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Real Betis beat the Los Blancos thanks to big performances from several key stars including Cardoso and Hernandez

Betis beats Carlo Ancelotti's side 2-1 in the La LigaHernandez and Cardoso impresses in attack against Spanish giantsVictory boosts Betis' European qualification hopesAFPWHAT HAPPENED

Real Betis secured a memorable 2-1 comeback victory against Real Madrid at the Benito Villamarin stadium on Saturday. American midfielder Johnny Cardoso and Isco’s penalty ensured that the Los Verdiblancos walked away with the win despite Brahim Diaz’s opening goal.

The game was played on level despite the difference in star power, with Betis causing more than a few problems for Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

So much so that, despite Cucho Hernandez, Antony and even Cardoso missing a few chances, the Los Verdiblancos still walked away with the win and were celebrating with their home fans after the game.

The win sees Real Betis move up the league table into sixth place and gives them a two-point buffer over seventh place Rayo Vallecano in the race for European qualification.

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Despite a topsy turvy season for Real Betis, the win over Real Madrid has sent the Los Verdiblancos into sixth place. The club struggled to find a consistent stretch of form earlier in the season but have now lost just once in their last six games which has pushed them back into contention for a top six finish.

That run includes three consecutive wins, beating Getafe and Real Sociedad, alongside the Los Blancos, in their last three league games.

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Getty Images SportWHAT’S NEXT?

The Los Verdiblancos now face Portuguese side Vitoria De Guimaraes in the UEFA Conference League over two legs with the Round of 16 tie sandwiching Real Betis’ La Liga fixture against Las Palmas.

Sheffield Wednesday are preparing for a huge Championship clash with Sheffield United this weekend, and a big double injury update has emerged in the build-up.

Steel City derby on deck as Owls find form

In midweek, the Owls delivered a much-needed response to their shock 6-2 defeat at home to Watford last Saturday, winning 2-0 against Norwich City at Hillsborough. It leaves Danny Rohl’s side sitting 15th in the table after the latest round of action, with a massive occasion now lying on the horizon with a chance to make it three wins in four league games.

Wednesday face their biggest match of the season so far on Sunday lunchtime, as they make the short trip to Bramall Lane to take on bitter rivals United, with the Blades in second place and looking like strong promotion contenders.

It is the first Steel City derby since back in March 2019, due to the Owls spending time in League One and their adversaries enjoying stints in the Premier League, and the whole of Sheffield is holding its breath ahead of a much-anticipated 90 minutes.

Wednesday are understandably the underdogs going into the game, given the respective league positions of both, and the fact that they are the away side, but Rohl will know that he and his players can etch their names into derby folklore with a win. Ahead of the match, an important injury update has emerged.

Key injury update as Wednesday duo return to training

Speaking in his pre-derby press conference on Friday, Rohl confirmed that Sheffield Wednesday pair Nathaniel Chalobah and Michael Ihiekwe are both back on the training pitch again, following respective injury absences.

While neither Chalobah or Ihiekwe are expected to feature for Wednesday this weekend, having them slowly edging towards a return to the pitch is a huge boost, during a relentless season where squad depth is essential as the months pass.

Chalobah hasn’t played a single minute of action in the Championship since securing a summer move to the Owls from West Brom during the summer transfer window, with his only appearance to date coming in the 5-1 win away to Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup.

As for Ihiekwe, having him back feels significant, considering what an important member of Rohl’s defence was during the 2023/24 season, appearing 26 times in the league. He hasn’t featured since late September, however, highlighting why Wednesday will need to ease him back in, rather than rush his return and risk injuring him further.

Injury update on "brilliant" Sheffield Wednesday ace before Steel City derby

A relief for the Owls.

ByTom Cunningham Nov 6, 2024

Hopefully, the pair will be close to a first-team return after the international break, using the next week or two to further build their fitness, before being available for the remainder of the campaign.

Looking ahead to the future, Tottenham Hotspur are now reportedly in pole position to sign a teenage sensation for Ange Postecoglou’s side ahead of their Premier League rivals.

Tottenham transfer news

The Lilywhites have endured a season full of inconsistency so far. Every time Postecoglou’s side have taken a step forward, they have simply taken two steps back in an all too familiar sight for those in North London. From handing Crystal Palace their first three points of the season last weekend, Spurs defeated champions Manchester City to advance in the Carabao Cup just days later in what sums up the strange form that they find themselves in.

What has become clear amid that run is that Spurs are far from the finished product and still need several fresh faces in order to take Postecoglou’s squad up to Champions League level and more.

On that front, those in North London don’t seem likely to shift their focus away from young talent anytime soon, potentially following up the arrivals of Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall with another future star.

According to TeamTalk, Tottenham are now leading the race to sign Mason Melia ahead of Manchester City, Manchester United and London rivals Chelsea. The 17-year-old St. Patrick’s Athletic forward is considered one of the best talents in Ireland with over 50 senior appearances to his name to more than earn the teenage sensation tag.

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Unable to complete a move to England until he turns 18 years old due to Brexit rules, however, Melia must remain patient until next September, when Spurs may well make their move. One for the future, the Irishman could yet follow in the footsteps of Harry Kane by becoming the leading talisman in North London.

"Special" Melia is one for the future

Although Spurs are still not a side positioned to take the top of English or European football by storm, the recent emergence of Mikey Moore and the arrival of Gray in the summer prove that there’s a pathway into the first-team under Postecoglou and one that will only benefit both the club and young players receiving such an opportunity. Now, Melia could be the next in line.

The young Irishman has already impressed aplenty in his home country, scoring 10 senior goals for St. Patrick’s Athletic despite his tender age, and earning the praise of the Republic of Ireland Player Tracker. Dubbed a “special footballer”, Melia is one to watch.

For now, Spurs remain inconsistent but there’s no denying that the future looks bright. Add Melia to Moore, Bergvall and Gray and Postecoglou suddenly has the foundation of what should prove to be a side full of excitement.

Building towards finishing their project rather than the rush that they attempted under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, Spurs must remain patient with Postecoglou and continue to welcome future stars.

Before the season kicked off, you would have been hard-pressed to find many pundits, or fans for that matter, that predicted Ipswich Town would remain in the Premier League, and understandably so.

However, we are now six games in, and even though the newly promoted side have played three of last season’s top four, they are sat in 15th place with four points to their name, and most importantly, they look like they belong in the top-flight.

Kieran McKenna has his side playing some great football, and the draw against Aston Villa on Sunday is evidence of that, with a brilliant brace from Liam Delap and excellent performances all over the pitch.

In fact, one of the Tractor Boys’ most exciting players has now been compared to Premier League and Champions League winner Jack Grealish.

Grealish's career so far

Before he was winning things left, right, and centre for Manchester City, Grealish first rose to prominence with his boyhood club, Aston Villa.

There, he made 213 appearances across eight seasons, scoring 32 goals and providing 41 assists. However, it wasn’t just his goal involvement and connection to the Villans that made Villa Park fall in love with him; it was also his style of play and personality on the pitch.

During his time in the Midlands, the Englishman was seen as a star who played an ultra-aggressive, direct, and tremendously exciting brand of football.

He was the sort of player with unreal close control who could take on defenders and make something happen all on his own, even if it wasn’t always the smartest move for the team.

He eventually earned himself his big move to City in the summer of 2021, and while his first season was a bit of a struggle and some of that individuality that made him so fun to watch has since been drilled out of him, it’s a move that has undoubtedly worked out for him.

In his 132 appearances for the club, he’s won three league titles, one Champions League, one FA Cup, the Club World Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup as well.

Overall, while Grealish isn’t quite as fun to watch anymore, he is still an effective winger who has won practically everything there is to win in the club game and a brilliant player to be compared to.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast's 'First Impressions' series has everything you need.

Why Jack Clarke has been compared to Grealish

Yes, the Ipswich star who has been compared to Grealish is none other than summer signing Jack Clarke.

During his commentary on the game against Villa, former Arsenal and Leicester City star Alan Smith claimed the 23-year-old “has a bit of Grealish about him,” and it’s not just the hair.

While there are some obvious and shallow aesthetic similarities between the two wingers, Smith focused on how the former Sunderland ace’s brilliant close control and ability to make things happen with a quick bit of movement reminded him of the City star.

It’s an undeniably flattering comparison for the £20m man, but given how well he has played over the last couple of years and his almost talismanic form for the Black Cats, it’s justified.

For example, in 42 appearances last season, the “unplayable” dynamo, as pundit Adrian Clarke dubbed him, scored 15 goals and provided four assists, equating to a goal involvement on average every 2.21 games

Appearances

50

42

Goals

11

15

Assists

14

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.50

0.45

He was even more impressive the campaign prior, racking up 11 goals and 14 assists in 50 matches, equating to a goal involvement every other game.

Ultimately, while it seems unlikely that Clarke will go on to have a career as decorated as Grealish’s, there are some undeniable similarities between how the talented wingers play, and with him in the side, Ipswich stand a great chance of staying up this season.

Ipswich struck gold on "scintillating" star whose value has soared 728%

The incredible goalscorer has been a star for the Blues.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 26, 2024

Paul Scholes has revealed the player who 'destroyed' him when he was at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson.

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Scholes reveals player who 'destroyed' himMidfielder is a member of the Class of '92But it was not always plain sailingFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Scholes may be one of the most legendary names in Manchester United's history but impressing in training did not always come easily. The former midfielder has revealed to The Telegraph that one of his biggest tests came against Andrei Kanchelskis, who had just signed from Shakhtar Donetsk and took no mercy on the academy players he had been asked to play with.

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Scholes remembers his first meeting with Kanchelskis well, saying: "One of my first training sessions there I came out and I was maybe 17 and was asked to play left-back. The club had just signed him [Kanchelskis]. The first team didn’t have a game so he came over. I’m no left-back. We didn’t know much about him then. We just knew he was a flying winger. He destroyed me! I couldn’t live with him!"

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Kanchelskis went on to have a successful United career, playing 161 times between 1991-95, but it was Scholes who would be remembered as one of the club's best ever players. Despite that difficult experience, he would make 714 appearances for the club, winning 13 Premier League titles and multiple other trophies.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Kanchelskis is the answer to one of football's most popular trivia questions. Having made an impact all over English and Scottish football, he is the only player to have scored in the Manchester, Merseyside and Old Firm derbies.

GOAL explains the impact of a significant change in how MLS trades work, how it affects the transfer market

MLS announced major updates to roster rules and regulations this week, including the league's newest feature: Cash for Player Trades.

The landmark team-building decision will now allow clubs to invest an unlimited amount of cash to acquire players via trade from within the league. In addition, the league announced five other roster rule changes that are being implemented ahead of the 2025 regular season, including a second contract buyout, General Allocation Money (GAM) expiry dates, off-roster Homegrown changes, outgoing Designated Player Loans and a roster construction declaration model.

The most important and influential change for the league's future, though, is the monetary changes surrounding intra-league player trades.

MLS could be bound for a new horizon after the landmark change, and GOAL explains how that – and other new roster regulations – will affect the league in 2025 and beyond.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowCash for Player Trades

Effective immediately, MLS clubs can now use unlimitedamounts of cash to trade for players within the league without using GAM or other assets such as MLS SuperDraft selections or international roster spots.

Previously, teams were not allowed to use transfer fees to purchase players within the league. The move is intended to incentivize talent within MLS to remain in the league, instead of looking to transfer outside of MLS – while also allowing clubs to generate significant amounts of revenue. Funds acquired by Cash for Player Trades can be, similar to transfer fees, converted into GAM.

Clubs will be allowed to acquire up to two players per year, and trade two players per year, for cash. No other forms of compensation, such as SuperDraft selections or international roster spots, can be utilized in deals involving cash. If a player acquired via trade for cash is a U22 initiative player or a Designated Player, they must remain on their new team under the terms of the previous contract until the deal ends.

Why did the MLS make the change now? With all eyes on the league after Lionel Messi's first full season with Inter Miami, the league is growing at a rapid pace – on and off the pitch. The hope is that more major international stars come to MLS, and stay within the league. Growing an intra-league transfer market in which clubs can use cash to purchase players will result in a more competitive MLS from a performance perspective.

AdvertisementUSA Today ImagesHow could this new rule play out?

With the new rule in place, speculation has already surfaced around FC Cincinnati star Lucho Acosta and Portland Timbers attacker Evander, with the two 2024 MLS MVP candidates potentially on the move.

Hypothetically, under the new rules, a team such as Inter Miami could purchase Acosta from Cincinnati for $10M, using the transfer funds they gained from the sale of winger Diego Gomez to English Premier League side Brighton. Prior to the new rule, for Miami to acquire Acosta, the club would have had to either trade a mixture of allocation money, potential players and/or international roster spots. In the new world, they can simply pay cash.

Acosta has been linked with a move away from FCC after he said at the end of the 2024 campaign that his time with the club may be over. At Miami, he would fit right into their Argentine contingent, while bolstering their roster ahead of competing at the 2025 FIFA World Cup.

Acosta, 2023 league MVP, could join the likes of Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi at South Beach if the opted to use the new system to pay for his arrival at the club.

Second contract buyout introduced

Starting immediately, teams will be able to buy out two player contracts per season, doubling the number under previous rules. The change includes Designated Players, as well.

Buyouts will be at the club's expense and can apply to a mutually terminated contracted player or a player whose contract remains in effect. The buyouts can be conducted during the offseason, or in-season, but must be completed prior to the close of the secondary transfer window.

Western Conference side Minnesota United are prepared to be the first team to put this ruling into effect, using an offseason buyout on striker Teemu Pukki, per the Pioneer Press. The Finland international reported for preseason this week, but the Loons are getting ready to use one of their two allotted buyouts on the 34-year-old. Under the new rules, they will also be able to buy out another player ahead of the deadline.

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Getty ImagesOther roster rules introduced ahead of 2025

GAM Expiration Dates: MLS has eliminated expiration dates from GAM, apart from GAM received as part of a club’s decision to opt into the U22 Initiative Player Model at the start of the campaign.

Off-Roster Homegrown Changes: Non first-team Homegrown players will now be allowed to appear in six regular season matches, with unlimited senior appearances in Cup competitions. Previously, they were more restrictions in senior appearances. To be eligible, an off-roster Homegrown player must be 21-years-old and once moved into a senior or supplemental roster spot, they may not be reverted to an off-roster Homegrown thereafter.

Outgoing Designated Player loans: Going forward, if an international team absorbs a DP player's salary while on loan, MLS clubs will now be allowed to open that DP slot during the loan period, regardless of initial acquisition costs. This rule change loosens restrictions on DP contracts while on loan.

Roster Construction Model declaration: MLS teams must be roster compliant by Feb. 21 to begin the 2025 MLS season, but newly introduced, teams will be able to update their roster construction model at the midway point of the season – between July 1, and the close of the Secondary Transfer Window on Aug. 21. Teams can now update their roster construction mid-year.

Sri Lanka’s last innings on a horror tour of England was perhaps their most abject yet, but rain saved them the indignity of a whitewash. Under cloudy Bristol skies, Sri Lanka nosedived in the early overs, continued to plummet once the fielding restrictions were relaxed, and never seriously threatened to scramble out of the pit of tragicomedy, where they have wallowed more or less since the start of the (preceding) T20 series.This time, they were 166 all out in the 42nd over. Dasun Shanaka produced the only competent innings, finishing 48 not out – most of those runs having come in the company of the tail. Rain had caused a stoppage during Sri Lanka’s own innings, but returned in force during the innings break to make an England chase impossible.Although the pitch held no real terrors, England’s bowlers extracted seam movement and bounce – particulary in the early overs – to skilfully exploit the substantial technical shortcomings of Sri Lanka’s top order. Both openers were out largely due to poor footwork, and two middle-order batters were bounced out playing wild hook shots. Although Sri Lanka were 33 for 3, then 42 for 4, then 63 for 5 (and on in such fashion), there was no concerted effort to hunker down and rebuild – several batters getting out playing expansive strokes.With his brother having claimed a five-for on Thursday, it was Tom Curran who was England’s most penetrative bowler, his 4 for 35 gutting the middle order after Chris Woakes and David Willey had prospered with the new ball. Tom Curran was accurate, used the short ball well, and frequently got a touch of away-movement to the right-handers.Willey and Woakes claimed two wickets apiece, and Jonny Bairstow was excellent behind the stumps, taking diving catches to dismiss Pathum Nissanka and Chamika Karunaratne, and pulling off a stumping when Dushmantha Chameera dragged his back leg marginally out of his ground against Adil Rashid.Sri Lanka’s collapse began in the third over, when after a couple of decent early boundaries, a flat-footed Kusal Perera dragged Woakes back on to his stumps. Avishka Fernando was out soon after, falling over to the off side as Willey swung one into his pads – the not-out decision overturned on review. Nissanka then edged Willey behind, and Woakes bounced out Dhananjaya de Silva, who had played the short ball reasonably well in his previous innings, at the Oval.Also out to the hook was Wanindu Hasaranga, making it three times out of three this series he has fallen to that shot. This time, the bowler was Tom Curran (Sam Curran dismissed him this way in the second ODI, and Woakes got him in the first).There wasn’t much to say about the remainder of the innings, as Shanaka hung around and struck a few late boundaries to take Sri Lanka limping across the 150 mark. Rain, which had caused a delay of the toss, also caused a stoppage when Sri Lanka were eight down. No overs were lost. But a much heavier downpour at the break left the outfield sodden, and the match was abandoned at around 4.15pm local time.

MatériaMais Notícias

Diante do Bahia, na vitória por 3 a 0, Gabigol abriu o marcador e, nesta quinta-feira, pela 31ª rodada do Brasileiro, viveu uma noite histórica no Maracanã: chegou a 100 gols pelo Flamengo. E, durante a partida, roubou a cena ao cantar com a torcida antes da cobrança de um escanteio. Veja no vídeo acima.

>Veja contra quem Gabi marcou cada um dos gols pelo Flamengo

Gabigol passa a ter 100 gols em 142 jogos pelo Flamengo. De quebra, o camisa 9 se igualou a Renato Abreu como um dos maiores artilheiros do clube em Campeonatos Brasileiros. Ambos estão com 40. Logo à frente tem Bebeto, com 41. Quem lidera a lista é ninguém mais ninguém menos do que Zico, com 135.

> Veja e simule a tabela do Brasileirão

O Flamengo de Gabigol, agora, enfrenta o São Paulo no Morumbi, às 16h deste domingo, pela 32ª rodada do Brasileirão. Neste momento, o Rubro-Negro, em terceiro colocado, está com 57 pontos – 11 a menos em relação ao Atlético-MG, líder e ainda com um jogo a mais na tabela.

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MatériaMais Notícias

Uma mudança de última hora marcou a logística do Maracanã para a partida entre Flamengo e Atlético-MG, neste sábado, pela 29ª rodada do Brasileirão. Com o apoio da Polícia, um setor do estádio foi aberto para a torcida do Galo. Com transmissão em tempo real do LANCE!, a bola rola a partir das 19h.

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Nos últimos dias, os dois clubes não haviam chegado a uma conclusão sobre a parte do setor visitante – e trocaram farpas por meio de notas oficiais. Inicialmente, o Flamengo divulgou o serviço da partida apenas com ingressos para a própria torcida, algo que mudou na prática horas antes da partida.

O Setor Oeste, comumente conhecido como ‘misto’, foi aberto para a torcida do Galo. O acesso Sul B, logo ao lado do portão 10 do Maracanã, na Rua Eurico Rabello, foi aberto de forma exclusiva para torcedores do Galo – nas ruas, bloqueios com grades e policiais ajudaram a separar a entrada das torcidas.

Neste portão foi liberado os torcedores do Galo entrarem com a camisa do Atlético. O ingresso ao estádio foi de forma tranquila, com poucas filas e sem confusão.

Posteriormente, depois das 18h, os portões do Setor Sul foram novamente fechados e alguns torcedores do Atlético-MG, que possuíam ingressos para outros setores do estádio, não tiveram os acessos permitidos até por volta das 19h35, quando a partida já estava em andamento.

*Matéria publicada às 16h50 e atualizada às 19h30 e às 20h10

Jason Roy has backed England’s batsmen to learn quickly from a disappointing display in the second T20I, and get to grips with the slow, low surfaces in Ahmedabad that may prove to be a major factor in their T20 World Cup campaign in India later this year.Roy top-scored for England for the second match in a row in Sunday’s seven-wicket defeat, but his 46 from 35 balls proved to be a laboured affair. In particular he struggled with his timing off the legspin of Yuzvendra Chahal, as he failed to make contact with the first four of his six attempted reverse sweeps.However, Roy’s dismissal to Washington Sundar in the 12th over of the match exposed England’s middle order to the full vagaries of a two-paced wicket, and a succession of batsmen came out swinging but failed to capitalise on England’s solid platform of 91 for 2 after 11 overs.Related

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Ben Stokes epitomised England’s difficulties in the closing overs, as he was becalmed in the death overs by a diet of cutters from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shardul Thakur, who had him caught at long-on for 24 from 27 balls with two balls of the innings remaining.The defeat was only England’s third in their past 12 T20Is dating back to February 2020, but Roy insisted that the series – now locked at 1-1 with three to play, after England’s eight-wicket win in the opening fixture – remains very much up for grabs.”I’m very confident we can bounce back,” he said. “It’s easier said than done, India are a class team. But the way we started the series in that first game was more comprehensive than what they gave to us on Sunday, so I think going into the third game we’re still full of confidence.”We found the last eight overs of our batting [the last game] a little bit difficult but I think the boys will bounce back – we’re a fast-learning side so I don’t think there’s been a huge amount of wind out of our sails to be honest.”On the contrary, Roy himself has plenty to be pleased about already, after putting a torrid 2020 behind him with a pair of promising performances to launch the series.Dawid Malan and Jason Roy stitched a half-century stand•BCCI

By his own admission, life in England’s bio-secure bubble got to Roy last summer, as he struggled for form against Ireland and Australia with a total of 49 runs in six innings, either side of a lengthy lay-off for a side strain. He then had his enthusiasm for touring life dented further by the protocol breaches in South Africa that caused the cancellation of the ODI leg of England’s tour in December.Though he clarified an initial suggestion that he had had to “rekindle his love” of cricket during the winter, he admitted that the return of crowds to stadiums had been a major factor in his upswing in form – first at the BBL, where his haul of 355 runs in 12 innings helped Perth Scorchers reach the final, and then against India, where a half-capacity crowd of 66,532 witnessed the second fixture at Ahmedabad’s new stadium – although the remainder of the series will now be staged behind closed doors, due to a surge of Covid cases in Gujarat.”I never stopped loving the game, but with no crowds around, and everything that is going on being so much bigger than the game, it just puts loads of stuff into perspective,” he said. “Then when your own work isn’t going quite as well as you want it to, it can get really on top of you.”I hadn’t played enough cricket, that was the simple thing, so I needed to play in the Big Bash,” he added. “I knew it was a long tournament, but then the moment I got there for the first game, I had 20-odd people watching me in the nets, and I had a sense of an adrenalin rush and belonging again.”It was the most incredible feeling. I never fell out of love with the game but playing in front of crowds makes you realise that they mean a huge amount of us as sportsmen.”The next challenge for Roy is to adapt his technique to suit the surfaces at Ahmedabad, and turn his glimmer of form into the sort of buccaneering knock that his opposite number, Ishan Kishan, served up on debut for India on Sunday. To do that, he says, he will continue to take on the bowlers whom he believes will suit his leg-dominant style, even though one of them, the offspinner Washington Sundar, got the better of him last time out.Jason Roy struggled to time his reverse-sweeps in the second T20I•BCCI

“I’m still looking for that big score,” Roy said. “Those forties are great and look good on the scoreboard but to get 180s, 190s and very competitive totals in T20, you need someone to go on and get a big score. So as happy as I am there’s still a lot to improve on.”What I learned was just to make sure I was staying on my shots a little bit more,” he added. “I was a bit out of position with a couple of my reverse-sweeps, and then rectified that during my innings.”But it’s a pitch where you’ve got to pick your bowler. Unfortunately the bowler I picked got me out. If that over had gone for a few runs, it would have swayed the momentum of our innings quite a bit.”It was a calculated risk but didn’t go my way,” he added. “If I hadn’t got out, then a big score was probably around the corner. That’s just the way T20 goes. If you live by the sword, you’ve got to be willing to die by it.”