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Jamal Musiala rescued a point for Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich in a gripping 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund at Westfalenstadion on Saturday.

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• Dortmund draw 1-1 with Bayern
• Kane goes off injured early
• Gittens & Musiala on scoresheet

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  TELL ME MORE

  In a battle between the side with the best home form in the Bundesliga, Dortmund, and the best away record in the league, Bayern, the visitors started the brighter when Leroy Sane stung the hands of goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. But the hosts hit the front in the 27th minute when Gittens evaded the clutches of Konrad Laimer, ran 45 metres with the ball, and smashed a shot past Manuel Neuer. Vincent Kompany's side – who lost Harry Kane to injury just after the half-hour mark – had plenty of chances to level, but Sane and Thomas Muller missed gilt-edged opportunities.

  However, the Bavarians' pressure finally told in the 85th minute when substitute Michael Olise's cross was neatly headed home by Jamal Musiala. In the first Der Klassiker of the season, both teams had to settle for a point but BVB lost their 100 per cent winning record at home in the league this term. Bayern, who remain unbeaten on the road, are seven points clear of second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt – who have a game in hand – and Dortmund are fifth.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Substitute Muller became the player with the most appearances for Bayern in Bundesliga Klassikers (league games against Dortmund) with 28, surpassing legendary keeper Oliver Kahn's 27.

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  THE MVP

  While keeper Kobel was excellent in goal and Gittens' pace and finish was impressive to behold, 21-year-old Musiala was the best player on the pitch and took his header like a seasoned striker.

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  THE BIG LOSER

  While he did nothing wrong, England captain Kane lost a great deal as he was forced off with injury just a third of the way into the contest. The 31-year-old has been prolific for Bayern since signing from Tottenham in the summer of 2023 and if he is out for a while, that is a huge blow for him and his team.

Everton have less than 24 hours to complete the rest of the business that they want to do before the summer transfer window officially slams shut.

The deadline is at 11pm tonight and that means that Sean Dyche and his recruitment team do not have many hours left to finish their work, with incoming and outgoings.

At least one player could be arriving at Goodison Park today as Lyon central midfielder Orel Mangala is reportedly closing in on a loan move to the club.

Meanwhile, there is one dud who could find himself moving away from Merseyside before the close of play, as a team is making a move to snap him up from Everton.

Everton in talks to sell first-team dud

According to journalist Alan Myers, the Toffees are in talks with Championship side Sheffield Wednesday over a deal for central defender Mason Holgate.

The reporter claims that the two sides are speaking about a potential move for the versatile defensive player, who spent time on loan with Sheffield United last season.

When asked whether it would be a loan or a permanent exit for Holgate, Myers stated that the English enforcer only has 12 months left on his contract at Goodison Park.

This suggests that the Owls are looking to snap him up on a permanent basis, as a loan would then see him become a free agent next summer. Today could be their last chance to recoup some money on him before he leaves for nothing next year.

Why Everton must cash in on Mason Holgate

The Toffees must sell Holgate amid this interest from Sheffield Wednesday as he is on a high wage and has not performed well enough on the pitch to justify it.

As per Capology, the former Barnsley man is currently earning £70k-per-week, which is more than Jarrad Branthwaite (£35k-per-week), James Garner (£30k-per-week), and Dwight McNeil (£25k-per-week), among others.

His standing within the squad does not match up with his place on the wage bill, however, as he was not deemed good enough for the squad last term, hence his move to Bramall Lane on loan.

As you can see in the table above, Holgate struggled out on loan with the Blades and was significantly outperformed by Branthwaite, who was a regular with Everton at centre-back and won a far higher percentage of his duels and was more reliable in possession.

These statistics do not suggest that the Toffees should be paying the former Sheffield United loanee twice as much as the England international, which is one reason why they must cash in on him amid this interest from the Owls, as they could get his wages out of the club.

His performances on the pitch in the Premier League also do not suggest that he is likely to be an asset for Dyche on the pitch, which is why they should move him on if possible before the deadline.

Imagine him & Mangala: Everton in late talks over "fantastic" target

The club are aiming to strengthen one position in particular before the deadline.

By
Ethan Lamb

Aug 30, 2024

Cesc Fabregas has confirmed Dele Alli is training with his Como side and that the ex-Everton man is a "wonderful player".

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• Dele leaves Everton for new adventure
• Begins training with Serie A side Como
• Fabregas labels him a "wonderful player"

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Alli admitted he was leaving Everton earlier this month for "exciting opportunities" elsewhere. The 28-year-old began individual training with Serie A side Como earlier this week and now manager Fabregas has heaped praise on the attacking midfielder – who was once one of the brightest young talents in the game.

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  WHAT CESC FABREGAS SAID

  He said, via Fabrizio Romano: “He’s training with us now, Dele’s feeling good. He’s a wonderful player. If we can help him, we’re more than happy. At the moment, he’s only training with us."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Dele has had a difficult few years, with spells at Everton and Besiktas doing nothing to breathe life into his struggling career. The former England international will hope he return to his best and has even targeted a spot in the Three Lions 2026 World Cup squad.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Former Tottenham star Dele is likely to have a keen eye on how Como get on in their final 2024 match when they host fellow Serie A strugglers Lecce on Monday.

What the key figures in Durham’s Championship success said about their season

George Dobell at Chester-le-Street19-Sep-2013″Please don’t go making this all about me, will you?” – Geoff Cook, head coach“There were about 10 of us went into the hospital and saw Geoff. We all came out and the surgeons told us that it was looking ominous: because that was the kind of language they were using. It was devastating for everybody that went in. So for him to pull through was a miracle in itself. And then for Durham to win the title three times in six years – many good players don’t win it at all – a lot of it has to go down to Geoff Cook.” – Paul Collingwood, captain“We did it for Geoff. We were shocked when we heard what had happened. We sat down, we talked about it and we took those thoughts on to the field with us. We were doing it for him.” – Ben Stokes, emerging England allrounder“The club didn’t seem right when Geoff wasn’t here. We were missing someone that IS this club, really. So we did this for Geoff Cook. We knew the type of cricket he wanted us to play and a lot of this success is down to him.” – Graham Onions, Durham and England fast bowler“Geoff knows his body better than I do. He says he felt ready to come back so we welcomed him back. He’s very driven. So you do worry if the pressures of this type of role are healthy, but you can’t stand in his way.” – David Harker, chief executive

“You talk about team spirit and sometimes you have to do a little bit to try and manufacture it. But this year we found ourselves with the majority coming through the academy so they’ve already got a lot of Durham in their blood. They’ve gelled brilliantly and supported each other.” – Cook“It’s been unbelievably satisfying. Something happens that just keeps testing us and somehow we keep showing the resolve. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know if we can bottle it. It seems to be inside the north-east people. They just want to fight. And these youngsters have just fought all year, through adversity, whether it be financial situations or Geoff Cook’s illness. People have grown. Seeing the youngsters blossom has been absolutely wonderful.” – Collingwood“I don’t like to talk about it too much, because it came seem arrogant or parochial, but I believe there is something special. There is a sense of camaraderie; there is a sense of belonging to something that extends beyond the 11 guys in the dressing room. There is a sense of roots and pride. Culture is a consistent pattern of behaviour over time and these guys have grown up together, they know each other and they are comfortable with each other, they have similar background so there is a cohesion here that helps fuel team spirit.” – Harker

“Phil Mustard took that job on when no-one wanted it and the last thing I want to do is criticise him. But there is no denying the team weren’t performing like we wanted. Colly is the largest single difference in that time zone. In so far as there is a magic bullet, that was it. I was delighted he came back and gave it a go. Credit to him for continuing to endure those long journeys.” – Harker “What have I provided? Hopefully a little bit of calmness. I just go about my business. I’m not going to blow my own trumpet. I’ve always been a believer that bowlers win you big tournaments. For only one team this year to come to the Riverside and got a batting bonus point; that’s a ridiculous stat, and that shows how powerful we are in the bowling department.” – Collingwood

“I’m sure a lot of this team wouldn’t be playing first-class cricket if we weren’t a first-class county. That was the whole raison d’être: too many players had been lost to the first-class game. There are a couple of guys involved this year who won’t be next year, but young guys are coming through. Our budget for next year will be about £1.2m compared to £1.9m when we went over the salary cap. That puts us about mid-table in the spending. We can’t be top of everything.” – Harker“It has been a really hard six months. It is hard to comprehend the amount of travel that you do or the workloads you face. But when you stick together as a side it’s amazing what you can achieve. It is the last year of my contract, so it will soon be time to find ways to keep improving this side. I am not happy just winning it once. I want to do it again.” – Collingwood“You don’t want to pick one title win from another. The first one was very special, we had a team of very talented cricketers. This one’s from the other end of the spectrum. They rely a lot on discipline and team-work without having any really outstanding players.” – Cook

Cristiano Ronaldo got involved to calm down former Real Madrid team-mate Karim Benzema during Al-Nassr's clash with Al-Ittihad.

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• Al-Nassr lost 2-1 to Al-Ittihad
• Benzema and Ronaldo involved in altercation
• Both scored in Pro League clash

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ronaldo's Al-Nassr were beaten 2-1 by Al-Ittihad on Friday. His former team-mate, Benzema, opened the scoring after 55 minutes and, just two minutes later, Ronaldo equalised. Shortly after, the Frenchman clashed with Otavio, before Ronaldo got himself involved and calmed his former team-mate down.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ronaldo and his team-mates were ultimately dealt a bitter blow, as Steven Bergwijn scored a last-minute winner to give Ittihad a massive victory. Ronaldo's side are now fourth in the Saudi Pro League, 11 points behind Ittihad.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Al-Nassr have now lost two games in a row due to a stoppage time goal, having gone down 2-1 to Al-Sadd in the AFC Champions League in a similar fashion in midweek.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  The Saudi Pro League now faces a lengthy winter break. They will not play again until January 9, in a clash with Al-Akhdoud.

Actor Timothee Chalamet hailed Nashville SC winger, and longtime friend, Alex Muyl as a "Foot Mozart" during an interview with comedian Theo Von.

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• Chalamet hypes up Muyl
• Calls winger "Foot Mozart"
• Actor and MLS veteran grew up playing together

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Timothée Chalamet, the star of and , recently continued his "sports tour" by revealing his friendship with Nashville SC midfielder Alex Muyl. The actor affectionately referred to Muyl as a "Foot Mozart," highlighting his soccer skills.

  During an appearance on Theo Von's show to promote his upcoming film —in which he portrays Bob Dylan—Chalamet discussed his love for soccer. When Von mentioned he hadn’t yet attended a Nashville SC game, Chalamet shared that he and Muyl grew up playing soccer together.

  Chalamet went on to praise Muyl, saying he was "naturally more talented than anyone we played with," and added that it was no surprise when Muyl reached the professional ranks in MLS.

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• WHAT CHALAMET SAID ABOUT MUYL

  "I grew up with this guy… I played ball with him growing up and he was just gifted," Chalamet said. "It was like that Last Dance Chicago Bulls documentary and those guys would be partying all night and then Dennis Rodman will still drop 40. I could work my ass off, but if you don't have the gift of physical talent or athleticism. You're cooked."

  Von then added that some players can just claim to be a "Foot Mozart," with Chalamet replying, "Alex Muyl is a Foot Mozart."

• WATCH THE CLIP

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Muyl is an eight-year MLS veteran, having originally come up through the New York Red Bulls academy. Raised in New York, where he played alongside Chalamet, Muyl spent four full seasons with the Red Bulls before being traded to Nashville in 2020. He's been a regular for Nashville SC ever since.

  The MLS winger isn't Chalamet's only connection to professional soccer, though. The actor also played against current Liverpool defender Joe Gomez on the youth level.

Plays of the Day from the IPL game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad

Abhishek Purohit01-May-2013The shots
Great fast bowler against great batsman. Sachin Tendulkar easily won the mini-bout against Dale Steyn. Tendulkar was punching the outswingers crisply but finding the field when Steyn angled in a couple with a scrambled seam. The first one was whipped powerfully in the air, but finer than Tendulkar intended, to the deep square leg boundary. The second went exactly where the batsman wanted it to, a smooth forward stride followed by an authoritative loft over mid-on.The delivery
Tendulkar was timing almost everything off the front foot, when he decided to back away to leg against Ishant Sharma. It was short of a good length and Tendulkar was lining up to crash it through the off side. The ball jagged in sharply after pitching, though, and Tendulkar had no time to prevent his stumps from being knocked over. It did stay a shade low, the effect getting magnified by Tendulkar’s familiar extravagant crouch, but it was the movement that beat the batsman.The decisions
Umpire Sudhir Asnani blew hot and cold. Dwayne Smith missed an attempted sweep to a full Amit Mishra delivery and made it look worse by losing his balance and falling over after being hit on the pad. Asnani immediately raised his finger but replays showed Smith had gloved the ball into the pitch before the pad came into play.Asnani traversed from howler to cracker on the decision scale next. The last ball of Steyn’s spell swung in low and full to hit Kieron Pollard on the pad after a missed scoop. Steyn pleaded and pleaded, making it seem like there had never been an lbw so plumb. Outside the line of off, Asnani signalled immediately, and replays showed he was spot-on this time. Pollard had been struck inches outside.The innovation
Mumbai Indians needed the last over to go for some runs, and Ambati Rayudu stepped up with successive fours off Thisara Perera. The second of those was a late adjustment superbly executed. Rayudu got down one one knee, wanting to slog over the leg side, when Perera bowled it really wide outside off. Rayudu checked the slog-swing of the bat, and turned his wrists to lift the ball over backward point for four, with third man also up in the circle.

Batters in good place after promising four days in Antigua, as off-field matters overshadow

Cameron Ponsonby04-Mar-2022The image that summed up a confused and subdued day at Coolidge Cricket Ground was the sight of injury doubt Mark Wood warming up to bowl at lunchtime as captain Joe Root spoke to the media about Shane Warne’s unexpected death on the boundary’s edge.Things that matter and, you know, things that actually matter.”We’re just really shocked and sad to hear that such a legend of the game has passed so suddenly,” Root said.”We had just started the game and it sort of filtered through the dressing room. It’s been quite a quiet dressing room off the back of it, it’s hit everyone quite hard if I’m being brutally honest.”The news dramatically overshadowed the start of the day’s play as an already diminishing contest finally broke from its illusion of being a competitive fixture and was replaced by the reality of a practice session.Resuming on 77 for 3, England batted a further 17 overs and cantered along at almost a run a ball with Dan Lawrence slashing his way to 48 off 42. When Lawrence’s fun came to an end, it was Craig Overton batting at No.6 who replaced him in the middle. It was a day to make sure that everyone got a go.England will be pleased, therefore, that Ben Foakes gained some time in the middle as he scored 43 not out. It means that, of England’s top eight, only Ben Stokes hasn’t spent any substantial time batting going into the first Test, with five of the likely starting XI having passed 50 in the match and both Foakes and Chris Woakes registering unbeaten 40s.As England declared on 164 for 4 and set the President’s XI a notional 366 to win, eyes turned to whether Wood and Stokes would be able to bowl.Speaking at the close of play yesterday, interim head coach Paul Collingwood said that Stokes had done “everything possible” to be fit to bowl in Tuesday’s first Test and that there was a chance he could “play a small part” with the ball next week in Antigua. A marked improvement from earlier in the match, where word had been that any bowling Stokes would do in this game would be solely focused on preparing for the second Test.The temptation for England to bowl Stokes next week will have only increased after his showing here as he claimed a wicket with his very first ball before clean bowling Shane Dowrich in his following over. Stokes with the ball is currently the late-night kebab of England’s selection dilemmas as they seek to balance short-term reward with the risk of long-term damage.Having undertaken precautionary blood tests yesterday, it was announced at the start of the day’s play that Wood would be fit to take the field and he too impressed with the ball as he managed nine overs across the day, all of which were of good pace as he was able to extract life from a surface that was the very epitome of “docile”. Whether England will deem it sufficient preparation for Wood to be included in the XI for the first Test, however, is another question altogether.Amidst the breaking of bad news and managed bowling loads, a game of sorts did reach a conclusion as the President’s XI batted out the remainder of the day to finish 123 for 7 with Overton the other contributor of note with the ball, finishing with 2 for 12 from his eight overs.In all it has been a useful exercise for England. Batters have batted and bowlers have bowled against a more than competent opposition. And while the pitch being as docile (ibid) as it was was without doubt a considerable downside, overall it was a positive start to Operation Red-Ball Reset.

Todd Boehly and the wider recruitment team are ready to sell an expensive Chelsea player for £15 million, which would see the west Londoners take a big £57 million loss off his transfer.

Gallagher agrees Atletico move as Lukaku attempts Chelsea exit

It's been a little while since Chelsea had any confirmed departures out of the door, with the latest being Malang Sarr, who agreed to terminate his contract with the club and join Ligue 1 side RC Lens on a free transfer.

Chelsea could sign £162,000-per-week ace and Omorodion after Gallagher sale

Enzo Maresca’s side have been very busy this window.

By
Emilio Galantini

Aug 6, 2024

Thiago Silva, Hakim Ziyech, Lewis Hall, Omari Hutchinson, Michael Golding and Ian Maatsen all departed Stamford Bridge before Sarr, bringing in around £89 million in total to balance Chelsea's books and ease some pressure in regard to PSR.

While not yet official, it has been widely reported by the national press that midfielder Conor Gallagher looks set to follow them out of the door, coming after Atletico Madrid agreed a £34 million deal to sign the England international.

In what has been a hugely popular move among the fanbase, considering the Cobham academy graduate started 37 Premier League games as a star player under Mauricio Pochettino last season, Chelsea chiefs opted to make the transfer after Gallagher rejected their proposal of a two-year contract, plus the option of a further season.

"Chelsea have given him permission to travel and undergo a medical after clubs agreed a €40m fee," said journalist Ben Jacobs earlier this week.

"Both #CFC and Atletico had given Gallagher until the end of the weekend to make a decision. Understand two other top six clubs made enquiries in the last few days, but Gallagher wanted to either move to Atleti or extend at Chelsea. 2+1 extension remained on the table. With only one year left, Chelsea intent on resolving Gallagher’s future this window."

Napoli are still in talks to sign Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea as well, who's said to have agreed a three-year contract to work under Antonio Conte again, so the Belgian's transfer could well be concluded after Gallagher officially seals his move to Atletico.

Chelsea ready to sell Kepa Arrizabalaga for £15 million

Uncertainty also still surrounds the future of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who joined from Athletic Bilbao in a £72 million deal six years ago.

The £150,000-per-week player spent last season on loan at Real Madrid, but that door appears closed, with Andriy Lunin apparently signing a new contract and Thibaut Courtois back from injury.

There is, however, still interest from the Saudi Pro League, and Chelsea are ready to sell Kepa for around £15 million – which would mean they take a big £57 million loss to get him out the door.

This is all according to GiveMeSport, who suggest that Chelsea still hope to part ways with the 29-year-old before deadline day.

No press accreditation, interviews with registered players or access to cricket facilities owned by BCCI or its member associations

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2022The BCCI has banned Boria Majumdar, the Kolkata-based journalist Wriddhiman Saha had pointed at for “threat and intimidation”, for two years. Majumdar will not get press accreditation for domestic or international matches in India, interviews with any “registered players”, and access to cricket facilities owned by the BCCI or the state/member associations.In a missive sent to its members, the BCCI said that a three-member committee comprising vice-president Rajeev Shukla, treasurer Arun Dhumal and councillor Prabhtej Singh Bhatia had spoken to both Saha and Majumdar and concluded that Majumdar’s actions “were indeed in the nature of threat and intimidation”. They recommended the sanctions to the BCCI’s Apex Council, which agreed and imposed the ban.In February, Saha, who had been dropped from India’s Test team for the home series against Sri Lanka, had taken to Twitter to publish a screenshot of messages that a journalist had sent him on WhatsApp. The screenshot showed the sender requesting Saha “to do an interview with me”, to which Saha did not respond. The messages eventually took a more aggressive tone: “You did not call. Never again will I interview you. I don’t take insults kindly. And I will remember this. This wasn’t something ypu [sic] should have done.”Though Saha hadn’t named the journalist in question, Majumdar responded on March 5, saying he would serve a legal notice to Saha for defamation. Majumdar, in a video he put out on social media, said the screenshot Saha had put out was a doctored version of an exchange between the two.The BCCI, as it says in the message to the member associations, “had taken congnizance of this incident and deemed it necessary to investigate and probe the matter to avoid the recurrence of such instances with other players”, and formed the three-member committee. The committee subsequently “considered the submissions” of Saha and Majumdar before arriving at their decision.