Articles by Rajdeep Saha

Technology

Champions League: Jude Bellingham's goal helps Real Madrid beat Juventus

Real Madrid secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Juventus in their latest Champions League clash, thanks to a crucial goal from Jude Bellingham. The England international scored his first goal of the season, helping his team maintain their perfect record in the tournament. This was Bellingham's first strike since the Club World Cup this summer and came after a long injury lay-off. Bellingham's season has been marred by injury, with the midfielder starting just three matches and coming off the bench in four others. He had only played 10 minutes of European football this season before Wednesday's match against Juventus. The 22-year-old was instrumental in Real Madrid's triumphs last season, scoring 15 goals and providing 15 assists across competitions. The match started with Juventus putting pressure on Real Madrid's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, forcing him into two good saves. However, it was Bellingham who broke the deadlock in the second half. His goal came after Vinicius Jr's shot hit the post and he was quick to tap home a rebound. This proved to be the winning goal for Los Blancos, despite Juventus's late attempts to equalize through efforts from various players. Real clocked 26 attempts with nine shots on target. Juventus had 6 shots on target from 11 attempts. In terms of possession, Real dominated the scenes with 66%. They had a 93% pass accuracy. Real earned 13 corners compared to Juventus' 7. Xabi Alonso's men are 5th on the Champions League table. They are one of the 5 teams with a 100% win record from three matches. Meanwhile, Juventus are 25th. They own two draws and a defeat. Playing his 107th match for Los Blancos, Bellingham has raced to 39 goals. Notably, this was his first goal of the season. Apart from his 39 goals, the player also owns 27 assists for the club. Alonso became the fifth manager to win his first three matches with Real Madrid in the Champions League, after Josef Heynckes, Carlos Queiroz, Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti. Real Madrid keeper Courtois made his 300th appearance for the club in all competitions. He is now the fourth goalkeeper with the most appearances in the history of the club, behind Iker Casillas (725), Paco Buyo (456) and Miguel Ángel (346).

3 days ago

Technology

Liverpool end 4-game losing streak with Frankfurt drubbing: Key stats

Liverpool FC ended their four-match losing streak with a resounding 5-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League. Matchday 3 of the Champions League 2025-26 season saw Liverpool go behind before they turned things around and won the contest 5-1. Notably, star player Mohamed Salah was benched for a second consecutive European match by manager Arne Slot. Here are furthe details and stats. Liverpool's defense was tested early on when former Leeds defender Rasmus Kristensen scored for Frankfurt. However, the hosts were caught off guard when Andy Robertson's pass found Hugo Ekitike, who scored against his former club. This equalizer sparked a flurry of goals from Liverpool before halftime as Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate both scored headers from corners to give their side a 3-1 lead at the break. The second half saw Liverpool continue their offensive onslaught. Florian Wirtz assisted Cody Gakpo for Liverpool's fourth goal, before Dominik Szoboszlai scored a stunning long-range strike to make it 5-1. Salah was brought on with 15 minutes left but could not find the back of the net, extending his goal drought to six games. However, the result was a much-needed confidence booster for Slot's side after their recent struggles. Liverpool had 18 attempts with 14 shots on target. Hosts Frankfurt managed one shot on target from 4 attempts. Arne Slot's men had 36 touches in the opposition box. Frankfurt managed 6 such touches. The Reds also dominated possession (65%). In terms of the points table, Liverpool are 10th with 6 points from three matches (W2 L1). Frankfurt are 22nd in the 36-team standings. They own 1 win and 2 defeats. Ekitike continued his strong start to the season for Liverpool. Since joining the Reds from Frankfurt in the summer, he has scored 6 goals in 12 appearances for the club in all competitions. As per Squawka, Ekitike is the first player to score both for and against Frankfurt in major European competition. The player had the most touches (7) in the opposition box against Frankfurt. He won the most duels (5) and the most shots on target (2). Wirtz finally added to his account in terms of goals involvement for Liverpool. He made two assists, feeding Gakpo and Szoboszlai. This was his 3rd assist of the season in all competitions. He had gone 10 games without an assist or a goal since the Community Shield. Both Gakpo and Szoboszlai made an assist each besides scoring a goal. Dutchman Gakpo has raced to 4 goals in 12 matches for Liverpool this season. Overall, he owns 45 goals in 140 matches for the club across competitions. Szoboszlai owns 17 goals for the Reds from 106 appearances. He has 2 goals this season from 12 matches. Van Dijk made his 331st appeaerance for Liverpool. He owns 30 goals, including two this season.

3 days ago

Technology

Women's World Cup, Annabel Sutherland hammers 98* versus England: Stats

Annabel Sutherland floored England in Match 23 of the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 on Wednesday. The match in Indore saw Sutherland and Ashleigh Gardner added an unbeaten 180-run stand for the 5th wicket in a chase of 245. Sutherland remained unscathed on 98* whereas Gardner got to a terrific 104 not out. Earlier, Sutherland picked a three-fer to restrict England to 244/9. This was one of the finest partnerships in Women's World Cup history. Sutherland saw Gardner join her and the two just bossed the show. Sutherland looked set for her 100 till a late charge from Gardner saw her overtake the former. England were stunned and had no answers to a superb 180*-run stand which came off just 148 balls. This was a special partnership. Sutherland's knock of 98* had 9 fours and a six. She faced 112 balls. With this knock, Sutherland has raced to 968 runs in WODIs. She averages 42.08 from 47 matches (31 innings). This was her 4th WODI fifty (100s: 3). As per ESPNcricinfo, against England, Sutherland owns 199 runs from 10 matches at 33.16 (50s: 2). Sutherland registered her maiden World Cup fifty. Speaking after the match, Sutherland said it was fun batting with Gardner. Pretty fun. Always good batting with Ash. She keeps the game moving. Had a pretty good seat at the other end. Oh, to be honest, just trying to have some time in the middle. I feel like once you got in, it was actually really nice wicket to bat on.

3 days ago

Technology

Ashleigh Gardner floors England Women with match-winning 104*: Key stats

Ashleigh Gardner scored a sensational century for Australia against England in Match 23 of the ICC Women's World Cup 2025 in Indore on Wednesday. The star all-rounder joined hands with fellow all-rounder Annabel Sutherland when Australia were 68/4 in a chase of 245. The two dictated the tempo thereafter and floored England with a majestic chase. Gardner remained unbeaten on 104. This was one of the finest partnerships in Women's World Cup history. Sutherland saw Gardner join her and the two just bossed the show. Sutherland looked set for her 100 till a late charge from Gardner saw her overtake the former. England were stunned and had no answers to a superb 180*-run stand which came off just 148 balls. Both players deserve the plaudits. Gardner's knock of 104* had 16 fours. With this knock, Gardner surpassed 1,500 runs in WODIs. She owns 1,591 runs at 32.46. This was her 3rd WODI ton (50s: 7). As per ESPNcricinfo, against England, Gardner owns 479 runs from 17 matches at 36.84 (100s: 2). Gardner now owns 2 World Cup tons. She has 399 runs from 13 innings (20 matches). Gardner scored her 3rd hundred in WODIs from No. 6 or below, as per Cricbuzz. She is the first to achieve it on three occasions. Most 100s from No. 6 or below in WODIs 3 - Ash Gardner (AUS-W) 1 - Shemaine Campbelle (WI-W) 1 - Annerie Dercksen (SA-W)

3 days ago

Technology

Ravichandran Ashwin slams selectors over Sarfaraz Khan's India A exclusion

Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed his disappointment over the exclusion of Sarfaraz Khan from the India A squad. The decision was announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday, sparking widespread criticism. Ashwin questioned the selectors' reasoning behind their choice and suggested that this could be a major setback for Sarfaraz's chances of returning to the national team. Sarfaraz, who made his Test debut against England, has played six matches for India. He scored 371 runs in total, including a century in his last series against New Zealand in November 2024. However, his form dipped in the last two matches where he managed just 21 runs. Despite this setback, Sarfaraz was picked for the Australian tour. However, he wasn't involved in any of the matches. Sarfaraz was also selected for the India A team for the England tour, where he scored 92 runs. He then shed 17kg over the summer and scored tons in the pre-domestic-season Buchi Babu tournament. However, an injury kept him out of Duleep Trophy and West Indies Test series at home. Despite passing a fitness test later on, Sarfaraz was not picked for the upcoming India A series against South Africa A starting next month. Ashwin slammed the lack of communication and clarity in the selection process, citing past cases like Subramaniam Badrinath and Manoj Tiwary who were also dropped from India A despite their contributions. He noted that while some players like Abhimanyu Easwaran have been picked for India A despite having played enough, most others are futuristic picks. Ashwin lamented Sarfaraz's non-selection as he had already ticked all boxes for a spot in the Indian side. On his YouTube channel, Ashwin questioned the selectors' decision not to pick Sarfaraz. However, when I examine Sarfaraz's non-selection, I don't receive any explanation. I am very sad and feel sorry for him, said Ashwin. Had I been the selector, what would I have called him up and said? He has reduced his weight, and he has been scoring runs; he also scored a century in his last Test series, the former Indian legend stated. Ashwin added that the player's non-inclusion means the selectors are moving on from him. And this sort of non-selection leads me to think that someone must have been thinking that we have seen enough of him, and we no longer want him, so we don't want to go in that direction.

3 days ago

Technology

Laura Wolvaardt: Decoding her Women's World Cup career in stats

South Africa secured a resounding victory over Pakistan in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025, held in Colombo on Ocotber 21, 2025. Match number 22 of the event saw South Africa demolish Pakistan in a rain-hit contest. Skipper Laura Wolvaardt played a massive role for her side. She smashed a solid 90-run knock and went on to post dual World Cup feats with the bat. Wolvaardt was well supported by Marizanne Kapp, who scored an unbeaten 68, and Sune Luus, who contributed with a solid 61. Nadine de Klerk also chipped in with a quickfire 41 off just 16 balls. SA-W managed 312/9 in 40 overs. The South African bowlers then restricted Pakistan to just 83 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their chase after rain further complicated matters. With her knock of 90 from 82 balls, Wolvaardt completes 1,000 runs in the tournament's history. She owns 1,027 runs from 21 matches at 57.05. Notably, she is the first South African batter to achieve the milestone of 1,000 World Cup runs. Overall, she became the 8th batter in World Cup history to reach the landmark. On Wednesday, October 22, England's Nat-Sciver Brunt joined the elite list as well, becoming the 9th player to do so. Wolvaardt clocked her 12th half-century in the mega tournament. With this, she now owns the most half-centuries. She steered clear of former India ace Mitali Raj, who hammered 11 fifties. Meanwhile, DA Hockley of New Zealand hit 10 fifties in her World Cup career. These three are the only players with 10-plus fifties in the global event. In the 2017 World Cup, Wolvaardt scored 327 runs from 7 matches at 64.80 with the help of 4 fifties, as per ESPNcricinfo. Thereafter, the 2021 edition held in 2022, saw her amass 433 runs from 8 matches at 54.12 (50s: 5). In the ongoing 2025 tournament, she owns 270 runs from 6 matches at 54 (50s: 3).

4 days ago