All posts by h716a5.icu

The Los Angeles Dodgers are World Series champions once again, and they won this one in style, rallying back from a 5-0 deficit in Game 5 on Wednesday night to beat the New York Yankees, 7-6. This is the franchise's eighth championship overall and its first since 2020.

The Dodgers got back in the game with a five-run fifth inning that was helped out by three brutal fielding mistakes by the Yankees, which included a horrible drop by Aaron Judge in center field.

They then took the lead in the eighth inning by scoring two runs, with Mookie Betts knocking in the winning run with a sacrifice fly to center.

Walker Buehler, who started Game 3 for the Dodgers, came in for the ninth inning and shut down the Yankees in order. He clinched it with a strike out of Alex Verdugo.

During the celebration Dodgers catcher Will Smith was approached by MLB to authenticate the ball that got the final out.

"I gotta give it to Walker," he said to the MLB official.

That moment is near the end of this video:

MLB fans loved that:

What a teammate.

Marc Skinner's side shipped three first-half goals to effectively put the game to bed as the Red Devils toiled in the Manchester derby and saw their rivals pull seven points clear of them in the WSL table. It'll surely take something spectacular for United to get themselves back in contention now, even after only nine games, as they struggled to contain the likes of Lauren Hemp, Vivianne Miedema and Bunny Shaw and were comfortably beaten 3-0.

City would break the deadlock after an even start when Shaw rose above Elisabeth Terland and nodded across the box for Rebecca Knaak to head home what was her third goal in a Manchester derby to give the hosts the lead.

United, who failed to muster a single shot on target over the entire 90 minutes, tried to get going, with Ella Toone and Jess Park showing flashes of their quality in and around the box, but City's defence were having none of it, and Andree Jeglertz's side would double their lead on 43 minutes. Shaw, who looked a class above all game, would be involved again, this time scoring herself as she raced in front of a sleeping Dominique Janssen and slotted home for 2-0, bagging her sixth WSL goal of the season in the process.

And the game was effectively over just before the half-time whistle blew, when Hemp, afforded far too much time and space to pick her spot, arrowed a ferocious drive past a helpless Safia Middleton-Patel to end the afternoon as a contest.

GOAL rates Manchester United's players from the Etihad Stadium…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

Safia Middleton-Patel (6/10):

Powerless to stop any of the goals and saved well from Shaw in the second half to prevent a fourth.

Jayde Riviere (5/10):

She found life tough against a resurgent Hemp and failed to stop the cross on more than one occasion.

Dominique Janssen (4/10):

Should've been more switched on to the danger posed by Shaw for City's second goal and struggled to contain the Jamaican goalscoring sensation all afternoon.

Maya Le Tissier (5/10):

Her and Janssen will be having nightmares about Shaw tonight. Couldn't really blame her for any of the goals but will be angry that United shipped three having been so consistent at the back this season.

Anna Sandberg (5/10):

Struggled to deal with Kerstin Casparij's marauding runs from right-back and should've got out to the Netherlands international far quicker to try to prevent the cross that led to Shaw's goal.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield

Julia Zigiotti Olme (4/10):

Had a bit of a nightmare. Lost the midfield battle and allowed Hemp all sorts of time and space to get her shot away for City's third goal.

Hinata Miyazawa (5/10):

Not her day. Loose with her passing and couldn't stop City dominating the midfield area.

Ella Toone (6/10):

No hat-trick at the Etihad this time. A really frustrating afternoon for Toone, who looked bright in possession but failed to put her stamp on the derby.

Getty Images SportAttack

Jess Park (5/10):

Linked up well with Toone at times but was well marshalled by her former City team-mates. Struck the post with United's best chance of the game when she should've really hit the target.

Elisabeth Terland (3/10):

Given the nod in attack but hardly had a touch and was dominated in the air by Shaw for City's opener. Hauled off at half-time for Malard.

Leah Galton (5/10):

Still working her way back to full fitness and the rustiness showed, with her end product particularly poor. Hooked midway through the second half.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportSubs & Manager

Melvine Malard (6/10):

On at half-time and looked far more of a threat than the ineffective Terland but ultimately the game was already over.

Fridolina Rolfo (5/10):

Bright on midway through the second half but it was game over by this point and she had little impact.

Hannah Blundell (5/10):

Brought on as United legs began to tire but couldn't help spark any sort of recovery.

Rachel Williams (5/10):

Introduced for Park but it was 3-0 and there was no way back.

Simi Awujo (N/A):

On for the final few minutes.

Marc Skinner (4/10):

Made the decision to switch things up after the midweek win over PSG and it backfired. Dropping Malard for Terland was the biggest call and it didn't go his way, with United now needing a minor miracle to get back in the WSL title picture.

Arun will also be responsible for scouting and the development of young fast bowlers

Shashank Kishore30-Jul-2025Bharat Arun is the new bowling coach of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of IPL 2026, the franchise confirmed on Wednesday. Arun’s new role brings an end to his four-year tenure as a bowling consultant with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).Arun is likely to have an expanded role within the LSG set-up – responsible for scouting and overseeing the year-round development of their young quicks.”It’s an honour to join the Lucknow Super Giants, a franchise that reflects professionalism, ambition, and vision at every level,” Arun said in a statement. “My conversations with Dr. Sanjiv Goenka and the management were incredibly energizing – there is a clear intent to invest in young Indian talent and build a long-term legacy.”What excites me most is the vision for long-term development. LSG has invested in a young, talented, and dynamic group of Indian fast bowlers – Akash deep, Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav, Mohsin Khan, and Akash Singh – and I see immense potential in each of them. My mission is to help shape them into a cohesive, fearless, and tactically sharp pace unit that can challenge the best batting line-ups in the world.”LSG are also set to bring in Carl Crowe as spin consultant. Crowe is credited to have helped Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine in their bowling reinvention during his time at KKR. LSG are likely to make a formal announcement soon.Arun’s role was previously managed by former India pacer Zaheer Khan, their team mentor in IPL 2025. LSG failed to make the playoffs and finished seventh.Related

KKR and head coach Chandrakant Pandit part ways after three seasons

At KKR, Arun was originally contracted for three years, before he was offered an extension for another season that took him up to the end of IPL 2025, where KKR finished eighth.Arun’s exit is part of a wider support-staff overhaul at KKR. On Tuesday, the franchise had announced that head coach Chandrakant Pandit had chosen to part ways with the team. At the time, there was no formal announcement of Arun’s exit.Arun comes with a solid body of work, having had two fruitful stints with the Indian team, first from 2014-2015 and, more recently, from 2017 to 2021. In between, he was also part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) backroom between 2015 and 2017.

Moeen Ali and Andrew Flintoff provide coaching cameos as England build up to Edgbaston Test

Vithushan Ehantharajah01-Jul-2025After missing Monday’s training session due to a family emergency, Jofra Archer was at Edgbaston on Tuesday making up for lost time.A strong session in the nets on the Colts Ground included a stint bowling at Ben Stokes. Unsurprising, really. Archer is not the first bowler to be left out of an XI and immediately seek to give his captain a reminder of their talents the day before a Test.It perhaps spoke to who had the better of that duel that Stokes ended up rushing to his 11.15am press conference after opting for another hit to get some groove back. Not that Stokes needed a reminder of Archer’s qualities, or indeed Archer had anything to prove, despite missing the cut for this second Test against India.”I know Jof, obviously, a lot better than you guys sat down here,” Stokes said, when assessing the situation around his 30-year-old quick, and the notion Archer would need to be kept interested in a format he has not played for over four years.”I’ve been in constant communication with him since the injuries. And I said it a few times – he was so determined to get back and play Test cricket or to make himself available to be selected. So, look, he didn’t need any more reason to find any more desire. He loves playing cricket. He loves playing for England.”The figurative “here” of being Test-ready for a first appearance of the new era – he has previously played one Test under Stokes in 2020 – was as important as the literal.Having returned for Sussex last week against Durham – his first red-ball appearance since May 2021 – Archer could have dropped back into their match against Warwickshire at Hove to add to the 18 overs of work last week. ECB regulations state that players released from international duty can be shoehorned back into ongoing County Championship fixtures, provided there are at least two days remaining, which would have been the case on Tuesday.However, England confirmed on Monday that none of their four unused squad members would be released for their respective county fixtures. While Jacob Bethell was always due to remain as the spare batter, Archer, Sam Cook and Jamie Overton were probably glad to be saved from what looks to be hard toil with the Kookaburra ball.Jofra Archer bowled 18 overs for Sussex last week but hasn’t been released for further game-time•PA Photos/Getty ImagesHaving that trio of seam bowlers around the group, particularly Archer, was seen by Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum as far more beneficial.”This is something we had to consider around bringing him back into the squad,” Stokes told when asked why Archer was not released to play for Sussex.”For me, personally, and Baz as well, we felt if he didn’t play it was important to have Jof around the group, around the people, to get him back into the environment again. Having him back in the squad is great but we want him to play a part in the series and going forward with this group.”There were benefits to both situations, but how me and Baz think about the time we spend as a group is very important as well. He (Archer) has been playing for a long time. He has bowled a lot of overs. You can’t really control how a first-class game will go. Because of how last week went, he [only] got 18 overs in a week.”Of course, Archer has been around England set-ups plenty, even with his elbow and lower-back travails. Since his last Test cap on the India tour in 2021 – not just under a different regime but during the pandemic – Archer has played 41 ODIs and T20Is for England. Nine of them have been with McCullum in charge, since the unification of his red- and white-ball coaching roles at the start of the year.While Archer is with how McCullum and Stokes work, the squad as a whole has an altogether different feel. One which, despite McCullum and Harry Brook’s best efforts, they have yet to replicate across the other codes. As such, keeping “newer” players around, even when they are not in the XI, makes sense.By design, this environment is geared towards making Test cricket more enjoyable, on and off the pitch, and thus more attractive to players at a time when T20 riches are hard to spurn. And it is not just Archer who has that option open to him.Even Overton, who made his one and only Test appearance under Stokes and McCullum in the 2022 summer, is still embedding.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo in April while at the IPL with Chennai Super Kings, Overton had not even considered that Test cricket may be across his radar this summer: “There’s not many bowlers that play all three formats now… It’s going to take a lot to get the body back to those bowling workloads, and we’ll just see where we go and play it by ear.” Even while on the periphery at Headingley, and over these last two days at Edgbaston, Overton has seemed very happy with his lot.Related

Rob Key: 'Pure talent' Jofra Archer ready to hit the ground running

Bazball essentials: England tick two out of three boxes

How Ben Stokes got his bowling mojo back

Gill wants top order to take 'more responsibility' after Leeds loss

Kuldeep Yadav is ready. Are India?

The regime’s efforts to make their players’ lives more enjoyable have included jaunts to the UAE ahead of series in Pakistan and India, and an extended stay in Queenstown on their last tour of New Zealand. Domestically, they play plenty of golf, of course, but the odd cameo coaching appearance has helped lift the mood too. Moeen Ali dropped in as a mentor on Monday and worked with Shoaib Bashir – “they’d never met until yesterday,” Stokes revealed – before Lions head coach Andrew Flintoff graced Tuesday’s training. A few used the afternoon after training to hit the course.Much of the bonhomie throughout the match will come from, as Stokes says, mucking in. And there is also the carrot of working yourself into pole position for a berth at Lord’s.Given the third Test starts three days after this one is scheduled to finish, changes are likely with the pace attack of Chris Woakes, Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse already going back-to-back. Archer might not have to wait much longer for his return.”Here he can come and bowl, he can help out the lads, he can get used to the environment again and when the opportunity does come, he is comfortable in it,” Stokes said.”This week being here, and building up to be in contention for next week, it is tight back-to-back games and having a few fresh bowlers to choose from. He was in contention to play this week and, unless anything goes wrong, I can’t see why he won’t be next week.”

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank will be delighted with where the team is currently at, after moving up to third in the Premier League table on Sunday.

The former Brentford boss inherited a team that finished 17th in the division under Ange Postecoglou last season, despite winning the Europa League, which makes their current form all the more impressive.

Spurs travelled to Merseyside to take on Everton at the Hill Dickinson stadium on Sunday in the Premier League, and came away from that match with a 3-0 win.

Central midfielder Micky van de Ven took his tally for the season to five goals with two strikes in the first half, before Pape Matar Sarr added a third late on by heading in from close-range after Richarlison nodded the ball back across goal.

You would often be hard-pressed to find many negatives from a 3-0 win away from home in the Premier League, but there were some for the Lilywhites on Sunday.

For example, there was another fairly underwhelming performance from summer signing Xavi Simons in the middle of the park, and he needs to step up for Spurs in the coming weeks and months.

Why Xavi Simons needs to step up for Spurs

The Europa League champions splashed out £52m to sign the Netherlands international from RB Leipzig, possibly with the intention of him replacing James Maddison, who suffered an ACL injury in pre-season.

It is easy to see why they were willing to splash the cash on the former Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona youngster, as he produced consistent quality in the Bundesliga in the last two seasons.

Appearances

32

25

xG

8.26

5.11

Goals

8

10

Big chances created

14

12

Key passes per game

2.5

2.0

Assists

11

7

As you can see in the table above, Simons racked up 18 goals and 26 ‘big chances’ created as an attacking midfielder or winger, proving that he can make a big impact in the final third.

However, the Dutchman has no goals and one assist, which came from a corner, in ten appearances in all competitions for Tottenham since his move to the club in the summer window.

Simons, as of yet, has been unable to translate his influence in the Bundesliga over to the Premier League. Whether that will come with more time and experience in England, it remains to be seen.

The 22-year-old attacking midfielder played 62 minutes against Everton on Sunday, per Sofascore, and came off the pitch without any shots on goal or any chances created to show for his efforts for the Lilywhites, which shows that it was an ineffective performances in the final third.

Along with his struggles in the Premier League, Simons also has no goals, one key pass, and no ‘big chances’ created in three appearances in the Championship for Tottenham this term.

This shows that he has been struggling domestically and on the continent stage, which will be a concern for supporters and Frank at this stage, as the Dutch star is clearly capable of much better than he is showing, given his output for Leipzig in his two full seasons in Germany.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

With the £52m signing’s struggles at the top end of the pitch, though, it could be the right time for the Danish head coach to provide a young player with an opportunity to step up.

Luca Williams-Barnett made his first-team debut for the club in the League Cup in a 3-0 win against Doncaster Rovers, and he could emerge as a surprise upgrade on Simons.

Spurs travel to Tyneside to take on Newcastle United in the League Cup on Wednesday night, which could be the perfect opportunity to offer the teenage starlet a chance to shine.

Why Luca Williams-Barnett could be a Xavi Simons upgrade

The 17-year-old star’s form for the club at academy level this season suggests that he has the potential to be an exciting player for the first-team if he can make the step up.

As aforementioned, Simons has not stepped up to deliver goals and assists since his big-money move from Leipzig, with a goal contribution every ten matches on average so far.

Williams-Barnett, meanwhile, has scored eight goals and provided seven assists in 12 appearances in all competitions this season, including a three-minute cameo for the first-team, per Transfermarkt.

On top of his exceptional form in front of goal in the current campaign for Tottenham’s youth teams, the England U18 international also scored 20 goals in all competitions last season.

Appearances

23

12

Minutes

1857

894

Goals

20

8

Minutes per goal

93

112

Assists

12

7

Minutes per assist

155

128

Minutes per goal contribution

58

60

As you can see in the table above, Williams-Barnett has provided goals and assists on a consistent basis since the start of last season, averaging a goal or an assist every hour or so over the past 18 months.

U23 scout Antonio Mango went as far as to call him the “most underrated talent in English Academies”, which speaks to how impressed he has been with the Spurs youngster’s performances.

His talent has been recognised this season, though, as he won the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for his displays at U21 level in September.

With all of this in mind, and the fact that his main position is as an attacking midfielder, it could be the right time for Frank to provide him with another chance to impress at first-team level after his debut against Doncaster last month.

Spurs have unearthed their new Vertonghen & it's not Van de Ven

Tottenham Hotspur may have found their next Jan Vertonghen, and it is not Micky van de Ven.

ByDan Emery Oct 27, 2025

He has shown unbelievable form and consistency for the academy team for more than a year, and his numbers at youth level suggest that he does have the potential to be an upgrade on the currently underperforming Xavi Simons, if he can make the step up.