KL Rahul headed to stumps unbeaten on 53 with India 242 runs behind England’s first innings 387

Alagappan Muthu11-Jul-20251:41

Manjrekar: ‘Bumrah did the hard work, played the waiting game’

Stumps Jasprit Bumrah was saved, or he had saved himself, for Lord’s. The temptation of the most famous honours board in the world might have had something to do with it, and if so, the plan worked. Bumrah claimed a five-for that helped bowl England out for 387 but he was far from the only fast bowler that set the pulse racing.Jofra Archer would have spent three years thinking about this moment, being told of the light at the end of the tunnel as he willed himself through the rehab his body needed to shoulder the burden that comes with Test cricket. Three balls into his first over back, the light wasn’t hypothetical anymore. His day in the sun had finally come and he was bathed in its glow as he celebrated a wicket. Yashasvi Jaiswal was sent back, wondering what he could have done against an 89mph rocket that had squared him up. Karun Nair was greeted by a 93mph missile.Related

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Bumrah uses money in the bank for Lord's honours

Bumrah was carving out legacy. Archer was clearing away the cobwebs. Lord’s was spoiled rotten. KL Rahul went to stumps unbeaten on 53 and holds in his hands much of India’s hopes of getting close to England’s total. They are 242 behind.The fans stood up as one to salute Joe Root when he got the chance the vent the nerves of spending the night on 99, the first ball offering him width. An outside edge squirted away to the deep-third boundary to signal his 37th Test century – which puts him in the top five in all of Test cricket. He went past Rahul Dravid and Steven Smith. Late in the day, he stooped to conquer the world, a beautiful diving catch to his left securing an unprecedented 211th catch.It was a special occasion at Lord’s – Red for Ruth Day, where everyone is encouraged to wear their support for the charity run by former captain Andrew Strauss on their sleeves. It seemed to have moved inanimate objects as well because the pitch became a lot more generous to those willing to bend their backs. The quicker pace it offered made the sideways movement all the more deadly.3:04

Root: ‘Great to see Archer smiling, enjoying his cricket’

Set batters found themselves undone when they least expected it. Ben Stokes’ off stump was off to the races immediately after he hit a boundary. Root, on 104, turned lead-footed all of a sudden, which created a gap between bat and pad for Bumrah to hurtle through. Shubman Gill, who came into this game with 585 runs in four innings, was snapped up for just 16. Jamie Smith went to lunch having rescued England from 271 for 7 to 355 for 7 but as soon as he came back, Mohammed Siraj found his outside edge. He celebrated the wicket by signalling the number 20, like many footballers have done this week to pay tribute to Diogo Jota, the 28-year-old Liverpool forward who died in a car crash recently.There was one who proved adept, so much that the very concept of dismissal started to look remote. Rahul made 53 off 113 balls and went to stumps unbeaten. This innings was built on his discipline and his judgment outside the off stump and his alertness for scoring opportunities when England shifted their lines straighter. Equally, his focus stood out.Archer tested him with a 142kph bouncer. Rahul was surprised by it – his feet off the floor, his balance shot to hell and yet, even in that vulnerable state, he was able to get his hands over the ball and cushion its journey back into the ground. There was another example of his defensive skills in the next over, when Stokes went wide of the wicket to maximise the away movement that he gets. Rahul was aware of what the bowler was trying to do and he was very careful to present a straight bat instead of being sucked in by the angle and offering a closed one.2:19

Manjrekar: Day two a learning curve for Gill

Rishabh Pant batted through injury. Nair almost got his redemption but fell 10 short of a half-century. England overloaded Gill. Targeting him with a bouncer barrage armed with five men on the leg side. Coaxing him across his stumps to bring lbw into play. Filling up the front of the wicket with catchers and also blockers that prevented easy singles. The India captain lost his patience this time, attempted to find loopholes, like backing away to cut a short ball way down leg, and didn’t see his wicket coming. Chris Woakes, with the keeper up to the stumps, switched up the play and went for his outside edge. He got it. England went to stumps with a lead that looks stronger for this bit of enterprise.A great many things happened on Friday, even though only 72.3 of the scheduled 90 overs were possible, and the most memorable were the work of a fast bowler who has turned modern-day cricket into his own playground. Nobody really came up to Bumrah’s level – he was getting the ball to swing one way and seam the other and four different batters could do nothing more than just give up their stumps to him.1:41

Manjrekar: ‘Bumrah did the hard work, played the waiting game’

Bumrah rested at Edgbaston so that he could play at Lord’s. He wanted to play here to get a five-wicket haul and a place on the honours board. When he did, he was merely relieved. Siraj had to act as puppet master, grabbing his new-ball partner’s hand and raising it aloft while the Indians in the crowd cheered. Kapil Dev was calmly brushed aside. He is no longer the Indian with the most five-fors away from home.In the middle of all this, there was a small victory for the visitors when Gill secured his first successful review on tour to get rid of Woakes.India continued to challenge the umpires, their irritation sparked by a second new ball that needed to be changed – a mere 10.3 overs into its use – and the replacement looking much the worse for wear. Gill spent the entire morning drinks break with umpires Paul Reiffel and Sharfuddoula voicing his dissatisfaction, which had to have played a role in the officials eventually switching out even the replacement ball, after eight overs.Away in the background, Smith, who was dropped by Rahul on 5, just kept his head down and did his thing. Once more, he led an England lower-order recovery mission, his skillset perfectly suited to the task. A 52-ball half-century was the result of a man concentrating on the job at hand while the opposition was too busy fretting about what could have been. India tried to forget about Smith and blow away the other end, but that didn’t work either. Brydon Carse was batting well enough to hit Akash Deep on the up through the covers and getting down on bent knee to slash Bumrah past point. He completed an entertaining maiden half-century in Tests as England’s last three wickets added 116 runs.

He and Graham Clark put on 181 together to break their own record for Durham’s highest T20 stand

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay18-Jul-2025Durham secured a home quarter-final in the Vitality Blast as a record-breaking partnership from centurion Alex Lees and Graham Clark led them to a resounding nine-wicket win over Northamptonshire Steelbacks.Steelbacks won the toss and batted first and David Willey (62) exploited a platform set by Matthew Breetzke (52) with some destructive hitting, but an excellent spell from Matthew Potts helped reel Northants in late on as they finished on 203 for 5.Lees and Clark made an excellent start to the Durham chase as they raced to 100 within eight overs and they continued the charge as they broke the record for Durham’s highest T20 partnership, previously held by the same pair against the same team.They made the chase look easy, hitting 12 sixes between them in a partnership worth 181, while Lees reached his maiden T20 century as he steered his side home with plenty of time to spare.Northants started well, but there was a big let-off for them early on as Will Rhodes dropped Breetzke on 10 when the South African opener mistimed a pull shot off Potts. He made Durham pay for that mishap as he heaved a Codi Yusuf ball over the legside boundary for six to continue his positive start.Breetzke continued his onslaught as he smashed three consecutive balls from Yusuf for six, but Durham struck through Callum Parkinson as Ricardo Vasconcelos tried to smash one down the ground but he could only find Potts at long-off.Breetzke continued his side’s charge and he passed fifty from 31 balls, his fourth in the competition, but he then fell for a swashbuckling 52, with Nathan Sowter picking up the wicket as the opener holed out to Rhodes on the boundary.Willey then made the most of some short-pitched bowling from Parkinson as he smashed back-to-back sixes down the ground.The Northants skipper then reached his fifty from 25 balls with a six off the bowling of Sowter to continue his team’s charge towards a massive total.Willey then continued his devastating display of hitting as he smashed a Raine ball over the long-on boundary for six.Potts removed Ravi Bopara for a tidy 33 to halt the Northants charge, with a jumping David Bedingham taking a nice catch, and Willey’s excellent knock ended as he feathered a Potts ball through to Ollie Robinson for 62.Potts struck for a third time in the final over to remove George Bartlett, but the Steelbacks finished on a total of 203 for 5.In pursuit of 204, Lees and Clark got off to a solid start, with the former clubbing a Ben Sanderson delivery down the ground for four.Lees then pulled off an inventive shot as he scooped a Willey ball for six and he backed that up with one that he whipped away for four.The Durham skipper sent George Scrimshaw’s first ball into the stands as he produced an excellent pull shot and he did the same thing with the following ball.Clark then pulled a Luke Procter ball for six as the hosts raced to 78 without loss in the powerplay, while Lees reached his half-century from 23 balls at the other end.Clark then heaved a Sanderson ball for six to reach his half-century from 26 balls as Durham continued their charge.Clark pummeled a Lloyd Pope delivery down the ground for six and Lees followed that up with two more blows over the long-on boundary.Lees then hit a beautiful cover drive off the bowling of Procter for four, but the partnership was finally broken by Procter as Clark went for 79 as he miscued a ramp shot and was caught behind.Lees then reached his century from 48 balls and guided his team home with 21 balls to spare.

Ralphie Albert sparked not one collapse but two in taking 6 for 53 as England Under-19 edged ahead in the rain-affected 2nd ‘Test’ against India at Chelmsford.The 17-year-old left-arm spinner reduced India from 170 for 1 to 181 for 4 before helping to secure the last six wickets for 37 as India were bowled out for 279 to trail by 30.This looked unlikely when Ayush Mhatre and Vihaan Malhotra were compiling a dominant stand of 133 for the second wicket. Malhotra would go on to make 120 at nearly a-run-a-ball, but aside from this pair, only Harvansh Pangalia (28) and Kanishk Chouhan (23) reached double-figures, with five batters making ducks.England openers Ben Dawkins and Adam Thomas survived the odd scare to stretch that lead to 123 before bad light ended play 12 overs before the scheduled close.Rain delayed the start until 12.15pm before Malhotra and Mhatre dominated the pre-lunch session.Mhatre, dropped at cover on the second afternoon, was reprieved a second time when Alex Green failed to take a tough caught-and-bowled chance, but soon made the most of his good fortune, two sumptuous fours off the back foot and a huge six from the bowling of day-two centurion Ekansh Singh among the pick of his shots.Malhotra survived a big shout for lbw and being struck midships by James Minto. His cover drive off Green was a thing of beauty, and he raised the 100 of the innings with six over square leg. Another six took him to 50 as India scored 108 in the 75 minutes of play. England looked to be searching for wickets, and the result was too many four balls in a tardy effort.[File photo] Ralphie Albert triggered twin Indian collapses•Getty Images

Whether it was harsh words from the coaches or an inspired lunch choice, England emerged a different side. Tighter bowling brought a breakthrough when Mhatre missed one from Alex French, which angled in and spreadeagled his stumps. He scored 80.Door ajar, Albert produced some spin wizardry to strike twice in as many overs, wicketkeeper Abhigyan Kundu bunting back a caught and bowled before Rahul Kumar edged low to Thomas at slip.India’s response was to counter-attack, Pangalia dispatching a long-hop over the longest boundary before driving and cutting for successive fours.At the other end, Malhotra’s 16th four took him to his hundred in 101 balls and at 242 for 4 the visitors were back in the ascendancy.However, Pangalia top-edged a cross-bat slog into the deep and RS Ambrish became the third duck on the Indian card when he drove to cover in Albert’s next over.The Surrey youngster was on a roll, Malhotra becoming his biggest prize when perishing to a catch by Ben Mayes on the midwicket fence. Albert wasn’t finished there, Henil Patel his fourth wicket in 13 balls courtesy of Thomas’ second smart slip catch of the afternoon.Thereafter, only Chouhan held up the hosts for a while, Albert’s fellow spinner Mayes (2 for 17) picking up the last two wickets – a due reward for a tight spell.Dawkins and Thomas were both on a pair and began nervously, the former given a life when dropped at first slip off Aditya Rawat on 7.Rawat’s searching examination survived, the pair prospered, Dawkins clearing the ropes at midwicket, while Thomas drove and cut well to reach 50 with seven fours in the last over before the light closed in.

Arne Slot’s contentious selection decision for Liverpool’s latest in a long litany of defeats was a gamble, alright, but whether it has paid off is anybody’s guess at this stage.

Crystal Palace secured a 3-0 win at Anfield against a second-string home side, and Liverpool are now out of the Carabao Cup. But the tactical fault lines run far deeper, and the Reds know that their upcoming run of games will prove decisive in exactly how the club emerge from this dismal run of form.

Aston Villa travel to Merseyside at the weekend, and then next week’s double header of Real Madrid and Manchester City will perhaps show exactly how Slot will fare over the coming months.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Liverpool have one of the most talented and expensive squads in the world, after all, and have seen a few stars go from strength to strength over the past several months.

Chief among them is the tireless Dominik Szoboszlai, but, despite his smaller role, Federico Chiesa has been just as impressive.

How Chiesa is rebuilding his Liverpool career

Liverpool only signed one player during the 2024 summer transfer window: Chiesa. What a contrast to the window just passed. The Italian arrived for a cut-price £12.5m fee, but injuries and Slot’s wariness kept him on the fringes.

The 28-year-old has enjoyed quite the revival this season, among the most prolific players in Slot’s squad. Despite starting only two matches in all competitions (both of the Reds’ domestic cup fixtures), he has notched two goals and three assists.

And still he waits for his first Premier League start of the season. Chiesa is earning starts on tournamental fronts but will perhaps feel somewhat aggrieved by sitting in the centre on Wednesday evening, flanked as he was by teenagers Rio Ngumoha and Kieran Morrison.

Hugo Ekitike

13

6 (1)

Mohamed Salah

13

4 (3)

Cody Gakpo

13

4 (3)

Federico Chiesa

10

2 (3)

Alexander Isak

8

1 (1)

Florian Wirtz

13

0 (3)

Rio Ngumoha

7

1 (0)

Chiesa has in the past proved he has the talent to sit alongside the world’s best forwards. He has been deeply unfortunate with injuries, but his mental fortitude and underlying talent are beginning to shine, and there is a real chance for him to lay down a marker over the coming months, especially when you consider Mohamed Salah will be away at AFCON come January.

Liverpool's new version of Chiesa

Last season, Chiesa drifted through Liverpool’s title-winning campaign. Clearly, he was a talented player who had the skills to make a mark, but for whatever reason, Slot opted against unleashing him.

Now that he’s seen Calvin Ramsay put in a fine showing against Crystal Palace, the Dutch coach may want to avoid repeating that same mistake. Right-back Ramsay has not played much football over the past several years, but he showed what he can do against the Eagles.

The 22-year-old was composed on the ball and looked to progress play forward when the chance arose. In the first half, he played a Trent-esque diagonal cross over to Ngumoha, demonstrating a range of strings on his bow.

Liverpool signed Ramsay from Aberdeen in July 2022, adding him to the squad for an initial £4m fee. Jurgen Klopp once said “the sky is the limit” for the one-cap Scotland international, but a low-hanging fog has clouded his potential over the past three years, restricting him to just three first-team appearances for the Merseysiders and a string of unsuccessful loan spells.

But there’s a real player in there.

Against Palace, the Scotsman won six duels, made seven recoveries and four clearances, as per Sofascore. Promising stuff, even if the rust was clear to see, losing the ball 19 times despite not creating a chance.

Like Chiesa, Ramsay has been shaken by injuries over the past several years, and at the early stage of his career, this has had a detrimental impact on his hopes of getting going at the highest level.

Liverpool have lost six of their past seven matches in all competitions, with that emphatic win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League an outlier born from the Germans’ own deep defensive deficiencies.

Analytical Reds writer Sam McGuire even said that Slot’s decision to exclude Ramsay previously is “a sackable offence”. Of course, we must take this as tongue in cheek, but it does underline the quality of talent Liverpool have in this Scottish defender, and it’s certainly frustrating that he is now unavailable for the men’s team over the next few months.

Chiesa stands a real chance of continuing to go from strength to strength in Liverpool’s senior squad this year, adding a dimension that Slot simply cannot ignore.

With Jeremie Frimpong not quite a natural full-back and Conor Bradley’s performances leaving something to be desired, might there not be a chance for Ramsay to sneak his way into the club’s plans too?

The defeat to Crystal Palace, the third of the campaign, emphasised the scale of Liverpool’s plight at the moment, with wholesale changes and a bench full of youngsters backing firing on a head coach who now stares down the barrel of a gun, preparing to take on some of Europe’s most threatening outfits.

He will need every tool at his disposal, and allowing Ramsay to taste some more action might not be the worst thing in the world for a side currently lacking solutions.

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Florian Wirtz signed for Liverpool for a fee which could rise to £116m, but his social media sensation girlfriend is stealing the spotlight after the Germany star’s move to England.

Wirtz, 22, penned a five-year deal on Merseyside which will keep him at Liverpool until at least 2030. The former Bayer Leverkusen playmaker makes £200,000-a-week at Liverpool, placing him among Liverpool’s top earners behind Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

Wirtz revealed he chose Liverpool because he believes they are one of the top three clubs in the world, and said his family took little convincing.

He is joined on Merseyside by his partner Aaliyah Cloßen, who is a model and social media influencer with over 100,000 followers on TikTok.

Who is Florian Wirtz's girlfriend?

Aaliyah Cloßen, known by her TikTok username simply as Aaliyah (@aaliyahcl), has reportedly been dating Wirtz since 2022. The pair have kept their private lives relatively quiet, but have been photographed together several times, most notably celebrating Leverkusen’s Bundesliga title in 2024.

Born in the early 2000s, she is a similar age to Wirtz, and is thought to be from the Cologne region of Germany.

Although not much is known about her professional activities, she rose to fame on TikTok, where she now has over 115,000 followers and 2.5 million likes thanks to her ‘get ready with me’ content, displaying her fashion, lifestyle and make-up.

She is also involved in modeling, and has worked with Cologne-based photographer Jonas Herrlein.

Aaliyah is regularly spotted in the stands watching Wirtz in action, and is thought to have a great relationship with his parents, father Hans-Joachim and mother Karin, as the trio were often seated alongside each other at Leverkusen and Germany matches.

She posted a video during Wirtz’s transfer saga with the song I Follow Rivers by Lykke Li, in which the lyrics repeat “I follow you”. One hopeful Bayern Munich fan commented on the post: “Munich is better than Liverpool is all I’m saying.”

Wirtz and Liverpool have had a poor start to the season, as the midfielder had to wait until mid October for his first goal contributions in a red shirt, assisting twice in a 5-1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.

زار بايرن ميونخ نظيره باريس سان جيرمان ضمن منافسات دور المجموعات في دوري أبطال أوروبا الشهر الماضي، وحقق الفريق الألماني الفوز بهدفين لهدف.

ويعود دايوت أوباميكانو إلى ملعب “بارك دي برانس”، حيث يستعد منتخب بلده فرنسا لخوض مباراة ضد أوكرانيا في تصفيات كأس العالم غدًا الخميس 13 نوفمبر.

وقد سئل أوباميكانو في مؤتمر صحفي إذا كان يشعر بأنه في بيته في “بارك دي برانس”، ورد :”صحيح أن عائلتي ستكون في الملعب، أنا فرنسي”.

وأضاف: “لكنني أشعر أيضاً بأنني في بيتي في بايرن ميونخ وألمانيا، الأمر لا يتعلق بالملعب، أتعامل مع كل مباراة بنفس الطريقة وأريد فقط الفوز”.

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وكانت تقارير صحفية قد أشارت خلال الساعات الماضية من إذاعة “مونتي كارلو” الفرنسية أن باريس سان جيرمان قد انضم لسباق التعاقد مع مدافع بايرن ميونخ.

وأصبح الفريق الفرنسي مستعد لتقديم عرض إذا قرر عدم تجديد عقده مع بايرن ميونخ والذي يواصل مفاوضاته المكثفة، ويرغب في تأمين مستقبل أوباميكانو على المدى البعيد.

ويترقب ريال مدريد موقف أوباميكانو الذي سيصبح حراً ابتداءً من 1 يناير 2026 في توقيع عقد مسبق مع أي نادي يختاره.

Leeds United bolstered their options in the centre-forward position in the summer transfer window by swooping to sign Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer.

The former England international was available after his Everton contract ran out at the end of June, and the Whites moved to add some Premier League experience to their squad.

Calvert-Lewin scored three goals and missed 16 ‘big chances’ in the top-flight for the Toffees in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, which means that he was a risky signing for Leeds after such a dismal year in front of goal.

So far, the English striker has scored one goal and missed four ‘big chances’ in five appearances in the Premier League for the Whites this term, which suggests that he is on course for similar struggles in the final third.

Daniel Farke will be hoping that the experienced number nine can turn his form around and start to finish the high-quality chances that will come his way.

Leeds may need a reliable and consistent Premier League striker to fire them to safety this season, which is why it remains a source of regret that the club were unable to sign Erling Haaland many years ago.

The story of how Leeds United almost signed Erling Haaland

When the Norway international, who is now a superstar at Manchester City, was 17 years old and playing for Moldes, Leeds came incredibly close to bringing him to Elland Road.

Agent Hayden Evans once revealed that he offered Haaland to Victor Orta, the sporting director of the Whites at the time, and brought the young striker and his family over to Thorp Arch.

He added: “They were in the middle of a first-team session and [Thomas] Christiansen at the time stopped the session and came over to Erling, hugged him and talked about football – that went really well – and Christiansen was impressive, frankly.”

Evans also revealed that Orta had a Leeds shirt with Haaland’s name on the back, and that the teenage forward was keen to make the move because he was a Leeds supporter at the time, having been born in the city.

However, the agent claimed that the deal broke down because Molde wanted £4m for the Norwegian talent and the Whites were unable to commit to that amount of money in the Championship, whilst Orta’s idea for Juventus to sign and then loan him to West Yorkshire did not go through either.

Since then, Haaland has scored 94 goals in 104 Premier League matches and 52 goals in 50 appearances in the Champions League in his career, per Transfermarkt, to become one of the best attackers in world football.

What Leeds would give to have a player of his quality in their bid to avoid relegation from the top-flight this season. Although, if they had signed him at the age of 17 and he progressed as he did with Molde, RB Salzburg, and Borussia Dortmund, the Whites may not have had him on their books for long.

The West Yorkshire outfit, however, produced an incredibly valuable young talent who was then compared to the brutish centre-forward from their academy in Archie Gray.

Leeds hit the jackpot with Archie Gray

Leeds hit the jackpot with the English youngster after he rose through the ranks at Thorp Arch before emerging as a key player under Farke in the 2023/24 campaign.

The Whites did not have to deal with a selling club wanting millions of pounds for Gray, as Molde did with Haaland, because he spent his entire academy career with the club, which meant that the versatile star did not cost them a penny.

He made 11 appearances for the U18s and 26 appearances for the U21s before Farke decided to make him a permanent member of the first-team squad at the age of 17, the same age that Haaland was when he came close to a move to West Yorkshire.

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Along with making a breakthrough in first-team football at a similar age, the English starlet was also compared to the Manchester City star by journalist Phil Hay.

Ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, the reporter said: “Archie Gray, he just seems to come from the genetically modified school of Erling Haaland. Every time you see him he gets taller and bigger. He looks like he’s about 25 when he’s actually 17. He’s just physically amazing and also technically very good.”

Farke clearly saw the same things that Hay saw from the teenage prospect, because the 2023/24 campaign was Gray’s breakthrough season in the first-team.

The 17-year-old wonderkid started 40 of his 44 appearances in the Championship that term, whilst he has also started all three of the club’s play-off games, including the final against Southampton at Wembley.

As you can see in the table above, Gray held his own from a physical perspective, winning 55% of his duels, which backs up Hay’s comments about his physique.

The Whites hit the jackpot with the England U21 international, who came through their academy system, because Farke was willing to put his faith in the youngster to start week-in-week-out at right-back as a 17 and 18-year-old.

As a result of the platform that the manager provided him with, Gray’s performances in the Championship at such a young age led to him sealing a big-money move away from Elland Road in the summer of 2024.

Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur swooped in to sign the English youngster for a fee of £30m, which meant that Leeds made a £30m profit on a player they did not have to pay a fee to sign at academy level.

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Therefore, the Whites struck gold with Gray because they developed a £30m talent from their academy system in an era where homegrown players can sometimes have their pathways blocked by expensive signings from other clubs.

MatériaMais Notícias

O confronto da Seleção Brasileira com a Venezuela, nesta quinta-feira (12), às 21h30, na Arena Pantanal, pelas Eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo 2026, trará um sabor de reencontro. Depois de 21 anos, a equipe canarinha voltará a mandar uma partida em Cuiabá. Anteriormente, a cidade foi crucial na caminhada rumo ao pentacampeonato mundial.

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Em 7 de março de 2002, o Brasil ia a campo no Estádio José Fragelli apenas com jogadores em atividade no futebol nacional. O objetivo de Luiz Felipe Scolari era utilizar o confronto com a Islândia para definir os últimos nomes que estariam em sua lista para a Copa do Mundo. Presente na convocação, Washington, então atacante da Ponte Preta, relembrou ao Lance! a ansiedade que movimentava o grupo.

+ A sua carreira no futebol pode começar hoje. Garanta a sua vaga no curso Gestor de Futebol e capacite-se!

Havia muita “bronca” das arquibancadas com as decisões que Luiz Felipe Scolari vinha tomando em relação à Seleção.

– A questão maior era o fato de quererem o Romário convocado. Havia um clamor maior da torcida, da imprensa… A pressão vinha em cima da gente. Naquele momento, sabíamos que o Romário não iria, o Felipão nos disse isso. E tentávamos ter a nossa chance, mostrar nossa força com a camisa da Seleção – destacou Washington, acrescentando:

– Estávamos todos naquele sonho. O Brasil tinha grandes atacantes na época e era o desejo de cada um estar na Copa do Mundo. Por isso aquele jogo no José Fragelli foi tão marcante – explicou.

O ex-jogador recordou-se da qualidade que via também entre seus colegas.

– Do meu lado no banco de reservas, estava o Alex, um grande meia. A gente batia papo, ficava se perguntando: “poxa, será que vamos estar lá na Copa?” Ah, a gente fica feliz por tudo que viveu, por esse sonho e por estar com a Seleção em um momento emblemático – disse.

DE CUIABÁ PARA A COPA DO MUNDO

O Estádio José Fragelli foi demolido em 2010, para dar início a um novo momento. Foi erguida a Arena Pantanal, palco da Copa do Mundo de 2014, dos jogos do Cuiabá e, nesta quinta-feira (12), local no qual Brasil e Venezuela se enfrentarão.

+ Palco de Brasil x Venezuela é símbolo de um projeto consolidado na Série A

Washington fala sobre as recordações que cercam a cidade.

– De qualquer forma, fica na história, né?! São lembranças que a gente não vai esquecer nunca. Sabemos que é um novo momento do futebol e ter feito parte deste estádio também foi importante, ainda mais vivendo o sonho da Seleção – disse o ex-atacante.

O “Coração Valente” opinou sobre a atual Seleção.

– Agora é uma retomada. Fernando Diniz está colocando seu jeito de jogar em campo. Estou vendo uma grande chance, com a qualidade de jogo que ele tem, e os jogadores estão aceitando muito as ideias dele – afirmou.

Matheus Cunha says he is determined to "bring back the glory days" at Manchester United. The Brazilian has helped Ruben Amorim's team become a more competitive force this season but the ex-Wolves man says this is just the beginning. But amid his impressive start to the season, the 26-year-old was quick to downplay comparisons to Red Devils icon Eric Cantona.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Cunha compared to Cantona

  Cantona is widely viewed as one of United's best-ever players, with the Frenchman playing a huge role in turning the Red Devils into the juggernaut that dominated English football for years in the 1990s and 2000s under manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Last month, former Premier League defender Stephen Warnock said Cunha has "got the aura of Cantona," and club CEO Omar Berrada previously stated that the £62.5 million ($85m) signing will prove to be "Cantona-esque" for the Red Devils. But the player himself thinks he needs to do a lot more before he can be spoken about in the same breath as the forward. 

  He told The Sun: "Wow, what a player. I need to do much more things to be compared to him. When someone says something like this to me, I try to see the good part of this. To be someone who has a lot of passion to play for this club, to play football – and then try to represent everyone inside of the pitch. I feel privileged to be associated with these kind of things and with Cantona also. He made history. And if I can do a little percentage of what he did already, I’ll be very happy and then try to build my way to the guys to remember me also. I’m new at the club. I’m new in terms of the look, all the other performances from the past. Everything for me is new. So I have only my mind in bringing back the United glory days."

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• Cunha: 'I want to do it my way'

  Arsenal reportedly wanted to sign Cunha from Wolves in January but he ended up signing a new deal that included the release clause that United triggered this summer. Now, he wants to "build his dream" at Old Trafford. 

  He added: "You need to look at even the hard moments in the positive way. Of course, I’m not someone special. Of course, I have my doubts. I have the difficult moments, like everyone. But this kind of world, I don’t feel it is impactful, like pressure to play like for this club or maybe to be someone different from the others. I only want to do it my way. I want to help my team. I only want to build my dream. To be a little part of the United history – be successful – I will always go for that.”

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Man Utd's relief at signing Cunha

  The Brazil international ran circles around United for Wolves last season, as he picked up the man of the match award twice against Amorim's side. He scored one and assisted the other in their 2-0 win at Molineux and was instrumental in the 1-0 victory in the return fixture. 

  When asked if United's players were relieved when Cunha joined them, he replied: "Yeah, exactly. It was exactly what happened! It was when I arrived and then I think my back was direct to Nous [Noussair Mazraoui] and to Leny. Because I only looked left and Leny was there. And they said, ‘Wow, wow, I’m so happy to have you on our side right now. It was so hard to get to the ball. And then we talked about the game. I was a little bit shy, you know, in the beginning. But these kind of moments help us be a little bit more comfortable. And then it was very good moments to remember."

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• What comes next for Man Utd?

  United are currently on a four-match unbeaten streak, comprising three wins and a draw. They sit eighth in the Premier League but if results go their way this weekend, they could be back in the top four. But to do that, they will have to beat Tottenham at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon in a repeat of last season's Europa League final. This will be a good test of Amorim's team as they try and banish the horrors of last term.

Manchester United have previously been a club associated with being the home to numerous top-level attackers who have helped aid their success in the Premier League.

However, the last few years have been a struggle for the Red Devils, with Ruben Amorim unable to create a frontline capable of achieving success in various competitions.

His side only registered 44 goals in England’s top-flight throughout 2024/25, with no player able to register double figures for goals, with Amad and Bruno Fernandes both only scoring eight times.

Such a record was the fifth worst in the division, with three of the sides registering fewer goals subsequently being relegated – highlighting the club’s lack of success in such an area.

One of the players who struggled at Old Trafford during the aforementioned campaign was offloaded during the recent window, with such a decision potentially being a mistake given his form as of late.

Rasmus Hojlund’s form away from United

Back in the summer of 2023, United forked out a fee in the region of £72m for striker Rasmus Hojlund from Italian side Atalanta, with real hope he could end their goalscoring worries.

The Dane did manage to meet expectations in his first year in England, scoring 16 times across all competitions, with five of his efforts coming in the Champions League.

However, he struggled to impress in 2024/25, only netting five Premier League goals, even going 21 games without a goal at one stage, which further highlights his lack of impact in the final third.

The Red Devils board decided to ship him back to Serie A, with the forward joining Napoli on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy should they finish in a Champions League spot.

Hojlund has already managed to impress in Naples, already scoring four times in his first six outings for the club – including a double in Europa against Sporting CP.

His form has also transferred to international level, as seen by his latest showing against Belarus, where the 22-year-old netted twice and also laid on an assist for former teammate Patrick Dorgu.

Despite his recent success on the pitch, he’s still valued lower than one current United player who’s managed to find some impressive form over the last couple of weeks.

The United player who’s worth more than Hojlund

In an attempt to bolster the club’s attacking department, the United hierarchy splashed over £200m on new attacking talent during the recent summer transfer window.

Matheus Cunha joined in a £62.5m deal from Wolverhampton Wanderers after he scored 15 goals in England’s top-flight during the 2024/25 campaign.

The Brazilian was also joined in attacking areas by Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo, with the Cameroonian international also costing a pretty penny at £71m.

Like Cunha, he also managed to impress last time around, subsequently scoring 20 times and being one of just five players in the division to achieve such a feat.

The aforementioned duo were joined by centre forward Benjamin Sesko, leading to the board forking out £74m for his signature from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig.

At just 22, he’s already impressed in his professional career, as seen by his tally of 21 goals in all competitions last season – 13 of which came in Germany’s top-flight.

He has bags of time to develop into an elite-level forward, but he’s already shown glimpses of his quality during the early games of his career at Old Trafford.

Games played

7

Goals scored

2

Shots on target

1.4

Chances created

1.2

Aerials won

3.7

Touches in opposition box

4.2

Duels won

4.9

Fouls won

1.6

Sesko, who’s been labelled “incredible” by one analyst, has scored in each of his last two outings for the Red Devils, currently sitting as the club’s joint top scorer in the Premier League for the 2025/26 campaign.

His underlying stats also demonstrate his impressive nature, winning 3.7 aerial duels per 90 – a tally which makes him the perfect focal point for Amorim’s side – something which they have lacked in recent times.

As a result of his immediate impact in Manchester, Sesko has seen his market value soar in recent months, with the Slovenian international now valued at £103.6m by CIES Football Observatory.

Such a value is higher than that of the departed Hojlund, with the Dane now only valued at £67.9m by the same site after his recent demise at Old Trafford.

The early signs for the new big-money addition are all positive, but it’s crucial he continues to build on his early success at avoiding suffering the same fate as the Dane.

As for the latter, it’s great to see the youngster regaining his feet after a tricky few years in the North West, but his departure could be one the Red Devils live to regret.

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