Important win for Barcelona

Two and a half weeks back, at the Ramon Sanchez Stadium, Sevilla shocked Barcelona at the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal.  Ronald Koeman felt the pressure of fetching full points at the same venue and keep the fight alive and n the end his boys did not disappoint.

The fourth-placed Sevilla faced Barcelona as the Catalans looked to close the gap on league leaders Atletico Madrid and obviously, take upper-hand on their arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Julen Lopetegui made three changes to the side that beat Osasuna 2-0 away from home last time out. Rekik, Torres, and Suso all dropped to the bench, with Escudero and former Barcelona pair Rakitic and El Haddadi coming into the side.

Meanwhile, Koeman made four alterations after his team recorded a 3-0 win over Elche in their last fixture. Umtiti, Trincao, and Braithwaite are benched, while Miralem Pjanic is ruled out through injury. Lenglet, Dest, Busquets, and Dembele are the quartets who took their places in the starting line-up.

Koeman lined-up in a 3-4-1-2 formation against Lopetegui’s 4-2-3-1.

The three-man center-back and playing the wing-backs higher-up the pitch hinted of a conservative approach, but as a matter of fact, the Barca wing-backs are suited to advance forward and aid the attackers, thus, this ploy should suit and would provide the solidity as well. He did not wish to left any spaces in the center of the park for his opponents to exploit.

In the opening ten minutes, the affair was cagey with Barca struggled to build up because they are more accustomed to the 4-3-3 system, but in this 3-4-1-2 formation they had the history to pummeling opponents under Johan Cruyff and what required was to get on to the front foot as early as possible.

After ten minutes, Barca looked more settled and gained control over the ball.

They won a couple of corners, but the set-pieces did not trouble the home side.

Barca build-up was gaining momentum but a succession of tackles by the home side disturbed the buildup of Barca.  

 Dembele advanced towards the edge of the box and cut inside before attempting to curl a shot inside the far post with his left foot, but Bounou dived across and held on confidently. Then Lionel Messi swung a free-kick in from a deep position on the right and it swerved sharply towards the near side of the goal, but Bounou hung on.

The pressure put on by Barca resulted in breaking the deadlock.

Messi collected the ball up on the halfway line and slid a perfectly-weighted pass in behind for Dembele, who raced between two Sevilla defenders and into the box before tucking a low shot through the goalkeeper's legs and into the far corner – the boy France scored his 26^th goal for Barca, one short of Antoine Griezmann.

But it was Messi who exploited the highline of Sevilla which created the space and the Argentine punished them.

A few minutes later, Dembele outweighed his marker on the right with a neat turn and fired a low ball into Messi on the edge of the box, who slid on the left for De Jong - took it to the byline instead of attempting a shot and tried to cut it back into the middle for Messi, but Bounou intervened.

Dest was fed in an advanced position on the right and he cut-back inside Escudero before unleashing a strike towards the top-right corner, which flew over the bar.

Barca were rhythmic and the Sevilla defenders tried to break it by committing fouls which resulted in bookings.

But this Barca had been in the mood this afternoon and it would not be easy to stop them.

After the break, Lopetegui made three changes and as the game went on, Sevilla started to press more.

Well, Barca had their reply with Dembele slipping the ball through for De Jong, who played across for Messi to finish the job,   but the pass was just ahead of the Barcelona captain and he could not get a touch despite sliding in for it.

Dembele was having one of the best games in a Barca shirt as he drove down the left drawing Bounou off his line before cleverly checking back onto his right and laying the ball off to Messi on the edge of the box who fired over the bar.

Before that Alba played into acres of space on the left side and he smashed a low ball into the danger zone – it went for Dest on the right side of the area and he lashed a ferocious effort towards the top-right corner, but it hit the post.

The Barca attack continued through Messi who floated a free-kick in the middle and Lenglet beat Bounou to score – sadly the fag was up.

With ten minutes remaining - En-Nesyri was found in the Barcelona box and held off the challenge of Araujo, who came in for Pique, before turning and tucking a shot inside the near post, but the goal was ruled out as the Sevilla forward handled the ball in the buildup.

With such a slender lead one cannot settle and the memories of Cadiz looming large I the minds of the fans, Messi played a quick one-two with Moriba on the left to get away from Jordan, before dancing past the challenge of Fernando and entered the box. The ball broke to him against the onrushing Bounou, allowing him to tap into an empty net – the victory was confirmed.

Clearly, Barca had the edge at the center of the park and their buildup was sound. Most of the attacks (34%) came from the right-hand side of the field with Dest playing a key role. De Jong ran the show in the midfield and never allowed the opponents to gain the upper hand.

The midfield was smarter enough to steal from the opponents. The players were potent enough to create goal-scoring opportunities through individual skills, counterattacks, and through-balls. Most importantly, their finishing was good – 22% of conversion rate in comparison to Sevilla’s 0%.

Important win for Barca who move to second place, one point ahead of Real Madrid and two points short of Atletico Madrid.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 27/02/2021 Important win for Barcelona

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Blame the pitch, no problem, but don't forget to talk about the poor technique and temperament of the batsmen

 

“It was never hard for the likes of Root, Stokes, or Bairstow to go back to the basics and play with a straight bat, use the feet, trust the defence and occupy the crease. But what they really did was a below-par display of batsmanship, which set a poor example for those, who look up to such stars and learn”

So, the third Test between India and England at the biggest cricket stadium in the world lasted less than two days and is now the seventh shortest completed Test match and the first since 1935.

Without a doubt, it was a bad advertisement for Test cricket and the kind of Bunsen burner the curators prepared for this Test at Ahmedabad, till, now, it has been crucified – sadly, one important subject would be overshadowed and which is the display of poor technique by the batsmen on this Test. Again, one must not forget, the same was evident in the second Test as well.

In the last one and a half days of fascinating cricket played with the pink ball, 30 wickets tumbled at the cost of just 287 runs in more than 140 overs. 387-run is the lowest match aggregate in a completed Test match in Asia. The previous lowest was the 2002 Test between Pakistan and Australia at Sharjah (422 runs). The Ahmedabad Test is also the lowest aggregated Test in the last 74 years.

Now this is freakish cricket – blame the track, fine, you are entitled to give your opinion and bash the deck, but before you exhibit your democratic rights, don’t forget to ask yourself whether the batsmen from both sides batted sensibly or not.    

Just have a look at the dismissals of the top six English batters in the first innings.

Dom Sibley was caught at the crease and poked at the ball from Ishant Sharma – was that poke necessary? It could have been avoided easily. Jonny Bairstow was undone not by the turn, rather, the straighter one from Axar Patel, which demanded solidity in defence and astute footwork – Bairstow was sloppy in both.

Joe Root and Zak Crawley were grafting a partnership and the bat started to come down straight, but then came the fuller-one from Ravichandran Ashwin, which required coming forward rather than back. The result was leg before wicket.

Now, both the deliveries from Ashwin and Patel did not receive any assistance from the deck – but it was the faulty technique of Bairstow and Root that led to their downfall.

Crawley, who looked set and also witnessed the dismissal of Bairstow against the straighter ones of Patel, committed the same mistake by trying to play for the turn against the similar delivery – the track did nothing. The focus was poor.

Ollie Pope was castled courtesy of a delivery from Ashwin which he played down the wrong line – again, nothing wrong with the deck.

Patel dished out a length ball against which the feet of Ben Stokes did not move at all – hit the pad and the finger went up.

Well, the track cannot be blamed for this.

When the Indians came out to bat, Jack Leach had the ball straightened enough, and guess what, batsmen like Virat Kohli and Ajikya Rahane played it with a horizontal bat – quite a surprising choice of shots from the batsmen, who are well known for their authority against spin bowling. Whereas, Rohit Sharma, who was playing with a straight bat went for the slog-sweep for nothing, and panic set in the Indian batting line-up, who failed to notch-up 150.

 Leach had the breakthroughs and Joe Root finished the rest by bagging five wickets in one of the most memorable spells ever bowled by an English skipper in the subcontinent. But one must not forget, the poor shot selection of the Indian lower-middle-order.

I am sorry; I can’t blame the track here as well.

England came out to bat after a manic session only to prolong the manic by dishing out the poor exhibition of technique and temperament.

Crawley slid back to another wicket-to-wicket delivery by Patel – only Crawley’s mind would be able to decipher what was he thinking while playing the first ball of the innings – did the pitch play any role?

Not at all!

Out came Bairstow, on a pair, went for a sweep shot against the first delivery he faced! Why? God, dam, why? At least, watch the ball, defend it and occupy the crease dear! Patel and his teammate’s vociferous appeal let the on-field umpire raise his finger but DRS gave Bairstow another opportunity, which he wasted it by leaving a big gap between bat and pad against another straighter one.

Blame the technique here!

Sibley attempted a massive wipe across the line against Ashwin – why did he do that for?

Edged and gone! And don’t blame the track here!

Stokes seemed reorganized himself after the meek surrender in the first innings, but on 25, another non-spinner skipped into his planted front foot - it was the 11th time Stokes had been dismissed by Ashwin, and it was a body blow for England's hopes of a 100-plus lead.

Then Root attempted to play for the turn against those which skid through – similar mistake!

England were bundled out for 81 - the second-lowest Test total by any team against India.

South Africa's total of 79 in the first innings of the 2015 Nagpur Test still remains the lowest Test total against India. England's previous lowest Test total against India was 101, way back in 1971 at The Oval.

 193 runs had been scored by England across both innings.

This is the first instance of a team being bundled out twice in a Test match in India with an aggregate of less than 200 runs. The previous lowest was 212 runs that were made by India and Afghanistan - against Australia and India respectively.

This was also just the second Test since 1904 for England where they were bowled out twice in a Test with an aggregate lower than 193 runs. England were all-out for 93 and 82 respectively against New Zealand in Christchurch, 1984.

The manner of the above-mentioned dismissals can hardly blame the pitch, which was never for 287 runs in total, rather, a team could score around 250-300 if batted sensibly enough.   

Appropriate use of the feet and playing with a straight was the order of the day as Cricviz said, “35% of the boundaries against spin in this Test have been in the V. That's the fourth highest for a Test in India over the last five years. Boundaries are coming when players get to the pitch, and hit straight.”

It was never hard for the likes of Root, Stokes, or Bairstow to go back to the basics and play with a straight bat, use the feet, trust the defence and occupy the crease. But what they really did was a below-par display of batsmanship, which set a poor example for those, who look up to such stars and learn.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 25/02/2021 Blame the pitch, no problem, but don’t forget to talk about the poor technique and temperament of the batsmen

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Ferland Mendy to the rescue

 

Atalanta are well known for their free-flowing nature and when Cristian Romero, the center-back stated, “Our idea is to attack 90 minutes” the intention of the Italian side was clear – attack and pressurize the fragile backline of Real Madrid. But at Bergamo, the hosts discovered themselves down to 10-men early on and had to play to survive and their job was almost done until Ferland Mendy showed up and gave Los Blancos the edge.

 As has been the case in recent weeks, Zinedine Zidane had to travel with an extremely depleted squad to the Gewiss Stadium due to injuries. Isco was handed a rare start as the focal point of attack in the absence of Karim Benzema, while Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio flanked him in the attack.

Stand-in captain Raphael Varane made his 350th appearance for the Bernabeu outfit, and Toni Kroos also became the German with the joint-most appearances for the club.

The Real Madrid bench was less than stellar and had Mariano Diaz - himself on the fringes - as the only recognizable first-team player.

Even though Atalanta are known for their attacking mindset, still their start was slow like the visitors, but the game witnessed the noted moment in the 17^th minute.

A quick break saw Ferland Mendy race through on goal before he was cynically brought down on the edge of the area by Remo Freuler. Referee Tobias Stieler wasted little time in reaching for his pocket to brandish a red card.

There were heavy protests from the Atalanta players and coaches but the decision was allowed to stand, with the VAR not intervening.

While the veracity of Freuler's foul on Mendy is not in doubt, questions are bound to be asked over whether it was worth a red card.

In the immediate aftermath of the foul, it was taken for granted that a yellow card would be shown.

Gian Piero Gasperini was beside himself with bemusement, and an assistant behind him seemed confident that the decision would be overturned as he gestured to the VAR with his hand.

 The Atalanta players were livid and rightly so, especially in light of the harsh red card shown to Freuler earlier in the game.

However, the center referee's decision stood, and Atalanta had to play out the final 72 minutes of the game one man short.

The rules of the game state that a red card should be shown when a clear goalscoring opportunity has been denied and thus it cannot be argued that Mendy was cynically denied a goalscoring chance, but the matter of it being clear is open for debate.

Then Casemiro's customary yellow card for a cynical challenge on Duvan Zapata in the 23rd minute means that he would miss the second leg – a costly miss for sure!

However, he should arguably not have seen out the game. He had been guilty of simulation midway through the second half after coming together with Rafael Toloi.

His compatriot had barely touched him, but the Real Madrid number 14 threw himself on the ground and rolled around on the floor seeking a penalty.

Committing such acts in this age of VAR is extremely risky.

The numerical disadvantage had the hosts on the back foot and decided to hold off Real Madrid.

Madrid had ridden the rhythm until then, keeping possession where they could and trying to slow the game, conscious that this is a two-legged tie and in three weeks’ time some of their nine absentees will have returned.

With Kroos and Modric, that is a workable plan and an extra man helped them to take an even firmer hold, although Gasperini’s side initially sought to maintain that pace, Joakim Mæhle horribly skewing a shot as he ran in at the far post.

Madrid gradually started to set their foot on the paddle – thinking that this was a game to win, not just to survive - Nacho sliding in to deny Luis Muriel soon after, those were limited and in the final minutes of the half-chances appeared. Isco shot wide from Modric’s pass, Vinícius’s effort was deflected over, and Marco Asensio headed into Pierluigi Gollini’s hands.

Muriel reminded everyone that this might not be easy, first turning to shoot wide and then going down in a challenge with Lucas Vazquez. The shouts for a penalty echoed loud but were not entertained by the referee.

The best chance of the opening 45 minutes came right on the stroke of half-time.

Kroos stood over a free-kick and delivered a trademark pristine cross into the area, which Casemiro attacked with a direct header at goal.

The ball, however, went straight to Pierluigi Gollini, who produced an excellent reflex save to keep the scores level.

The second half started with Real Madrid fashioning another good chance in the 47th minute. Luka Modric's shot from the edge of the area was narrowly deflected wide of the bottom post in seemingly slow motion, with everybody rooted to the spot.

The rest of the second half was relatively devoid of goalmouth action, with Real Madrid having just one shot on target until the final 10 minutes.

As time ran out, both managers made some changes in a bid to influence the game.

Luis Muriel went off for Josip Ilisic, while Mariano and youngsters Sergio Arribas and Hugo Duro all came on for Real Madrid.

Despite the changes, chances continued to come at a premium until the deadlock was broken by an unlikely source in the 86th minute.

From a little outside the area, off a Kroos short corner not dealt with, the left-back Ferland Mendy bent in a brilliant shot to rifle home a right-footed curler – Real Madrid 1 Atalanta 0.

The game was indeed a dull affair.

“We found it hard to get the goal and it wasn’t a great game but we got a good result and away,” Zinedine Zidane said after the match. While Thibaut Courtois said, “I didn’t expect such a quiet night.”

Nevertheless, it was a very important away win and at home, Real Madrid would not let this advantage skip and advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2017-18.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 25/02/2021 Ferland Mendy to the rescue

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Business as usual for Bayern Munich in the night of landmarks

It was Lazio’s first UEFA Champions League knockout game for more than 20 years. Simone Inzaghi’s team is struggling in the Serie A, still had some very good players to challenge Bayern Munich, who were playing without some of the major players and even their position is shaky in the Bundesliga. Lazio took four points from Borussia Dortmund in the group stage - their first Champions League campaign in 13 years.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Lucas Leiva, and Ciro Immobile were expected to test the reigning champions, well; things did not go according to the script – Bayern simply thrashed Lazio at Rome to bag an all-important away-win.

It was a night of landmarks.

 Jamal Musiala became the youngest English goalscorer in Champions League history and Bayern Munich’s youngest goalscorer in the competition at the age of 17 years and 363 days.

It was a night of landmarks, with Robert Lewandowski becoming the Champions League’s third top scorer of all time in their last-16 first leg, the Polish striker pouncing on a poorly judged back pass after nine minutes to steer in his 72nd goal in the competition.

In doing so, he surpassed former Real Madrid striker Raúl’s in the competition’s scoring charts to reach a total only bettered by Juventus’s Cristiano Ronaldo, with 134 goals, and Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, with 119.

Musiala doubled Bayern’s advantage with a well-taken strike and Leroy Sané tapped in a third before the break – it was so easy!

A Francesco Acerbi's own goal stretched the visitors’ advantage further early in the second half, but Joaquin Correa soon pulled one back for Lazio, whose unbeaten run in the competition came crashing to an end.

It was an 18th consecutive match without defeat for Bayern in the Champions League, 17 of which have been victories.

The Big German Machine does not know how to stop when the stage is big and the kind of form they displayed in Rome - it would not surprise anyone if they lift the title this season again.

Note: This article has been posted in Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 24/02/2021 Business as usual for Bayern Munich in the night of landmarks

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

The spectacular strike by Olivier Giroud disturbs Diego Simeone’s plans

 

At the National Arena, Bucharest, Romania, Diego Simeone came out with the intent to negate the opponent with bloody-mindedness. There was plenty of Atleti players parking the bus, the midfield was tried to make stagnant and the spaces were blocked so that the Chelsea of Thomas Tuchel could not breathe. Then there was the provocation of Luis Suarez. But still, the plans of Simeone were disturbed by one spectacular strike by Olivier Giroud.

Thomas Tuchel gave Chelsea freedom to express themselves - liberated, Chelsea stood up to be counted. They refused to rise to Luis Suarez’s provocation and they punished Atletico’s grinding negativity.

The Blues were solid and professional at the back after recovering from a slow start, they were mature and precise in midfield and they were inspired when their first clear sight of goal.

Tuchel opted for a back three and in the absence of the big Thiago Silva, Andreas Christiensen impressed by limiting the passing lanes of Atleti, while Callum Hudson-Odoi was positive at right wing-back.

The midfield moved well to aid the front line and continued to challenge the negative tactics – Jorginho and Kovacic dictated the play while Mason Mount was inspiring.

Tuchel has transformed into a solid, well-drilled unit in under a month, and they passed their toughest test yet by out-thinking and outplaying Simeone.

At one point the frustration of Atletic was epitomized by Suarez testing Chelsea with his niggles off the ball and squaring up to Antonio Rudiger at one stage. Rudiger refused to be drawn in and Chelsea, who have a wonderful chance of progressing beyond the last 16 for the first time since 2014, focused on letting their superior football do the talking.

Joa Felix was the only player from Atletico Madrid who showed the intent to move with the ball and the fouls on his would cost the Blues badly because Mount and Jorginho would miss the return leg due to suspension – both received yellow cards. Felix could pose a threat with his movement and attacking runs behind the defensive lines.

Why Atleti were such stagnant on the pitch remained a moot question – they have so good attacking players at the center of the park and upfront that they could have exploited the skittish start of the Blues -  Edouard Mendy almost gifted Saul Níguez a calamitous goal after dithering with a back pass.

Chelsea’s goalkeeper got away with it. Soon, though, Tuchel was remonstrating with Rudiger and Marcos Alonso after they left a bouncing ball to each other on the right. Suarez nipped in, stealing possession before crossing for Thomas Lemar to poke wide with Mendy stranded.

Simeone decided to stay behind the ball and the Blues settled – gained more control over the ball and as the match progressed, their composure hinted, they deserved the away-win.

Chelsea enjoyed 71% possession in the first half, though creating chances was difficult. Timo Werner had their best moment, darting in from the left before testing Jan Oblak.

Tuchel’s work on precision in the final third was showing - Chelsea were running down dead ends and there always seemed to be a red and white shirt in the way. Atleti, organized despite the absence of Jose Maria Gimenez, compressed the space and it summed them up when Simeone was booked on the touchline.

Chelsea had nothing to fear and Mount refused to stop probing. In the 67th minute, a cross came into the Atleti area from the left. The ball looped up into the air, Mount challenging Mario Hermoso, who diverted it to Giroud. The 34-year-old produced a moment of genius, using his left foot to beat Oblak with a powerful overhead kick.

Although the flag went up for offside against Giroud, a lengthy VAR review confirmed that the final touch came off Hermoso.

“They invested a lot in young players and, after they saw the investment didn’t pay off, then they brought in Tuchel,” Simeone told reporters at Arena Nationala. “Since he came in, they have had a good change in their numbers.”

Meanwhile, Tuchel said to BT Sports, “We never let them breathe. We never gave them any chances to counterattack.”

But the job is not finished yet. Still, the Atleti threat remains with such a slender lead and still, Tuchel needs to work polishing his superstars – Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic, Kai Harvetz, and Hakim Ziyech.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 24/02/2021 The spectacular strike by Olivier Giroud disturbs Diego Simeone’s plans

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

 

 

On the World’s Biggest Cricket Stadium

 

At Navrangpura, Ahmedabad, Gujrat, there is a cricket stadium that holds the honour of hosting the first-ever One Day International Match played in India on November 25, 1981. The match was played between India and England. The match was reduced to 46 overs. India scored 156 for 7. Dilip Vengsarkar top scored with 46 runs. England replied with 160 for 5 and won the match by five wickets and 13 balls to spare. Mike Gatting and Ian Botham were unbeaten on 47 and 25 respectively.

This stadium is known as the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium and at times referred to as the Sports Club of Gujrat. The stadium is one of the home grounds of the Gujarat cricket team that plays in the domestic tournament of Ranji Trophy. It is equipped with floodlights for day-and-night games and is a regular venue during Indian domestic cricket season.

The Sardar (Vallabhbhai) Patel Stadium is owned by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. The stadium is situated in the heart of the city. It is mainly used for Cricket, but it has also played host to a number of programs arranged by the Government of Gujarat.

Once a new stadium came up in Motera in 1982, the Sardar (Vallabhbhai) Patel stadium hasn't been used for international cricket matches. The Motera Stadium now hosts all ODI Matches and Test Matches in the city.

The Government of Gujarat donated a 100-acre stretch of land on the banks of the Sabarmati River to build a new stadium back in 1982

The construction of the Sardar Patel Stadium was completed in nine months.

Since then, all International cricket fixtures for the city are hosted here.

In the 1984-85 Australia-India series, Sardar Patel Stadium hosted its first ODI, in which Australia defeated India.

During the high-voltage IndoPak series in 1986-87, Sunil Gavaskar was the first cricketer to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket. 4 years earlier, the great Kapil Dev took a nine-wicket haul against the mighty West Indies, and claimed his 432nd Test wicket at the stadium to become the highest wicket-taker in the world in 1994 against Sri Lanka, which broke Sir Richard Hadlee's previous record.

In 1996, the stadium witnessed a low-scoring thriller Test match between India and South Africa, where India prevailed – Javagal Srinath nailed the Proteas batting line-up with six wickets.

12 years later, South Africa paid back by inflicting an innings defeat and in 2012, India started off the 4-match Test series against England with a winning note on this ground.

The stadium underwent renovation in 2006 in order to host the mega-event – The ICC Champions Trophy.

Floodlights and covered stands were introduced at the stadium as a part of the renovation program.

The stadium hosted 5 matches out of 15.

The Sardar Patel Stadium has hosted games whenever India has hosted the Cricket World Cup, including the first match of the 1996 World Cup between England and New Zealand. However, while the stadium hosted only one game each in 1987 and 1996; it hosted three games in the 2011 World Cup, including the quarter-finals between Australia and India.

Sachin Tendulkar became the first cricketer to score 18,000 runs in One Day Internationals.

As of 19 August 2017, Sardar Patel has hosted 12 Tests, 23 ODIs, and 1 T20I.

In 2015, the stadium was demolished for reconstruction, though some media referred to it as a renovation.

The total cost of reconstruction was estimated to be ₹700 crores.

 However, the final cost was reported at ₹800 crores.

The redevelopment originally planned to be completed in 2019, finished in February 2020.

The idea to build the new stadium was allegedly proposed by Narendra Modi, the president of the Gujarat Cricket Association and the Chief Minister of Gujarat at the time.

Shortly before Modi moved to Delhi after becoming the Prime Minister of India, there were discussions about minor upgrades to the stadium and development of the structure at the pavilion end.

Modi asked the officials to build a new larger stadium instead of minor renovation work when he learned about the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and at present, the Sardar Patel Stadium has become one of the wonders of the world – the biggest stadium in the world cricket.

The newly renovated Sardar Patel Stadium will host the third Test between India and England on February 24.

The capacity for this week's Test, starting on Wednesday, has reportedly been reduced to 50% due to concerns over COVID-19, but fans have been quick to buy tickets for what will be the first men's international in the city since 2014.

“Ahmedabad is totally sold out, the day-night Test match because it's the first game there after a long period of time," BCCI president Sourav Ganguly told Star Sports.”

“So, happy to see normalcy back. It'll be fantastic, it's sold out.”

“… We want to see every seat and stand full. And that's what it is, the tickets have gone, as well as for the T20s (that follow the Tests).”

The Sardar Patel aka Motera Stadium can host up to 110, 000 people – obviously, more than the MCG.

This outstanding stadium in Ahmedabad will not only serve as a world-class cricketing landmark but also has the potential to bolster other sports like football, hockey, basketball, kabaddi, boxing, lawn tennis, athletic track, squash, billiards, badminton and swimming.

It has newly installed LED floodlights that will eliminate shadows making it easier to spot the aerial balls during the upcoming Day/Night Test between India and England.

The world's largest cricket stadium will also have 11 center strips, which is also unique along with never before heard four dressing rooms with an in-built gymnasium, said Gujarat Cricket Association's joint secretary Anil Patel.

Ahmedabad has created something special and the whole world is eager to witness a historic Test on the biggest cricket stadium in the world.  

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 22/02/2021 On the World’s Biggest Cricket Stadium 

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

   

Barcelona let down by Clement Lenglet

 

The return of Barcelona and Lionel Messi marshaling the side dominated the headlines and the fans started to dream big, but you know what, in sports, the scenario just changes each week and you never know what is waiting for you in the coming days – thus, a team that maintains its consistency like Manchester City is doing, tends to correct the mistakes and work on the loopholes rather than relying too much on the heydays.

The defence of Barcelona has been the thorn in the throat for a while and even though they win matches, the shakiness at the back remains evident. But, it seems that the chink in the armor is always overlooked.

The match against Cadiz was expected to be a sure-win, but yet again, the backline crumbled and Barca had to drop points in a match where Lionel Messi scored from the penalty spot.  

Barcelona were awarded a penalty in the 30-minute mark after Isaac Carcelen brought down Pedri. Messi stepped up and sent his compatriot the wrong way to bring up his 16th goal of the campaign.

It was a landmark goal from the Barcelona captain, as he has now scored against 38 different teams in La Liga.

The hosts thought they had doubled their lead on two occasions before half-time, but both goals were correctly ruled out for offside.

After the break, a resolute Cadiz defence kept Barcelona out.

Cadiz came into this game having won just one of their last ten La Liga outings and relegation staring them in the face.

Knowing his side's limitations, manager Alvaro Cervera set his side up to absorb the pressure, with next to nothing offered in terms of attacking play.

His players deserve praise for maintaining their compactness and not giving Barcelona much space. Ledesma in goal also deserves special recognition, as the 32-year-old pulled off some fine saves to keep Cadiz in the game.

A late and rare Cadiz foray into the Barcelona box ended with Clement Lenglet displaying silliness inside the penalty area which led to a Cadiz penalty.

Alex Fernandez, raised at Real Madrid, stepped up to take the ensuing spot-kick, making no mistake from 12 yards to restore parity.

Lenglet was once again the pantomime villain for Barcelona against Cadiz.

He gave away an absurd penalty in the final minutes that cost Barca valuable points - Lenglet was late to a challenge inside the penalty area and took Ruben Sobrino's foot away on a play that seemed to have no danger. 

Lenglet's reaction was annoying for the pundits and fans.

“I think it's questionable, but a penalty can be given,” Ronald Koeman said after the match. “I don't know if the defender should risk going for that ball. Maybe not!”

But this was not the first time that Lenglet made a mistake - The red card in Vigo, the absurd penalty for grabbing Sergio Ramos in the El Clasico, lack of concentration against Cadiz in the first La Liga fixture and his presence at the back never ensures assurance for the Catalans, which makes one of the worst performers.  

In contrast, the young Ronald Araujo and Oscar Mingueza have performed better, while Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti have cut a frustrating figure.

Meanwhile, MARCA states, “The worst news for Barcelona is that on October 20, after the victory against Ferencvaros in the Champions League, the club suddenly announced the renewal of four contracts. The final piece of work of Josep Maria Bartomeu. One of the four players was Lenglet, then considered non-transferable. Barcelona signed him up for five more years until June 30, 2026, and included a crazy buyout clause of 300 million euros, with an annual salary of 5.7m euros.”

“It was a clearly unnecessary renewal that wasn't urgent since the central defender had a deal that was due to run until 2023 after signing from Sevilla in 2018 for a fee of 35.9m euros.”

“In this way, Lenglet has become untouchable along with Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Pique, and Frenkie de Jong. He has a status that is far from the performance levels being shown on the pitch.”

Barca has to carry on a player who offers little, still, Koeman needs to find the way and invest more time in genuine performers.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 22/02/2021 Barcelona let down by Clement Lenglet

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Faisal Caesar 

 

Inter thrash AC Milan

 

Antonio Conte’s Inter are now four points clear of AC Milan and in the last six matches, they have not lost, whereas, the Rossoneri are experiencing a bumpy ride all of a sudden as their hopes for the Scudetto suffered a blow. The Milan Derby had the hype of the past and all eyes were waiting to see the battle between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku – in the end, Lukaku had the last laugh.

Stefano Pioli made seven changes to the starting XI compared to the line-up which drew against Red Star as Davide Calabria, Simon Kjaer, Sandro Tonali, Franck Kessie, Ante Rebic, Hakan Calhanoglu, Alexis Saelemaekers and Zlatan Ibrahimovic all came into the team.

It was a perfect start for Inter!

Lukaku escaped down the right and crossed for Lautaro Martinez to head home after just five minutes.

Kjaer went into the book inside the 11th minute for tripping Lautaro as the Argentine spearheaded a counter. Then Calabria experienced alert-moments later as Lautaro was played in behind by a nice through ball from Eriksen, though the Milan full-back intervened well at the far post to prevent the arriving Perisic from having a big chance.

Milan’s first chance on goal came in the following minute as pinball inside the Inter box resulted in Ibrahimovic using an audacious back-heel to divert the ball goalwards, but Handanovic leapt well to catch in both hands.

The two-man frontline of Lukaku and Lautaro continued to cause Milan all kinds of problems for the Rossoneri’s defence, and Donnarumma will have been relieved to see the former drag his shot wide in the 21st minute having spun around inside the box.

Theo Hernandez had a big chance to level the game on the half-hour mark as he brought the ball down inside the box as Kessie’s dink was not properly cleared, but the Frenchman dragged his shot wide of the left post with Handanovic stranded.

Inter remained dominant throughout the first half, especially on the break, with both strikers spurning good chances to double their side’s lead and Milan Skriniar meeting a Christian Eriksen free-kick to send a powerful header just over the bar with the last action before the interval.

The Rossoneri came out purposefully after half-time and three stunning saves at the start of the second half from Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic kept his side in front.

First, he exhibited quick reflexes to get down and parry a bullet header from Ibrahimovic, then made himself big to beat away another header from this Swede, this time from point-blank range. Seconds later he leapt to tip a Sandro Tonali effort over the bar.

Milan continued to push and Ibrahimovic almost found the perfect knockdown into the path of Kessie after Calhanoglu’s dink, but an excellent recovery challenge prevented the Ivorian from a clear-cut chance.

But hose stops proved crucial when 10 minutes later Martínez finished a fine, flowing Inter move to score his 13th league goal of the season to give his side some breathing space.

Lukaku started the move, laying off to Achraf Hakimi, who darted inside to find Eriksen.

Eriksen then fed the onrushing Ivan Perisic, who squared the first time for the grateful striker to tap home.

When the Rossoneri were trying to regroup and Zlatan and his mates searching for the way to claw back, Lukaku made sure of a fourth successive league win for Inter with a wonderful goal in the 66th minute.

After collecting a long ball, he swivelled to run at the heart of Milan’s defence and beat Donnarumma eliciting applause from Ibrahimovic at the other end of the pitch.

Inter had been the better side and deserve the accolades.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 21/02/2021 Inter thrash AC Milan

 Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

Casemiro gives Real Madrid the much needed victory

 

 A Jose Morales goal in the first half and a late Jorge de Frutos strike gave Levante a hard-fought 2-0 over Atletico Madrid at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano. This is the third time Atleti has dropped points in their last four La Liga games and their first defeat since their loss to Real Madrid back in December. Now, the result at Metropolitano opened the opportunity for Real Madrid to close the gap with Atleti and Casmeiro ensured that the Los Blancos earn full points.

With nine absences to deal with and two winter departures, Real Madrid have managed to stay in the fight for the La Liga title and the grit and determination of Zinedine Zidane and his boys have kept the hopes alive.

Karim Benzema and right-back Dani Carvajal among the latest additions to the team's long injury list, Zidane slotted Mariano into his attacking line with Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio, while the returning Lucas Vazquez took Carvajal's place at full-back.

Almost immediatelyThibaut  Courtois had to be called on to make back-to-back saves when he managed to block efforts from Fabian Orellana and Saidy Janko, the latter being one of the best saves of the season from the big Belgian.

At the other end, Mariano produced two great finishes for Los Blancos, but the linesman's flag was raised for offside, thus negating the efforts.

Madrid's best legal chance at a score in the first half came toward the end when a free-kick on the very edge of the area was served up by Toni Kroos for Casemiro, only to see the Brazilian miss badly with a header.

A sloppy pass from Ferland Mendy into his own box should have led to the first goal of the match for Valladolid early in the second half, as Mendy’s pass floated into the middle and fell perfectly for the charging Orellana to volley home, only for Courtois to make the reaction save.

The tension was mounting higher and Real Madrid were looking to break the deadlock.

Casemiro had squandered a golden opportunity to score in the first half off a Toni Kroos free-kick, but he made good on the next one, steering a header into the net off another dead-ball delivery from the German – the Los Blancos took the all-important lead.

Hugo Duro then came on to deservedly make his Real Madrid debut - making an incredible season for Castilla in terms of first-team opportunities even better with many games to go. Arribas also came on alongside Isco and continued to impress fans with his technique and intelligence. Valladolid never really looked a threat, but Madrid managed the game well.

A victory was morale-boosting, but the overall performance lacked the spark and in the upcoming clash against Atalanta in the Champions, the Los Blancos would need to reinvigorate themselves because the Italians are a much better unit than Valladolid. 

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 21/02/2021 Casemiro gives Real Madrid the much needed victory

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Faisal Caesar 

 

Nightmare continues for Liverpool

 

The hope for the Premier League title was gone long ago and what required was maintaining the consistency for the remaining part of the season which has been a nightmare. You always get that unusual feeling of the wheels have completed their circle when the fortress is breached. Since that astonishing record at Anfield was broken, there was a sign of Liverpool entering the period of transition and the men of the golden generation have reached their peak and now started to show signs of decay.

Of course, Liverpool have been badly hit by injuries but in this season, no teams have been free from this curse and as they say, this season has been all about finding a way to get going. The likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid are showing how to move on. Sadly, the Reds are down morally and the spark is missing.

The nightmare season for Liverpool reached a new low as they slid to their first defeat to local rivals Everton in more than a decade and their first derby defeat at Anfield since October 1999.

Richarlison’s early goal, followed by Gylfi Sigurdsson’s late penalty, did the damage for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, who move level on points with their neighbours – with a game in hand – courtesy of a 2-0 win.

For Liverpool, it was a fourth straight home league defeat – the first time that has happened since 1923. Having initially sought to defend the title they won so spectacularly last season, they can now see their hopes of even a top-four finish dwindling. With just 13 league games remaining, they are in dire straits.

Their misery was compounded here by yet another injury, and yet more defensive disruption, with Jordan Henderson forced off just half an hour in. That’s all three of their most experienced center-backs sidelined now, as well as the two midfielders who were moved back to replace them.

It meant that Ozan Kabak and Nat Phillips became the 18th different center-back pairing to play for Klopp this season, and the 14th in 25 Premier League matches.

Still, the critics would not wish to give excuses for the defeat, nor were their complaints over the penalty decision that enabled Sigurdsson to double Everton’s advantage. The Toffees, for once, were calm and measured in executing their game plan. Liverpool were handled with relative ease and, when they did threaten, Pickford repelled everything.

Revenge appeared to be on Liverpool's minds when Andy Robertson caught James Rodriguez long after the ball had gone but the windy condition and an unconvincing start to Kabak’s home debut were more telling factors. Kabak needlessly conceded an early corner in the wind, which sailed just wide off Ben Godfrey’s midriff from Lucas Digne’s delivery.

A weak header from Thiago Alcantara followed by a misdirected header from Kabak – both to Doucoure – gifted Everton possession and enabled Rodriguez to script a superb pass into Richarlison’s run behind the Turkey international.

Richarlison took the ball in his stride before beating Alisson with a perfectly placed low drive into the far corner.

The Brazilian’s fourth goal in four games, after two in the previous 16, was the ideal start for a team needing to overcome its mental block at Anfield and for a visiting side set up with a five-man defence by Ancelotti.

Liverpool enjoyed plenty of possession thereafter but created few clear-cut chances to draw level before the interval. The central defensive trio of Mason Holgate, Michael Keane, and Godfrey absorbed pressure comfortably and rarely allowed Liverpool’s front three space to cause problems.

Just before half-time, the threat from Liverpool came from Henderson, who steered a volley towards the far corner only for Pickford to produce a superb save and tip around the post. Trent Alexander-Arnold was also denied from distance by the England goalkeeper.

Henderson then left due to injury and Liverpool lacked the leadership to stabilize the situation, whereas, their lack of cutting edge was evident throughout the night – their passing was slow, the control over the ball lacked authority while the finishing in front of goal devoid of composure.

Coleman should have extended Everton’s lead when Digne delivered a deep cross into the heart of the Liverpool area. Everton’s captain threw himself into a diving header but his close-range effort was straight at Alisson.

Pickford was the man in the spotlight and a man on a mission. When Mohamed Salah had his first sight of goal, played in behind Keane by substitute Xherdan Shaqiri, the goalkeeper charged off his line to save with his chest and pounced on the rebound before Shaqiri could connect.

With Liverpool still searching for the way to escape the defeat, Richarlison spun away from Phillips and found substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin inside the area - he took his shot first time, Alisson saved brilliantly low to his left, but as he closed in on the follow-up Calvert-Lewin was impeded by Alexander-Arnold.

The referee, Chris Kavanagh, had no hesitation in pointing to the spot or confirming his decision after being asked to check the pitch-side monitor by VAR.

Sigurdsson buried Liverpool’s last hope of a bounce back from the penalty spot.

Ecstasy for Carlo Ancelotti, while Klopp was left pondering what options are left to end the season with respect.  

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 21/02/2021 Nightmare continues for Liverpool

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Faisal Caesar 

 

 

The magnificent Erling Haaland

 

Erling Haaland of Norway and Borussia Dortmund only knows how to score goals and he just makes them look so easy. He was at his pristine best yet again last night at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium against Sevilla. He scored twice and ensured a much-needed away win for Dortmund.

Haaland scored twice and began the move that ended with Mahmoud Dahoud curling in a lovely shot to give Borussia Dortmund a 3-1 first-half lead that had looked set to be unassailable.

Sevilla, seemingly shell-shocked at that stage, did though recover in the second half to make a match of it. They may even have kept the tie alive, with Luuk De Jong making it 3-2 and setting up a frantic finish that suggests they can hurt Dortmund in two weeks.

When it comes to hurt, though, there are few players like Haaland, who said he had been inspired by Mbappé’s display at Camp Nou.

Sevilla started in a commendable fashion with Suso turning inside, shaping to hit it, and sending Jadon Sancho jumping to block a shot that did not come.

Taking another step closer, when he did shoot, the ball passed Jude Bellingham, clipped the toe of Mats Hummels, and ended up in the net.

 The goal reignited Haaland.

Sancho’s footwork was fast, Dahoud slipped smoothly through the middle, and Bellingham passed and moved with confidence.

And, meanwhile, sloppiness was evident in the Sevilla team, who gave away easy balls and left spaces.

Enters Haaland - He smacked a shot that boomed and echoed round an empty arena. Bono saved that one but not the next.

The second goal came like a gigantic wave - Haaland shrugging off Jordan, running at Sevilla and seeking a one-two with Sancho, whose return pass was superb, subtly spun into the Norwegian’s path to finish.

Still, he came, the third was made by Marco Reus, who robbed Ivan Rakitic and Papu Gómez and dribbled to the edge of the area before passing to his right. Haaland guided the ball into the net then knelt, arms raised, convinced this was now over.

Erling Haaland became the first player in Champions League history to score at least 17 goals in his first 13 appearances.

After previously becoming the fastest to five and 10 goals in Champions League play, Haaland became the only player to reach at least 17 goals in his first 13 appearances in the competition.

He has scored 10 Champions League goals in just seven appearances for Borussia Dortmund, the quickest which a player has ever reached 10 goals for a single team in the competition, breaking Roy Makaay's record with Bayern Munich.

With Haaland's second accurate finish against Sevilla last night, he moved into a tie with Robert Lewandowski for most Champions League goals since the start of last season.

Haaland holds an edge over many of today's most celebrated European attackers by way of pure early-career goal-scoring.

Lewandowski and Luis Suarez hadn't yet featured in the Champions League when they were Haaland's age (20), while Cristiano Ronaldo had failed to score in 1,299 minutes of action at Manchester United.

Haaland has averaged about 1.64 goals per 90 minutes in the competition to this point, far more than Lionel Messi (0.47) and Kylian Mbappe (0.67) had through their age-20 campaigns.

Indeed, Haaland is magnificent.

Note: This article has been posted in Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 18/02/2021 The magnificent Ernlig Haaland

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Faisal Caesar 

Porto shock for Juventus

 

It was not the night Adrea Pirlo and Cristiano Ronaldo expected at the Estadio do Darago. A team that boasts of quality players should have secured the most important away win – sadly, Goals by Mehdi Taremi and Moussa Marega propelled Porto to their first victory against Juventus in the Champions League.

The Bianconeri made three changes from the side that lost to Napoli over the weekend. Alex Sandro returned to the starting line-up after recovering from COVID-19, while Weston McKennie and Dejan Kulusevski were also handed starts.

Juventus, however, got off to the worst start possible.

A defensive mix-up between Rodrigo Bentancur and Wojciech Szczęsny allowed Mehdi Taremi to pounce on a short pass to put Porto one goal up.

The goal came with barely a minute gone on the clock, and it set the tone for the rest of the first half.

Matters were made worse for the Turin club when their captain, Giorgio Chiellini, limped off injured after 34 minutes. Porto were even quicker out of the blocks in the second half when Marega got on the end of a Wilson Manafá cut-back to score the second goal.

Despite the clear mishap, Juventus seemed intent on playing out from the back. Szczęsny's discomfort was evident early on, with the hosts deploying a very high press to put the goalkeeper and defenders under pressure.

Juventus started to regain their mojo and dominated their control over the ball, with over 65% possession registered in the first half-hour. Nevertheless, it was FC Porto who were asking all the questions in front of the goal.

The impressive Sergi Oliveira was all over the field to stop and launch attacks. Zaidu Sanusi steadily bombarded forward down the Porto left flank, while the ever-green Pepe tidied up effectively at the other end.

Some brilliant footwork by Wilson Manafa allowed him to skip across the Juventus defence with ease before setting up Moussa Marega, who took one brilliant first touch to get in between Demiral and Mathijs de Ligt before slotting a left-footed finish past Szczesny.  

It was so easy to breach the Juve defence.

Porto manager Sergio Conceicao sought to protect his two-goal advantage, with goal scorer Marega coming off for Marko Grujic.

Nevertheless, the next best chance of the game fell to the hosts, with Szczesny forced to tip over an excellent overhead kick by Jesus Corona.

Pirlo made some attacking changes, with Alvaro Morata and Aaron Ramsey coming on. However, Porto continued to mount pressure on the Juventus goal.

Juventus were adamant that they should have received a penalty after Cristiano Ronaldo was fouled in the area, and replays showed that the Italians were well within their right to be furious.

Ronaldo excellently controlled the ball in the air and would have had a chance at goal had he not been fouled by Chancel Mbemba. The referee apparently did not see the incident and blew his final whistle not long after.

This is where the VAR should have come in to call the attention of the referee to the issue. It is not a matter of the final whistle having been blown, as there have been many cases where penalties were awarded after half-time or the full-time whistle. Manchester United against Brighton readily comes to mind.

Juventus eventually mustered a response when Chiesa fired home a precious away goal with eight minutes remaining. His strike ended Porto’s run of five consecutive clean sheets in the competition and leaves the tie wide open ahead of the return leg.  

Szczesny was extremely shaky as a shot-stopper.

He was prone to frequent goalkeeping errors earlier in his career and failed to truly make a mark in his seven years at Arsenal. But he has become a more steady presence in goal since signing for Juventus in 2017. However, his old habits came to the fore against Porto.

Szczesny was constantly put under pressure by Porto's high press and this, in turn, affected other areas of his game. He was not assured in the air, despite this being one of the strongest points of his game.

Having ridden out a storm in the first half, the Juventus goalkeeper once again conceded in the early moments of the second half.

He made amends with a series of fine saves later in the second half but by then, the damage had already been done.

The lack of composure on the ball by Juventus meant that Cristiano Ronaldo was starved off the ball, and he had to drop deep on several occasions to try and get involved. Ronaldo's frustration was evident for most of the game, and the unsuccessful penalty appeal in the last minute only served to further incense him.

In total, Ronaldo had just one shot in the match and will be hoping for a more productive outing at Turin.

Note: This article has been published at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 18/02/2021 Porto shock for Juventus

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Faisal Caesar

 

 

PSG fly the victory flag at Camp Nou

 

The last time Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) visited Camp Nou, they were completely devastated by Neymar in one of the most charismatic displays in the history of the UEFA Champions League. PSG arrived at Camp Nou with an advantage of four goals, but in the end, they digested an absolute humiliation – Barca went through to the next round.

Since then almost four years have passed and so many things changed.  

After that epic comeback in 2017, Neymar did not receive the due credit, and as usual Lionel Messi was hogging the limelight. There was a school of thought back then and which was, the step-motherly-like attitude of the media hurt Neymar and he decided to join PSG for a record transfer fee. Again, there were doubts about the biased attitude towards Barca by the officials. But let’s not pay enough attention to such rumors, rather, it would be ideal to stick to footballing matters.

Barca did advance after that glorious night, but the Champions League glory never came to them and the departure of Neymar disturbed their balance so much that even today, they feel the absence of the Brazilian in the top competitions.

While Barca were digesting eight goals, Neymar took PSG to the finals last season. He was expected to return to Camp Nou for the Round of 16 clash with his former club – sadly, injury cropped up yet again and PSG would face the in-form Catalans without their talisman. Without an iota of doubt – Neymar has been the nucleus of this PSG over the last couple of seasons – the boy played his part as a left-sided forward, center forward, central attacking midfielder, and central midfielder. Such has been his impact that it lifted others to progress.

Thus without Neymar – the possibility of flying the victory flag in Cam Nou looked thin.

Well, have everyone forgotten about the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Marco Verratti, Marquinhos, Moise Kean, and co?

Perhaps, many of the fans did forget.

And, in the end, each and everyone was reminded of the above mentioned names and their impact on the big stage.

Mbappe produced a breathtaking display of football by scoring a hat-trick to lead PSG to a decisive 4-1 win against Barcelona and made Lionel Messi look pale and out of order.

Barcelona simply had no answer for the pace, dribbling and guile of Mbappe, who completely dominated the hosts and floored them in a commendable manner.

There was big news in the starting XI of Ronald Koeman, as Gerard Pique returned after being out three months due to injury and slotted in at center-back. Also returning as a starter was right-back Sergino Dest, while Pedri got the nod in midfield with Sergio Busquets and Frankie de Jong.

 Barcelona got the first break of the series when Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers whistled for a penalty for Layvin Kurzawa clipping De Jong from behind in the area.

VAR upheld the call and Messi coolly converted the spot-kick for a 1-0 lead.

PSG quickly responded and did it with a goal dripping with class, with Kurzawa crossing to Marco Verratti, whose exquisite touch pass with the outside of his foot found Mbappe, who took a touch to elude Clement Lenglet before firing past Marc-Andre ter Stegen into the net to equalize.

The score-line may have shown a draw at intermission, but PSG were clearly the superior side with their dominance in midfield and ability to control the tempo – Verratti was having a fantastic game in the center of the pitch and Marquinhos maintained the balance between midfield and defence.

Meanwhile, Barcelona looked timid going forward and could call themselves fortunate to have even gotten on the scoreboard.

There was a sense that PSG could break things open at any moment and in short order the second Parisian goal came to make it 2-1. 

Alessandro Florenzi, held onside by Dest, received a long ball down the right and sent in a cross that was deflected by the retreating Pique and Mbappe reacted first, beating Dest to the ball and hammering a shot home for the goal.

PSG were flying and minutes later it was 3-1 when Kean got in front of De Jong and Jordi Alba on a freekick and easily headed into the net.

Koeman turned to his bench for some sort of answer, and so it was Oscar Mingueza for the ineffective Dest, followed later by Trincao, Riqui Puig and Miralem Pjanic for Pedri, Pique, and Busquets respectively.

The closest Barcelona came to scoring in the second half was off a near-blooper from Keylor Navas when Griezmann blocked a pass from the Costa Rican and the ball nearly deflected into the goal.

Martin Braithwaite for Griezmann was the final substitution in the final minutes, but it mattered not because the night belonged to Mbappe, who polished off a counter-attack and all let the flag of PSG fly at Camp Nou proudly.

Tactically, Koeman was outweighed by Pochettino.

Pochenttino responded to Koeman’s 4-5-1 midblock with long balls. Numbers suggest Keylor Navas had 16 long balls played towards Mauro Icardi in comparison to Ter Stegen’s 6.

Icardi was astute in the air, which encouraged Navas and with Mbappe lying close to him, supported the interaction when the Barcelona players pushed higher.

Koeman gave Messi full freedom and he was to challenge the two center-backs of PSG – Marquinhos and Kimpembe – the kind of pressing Koeman was expecting from Messi, he could produce, rather, he was outnumbered in a 2 vs 1 situation with Marquinhos leading from the front.

With Messi being made to look ordinary, the PSG full-backs pushed high up and gained control in the center of the park and in turn, allowed Mbappe and Kean to move more centrally. Meanwhile, from the midfield, Verratti continued to pull the strings and exploited the spaces – Barca were at bay.

The victory gives PSG the advantage heading into the return leg in Paris in three weeks' time.

PSG would expect that the nightmare of 2017 does not repeat in Paris.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 17/02/2021 PSG fly the victory flag at Camp Nou

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

 

Liverpool start the knockout campaign with a victory

 

The clash between Liverpool and RB Leipzig had been shifted to Budapest, Hungary due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Reds set foot for the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League after digesting three consecutive defeats in the Premier League and nevertheless jolted by the injury woes. Still, they started the campaign with a victory over the German Club courtesy of sloppiness.

The Leipzig of Julian Nagelsmann sit second in the Bundesliga, where they have emerged as the most credible challengers to Bayern Munich and they have built their game on firm defensive foundations, still, they failed to half the strugglers in the Premier League when needed.

Nagelsmann relies on high-line defence with the intent to attack at pace and utilize the most during the counter but they never looked secure, committed terrible mistakes, and lost, even though Naglesmann claimed, he had the better show on the pitch.

After the match, he said, “When you win, you're always right, but we earned a lot of respect in the 90 minutes. We were definitely not worse and certainly not two goals worse.”

“The big difference was they scored with their two chances, we had three big chances and weren’t clinical enough. For the two big mistakes, we committed we were punished, and at such a high level that’s normal.”

Football is all about scoring goals and win the match – if you can’t do that, you end up winning hearts only.

And not only that, one can’t deny the fact, the Reds were better as well and surely deserved to win.

They have been scratchy of late, but this was a good night’s work indeed for the Premier League champions. Under pressure at home, they found the continent much more to their liking.

And, one needs to credit them for exploiting the sloppiness of Leipzig.

The first came from the midfielder, Marcel Sabitzer, who tried to play a back pass to Lukas Klostermann and he succeeded in setting Mohamed Salah clean through on goal and the Egyptian King, who was dangerous all evening, essayed a cool finish.

The second was even worse to look at, an ungainly tangle from one of the three Leipzig center-halves, Nordi Mukiele, who got himself lost under a high ball from Curtis Jones and lunged at it in an attempt to retrieve the situation. He missed completely, leaving Sadio Mane with a one-on-one. Again, the outcome was not in doubt.

The Reds might be struggling back home, but still, they are down and out and they have the players who would no exhibit any mercy for the mistakes committed on the big stage.

Leipzig started off with a lot of intent. Naglesmann’s 3-3-2-2 formation encourages the wing-backs to advance forward.

There was a nervy moment in the Liverpool penalty area - they had a let-off when Angelino crossed for Olmo at the end of a slick move and his header came back off the inside of the post. After that, the Reds settled and were able to see that passes in behind the Leipzig backline which could lead to opportunity.

Trent Alexander-Arnold set Salah away with a through ball on 15 minutes but Peter Gulacsi, was off his line to block the attempted dink. Roberto Firmino blasted into the side-netting on the second phase.

A cross from Firmino was headed higher by Mane due to pressure from Mukiele while he almost got on to a clipped Andy Robertson ball over the top. Thankfully, Gulacsi was quickly out of his area to clear. Robertson stepped up to win it back and he sent an audacious 40-yard chip over the goalkeeper.

Firmino also had the ball in the net after Mane had robbed Dayut Upamecano, who was lackluster throughout the night, to cross from the byline. The assistant referee spotted that it had narrowly gone out of play.

Leipzig produced scary moments despite trailing by 2-0 - In the 90th minute the Leipzig substitute, Hwang Hee-chan, was released in behind Jordan Henderson, but he dragged his shot past the far post

Well, ultimately no damage was done.

After the match, Jurgen Klopp said, “We played a really good game and we got the result we deserved," the Reds boss said post-match. We defended really well and had a good recovery. It was a tough game with only two days since the last one. It's only the first leg, we know that but a lot of people were waiting for us to slip again.”

“For two years we were really good and this year we have problems, that's fine. A lot of people expected us to slip again but the boys didn't.”

Nagelsmann has now lost all three games he has played against Klopp at the start of his managerial career, having been in charge at Hoffenheim when they were dumped out of the competition by Liverpool 6-3 on aggregate in 2017-18 qualifying rounds.

Even though the fortress Anfield has been breached this year, but still, Klopp and his boys would not let the cracks widen.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 17/02/2021  Liverpool start the knockout campaign with a victory

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

There was nothing wrong with the Chennai pitch

 

“There was nothing wrong with the pitch; rather the technique and temperament had to be positive”

The wicket for the second Test in Chennai remained the subject of interest among the cricket fans and experts even before a ball being bowled. After the heavy defeat in the first test, a rank-turner was always on the cards.

Four days ago, former Indian cricketer and now commentator predicted that we might see the second Test ending in 3 and a half or 4 days.

Chopra observed that considering how the pitches are prepared in India, the pitch for the second Test will be a rank turner, offering spin from the very onset. He also said that toss won’t play a huge factor in this match as the pitch would offer something for the bowlers from the very get-go.

He said, “Considering what’s happening right now, 5 day Test match, a 3-day turnaround, same surface, same square – this (the pitch for the 2nd Test) is going to be a turner. And toss will be taken out of the equation somewhat. In a sense that if you win the toss, of course, there’s an advantage but it’s not as significant that you can bat for 2.5 days. You just cannot, this pitch won’t be of that nature. I dare say, I believe, this will be a 3.5-4 day Test match at best. Toss will be critical but making it count will be a lot more difficult than the last match.”

After winning the first Test in style, neither the toss nor the wicket should sweat England that much. They have come to India with the mindset that there would be nothing but spin-friendly tracks. Thus, the ball keeping low and the puff of dust exploding from the track on Day 1 of the second Test should have been taken normally, but on social media, former England skipper turned commentator Michael Vaughan triggered the debate of “poor Test match pitch.”

Vaughan found his supporters regarding this matter along with harsh critics, but how could the basher of the Chennai deck forget that it was on this same deck two Indian batsmen scored centuries while the skipper – Virat Kohli played one of the best Test innings to remember for ages.

Rohit Sharma played a counterattacking knock on Day 1 and when a batsman is in that mood, it is always hard to find an answer, even though, if a team tries to dry up the runs of such batsmen, who are more dependent on rhythm, then their staying time at the wicket shortens.

When the track starts to assist a bowler, excitement is obvious in and which can make the bowler get carried away – but that does not mean; full-tosses, shorter ones, and long hops should dominate.

Moeen Ali and Jack Leach bowled well, but with the kind of assistance the deck provided, Joe Root showed how to bowl effectively on this deck on the first day. This track demanded discipline and change of pace no matter how much assistance it provided the spinners.

For the information, Ali bowled 10 in the first innings of this Test, a match tailor-made for the spinners. In total, the English spinners bowled 14 full tosses. On 20 occasions they were cut or pull.

England were undone in response to India’s first innings total and Ravichandran Ashwin was the wrecker in chief. Neither Ashwin nor Axar Patel bowled any full tosses or long hops. Rather, they kept the line and length tight and let the skill do the talk.

Guess, what, Vaughan and his supporters cannot deny how poorly England batsmen applied them on the track, which required the technique and temperament of the highest quality.

When India batted in their second innings, Virat Kohli taught us about the application on this tough wicket.

Again, England dished out the unplayable deliveries along with full tosses, half-volleys, and long hops to take the pitch out of the equation, but nevertheless, that can never undermine the batting master class of Kohli.

After getting out in the first innings while driving Ali against a brilliant delivery, which turned viciously to castle the champion, Kohli decided to cut short his driving and attacking intent and get back to the school of Sunil Gavaskar.

Kohli changed his technique.

He opened his stance a bit more and trusted his defence. Ali and Leach pitched the ball consistently on the driving length to lure Kohli, but this time, the Indian skipper was well forward and played with straight – defended more often and the percentage of false shots dropped. At one point, he scored just 8 runs off 37 balls, but those eight runs were accumulated on the basis of sheer technique – occupy the crease, covert the ones into twos and play with a straight bat and late as much as possible.

Kohli’s false shot percentage today, 11%, was 10% lower than the match average of 21%.

He scored his 25^th half-century and it was a batting of high pedigree – a lesson for the young generation.

Cricviz stated, “Coming to the crease with England getting a bit of momentum late on Day 2, he took 20 balls to get off the mark. Across his Test career, only once has he faced more balls before scoring his first run, way back in 2012 at Ahmedabad, also against England, when he took 29 balls.”

“Once he was into his stride, he maintained this caution. Across the innings, he attacked only 14% of the deliveries bowled to him, well down on the Test average of 25%, and right at the bottom of his gearbox. Only once has Kohli faced 100 deliveries in a home Test, and attacked less.”

“Kohli was mixing up his approach to the spinners. He played off the front foot 58% of the time, and the back foot 42% of the time. He was riskier off the back foot, 16% false shots compared to 9% on the front, but in the context of the game and the conditions, neither was too treacherous.”

 “He played with a positive intent and when your team has got that belief then you come into bat despite the fact that you might not have scored runs in the first innings. But look at his intent. He is either going right forward or right back. When he comes forward, he is smothering the ball, and when he's going back, he is giving himself time to see what the ball is doing,” said Gavaskar.

“When the half-volley comes on, someone like Virat Kohli is never going to miss out on opportunities. Then again, using the wrist so well, turning with the ball and closing the face of the ball to make it go along the ground. This is classy batting,” Gavaskar added.

Then, Ashwin first gave a lesson on how to bowl on a rank turner and then provided a batting master-class with a sparkling hundred on a deteriorating strip. Kohli and Ashwin showed the likes of Michael Vaughan that they have that in abundance as India batted nearly 182 overs across two innings on a track that many deemed as under-prepared after England failed to get past 200 runs.

For Ashwin, it was the third time in his Test career when he notched up a five-for and a hundred along with it. Only England legend Ian Botham stands ahead of him with five such efforts in his career.

Regarding Ashwin’s batting, Cricviz stated, “Of his previous four centuries, the highest false shot percentage he recorded in any of them was 15% – today, that figure was 22%. Yet that was a natural consequence of his intent, Ashwin playing an attacking stroke to 45% of the deliveries bowled. Of the 162 centuries we have seen in India in Tests since 2006, only five have seen a higher attacking shot percentage.”

India's batting exhibition in the second innings was a statement for all the Doubting Thomases on how to bat on a third-day track.

England were given a huge total to chase, but the wicket-factor was still playing in their minds and thus the downfall was inevitable.

Application was never impossible on this deck and whenever the English batters pivoted more on the back foot they looked in better shape.

Cricviz stated, “Root & Stokes have both looked a lot more comfortable playing off the back foot today. False Shots - Day 4: Root (Front) - 28% & Root (Back) - 10%. Stokes (Front) - 28% & Stokes (Back) - 20%.”

And most importantly, playing with an angled bat would only invite trouble.

The English batters repeated it.

There was nothing wrong with the pitch; rather the technique and temperament had to be positive.

Note: This article has been posted in Cricketsoccer on 16/03/2021 There was nothing wrong with the Chennai pitch

Thank You

Faisal Caesar  

 

 

Real Madrid win again

 

The possibilities of defending the La Liga title might still have a chance or have diminished, but it was very important for the Los Blancos to win matches consistently because it was a state of emergency and for the sake of lifting the spirits, there are no option other winning matches as much as possible in this tough season, where injuries have dictated the proceedings.

 Despite having been hit by injuries in 2021, Real Madrid have managed to win each of their last three La Liga games and keep themselves in the title race.

With more than a third of the squad sidelined, Los Blancos have registered three straight wins for the first time this calendar year.

After Dani Carvajal's setback against Valencia, as many as eight Real Madrid players, out of the first squad's 22, are ruled out due to injuries. Incredibly, that's 36.33 percent of their players who are currently sidelined.

Zinedine Zidane was back with a four-man defence for this game. Dani Carvajal returned to the starting lineup from injury, while Toni Kroos also returned from his one-game suspension.

The Royal Whites started the game on the front foot and went ahead in the 12th minute. Karim Benzema picked up a pass by Kroos before curling a shot into the bottom-left corner to put Real Madrid in the lead.

However, Zidane was forced into the first change of the game when Dani Carvajal limped off the field in the 28th minute and was replaced by Lucas Vazquez.

Nevertheless, Real Madrid doubled their lead three minutes before half-time. A well-worked team move saw Vasquez find Toni Kroos in acres of space in the box, and the Germany international made no mistake from 14 yards.

The tempo was sluggish after the break, but Valencia offered nothing in terms of attacking threat. The home side thought they had tripled their lead when Ferland Mendy placed a right-footed finish past Jaume Domenech.

Replays, however, showed that Vinicius Junior was slightly offside in the buildup to the goal.

Real Madrid, however, got the job done against Valencia to ensure they reclaimed the second spot in the league table. Despite the victory, Real Madrid are five points off leaders Atletico Madrid, who have two games in hand.

Toni Kross was the best player on the pitch without a doubt.

His vision was on full display when he picked out Benzema for the opener, while his shooting precision came to the fore in Real Madrid's second goal. In addition to his goal and assist, the former Bayern Munich man also made four key passes and had a passing accuracy of 94.4%.

Then there was Karim Benzema, who proved his importance to the side yet again and scoring goals has become a habit for the striker – it was precision and movement which troubled the visitors.

Last but not least, Los Blancos have seen their midfield trident of Toni Kroos, Casemiro, and Luka Modric producing solid performances again and dictating the tempo in the middle third.

The last time the two sides met, Valencia put out a comprehensive performance to thrash the defending champions 4-1. They had also picked up a point at the Camp Nou a month later.

Valencia came into this game, knowing that a win could steer them clear of the relegation zone. However, that was not to be, as they failed to trouble Madrid.

Note: This article has been posted as Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 15/02/2021 Real Madrid win again

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

 

 

West Indies: Get up, stand up and reach the top

 

Hi West Indies,

You don't know me. 

I am a fellow cricket fan from Bangladesh and thought of writing an open letter to you.

Now let's be frank - the kind of heartbreak you gave me and the whole nation during Valentine’s Day is quite hard to digest.

But you know what?

Whenever I start thinking of myself as a neutral cricket follower, I cannot but greet you on Valentine’s Day.

A true cricket fan would always relish those who fight back and give their critics a fitting reply.

Like the majority, I was among those, who did not welcome the kind of team you brought to Bangladesh.

Being a follower of cricket since the days of Imran Khan and Sir Vivian Richards, obviously, West Indies are one of my favourite teams. I have seen your team rule the world and let me tell you, it was never a great feeling witnessing your downfall. Like the optimists around the cricketing world, still today I expect the rise of Caribbean Cricket.

But the lack of consistency, short of commitments, off-the-field chaos, and too much interest in Twenty20 formats and not test cricket; always left me frustrated. How could a team lose their interest in the format that was branded with a dash of Caribbean flavour remains a moot question!

Back in those beautiful islands, where the black community always fought hard to establish their own identity – the likes of Learie Constantine, George Headley, Weasley Hall, and Sir Frank Worrell took the willow and ball at their hands, wore the white funnel, and gradually told the world that, the black community from the Caribbean islands are not just born to be overshadowed by others, rather, they can outshine others.

Test cricket had been the medium to take the Caribbean people to the top. The bat and ball were not just the tools for recreation at the beach – it became more than that and it was in Test cricket, where the West Indians showed their class – their talent – their passion - and their determination. Yes, passion and determination took the heroes of the past to the top and attracted millions of fans around the world to think about Test cricket differently.

Test cricket can be entertaining – batting could be full of fun as those in the islands of Antigua while the cherry can be the fireball – forget the Don or the Trueman; Worrell, Sobers, Viv, Holding, and Marshall had arrived –  “Get up, stand up (Oh yeah) stand up for your rights (Lord, Lord.”

Thus, it is hard to believe the current state of West Indian cricket – but at times when you leave each and everyone stunned – here, this fellow cricket fan from Bangladesh – starts dreaming the rise of the Caribbean Kingdom again!

When Kyle Mayers pulled the rabbit out of the hat at Chattogram; the feeling was good from a neutral point of view and after the outstanding finish at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today; what can I say?

I was broken from inside watching Bangladesh proving themselves not worthy enough for Test cricket yet again and they need to decide whether they are interested to play the 5-day format or not, but then I started to see the brighter side of the whole match – the so-called “below-par” West Indies have painted Bangladesh Maroon and the kind of determination the boys showed during the Test series, hinted, the passion for Test cricket is still alive in West Indies.    

Nkrumah Bonner, Joshua Da Silva, Rahkeem Cornwall, Jomel Warrican, and Mayers are the bright spots on this tour and the only thing West Indies would need and which are – sense and sensibility regarding managing the players.

Dear West Indies, don’t you remember what the great Bob Marley sang?

“Oh I say

Preacher man, don't tell me

Heaven is under the earth

I know you don't know

What life is really worth

It's not all that glitters is gold

'Alf the story has never been told

So now you see the light, eh”

The Test series victory in Bangladesh with an inexperienced but fighting unit should be that light, which would guide the way to revive the glory days.

As a fan of West Indies cricket, I want back the Caribbean to rule the roost again.

I firmly believe that you can.

“Don't worry about a thing, 'cause every little thing gonna be all right.

None but ourselves can free our minds.”

- Bob Marley

Free your mind. The light can be seen. Follow that light. Everything will be fine.

Get up.

Stand up.

Regards,

A cricket fan from Bangladesh

Note: This article has been posted at Cricktsoccer on 14/02/2021 West Indies: Get up, stand up and reach the top 

Thank You 

Faisal Caesar