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Jose Mourinho slammed his Roma players for their 'superficial' attitude in their 1-1 draw with Servette and singled out Housseum Aouar for criticism.

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Roma held to 1-1 draw at ServetteSecond in group behind Slavia PrahaMourinho slams players after resultGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Roma's chances of finishing first in their Europa League group took a blow as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Swiss side Servette on Thursday. Mourinho's team took the lead after 21 minutes through Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku but Chris Bedia levelled proceedings five minutes after the break as both sides came away with a point. After the match, Mourinho laid into his players, including summer signing Aouar.

Advertisement(C)GettyImagesWHAT JOSE MOURINHO SAID

He told Sky Sport Italia: "We had important opportunities, but the start of the second half was something that happens too often to us. It’s a pity that you don’t have a camera in our locker room at half-time, because every time I make it clear to them that the opponents playing at home who are a goal down will come out fighting.

"That is a natural reaction, it is something we expect. Yet again we were superficial in our attitude, in our interpretation of this moment of the match. There are players who once again missed an opportunity to prove themselves, for example, Aouar.

“There are several who are on the bench and come on in Serie A with a great attitude, then in the Europa League they come on with this sluggish attitude, like they are not accustomed to being on the bench and then do not improve the game.”

Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Roma will be in the knockout stages of the Europa League but it is likely they will face a side who has come third in their respective Champions League group after failing to put away Servette. Mourinho led Roma to the Europa Conference League title in 2022 and were runners up in this competition last season. With the former Chelsea boss expected to leave the Italian giants at the end of the season, extra games will not make his task of claiming more silverware any easier.

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WHAT NEXT FOR ROMA?

Roma's final group stage game is against Sheriff on December 14. They will have to beat the Moldovan side and hope Slavia lose against Servette to top the group and avoid the play-offs.

Umpires Chris Gaffaney and S Ravi have been promoted to the ICC’s Elite Panel of umpires for 2015-16. They will replace Billy Bowden, and the retiring Steve Davis

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jun-20153:12

‘Indian umpiring has had lot of success stories of late’ – Taufel

Umpires Chris Gaffaney and S Ravi have been promoted to the ICC’s Elite Panel of umpires for 2015-16. They will replace Billy Bowden, and the retiring Steve Davis.Ravi is only the second Indian, after S Venkataraghavan, to make the Elite Panel since its inception in 2002. He has stood in six Tests, including the recently completed series between England and New Zealand, 24 ODI – three of which were during the 2015 World Cup – and 12 T20s.”I have always enjoyed the company of those umpires already on the Elite Panel and now I have the chance to work with them all on a more regular basis,” Ravi said. “I am really looking forward to the challenges ahead and aim to maintain a high standard of umpiring.”Elite Panel for 2015-16

Aleem Dar (Pakistan)
Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka)
Marais Erasmus (South Africa)
Chris Gaffaney (New Zealand)
Ian Gould (England)
Richard Illingworth (England)
Richard Kettleborough (England)
Nigel Llong (England)
Bruce Oxenford (Australia)
S Ravi (India)
Paul Reiffel (Australia)
Rod Tucker (Australia)

Ravi’s elevation will not come as a surprise to former Elite Panel umpire Simon Taufel, who gave high marks to Indian umpires in an interaction with ESPNcricinfo recently. Although Taufel, who is advisor and mentor to BCCI’s Elite Panel of umpires, was non-committal over why Indians had not been in the panel for so long, he stressed the big strides made by the likes of Ravi in the last few years to make themselves eligible.”Our focus is to improve Indian domestic umpiring. We have produced four quality International Panel umpires,” Taufel said. “They are doing extremely well and one of them [S Ravi] officiated at Lord’s in a Test match. It is his fifth Test match. He has been to a World Cup and put his name up for selection.”Gaffaney began his international career as an umpire in 2010 and has worked two Tests, 41 ODIs – three during the 2015 World Cup – and 15 T20Is.”I have a number of people to thank, especially those who have assisted from the very beginning of my umpire career, and will be doing this individually in due course,” he said. “I, however, need to mention the support and understanding of both the NZC and the Police force, who allowed me the opportunity to follow my career as a policeman and also as an umpire. I am extremely grateful for their understanding, which has made this possible.”The 2015-16 team was picked by the ICC umpires selection panel consisting of ICC general manager Geoff Allardice, chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle, former England player, coach and umpire David Lloyd, and S Venkataraghavan, the former India captain and umpire.

The summer signing netted a beautiful goal to get up and running in La Liga

Jude Bellingham started his Real Madrid career in style after sealing a big money move from Borussia Dortmund this summer

Madrid's marquee signing scored his side's second goal and was a constant threat for all 90 minutes as Carlo Ancelotti's side cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win over Athletic Club in their La Liga opener.

Bellingham turned in a tireless 90 minutes for Los Blancos. Operating as a No.10 behind split strikers, the Englishman proved to be a difference maker, and showed that Madrid can perhaps survive without a clear number nine following the departure of Karim Benzema.

Indeed, one of the two forwards in Ancelotti's new-look Madrid side broke the deadlock. Rodrygo received a Dani Carvajal pass and fired a speculative effort into the near post — one Unai Simon would feel he should've saved.

Vinicius should have made it two shortly after, firing at Simon after gliding past two defenders. Bellingham made up for his team-mate's mistake, making it two from a scuffed attempt off a corner. There were further close moments. Rodrygo and Vinicius both had further chances, while Bellingham created chaos with a series of driving runs from midfield.

Athletic Club, for their part, didn't threaten much. Andiry Lunin, handed the start after Thibaut Courtois tore his anterior cruciate ligament in training, had very little to do.

But it wasn't an entirely carefree opener for Madrid. Eder Militao needed assistance off the field after sustaining what appeared to be a serious knee injury — a sure blow to Madrid's backline ahead of a long season.

GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from San Mames…

GettyGoalkeeper & Defence

Andiry Lunin (6/10):

Unclear if he'll be the long-term Thibaut Courtois replacement, but he didn't do anything wrong over the course of 90 minutes.

Dani Carvajal (6/10):

Handed the armband with Benzema gone and Courtois injured. Scampered up the right side with his usual vigour. Expertly made an enemy of pretty much every Athletic Club player.

Eder Militao (6/10):

Turned in a solid 50 minutes. Needed help off the pitch after landing awkwardly and grabbing his knee. Visibly upset, and could face a long-term absence.

David Alaba (7/10):

A solid showing at centre-back from an immensely reliable footballer. Will be crucial this year if Militao is out for an extended period.

Fran Garcia (6/10):

A very nervy first half in his Madrid La Liga debut. Loose in his passing, and lost the ball too often. Much better in the second half.

AdvertisementMidfield

Aurelien Tchouameni (7/10):

Struggled to assert himself early, but really settled in as the game wore on. Prevented a certain goal with a last-ditch block in the second half.

Eduardo Camavinga (7/10):

Ran everywhere, tackled well, solid on the ball. Should be a guaranteed starter every week — regardless of the midfield quality Madrid have.

Federico Valverde (6/10):

Probably the least impactful of the four midfielders. He can't afford to have too many poor showings; there will be lots of competition in this team.

Jude Bellingham (9/10):

Played as a number 10 in what was a dream debut. Embarked on a few wonderful runs, combined well with Vinicius, bagged himself a goal. Embraced his advanced role with aplomb.

GettyAttack

Rodrygo (7/10):

Got off the mark — albeit with a rather fortunate strike. Will need to score plenty more if Mbappe doesn't arrive from PSG. His influence waned as the game wore on.

Vinicius Jr (7/10):

Probably should've scored in the first half after a lovely run. A bit quieter than usual — Athletic Club defended him well.

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Subs & Manager

Antonio Rudiger (6/10):

Introduced for the injured Militao. Didn't have loads to do, but will likely be a regular with Militao sustaining a potentially serious injury.

Toni Kroos (6/10):

Brought on to see the game out. What a luxury.

Luka Modric (6/10):

Offered a chance to run around for 15 minutes.

Joselu (N/A):

Didn't offer much in a brief cameo.

Carlo Ancelotti (7/10):

The first game in his final season of club football was a solid one. Went for a young midfield, and it worked. Madrid took a 2-0 lead into half time, and never really looked in trouble. The Militao injury will be of concern, though.

USMNT star Tim Ream has earned praise for his classy reaction to the injury suffered by Chris Basham during Fulham’s clash with Sheffield United.

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Blades star damaged ankleCottagers captain by his sideAll fans appreciate gestureWHAT HAPPENED?

The Blades defender is facing up to a lengthy spell on the sidelines after seriously damaging his ankle during a Premier League fixture at Craven Cottage. Basham went over under no pressure, as he sought to play the ball back to his goalkeeper, and it was immediately clear that he had picked up a sickening injury.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ream was among the first to tend to Basham as he lay stricken on the west London turf, with the United States international doing his best to calm his domestic rival before medical staff arrived. The Fulham skipper has been hailed for his actions, with one Blades fan posting on social media: “A touch of class from Tim Ream, the closest to Bash when he went down and stayed with him until, and after, medical attention arrived. Hope he gets some recognition from the fans when #ffc come to Bramall Lane.” Another added: “Tim Ream going above & beyond in this moment. Whilst others looked away (understandably), he stayed with Bash for what must’ve seemed like a lifetime.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Further praise for Ream read: “Absolute quality and just goes to show you what type of person Tim Ream is.. RESPECT.” Another said: “Tim Ream, what a man. While everyone walks off after seeing Basham’s horrible injury, Ream was there with him until the doctors and physios came over.” There were also lots of “Tim Ream appreciation post” entries across social media.

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom told when delivering an immediate update on Basham after the game in question came to a close: "He was not in a state to speak. He was on gas and air when he left and he is in hospital now. Everyone could see it was a horrendous injury. He is with the right people now he is in hospital. We will touch base and see how he is. Our thoughts are with him. Injuries like that we never want to see, and it does affect the feeling in the football stadium when something like that happens, without a doubt."

Everton will submit their official appeal against the 10-point deduction they were handed after being found guilty of breaching financial rules.

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Everton hit with 10-point sanctionToffees admitted to financial rule breachClub to appeal against decision this weekWHAT HAPPENED?

Everton have until Friday to lodge their appeal to the independent commission which decided the punishment and are set to present their case before the deadline passes, reports. Everton admitted to the breach of the rules but were disappointed by the extent of the punishment.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The Toffees were handed the biggest ever points sanction in Premier League history and they feel the sporting punishment is unjust given the offence was a financial one. The club's fans have demonstrated their outrage, holding a protest during their 3-0 loss to Manchester United on Saturday.

DID YOU KNOW?

The deduction saw them drop to 19th in the Premier League table, leaving them in danger of being relegated. Many believe the punishment sets a precedent that could affect Manchester City, who have been accused of 115 counts of breaching financial rules.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR EVERTON?

Everton have four points following the sanction and are now five points from Premier League safety after 13 matches. Sean Dyche's team can boost their hopes of crawling out of the relegation zone by getting a positive result against Nottingham Forest, who have won just one of their last nine matches.

Brazil coach Dorival Junior says he will bring Neymar back into the national team as long as the Al-Hilal attacker gets fit following his injury.

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Neymar out with ACL ruptureDorival asked about his returnStar told he must get fitGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Neymar has been out of action with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and required surgery last October. The 32-year-old initially hoped he would still have a chance of playing at the 2024 Copa America, but he was ruled out by the team doctor. The Selecao boss has now said Neymar will have to prove that he is fit and "focused" before he will be called up again.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT DORIVAL SAID

Dorival said: "It is one of the main projects. Neymar is a very important player. He is well aware of that. He is one of the greatest players in world football. Our hope is that he recovers physically. He has a place [in the squad] for everything he has accomplished in the national team, but he needs to be confident, calm, balanced and, above all, focused. He will be part of the process as long as he is fully recovered."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Brazil will face England and Spain in international friendlies next month and will have to make do without star forward Neymar. They are also without Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Matheus Cunha and Joao Pedro for those matches.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR NEYMAR?

Neymar will continue his recovery at Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, who signed him from PSG in an £86m deal last summer. The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star has been accused of being overweight on his return to training with the club, and it is still not known when he will be ready to feature in a competitive setting again.

David Saker, the England bowling coach, is to leave his role to become head coach of Melbourne Renegades.

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2015David Saker, the England bowling coach, is to leave his role to become head coach of Melbourne Renegades. He is contracted until the end of September but could leave before the Ashes this summer.Saker, 48, has been part of the most successful era in England’s history but has increasingly come under criticism. Succeeding Otis Gibson in April 2010, Saker was part of the backroom staff that helped England win a first global one-day trophy – the World T20 in 2010 – and a first Ashes series victory in Australia for 24 years.But Saker’s failure to help bring through a new group of fast bowlers, England’s general struggle in one-day cricket, and particularly the Steven Finn fiasco have blotted his record and many anticipated his sacking after the Ashes whitewash last winter. But he remained in place as England disappointed at the 2014 World T20, lost a home Test series to Sri Lanka and last week crashed out of the World Cup.”My first three years in the job for English cricket was a bit of a fairytale,” he told the . “But like most things it’s hard to keep that form up. We lost some senior players, which made it a little bit harder.”He is now keen to return home to Victoria, potentially before the end of his contract in September, and broaden his experience beyond just the bowling brief, with ambitions to take charge of a Sheffield Shield team.”I’m very excited to join the club and come back to Melbourne – which is home – and work with everyone involved,” Saker said. “The Big Bash League is being talked about worldwide in cricket circles and it’s great to be back working in the T20 format.”Renegades’s chief executive, Stuart Coventry, added: “David is the right person to lead the club over the next two years and drive us into winning positions. David has been involved in the high-performance environment at the international level and had great success with England across all formats over the last five years. We’ll now give him time to review our list closely and work out how he wants to mould things in the months ahead.”

The Brazilians continue with their quest for a second title of Africa's premier club competition

Mamelodi Sundowns are up against Al Hilal at Al Hilal Stadium in a Caf Champions League Group A penultimate fixture.

This is how Masandawana coaches have selected their starting line-up.

BackpagepixGOALKEEPER – Reyaad Pieterse

The lanky goalkeeper starts his first continental match since 2017 when he made the line-up in a Caf Confederation Cup game for SuperSport United.

Pieterse has been selected ahead of Kennedy Mweene who kept two clean sheets in back-to-back wins over Al Ahly.

AdvertisementBackpagepixRIGHT-BACK – Thapelo Morena

After a few recent games playing on the right side of midfield, Morena returns to the right-back position.

He steps in for Khuliso Mudau, who is not available.

BackpagepixLEFT-BACK – Lyle Lakay

Arguably among the best left-backs based in Africa, the SuperSport United academy product is in good form at the moment.

Lakay has formed a great telepathic understanding with Peter Shalulile and he provided the assist for the Namibia international's goal against Al Ahly last weekend.

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BackpagepixCENTRAL DEFENDER – Brian Mandela

Mosa Lebusa's injury has seen the bulky centre-back establish himself as a regular at the Chloorkop-based giants.

Mandela's aerial prowess will be important against Al Hilal, who tend to play a lot of crosses and long balls into the opposition's box.

Matches between Barcelona and Real Madrid have provided some classic contests over the years, but what was the best game since the year 2000?

With so many talented players and so many gifted coaches, clashes between Real Madrid and Barcelona are always a must-watch. Factor in the heated rivalry, and it's no wonder El Clasico is regarded as one of, if not the best derby in football.

Some of the names to have graced the game since the turn of the century are are legendary: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Zinedine Zidane, Sergio Ramos, Andres Iniesta… And that's just the beginning.

🖥️ Where to watch & live stream El Clasico👕 Get the Barcelona jersey here⚽ Watch La Liga games live on Viaplay in the UK

The two teams meet again on Wednesday in a game that could well yield another classic.

But until then, GOAL takes a look at some of the most memorable games the iconic rivalry has yielded in the 21st century…

10Cristiano heads Madrid to Copa glory

It was all decided by one of Ronaldo leaps.

There was nothing to separate Barca and Madrid in the 2011 Copa del Rey final after 90 minutes. Pepe cracked a header off the post and Pedro had a goal ruled out for offside, but neither side could break the deadlock.

Ronaldo, though, had his moment in extra-time, rising above two Barca defenders to power a header back across goal.

This was a massive win for Jose Mourinho. 'The Special One' had struggled against Barca in the first few Clasicos of his tenure, highlighted by the infamous 5-0 thumping a year previously. This one, and goal, was a massive turning point.

Advertisement9Ronaldo's late winner

When it came to coming up clutch late in games, Ronaldo was, and still is, something else.

This goal in 2016 was one of his signature Clasico moments, an 85th-minute winner to stun Barca at Camp Nou.

It was a particularly spicy derby, with four yellow cards dished out inside the first 29 minutes. Madrid were excellent defensively on the day, only allowing three shots on target while holding Messi scoreless for his fifth straight Clasico.

And at the other end, they were deadly on the break. Barca may have taken the lead through a Gerard Pique header, but Madrid fought their way back into the game, and Karim Benzema grabbed the equaliser with an acrobatic volley.

Madrid had a goal ruled out & missed further chances, leaving many believing the game would end in a draw. Ronaldo, though, had other ideas.

The Portuguese scored a fine goal, bringing a cross down with his chest before feeding the ball through the goalkeeper's legs to win it. His strike took him to 16 Clasico goals, then-second on the all-time list.

Getty8Galacticos take over

Was this the height of the Galactico era at Real Madrid?

Some of the names on this teamsheet make for frightening reading, as Madrid boasted a front five of David Beckham, Zidane, Raul, Ronaldo and Michael Owen. That Roberto Carlos guy at left-back wasn't bad, either.

Barcelona were, in fairness, quite the side, too, complete with Ronaldinho, Xavi and Iniesta.

But they were blown away at Santiago Bernabeu. Zidane scored the opener within seven minutes before Ronaldo doubled Real's advantage after 20.

And although Samuel Eto'o pulled one back with a lovely run and poked finish, the visitors never really found a foothold.

Madrid led 3-1 at half time, and ran out 4-2 winners to complete one of the great Clasico batterings.

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7Ronaldinho brings the Bernabeu to its feet

Is this the best individual Clasico showing of the 21st century? Messi certainly has a claim for a number of superb performances, but Ronaldinho's irresistible individual brilliance in 2005 might just have been the most captivating.

The Brazilian bullied a 20-year-old Ramos to the tune of two goals – including one legendary run and finish – and earned a standing ovation from the Santiago Bernabeu crowd for his troubles.

Appropriately, Ronaldinho's magical night came in the same week in which he was handed the European Footballer of the Year award, yet he wasn't the only superstar to shine for Barca that night.

A young Messi delivered a standout showing of his own, running rings around Roberto Carlos in a preview of Clasicos to come.

This one wasn't much of a contest, but it was certainly one of the best Clasico performances of recent times.

Andre Fletcher’s Man-of-the-Match performance against Sri Lanka won the praise of the man he replaced as opener, Chris Gayle

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Mar-20162:46

Jayawardene: Controlled West Indies deserved win

Be aggressive in the Powerplay and then bat deep. That is Chris Gayle’s advice to Andre Fletcher, the Man of the match in West Indies’ second win of the World T20 against Sri Lanka on Sunday, and the rest of his team if West Indies are to progress deep into the World T20.Gayle, who did not bat against Sri Lanka because of a minor twinge in his left hamstring while fielding, is understood to be fit and available for selection against South Africa in Nagpur on Friday.”In the second game against Sri Lanka I started, but didn’t get a chance to bat. But Fletcher came in, played his part and grabbed his opportunity with both hands,” Gayle told WICB media in Nagpur. “He played a fantastic knock and carried right through till the end. And that’s the sort of thing batters require – once you are set in these kinds of conditions, it is very important to bat as deep as possible and it just makes it easier for the team to chase or set a target, so it is very important to see Fletcher come on board and be Man of the Match.”Gayle said the key for Fletcher was not to be “overconfident” when he goes in to bat next. Fletcher is likely to open with Gayle against South Africa, considering Johnson Charles made a duck against England and 10 against Sri Lanka. “Just continue to play smartly, pick and choose his bowlers to target at a particular time. Also whatever it is that works for him, like continue being aggressive in the first six. It’s very, very important to try and capitalise on that new ball as a batter. So just keep that aggression going and once you get past that first six, try and take it as deep as possible, look to pick up the odd boundary in the middle overs as well. Just build on whatever start you get.”I’ve opened the batting with him on many occasions so I know what sort of a player he is, he is very dangerous and he’s capable of getting big scores as well. So hopefully he can build on this and carry on, not leave it for anybody and get more Man-of-the-Match awards.”Though Fletcher played an aggressive innings, the crowd in Bangalore was desperate for Gayle to bat. He had sat out for about half of the Sri Lankan innings as a precautionary measure, and despite the crowd’s urging and his own insistence, he had to wait for a certain amount of time to pass before he could bat. By then the match was over. Gayle finally emerged after the win and thanked the crowd, a gesture that was well received by the fans.Gayle had already lit up the tournament and made West Indies a force when he hammered a 48-ball century against England in Mumbai last week. The innings had a characteristic that is usually missed when talking about Gayle: patience. In the Powerplay, Gayle had faced barely six deliveries as Marlon Samuels took charge.Gayle said he was not thinking of the century until he was a handful of runs away. The focus until then was just on riding with the momentum built by Samuels. “I wasn’t really thinking about the hundred because if you look at the way we started, after facing the first over, in the second Marlon came in and he actually batted the entire Powerplay. I was saying to myself, regardless of what happens, I need to be here, and the good thing about it is that Marlon was getting the ball away and keeping the run rate intact so it was very important to be there then. We knew they had two spinners, especially a leg spinner, so being a left-hander it was good to be there in the middle overs, it was crucial.”Talking about the century, Gayle said the turning point was him hitting England offspinner Moeen Ali for three consecutive sixes, when West Indies needed 59 runs from the final seven overs. Andre Russell had just come in after Denesh Ramdin and Dwayne Bravo had fallen. “I got some momentum when I took down Moeen Ali – when I got three consecutive sixes. And then the momentum was actually built from there and when the rest of the bowlers come to bowl in the back end, we’re always going to be on the go at that particular time. That’s when the opportunity presented itself. I had done the hard work already, so I said, ‘I’ve done the hard work, let’s get the hundred’. At that point, we were way ahead, and I wasn’t going to risk it, and batting there with Andre Russell we just wanted to finish off things. When I got to 96 or something like that, that was the time I said I’ll get the hundred.”Gayle said the century brought back memories of his ton in the first edition of the WT20, where he scored a century, too. Having won their first two games, West Indies are now favourites to make the semi-finals from Group 1. “We have a lot of back-up. I shouldn’t be using this word back-up, we have a lot of guys who are match winners themselves who actually can do the same thing and destroy different bowling attacks around the world.”