There was a sour note at the end of Chelsea's commanding 3-0 win over manager-less Wolves after star midfielder Enzo Fernandez revealed he's been playing with a worrying injury, which has ruled him out of playing for Argentina. Fernandez put in a top shift for the Blues, but delivered a concerning update which means he will miss the forthcoming international matches against Angola.
Tilak, the South Zone captain, is unavailable with the Asia Cup coming up and Sai Kishore hasn’t recovered from injury either
Ashish Pant31-Aug-2025
Shaik Rasheed represents Andhra in first-class cricket•PTI
South Zone have named Puducherry allrounder Ankit Sharma and Andhra top-order batter Shaik Rasheed as replacements for Tilak Varma and R Sai Kishore for the Duleep Trophy semi-final, which begins on September 4 at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.Tilak, who was named South Zone captain, has been included in India’s Asia Cup squad and will miss the Duleep Trophy games. As a result, Kerala wicket-keeper batter Mohammed Azharuddeen, who was initially named vice-captain, will now lead the South Zone side. Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan, who was also called up for the fifth Test of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy last month, has been named vice-captain.Related
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Sai Kishore, meanwhile, hasn’t recovered from the finger injury which forced him to miss the pre-season Buchi Babu tournament in Chennai. He hurt his finger while intercepting a M Shahrukh Khan drive in his follow-through during a first-division club match in Chennai.Ankit, 34, had the second-highest wickets for Puducherry in the 2024-25 Ranji season: 24 from seven matches at 28.95. He also scored 216 runs at 24.00. Rasheed, 20, who also turned out for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2025, was Andhra’s highest run-scorer in the last Ranji season, recording 627 runs in 12 innings at 52.25, which included a double-century against Hyderabad.Both Rasheed and Ankit had originally been named in South Zone’s stand-by list.South Zone will face North Zone in the semi-final, who qualified on the basis of a first-innings lead against East Zone in the quarter-final. In the other semi-final, Central Zone will face West Zone.South Zone squad
Mohammed Azharuddeen (capt & wk), Tanmay Agarwal, Shaik Rasheed, Devdutt Padikkal, Mohit Kale, Salman Nizar, N Jagadeesan (wk), T Vijay, Ankit Sharma, Tanay Thyagarajan, Vyshak Vijaykumar, MD Nidheesh, Ricky Bhui, Basil NP, Gurjapneet Singh, Snehal Kauthankar.
For the second straight night, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a chance Wednesday to close out the 2024 World Series. But, also for the second straight night, the New York Yankees' offense have an answer.
Dodgers starting pitcher Jack Flaherty didn't last long on the bump in Game 5, as he allowed four earned runs on four hits and one walk over 1 1/3 innings. He was relieved of his duties in the second inning, walking off the mound with Los Angeles facing a 4–0 deficit.
Most of the damage arrived in the first inning, as Flaherty served up back-to-back homers to Yankees sluggers Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. According to Opta STATS, Flaherty is the first starting pitcher in World Series history to allow at least four runs and two homers while lasting less than two innings.
Not ideal.
If Los Angeles can't complete a comeback Wednesday night, they'll turn their attention to Game 6 on Friday night at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers haven't officially announced a probable pitcher for the rest of the series, although it's expected that Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start Game 6 and Walker Buehler will toe the rubber in Game 7 if neccessary.
Emma Lamb top-scores for new team with 55 as Phoenix get off to winning start
ECB Media08-Aug-2025Runs from the in-form Emma Lamb and impressive bowling from wristspinners Hannah Baker and Millie Taylor saw Birmingham Phoenix to an 11-run win over Trent Rockets despite a defiant 64 from Nat Sciver-Brunt.Birmingham Phoenix posted 148 for 5 from their 100 balls, a fine half-century from Lamb (55 from 32) leading the way at the top of the order.Electing to bat first, Phoenix started slowly, reaching 16 for 0 from their first 15 balls. They were 36 for 0 after the 25-ball power play and by the halfway mark, in front of a growing Edgbaston crowd, the home side were 78 for 1, having lost Georgia Voll (19) bowled by Australia legspinner Alana King.Lamb brought up her half-century from 28 balls with eight boundaries, eventually falling with the score on 89, flat-batting Ash Gardner’s offspin into the hands of King at deep midwicket.Emma Lamb swings leg-side•Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty ImagesIn reply, economical bowling from the home side then stifled the Rockets’ run chase throughout, Ellyse Perry’s 20 balls conceding just 17 runs as the Phoenix captain led from the front.A lofted drive off Baker saw Sciver-Brunt reach 1,000 career runs in the Hundred, becoming the first woman or man to reach the milestone, reaching the landmark at an average of exactly 50.She brought up her half-century with a violent six off Em Arlott over midwicket and followed it up with a straight four to see the equation to 37 required from 15 balls. Another boundary off Megan Schutt’s final ball then made the equation 27 from 10 balls.Left-arm wrist-spinner Taylor (1 for 22) bowled the penultimate five, conceding just seven to leave 20 runs for Arlott to defend from the final set, and then pulled off a stunning one-handed catch at short fine-leg to see the back of Sciver-Brunt.Arlott finished with figures of 2 for 38 and Baker 2 for 18 from 15 balls as the Rockets closed on 137 for 6.
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O atacante Serginho sabia que ir para o Vasco seria o grande desafio de sua carreira, mas não imaginava que Se transformaria em personagem da história do time da cruz de malta, ao garantir a permanência do clube Série A do Campeonato Brasileiro.
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O camisa 70 teve uma atuação fundamental na vitória do Gigante da Colina sobre o Bragantino, na última rodada do Brasileirão. Além de fazer o gol que garantiu o 2 a 1 no placar de São Januário, o atacante foi o responsável pela expulsão do zagueiro equatoriano Léo Realpe, do adversário paulista, fato que facilitou a vida dos donos casa clube carioca na reta final da partida.
➡️ Tudo sobre o Gigante agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Vasco
– O trabalho sempre se paga em algum momento. Ele (Ramón Díaz, técnico cruz-maltino) confiou em mim naquela partida e eu consegui ajudar o Vasco com um gol importante – contou Serginho, em entrevista ao site da Rádio Itatiaia.
Desde sua chegada a São Januário, em junho de 2023, o atacante o atuou em apenas nove jogos, um deles como titular.
Muitos torcedores cruz-maltinos nunca haviam ouvido o nome de Serginho, mas o jogador já havia sido procurado por outras equipes brasileiras enquanto atuava no Giresunspor, da Turquia.
– Quando faltavam seis meses para terminar meu contrato lá fora, tive proposta de compra de outro clube do Brasil, mas o presidente do clube de lá não me liberou. Quando chegou a proposta do Vasco, eu não pensei duas vezes e quis sair de imediato, pois era um grande desafio pra mim – revelou o camisa 70.
➡️ Acertado com Ramón Díaz até 2025, Vasco se movimenta para renovar com jogadores em fim de contrato; confira o panorama
O mineiro de 28 anos já atuou profissionalmente por diversos clubes do exterior, como o Hajvalia, do Kosovo, e Skënderbeu, da Albânia. Entretanto, Serginho atuou pouco dentro do Brasil antes de chegar a Europa.
– Eu saí bem cedo do Brasil. Cheguei a jogar o Módulo 2 do Campeonato Mineiro, mas foi bem difícil pois não tinha muita estrutura. Depois disso, um empresário me viu jogando, apostou em mim e me levou pra Europa, onde fiz toda a minha carreira.
+ VASCO
It appears "Tito" is coming out of retirement.
MLB Network's Mark Feinsand reported Thursday night that the Cincinnati Reds plan to hire Terry Francona as their next manager. The move is expected to be officially announced on Friday.
The 65-year-old Francona has been a manager in the big leagues for 23 seasons while wearing three different uniforms—the Philadelphia Phillies (1997 to 2000), Boston Red Sox (2004 to '11) and Cleveland Guardians (2013 to '23). Over those 23 years, Francona has posted 1,950 wins and a .538 career winning percentage. He led the Red Sox to two World Series championships in 2004 and '07.
Francona stepped down from his position as manager of the Guardians following the 2023 season. He has dealt with health problems over the last few years, with blood clotting issues in 2020 and hip replacement surgery in 2021 that caused him to miss significant time in Cleveland.
But after one year off, it appears Francona wants to be back in an MLB dugout.
The Reds fired manager David Bell in September after he spent six seasons leading the dugout. Cincinnati, despite featuring one of the most exciting young cores in baseball, hasn't made the playoffs since 2020 and hasn't won a postseason game since 2012.
The biggest move of baseball’s offseason has been made—Juan Soto is a New York Met.
In the wee hours of Sunday night, news broke that Soto was heading to Queens on a 15-year deal worth $765 million. It’s the biggest player contract in the history of sports.
Soto had multiple gigantic offers from teams, including a $760 million deal on the table to stay with the Yankees, with whom he had just won the AL pennant. But in the end, Steve Cohen and the Mets won out, landing the services of the 26-year-old who is already well on his way to the Hall of Fame.
While the Mets were busy popping champagne, the rest of Soto’s suitors had to get back to work on building out their roster for the 2025 season. Speaking with media at MLB Winter Meetings, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora shared his feelings about the Soto sweepstakes.
“Obviously I can’t get into the details, but from my end, it was fun. To get to know people, players of that status, it’s amazing,” Cora said of Soto. “The kid, he gets it. Let me put it that way.”
Cora said he was in a restaurant when the news broke, and saw super agent Scott Boras walk by moments after everyone got the notification on their phone.
“It’s good for baseball, that’s the way I see it. Everybody was waiting for this to happen,” Cora said. “It was interesting the way everybody reacted when we were in the restaurant.”
As for the Red Sox’s plan from here, Cora made clear that they had plenty of options, and just had to get back to work.
“We have plan A, Plan A1, A2, A3, A4, so there’s a lot of ways to accomplish what we’re set to do. We’re talking about winning the division, making the playoffs. There are different avenues, different ways, and we can attack them.”
The Red Sox finished the 2024 season 81-81, coming in third in the AL East, marking the third straight season they had missed the playoffs.
One of the most sought-after players in free agency this year did not play in MLB last year.
Twenty-three-year-old Roki Sasaki plied his trade in 2024 for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball, winning 10 of 15 decisions with a 2.35 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 111 innings. These numbers have stateside executives salivating—and allow Sasaki to express considerable discretion in how his free agency plays out.
On Monday evening, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that Sasaki has a special request for the teams he's meeting with: he does not want them to bring any of their players to the meetings.
That tracks with Sasaki's unconventional approach to free agency, which agent Joel Wolfe said via Nightengale is driven by his desire to be great.
"‘He's a guy that wants to be great. He's not coming here just to be rich. He wants to be one of the greatest, ever," Wolfe said.
Per the rules governing player transfers between NPB and MLB, Sasaki is required to sign between Jan. 15 and 23 if he wants to play this season.
Marc Guehi is reportedly being pursued by five Champions League clubs this winter, with the Crystal Palace captain eligible for pre-contract talks with foreign outfits from January 1. The 25-year-old has already informed Palace that he will not sign a new deal, paving the way for a summer exit after being linked with Liverpool last summer.
European heavyweights ready to fight it out for Guehi
According to a host of Champions League giants, including Liverpool, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, have registered firm interest in securing his signature after Guehi’s situation took a significant twist in September when a deadline-day move to Liverpool dramatically collapsed while he was undergoing a medical in London. The centre back was said to be "furious" with how the transfer unravelled, having already mentally prepared himself to join the Merseyside club. Since then, his performances have only strengthened his market value. A run of excellent displays for both club and country has cemented his status as one of England’s most reliable defenders heading into next year’s World Cup. Liverpool still see Guehi as an ideal successor to Virgil van Dijk, who turns 35 next season. With Ibrahima Konate’s future uncertain, as his contract expires next summer and Madrid are circling, and Joe Gomez battling repeated injuries, Liverpool’s need is growing more urgent.
AdvertisementGetty/GOALCity & Madrid join the race
City have emerged as a serious contender, with Pep Guardiola reportedly impressed by Guehi’s professionalism after seeing him bounce back from the collapsed Liverpool transfer. Despite possessing a deep pool of centre-backs, there are growing concerns around the long-term futures of John Stones and Ruben Dias. Stones, now 31, remains injury-prone, while Dias has shown signs of slowing down. Should he join, Guehi could challenge for a starting place immediately.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid are also firmly in the hunt as they plan a major defensive rebuild. The club does not want to spend heavily on a first-choice centre back and is instead monitoring free-agent opportunities. Guehi features alongside Dayot Upamecano and the soon-to-be-out-of-contract Konate on their shortlist. Madrid have already begun preparing for departures. Long-time stalwarts Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba are both out of contract in June, and the club’s signing of Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen last summer was an early step in that transition. With Guehi offering a cost-effective, high-quality option, Madrid’s interest continues to grow.
Bayern Munich and Kompany have done their homework
Vincent Kompany is said to be a long-term admirer of Guehi. The Bayern Munich head coach, a former elite centre-half himself, has tracked the Palace captain for several seasons. The Bavarians contemplated bringing in Guehi last summer, anticipating the possible exit of Kim Min-jae. Although the South Korean remained, his reduced starting role this season has reopened conversations about the position. Bayern are trying to extend Upamecano’s contract, but Real Madrid’s interest complicates matters. Kompany has also evaluated Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck and even Konate, but Guehi remains a standout candidate due to his reliability.
When asked about Bayern's discussion with Guehi's representatives, sporting director Eberl told : "It's absolutely clear that we as Bayern Munich are exploring the market. Our clear goal is to extend Upa's contract. That's our ultimate goal. If that doesn't work out, we have to be prepared. We would be foolish not to. That's the reason. I've not confirmed anything, but we are active in the market."
Meanwhile, Palace boss Oliver Glasner has admitted that the Eagles will have to reluctantly part ways with the defender next summer: "I think Marc has already told us that he doesn't sign a new contract, so he will leave next year. The club wanted [him to stay]. They offered Marc a new contract. But he said, 'no, I want to make something different'. And that's normal. And for us, it's how we can deal with this situation? [What] is the best way to get this next step done? And that's all about how we are talking together."
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(C)Getty ImagesBarcelona add their name to the list
Barcelona have placed Guehi firmly on their shortlist. However, the Catalan club’s head coach, Hansi Flick, prefers a balanced centre-back partnership of a left-footer and a right-footer. While Guehi typically plays on the left side of defence, he is naturally right-footed, which may influence their final decision.
Meanwhile, both Arsenal and Tottenham explored the possibility of signing Guehi earlier this year, but the defender was realistic about his prospects. At Arsenal, he would have faced strong competition from the established duo of William Saliba and Gabriel, one of the Premier League’s most settled partnerships. Whereas he believed that a January move to Tottenham would not suit him. His next move is being planned with the utmost care.
Martin O’Neill has steadied the ship as interim Celtic manager, but for how much longer will he be at the helm?
The 73-year-old has led the Hoops into the League Cup Final, ousting Rangers 3-1 at Hampden, while also enjoying back-to-back 4-0 victories in the Premiership, most recently hammering Kilmarnock 4-0 on Sunday.
The Northern Irishman returned to Glasgow 20 years after departing, having won three Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and the League Cup during his first stint in charge, also leading the Hoops to the UEFA Cup Final in 2003, beaten by José Mourinho’s Porto in Seville.
When he was appointed in 2000, this was seen as a bit of a risk, considering O’Neill had little top-level experience at the time, achieving promotions with Wycombe Wanderers and Leicester City, before winning two EFL Cups in charge of the Foxes.
So, could the Celtic board return to the English Football League for their next appointment, a quarter of a century on from O’Neill’s arrival at Parkhead?
Latest on Celtic's manager search
From the moment the dust settled following Brendan Rodgers’ shock resignation as Celtic manager on 27 October, Kieran McKenna has been among the front-runners for the job.
A report last week suggested he had emerged as the No.1 target to fill the vacancy, with speculation suggesting that he does have an affiliation to Celtic.
However, it was also noted that getting McKenna out of Ipswich will be no easy take, considering he is under contract at Portman Road until 2028, and the Tractor Boys, currently seventh in the EFL Championship, will not allow their most prized asset to leave without a fight.
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Thus, as they search for alternatives, a report by the Daily Record claims that Celtic have held internal discussions at boardroom level about the possibility of appointing Brian Barry-Murphy – with interest in McKenna said to have ‘waned’.
The report indicates that Celtic chiefs are currently conducting interviews, with a new figure potentially in line to be in place for the Premiership clash away to St Mirren on Saturday, November 22.
As for Barry-Murphy, his father Jimmy was a Gaelic footballer and hurler, winning multiple major titles, thereby considered to be among the most legendary figures in the history of all Gaelic games.
Now, Brian is making a name for himself as a football coach across the Irish Sea, so could he soon swap South Wales for Glasgow?
What the next O'Neill would bring to Celtic
Following the Bluebirds’ relegation last season, thereby finding themselves outside England’s top two tiers for the first time since 2003, Barry-Murphy was appointed Cardiff City manager in the summer.
Well, up until very recently, Cardiff had been top of EFL League One, before back-to-back away defeats at Blackpool and Bolton have seen them sink down to fourth.
Nevertheless, they have reached the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, set to face Chelsea next month, and their league statistics this season are impressive.
Points
26
4th
Goals scored
22
3rd
Goals against
14
2nd
Big chances
41
1st
Big chances missed
30
1st
Possession
62.1%
1st
Accurate passes
407.5
1st
Shots per 90
14.4
2nd
Shots on target pet 90
4.9
2nd
Clean sheets
6
2nd
As the table documents, Cardiff lead the division when it comes to big chances missed, suggesting they’re playing well but have not earned as many points as they may deserve.
Meantime, the Bluebirds are in the top two for goals against and shots, while ranked first in the division for possession and accurate passes, evidence of Barry-Murphy’s style of play.
Before taking the Cardiff job, the Irishman had been in charge of Manchester City’s Elite Development Squad, overseeing plenty of success with the Sky Blues, which is very much where he honed his craft and playing philosophy.
Now, his work in South Wales is earning rave reviews, labelled a “very talented coach”, while Benedict Ferraby of EFL World has praised his ‘impressive start’ to life in the Bluebirds’ dugout as well as his ‘exciting’ style of play.
Of course, considering he has only ever managed Rochdale, Man City’s youth teams and now Cardiff for just 22 matches, appointing Barry-Murphy would be a risk, but one reminiscent of the hiring of O’Neill, a similar age at the time, back in 2000.
With no obvious candidate for the job, and Rodgers’ resignation coming out of nowhere, the Celtic board are targeting a younger ‘project’ manager.
Well, while McKenna appears perfectly suited to this role, securing his signature may not prove ascertainable, but Barry-Murphy could well be the ideal alternative.
Ange 2.0: Celtic board 'very keen' to interview 48 y/o McKenna alternative
Celtic should appoint an “immensely respected” manager not Kieran McKenna because he would be able to replicate Ange Postecoglou’s success in Glasgow
ByBen Gray Nov 13, 2025