West Ham defender Oliver Scarles was hauled off in their 2-1 loss to Leeds United with what looked to be a serious injury, and insider ExWHUemployee has now shared how long he’ll be out for.

The Hammers are second-bottom in the Premier League and have conceded more goals than any other side in the division thus far.

In his last two games, under-pressure new boss Nuno Espirito Santo has gone with a centre-back pairing of Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo, with both men struggling to deal with opposition attacks.

West Ham have precious few alternatives to Kilman and Todibo, with Konstantinos Mavropanos sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

The Greek international, who had been selected for nearly every game since West Ham’s only victory of the campaign at Nottingham Forest, faces up to six weeks out after picking up a hamstring injury at home to Brentford (GiveMeSport).

The last thing Nuno needs is another defensive injury, but according to insider Ex, Scarles has joined Mavropanos on the sidelines with the extent of his injury revealed.

The academy graduate was deployed at full-back against Brentford and started again away to Leeds, but was forced off in the opening 20 minutes after fracturing his collarbone.

West Ham have since confirmed that the 19-year-old has undergone successful surgery on the problem, with Performance Director Richard Collinge estimating he could return in December.

However, while this is the official line from the club, insider Ex believes that Scarles could be out for even longer.

West Ham dealt Scarles blow with real return timeline revealed

Writing via his West Ham Way Patreon, Ex states that Scarles actually faces as long as three months on the sidelines — meaning the teenager might not be back in action until 2026.

The England Under-20 international seriously impressed at youth level for West Ham before breaking into the first-team — even bagging three goals and 14 assists in 50 appearances for the Under-18s.

The attack-minded full-back also notched 13 goal contributions (six goals, seven assists) for the Under-21s, with Scarles since making 19 senior cameos in total for the east Londoners.

He was clearly starting to impress Nuno too, after being given the starting nod in each of West Ham’s last two Premier League games, so this layoff will be a major blow to him personally.

It was Julen Lopetegui who handed Scarles his Premier League debut last season, with Graham Potter then using the youngster on a pretty regular basis towards the end of 2024/2025.

With Mavropanos out injured too, it represents a golden opportunity for summer signing Igor Julio to battle his way into the starting eleven.

Nuno must give Igor Julio a chance amid West Ham defensive crisis

MatériaMais Notícias

O Flamengo visita o Millonarios, da Colômbia, nesta terça-feira (2), pela primeira rodada da fase de grupos da Copa Libertadores. A bola rola a partir das 19h (de Brasília), no Estádio El Campín, em Bogotá, com transmissão da ESPN e do Star+ (streaming).

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+Com R$100 no Lance! Betting, você pode ganhar R$230 se Pedro marcar pelo menos um gol sobre o Millonarios!

As equipes se enfrentaram apenas uma vez na história. Em 1952, o Rubro-Negro enfrentou o rival fora de casa e foi derrotado por 4 a 1. Na atual edição da competição, a equipe comandada por Tite é cabeça de chave do grupo E, que conta também com o Bolívia (BOL) e o Palestino (CHI).

✅FICHA TÉCNICA
Millonarios x Flamengo
1ª rodada – fase de grupos – Libertadores

Data e horário:terça-feira, 2 de abril de 2024, às 19h (de Brasília)
Local:Estádio El Campín, em Bogotá (COL)
Ondeassistir:ESPN e Star+

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⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES

MILLONARIOS
Álvaro Montero; D. Alfonzo, Vanegas, A. Moreno, Arias, J. Hernández; Macalister Silva, Larry Vásquez, Daniel Giraldo, Cataño; Santiago Giordana. Técnico: Alberto Gamero.

FLAMENGO
Rossi; Varela, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira e Ayrton Lucas; Erick Pulgar, De la Cruz, e Arrasceta; Luiz Araújo, Everton Cebolinha e Pedro. Técnico: Tite.

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Spinner re-establishes himself despite Shoaib Bashir emergence as England’s coming man

Andrew Miller11-Oct-2024After a summer on the sidelines, and the sense that his England days were numbered, a familiar figure snuck back onto centre stage in the closing moments of the first Test in Multan.In a match that will be remembered for Harry Brook’s triple-century and his mountainous stand of 454 with Joe Root, up popped Jack Leach with a final-day four-for and seven wickets in all – which is as many as Pakistan’s entire attack managed throughout their own torrid time in the field.His efforts all Test long were unstinting: changing his line but almost never his length, looping the ball towards the batters’ front pads, nagging and knocking, waiting for the errors that eventually came in a rush in the second innings, or for the miniscule signs of misbehaviour in the surface that were never as forthcoming as Pakistan made them seem in their fraught second innings.Related

• Leach four-for consigns Pakistan to historic innings defeat

• Stats – Rare England innings win in Asia, Pakistan losing streak continues

• England ready for 'result wickets' after dishing out Multan mauling

• England further expose Pakistan's mental and tactical fragility

• Abrar in hospital after falling ill during Multan Test

In a five-day game of patience, Leach’s match haul of 7 for 190 in 46.5 overs was, quite literally, the matchwinning performance, without which Brook’s and Root’s efforts would simply have been gargantuan acts of stats-padding, rather than integral factors in another of England’s most memorable overseas wins.And Leach has previous for such contributions too. Remarkably, this latest victory was his 11th in 14 Tests in Asia – placing him behind only Shane Warne (13) and his own team-mate Root (12) as the most successful visiting player on the subcontinent. It’s a run that began with his key role in the 2018 triumph in Sri Lanka, and now includes 22 wickets in four consecutive wins in Pakistan, on some of the flattest surfaces ever conceived.Even if it could be argued that his record in the region is enhanced by his absence, through injury, from the sharp end of this year’s 4-1 defeat in India, then the flip-side of that record is worth an airing too. Since 2014, England have played 14 Tests in Asia without Leach in their ranks. They’ve won one, against Bangladesh in 2016, and lost 11 of the other 13.”He fits in like a glove,” Ollie Pope, England’s stand-in captain, told Sky Sports shortly after the match. “Obviously he’s toured here before, he’s toured India before … he knows how to bowl in these conditions. He’s been great to have back around.”ESPNcricinfo LtdIt wasn’t a given that Leach would find a route back into England’s Test plans, however, with England’s thinking currently geared towards the 2025-26 Ashes, and the identification of a bowling attack with the right “attributes” to thrive Down Under. Shoaib Bashir, with his high release point and an ability to drive the ball into the pitch to a degree that Leach cannot hope to match, is one such bowler. For all of his obvious rawness, a degree of fast-tracking has been in order to justify such a selectorial punt in the first place.It’s a point that Leach himself acknowledged last month, when speaking in the wake of his 12-wicket haul for Somerset against Durham in the County Championship – though he also stressed he was ready to answer the call, having demonstrated across 71.4 hard-toiling overs at Taunton that his fitness was fully restored after the knee surgery in February that had delayed his entry to the season.In light of all that has gone before, Leach would be entitled to look slightly askance at the returns in the match just gone. Despite his three five-fors in ten Tests, all before the age of 21, the sense that Bashir is a work in progress was plain to see at Multan, where he claimed a solitary wicket in 38 overs and proved particularly ineffectual in the second innings.Nasser Hussain, on Sky Sports, remarked that Bashir’s line has persistently been too straight in recent Tests, with right-handers finding it all too easy to manipulate his offbreaks through the leg side with impunity, although the dangers of offering width on such flat decks were amply demonstrated by Brook’s and Root’s demolition of Abrar Ahmed prior to his untimely exit from the contest.Leach, by contrast, had no such concerns, with his lower, skiddier trajectory keeping the stumps in play as he dared his opponents to blink first, as was the case with the non-turning delivery that thumped Salman Agha on the pad to prise England’s first opening on the final morning. Two wickets in three balls then mopped up the resistance, to offer Leach’s figures the late massage that his endeavours had earned.”I’m really happy for Jack, taking that last wicket today,” Pope said. “He spent a while out of the team and credit to him for how he’s come back and he’s bowled his heart out. He’s had a bit of bad luck over the last couple of years along the way, so I couldn’t be happier for him.Shoaib Bashir has been preferred to Leach in recent home Tests•Getty Images”I think the way that him and Shoaib Bashir can complement each other throughout the rest of the series is really exciting as well,” Pope added. “They’ve obviously got slightly different skillsets and can challenge batters in different areas as well. I know Shoaib didn’t get his rewards this week, but I’m sure he will over the course of this series.”Leach’s experience is valuable in other ways too. In a team in transition, he is one of the Bazball OGs – the only one left in the bowling attack, in fact, now that James Anderson and Stuart Broad have retired, and with Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood also missing from the team that won 3-0 on these pitches two years ago.Chris Woakes is the nominal leader of England’s attack, and bowled more impressively than his unflattering match haul of 2 for 110 would suggest. But in maintaining the continuity of the team’s approach across conditions, and with Pope continuing to deputise for Ben Stokes, Leach’s status as one of Stokes’ most trusted acolytes should not be under-stated. The lessons that Stokes imparted in his first summer as captain in 2022, when he memorably encouraged Leach to embrace his opponents’ attacking exploits and reaped the rewards with a matchwinning ten-for at Headingley, are all the likelier to be passed onto Bashir with a senior partner to show him the way.”It’s been great to have Jack back in and around the squad,” Pope said. “You know exactly what you’re going to get from him as a bowler. He’s obviously a very experienced bowler. He’s taken a fair few Test wickets now, and played a lot of first-class cricket too. He’s been awesome to have back around.”Woakes added: “For him to come back in and perform the way he has in this Test match is incredible. Again on a flat surface which didn’t offer much for the spinners either. It was amazing for him to do what he’s done – and just show his character but also his skill as well. He’s been there and done it a lot for England and to come back after a bit of time away after not being selected is an incredible effort.”

فاز الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي نهضة بركان المغربي على نظيره ريفرز يونايتد، بهدفين لهدف، في اللقاء الذي جمع بين الفريقين في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وحل نهضة بركان ضيفًا على ريفرز يونايتد اليوم الجمعة في الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

طالع | يورتشيتش: بيراميدز بطل أبطال القارة.. وهدفنا الفوز على باور ديناموز وصدارة المجموعة

وجاء هدف ريفرز يونايتد في الشوط الأول عن طريق اللاعب مامادو كمارا لاعب بركان بالخطأ في مرماه بالدقيقة 37، وتعادل بركان في الوقت القاتل في الدقيقة 90+7 عن طريق الكعبي، وبعدها بثوان قليلة سجل بركان الهدف الثاني عن طريق شعيل بعد خطأ من حارس المرمى، ليحقق فوزًا قاتلًا.

ويلعب نهضة بركان المغربي في مجوعة تضم ريفرز يونايتد وبيراميدز وباور ديناموز.

ووصل رصيد نهضة بركان إلى 6 نقاط في المركز الأول بترتيب المجموعة، في حين يبقى ريفرز يونايتد دون نقاط في المركز الرابع. أهداف مباراة نهضة بركان وريفرز يونايتد اليوم في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

Shakib Al Hasan made history on Sunday, becoming the fifth man in the world to take 500 wickets in T20 cricket. He bowled only two overs against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots but picked up 3 for 11 in a match-winning effort for Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, who consolidated their place at the top of the CPL 2025 points table.Shakib needed six balls to get the record out of the way, deceiving Mohammad Rizwan in flight and securing a caught and bowled. Two more wickets came his way as he quadrupled his tally for the season and limited the former champions to a meagre 133 for 9 in North Sound. Patriots had a tough go of it after being put in to bat with only Rizwan (30 off 26) and Evin Lewis (32 off 31) scoring more than 18 runs. There were four single-digit scores and three run-outs, epitomising an innings that never went quite right.With a target in front of them, Falcons were able to negotiate the difficult batting conditions better but even they had the odd hiccup. Afghanistan wristspinner Waqar Salamkheil continued his outstanding form as this season’s top wicket-taker with figures of 1 for 16. Patriots needed more than one man to pull off this defence though. They ran into Shakib again, this time with the bat as the Bangladesh allrounder showed off his other skill. Four other men have 500 wickets in T20 cricket but none of them have nearly as much as his 7574 runs. Shakib was 3 off seven balls before he hit Ashmead Nedd for a six down the ground and reverse-swept the next ball for four to hasten Falcons’ march to the finish line.Falcons needed 28 from 30 balls when Shakib fell. Karima Gore, who was playing the anchor’s role until then, found a couple of boundaries to ease off the pressure. He also hit the winning boundary, thus seeing off the chase with two balls to spare and bringing up his fifty as well.

The New York Mets continued their busy trade deadline on Thursday, as the club acquired outfielder Cedric Mullins from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for three prospects, according to multiple reports. New York's deal for Mullins comes on the heels of the club's acquisition of relief pitchers Gregory Soto, Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley as part of an effort to revamp its bullpen.

By importing Mullins, the Mets have now filled an important void in the outfield as well. Meanwhile, the Orioles netted a trio of prospects for Mullins, a pending free agent that the club may have lost this winter.

With that in mind, let's assess how both clubs made out in the trade.

Mets: A-

David Stearns's impressive trade deadline continues. Stearns completely revamped New York's bullpen without surrendering any of the club's top nine prospects on the farm. That was impressive in and of itself. Now, Stearns has added Mullins, a former All-Star center fielder, parting ways with No. 14 prospect Anthony Nunez, hard-throwing righthander and No. 30 prospect Raimon Gomez, and High-A relief pitcher Chandler Marsh, who joined the club as an undrafted free agent this past season.

Mullins has disappointed a bit at the plate this season, as evidenced by his .229/.305/.433 slash line. But he's been on a roll at the plate as of late, as he's clubbed 10 extra base hits and posted a 137 wRC+ in July while playing his usual blend of strong defense. The April 12 injury to centerfielder Jose Siri, and subsequent setback in his recovery, left a crater in center field for New York.

But Mullins, who has pop in his bat, speed on the base paths and rates as an above average defender in center, fits the bill as a grade-A upgrade, even if he amounts to a rental bat. He figures to also be the perfect addition to the bottom of the Mets batting order, which has struggled for much of this season.

Orioles: B-

It feels like the Orioles could have netted a better prospect haul for Mullins, a former All-Star, though his 104 wRC+—just 10th among all center fielders—and his status as a 2026 free agent, likely lowered his price tag more than Baltimore would have liked.

Even still, there's no shame in the trio of prospects headed to Baltimore. Nunez, a position-player-turned-pitcher, has dominated hitters at the Double-A level thanks to a four-pitch mix and his athleticism from his former days as an infielder in the San Diego Padres farm system. Gomez, is a powerful righthander who boasts a triple digits on his fastball and wicked upper-80s, low-90s slider that have proven tough for High-A hitters to handle. Walks have been an issue for Gomez though. He'll need to display better control to excel in the majors, but there's promise here for sure. Meanwhile, Marsh, an undrafted pitcher out of Georgia, owns a mid-90s fastball and slider and has posted a 3.45 ERA and 28.8 percent strikeout rate at the High-A level.

Overall, Baltimore's front office was able to take advantage of both Mullins's stellar July and a sellers' market to net a solid return for a pending free agent, even though it had to be tough to part ways with the longest-tenured Oriole. Plus, the club addressed its farm system's biggest weakness: its stash of young pitchers.

Newcastle United fans won’t want to dwell on Alexander Isak’s notable summer exit at all now.

The Magpies’ former fan favourite definitely left on sour terms in the summer when he forced through a mighty £125m move to Arne Slot’s Reds, though, having bagged a weighty 62 goals for the Tyneside giants across 109 outings.

Luckily, Eddie Howe’s men have recovered strongly from what had the potential to be an earth-shuddering setback, as Nick Woltemade came in through the door to instantly replace the superstar Swede for a whopping £69m.

He has filled the Isak-shaped hole well, too, with a blistering six strikes already in his back pocket for the Premier League titans from just 12 games. In stark contrast, Newcastle’s ex-star man has only one meagre effort next to his name at Anfield.

Worryingly, though, the “first class” Woltemade – as Eddie Howe has recently labelled him – has been a rare bright spark at St James’ Park this season, despite only just entering the English game.

On the contrary, many of Newcastle’s stalwarts who have been in and around the Magpies’ first team long before the 6-foot-6 menace’s arrival have been below-par this campaign, with all of Newcastle’s mounting issues clear for all to see, as they collapsed to a 3-1 defeat away at lowly West Ham United last time out.

The biggest problems facing Newcastle in 2025/26

Newcastle must wish they could only play in the Champions League at the moment, with the Magpies picking up a lethal eight goals across two wins so far in that competition, as they re-enter the illustrious stage on Wednesday night against Athletic Club.

From a far larger pool of games back in the Premier League, ten to be exact, Howe and Co only have a slim three wins next to their name, with the 3-1 defeat picked up at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon sparking St James’ Park royalty Alan Shearer into labelling the loss on the road as a “rotten” performance.

It was far from Newcastle at their very best, that’s for sure, with Woltemade even letting the side down with just 14 touches of the ball, as the Magpies only had an early Jacob Murphy effort to shout about in the attacking positions.

Defensively, the travelling Toon looked all over the place, too, with more question marks popping up at the close of the loss at the London Stadium as to how Dan Burn remains in Howe’s starting XI.

Howe has had to count on his ageing number 33 to be a stand-in in the left-back spot for the majority of the season so far, with one Newcastle-based content creator even stating that persisting with the 33-year-old here is the “stuff of nightmares.”

The Blyth-born defender certainly had an afternoon to forget in East London to back up these comments, with zero tackles and only two duels being won, as Howe now prays he has Lewis Hall back to full fitness shortly to bring this long-standing experiment to a close.

Newcastle’s long-term injury list
Player	Games missed
Yoanne Wissa	13
Tino Livramento	7
Lewis Hall	6
Sourced by Transfermarkt

Injuries have been a real pain this season so far for the Premier League underperformers, with Newcastle’s lack of depth in defence – due to Hall being in and out of the treatment room – meaning they have had to rely solely on Burn in a makeshift left-back position.

Moreover, their frustrations in this department have, no doubt, only been strengthened by the fact that summer arrival Yoanne Wissa has not been able to line up for one single Magpies game so far this season, after joining for a bumper £55m from Brentford.

With 45 Premier League goals next to his name for the Bees, he would have been a breath of fresh air for Newcastle fans to latch on to, in a similar fashion to Woltemade.

Instead, with Wissa sidelined and many more issues coming to the forefront, the feel around St James’ Park is arguably stale, with Joelinton also now showing visible signs of rust.

Yet, he continues to be selected week in, week out – like Burn – despite zero goals or assists coming his way this campaign so far.

He isn’t the only first-team star that is crumbling right now, however.

£100m Newcastle star now looks "all over the place"

Newcastle turned a few heads this summer when gaining £125m after Isak left the building.

But, this trend of selling one of their prized assets for around the £100m mark could amazingly continue on, if rumours surrounding Anthony Gordon’s long-term future at St James’ Park were anything to read into the same window Isak departed.

Indeed, the Merseyside-born winger was being tipped to relocate to Anfield, much like his former teammate, for an equally ludicrous fee, with statistician Statman Dave even noting that Gordon can be “unplayable” on his day, like the lethal Swede, as well.

The England international loved linking up with Isak when he was still situated on Tyneside, with eight of the Scandinavian’s aforementioned 62-goal tally coming directly from a Gordon assist.

On top of that, the former Everton youngster turned Newcastle first-teamer also has 26 goals in total for Howe’s men, with nine of those efforts coming just last season to pique the Reds’ clear interest.

But, away from some flashy performances in the Champions League so far this season, with Jose Mourinho even waxing lyrical about the 24-year-old when his Benfica side came to St James’ Park, Gordon has cut a disinterested presence in Newcastle’s ongoing demise in the Premier League.

The hot-and-cold number ten is now deep in a 19-game patch in the top-flight, where he has picked up zero goals and assists.

Worryingly for Newcastle, this isn’t the first instance where Gordon has mentally checked out of proceedings, having left behind boyhood employers Everton mid-season – in controversial circumstances – to jump ship to the Toon in early 2023.

While that was a major plus at the time, as Newcastle didn’t have to play the long game, it should have been a slight warning sign for what the future could hold, with the attacker even being hauled off at the half-time mark against West Ham, after an “awful” 45-minute spell, in the words of journalist Luke Edwards.

Further said to be looking “all over the place” at the moment by journalist Adam Clery, it could be that Gordon is just hurting from his synergy with Isak going to the wayside, as a possible £100m move to Anfield in January – to link back up with his deadly former teammate – now looking way off the cards.

In the same breath as criticising Newcastle’s recent downfall, though, Shearer has also offered some pearls of wisdom to the likes of Gordon, with this big-game mentality and the constant need to entertain, now having to be replaced by a “back to basics” approach to get off the mark in the league, sooner rather than later.

If Gordon can get back to his best in the bread and butter of the league, Newcastle will surely rise in the league standings, with an unsatisfactory 13th spot at the time of writing, just not cutting the mustard.

Worse than Pope: Howe must drop Newcastle star who lost 100% ground duels

Eddie Howe has a lot of Newcastle United selection decisions to ponder over after his side collapsed to a 3-1 loss away at West Ham United.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 3, 2025

Young striker Etta Eyong has revealed it would be 'a dream' to one day play for Chelsea. The Cameroonian forward is hot property on the European market after making a stunning start to life with Levante following his summer arrival from Villarreal. La Liga pair Real Madrid and Barcelona have been credited with an interest in Eyong, who is tipped to secure a move in January.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  La Liga pair keen on Eyong

  Eyong has made a fine start to the Liga season having scored six goals and provided three assists in his opening 12 league outings. In his nine showings for Levante, Eyong has scored five times, which includes a consolation goal in a 4-1 loss to league leaders Real Madrid in September.

  Real Madrid, who top La Liga after the opening 11 matches, are among those keen on signing the 22-year-old in January, with rivals Barcelona also reportedly interested in the young striker. Barcelona are looking into potential strikers to replace ageing No. 9 Robert Lewandowski and have also been linked with a high-profile move for Atletico Madrid star Julian Alvarez.

  However, the duo will face further competition for Eyong's services with the player himself admitting that it would be a dream to one day play for Chelsea. The Blues brought in forwards Joao Pedro and Liam Delap from Brighton and Ipswich, respectively, over the summer.

  Chelsea, though, are no strangers to splashing the cash on young up and coming stars who they feel they can develop into world beaters and potentially sell at a high price.

Advertisement

• 'Chelsea was the English team I probably watched the most'

  Eyong's revelation will have pricked Chelsea ears with the forward referencing Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto'o's respective stints at Stamford Bridge as a reason to follow the west London side.

  Drogba is considered a Blues legend having helped the club to the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup across two stints in the capital. Cameroonian hero Eto'o meanwhile spent just a solitary season at the club, but Eyong is keen to follow in the duo's footsteps.

  "Growing up, Chelsea was the English team I probably watched the most because of Drogba, and Eto'o was there was a year as well," Eyong told GiveMeSport. "Chelsea have often signed incredible African players. There are so many big clubs in England, but as for [joining] Chelsea, why not? It would be a dream for me to play for Chelsea."

• Getty Images Sport
  

  'I am maybe a little like Kane in style'

  While Eyong admitted to following Drogba and Eto'o, he also revealed he studied both Harry Kane and Luis Suarez while growing up. Kane has been tearing up the Bundesliga following his move to Bayern, while Suarez is fondly remembered by both Liverpool and Barcelona fans following the Uruguayan's respective spells at the European pair.

  And having started his career as a midfielder, Eyong believes that he is most like Kane in style, stating: "I am maybe a little like Kane in style. It's important to watch what other strikers are doing. I've seen a lot of Kane and looked in particular at how he approaches one-vs-ones and the runs he makes off the ball. I think you can learn just as much from what Kane does off the ball, or out of possession, as when he’s scoring goals.

  "Like Kane, I have a lot of power and passion and can connect play from deeper areas. He’s good with his head and feet which makes him a complete player, and that's what I aspire to be. We aren’t built exactly the same way, but I think we approach the game with a similar philosophy."

  And on Suarez's influence, he added: "I also enjoy watching Luis Suarez, who has always been a clinical finisher. I saw a lot of him when he was at Liverpool. He wasn't just skillful, but also direct and clever with his movement. I don't think there are many players with a bigger football brain than Suarez. All the best strikers are capable of improvising not just finishing."

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• Levante face rivals Valencia later this month

  While Eyong was unable to add to his goal haul at Atletico Madrid on Saturday evening as Levante fell to a 3-1 loss, he'll look to bolster his impressive goal tally when Levante face rivals Valencia after the international break.

  Saturday's defeat in Madrid means Levante sit just above the relegation zone on nine points from the opening 12 league games of the season.

Superchargers’ prospects of qualifying increase substantially after inflicting Spirit’s second defeat of the season

ECB Media20-Aug-2025Northern Superchargers 93 for 2 (Litchfield 55*, Sutherland 29*) beat London Spirit 90 for 8 (Redmayne 29, Sutherland 3-20) by eight wicketsNorthern Superchargers earned a crucial win at Lord’s to leapfrog hosts London Spirit and take themselves to second in the table in the Hundred women’s competition.It wasn’t quite a must-win game for Hollie Armitage’s side but, having lost to Manchester Originals last time out, their prospects of qualifying have increased substantially after inflicting upon Spirit their second defeat of the season.Superchargers started well with the ball, with both Grace Ballinger and Kate Cross bowling their first 10 deliveries through to take a wicket apiece. When Nicola Carey dismissed Grace Harris and Dani Gibson in consecutive balls, all the wind was taken out of Spirit’s sails and they never threatened to post an overly imposing total.As it was the team in purple made light work of the chase, knocking it off two wickets down with 34 balls to spare.Spirit will want to prove that they’re not reliant on Grace Harris’s runs for success, while for Superchargers they’ll be heartened by the up-turn in form of Phoebe Litchfield – awarded Meerkat Match Hero here for her 38-ball 55 with her customary array of switch-hits dotted throughout.On a day that Southern Brave secured their qualification with their sixth successive win, the fight for the next two qualification spots – and a place in at least the Eliminator – looks set to go down to the wire between today’s two combatants and Manchester Originals (all tied on 16 points), who take on Trent Rockets tomorrow.Litchfield said: “I think losing to Manchester Originals stung for our group. I think we got ourselves in a winning position and it was heartbreaking to not come over the other side. We made a conscious effort to rectify that situation and come out here and win.”We weren’t far off in that last game. We were in a winning position. We’ve just got be ruthless in that moment, and I think we did that today with the ball. The way the girls set it up with the ball, pretty much won us the game in that first innings and then made it really easy for us batters to go out and play with freedom.”The switch hits are fully premeditated, and then I just have to adjust on the length and the line when I switch, but also I have to know how to bail out. So that’s probably the most important thing that I learnt is to bail out, but then if it’s in the area, swing.”

Nottinghamshire wicketkeeper strikes his highest professional score in rain-affected match

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay05-Aug-2025Tom Moores smashed a career-best 148 from 93 balls as Notts Outlaws launched their Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign with a comfortable victory over Essex.It is the 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batter’s highest score in senior cricket, eclipsing his first-class best of 106. He hit five sixes and 18 fours, sharing a 137-run sixth-wicket partnership with Daniel Sams (45 off 42) as the Outlaws recovered to 283 for 9, having been 41 for four inside the first hour thanks to Essex seamer Jamie Porter taking a List A career-best 4 for 29.Robin Das (46) and skipper Tom Westley (43) gave the Essex a solid start as they chased a revised target of 286 after squally showers had limited the home side to 46 overs in their innings, but from 101 for one they collapsed to 156 for 6, former Lincolnshire left-arm spinner Joe Pocklington taking 3 for 53 on his Outlaws debut, and despite an excellent unbeaten 46 from 41 balls (two sixes) from wicketkeeper Simon Fernandes, still fell for 234, seamer Rob Lord finishing with 3 for 30.After Westley won the toss and asked the home side to bat first in typical outground conditions at the John Fretwell Sports Complex, just outside Mansfield, Porter bowled his 10-over allocation in one spell to have Notts struggling.Having picked up a gift wicket when Outlaws skipper Haseeb Hameed chipped to mid-off, he found movement with the new ball to bowl Ben Slater and the 18-year-old debutant Sam Seecharan before Jack Haynes was caught behind off a thin edge.The hosts stumbled further to 74 for 5 as Lyndon James cut straight to cover, but with Porter bowled out, an Essex attack lacking Simon Harmer (on paternity leave) looked much less menacing.Moores was dropped at deep backward square on 21 off Noah Thain but responded by launching the same bowler over the same boundary for the first of his sixes in an innings that showcased his strengths square of the wicket. His first fifty came off 35 balls, his hundred from 69. His previous List A best had been 76 against Leicestershire in 2018, although this was only his 30th match in the format.Sams – available for Notts until he begins a Caribbean Premier League stint later this month – cleared the rope three times before top-edging to midwicket. Essex’s 19-year-old seamer Charlie Bennett, on his List A debut, recovered from a wobbly start to pick up the wickets of both Sams and Moores, who was eventually held at long-on.After losing Matt Critchley early, Essex looked well placed at 101 for 1 in the 16th over but after Das, who made a match-winning century for his county at Trent Bridge last summer, had miscued Lord to mid-on, Essex were never able to regain full momentum.Westley was well taken at short midwicket as Lord struck again, before 24-year-old Pocklington – handed a contract only this week after call-ups to The Hundred and Matt Montgomery’s move to Derbyshire left Notts with effectively no spinners – marked a memorable debut by bowling Luc Benkenstein, snaring Charlie Allison with a return catch and having Nick Browne caught behind off a botched reverse sweep.Lyndon James had Noah Thain and Bennett both caught at midwicket and Shane Snater caught behind as Essex – who have won just seven of 25 One-Day Cup fixtures since they reached the semi-finals in 2021 – were bowled out for 234.