Category Uncategorized

One Philadelphia Phillie definitely showed up to his team's playoff opener against the New York Mets Saturday afternoon: pitcher Zack Wheeler.

Wheeler was superb for seven innings, allowing one hit and zero earned runs while striking out nine and walking four. When he left Game 1 of the NLDS, however, the Phillies' lead was just 1–0.

Fortunes reversed spectacularly in the eighth inning, when the Mets put up five runs on their way to a 6–2 victory. After the game, Philadelphia's lack of production left first baseman Bryce Harper fuming.

"What can you say, man? (Wheeler) threw the crap out of it again," Harper said. "Every time he goes out there, he gives us a very good chance to win."

Wheeler made his second All-Star team in 2024 on the heels of a sixth-place finish in the National League Cy Young voting in 2023. He went 16-7 with 224 strikeouts and a 2.57 ERA this seaosn.

"I feel like as an offense we wasted that start," Harper continued. "It's the same thing, man. Chasing balls in the dirt… didn't work deep into counts like we should have. We've got to understand what they're trying to do to us and flip the switch as an offense."

The Phillies will attempt to right the ship Sunday with Cristopher Sanchez toeing the rubber, while righty Luis Severino will go for New York.

MatériaMais Notícias

OCorinthiansacertou o empréstimo do zagueiro João Gabriel Maklouf, do Sub-17, para a Roma, da Itália, nesta quarta-feira (27). O empréstimo tem duração de um ano e meio e os clubes estipularam uma opção de compra avaliada em R$ 8 milhões. Mas afinal, quem é João Gabriel Maklouf? O Lance! te conta mais sobre o jogador.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansDuílio esclarece declaração antiga sobre Mano e ataca candidato da oposição à presidência do CorinthiansCorinthians29/09/2023CorinthiansAO VIVO! Confira a entrevista coletiva de apresentação de Mano Menezes, novo técnico do CorinthiansCorinthians29/09/2023CorinthiansMano Menezes aparece no BID, e treinador tem data para estrear no CorinthiansCorinthians29/09/2023

+ Renove o seu estoque de camisas do Timão com o cupom LANCEFUT 10% OFF

Joia da base do Timão, João Gabriel Maklouf é zagueiro e tem apenas 16 anos. Justamente por ser menor de idade, a negociação com o clube italiano teve que passar pelo aval da Fifa, que permitiu o negócio pois o atleta possui cidadania italiana e estará acompanhado dos pais no país europeu.

+ Garanta a sua vaga no curso que formou craques como Pet, Dante e Léo Moura! Cupom: LANCE1000

Com 1,87m de altura, João Gabriel iniciou sua trajetória no futebol defendendo a camisa do Nacional-SP, no Sub-11. Depois, o zagueiro foi para o Osasco Audax em 2019 no Sub-13. Já em 2021, despertou o interesse do Corinthians e acertou a ida ao Timão para integrar o Sub-15 e logo depois o Sub-17.

continua após a publicidade

Nesta temporada, João Gabriel vinha recebendo poucas oportunidades do técnico Guilherme Dalla Déa, que vem optando por escalar William Magiezi e Rafael Venâncio como dupla de zaga titular. No total, o jovem zagueiro disputou 63 jogos pelas categorias de base do Timão, sendo campeão da Copa Votorantim Sub-15 2022, uma das competições mais importantes das categorias inferiores.

+ Duílio esclarece declaração antiga sobre Mano e ataca candidato da oposição à presidência do Corinthians

Além do futebol, ele pratica Kung-Fu e possui diversas medalhas por competições estaduais e brasileiras. Outra curiosidade é que, além do português, o jovem fala outros três idiomas: inglês, espanhol e italiano.

continua após a publicidade

O Corinthians é dono de 100% dos direitos econômicos de João Gabriel e, caso a Roma exerça a opção de compra,seria por 70% do passe do atleta, a depender de metas alcançadas pelo zagueiro durante o empréstimo durante o contrato.

POST DO ANÚNCIO

Tudo sobre

CorinthiansRoma

Everton’s 2025/26 season has begun with a mixture of promise and frustration.

The Toffees opened the Premier League campaign with a narrow 1-0 defeat at Leeds, a match played in a raucous Elland Road atmosphere.

They bounced back impressively at home, securing a 2-0 victory against Brighton to restore confidence among fans.

A thrilling 3-2 win at Molineux demonstrated their attacking potential, while a 0-0 draw at home to Aston Villa highlighted some inconsistency.

Most recently, Everton fell 2-1 to Liverpool in the Merseyside derby, underscoring the challenges of competing at the top level. David Moyes’ side currently sit 10th in the league and face struggling West Ham at Goodison Park in their next fixture on Monday.

The Toffees’ attacking setup, led by Jack Grealish, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and Iliman Ndiaye, has shown flashes of creativity and menace, but the lack of a top striker has limited their output.

Everton’s recent 2-0 exit from the Carabao Cup to Wolves adds to the sense of disappointment.

Moyes may now be looking for solutions within his squad to spark a more effective attacking threat.

Beto's struggles since joining Everton

Beto, the towering 27-year-old striker, has become a focal point for debate among Everton fans.

The Portuguese forward joined the club from Udinese in 2023 for £25m, bringing with him a strong Serie A record and international experience.

Standing at 1.94m, Beto has made 60 Premier League appearances for Everton, scoring 11 goals, per Transfermarkt.

Last season, he found the net eight times in 20 appearances, showing glimpses of his potential. Despite these credentials, Beto has struggled to establish himself as the man to lead Everton’s frontline.

He has scored just once in the current campaign and has struggled to impose himself in key moments.

Statistically, his contributions show limitations compared to some of his peers. Last season, Beto averaged 0.88 progressive carries per 90, 0.94 progressive passes per 90, and 1.35 shots on target per 90, per FBref.

His progressive passing distance of 16.6 per 90 and shot-creating actions at 1.52 per 90 indicate a forward with a more limited impact on a team shifting towards a more possession-based approach.

These metrics reflect a player capable of contributing in certain areas but not providing the dynamic presence Everton require in modern attacking football.

With Moyes increasingly looking to implement a more possession-oriented, technically fluid approach, Beto may not be the ideal fit for leading the line.

Why Everton should unleash Thierno Barry

Enter Thierno Barry.

The French U21 international signed from Villareal this summer for £27.6m, and offers a contrasting profile to Beto.

The 6ft 5in striker scored 11 goals from an xG of 12.41 last season and registered four assists, per Sofascore, showcasing his ability to dominate the penalty area while contributing to team play.

Described as a “serious No.9 prospect” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Barry’s style has drawn comparisons to Dušan Vlahović and Ollie Watkins, blending physical presence with technical awareness.

Barry excels in aerial duels, ranking in the 87th percentile with 3.84 aerials won per 90, winning nearly two-thirds of the aerial contests in the penalty area, per FBref.

His ability to carry the ball forward is also notable, ranking in the 74th percentile for progressive carries per 90 (1.70), while completing 62% of his take-ons.

He can stretch defensive lines and create space for teammates, a trait Moyes will likely value in Everton’s evolving system.

Despite needing time to adapt to the Premier League, Barry has already made five appearances this season, logging 142 minutes.

Compared to Beto, Barry’s 2024/25 stats indicate a player with greater overall influence: 20 goal involvements versus Beto’s 8, 1.71 progressive carries per 90 versus 0.88, 1.05 progressive passes per 90 versus 0.94, and higher involvement in shot-creating actions (1.78 per 90 compared to 1.52).

His progressive passing distance per 90 (21.2) also surpasses Beto’s 16.6, aligning with Moyes’ desire for a striker comfortable in possession-based play. Barry offers Everton the chance to implement a forward capable of linking play, finishing opportunities, and contributing to a more dynamic attacking structure.

As Moyes looks ahead to upcoming league fixtures, including the home clash with West Ham, deploying Barry over Beto, who should be ruthlessly dropped, could be the catalyst Everton need to maximise their offensive potential.

The Frenchman’s combination of physicality, technical skill, and aerial dominance marks him as the player to build around in attack, particularly in a team seeking to flourish in the Premier League.

If it wasn’t for a last-minute equaliser from AFC Bournemouth on Saturday, Leeds United would have been celebrating two successive Premier League wins under Daniel Farke.

A 2-2 draw against Andoni Iraola’s stern Cherries isn’t a terrible result, all things considered, as the promoted sides up from the Championship continue to show that they belong at such an intimidating level.

The close showdown with the visitors from the South Coast also showed off Leeds’ excellent summer recruitment, as both Anton Stach and Noah Okafor stood out once more, among other fresh purchases.

Leeds' standout performers vs Bournemouth

Stach wasn’t as overwhelmingly brilliant as he was against Wolverhampton Wanderers, however, with no more audacious free-kicks being hammered home.

Still, come the final whistle, the German had still won three ground duels from his 40 touches of the ball, with his goalscoring flair substituted out for some grit for the challenge of Bournemouth.

Leeds fans would have been relieved to see another hero from that 3-1 away day success at Molineux start against Bournemouth in the form of Okafor, with the Switzerland international looking rather sheepish by the close of that whirlwind contest.

He did last just an hour against the Cherries, but his directness on the ball in forward areas certainly caught the eye of the Elland Road masses, with three successful dribbles and two shots on the Bournemouth goal nearly catching Iraola’s men out.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Expand Collapse

Yet, away from all the shiny new toys filling out Farke’s starting XI, it was the old reliable Joe Rodon who equalised for Leeds with a bullet header, with the £10m to bring him in permanently last summer continuing to look like a steal.

He isn’t the only recent buy being made to look like a bargain deal, however, with one under-the-radar star now boasting a higher transfer valuation than both in-form Stach and Okafor, despite both their impressive starts to life in England.

Leeds' under-the-radar star is now worth more than Stach & Okafor

Signings from far-off Europe are always going to be instant attention grabbers, with Stach costing a high £20m to obtain from Hoffenheim, on top of Okafor joining from AC Milan for an equally pricey £18m.

However, Farke would have been abundantly aware this summer that the spine of his side needed Premier League experience, having tasted the bitter disappointment of relegation from the division previously with Norwich City when that experience just wasn’t there.

Thankfully, Sean Longstaff has already come to the rescue in this department.

Purchased for just £12m, the ex-Newcastle United midfielder has already managed to show off his top-flight class, with his all-round showing against Bournemouth seeing Farke declare the 6-foot-2 ace as “outstanding.”

It was deserved praise too, when glancing over his superb numbers from the score draw, with Longstaff very much good value for both his goal and assist, having amassed a ludicrous seven key passes throughout.

On top of this creative flair, however, the 27-year-old – who is now up to 177 top-flight outings – also won a powerful ten duels in total, with Alan Shearer’s previous comments about Longstaff being an “unbelievable” talent very much now ringing true, even if he has departed his boyhood employers.

Arguably, Newcastle could well have driven a harder bargain when getting rid of their homegrown talent, with Football Transfers now estimating that Longstaff’s value is way above the £12m he was purchased for back in July.

Leeds’ top five highest value players

Player

Value

1. Wilfried Gnonto

£23m

2. Sean Longstaff

£21m

3. Jaka Bijol

£20m

4. Joel Piroe

£16.5m

5. James Justin

£16m

Sourced by Football Transfers

Amazingly, Longstaff is now Leeds’ second-highest valued asset at £21m – according to Football Transfers – with both Stach and Okafor not even making the above list, with their own values coming in at £16m and £15m respectively.

Despite this sharp increase in Longstaff’s value sticking out, Farke will know he needs his full talented squad to keep firing on all cylinders to ensure survival is reached, with the early signs looking hopeful in their quest for Premier League safety.

Related Leeds want to sign new Brazil winger with £50m+ release clause on the cheap

The Whites are looking to sanction an exciting deal…

Posts BySean Markus Clifford Sep 28, 2025

In a game that produced the sixth-highest run-aggregate in IPL history, Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill pointed to three Powerplay overs and three overs leading up to the finish as the ones that got away from his team as they fell 12 short in a chase of 244 against Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad.Fourteen overs in, GT needed seventy-five off 36 balls with eight wickets in hand. With Jos Buttler set and Sherfane Rutherford showing great hitting form, PBKS were under the pump when Vijaykumar Vyshak, brought in as Impact Sub, conceded just 10 runs across the 15th and 17th overs, either side of a tight 16th from Marco Jansen. At the end of that three-over passage, GT were left needing 57 off 18.Related

• Vyshak 'changes the game' on a night Siraj makes the wrong decisions

• The Iyer Equation – Shreyas plays the numbers, and gets the answer right

• Shreyas Iyer's IPL best leads PBKS to winning start

“I think those three overs in the middle, I think we scored around 18 runs. So, I think that, and I think our first three overs, we didn’t score that many runs [GT scored 17],” Gill said. “So I think those six overs where we scored around 30-40 runs cost us the game. Apart from that, many positives for us today, a good start to the tournament, I’d say.”GT would also look back on their last eight overs with the ball, where they conceded 135; Shreyas Iyer and Shashank Singh hit 81 of those in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 81 off just 28 balls. Iyer remained unbeaten on 97, and Shashank on a 16-ball 44. The final over off Mohammed Siraj cost 23.Vijaykumar Vyshak took the game away from Titans with his wide yorkers•IPL

“We got our chances when we were bowling as well and when we were batting as well,” Gill said. “Too many runs we conceded in the back end of the innings. But I think we also let ourselves down in our fielding. A few catches here and there and a few misfields. When you are chasing 240-250, it’s always going to be tough [if you drop catches].”Gill was magnanimous in his praise for Vyshak’s readiness as an Impact Player. Vyshak bowled three overs back-to-back from the 15th over onwards, with a clear plan to keep bowling wide yorkers and take the ball away from the batters’ hitting arc, a tough plan to execute given the dewy conditions. Vyshak’s three overs went for just 28.”It’s not easy, you know, coming in as an impact player and delivering those yorkers,” Gill said. “It’s never easy for someone who’s been on the bench for almost 15 overs. But I think credit to them, the way they bowled yorkers.”

Arshdeep on Vyshak’s plans: ‘If you miss, miss on the wider side’

Arshdeep Singh, who took 2 for 36 in four overs, threw light on the plan Vyshak came in with.”The thought was simple and very clear – make them hit to the off side,” Arshdeep said. “It won’t be easy to hit there. If they hit a good shot, clap, say well played, and execute another one. Really happy for him, he’s putting in the hard yards at practice, and was executing yorkers really well, and the results showed in the game as well.”The plan was if you are going to miss, miss on the wider side and not on the stumps. It does slip a bit with dew around but the plan was just bowl as wide as possible, even if it slips, it’s a full-toss, it won’t be easy for them to hit, because it’s very far from their reach.”Arshdeep also credited PBKS’s batters for setting the platform and being able to sustain the same tempo through their innings. “There is no par score – 240-250-260 – score as much as possible and then try and defend it.”