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The 19-year-old made a noticeable impact from the bench on Saturday, having also marked her debut earlier this year with a sensational strike

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For the majority of England's 2-1 defeat to France on Saturday, there were very few positives for the Lionesses to pick out. Defensively, the reigning champions were awful, with the scoreline flattering them in that sense, and it took until the 87th minute, when Keira Walsh found the back of the net, for them to register a shot on target. This was not the sort of performance that Sarina Wiegman and her side wanted to start their European Championship title defence with.

England's first 20 minutes or so were good, with that period including an Alessia Russo goal which was disallowed for the narrowest of offsides, and the way they ended the match was positive, after some late substitutes started to make an impact. One of those was Grace Clinton, who entered the fray with 13 minutes to go, and another was Michelle Agyemang, brought on in the 86th minute.

With so little time remaining, the 19-year-old hardly had much to work with in terms of making her mark – and yet, on just her second senior international appearance, she brought qualities to the table that troubled France plenty and showed why, moving forward, she deserves to be used much more, especially if the Lionesses want to avoid becoming the first holders in competition history to go out in the group stage.

Getty ImagesRising star

Those tuning into England's Euros opener could be forgiven if Agyemang's name was not familiar to them as she appeared off the bench to try and turn things around. After all, her journey to playing at a senior major tournament while still only a teenager has been quite remarkable.

It was just three months ago that the Arsenal academy product made her Lionesses debut, and that itself only came about due to injuries in the squad. Indeed, all of Chloe Kelly, Lauren James and Alessia Russo had pulled out after the first of two games against Belgium in the April international window, forcing Wiegman to call upon an entirely new option.

Agyemang certainly made the most of her opportunity. Entering the game with England trailing 3-1 at Den Dreef, it took her 41 seconds to halve the deficit with a stunning volley that played a huge role in her muscling her way into the Lionesses' Euro 2025 squad at the last minute.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWaiting patiently

But despite that goal and her somewhat surprising involvement in this summer's tournament, having been picked ahead of the experienced Nikita Parris, who had been involved in every England camp in 2025 until Wiegman confirmed her list for the trip to Switzerland, Agyemang didn't add to her sole cap in any of the three games that followed that defeat in Belgium.

When the Lionesses comfortably beat Portugal at Wembley at the end of May, some might've expected the teenager to get a runout in the second half, given the scoreline read 5-0 at the break. She didn't. When they travelled to Spain a few days later to take on the world champions, it was a little more understandable than Agyemang was an unused sub again. But her lack of involvement in England's send-off friendly, another comfortable rout against Jamaica, raised eyebrows, especially given the striker was going to Euro 2025 instead of playing a key role at the Under-19 Euros.

So was she actually going to play?

Getty ImagesTaking her chance

On Saturday, though, Agyemang finally got her long-awaited second cap. It came in similar circumstances to her debut, with England trailing and in desperate need of something else in attack, and while it seemed like four minutes of normal time was hardly going to be enough for her to make an impact, she had a noticeable influence.

Thrown into an impromptu front two with Russo, Agyemang made her presence felt in the box, offering an aerial option when the long ball was necessary and had a shot blocked in a promising situation. She was never going to change the game at that point, with so little time to do so, but she showed – once again – how she can be effective and why, perhaps, Wiegman should've turned to her much sooner than she did.

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Getty ImagesIncredible talent

For those who have tracked Agyemang's progress over the years, her rise might be a slight surprise given the sudden nature of it, but not because she doesn't deserve to be where she is. A prolific goal-scorer in the England youth teams, the striker enjoyed a fruitful loan spell with Watford in the second-tier until injuries hampered her, and she spent last season experiencing regular Women's Super League football for the first time, in a temporary stint at Brighton.

Dario Vidosic, the Seagulls' boss, initially used Agyemang more as a substitute than a starter, but that was more to do with her being an 18-year-old who was still getting to grips with one of the best leagues in the world. He was under no illusions when it came to her talent, saying after she made her England bow: "She's got a beautiful strike, she knows how to hit a ball, she's dangerous, she possesses a lot of weapons and she'll be, no doubt, a household name sooner rather than later. I'm sure there'll be a lot of kids wearing her jerseys in the not too distant future."

The head-to-head, of course, has India leading 7-0. Pakistan will be very keen to end that jinx

Shashank Kishore13-Oct-20235:28

Why has Bumrah stood out? What’s ailing Shaheen?

Big Picture – Can the teams shut out the noise?There was thunder and lightning. Rain that began as a passing shower turned into a deluge, sending people scurrying for cover to preserve – guess what? – their physical match ticket so that they could return the next day to watch a game of cricket, the IPL final no less.It turned out to be the match of the tournament, and perhaps for many of the fans, their lives. As people made a beeline for the exit at 3am, more than 30 hours after the match was scheduled to have begun, several were still revelling in the festivities that followed that emotional roller-coaster of a final.Ahmedabad was the epicentre of Indian cricket that night, and the promise of a similar occasion, perhaps even grander, later in the year for a match they were all sure would be held in Ahmedabad, excited them.That grand occasion is nearly here.Related

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'All streaks are meant to be broken' – Babar turns down the noise about Pakistan's 0-7 run against India

On Saturday, Ahmedabad won’t just be the epicentre of Indian cricket, but world cricket, with 132,000 people – a decent chunk being celebrities, industrialists, politicians, friends of politicians and, of course, cricket administrators – congregating at what they say is the world’s biggest cricket stadium to witness a match that makes the cricket economy – bilateral non-relations notwithstanding.Welcome to instalment eight of India vs Pakistan at men’s 50-over World Cups. Depending on whether you plan to sport blue or green on the day, you probably feel like gloating over that unmatched record or need no reminding of the duck you hope will become . In literal terms, that means “together” – like administrators from both sides who spar at boardrooms and in the media will be – but in this cricketing context, it refers to the scoreline that Pakistani fans, and the players, will hope for at the end of the night: 1-7.5:40

‘Once the first ball is bowled, everything is back to normal’

Pakistan have spent two weeks in Hyderabad, and are among the teams that will travel the least at this World Cup. Whether by design or accident, that should be a blessing in disguise, for a game of this magnitude will need plenty of recovering from anyway. And in a twisted sort of way, perhaps, the Pakistan players will have it a tad easier, in that at least they won’t need to be juggling match passes for long lists of friends and family – due to all the visa issues.It’s the kind of game that can take up mind space for days, if not longer. Sachin Tendulkar, for example, revealed that Centurion, and nothing else, was on his mind for over a month, until the sides met on that memorable day in March 2003, because he was reminded of it wherever he went and by whomever he met – from those on room-service duty to the fans to the media. MS Dhoni, whose hotel room was apparently never shut while on tour, decided he needed to make an exception ahead of the 2011 Mohali semi-final.In a nutshell that’s the essence of India vs Pakistan.Form guideIndia WWLWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first)
Pakistan WWLWWJasprit Bumrah was menacing with the new ball and wily with the old against Afghanistan•ICC/Getty ImagesIn the spotlight: Jasprit Bumrah and Abdullah ShafiqueJasprit Bumrah will be playing a World Cup game on his home ground, but seems immune to all the pressure. When the inevitable question on playing Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium came up at a press interaction, he quipped he was more keen to first make a quick dash home to visit his mum. And if he’s got his head in the right place, form is on his side too: Bumrah heads into the game on the back of a stellar show against Afghanistan, a four-wicket haul that would have won him the match honours on most nights but was overshadowed by a Rohit Sharma special that time.Abdullah Shafique would not have been playing had Fakhar Zaman shown a semblance of form in the lead-up to the tournament. But, on World Cup debut, his century and his partnership with Mohammad Rizwan helped put together a record chase against Sri Lanka. Expectations are bound to rise, but he seems level-headed enough to deal with the attention that may come his way. Saturday will be a test of that.Team news: Shubman Gill very much in the pictureShubman Gill, who missed India’s first two games with dengue, has recovered well enough to have a 99% chance of playing the game. He had had a net session immediately upon arrival in Ahmedabad, where he joined up with the rest of the team after a spell away to recover. If that 1% comes into play and Gill doesn’t feature on Saturday, it’s likely Ishan Kishan will continue to open. Only last month, Kishan counter-punched to make an 81-ball 82 against Pakistan in Pallekele, so there’s enough recent evidence of his being quite ready to face an attack of this quality.It can also be quite tempting to play Mohammed Shami, given his IPL record here. Also, pacers have bowled a bigger percentage of overs than spinners (59.8% versus 40.2%) and have more wickets (38 to spin’s 23) in ODIs here since 2021. But the team management leans towards having some batting cushion at No. 8, which none of their frontline pacers provide. So, for now, it could be another opportunity for Shardul Thakur.India: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan/Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mohammed SirajAbdullah Shafique’s century would have Pakistan feeling good about their opening combination•ICC via Getty ImagesPakistan have little reason to change a combination that worked wonders for them against Sri Lanka. There’s just a one small concern. While Hasan Ali picked up four wickets, he did get taken for plenty. If they are looking for a change, there’s Mohammad Wasim waiting in the wings.Pakistan: 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Babar Azam (capt), 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Saud Shakeel, 6 Ifthikhar Ahmed, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Hasan Ali/Mohammad Wasim, 11 Haris RaufPitch and conditionsHot and dry on the weather front. There could be some dew later in the evening, which will also mean the team batting first will want to go hard. It’s a black soil surface, next to the one that played host to the tournament opener where New Zealand’s top order made merry. As such, it should be a belter of a surface for the organisers want to make it a spectacle in every sense.Stats and trivia Rohit Sharma has been out five times in 13 innings against left-arm pace in the powerplay since 2021. It’s all then set up for another exciting round of Rohit vs Shaheen Shah Afridi. India’s bowling strike rate of 32.5 in the powerplay is the best among all teams in ODIs since 2022. In this phase, Siraj has taken most wickets for India (32). The 67 innings Imam-ul-Haq took to get past 3000 runs in the previous game makes him the second-fastest behind Hashim Amla to get there in ODIs. The glaring concern, though, will be his five dismissals in seven innings this year against short-pitched bowling, including in the opener against Netherlands. This is something India’s pace attack may want to exploit first up. Babar Azam has hit just 71 runs in five innings since his 150* in the Asia Cup opener against Nepal. This is his joint-longest streak of not scoring 30 or more in an ODI innings.Quotes”I don’t focus too much on what has happened in the past and focus on what’s coming ahead. These records are made to be broken and we will try to break it.”
“All the guys are quite used to playing in front of big crowds. It can only work in your favour. It cannot work against you. A lot of the guys in the team love a big crowd, the cheers, the noise in the ground. The boys really enjoy it.”

Maximo Perrone is set to leave Manchester City permanently and rejoin Como after a successful loan spell, with a €13 million (£11.2m) deal now agreed. The Argentine midfielder, who joined Pep Guardiola's side in 2023, impressed in Serie A last season and will now work under Cesc Fabregas at the ambitious Italian club, where he’ll team up with Dele Alli.

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Perrone joins Como permanently after loan spellCity agree €13m deal with Fabregas-led Italian sideArgentine reunites with Dele Alli at ambitious ComoFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Per Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City have sanctioned the permanent sale of Perrone to Serie A side Como for €13 million. The 21-year-old midfielder spent last season on loan at the club, and a verbal agreement was reached earlier this week. Perrone will now undergo a medical and sign a long-term contract with the up-and-coming Italian side.

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Perrone becomes the latest player to leave the Etihad this summer as City continue to reshape their squad. The Argentine struggled for game time in England but found regular football and form in Italy. His move underscores the growing pull of Como, who boast Fabregas as their head coach and players like Dele, Nico Paz and Sergi Roberto in their ranks.

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Perrone joined Manchester City from Velez Sarsfield in 2023 but made only a handful of appearances before being loaned out. At Como, he played a key role in midfield, helping them secure a solid mid-table finish in their first Serie A campaign in over two decades. It has also been reported that Fabregas personally pushed for his return to Como this summer.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR PERRONE?

The Argentine is expected to link up with the Como squad in pre-season once his medical is completed. The Serie A side see him as a central figure in their plans to push for European qualification. For City, the sale frees up funds and space as they continue to revamp their midfield options.

“I let him in on my game plan, about staying leg-side of the ball and using my hands and bats to play the ball. He thought it was a good option for him as well”

Mohammad Isam10-Dec-2023New Zealand allrounder Glenn Phillips said that he shared his batting mantra with Mitchell Santner before their crucial seventh-wicket partnership took shape in the Dhaka Test. The visitors had slumped to 69 for 6 chasing 137 runs on the fourth afternoon against Bangladesh before Santner and Phillips got together to rescue the side.The pair added the rest of the 70 runs in the chase as the Bangladesh bowlers strived for the last four wickets on what the New Zealand captain Tim Southee later described as the “worst pitch” of his career. The match had the third-fewest balls bowled in a Test of the last 100 years, when at least 36 wickets have fallen in both sides.Related

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Phillips said that batting out the 3.1 overs leading into the tea break was crucial for New Zealand at that point. He said that he told Santner about his method of playing at the Shere Bangla National Stadium pitch. Santner took the advice on board, ending up unbeaten on 35.”They were bowling really well at the time,” Phillips said. “It was a real blessing for us to get to tea. We had a bit of chat, talked a bit about tactics. He has got incredibly fast hands. I let him in on my game plan, about staying leg-side of the ball and using my hands and bats to play the ball. He thought it was a good option for him as well. The way he came out after tea and really took it to the bowlers, the way he played the offies as well, it was incredibly impressive. It took the pressure off myself.”Phillips, who top-scored in both innings with 87 and 40 not out, said that he wanted to bat in the second innings in the same way he batted in the first. He struck nine fours and four sixes in his 72-ball knock in the first dig.”I think at the end of the day, I was sticking to my plan. It worked in the first innings. We made adjustments from the first game as well, so it was sticking to that and keeping my processes calm and clear. I was still taking the attack to the bowlers when they missed, but at the end of the day, it was about knocking down one run at a time. Take it as deep as possible,” he said.Phillips said that New Zealand taking the lead by eight runs at the end of the first innings ensured that they had the mental edge over Bangladesh. “Winning the toss was key for Bangladesh. It was a blessing to get ahead of their first innings total. Those eight runs made a lot of difference. It gave the boys the confidence in the second innings with the bat.”The Bangladesh bowlers were really good with the new ball. Some skidding on, some spinning. It was tough for our batters. It became a bit more predictable as the ball got older. Thankfully for us, it presented some more scoring opportunities,” he said.Phillips also ended with eight wickets in the Test series, fulfilling his wish to be a relevant bowler in the New Zealand attack. “It was a dream of mine for a long time to actually bowl so many overs. To be able to take a few wickets as well. The process that I have actually been through has paid off.”Timmy (Southee) had the confidence to go to me despite knowing that I don’t have the experience behind me, but thankfully the conditions were favourable to spinners.”

USMNT star Brenden Aaronson has been made aware of the qualities that Leeds need him to boast in order to become a productive Premier League player.

Joined the Whites in 2022Relegated in debut campaignGetting another shot at top-flightFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Whites saw enough in Aaronson to draft him into top-flight plans back in 2022. The United States international was relatively inexperienced at that point and found the going tough among English football’s elite.

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He registered just one goal through 40 appearances in a debut campaign that ended with relegation being suffered. Aaronson subsequently packed his bags for a loan spell at Bundesliga side Union Berlin.

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A clean slate was presented to him by Leeds in 2024, with Aaronson going on to register nine goals and two assists as Daniel Farke’s side swept their way to the Championship title with 100 points. They are now ready for another shot at the big time.

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GettyWHAT PHELAN SAID

Questions have been asked of whether Aaronson can be the creative spark that Leeds are crying out for, with former Whites defender Terry Phelan – speaking in association with – telling GOAL when asked if the American can prosper: “You know the Premier League, what it’s all about. We’ve seen players come and go and be destroyed in the Premier League. Leeds coming up now, it’s a big test.

“We’ve seen Leeds as a yo-yo club. If you stay in the league your first year, I think it’s always the second year that it hits you. Then you get figured out and players get figured out. It’s a big year for all of the Leeds players. It’s a big year for the club.

“Leeds as a whole is a massive, massive club. You need players who can absorb the atmosphere, who can absorb the tension, who can absorb the pressure, and who can galvanise all of the players around them – as well as the manager, as well as the owners, as well as the tea lady. That is what Leeds are going to need. It’s not going to be easy.

“I always say ‘first year they might get away with it, but then second year syndrome’. That’s key. Yeah, they can go out and spend money, but what type of player are they going to bring in? What type of player do they want at Leeds United? It’s a massive, massive season for all Leeds players.”

Kemar Roach, Shamar Joseph, Alzarri Joseph took two wickets apiece as West Indies showed they are in Australia for a fight

AAP11-Jan-2024West Indies 251 for 8 dec and 137 for 3 (da Silva 55*, Hodge 44*, Haskett 2-39) lead Cricket Australia XI 174 (Ward 50, Hope 24, Roach 2-23, Shamar Joseph 2-28) by 214 runsWest Indies showed they are determined to put up a fight during their Australia tour with a spirited effort on day two of their warm-up match in Adelaide.Having struggled with the bat first-up against a Cricket Australia XI, the tourists produced a dynamic bowling spell of 6 for 22 to knock their opponents over for 174 at Karen Rolton Oval.Their batting woes were back on full display in Thursday’s afternoon session, with top-order talents Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Kirk McKenzie both falling in soft fashion in their second innings.Related