The Chicago Cubs escaped with a 5–3 win at home against the Baltimore Orioles Sunday, thanks to a bit of late heroics from veteran infielder Justin Turner.
Turner came to the plate with the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, and proceeded to hit a walk-off two-run home run off Orioles reliever Keegan Akin to clinch the victory. It was the first walk-off home run in the regular season in Turner's career, which has spanned 17 seasons and 1,736 games.
Never before had Turner hit a walk-off home run, but at the twilight of his career at age 40, he got the job done in order to give the Cubs an important win against Baltimore. Even more impressive, he did so as a pinch-hitter, stepping in during a dire spot and coming through with a home run the likes of which he'd never managed to hit in his near two-decade long career.
On the year, Turner now has three home runs and 15 RBIs, having been used as more of a bench piece for Chicago. Across 58 games, he has a .616 OPS and a total of eight extra base hits. Though his production has slowed, he was still able to come up with some clutch heroics to clinch a series victory against one of his former teams.
Milwaukee Brewers rookie phenom Jacob Misiorowski toed the rubber Tuesday night against the formidable Los Angeles Dodgers offense. After surrendering a leadoff home run to Shohei Ohtani, Misiorowski dialed in and didn't allow another run.
He ended his night with 12 strikeouts, one walk and four hits allowed across six innings. The 23-year-old picked up his fourth win of the season while also out-dueling one of MLB's all-time great starting pitchers in Clayton Kershaw.
Kershaw had been asked about the up-and-coming Misiorowski prior to Tuesday's game, and admitted he wasn't even aware of who he'd be competing against on the mound and referred to the rookie as the "twisted-his-ankle guy."
"Is that the guy who twisted his ankle on the mound? The 'twisted-his-ankle' guy. I know he throws hard. I saw a couple highlights. He throws hard. But so does everybody," Kershaw said, referring to Misiorowski exiting his MLB debut in the midst of a no-hit bid after twisting his ankle.
After defeating the Dodgers in emphatic fashion, Misiorowski was asked about those remarks, and he remained classy in his response.
"I saw something online that he doesn’t know who I was. So I hope that he knows me now. It’s kind of cool," said Misiorowski, via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
The rookie added that he has "all the respect in the world" for Kershaw and said it was "awesome" to have the opportunity to pitch against the future Hall of Famer.
He certainly left a strong impression on L.A.'s lineup after mowing down 12 hitters, including some of the best batters in baseball, in the win. So, if Misiorowski wasn't on Kershaw's radar prior to Tuesday's game, he certainly is now.
Manchester United will still be without Matheus Cunha, Harry Maguire and Benjamin Sesko for their next game against Crystal Palace as they look to respond to their chastening defeat against 10-man Everton. Cunha sustained a knock in training before the Everton game and Amorim has confirmed that while he will not be back to face Oliver Glasner's side, he could return to face West Ham on Thursday.
Cunha, Maguire and Sesko still out
United missed Cunha and Sesko badly as they failed to break down Everton despite Idrissa Gueye being sent off in the 13th minute at Old Trafford as the Red Devils lost a home game against 10 men for the first time in Premier League history. Sesko was ruled out for up to a month following his injury against Tottenham just before the international break and Amorim has confirmed that the £74m striker is still recovering and has stressed that the club will handle the injury carefully. United are also without Harry Maguire for Sunday's trip to Selhurst Park, where they have not won a game in more than five years.
"Sesko is going to take a little bit more time, Harry the same," Amorim told a press conference. "I expect to have Matheus back in the next one, not this one."
AdvertisementGetty Images'Tough' week after Everton loss
Amorim admitted that spirits have been low after the Everton game and reflected that United should be in a much better position than 10th in the Premier League 12 games into the season.
He said: "In our club it is the same thing because last year we had to win every game all the time and we took a lot of criticism because we are not winning. So in our club there is no excuses. About Europe, I have already talked about Europe and I said the same thing last year when we were in Europe, and I say the same thing this year, the advantage and disadvantage of being in Europe so there is no excuses. Last year or this year it is always to win games.
"If I look at the games we should have more points because we had control of some games, we had the advantage in some games and we lost that control. So if I look at our games we should have more points and that is really disappointing and really frustrating especially in the last game. In our club it is the same thing because last year we had to win every game all the time and we took a lot of criticism because we are not winning. So in our club there is no excuses.
"It [the aim] is to start again and it was really tough the week as it should be. It was hard after this result, this defeat. But the process needs to continue and we need to go for the next game and we have to understand, especially in our league this year, everything can change really fast so let's go again and focus on the next one."
Palace doing better than United with same formation
Palace coach Oliver Glasner uses the same 3-4-3 formation as Amorim but has had more success than the Portuguese since arriving in England in February 2024. He led the Eagles to win the FA Cup last season, their first ever major trophy, while they are fifth in the table heading into Sunday's game. Their spirits could be a little deflated though following defeat to Strasbourg in the Europa Conference League.
Amorim admitted that Palace are in better shape than United but stressed that they are different clubs with different levels of expectation. He said: "We play a different way and you can understand that by data but it is hard to explain everything. It is a different club and they are doing better than us so that is quite simple but you don't say all 3-4-3s play in the same way. We play in a different moment, we defend in different space and we try to attack in a different way and they are just doing things better than us.
"I take inspiration from everyone. When I have two weeks for national teams, I watch all the managers and try to take all the inspiration that I can take. I have six years as a manager and I am always trying to learn to improve my team."
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Getty Images SportAmorim hoping to improve on poor away record
United have won just one of their seven away games this season in all competitions, with champions Liverpool being the only team they have beaten on their travels. That momentous victory looks less impressive now though given the fact that Palace, Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven have all since won at Anfield.
Amorim could not give a clear answer on why his side have struggled so much away from home and stressed the importance of learning to cling on to their leads after throwing away advanages in their last two outings at Nottingham Forest and Tottenham.
"We need to do to show to the players why we lost control of Forest why we lost control against Tottenham. And if you look at those games they were there to win," he said. "Sometimes a small detail can change everything. Then I felt this year when we play at home the intensity is higher and I felt in this game at home the intensity was not at the same level so I think it is something that we need to work on. It is hard to point at one thing why we are not winning away. There is a lot of issues that we are improving. Like I say, we have advantage in the away games but we need to know how to finish the games in order to win."
The U.S. Women’s National Team will open 2026 with its annual January training camp in Southern California, holding sessions at Dignity Health Sports Park from Jan. 17–27. The camp will include a friendly against Paraguay on Jan. 24, featuring a special retirement celebration for Los Angeles native Christen Press, before a second match on Jan. 27 that will be announced at a later date.
Getty Images SportImportance of January camp
Emma Hayes emphasized the importance of January camp, noting that a full week of uninterrupted training and two matches will be vital preparation for a pivotal 2026 and the start of World Cup qualifying.
“January camp is a vitally important part of our yearly schedule, especially with 2026 being a year that will host World Cup qualifying,” Hayes said in the press release. “We don’t get many training days together during any given year, so there is a high value in getting a whole week of training as well as two matches. I was pleased with the progress we made as a team in 2025, but we still have a ways to go to get to where we want to be heading into the Concacaf W Championship in the fall.”
The Jan. 24 match against Paraguay will feature a special retirement celebration for Los Angeles native Christen Press, who concluded her illustrious playing career this year. Press leaves the game as one of the most accomplished forwards in U.S. soccer history. Her 64 international goals rank ninth all-time for the USWNT, and she played a crucial role in the team's back-to-back Women's World Cup championships in 2015 and 2019.
Getty Images SportHomecoming
The USWNT's return to Dignity Health Sports Park carries special significance after last year's planned January camp at the venue had to be relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, due to devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area. The stadium, which has operated under various names since opening in 2003, has hosted 21 USWNT matches – more than any other venue in program history.
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Getty Images SportJanuary fixtures set stage for critical World Cup
Following the Jan. 24 match against Paraguay, the USWNT will face another opponent on Jan. 27 at a venue to be announced soon, completing the camp schedule. The matches represent the beginning of an important year as the team builds toward the Concacaf W Championship in fall 2026, which serves as the qualifying tournament for the next World Cup cycle.
Liverpool are now reportedly racing Real Madrid to sign Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille in 2026 amid comparisons with France midfielder Eduardo Camavinga.
After spending over £400m in the summer, the Reds have set their sights on further arrivals to solve the glaring problems in Arne Slot’s squad. The Premier League champions find themselves in an unprecedented position, having lost six of their last seven games in all competitions.
They must find a solution against Aston Villa this weekend and their manager expects them to do exactly that back in front of their home fans in the league.
The Dutchman did, however, confirm that Liverpool are likely to be without record signing Alexander Isak and midfielder Curtis Jones just as Ryan Gravenberch works towards making a return.
No one expected Liverpool to find themselves in this position after spending big in the summer, but it’s now something that Slot must use to prove his worth.
The Premier League crown has slipped and for the first time, he is under increasing pressure. That said, it would be incredibly out of character for Michael Edwards to make any immediate decisions and last year’s title has certainly bought Slot plenty of time to turn things around.
What could change instead is the personnel on the pitch. Despite spending big in the summer, Liverpool could yet welcome further reinforcements in 2026 after Slot complained about squad depth in midweek.
This could finally see Marc Guehi arrive as well as teenage sensation Bouaddi in what would be two excellent moves.
Liverpool learn placement in Bouaddi race
According to reporter Graeme Bailey, Liverpool are now battling Real Madrid to sign Boauddi from Lille, who are readying themselves for the inevitable sale of their 18-year-old star.
Compared to Camavinga by Football Transfers, Bouaddi has become the most “talked-about player in Europe”, according to Bailey, and it’s now Liverpool who are “most interested” alongside Premier League rivals Arsenal.
Liverpool have been left burned by Real Madrid in past transfer windows, so they should be desperate to avoid a repeat and land one of Europe’s most promising stars.
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Their midfield is far from set these days, either. Alongside Dominik Szoboszlai and Gravenberch, there has been a missing piece as of late that Bouaddi could provide for years to come.
Forget Endo: Liverpool star is looking like Fabinho in his final season
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank says a “not as highlighted” member of his Spurs squad is extremely underappreciated ahead of his side’s Carabao Cup trip to Newcastle on Wednesday.
Tottenham defence shines in 3-0 victory at Everton
On Sunday, the Lilywhites continued their solid start to the campaign overall by making history away to Everton.
Tottenham became the first away team to win at the brand new Hill Dickinson Stadium on Merseyside, with a brace from star defender Micky van de Ven and substitute Pape Sarr catapulting the north Londoners to third in the Premier League.
In the build up, much was made about Spurs’ problems with creativity in the final third, especially after a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa last weekend and their tepid 0-0 draw away to Monaco in the Champions League — where goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario spared their blushes time and time again with fantastic saves.
Vicario did make a vital stop to prevent Everton from going 1-0 up with a fine, point-blank save from Jack Grealish before van de Ven opened the scoring midway through the first-half.
The Toffees did briefly equalise, only for the goal to be chalked off for a foul on Vicario, with van de Ven then doubling the away side’s lead by getting on the end of another corner just before half-time.
Vicario’s fine form continued, thwarting Beto’s acrobatic overhead kick with an excellent reflex save from close range before denying them again. Richarlison had a chance to kill the game off when he found himself in on goal, but Jordan Pickford frustrated the Brazilian with a one-on-one save.
However, the striker redeemed himself with an assist for Sarr in the 89th minute to seal all three points for Frank’s side – putting what was a torrid week behind them as they prepare for another tough trip to St. James’ Park on Wednesday.
Tottenham will be without nine players to face Eddie Howe’s side, with Frank confirming no changes to their absentee list from their win at Everton.
Dejan Kulusevski
Knee
22/11/2025
James Maddison
ACL
01/06/2026
Radu Dragusin
Knee
22/11/2025
Ben Davies
Thigh
23/11/2025
Yves Bissouma
Ankle/Foot
08/11/2025
Kota Takai
Ankle/Foot
08/11/2025
Cristian Romero
Groin
01/11/2025
Destiny Udogie
Knee
08/11/2025
Dominic Solanke
Ankle
08/11/2025
via Premier Injuries
While van de Ven stole all the headlines for his obvious contribution, January signing Kevin Danso also enjoyed an absolutely solid outing.
The 27-year-old, tasked with replacing Cristian Romero, has done an excellent job in the Argentine’s stead, especially against Everton, with Danso winning 100 per cent of his duels, both in the air and on the ground.
Danso also made a whopping 18 clearances at the Hill Dickinson, and his defensive heroics were key to Spurs coming away with a much-needed three points.
Minutes
90
90
Tackles won
1/1
0/0
Clearances
18
7
Blocked shots
2
0
Ball recoveries
3
2
Ground duels won
2/2
1/2
Aerial duels won
4/4
1/4
In the aftermath, Frank was quick to herald Danso’s contribution.
Thomas Frank says Kevin Danso is Tottenham's underrated star
Speaking after Tottenham’s win at Everton in a post-match press conference, Frank claimed Danso’s performance was “not as highlighted”, but just as vital to his side claiming victory.
When asked about Danso again before Tottenham’s trip to the North East, Frank piled more praise on the Austrian – claiming he deserves praise.
Danso was brought in at the start of the year to help Spurs during their defensive injury crisis under ex-boss Ange Postecoglou, and he’s hardly set a foot wrong.
Signed on an initial loan with which became permanent for £21 million in the summer, Danso is proving to be worth every penny, but reports suggest he could face stiff competition for minutes pretty soon.
Tottenham are believed to be in the market for another defender in January, despite Danso’s presence and Radu Dragusin coming back from injury, so it will be interesting to see how often he’ll feature for Frank if a new centre-back comes through the door.
David Alaba has rejoined Real Madrid group training and is expected to be in the squad for Sunday's La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano, providing a major boost for Xabi Alonso. The defender returns from a calf injury that has seen him miss four games, as the club continues to cope with injuries to Antonio Rudiger, Dani Carvajal and Aurelien Tchouameni.
Alaba's return provides crucial defensive relief
Madrid have received a significant defensive boost as Alaba has rejoined group training and is poised to make his return to the squad for match against Vallecano, according to a report from .
The 33-year-old defender's return provides a timely solution for manager, whose squad has been severely depleted by injuries, particularly in defence.
Alaba participated in the majority of group exercises during Friday's training session at Valdebebas, with the outlook for his recovery described as "very positive." The Austrian international is expected to complete Saturday's final session without issue and be named in Alonso's squad for the trip to Vallecas.
The comeback of the experienced centre-back is a critical development for Real Madrid, who are facing an injury crisis in their backline. Alonso remains without four key players for the upcoming league fixture.
The injury list includes starting right-back Carvajal and fellow centre-back Rudiger, whose absence has compounded Madrid's defensive woes.
Furthermore, the club is without key defensive midfielder Tchouameni, who was the latest player to be sidelined. The Frenchman is suffering from a semitendinosus muscle injury in his left leg and is not expected to reappear until after the upcoming international break. His target is reportedly the match against Elche on November 23. Youngster Franco Mastantuono also remains unavailable.
Alaba has been sidelined for Madrid's last four matches after sustaining a strain in his right calf muscle, identified as a soleus injury. The setback occurred at the end of the first half of the club's league match against Getafe on 19 October.
His injury, coinciding with Rudiger's spell on the treatment table, forced Alonso to field a makeshift defensive partnership. The manager has had to consolidate a centre-back pairing of Eder Militao and 20-year-old summer signing Dean Huijsen.
This pairing was further disrupted during Alaba's absence, with Spanish international Huijsen also missing the Champions League match against Juventus, highlighting the precarious lack of depth Alonso has been navigating.
A difficult start to the 2025-26 season
The injury has been a frustrating interruption for Alaba, who has had a limited impact on the 2025-26 campaign. The defender, whose contract expires in 2026, has struggled for consistent fitness and game time.
Prior to his injury, the Austrian had featured in only four matches for Madrid this season, accumulating just 145 minutes of playing time.
His involvement has been sporadic, receiving minutes from the bench against Real Sociedad and Levante in La Liga, and making one start on the second matchday of the Champions League in Almaty.
His return to fitness is therefore crucial not only for the team's immediate needs but also for Alaba himself as he looks to re-establish his role as a cornerstone of the Madrid defence.
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AFPWhat next? Vallecas test and historic Austria call-up
Provided he passes Saturday's final fitness test, Alaba will be in line for minutes in Sunday's La Liga encounter at Vallecas. Following the match against Rayo Vallecano, Alaba's immediate focus will shift to international duty. The defender has been called up by manager Ralf Rangnick for a potentially huge international break for Austria.
The Austrian national team are on the verge of securing qualification for the next World Cup, an achievement they have not managed in 28 years. The country's last appearance at the tournament was in 1998 when it was held in France.
Austria will face Cyprus on Saturday, November 15, before a match against Bosnia-Herzegovina the following Tuesday evening. Alaba's return to fitness will be a welcome sight for Rangnick, who will rely on his captain's leadership and experience as his side attempts to make history.
If Arsenal are going to achieve what they want to achieve this season, their success is seemingly going to be built on a foundation of 2-0 wins.
Mikel Arteta’s team have enjoyed back-to-back victories by that scoreline this week, beating Olympiacos in the Champions League on Wednesday, before downing West Ham on Saturday, with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka the scorers.
The Hammers did not muster a single shot on target, ending the afternoon with a miserly xG of just 0.49, while the Gunners have now conceded just three goals in ten matches across all competitions; Dominik Szoboszlai, Erling Braut Håland and Nick Woltemade the only men to find the target against them to date.
Thus, Arteta’s team remain watertight at the back, but will be hoping for a little bit more at the other end of the pitch, so will their new centre-forward click into gear, and did they actually sell a home-grown version who has been starring in Europe since departing?
Viktor Gyökeres' mixed start to life at Arsenal
Fair to say, after arriving from Sporting Clube de Portugal for around £62m, Viktor Gyökeres did so with sky-high expectations.
Despite Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus’ array of qualities, Arsenal have not had a truly reliable goalscorer since the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in January 2022, and Gyökeres’ tally of 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting speaks for itself.
Last month, at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, the Swedish international was awarded the Gerd Müller Trophy, given to the highest-scoring striker in European football, but he doesn’t quite look like a world beater just yet in red and white.
His statistics below underline his mixed start to life in North London.
As the table documents, in nine appearances, Gyökeres does have three goals to his name, but it could be more.
Appearances
9
Minutes
733
Goals
3
Assists
Zero
Shots
18
Shots on target
7
Big chances missed
7
Expected goals
3.94
Chances created
6
Big chances created
Zero
Expected assists
0.5
Touches per 90
27.15
% of touches in box
26%
Average SofaScore rating
6.57
His expected goals figure is almost four, while he has so far missed seven Opta-defined big chances across the Premier League and Champions League.
The numbers also show that the striker is offering almost nothing from a creation point of view, mustering just 27 touches per 90, of which more than a quarter come in the opposition’s penalty area.
Patience is required; Gyökeres is taking time to adapt to his new teammates, who are likewise still adapting to him.
However, did the Gunners sell their own home-grown Gyökeres for just £4m, a player who has been absolutely on fire since leaving?
Arsenal's home-grown Viktor Gyökeres
Back in 2021, Arsenal poached an 18-year-old by the name of Mika Biereth from Fulham, an event that would’ve passed most Gooners by, considering he never made a single first-team appearance for the club.
However, he was prolific in Premier League 2, scoring 11 times in 21 games, subsequently loaned out to RKC Waalwijk and then Motherwell, certainly catching the eye during his very brief spell at Fir Park, bagging six goals in 14 Premiership outings for the Steelmen.
His loan in North Lanarkshire was abruptly cut short, allowing him to move to Sturm Graz, first on loan and then permanently for £4m, really making his name in Austria.
Biereth scored 23 times in just 47 appearances for die Schwoazn, averaging a goal every 156 minutes, helping them win a domestic double, as well as bagging three goals in four outings in the Conference League, before netting against Girona and Lille in the Champions League too. As the forward self-proclaimed in one interview, “like Haaland, all I really care about is scoring goals”. He’s like Gyokeres in that regard too.
Thus, back in January, Monaco moved quickly to sign the now 22-year-old for a reported fee of €15m (around £13m).
This quickly looked like a very shrewd investment because, in Ligue 1 last season, Biereth scored 13 times in just 16 appearances, including bagging hat-tricks against Auxerre, Nantes and Reims, firing les Monégasques to a third-place finish.
As a result of this form, Football Transfers estimate that the Danish international’s current market value is now around £23m, representing a 464% increase on what Arsenal sold him for.
The Gunners did pocket around £1m via a sell-on clause when the striker swapped Sturm Graz for the Principality, but could have earned so much more had they given Biereth a chance.
Admittedly, he has only scored once so far this season, on target during a 5-2 victory over Metz at Stade Louis II last month, so only time will tell if he was just a one-season wonder, or if this is a brief blip.
AS Monaco's Mika Biereth celebrates.
Nevertheless, given that Gyökeres is yet to be firing on all cylinders, perhaps Biereth would have been a more effective option to spearhead this Arsenal attack.
Not Saka or Rice: 8/10 monster is now looking like Arsenal's best player
Arsenal’s title bid continued with a routine win over West Ham United on Saturday afternoon
Boucher “stunned me with the conversations he had with me” during IPL 2008, Kohli says
ESPNcricinfo staff06-May-2025When a young Virat Kohli first came to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in 2008, in a dressing room filled with the Indian greats like Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, it was South Africa’s Mark Boucher who had the biggest impact on him.Speaking on RCB’s podcast , Kohli said Boucher “stunned him” with the conversations he had with him. Unprompted, Boucher told Kohli what his weaknesses were and worked with him on them.”Out of all the players that I played with initially, Mark Boucher had the biggest impact on me as a young kid,” Kohli said. “He was the only guy I saw who came with the mindset that ‘Okay, I’m going to come in and help some of the young Indian players’.Related
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“He saw me play and saw a bit of potential. He figured out what my weaknesses could be, like if I wanted to go to the next level, this is what I need to do, without me asking him anything. He said, ‘Okay, I’ve seen you play this and we need to work on this, that, and a couple more things.’ So he took me to the nets, he said, ‘You need to work on the short ball. No one’s going to give you a chance in international cricket if you can’t pull the ball.'”He was hitting these tennis balls at me at a pace where I was like, if this is what it’s going to take, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it to the next level. But he really kept at it. I started becoming better. I remember a game we were playing in Chennai or Kolkata, and he told me, ‘When I come to commentate in India in four years from now, if I don’t see you playing for India, you would do a disservice to yourself.'”He really stunned me with the conversations that he had with me. And that really pushed me in the direction where I said I needed to start looking at how I could keep becoming better.”
“I just could not sleep. I was awake till five in the morning, staring at the ceiling. I was like, this is it. I’ve been called after a year and I’ve just messed it all up”Kohli, after the Pakistan match at the 2009 Champions Trophy
Later that year, Kohli made his ODI debut in Sri Lanka. He came into the side in place of Sachin Tendulkar, who was out with a niggle. But once Tendulkar returned, there was no place for Kohli.Kohli knew he was not the “most technically sound” batter but his willingness to improve and to fight it out in the middle helped him raise his game. His next big opportunity came when Yuvraj Singh got injured ahead of the 2009 Champions Trophy, and he was called up just before India’s opening game, against Pakistan in Centurion.”That was my first India-Pakistan game. I scored about 16. I tried to hit Shahid Afridi for a six straight down the ground and got caught at long-on [long-off], and we lost that game. It was an important moment in the game. And my heart was beating so fast through the whole innings. I could not process everything that happened within those four days.Virat Kohli was full of self-doubt after falling to Shahid Afridi at the 2009 Champions Trophy•Getty Images”It was a big loss, and I just could not sleep. I was awake till five in the morning, staring at the ceiling. I was like, ‘This is it. I’ve been called after a year and I’ve just messed it all up. I don’t know how this is going to shape up.’ I had a lot of moments like that where I really, really doubted myself and I had to again kind of recalibrate and find a way to slowly build up again.”On 2024 T20 World Cup: ‘I was walking in with no confidence’From looking to hit the ball instinctively to being the best anchor in the world, the journey for Kohli came full circle a couple of years ago, when he decided to shed inhibitions to keep pace with T20 cricket.”In the last couple of seasons, I have consciously made an effort to evolve my game,” he said. “And I’ve seen the results of it. Again, to the point where I had to let go of people wanting to see me, this is who I am, and just go and hit the ball.”You start from wanting to hit the ball and then you go through this whole journey of becoming someone. Expectations, this and that, to a point where you feel like this is actually pulling me back. And you have to push through and again get to the point where you say, just hit the ball. That’s the only constant that remains for a cricketer.Kohli hit three boundaries in the first over of the 2024 T20 World Cup final•ICC/Getty Images”I looked to make a few changes, which I’m very happy about, because I had to kind of go out of my comfort zone and try different things. Again, the fear of failure cannot enter that space. So I knew that I was going to get out a few times [cheaply] and that’s okay. I’m not going to expect myself to get 70, 80, 90 every game. Even an impactful 35-40 that helps the team is good enough for me.”Kohli went into the 2024 T20 World Cup with this mindset. However, he had just 75 runs in nine innings before the final. In the final against South Africa, with India 34 for 3 in the fifth over, Kohli switched back to his natural game. He scored 76 off 59 balls as India posted, and just about defended, 176.”I was not able to get runs through the tournament and I am grateful that I was put in that pressure situation again. I was walking in with no confidence, and then when things are supposed to unfold for you, I get three balls, I get three boundaries and I’m like, what is this game? One day you feel like you can’t get a run and suddenly you walk into one of the biggest days of your career and things just start happening.”And then you are put in this situation where the team needs you, and this performance happens through you. And you’re like, how? And that’s when you kind of understand, okay, this is the amount of hard work, and then you arrive at the ground. And then whatever has to take place will take place. The preparation is in my hands. The results are not in my hands. I just have to stay true to my instinct. If I have to hit the ball, I have to hit the ball. That is my only responsibility. Where that ball goes, how the execution will happen – that all depends on [other factors] because there are other people playing as well. We tend to forget this.”
كشف ييس توروب، المدير الفني للنادي الأهلي، عن اللاعبين البدلاء في مباراة إيجل نوار البوروندي، التي تقام بين الفريقين اليوم السبت.
ويلعب الأهلي ضد إيجل نوار، ضمن مواجهة الذهاب لدور الـ 32 من عمر منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، وذلك على ملعب الفريق البوروندي.
طالع | تشكيل الأهلي أمام إيجل نوار في دوري أبطال إفريقيا.. توروب يدفع بـ القوة الضاربة
وتعد المباراة الظهور الأول، للمدرب ييس توروب، في القيادة الفنية للنادي الأهلي، بعد تعيينه خلفًا للإسباني خوسيه ريبيرو. بدلاء الأهلي اليوم أمام إيجل نوار في دوري أبطال إفريقيا
مصطفى شوبير وعمر كمال عبدالواحد وأحمد عبد القادر وأحمد رمضان بيكهام، وجراديشار ومحمد مجدي أفشة ومصطفى العش وأليو ديانج وطاهر محمد طاهر.
يذكر، أن مباراة الأهلي وإيجل نوار البوروندي، في إياب دور الـ32 من دوري أبطال إفريقيا، ستقام في الثامنة مساء يوم السبت المقبل 25 أكتوبر، على ستاد القاهرة الدولي.