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After the establishment of the Wankhede Stadium, the Brabourne sort of faded in the background, but not in my mind

Cricinfo25-Feb-2013

Tony Greig cradles Gundappa Viswanath in the 1973 Test© Cricinfo Ltd
On Wednesday morning I saw on TV, MS Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara walk out for the toss at the Brabourne Stadium at the third Test and my mind was transported back to 1956!It was in 1956 that I was first introduced to Test cricket. I was barely 12 years old and had no clue whatsoever as to what Test cricket really was about. Although, like all Mumbaikar children, I too played cricket, mostly with a tennis ball or even a ball made out of rags, I had never seen a Ranji Trophy match, let alone a Test.In 1956, the Australians had come to India, under the captaincy of Ian Johnson, on their way back home from England. My cousin had got three tickets for the match – for himself, his wife and his younger brother. As the younger brother was taken ill, I got the chance to go for the Test.When we got to the ground, I was completely dumbfounded. I had never imagined so many people could congregate in the same place and at the same time. The noise was unbelievable. Our seats were in the East Stand, in those days, comparable to SCG’s The Hill! We had to barge our way through the crowds to find three empty seats (no reserved seats in the East Stand then). By the time we sat down, the match had already started.We were so far away from the middle that it was difficult to make out who was fielding and who was batting. My knowledge of cricket was marginally better than that of my cousin, in the sense that I knew that in cricket they score runs and not points! Every player was in resplendent white clothing, though I had no idea who was who. I remember seeing these two tall fellows, running towards the stumps, waving their arms and finally bowling the ball, which I swear, I never saw, until it was being passed from hand to hand, back to the bowler. I learned later that those two tall fellows were Ray Lindwall and Pat Crawford.As my cousin’s younger brother recovered from his illness, the next day, the first day of that Test match was all I could see. But that was enough to convert me into a total cricket addict. After that I had a chance to Tests against West Indies, Pakistan and finally an inter-collegiate final between Ruia (my college) & Siddhartha College. The rivalry between these two Mumbai colleges was no less fervent than that between England & Australia.After the establishment of the Wankhede Stadium, the Brabourne sort of faded in the background, but not in my mind. Even today, some memories of those matches are as fresh in my mind as if they happened yesterday. Some memories do stand out among a host of others. The fearsome West Indian duo of Wes Hall and Roy Gilchrist running in to bowl and then ending up within hand-shaking distance of the batsman.In one of the matches, Garry Sobers was batting, hitting the ball to all corners of the ground. Polly Umrigar, the Indian captain went up to Ghulam Guard, the bowler and had a word with him. A couple of balls later Guard sent down a bouncer at Sobers. Before anybody realized what was happening, the ball was sailing into the middle of the crowd in the East Stand. That was the first time I saw a hook played off the front foot!Then there was the sensational announcement in the press that an Indian actress, Anju Mahendru, relatively unknown at that time, had got engaged to Sobers. As a publicity stunt, I don’t think, it has been bettered, yet!Then, in a Test against Pakistan, at the fall of the first wicket, as the No. 3 batsman was walking up to the wicket, a gentleman in front of me, stood up and started clapping enthusiastically, welcoming Hanif Mohamed to the crease. Only Hanif was not even playing in the match!Oh, memories, memories! To add to all those, Thursday I collected another treasure. That was the sight of Virender Sehwag, marching towards his third triple century. The only difference this time was, though Sehwag was on the hallowed and my beloved turf of the Brabourne Stadium, I was thousands of miles away in London. May be, my body was in front of the TV, in the sitting room. But my spirit was most definitely behind the bowlers arm in the North Stand. An unforgettable experience, indeed!

Bangladesh’s upset win over England has raised their chances of qualifying for the quarter-finals. However, England can also make it if they win their match against West Indies

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan11-Mar-2011Both Bangladesh and Ireland had a terrific chance to cause an upset today and create a chance for themselves to qualify for the quarter-final stage. Ultimately though, it was only Bangladesh who managed to scrape through with a two-wicket win over England. This win opens up quite a few possibilities in Group B which always seemed to be the tougher of the two groups. Here is a look at the possible scenarios and what teams must do to ensure qualification for the quarter-finals.England
England have no choice but to win their remaining game against West Indies to guarantee a place in the next round. With five points from five games (two wins, one tie and two losses), they have to first win their game against West Indies and hope that Bangladesh don’t win both their remaining games against South Africa and Netherlands. Even if Bangladesh win both, England still have a chance to sneak through if South Africa lose two of their three remaining matches.Bangladesh
Bangladesh have given themselves a good chance to make it to the next round. However, with a very low net run-rate, they must try to beat both South Africa and Netherlands to guarantee progress. In the event of one win, they must hope that England lose to West Indies as they will struggle to surpass West Indies’ run-rate in the event the teams are tied on points.West Indies
West Indies have an excellent net run-rate after their massive wins against Bangladesh and Netherlands. There is only a small chance that they may miss out on qualification. This can happen if they lose both their games to England and India and if Bangladesh go on to win both their matches. However, if Bangladesh win only one of their matches, it is unlikely that their run rate will match that of West Indies.Bangladesh’s win also means India haven’t yet locked their quarter-final place either. If England and Bangladesh win their remaining matches, if India lose both games, and if South Africa beat Ireland, then India could be fighting for a spot with England on net run rates.

Andrew Miller’s report card on England’s individual performances in the three-Test series

Andrew Miller14-Aug-2007After their near-miss in the first Test at Lord’s, England thought they had the measure of this series. It wasn’t to be, as their batsmen repeatedly failed to build on their starts and their young bowling attack lost momentum at Trent Bridge and The Oval. Cricinfo runs the rule over the 11 men who took the field

No-one else in the batting line-up could match Kevin Pietersen’s inner drive © Getty Images
Kevin Pietersen – 8
Pietersen regarded his century at Lord’s as the finest of his career and, while that statement caused surprise at the time, hindsight suggests he wasn’t entirely over-egging it. England’s near-miss in that match disguised the growing dominance of India’s swing attack, and not even Pietersen was able to master them in the decisive second Test at Nottingham. Once the conditions had eased, his final-day performance at The Oval ensured he took his rightful place at the top of England’s averages. No one else in the batting line-up can match his inner drive.Michael Vaughan – 7
Gains an extra mark for his gorgeous century at Trent Bridge – the innings of the summer by a distance, and Vaughan’s most aesthetically pleasing since his 2002-03 zenith. But in the final analysis that counts for little. His side lost their first home series since 2001, and Vaughan’s Midas touch has been tarnished a bit. Even so, the fact that he has emerged from the summer unscathed is a big enough bonus. This time last year, it was widely assumed he would never be seen in a Test match again.Ryan Sidebottom – 7
Effortlessly filled Matthew Hoggard’s long-term role as England’s shop-floor manager – providing accuracy, stamina and consistent movement through the air. He is a bowler transformed from the one-dimensional trundler he had been on debut six years earlier, and his ability to bend the ball sharply back into the right-hander’s pads kept his opponents guessing all summer long. Was phenomenally unlucky with dropped catches, however, and a side-strain at The Oval was not the send-off he deserved.James Anderson – 6
When he was good he was very, very good. When he was bad, he was … indifferent. Anderson produced a revelatory seven-wicket performance in the first Test at Lord’s. It was arguably his most exacting spell since the 2003 World Cup, and the purists purred at the accuracy of his line and the explosiveness of his movement off the pitch. But sustaining that fever pitch proved more troublesome, and all too often he found himself straining to force the pace, and sacrificing his rhythm as a result. Still, he finished strongly in the final innings at The Oval and, at the age of 25, he is the most youthful veteran in England’s new-look attack.Chris Tremlett – 6
Had a lot of ground to make up after a fizzer of a performance in Australia last winter but under the guidance of Shane Warne at Hampshire, Tremlett is a bowler reborn. A shortened run-up has extended his stamina, and commentators have waxed all series long about a flawless action that uses every inch of his massive 6′ 8″ frame. He extracted unnerving bounce from every surface he encountered. Steve Harmison has not been missed, and that is perhaps the most exciting aspect of all.

Back to school for Matt Prior after a series of slip-ups © Getty Images
Paul Collingwood – 6
Never stopped scrapping, unlike too many of his team-mates, but also never looked like being a dominant factor in the series. His two innings at Lord’s set an ominous precedent – Kumble nailed him third ball with the googly, RP Singh nailed him third ball with a bouncer – but he shrugged off both indignities and braced himself for survival. Played second fiddle to Vaughan at Trent Bridge and to Pietersen at The Oval but never threatened a Nagpur-style counterattack. With the ball in hand, however, he was a revelation, grabbing three Galacticos in four attempts – Tendulkar, Ganguly (twice) and Dravid – to treble his career tally and halve his career average.Monty Panesar – 5
It’s been an inexorable rise over the last 12 or so months, but Panesar’s progress received a timely reality check in this series. Indians certainly know how to deal with left-arm spin, especially on pitches that are designed for the pacemen. Monty had his moments – most notably the nailing of Tendulkar at Lord’s – but he spent more time than he’d imagined being pushed onto the defensive, an aspect of his game he hasn’t yet honed to perfection. What’s more, he served up more full-tosses in a single series than he’d bowled in his career to date. Quite possibly he was trying too hard.Andrew Strauss – 4
The stats suggest he was merely a notch below his best – an average of 35.16, a top score of 96. But Strauss’s struggles have been going on for months now. His last international century came against Pakistan at Headingley in August 2006, 12 months and 41 innings ago. He’s already been purged from the ODI and Twenty20 set-up, and his Test place has never looked more vulnerable. He knows it too. His two half-centuries were both painstaking affairs, and both ended with uncharacteristic rashness – a charge at Kumble at Lord’s, a slash at Zaheer at Trent Bridge. He was once so good at playing within his limitations, but this summer anxiety has ripped his gameplan to shreds.Alastair Cook – 4
It was all too easy while the West Indians were in town, and none have suffered more than Cook for the step-up in class. He hasn’t been embarrassed, but he’s had some technical shortcomings exposed – in particular his tendency to topple across to the off-side, which is in itself a reaction to the problems he encountered outside his off stump in the Ashes. Instead he’s been lbw four times, caught flicking to leg twice, and his uncertainties were highlighted in two unfulfilled performances at The Oval. But with six Test centuries before the age of 23, he has the time, talent and temperament to bounce back.Ian Bell – 4
A disappointment. The fragility of England’s post-Giles lower-order, coupled with his success at No. 6 (four hundreds and a 97 in his previous eight matches in that position) meant that Bell should have had a crucial role to play in this series. Instead, after getting caught in the middle of a dramatic collapse at Lord’s, he reverted to his familiar anonymity. He twice reached 60 at The Oval, but twice gave it away – a limp waft in the first innings, a daft sweep in the second. But the biggest disappointment was his second-ball duck in the second innings at Trent Bridge, at a time when Vaughan had given England a sniff of the ascendancy and someone – anyone – needed to follow it through.Matt Prior – 3.5
There’s no kind way of putting it, but Prior has had a shocker – a classic example of failing to put one’s money where one’s mouth is. His constant chirping got the goat of all of India’s batsmen, but in the aftermath of the jellybean fiasco, his antics came across as childish rather than tactical. All would have been forgiven had he responded with Test-class performances, but he made a rod for his own back by dropping Tendulkar and VVS Laxman on a flat track at The Oval, and then administered his own abuse with a torturous 15-ball duck. His series started promisingly with an important 42 at Lord’s, and ended with some a measure of redemption in his final-innings defiance. But that debut century must seem a lifetime ago.

Tuzos have already submitted an offer to Colo Colo for the services of the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona player.

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Pachuca is set to debut in the CWC on June 18, facing RB SalzburgVidal returned to Colo Colo in early 2024Has contributed 13 goals and five assists over 82 appearancesWatch every FIFA Club World Cup game free on DAZNStream nowAFPWHAT HAPPENED?

With their sights set on a strong showing at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Pachuca are actively seeking to bolster their squad. The Mexican side is taking full advantage of the tournament's allowance to register up to six reinforcements, and one of their most ambitious moves may involve Arturo Vidal.

According to , Pachuca has submitted a formal offer to Chilean club Colo Colo for a short-term loan of the 38-year-old midfielder – solely for the duration of the Club World Cup. While Colo Colo have yet to respond, the proposal is reportedly on the table and would cover a one-month loan spell next summer.

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Vidal, a veteran with an illustrious résumé that includes stints at Juventus, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Bayer Leverkusen, Flamengo, and the Chilean national team, returned to Colo Colo in early 2024. Despite his age, Vidal remains a key figure in South American football, having contributed 13 goals and five assists over 82 appearances with the Chilean club in recent competitions, including the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana.

Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?

Pachuca have already secured several reinforcements for their Club World Cup campaign, including José Castillo (Chivas), Agustín Palavecino (Necaxa), Federico Pereira (Toluca), and Robert Kenedy (Real Valladolid). The club is reportedly working on a fifth signing. Earlier rumors linked Neymar to Pachuca, but the idea was quickly dismissed by club executives.

The potential addition of Vidal would bring valuable midfield versatility and ball control, as aim to compete with some of the world's top clubs.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR PACHUCA?

Pachuca are set to debut in the Club World Cup on June 18, facing RB Salzburg. They will then meet Real Madrid on June 22, and conclude the group stage against Al Hilal on June 26. As part of their preparation, they played to a 1-1 draw against Al Ahly in a recent friendly match.

Mauricio Pochettino has claimed that Kylian Mbappe's "eyes shone" for Real Madrid throughout his tenure as Paris Saint-Germain coach. The Argentine was in the Parc des Princes dugout when Madrid first approached the Ligue 1 giants over a transfer for Mbappe in 2022, although PSG rejected their offer at that time.

Mbappe's 'eyes shone' for RealMade first move while Pochettino was PSG coachPoch praises Mbappe's leadership qualitiesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Mbappe realised his long-standing dream of representing Los Blancos as he completed a free transfer to Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2024. Real had failed with multiple big-money bids for Mbappe in the years before he ran down his contract at the Parc des Princes. Pochettino has now admitted that he could see the Frenchman's desire for Real when he was working with him at PSG between 2021 and 2022.

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Speaking to , the current USMNT boss said: "PSG is one of the strongest clubs. I still have a great relationship with the Emir and Nasser (Al-Khelaïfi). You're not going to scare them. It was a difficult time for Kylian. He's always dreamed of going to Real Madrid since he was a child. I knew it. He's a great boy. Going to achieve your dreams sometimes means betraying a given word. 

"I was the coach who saw him as a boy who came to you for advice. It wasn't easy. I could no longer go against my interests, I was the coach of PSG. But I saw a boy whose eyes shone for another club. It's very difficult. I always had the same message with him. I was loyal to my club and my values. In the end, he stayed in Paris, but he managed to achieve his dream."

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Pochettino also spoke highly of Mbappe's leadership skills, as he added: "Mbappé is a leader. Now, he’s a certain type of leader. He’s a different kind of leader compared to Neymar, Sergio Ramos, or [Lionel] Messi. Each one has their own leadership qualities. To understand that, you need to know how to position your players behind him."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE?

Mbappe has joined up with the France national team and will be in action for Didier Deschamps' side in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland on September 5 and 9, respectively.

Kent still shy of saving follow-on despite unbeaten 152 from their No. 4

ECB Reporters Network12-May-2024

A dogged 152 from Jack Leaning gave Kent a fighting chance of saving their Vitality County Championship match with Worcestershire at Canterbury, steering them to 362 for 8 at stumps.The hosts still trail by 256 after an attritional third day, but Leaning batted through all three sessions and Beyers Swanepoel made 54 on his debut to boost their hopes of grinding out a draw on day four.Matthew Waite took 3 for 51 but on a pitch that offered little joy for the bowlers, Worcestershire took just six wickets during a sapping day in the field.Kent began day three on 111 for 2 and were untroubled for the first half hour. Leaning reached 50 for the first time in 11 first-class innings when he cut Smith through backward point for two, but Waite then produced a twin jab that briefly left them reeling. He bowled Daniel Bell-Drummond for 67, clipping his off stump with a straight one, then had Joe Denly lbw after just four balls.Leaning and Harry Finch steadied the ship, steering Kent to 179 for 4 at lunch, but after surviving for 106 balls Finch tried to drive Waite and was caught at cover by Rob Jones.That, however, was the visitors’ only success during the afternoon session. The track and the outfield were both catatonic and this, combined with some coltish Worcestershire fielding, drastically limited the flow of boundaries, with 21 overs passing before the new ball arrived and Joey Evison punched Waite through the covers.Having batted for exactly five hours, Leaning reached three figures just before tea when he drove Jason Holder through cow corner and although Evison edged both Gibson’s final two balls before tea, neither carried to Holder at slip, leaving the hosts on 250 for 5. It was a short-lived reprieve for Evison as he bottom-edged Waite behind in the second over after the resumption and was out for 27.Leaning and Swanepoel had to resist the urge to go all-out for a second batting point, but they came frustratingly close, falling just three runs short at the 110 over mark. Leaning cracked the first ball of the next over for four.Swanepoel belied a jittery start and played with increasing fluency, although he rode his luck at times, nearly chopping Holder on to the stumps for the two that saw him reach his half-century, before he was eventually lbw to Brett D’Oliveira in the 122nd.Leaning passed 150 and the game seemed to be meandering until Kashif Ali gave the visitors some renewed momentum when he bowled Wes Agar for six with the final ball of the penultimate over, to set up a potentially fascinating final day.

An unbeaten tenth-wicket stand of 17 from MacMillan and Vidler helped Australia clinch thriller after Straker’s six-for

Sreshth Shah08-Feb-2024An unbeaten tenth-wicket stand of 17 between Raf MacMillan and Callum Vidler took Australia past Pakistan in a topsy-turvy second semi-final in Benoni to seal a date against India in Sunday’s final for the 2024 Men’s Under-19 World Cup title.Chasing only 180 after Tom Straker’s 6 for 24 wrecked Pakistan in the first innings, Australia nearly threw away their advantage with the bat after a few clumsy top-order dismissals brought some parity into the contest. Fifteen-year-old Ali Raza (4-34) struck thrice late in the day, but the young pair of MacMillan (19*) and Vidler (3*) staved off the challenge posed by the inspired Pakistan bowling attack in the death overs to just about take Australia over the line. The winning runs in the final over were scored off an inside edge that very nearly crashed into the stumps but instead trickled behind for four.Australia also had opener Harry Dixon and wicketkeeper-batter Oliver Peake to thank for their contributions with the bat that held their fragile innings together.Dixon, who models his game on David Warner, hit his third half-century of the tournament and perhaps the most important of his youth ODI career with 50 in 75 balls. He held one end up as Sam Konstas (14), Hugh Weibgen (4), Harjas Singh (run out for 5) and Ryan Hicks (0) fell in quick succession to leave Australia reeling at 59 for 4. Along with Peake, he added 43 for the sixth wicket, but a double-wicket burst from left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas brought Pakistan into the game.Tom Straker starred with six wickets•ICC/Getty ImagesPakistan then went ahead in the contest when Raza with his blistering pace picked off Peake – on 49 – and Straker in the 42nd and 46th overs respectively. He then bowled the No. 10 Mahli Beardman for a duck leaving Australia scrambling with only one wicket in hand. But the tenth and most important wicket remained elusive.Earlier in the day, Pakistan were inserted to bat by Australia captain Weibgen. On a surface with ample spin and enough lateral movement, four of Pakistan’s top six were out for single digits. Straker, with his height and pace, dismissed Shamyl Hussain (17) and Saad Baig (3) while fellow new-ball bowler Vidler got Shahzaib Khan (4). Offspinners MacMillan and Campbell also found enough purchase to keep the left-hand heavy Pakistan line-up guessing.Two batters who did look comfortable for Pakistan, though, were the No. 3 Azan Awais and the No. 7 Minhas. They both struck 52 of different styles, to ensure Pakistan could make 179. Awais was more reserved, playing according to the struggling situation Pakistan found themselves in, while Minhas was more attacking in the back end, with the team searching for a respectable total. Their 54-run fifth-wicket stand seemed to set Pakistan up for a score closer to 200, but their dismissals in the 41st and 45th overs gave Australia an opening to exploit.And that came in the form of Straker’s extreme pace. He picked up a fourth wicket when Ubaid Khan mistimed a shot to cover in the 47th over, and when he returned for the 49th, Straker rattled the stumps of both the No. 10 and No. 11 Pakistan batters. In a game of close margins, the seven balls Pakistan failed to face in the first innings turned out to be mighty expensive.The result now sets up a repeat of the 2018 Under-19 World Cup final and more recently, the 2023 ODI World Cup final contested between the India and Australia senior sides. That contest will be at the same venue in Benoni on Sunday, February 11.

Former Liverpool striker Andy Carroll endured a nightmare debut in non-league football for Dagenham and Redbridge as his team went down 5-1 against League Two side Crawley Town in a pre-season friendly. The 36-year-old, who once broke the British transfer record when moving to Anfield from Newcastle, is making a fresh start in the sixth tier of English football after leaving Bordeaux.

Carroll endured nightmare debut for non-league clubHas returned to English football after brief stint in FranceDagenham and Redbridge lost 5-1 to Crawley TownFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Carroll came on as a substitute around the hour mark when his team was 2-1 down, and then saw a Crawley Town player, listed as 'Trialist B', score a brace to help inflict a humiliating defeat on non-league Dagenham.

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Carroll, who previously enjoyed spells at Newcastle, Liverpool, and West Ham United in the Premier League, has returned to England after a brief stint with French fourth-division club Bordeaux. Despite interest from clubs across Europe, the veteran forward chose an unexpected path and will now hope to make a meaningful impact on and off the pitch at Dagenham.

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The ex-England international has also become an investor in the non-league side as he starts planning for life after football.

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Dagenham and Redbridge will be next seen in pre-season action on July 22 as they take on another League Two outfit, Colchester, with Carroll likely to be in contention for his first start.

Palmeiras were made to wait until an extra time goal from Paulinho to squeeze past Botafogo in the last 16 of the Club World Cup with a 1-0 win.

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• Palmeiras dominate possession
• Victor John of Botafogo goal made several saves
• Sub Paulinho's mazy run and finish breaks deadlock

• AFP
  

  TELL ME MORE

  The Club World Cup promises to throw up new and unexpected matchups. Unsurprisingly, the first half felt like two teams that know each other well, sizing each other up. Palmeiras dominated the ball, and looked the more industrious of the two Brazilian sides, but Botafogo were content to hold their shape.

  The only clear cut chance generated in the opening half came when Palmeiras front man Vitor Roque failed to convert a tantalising cross from Joaquin Piquerez in the opening 10 minutes.

  Verdao continued to look the better side after the break, with highly rated winger Estevao having an effort chalked off for a razor thin offside in the 49th minute. Where Botafogo looked calm under pressure in the first half, their backline was increasingly frantic in warding off the Palmeiras attack, forcing John Victor into several smart saves in the Fogo net before the hour mark.

  The Botafogo keeper proved his worth again in the 72nd minute, making a smart stop from a point blank header by Mauricio. Neither team committed players forward for the remainder of regulation, seemingly settling for extra time.

  Once again, it was Victor who provided the last line of defence for the team from Rio, pushing a long range effort from Richard Rios round the post halfway through the first half of extra time. Moments later, the deadlock was broken as Paulinho dribbled into the Botafogo box and squeezed an effort inside the far post in the 100th minute. On replay, it appeared the sidefooted shot was deflected past the titanic keeper by his centre half, Alexander Barboza.

  Palmeiras invited pressure as they protected their lead, and should have given up an equaliser when Vitinha volleyed a back post cross into the side netting. Their task was made even harder when captain Gustavo Gomez was shown a second yellow for an off the ball scuffle in the dying embers, but they were ultimately able to hold on.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE MVP

  Colombian Richard Ríos bossed the middle of the park and provided a goal threat throughout, stinging Victor's gloves and whistling efforts past the post. He has been linked with a move to Europe, but a rumoured release clause of €90 million may ward off potential suitors.

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• THE BIG LOSER

  Abel Ferreira: Palmeiras looked at their most dangerous in the fifteen minutes after the break, with Estevao and Roque giving the Fogo defence all sorts of headaches with direct dribbling and sharp link-up play. Coach Ferreira's decision to call their number in the 64th minute was slightly puzzling. While Verdao remained on top, they looked slightly toothless before the game went into extra time.

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• WHAT COMES NEXT?

  Palmeiras can now turn their attention to this evening's between Benfica and Chelsea. They will face off against the winner in Philadelphia on Friday 4th July.

With the summer transfer window approaching, the 49ers now reportedly have the chance to seal a bargain deal to sign a player who previously scored the winning goal against Rangers.

Rangers could land bargain deal

The Gers may have endured a season to forget – resulting in the dismissal of Philippe Clement – but that didn’t stop them from getting one over on arch-rivals Celtic last time out. Defeating the Bhoys late on courtesy of Hamza Igamane’s winning goal in a 3-2 thriller, the Gers at least came away from the Old Firm derby having left their mark.

However, any celebrations won’t last too long, with the Gers already turning their focus towards the summer transfer window and ensuring that they’ve got more than just an Old Firm derby victory to cheer in the Scottish Premiership next season.

The arrival of the 49ers should certainly provide the Scottish giants with a much-needed boost in pursuit of that. And although their first task will be finding a permanent replacement for Clement, recent reports suggest that they could then turn towards a bargain deal.

Rangers News has highlighted that the 49ers have the chance to sign Dejan Ljubicic in a free deal this summer once his contract comes to an end at FC Koln in Germany’s second division, with the Austrian already on the 49ers’ radar.

Blow for Rangers and Ferguson as 17-goal ace could now miss chunk of action

This is not what Barry Ferguson wants to hear.

ByHenry Jackson Mar 18, 2025

A player that the incoming owners already know after previously attempting to seal his signature at Leeds United, Ljubicic looks set to be one to watch when the summer transfer window swings open.

Meanwhile, those at Ibrox are also well aware of the midfielder’s quality, having watched on as he scored the winning goal for Rapid Vienna against Steven Gerrard’s Rangers side in the 2018/19 Europa League group stage.

"Special" Ljubicic could partner Diomande

In Ljubicic, Rangers would be welcoming a defensive midfielder who could provide the foundation for the likes of Mohamed Diomande to thrive further forward. Rangers already reaped the rewards for his attacking exploits against Celtic when he gave them a 2-1 lead over their rivals and could see his full potential unleashed by Ljubicic’s arrival.

The 27-year-old is certainly appreciated at Koln, having earned the praise of manager Gerhard Struber, who told reporters last summer: “Dejan is a player who has performed great for FC in recent years and can help us very, very well on the way back to the Bundesliga. Great. Simply great. The overall package is special. I’m very happy for him.”

Having been wheeling away in celebration at the detriment of Rangers as many as six seasons ago, the defensive midfielder could finally make up for his winning goal by kicking the 49ers era off with a bang at Ibrox.

Change is afoot at Rangers, from the ownership to the management and perhaps a few fresh faces. Whether the Gers’ official Clement replacement decides to welcome the bargain of Ljubicic this summer remains to be seen, however, as they look to make their mark.