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Celtic took on FC Midtjylland on Thursday evening. One of these clubs is a former European champion; a UEFA Cup finalist as recently as 2003. You wouldn’t have thought it was the team in green and white.

Yes, the trip to Denmark saw the Hoops’ season reach yet another low following a dismal 3-1 defeat in the Europa League, with a late Reo Hatate consolation doing little to help lift the mood among Martin O’Neill’s side.

It was men against boys stuff at the MCH Arena, in truth, evoking memories of last season’s humiliation at the hands of Borussia Dortmund, with the home side scoring three times in an eight-minute first-half blitz.

From the highs of Sunday’s extra-time triumph over rivals Rangers, the Parkhead outfit were very much brought crashing back down to earth, with such a display only heightening the need to wrap up this ongoing managerial search sooner rather than later.

It was a night in which anything that could go wrong did go wrong, a fact epitomised by the sight of Hampden hero Callum Osmand being stretchered off late on, cruelly cutting short what had been a lively cameo from the teenage striker.

Until that abrupt withdrawal, Osmand had been perhaps the only positive for O’Neill and co, coming amid a string of otherwise dour performances – including from a certain Anthony Ralston.

Ralston's game in numbers vs Midtjylland

The unfortunate blow of losing the ex-Fulham forward has further emphasised just how depleted Celtic are right now, with the Scottish champions faced with a raft of key absentees to add to their growing woes.

Indeed, there remains no Cameron Carter-Vickers, nor Jota. No Kelechi Iheanacho or Alistair Johnston. On the evidence of Ralston’s Danish display, the return of the latter man can’t come soon enough.

That may appear a harsh assessment for a player who has been a solid servant since his surprise rise under Ange Postecoglou, although the right-back’s shortcomings were brutally exposed amid the first-half onslaught last night.

The Scotland international was notably at fault for the home side’s second of the night, having almost watched as the impressive Mikel Gorgoza skipped past him, before curling a delightful effort into the far corner.

On the receiving end of an undoubtedly debatable handball call at the weekend, Ralston’s luck doesn’t seem to be in right now, with his woes also evident as he lost the ball on nine occasions from his 55 touches, while boasting a limp 79% pass accuracy, as per Sofascore.

While the typically committed full-back did win four of his five tackles, there was little in the way of any attacking impetus, having failed to even provide a single key pass or cross on the night, nor attempt a single dribble.

Limited would be the word to describe the 26-year-old, unfortunately, with the Glasgow giants desperately in need of Johnston’s return before too long.

That’s not to say Ralston was the only villain in Denmark, however, with issues cropping up all across the park.

How Celtic were let down by experienced faces

Scrutiny over the club’s new faces or emerging talents, be it Benjamin Nygren or Johnny Kenny, is no doubt justified following the limp showing of the pair in midweek, although much of the criticism should be centred around O’Neill’s core of experienced figures.

Indeed, while having had little chance with any of the three goals, Kasper Schmeichel was again somewhat erratic when playing out from the back, with that also the word to use for summer returnee, Kieran Tierney, as the struggling star notably lost the ball on 14 occasions from his left-back berth.

Long-serving hero, James Forrest, meanwhile, was hooked at the break having repeatedly run into trouble when cutting in from the right flank, albeit with perhaps the biggest frustration having been the performance of skipper Callum McGregor at the base of the midfield.

So often the shining light for Celtic, as he was at Hampden just a matter of days ago, McGregor at his best is central to everything good about the team, pulling the strings in metronomic fashion from his deep-lying berth.

Unfortunately, this latest outing was far from the captain in his pomp, with much of the away side’s woes stemming from the Scotsman’s inability to dictate proceedings, having been no match for the physicality of the towering opposition.

Up against the likes of ex-Bournemouth star Philip Billing, McGregor simply couldn’t get a foothold in the game, failing to make a single tackle or win any of his five attempted duels, while being dribbled past twice.

In an attacking sense too, the 32-year-old was also found wanting, having failed to successfully complete a single dribble or cross, while losing the ball on ten occasions from just 41 touches.

Minutes

90

Touches

41

Pass accuracy

78%

Key passes

0

Crosses

0

Dribbles

0

Possession lost

10

Tackles

0

Total duels won

0/5

Dribbled past

2

For a man who has averaged 81.8 touches per game in the Premiership this season, as per Sofascore, such a drop off only serves to emphasise his struggles, with the typically reliable midfielder enduring a real off night in truth.

At a time of so much chaos and uncertainty surrounding the club, O’Neill – or his permanent successor – are in need of figures like McGregor to step up to the plate.

As Thursday’s outing showcased, however, he is currently the captain of something of a sinking ship.

Postecoglou 2.0: Surprise target emerges to now replace Rodgers at Celtic

Celtic’s search for a new manager continues, with a new Ange Postecoglou figure under consideration…

ByRobbie Walls Nov 6, 2025

Liverpool slumped down to eighth in the Premier League table after they were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City at The Etihad in the last game before the international break.

The Reds have now lost seven of their last ten matches in all competitions and five of their 11 games in the Premier League, in what has been a dismal defence of their title so far.

Arne Slot will be disappointed with his side’s dreadful run of form and should use the international break to come up with a new way of approaching matches to turn the season around.

One thing that the Dutch head coach must look to do is to revive Mohamed Salah’s form, because the reigning Premier League Player of the Year has not been at his best.

How far Mo Salah's numbers have fallen this season

The Egypt international won the Player of the Year award by delivering 29 goals and 18 assists in the top-flight last season, helping the Reds to the Premier League title.

Unfortunately, the left-footed superstar has not quite been at his sparkling best for Slot in the current campaign, although he has still delivered four goals and two assists in 11 league games.

Appearances

38

11

Goals

29

4

Minutes per goal

116

246

Big chances missed

24

6

Conversion rate

22%

15%

Key passes per game

2.4

1.9

Assists

18

2

As you can see in the table above, Salah is scoring and assisting goals less frequently than he did last season, with a lower conversion rate, which is why the manager needs to find a way to get him back to his best.

Per Sofascore, the winger registered three shots without any going on target and created three chances without any of them being ‘big chances’, but he was not the only Liverpool forward who failed to deliver.

Why Hugo Ekitike's place in the XI should be on borrowed time

Hugo Ekitike put in a disappointing performance in the number nine shirt and his place in the starting line-up may be on borrowed time come the other side of the break.

The France international was given the nod to lead the line for the Reds against the Cityzens, but he was just as ineffective as Salah at the top end of the pitch.

Per Sofascore, Ekitike did not take a single shot in the match and only made one key pass, whilst he also lost 100% (2/2) of his duels, which speaks to how underwhelming his display was.

In his 11 minutes on the pitch after the post above, the former Eintracht Frankfurt centre-forward did not take any shots or attempt any dribbles, but he did create one chance in what was an “anonymous” performance.

Ekitike has now failed to score in his last five appearances in the Premier League for the Reds, per Sofascore, and has only scored three goals in ten games in the division in total.

Unlike Salah, the French striker does not have an incredible career at Liverpool to buy him more time in the starting XI if performances like his one against Manchester City persist, which is why he may be on borrowed time in the XI.

On top of that, Alexander Isak returned from injury to make the bench on Sunday, which puts further pressure on Ekitike. The former Newcastle man scored 23 goals in the Premier League last season, per Sofascore, and could take his place in the starting line-up unless the ex-Bundesliga star improves his performances.

Man City fans' brutal chant sums up Florian Wirtz's time at Liverpool

The German struggled, yet again, for the Reds against Manchester City.

ByJames O'Reilly Nov 9, 2025

Game 7 of the 2025 World Series simply had it all.

There was Bo Bichette’s no-doubt homer to get things started, Blue Jays manager John Schneider vocalizing complaints about a little-known rule, and a hit-by-pitch that cleared both benches. And then, of course, there was the ninth inning—one that will be remembered for Miguel Rojas’s game-tying solo shot and Andy Pages’s game-saving catch in center field.

After 11 innings of baseball, it was the Dodgers celebrating on the field at Rogers Centre on Saturday night, closing out the best-of-seven World Series with a dramatic 5–4 comeback win over Toronto.

The Dodgers are MLB’s first back-to-back champions since the Yankees won three straight titles from 1998 to 2000.

Before the Los Angeles area heads into a champagne-stained celebration that hopefully lasts for days, here are three takeaways from an unforgettable Game 7:

The Dodgers are inevitable

If we learned anything Saturday night, it’s to never count out a $350 million payroll.

When they needed a big play late in Game 7, though, it wasn’t Shohei Ohtani or Mookie Betts or Freddie Freeman authoring a signature moment. It was 36-year-old veteran infielder Miguel Rojas crushing a 3–2 pitch from closer Jeff Hoffman to tie Game 7 with two outs in the ninth inning.

In the 11th inning, one of the Dodgers’ prized franchise players did step up. Los Angeles catcher Will Smith hammered a solo home run to left field for a 5–4 lead, enough for the Dodgers to hang onto at the end.

The Blue Jays were no Cinderella story—they boast the fifth-highest payroll in baseball. But the depth of star pitching the Dodgers threw in Game 7 alone—Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto—made it clear Los Angeles is truly in a class of its own.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, World Series hero

Yamamoto threw 96 pitches in the Dodgers’ 3–1 win in Game 6. Entering Game 7, Los Angeles manager David Roberts told the media that Yamamoto would be available for Game 7 if needed.

And, boy, did they need him.

Yamamoto entered a 4–4 game in the ninth inning with a runners on first and second. He hit Alejandro Kirk with a pitch, but then got out of the jam with a groundout and fly out. Yamamoto sat down the Blue Jays in order in the 10th and was on the mound in the 11th when Betts tagged second base and threw a strike to Freeman for the game-winning play.

In three World Series outings—two starts and a relief appearance—Yamamoto allowed just two runs in 17 2/3 innings.

Game 7 Ohtani wasn’t quite cinematic

Late Friday night, Ohtani learned he was going to start Game 7 on the mound. It set the stage for a potential unbelievable Game 7 with baseball’s brightest star shining both on the mound and in the batter’s box while fighting for a championship.

Although Ohtani had a nice night at the plate, he didn’t quite meet the moment on the mound.

Ohtani cruised through the first inning and got out of a bases-loaded jam in the second. But he was pulled in the third inning when Bichette crushed a three-run homer to center field for a 3–0 Blue Jays lead.

Ohtani wrapped up his second career postseason batting .265/.405/.691 while logging a 4.43 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings in four starts.

Batter enjoyed chance to have a go at India ‘in the right manner’ during feisty third Test at Lord’s

Vithushan Ehantharajah21-Jul-20251:14

Brook: ‘Dawson is always willing to fight for the team’

Former All Blacks mental skills coach Gilbert Enoka has been moulding the minds of the England men’s Test squad this summer. And the man famous for the New Zealand rugby team’s “no d*ckheads” policy has been reinforcing the mental fortitude of the group, at a time when Harry Brook says they must ditch their “nice guy” persona.Enoka, who has recently worked with Chelsea Football Club, spoke to the team at Emirates Old Trafford at the start of their first training session ahead of the fourth Test against India. A friend of head coach Brendon McCullum, having previously worked with the Blackcaps, Enoka has been with England on a freelance basis. He first addressed the squad in May, when they met up in London ahead of their first Test of the summer against Zimbabwe, and he will remain with them in Manchester until the end of the week.At this stage, Enoka has been working primarily with McCullum and Ben Stokes. However, his methods proved integral to a cultural shift in New Zealand rugby that brought about back-to-back Rugby World Cups in 2011 and 2015, and the hope is that his expertise will ignite a similar period of dominance for England’s cricketers. Beyond the current series against India lies the Ashes in the winter, both of which are seminal moments in this team’s lifecycle.On the field, England showed a notable degree of togetherness during the third Test at Lord’s, particularly when they rounded on India on the final day. Victory in the final session gave England a 2-1 lead in the series, after plenty of effort and just as much chat, with close-in fielders – notably Brook – not shy of a word towards India’s batters.The touch paper was lit on the third evening, when Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett faced the full wrath of the India team after the former successfully employed delaying tactics to keep an awkward mini-session to a single over. Shubman Gill led the protestations, pointing the finger at Crawley for time-wasting, who immediately pointed right back at the India skipper, after his own time-wasting efforts earlier in the match.Related

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• Sledging, swearing, send-offs – Lord's needling promises explosive series ahead

As it happens, McCullum had mentioned before the Test that his team were a little too nice. Brook believes England’s opportunity to have a go at India, in the same way that India had gone at them, was one they had relished in pursuit of a new edge.”It was good fun,” Brook said. “We watched the Indians go hard at Creeps (Crawley) and Ducky. We had a conversation, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to not be the nice guys that we have been in the past three years, to go out there and put them under more pressure than what they have probably had before.”He (McCullum) actually said a few days before that we are too nice sometimes, and I brought it up the night before the last day: ‘Baz said the other day we’re too nice, I think tomorrow is a perfect opportunity to really get stuck into them’.”I don’t know if it had an effect on how we got the wickets, but it certainly had an effect on the atmosphere, the crowd. We bowled really well and got the wickets in the end.”Both teams shook hands at the end of the Lord’s Test, with Stokes and Gill accepting the on-field chat had inspired a fierce contest. England expect India to come back at them hard in Manchester this week, not least given the must-win nature of this match from the tourists’ perspective. And though Brook is relishing the prospect of more feistiness, particularly given how much more engaged the spectators became as a consequence, he feels it has not – and will not – cross a line.”I’ve had a lot of compliments,” he said. “Everybody said it was awesome to watch and it looked like there was 11 versus two when we were fielding. It was good fun, I have to admit, it was tiring but it made fielding a lot more enjoyable.”I don’t think it’s against the spirit of cricket. We weren’t being personal, we weren’t being nasty, we were just putting them under more pressure.”We were doing it within the spirit of the game. We weren’t going out there effing and jeffing at them, and being nasty people. We were just going about it in the right manner.”

Mohammad Mithun has become the new president of Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) after winning the players body’s election, held in Dhaka on Thursday. Election commissioner Iftekhar Rahman announced that Mithun got 154 votes, beating Salim Shahed who was the interim CWAB convenor since May this year. Shahed got 34 votes.”We will try to solve everything through negotiation,” Mithun said shortly after the election results were announced. “If that’s not possible, as I have come here to protect the rights of the cricketers, I have to speak for them. The BCB is our guardian. We can go to our guardian with whatever demands that we have. I hope the BCB sees those demands positively.”CWAB was established in 2004 but it hasn’t had any elections in the 21 years of existence. Naimur Rahman, the former Bangladesh captain and Awami League MP, was the CWAB president for 11 years, alongside general secretary Debabrata Paul. The pair quit their posts earlier this year, before Shahed was made the interim head of an ad-hoc committee.After many years, CWAB saw involvement from the country’s top cricketers. Before Thursday’s elections, the other positions in the executive body were filled uncontested.Former batter Shahriar Hossain is the senior vice-president while Nurul Hasan is the vice president. Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shamsur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rumana Ahmed, Khaled Mashud Pilot, Imrul Kayes, Irfan Sukkur, and Akbar Ali are new executive committee members.CWAB is an affiliate of the World Cricketers’ Association (formerly known as FICA). It came under the spotlight when Bangladesh’s top cricketers went on an indefinite strike in 2019, and one of their demands was CWAB’s overhaul at the time. CWAB bosses Naimur and Paul promised elections, but it was never held in the following five years.

The 2025 MLB season has certainly not gone the way Justin Verlander hoped when he signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants in January.

Through 14 starts, Verlander has posted a 4.84 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 60 strikeouts in 70 2/3 innings pitched. He also has yet to record a win.

Verlander has qualified for a win—going at least five innings on the bump—in 10 of his 14 starts this season. The Giants have gone 3-11 in his 14 outings and haven't won a Verlander start since May 18—a 3–2 win over the Athletics when he allowed two runs on three hits and five walks in four innings.

The 42-year-old Verlander is just the eighth pitcher this century to fail to record a win in his first 14 starts of the season (minimum 70 innings pitched).

MLB pitchers with no wins in first 14 starts of season (min. 70 IP; since 2000)

PLAYER	TEAM (YEAR)	ERA (RECORD)	FIRST WIN
Justin Verlander	Giants (2025)	4.84 (0-6)	—
Jordan Lyles	Royals (2023)	6.89 (0-11)	June 24 (16th start)
Blake Snell	Rays (2017)	4.98 (0-6)	Aug. 15 (16th start)
Jerad Eickhoff	Phillies (2017)	4.93 (0-7)	July 9 (15th start)
Marco Estrada	Brewers (2012)	4.64 (0-5)	Aug. 21 (16th start)
Kenshin Kawakami	Braves (2010)	4.78 (0-9)	June 26 (15th start)
Kevin Millwood	Orioles (2010)	5.16 (0-8)	June 19 (15th start)
Tanyon Sturtze	Rays (2002)	4.79 (0-8)	June 26 (16th start)

To Verlander's credit, he has logged five quality starts (at least six innings and three or fewer runs allowed), but San Francisco haven't given him much run support, especially in those games.

There have only been four pitchers in MLB history to start at least 14 games and not record a win over a full season—Paolo Espino (2022), Spencer Howard (2021), Ryne Stanek (2019) and Vida Blue (1983). Espino started the year in the bullpen for the Washington Nationals, and Howard and Stanek were used as openers for their respective teams. Blue floated in and out of the bullpen for the 1983 Kansas City Royals.

The good news for Verlander? All seven other pitchers on the above chart were able to notch their first win of the season in their 15th or 16th start. Perhaps a bit of good fortune awaits the veteran before the All-Star break.

He delivered a masterclass in control and seam movement, dominating without taking a wicket and proving that perfection in bowling isn’t always measured by numbers

Sidharth Monga23-Oct-2025One of the idiosyncrasies of cricket is that not all new balls are the same. Sometimes you can end up with a bum ball that doesn’t swing. Sometimes you get a good one that hoops. So the choice is given to the bowling team. They pick out a new ball (two in ODIs) from a box of new balls. Usually the experienced fast bowler in a side does so. They look for balls that feel “small” in their hand. Which, you can imagine, might be a problem when Josh Hazlewood chooses the ball.Every ball seems small in Hazlewood’s hands. And he lets it go so beautifully from his high release point that if there is any seam movement available from the pitch, he is certain to get it. You give him some moisture in the pitch to work with, and you get the kind of spell for ages that Hazlewood delivered in Adelaide.Related

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Kohli and Rohit's ODI legacy can't be measured in runs and centuries

It is not often that you watch a close match where the result margin is two wickets, and your lasting memory of the day is the work of a bowler who didn’t take any wicket. And yet, if rain or some other circumstance had ended the game at the 38th over of the first innings, the organisers would be justified in refusing any refunds because Hazlewood’s 10 overs for 29 runs had already been worth the gatemoney.Forty-three of the 60 deliveries were dots, 21 times he beat the bat, got the edge on six occasions, but was just not lucky enough to get a wicket. In an ODI that eventually featured runs at well over five an over, batters were in control only 55% of the time when facing Hazlewood. And he didn’t bowl to the tail. Fifteen of those 21 plays and misses were defensive shots.It is just his luck that Rohit Sharma comes out to play the only format he now plays for the first time in seven months and in front of him is Hazlewood on early-season Australian pitches with bounce and moisture. After getting done in in Perth, Rohit decided to give himself some time in Adelaide. He even played out two successive maidens from Hazlewood. It didn’t matter, though, how much time he gave himself. Hazlewood was not leaving the good length outside off with subtle changes in release. Some balls nipped away, some jagged back in. Even the ones that went straight on were so accurate you couldn’t take liberties with them.Like a fine machine, Hazlewood kept going on and on for seven overs with the new ball. Poor Rohit faced 31 of those 42 deliveries. Shreyas Iyer faced nine, and even in that brief period he was made to dance and fumble for the ball.Not once did Hazlewood go searching. He was happy to keep bowling the good length and wait for the wicket. If he didn’t get it, he was at least creating chances for the bowlers at the other end.After Hazlewood’s first spell was over and the movement settled down, Rohit and Iyer displayed their quality in scoring half-centuries. The vexing part, though, is that when Hazlewood came back for his second spell in the 34th over, the ball started nipping around again. It started to look small in his hands again. The high release, the high vertical speed, and whatever juice was still available was extracted again.On another day, Hazlewood could have easily walked away with a five-for with a performance of this quality. Somewhere in a deep sadistic corner of his heart, you wonder if he enjoys such tormenting of helpless batters just as much as he does taking wickets. Especially in limited-overs cricket, where these tight overs still have a significant impact on the wickets others get and the overall score.

It was all looking so good for Manchester United at the start of this season. Into the Women's Champions League proper for the first time and unbeaten through their first seven games of the new Women's Super League campaign, the Red Devils were flying. But as Marc Skinner's side return to action after the final international break of the year, they're looking to avoid a fourth defeat in just five games.

A shock loss in November to Aston Villa, who had won just one league game until that point, has sparked an unwelcome run of form, with heavy defeats to Manchester City and Wolfsburg following, even though United were able to initially bounce back by beating Paris Saint-Germain. It means the Red Devils are suddenly seven points off the pace in the WSL and in need of a big finish in the Champions League in order to secure automatic qualification for the knockouts, with their final two fixtures in the league phase extremely tough.

Given how impressive United were at the start of this season, it's been quite a surprise to some to see them have such a significant wobble. But the struggles of the last few weeks have only underlined what many believed to be the case before the campaign got underway: United do not have the squad to successfully cope with the demands of the WSL and the Champions League.

Getty ImagesDefying the odds

United and Skinner deserve a lot of credit for having the start to the season they did, especially because that thin squad was extremely depleted in the early weeks. Injuries to no fewer than 10 senior players before the month of October left Skinner with little choice when it came to his starting line-up, with only two senior outfielders on the Red Devils' bench for the Champions League qualifier against Hammarby back in late August.

Despite those challenges, United were able to qualify for the European league phase, win all of their first three games in the Champions League proper and go unbeaten through their first seven matches of the WSL season, winning five. However, the tall order facing this squad is now becoming apparent.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLacking depth

It was difficult not to think that after United were battered 3-0 in the Manchester derby. These two sides have used the same number of players through the first nine weeks of the WSL, but one looked much more at it and much fresher than the other, despite City themselves having injury concerns to deal with in the early portion of the season. Indeed, captain and defensive leader Alex Greenwood was missing at the Etihad Stadium, and City's bench was arguably weaker than United's, featuring two inexperienced academy products. However, the one advantage of not being in the Champions League was on show for the blue side of Manchester, who look to have a real opportunity in the WSL this season because of that.

Dealing with that schedule is not an issue only affecting United, either. Arsenal are another good example of a squad ill-equipped to deal with the demands of two top-level games a week, that being at least one factor in the Gunners' own underwhelming start to the new campaign. The reigning European champions have only used 19 players in the Champions League this term, compared to numbers like Chelsea's 25 and Lyon's 24. United are one of just six teams to use fewer than Arsenal, with only Leuven, Twente and Valerenga utilising fewer than the Red Devils.

That can work, to an extent, when you are a superpower like Barcelona, who have actually used the same number of players as United. However, their starting line-up is still arguably the best in the women's game, making them a unique case. For most, it is far too difficult to compete at the very top in domestic and European competition with a small squad, especially when playing in a league as competitive as the WSL.

Getty ImagesDifficult situation to manage

It's not just about rotation, freshness and dealing with injuries, either. "You can't coach much," Skinner said earlier this season, explaining the constraints such a situation causes. It means there's less time to work on specifics and tweak things effectively, because players are not spending as much time in full training sessions due to the recovery needed between games.

Of course, when a team is playing well and winning, that's not really an issue. Not much needs changing. But when a team gets stuck in a bit of a rough patch, like the one United have found themselves in over the last few weeks – and Arsenal have in this campaign, too – it's not easy to suddenly get out of that without the time to pay real attention to detail.

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GettySalt in the wounds

Having such a light squad also means it hurts more when big injuries occur, and United have been hit with a couple of huge ones. Millie Turner, who has formed such a formidable partnership with Maya Le Tissier in central defence, has been missing since mid-September, forcing a reshuffle at the back. Dominique Janssen has generally done well filling in for the England international, but between the break-up of that reliable duo, the withdrawal of Janssen from her usual midfield role and the decreased depth Turner's absence has caused, it's not an ideal situation.

More significant has been the injury to Phallon Tullis-Joyce, United's No.1 goalkeeper and one of the best in her position in the world. Skinner has turned to Safia Middleton-Patel, the 21-year-old Wales international, to fill her gloves, and while the youngster has looked good at times, it's unrealistic to expect her, with her inexperience, to deliver at the level of Tullis-Joyce at this point.

United have conceded nine goals in the three games without the American, having only conceded seven times in their first 14 games of the season, prior to her injury. That doesn't feel like a coincidence, particularly with her absence only adding to the upheaval in the spine of the team that had already happened as a result of Turner's injury and Janssen's positional switch.

The allrounder flew home to Mumbai from Srinagar on Tuesday evening, but the move is believed to be precautionary

Shashank Kishore14-Oct-2025

Shivam Dube has been a key member of the Mumbai side over the years•PTI

Allrounder Shivam Dube has been pulled out of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy 2025-26 squad on the eve of their season opener against Jammu & Kashmir due to back stiffness. Dube flew home to Mumbai from Srinagar on Tuesday evening.The move is believed to be precautionary, given he’s also part of India’s T20I squad that is set to leave for Australia on October 23 for a five-match series.Dube had a prolific 2025 Asia Cup, where India captain Suryakumar Yadav regularly turned to him as a bowling option. In the final against Pakistan, he played a pivotal all-round role. Used as a new-ball option in Hardik Pandya’s absence, he bowled three tight overs for just 23 runs and later scored a crucial 22-ball 33 as India sealed a tense chase.While Dube will have to wait until after the Australia tour for a Ranji return, Mumbai will welcome back allrounder Musheer Khan, who missed the previous season due to a neck and collar-bone injury he suffered during a road accident.Also back from injury is older brother, Sarfaraz Khan, who was ruled out of contention for the just-completed Test series against West Indies due to a quadriceps injury.Mumbai will be captained by India allrounder Shardul Thakur, who takes over the mantle from Ajinkya Rahane, who is set to continue playing.Rahane has been training for the season from as early as July, when he said on a podcast that he’d even carried his trainers and kit to the UK – while on a media assignment during India’s Test tour – to be able to train for the upcoming season.Mumbai are in Group D alongside J&K, Hyderabad, Delhi, Puducherry, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The opening round of the new season against J&K has been billed as a rematch of last season’s group fixture, which Mumbai lost by five wickets at the Bandra Kurla Complex grounds.

Harry Kane believes England are "one of the favourites" to win next year's World Cup after his brace against Albania. The Three Lions secured a 2-0 win in Tirana to ensure they finished their World Cup qualifying campaign with eight wins out of eight. Now, the Bayern Munich star has sent a warning out to the other contenders for the 2026 tournament in North America.

Kane stars again for England

Kane's two second-half goals meant England finished their qualifying campaign with a 100 per cent record and took his goal tally for his country to 78 – taking him past Brazilian great Pele. The Three Lions have now kept a clean sheet in each of their last 10 games in the World Cup qualifiers, a run of 1,032 minutes without conceding a goal. The 32-year-old has so often been the saviour for England and that proved to be the case again on Sunday night in Albania. 

Incidentally, former England defender Conor Coady says it is a "pleasure" to watch the ex-Tottenham striker in full flight.

He said on BBC Radio 5 Live: "Harry Kane plays every minute of every game because he does the job. Playing for his country means a lot to him – it is a pleasure to watch him. I thought England were top draw tonight. The manage is in a fantastic place going into next year. It was hard at times, but the subs that came on were outstanding."

AdvertisementGettyKane says England are among World Cup favourites

In recent years, England have reached the final of the Euros for two straight tournaments and made it to the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Ahead of the next edition of this famous event, Kane appears to be confident about his country's chances.

When asked how he rates his team against other top nations, he told ITV Sport: "I think it's as good as we've ever had, I think when you look at starting 11, you look at the players coming off the bench, we're going to go into the tournament as one of the favourites, we have to accept that, we've been like that now for the last few tournaments and that's part and parcel of it so we've been building, we've had a great year together with the new coach and now we look forward to obviously a big 2026."

Tough test in Albania

England boss Tuchel made seven changes to the side that beat Serbia 2-0 in midweek. The Three Lions had to be patient at Arena Kombetare, with Kane scoring in the 74th and 82nd minutes. For the ex-Spurs man, Albania provided a stern test for him and his team-mates.

"I think it was a really tough game, probably one of the toughest games we've had in the group, and we had to be patient, we had to grind them down defensively, really solid, and we've done that, and we ended up with a two-nil win, another clean sheet, we can be really happy," he said. "Yeah so we kind of changed it, first half we went in a different out swing and then when Saka come on, we know how good he is at hitting that kind of front post zone and we kind of went to the front post, got a little bit lucky with the flick on but thankfully I was there to put it away. If you're going to go far in any tournament you need a whole squad, you need the players who don't start to come off the bench and make an impact, that's what football's about, it's not just the 11 that play so we're going to need everyone and you know the guys who come on today made a big difference. I think we've set the standard now, especially in the last few camps, and we carried it on into this camp, and it's an important win, you don't want to finish with a loss on the end of the year and then have to wait until March to play again, we can go away and enjoy this now."

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next for England?

After this successful World Cup qualifying campaign, Tuchel's side will wait to find out which friendly games are in store for them in 2026. It remains to be seen what level of opposition England will face before heading to North America next summer as they seek their first World Cup win since 1966.