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Real Madrid's attack stalled while a defensive error proved costly as Los Blancos fell to relegation-threatened Valencia.

Karim Benzema faltered in front of goal, while the returning Ferland Mendy made a crucial mistake to see Real Madrid drop their fourth away fixture in a row, losing 1-0 against a Valencia side looking to avoid the drop.

Madrid looked every bit a team with nothing to play for. Although Los Blancos pieced some neat passages of play together early, they never created anything concrete. Valencia played their part, though, cutting an organised unit while needing at least a point to move four points clear of the drop zone.

And they found the net when given a rare opportunity. Mendy fell asleep at the back post, allowing Diego Lopez to sneak in and score the opener in his second career start.

Madrid made some introductions after the break, bringing Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Rodrygo into the fold. The trio struggled to make an impact against a compact Valencia back-line, though.

But their efforts were rendered meaningless in a game paused by apparent racist abuse directed at Vinicius Junior. The referee halted play after the Brazilian winger singled out a fan in the stands, while a message in the stadium threatened to suspend the fixture if jeers continued.

Things spiraled out of control after, with Vinicius shown a straight red card for slapping Valencia substitute Hugo Duro.

And after 14 minutes of stoppage time following a second half marked by ugliness and controversy, the home side held on for a 1-0 win.

GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from the Mestalla…

GettyGoalkeeper & Defence

Thibaut Courtois (6/10):

Made a full-stretch diving save to deny Valencia a second on the stroke of half time. Couldn't do anything about the goal.

Lucas Vazquez (6/10):

Decent cover at right-back with Dani Carvajal needing a rest.

Eder Miliato (6/10):

Lost track of a runner in the lead up to Valencia's goal. Solid otherwise.

Antonio Rudiger (6/10):

Doesn't always have the best understanding with Militao, but covered effectively for a rusty Mendy.

Ferland Mendy (3/10):

Fell asleep on the Valencia opener. Looked sloppy at times in his first meaningful contest in nearly four months.

AdvertisementGettyMidfield

Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10)

Given a start with Luka Modric and Toni Kroos needing a rest. Some promising moments, but still looks rusty.

Dani Ceballos (4/10):

Mostly anonymous.

Eduardo Camavinga (6/10):

Excellent on the ball, pressed effectively. Occasionally a bit over-zealous in a tackle. A puzzling substitution at the break.

GettyAttack

Marco Asensio (3/10):

Ineffective in the first half, slightly better in the second.

Karim Benzema (4/10):

He's really faded towards the end of the season. Drifted around in the usual way, but lacks sharpness on the ball.

Vinicius Jr (5/10):

Typically exciting on the ball, but handled well by Valencia. Victim of vile racist abuse once more, before being sent off for retaliating. La Liga has to do something.

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Subs & Manager

Rodrygo (6/10):

A half time introduction. Didn't really improve things.

Toni Kroos (6/10):

Saw a couple of late efforts saved.

Luka Modric (5/10):

Played as a No.10. Some nice touches but didn't create.

Dani Carvajal (N/A):

No time to make an impact.

Federico Valverde (N/A):

No time to make an impact.

Carlo Ancelotti (4/10):

Rotated a bit, handing both Camavinga and Tchouameni starts in central midfield, while also bringing Mendy back. His side were off the pace for most of proceedings, with Benzema particularly short of his best. Madrid could now finish third.

A pair of teenagers and a trio of New York Red Bulls headline Goal's selections as the best values, based on salary, in Major League Soccer

Salaries in Major League Soccer continue to rise, and have seen a considerable spike since the infusion of targeted allocation money in the past two seasons. That has led to a near doubling of the number of million-dollar salaries in the league, and a sizable jump in the number of players making more than $500,000.

That doesn't mean there still aren't some super-sized bargains to be had. Players signed via homegrown player deals and those who enter the league via the MLS draft continue to give MLS teams a steady stream of bargains, several of which make up the squad chosen by Goal to be part of the MLS Bargain XI, the best values in the league.

Here is the 2018 MLS Bargain XI, with salaries based on guaranteed compensation as released by the MLS players union last week .

• Greg Bartram
  

  GK Alex Bono, Toronto FC, $102,200

  The 24-year-old goalkeeper is in the midst of his second full season as Toronto FC's starter and is continuing to show improvement, building on his MLS Cup-winning 2017 season. His exploits in TFC's CONCACAF Champions League run turned heads, and he has also broken into the U.S. national team picture. Still playing on his rookie contract, Bono should be securing a new contract soon, assuming he doesn't head to Europe via transfer.

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• RB Julian Gressel, Atlanta United, $111,250

  A midfielder who has thrived this season since being moved into a right wing-back role, Gressel has carried over the success from his MLS Rookie of the Year award-winning 2017 into the 2018 season. He has been one of the key reasons Tata Martino has seen his team enjoy such success playing in a 3-5-2 formation. The 24-year-old German-born standout should be drawing attention from scouts and will have a strong case for a new contract this winter.

• Mark J. Rebilas
  

  CB Tim Parker, New York Red Bulls, $115,935

  How is Parker so underpaid? He's still playing on his original rookie contract, which expires at the end of this season. He is in line for a big payday this winter, either in Europe or in a new MLS deal. The Vancouver Whitecaps traded him rather than making him one of the league's highest-paid defenders. Since joining the Red Bulls, Parker has been outstanding and has helped his new team forge the best defense in club history.

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• CB Aaron Long, New York Red Bulls $73,125

  A repeat selection on the MLS Bargain XI, Long has followed up his breakout 2017 season with a strong start to 2018. His skill on the ball, coupled with an improving defensive skill set, make him one of the league's most underrated defenders. It shouldn't be long before the 25-year-old central defender secures a new contract with the Red Bulls.

Birmingham have signed Luke Ronchi as their second overseas player for the 2016 NatWest Blast season.Ronchi, the New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman, will be available for all 14 games in the group stages and is seen by the club as providing, along with Laurie Evans, the middle-order power-hitting that they have sometimes struggled for in recent times.Ronchi, who has represented both Australia and New Zealand in international cricket, was a member of the New Zealand team at the World T20. He also played five matches in the Blast for Somerset in 2015, averaging 22.25 at a strike-rate of 150.84 runs per 100 balls.He has also had spells with Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash and Mumbai Indians in the IPL. He plays domestic cricket in New Zealand for Wellington Firebirds along with Birmingham’s other overseas player, offspinner Jeetan Patel.Birmingham had another New Zealander, Brendon McCullum, as an overseas player in T20 last year but he decided he would like to spend more time in London this year and signed for Middlesex.”Luke has played in the biggest limited overs competitions in the world and he is widely recognised as one of the finest wicket-keeper batsmen in the game,” Dougie Brown, the club’s director of cricket, said. “Having a player of his quality for all 14 group games is a huge boost as we look to build on our recent success in the competition. His power and ability to consistently hit boundaries will bolster our middle-order batting line-up and I am sure that his performances will also be great entertainment for our fans at Edgbaston.”Birmingham won the competition in 2014 and were beaten in the semi-final in 2015. Finals Day in 2016 will, once again, be held at their home ground of Edgbaston.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has received six technical proposals for the national team’s sponsorship rights for the next two years, starting from the India series in June. Board CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said that the companies will have to submit their financial proposals a day later, when the BCB will also conduct the bidding process.The base price has been set at Tk 30 crore (approx. US$3.85 million). It is understood that some of the bidders for the previous tender – for the Pakistan series in April and May this year – have participated this time as well.Last month, the BCB awarded Top of Mind, a media planning company, the team sponsorship rights for the Pakistan series. The agreement was completed after the BCB’s four-year contract with Aamby Valley, an affiliate of Sahara India Parivar, was terminated 15 months before it was scheduled to end. The winning quote was reportedly more than Tk 3 crore.Top of Mind and Grameenphone, the team sponsor for eight years before Sahara, were the two highest bidders during that tender but had to bid again as they had not quoted a price favoured by the BCB.The BCB’s deal with Sahara, which included branding rights for the national team and the national cricket academy, title sponsorship and in-stadia sponsorship for 2012-13, was worth $14 million.

The first major cricket match at the new World Sports Park in Indianapolis will be played between Canada and Suriname on Sunday, May 3 in the opening match of the ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament

Peter Della Penna19-Apr-2015The first major cricket match at the new World Sports Park in Indianapolis will be played between Canada and Suriname on Sunday, May 3 in the opening match of the ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament, according to a schedule released by tournament organisers.USA’s first match on the turf pitch will take place that same day, when the defending champions take on Bermuda in the afternoon. The Central Broward Regional Park in south Florida had hosted the tournament on three occasions in the last seven years but the ICC opted to stage this year’s event at a venue far from America’s traditional cricket strongholds on the east and west coasts.According to a source in the mayor’s office, a pitch curator from New Zealand is expected to arrive this week to work on final preparations for the turf strips that will be used for the tournament. The double-round robin event will feature six days of cricket with two matches per day on the same field. The facility does not have international standard floodlights but there should be plenty of time to get both matches in with local sunset time at 8.40pm from the first day.The $5 million WSP complex, eight miles east of downtown Indianapolis, is located in a residential zone adjacent to a private airport. It was initially supposed to have a final cost of $6 million but a fourth multi-purpose athletic field was not fully developed and plans to build a pavilion with food concession stands were also scrapped, according to a report in the .The cutbacks were made in June 2014, only a month after the city of Indianapolis terminated a three-year hosting agreement to stage the USACA T20 National Championships. The Indianapolis mayor’s office had expected the partnership to be a revenue-generating event for the city in conjunction with a television rights deal, which eventually fell through.The USACA National Championship was slated to be the first major tournament at the WSP in August 2014, instead of the ICC tournament. The Indianapolis mayor’s office blamed a breakdown in communication with USACA – following the resignation of former CEO Darren Beazley in March 2014 – as one of the main reasons for breaking off their hosting agreement for the national championship.

وافق الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم، فيفا، على قرار إيقاف لاعب فريق نيوكاسل يونايتد ساندرو تونالي، لمدة 10 أشهر، مع بدء إيقافه من الآن.

كان تونالي قد تلقى عقوبة الإيقاف عن ممارسة كرة القدم لمدة 10 أشهر بسبب اختراقه القواعد التي تخص المراهنات في إيطاليا، عندما كان لاعبًا مع ميلان (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وأعلن الاتحاد الإيطالي، يوم الأربعاء، العقوبة وتقدم بطلب إلى فيفا من أجل تطبيق الإيقاف على اللاعب في مختلف أنحاء العالم.

وأكد الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم لشبكة “ذا أثلتيك” مساء اليوم، أنه تمت الموافقة على طلب الاتحاد الإيطالي، وأصبح الحظر ساريًا على الفور.

وسيغيب تونالي عن الفترة المتبقية من الموسم الحالي، والأسابيع الأولى من الموسم المقبل، إلى جانب بطولة كأس أمم أوروبا، يورو 2024.

Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful has had his eight-year ban for involvement in corruption reduced to a five-year penalty, with two years suspended

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2014

Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful has had his eight-year ban for involvement in corruption reduced to a five-year penalty, with two years suspended, by the BCB’s disciplinary panel chairman. Ashraful had appealed to the disciplinary panel chief, Justice Mohammad Abdur Rashid, in July, asking that the ban he received a month earlier, for his involvement in match and spot-fixing in the 2013 edition of the Bangladesh Premier League, be reduced.The five-year ban is dated from August 13, 2013. The last two years are suspended subject to his participation in a BCB or ICC anti-corruption education and training programme. “Upon production of a certificate of good conduct from ICC”, a BCB release said, he will be eligible to return to cricket “on or about August 13, 2016”.Ashraful, who had admitted to his guilt before being banned, said he was pleased with the result of his appeal. “I had wanted a reduction in the ban similar to what has been given to me, when I had appealed,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I’m very happy, now I can play [sooner]. I should have been punished, yes, but I think this is good for me.”In other decisions taken by the disciplinary panel chief, Sri Lanka slow-bowling allrounder Kaushal Lokuarachchi’s 18-month ban, for failing to report an approach, was reduced to one year.One of the owners of Dhaka Gladiators, Shihab Jishan Chowdhury, who had been found guilty of “being party to an effort to fix” a match in the BPL and handed a ten-year ban, had also appealed. His ban was upheld by the disciplinary panel chief, but the fine of BDT 2 million (US$ 25,000 approx) that went with it was quashed.However, Salim Chowdhury, the franchise’s chairman, who was acquitted of all charges after the anti-corruption tribunal concluded its hearing into the matter, was slapped with a ten-year ban by the disciplinary panel chief. Salim Chowdhury’s ban will be dated from August 13, 2013.Responding to the disciplinary chief’s rulings, the ICC and BCB said in a joint statement: “The ICC and the BCB have received the determination and are pleased to note that Shihab Jishan Chowdury’s 10-year ban has been upheld, while Salim Chowdhury has now also been found guilty and banned for 10 years.”In respect of the other findings, the ICC and the BCB are in the process of carefully reviewing the determination, following which they will decide on their next steps, including whether or not to appeal any aspect(s) of the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”Following the BCB anti-corruption tribunal’s ruling on the corruption allegations earlier this year, the ICC and BCB had expressed displeasure at some of the results. The BCB had set up the tribunal after the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit had brought to its attention the instances of possible corruption in the BPL. Following its investigation, the anti-corruption tribunal had found Shihab Jishan Chowdhury guilty. Ashraful had confessed and pleaded guilty to wrongdoing before the tribunal’s investigation, while Lokuarachchi and New Zealand’s Lou Vincent had said they failed to report approaches made to them. Six other players were discharged as not guilty by the tribunal, and Salim Chowdhury as well as the franchise’s CEO Gaurav Rawat and bowling coach Mohammad Rafique were acquitted of all charges.As per the BCB’s anti-corruption code, which governs this matter, the next – and final – stage of the appeals process allows an appeal to be made to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.

MatériaMais Notícias

Guerrero chegou ao Internacional como uma incógnita para muitos. Suspenso por doping e com apenas um gol marcado em sete jogos disputados pelo Flamengo em 2018, o centroavante, então com 34 anos, foi anunciado pelo Colorado em agosto. A estreia, porém, ocorreu somente em abril deste ano.

O desempenho, no entanto, tem sido acima da média. Com o gol marcado sobre o Nacional, do Uruguai, nesta quarta-feira, na vitória por 1 a 0, Paolo chegou aos dez tentos em apenas 16 partidas disputadas pelo time gaúcho. É o seu melhor início por um clube na carreira.

Seu primeiro ano como profissional foi na temporada 2002/2003, atuando pela equipe B do Bayern de Munique, da Alemanha. Na ocasião, marcou oito vezes em 18 jogos. Dois anos depois, subiu para o time principal, onde estufou as redes sete vezes em 20 partidas.

Dois anos depois foi negociado com o Hamburgo, onde anotou cinco tentos em sua primeira temporada – teve 29 atuações. Foi no clube alemão, inclusive, onde marcou o seu maior volume de gols na Europa, fazendo 51 em 183 jogos.

Guerrero chegou ao futebol brasileiro em 2012, para vestir a camisa do Corinthians. E logo em seu primeiro ano anotou o gol que garantiu o título mundial aos paulistas. Ao todo, na temporada, foram oito em 17 confrontos.

Em 2015, nova mudança de clube do peruano, acertando com o Flamengo. Contratado no meio da temporada, fez 18 partidas e colocou a bola nas redes quatro vezes. Sua passagem pela Gávea se encerraria com o atacante marcando 43 gols em 112 atuações.

Em menos de quatro meses atuando pelo Inter, Guerrero já superou todos estes inícios. E é apenas o começo.

RelacionadasBridgestone LibertadoresEm jogo complicado, Guerrero resolve e Inter vence o Nacional no UruguaiBridgestone Libertadores24/07/2019Internacional‘Estou sempre preparado’, diz D’Alessandro sobre atuar desde o inícioInternacional24/07/2019InternacionalOdair elogia comportamento da equipe: ‘Não abdicamos da vitória’Internacional24/07/2019

Denesh Ramdin, West Indies new Test captain, is convinced there is the talent available in the Caribbean to revive their form over five days

Renaldo Matadeen09-May-2014

Denesh Ramdin, West Indies new Test captain, is convinced there is the talent available in the Caribbean to revive their form over five days but they must overcome the mental frailties which have happened there attempts to climb the Test rankings.He wants his team to play “smarter cricket” and is eager to impart his style of leadership and thinking, which he believes are the qualities the selectors have seen, on his team-mates beginning with the visit of New Zealand.”For the last six to seven years, West Indies have gone off the boil in Tests because our opponents have out-thought us more. We need to think harder as a team,” Ramdin told ESPNcricinfo. “The talent is there. The cricketing skill is always there but it’s more mental with us. Since my West Indies U-19 experiences and Trinidad stints as captain, I’ve always focused and prided myself on proper analysis of the game and we need to improve on this to move up.”Ramdin is confident that he will be able to deal with the pressure, expectation and responsibility the captaincy brings having been vice-captain for five years but knows it will be an increasing challenge to ensure he continues to focus enough time on his own game, which is already to the dual role of being a keeper-batsman.”Darren [Sammy] did well with the resources he had and many thanks to him but I’m relishing the challenge,” he said, before the news of Sammy’s retirement. “There will be ups and downs but I’m ready to balance it all. Over the past 12-15 months I’ve worked on my personal form and it remains the same – I want to help anchor the team and get the lower order to contribute more runs.”Ramdin was quick to pick out West Indies’ batting as the area that needed immediate attention. “We need to bat better in both innings in a Test and not just one. We must have consistency because we’ve been faltering with the bat too much.”Ramdin mapped out his vision for the team on the pitch and said he felt the wicketkeeper’s role was one that will benefit him in the captaincy. “I see a lot from behind the wicket – how the opposition bats to my bowlers – and this helps me in strategizing as it’s the best view in the house.”So now I have a more hands-on approach and more input to control things and to form tactics my way to get guys out based on what I see. This perspective would help in containing opponents and also, I get the best chance to assess the pitches constantly out there in the middle.”He sees the upcoming visit of New Zealand as a good litmus test as the teams are so close to each other in the Test rankings and because the teams have dominated each other in their respective home conditions over the past few years. Ramdin wants to overturn the losses suffered on tour of New Zealand, but despite beating them in the Caribbean on their previous visit has warned that they should not underestimate even though conditions are expected to favour West Indies’ spinners far more.With the captain involved more in team selection as per the recent mandates laid down by the WICB in accordance with the Pybus report, Ramdin said the door was open even to those who have been out of the Test side for a considerable time if they can show the required form.This is particularly pertinent for Dwayne Bravo, who last played a Test in 2010 (or even first-class cricket since last year) but was termed “one of the best allrounders in the game and a matchwinner,” who Ramdin “would love to have in the team as they have a great working relationship.” Last month Bravo spoke of his frustration at having been overlooked for so long.Ramdin also picked out Sunil Narine has having a key role to play in all formats, not just Twenty20, and said the likes of Bravo and Kieron Pollard can stake a claim for Test cricket although that will be difficult for the pair in the short term with Bravo currently nursing a shoulder injury and Pollard playing the IPL.For now, Ramdin is starting to look forward to the Test series against New Zealand – the second match of which is in front of his home crowd in Trinidad. “The first Test in Jamaica is Chris [Gayle’s] 100th so hopefully we can do well there and carry over the momentum to Trinidad. I am eager and happy to run out at home in front our fans.”

A cloud of suspicion hung over the England team after umpire Marais Erasmus changed the ball due to “unnatural deterioration” during the West Indies innings in the third ODI

George Dobell in Antigua05-Mar-2014

A cloud of suspicion hung over the England team after umpire Marais Erasmus changed the ball due to “unnatural deterioration” during the West Indies innings in the third ODI.Erasmus, clearly suspecting that the wear to the ball was due to factors beyond those expected when it is used on an abrasive pitch or hit to the boundary, exchanged strong words with the England captain, Stuart Broad, in the 35th over but did not identify any specific culprit.The match referee, Andy Pycroft, confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the ball had been changed on the basis of playing regulation 42.1.2 – which comes under ‘Fair and unfair play’ – and that, as captain, Broad had been issued with a first and final warning that any further occurrence in the series would result in a five-run penalty and the reporting of Broad, as captain, to the ICC. As the series has now ended, that threat of penalty has disappeared.While the England camp denied any warning had been issued, rule 42.1.2 b) states that, when the ball is changed in such circumstances: “The bowler’s end umpire shall issue the captain with a first and final warning.”The decision infuriated Broad. He insisted any wear had been caused simply by England bowling cross-seam deliveries and complained that the replacement ball was newer and harder than the original one, thereby proving easier for the batsmen to hit boundaries.”I’m very confused as to why it was changed,” Broad said afterwards. “And I made my confusion well known. It’s not like the ball was reversing for us and they gave us a ball that was [only] 10 overs old. You saw Denesh Ramden got hold of it much better. The softness of the original ball made it difficult to hit and they gave us a brand new ball that was easier to hit.”Yes, the umpire said the ball had been changed for that reason and, after I bowled three cross-seam deliveries with the new ball, the same wear was arriving on that ball. So I said ‘Take a picture of that ball as well’.”I just saw no logic to it at all and I made my feelings pretty clear, as politely as I could without risking too heavy a fine. The ball at the other end was in a worse nick than the one that was changed. I’m baffled by it.”I don’t think they’re suggesting we tampered with it. They are just saying it was unnatural wear which may just be that the wicket was ripping the ball up more than expected.”Ramdin, whose 128 carried West Indies to within sight of an unexpected victory, also confirmed that the newer ball had been “a bit harder and came off the bat a bit better”.It is not the first time in recent memory that England have had the ball changed. Most notably, umpire Aleem Dar changed the ball during the Champions Trophy defeat against Sri Lanka, although on that occasion there was no warning and no public mention of “unnatural deterioration”. But, despite a plethora of photographers and television cameras at all international fixtures, no evidence exists to suggest England have been guilty of ball tampering.