Rob Smyth's Blog, page 33
March 24, 2024
Bangladesh set Australia 98 to win: second women’s one-day international – live
2nd over: Bangladesh 7-0 (Fargana 3, Sobhana 0) Elysse Perry takes the new ball in the absence of Kim Garth. She starts with a leg-side wide, but her first legitimate delivery almost brings a wicket when Fargana top-edges a pull straight over the head of Healy.
Fargana is riding her luck. She’s beaten by some extravagant seam movement, then edges a drive between slip and gully at catchable height. There’s another wide later in the over – the third of the innings and Australia’s 12th of the series so far.
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March 23, 2024
England 0-1 Brazil: international football friendly – as it happened
Endrick, 17, became the youngest goalscorer in Wembley history as a new-look Brazil beat England in a hard-fought game of few clear chances
The players line up for the national anthems. Before the game starts, why not have a trip down memory lane with two of Britain and Ireland’s finest football writers?
The Brazil bench includes 17-year-old Palmeiras star Endrick, who will join Real Madrid when he becomes a man in July. Their policy of buying the next generation of galacticos is such an interesting development.
Continue reading...Manchester City 3-1 Manchester United: Women’s Super League – as it happened
City went top of the WSL after a comfortable derby victory, inspired by a brilliant performance from Jess Park
5 min City are starting to take possession of the ball, as is their wont. The game hasn’t really settled down yet.
2 min Lucia Garcia wins a corner for United, who have started on the front foot. Zelem’s inswinging corner is helped on at the near post loops dangerously across the face of goal before Shaw heads clear. It was a brave header, with Turner behind her, and there was a clash of heads between the two. They’re fine.
Continue reading...March 17, 2024
Chelsea 4-2 Leicester City: FA Cup quarter-final – as it happened
The home side scored twice in injury time to win a crazy match that included a missed penalty, a red card and a memorable own goal
3 min Now Palmer runs at Vestergaard to win Chelsea’s first corner. It’s taken short, crossed deep and headed behind for another…
2 min Mavididi runs Gusto to win an early corner for Leicester. It’s taken short to Dewsbury-Hall, whose flat, deep cross is volleyed back across goal and wide by Winks. They’ve clearly worked on that, though it will always be a pretty difficult ball to strike on the volley.
Continue reading...March 16, 2024
Burnley 2-1 Brentford, Luton 1-1 Nottingham Forest, and more: football – as it happened
Luke Berry earned Luton a precious point with a late equaliser, but 10-man Brentford ran out of time at Turf Moor
Hello everyone. Thanks to Taha for doing the sour metres, to borrow Soren Busk’s memorable expression. Now it’s time for goalflashes galore. Talking of which…
OK, Rob’s in to take over from me, having already had plenty of fun watching the madness at Molineux. Here’s Ben Fisher’s report from there.
Continue reading...Wolves 2-3 Coventry: FA Cup quarter-final – as it happened
Haji Wright settled a thrilling, ding-dong cup tie with a superb winning goal in the 10th minute of added time
6 min Ait-Nouri trips Van Ewijk 30 yards from goal and is booked. Coventry have made a bright start.
3 min Sarabia drives a long pass down the left to Ait-Nouri; he is not Usain Bolt circa 2009 and the ball skids behind for a goalkick.
Continue reading...March 15, 2024
Chelsea 3-1 Arsenal: Women’s Super League – as it happened
The magnificent Lauren James inspired Chelsea to an emphatic victory that effectively knocked Arsenal out of the title race
The DJ is keeping the crowd entertainined by going through the Friday night classics: Failure by Swans, The Beast in Me by Nick Lowe, Gravity by Coldplay. The place is rocking.
No update on when the match will kick off. Apparently Arsenal have to change their white socks, which are the same colour as Chelsea’s. The men wore red socks when they played here in October.
Continue reading...Football Daily | Ben White and a club v country row that has reared its ugly head again
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The club v country row has come a long way. In the 1990s it only generated headlines when Alex Ferguson withdrew his entire first-team squad, the under-14s and the canteen staff from the upcoming international break. Now it involves something a little more sinister. Ben White, a man who had the effrontery to be born with the name of the predominant colour in the St George’s Cross flag, has declined the opportunity to sit around watching other people play for England. Worse still, he has done so in this of all weeks, when the ink isn’t even dry on that Photoshop.
I can’t see why anyone would have misgivings about the complexity of next season’s Big Cup draw (yesterday’s Football Daily). We have the perfect solution to any draw requirements. I refer, of course, to the splendid performance of the throughly refreshed Rod Stewart selecting one half of the teams in the Scottish Cup 2016-17 fifth round draw. I’m sure Rod could choose any number of teams at one time if Uefa so requires. But please, do not let us have Alan Stubbs, sober and suited, doing the other teams: he fell in to the classic trap of being uncertain about whether he’d drawn No 6 or No 9” – Ken Muir.
Well said, Russell Pulford (yesterday’s Football Daily letters), but you know, you could watch the Irish league for nowt on the BBC, and hear the great David Jeffrey wax lyrical over some exciting, honestly and passionately played games. And then just go to the nearest club you can find and, for a couple of quid, watch … say, that epic Golcar United v Emley semi-final which went to 13 penalties. Elite football fans are just like those goons who go to F1 in Ferrari baseball hats and admire the technical excellence of gearboxes from afar. Have some fun. It’s the best game in the world” – Jon Millard.
Continue reading...March 14, 2024
Liverpool 6-1 Sparta Prague, Brighton 1-0 Roma: Europa League last 16 and more – as it happened
Jurgen Klopp’s side romped into the quarter-finals, Brighton’s dream ended and Aston Villa thrashed Ajax in the Conference League
We’re all square in the tie! West Ham score from that third corner, with Soucek flicking it on at the near post. Paqueta, completely unmarked taps it in. The London Stadium erupts!
West Ham 0-0 Freiburg (0-1 agg)
Continue reading...March 8, 2024
New Zealand v Australia: second Test, day two – as it happened
38th over: Australia 139-4 (Labuschagne 49, Lyon 11) The New Zealand captain Tim Southee struggled yesterday but he should have taken his first wicket a moment ago. Nathan Lyon edged to first slip, where Daryl Mitchell spilled a two-handed chance above his head. For a quality fielder that was fairly straightforward.
Lyon gets two runs for that and then four when he slices the next ball through backward point. An irksome over for New Zealand ends with Lyon punching another boundary past extra cover. That’s a fine shot.
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