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Ligue 1 referee chief Amaury Delerue has defended the controversial decisions made by both the on-field and VAR officials during Paris Saint-Germain’s 3-2 win over Lyon. The last-minute defeat left Lyon players furious but Delerue has explained the process behind the officials' decisions and insisted that each call was made correctly.

• Lyon frustrated with calls all in favour of PSG

  Lyon were left furious after a series of key moments went against them in their match against PSG. In the 27th minute, Ilia Zabarnyi’s apparent handball inside the penalty area went unpunished. Soon after, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s goal stood despite Vitinha’s tackle from behind on Tanner Tessmann. Just before half-time, a challenge by Kang-in Lee on Nicolas Tagliafico inside the PSG box was ignored. The controversy deepened when Tagliafico was shown a straight red card for a late tackle on Vitinha, leaving Lyon with 10 men. VAR upheld the decision, sparking outrage from the Lyon players and staff.

  Lyon’s assistant coach Jorge Maciel launched a scathing post-match rant, claiming that only the four referees on the pitch failed to notice the fouls committed during the game. He said: “I think there are 59,000 people in the stadium, and only four of them didn’t see the fouls we analysed. We don’t even need to watch the replays. When it happens one way, we don’t understand it. When it happens with the arrogance of not even having the opportunity to discuss it, we don’t understand it.”

  Maciel went on to accuse the officials of favouring PSG, suggesting that the champions didn’t need to “play with 16 men” as they are already the best team in Europe.

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  Delerue defends the referees

  In an interview with, Ligue 1 referee association chief Delerue defended the officials appointed for the match and explained the reasoning behind their key decisions.

  He clarified why no handball was called on Zabarnyi, saying: “The VAR followed IFAB protocol by reviewing all available angles and images, none of which clearly showed that the decision not to award a penalty was definitely wrong, or whether Zabarnyi actually touched the ball.”

  Delerue also justified the decision regarding Lee’s challenge on Tagliafico, stating: “Lee’s intervention is not punishable under the laws of the game. It was natural contact that did not prevent Tagliafico from playing the ball.”

• Vitinha finds the loophole

  PSG, who were without key players such as Achraf Hakimi, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, and Nuno Mendes due to injury, took an early lead through Warren Zaire-Emery within the first ten minutes. Lyon quickly equalised through Moreira, but Kvaratskhelia restored PSG’s advantage soon after. Ainsley Maitland-Niles struck again to make it 2-2, and the match appeared to be heading for a draw until Joao Neves rose highest to score from a late corner, sealing the win for Luis Enrique’s side. The result moved PSG back to the top of the table, while Lyon slipped to seventh.

  Kvaratskhelia’s goal came right after Vitinha’s foul on Tessman. Delerue admitted that Vitinha took advantage of a loophole in the rules to avoid punishment when he said, “This is a very complex situation on which the DA was unable to reach a 100 percent unanimous decision. The contact affected Tessman’s ability to maintain control of the ball, which is why we would primarily consider it a foul during recovery and disallow the goal. But we are in a grey area, which is why the VAR’s decision not to challenge the central referee is understandable.”

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  PSG using the international break to grow stronger

  Enrique will use the international break to recover key players from injury and refine his tactical system. The PSG manager aims to learn from their defeat against Bayern Munich, make the necessary adjustments to avoid similar mistakes in future matches, and further strengthen his team’s overall performance.

  They sit top of the French top flight with a two-point lead over Marseille and Lens, while Lyon's defeat – winless in four games – are seventh in the table and seven points adrift of the reigning champions.

Leeds United made it three defeats in succession in the Premier League when they were beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon.

The Whites had the lead at half-time thanks to a goal from Lukas Nmecha, who bundled the ball in from close range after Anton Stach competed with Emi Martinez for a high ball.

Unfortunately, though, the away side struck twice in the second half, both goals coming from Morgan Rogers, and walked away from West Yorkshire with all three points.

Daniel Farke only made one change to his starting line-up from the side that lost 3-1 to Nottingham Forest before the break, and it backfired on the Leeds boss.

The Leeds change that backfired on Daniel Farke

The German head coach opted to take Jaka Bijol out of the team, after he won four of his six duels against Forest, and brought Pascal Struijk back into the side, possibly to have a natural left-footer in that position.

Whilst the Dutchman certainly opens up more passing angles as a left-footer on the left side of the defence, his defensive work left far too much to be desired against the Villans, and that is why the change backfired on the manager.

Per Sofascore, Struijk only won three of his eight duels, losing both of his ground duels, and did not complete a single tackle in the game, which shows that he struggled with the physicality of the match.

The one tackle that the former Ajax man did attempt was his late lunge on Ross Barkley, which resulted in the free-kick from which Rogers scored the winning goal.

Struijk was far from the only poor performer on the pitch, though, as Brenden Aaronson is another player who should be ruthlessly ditched from the starting line-up.

Why Leeds must drop Brenden Aaronson

The USA international had delivered a goal and an assist in the three Premier League matches prior to the international break, which made his inclusion in the side an understandable call from Farke.

However, the return to fitness of Dan James has thrown his place in the line-up into doubt, and their respective performances against Aston Villa on Sunday suggest that the Wales international deserves a chance from the start.

Aaronson, who was awarded a 4/10 player rating by LeedsUnitedNews, lower than Struijk’s 6/10 rating, failed to create a single chance for his teammates in 80 minutes on the pitch, per Sofascore, as he came inside and got crowded out all too often.

Vs Aston Villa	Brenden Aaronson	Dan James
Minutes	80	19
Shots	3	3
xG on target	0.15	0.15
Crosses attempted	1	5
Key passes	0	1
Big chances created	0	0
Dribbles completed	1/5	1/1
Possession lost	12x	6x
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, James offered more to the team on the right flank in 19 minutes than the American lightweight did in his 80-minute outing against the Villans.

The fact that the Welshman attempted five times as many crosses as Aaronson, in roughly an hour less on the pitch, speaks to the difference Leeds could make to their attack by bringing him into the starting XI.

Aaronson, for all his hard work, is not a natural winger who is going to hug the byline and test teams consistently with runs in behind and crosses into the box.

James, however, is that player and almost made an instant impact when his brilliant run and ball across the box led to Dominic Calvert-Lewin finding the back of the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for a handball by the striker.

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The Welshman deserved an assist for his play. Now, he deserves a place in the starting line-up because Aaronson was even worse than Struijk in the defeat to Villa, as he offered little to the team in or out of possession, whilst Struijk, at the very least, completed 95% of his passes and made five clearances, per Sofascore.

علق محمد فضل لاعب الأهلي السابق على خروج منتخب مصر الثاني من كأس العرب بعد الخسارة من الأردن بثلاثية في ختام دور المجموعات.

وودع منتخب مصر كأس العرب من دور المجموعات بعدما حصد نقطتين فقط من تعادلين وهزيمة.

وقال فضل في تصريحات لقناة “أون سبورت”: “الأمس كان يومًا سيئًا على الكرة المصرية وهذا ليس طبيعيًا، دائمًا أقول إن الناس يأخذون النتيجة وينسون البداية”.

طالع.. شوبير: لاعب واحد أشفق عليه في منتخب مصر بكأس العرب.. ويرد على مُبررات طولان

وتابع: “من المسؤول؟ وزير الشباب أم رئيس اتحاد الكرة أم رئيس الرابطة أم المدير الفني أم اللاعبين أم المحللين؟ لماذا لم يتم التخطيط ويتم التركيز على الجزء الأخير؟”.

وكشف: “هناك عدم تنسيق بين حسام حسن وحلمي طولان، مصر لو لاحظت لغة الجسد ستفهم أنه ليس هناك تنسيق بينهم، لم أحدثك عن الشعب المصري ولكن أحدثك عن المغتربين المصريين الذين ينتظرون أي مصري”.

وعن أداء منتخب مصر في كأس العرب: “سيئ من أول البطولة، ليس لك شكل وحلولك قليله جدًا، والحارس محمد بسام تم اكتشافه بالصدفة، ومروان حمدى مسؤول ويحاول بشكل جيد جدًا وإسلام عيسى مفاجأة، عنده ثبات جيد وغنام جيد جدًا”.

وواصل: “منتخب مصر ضمن أكبر معدل أعمار في البطولة، والأرقام الكلية سيئة جدًا في الفرص الضائعة والاستحواذ”.

واختتم: “لم ينجح أحد في المنظومة الفترة الماضية من المدربين لأن المعطيات سيئة جدًا، وهناك مدير فني أجنبي للاتحاد يتم النظر في تعيينه، ولكن هل هناك مدربين مؤهلين أو لاعبين أو ملاعب مؤهلة؟، الحل هو وضع خطة من المسؤولين عن الرياضة بشكل عام وإن كانت الخطة طويلة الأمد”.

The Lahore Qalandars batter played for the franchise as an emerging player, but his registration appears to have contravened the PSL’s own rules

Danyal Rasool10-Jun-2025What is the emerging category?Since the start of the PSL in 2016, the league developed a category to propel talented young players into the spotlight. Each side was required to field at least one in every game; current rules stipulate each franchise must have at least two in their squad.What classifies a player as an emerging cricketer?This is somewhat loosely defined, and, as a result, poorly understood; more than one franchise ESPNcricinfo spoke to said they were unclear on the eligibility. Basically, players need to be under 23, and should not have played in the Pakistan national team. More recently, the PCB made an exception for players discovered under their talent hunt programmes, such as the Lahore Qalandars Player Development Programme, which, in certain cases, permits players over the age of 23 to be registered as emerging players.Mohammad Naeem raised three half-centuries during the season•PCBDid those exceptions apply to Naeem?That’s what everyone believed. Naeem was Qalandars’ emerging player in the line-up for all but one game. Qalandars have said they picked Naeem through their player development programme, and invested in him over the years. Since he was registered under the talent hunt discovery programme, he was exempt from the age requirement. Naeem is 26.However, according to the players draft guide from 2017 – the most recent edition that is publicly available – any player to have played competitive domestic cricket becomes ineligible to be registered as an emerging player. At the time, the rules excluded anyone who played Under-19 cricket, too, which Naeem did in 2017. His profile on the PCB’s official website lists him as having played for the FATA Region U-19s.In 2023, before making his PSL debut, he also played senior competitive domestic cricket with regional side FATA.How was he registered as an emerging player, then?This is at the heart of the controversy. When ESPNcricinfo reached out to the PSL, they sent a document insisting Naeem was correctly registered as an emerging player. It said that Qalandars “nominated and protected Mohammad Naeem prior to his debut in competitive domestic cricket in December 2023”. It went on to say that the rules allowed for him to be “protected until the next draft cycle” and that no other franchises raised any concerns at the time.Related

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The rules mentioned by the PSL’s statement to ESPNcricinfo do not appear in any official document publicly available that concerns the rules governing emerging players. ESPNcricinfo could not find any official update to the draft guide in 2017, which is notable since the PSL’s statement referenced rules governing talent hunt discovery programmes over the past five years.A copy of the playing conditions from 2023 on the PCB’s website does not detail what constitutes an emerging player, and does not mention the talent hunt discovery programme.What do the other franchises think?Multiple franchises that ESPNcricinfo reached out to said they were not aware of this stipulation. Nearly all believed that Naeem’s inclusion under the emerging rules – as they understood them – was a mistake. Karachi Kings nominated and protected fast bowler Fasih Ali, and were under the impression he would lose his emerging status if he went on to play competitive domestic cricket over the next years, as Naeem did.The PSL’s statement mentioned three times that none of the franchises objected at the time of Naeem’s registration. Every franchise ESPNcricinfo spoke to accepted this, though more than one pointed out the obligation upon the PSL to enforce its own rules did not hinge on objections from the franchises.Did Naeem’s performances significantly help Qalandars?Demonstrably so. Naeem was the eighth-highest run-scorer of the tournament with 314 runs including three half-centuries. None of the seven who scored more matched his strike rate of 162.69.What happens now?Well, nothing. Other franchises told ESPNcricinfo they wished to put this behind them and move on, but hoped that the rules would be more clearly spelled out in future. There is no indication of any wrongdoing by Qalandars, given the PSL accepted the franchise’s registration of Naeem as an emerging player. Naeem will no longer be able to be registered as an emerging player in the PSL’s next edition.

Despite dropped points at the Stadium of Light, Arsenal supporters are rightly feeling generally pretty good about things.

On Saturday night, goals from Bukayo Saka and then Leandro Trossard turned the game around and had the Gunners on course for a precious three points on Wearside, only for Sunderland to snatch a 94th minute equaliser.

Prior to this, Mikel Arteta’s team had won ten successive matches across all competitions, keeping eight consecutive clean sheets too, equaling the club record set in 1903, so go into a huge week in which they’ll take on Tottenham, Bayern Munich and then Chelsea four points clear of a rather ominous-looking Manchester City.

Nevertheless, in hindsight, it was remarkable that Arsenal managed to string together so many victories considering they currently have six attackers sidelined.

Four of those sidelined forwards are forecast to be back in time for the North London derby, but which member of this sextet will be hoping to dislodge the Gunners’ most productive attacker?

Where Leandro Trossard ranks at Arsenal this season

During the summer, if reports are to be believed, numerous clubs were interested in signing Trossard, Aston Villa, Brentford and Fenerbahçe to name just a few, and many Gooners were of the opinion that an upgrade was required and now was the time to cash in on the 30-year-old.

Well, Arteta certainly did not agree, even rewarding the Belgian with a pay rise, and this decision has been vindicated, given that Trossard currently leads the way at Arsenal this season for combined goals and assists, as the table below documents.

Viktor Gyökeres

6

0

Bukayo Saka

6

0

Leandro Trossard

4

4

Gabriel Martinelli

4

1

Mikel Merino

3

1

Declan Rice

2

5

Jurriën Timber

2

2

Gabriel

2

3

Martín Zubimendi

2

1

Eberechi Eze

2

3

Riccardo Calafiori

1

2

Ethan Nwaneri

1

0

Myles Lewis-Skelly

0

3

Martin Ødegaard

0

2

William Saliba

0

1

Max Dowman

0

1

As the table documents, Trossard ranks first at Arsenal in terms of combined goals and assists with eight.

To date, all four of his goals have come away from home, netting at Athletic Club, Port Vale and Fulham, (bet those three clubs have never been in a list together before!), before this rocket that fired his team in front at the Stadium of Light on Saturday night.

Thus, Trossard remains a key figure in this team, almost certainly set to start against Spurs after the international break, but, as the season progresses, he could once again find himself beginning matches as a substitute.

Equally, in the long-term, while he did receive a bumper wage increase, his contract length was not actually extended, ensuring his current deal will still expire in the summer of 2027 – placing doubt on whether he will still be on the books beyond next summer.

Set to turn 31 next month, the former Brighton star is almost certainly nearer the end than the start of his Emirates journey, with a potential replacement already in the building.

The Arsenal attacker aiming to take Trossard's spot

As already alluded to, the Gunners currently have six attackers sidelined, hence why Arteta has had to return to the well that is Mikel Merino up front in Prague and on Wearside last week.

There is optimism that Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyökeres, Martin Ødegaard and Noni Madueke could all be involved in the North London derby, with the returns of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus likely to be another few weeks away.

However, it is Madueke who the majority of supporters are most looking forward to seeing in action once again.

The 22-year-old’s £52m move from Chelsea in the summer was controversial, albeit this was nothing to do with him personally, with a certain section of, how shall we put this diplomatically, vocal online supporters simply tired of signing Chelsea’s cast-offs.

Nevertheless, Madueke, who reportedly earns £150k-per-week, quickly proved his worth, starting the second Premier League game of the season against Leeds on the left-hand-side.

During that match however, Saka suffered an injury, meaning Madueke deputised on the right for the next four matches, before himself suffering a knee injury against Manchester City, the day Saka made a timely return.

Of course, with Man City leading 1-0 at half time, everyone was pleased to see Saka introduced, but there was general bewilderment that Madueke was the man replaced, given how sharp he had been both in the first 45 minutes but in general, fans in the stadium not yet aware that this was an enforced change due to injury.

In total, Madueke has only played 396 minutes for Arsenal, about the same as the flight time from London to Lagos, which is not very much at all, leading to the feeling that what we’ve seen so far is merely an amuse-bouche of what is to come.

When he arrived, Arteta asserted that the “exciting and powerful” 23-year-old is “one of the most talented wide forward players in the Premier League”, showing glimpses of this potential before his injury.

Meantime, back in September, former Manchester United defender Paul Parker exclaimed, “I actually think he’s better than Bukayo Saka”, after Madueke, also deputising for his club team mate at international level, scored his first goal for England during their 5-0 demolition of Serbia at Stadion Rajko Mitić.

That is obviously an bold assertion and, if there is one thing we’ve learned during Arteta’s six-year reign, it is that if Saka is fit and available, he is going to play.

Thus, it is unrealistic to suggest that Madueke can dislodge the Gunners’ joint-top scorer on the right, but the left flank is very much up for grabs.

Martinelli and Eberechi Eze have both started there at various points this season, with Trossard the current tenant, further underlining that the position is up for grabs.

With games against Spurs, Bayern Munich and then his former side Chelsea next on the agenda, Madueke’s electric dribbling and explosive pace will add an extra dimension to the Gunners attack and will prove invaluable assets, suggesting he could make the left-wing spot his own, permanently demoting Trossard to the role of super sub.

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كشفت صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية آخر تطورات إصابة حارس مرمى نادي برشلونة، مارك أندريه تير شتيجن، وعملية تعافيه من الإصابة.

ويعاني تير شتيجن من إصابة على مستوى الظهر خلال الأشهر الأخيرة، والتي منعته من التواجد مع برشلونة منذ بداية هذا الموسم.

ولا يعتبر شتيجن في مكانة أساسية بتشكيل برشلونة، وذلك في ظل اعتماد المدرب هانز فليك على خوان جارسيا في مركز حراسة المرمى بجانب فويتشيك تشيزني.

وأشارت الصحيفة إلى أن شتيجن يعمل بجد خلال الفترة الأخيرة، وذلك حرصًا منه على العودة في أقرب وقت ممكن وأن يكون متاحًا للعب.

وأضافت الصحيفة، أن شتيجن من المتوقع أن يعود إلى تدريبات برشلونة قبل نهاية شهر نوفمبر الجاري، وأن يحصل على التصريح الطبي للعب قبل نهاية العام.

اقرأ أيضًا.. لاعب برشلونة يرفض عرض باريس سان جيرمان ويقترب من التجديد

وأوضحت الصحيفة، أن تير شتيجن يدرك جيدًا أن أفضل خيار له هو الرحيل عن صفوف برشلونة خلال الفترة المقبلة، إذا ما أراد اللعب بشكل منتظم.

كما نوهت برغبة عدة أندية في التعاقد مع شتيجن على سبيل الإعارة خلال فترة الميركاتو الشتوي المقبل في يناير، لكن برشلونة لم يتلق عروضًا رسمية بعد.

برشلونة دعم مركز حراسة المرمى هذا العام بضم خوان جارسيا قادمًا من صفوف إسبانيول، حيث يلعب بشكل أساسي مما يجعل أمر مشاركة شتيجن مع البلوجرانا بشكل أساسي مستحيل عمليًا.

Danny Rohl has now personally ordered the Rangers board make three new signings in the January transfer window, with the manager’s top transfer priority named.

Rohl is off to a solid start in the Scottish Premiership, recording victories in his opening two matches as manager, which means he already has more league wins to his name than Russell Martin, who left the Gers in nothing short of a terrible position.

Indeed, as a result of Martin’s awful start, the Teddy Bears have a lot of ground to make up if they are going to be serious contenders for the league title, with Hearts currently setting the pace at the top, opening up a 14-point lead.

As bad as the former Southampton boss was, the players must also take their share of the blame, however, and the Heart & Hand Podcast recently singled out a number of first-team stars for heavy criticism.

Consequently, the new manager may feel the need to strengthen his squad this winter, and his number one priority has now been revealed…

Rohl orders Rangers board to make three January signings

According to a report from TEAMtalk, Rohl has now ordered the Rangers board to make three signings in the January transfer window, with the club’s hierarchy ready to back their manager.

Top of the list is a ‘commanding’ new centre-back, given that doubts remain over Nasser Djiga, Clinton Nsiala, Emmanuel Fernandes, John Souttar and Derek Cornelius.

However, signing a new centre-back is not the only task on the agenda, with the 36-year-old making it clear he wants to bring in an energetic midfielder and a prolific striker.

It is clear to see why bolstering the backline is of the utmost importance, with the Gers looking shocking from a defensive point of view on multiple occasions this season, the most recent example of which being the display against SK Brann last month.

That result, in particular, will have underlined the size of the task at hand to Rohl, with James Tavernier being left disgusted by the performance.

Having also conceded nine goals across two legs against Club Brugge, the Gers should undoubtedly sign a new centre-back this winter, but a new striker wouldn’t go amiss either.

Tavenier is the only Rangers player to have scored more than two Scottish Premiership goals this season, despite being a right-back, highlighting the scale of the issues at both ends of the pitch.

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Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. wasn't included in New York's starting lineup for their playoff opener against the Red Sox Tuesday. He entered late in the game as a defensive substitute for Amed Rosario who started at second base.

The Yankees fell to the Red Sox 3–1 as they were unable to convert with bases loaded and no outs in the ninth. After the game, Chisholm was asked about manager Aaron Boone's decision to leave him out of the starting lineup, but he didn't seem too interested in discussing the matter.

"I mean I guess, yeah," Chisholm said with his back to the camera in the locker room on whether he was surprised with Boone's decision. "It's a little conversation. Not much, but yeah, just move forward after it."

Chisholm said that Boone relayed the decision to him in a text message Monday night. "I mean, got to do whatever we got to do to win, right? So, that's how I look at it," he said.

Before the game, Boone mentioned the decision was a matchup call to play the right-handed-hitting Rosario against the Red Sox' lefty ace Garrett Crochet, according to NJ.com. Righthander Brayan Bello is Boston's planned starter for Wednesday's Game 2, so Chisholm will presumably be back in the starting group.

He had one at-bat Tuesday night, hitting a flyout out in the ninth inning as the Yankees' comeback attempt fell short. Chisholm received his second All-Star appearance this year as he slashed .242/.332/.481 with 31 home runs, 80 RBIs and 31 stolen bases over the regular season. He slashed .248/.322/.411 with six homers and 19 RBIs against lefties this year.

Jake Weatherald’s last bid to push for the opening Ashes Test was undone by a brilliant Fergus O’Neill delivery after centuries to Campbell Kellaway and Marcus Harris put Victoria in the driving seat at stumps on day three against Tasmania at the Junction Oval.For the second time in the match, Tasmania’s openers were forced to negotiate a short new-ball burst before the close after a long day in the field. For the second time in the match, Weatherald was undone by a superb delivery with O’Neill pitching on middle and nipping away to catch Weatherald’s outside edge. Will Sutherland held the low juggling chance at first slip.Related

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• Khawaja on song for Queensland as Ashes loom

It left Weatherald with scores 0 and 12 in the match, after three half-centuries in his first four innings of the summer, ahead of the first Test squad being picked next week. It also left Tasmania at 28 for 1 needing a further 327 to win on the final day.Victoria set the visitors 355 on the back of an excellent 195-run partnership between Kellaway and Harris. Kellaway, 22, continued his rise to becoming one of the best domestic openers in Australia over the last 12 months with a third Shield century in 18 innings since moving to the top of the order for Victoria 11 months ago.Since the start of the 2021-22 Shield season, only Test opener Usman Khawaja averages more in Shield cricket as an opener than Kellaway’s 46.11, with Cameron Bancroft (42.37), Weatherald (40.51) and Daniel Hughes (38.20) the only others to average above 35.”I think my game is pretty well set up to play against the new ball,” Kellaway said after play. “I like to try and bat for a long period of time, so I like having that role of being the guy to try and anchor for the side.”Harris posted his 33rd first-class century, his eighth at the Junction Oval, but his first at No. 6 having slid down the order after experiencing some back tightness prior to batting on the third morning.Marcus Harris celebrated his eighth century at the Junction Oval•Getty Images

“It’s probably just got a bit worse in the last week, just wear and tear and old age,” Harris said. “I think it’s dad back. Hanging onto the kids too much.”The pair came together with Victoria struggling at 91 for 4, leading by 115 with only six wickets in hand, after Tasmania’s bowlers threatened to break the game open in the morning session.Nightwatcher Mitchell Perry edged Gabe Bell to second slip for the first breakthrough of the morning. Peter Handscomb battled to 3 off 20 balls before Riley Meredith exposed his defence. Handscomb showed all three stumps batting outside leg and got an outside edge to a ball that would have missed leg stump and nicked it into the top of off.Ollie Peake then nicked a beauty from Brad Hope which angled in and seamed away to leave Victoria struggling. But Kellaway and Harris then put together a chance-less stand to rip the game away from the visitors.Kellaway was impressive throughout, remaining disciplined in the face of some excellent bowling. He absorbed pressure and then pounced when the bowlers strayed, striking 16 fours and two sixes in his 268-ball knock.”I thought he batted brilliantly today,” Harris said. “Tricky little half an hour last night, and started really well today. He works really hard on his game.”And then I think you saw the shots he can play once he’s in. He’s got good game. He’s played well on one-day cricket. He’s a good package.”Harris meantime thrived in a different role in the middle-order having spent so much of his career grinding against the new ball.”I’ve done it a fair bit in one-day cricket,” Harris said. “I’ve done it a bit in county cricket. I’ve enjoyed it a little bit.”After Kellaway and Harris set the game up, O’Neill and Perry put Tasmania’s top three under enormous pressure with some high-class new ball bowling. Weatherald tried to be positive but was undone by an outstanding delivery. O’Neill was unlucky not have more, beating the bat several times and even hitting the stumps when Tim Ward pulled out of a delivery very late, but it was ruled a dead ball.Perry was equally unlucky at the other, beating the bat three consecutive times at one stage. But Ward and Caleb Jewell survived to set up a fascinating chase on the final day

For two seasons, signing Arda Guler looked like it might have been a mistake by Real Madrid. There were, in fact, reports that they really didn't want him in the first place, and that he was instead only brought to Santiago Bernabeu because Barcelona were so keen on signing 'The Turkish Messi' from Fenerbahce. Fast-forward, though, and that assumption now seems massively misguided.

Over the past few months, Guler has become indispensable to Xabi Alonso – and Kylian Mbappe. Rather than producing Messi-esque moments, Guler has taken on a midfield role more akin to his former team-mate and mentor, Mesut Ozil. The results have been extremely positive, as while Mbappe continues to work on his on-field relationships with fellow superstars Vinicius Jr and Jude Bellingham, he has found a player in Guler who can provide him with the final pass and ensure that he at least keeps up his end of the bargain by banging in goal after goal.

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  Barca hijacked

  When Guler first broke onto the scene as a teenage prodigy in Turkey, it was Barca – along with Arsenal – who were most routinely linked with his signature. The Blaugrana lacked a creative player of his ilk, and there was a feeling in Catalunya that Guler could be developed into a star of the future alongside the club's homegrown talents. 

  In early 2023, Barca club president Joan Laporta went on record promising that the deal was all-but done – with the condition that Guler would not arrive until the start of the following campaign. 

  “Today [Barca sporting director] Deco was in Istanbul,” said Laporta. "La Liga allows us to carry out operations for next season without impacting ‘Financial Fair Play’. Arda Guler is a very talented player who Deco likes a lot, and we are trying to close the operation."

  And then Madrid stepped in. Los Blancos insist that they had their eye on Guler for months before Barca made their move, but their Clasico rivals weren't so convinced. Madrid offered an initial €20 million (£17m/$22m), with the promise of another €10m in add-ons, and ensured Guler that he would be given minutes in the first team from day one. Laporta later came out, in very Laporta style, and insisted that it would have been a mistake to sign Guler anyway.

  "We moved away from the Guler operation because of the magnitude it was reaching. We thought it would be a mistake on our part," he said after Madrid announced the teenager's signing. "There are more players that I think we can get without entering such a bidding war.

  "We could have come to compete for Guler, but we decided not to. We have a certain line and we don't cross it. Neither with Arda nor with other players who want to come to Barca."

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  Made to wait

  When Guler arrived into the Spanish capital, his quality on the ball could not be denied, but there were clearly physical limitations given the stage of his development, and perhaps unsurprisingly he swiftly picked up an injury which forced him to watch from the Bernabeu stands for months before he was eventually handed his debut in January 2024. Even then, though, Carlo Ancelotti seemed unconvinced.

  "He did an hour well but obviously he is not at his best physically," the then-Madrid boss said. "The important thing was for him to get used to playing with the team, to show his quality. You have to be patient. He showed the quality he has in the first half. He has personality and character, it’s true. That’s a good thing. He stands out for the quality he has above all, but character is important to do well at Real Madrid."

  Guler was subsequently made to wait for more opportunities, with Luka Modric preferred to him on a number of occasions while Bellingham thrived in the other advanced midfield role. The Turkey international did score six goals in his final seven La Liga appearances of the season as Ancelotti rotated in a bid to win the Champions League after sealing the league title, but that did little to convince the legendary Italian coach of Guler's capabilities, and he was trusted to start just 18 games across all competitions in 2024-25, averaging just 41 minutes per appearance.

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  Impressive numbers

  Alonso has, by contrast, had no such reservations and has instead made Guler a crucial part of his set-up from his very first games in charge at the Club World Cup. The ex-Bayer Leverkusen boss brought the playmaker on at half-time in Madrid's opening game against Al-Hilal, and he subsequently remained in the line up for the rest of their run to the semi-finals.

  That faith has continued into the 2025-26 campaign, where Guler has started 14 of Madrid's 16 games in all competitions thus far, returning three goals and six assists. When you consider his performances for Turkey in World Cup qualifying, and he has totalled 15 goal contributions in around 1,700 minutes on the pitch.

  Within La Liga, Guler's average of 0.91 goal contributions every 90 minutes for Madrid puts him in the 98th percentile within the division, while the 40 chances he has created in all competitions makes him the leader among players in Europe's 'Big Five' leagues.

  Alonso has also called on Guler to improve the defensive side of his game, and the numbers suggest he is well on his way to doing so. His 0.74 interceptions per 90 minutes are in the 74th percentile among attacking midfielders, while his tackles won, 1.78, puts him in the 84th percentile. Those numbers are hardly elite, but they aren't bad either – especially for a team that consistently has more of the ball than their opponents and has a real desire to win it back as quickly as possible. 

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  Strong connection

  Perhaps most important for Madrid's chances of success in the coming months, however, is Guler's connection with Mbappe. The Frenchman and Vinicius might profile as a devastating attacking duo, but they are seldom on the same wavelength, and that can lead to promising attacks breaking down when the pair try to combine.

  By comparison, Guler and Mbappe have developed far more of a connection. All six of the Turkey midfielder's assists this season have been for Mbappe, and Guler has spoken of how they "understand each other very well," while being compared to another devastating duo of recent Madrid past.

  “I like the comparisons between Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Ozil and Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler," the 20-year-old said when asked whether he can replicate Ozil, who assisted goals for Ronald on 39 occasions during their time together at the Bernabeu. "They’ve achieved great things, but significant success is always achieved by a team, never just two players."  

  Guler's ability to pick a pass has helped Mbappe maintain his central position far more this season, with the Frenchman much more keen to combine with Madrid's No.15 rather than edge away from Guler's position on the right of the midfield three and towards his favoured left-hand side. As such, Alonso's Madrid look much more balanced than they did under Ancelotti last term.