Browsing: Football

Who are the highest-paid footballers in the world?

Unsurprisingly, there’s plenty of crossover between the best players in the world right now and the best-paid, with superstars capable of deciding games commanding the best pay packets.

Source link

Pre-match there are plenty of sore heads, which most opt to medicate with a free pint being offered by the Fog on the Tyne pub to the first 100 Truro fans who show up.

Gateshead have the lowest average attendance in the National League, but play in a 11,800-capacity stadium designed to also host athletics events and gigs.

The home stands are almost entirely empty, the temperature has dropped, and teeth are chattering on the away terrace as Truro kick off.

The away attendance is 185, higher than usual, partly swelled by those enticed by the novelty of the journey and the presence of a few neutral groundhoppers wanting to be part of history.

Truro are uncharacteristically electric when the match begins. They deservedly lead after five minutes through Dominic Johnson-Fisher.

After two more goals are disallowed, they double their lead just before half-time through defender Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose father Mark and brother Alex played for England during their careers.

At half-time the away end is bedlam.

But after the break Gateshead improve and score twice to equalise, the second goal coming in the 70th minute through striker Frank Nouble, who played in the Premier League for West Ham at the start of his senior career.

Truro have a golden chance to win it in stoppage time, one-on-one with the keeper to beat, but Luke Jephcott puts his finish wide.

“I’d have taken a point before kick-off, I suppose,” says Sharon Hinds, a decades-long fan who also played for the club’s women’s team.

“I’d be lost without coming to matches. We’ve been tiny for so long but feel like giants now.

“We’re a proper family that takes care of each when things are hard. It’s beautiful, really.”

Source link

Former New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson registered his first-ever golden duck in ODIs (Image credit: X) NEW DELHI: Former New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson registered his first-ever golden duck in ODIs during the opening match against England at Mount Maunganui, falling to Brydon Carse on the very first ball of his innings while chasing 224.The rare dismissal stood out in Williamsonâ€s illustrious ODI career — before this game, he had recorded only five ducks in 165 innings, with just two coming since 2010. His previous duck dated back to 2016.England had earlier recovered from a disastrous 33 for 5 to post a competitive 223, courtesy of a remarkable counter-attacking innings from Harry Brook. New Zealandâ€s chase stumbled early, slipping to 12 for 2 after Williamsonâ€s wicket, and further to 66 for 4 following Tom Lathamâ€s departure.

Why Virat Kohli in India XI for World Cup 2027 will be bad news | Greenstone Lobo predicts

This match marked Williamsonâ€s first international appearance since the Champions Trophy 2025 final against India, where he managed 11 off 14 balls before falling to Kuldeep Yadav.At 35, Williamson now features for New Zealand on a part-time contract, carefully picking his international assignments. Earlier this year, he opted out of several national fixtures — including Tests — to focus on county cricket and The Hundred.The golden duck came when Williamson, batting at No.3, edged a full delivery from Carse to the keeper, leaving New Zealand in early trouble in what turned into a difficult chase.

Source link

• Joey Lynch

  Close

  Joey Lynch is a Melbourne-based sports journalist and AYA cancer advocate. Primarily working on football, he has covered the Socceroos, Matildas and A-Leagues for ESPN for over a decade.

Oct 25, 2025, 07:52 PM ET

The most obvious theme of the Matildas’ clash with Wales on Saturday, one that saw Australia take out a 2-1 win thanks to Caitlin Foord’s 85th-minute strike, was that of reconnection.

725 days after she last pulled on the green-and-gold, Sam Kerr was back in action for Australia’s women, starting up top alongside familiar collaborators Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso. And while the striker’s inability to get even the most glancing of touches on Courtney Nevin’s 28th-minute opener denied the headline writers their chance to celebrate her international return with a goal on debut — the fullback instead getting her first international goal with the free kick — the 65 minutes of football Kerr logged represented an important milestone in the journey to, what Australia hopes, will be a fit and firing talisman leading the line at next year’s home Women’s Asian Cup.

But just as one pivotal figure in the growth of women’s football Down Under was reintroducing herself on the international stage, another was making her farewell. Jess Fishlock played for the 166th and final time in a Welsh shirt, following last week’s announcement that the clash with the Matildas would be the final one in a 19-year Cymru career. It added an extra level of reverence to Saturday’s contest, something that even the most oblivious of observers would have been able to pick up when Fishlock led the stadium in one of the most stirring renditions of “Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau” you’re ever likely to hear.

– Aussies abroad: Where every Matildas star is playing in 2025
– Ranking the 10 greatest NWSL teams of all time: Who’s No. 1?
– NWSL Power Rankings: Marta has Orlando looking ominous again

A couple of hours later, as the fourth official’s board went up and signalled Fishlock’s 92nd-minute withdrawal for youngster Tianna Teisar, it was time for the crowd to rise again, not to be led in song by their living legend but to serenade her with cheers on the pitch for one final time. As the 38-year-old made her way off the pitch, waving to stands that had risen to their feet to bid her farewell, she was first embraced by Matildas coach Joe Montemurro, who had coached her at both Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City in the A-League Women, and then by Welsh boss Rhian Wilkinson, with both dugouts behind them also rising to their feet. A deserved mark of respect for a player who left a lasting mark on Australian football and an irreplaceable one on the Welsh game.

“I love being Welsh,” Fishlock would tell the crowd post-game and go on to add, “I don’t want to be sad about it because I’ve had the best time ever.”

It should probably be noted that Fishlock’s departure from the international stage doesn’t represent a total farewell, of course; the veteran will return to the Seattle Reign for the NWSL playoffs following the international window and told the BBC earlier this week that she hopes to play for another season in 2026. But a year on from the international retirements of Clare Polkinghorne and Lydia Williams, and with Australia preparing to mark another landmark in the growth of the women’s game through its hosting of next year’s Asian Cup, Fishlock’s departure from the international game, and the inextricable march towards the point where she will hang up the boots completely, feels like yet another marker of the looming end of a golden era.

Across stints with both Victory and City, Fishlock became a four-time champion of the W-League (now the A-League Women) during her time in Australia, as well as a two-time premier. Taking the reins of City as a player-coach following Montemurro’s shift across to City’s men’s teams — a role he would only briefly hold before departing to take over at Arsenal — Fishlock joined a select group of women to coach a side to a championship when City lifted the 2016-17 title, the second of three straight she would win in Bundoora.

Jess Fishlock played for the 166th and final time in a Cymru shirt on Saturday, having left indelible mark on Welsh football, Australian football, and pretty much everywhere in between. Harry Murphy/Getty Images

Few players who have ever graced the Dub have demonstrated the ability to take over games quite like Fishlock did at City, with there existing some fixtures in which it simply looked like she’d simply decided that she wasn’t going to lose this game and then manifested a more favourable result through sheer skill and willpower. Her best-on-ground performance in the 2018 W-League Grand Final exemplified this, helping to drive her side to a three-peat in hot and steamy conditions in Sydney, lobbing Aubrey Bledsoe from range to open the scoring before sending in the free kick that bounced off the crossbar and into the path of Jodie Taylor to seal it with 15 minutes to go.

Indeed, given the role that those early City teams played in forcing the rest of the competition to raise their standards, and the role that Fishlock played in helping to drive success in the City dressing room, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that the Welsh legend’s time in Australia is still, no matter how faintly, being felt today. And that’s to say nothing of the benefits gleaned by the bevy of Matildas that shared a dressing room with Fishlock, be it at Victory or City.

“Jess is an idol, an amazing footballer, an intelligent person, and I could go on,” Montemurro said ahead of Saturday’s game.

Personalise your ESPN experience

Follow the teams you love, ignore the ones you don’t. The ESPN App is the best way to get the live scores, news and videos you want ANYWHERE, ANYTIME.

• Download ESPN from Google Play Store
• Download ESPN from iTunes App Store
• AFL | NRL | NBL | Rugby | Football | Cricket
• ESPN Picks: Best books | Best films | Idols

DOWNLOAD

“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Jess as a person, and she really helped me through a journey with Melbourne City when we were building a team from scratch. Her intelligence and ability to understand people and the game are amazing.

“I don’t need to sit here and give you all these explanations about her, because every accolade she gets tomorrow, she deserves, and many more. I hope she still contributes to the game, because I think there are very few big role models in world football who have done so much. I hope Jess stays in the game for a long time.”

Of course, that Fishlock can be so closely tied to so many of the current Matildas’ setup — be it as a teammate or adversary — and is now stepping away from the international game also carries with it a perhaps not all too pleasant connotation for green-and-gold devotees. It’s another reminder that, unless your name is Melissa Barbieri, age comes for us all, and that, while few would argue that Fishlock has done anything but go out on her own terms, like Williams and Polkinghorne before her, goodbyes are always hard.

And whereas Fishlock was finally able to experience a major tournament at this year’s Euros before she stepped away from the international game, the lowered expectations associated with Wales’ first entrance helping to soothe the sting of their three losses; there’s something of a contrast with the Matildas, here.

Because for many of the veterans in the group, some of whom will push to be a part of the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and some of whom will not, next year’s Asian Cup as not only the last chance to play a major tournament on home soil but — for those not part of the 2010 triumph — to finally break through that barrier and seal their Golden Generation tag with silverware.

The hope will be the reconnection with Kerr, who was there back in China in 2010 at just 16 years old, can play a part in that. And while Fishlock’s international journey is now at an end, another one is just beginning for the Matildas.

Source link

Oct 25, 2025, 02:25 PM ET

Kevin De Bruyne’s goal could prove costly for Napoli despite it setting the defending champions on the way to a 3-1 win over Inter Milan and back to the top of Serie A on Saturday.

De Bruyne appeared to pull a muscle as he converted a first-half penalty, immediately clutching the back of his right thigh. The former Manchester City player looked distraught and had to be helped off the field by two medical staff.

Scott McTominay and Frank Anguissa also scored for Napoli after the break, either side of an Inter penalty converted by Hakan Çalhanoğlu.

The result got Napoli back to winning ways — after last weekend’s loss at Torino and Tuesday’s chastening 6-2 defeat at PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League — and lifted them a point above second-placed AC Milan, who drew against Pisa on Friday.

“I live the game with my players, for better or for worse,” said Napoli coach Antonio Conte, who also steered Inter to the title in 2021. “We won despite the difficulties, we have important players absent and now De Bruyne has also been injured. Let’s say it’s not a very lucky year, maybe someone has cursed us.”

Kevin De Bruyne suffered an injury after scoring a penalty in Napoli’s win over Inter Milan. Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Inter, who had been on a seven-match winning run, were left in fourth.

“Inter had come to kill us, they were coming off a great moment, while we were in difficulty,” Conte added. “But we have no intention of dying and we played a tough and vigorous match, putting in an excellent performance despite the difficulties.”

Napoli were already struggling with injuries and their problems got worse when De Bruyne was forced off after firing his spot-kick powerfully into the bottom corner.

The penalty had been awarded after Inter midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan was adjudged to have fouled Giovanni Di Lorenzo. Mkhitaryan also went off injured.

Inter came close to levelling the match in the dying seconds of the first half as Alessandro Bastoni hit the crossbar and Denzel Dumfries clipped the post.

The visitors continued to pour forward after the break but McTominay doubled Napoli’s lead in the 54th minute following a rapid counterattack. He sprung the offside trap to run onto Leonardo Spinazzola’s fine pass and drive it into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

It was McTominay’s third goal this week after his brace against PSV.

Çalhanoğlu reduced the deficit five minutes later with a penalty after Napoli defender Alessandro Buongiorno charged down a Lautaro Martínez header with his arm.

However, Anguissa restored Napoli’s two-goal advantage in the 67th when he finished off another clinical counterattack.

Source link

Rohit Sharma smashed his 50th international hundred in Sydney and finished as the top run-scorer of the recently concluded ODI series against Australia. (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: After Rohit Sharmaâ€s explosive knock and Indiaâ€s victory over Australia in the third ODI, the batterâ€s childhood coach, Dinesh Lad, expressed his delight on Saturday, stating that the veteran will retire after playing the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup. Rohit smashed his 50th international hundred in Sydney and finished as the top run-scorer of the recently concluded ODI series against Australia.During Indiaâ€s chase of 237, his commanding 121* and partnership with long-time teammate Virat Kohli thrilled fans who had packed the stadium — possibly witnessing their last outing together on Australian soil.”The way Rohit batted today and how he contributed to India’s win — it felt great to watch the match. He will play the 2027 ODI World Cup and retire after that,” Dinesh Lad said.

Why Virat Kohli in India XI for World Cup 2027 will be bad news | Greenstone Lobo predicts

Speaking about Virat, who scored a steady 74* after two successive ducks in Perth and Adelaide, Lad said that “there are misunderstandings about Virat everyday.””He is someone who can thrive anytime and anywhere. The way he played today, it feels good. Sachin had said in a function way back that Rohit and Virat would be the players who would break his records. Both getting closer to his records feels really good,” he added.As for the match, Australia won the toss and chose to bat first. A 61-run opening stand between skipper Mitchell Marsh (41 off 50 balls, with five fours and a six) and Travis Head (29 off 25 balls, with six fours) gave them a solid start.Matt Short contributed 30 off 41 balls with two fours, while a 59-run partnership between Matt Renshaw (56 off 58 balls, with two fours) and Alex Carey (24 off 37 balls, with a four) took the Aussies to 183/3. However, a middle-order collapse saw them bundled out for 236 in 46.4 overs. Harshit Rana (4/39 in 8.4 overs) and Washington Sundar (2/44) were the standout bowlers, while Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav took one wicket each.Chasing 237, India began strongly with a 69-run opening stand, featuring Shubman Gill (24 off 26 balls, with two fours and a six). Then came the moment fans had been waiting for all series — Rohit Sharma (121* off 125 balls, with 13 fours and three sixes) and Virat Kohli (74* off 81 balls, with seven fours) combined for an unbeaten 168-run partnership, steering India home with nine wickets in hand.Rohit was named both ‘Player of the Match†and ‘Player of the Series†for his stellar performance, finishing as the top scorer with 202 runs, including a century and a fifty.

Source link

Since the start of May, Liverpool have conceded 2+ goals in more Premier League games than any other side with nine, while they have conceded 14 goals in their nine league games this season. In the previous campaign they did not concede their 14th goal until their 16th game.

Liverpool’s midfield was non-existent, while hope that £116m Florian Wirtz had sparked into life with an improved performance in the 5-1 Champions League win at Eintracht Frankfurt was extinguished here.

The German missed a glorious first-half chance and then replaced by a defender, Joe Gomez, with seven minutes left and Brentford 3-1 up.

It was quite the verdict from Slot on the influence and impact of his summer signing. The verdict from Brentford’s supporters was predictable as he departed, to chants of “what a waste of money”.

Mohamed Salah showed one flash of the old brilliance to give Liverpool hope they did not deserve in a frantic finale, but it was otherwise another poor performance from one of the club’s all-time greats, who is struggling for confidence and inspiration.

It was also a night of little reward for striker Hugo Ekitike, the one summer arrival who has flourished, as he had no service worthy of the name in the absence of the injured £125m buy Alexander Isak and midfielder Ryan Gravenberch.

Slot could not hide from the evidence before his own eyes as he told BBC’s Match of the Day: “It was a disappointing result and a disappointing performance as well.

“Conceding three goals is far too much if you want to win a game of football. First one was a set-piece, second is a counter-attack which is one of the things Brentford are really good at.

“What I have to do is look at what we do wrong and what we do right. I have a clear idea of where we have to improve, but that hasn’t been the case in other games. We didn’t do the basics right.”

Slot will have to find the answers and quickly.

Liverpool’s next four games are against Crystal Palace at Anfield in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup, before another home league game against Aston Villa. Real Madrid then come to Anfield in the Champions League, before a visit to Manchester City – where you can be sure Erling Haaland will be licking his lips if he faces a defence as feeble as this.

Liverpool have a team with quality, but no shape, with Wirtz still trying to fit in, offering encouragement to any opponents with ambition. The near-£450m spend in the summer has not yet offered anything in the way of improvement or progress.

At the moment, given their struggles, Liverpool’s much-discussed blip appears to be getting that victory at Eintracht Frankfurt – unthinkable when you recall their smooth progress last season and finishing 10 points clear in top spot.

For Slot and Liverpool, this was a chastening experience and further disappointment could follow should Arsenal beat Crystal Palace on Sunday to increase the gap between them to seven points.

Source link

A Ruben Amorim pirouette and revolving fist-pump greeted Bryan Mbeumo putting Manchester United 3-0 up and told the tale of how precious this third consecutive league victory is.

Yet the goal came on 61 minutes and still United found themselves clinging on at 3-2 deep into added time before Mbeumo smashed home his second. Almost instantly Anthony Taylor blew for time and “Glory, Glory Man United†blared out at Old Trafford.

So Brighton, winners of three of the last four meetings, motor back to the south coast defeated and Amorimâ€s team are starting to build some momentum. They are fourth overnight, thanks to Liverpool losing at Brentford.

The Portuguese was not happy at the late near-capitulation but can be content with how his tactic of having Luke Shaw move up from left centre-back to harry Georginio Rutter led to Mbuemoâ€s first strike having already played a part in Casemiroâ€s goal. Shaw certainly looked to have fouled the No 10 in the build-up but, with the video assistant referee uninterested, Mbeumo raced on to a cute Benjamin Sesko pass to fire a 20-yard finish which went through Lewis Dunkâ€s legs and beat Bart Verbruggen to the goalkeeperâ€s left.

Cut to the head coachâ€s celebration and verses of “Ruben Amorim, Ruben Amorim†from the ecstatic home fans, who heralded at the close a third consecutive Premier League win in the same season for a first time since February 2024.

Danny Welbeck (left) watches his free-kick clear the Manchester United wall for Brightonâ€s first goal. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

But this was confirmed only after Patrick Dorguâ€s pulling down of Yankuba Minteh precipitated United conceding twice. First, Danny Welbeck blazed a free-kick beyond Senne Lammens, the United goalkeeper surely disappointed not to deal with it better as the ball went at him rather than for a corner. In added time James Milnerâ€s corner from the right caught United slumbering and the unmarked Charalampos Kostoulas headed in.

In all this were signs of the project in progress United still are, but it finished as a good dayâ€s work that began with two penalty shouts being turned down by Taylor. An Amad Diallo jink past Maxim De Cuyper caused the left-back to clip him but the referee was unmoved – to home ire. Further fury followed when Dunk seemed to grab Mbeumo in the area.

Amorim spoke of attitude being key and his men kept on and got their reward. The ball dropped to Bruno Fernandes, whose instant no-look pass to Casemiro was a moment to grace a 300th United appearance. The Brazilian tapped the ball left to his compatriot Matheus Cunha and a touch to tee it up was followed by a superb curling finish that skimmed past Verbruggenâ€s fingertips into the bottom left corner.

This was the £62.5m summer signingâ€s first goal, in his 10th appearance. If “about time†is a fair call on the strikeâ€s arrival, Unitedâ€s delight soon doubled as Amorimâ€s deployment of Shaw as a pickpocket hit the first jackpot.

Amad Diallo hitches a ride on Casemiro after the latter scored Manchester Unitedâ€s second goal. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

A Jan Paul van Hecke pass aimed for Rutter was nicked from him by Shaw. Casemiro took aim from 25-yards, the ball deflected off Yasin Ayari, left Verbruggen stranded, and in rolled Unitedâ€s second.

skip past newsletter promotion

Sign up to Football Daily

Kick off your evenings with the Guardian’s take on the world of football

Privacy Notice:Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

after newsletter promotion

United were cruising and it should have been even better by the break. Slick interplay involving Fernandes put Sesko in but he sliced wildly off target from only yards out.

Rutter did the same at the other end, though he may have been hurt moments before, impeding his movement. There was, though, zero excuse for the amateurish effort Carlos Baleba ballooned over as the second half began – hardly a prime advert for a player wanted by United in the previous window.

Seconds later, Fernandes showed Baleba how it should be done. Cunha found Diallo deep in Brightonâ€s area, he picked his captain out, and Fernandesâ€s pile-driver stung Verbruggenâ€s palms. The Brighton keeper made another routine save from Sesko while Lammens had to be far more alert when a curving Minteh cross missed everyone and was sneaking into the right corner before the keeper tipped it out.

So Unitedâ€s only home outing in a period of 50 days, with no fixtures at Old Trafford until 24 November, ended in victory: a fine way to sign off.

Source link

The main point of discussion before the match was which position Manchester United captain Maya le Tissier should play in.

Wiegman has made it clear she sees her as a right-back in the current England squad, despite Le Tissier playing her weekly football at centre-back for United.

The talented 23-year-old has started 72 consecutive games at centre-back in the Women’s Super League, and in her 104 appearances for United has only played one at right-back.

Manchester United were keen to highlight this in a social media post last week, which sparked debate among supporters and thrust Wiegman’s decision into question.

But against Brazil, Le Tissier started in the full-back role and moved to the middle with just under 40 minutes remaining.

“I play week-in-week out at centre-half, so I feel much more comfortable at centre-half,” she said afterwards.

“I have to think a bit more at right-back, but to be honest I’m just happy to play and get on the pitch. It’s been frustrating for me.”

Wiegman highlighted Le Tissier’s qualities, pointing out her pace and energy as valuable assets to the attacking full-back role she wants.

The Dutchwoman stressed she knows what Le Tissier is capable of at centre-back but now was the time to try out new things.

With Lucy Bronze guarding the position on a long-term basis, are there enough back-up options available or has Le Tissier become a victim of lack of squad depth?

“I think we have players but Lucy Bronze is still building her [fitness] and Niamh Charles is still building who can play there,” Wiegman said.

“It’s also what you need from the game. I definitely keep thinking Maya can play right-back and I know she can play centre-back too.

“It’s about what the game is asking. This is the exact period to try. There are two years to go [until the World Cup] so I hope that we have many players that are going to challenge for that position.”

One of the potential back-ups is young Tottenham full-back Ella Morris, who received a senior call-up for Euro 2025 but sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in training with England.

But Le Tissier’s showing at both right-back and centre-back in Saturday’s defeat will have pleased Wiegman as she confirmed she was right at home in an England shirt.

Source link

Ratcliffe was at Old Trafford to watch this latest triumph. It is only the second time under Amorim that United have won three games in a row. Without combining the start of last season and the end of the one before, it is the first time they have won three league games in a row since February 2024 under Erik ten Hag.

A notoriously blunt speaker, did Ratcliffe really mean it when he said Amorim needed three years to prove his worth, or was he just buying the former Sporting coach some time?

It does seem Ratcliffe is on board with Amorim’s vision. The improved results, Amorim says, are more helpful in offering a glimpse of a better future to the United fans.

“I never had that feeling of embarrassment, of what I was doing or not winning games,” he said. “I always felt Jim believed and knew what we were doing.

“It is more with the fans. Facing the fans is different in this moment.

“But I feel the urgency of not losing this moment. Everything in football can change in one week.”

Amorim’s words are wise. Yet there does seem to be substance in what United have delivered over the past three games.

In beating Sunderland and Brighton at Old Trafford, they have secured home wins against two sides that have won at Stamford Bridge.

No-one would dismiss Chelsea as top-five contenders, so why should United be different?

Why should they be different when they have Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, jointly signed in the summer at an overall cost of £130m, bringing a drive and purpose to their attack which did not exist before.

Both scored in this latest win. Cunha for the first time this season. Mbeumo now has five.

Amorim was eager to praise both in their different ways.

“Matheus feels more confident the harder the game,” said Amorim. “He wants the responsibility. Today he defended really well and when he has the ball I have no concerns.

“He was struggling about not scoring goals, he can try to hide but I understood.

“Bryan is a working machine, he is so good in transitions and his connection with Amad [Diallo] is really good.

“When we felt this player wants to come here no matter what, whether we were in the Champions League or not, we do everything to bring him here.”

Source link