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It’s never straightforward with Manchester United, is it?

With just seconds remaining, the Red Devils looked to have secured an invaluable first-leg win over Lyon on Thursday evening, with Joshua Zirkzee’s late header steering the visitors into a deserved 2-1 lead on the night. And then…

With almost the last kick of the game, the Ligue 1 side ensured that this Europa League tussle is very much alive heading into next week’s reverse fixture at Old Trafford, with Rayan Cherki pouncing at the death to dink home.

The French outfit had initially taken the lead courtesy of Thiago Almada’s free-kick, albeit with United hitting back in first-half stoppage time, as Leny Yoro netted his first goal for the club with an inventive, glancing header.

Zirkzee’s own bullet header at the backpost looked to have been enough to seal the win, yet as it is, the tie is certainly still finely poised – largely thanks to the impact of one man, Andre Onana…

Andre Onana's costly display

Quite what Onana was thinking prior to the match – when insisting that the Red Devils are “way better” than their opponents – is difficult to fathom, with the Cameroonian ‘keeper engaging in a war of words with ex-Old Trafford star, Nemanja Matic.

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Matic had sent a brutal dig to Onana ahead of Man Utd’s Europa League clash with Lyon.

Posts ByStephan Georgiou Apr 9, 2025

While the Serbian giant watched on from the substitutes bench, one of the “worst goalkeepers in Man Utd’s history” – as so dubbed by Matic – was very much in the thick of the action. Having talked the talk, the 28-year-old, unfortunately, couldn’t walk the walk.

In almost inevitable fashion, it was Onana’s blunder that allowed Lyon to sneak into the lead in the opening exchanges, with the former Inter man failing to deal with Almada’s relatively routine in-swinging set-piece.

The £47.5m flop – who has now made more errors since the start of last season than any other Premier League goalkeeper in all competitions – looked to have got away with one as both Yoro and Zirkzee nodded home, with the experienced stopper even taking the time to rile up the home crowd even further when taking a typically laboured goal kick late on.

Much to the delight of the hosts, however, it was they who would have the last laugh, with Onana proceeding to spill the ball into the path of the lively Cherki at the death, with the dazzling Frenchman duly converting.

From one horrow show to another then as far as United are concerned, with Ruben Amorim also likely to be deeply frustrated by the performance of a man at the other end of the pitch, in Rasmus Hojlund.

The Man Utd star who now needs to be sold

Talk is already rife that Amorim is seeking a new goalkeeper this summer, with reports also suggesting that Onana has been the subject of interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia, amid the possibility of an end to his two-season stay in Manchester.

Performance in Numbers

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On current evidence, the one-time Ajax star could well be joined through the exit door by young Hojlund, with the 22-year-old looking like a player who “will be up for sale” at the end of the season, in the words of journalist Tom McDermott.

Branded with a 4/10 match rating from MEN correspondent, Samuel Luckhurst, the struggling Dane was again simply lifeless in attack for the away side, having been restricted to just 11 touches, while making just two passes in total on the night.

Rasmus Hojlund’s stats vs Lyon

Stat

Record

Minutes played

63′

Touches

11

Shots on target

1

Shots off target

1

Passes completed

2/3

Key passes

2

Ground duels

0/3

Aerial duels

N/A

Possession lost

3x

Fouls

1

Stats via Sofascore

While those were both recognised as ‘key passes’, the former Atalanta starlet did little of any note prior to his withdrawal on the hour mark, with the misfiring striker failing to pounce on a rare opening after scuffing his attempt wide following Patrick Dorgu’s pull-back.

The £85k-per-week marksman – who also failed to win a single duel up against the Lyon backline – memorably passed the ball out of play down the right flank at one stage, having also drawn the ire of Bruno Fernandes after failing to read the Portuguese playmaker’s dummy inside the area.

Whether it be failing to beat his man when running in behind, or struggling to keep hold of possession, Hojlund simply looks lost at present, having now scored just once in all competitions since mid-December.

With only eight goals to his name across all fronts this season, United’s number nine – who has been linked with a return to Serie A – appears to be on borrowed time, not least with speculation ramping up regarding the potential addition of Ipswich Town talisman, Liam Delap.

Having seen his replacement, Zirkzee, take little time to make an impact, Hojlund must surely be second fiddle ahead of next week’s meeting at the Theatre of Dreams. Much like Onana too, this Erik ten Hag signing could find himself on the scrap heap this summer.

No longer can the Red Devils accept mediocrity at both ends of the pitch.

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Posts 1 ByRobbie Walls Apr 10, 2025

The South Africa captain’s composed fifty and his gutsy call to bowl Maharaj proved to be the difference in a nervy win

Firdose Moonda16-Nov-20254:55

Philander: ‘On that surface 123 was like 350-400’

Sometimes a captain gets a feeling of what to do. With tea looming at Eden Gardens on a tense day three, Temba Bavuma had one of those times.India needed 47 runs with three wickets in hand. In reality, they had only two because of Shubman Gill’s injury-enforced absence. Left-hand batter Axar Patel was on strike. He had 10 runs off 12 balls and looked steady but not particularly dangerous. Aiden Markram’s three overs had cost just five runs and he had burgled a wicket, so it seemed sensible to keep him and build pressure. Bavuma had a different idea.Despite the risk that would come from turning the ball into Axar, Bavuma turned to his left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj. Immediately, it looked like a stroke of genius.Axar could not resist the offer and slog-swept Maharaj to deep midwicket, where Ryan Rickelton was positioned for that shot. But looking into the sun and with spectators in the background potentially blurring his view, Rickelton lost the ball. What could have been a catch became a boundary and suddenly, Bavuma’s decision looked like a tactical blunder, especially with so few runs to play with. It got even worse when Axar hit Maharaj for two sixes in the next three balls and shaved off a third of what India needed in four balls and wasn’t done.Related

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The Bavuma-Bosch 'turning point' in Harmer's Test at Eden Gardens

Axar went again off the fifth ball, another slog sweep, but he top-edged it. The ball hung and then dipped through the Kolkata air for the longest few seconds of the last three days.Bavuma sprinted from midwicket to almost long-on and initially looked like he had run too far. The ball was almost behind him when, looking back, he got his self-labelled “small hands” to it and held on by his fingertips. “There’s not much time to think during those moments. The ball went quite high, so I was just trying to make sure that I caught the ball,” Bavuma said after the match.When he did, Bavuma also proved his own plan, which seemed to be unravelling over the previous four balls, right. How had he felt in the moment when Axar was attacking? “You try and keep to your wits. The decision [to bowl Maharaj] stays a decision. It doesn’t change because of the way the guy is batting,” he said. “I knew there was sense behind the decision, so at no point did I second-guess the decision.”That was the way Bavuma played for most of this match.After his first-innings dismissal for 3, when he fell to Kuldeep Yadav’s leg-side trap, Bavuma rewrote his role in the game with a match-winning second-innings 55 not out, which showed a level of self-assurance of a player at his peak. No other batter made more than 39 in the match as variable bounce and, what Bavuma called, “spin that was a little bit on the extreme side yesterday” planted confusion through their game plans. “He went against the grain of everybody else in the match,” Shukri Conrad, South Africa’s coach, said.One of the biggest differences between Bavuma’s innings and everyone else’s was the way he absorbed pressure in the early stages. He scored just four runs off the first 23 balls he faced, and 17 of those deliveries were from the spinners, who were brilliant in squeezing South Africa. “You feel suffocated as a batter but Temba was comfortable. I don’t think anybody’s ever happy to be suffocated but he was comfortable that if he stuck to his game plan, knowing he was going to get beaten by balls on the outside, but as long as he didn’t get beaten on the inside, he knew he could bat through this,” Conrad said.Bavuma explained that given the conditions, he had to rely on the blueprint that is built around the block more than usual. “I found it a bit tricky to trust the bounce of the wicket. Some balls were bouncing nicely, others were squatting, so that was a bit tricky, which made cross-batted shots a bit harder but I always back my defence. My game is that simple. I try to play around my defence,” Bavuma said.2:08

Philander: Conrad’s done himself justice as South Africa coach

In total, he defended 59 of the 136 balls he faced, and the bulk of that was on the second evening, when some of South Africa’s shot selection left much to be desired. While Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs were done by lack of turn, Wiaan Mulder and Tony de Zorzi by extra bounce, Markram swept straight to short leg and Kyle Verreynne and Marco Jansen got slog sweeps horribly wrong. Bavuma was on 29 off 78 balls overnight. His only two aggressive shots were a sweep off Ravindra Jadeja and a backfoot punch off Kuldeep Yadav that went for four.The sweep came out a few more times on the third day, when Bavuma had to drag South Africa to a defendable total and could not have done it without support from Corbin Bosch, with whom he added 44 for the eighth wicket. Their approach on the third morning was to “just try and play what’s in front of me and try not to have too many preconceived ideas”, Bavuma said.That mindset brought what Conrad called a “calmness” to South Africa overall because they know that even though Bavuma is as likely as anyone to get a ball he can’t keep out, he very seldom gives his wicket away and works for every run. Bavuma created his own opportunities to accumulate singles (33) and twos (3) by playing with soft hands and setting off for his runs quickly, often just as he had hit the ball. “The fact that he’s been here before might also have given him that bit of confidence,” Conrad said.But being in India before was also humiliating for Bavuma, especially his most recent visit in 2023, at this very ground. Eden Gardens was where he finished the ODI World Cup as the only member of the top five not to score a century and where he played in the semi-final with a hamstring injury. He hasn’t hidden away from what he called his own “poor record” in the country and had come on this Test tour determined to improve on that and prove himself in these conditions. Now, South Africa are unbeaten in 11 Tests under his captaincy.That he has achieved something special was evident when the almost 40,000 people who came to watch the match on Sunday gave him a standing ovation when he reached his half-century. Though they were stunned into silence by his catch later on, it was clear that the Kolkata faithful appreciated South Africa’s efforts, and Bavuma may well have won them over. “It was crazy. Obviously the crowd cheers quite loudly when India has done something good but it gives us energy and keeps us connected to the game. As much as it spurs on the Indian team, it also has a positive influence on us,” Bavuma said.And sometimes when you have a feeling that things are going your way, you end up with a result like South Africa’s.

Just eight points separating table-toppers Tasmania and fifth-placed South Australia, while bottom-of-the-ladder Queensland could still make a late push

Tristan Lavalette02-Feb-2024Tasmania (29.77 points)You’re forgiven if you’ve forgotten that Tasmania currently head the table narrowly ahead of two-time defending champions Western Australia.Tasmania finished fifth last season and haven’t won the Shield since 2012-13 when George Bailey was skipper and Ricky Ponting had a fitting farewell after his retirement from international cricket.But they were the surprise package in the first half of the season, highlighted by an incredible chase of 432 against Queensland at Bellerive Oval. After thrashing NSW by an innings, Tasmania were sitting clear on top until they lost the rematch when they were routed for just 68 chasing 143 on a treacherous SCG wicket.Tasmania will look to restart strongly against Queensland at the Gabba, but will be without injured quicks Nathan Ellis and Lawrence Neil-Smith, who has had a breakout season with 25 wickets at 23.72 including a ten-wicket haul against NSW at the SCG.Matthew Wade, who smashed a hundred in the chase against the Bulls, is being rested ahead of Australia’s T20I series against West Indies.Tasmania squad vs Queensland: Jordan Silk (capt), Gabe Bell, Iain Carlisle, Jake Doran, Jarrod Freeman, Bradley Hope, Caleb Jewell, Mitchell Owen, Samuel Rainbird, Billy Stanlake, Charlie Wakim, Tim Ward, Beau WebsterAaron Hardie’s absence could hurt Western Australia•Getty ImagesWestern Australia (28.22)A short-handed WA started their title defence with an innings thrashing of Victoria in a rematch of last season’s final. It was an ominous statement to the competition, but things have become tougher since with WA only winning two of their next five matches.Both were against South Australia, including escaping with a two-wicket win at the WACA. Much like Perth Scorchers in the BBL, WA have felt vulnerable in their quest for a hat-trick of Shield titles and there have been signs of slippage.WA will be without Australia ODI squad members Josh Inglis, Lance Morris and Aaron Hardie, who has enjoyed a superb Shield season with averages of 45.5 with the bat and 21.45 with the ball. Jhye Richardson also remains absent due to his side strain.WA will test their depth against NSW at the WACA as they look to exact revenge after copping a ten-wicket thrashing at the SCG in their only defeat this season. Cameron Green won’t play against NSW due to his Australia commitments, but after the ODI series, he is set to play in the Shield in preparation for the upcoming tour of New Zealand.Fergus O’Neill has had a breakout season•Getty ImagesWestern Australia squad vs New South Wales: Sam Whiteman (capt), Cameron Bancroft, Hilton Cartwright, Sam Fanning, Cameron Gannon, Jayden Goodwin, Liam Haskett, Matthew Kelly, Joel Paris, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli, Charlie Stobo, Teague WyllieVictoria (26.12)After starting the season with two massive defeats, last season’s runners-up Victoria slowly found form and a tense 23-run away victory against South Australia kept them near the top of the table.The teams will renew their rivalry at the Junction Oval, but one-time Test opener Will Pucovski has been ruled out after experiencing delayed concussion symptoms after a blow to the head in a second XI game last week.In better news for Victoria, wicketkeeper Sam Harper has been cleared to play after suffering a horrific head injury at a Melbourne Stars’ training session in the later stages of the BBL.Captain Will Sutherland and batting allrounder Matt Short are unavailable after being included in Australia’s ODI squad. Nic Maddinson has been named to play his first Shield game of the season after missing the early part of the summer due to a knee injury, while veteran seamer Scott Boland also returns.There will be a lot of attention on rising quick Fergus O’Neill, who was a standout before the break with 21 wickets at 17.57.Victoria squad vs South Australia: Peter Handscomb (capt), Scott Boland, Xavier Crone, Sam Elliott, Marcus Harris, Sam Harper, Campbell Kellaway, Nic Maddinson, Jon Merlo, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Mitch Perry, Tom RogersNathan Lyon has been given a break•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesNew South Wales (21.59)After a winless bottom-placed finish last season, NSW appeared set for more misery but wins against WA and Tasmania have revived their campaign.The Blues reverted to youth and it paid off as they rose in the ladder to be within striking distance of an unexpected finals spot. NSW face a tough challenge first up in Perth, where they’ve struggled over the years to handle the WACA’s pace and bounce.Emerging batter Sam Konstas is unavailable due to the Under-19 World Cup, but NSW will be bolstered by experienced batter Daniel Hughes and allrounder Jack Edwards, who both starred for Sydney Sixers in the BBL. Nathan Lyon won’t line up against WA after a hectic Test summer.New South Wales squad vs Western Australia: Jackson Bird, Ollie Davies, Jack Edwards, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Ryan Hackney, Liam Hatcher, Moises Henriques (capt), Daniel Hughes, Blake Macdonald, Blake Nikitaras, Jack Nisbet, Chris TremainNathan McSweeney continues to be one of the best batters in the Shield•Getty ImagesSouth Australia (21.41)If South Australia’s Shield drought extends to a 28th season, they might just rue agonising defeats to WA and Victoria. But the Redbacks did celebrate a remarkable three-run win against Queensland in a first half of the season that tested their nerves.After five consecutive wooden spoons, South Australia lifted off the bottom last season and they’ve continued to show signs of improvement with two outright victories so far this season.Head coach Jason Gillespie is seemingly getting the best out of his squad with the hierarchy’s decision to focus on luring fringe players from other states paying dividends.Nathan McSweeney continues to be one of the best batters in the Shield and sits behind only Cameron Bancroft on this season’s run-scorers’ list, while the Redbacks boast a formidable pace attack led by Nathan McAndrew, who has taken 30 wickets at an average of 19.20.But they will be without explosive young batter Jake Fraser-McGurk, who is set to make his international debut in the ODI series against West Indies. He made his first Shield century with a typically belligerent knock against Victoria before the break.South Australia squad vs Victoria: Jake Lehmann (capt), Nathan McSweeney, Wes Agar, Jordan Buckingham, Jake Carder, Brendan Doggett, Henry Hunt, Thomas Kelly, Ben Manenti, Nathan McAndrew, Harry Nielsen, Lloyd Pope, Liam ScottQueensland will miss Xavier Bartlett, who made his ODI debut on Friday•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesQueensland (15.12)Queensland need to make up ground quickly having fallen away since their innings victory against Victoria in round two. But the stunning BBL triumph of Brisbane Heat – a team built around a core of Bulls players – might just provide the spark needed for Queensland to turn things around in the longer format.Queensland have selected opener Angus Lovell to make his Shield debut against Tasmania, while veteran batter Ben McDermott returns with Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne absent.Seamer Xavier Bartlett is unavailable after making a spectacular international debut against West Indies in Friday’s ODI at the MCG.Queensland squad vs Tasmania: Jimmy Peirson (capt), Joe Burns, Jack Clayton, Liam Guthrie, Angus Lovell, Ben McDermott, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Gurinder Sandhu, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Jack Wildermuth

Also: how many women have scored World Cup centuries in a losing cause?

Steven Lynch08-Mar-2022Sakibul Gani followed his 341 on debut with 98 and 101 in the next match. Has anyone scored more runs after three first-class innings? asked Azweer from India, among many others

That astonishing start from Bihar’s Sakibul Gani has seen him score 341 against Mizoram in Kolkata (the record score for anyone on first-class debut), followed by 98 and 101 not out against Sikkim at Eden Gardens (the first match was at the Jadavpur University Campus).Gani’s 540 runs is a record for a player’s first three first-class innings, surpassing 494 (12, 290 and 194) by the New Zealander Bill Carson for Auckland in 1936-37. Gani made 38 and 23 in his next match, so did not pass the Australian Bill Ponsford’s records of 616 runs after four-class innings, and 724 after five. The records for six and seven innings – 831 and 900 runs – were set by the Afghanistan batter Bahir Shah in 2017-18. Ponsford reached 1000 runs in his eighth innings, the record at the moment.Sophie Devine scored 108 in the World Cup opener, but still lost – how many other women have scored a World Cup century but finished on the losing side? asked Deborah Mitchell from New Zealand

That hundred by New Zealand’s captain Sophie Devine in the opening match against West Indies in Mount Manganui last week was the sixth time that an individual century had not been enough to bring victory in a Women’s World Cup match. The seventh was not long coming: Nat Sciver scored an unbeaten 109 for England as they ran Australia close next day in Hamilton.Devine was the third New Zealander on the list, after her current team-mates Suzie Bates, with 102 against Australia in Cuttack in February 2013, and Amy Satterthwaite, who hit 103 a week later against England in Mumbai.There have also been two cases for India: Harmanpreet Kaur made an undefeated 107 in vain against England in Mumbai in 2013, and Punam Raut 106 against Australia in Bristol in 2017. The other instance – and the highest such score – was made by Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu, with 178 not out against Australia, also in Bristol in 2017. Despite Athapaththu’s remarkable effort, Sri Lanka managed only 257 for 9 in their 50 overs, which Australia chased down with some ease; Meg Lanning hit 152 not out.In the men’s World Cups, it has happened on 40 occasions.I heard that Shakib Al Hasan is the only batter in ODI history whose average never fell below 30 in his entire career. Is this true? asked Fahim from Bangladesh

Well, it’s partly true: Shakib Al Hasan currently averages 37.62 in one-day internationals, and the lowest his average has ever been was 30.91. But, given a qualification of 30 innings, there are no fewer than 31 other men whose average has also never been below 30 (including Eoin Morgan, who once averaged exactly 30). Of these, three have never averaged below 40: Imam-ul-Haq of Pakistan, whose lowest to date is 49.18, and the retired Australian pair of Michael Hussey (47.89) and Michael Bevan (42.33). This record is perhaps overly dependent on someone making at least 30 in their first ODI innings.Shane Warne played 145 Tests without ever representing Australia in a T20I•Jack Atley/Fairfax Media/Getty ImagesWho has played the most Tests without ever playing a one-day international, and what’s the equivalent record for T20s? asked David Knight from England

Leaving aside players like Godfrey Evans, who won 91 Test caps but had retired before the first one-day international in 1971, the ODI record is held by England’s Mark Butcher, who won 71 Test caps without ever featuring in England’s one-day team (this always struck me as slightly odd, as he had a very respectable record in List A cricket). Next comes the New Zealand fast bowler Neil Wagner, who has so far played 58 Tests without a single white-ball appearance. The former England captain MJK Smith played 50 Tests, but no ODIs, although his international career only just stretched into the ODI era. Of players who made their Test debut after ODIs started, Butcher and Wagner lead the way, then come the Sri Lankans Kaushal Silva (39 Tests) and Tharanga Paranavitana (32), alongside England’s Rory Burns (32 Tests).Moving to T20Is, Shane Warne played 145 Tests without appearing in a 20-over international, which started towards the end of his great career. Considering only players who made their Test debut after the first official T20I early in 2005, the leader is Cheteshwar Pujara (95 Tests), ahead of Azhar Ali (91), Dimuth Karunaratne at 75 and Kraigg Brathwaite and Dean Elgar bracketed together on 74. All of these players did play some ODIs.What are the best bowling figures by a captain in ODIs and T20Is? asked Ramaswamy Gohel from India

The best by a captain in ODIs is 7 for 36, by Waqar Younis, for Pakistan against England at Headingley in 2001. Next, rather surprisingly perhaps, comes Viv Richards, with 6 for 41 for West Indies against India in Delhi in 1989-90. There have been three more six-fors, by Dwayne Bravo (2012-13), Gulbadin Naib (2019) and Waqar again, with 6 for 59 two days later in 2001 at Trent Bridge.There are a further 21 instances of a captain taking a five-for in a one-day international. Waqar did it three times in all, and Greg Chappell, Jason Holder, Shahid Afridi and Wasim Akram twice.In T20Is the best figures by a captain are 6 for 18, by Argentina’s Hernan Fennell against Panama in a World Cup Americas Region qualifier in Antigua in November 2021. Next comes Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga, with 5 for 6 against New Zealand in Pallekele in September 2019.There are four other cases of a captain talking a five-for in a T20I, by Moazzam Baig (Malawi), Charles Perchard (Jersey), Ahmed Raza (UAE) and Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh).Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Eoin Morgan’s form a huge positive, but Powerplay bowling and middle-overs batting are concerns

Matt Roller17-Feb-2020Powerplay problemsTheir seamers were impressive at the death, but England bowled poorly up front throughout, becoming the fifth team to take only one Powerplay wicket in a T20I series of three or more games and leaking 11.16 runs per over in the phase. Moeen Ali bowled seven overs with the fielding restrictions in place – Morgan explained that as an analytics-inspired move aimed to target Quinton de Kock’s relative weakness against offspin – and took the only wicket, but Tom Curran, Chris Jordan and Mark Wood all leaked runs early on.There is a particular premium on early wickets: not only do they typically result in the cheap dismissal of one of the best opposition batsmen, but they also mean that middle-order players come in with less freedom to attack. While South Africa’s lack of batting depth meant that was not particularly costly in this series, it will be a cause for concern with knockout T20 World Cup games in mind.