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Essex were forced to settle for a draw against Kent after being presented with a victory target of 338 in a minimum of 78 overs at Chelmsford

13-May-2010Essex 341 and 254 for 4 drew with Kent 474 and 204

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Tom Westley followed up his first-innings hundred with an unbeaten fifty in the second•Getty Images

Essex were forced to settle for a draw against Kent after being presented with a victory target of 338 in a minimum of 78 overs at Chelmsford. The hosts closed on 254 for 4 after they opted for a safety-first approach following the dismissal of number five Ryan ten Doeschate.He arrived in the 50th over with 188 still required but was unable to produce the fireworks needed to mount any sort of challenge. The Dutchman made only 13 from 17 deliveries before he was trapped leg before by Azhar Mahmood, leaving Tom Westley and captain Mark Pettini to drop anchor.Kent even had time to send down additional overs but they were unable to separate the fifth-wicket pair. Westley followed up his century in the first innings with an unbeaten 58 that spanned 122 deliveries and brought him seven boundaries. Pettini finished on 40 not out.Earlier England opener Alastair Cook, without moving into top gear, made a sedate 72 containing half-a-dozen boundaries before his defences were breached by occasional leg-spinner Joe Denly.Denly also removed Jaik Mickleburgh, trapped lbw victim when sweeping, while James Hockley had Billy Godleman caught at slip to end a first-wicket partnership of 52. Soon afterwards Hockley withdrew from the action with a pulled hamstring.Kent had earlier lost their remaining wickets for 54 runs after resuming on 150 for 5. The first two were claimed by David Masters, Matt Coles and Hockley the batsmen, during a four-over spell before a shin problem prevented him continuing.That paved the way for leg-spinner Danish Kaneria to claim the three remaining wickets, including that of Sam Northeast, who scored 71 to record his second half-century of the game.Northeast put up a simple catch to Tim Philips at point, before Makhaya Ntini was trapped lbw with the next delivery as Kent were bowled out for 204. Earlier Kaneria had also accounted for Mahmood on his way to figures of 4 for 68 from 24 overs.Kent emerged with 11 points from the game and are still looking for their first championship win of the campaign. Essex claimed eight points.

Leeds United announced on their official website on Wednesday that defender Pontus Jansson had committed his long-term future to the club by signing a new five-year deal.

The Sweden international only joined the Yorkshire outfit on a permanent basis during the summer following an impressive season-long loan spell from Torino in the 2016/17 campaign, but the Whites have moved quickly to tie him down to a lengthier contract.

Thomas Christiansen’s men have made a positive start to the season and are right in the promotion race, and they currently lie fourth in the Championship standings after ending a run of three straight defeats on the road with a 3-0 win against Bristol City last weekend.

While Jansson has made 47 appearances in all competitions for United, scoring three goals, the club may have made an error by handing the centre-back improved terms.

Here are three reasons Leeds were wrong to hand the 26-year-old a five-year deal…

Loss of motivation

It would be difficult for Leeds supporters or the club’s hierarchy to argue against the fact that the majority of Jansson’s best performances for the Yorkshire outfit came when he was trying to earn a permanent move to Elland Road last season.

Since it was announced in February that the transfer was definitely going to go through during the summer, the 26-year-old hasn’t been at the same consistent level he was at previously, but could it be simply down to a loss of form, or perhaps even a lack of motivation?

His showings certainly dropped off towards the end of the 2016/17 campaign as the Whites disappointingly missed out on a play-off position, and things haven’t got much better for him from a personal point of view this term.

This season

Despite losing last season’s centre-back partner Kyle Bartley back to Swansea City following a loan spell, Jansson would have hoped to have kicked on at Elland Road this season, but it hasn’t really happened for the Swede.

While the Yorkshire outfit made a positive start to the campaign and kept six successive Championship clean sheets between August and September, he was also part of the defence that lost three straight league games before being dropped to the substitutes’ bench against Bristol City on Saturday.

The 26-year-old was given a chance to stake his claim for a recall against Leicester City in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night, but he failed to take it and could miss out again against Sheffield United on Friday.

Premier League quality

While many Leeds supporters and probably the club would have believed that Jansson was definitely Premier League quality following some of his performances last season, they may be having second thoughts based on some of his more recent showings.

The 26-year-old currently looks nervous and isn’t the commanding and dominant player that he has shown he can be before, and the fact that he struggled to cope with the Foxes’ second-choice strike pairing on Tuesday is hardly a glowing endorsement of his ability.

The Whites will be aiming for promotion to the top flight this season and if they achieve it there will be worries that Jansson isn’t good enough to make the step up, in which case handing him a five-year deal could prove to be a huge error.

Do you agree, Leeds fans? Let us know below.

Life as a Newcastle United supporter is rarely a stress-free one. Around 24 hours after Rafa Benitez steered the club back into the Premier League, St. James’ Park was raided by HMRC officers and managing director Lee Charnley duly arrested.

Now, it must be said that Charnley was soon released without charge, though the euphoric feeling of returning to the proverbial Promised Land was rather short-lived. Indeed, while all of this was unfolding, there remained a doubt as to whether Benitez would stay on in charge of the Magpies.

The Spaniard, the most universally popular figure on Tyneside in years, refused to categorically state he would continue into next season following the promotion-clinching win over Preston, spreading fear amongst the Toon Army.

Clearly, the former Liverpool and Chelsea coach is a man who demands control when it comes to transfers. The fallout from Newcastle’s failure to sufficiently back him over the course of the January saw his future cast into doubt and he will reportedly seek clarity over the size of the budget he may have heading into next season.

One of the most popular narratives to have emerged in regards to Newcastle United since the New Year sales has been that of a manager who wants to wake a sleeping giant battling against a villainous owner expecting him to work wonders without freeing up funds.

That isn’t strictly true. While not signing anyone in January had Newcastle fans fearing Mike Ashley had reverted to old ways, that time of year is notoriously difficult in which to find value for money.

The rather public (and failed) pursuit of Andros Townsend, a man who at the time was struggling to fit in at Crystal Palace, seemed to be a major source of frustration for Benitez. Still, the deal is thought to have come very close and both clubs are said to have had a valid reason as to why they couldn’t push a deal over the line, to coin an Alan Pardew-like phrase.

Paying big money for a man, then out of form, and one sold for just £13m as a result of a relegation clause just six months prior is not good business. Obviously, the England international would have strengthened the Toon’s promotion cause, though the squad Benitez built in the summer still managed to achieve automatic promotion. In fact, they could still even win the Championship title.

Benitez needs control. Over the course of last summer, he was given that. Never before would Ashley have allowed a manager to spend an apparent £4m on 33-year-old forward Daryl Murphy, trusting his man when it came to recruiting players suited for the long and arduous Championship campaign.

Moreover, the Sports Direct mogul showed a willingness to splash the cash in the summer before relegation. The Toon Army had the fifth-highest net spend in Europe over the summer of 2015, with only Manchester City and Manchester United spending more.

As per the Daily Mail, the Magpies’ net spend was a rather large £47.7m during that summer and, while the transfer market continues to see silly money spent, indicated Ashley was willing to match up some of the big boys.

It’s just unfortunate, or downright laughable, that top brass at St. James’ Park hadn’t fully realised the extent of Steve McClaren’s managerial limitations.

That’s not to say Ashley is perfect. Newcastle fans are right to have lingering feelings of distrust towards him and he certainly has a lot of making up to do when it comes to righting the wrongs that have defined his ownership.

Obviously, Rafa Benitez’s arrival is the best thing to happen to Newcastle United in years. Such was the state of the club prior to his appointment in March 2016, the idea of him leaving is always likely to scare supporters, who dread the notion of letting a manager of such prestige slip from their grasp.

What’s even more clear is that he needs backing to take the club in the direction he wants it to go. Whether or not he and Ashley completely agree on how much money and control that will take, the latter has proven over the last two summers he’s willing and able to offer up both.

Celtic are in high spirits at the moment.

After a scintillating start to the season culminating in a 5-1 demolition of Rangers in the Old Firm derby, the Bhoys now have the arduous task of taking on Barcelona in the opening game of this year’s Champions League.

Nevertheless, Brendan Rodgers and his men will be confident they can try and cause an upset against the Catalans when they roll into town and pitch up at the Nou Camp if they can channel the performance of Saturday lunch-time into this game.

Rodgers saw a number of his players put in fine performances against Rangers and that was without star striker Leigh Griffiths so he’ll be confident whoever he plays in the fixture will be up to the task.

We reckon the former Liverpool boss will go with this line up as he looks to shock the Blaugrana…

Dorus de Vries

The veteran goalkeeper will have more to do against Barcelona than Rangers but if he manages a clean-sheet Celtic will be sitting pretty.

Mikael Lustig

Lustig is charged with keeping Neymar quiet down Barcelona’s left side and may fancy it after the Brazilian’s lacklustre performance against Alaves at the weekend.

Erik Sviatchenko

Sviatchenko and Toure need to be firm at the back to keep Luis Suarez out but with their partnership so far looking strong they’ll fancy their chances.

Kolo Toure

Toure has seen it all before in the Champions League so his experience on the pitch will be absolutely crucial. Simply has to start.

Kieran Tierney

How the young full-back does could give an inkling into his future but based on what he’s done so far Rodgers will be confident he’ll put in a solid performance.

Scott Brown

A lot of the Old Firm attention was on this man and Joey Barton but Brown simply walked that contest. He’ll be up against the world’s finest midfielders now, though, but he’ll surely back himself to perform.

Nir Bitton

Bitton needs to remain disciplined in this game for Celtic to even stand a chance. If he does and he and Scott Brown are a tight unit then, who knows.

James Forrest

Celtic have to make use of any chance they get and that means Forrest will have to be on top of his game. They won’t get to create too many but Forrest has the ability to make something.

Tom Rogic

Rogic is one of Celtic’s most exciting players so if he can perform on this stage they have a chance. He has to get at the Barca defence as much as possible alongside the other two attacking midfielders.

Scott Sinclair

Sinclair has been a revelation since joining in the Summer and it’s games like this that made him sign.

He has the pace to give Barcelona problems so could be the one to watch.

Moussa Dembele

With Griffiths out many wondered how Dembele would do in the Old Firm and he duly delivered a hat-trick. Deserves to keep his place against Barca and another three goals would be more than welcome.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola reacted hilariously when asked what he felt about Kylian Mbappe.

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Guardiola responded to Mbappe transfer questionMbappe was linked with Man CitySet to join Real Madrid in the summerWHAT HAPPENED?

Last week reported that a representative of Mbappe caught up with City Football Group officials in Manchester. The person was reportedly spotted at the club's training ground where the team where preparing for their Champions League clash against Copenhagen.

In a press conference, Pep Guardiola was asked if the French forward would join the Cityzens next summer and his opinion about the star player to which the Catalan coach responded, "I think he's quite good. He has a future."

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIP(C)Getty imagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The 25-year-old has already communicated his decision to his team-mates to leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the current season. He reportedly has an agreement with Real Madrid and will be unveiled as a Los Blancos player in July.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

After dropping two crucial points in the Premier League against Chelsea at home, Guardiola's side will aim to get back to winning ways against Brentford on Wednesday.

Victor Osimhen has broken his silence on the TikTok video controversy at Napoli by stating his ongoing commitment to the Serie A title holders.

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• Striker teased on social media
• Legal action threatened
• Hoping to bring saga to a close

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Nigeria international striker, who helped to deliver a historic Scudetto success in Naples last season, has seen an imminent transfer speculated on after appearing to be teased on the official social media channels of the club that he represents.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Napoli posted a TikTok video of Osimhen missing a spot-kick with a high-pitched voice played over the top saying: “Gimme penalty please.” Legal action was threatened at that stage by the Nigerian’s agent, while he deleted all mention of the Partenopei from his Instagram account. The government back in his homeland also addressed the issue, saying that they are “committed to ensuring that our athletes are afforded the respect they deserve and that they are not exposed to injustice, discrimination and unfair teasing”.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  Osimhen has now delivered a statement of his own, saying on Instagram: “Coming to the City of Naples in 2020 was a wonderful decision for me. The People of Napoli have shown me so much love and kindness, and I will not allow anyone to come between us. The passion of the People of Naples fuels my fire to always play with my heart and soul, and the love for the badge is unwavering as I wear it with pride. The accusations against People of Naples are untrue. I have a lot of friends that are Napolitans and have become part of my family and everyday life. I appreciate Nigerians and everyone for leading their voices to support and reach out to me. I’m forever grateful. Let’s support unity, respect and understanding. FORZA NAPOLI SEMPRE.”

  Instagram

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• WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

  Osimhen has figured for Napoli since the social media post saga started, with the 24-year-old frontman netting in back-to-back games against Udinese and Lecce.

MatériaMais Notícias

A Ponte Preta foi de virtual rebaixada a semifinalista do Paulistão contando com grandes atuações do atacante Bruno Rodrigues. Na última quinta-feira (30), na vitória de virada sobre o Santos, por 3 a 1, o jogador iniciou a reação e chegou ao terceiro gol nas três partidas que a Macaca disputou no retorno do futebol paulista.

Antes da paralisação, Bruno havia marcado apenas um gol e se destacava com assistências – foram três. Segundo o atacante, a pausa o ajudou para evoluir aspectos físicos para voltar em alta. Mas não foi só a mentalidade que mudou o jogador de patamar. Foi da cabeça do camisa 11 que saíram os três gols.

– Eu sou muito grato a Deus em primeiro lugar, ser artilheiro me faz sentir que eu posso ir muito mais além, que somos abençoados e a minha fé aumenta todas as minhas forças. A maioria dos meus gols sempre foi com as pernas, mas nesses últimos jogos estou descobrindo a minha especialidade de fazer gol de cabeça também. Fico feliz dos gols virem na hora certa, espero que continue assim até o final do Paulistão – analisou.

Com a classificação para a semifinal garantida, a Ponte Preta enfrentará o Palmeiras por uma vaga na decisão. Bruno Rodrigues dispensou o favoritismo do rival e projetou a partida contra o alviverde, no Allianz Parque.

– Essa vaga na semifinal representa muito para mim, pois tive a certeza de quanto eu posso, o quanto eu consigo e o quanto eu mereço essa fase que estou vivendo na Ponte Preta. Agora estamos concentrados para a próxima batalha, sabemos que será um jogo muito difícil, contra um adversário muito qualificado. Mas, como eu sempre falo, nada para Deus é impossível. Então vamos entrar em campo para vencer, independente de qualquer coisa. Favoritismo a gente mostra dentro de campo – finalizou.

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The Three Lions cruised to a 2-0 win at Wembley thanks to goals from Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka

England made it back-to-back wins to open their Euro 2024 qualifying group as they cruised to a 2-0 success against Ukraine.

Bukayo Saka was the star of the show for Gareth Southgate's side, setting up the first goal with a wonderful cross for Harry Kane to turn in his 55th England goal.

And then Saka then curled home a world-class second to double the lead as the Three Lions took a firm grasp atop Group C after the opening two games.

GOAL rates England's players from Wembley…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Jordan Pickford (6/10):

  Had very little to deal with, but was tidy whenever he was called into action.

  Kyle Walker (8/10):

  Excellent. Dominated the battle with Mudryk.

  Harry Maguire (6/10):

  A comfortable evening's work. Rarely troubled.

  John Stones (6/10):

  Played in second gear all evening.

  Ben Chilwell (7/10):

  Solid. Got forward well to support the attack.

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  Midfield

  Declan Rice (7/10):

  Swept up well in front of the back four.

  Jordan Henderson (7/10):

  Typically neat and tidy. Did exactly what Southgate would have asked for.

  Jude Bellingham (7/10):

  Not at his best, but still caused problems with his driving runs forward.

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  Attack

  James Maddison (7/10):

  Couple of neat turns, but end product was lacking.

  Harry Kane (7/10):

  Another goal to add to his record-breaking tally.

  Bukayo Saka (8/10):

  Won the game for England with two top-quality moments before half-time.

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  Subs & Manager

  Ivan Toney (5/10):

  Big moment as he made his England debut.

  Connor Gallagher (6/10):

  Almost scored with his first touch.

  Jack Grealish (N/A):

  No real impact in the few minutes he was on the pitch.

  Gareth Southgate (7/10):

  Two wins from two to start the group. He will be delighted.

MatériaMais Notícias

No dia 14 de setembro de 2016, o Grêmio era superado pela Ponte Preta na cidade de Campinas. Após o duelo, o técnico Roger Machado pediu demissão. O jeito encontrado pela diretoria comandada por Romildo Bolzan foi apostar em Renato Gaúcho, eterno ídolo da massa Tricolor.

RelacionadasFutebol InternacionalSem futebol, Yerry Mina ataca como professor de espanholFutebol Internacional10/04/2020Futebol InternacionalPedro, do Chelsea, afirma que gostaria de ter jogado com ZidaneFutebol Internacional10/04/2020Fora de CampoTNT exibe jogos históricos de craques brasileiros na ChampionsFora de Campo10/04/2020

Cercado de desconfiança, o comandante chegou para mudar a situação da equipe e deu resultado de maneira rápida com o título da Copa do Brasil diante do Atlético-MG. Na temporada seguinte, a glória foi maior com a taça da Libertadores da América.

Além das conquistas nacionais e continentais, o Tricolor ainda faturou dois títulos estaduais em 2018 e 2019. Ou seja, se a idolatria do treinador já era grande por conta da sua passagem como jogador, ela dobrou no posto de técnico.

Terceira Passagem

Apesar do êxito no cargo, esta é a terceira vez que Portaluppi comanda o Grêmio. Diferente desta que é vitoriosa, nas outras duas o treinador passou em branco e não conseguiu nenhum título.

Quase 2000 dias

De acordo com as estatísticas do site Transfermarket, Renato Gaúcho ostenta 1.301 dias no comando do Grêmio. Se juntarmos as outras duas passagens, o treinador já passou 1.803 dias no posto.

Confira os números:
1ª Passagem: 323 dias
2ª Passagem: 179 dias
3ª Passagem: 1.301 dias

The Red Devils have never been afraid to splash the cash, with their most elaborate additions in the Premier League era including both hits and misses

Manchester United spent £1 million for the first time in October 1980 when prising Garry Birtles away from Nottingham Forest and would go on to smash their transfer record on a regular basis until acquiring Paul Pogba from Juventus for £89m in 2016.

Not all of the deals done by one of the most decorated sides on the planet have provided value for money, but there have been more hits than misses.

The Red Devils have never been afraid to splash the cash, particularly after establishing themselves as a dominant force in English football under Sir Alex Ferguson, and GOAL is on hand to bring you a full run down of their most elaborate purchases during the Premier League era.

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  Roy Keane | £3.75m | July 1993

  United swooped in after learning that Keane had a deal in place to join Blackburn Rovers from Nottingham Forest, with the British transfer record broken when luring the Irish midfielder away from the City Ground.

  Keane was still a rough diamond at that point, but Ferguson polished him into a global superstar that will forever hold a place in British football folklore.

  The no-nonsense midfielder would become captain of the Red Devils and the standards he demanded of himself and those around him allowed seven Premier League titles, four FA Cups and a Champions League crown to be collected across 12 memorable years.

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  Andy Cole | £7m | January 1995

  A Premier League Golden Boot winner in 1993-94, Cole’s exploits in front of goal at Newcastle made him of obvious appeal to United as they began to take a stranglehold on English football.

  He would go on to record 121 efforts for the Red Devils through 275 appearances, despite regularly facing questions of his finishing ability, with history made within weeks of his arrival at Old Trafford when he netted five times in one outing against Ipswich.

  Cole could always be relied upon to do his bit for the collective cause, despite being an archetypal fox in the box, and was a key man during United’s historic run to Treble glory in 1998-99.

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  Jaap Stam | £10.75m | July 1998

  The Dutch defender become an iconic figure at the Theatre of Dreams through just three seasons in England – one of which was decimated by an Achilles injury.

  His brutal combination of power and pace allowed him to dominant opposition strikers, with his arrival from PSV proving to be one of the final pieces in the puzzle that allowed United to pretty much sweep the board on a trophy front in 1998-99.

  An acrimonious departure for Lazio was made in 2001, with Ferguson later admitting that he made a mistake, but there will always be a place for him in the hearts and minds of United supporters that were fortunate enough to catch him in action.

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  Dwight Yorke | £12.6m | August 1998

  Shortly after breaking the bank to add Stam’s unique brand of steel to their defensive unit, United dug deep again when luring Trinidadian striker Yorke away from domestic rivals Aston Villa.

  He proved to be a shrewd addition to the Red Devils’ ranks as a destructive partnership was forged alongside fellow frontman Cole – with Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer proving to be more than capable deputies.

  Yorke also starred in the Treble-winning campaign of 1999, when he hit 29 goals across all competitions, and moved on after finding the target on 65 occasions in total through 152 appearances.