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The 17-year-old needed less than a minute to break Athletic Club hearts and help Xavi's side close the gap on Real Madrid at the top of the table

After 79 painful minutes from a cast of experienced players, Barcelona needed youth to salvage what could be a crucial La Liga win. Marc Guiu, making his club debut and second matchday squad appearance, bagged a late goal to give the Blaugrana a 1-0 victory after an otherwise frustrating contest.

Joao Felix should have put Barcelona ahead after 10 minutes, but clipped Ferran Torres' ball over the bar — despite having ample space. Fermin Lopez, too, came close, only to see an effort well denied by Unai Simon.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen, meanwhile, had his moments in the Barca goal — notably diving to stop Nico Williams in the closing stages of the first half.

The Blaugrana had further chances in the second half. Simon denied Felix twice within the first 15 minutes. Torres had a shot blocked by a lunging defender. Fermin Lopez skied one from 10 yards out. Lamine Yamal dragged one outside the post shortly after coming on.

In the end, it was a teenage debutant that showed his team-mates how it's done. Guiu had been on the pitch for less than a minute when he burst in behind the Athletic defence, corralled a pass, and fired past Simon to give Barca a crucial victory that ensures they sit just one point behind Real Madrid ahead of next week's Clasico.

GOAL rates Barcelona's players from the Olympic Stadium…

Goalkeeper & Defence

Marc-Andre ter Stegen (7/10):

Forced into a trio of impressive saves in the first half. Will be happy with the clean sheet.

Joao Cancelo (7/10):

Doesn't have the best understanding with Torres, and didn't always connect well. He was much more effective when Yamal came on. Completed the most dribbles in the match.

Inigo Martinez (6/10):

Handed a rare start with Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo both out. Made one impressive block at the end of the first half. Had little to do in the second.

Andreas Christensen (6/10):

Covered well when Athletic looked to hit on the break, especially when Alejandro Balde pushed up. Removed after an hour. A solid shift.

Alejandro Balde (7/10):

Scampered forward on the left wing, and caused problems against Oscar de la Marcos. Looked tired toward the end of things, and was correctly removed.

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Oriol Romeu (5/10):

Passed sideways a lot, and didn't really stamp his authority on the game. Xavi probably made the right call to sub him off after an hour.

Gavi (7/10):

Picked up an obligatory booking, and created chaos in the middle of the park. A deeper role looks like it suits him.

Ilkay Gundogan (7/10):

Kept things ticking along, and always looked to find the incisive ball. An important player, even if he didn't score or assist.

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Ferran Torres (5/10):

Deployed on the right wing with Lamine Yamal unable to start after picking up an injury. Was lively, but not clinical enough in key areas. He has potential, but Xavi still doesn't seem to know where to use him.

Joao Felix (7/10):

Awkwardly forced into a central role, despite a series of impressive performances in attacking midfield. Looked far more effective when allowed to drop deeper in the second half.

Fermin Lopez (6/10):

Ran a lot, looked to create in a rare start. But he missed a couple of good chances. Likely won't be in the XI when Barca are back to full strength.

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Lamine Yamal (7/10):

Only available for 30 minutes after picking up an injury. Made things happen and really should have scored.

Ronald Araujo (6/10):

Didn't have much to do, but won a few headers.

Marc Guiu (9/10):

Scored with his second touch on his debut. Fairytale stuff from the 17-year-old.

Marcos Alonso (N/A):

No time to make an impact.

Xavi (7/10):

Injuries forced him into a weakened XI, with Robert Lewandowski, Frenkie de Jong, Jules Kounde, Pedri and Raphinha all unavailable. His side were poor in front of goal for most of proceedings, but Xavi will now look like a genius for his introduction of Guiu.

Phil Parkinson insisted that Wrexham have "got no divine right to win" but was delighted with thumping Morecambe victory.

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Wrexham bounced back from Accrington Stanley defeatMullin's hat-trick powered the Welsh side to a 6-0 winParkinson hailed his troops for their emphatic responseWHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Dragons climbed to the second spot in the League Two table after scoring six past Morecambe at the Racecourse Ground. After Joel Senior's own goal handed Wrexham an early lead, Paul Mullin added another just two minutes after the opener. Jacob Mendy increased the margin before Mullin struck twice in the second half to complete his hat-trick. James Jones scored deep into stoppage time to pile more misery on Morecambe which further thrilled Parkinson as his side was heading into the fixture on the back of a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Accrington Stanley.

AdvertisementWHAT PHIL PARKSINSON SAID ABOUT THE VICTORY

Speaking to reporters after the match, Parkinson said: "We have got no divine right to win but we have won a lot. When you lose it hurts and it is a long week. It is as simple as that. No matter how long you have been a manager, when you lose, it is a lot of soul-searching. But you can't change it and you can just respond as a group.

"The response on the training ground has been outstanding from the lads and there was a real positive feeling coming into this game. We wanted to get back to winning ways and we have done it in emphatic fashion."

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The massive victory also drew euphoric reactions from co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. While Reynolds labelled the efforts from the lads as "incredible hustle", McElhenney hailed Mullin as "incredible" for gifting another remarkable afternoon to the fans.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Wrexham have little time to rest on their laurels as they are set to return to action against Harrogate Town on Tuesday night in another League Two encounter.

Angel Di Maria insisted Lionel Messi is the "greatest player in history" and claimed that he wanted to win the World Cup for his skipper.

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Argentina beat France on penalties in World Cup finalMessi emerged as the best player of the tournamentDi Maria lavished praise on the Argentine captainGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Argentina's World Cup victory celebration in Buenos Aires turned into a spectacle as millions of ecstatic fans flooded the streets to welcome their triumphant football heroes after they beat France in the final on penalties. An unseen footage of the open bus ride has emerged where Di Maria is seen sharing an emotional moment with Messi where the duo eventually ends up in an embrace.

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In the documentary titled Di Maria was caught on camera saying to Messi: "For me, playing with you on a team is what I wanted, man. And winning it, winning this trophy with you, I know that it's…."

Later on, he goes on to add: "It became more about him than about me. I wanted to win the World Cup for him. Without a doubt, for me, he is the greatest in history."

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

The streets of Buenos Aires were filled, making it impossible for the bus to proceed as initially intended. In response to the unprecedented crowd size and security concerns, the victory parade was rerouted, and the team made an impromptu departure from the ground. Helicopters provided a unique exit strategy for Messi and company, ensuring their safety and allowing them to share the World Cup trophy with their adoring fans from above.

Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has admitted the team is unlikely to get a second chance to stay in contention for the semi-finals if they lose to West Indies on Friday

Mohammad Isam in Dhaka27-Mar-2014Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has admitted Australia are unlikely to get a second chance to stay in contention for the semi-finals if they lose to West Indies on Friday. Australia lost their opening game to Pakistan, and their opponents on Friday have one win and a defeat. Australia will require an overall improvement in their game to rise above their current fourth spot in Group 2.”Sometimes that can relieve the pressure because you know where you stand now,” Haddin said. “There is no second chance for us. We have got to make sure that we bring our A game and deliver under pressure. We have done that well over the last four months and I see no reason why we can’t continue with that.”West Indies, according to Haddin, are one of the leading T20 teams in the world and pose a major threat. Both teams have five wins each from ten T20 games so far and are also locked at two wins each against one another in World T20s, although West Indies have won their last two encounters against Australia.”West Indies have embraced T20 cricket as well as anyone else in the world,” Haddin said. “They have got their own competition now in the Caribbean and they were the winners of this tournament the last time.”From that point of view they have got a pretty good understanding of how to play this format. I think these wickets are very similar to what they have at home. They have got a pretty good idea of the way they want to play.”One of Australia’s chief concerns is Chris Gayle, who is West Indies’ highest T20 run-scorer against Australia with 246 runs at a strike rate of 161.84 with three fifties. Australia are unlikely to forget the mauling they received at Gayle’s hands in 2009 and 2012. In 2009, he slammed a 50-ball 88 to help West Indies chase down 170 with seven wickets and more than four overs to spare. In the semi-final in 2012, his unbeaten 75 off 41 balls helped West Indies score an imposing 205, after which they dismissed Australia for 131.Gayle has had a quiet tournament so far, scoring 82 runs at a strike rate of 101.23 against India and Bangladesh but Haddin said Australia would breathe easy if they could get the left-handed batsman out early.”I think we have seen over T20 cricket for a long time that Chris Gayle is one of the most destructive batsmen along with Shane Watson in this form of the game,” he said. The earlier you get guys like that, the longer you go in terms of winning the game. It’s important that we get him early and it’s no different with any stroke-maker with that sort of power in the batting line-up.”Haddin, however, could not state whether Australia would field Brad Hogg or the 20-year-old legspinner James Muirhead against West Indies. With Gayle the only left-hander in West Indies’ top-order, Australia may be be tempted to give the rookie a go. So far, Amit Mishra, Samuel Badree and Imran Tahir have shown how effective legspin can be in differing conditions in Dhaka and Chittagong.”That could be a good debate for the selectors to have. Probably Hoggy too [has a chance to play] as he can bowl a good wrong-one and he has been lethal for a long time against the right-handers,” Haddin said. “That is something the selectors will have to work out. Young Muirhead has got a very big leggie and he does enjoy bowling to right-handers. It will be interesting to see what they come up with because anyone can play.”I think wrist spinners are dangerous in any format. Conditions have ensured that the real wrist spinners have been very effective in this tournament. They are an asset to have in your team especially in T20 cricket when they turn the ball big and the batsmen are going hard.”The final piece of good news for Australia is that James Faulkner is likely to play which, given the allrounder’s recent form, is a big boost. Haddin feels that Faulkner’s return will give George Bailey a few more options in crucial situations.”James can bat from No 6 down and he can cover all bases as he is pretty reasonable with the bat in this format,” he said. “He is a big asset to us with his bowling with the way he can jam in the yorker and close out the back end of a T20 game. He’s a guy who likes winning and is a huge competitor and the sort of guy you would like in your team.”

Mitchell Claydon continued to be a thorn in Leicestershire’s side as he clubbed a career-best 77 to put Kent into a strong position at the end of the second day at Grace Road.

Press Association08-Jul-2014
ScorecardMitch Claydon, seen here for Durham, made 77 from No. 9•Getty ImagesMitchell Claydon continued to be a thorn in Leicestershire’s side as he clubbed a career-best 77 to put Kent into a strong position at the end of the second day at Grace Road.Claydon, who took 5 for 77 with the ball on the first day, led a tail-end recovery that took Kent to a total of 302 and a first-innings lead of 85. Then, former Leicestershire favourite Darren Stevens followed up a half-century of his own with two early wickets to leave the home side on 87 for 3 – a lead of just two runs – when bad light brought an premature end.Stevens, opening the bowling with his military medium pace, still moved the ball around enough to trap both Angus Robson and Ned Eckersley lbw in his first three overs. Adam Ball then had Dan Redfern caught behind and at 35 for 3 Leicestershire were in dire straits. But an unbeaten stand of 52 between opener Greg Smith, who made 42, and Josh Cobb, 17, gave Leicestershire a foothold back into the game.The hosts looked to be in the box seat at the start of play with Kent on 106 for 5, still 111 runs behind, but in little over half an hour there was a massive momentum change. Stevens and Ball tucked into some wayward bowling from Charlie Shreck and Nathan Buck, neither of whom could settle into a consistent line or length. Between them they conceded 59 runs in the first 10 overs, 46 of them in boundaries.But Buck finally did find the perfect delivery to knock back Ball’s off stump when he had made 36 out of a sixth-wicket stand of 92 in 22 overs.It sparked a purple patch for the Leicestershire paceman and two more more wickets followed in his next three overs. Sam Billings was out lbw playing across the line and Stevens caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien for 57 having reached his half-century off 61 balls with eight fours and a six.But if Leicestershire believed the hard work was done with Kent at 207 for 8, they were sadly mistaken. The last two wickets added 95 runs as Claydon launched a ferocious assault on some poor bowling, battering 14 fours and a six on his way to 77 off 91 balls, before being bowled by Rob Taylor.Claydon and Adam Riley shared a last-wicket partnership of 67 that took Kent past the 300 mark to a third batting point. Buck was the best of Leicestershire’s attack finishing with four for 97 off 26 overs.But, not for the first time this season, Leicestershire will be wondering how they let a promising position slip from their grasp.

Former Nottinghamshire fast bowler Andy Pick has been appointed Afghanistan’s bowling coach

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2015Former Nottinghamshire fast bowler Andy Pick has been appointed Afghanistan’s bowling consultant for a fortnight’s stint at a pre World Cup camp. He will join the team later this week in the UAE, where they are scheduled to play matches against Scotland and Ireland, with the possibility of continuing the links with the team leading into the World Cup.Afghanistan Cricket Board chairman Nasimullah Danish said Pick’s experience with other teams made him the right man for the job. “We hope to see his skills [being replicated by] our national team players. We have observed Andy’s career graph as a successful coach and then we came up with this decision collectively. The board is very thankful and fortunate to have him.”Pick, 51, had played 195 first-class matches, taking 495 wickets at 33.24, before taking to coaching. Apart from helping nurture Alastair Cook in school cricket, he had worked with the England Under-19s and the Canada national team and had a short stint working on cricket in the USA – he quit his post as high performance manager with the USA Cricket Association after two months, citing incidents which were not in line with how a professional organisation should operate. Later, he was appointed bowling coach with Nottinghamshire.

West Indies fast bowler Ravi Rampaul will miss the two T20s against New Zealand due to a thumb injury and will return home

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2014West Indies fast bowler Ravi Rampaul will miss the two T20s against New Zealand due to a thumb injury and will return home. Rampaul picked up the injury during a training session before the fourth ODI in Nelson and didn’t play the two remaining ODIs.”Ravi has sustained a fracture and we are looking to allow optimal healing rather than pushing an early return,” said West Indies physiotherapist CJ Clark. “He will return home to allow the fracture time to heal and will commence fitness training in preparation for the Regional Super50 Tournament, starting later this month in Trinidad.”There will be no replacement for Rampaul in the T20 squad, which has now been reduced to 14. He is the latest West Indies player to join the injury list that includes Darren Sammy and Marlon Samuels. Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard were ruled out before the tour began.The injury prone Rampaul made a return to the ODI squad during the tour of India, following an ankle injury. He didn’t figure in the Test squad in New Zealand but played the ODIs in Auckland and Queenstown.The first T20 gets underway in Auckland on Saturday.

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Ralph Hasenhuttl has revealed Southampton’s transfer policy, per Sky Sports.

The new Saints manager has managed 10 games at the helm of the Saints and has taken the club from 18th in the Premier League to 15th, but they are yet to make a January signing.

What’s the word?

Hasenhuttl has overseen a few departures from the club this month; Manolo Gabbiadini joined Sampdoria, Wesley Hoedt moved to Celta Vigo on loan, and Steven Davis returned to Rangers.

The departures have not, however, seen the recruitment of replacements in this transfer window.

And Hasenhuttl has insisted that he has seen no reason to strengthen his squad, though he says he is always open to the possibility of recruiting young players who have the scope to improve at St Mary’s.

“The team have shown that they have more potential in them than people thought,” he told Sky Sports. “We didn’t have to immediately bring new players in.

Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would perform for them in a hilarious prank by Pl>ymaker FC…

“We tried to create potential and quality, and I think we did that. That doesn’t mean we are not looking, because we are looking, but we’ll only do a transfer if it helps us immediately and also for the future.

“It’s a package. If you find a young player who has potential and quality then we’ll think about a transfer. The more important thing in this transfer period is to give players away, to have a committed group that is not too big.”

Sensible managerial decisions

Southampton seemed directionless prior to Hasenhuttl’s appointment and were drifting towards the worst possible fate, relegation.

Now they have a manager with his head screwed on following the departure of Mark Hughes, and his words make an awful lot of sense.

Southampton have made their name when it comes to searching for bargains with huge sell-on potential; the likes of Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk have netted the club huge profits, without compromising on the quality of the starting XI.

The Saints are right to wait to enter the transfer market, too, as they have finally hit a period of decent form, and Hasenhuttl appears to have a settled line-up.

His vision will surely start to take shape in the summer if the Saints are to dip into the transfer market but, for now, they are sensible to keep their powder dry and focus on the bigger picture of surviving.

Some may think this match is all about Kevin Pietersen’s comeback but in reality it is about Yorkshire maintaining their hold on top spot in Division One and whether Surrey are strong enough in their fragile state to resist them, without relying on rain f

Jon Culley at Headingley22-Jun-2013
ScorecardLiam Plunkett added to Yorkshire’s total with a half-century•Getty ImagesSome may think this match is all about Kevin Pietersen’s comeback but in reality it is about Yorkshire maintaining their hold on top spot in Division One and whether Surrey are strong enough in their fragile state to resist them, without relying on rain for a helping hand.There was enough of it to keep Pietersen a peripheral figure on day two, from which 36 overs were lost. Yorkshire resisted any thoughts of a declaration until they were nine wickets down, at which point Steven Patterson, the not out batsman, was hopping about in some discomfort after being struck on the foot by Chris Tremlett and in need of attention. Yorkshire sent him to hospital for a precautionary x-ray and he was not on the field when Surrey batted.Pietersen, who joins England for the second of the Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand on Thursday, will have been padded up, presumably, in readiness for a potential top-order collapse when Surrey’s first innings, at first delayed by a lengthy shower and then interrupted by bad light, eventually began.It might have come. Ryan Sidebottom, his hackles quickly rising, gave Arun Harinath a fairly stiff examination in his opening spell from the Football Stand End, during which Harinath twice manage to edge the ball between second and third slips and survived a direct chance to second slip on 18, where Adam Lyth spilled it. Sidebottom gave him a thunderous look before pounding back to his mark.Harinath succumbed eventually to Jack Brooks, who had opened at the Kirkstall Lane End and was then required, in Patterson’s absence, to relieve Sidebottom. But by then there were less than two overs left and Surrey sent in Tim Linley as nightwatchman.Yorkshire’s game plan, presumably, had been to score heavily and perhaps need only to bat once, although if Patterson cannot bowl they will be less equipped to take 20 wickets. Nonetheless, with no Ricky Ponting to offer experience and stability to Surrey’s none-too-confident batting line-up, some early success on the third morning could set nerves jangling and add to the pressure on Pietersen to come up with a responsible innings with the team in mind.If some of Andrew Gale’s form could rub off, it would help. The Yorkshire captain, 114 overnight, had an escape of his own on 121 when he was dropped at second slip by Vikram Solanki off Tremlett. He had made 148 when he was bowled by Gary Keedy, the ball coming back a long way from outside off stump to beat Gale’s attempted drive.By that point, a partnership of 81 between Gale and Liam Plunkett had strengthened Yorkshire’s position significantly. Plunkett, whose move from Durham has transformed his confidence, hit several handsome drives and a number of lusty pulls on his way to his first half-century in Yorkshire colours.He was caught behind when he eventually mis-hit one, the ball flying high off the top edge, but then Sidebottom unleashed a few tasty thwacks of his own to add 26 off 37 balls before at last bringing Pietersen into the game when he sent a ball from Linley airborne towards long-off. Pietersen turned in pursuit and felt confident enough in his physical soundness to fling himself into the catch, from which he emerged unscathed and with ball in hand. The declaration followed immediately.Barring a deluge, Pietersen will bat eventually. Whether he can do so for long enough not to necessitate an appearance in England’s pre-Ashes friendly against Essex remains to be seen.

Simon Taufel, the ICC training and performance manager for umpires, hopes the Officiating Replay System (ORS) could revolutionise the role of the third umpire

Umar Farooq in Abu Dhabi02-Jan-2014Simon Taufel, the ICC training and performance manager for umpires, hopes the Officiating Replay System (ORS) could revolutionise the role of the third umpire, improving efficiency and accuracy in decision-making.The ORS is an attempt to streamline the existing DRS system by allowing the third umpire control over the replays they see, whereas normally they have to wait for the broadcaster to provide them. It has been in use since the fifth ODI between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the UAE and has been extended for the two remaining Tests as well.The chosen official – Taufel for the first Test – sits in a room with high definition television sets that receive 16 different real-time feeds from the match directly from the broadcaster. The footage may vary according to the video cameras being used for the match. Taufel also has the help of a HawkEye engineer, who is also the effectively his personal TV director.”It’s a separate technology on trial and is independent of what is happening with the third umpire in this Test,” Taufel told reporters. “It’s a very efficient way of being able to look at replays and avoid communication issues. We’re looking at timing efficiency at the moment, accuracy of decision-making as well as being able to standardise some of our technology tools and information so that the third umpire can be as efficient as possible and make as many correct decisions as possible.”The current trial is taking place without any communication with the third umpire S Ravi, who depends on the broadcaster for his replays, which take a minimum of 30 to 40 seconds to retrieve. Using ORS, however, the official is given the same footage in real-time within 5 seconds.”If I can do a boundary check in five seconds [when] normally for a third umpire to go through to a director and then he shows a replay, will take roughly 30 seconds. It’s a huge difference in that respect,” Taufel said. “Even a front-foot no-ball check, I could probably do that in two seconds, even before the batsman leaves the square and I have an answer for the umpire. [Without ORS] That could take 30-40 seconds because the director is focused on something else, his broadcast; we’re focused on our decision-making.”Technology changes all the time, cricket changes a lot of the time. Umpiring is all about giving the players the best service, the best umpiring and best decisions possible. This trial fits into that theory.”The ORS might well improve decision-making, but the cost of implementing it could be a topic of debate. Currently, the broadcaster covers the production cost, including that of the DRS. “From an umpire’s perspective, we would like to see as many common factors and decision-making tools from place to place, board to board, game to game. It makes our job a lot easier, but we’re also aware of the cost implications and things like that have to be worked through.”