Tag Futebol

One of the biggest troubles for Leeds United this season is how poorly they have performed in front of goal. Daniel Farke’s side find themselves in a relegation battle, which many people expected would be the case. ESPN journalist Bill Connelly said they need “random bursts of quality attacking” to help them stay up.

Well, things haven’t worked out that way so far for the Whites. They’ve found the back of the net just nine times, better than just two sides, including bottom of the league Wolverhampton Wanderers. Leeds’ expected goals tally is just 12.94xG, the 12th best in the top flight.

One man who has struggled for his best goalscoring form is Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Calvert-Lewin’s struggles in front of goal

Leeds secured the signing of Calvert-Lewin in the summer on a free transfer, after his contract at Everton expired. He was brought in with the aim of bolstering their Premier League goalscoring stocks, although it hasn’t really worked out that well so far.

The experienced 28-year-old, who has 11 caps and four goals for England, has not quite hit the ground running in a Leeds shirt.

In nine games for the club so far, Calvert-Lewin has only found the back of the net once, against fellow strugglers Wolves.

It was a good finish, too, from the new Leeds number nine. He got on the end of a loopy cross from Jayden Bogle, finding space between the Wolves defenders and heading home. That is the kind of striking instinct Leeds fans may have expected.

However, it hasn’t really worked out for Calvert-Lewin, aside from that goal. His underlying numbers are surprisingly low, averaging just 2.8 shots per 90 minutes, with an expected goals per game of 0.33xG. That places him in the 25th percentile for Premier League strikers.

With a huge game against Nottingham Forest next up, Farke may decide to rotate the striker out of the side in favour of a man who knows where the back of the net is.

Leeds’ Calvert-Lewin alternative

Ultimately, Leeds need to start finding the back of the net more consistently soon. Goals win you football matches, and right now, they could do with a few victories to help propel them up the table.

Chalkboard

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

Well, Farke could well make the decision to axe Calvert-Lewin against Forest this weekend, and bring in Joel Piroe.

The Dutchman is someone who knows where the back of the net is, and Farke even called him the “best finisher” he’s ever seen as a manager.

With strikes like this one against Bristol City in the Championship last season, it is easy to see where the Whites’ boss is coming from.

Piroe bagged from quite a tight angle outside of the area, which takes some doing.

Indeed, he has put up some impressive numbers in a Leeds shirt so far. In 102 games for the club, the striker has 33 goals and ten assists. Last term in the Championship, Piroe was the main man up front and bagged 19 goals with seven assists in 46 games.

His underlying stats showcase how deadly he can be, too. During the league-winning 2024/25 season, the Dutch striker averaged 0.56 goals per 90 minutes, with an expected goals tally of 0.49xG. Both of those stats placed him in the top 5% of Championship strikers.

Goals

0.56

95th

Shots on target

1.14

89th

Expected goals

0.49xG

95th

Shot-creating actions

2.43

84th

Goal-creating actions

0.38

91st

Bringing Piroe into the side for the trip to the City Ground could be a stroke of genius from Farke. He has a point to prove, having fallen out of favour this season. He’s only played 164 top-flight minutes, but would surely love to get more regular game time.

Calvert-Lewin has been out of form this season. With someone who Farke himself has admitted is a deadly finisher waiting in the wings, he could be the difference in helping find the back of the net more often.

Farke can get DCL firing by ditching Aaronson for "unstoppable" Leeds star

Daniel Farke can finally get Dominic Calvert-Lewin firing at Leeds United by unleashing this speedy winger.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 6, 2025

Bangladesh captain Litton Das has said the current crop of players were “almost ready” for the 2026 T20 World Cup after an improved fielding performance in the 2-1 series win against Ireland.Bangladesh have played 30 T20Is in 2025, the most for them in a year. The victory against Ireland was their fifth in T20I series this year after consecutive wins against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Netherlands and Afghanistan. They had lost to Pakistan and UAE before that streak, and West Indies after.Against Ireland, Bangladesh bounced back from 0-1 down to win the second and third T20Is. On Tuesday, they won by eight wickets and 38 balls to spare after an emphatic all-round display.Related

• Tanzid, Rishad, Mustafizur lead Bangladesh to series win

“I wanted the team to win from pressure situations,” Litton said after the third T20I. “We couldn’t overcome the pressure in the first game but we fought back to win the series. There are many positive sides. We are not a good fielding unit, but we took some brilliant catches in this series. At least in the fielding department, we have shown improvement. After playing the most number of T20Is in a year, I think our players have become more mature.”The credit goes to all the players and coaching staff. Our team was ready since the Asia Cup. We have only used a certain number of players since then. I think we want these players to play their best cricket in the BPL, which we then expect them to replicate for the national team. I am not concerned about anyone’s performance, but about injuries. We will all pray that we remain safe in the next two months.”Litton said Bangladesh had experimented this year, to find their best combination for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February. For instance, Bangladesh used all their opener options in the top four in the third T20I against Ireland, while also mixing up their spinners and fast bowlers.”We have conducted a lot of experiments. We made certain changes that were risky – like Fizz [Mustafizur Rahman] didn’t bowl the last over today,” Litton said. “[Mohammad] Saifuddin bowled the last over. I wanted to see what a player will do after not playing two matches. I think we tried almost everything in every aspect of the team. This bunch of players are almost ready for the next World Cup.”Bangladesh, however, do not have a settled middle order, with at least one position still up for grabs. They tried Jaker Ali, Nurul Hasan and Shamim Hossain in each of the three matches, though Shamim didn’t get to bat in the third game.”I am not too concerned about it [the No. 6 position],” Litton said. “Not everyone will get runs in every series. You saw [Towhid] Hridoy doing well in this series. I want them to score runs in the BPL, and then bring that to the World Cup.”Litton also said he had to rotate between three spinners in the XI, which means one of his “match-winners” ends up on the bench.”Mahedi [Hasan], Rishad [Hossain] and Nasum [Ahmed] are my match-winners, so I have to take a tough call when I have to pick [only] two spinners in the XI,” he said. “Sometimes, my performer has to sit out. They have accepted my decisions. They are good team-mates. It will keep happening in the future, but of course we explain to them [why we didn’t pick any of them].”

Head coach Gambhir and batting coach Kotak have done it in the past but they can only share the experience, not make time move faster

Sidharth Monga26-Jul-20252:29

Kotak: ‘Credit to Gill’ for changing his batting approach

There is perhaps nothing more absolute and objective than time. It takes one second for one second. Sixty of them will make a minute. There is no way around it. You can’t do anything to make the earth move faster or slower. It is never more apparent than when you are so far behind in a Test that a draw is the only result possible for you, and you have to bat five sessions to earn it.Against modern Test attacks, it is generally not possible to bat five sessions for a draw unless the conditions are your friend. You need it to be either devoid of lateral movement and uneven bounce, or you want it to run out of life so that things are happening too slowly off the surface. A bowler, the best of the series, down for two sessions helps.Then, and only then, begins the battle with time, which can also be extremely subjective. How you perceive time can make it seem stress-inducingly quick or painfully slow. It perhaps seems so only to those on the outside, but time can move extremely slowly during such situations.Related

Stats – England break Old Trafford scoring record

Stokes puts England on top but Rahul, Gill keep India alive

England hope 'stiff and sore' Stokes can bowl on fifth day

India’s dressing room has two men who have achieved these feats at different levels. Their head coach Gautam Gambhir once batted 643 minutes for just 137 runs while following-on to help India save a Test in Napier in 2008-09. Not long before that, the batting coach Sitanshu Kotak resisted Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium for 796 minutes for a draw. Kotak’s bringing of Mumbai down to their knees is part of Ranji Trophy folklore.The experience is out there, they can perhaps tell the formula to those going out: four overs equal 15 minutes, eight overs is half-an-hour, double that and you get a drinks break. One more drinks break, and there is a session break. You need these landmarks on the way.It still can’t help time move faster. The biggest challenge when attempting such draws is to not get ahead of yourself. You can’t think, “yeah, this looks easy now” and start thinking of the next challenge: Ben Stokes, or the second new ball, or overcast skies. You can get away with doing that in a chase. You can perhaps take risks when you are confident and make sure that even if you get out, you leave the rest a manageable task.There is no such concept here. It has to be done one ball at a time. There is no get-out-of-jail-free card, except to wait for the sentence to get over. You have to find the sweet spot between concentrating and relaxing. Too focused, and you can exhaust yourself. Too relaxed, and you can make a mistake. And if you get out, your team is no closer to finishing the task than the objective passage of time.KL Rahul plays the short ball comfortably despite a packed leg-side field•Getty ImagesKL Rahul and Shubman Gill have the techniques and the temperament. Gill is naturally an even-tempered person. Rahul has seen enough ups and downs in cricket to know better than to get swayed by outcomes. They have both had one infamous meltdown on a Test field each. Rahul in South Africa, Gill at Lord’s.However, with bat in hand, a natural extension of their bodies, they have the kind of game that can take care of them as they go about batting time. They have seen through a hat-trick ball, the tricky three overs before lunch, the new ball, then a drinks break, then sets of 15 minutes to tea, then repeated it to stumps.They have had other landmarks. Perhaps a Jofra Archer spell. Then making him bowl bouncers. Then switch off and switch on as he went around the wicket. Same with the other end. Liam Dawson switching to over the wicket. Kick them away. One ball at a time. Move around, get one to kick and beat the outside edge, but play the next ball for the angle because not many will turn. As Gill did in the 62nd over, having faced 162 balls by then.2:11

Manjrekar: Second new ball will be the next big challenge for India

Rahul, who faced his first ball after Gill had already played one, went into stumps having negotiated 210, which was 33 more than Gill. At one point, he was so engrossed in just defending the ball and switching off that he forgot to run. Gill had to shout at him.Runs were immaterial and were scored only when the ball was really bad or when played instinctively. Or, at times, just to buy time, that wonderful concept. When you keep defending, defending, defending, even though time is moving too slowly, you are concentrating so hard you can feel hurried. So you hit a four, move your legs, knock gloves with the non-striker, switch off, and switch on again.The job is only 40% done. Day five will move at its objective pace again. It will feel too slow and too quick at times. There will be landmarks. Get yourself in, then new ball in 17 overs, then proper switch on, personal milestones perhaps. If you get close to erasing the deficit, you can sense time move faster because every run you score will also take time for England to score it back. For England, it will start rushing out of their hands if India get close to saving the match.Such Test innings are perhaps appreciated more by eccentrics, but there is every bit of the competitiveness that makes sport a spectacle. On a beautiful Saturday evening, as the shadows at Old Trafford lengthen, time is moving smoothly. It will find its own rhythms on Sunday morning: slowly for some, quickly for some others. It will, in actual fact, move only one second at a time.

Every baseball fan has been there.

In the third inning of Milwaukee's tilt against the Los Angeles Dodgers at American Family Field, Brewers manager Pat Murphy thought a ball was heading out for a home run. It fell just a few feet short.

Appearing on the national TNT broadcast, Murphy was mic'd up from the Brewers' dugout as third baseman Andruw Monasterio lifted a Clayton Kershaw slider 360 feet onto the left field warning track where it was caught by outfielder Michael Conforto.

"Get out of here. Get up. Get out of here. S—," Murphy said on the TNT broadcast.

Too relatable.

The Brewers did plate three runs Tuesday night, which was enough to earn a 3-1 win over the Dodgers. Rookie sensation Jacob Misiorowski dazzled the Dodgers' star-studded lineup, logging 12 strikeouts and allowing just one run over six innings of work.

If the Padres want to continue to contend in 2026, they'll have to do it without one of their staff aces.

San Diego pitcher Yu Darvish is out for '26 season after a procedure "to repair a torn flexor tendon and an internal brace in his elbow," according to a Tuesday afternoon report from Jeff Passan that accompanied a social-media post from Darvish himself.

"Last Wednesday I had surgery done by Dr. (Keith) Meister to repair my flexor tendon (and) have an internal brace attached to my UCL I will be working hard on my rehab to be able to throw a ball comfortably again," Darvish wrote in English, along with a similar statement in Japanese.

Darvish, 39, will enter his 14th Major League Baseball season in 2027.

In 2025, he debuted on July 7 due to persistent elbow inflammation. He went 5-5 with a 5.38 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 72 innings, and started the deciding game of the Padres' wild-card series against the Cubs—losing that contest 3–1.

In 13 years with four teams, Darvish has made five All-Star teams—most recently during an 8-11 campaign in 2021. He has finished in the top 10 of the Cy Young voting on four occasions, and made five Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star appearances in Japan before coming to the United States.

The Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF) has sanctioned the ILT20 as an official men and women’s competition

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2025In the coming years, the UAE’s ILT20 could see games take place in Saudi Arabia after it entered into a partnership with the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation (SACF). The league gains official recognition in the Kingdom as part of its expansion across the Gulf region.While no specific date has been set on the first matches that will be played in Saudi Arabia, the SACF has sanctioned the ILT20 as an official men and women’s competition that could host matches in the Kingdom in future seasons. The linkup will also provide Saudi Arabia players with a direct pathway into the tournament, starting with the auction for this year’s edition on October 1, where each franchise will be required to sign at least one player from the country.”We are very proud to announce our partnership with the Saudi Arabian Cricket Federation,” ILT20 chairman Khalid Al Zarooni said. “Saudi Arabia is a key part of the Gulf region, and its commitment to developing cricket is inspiring. This partnership is built on our shared vision of growing the game beyond borders. The DP World ILT20 will create opportunities for players, and hopefully bring world-class cricket closer to the fans.”Related

• ILT20: Dinesh Karthik joins Sharjah Warriorz

• IPL chair: No concrete proposals from Saudi

• Is cricket ready for a Saudi-backed Grand Slam circuit?

• IPL auction marks start of Saudi's cricket push

The agreement will also see the ILT20 and SACF work together on talent identification and grassroots development, with a development tournament planned in Saudi Arabia next year.HRH Prince Saud Bin Mishal Al-Saud, chairman of SACF, said: “This collaboration reflects our commitment to developing cricket in the country, and providing our players with opportunities to grow and succeed on an international stage. With Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 placing strong emphasis on sport and community engagement, we believe this partnership will inspire more young men and women to take up cricket.”The ILT20’s fourth season, to be held in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, begins on December 2 this year, and will run until January 4, 2026, featuring six teams across 34 matches.

خاض فريق مانشستر سيتي، بقيادة المدرب بيب جوارديولا، مباراته في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز مساء السبت، وذلك ضد نظيره ليدز يونايتد.

واستضاف ملعب “الاتحاد” مباراة فريقي مانشستر سيتي وليدز يونايتد، في الجولة الثالثة عشر من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي موسم 2025/26، حيث حقق السكاي بلو فوزًا بثلاثة أهداف لهدفين. أهداف مباراة مانشستر سيتي وليدز يونايتد في الدوري الإنجليزي

وتمكن مانشستر سيتي من تسجيل هدف أول سريع، في الدقيقة الأولى من عمر الشوط الأول، عن طريق فيل فودين، بعد تمريرة من ماتيوس نونيز الذي توغل بشكل رائع ومرر كرة ناحية الإنجليزي وسددها الأخير في سقف الشباك.

وكاد فودين أن يسجل الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 20 ولكن مدافع ليدز يونايتد تصدى للكرة داخل منطقة الجزاء، وتتحول إلى ركنية حيث سدد جفارديول الكرة برأسه ولكنها مرت خارج الملعب.

ونجح مانشستر سيتي في تسجيل الهدف الثاني في شباك ليدز يونايتد، في الدقيقة 25، طريق يوسكو جفارديول، بعد ركلة ركنية نفذها فيل فودين، ووصلت إلى نيكو أوريلي الذي سدد الكرة برأسه، قبل أن يتابعها الكرواتي ويهز الشباك.

وتدخلت تقنية الفيديو لتأكيد مدى صحة الهدف لوجود شك حول تسلل على برناردو سيلفا وما إذا كان متداخلًا في اللعبة، ولكن تم احتسابه في النهاية.

وأهدر مانشستر سيتي فرصة تسجيل هدف ثالث قبل نهاية الشوط الأول، بعدما سنحت أكثر من تسديدة لأصحاب الأرض ولكن الحظ لم يحالفهم تلك المرة.

ونجح ليدز يونايتد في تسجيل هدف أول في شباك مانشستر سيتي، في الدقيقة 50، عن طريق كالفيرت لوين بعد خطأ فادح من ماتيوس نونيز، حيث فقد الكرة ومررها بطريقة خاطئة إلى لاعب ليدز، ليسجل الأخير الهدف الأول للضيوف.

وتحصل ليدز يونايتد على ضربة جزاء في الدقيقة 68 بعد تدخل من جفارديول، ونفذها لوكاس نميتشا، حيث تصدى لها الحارس دوناروما، وارتدت الكرة لتصل إلى اللاعب نفسه الذي سددها في الشباك تلك المرة.

ودخل النجم عمر مرموش كبديل في الدقيقة 89 بقرار من المدرب بيب جوارديولا، كبديل للبرتغالي برناردو سيلفا، وسدد المصري كرة رأسية بعد ثواني من نزوله ولكن الكرة في يد حارس ليدز.

وفي الدقيقة 91، سجل فيل فودين الهدف الثاني له والثالث لكتيبة جوارديولا، بعد تمريرة من ريان شرقي والتي وصلت إلى الإنجليزي، حيث توغل وأبدع وهز شباك الضيوف.

بتلك النتيجة، ارتفع رصيد مانشستر سيتي إلى 25 نقطة في المركز الثاني، بينما تجمد رصيد ليدز يونايتد عند 11 نقطة في المركز الثامن عشر.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski stoked some flames among baseball fans last week when he admitted he's not sure whether Bryce Harper will ever become an "elite" player again.

Dombrowski's surprising comments gained steam across the Philadelphia sports world, even with some wondering whether that's an indication the franchise could look to move on from the eight-time All-Star. The Phillies president clarified his initial comments in a recent appearance on

"First of all, to me, Bryce Harper's one of the best players in the game of baseball," he said Thursday. "They asked me, 'What type of year do you think he had?' And I said, 'He had a very good year, I don't think he had an elite year.' And when I say that, when I think of Bryce Harper, it's a compliment, because the reality is there are eight, 10 players in the game of baseball every year, when they're not in the MVP consideration. … It's not an elite year for them.

"So the reality is, he's a great player, he's a future Hall of Famer. … Now I've been reading that, . That couldn't be farther from the truth. We love him, we think he's a great player, he's a very important part of our team. I've seen him have better years.”

The unsubstantiated rumors have hit Harper's ears, which caught him by surprise and left him downright disappointed.

“I have given my all to Philly from the start,” Harper said via Matt Gelb. “Now there is trade talk? I made every effort to avoid this. It’s all I heard in D.C. [with the Nationals]. I hated it. It makes me feel uncomfortable.”

Gelb reported in that Harper was hurt by Dombrowski's initial comments at his end of season press conference. The 14-year veteran slashed .261/.357/.487 with 27 homers and RBIs for the Phillies this season. His .844 OPS was his lowest since 2016 when he was still with the Nationals, while his .261 batting average was the lowest mark since his first season with Philadelphia in '19.

He missed most of June with a wrist injury, making 132 appearances in total on the year, which he mentioned led to the lower numbers compared to his high standard.

“All players get hurt,” Harper said to . “I hurt my wrist this year and missed a month. Of course I don’t have full-year numbers. It’s disappointing to hear me being questioned about my contribution to the team. Just really hurt by that notion because I love Philly so much.”

The 33-year-old star has six years left on the massive 13-year, $330 million deal he signed to join the Phillies in '19. There isn't an opt-out clause in his deal, which ties him to the franchise through the '31 season when he'll be 38 years old.

“I wanted these fans to know Philly is my home, so from the start, I made the commitment to stay here for the rest of my career,” he said. “No opt-out, even though I was advised otherwise. I trust [Phillies owner] John [Middleton].”

Harper clearly hopes to remain a Phillie for the foreseeable future. If anything else happens to bring his name into trade rumors, though, he certainly won't be happy.

يستعد فريق مانشستر سيتي، بقيادة المدرب بيب جوارديولا، لخوض أكثر من مباراة في مختلف المسابقات، وذلك خلال شهر ديسمبر من العام الحالي، 2025.

ويحتل مانشستر سيتي المركز الثاني في جدول الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، في الوقت الحالي، برصيد 25 نقطة، كما يمتلك 10 نقاط ويحتل المركز التاسع في جدول دوري أبطال أوروبا، مرحلة الدوري.

اقرأ أيضًا.. مانشستر سيتي يخاطر بإثارة غضب منتخب مصر بسبب عمر مرموش

ويستعد مانشستر سيتي كذلك لخوض مباراة في إطار منافسات ربع نهائي بطولة كأس رابطة الأندية الإنجليزية، كاراباو.

ولن يتمكن النجم المصري عمر مرموش من خوض كافة مباريات فريق مانشستر سيتي ذلك الشهر، حيث يستعد للمشاركة رفقة منتخب مصر في بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا، حيث ستكون أولى مباريات الفراعنة يوم 22 من ديسمبر. مواعيد مباريات مانشستر سيتي في شهر ديسمبر 2025

فولهام ومانشستر سيتي، الجولة الرابعة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي، يوم الثلاثاء 2 ديسمبر 2025، 9:30 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 10:30 بتوقيت السعودية.

مانشستر سيتي وسندرلاند، الجولة الخامسة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي، يوم السبت 6 ديسمبر 2025، 5 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 6 بتوقيت السعودية.

ريال مدريد ومانشستر سيتي، الجولة السادسة من دوري أبطال أوروبا، يوم الأربعاء 10 ديسمبر 2025، 10 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 11 بتوقيت السعودية.

كريستال بالاس ومانشستر سيتي، الجولة السادسة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي، يوم الأحد 14 ديسمبر 2025، 4 عصرًا بتوقيت القاهرة، 5 بتوقيت السعودية.

مانشستر سيتي وبرينتفورد، ربع نهائي كأس كاراباو، يوم الأربعاء 17 ديسمبر 2025، 9:30 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 10:30 بتوقيت السعودية.

مانشستر سيتي ووست هام، الجولة السابعة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي، يوم السبت 20 ديسمبر 2025، 5 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، 6 بتوقيت السعودية.

نوتينجهام فورست ومانشستر سيتي، الجولة الثامنة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي، يوم السبت 27 ديسمبر 2025، 2:30 ظهرًا بتوقيت القاهرة، 3:30 بتوقيت السعودية.

Jose Caballero began Thursday's game between the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees in the former team's dugout and ended up in the latter club's after the Yankees acquired him midway through the contest ahead of Thursday's trade deadline. And with his acquisition by the Yankees, Caballero quite literally snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, as the Yankees bested the Rays 7–4.

After the game, Caballero was asked what it was like switching his rooting interests during a game.

"I was winning today regardless," Caballero said. "We won the game—I guess. That's what I feel right now."

That's one way to get a win!

In all seriousness though, Caballero, who grew up a fan of the Bronx Bombers, should be able to do plenty to help the Yankees win. The 28-year-old has swiped 34 bases, tied for the most in the majors, while rating three Outs Above Average at shortstop, a particularly key metric considering incumbent Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe's defensive struggles.