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Eoin Morgan falls to contentious umpiring decision, before New Zealand batting implodes in second warm-up game

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2021England’s main batters all found time in the middle, and Jos Buttler made the most of it with a typically stylish half-century, before Mark Wood and Adil Rashid triggered a collapse to a budding New Zealand chase. A last-wicket stand of 47 between legspinners Ish Sodhi and Todd Astle took New Zealand within 14 runs of victory with five balls to go, before Astle was out hit-wicket off Chris Woakes to hand England the win. New Zealand have now lost in both their warm-up games.England captain Eoin Morgan came into the XI after sitting out the game against India and lost the toss. England then lost Jason Roy first ball of the match, before Buttler took charge in a 48-run stand with Dawid Malan.Buttler was happy hitting through the line and over the infield during the powerplay, and even brought out his scoop, as he kept the pace up with Malan scratching his way to 11 off 15 at the other end.Sodhi was the only one to put the brakes on Buttler’s innings, and he went on to get Malan and then Morgan, the latter a fortuitous lbw for which he had barely appealed. Morgan seemed to have got a big inside edge on his attempted reverse sweep but was given out immediately on appeal.Buttler kept his scoring up, eventually falling for 73 after having hit 11 boundaries and two sixes. Jonny Bairstow batted at No. 5 and till the last over, but it was Sam Billings who made a ripple in the death overs with an unbeaten 17-ball 27.New Zealand’s chase took off immediately with Martin Guptill enjoying the pace of the pitch as he got off to his free-flowing best. Much like Buttler, Guptill looked far more comfortable than the batters at the other end as he got his eye in early. He holed out to long-on immediately after the powerplay, but his 41 off 20 had taken New Zealand to 66 by then.Devon Conway’s scrappy innings ended with a run-out and from that point on, England tied New Zealand up through Rashid and Wood, who took seven wickets between them as 81 for 2 swiftly turned to 103 for 9.But Astle and Sodhi made use of the five-and-some overs still left in the innings, with the asking rate not too far out of reach thanks to Guptill’s early exploits. Sodhi played the aggressor, taking a particular liking to Woakes, and Astle managed to get a six off Chris Jordan in the 19th over to leave New Zealand 15 to get off the last over. A scrappy victory wasn’t to be, though, as he stepped on his stumps trying to turn Woakes behind fine leg.

MatériaMais Notícias

da betano casino： Neste sábado (5), o Ypiranga venceu o Internacional por 3 a 1 no Estádio Colosso da Lagoa, em Erechim, pela 4ª rodada do Campeonato Gaúcho. Com o triunfo, o Canarinho chega a liderança do torneio, somando nove pontos. Já o Inter cai para a 3ª colocação, com sete pontos.

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OPORTUNIDADES….

A etapa inicial foi bem disputada. O Ypiranga não deu moleza e, com menos de cinco minutos de jogo, fez com que o goleiro Daniel brilhasse duas vezes. Aos 8, Caio Vidal sofreu pênalti. Edenílson, na cobrança, bateu para a defesa de Edson. O Colorado teve ainda uma chance com Boschilia, que acertou o travessão.

Enquanto isso, o Canarinho conseguiu aproveitar os espaços deixados na defesa adversária, criando chances de perigo. Aos 23, Daniel conseguiu defender um chute de Erick, mas Lorran aproveitou o rebote e abriu o placar em Erechim. O Internacional correu atrás do prejuízo, mas só conseguiu no final da etapa. Aos 46, Cuesta acionou Heitor, que cruzou para Bruno Méndez, que deixou tudo igual.

COMEÇO ARRASADOR!

O começo da segunda etapa foi totalmente do Ypiranga. O Canarinho não deu espaço e aproveitou das falhas de Heitor e Cuesta para ampliar o placar. Aos 5, Erick recebeu e chutou cruzado, sem chances para Daniel receber. Um minuto depois, o atacante ampliou, em falha do zagueiro colorado. Daniel até defendeu, mas a bola passou após rebote.

O Internacional buscou a reação, mas também se mostrou abatido com os dois gols sofridos em pouco tempo. Após algumas substituições, o atacante David entrou e conseguiu balar as redes. No entanto, a arbitragem marcou impedimento e anulou o tento.

FICHA TÉCNICA
YPIRANGA X INTERNACIONAL
​
Local:Estádio Colosso da Lagoa, em Erechim (RS)
​Data: 05/02/2022 – 16h30 (de Brasília)
Árbitro:Wagner Silva Echevarria (RS)
Assistentes: Tiago Augusto Kappes Dias (RS) e Maíra Mastella Moreira (RS)
Cartões amarelos:Carlos Alexandre, Gedeílson e Guilherme Belea (Ypiranga); Moisés e Wesley Moraes (Internacional)
Cartões vermelhos: –

GOLS:Lorran (23/1ºT) (1-0); Bruno Méndez (46’/1ºT) (1-1); Erick (5’/2ºT) (2-1) e (6’/2ºT) (3-1)

YPIRANGA (Técnico: Luizinho Vieira)
​
Edson; Gedeílson, Carlos Alexandre, Marcão (Windson, aos 32’/2ºT) e Lorran (Guilherme Amorim, aos 39’/2ºT); Diego Porfirio, Erick (Guilherme Belea, aos 37’/2ºT) e Falcão; Rodrigo Carioca (Jefferson, aos 32’/2ºT), Luiz Felipe (Robson, aos 0’/2ºT) e Matheus Santos.

INTERNACIONAL (Técnico: Alexander Medina)

​Daniel; Heitor (Wesley Moraes, aos 16’/2ºT), Bruno Méndez, Victor Cuesta e Moisés (Paulo Victor, aos 37’/2ºT); Rodrigo Dourado, Liziero (Mercado, aos 16’/2ºT), Edenilson e Boschilia (D’Alessandro, aos 19’/2ºT); Caio Vidal (Maurício, aos 15’/2ºT) e David.

Portland ran out 2-0 winners against Orlando, breaking an NWSL-record undefeated streak for the league leaders and championship favorites

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• Portland shutout league leaders Friday
• Morgan Weaver, Christine Sinclair grabbed goals in win
• 24-game undefeated streak snapped

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Portland made history with what appeared to be a routine 2-0 win Friday night, beating Orlando to snap the league's longest undefeated streak. Goals either side of half time was enough to carry the Thorns past the Pride, who have already won the NWSL shield.

  Orlando fielded a weakened lineup in the fixture, benching star players Barbara Banda and Marta. Both eventually entered the game but were unable to influence the result.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Orlando's streak remains one of the more remakrable marks in women's soccer, but despite ending has no impact on their commanding lead in NWSL. They wrapped up the regular season title with a win last Sunday.

  Second-placed Washington Spirit may have a game in hand, but even a win against Racing Louisville would close the gap to seven points with two regular season games remaining.

  For Portland, though, the win could be vital. The Thorns are in seventh place, and after the victory opened up a six-point lead over Louisville – all-but securing a playoff spot.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Portland has historically been a tough place to travel for Orlando. The Pride have won at Providence Park just once in club history, besting the Thorns in 2018.

• IMGAN
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR ORLANDO

  The Pride have two more regular-season fixtures before post season play. They face Gotham on Oct. 20, before hosting Seattle Reign on Nov. 2. NWSL playoffs start on Nov. 9.

Wrexham have set about trying to tackle a growing STok Racecourse problem – one that has escalated since Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney became owners.

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• Wrexham grown in popularity
• Reynolds & McElhenney worked wonders
• Growing issue at Racecourse needs sorting

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to The Leader, new Wrexham CEO Michael Williamson met with local councillors to address traffic and parking issues in the town on match days. The report adds residents have complained about inconsiderate parking in recent seasons and now a working group has been set up to try and find a solution.

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• Getty
  

  WHAT WREXHAM COUNCILLORS SAID

  Wrexham councillor Marc Jones told The Leader: "Local councillors Marc Jones, Phil Wyn and David Bithell held a productive meeting with the new club chief executive Michael Williamson and we have agreed in principle to set up a working group to improve traffic issues on matchdays. Everyone understands the need to address the subject and councillors, the club, the police and council will be looking at a range of solutions to make life better for both residents and fans."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  It's not far off four years since Hollywood actors Reynolds and McElhenney took over at Wrexham and in that time they have done wonders for the club. They have overseen two promotions from the National League, given the Red Dragons a global following off the back of their documentary series 'Welcome to Wrexham' and have used their business acumen to secure lucrative sponsorships, too. But as they pack out the Racecourse – which holds just over 12,000 fans – and as interest in the team has grown, the infrastructure around it needs to keep pace with that surge as well.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Phil Parkinson's men return to League One action on Saturday, October 19, away at Rotherham United, before taking on Huddersfield Town three days later on home turf. It remains to be seen how long it will take before some form of action comes from the aforementioned partnership with the council and the club.

MatériaMais Notícias

da brdice： O Corinthians está dando sequência ao seu planejamento e negocia o destino de mais um de seus jogadores que não fazem parte dos planos para 2022. Dessa vez a situação é com Janderson, que teve seu empréstimo encaminhado ao Grêmio. A informação é da Rádio Gaúcha e foi confirmada pelo LANCE!.

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GALERIA
>Veja até quando vai o contrato de cada jogador do Corinthians

Um dos destaques do Atlético-GO na temporada 2021, o jovem da base corintiana estava emprestado ao clube de Goiás até o fim deste ano e despertou o interesse de outros times nas últimas semanas. O próprio Dragão gostaria de ficar com o jogador, mas o Tricolor gaúcho levou vantagem.

Apesar de o Grêmio disputar a Série B do Brasileirão do ano que vem, os representantes do jogador e o Timão acreditam que Janderson ganhará visibilidade e se valorizará ainda mais. No negócio, ainda não ficou definido se os gaúchos terão uma opção de compra ou uma opção de renovação do empréstimo depois do fim do contrato de um ano, até dezembro de 2022.

Segundo apurou o LANCE!, a negociação é dada como certa e alguns detalhes separam o anúncio oficial, que deve acontecer nos próximos dias. Vale lembrar que Janderson trabalhou com Vagner Mancini no Atlético-GO durante a disputa do Brasileirão-2020 e da Copa do Brasil-2020. Atualmente, o treinador está no Grêmio e pode voltar a comandar o garoto de 22 anos na próxima temporada.

Depois de praticamente dois anos (2020 e 2021) no Dragão, Janderson fez 92 jogos, marcou nove gols e deu nove assistências. Pelo Corinthians (entre 2019 e 2020), por sua vez, foram 34 partidas, três gols e três assistências no período.

The India batsman also touched on how the team is managing the pressure of trying to make the WTC final

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-20216:28

Rohit Sharma: ‘Important to keep talking to yourself and be extra focused’

Rohit Sharma, the India opener, spoke to the media on Sunday, three days ahead of the third Test against England in Motera. He touched upon the “twilight period” during pink-ball Tests, World Test Championship and the physical toll it has taken on him to get fit in time for the Australia tour and the current series. Excerpts:How much effort have you had to put in physically over the last few months, right from Australia to here?
It was a long procedure once I came back to India from Dubai [IPL]. I went to the NCA and was there for a month, trying to get fit, trying to see what I needed to do to get fit [from a hamstring injury]. Once I knew I was okay to travel, the hard part was the 14-day quarantine period in Australia. Luckily, both BCCI and Cricket Australia came together and got me a room where I could train, keep fit and get going as soon as my quarantine finished, so that there was continuity to my NCA regime.I knew once I finished that period, I had just five-six days to get ready for the Test. It wasn’t the first time I would’ve had that much time to get ready for a game, so I knew what exactly had to be done. It’s not easy but a lot of people helped me get there. It was a good journey with a lot of learning personally. Also, having been to Australia many times, I knew the conditions well, that helped me prepare. Eventually, when the last ball was bowled in Brisbane, we were so happy to get that victory. It was one of the best wins India have tasted overseas. It was the best feeling to be part of that win. A lot of things were going against us, but we came out really well. Hats off to the squad, management and people who helped each other to get going. I was lucky to be part of it.Related

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Is the twilight period, when the sun sets and floodlights take over, the most challenging period in a pink-ball Test?
I have only heard it kind of plays on the batsman’s mind. I have played in just one pink-ball Test against Bangladesh and haven’t batted at that time when the sun is about to set. I’ve heard from players and have tried to understand what happens during that time.Yes, it’s challenging, and the weather changes slightly under lights so you must extra cautious and focused a little more than you are. During that time [twilight] you’re starting your second session, so it’s important to keep talking to yourself and be extra focused. That’s what players who have played during that phase have told me. All our batters are aware of it. We’ve had separate chats around what happens during that phase. The batsmen are aware.Is the team thinking about the World Test Championship final just yet?
Honestly, the focus is not on the outside. We still need to get the job done on the inside. We want to qualify, yes. We want to be playing the final, but we have to do a lot of things right still to get there. When we’re playing, the focus is on how to win and what we need to do to get the team on top. It’s the little steps we need to take before reaching the final, which is too far ahead. We’ve got two Tests here, so the focus is on that, we’ll see what happens after that.The LED lights here at Motera are a bit like Dubai’s ring of fire. Will it need getting used to?
Getting used to the lights, that’s always a challenge. Tomorrow [Monday], we will train under lights, so the focus ill be on getting used to the lights and the shiny new seats. We will have a long session of slip catching and outfield catching. Every new ground, you need to get used to the light and surroundings. It’s not the first time we’re playing at a nee venue. Everyone will have separate preparation once we do a team fielding session. Everyone will take out 10-20 minutes away from their personal skillsets to get used to the outfield and lights.

The moment Glenn Maxwell fell first ball you started to wonder what was possible, but in the end the predicted script played out

Melinda Farrell06-Jun-20241:16

Stoinis: Oman were a very skillful team

The powerplay is done. Australia: 37 for 1. Not bad Oman, you think, not bad at all.From the start you had nodded in approval, all you associates dreamers, as Kaleemullah twice drew the inside edge from Travis Head and pinged David Warner’s front pad. The wicket is tacky and slow and everyone says that’s a great leveller, just the thing to cut the big boys down to size.First blood to the underdogs!, you hurrahed, as Head drove Bilal Khan to Khalid Kail. When Shakeel Ahmed fired one in at Warner and the stumps lit up, you crowed in unison with the small crowd and the Kensington Oval big screens that screamed OUT!, only to discover the ball had ricocheted off Prathik Athavale’s pads. Still, it was another play and miss. Score one for Oman’s bowlers.Related

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All-round Stoinis stars as Australia overcome early wobble

You admire the gusto and commitment of the red-clad fielders as they sprint hard and fling themselves at every ball. Aqib Ilyas’ sharp dive in the covers that prevents a Mitchell Marsh boundary is so good Ayaan Khan runs in all the way from the boundary rope to backslap his captain and you throw a little fist pump yourself.When Marsh picks out long-on you feel a little tremor but the big quake is yet to come.Oh man, oh man, OMAN!, you scream as Ilyas soars to his left and clings onto Glenn Maxwell’s first-ball loose drive. Two in two! A screamer, a cracker, a pick-your-superlative blinder. Could this be Australia’s banana skin moment? Could you dare to believe this fairytale might come to life?As Warner and Marcus Stoinis scrap and scrape you start calculating. Could Oman keep them to 120? 130? Anything under 150 and surely it’s game on.In the 14th over Ilyas is hurling his legbreaks and googlies with the same conviction he had hurled himself in the covers. He draws Stoinis forward and the ball fizzes past his bat and barely misses the off stump before Athavale puts it down. Yeah, you muse, he’s got him on the run. It’s only when you see the replay that you realise it wasn’t a play and miss but the finest feather, a chance gone begging. Still, the skipper has Stoinis’ number, surely, it’s only a matter of time.Aqib Ilyas celebrates his stunning catch to remove Glenn Maxwell•ICC/Getty ImagesMehran Khan is back for the 15th over. He has two wickets already, two in two. He took 3 for 7 against Namibia and inspired an avalanche of commentary questioning Oman’s decision not to bowl him in that game’s Super Over. Maybe this would be his moment.His first ball finds the outside edge of Stoinis’ bat. It’s two runs, but another edge will do.It’s not an edge, it’s a lusty blow and it’s heading straight for Ayaan on the deep cover boundary, eyes on the ball as he backpedals, hands above his head. He takes the catch – yessssssssss! – but no, his momentum sees him tumbling back over the rope. So close. But still, you hope, it’s only a matter of time.Down the ground goes Stoinis; he has found his range and suddenly the dream starts to waver.Wham! Splat! Old school Batman graphics wouldn’t be amiss as Stoinis goes down the ground, again and again, but even Adam West couldn’t fill a skintight superhero suit the way Stoinis does when he flexes his sizeable biceps.Marcus Stoinis took advantage of his reprieves to kickstart Australia•Associated PressBig Papi is in town, the Stoin unleashed, as he grabs the momentum and casually slings it over his shoulder. The most alpha moment comes at the start of the final over, when he drives Bilal down to long-on for what would be an easy single. Stoinis turns it down with Tim David at the non-striker’s end. Yes, that Tim David, the bloke who eats death bowlers for breakfast. Flex much?Oman’s fate is sealed. Australia have too much firepower and too many runs to defend. Mitchell Starc mixes a few loosey-gooseys with the magic balls. Adam Zampa finds drift and grip, Nathan Ellis is suitably sharp and Josh Hazlewood gives little away.Starc, Zampa and Ellis take two wickets apiece but that won’t do. This is Stoinis’ joint and he pops his pecs one, two, three times. He does for the current captain with a ball that straightens, clipping the edge of Ilyas’ bat on the way to a diving Matthew Wade. The former captain is his next victim, chasing a wide one that lands in the same pair of gloves. The icing is Mehran. Who cares if it’s a full toss or it takes a boundary rope juggle from David to complete the catch? The wickets belong to the pumped-up West Australian who models on the streets of New York in his spare time.The dream was fleeting for Oman, before the beautiful brutality of The Big Stoin.Australia march on, the first hurdle surmounted. Wobble, what wobble? There is only Stoinis’ megawatt smile.

أعلن تشابي ألونسو، المدير الفني لنادي ريال مدريد، عن قائمة فريقه لمباراة مانشستر سيتي، والتي سوف تلعب ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وسوف يستضيف ريال مدريد مانشستر سيتي على ملعب سانتياجو برنابيو مساء اليوم الأربعاء، وذلك لحساب بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا ضمن الجولة السادسة من مرحلة الدوري.

ويسعى ريال مدريد إلى الفوز على مانشستر سيتي واستعادة الثقة، وذلك في ظل النتائج السلبية التي ضربت الميرنجي بشكل متتالي خلال الفترة الأخيرة.

وتعتبر مباراة اليوم بمثابة عنق الزجاجة لمدرب ريال مدريد، تشابي ألونسو، والذي ورد أنه قد تتم إقالته من تدريب النادي الإسباني حال الخسارة أمام مانشستر سيتي.

طالع .. أسطورة ريال مدريد مدافعًا عن ألونسو: تعرض لظلم كبير .. والإصابات أثرت على مستوى الفريق

وشهدت قائمة ريال مدريد تواجد كيليان مبابي، رغم التقارير العديدة التي أكدت أن مشاركة الدولي الفرنسي ضد مانشستر سيتي صعبة للغاية، بسبب الإصابة.

وعلى الجانب الآخر غاب العديد من اللاعبين عن قائمة ريال مدريد، مثل دين هويسن، وداني كارفاخال، وترينت ألكسندر أرنولد، وديفيد ألابا، وإدورادو كامافينجا، وإيدير ميليتاو، وفيرلاند ميندي، وذلك بسبب الإصابة.

ويتواجد جود بيلينجهام بجانب أردا جولر في وسط الملعب، في حين يزين خط هجوم ريال مدريد، فينيسيوس جونيور، ورودريجو جوس. قائمة ريال مدريد لمباراة مانشستر سيتي في دوري أبطال أوروبا

حراسة المرمى: تيبو كورتوا، أندري لونين، فران جونزاليز.

خط الدفاع: أنطونيو روديجر، فران جارسيا، ألفارو كاريراس، راؤول أسينسيو، خوان مارتينيز، فالديبانيس.

خط الوسط: أوريلين تشواميني، فيديريكو فالفيردي، أردا جولر، داني سيبايوس، جود بيلينجهام ، سيستيرو.

خط الهجوم: فينيسيوس جونيور، كيليان مبابي، رودريجو جوس، إبراهيم دياز، فرانكو ماستانتونو، جونزالو جارسيا، إندريك فيليبي.

Kane Williamson has started the new year as the No.1 Test batsman and his New Zealand side could become the new No.1 Test team if they beat Pakistan in the second Test in Christchurch. Williamson, though, downplayed those thoughts, saying such landmarks won’t distract the team in their last Test this home summer.”Every game you play, every test you play, any opportunity to win a Test you want to take, but to get into those positions naturally there is just so much hard work, from the first period of play to perhaps late in the match, so for us that’s the focus,” Williamson said on the eve of the Christchurch Test.

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When asked if he ever wondered if he would become the top-ranked Test batsman captaining a potentially top-ranked team, Williamson credited New Zealand’s core group that has evolved over the years since he made his Test debut in Ahmedabad in 2010.”I suppose when you start out as a young player, you want to find your feet and get an understanding for the group that you’re in,” Williamson said. I guess anybody that gets an opportunity to play one Test for their country or any format perhaps….I think there’s something special about Test [cricket] and wearing that baggy is such an amazing thing and one that you certainly never assume. Whenever that time comes or if that time comes, it’s just a complete surprise and a fantastic moment to perhaps fast-forward to a number of years and the focus changes from first Test to being involved in a group, a fairly consistent group for such a number of years. And trying to be part of moving that team forward is a different focus and really enjoyable challenge to be involved in.New Zealand celebrate a truly hard-earned Test victory in Mount Maunganui•Getty Images

As the captain of the current group, Williamson has overseen New Zealand’s dominance at home. They have been unbeaten in their last 16 home Tests stretching back to 2017, but Williamson refused to look back at that as a “run.” Instead, he lauded the team for their consistency and urged them to not get carried away by the recent success.”Looking back, we were competitive at times, but certainly not all the time,” Williamson said. “And the team has come a long way in terms of bringing an element of consistency mainly to their behaviours, which I think has been really important, simple values which are important to our group and to Kiwis, simple things we want to commit to day-in day-out.”That doesn’t always reflect in the performance being perfect – very rarely is it perfect – but certainly it can help a team grow, and it has contributed to the team moving in that direction. But, here we are now on the eve of another game, where anything can happen. It’s about peeling it back and focus on what’s important to the group and keep looking at the bigger picture and how we can hopefully continue to trend in the right direction, facing the challenges that we continue to face.”About six years ago, Brendon McCullum’s ODI side turned a rugby-mad nation into a cricket-loving country with their barnstorming performances in the 2015 World Cup at home. Now, Williamson’s Test team is on the verge of something special at their own backyard, and he hoped that the Kiwi public would be pleased with their success.”Yeah, I hope they’re enjoying it watching and those sort of things,” Williamson said. “For us, it’s important we play to the best of our ability as much as we can. This game that we play is fickle and doesn’t always happen like that and winning Test matches are very tough. We certainly respect that and we know how challenging it is against any international opposition. So, we want to keep starting again and commit to what’s important to our group and uphold the behaviours that are important to the team. And we do hope that connects with the Kiwi public.”

Elche head coach Eder Sarabia has still not gotten over the 2-2 draw against Real Madrid at the weekend, which saw Xabi Alonso's men come back twice from behind. Los Blancos equalised just three minutes from the end of normal time thanks to Jude Bellingham, but controversy erupted during and after the game as the Elche players and manager blasted the officials for what they believed to be an incorrect decision.

Madrid held to a draw by Elche after controversial Bellingham goal

Real Madrid endured yet another frustrating evening at the Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero on Sunday, as they were held to a 2-2 draw by the newly-promoted but daring Elche. The result stretched their winless run across competitions to three games. 

After a goalless first half, former Real Madrid youth player and Elche captain Aleix Febas fired the hosts into the lead just eight minutes after the restart, capping off a brilliant team move that cut Madrid open. Dean Huijsen then pulled things back, scoring his first goal for Los Blancos in the 78th minute. However, Sarabia's troops didn't budge. Substitute Alvaro Rodriguez, a La Fabrica product who has featured in several games for Madrid, scored a great individual goal just six minutes later to restore Elche's lead.

That wasn't the end of the drama. In the 87th minute, Madrid came back from behind for the second time in the game, courtesy of a Bellingham equaliser. Controversy, however, ensued, as the Elche players religiously protested Vinicius Junior's challenge on goalkeeper Inaki Pena, which left the latter bleeding from his nose. 

The pleas from Elche players could only go in vain. The goal stood, and the match finished all-square, leaving the home team's head coach furious after the game.

"It's a clear foul. Not a normal part of the game. That's what VAR is for. It's a very clear foul; it hits the goalkeeper and even draws blood. It's crystal clear," ranted Sarabia. "It's to Inaki's credit that he said it was a normal part of the game, but it really wasn't. It's a clear foul.

"I'm not at all happy with the result, especially considering the decisive moments of the match. Vinicius's foul for the 2-2 equalizer was crystal clear. Inaki didn't see the play, but it wasn't just a normal part of the game, it was a clear foul. It makes me angry to waste time on these things, but you take the lead twice and you feel that there were factors that influenced the final result. It makes you angry."

AdvertisementAFPSarabia takes his anger to social media

Sarabia took to his official account to express his contempt over the controversial refereeing over the weekend. He wrote: "My apologies to those who make decisions, but for more than 25 years now, "voluntariness/intentionality" has been removed from the regulations (except for hands). Therefore, the fact that an action is "fortuitous" is not a correct argument for deciding whether it is an infraction or not." 

Alonso reflects on Madrid's poor form

Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso addressed the media after the game and assured that the team is not in a crisis. "We haven't fallen apart," he told reporters. “That’s football. After a good run, we’re now getting results that aren’t what we wanted. But we still know what we want. We have to keep moving forward.

“We're not happy because we know perfectly well that we always want to win, and when we don't, we can't be happy. There are still many games left before the end of the year, and we have to start thinking about the next one by analysing what we've done today.  

“The team never gave up. We’re still competing. We know that the context of each game is different. Obviously, the result could be better. We're aware of that and we're self-critical, but the direction is clear, the spirit remains good and we have to respond in the face of adversity. This is Real Madrid and every unfavourable result attracts criticism, which we have to live with. We want to improve. The team never gave up.

“The connection is improving because we have more time, we interact more and we're getting to know each other better. We're all in the same boat, everyone together in the same direction. We celebrate victories, we suffer, as we did today, and we're not happy when we don't get the desired result. The connection is good, the day-to-day is good. We need to turn this moment around a little bit and we have the opportunity to do so starting in Athens.”

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AFPOlympiacos and Girona up next for Madrid

Despite their recent woes, Madrid hold a one-point lead over rivals Barcelona in La Liga and are in a strong position to secure a top-eight spot in the Champions League. They will visit Greece on Wednesday to lock horns with Greek champions Olympiacos in Europe's premier club competition, followed by another away game against Girona in the league this weekend.