Cristiano Ronaldo scored a sensational overhead kick on Sunday night in the Saudi Pro League as table-toppers Al-Nassr maintained their perfect start to the 2025-26 season with a ninth win from nine games. The 40-year-old rolled back the years with an eye-catching acrobatic effort in stoppage time and promptly set a challenge for fans on social media after the victory for his side at Al-Awwal Park.
Ronaldo scores stunner for Al-Nassr
The Portuguese superstar may well be very much in the twilight of his sensational career but showed once again on Sunday that he's still more than capable of producing magical moments that will live long in the memory. Goals from Joao Felix, Wesley and Sadio Mane had put Al-Nassr 3-1 up and cruising against Al-Khaleej, until Ronaldo stole all the headlines with a wonderful effort deep into stoppage time to seal another victory in fine style. The 40-year-old posted footage of his goal on social media after the match and set fans a challenge. "Best caption wins!" he wrote on X, inviting supporters to have their say on his latest spectacular effort.
Advertisement
Watch the clip
'Who's topping this?' – Fans react to CR7 stunner
Fans were quick to react to Ronaldo's challenge by replying to his post.
Supporter @Cunha__utd posted: "Cristiano Ronaldo doing this at the age of 40. There’s players at the peak of their game right now who could only dream of doing this. He’s the greatest to ever do it."
And @ararsoabdull added: "Gravity? Never heard of her! At 40, you're rewriting physics books, @Cristiano. Caption: "Aging like fine wine… or should I say, fine goals. Who's topping this?"
Elsewhere, @sandybabyonyii wrote: "Cristiano Ronaldo hit the rewind button on Father Time and ripped in a goal that would make every young baller question their life choices. Pure, vintage carnage."
@ProjectKMbappe added: "When gravity said no, but greatness said yes" and @ Being_Cr7fan replied: "Years change, seasons change… but Ronaldo stays inevitable."
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Getty/X
Ronaldo back with a bang after red card
Ronaldo was back in action for Al-Nassr after seeing red over the international break during World Cup qualifying. The 40-year-old was sent off in Portugal's defeat to Ireland for an elbow on Dara O'Shea and was subsequently sent home by manager Roberto Martinez. Portugal went on to book their place at World Cup 2026 with a 9-1 victory over Armenia, achieved without their talismanic captain, with Ronaldo forced to sit out the game due to suspension. The sending off was Ronaldo's first at international level but means he could now miss Portugal's opening games of the finals in North America. Portugal have reportedly assembled an appeal to FIFA in a bid to cut a potential three-match ban down to one.
Martin O’Neill has now confirmed that he will “step aside” when Celtic find their next manager and revealed that there has not been any talks with the club about taking a permanent role.
O’Neill insists he has no idea whether he will remain at the helm for Celtic’s next match against St Mirren amid reports that the Hoops have stepped up their search for a new permanent manager.
The 73-year-old has been in caretaker charge of the Scottish champions for the last four games since Brendan Rodgers resigned two and a half weeks ago.
It has been reported this week that the Celtic board have been interviewing candidates, with Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy emerging as the new bookmakers’ favourite.
Other names mentioned includes Kieran McKenna at Ipswich Town and Kjetil Knutsen. Whether the Hoops can lure either of those names away from their current positions at Portmand Road and Bodo/Glimt is the question that everyone’s asking.
Reports have claimed that Knutsen wants to at least complete his side’s Champions League campaign, which could end in January in the earliest scenario. Meanwhile, there have been no signs that McKenna will be leaving Ipswich anytime soon.
As Celtic’s search goes on, O’Neill has continued to roll back the years. In his four matches, the 73-year-old – assisted by Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham – has overseen two Scottish Premiership victories, a Europa League defeat by Midtjylland and an extra-time win over 10-man Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final.
Celtic now tracking Maeda replacement who Jamie Carragher called "special"
The Bhoys are in search of attacking quality.
ByTom Cunningham Nov 14, 2025
The final against St Mirren takes place on December 14 and there are some who would like to see the veteran remain in charge for the Hampden showdown in order to add to his trophy haul from his glittering first spell in charge in the early Noughties.
O'Neill insists no talks with Celtic board
To no surprise, O’Neill has been questioned a number of times about the Celtic job, but his answer remains the same. He will “step aside” as soon as the club no longer need him and, despite rumours, there have been no talks about the permanent job.
The 4-2-3-1 tactician has done a solid job so far and may yet get the chance to continue that job after the international break, but admitted that he’s not bothered whether he’s in charge for the Scottish Cup final in December, saying: “I am a romantic and have been a romantic all my life. I know the history of football and all of those particular things but that doesn’t bother me one jot.”
Celtic hold talks to sign "talented" manager who's like a young O'Neill
Arsenal “could make a move” for a “world-class” forward, who Mikel Arteta is known to be a big fan of.
Gunners eyeing new forward after "painful" Aston Villa defeat
Arteta’s side suffered one of their first real setbacks of the season on Saturday, with Aston Villa emerging as 2-1 winners after Emiliano Buendia’s late winner, and the manager was left frustrated by the manner of the defeat.
The Spaniard said: “Last kick of the game we have the chance with the cross from Declan for Noni and Viktor. We don’t score. Goal kick long, second ball, clear the ball, individual action. The ball comes inside the box and you end up losing it. It is painful.”
On the brighter side, the Gunners remain two points clear of nearest rivals Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, and a number of Arteta’s summer signings have hit the ground running at the Emirates Stadium.
Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke have received praise for their performances, with Eberechi Eze also catching the eye, most notably scoring a hat-trick in the emphatic 4-1 victory against Tottenham Hotspur last month.
Despite signing Eze and Madueke, however, Arsenal remain interested in signing another new forward, and journalist Pete O’Rourke has revealed they “could make a move” for AFC Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo.
Speaking to Football Insider, O’Rourke confirmed that a number of top Premier League clubs are in the race for Semenyo’s signature, namely Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
The Ghanaian’s £65m release clause will become active in the January transfer window, but the interested clubs may also choose to wait until the summer, at which point he will be available for just £50m.
Arsenal make strong move to sign "special" £111k-p/w Paris Saint-Germain star
The Gunners are looking to sign a new forward, who has been in impressive form this season.
ByDominic Lund 5 days ago "World-class" Semenyo may be ready for Emirates move
Lauded as “world-class” by Bournemouth teammate Justin Kluivert, the 25-year-old got off to a very impressive start to the campaign, and ranks third in terms of total goal contributions in the Premier League.
Player
Club
Goal contributions
Erling Haaland
Manchester City
18
Igor Thiago
Brentford
11
Antoine Semenyo
AFC Bournemouth
9
Arteta is known to be a big fan of the London-born forward, who is also impressive in the air, averaging 2.14 aerials won per 90 over the past year, which places him in the 97th percentile, compared to other attacking midfielders and wingers.
The former Newport County man has been impressing in the Premier League for quite some time, scoring a remarkable solo goal against Burnley during the 2023-24 campaign.
Clearly, Semenyo could now be ready to make the step-up to a top club, but having signed the likes of Madueke, Eze and Viktor Gyokeres in the summer, there are question marks over whether Arsenal need to bring in another new attacker next month.
Manchester United have an exciting production line of stars for the future, and now appear to be interested in adding to that by capturing a gem that shone at the Under-17 World Cup.
The Red Devils will have enjoyed taking some time over the international break to digest what has been a credible start to the Premier League campaign, even if Ruben Amorim came under pressure during the early stages at Old Trafford.
Sitting tenth with a game in hand, Manchester United could move as high as fourth position with three points against Everton on Monday night, albeit they could be without Matheus Cunha due to a surprise injury concern.
Ben Jacobs confirmed on X that the Brazilian had suffered a head knock during training, forcing him to miss Altrincham’s Christmas light switch-on as a result, sparking attention on social media.
Nevertheless, the nature of his injury looks only to be minor, so there may still be a chance that he features against the Toffees if deemed fit to do so by the Red Devils’ medical staff.
As ever, Manchester United will hope to avoid a mounting list of absentees over the festive period. However, that is bound to affect everyone, especially with a heavy fixture schedule.
The January window could prove pivotal at Old Trafford, and the Red Devils are now favourites to sign Ajax prodigy Jorthy Mokio amid concerns over Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo.
Now, they also have eyes on a gem who performed at his best during the Under-17 World Cup, which has garnered attention from clubs around Europe.
Man Utd make approach to sign Mohamed Zongo
According to Africa Foot, Manchester United have made an approach to sign Tenakourou Academy star Mohamed Zongo, who they are now keen to hold discussions over signing on a permanent basis.
At only 15 years of age, the Burkina Faso youth international shone at the Under-17 World Cup with two goals and three assists to his name, leading to him being dubbed a “revelation” in some quarters.
Earning man of the match awards several times during the competition, his highlight came in a 1-0 victory over Germany where he was the only scorer in a famous victory for his country.
An attacking midfielder by trade and capable of featuring across the forward areas, Zongo is also on the radar of Manchester City, Villarreal and Anderlecht, illustrating how high his ceiling could potentially be with the correct development path.
Ultimately, he still has a tonne of growth left before coming into contention at first-team level overseas. However, Manchester United may be the best environment to earn his stripes.
Mainoo 2.0: Man Utd can axe Ugarte for one of England's "best young players"
Three-wicket win keeps them in contention at top ahead of clash with champions Surrey
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay11-Sep-2025
Ben Slater played a key role in Notts’ successful chase•Mark Dunn
Nottinghamshire fended off a strong fightback by Worcestershire to complete a three-wicket win which keeps them at the heart of the race for the Rothesay County Championship title.Chasing a target of 136 at Visit Worcestershire New Road, Haseeb Hameed’s side dipped to 83 for 6 before the lower-middle order stood tall to take them to 136 for 7. After Ben Slater held the chase together early on with a resolute 36 off 94 balls, Liam Patterson-White (23) and Lyndon James (17 not out) held their nerve with crucial contributions when it mattered most.Ben Allison took 3 for 50 as the home side gave it everything but the defeat leaves Worcestershire almost certain to finish bottom of Division One. Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire’s win sets up a huge clash with reigning champions and Division One leaders Surrey at The Oval next week.Nottinghamshire resumed on the final morning on 40 for 1 and, to their delight, the rain that has haunted this match was replaced by gorgeous sunshine. Visit Worcestershire New Road looked as magnificent as ever as Slater and Freddie McCann walked to the crease.McCann was soon making the return journey after lifting a pull to deep square leg. When Khurram Shahzad, in a superb spell from the New Road End (8-5-8-1), trapped Joe Clarke lbw, a few Nottinghamshire nerves were jangling at 53 for 3.They were jangling even more after Allison took two wickets in ten balls. Jack Haynes drove to cover and Kyle Verreynne was late on a ball which arrowed in to knock out middle stump.Slater had resisted with skill and patience for 148 minutes but was lured into driving at a wide one from Tom Taylor and nicked it to supply the bowler’s 49th Championship wicket of the season. As runs dried up – three from the last seven overs before lunch – Nottinghamshire dined at 91 for 6.Lunch arrived at a good time for them. It drained the bowlers of momentum and four quickfire fours from Patterson-White straight after the interval put Nottinghamshire back on the front foot. Patterson-White edged Allison to wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick with 22 needed from the last three wickets but James, completing his excellent all-round match, and Josh Tongue saw their side to a potentially priceless victory.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot’s future at Anfield has come into question after his team dropped points in their 3-3 draw with Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday.
The Dutchman, who won the title in his first season, has lost ten of his 23 matches in all competitions, including six in the top-flight, this term.
On top of that, Mohamed Salah has claimed that his relationship with the manager has broken down after being on the bench for the third straight game against Leeds.
The Salah situation and the poor results this season have put pressure on the former Feyenoord tactician, with the club reportedly looking at potential replacements.
Liverpool have admiration for national team manager
Dave OCKOP reports that Steven Gerrard has been sounded out as a potential interim to come in and steady the ship if FSG decide to part ways with Slot in the coming days or weeks.
Manager Focus
Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.
The report claims that Liverpool are also admirers of Germany national team head coach Julian Nagelsmann, previously of Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim.
It adds that the 38-year-old manager is expected to lead his country to the World Cup in America, Canada, and Mexico next summer, though, which means that he will not be available immediately.
Bayern's Julian Nagelsmann
Dave OCKOP suggests that the German tactician may be available after the World Cup, though, which is where Gerrard stepping in as an interim option could make sense.
If Liverpool were to eventually bring Nagelsmann in as their long-term replacement for Slot, he would be the perfect appointment to get the best out of Florian Wirtz.
Why Nagelsmann would be perfect for Wirtz
To say that Wirtz has not lived up to expectations in a Liverpool shirt so far would probably be an understatement, as he has yet to deliver a single goal or assist in the Premier League, per Sofascore.
The Reds splashed out £116m to sign the attacking midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer transfer window, and he has racked up no goals and three assists in 19 appearances in all competitions.
Slot has simply been unable to get the best out of the huge-money signing, who produced 16 goals and 14 assists for Leverkusen last term (Sofascore), but Nagelsmann could come in to get him flying at Anfield.
Wirtz’s form for Germany at international level is proof that he could shine for the Reds if Nagelsmann replaces Slot in the dugout, because he has proven that he can perform in that system.
Caps
27
3rd
Goals
8
1st
Assists
6
2nd
Goals + assists
14
1st
As you can see in the table above, the Liverpool attacking midfielder has been the most impactful attacker of the manager’s reign with the national team, providing more goals and assists combined than any other player.
For further context, Wirtz scored no goals and provided three assists in his first ten caps for Germany before Nagelsmann took the job, which shows that the ex-Bayern boss can get the best out of him.
The 38-year-old boss was once described as the “best young coach in Europe” by reporter Josh Bunting in 2022, and it is still hard to argue with that assessment in the present day.
Mikel Arteta, 43, and Xabi Alonso, 44, are two of the brightest young coaches in the game, managing Arsenal and Real Madrid, yet they have won as many league titles combined (one) as Nagelsmann has, having won the Bundesliga with Bayern, and he is five and six years younger than them.
The German boss won 2.31 points per game during his time with Bayern, per Transfermarkt, whilst Slot has won 2.00 points per game across 79 matches with Liverpool to date.
This suggests that Nagelsmann could come in as an upgrade on the Dutchman as an all-round manager, whilst also being the perfect appointment to get the best out of Wirtz at Anfield.
As bad as Konate: Slot must axe 6/10 Liverpool star who made 0 tackles
Liverpool blew a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 against Leeds United at Elland Road.
ByAngus Sinclair 5 days ago
Therefore, it could be a good move for FSG to bring Gerrard in as an interim appointment with a view to landing Nagelsmann next summer, if they decide that parting ways with Slot is the route that they want to go down in the coming weeks.
It is understood that the auction will be held at the end of November, ahead of the 2026 season
Nagraj Gollapudi08-Oct-2025The five franchises in the WPL are set for a revamp, with the BCCI deciding to hold a mega auction ahead of the 2026 season. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the franchises have been told informally about the mega auction, which is likely to be held by end of November.The franchises are awaiting confirmation from the WPL on the number of retentions, the auction purse, the retention slabs and how many right-to-match (RTM) card options would be available. Those decisions will be finalised by the WPL committee, but there is no confirmation on when they are likely to meet. The dates for the 2026 edition are yet to be announced, although the BCCI had indicated earlier that the tournament would be held in the January-February window.The five-team WPL, the most lucrative event in women’s cricket, was launched in 2023 with Mumbai Indians emerging as the inaugural champions. Mumbai are the defending champions, while Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) won the title in 2024.It is understood that both Mumbai and RCB, along with Delhi Capitals, losing finalists in all three seasons of the WPL so far, are three teams who were not in favour of the mega auctions. All three franchises, it is learned, reasoned that they have worked hard to build their squads over the past three seasons and asking them to dismantle just when the WPL brand is getting established, could prove to be counter-productive.It is understood, however, that the two other franchises – Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz – support a mega auction. Both these teams have never made the final and are keen to overhaul their squads and rebuild. One WPL official said that while they understood the reservations of the three franchises against the mega auction, it was important to ensure the tournament had five strong teams, otherwise the imbalance could only harm the brand. The official also pointed out that franchises like RCB have shown in the IPL that they can build their brand identity independent of the players retained, though they agreed the presence of Indian star Virat Kohli was well leveraged by the franchise.Mumbai Indians celebrate with the 2025 WPL trophy•Getty ImagesThis official pointed out that at the same time, the WPL would ensure that teams would still have the opportunity to retain their core. It is understood while some teams were in favour of being allowed to retain at least six or seven players, the WPL could lean closer to five. What also needs to be worked out as part of the retention formula is how many RTMs each team could exercise at the auction along with the combination of capped and uncapped players.For the IPL mega auction in 2025, each of the 10 franchises were allowed a maximum of six retentions via a combination of retention and RTM. The six would comprise a maximum five capped players (Indian/overseas) and maximum of two uncapped Indian players. The RTM option gives a franchise the chance to buy back a player during the auction by matching the highest bid made for the player by another franchise once the bidding is over. The RTM rule has never been used in WPL auctions.The WPL has been viewed as a gamechanger in women’s cricket, especially because of the monetary benefits for players. In 2023, Viacom 18 bought the WPL broadcast rights for INR 951 crore (USD 116.7 million approx.) for the period 2023 to 2027. The per-match value was worth INR 7.09 core (USD 866,000 approx.). India’s star batter Smrit Mandhana, the first player to be bought at the inaugural WPL auction (2023), remains the most expensive buy at INR 3.2 cr ($415,000 approx.).
تحدث خوسيه لويس مينديليبار، المدير الفني لفريق أولمبياكوس اليوناني عن المباراة المرتقبة أمام ريال مدريد، ولم يقلل من قدرات خصمه مؤكدًا في الوقت ذاته على إمكانية الفوز، وأبدى رأيه بشأن وضع تشابي ألونسو مدرب الفريق الملكي مع لاعبيه.
ويستقبل أولمبياكوس خصمه ريال مدريد غدًا الأربعاء، في إطار مباريات الجولة الخامسة لمرحلة الدوري ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، وتحدث مينديليبار في مؤتمر صحفي، نشرته صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية.
وعن فرصة أولمبياكوس في الفوز، في ظل إصابات ريال مدريد، وما سيقوله للاعبيه لإقناعهم، رد: “ما تقولونه جميعًا شيء، وما نعتقده في داخلنا شيء آخر، وهما مختلفان تمامًا، إنها مباراة صعبة، ولا يهم أي فريق سيلعب من ريال مدريد، لأنهم جميعًا جيدون جدًا، ولن يمنحونا أي أفضلية؛ علينا الفوز بها بأنفسنا”.
وأضاف: “لا أعتقد أننا سنفاجئهم، كما لا أعتقد أنهم سيفاجئوننا، من هنا، علينا أن نكون أفضل، وإذا كان السبيل إلى ذلك هو أن نكون أول من يهاجم، فهذا أفضل، لكن ليس الفريق الذي يصل إلى هناك أكثر من مرة هو الفائز دائمًا، بل من يستغل فرصه على أكمل وجه”.
وواصل: “في كرة القدم، الأمر ليس مسألة حياة أو موت، إنه أمر مهم، وإذا خسرنا، فسيكون من الصعب جدًا التواجد ضمن أفضل 24 فريقًا، لكن دعونا نركز على المباراة، نتحدث عما نفعله في كل مباراة، ونؤكد أنه ضد هؤلاء الخصوم لا يمكنك ارتكاب أي أخطاء، لأنهم سيستغلونها، إذا تغلبوا علينا، فيجب أن يكون ذلك لأنهم أفضل، وليس لأننا نرتكب أخطاءً يستغلونها”.
وتجنب التعليق على فينيسيوس وغضبه لحظة استبداله في الكلاسيكو، وأفاد: “لا، لا (مبتسمًا) لقد مر وقت طويل منذ أن غضب من استبداله، لا أتذكر حتى!، لكن هذا ما يحدث في ريال مدريد وأي نادٍ كبير، بمجرد تحقيق نتيجتين سيئتين، تبدأ المشاكل بالظهور… حتى لو لم تكن موجودة! لكنها تبدأ بالظهور”.
وأوضح: “بهذا المعنى، اللاعبون وتشابي يدركون حقيقة الأمر، إنهم يُعانون، لكنهم في صدارة الدوري؛ لذا لا يُمكن أن يكون أداؤهم سيئًا لهذه الدرجة، تشابي يتمتع بعلاقات جيدة داخل النادي؛ ولن يُمانع في البقاء وبذل قصارى جهده، إنه مدرب رائع وقد أثبت جدارته، ليس لديّ ما أضيفه”.
وسُئل مينديليبار في المؤتمر الصحفي عن كيفية إيقاف مبابي، فأجاب ساخرًا: “إنه متوقف بالفعل، أليس كذلك؟ إذا لم يسجل في آخر ثلاث مباريات، فهو متوقف، أليس كذلك؟ إذًا فليستمر على هذا الحال”.
ودافع عن تشابي ألونسو في ظل الأجواء النقدية المحيطة بريال مدريد قائلاً: “هل يُشكك فيه أم تُشكك فيه؟” (يجيب الصحفي: “كلاهما”)ـ حسنًا، لقد قلت كل شيء، لا أملك أي نصيحة لأقدّمها له، فهو يعرف ما يفعل؛ إنه في وضع جيد داخل النادي ولن يواجه أي مشكلة في البقاء”.
اقرأ أيضًا | كاريراس يوضح تفاصيل العلاقة بين لاعبي ريال مدريد وألونسو.. ويؤكد: لا يستمتع أي فريق بمواجهتنا
وبشأن نتائجه السابقة ضد ريال مدريد وفوزه عليهم كمدرب، رد: “لقد خسرنا أكثر بكثير مما فزنا، لقد فزت مرتين، ولا أعرف كم مرة خسرت، 12، 16، إذا لعب ريال مدريد بشكل جيد، يكاد يكون من المستحيل التغلب عليهم، لديهم لاعبون رائعون، من بين الأفضل في العالم، عليك أن تحاول منعهم من اللعب بشكل جيد، وعليك أن تتجنب ارتكاب أي أخطاء”.
وأشار: “فرقٌ مثل ريال مدريد أو نحن هنا، إذا لم نفز بمباراتين نواجه نفس الضغط، وعلينا أن نفوز كل يوم، نعلم ذلك، ولكن علينا التحلي بالهدوء اللازم للتعامل مع كل هذا، وريال مدريد كذلك، نحن في بداية الموسم، الشهر الثالث أو الرابع، والجزء الأصعب لم يأتِ بعد، لن يتوتروا، وعلينا أن نضغط عليهم حتى لا يتمكنوا من تقديم أداءٍ أفضل، نظريًا، لدينا فرصة أفضل للفوز عليهم، من الصعب جدًا مجاراتهم، لكننا نريد الاقتراب منهم أكثر فأكثر، وهذا يتحقق باللعب ضدهم، وبالتطور”.
وواصل الحديث عن ريال مدريد مؤكدًا: “فريق جيد جدًا، يضم لاعبين رائعين قادرين على إحداث أي ضرر، قد تتغير التشكيلة قليلًا، حيث أصبح بعض اللاعبين الأساسيين بدلاء أو يُستبدلون، لكن هذه أمورٌ على كل مدرب التعامل معها مع كثرة المباريات”.
وأتم: “هناك لاعبون لا يرون الأمر بهذه الطريقة، ليس فقط في ريال مدريد، بل في كل مكان، إنهم يرغبون دائمًا في اللعب، حتى لو كانوا منهكين، ولن يُخبروك بذلك، إنه أمرٌ يحتاج إلى إدارة، لكن من حيث أسلوب اللعب… لم يتغير كثيرًا، ربما لم يتسنَّ لتشايي الوقت الكافي بعدُ لإيجاد فريقه”.
Ireland lost five wickets in their second dig after Bangladesh took a massive first-innings lead
Mohammad Isam13-Nov-2025
Najmul Hossain Shanto completed his century in 112 balls•Bangladesh Cricket Board
Bangladesh are on course to take a 1-0 lead against Ireland after dominating the third day of the Sylhet Test. The visitors ended the day on 86 for 5, trailing by 215 runs after a century from Najmul Hossain Shanto, along with Litton Das’ 66-ball 60 helped Bangladesh amass on 587 for 8.Once they declared, Nahid Rana struck the first blow in the fourth over when he cleaned up Cade Carmichael for 5. It was a thundering inswinger that Carmichael couldn’t keep out, as Rana revved up the pace in his first spell.Ireland found a bit of consolidation for the next hour, with Harry Tector and Paul Stirling finding a bit of rhythm. Stirling struck seven fours as he raced towards a second fifty in the match. However, a bit of tardy thinking cost him dearly. After Litton missed a stumping off Taijul Islam, Stirling’s attempt for a single was ill-timed. He couldn’t turn back in time, as he was caught short of the crease, falling for 43 off 59 balls.Tector followed him back swiftly, lbw to Taijul for 18, before Shadman Islam took a brilliant catch at cover to get rid of Curtis Campher towards the end of the day. Murad took that wicket, before also trapping Lorcan Tucker lbw for 9.Earlier, Mahmudul Hasan Joy scored a career-best 171, which is the second-highest score by a Bangladeshi opener. Shanto’s century was his eighth in Tests, and fourth as captain.Mahmudul could add just two runs to his overnight score before Barry McCarthy had him edge behind with a late outswinger. Mominul Haque fell in McCarthy’s next over, undone by a lifter for 82. Shanto and Mushfiqur Rahim put on a recovering act with a 79-run fourth-wicket stand.The acceleration came during the Shanto-Litton partnership, when they added 98 runs for the fifth wicket, at 5.49 per over. Litton smacked eight fours and a six, before Tector took a splendid catch running back from mid-on to dismiss him.Shanto, who struck 14 fours, fell to Andy McBrine on the second ball after reaching his century. He was very much leg-side dominant with his boundaries, along with a few straight drives for fours.The 23-year-old left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys was Ireland’s best bowler, taking his second five-wicket haul in his fourth Test. He finished with 5 for 170 while McCarthy picked up two wickets, both on the third morning.
Celtic captain Callum McGregor carried the team on his back against St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, securing the win with a stunning strike from distance.
The former Scotland international delivered a staggering finish from outside of the box in the 95th minute for the Hoops, when the game felt destined to end with a 0-0 draw.
Interim head coach Martin O’Neill needed his captain to step up with that goal because it was an underwhelming performance that will leave several players concerned about their place in the starting line-up.
For example, the Northern Irish manager should ruthlessly drop left-winger Sebastian Tounekti from the team ahead of the clash with Feyenoord on Thursday night in the Europa League.
Why Celtic should drop Sebastian Tounekti
The Tunisia international was a breath of fresh air after his move from Hammarby at the end of the summer transfer window, as he got fans off their seats with his exciting play on his debut against Kilmarnock.
Unfortunately, though, the 23-year-old forward has failed to add end product to his exciting play, with a return of two goals and no assists in 14 appearances in all competitions for the club, per Transfermarkt.
On top of his struggles in the final third throughout the season so far, Tounekti’s all-round performances in the last two Premiership games have left too much to be desired.
Minutes
78
67
Shots
2
1
Goals
0
0
Key passes
0
1
Big chances created
0
0
Dribbles completed
2/10
2/6
Duels won
3/13
3/11
As you can see in the table above, the Hoops winger failed to deliver much in the way of quality against Kilmarnock or St Mirren, whilst struggling badly with the physical side of the game.
With this in mind, O’Neill could ruthlessly ditch Tounekti from the starting line-up on Thursday by unleashing Paulo Bernardo in a brand-new role on the left flank.
Why Paulo Bernardo should be played on the left wing
The Portuguese central midfielder has only played six matches in all competitions this season, per Transfermarkt, but unleashing him as a left winger could be a genius move by the interim manager.
Per Transfermarkt, Bernardo has never played as a left midfielder or left winger in his senior career, for Benfica or Celtic, but it is a position that could suit him against Feyenoord.
Against St Mirren, Tounekti and Kieran Tierney often seemed to want to do the same thing, which was to get to the byline to cross the ball, and they got in each other’s way at times.
Playing Bernardo on the left against Feyenoord would provide Tierney, who has delivered four assists in all competitions this season, the freedom of the left flank to deliver crosses, as the ex-Benfica man would drift inside into more central areas in possession, similarly to how Luke McCowan plays when he is deployed on the right wing.
On top of this move potentially unlocking Tierney as an attacking force, it could also provide Bernardo with more opportunities to showcase his talent at the top end of the pitch.
The central midfielder, who was hailed as “tenacious” by Brendan Rodgers, has produced seven goals and seven assists in 83 appearances for the Hoops to date, per Transfermarkt, whilst he has also scored 11 goals in 32 caps for Portugal’s U21s.
This suggests that he does have the potential to provide a threat in the final third if given a chance to play further up the pitch, which is another reason why this brand-new role could be a good move for him.
Therefore, O’Neill should finally ditch Tounekti from the starting XI to try out a pairing of Tierney and Bernardo down the left against Feyenoord on Thursday.
The new Luis Palma: O'Neill must ruthlessly drop "sloppy" Celtic flop
This Celtic flop who was saved by Callum McGregor’s screamer is looking like the new Luis Palma.