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GOAL examines who shined, who missed out, and what a quarterfinal win over Japan means for USWNT at Olympics

The USWNT are through to a semifinal matchup of the Olympics after a less-than-eventful game against Japan Saturday in Paris – that is, until extra time, when the U.S. finally sealed an impressive 1-0 victory with a clutch goal from 22-year-old Trinity Rodman.

The U.S. has now started an Olympic tournament with four wins for just the second time. The last came in 2012, when it ultimately beat Japan for the gold medal. And the USWNT now holds a 32-1-8 (W-L-D) advantage over Japan. The U.S. advances to the Olympic semifinals for the seventh time in eight tournaments and the 15th time in 17 total appearances at world championships, only failing to reach the semifinals at the 2016 Olympics and 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

“It’s not always flashy,” Hayes said about the tense match. “It’s not always what fans want to see, but this is football, and football requires different tactical abilities from game to game. We played the right game for the right opponent.”

Hayes also praised the Japan defense, saying “They’re exceptional. Their block is the best in the world at doing that, in terms of the way they shift, the way they step, the way they read the rotations. They work their socks off.”

Unfortunately, for the U.S. side, there were some knocks and bruises leaving question marks about who will be available for Emma Hayes’ side in the semifinal matchup against Germany Tuesday at noon ET. The USWNT beat the Germans 4-1 last week in the Olympic group stage.

And while the attack struggled to get past a parked Japan defensive unit, the unexpected absence of players was most concerning. Even before the quarterfinals, the U.S. were without Sam Coffey (yellow-card suspension) and center back Tierna Davidson (injury), so questions were obvious about how the midfield would perform, and who would be next to Naomi Girma. Korbin Albert joined Lindsey Horan in the midfield, and Emily Sonnet slid in beside Girma.

One of the biggest knocks to the team was in the late 199th minute when Emily Fox limped off. The Arsenal player has started in the backline for all four games in the Olympics, and was replaced by Casey Krueger. After more than 100 minutes of play, the U.S. got a tremendous game-winner from Rodman, and were able to slide into the next round of these Games. It was clearly a relief to see the burst of energy from Rodman in extra time, but subbing and looming injuries remain talking points heading into the semis.

GOAL breaks down the winners and losers from Saturday’s win over Japan.

Getty ImagesWINNER: Trinity Rodman

Trinity Rodman simply stole the show, as her 104th minute goal sent the USWNT through to the semifinals. Rodman was the only offensive spark for the U.S. side, as the entire regular time was essentially a snooze-fest.

The U.S. struggled to break through Japan's organized defense, and potential opportunities for goals were poorly executed. The game-changing moment came in extra time, when Rodman handled a ball from Crystal Dunn, cut inside and then shot a far-post stunner for the go-ahead goal.

That score made Rodman the youngest player to score an extra-time goal for the USWNT since the great Heather O'Reilly at the 2004 Olympics, according to Opta. It was Rodman’s third goal of these Olympics, following scores against Zambia and Australia.

She has now been directly involved in a goal in all four matches at the Olympics, the longest streak by any USWNT player at a major tournament since Carli Lloyd at the 2015 World Cup, and the longest by any USWNT player at the Olympics since Alex Morgan (6 straight) and Abby Wambach (5 straight) at the 2012 Games in London.

The goal was the ultimate decider, but Rodman's relentlessness to make things happen up-top was crucial for the U.S. When a team can defend as organized as Japan, every touch and moment on the ball matters, and Rodman took every opportunity she had to strike.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Emily Fox

Emily Fox didn't play poorly in the back for the U.S., but a late knock creates a massive question mark for the USWNT's defensive line. Also, given Fox's history with ACL tears and a long journey back to top-form, the concern is increased.

Fox has been solid for the U.S., dialed in one-vs-one, organized on the weak side, and attack-minded when there's space. Krueger came in for Fox in the 119th minute, and finished out the game for the U.S. side.

Getty ImagesWINNER: Naomi Girma

There's really no one more composed than Naomi Girma in the back. Despite missing Tierna Davidson, Girma was as steady and diligent as ever next to Emily Sonnet.

Between the two center backs, they completed 152 passes. When a defensive line is hard to breakdown, such Japan's compact formation, the center backs have to get comfortable knocking it back and fourth until a gap opens up.

Girma has been the core of the USWNT this tournament, and her ability to keep the team organized, alleviate pressure and balance out the field is top-class. If there's one person who must hold down the back for the USWNT, despite all of the injuries, it's Girma.

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Getty ImagesLOSER: Jaedyn Shaw

Cleared to be a part of the 18-person roster on Saturday, there was an expectation that as a result of her inclusion, Jaedyn Shaw would finally take the pitch at these Games. Unexpectedly, though, she wasn't called upon – which only makes one wonder why she was brought into the roster in place of alternate Croix Bethune, someone who could have made an attacking impact on a day in which it was needed.

At some point, any minutes are good minutes, and heading into the semifinals, Shaw has yet to play this tournament. It's worrisome with such a thin bench and the tired legs of the attacking core on this roster. If she's declared fit for the semifinals, there should be an expectation that she plays, because on her best day, she's beyond influential. The decision not to use her Saturday was baffling.

Enzo Maresca remains hopeful of a successful season with Chelsea despite their poor pre-season performances.

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Maresca remains hopeful of succeeding with ChelseaWon just once in six pre-season friendliesChelsea held Inter to a 1-1 draw on SundayWHAT HAPPENED?

Chelsea had a nightmare outing during the pre-season having won just one friendly match out of six games including their tour in the United States. On Sunday, the Blues played their final pre-season match before the start of the 2024/25 season against Inter and managed to hold the Serie A champions to a 1-1 draw courtesy of a late strike from Lesley Ugochukwu.

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Despite the series of poor results, manager Maresca chose to focus on the positives that he spotted in his team's matches as he claimed that he saw an improvement in their game against the Nerazzurri. He also remained confident that the Blues would continue to improve with time in the new campaign.

WHAT ENZO MARESCA SAID

Speaking to reporters after the friendly, the manager said, "Absolutely we can see clear results from our work. Today we could see that we tried to keep the ball. Inter are special at defending, but for sure the team is already doing well. It's the most important thing, for sure. With time this team is going to get better and better. We started just one month ago so I can see clearly that the team is improving."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

The West London side will begin their Premier League journey on Sunday against reigning English champions Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

Sourav Ganguly’s elder brother Snehasish Ganguly, a former Bengal batsman, is the new joint-secretary

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2020Former BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya’s son Avishek became the youngest president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) at the age of 38, after being elected unopposed on Wednesday.BCCI president Sourav Ganguly’s elder brother Snehasish Ganguly, a former Bengal batsman, is the new joint-secretary, a post that was vacated by Avishek before his elevation. The CAB president’s post was lying vacant after Sourav Ganguly took over the reins of the BCCI last year.Sourav Ganguly to deliver Dalmiya lecture in March

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly will deliver the Jagmohan Dalmiya lecture in March, new CAB president Avishek Dalmiya announced on Wednesday. The Jagmohan Dalmiya Annual Conclave will be held on the eve of the third India-South Africa ODI at the Eden Gardens scheduled for March 18.
Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith had delivered the lecture last year.

However, Avishek will go for a cooling-off period from November 6, 2021 as per the rules in the constitution. Avishek became the 18th president of CAB, taking charge of the same chair where his father sat in his two terms from 1992-93 to 2006 and then from 2008-09 till his death on September 20, 2015.”Right from my childhood, I always heard my father saying ‘Eden is a temple of worship’. That sentiment will run with me always,” Avishek said in his first address as CAB president. “He was very passionate about Eden Gardens. It was really emotional that I could sit in this room. I will only be a fool if I compare myself with any of the former CAB presidents. Their statures were different.”Snehasish recalled his playing days after taking charge of the office.”It was a dream to play for state and I played for 10-11 years,” Snehashish said. “Yesterday, I was really emotional remembering my playing days. Now as an administrator, we have got a very young team and we are confident to take Bengal cricket forward.”With India set to host two global events – the 2021 T20 World Cup and the 2023 ODI World Cup – in three years’ time, the priority for the new CAB president would be to renew the Eden Gardens lease with the Ministry of Defence.”The renewal of lease of Eden Gardens is due in a couple of years. It takes a lot of time to put things in right perspective. We would initiate the process soon,” Avishek said. “Earlier it was for 15 years. With the two global events coming up, we don’t want the issue to be racked up before a global tournament.”The CAB is also planning to introduce an eight-team women’s club league and code of conduct for players.”We want to have women’s club league with eight clubs. We also want to introduce code of conduct of players and support staff. It’s necessary to maintain discipline,” Avishek said.The idea of introducing a code of conduct comes in the wake of the controversy surrounding Bengal quick Ashok Dinda who was found abusing bowling coach Ranadeb Bose earlier this season, which later cost him a place in the squad.Avishek addressed the media interaction with his five-member team of Snehasish, joint-secretary Debabrata Das, treasurer Debasish Ganguly and vice-president Naresh Ojha.

Southampton could well still sneak back into the Championship automatic promotion picture after all hopes of the top two looked dead and buried, benefitting from Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Leeds United all slipping up at the final hurdle.

Russell Martin's men nearly didn't beat Watford this weekend however to keep up their end of the bargain, needing a last-gasp Flynn Downes winner to beat Watford 3-2 to breathe life back into their faintest hopes of a top-two finish.

Downes wasn't the only goalscoring midfielder for the Saints at St. Mary's, with one of his two partners in the middle of the park in Will Smallbone netting within the first minute on the South Coast to set the tone for an enthralling contest.

Whilst the West Ham United loanee continues to look like a great bit of business for Martin's side, Southampton haven't always managed to strike gold with their signings, with one dud sticking out as a particularly stinging misfire of years gone by.

When Southampton signed Gaston Ramirez

Southampton must have thought they had hit the jackpot by signing attacking midfield star Gaston Ramirez in 2012, winning the Uruguayan's services for a hefty £12m but a sizeable fee that was justified at the time.

Fresh off a stint at Bologna which saw Ramirez amass 15 goals and eight assists from 60 appearances – with 13 of those coming in his final Serie A campaign – Southampton must have thought the 6-foot creator would set the Premier League alight on his arrival.

The move wouldn't quite work like that in reality, with Ramirez shining bright during his debut campaign on the South Coast before seeing his Saints career eventually fizzle out.

In his first full season, Ramirez translated his excellent form playing in Italy to the tough demands of English football.

Ramirez would manage to bag five goals and pick up three assists in the Premier League, taking to his new surroundings with ease.

1. GK – Kelvin Davis

2. RB – Nathaniel Clyne

3. CB – Jose Fonte

4. CB – Jos Hooiveld

5. LB – Danny Fox

6. CDM – Morgan Schneiderlin

7. RM – Jason Puncheon

8. CAM – Steven Davis (Gaston Ramirez)

9. CAM – James Ward-Prowse

10. LM – Adam Lallana

11. ST – Rickie Lambert

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Yet, although the former Bologna man starred alongside the likes of former Saints heroes James Ward-Prowse and Adam Lallana during this honeymoon period at Southampton, his time at the club would eventually turn sour.

His second season would see him make just 18 appearances, falling down the pecking order under then-Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Ramirez would only help himself to a single goal and three assists when given a rare first-team opportunity that campaign, moved on after this forgettable individual season.

Two loan spells away from St. Mary's would follow, with a stint at Middlesbrough enabling the South American midfielder to enjoy his football again after an unmemorable switch to Hull City passed him by.

What Ramirez did after leaving Southampton

Ramirez would eventually join Boro permanently after amassing eight goals and four assists from just 18 Championship appearances on loan, with the Saints cursing their decision in the end to fork out £12m for the Uruguayan.

Even if his time at Middlesbrough ended up being as short-lived as his spell with Southampton, with Ramirez moving back to the comforts of Serie A in 2017 after just two seasons at the Riverside Stadium, his adoring Boro fanbase will always have this sublime strike against AFC Bournemouth to look back on.

Whereas, Southampton only have regrets about the deal to bring the 6-foot midfielder to England over any slight positives.

If this transfer happened in today's far-inflated market too, courtesy of Totally Football's Transfer Index, the move would become even more of a blunder from a Saints perspective.

How much Gaston Ramirez's move would be worth in 2024

If the same transfer mishap went through in 2024, according to the Transfer Index, Ramirez would have cost Southampton an eye-watering £36m.

To add further context to that, Southampton's record signing comes in at €26.2m (£22.4m) currently in Tino Livramento. But, if Ramirez's deal was in today's market, the South American would be way out in front as their record buy.

1. Tino Livramento

€26.2m (£22.4m)

2. Danny Ings

€25.1m (£21.5m)

3. Kamaldeen Sulemana

€25m (£21.4m)

4. Jannik Vestergaard

€25m (21.4m)

5. Sadio Mane

€23m (£19.7m)

Staggeringly, the Transfer Index suggests that Ramirez would be worth nearly £20m more than past Saints superstar Sadio Mane demanded to win his services who would go on to dazzle under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.

Moreover, when assessing the current crop of talent at Martin's disposal, Ramirez would be worth nearly £30m more than Kyle Walker-Peters who boasts a humble €8.6m (£7.3m) worth, as per Football Transfers, despite being touted for a move back up to the Premier League without the Saints.

It's fair to say the 34-year-old, who is now seeing out his career back in his native Uruguay with CA Peñarol, won't look back on this patch of his career at St. Mary's with many fond memories still attached.

Instead, he knows he is viewed as an expensive flop when everything looked to be pointing in the direction of Ramirez being a great buy who could go on to be a star for many years to come.

If Southampton do end up sealing an immediate return to the Premier League, the South Coast outfit will be cautious not to overspend and have another blunder like Ramirez on their hands away from any talk about other incomings.

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?

A member of Arsenal's squad 'does not intend" to renew his contract and has asked his agents to find him a new club, according to reports.

Arsenal chasing first title in 20 years as crunch matches await

Mikel Arteta is attempting to guide the Gunners to their first Premier League title in 20 years, as they fiercely contend with both Man City and Liverpool.

Fabrizio Romano says Arsenal think £120,000-a-week star is ideal for Arteta

The Gunners’ plans are taking shape ahead of this summer.

ByEmilio Galantini Apr 12, 2024

Arsenal's imperious start to 2024 has attracted worthy praise, with Arteta's side scoring a brilliant 38 in their last 11 games and averaging over three goals per match as a result.

The possibility of them ending City and Liverpool's stranglehold on English football dominance from the last half a decade is very real, but their next test is a tough one, as they gear up to take on top four-chasing Aston Villa on Sunday.

Aston Villa (home)

April 14th

Wolves (away)

April 20th

Chelsea (home)

April 23rd

Tottenham (away)

April 28th

Bournemouth (home)

May 4th

"What they’ve done since Unai came in," said Arteta on Villa.

"He's made a huge impact at the club in terms of performances and consistency, it’s unbelievable what they are doing. They’re still in European competition and they played last night so it's really impressive with what they’ve done."

While Arteta gears up for an all-important title run-in, sporting director Edu is working on transfer targets for the summer, and must decide on the futures of surplus Arsenal players as well.

One of them, 20-year-old Charlie Patino, is out of contract at the end of this season once he returns from his loan spell at Swansea City.

The midfielder has been a regular under Luke Williams in the Championship this term, contributing with goals and assists, but it appears he may not have a future at Arsenal in the long term.

Patino won't sign Arsenal extension and works to find new club

According to Pianeta Milan, as translated by Sport Witness, Patino 'does not intend' to renew his contract with Arsenal and has instructed his agents to find him a new club this summer.

He is attracting interest from Italy, with both Juventus and AC Milan keeping tabs on the situation, and he is labelled a "great opportunity" considering his contract is about to run out and they could sign him for free.

"He is 18 years old, he can deal with the ball in any area of the pitch, go past people left side, right side," said Michael Appleton during his loan spell at Blackpool in 2022/23.

"I said when he came to the club that he's as good as anyone I’ve seen dealing with the ball and with good movement of the ball, as you’ve seen tonight, he can play as a six, as a ten and as an eight. He’s got a really, really good future ahead of him.

"He was outstanding tonight, especially in that second half. He controlled the game, it was his game, he played at his tempo; when he wanted to speed it up, he sped it up; when he wanted to slow it down, he slowed it down; when he wanted to switch the play, he did it."

Joshua Zirkzee felt his Manchester United debut could not have gone better after he came off the bench to score the winning goal against Fulham.

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Zirkzee came off bench to score vs FulhamSecured victory on Premier League debutStriker revealed what Ten Hag expects of himWHAT HAPPENED?

The summer signing came off the bench after the hour mark of the Red Devils' opening Premier League game of the season with the game tied at 0-0. After collecting the ball in the middle of the visitors' half, he played it out to Alejandro Garnacho and made his way into the box where he was well placed to meet a cross and divert it into the net in the 87th minute to secure a 1-0 victory.

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The Netherlands international says he felt "blessed" after his debut appearance as he explained what manager Erik ten Hag said he expects of him after he completed his €42.5 million (£36m/$46m) transfer from Bologna in July.

WHAT ZIRKZEE SAID

"To win here in my first home game and to grab a goal, it couldn't be better," he told . "I've been told [scoring at the Stretford End] is one of the best feelings at Man United. I'm so thankful and blessed I could experience it in my first game. It's an amazing feeling.

"At the end of the day we got the win, that's all we wanted. I can't really explain the feeling, it's just very nice. I feel very warm here. It's a great team. We want to achieve something great. It's been amazing, it's been a dream actually.

"The manager told me to bring an energy and help the team as much as possible, just that. Manchester United is a huge club. You should always strive for the best. That includes day by day giving 100 per cent, that's the plan. It's all good vibes."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

Ten Hag and his United players will feel a significant boost after opening their Premier League campaign with three points. They will now start preparing for their next game – against Brighton on August 24.

He anchored the chase after the Bangladesh bowlers restricted New Zealand with regular wickets

The Report by Sreshth Shah in Potchefstroom06-Feb-2020Mahmudul Hasan Joy ended his run of poor scores with his fourth Youth ODI century to secure Bangladesh’s maiden World Cup final – across levels and genders – for the Under-19 tournament against India on February 9. Joy’s hundred helped Bangladesh chase down 212 with six wickets in hand and nearly six overs to spare, after the bowlers restricted New Zealand to 211 for 8 in Potchefstroom.Joy had a best score of 38* in his last eight innings and the early departure of Bangladesh’s openers on Thursday didn’t make things any easier for him. He still anchored the chase by striking 13 fours in his 127-ball innings of 100 and was assisted by No. 4 Towhid Hridoy, who made a brisk 47-ball 40, and the No. 5 Shahadat Hossain, who stayed unbeaten on 40. Captain Akbar Ali scored the winning runs with a drive past mid-on in front of a sizeable Bangladesh-supporting crowd that had come from cities near and far.That Bangladesh chased a total under 250 was courtesy of their all-round bowling performance that continuously pegged New Zealand’s scoring rate. Asked to bat, New Zealand struggled with their tempo and if it wasn’t for Beckham Wheeler-Greenall’s 83-ball 75, they would have finished with a much smaller total, having been reduced to 142 for 6 at one point. Left-arm seamer Shoriful Islam took 3 for 45, right-arm quick Shamim Hossain ended with 2 for 31 and left-arm orthodox spinner Hasan Murad finished with 2 for 34 under overcast conditions in the morning.The sun then baked the Senwes Park deck as the chase began, making batting much easier. Joy and Hridoy added 68 for the third wicket to take Bangladesh to 100. Once Hridoy was stumped off Adithya Ashok, Joy dominated a 101-run stand with Shahadat to take Bangladesh past 200. He reached his hundred by sweeping Jesse Tashkoff for four in the 43rd over but fell on the very next delivery by handing a return catch to the bowler.Only 11 runs were left for Bangladesh then, and Ali finished the chase to send the crowd into a frenzy. Ali pumped his fist after hitting the winning runs while his team-mates from the dugout ran onto the field with the green-and-red Bangladesh flag to spark the celebrations off.Bangladesh began their choke of New Zealand’s batting right from the first over when Shoriful began the day with a maiden. The following over from Shamim yielded the wicket of opener Rhys Mariu, who edged a drive to slip. Rakibul Hasan then removed the other opener, Ollie White, who edged a drive to the wicketkeeper in the 12th over.While the third-wicket partnership lasted nine overs, New Zealand added only 28 runs in that period, after which Fergus Lellman and Tashkoff fell in quick succession, leaving them at 74 for 4 in the 26th over. Wheeler-Greenall then turned aggressive after a sedate start to push New Zealand towards a respectable total, but wickets around him forced him to rein his stroke-play on some occasions. He reached his second fifty of the tournament – by hitting two fours off Murad in the 44th over, and helped New Zealand collect 19 in the last over to stretch the score past 200. Wheeler-Greenall was a class apart on the day. He scored his 75 runs at a strike rate of 90.36, while the other nine batsmen scored their 122 runs at a strike rate of 56.”The toss played a big role today,” New Zealand coach Paul Wiseman said after the game. “Bangladesh had a good start with the seamers. The spinners got the ball to grip, and after that, we were always scrambling.”When we were 75 for 4, we would’ve probably taken 210-220. But obviously fantastic effort from the Bangladesh batsmen. [A] very mature innings by the centurion; he played us with ease. That took the game away from us.”New Zealand now face Pakistan in the third-place playoff on February 8.

Everton's awful financial situation has been well documented in recent months, with the club being hit with an eight-point deduction during the current campaign for breaching the Premier League's PSR rules.

Whilst boss Sean Dyche has done a sensational job in leading the Toffees clear of any relegation threats by securing survival with three games to spare despite the deduction, the off-the-field issues have overshadowed his excellent work.

The former Burnley manager has instilled a brilliant defensive foundation, that has made his side tough to break down and doing so on a shoestring budget as the club tries to avoid any further sanctions.

During his time at Goodison Park, Dyche has spent less than £100m, with the Toffees relying on selling key players before any potential new additions.

In recent times, Richarlison and Anthony Gordon have departed the club, for fees of £60m and £45m, respectively – huge figures in the club's battle to undo multiple awful signings from the last decade.

The club have made their fair share of awful signings, with one in particular costing a hefty fee, before departing the club for free just five years after his move to Merseyside.

Yannick Bolasie's stats at Everton

After forking £25m for his signature, winger Yannick Bolasie arrived at Goodison with high hopes of transforming the Toffees' attack under boss Ronald Koeman.

1. Gylfi Sigurdsson

Swansea

£42m

2017

2. Richarlison

Watford

£33.5m

2018

3. Romelu Lukaku

Chelsea

£30m

2014

4. Amadou Onana

Lille

£28.2m

2022

5. Alex Iwobi

Arsenal

£26m

2019

6. Yerry Mina

Barcelona

£25.9m

2018

7. Yannick Bolasie

Crystal Palace

£25m

2016

8. Michael Keane

Burnley

£24.3m

2017

= Jordan Pickford

Sunderland

£24.3m

2017

10. Moise Kean

Juventus

£23.5m

2019

However, the move would be a disaster for everyone involved, with the DR Congo attacker failing to justify any of his hefty price tag during his time at the club.

Bolasie started all 13 of the Toffees' opening Premier League fixtures, before suffering an ACL tear that would rule him out of action for 12 months.

The former Crystal Palace was a shadow of his former self after his injury, only managing to make 32 appearances for the club in his two seasons as a first-team member.

In a bid to regain his form, he was sent on various loan spells to the likes of Aston Villa, Anderlecht and Sporting CP, but only managed ten goals over his three stints away from Goodison.

The attacker would subsequently leave the club at the end of the 2020/21 season upon the expiration of his deal on Merseyside, ending his five-year stint at the club.

Despite his horrid luck with injuries, the club made the right call by offloading the winger, with his huge wages bleeding the club dry for many years, putting the club into a mess financially.

Yannick Bolasie's wage at Everton

During his time with the Toffees, the 34-year-old pocketed £71k-per-week, as per Salary Sport, with the misfiring winger receiving full pay despite missing a year with injury.

It's unclear how much of his wage the club were paying during his respective loan moves away from Goodison but during his two campaigns alone on Merseyside, the former Palace attacker bagged himself nearly £7.3m in wages alone.

When combining his extortionate wages with his £25m fee, Bolasie cost the club £32.3m – over £1m per appearance after only featuring 32 times in the blue of Everton.

The "disaster" signing, as described by former boss Sam Allardyce, was once a promising addition, but it's unfortunate that an injury ruined his time at the club.

It's unfair to blame the club's current financial situation on the Congolese attacker, but his huge weekly wage and transfer fee have certainly played a part in Everton's recent setbacks.

Everton were bled dry by Allardyce flop who pocketed £11m in wages

He proved himself to be a huge waste of money.

ByEthan Lamb Apr 20, 2024

Michael Olise has opened his goal account for Bayern Munich with a thunderous volley, while also seeing Harry Kane find the target in friendly action.

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French playmaker signed from Crystal PalaceShowing his class during pre-seasonProlific England striker also getting his eye inWHAT HAPPENED?

The Bundesliga giants are in the process of finalising their preparations for the 2024-25 campaign. Their final pre-season outing has seen Vincent Kompany’s side take on Swiss side Grasshoppers. Said contest gave summer signing Olise an opportunity to get more minutes under his belt.

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Former Crystal Palace star Olise, who formed part of the France squad that claimed an Olympic silver medal on home soil, opened the scoring in style against Grasshoppers with less than 12 minutes on the clock. When the ball fell his way 12 yards out, the 22-year-old crashed a left-footed volley into the back of the net.

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GettyDID YOU KNOW?

With Olise up and running for his new club, England international Kane then took centre stage. He hit 44 goals for Bayern last season, while ending another campaign empty-handed, and was back in the scoring mood when doubling his new team's lead early in the second half. Bayern eventually ran out 4-0 winners thanks to late goals from Mathys Tel and Thomas Muller.

“There are a lot of dynamics about being a captain when you’re playing in India that I don’t know about.”

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-20204:43

‘The 2019 World Cup final massively lifted the profile of the game’ – Eoin Morgan

Eoin Morgan has been making “the best out of a bad situation”, enforced by the coronavirus pandemic, spending time with his three-week-old baby. Had things been normal, Morgan would not have been at home, he would have been part of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad in the IPL.Reflecting on a remarkable year for him as England’s white-ball captain, Morgan said that the 2019 World Cup final had lifted the profile of cricket in England in unprecedented fashion.”I think the journey that we went on is probably the most exciting. In 2015, the embarrassing nature in which we were bundled out of that World Cup and the journey we embarked on to try and change the brand of cricket that we played with a new group of extremely talented players over the course of four years – it’s brilliant,” Morgan told .Morgan on the reverse-sweep and his playing role:

“The more experience that I’ve got, I find myself batting in that middle order and hopefully being there at the end. It’s probably one of the better skills that I do have and probably over the last two years, it’s been at its best.
“I started playing reverse-sweep when I first came to London as a 16-year old and signed up at Middlesex. Playing at Lord’s, the boundaries were very short square of the wicket and they are really long straight. When I played in the first team as a 17-18 year old, trying to clear the long straight boundary at Lord’s was very difficult for me. So I started playing a lot more sweeps just because they were more effective at our home ground. I sort of drilled the reverse-sweep and swept for as long as I could. The reverse-sweep has been one of my favourite shots because it’s been so effective over the years.”

“It sort of culminated in last year’s World Cup. The final was the most dramatic game of cricket and the best game of cricket that probably has ever been played which contributes to the hype of it. But I think one of the great things about it was on the day of that great game of cricket was, it’s always now associated with the longest ever Wimbledon final that was epic as well. It helped us in growing cricket outside of the normal bubble that we’re already in to a different audience, and for us at home it has lifted the profile of the game like we’ve never seen.”Straight after the World cup win was the Ashes series which was absolutely amazing to watch. Australia thoroughly deserved to win it [the series was drawn with Australia retaining the urn] but again, the dramatic nature in which the whole series unfolded really did attract the whole country and sort of galvanised one of our biggest rivalries in sport. It was fascinating to watch and I thought it was a great year for us, cricket-wise.”Morgan was also looking forward to a second stint with Knight Riders, having played for the franchise from 2011 to 2013. He will reunite with good friend Brendon McCullum, the two having first built a friendship when they were team-mates at Knight Riders. McCullum is now the head coach of the franchise.”I think his contribution not only to New Zealand cricket but to world cricket really took the front in 2015 with their campaign – throughout the 2015 World Cup,” Morgan said. “They really did, I suppose, transform the fate of a nation and the hope of a nation in the way that they played. They played aggressive, positive cricket but also in a way that wasn’t in your face the whole time. It was really good to watch, it created a huge amount of attraction and I think majority of the time actually the way that they play and the manner that they play overlooks the skill level that they produce.”And I think Baz is the reason for that turnaround. I think he has had a huge input in the way they’ve played and in all formats as well not just white ball. I suppose it makes that move to KKR all the more sweet when he’s head coach. I think if we see any similarities in the impact that he’s had as a player and as a captain on his coaching, the impact will be monumental. I really do think he’s changed the landscape of cricket and the attitude of the way people play.”Morgan was also looking forward to learning from Dinesh Karthik, the Knight Riders captain.”While I’m here to help, I also want to learn as much as I can from him. There are a lot of dynamics about being a captain when you’re playing in India that I don’t know about, I’ll be picking his brain the whole time,” Morgan said. “I’ll naturally be myself and try to give as much as I can just like the rest of the international players. But it’s going to be fascinating to see how and when we get to play and how the competition lines up. Because everybody is going to come out of isolation extremely excited, rearing to go, batting, bowling, fielding the whole lot.”