تترقب جماهير الكرة العربية والأوروبية يومًا كرويًا حافلًا، اليوم السبت الموافق 16-8-2025، حيث تقام سلسلة من المواجهات المرتقبة في الدوريات المحلية والعالمية، إلى جانب بطولات قارية كبرى.

البداية ستكون من الدوري المصري الممتاز، حيث يخوض الزمالك مواجهة قوية أمام المقاولون العرب على ستاد القاهرة، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية من البطولة، الأبيض يدخل اللقاء بمعنويات مرتفعة بعد فوزه في الجولة الأولى على سيراميكا كليوباترا، بينما يسعى المقاولون لتعويض خسارته أمام زد واستعادة التوازن.

وعلى الجانب الأوروبي، يستهل مانشستر سيتي مشواره في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز عندما يواجه ولفرهامبتون على ملعب “مولينيو”، السيتي بقيادة بيب جوارديولا يطمح لتعويض إخفاق الموسم الماضي الذي خرج منه خالي الوفاض، والعودة سريعًا إلى منصات التتويج.

وفي إسبانيا، يبدأ برشلونة حملة الدفاع عن لقبه بمواجهة ريال مايوركا خارج الديار. الفريق الكتالوني بقيادة المدرب الألماني هانز فليك يدخل الموسم الجديد بعد ثلاثية محلية تاريخية الموسم الماضي، ما يزيد من تطلعات أنصاره لمواصلة السيطرة على الليجا.

كما يشهد اليوم مباراة منتظرة في ألمانيا، حيث يصطدم بايرن ميونخ مع شتوتجارت في كأس السوبر الألماني، في مواجهة تعتبر بمثابة ضربة بداية قوية للموسم الكروي الجديد.

طالع أيضًا | سلوت يوضح سبب بكاء محمد صلاح بعد مباراة ليفربول وبورنموث مواعيد مباريات اليوم السبت 16-8-2025 والقنوات الناقلةمواعيد مباريات الدوري المصري اليوم

إنبي ضد وادي دجلة، الساعة 6 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “on sport 1”.

غزل المحلة ضد سموحة، الساعة 8 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “on sport 2”.

الزمالك ضد المقاولون العرب، الساعة 9 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “on sport 1”. مواعيد مباريات الدوري الإنجليزي اليوم

أستون فيلا ضد نيوكاسل يونايتد، الساعة 2:30 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN SPORTS 1 HD”.

برايتون ضد فولهام، الساعة 5 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN SPORTS 2 HD”.

نوتينجهام فورست ضد برينتفورد، الساعة 5 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN Sports”.

سندرلاند ضد وست هام يونايتد، الساعة 5 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN SPORTS 6 HD”.

توتنهام هوتسبير ضد بيرنلي، الساعة 5 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN SPORTS 1 HD”.

ولفرهامبتون ضد مانشستر سيتي، الساعة 7:30 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN SPORTS 1 HD”. مواعيد مباريات الدوري الإسباني اليوم

ريال مايوركا ضد برشلونة، الساعة 8:30 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN SPORTS 3 HD”.

ديبورتيفو ألافيس ضد ليفانتي، الساعة 10:30 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN SPORTS 3 HD”.

فالنسيا ضد ريال سوسيداد، الساعة 10:30 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN SPORTS 6 HD”. مواعيد مباريات الدوري الفرنسي اليوم

لينس ضد أولمبيك ليون، الساعة 6 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN SPORTS 4 HD”.

موناكو ضد لوهافر، الساعة 8 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN SPORTS 5 HD”.

نيس ضد تولوز، الساعة 10:05 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “beIN SPORTS 4 HD”. مواعيد مباريات الدوري القطري اليوم

الدحيل ضد الشحانية، الساعة 6:30 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “الكاس”.

السد ضد نادي قطر، الساعة 8:30 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “الكاس”. مواعيد مباريات الدوري التونسي اليوم

النجم الساحلي ضد الأفريقي، الساعة 6:30 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “الرياضية التونسية”.

البنزرتي ضد الصفاقسي، الساعة 6:30 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “الرياضية التونسية”.

الملعب التونسي ضد شبيبة القيروان، الساعة 6:30 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “الرياضية التونسية”.

الترجي الجرجيسي ضد الشبيبة، الساعة 6:30 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “الرياضية التونسية”. مواعيد مباريات كأس أمم إفريقيا للمحليين اليوم

أفريقيا الوسطى ضد تنزانيا، الساعة 8 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “bein sports”.

بوركينا فاسو ضد مدغشقر، الساعة 8 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “bein sports”. موعد مباراة كأس السوبر الألماني اليوم

شتوتجارت ضد بايرن ميونخ، الساعة 9:30 مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية، وتُذاع عبر قناة “Sky Sports”.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنــــا

da pixbet： The one thing you can be guaranteed of when watching Tottenham Hotspur is goals.

da realbet： Ange Postecoglou has created one of the most entertaining sides in Europe, let alone in England, and while those goals include the ones they conceded, the North Londoners still score more than they let in.

In fact, while their defensive numbers are mediocre at best, the Lilywhites are the joint second-top scorers in the Premier League despite being down in 12th.

Moreover, the goals come from all over the team, although a former player, who’s been compared to the incredible Alexander Isak, is currently outscoring some of their biggest stars.

Tottenham's top scorers

Topping the list for Spurs is Brennan Johnson, who, despite enduring a slow start to the season and a recent injury problem, has managed to rack up a reasonable tally of 14 goals in 35 games.

That means the Welsh international puts the ball in the back of the net on average every 2.5 appearances.

Just behind the former Nottingham Forest ace is the North Londoners’ record signing, Dominic Solanke.

After going through his own slow start to the campaign, the £65m man has now scored 11 goals in 29 appearances, which comes out to one every 2.63 games, and with his return imminent, we expect that average to come down.

Coming in as the club’s joint-third top scorers so far are Dejan Kulusevski, Son Heung-min and James Maddison, who all have ten goals to their names, reaching that figure in 42, 36 and 34 games, respectively.

Spurs’ top scorers in 24/25

Player

Games

Goals

Goals per Game

Johnson

35

14

0.40

Solanke

29

11

0.37

Kulusevski

42

10

0.23

Son

36

10

0.27

Maddison

34

10

0.29

All Stats via Transfermarkt

While things haven’t gone their way this season, it’s impressive for five players to have reached double digits for goals when the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City have just one, three and two, respectively.

With that said, we imagine Spurs would love to have one of their old forwards back in the team this term, a forward who’s outscoring everyone in the squad and has been compared to Isak.

Where Are They Now

Expand Collapse The former Spurs star compared to Isak

So, when it comes to former Spurs players who could be outscoring the entire club this season and winning comparisons to players like Isak, it could only be one man: Harry Kane.

The comparison itself stems from FBref, which looks at players in similar positions in Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one, and in this instance, has concluded that the Swede is the second most similar forward to the Englishman.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, non-penalty goals plus assists, goals per shot, expected assists, key passes, shot-creating actions, shots blocked, interceptions and more, all per 90.

Kane & Isak

Statistics per 90

Kane

Isak

Non-Penalty G+As

0.99

1.00

Goals per Shot

0.16

0.26

Expected Assists

0.22

0.14

Key Passes

1.35

1.60

Shot-Creating Actions

3.33

3.42

Shots Blocked

0.10

0.09

Interceptions

0.10

0.09

Successful Take-On %

45.5%

45.9%

All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Season

On top of being incredibly similar to arguably the most exciting striker in the Premier League, the former Lilywhites ace has been in sensational goalscoring form this season – as he always is.

In just 33 appearances, totalling 2575 minutes, the “world-class” centre-forward, as dubbed by Harry Maguire, has scored 29 goals and provided ten assists – more than anyone in Postecoglou’s squad.

That means he’s averaging a goal every 1.13 games or a goal involvement every 66.02 minutes.

Ultimately, Spurs had to sell Kane in the summer of 2023, but we can’t help but imagine how ridiculous his goal tally would be under a manager like Ange.

Related Cost £8.5m, now worth 111% more: Spurs struck gold on "uber-complete" star

The incredible talent could be a Spurs star for the next decade or more.

Posts 1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 4, 2025

Ryan Reynolds has admitted that football is "a hard sport" and that he and McElhenney "don't make football decisions" at Wrexham.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Wrexham promoted to Championship
• Reynolds jubilant after historic feat
• Admits he doesn't make football decisions

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Speaking to the Daily Star, the Wrexham co-owner refused to take too much credit for the club's amazing recent on-field successes, with a record-breaking three successive promotions taking the club from the National League to the Championship. Reynolds has insisted that the "football decisions" are never left to him and fellow Hollywood star McElhenney despite their investment in the club.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Wrexham's most recent promotion is a hugely lucrative one, with Championship football set to guarantee the club a massive commercial boost as well as the opportunity to compete against some of English football's most historic and successful clubs. Reynolds and McElhenney are clearly doing something right behind the scenes, but the Canadian actor is staying humble.

• WHAT REYNOLDS SAID

  Asked about dealing with departing players every year, Reynolds said: “I ghost everyone! No, I’m kidding. I think one of the strong suits of this was that we just wanted to connect with the players. But it’s a hard sport, man. It’s not too dissimilar to show business, there’s a lot of rejection. So when every player signs, we FaceTime them. We call them, we give them our info, we say if you need anything, call us. We’re here to help. That is our version of meddling with football as we don’t make football decisions. So there’s other things that we can do and we’re always trying to be proactive.”

  But it doesn’t always go well, as Reynolds joked: “One player did call to ask me to rent him a car once. I told him that when I said call me for anything, anything at all, I meant something like a kidney. I didn’t mean like, how do I get you a Hertz rental car? Let’s try Google next time.”

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Wrexham have reached the end of another extremely productive season, and attention will now turn to competing in the second tier next term. It's the first time the club have played at this level since 1981-82.

West Ham United are now keen on signing a “superstar” striker, having identified him as their top target for the summer transfer window, according to a report.

West Ham's striker issues

The Hammers never seem to have much luck when it comes to signing strikers, with some big-name signings such as Sebastien Haller and Gianluca Scamacca failing to adapt to life in the Premier League.

Niclas Fullkrug was also brought in last summer, but the German struggled to replicate his form in the Bundesliga prior to picking up a hamstring injury, while Michail Antonio is set to be ruled out for the foreseeable future due to a car crash.

Jarrod Bowen is always a reliable source of goals, once again getting on the scoresheet in the 1-0 victory against Arsenal yesterday, but Graham Potter is keen to bring in an out-and-out striker in the summer transfer window.

West Ham player "in talks" to leave with February transfer expected

He’s keen on a new challenge.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 22, 2025

Talks have been opened with Corinthians forward Yuri Alberto, but the 23-year-old may just be a back-up option, as The Guardian have now revealed West Ham’s top striker target is Lille’s Jonathan David.

David is set to be available on a free transfer in the summer, upon the expiration of his Lille contract, and he is attracting the attention of some of Europe’s biggest clubs, with Inter Milan and Juventus also keen.

The report claims the Canadian now looks certain to leave Lille at the end of the season, but it remains to be seen whether the Hammers will be able to meet his high wage demands.

"Superstar" David destined for the top

The 25-year-old has been lauded as a “superstar” by Canada teammate Jonathan Osorio, and he has a very impressive goal record over the course of a number of years in Ligue 1, arriving in 2020 after impressing in Belgium with Gent.

Season

Appearances

Goals

2020-21

37

13

2021-22

38

15

2022-23

37

24

2023-24

34

19

2024-25

21

12

The Brooklyn-born forward also has 31 goals in 59 games for his national side, so it is little wonder he is attracting the attention of some big clubs, and it is promising news that West Ham are in the race for his signature.

Fullkrug has struggled in his debut season at the London Stadium, scoring just twice in the Premier League, but even if he finds his feet, the 32-year-old is not of an age to lead the line for the long-term future.

The same applies to Antonio, who is now arguably in the twilight years of his career, so a younger striker will be a necessary signing in the summer, and David fits the bill at 25-years-old.

Given the Lille star’s ability, it may be difficult for the Hammers to get a deal done this summer, especially considering they are very unlikely to have European football on offer, but if they are able to pull it off, he could be an excellent long-term addition to the squad.

Graham Potter has now been in charge of West Ham for five games, winning once, drawing once and losing three times.

The Hammers are now out of the FA Cup and sit 15th in the Premier League after 24 games so it’s safe to say he’s walked into a troubling scenario.

West Ham are averaging 46.5% possession this season which is alarmingly, is the fifth lowest figure in the division while they are taking 13.8 shots per game (9th highest in the league) and conceding 16.7 shots per game (4th highest).

Things have looked better since Potter took charge, however, and the addition of Evan Ferguson should also help the English boss by having a natural centre-forward to finally lead the line.

Evan Ferguson's record at Brighton

Ferguson has already played under Potter once before at Brighton, playing five games for the English coach, scoring one goal, providing two assists and totalling 180 minutes. But it was under the next Brighton coach, Roberto De Zerbi, that Ferguson took the next step, making 60 appearances, netting 15 goals and providing three assists.

Potter has been playing with Lucas Paqueta as a false nine in recent weeks, tasking him with being the focal point for the team, bringing down long balls, making it stick and trying to bring others into play, so an addition like Ferguson will clearly suit this style of play, being able to operate as a target man.

The 20-year-old has struggled for minutes under Fabian Hurzeler this term, with the likes of Danny Welbeck and Joao Pedro ahead of him in the pecking order, managing 15 appearances, but only scoring one goal and taking to the field across 401 minutes.

Ultimately, this has led to a loan opportunity for Ferguson at West Ham, to work with Potter once again. It has come at the perfect time, with the new West Ham boss desperately needing a classic number nine through the middle.

But, this could have been avoided if the Hammers hadn’t sold a certain centre-forward of their own back in 2023.

West Ham sold big-money striker too soon

West Ham signed Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo for a fee of around £35.5m in 2022, and went on to make 27 appearances for the club, scoring eight goals.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.

But just one year later, the Hammers sold the Italian, who returned to Italy, joining Atalanta for a fee of around £21.5m plus add-ons, making a huge loss on the striker after just one season.

When you compare Scamacca’s underlying numbers from his last season at West Ham vs his first at Atalanta, you can see the vast improvement across the board. Indeed, the only metric that he’s not improved is aerial duels won per 90, which only regressed by 0.05.

Scamacca at West Ham vs Atalanta comparison
Stats (per 90 mins)	22/23	23/24
Goals	0.37	0.74
Assists	0.06	0.27
xG	0.24	0.47
Progressive Carries	1.26	1.43
Progressive Passes	1.65	2.27
Shots Total	3.00	3.74
Goals/Shot	0.08	0.20
Key Passes	1.26	1.68
Aerial Duels Won	1.65	1.60
Stats taken from FBref

Liverpool’s ex-manager, Jürgen Klopp, labelled Scamacca “exceptional” after playing against his Reds side, stating he was a “handful” to play against, great in the air and on the floor. In short, he’s a bit Ferguson and would perhaps be an evening better option.

Since joining Atalanta, Scamacca has made 45 appearances for the Italian club, scoring 19 goals and providing eight assists in 2,324 minutes. If we compare that to Ferguson, the Irishman has found the net just seven times.

It feels like the best is still yet to come for the 26-year-old Italin, who West Ham would sure like to have back on their books if they could turn back the clocks.

Forget Ward-Prowse: West Ham must unleash their teen Rice & Carrick hybrid

West Ham needn’t have brought back James Ward-Prowse…

1

By
Connor Holden

Feb 6, 2025

Kaitlin Olson joined up with husband Rob McElhenney and the Wrexham squad in Las Vegas to celebrate the club's promotion to the Championship.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Wrexham celebrating promotion in Las Vegas
• McElhenney and Olson join party in Sin City
• Hollywood stars proud of their team

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Wrexham's players have been celebrating a third successive promotion with another party in Las Vegas. Co-owner Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have splashed out yet again on a trip to Sin City to celebrate the team's impressive achievement.

Advertisement

• Getty/Instagram
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  McElhenney and Olson joined the party in Vegas as the players enjoyed some down time in Nevada that included a pool party and a mechanical bucking bronco. Olson also shared some photos from the party and revealed her pride at seeing Wrexham secure a spot in the Championship.

• WHAT KAITLIN OLSON SAID

  She posted a message on Instagram with the caption: "@wrexham_afc /Vegas collab. Three years in a row!? Sure! Back to back to back history makers. So very proud of you. Now get back to work!"

• Getty/Wrexham AFC
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM

  Wrexham's players will indeed get back to work after some well-deserved time off. The squad are due to fly out to Australia and New Zealand in July for pre-season fixtures against Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix.

Wyatt half-century, Bell and Moore three-fors as Superchargers fall well short

Matt Roller27-Aug-2023Anya Shrubsole signed off from professional cricket by lifting the Hundred trophy at Lord’s, captaining Southern Brave to their first title in their third final. After successive defeats to Oval Invincibles, they comprehensively outplayed Northern Superchargers in front of a record 21,636 crowd at Lord’s.Brave’s batting let them down in their first two finals and they were 8 for 2 after nine balls on Sunday, Smriti Mandhana and Maia Bouchier falling cheaply after Superchargers opted to bowl first. But they recovered to set a target of 140, Danni Wyatt making 59 off 38 and Freya Kemp contributing an invaluable 31 off 17 from No. 5.Lauren Bell struck twice in her first eight balls in Brave’s defence, including removing Superchargers’ leading run-scorer Phoebe Litchfield who was well caught by Kemp at deep cover-point, and Superchargers were always behind the game.Rhianna Southby, Brave’s 22-year-old wicketkeeper, has played a crucial role for them despite not facing a ball this season: she effected three stumpings in the chase, and finished the Hundred with a tournament-high 11 dismissals.Jemimah Rodrigues opened the batting for Superchargers and was starved of the strike: when she was caught at extra cover for 24, she had faced just 14 of the first 73 balls bowled. Bell and Kalea Moore took three wickets each, and the winning moment came when Bell whipped off the bails to run No. 11 Grace Ballinger out after a mix-up.Shrubsole had been due to bowl the final five balls but Superchargers were bowled out with six to spare. Having left international cricket after last year’s World Cup, she opted to play on as Brave captain this year and her impending retirement has been a source of motivation for the squad throughout the season, who were determined to send her off with a trophy.Shrubsole looked uncharacteristically emotional in the aftermath of the final wicket, and admitted her overwhelming emotion was one of relief. “We feel like we’ve played some brilliant cricket,” she said, “coming into this we’d won 20 out of 25 games which is an unbelievable record. Not to have won the trophy was tough to take so it felt like this was just deserts.”For Charlotte Edwards, their coach, this was a third short-form trophy this year, after success in the Women’s Premier League with Mumbai Indians and with Southern Vipers in the Charlotte Edwards Cup. Brave have been the best team across the three seasons of the Hundred, and lifted an overdue trophy as the fireworks were set off at Lord’s.Danni Wyatt notched the first half-century in a Women’s Hundred final•ECB via Getty ImagesAfter walking around the boundary from the stage in the Compton Stand, Shrubsole was given a guard of honour by both teams as she walked back towards the pavilion, holding the H-shaped trophy aloft as she did so. It was a fitting send-off for a great of England women’s cricket.Mandhana hit the first ball of the final for four through point but slashed the second to gully, and when Bouchier skied Kate Cross to extra cover, they were forced to rebuild through Wyatt and Georgia Adams.They had 45 off the first 43 balls of the final before Wyatt cut loose with back-to-back boundaries off Lucy Higham, at which point Superchargers became ragged in the field. Wyatt, who finished the tournament as leading run-scorer, swept Higham for four to bring up a 35-ball 50 and lofted Georgia Wareham for the first six of the game.She was primed to accelerate at the death when she was on the wrong end of a freak dismissal: Adams drove the ball straight back at her at the non-striker’s end as she started to take a run, and Cross executed a simple run-out as it popped up into her hands. When Adams holed out to midwicket after a chancy 27 off 28, Superchargers had an opening.But Kemp added 31 with a streaky cameo, hitting five boundaries to keep Brave on track. She eventually chopped Cross’ cutter onto her stumps; while Cross fumbled both a catch and a run-out chance off the penultimate ball, she was the pick of Superchargers’ attack with 3 for 21 off her 20.Bell thought she had struck with the first ball of the chase, trapping Marie Kelly on the pad only for her to successfully review the on-field decision. It hardly mattered: Kelly was dismissed by the next delivery she faced, with the ball ricocheting off her pad and onto the base of the stumps.When Litchfield lofted into the deep, Brave had two early wickets and were in control of the game. Southby’s sharp work gave Moore a wicket with her first ball, stumping Hollie Armitage, and her fast hands accounted for Bess Heath soon after, Chloe Tryon making amends for a drop on the square-leg boundary by beating her on the outside edge.Shrubsole had Alice Davidson-Richards lbw to leave Superchargers five down, and a brilliant catch by Bouchier – running in off the long-on boundary, then diving forwards at full stretch – meant Rodrigues was their last hope. Having tried and failed to build partnerships by knocking singles, she looked to loft Moore over extra cover but picked Adams out.Southby pulled off her third stumping as Leah Dobson charged Moore and missed, and Bell administered the last rites, having Higham caught at short fine leg then completing a straightforward run-out at the bowler’s end to cue the celebrations.

Ibrahim Zadran became Afghanistan’s first World Cup centurion but his effort in the end went in vain

Deivarayan Muthu07-Nov-20234:00

Harmison on Maxwell’s 201*: ‘It has to be the greatest innings in ODI cricket’

At one point, Australia were 91 for 7 chasing 292. Then Glenn Maxwell Glenn Maxwelled his way to a double-century and not only did they win the game, they also sealed their place in the World Cup semi-finals.After Ibrahim Zadran became Afghanistan’s first-ever centurion in World Cups, Naveen-ul-Haq and Azmatullah Omarzai shredded Australia’s top order as they threatened to script a famous win at the Wankhede. But Maxwell intervened with a sensational 201 not out, 179 of which were scored in an unbroken 202-run partnership with his captain Pat Cummins, to flip the script. The result confirmed Australia’s place in the final four, along with hosts India and South Africa, and left Afghanistan heart-broken.The chase wasn’t the only thing that got tighter and tighter towards the end. Maxwell, having fielded the 50 overs in the Mumbai heat, began cramping up badly. It was his legs. They’d just stopped working. He looked in agonising pain in the 41st over, prompting the next batter, the No. 10, Adam Zampa to wait by the boundary-line while the physio patched him up to keep him going.And go he did. Batting without ever moving his feet, Maxwell kept clobbering sixes until he brought home the Australian miracle. Two-hundred and one unbeatean runs in just 128 balls with 21 fours and 10 sixes. It was one of the all-time great ODI innings.Related

Maxing it like Maxwell: Ten other great solo ODI batting performances

Jonathan Trott rues key lapses as Glenn Maxwell teaches Afghanistan a bitter lesson

Stats – Glenn Maxwell, Australia's first men's ODI double-centurion

Glenn Maxwell stands tallest in adversity to deliver Australia their knock-out blow

Pat Cummins hails Glenn Maxwell's 201 not out as 'the greatest ODI innings that's ever happened'

Maxwell had walked in to face Omarzai’s hat-trick ball in the ninth over, when Australia were 49 for 4 in pursuit of 292. He was then involved in a mix-up, which cost Australia the wicket of Marnus Labuschagne for 14. When Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Starc fell soon after, leaving Australia at 91 for 7, the game looked done. Except it wasn’t. Maxwell soldiered on and Cummins stuck to him limpet-like, contributing just 12 runs (off 68 balls) to a double-century partnership.With 21 needed off the final four overs for Australia’s win and Maxwell’s double-hundred, he went 6,6,4,6 against Mujeeb Ur Rahman to provide the double coup de grâce.Mujeeb could’ve cut Maxwell’s innings short on 33 had he not dropped a sitter at short fine. Maxwell then went about doing Maxwell things. He mowed Noor Ahmad over midwicket. He shanked Mujeeb over his head and carted Mohammed Nabi over midwicket too. The reverse-sweep and other trick shots were also on display in Mumbai as he surged to a hundred off 76 balls. He then needed just 52 balls for his second hundred. At the other end, Cummins defended resolutely. That was all he needed to do.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Maxwell’s 201* is the highest score ever by a batter at No. 6 or lower in 4696 ODIs. This is also the first double-hundred by an Australian in men’s ODI cricket and the third double-ton in men’s World Cups. Maxwell’s unbroken 202-run stand with Cummins is also the highest for the eighth wicket or lower in ODI cricket.Rashid Khan was the only Afghanistan bowler to escape the one-man wrecking crew that was Maxwell. Afghanistan had picked four spinners for this match, but it was Naveen and Omarzai who inflicted severe damage on Australia’s chase. They bowled Test-match lines and lengths, and swung the new ball both ways, under lights. Naveen first ripped out Travis Head with an outswinger before pinning Mitchell Marsh lbw with an inswinger. Naveen could’ve also dismissed David Warner on 4 had Rahmat Shah not dropped a difficult chance at gully. Warner added 14 to his tally before Omarzai floored his off stump with an inswinger.Omarzai is only 23 and was playing his 20th ODI, but he’s so skillful that he can construct Warner’s dismissal. After hitting a hard length and bowling a maiden to Warner, he went fuller and stormed through his defences. Having bossed the powerplay during his Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) stint earlier in the year, Omarzai showed the wider world that he could do the job in international cricket too. The next ball was an outswinger to Josh Inglis, who edged to first slip. The next ball was another outswinger, but Maxwell denied Omarzai the hat-trick and the rest is now history.After finishing off three successful chases in a row, Afghanistan might have had a temptation to do the same on Tuesday. But Hashmatullah Shahidi resisted that and backed his batters to put runs on the board on a slightly atypical Wankhede track, which was on the drier side. Ibrahim led the way and batted through the innings on a hot afternoon to stay unbeaten on 129 off 143 balls. The highlight of his innings was a ramped four straight over the wicketkeeper, off Cummins, in the 14th over. Later in the slog overs, he along with Rashid, who hit an unbeaten 35 off 18 balls, laid into Australia’s attack. Ibrahim and Rashid smashed 58 together off just 27 balls to lift Afghanistan to 291, but their joy turned into disbelief and then helplessness in the night.

Hanuma Vihari has been named captain of Rest of India for the Irani Cup against Ranji champions Saurashtra beginning October 1 in Rajkot.Vihari, who led South Zone to the Duleep Trophy title in July, has three of his team-mates from that squad – batters Mayank Agarwal, B Sai Sudharsan and fast bowler Vidwath Kaverappa – for company. KS Bharat is likely to be the first-choice wicketkeeper, with Dhruv Jurel as a back-up.Abhimanyu Easwaran, who made 798 runs in the Ranji season, misses out as he’s recovering from typhoid. The other surprise miss is Kerala allrounder Jalaj Saxena, who topped the wickets chart with 50 scalps.With several India A players away with the national team at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, the selectors have rewarded young batters Yash Dhull and Rohan Kunnummal with berths purely on potential, despite them having endured poor Ranji seasons.Dhull managed just 270 runs in 10 innings at the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy while Kunnummal managed 203 runs in nine innings. Vihari himself had a patchy season, scoring 490 runs in 14 innings for Andhra, but the captaincy is possibly a further sign of him still being in the mix as far as back-ups go for the national team.Mumbai’s Sarfaraz Khan, who scored 0, 6, 0 and 48 at the season-opening Duleep Trophy, will also potentially have an opportunity to make amends. He’s expected to occupy one of the middle-order berths.Where Sarfaraz bats in the XI could be a sign of the kind of role the senior selectors see him playing in the near future. At Mumbai, he’s been prolific at No. 5 over the past three seasons. Sai Sudharsan, meanwhile, is set to link up with the squad straight off a maiden county stint with Surrey.ROI’s bowling department will be spearheaded by Navdeep Saini, while Karnataka’s Vidwath Kaverappa, who had an impressive Duleep Trophy to back up his 30 wickets in the Ranji season, is expected share the new ball. Uttar Pradesh’s Saurabh Kumar and Shams Mulani, the second-highest wicket-taker at Ranji Trophy 2022-23 (46 scalps), are the two frontline spinners, with Delhi’s Pulkit Narang also making the cut. Yash Dayal brings in the left-arm pace variety, and could play as the third pacer.Bengal pace spearhead Akash Deep has been listed in the squad, but won’t feature in the match as he’s with the Indian squad at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. Initially not picked there, he was named as a late replacement for the injured Shivam Mavi.Hosts Saurashtra too have named a strong squad boasting of all their regulars. Cheteshwar Pujara and Jaydev Unadkat, the captain, are coming off a regular diet of red-ball cricket at the county championship in England. At 37, Sheldon Jackson continues to be a pillar in the middle order alongside Pujara, Arpit Vasavada, the previous Ranji season’s second-highest run-getter.Saurashtra earned the right to play this game after beating Bengal to clinch their second Ranji Trophy crown in Kolkata earlier this year.Rest of India: Hanuma Vihari (captain), K S Bharat, Mayank Agarwal, Yash Dhull, Shams Mulani, Sai Sudarshan, Sarfaraz Khan, Pulkit Narang, Saurabh Kumar, Yash Dayal, Navdeep Saini, Vidwath Kaverappa, Akash Deep, Rohan Kunnummal, Dhruv Jurel.Saurashtra: Jaydev Unadkat (captain), Cheteshwar Pujara, Sheldon Jackson, Arpit Vasavada, Harvik Desai, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Prerak Mankad, Chirag Jani, Jay Gohil, Parth Bhut, Vishvarajsinh Jadeja, Samarth Vyas, Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, Kushang Patel, Snell Patel, Devang Karamta.

The striker position at Manchester City has been full of heritage since the successful silverware-laden days at the Etihad.

While that infamous move for Robinho – the club’s very first marquee signing during the Mark Hughes era – didn’t turn out too successfully, the same cannot be said for a certain Sergio Aguero.

The Argentine is now known as one of the greatest foreign imports the Premier League has ever seen, scoring that title-winning goal which was just one of 260 goals he scored in City blue. He is a legend in these parts, a true icon of English football.

Well, they’ve now found someone capable of usurping Aguero’s record. Yep, you guessed it, it’s the relentless Erling Haaland.

Already a treble-winner, the Norwegian has found the back of the net on 118 occasions in 135 outings. He is certainly one of the best forwards of the modern era.

That said, he should watch out for Omar Marmoush who’s enjoyed a fine start to his time in English football…

What makes Marmoush so good

This January was an important one for the Citizens. For the first time in his tenure, Pep Guardiola was fighting for his life, seemingly unable to turn the tide on a run of form that saw them win just once in 13 matches. It was unheard of.

So, over the winter, they did their due diligence and splashed the cash to bring in the likes of Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov and Egyptian superstar Omar Marmoush.

The forward had scored 15 Bundesliga goals in 17 matches before switching Germany for England in a £59 move. Since then, he’s continued his menacing form.

The 26-year-old has so far featured off the left, up top and when Haaland has been fit, behind him.

That level of versatility is a key part of why Guardiola wanted to bring him to the Etihad over the winter and he’s rewarded the faith shown, notably scoring a hat-trick in the 4-0 win over Newcastle.

That remains the sole game in which Marmoush has contributed with goals but his general play has been eye-catching with teammate Haaland declaring that “you can see he has something special.”

However, the transfer may never have happened if City’s transfer strategy last summer headed in a different direction.

Man City have already sold a Marmoush upgrade

Marmoush’s signing was needed. Haaland, of course, is a man possessed but behind him, they lacked a certain degree of firepower with Kevin De Bruyne now in the latter stages of his career and Phil Foden – the Premier League’s Player of the Season for 2023/24 – failing to meet the same standards. He’s scored just ten times in 36 outings this season, a far cry from his 27-goal exploits of last term.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

In many ways, the sale of Julian Alvarez didn’t help. It certainly benefited the club’s coffers, raking in an enormous sum of £82m. Since then, he’s showcased why City should regret selling him.

This wasn’t your Gabriel Jesus level of back-up striker. He was a constant threat and helped himself to 19 goals and 13 assists last season. Replacing an output like that wasn’t going to be easy.

Marmoush will no doubt help over the forthcoming seasons but Alvarez has now proven himself as one of the finest forwards in European football.

He showcased that in the Champions League this week, taking his tally in the competition this term to seven in nine games – just one behind Haaland – with a breathtaking strike against rivals Real Madrid.

Alvarez danced past Eduardo Camavinga on the left, cut inside and then bent a delicious effort into the far corner. It was postage stamp stuff. Quite brilliant.

That goal means that the Argentine now has 22 for the season and it was hardly a surprise to see pundits and journalists alike wax lyrical.

Minutes played

90

Touches

35

Accurate passes

18/21 (86%)

Goals

1

Shots

1

Successful dribbles

1/3

Key passes

1

Ground duels won

3/8

Tackles

2

Joe Cole suggested that “he’s a Ballon d’Or winner of the future” while Spanish football expert Neal Gardner simply stated that he is “the most complete striker in the world right now.”

That was corroborated by Argentine journalist Roy Nemer who even before this goal suggested that Alvarez was the “best forward in the world” this season.

It’s hard to dispute that claim considering he ranks inside the best 7% of positionally similar players in Europe’s big five leagues for progressive carries, the best 11% for progressive passes and the top 15% for tackles, underlining the fact that he can do most things incredibly well.

Usually, City get things spot on when sanctioning sales. However, in a campaign where they will miss out on the Premier League and Champions League, they did get this one wrong.

Still, Marmoush is here now and they will get to enjoy the fruits of his labour before too long.

Savio upgrade: Man City may regret selling 'the best winger in the world'

Man City might rue selling a player who has shone for his current club since leaving.

ByRoss Kilvington Mar 3, 2025