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تحدث مدرب كريستال بالاس أوليفر جلاسنر، عن فوز فريقه أمام ليفربول، في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ونجح كريستال بالاس في الفوز على ليفربول بهدف دون مقابل اليوم الأحد، في إطار مباريات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج”.

وقال جلاسنر لقناة “بي بي سي”: “إنه فوز رائع على ملعب آنفيلد، ومن الصعب جدًا الفوز هنا”.

وأضاف: “من الجيد جدًا رؤية الطريقة التي لعبوا بها، خاصة في الشوط الأول، وفي الشوط الثاني، كان هناك ضغط كبير من ليفربول، تهانينا للفريق على هذا الأداء اليوم”.

وعن اللعب بهويتهم الخاصة، أفاد: “هذا ما نتحدث عنه دائمًا، غدًا يمكننا القول أننا فعلنا ذلك بطريقتنا، يمكنك دائمًا الخسارة هنا، لكن الأمر يتعلق بالقدرة على التعبير عن نفسك واللعب بثقة”.

وواصل: “لقد تغلبنا على العديد من المواقف تحت الضغط، بلمسة واحدة أو اثنتين سجلنا هدفًا رائعًا، الأمر يتعلق بالثقة وروح الفريق والعاطفة”.

اقرأ أيضًا | روبرتسون بعد هزيمة ليفربول أمام كريستال بالاس: كانت لدينا فرص كافية للفوز لم نستغلها

وحول القيام بـ 21 تمريرة في الفترة التي سبقت الهدف، أردف: “اعتقدت أنه كان الحد الأقصى 15 تمريرة، لذا مرة أخرى، أصفق للفريق، لقد كان هدفًا جميلاً”.

وأشار: “كان الشوط الأول ممتازًا، وفي الشوط الثاني يمكننا أن نفعل ما هو أفضل، لكن الشغف والروح كانا موجودين اليوم، شغفنا كان مثاليًا”.

واستطرد: “في الأسبوع المقبل سنواجه وست هام ونحتاج إلى نفس الروح ونفس القوة، أعتقد أن اليوم سيمنحنا الثقة، لكننا بحاجة إلى البقاء متواضعين، سنحظى بأسبوع تدريب مكثف مرة أخرى، وسنفعل ذلك”.

وأتم: “سنقوم بالتحليل جيدًا ولكن عليك دائمًا أن تقوم بعملك بأفضل مستوى لديك لأننا نلعب ضد أفضل الفرق، فوز رائع لكريستال بالاس والفريق”.

Bertie Wijesinghe, the former Ceylon-representative cricketer and coach, died on Saturday aged 96. Wijesinghe, an allrounder who bowled offspin and medium pace, represented S Thomas’ College Mt Lavinia from 1936 to 1939. He then moved to SSC, and played for Ceylon in the pre-Test era.Wijesinghe’s greatest contribution, though, was as a coach. The Wettimuny brothers – Sunil, Mithra and Sidath – who all played for the Sri Lanka were coached by Wijesinghe.”Whatever skills we learnt from cricket we owe it to him,” Sidath Wettimuny said. “He was a fabulous coach, the best in the business. His knowledge and the way he transferred that knowledge to us was fantastic. Bertie lived a full life and was one of the greatest cricketers produced by SSC and one of the best coaches the country has produced.”Former Sri Lanka and SSC captain Anura Tennekoon also paid tribute to Wijesinghe: “He helped me to brush up my technique from school to club level. He was very good at putting the basics right of a cricketer whether it be batting or bowling, that was his main strength.”Wijesinghe had also worked as the sports editor of the from 1953 to 1972 and, alongside another SSC stalwart Lucien de Zoysa, provided ball-by-ball commentary on radio.

Manchester United's ownership situation could impact their transfer plans, journalist David Ornstein has revealed.

What's the latest on Man United's ownership battle?

There is yet to be clarification on the outcome of the ownership bidding war between Sheikh Jassim Hamad Bin Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe for Man United, as the Glazer family are yet to decide the next steps in their running of the club.

Despite agreeing a deal for Mason Mount, Man United's budget could be limited this summer, and without clarity on their owners, they may not be able to pursue all of their targets.

Erik ten Hag would like a striker and a goalkeeper in addition to Mount, but he may have his hands tied.

Speaking on TalkSPORT, Ornstein revealed that at the moment, United have a list of targets which they will pursue, but it is unclear what budget they will have until the ownership situation is sorted out:

"It's quite complicated because of the ownership situation at Man United about exactly what they're able to do. It was always quite clear that there would be budget for a Mason Mount level deal, but beyond that, not so certain," he stated.

"Of course, many people want to see the ownership situation clarified as quickly as possible and if there is to be a takeover, maybe more funds will be released. In terms of the operations on a day-to-day basis. John Murtough leading the recruitment set up, being regarded as business as usual, and so they are pursuing options in their priority positions, which are striker, and also goalkeeper, midfield was one of those.

"You don't know exactly how the chronology will go and it seems that Mason Mount has fallen first but they'll continue those pursuits."

Who could Man United target?

Given the financial fair play limitations they are currently facing, United may not be able to pursue both a big-money goalkeeper and forward.

There have been links with Andre Onana, with the future of David De Gea thrusted into uncertainty as a new contract has still not been agreed, whilst striking a deal for Harry Kane looks increasingly unlikely this summer.

Hojlund has been linked, but with a reported £86m asking price, the Atalanta forward may be out of reach for United.

If the ownership situation is not resolved soon, then United could fall further behind if they are unable to fully operate in the transfer market, and could miss out on their main targets to rival clubs.

Joe Root is “ready to captain England” according to Alastair Cook but the current skipper will take time to assess his future after the India series is finished

George Dobell12-Dec-20160:38

‘Root is a clued-on guy’ – Cook

Joe Root is “ready to captain England” according to Alastair Cook. While Cook maintained that his views on continuing as captain “have not changed” – he has long said that he will continue on a series by series basis and make a firm decision only after consulting the managing director of the England team, Andrew Strauss – he did hint he was asking himself “some questions” over his future.”I think Joe Root is ready to captain England,” Cook said following England’s innings-and-36-run defeat in Mumbai which handed India the series. “He is ready because he is a clued-up guy and he has the respect of everyone in the changing room.”You never know until you actually experience it and everything that comes with the England captaincy. You are thrown in at the deep end and you kind of sink or swim. Nothing can prepare you for it. He has not got much captaincy experience but that does not mean everything.”While it is true that Root, the current vice-captain, has little captaincy experience – he has been captain for just four first-class games – that could equally be used as a reason to elevate him sooner rather than later.England play two Test series in the English summer of 2017 – one against South Africa and one against West Indies – and, if there is any doubt over whether Cook will continue as captain until the Ashes at the end of the year, there is bound to be a temptation to provide Root with the maximum amount of experience possible and make the change before the South Africa series.There is already much required of him, though. He is, arguably, England’s key batsman in all three formats and, in the next few weeks, he will become a father for the first time. With the demands of England schedule, it may be that Cook and Strauss are reluctant to overload him.Either way, Cook has some time to reflect on his position. As he is no longer a member of the England limited-overs teams, he has no international commitments until July after the Chennai Test finishes next week and while he has sounded increasingly jaded with some aspects of life on the road in recent weeks, he retains great pride in the leadership role.”The comments I made at start of series have not changed,” Cook said. “It sticks true to end of this series. I will sit down with Straussy at the end of the year like we have made the pact to do to talk honestly and openly about stuff. My position has not changed and wouldn’t have done had we won this game or lost this game.”Of course you have questions. Naturally you look at stuff. Clearly it is a hard place to tour, certainly with the balance of our squad in terms of where our strengths lie, the sub-continent is going to be a harder place to tour than somewhere like South Africa.”But being captain of England is a huge honour, a huge privilege. You are at the forefront of the team and it comes onto your shoulders when you win or lose. In the heat of the battle you make those decisions. You go to bed at night and you have to live with making good or bad decisions. As a bloke to be asked to lead your country is a huge honour personally.”

Sunderland enjoyed an impressive return to life in the Championship in the 2022/23 campaign as they battled early disruption to reach the play-offs.

Alex Neil quit the Stadium of Light to join Stoke City in the first month of the season and Tony Mowbray came in to lead the Black Cats to sixth before losing to Luton Town, who went on earn promotion to the Premier League.

The head coach and Kristjaan Speakman now have the summer transfer window to bolster the squad again with the aim of going all the way and moving up to the top-flight at the end of 2023/24.

One player the club have been linked with a swoop for ahead of next term is Universidad Católica prospect Alexander Aravena, who could be the dream heir to a current Sunderland ace.

How would Alexander Aravena fit in at Sunderland?

The 20-year-old right winger could come in and eventually replace Patrick Roberts on that side of Mowbray's attacking line-up next season or in the years to come.

In the Primera Division in 2023, the exciting youngster has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.08 and chipped in with seven goals and two assists from out wide in 13 outings. The number 18 has created one chance per game for his teammates and showcased his ability to open up the opposition for his fellow attackers.

His form this year comes after an impressive 2022 in the top-flight of football in Chile.

Aravena averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.98 in the league last term and contributed at the top end of the pitch with 11 goals and three assists in 30 matches as a winger.

These statistics show that the young ace, whose intelligence was once praised as "magnificent" by press officer and scout Salvatore Gandhi, has the quality to be a big goal threat, whilst also being able to provide creativity, as a right winger.

Roberts, meanwhile, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.83 and racked up five goals and seven assists in 42 appearances in the Championship in the season just gone.

This suggests that the Chile international could provide more than him in front of goal if the 20-year-old is able to adjust to English football, based on his return of 18 goals and five assists in his last 43 league games is more impressive than the Englishman's statistics in the second tier.

Aravena's age, however, means that Mowbray would not have to rush him into the starting XI or expect him to hit the ground running on Wearside. Sunderland could take their time with the prolific magician and bed him in slowly as the long-term heir to Roberts' position on the right flank.

Tottenham Hotspur have contacted Everton over a potential summer transfer for Jordan Pickford, according to a recent report from FootballTransfers.

Who will Jordan Pickford sign for?

Despite signing a long-term contract with Everton back in February, Pickford has continued to be linked with a move to a number of Premier League clubs, including Manchester United, who are set to make him a priority if their talks stall with David De Gea.

Chelsea have also been named as potential suitors for the Englishman, as detailed by CBS reporter Ben Jacobs, however he also claims that Tottenham have "pushed a bit harder", indicating they are more interested in the goalkeeper.

The Blues' interest in the 29-year-old appeared to hinge upon Everton being relegated from the Premier League, as reported by Football Insider, however with the Toffees staying up on the final day, Mauricio Pochettino could move on to other targets.

On the other hand, Spurs still maintain an interest in the England international, having contacted Everton over a potential summer transfer, according to a report from Football Transfers.

It is detailed that the Lilywhites have been following the Everton star for several months, and they have contacted the player's entourage to discuss a summer move, but there is one potential obstacle.

The Toffees are set to demand £40m to part ways with their goalkeeper, and the high asking price could dissuade Tottenham from making a move.

Could Pickford sign for Tottenham?

The report also claims that the former Sunderland man wants assurances about who the new manager will be, as well as whether Harry Kane will stay at the club, before he commits to a move to north London.

Ange Postecoglou is now in the driving seat for the job, with Fabrizio Romano reporting a verbal agreement has been reached, while there have been positive recent noises surrounding Kane's future at Tottenham.

As such, Spurs should be able to attract Pickford, and there is some evidence he would be a real upgrade on Lloris, recording a better save percentage than the Frenchman over the course of the past year.

Hailed as a "monster" by members of the media, the £100k-per-week goalkeeper also averaged a superior Sofascore rating in the Premier League last season, when compared to the Spurs goalkeeper, despite playing in a struggling Everton side.

Pickford could be an excellent signing for Everton, and given his vast experience at international level, Tottenham should not be put off by his £40m price tag.

Former South Africa Women allrounder Sunnette Viljoen, who has played one Test and 17 ODIs, created history on Thursday by bagging a silver medal in the women’s javelin final of the Rio Olympics

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-2016Former South Africa Women allrounder Sunette Viljoen, who has played one Test and 17 ODIs, created history on Thursday by bagging a silver medal in the women’s javelin final of the Rio Olympics.Viljoen, 33, finished second behind Croatia’s Sara Kolak, with her best throw of 64.92 metres compared to Kolak’s 66.18 metres. Viljoen’s medal was the ninth for South Africa who are currently placed 34th overall with one gold, six silvers and two bronze medals.She had come agonisingly close to winning a medal at the London 2012 Olympics but finished fourth with a best throw of 64.53 metres, behind Germany’s Linda Stahl, who finished third with 64.91.Viljoen played her only Test against India in March 2002 in Paarl, scoring 17 and 71. She had made her ODI debut in 2000 and finished her ODI career two years later with 198 runs and five wickets.

Javelin: Sunette Viljoen takes SILVER, brilliant effort, another medal, congratulations Sunette #teamSArise

— TeamSouthAfrica (@teamsa16) August 19, 2016

It’s no secret that Glasgow Rangers are keen on a move to sign goalkeeper Jack Butland this summer, with Michael Beale looking at bolstering his options between the posts ahead of next season.

However, according to The Scottish Sun, Manchester United are looking to double his salary in a bid to keep the Englishman with the club for 2023/24, which could scupper any potential move to Rangers.

Butland hasn’t played a minute for the Red Devils since joining from Crystal Palace on a six-month loan deal, yet Erik ten Hag looks like he wants to retain his services, meaning Beale may have to move onto other targets.

According to the Daily Mail, the 42-year-old has shown an interest in Fortuna Sittard goalkeeper Ivor Pandur, with the report claiming that the Light Blues have sent scouts to watch the Croatian gem in action against PSV Eindhoven last weekend.

He is on loan at the Eredivisie club from Hellas Verona, though he will make the switch permanent this summer after they tied him down until 2027.

Who is Ivor Pandur?

With Allan McGregor looking increasingly likely to hang up his gloves at the end of the season and Jon McLaughlin’s future uncertain, it could leave Robby McCrorie as the only senior ‘keeper in the squad come the summer, and Beale will be looking to provide plenty of competition for the Scot.

Pandur has displayed some impressive form in the Dutch top flight this term, earning a 7.01/10 Sofascore rating for his performances, making the team of the week twice.

The 23-year-old has saved 67% of the shots he has faced this term, which works out as 3.7 saves per game while also achieving a 100% runout success – proving to not only be an excellent shot-stopper, but also effective at coming off his line to prevent goalscoring opportunities.

He also ranks seventh out of all the ‘keepers in the Eredivisie for saves made this season, showing how often he is called into action, and if he makes the move to Rangers, it could be argued that the improved quality of defence compared to his current side will mean he shouldn’t have to make this number of saves.

His ability to save shots from close range has also been on show, with Pandur ranking fifth in the league with 72 saves inside the box – another impressive number. Therefore, if Beale manages to secure a deal, they could land a top ‘keeper.

Fortuna technical manager Sjoerd Ars has lavished praise on him, labelling the player as a “top professional”, and although playing for Rangers would be a major step up, there is surely no doubt that he could handle himself well in Scotland.

Nepal will meet Zimbabwe in the Plate Championship final to be held at Lincoln No. 3 tomorrow.The team that has surprised everyone in this tournament conquered a second Test-playing nation, Bangladesh, today. Nepal beat Pakistan in the opening week of the competition to open the cricket-playing world’s eyes to a new corner of cricketing power.With six 15 or 16-year olds in the team, cricket’s future looks bright in the Himalayan nation. The first step in climbing the mountain towards being a full international team has been overcome here at Lincoln, no matter what happens in the final.Coach Roy Dias, who may be in charge for the last time tomorrow, said: “We’re looking forward to it. They are a very good side, but we’ll take it as just another match because every game is like a final to us.”He defended his decision to bat first, saying, “To all the people who suggested we made a mistake, I am coach and I know the side’s strengths.”A score of 180/6 off 50 overs was more than enough to see Nepal comfortably home and overcome another huge challenge, after the shock 30-run victory over Pakistan on January 22.Bangladesh was never in it, and lost by a flattering 23 runs after an uneven attempt to reach the target.Man of the match Bardan Chalise is a member of the full Nepalese national side, and it was his 27 off 90 balls that held Nepal together on Wednesday evening after a day of gales had prevented a start before tea time.This gave Nepal tail-enders Basudev Thapa and Manjit Shrestha the chance to run everything and add 44 this morning off the 30 deliveries remaining to be bowled in their innings.”This morning the boys gave me 44 runs which was magic,” said Dias, who had hoped for a mere 30 to make a competitive score. Thapa hurt his knee when batting and looks doubtful for the final.Bangladesh began well, with Gazi Salauddin hitting Shrestha for a couple of boundaries, before three wickets fell in 11 deliveries, two to the right-arm medium of captain Binod Das, who later ran out Hasibul Haoq and caught Ali Arman blindingly at midwicket.Dias told CricInfo: “I was pleased with everyone, especially the captaincy of Das, who will be the future Nepal captain, there is no doubt about it.”The former Sri Lanka Test player, who was his country’s coach from 1998-99 has been with Nepal just three months, but his experience with Muttiah Muralithran has rubbed off on off-spinner Sanjam Regmi who, along with Chalise, who took four for 38 today, is in the senior national team.”Muralitharan is a genius and I didn’t do anything with him, though I learnt a lot from him,” said Dias, who may soon be lost to Nepalese cricket unless a new contract is offered to him within “a couple of weeks.””I’ve got to decide whether to stay or go somewhere else,” said Dias. Duleep Mendis of the Asia Cricket Council has put a proposal to coach the United Arab Emirates to Dias, whose experience as a player and coach has been instrumental in Nepal’s improvement.Possibly the most obvious aspect of Nepal’s superiority in this hard-fought game was the manic fielding and spirited teamwork the players demonstrated.”If you want to play one-day cricket you have got to be a good fielding side. It was difficult because the boys were not used to those kind of drills, but there were no complaints because they all want to improve,” said Dias.”I’d like to see these guys continue from here because they have the ability,” Dias added.The country has an aim of playing in the 2011 World Cup. Dias concluded, “If they continue no-one can say they can’t do it.”

Everton have taken a point from their Premier League clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park this afternoon and Sean Dyche will likely have mixed emotions about the performance put on by his relegation-threatened team.

Despite picking up a point from their outing in south London, other results put the Toffees back into the relegation zone, which is an absolute disaster as there are only six games left to retain their top-flight status, so the Goodison Park faithful will have little to celebrate from their stalemate.

The visitors failed to dominate in any area of the pitch, with just 43% possession, fewer shots on goal (10 v 12) and fewer accurate passes completed (214 v 305), while they lost possession of the ball 158 times, costing them the opportunity to gain some vital points.

Everton welcomed back striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin to the starting XI for the first time in months this afternoon, and despite having two shots on target during his return to action, he was unable to find the winner for his team.

The centre-forward was not the only player who made a rare appearance in the starting lineup, with Mason Holgate getting the nod to replace the injured Seamus Coleman at right-back over Nathan Patterson, and unlike Calvert-Lewin's selection, it is surely a decision Dyche will massively regret.

How did Mason Holgate get on vs Crystal Palace?

The 26-year-old hasn't featured in an Everton starting lineup since August, with the player struggling to compete with the likes of Conor Coady, James Tarkowski and Michael Keane for a position in his more familiar role at centre-back.

However, Dyche gave Holgate his chance to prove himself by forcing him into the lineup on the right flank, but the player repaid him with a sending-off and a subsequent suspension just ten minutes before the final whistle – alongside a dreadful defensive performance.

Over his 80-minute performance, the £70k-per-week flop – dubbed "torrid" by Paul Merson on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday today – lost possession 23 times, lost eight duels, completed just 16 accurate passes and committed three fouls, as well as getting dribbled past three times, as per Sofascore.

It's safe to say Holgate showed exactly why he hadn't been selected for so long and should surely be on the long list of players that Everton need to part ways with this summer.

Luckily, going down to ten men didn't cause too many problems for the Toffees, however, Dyche cannot afford for that to happen again and must be more careful with his team selection over the remaining games if Everton are going to stand a chance of Premier League survival.