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Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez's clinical strikes have given Inter a healthy two-goal lead in their Champions League last-16 tie with Feyenoord.

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• Thuram, Martinez on target
• Inter on the cusp of qualifying for quarter-final
• Beat Feyenoord 2-0 in Rotterdam

• TELL ME MORE

  The opening 30 minutes of Wednesday's first leg saw Feyenoord create more of the goal-scoring opportunities as the visitors failed to gel in attack. However, Inter drew first blood with Thuram breaking the deadlock in the 38th minute from their first big opportunity. Nicolo Barella floated an inch-perfect cross to the back post where Thuram was unmarked to volley the ball into the top corner from close range.

  The Serie A giants then doubled their lead just five minutes into the second half. Piotr Zielinski's attempted shot was blocked by Jakub Moder in the box, but Martinez pounced on the second ball and found the roof of the net. Inter then had a golden opportunity to double their advantage from the spot after Thuram was brought down inside the Feyenoord box. Zielinski took the spot-kick but his weak strike was comfortably parried away by Timon Wellenreuther.

  Despite never getting out of second gear in Rotterdam, Inter got the job courtesy of some clinical finishes from their star forwards Thuram and Martinez. They will be much more relaxed ahead of the second leg at San Siro next week.

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  THE MVP

  Thuram stole the limelight despite only spending a little over an hour on the pitch, as his first-half strike set the tone for Inter's crucial away win in the first leg. The French forward was a livewire in his time on the pitch and was in the right place to expertly fire home Barella's delightful cross with the outside of his boot.

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  THE BIG LOSER

  The Feyenoord backline started the game in promising fashion as they kept the star-studded Inter attack quiet for nearly the entire first period. Unfortunately, they completely blanked during the two goals as Thuram and Martinez scored without much trouble.

• WHAT COMES NEXT?

  Inter will be back in action in the Serie A on Saturday night as they take on Monza at home. Robin van Persie's side, on the other hand, will enjoy a well-earned break before they meet the Serie A giants in the second leg on March 11.

Celtic moved up to 13th in the league phase of the Champions League on Tuesday night with a fantastic 3-1 win over Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.

The Hoops have now won two and drawn one of their opening four matches in the competition, which means that they have already outperformed their tally in the group stage of the 2023/24 campaign, before the change in format.

Brendan Rodgers’ side only won one match and registered four points, as they finished bottom of their group, and the change in format has seemingly benefitted the Scottish giants this term.

Aside from the devastating 7-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in Germany, the Bhoys have impressed on the continent, with a 5-1 win over SK Slovan, a 0-0 draw away at Atalanta, and a 3-1 win over Leipzig.

It was the away side, however, that took the lead at Parkhead on Tuesday night, through Christoph Baumgartner’s header at the back post from a corner.

A brace from Nicolas Kuhn before half-time put the home side in front, though, and Reo Hatate then secured all three points for Celtic with a third.

Nicolas Kuhn's performance against RB Leipzig

The match-winner and game-changer for Celtic was, yet, again Kuhn, as he produced a phenomenal display in Europe against Leipzig, which was praised by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel after the match.

He had not scored a goal in the Champions League prior to Tuesday night, with one assist in the first three matches, and announced himself on the European stage against the German side.

His first goal was a thing of pure beauty. The left-footed magician cut inside from the right flank and curled a sublime shot into the far corner from the edge of the box to make it 1-1 on the night.

Kuhn was then perfectly positioned for Greg Taylor’s cross to convert the ball into an almost empty net, after Daizen Maeda completely fluffed his lines by missing the ball.

The 24-year-old star also created two chances for his teammates on the night, which speaks to his creativity and unselfishness, but did not register an assist.

As you can see in the graphic above, Kuhn’s two goals also came from an xG of just 0.56 and this shows that his finishing against the Bundesliga side was ruthless.

His performance for the Scottish giants was far from a surprise, though, as the former Rapid Vienna sensation has been in stunning form throughout the campaign so far for Rodgers.

Nicolas Kuhn's form this season

The German attacker has produced nine goals and ten assists in 16 matches in all competitions for the Hoops so far this term, which is a staggering return for this point in the season.

To be on the verge of a double double for goals and assists before the November international break is a big achievement and shows that he has emerged as the star in this Celtic team.

As you can see in the table above, the talented ace has been directly involved in eight goals in seven starts in the Scottish Premiership for the Bhoys.

The former Bayern Munich youngster only managed three goals and three assists in 18 games during his first season at Parkhead, which shows that he has taken a huge step forward this year.

Rodgers could already have his next Kuhn at the club in the form of South Korean prospect Hyun-jun Yang, who produced a positive performance off the bench on Tuesday and has the potential to also take a huge step forward.

Why Hyun-jun Yang could be the next Nicolas Kuhn

Firstly, the young winger came off the bench to complete 100% (1/1) of his attempted dribbles and 93% (13/14) of his attempted passes, whilst winning two of his three duels.

Chalkboard

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

He proved to Rodgers that he has the energy and the quality to come in and hold his own against a top-quality side in Leipzig, who are second in the Bundesliga, in a big European game, even if it was only as a substitute on this occasion.

At the age of 22, Yang has plenty of time left to develop and improve during his time with the Hoops and could look to follow in Kuhn’s footsteps by emerging as a key player for the club out wide.

The South Korean wizard has all the attributes he needs to become a star for Celtic in the future but it is about showing them consistently and adjusting to the physicality and intensity of the game in Scotland, and in Europe.

Celtic signed Yang from Gangwon in the summer of 2023 and their president Kim Byung-ji heaped praise on the youngster at the time of the move. He said: “I hope Yang will continue to grow. He could easily become a world class player like Son Heung-min.

“He was a mainstay for our team and was an inspiration.”

These comments suggest that the young forward, who scored eight goals and supplied four assists in 31 K League 1 games during the 2022 campaign, has far more to show in a Celtic shirt.

Yang was recently handed a start against Dundee in the Premiership and made a positive impression, completing 90% of his attempted passes and creating one ‘big chance’.

It was his first start of the season and his performance was good enough to suggest that Rodgers should keep him around the first-team and provide him with more opportunities moving forward.

As you can see in the table above, Yang showed signs of quality in his first season at the club last term, with six goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in ten starts.

It was his first year in Europe, away from South Korea, and that meant that it was mainly about him learning and adapting to football in this continent, rather than one where he was expected to be an instant success.

The 22-year-old ace now has over a year’s worth of experience in Scotland and could now look to kick on and fulfill his potential, by emerging as a key player for the Hoops moving forward.

Worth more than Kuhn: Celtic lost a real star whose value's soared 1,300%

The former Celtic forward has thrived since moving down south to the Premier League.

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By
Dan Emery

Nov 3, 2024

It is down to him to keep impressing when he gets on the pitch, by scoring goals and creating ‘big chances’, to then earn a place in the starting XI out wide, as Kuhn did on his path to being the team’s main man.

Hansi Flick has chimed in on the topic of the ongoing controversy related to referees, with Real Madrid repetitively calling for their heads.

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• Flick on the side of referees
• Showed empathy towards them
• Ongoing controversy stirred by Real Madrid

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has voiced his opinions on the latest footballing controversy in Spain, calling for LaLiga match officials to be protected amid a wave of harsh criticism from Real Madrid via their official platform, Real Madrid TV.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  During Real Madrid's most recent LaLiga encounter, in which they faced Osasuna at El Sadar, Jude Bellingham was shown a straight red card in the 39th minute for allegedly saying "f*ck you" to referee Monuera Montero.

  Following the game, Montero was a victim to online abuse and threats made by fans, prompting the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) to issue a strong statement condemning the treatment of the referee.

  That wasn't the first instance of Real Madrid clashing with the referees, as the club demanded VAR room audios from the Espanyol game at the start of the month, in which Espanyol left-back Carlos Romero escaped a sending off for a rash challenge from behind on Kylian Mbappe.

• WHAT HANSI FLICK SAID

  “It is very important to have referees. What they are doing with the referees in Spain is unbelievable," Flick told reporters (h/t Football Espana). "I don’t like it. We have to think about the families. We as players and managers have to protect them too. I don’t like to use energy against the referees.

  “We have the VAR and we have to trust them. You have to change things, because they are human and it is normal to make mistakes. The Federation must show how strong they are, because it’s important. Players and coaches also make mistakes, and we must protect them.

  “We always look for excuses. If we lose it’s because of the referees and it’s not like that. We all make mistakes, I make them, you make them, even the referees. We have to protect the referees because we can’t play without them. We have to protect them. We have to play better to win.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR HANSI FLICK?

  The German head coach has guided Barcelona back to the top of the LaLiga table following a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano on Monday. Their upcoming assignments include a trip to Las Palmas this weekend, followed by next week's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg clash against Atletico Madrid.

Arsenal have been utterly transformed over the last four years, from a team struggling in midtable to one fighting for the Premier League and Champions League.

Mikel Arteta has worked wonders on the pitch with his tactical approach, but alongside Edu Gaspar, he has also turned the Gunners into shrewd operators in the market, both in terms of incoming and outgoings.

The likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Folarin Balogun have all been moved on for sizable fees under the Spaniard and Brazilian, which is something that rarely happened under the former leadership.

However, for all the poor sales conducted before Arteta found himself in the hot seat, there were some great ones here and there, including one player loved by Arsène Wenger.

Wenger's biggest sales

So, before we get to the player who netted the Gunners a considerable profit, let’s look at a couple of the most significant sales completed while Wenger was still at the club.

The first player that has to be mentioned is English midfielder Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, who joined the North Londoners from Southampton in the summer of 2011 for a fee reported to be around £15m, including add-ons.

Over the following six seasons, the Portsmouth-born star would make 198 first-team appearances for the club, in which he scored 20 goals and provided 28 assists, so it was quite a surprise when Liverpool were willing to pay £35m for his services in August 2018.

The 31-year-old would go on to enjoy a relatively successful stint on Merseyside, winning several trophies, but the injury problems that saw him miss around 178 games for the Gunners continued up North.

Another of Wenger’s most significant sales was another midfielder who left for a fee in the region of £35m: Cesc Fàbregas.

The Spaniard joined the North Londoners in 2003 for around £2m and would go on to make 303 appearances for the first team over the following eight years before finally returning to Barcelona and then making a number of moves that would see him play for Chelsea, AS Monaco and Como.

Unlike Chamberlain, losing the exceptional international was a severe blow on the pitch. Still, the silver lining was the enormous profit, but another player loved by Wenger, who Unai Emery sold, netted the club an even larger profit.

Market Movers

Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?

The sale of Alex Iwobi

Yes, the player in question is none other than Nigerian international Alex Iwobi, who joined Arsenal as a youngster before breaking into and establishing himself in the first team under Wenger.

The Lagos-born dynamo, whom the Frenchman dubbed “exceptional” in November 2017, made 149 first-team appearances for the North Londoners between the 13/14 and 18/19 seasons, eventually being sold to Everton in the summer of 2019 for a massive fee of £35m with 15 goals and 24 assists to his name.

Now, while the versatile academy gem wasn’t a star of the team at the time, Emery’s decision to offload him when he did was a surprise, but given that he joined the club’s youth set up as a youngster, the fee he bought in was all profit, making it one of the best sales in the club’s history, at least from a financial perspective.

Moreover, while the 28-year-old has since established himself as a Premier League-level player, making 140 appearances for the Toffees and 34 for Fulham, he hasn’t quite developed into the world-beater that some at Hale End thought he might.

Ultimately, Iwobi was a useful player for Arsenal when he was at the club, but Emery and those in charge at the time did exceptionally well to get such a significant fee for him in 2019, especially as, at the time, the Gunners were not known for being particularly great sellers.

Contact made: Arsenal keen on signing amazing £75m Trossard upgrade

Arsenal could take their attack to the next level with the sensational forward.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Oct 23, 2024

Plays of the day from the fourth ODI between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in Mirpur

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur28-Nov-2014The prophecy
In 34th over, Mushfiqur Rahim said, “Come on boys, one will bring two.” Two balls later, Solomon Mire gave a simple catch to cover and became the fourth Zimbabwe wicket as drinks came on the field. After the break, Brendan Taylor, with whom Mire had added 106 runs, edged to Mushfiqur himself and the Bangladesh wicketkeeper’s prophecy indeed came to pass.The precision strikeTamim Iqbal wasn’t finding the gaps but had largely been patient during a 34-ball 16. Pressure was building and it told when he ran out of the crease to Mire and tried to carve him over the off-side field. He did, but was caught by Hamilton Masakadza at deep cover. The only fielder deep on the off side, and he didn’t have to move.The pluckTaylor was stationed at midwicket in the 12th over, but he had walked in a considerable distance with Imrul Kayes struggling to clear the infield. The batsman tried to lift Neville Madziva over the top, but Taylor jumped and plucked out a superb one-handed catch, which seemed to please the bowler to no end as Madziva celebrated quite heartily.The pullMire has been a revelation in the ODI series for Zimbabwe. He has scored fast and bowled with pace and both traits were on display today as he picked up three wickets and later scored a fifty. The highlight of his innings was a superb pull over midwicket off Rubel Hossain in the 33rd over. It soared over the boundary to bring up up his own fifty and the partnership’s century.The first impressionJubair Hossain had to wait only five balls for his maiden ODI wicket. He foxed Timycen Maruma with a googly that came out of the side of the hand. The batsman was stuck in the crease with his off-stump slightly exposed and Jubair got the ball to turn just enough to sneak between bat and pad to hit the target.

While acknowledging Guptill’s contributions, the NZ captain was clear it was time to give Allen a run of games ahead of next year’s ODI World Cup

Shashank Kishore15-Nov-2022Playing a high-profile series within days of finishing a World Cup isn’t new to New Zealand. Last year, within hours of playing the T20 World Cup final against Australia in Dubai, they were en route to India for a T20I series.This year, they’ve had an “extra day or two” following their semi-final loss to Pakistan. The only difference this time is, they will be playing at home against India, with the first of the three T20Is beginning in Wellington on Friday.Related

• 'Be aggressive but also focus on conditions and situations' – Laxman's mantra for T20Is

• Guptill, Boult left out of New Zealand's white-ball squads for India series

• Neesham declines NZ contract, Tickner and Allen handed deals

• NZC agrees to release Trent Boult from central contract

Beginning a home summer with the shortest format, especially with a 50-over World Cup coming up in less than a year, could be seen as a sign of commerce taking priority over conventional wisdom. However, Kane Williamson believes, with world events coming thick and fast, teams are perpetually in a state of trying to find the right balance, format notwithstanding.And that’s exactly what New Zealand have tried to address in picking their white-ball squads for the India series. The “crystal-ball gazing” – as head coach Gary Stead described – towards next year’s 50-overs World Cup in India has well and truly begun, and it has had a massive bearing on the Williamson-led squad.Devon Conway has cemented his position as a reliable option up top, and New Zealand are gung-ho about 23-year-old Finn Allen partnering him. What that means for Martin Guptill’s bid to play in a fourth ODI World Cup is anybody’s guess, but Williamson acknowledged that he was “one of New Zealand’s best white-ball players”, while also elaborating on the strengths Allen brings to the table.Trent Boult and James Neesham have declined NZC contracts for different reasons•ICC via Getty Images

“Finn’s a very exciting talent, it’s been great to see him in the side and expressing himself,” Williamson said at a media interaction organised by . “You mentioned that Australian game [New Zealand’s T20 World Cup opener in Sydney] where he made an amazing contribution, and it went a long way in us getting ahead of the game. That’s a real strength of his, it’s natural for him in terms of how he plays.”Being so young as well, you see so much potential and talent and getting more cricket under his belt is only going to be more helpful to nurturing that and continuing his upward trend as a player. He’s looking forward to this series as well. He certainly goes out with the intention of playing very aggressively and playing his game, has a lot of conviction in how he wants to go about it. It’s been great to see and am sure that will continue.”Delving further into team specifics, Williamson admitted that Trent Boult’s absence from the squad despite being available for selection was a reflection of the circumstances around his decision to opt out of New Zealand Cricket’s annual retainer, but he suggested it was by no means a full stop to his international career. The selectors have prioritised players with central contracts as they begin to look ahead.”Obviously with the moving landscape we’re presented with at the moment, players have made a number of different decisions,” Williamson said. “Trent, being a big part of our team, has done that. Although available, he’s got a few other things to focus on within the next period of time. There’s an opportunity at the moment with other guys on the fringe to get some opportunity and for us building and growing as a team is really important, but it’s all a bit new as well and there’s a lot of learning to be had over the next period, but Trent’s obviously a big part of the New Zealand cricket environment and has been for a long time. I think it’s going to be an important thing to learn and understand how it looks over the next period.”Adam Milne returns to the ODI set-up for the first time since 2017, having battled through several injuries. With Kyle Jamieson still recovering from a back injury, the other pace slots have gone to Tim Southee, Matt Henry (ODIs only), Lockie Ferguson and Blair Tickner.”Adam Milne has been a really strong performer for a number of years, unfortunately had a few injuries along the way,” Williamson said. “He’s a super-talented athlete when fully fit and diving. Great to have him in the squad, he’s ready to go, great addition. Blair Tickner has been more involved in the last few years in a number of formats, so the bowling depth is reasonably strong and it’s nice to see some of these guys get a few opportunities.”Mitchell Santner is the only frontline spinner in New Zealand’s ODI squad•AFP/Getty Images

Allrounder James Neesham finds himself in the mix despite not having a contract, but his situation is different to Boult’s. When Neesham wasn’t offered a central contract, he began looking at prospective T20 deals around the world. But with Colin de Grandhomme retiring, Neesham was presented with a contract, which he had to decline since he had already secured T20 deals.Elsewhere, in picking just one frontline spinner in Mitchell Santner in their ODI squad (although they also have the allrounder Michael Bracewell), New Zealand have given a peek into their horses-for-courses approach as they build into the series. “I’ve always been a believer that addressing what’s in front of you is a pretty good place to start in terms of preparation, and as you get further down the line you start changing that focus,” Williamson explained. “Tournament sport, as we’ve seen in the T20 World Cup, you’ve to adjust and look to pivot and make those changes quickly.”There’s a lot of planning that goes into that, as a team, focusing on plans important to you in terms of continuing to grow and trend in the right direction is really important. The one-day cricket we have between now and then is valuable in terms of trying to do that.”At a personal level, Williamson seemed reasonably happy with where his fitness is, having battled a troublesome elbow injury for over two years. He reiterated his focus and drive to be involved in all three formats at the moment, even though New Zealand have just ended one T20 World Cup cycle.”The elbow is improving, it certainly took quite a long time, but I’m feeling a lot better now,” he said. “I think as a player, generally certain things in life change and when you get further down the line, you’re always looking to make decisions based on making sure you stay fresh.”I certainly love playing all formats and the challenges those bring, and at the same time with such a high volume of cricket, there’s a balance to strike. Maybe less in terms of specific formats, more in terms of how you do manage your time to the best of your ability. There’s a lot on and that’s for a lot of players around the world. Need to make sure there’s that freshness and balance.”