overall, he made several fantastic stops to keep the U.S. in it, even as the Dutch pushed for a killing blow that eventually came. Turner was repeatedly let down. It's not his fault things ended this way.

Denzel Dumfries:

If you had the Inter defender as the main source of attacking inspiration, let me know your lottery ticket numbers.

Dumfries assisted the first two goals, putting both balls in on a platter for his teammates. The two helpers were nearly identical: a run down the right side, a low cut back towards the penalty spot and, ultimately, a simple finish past Matt Turner.

The cherry on top? A back-post finish for the Netherlands' third. Dumfries was unmarked, the chance was simple, the game was over.

It was all too easy for the Netherlands and, in truth, too easy for Dumfries, whose eyes must have been wide every time he got near the box. The U.S. failed to track back three times, and Dumfries made the Stars and Stripes pay three times.

Louis van Gaal:

A tactical masterclass. What else would you expect?

The Dutch manager has seen it all, and he surely wasn't overwhelmed by anything the USMNT brought to the table. Instead, he completely out-thought the opposition.

Van Gaal let USMNT have the ball, to be the protagonist, something that it hasn't been fully comfortable doing. He instructed Memphis Depay and Cody Gakpo to take away the balls to the full backs, preventing the U.S. from building out wide.

With the USMNT's starting striker Jesus Ferreira far from an aerial threat, Tim Ream and Walker Zimmerman were forced to hit line-breaking passes that could spring Dutch traps or play safe.

More often than not, they played safe, which the Dutch were more than OK with. They were rarely challenged and, once again, seemingly didn't have to get out of second gear.

We may not have seen the best of the Dutch team yet, the one that's on the front-foot and truly flexing their talent. But who cares? Not Van Gaal, who won this game with his mind just as much as his players won it on the field.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe Losers

Jesus Ferreira:

This was finally his chance. And it was over in 45 minutes.

Jesus Ferreira became the third USMNT striker to start in this tournament, and he became the third to be held scoreless. If you're wondering what held the USMNT back, it's that right there.

Ferreira was good for a bit of hold-up play, but little else. He checked back into midfield to get the ball, but could do nothing with it. With the Dutch totally content to concede possession, his pressing was somewhat useless and he never created havoc on the counter.

Ferreira was yanked at half-time as the U.S. brought in Gio Reyna for some kind of spark. They needed it because, once again, there was very little coming from up top.

Christian Pulisic:

You hate to say what if but, really, what if?

What if Pulisic was 100 percent and didn't suffer that pelvic contusion against Iran? And, more importantly, what if he buried that early chance that could have seen the U.S. seize control early?

It would have changed the game, no doubt. Pulisic was there, one-on-one with goalkeeper Andries Noppert and a whole net to shoot at. He was not offside and he had time, but he didn't make the most of it.

What could have been a tournament-changing goal instead ended up being a tame shot kicked away to Noppert's left.

USMNT defending:

What in the world was that?

The U.S. was nearly flawless on the defensive end in the three group stage games. Heading into the knockout round, it was actually their calling card.

Even with the attack sputtering, the U.S. hadn't conceded from open play. No matter what, it would be difficult to break down. Or so we thought.

All three Dutch goals were down to the USMNT's inability, or unwillingness, to track back. Physical and mental fatigue seemingly caught up with the playerrs and, in the end, that led to three all-too-easy goals.

It all just felt so preventable. The Dutch were good, of course, but it was a series of cataclysmic sequences from the U.S. that sealed the end of its World Cup dream.

Gregg Berhalter:

Berhalter couldn't prevent the goals himself. He wasn't the one that failed to track back. He also wasn't the one that squandered chances on the other end.

But the heat will be turned up after this one. Not just because the U.S. lost but because of how they lost.

Berhalter's roster and lineup decisions have drawn criticism for weeks, and this game will not have helped. The Reyna saga will go down as perhaps the defining story of this team and, given how the U.S. attack sprung to life during the Dortmund star's 45-minute appearance, it won't go away any time soon.

It won't be the only question asked of Berhalter. Did he rely too heavily on his midfield's tired legs? Did he get his striker selections right? Should Reyna and Brenden Aaronson have played bigger roles?

That's the job for a national team coach: answering to those sorts of questions. A bigger one is coming, though.

Will Berhalter get another chance at the World Cup with this team?

Getty ImagesUSMNT Ratings: Defense

Matt Turner (7/10):

Several great saves, and hard to blame him for the goals.

Antonee Robinson (5/10):

Lost Dumfries on the third goal and had a few sloppy touches. Just wasn't quite right.

Tim Ream (7/10):

Pretty solid again from the Fulham star. Didn't put a foot wrong all tournament.

Walker Zimmerman (5/10):

A tough first half for Zimmerman, who didn't quite have the pace or passing range the U.S. needed for this game.

Sergino Dest (6/10):

Dangerous, but not good enough. The emotion of facing the Netherlands seemingly got to him.

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Getty ImagesMidfield

Tyler Adams (5/10):

His first mistake of the tournament came on that Depay goal. Have to feel for him.

Weston McKennie (5/10):

Just looked a step slow. USMNT needed the McKennie we saw against England and just didn't get him

Yunus Musah (5/10):

Looked so, so tired. Lacked the explosiveness that makes him so special.

Michael Clarke has admitted that Australia will have to adapt quickly if the pitches produced for the Investec Ashes series are similar in character to that in Cardiff

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2015Michael Clarke has admitted that Australia will have to adapt quickly if the pitches produced for the Investec Ashes series are similar in character to that in Cardiff, where his side was heavily beaten as England took a 1-0 lead. Clarke was hopeful of seeing a more lively surface at Lord’s, just as he hoped to have a fit Mitchell Starc to call on in the second Test.On a slow, dry Cardiff pitch, Australia were bundled out twice in 154.2 overs, after England had won the toss and posted 430. England’s attack showed the discipline and patience required as they completed victory inside four days. Clarke said his team needed to improve if they were to win a first Ashes series in England since 2001.”That’s part of playing international cricket, you got to have success away from home as well and a big part of that is adapting to conditions,” Clarke told Sky Sports. “Let’s wait and see what the wicket’s like at Lord’s, I look forward to hopefully seeing a little bit more grass, but if we get similar conditions we’ve got to play better than we did here.”We know what’s expected of us as individual players, we know the conditions, all the guys have been able to see that now. I think the guys have prepared really well, we just haven’t played our best cricket against a good opposition. If you don’t play your best you lose.”Starc was Australia’s most successful bowler, although he was intermittently erratic in taking 7 for 174, but he visibly struggled with an ankle injury during the second innings. He was able to bat on the final day, lasting almost an hour during a 72-run stand with Mitchell Johnson, and Clarke was positive about his chances of appearing at Lord’s, with the second Test starting on Thursday. His loss, after the sudden retirement of Ryan Harris, would be another blow.”He walked out and batted, which was a positive, he was still able to bowl and took a couple of wickets in the second innings, so hopefully he’ll be fit and available for the second Test,” Clarke said. “The real positive for us was that he was able to bowl and get through it.”Despite having had England 43 for 3 on the first morning, Australia let the advantage slip – chiefly through Joe Root, who was dropped by Brad Haddin on nought, scoring a century. Australia then slipped from 180 for 2 to 308 all out, as a succession of batsmen got in and got out, conceding a 122-run deficit that they never recovered from. Clarke did not wish to dwell on specific moments, concluding instead that England had been the better team.”To cut a long story short I think we were outplayed in all three facets of the game. I think England’s batting in the first innings, their bowling throughout the whole game and their catching was exceptional. We’ve got some work to do before the second Test.”That’s the difference, when you’re playing against a very good team, when you get in you’ve got to cash in. If you get opportunities as a bowling and fielding unit, you’ve got to hang on to those chances.”

Ambati Rayudu and Stuart Binny added 160 runs together – the highest sixth-wicket stand for India in ODIs – in a last-ball four-run win

The Report by Alagappan Muthu10-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFifty off thirty balls. Tense. Elton Chigumbura defuses the pressure with a rasping cut. Forty-five off 24. He winds up and lashes a full toss to the cover boundary. Harare had been jiving with their captain. Song and dance galore. Thirty-two off 18. He tonks a four through long-on and Zimbabwe believed. They beamed with their captain as he collected a second successive ODI century. As it is with low-scorers – the target Zimbabwe were chasing was only 256 – nerves of both team’s were put through a shredder.India though weren’t quite so accommodating. Amid the many harried discussions, they made sure the best yorker bowler had the final over. Bhuvneshwar Kumar hit the mark enough to sever Zimbabwe’s feel-good vibes. The home crowd can’t be too cheery when their team needs six off one ball. And he nailed one last yorker to help his team break out of jail, and India’s own centurion Ambati Rayudu sigh in relief as well.Zimbabwe’s best chance would have been if one of their seniors shepherded the innings. Two of them were undone by beautiful left-arm spin bowling from Axar Patel. Hamilton Masakadza surprised by extra bounce and popped a catch to point. Sean Williams was lured forward only for the ball to dip and sneak through the gate.To compound that, Sikandar Raza launched a Harbhajan Singh long-hop – can happen when you’re coming back to ODIs after four years – down to Axar again at deep midwicket. Zimbabwe were 142 for 5. Zimbabwe needed something special. They got Chigumbura and they were roaring approval with every bottom-handed bludgeon.Chigumbura’s hits met the fence nine times and he was one of only three batsmen in the match to have a strike rate over 100. Beyond that, he strung vital partnerships through the middle order – 42 with Masakadza, 48 with Raza and a calculated 86 with No. 8 Graeme Cremer to keep the hosts’ threat alive. At one point, a young ball boy raced to the edge of the boundary and gleefully welcomed the ball towards him. All was going well, until the final hurdle, when Zimbabwe stumbled.”I think we’re the envy of a few to be honest,” coach Dav Whatmore had said with respect to their bench strength. That assessment is merited when it comes to their batting – since the start of the year, their batsmen have posted totals excess of 270 six out of eight completed matches. The downside though is one solitary win.The reason for that is their bowling. A motley crew of medium-pacers were excellent when the ball was new and early morning conditions offered some assistance. They had half of India’s line-up back in the pavilion by the time half the innings was done. Chigumbura barely had any work to do in the first 30-odd overs. The ball was put on a good length, outside off and allowed to do its bit. But once the slog overs came, their radar suffered a bad blip and the finishing blow never came. Good length balls outside off stump don’t work when the only swing on offer is from the bat looking for deep midwicket.Rayudu, to his credit, waited and waited waited for those shortcomings. He might not be the most water-tight No. 3 around, but throughout the innings he showed he was capable of smart cricket. Overpitched deliveries fed his drives, and he peppered a wide arc from cover to long-on. But when that length wasn’t there, he was quite judicious at not letting his bat travel too far from his body. A general rule for anyone who is sucked into the middle by the fourth over.Zimbabwe, having decided to field, continued to rack up a lot of dot-ball pressure. There were 160 of them overall with the Harare pitch being as stingy as the local bowlers. But through it all Rayudu held on. He was 25 off 50, learning that when he targeted the easy escape to third man the sideways movement bested him. He pushed to 50 off 72, realising that his technique was in better order having spent time at the crease. He ended up with his second ODI century and his longest innings in international cricket.Stuart Binny hadn’t been the most solid either. But it may have helped that Binny played legspinner Cremer the most at the time he was building his innings – 25 runs off 31 balls. By then the innings had surreptitiously reached the tipping point that every Zimbabwe supporter fears: the final few overs. And Binny opened his shoulders. He trod past his fifty off the 63rd ball in the 45th over, cracked three fours and a six to finish with 77 off 76. And India finished with 51 in the last five overs.Until their partnership – 160 off 147 balls, the highest sixth-wicket stand for India in ODIs – it had been old-fashioned cricket. Cautious batsmen and line bowling. M Vijay, playing his first ODI in two years, fished outside off stump and was caught in the slips – a fielding position Zimbabwe used quite late into the game much to Ajinkya Rahane’s chagrin. In the 18th over, the new India captain gave catching practice to Masakadza at first slip and was left contemplating another start not capitalised: 34 off 49.Then Manoj Tiwary was caught plumb in front, Robin Uthappa made a poor call to be run out for a duck and Kedhar Jadhav feathered an edge to the keeper for 5. Four of the top six falling for single-figures at a time when India are looking for new batsmen. But at least the new ODI playing conditions were ushered in with a game that went down to the last ball.

New Hong Kong captain Tanwir Afzal scored an unbeaten 55 off 27 balls but Namibia managed to defend 14 off the final over to hold on for a two-run win at Windhoek

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Tanwir Afzal struck 55 not out in a losing effort for Hong Kong•Graham Crouch/IDI/GettyNew Hong Kong captain Tanwir Afzal scored an unbeaten 55 off 27 balls but Namibia managed to defend 14 off the final over to hold on for a two-run win in the last T20 at Windhoek on Tuesday. Afzal entered in the 13th over with the score 63 for 5 in pursuit of Namibia’s 144 and struck his third six of the day four balls into the final over to bring up a half-century off 25 balls and trim the target to seven runs in two deliveries. After a two on the fifth ball, Hong Kong needed six to win and four to tie but Afzal only managed two off JJ Smit’s final ball.Hong Kong had won the toss at the start of the day and chose to field first in the 12-a-side contest. Haseeb Amjad captured three wickets in the first four overs to leave Namibia struggling at 11 for 3 before Sarel Burger’s second half-century in as many days brought Namibia back into the game. The visitors still had a reasonable hold on the first innings after Irfan Ahmed bowled Michau du Preez for 27 on the first ball of the 11th over, ending a 52-run stand to make it 63 for 4.However, Burger wrested momentum back for the hosts in the 13th by hitting back-to-back boundaries off Ahmed to commence a 16-run over which took the score to 84 for 4. Burger and Zhivago Groenewald forged a 66-run stand before Groenewald was Amjad’s fourth victim of the day in the 18th. Burger brought up his fifty off 43 balls in the next over and stayed to the end to give Namibia a defendable total.Hong Kong’s chase got off to a reasonable start, progressing to 57 for 1 at the halfway stage, but Namibia took four wickets in the space of 12 deliveries. The middle-overs collapse was initially sparked by Christopher Coombe’s dismissal of Nizakat Khan for 30 before Smit struck twice in the 12th to remove Waqas Barkat and Babar Hayat. Craig Williams kept the pressure on in the 13th by bowling Jamie Atkinson for 1, one of the allrounder’s three wickets on the day.Afzal counterattacked gamely by striking three boundaries off Groenewald in the 14th. In the end though, Afzal didn’t get support from his partners down the stretch and the middle order stumble was too much to overcome.

Jude Bellingham has picked up his Golden Boy award for 2023, with the Real Madrid superstar recognised as the best young player on the planet.

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England ace has made a stunning impact in SpainPreviously caught the eye for Borussia DortmundRecognised as world's best under the age of U21WHAT HAPPENED?

The England international midfielder is considered to be the world’s brightest talent under the age of 21. He now has a shiny trophy to prove as much, with the 20-year-old playmaker seeing his efforts at Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid acknowledged. In being named the Golden Boy, Bellingham follows in the footsteps of previous winners such as Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.

AdvertisementWHAT BELLINGHAM SAID

Bellingham, who has scored 15 goals for the Blancos through 17 appearances to break records previously posted by Cristiano Ronaldo, said when collecting his prestigious prize in Turin: “I can't be more grateful to all the people I have met along the way to help get me to the point I am at now. It's about trying to make my team and country the best teams in the world and to be the best player in the world you have to help your teams win and to join that list is such a big honour. I think Wayne Rooney was probably my biggest influence growing up, obviously being from England and the way he played, the way he fought, but there are so many other players that I've taken bits from. I'm really grateful for everything football has given me so far in my life and the support from my family to keep playing and keep enjoying it has been huge.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Haaland also added another trophy to his roll of honour courtesy of the awards handed out by Italian publication , with the prolific Manchester City striker getting revenge of sorts on Ballon d’Or winner Messi by walking away with the Golden Player Man award – having hit 52 goals last season in City’s historic Treble triumph.

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WHAT NEXT FOR BELLINGHAM?

Bellingham and Haaland are expected to challenge for Ballon d’Or honours in the future, with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappe, Bayern Munich starlet Jamal Musiala and Barcelona pair Pedri and Gavi also forming part of an exciting generation of talent that is looking to take over from eternal rivals Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ignore the stats, remember the stats and, if all else fails, offer a sacrifice to the gods

Andy Zaltzman28-Mar-20151. Ignore all of the statsFor example:a. Australia have won 13 ODIs in a row at home, and 24 of their last 26. They have won their last six at the MCG, 10 of the last 12, and 28 out of 37 this millennium.b. Mitchell Starc could potentially end with the best set of tournament statistics by any bowler in a World Cup, thanks in large part to his 6 for 28 against New Zealand.c. Steven Smith has four hundreds and six fifties in 17 ODI innings this season.d. Australia have won three of the last four World Cup finals.e. In their five matches since losing to New Zealand in Auckland, Australia have scored 1470 runs, at an average of 50 runs per wicket and a scoring rate of 7.4 per over. In the whole tournament, only one team has scored more than 233 against them (Sri Lanka’s 312), and they have taken 69 wickets, at an average of 20 runs per wicket and striking once every 23 balls.f. 0% of this match will be physically played in Auckland.And many more. All not worth thinking about. And all worth not thinking about.Stats are like goldfish – you should not allow them to affect you once you walk on to a cricket field; and if they do, you are probably doing something wrong.2. Remember some of the statsFor example:a. New Zealand have had their opponents two wickets down within 10 overs in six of their eight matches; one of the exceptions was their win over Australia, in which they had to wait until the 14th over to strike for the second time, but then took seven more wickets inside nine overs. If they repeat this form, they will expose an out-of-form Michael Clarke, batting on an occasion that will be one of his defining moments.b. Of the 17 knockout stage rematches in World Cup history between teams who had met earlier in the tournament, the winner of the first game has won the second encounter on 14 occasions.c. According to the most recently published player rankings of 15 March, for whatever they are worth, New Zealand’s top seven batsmen have a higher collective score than Australia’s; and the five main New Zealand bowlers also score collectively higher than their opponents. Not by much in either case, but by a little. That might mean almost nothing, but it does mean slightly something.d. Since 1979, there have been three first-time finalists: India in 1983, Pakistan in 1992 and Sri Lanka in 1996. All have won their first final. Australia have played six finals. They have won the four they have played against teams which have previously appeared in a World Cup final (1987 v England, 1999 v Pakistan, 2003 v India, 2007 v Sri Lanka), and lost against the two first-time finalists they have faced (West Indies in 1975, Sri Lanka in 1996).e. Only two of this Australian team have beaten New Zealand at the MCG (Clarke and Mitchell Johnson, in 2007; even in victory, Clarke scored 9 off 20 balls, Johnson took 0 for 48 in 7 overs). Six of the New Zealand side have beaten Australia at this stadium, in 2009: Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott were all batting in the places they currently occupy (McCullum and Taylor made useful 40s, Elliott saw the chase home with 61 not out); Tim Southee opened the bowling, Daniel Vettori bowled ten tight overs.f. Slightly more than 0% of this match might have been psychologically played in Auckland.Other stats are also worth remembering. Some more relevant than others. These kind of stats should be lodged away in your mind before you walk on to the field, to be summoned as a source of reassurance in times of tension.New Zealand won the group-stage match in Auckland. None of the World Cup final will be played in Auckland•Getty Images3. Imagine the looks on the Australian crowd’s faces should the home team loseWin or lose, New Zealand have made themselves national sporting heroes. Obviously, they will be even greater heroes if they win, but, nevertheless, they have achieved success that will not be forgotten. If Australia lose, they will have failed, and there will be some stroppy-looking supporters wearing “you guys have failed” faces. For New Zealand, it is as close to a no-lose situation as a World Cup final can be (which is, admittedly, not very close at all).Judging by the number of India fans around Melbourne in the last couple of days, there will be a substantial neutral contingent in the crowd, likely to back the Kiwis. And a fair number of Kiwis, certain to back the Kiwis. They will have support, representing their own country, and the large proportion of neutrals who have been entranced by their thrillingly attacking cricket, passionate support, and six-blasting nerve under pressure.In the unlikely event that the New Zealand players feel intimidated by the Australian crowd, they should imagine the entire population of their country, crammed into 50 MCGs, or 90 Eden Parks, all going, in Benaud’s words, “noisily berserk”. That might help.4. Do not panic if things go wrongUnless they go very wrong, for a prolonged period of the match, in which case panicking might be a sound strategic option. However, even if, say, McCullum, Guptill and Williamson fall early, or Boult and Southee fail to dislodge the potent but vulnerable Australian openers, they should take confidence from the fact that New Zealand’s campaign has been characterised by significant contributions from throughout the team.They began by scoring 331 against Sri Lanka, with a top score of 75 but six of the top seven reaching 29 (only the third time that had been done in a World Cup innings). They reached the final courtesy of five of the top six scoring 30 in the semi-final (the first instance of that happening in a World Cup knockout match since 1987). Four of their bowlers have taken at least 14 wickets (only two Australians have taken 10 or more, Starc (20) and Johnson (12)).New Zealand have a range of match-turners and match-winners with bat and ball.5. Sacrifice 100 head of oxen to ZeusNew Zealand need no divine intervention. They are good enough to win this final. They have formidable depth and firepower in batting, an in-form and well-balanced bowling attack, athleticism and brilliance in the field, and an excellent captain unafraid to attack.Their only obstacle is that their opponents are also good enough to win this final, and also possess those same qualities.So whatever marginal, mystical ‘one-per-centers’ that the Kiwis can apply could prove crucial. I have no idea whether Zeus was as receptive to mass animal sacrifices as the Ancient Greeks thought he was, nor is anyone entirely sure what the former Mount Olympus supremo is up to these days, but a cheeky pre-match ritual slaying of agricultural beasts could not possibly do any harm in the circumstances, and the noise, confusion and media attention might even distract the Australians from the cricketing task in hand.ZALTZMAN MICROPREDICTION: Australia by 53 runs, and/or 5 wickets with 3.3 overs to spare.

Marcos Alonso is reportedly set to choose between a Premier League return or a move to Saudi Arabia when leaving Barcelona in 2024.

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Experienced defender seeing deal run downJanuary move being speculated onSeveral options to considerWHAT HAPPENED?

The experienced full-back will see his contract at Camp Nou expire next summer. No extension has been discussed, with the expectation being that Barca will look to get another wage off their books. There are murmurs of a switch being sanctioned in January.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Former Bolton and Chelsea star Alonso was linked with Manchester United over the summer, and the Red Devils may choose to rekindle their interest. According to , the 32-year-old defender is also attracting admiring glances from the Middle East.

DID YOU KNOW?

Alonso could be presented with an opportunity to join the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in Saudi Arabia, with several sides in that region prepared to do a deal. It is, however, reported that the Spain international wants to see out the 2023-24 campaign in Catalunya first.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR ALONSO?

He intends to compete for minutes with Alejandro Balde and Joao Cancelo. Another big decision on his future will be made at the end of the season, with interest from England and Saudi Arabia not going away.

Goal rounds up some of the most exciting World Cup 2018 group stage fixtures – including Spain vs Portugal and England vs Belgium

With the World Cup set to kick off on June 14, Goal rounds up some of the biggest and best clashes to take place in Russia – including Spain vs Portugal which sees the new and old guard of La Furia Roja battle it out against the European champions, and Luis Suarez facing off against Mohamed Salah when Uruguay and Egypt play each other.Getty ImagesEgypt vs Uruguay

Mohamed Salah propelled Egypt to the finals after scoring a 95th-minute penalty against DR Congo to ensure that the Pharoahs would appear in their first World Cup since 1990.

The 25-year-old endeared himself to the world after an emphatic debut season at Liverpool where he smashed records and netted 44 goals in all competitions, and though he was unable to lift the European Cup with the Reds, he will be looking to redeem himself with a successful World Cup campaign.

He is set to face off against none other than Luis Suarez for Uruguay in their sides' opening fixture. Suarez was the Salah of yesteryear for Reds supporters before he moved to Barcelona in 2014 – and his was one of the scoring records that Salah broke this season.

It'll be an exciting game with Salah and Mohamed Elneny facing off against Suarez and Paris Saint-Germain star Edinson Cavani – and a chance to assert each forward's abilities.

Match Information: Egypt vs Uruguay | Friday June 15 | 1pm UK time (8am US ET)

AdvertisementGettyPortugal vs Spain

Portugal vs Spain is easily one of the most exciting fixtures of the tournament. Portugal are a threat in this competition as they are helmed by a confident Cristiano Ronaldo fresh from winning the Champions League as well as leading his side to a European Championship victory two years ago.

The current Spanish team features a mixed assortment of promising young talent including Marco Asensio, David de Gea and Isco as well as talismen in Andres Iniesta, David Silva and Gerard Pique.

Match Information: Portugal vs Spain | Friday June 15 | 7pm UK time (2pm US ET)

EITAN ABRAMOVICHArgentina vs Iceland

What will happen when Argentina – one of the most storied national sides of all-time – comes up against Iceland, one of the smallest of the qualified nations and who are set to make their first ever appearance in the World Cup?

Lionel Messi has yet to lift a major honour on the international stage and has finished as runner-up in four of his last Copa America finals. Despite his great successes with Barcelona – he has long since been the Spanish side's all-time top-scorer and has won every major club trophy imaginable, as well as lifting the Ballon d'Or on five separate occasions – some critics still feel that to truly cement his place as one of football's greats he must win the World Cup with his nation.

Match Information: Argentina vs Iceland | Saturday June 16 | 2pm UK time (9am US ET)

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GettyGermany vs Mexico

The defending champions will be looking to make their World Cup success a back-to-back feat, starting with their opening fixture against Mexico, as the current Germany squad is still as strong as the one four years ago – even without hero Mario Gotze in the squad.

The Germany squad is rife with experienced players in the shape of Thomas Muller, Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos as well as young talent such as Leroy Sane, who had a magnificent season with Manchester City, winning the title in the process, where he scored 23 goals.

Add the likes of Timo Werner, Marco Reus and Manuel Neuer and Germany are once again favourites to defend their title.

Match information: Germany vs Mexico | Sunday June 18 | 4pm UK time (11am US ET)

MS Dhoni, the India captain, has said it was important to spread cricket in more countries and look beyond mere commercial interests

Abhishek Purohit in Perth28-Feb-20153:30

‘Can see improvement in Associates every time they play’ – MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni, the India captain, has said it was important to spread cricket in more countries and look beyond mere commercial interests. He also felt that while the Associates had improved considerably, India had no time to give them games with an annual schedule that was too crowded already.”You have to see that cricket is developing as a sport because what’s very important is you want cricket to be a global sport when it comes to participation,” Dhoni said after India had beaten UAE by nine wickets. “What’s more important is rather than looking at it from a commercial point of view, what we have to make sure is where there’s existence of the sport, it keeps on increasing there, and at the same time you look at some of the other countries where there’s the prospect of playing cricket.”I feel overall it’s a win win situation, but what’s most important is to make sure that if there’s a bit of fire anywhere, you have to make sure it becomes a bush fire in terms of the intensity.”Dhoni said that some of the Associate sides had come a long way and deserved to be given more support in terms of facilities and chances. “If you see Afghanistan or some of the other teams, you can see a bit of improvement in their game every time they come and play. Whatever we have seen of a lot of the Associate nations, there has been a lot of improvement in their cricket. But we’ll have to give them more opportunities and we have to make sure that the infrastructure in those countries gets better and better so more people can come and play cricket.”When asked if the Associate sides should get more matches against the big nations such as India, Dhoni said that with the IPL and Champions League already crunching their calendar to a little over nine months, his team could not pitch in.”Not against India. I don’t see even a few days off to play any more cricket than what we play. We can’t, unless we play two games in one day, which is just not possible, because you want to keep the quality up.”It’s a difficult one. Yes, the Associate nations, if they can get a few more games, better scenario, good facilities, it will be good for them, but at the end of the day, it’s like a circus where you want to play in front of people, you want to compete in the best scenarios. So we’ll have to formulate a way, but please, not India. India can’t play any more games.”Several Associate captains and coaches have criticised the ICC’s move to limit the number of teams for the next World Cup to ten. Dhoni refrained from giving his opinion on the matter, saying that it was for the authorities to take a call on.”You know, there’s plenty of stuff on my table. We’ll let the ICC decide; they should also do a bit of work, so let them sit in their air conditioned room and decide whether the Associate nations need to play in the World Cup or not because that’s what they come up with. So the bunch of people will sit in the hall and they’ll decide whether or not it’s good for cricket.”

The future of women’s Test cricket remains bleak according to the ECB’s head of women’s cricket, Clare Connor

Melinda Farrell20-Aug-2014The future of women’s Test cricket remains bleak according to the ECB’s head of women’s cricket, Clare Connor. And, unless other national boards increase their support for Test cricket, Connor believes the longer format will struggle to survive.”There’s no doubt it’s hanging by a thread,” Connor told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s difficult to see a future for Test cricket.”India Women claimed a landmark six-wicket victory over England at Wormsley last week in a standalone Test, the first India have played in eight years.This followed on from two Tests between England and Australia in the preceding year, which formed part of a multi-format Women’s Ashes Series comprising one Test, three one-day Internationals and three T20s.”I would love to combine a multi-format series, to combine that [a one-off Test] with the three ODIs for the Women’s Championship and that’s what we tried to do with India this summer,” said Connor. “For whatever reasons India didn’t want that schedule and that’s why we’ve got South Africa coming over as a separate competition to play those three T20s, because we didn’t want to have a summer without those.”The multi-format concept was devised after Cricket Australia declined a proposal to play three Tests to decide the Women’s Ashes, and Connor said other countries, such as New Zealand, have shown little, if any, interest in staging women’s Tests in the past decade.”Cricket Australia have said they don’t see it as a viable format to grow the game from a commercial perspective, profile perspective, participation perspective,” Connor said. “They don’t think it’s going to be appealing to young girls or to women to follow it and take up the sport as a consequence.”But she believes the format can be commercially viable, particularly given the positive reaction to the Women’s Ashes Series, and the increasing professionalism of the game in most countries, which now offer female players central contracts.”We would like to play more Test cricket and we would certainly like to see more between the top four or five countries,” Connor said. “We would like to see a multi-format story for each bilateral competition because it doesn’t take a huge amount of time. You can play the ODIs in a week, the Test in a week and the T20s in a week.”I don’t think we should give up the fight to try and achieve that,” said Connor. “And I think it’s probably worth a new conversation with New Zealand, because I do remember at the time one of their big challenges was around player time away from uni or work.”Globally, the women’s game is facing something of a watershed moment, with England and Australia leading the way in committing to full professionalism and there is a fear that, despite India’s victory over England in the Test, the gap between the top two nations and the rest of the world could widen considerably. The launch of the Women’s Championship for ODIs is attempt to bring some coherence and relevant to that format.While the future Tests are in doubt, the ECB is maintaining its opposition to a privately run international T20 tournament before an official proposal has been completed.The WICL, fronted by former Australian international Lisa Sthalekar, has flagged the idea of a twelve-day T20 tournament featuring the world’s best players. But the ECB has said it will not release any players to the proposed competition, and Cricket Australia followed suit, although it appears CA is adopting a softer, ‘wait and see’ approach, while the proposal is still being prepared.”I think both boards have been unsettled, maybe the ECB more,” Connor said, “because since conversations started with WICL – I had a first conversation back in May 2013 – nothing materially has developed or has been established.”Cricket Australia has indicated its interest in holding a Women’s Big Bash League in conjunction with the men’s version but the ECB has no current plans to host any competition.Connor said she understood that less well paid players from other countries could be disappointed the ECB will not support a competition that could see them significantly supplement their modest earnings.”I do see that it’s easy to sit in ECB offices and Cricket Australia offices and say ‘Our players are fine, thanks’,” she said. “But it would be better to have that kind of competition run by a full member if it can be achieved.”