Europe

Karim Benzema, Alexia Putellas win Ballon d'Or awards for best players in the world

PARIS - Real Madrid's France forward Karim Benzema won the 2022 Ballon d'Or award for the best men's player in the world on Monday, while Barcelona's Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas won the women's award for a second time.

Benzema, who played a pivotal role in Real's run to the Champions League title last season, is the first French player to win the trophy since Zinedine Zidane in 1998 and the fifth after Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini and Jean-Pierre Papin.

The most underrated Premier League XI

How does one define an underrated player? Is it their performance in relation to their transfer value or their expectations from the fans? How do statistical expectations and statistical overperformance come into play?

Whatever metric you want to use, it comes down to this: underrated players don't get the credit they deserve. In the modern Premier League, where getting good value from players is paramount, these players are of the utmost importance.

Here's our list of Premier League players who've consistently been the most overlooked.

Championship match delayed for second week in a row due to improperly sized goals

If I had a nickel for every time an EFL Championship match had a goal that was too big, I'd have two nickels — which isn't a lot, but it's weird it's happened twice.

For the second weekend in a row, a Championship match had a delayed start as one goal was larger than the other, again by two inches. This time, the inconsistency occurred in Kingston upon Hull, where Hull City hosted Birmingham City. Referee Leigh Doughty noticed the issue during his pre-match check.

Team-by-team guide: 2022 Poland World Cup preview

To prepare you for the tournament, The18 has launched team-by-team previews for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Here’s the Poland World Cup preview, who'll play in Group C against Argentina, Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

Poland World Cup Preview 2022

World Cup Appearances: 9th

Best Finish: 3rd (1974, 1982)

Jorge Sánchez olvida la pesadilla que vivió en la Champions y marca su primer gol por el Ajax

Dicen que las penas del fútbol se pasan con fútbol y Jorge Sánchez puede dar fe de ello. El lateral mexicano anotó su primer gol con la playera del Ajax – en el aplastante 7-1 sobre el Excelsior, en la Eredivisie – y con ello ayudó a borrar un poco la triste imagen que había dejado a mitad de semana en la derrota ante Napoli en la Champions League. 

Chucky Lozano anda en modo Halloween: Anota por tercer partido consecutivo

Hirving Lozano no tuvo un buen inicio de temporada con el Napoli, sin goles y apenas una asistencia. Tan malo era el asunto que muchos aficionados lo tenían de punching ball y él mismo andaba con los cables cruzados. Sin embargo, con la llegada de octubre, el Chucky se puso en modo Halloween y acaba de anotar por tercer partido consecutivo.

Super Salah ignites Liverpool's season and hands Man City its first defeat

LIVERPOOL, England - A superb second-half goal from Mohamed Salah earned Liverpool a 1-0 victory over Manchester City on Sunday as the champions lost their unbeaten start to the Premier League season in a heated thriller that saw home coach Jürgen Klopp red-carded.

After an opening period that failed to live up to the game's blockbuster billing, the second half began at a ferocious pace, with Egypt international Salah denied by a superb save from City goalkeeper Ederson moments after the break.

Arsenal overcome Leeds despite massive delay for technical difficulties

Sometimes, the best things in life are worth waiting for. Arsenal and Leeds played a thoroughly fascinating match following a lengthy delay due to technical issues at Elland Road, but it was the Gunners who managed to hold on, only just, against Jesse Marsh’s plucky side.

The hero on the day was Bukayo Saka, who now has four goals and four assists in his last seven Premier league games. The 21-year-old is up for the Kopa trophy this week and his performances in recent weeks can only make his case better. 

Ballon d'Or-elect Karim Benzema leads Real Madrid to El Clásico win over Barcelona

Real Madrid opened a three-point lead over Barcelona at the top of LaLiga by claiming the season's first Clásico 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday afternoon with goals from Karim Benzema, Federico Valverde and Rodrygo. Ferran Torres got Barça's lone strike.

Pages