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Rising United States star Rokas Pukstas has decided to sign a new contract at Hajduk Split despite interest from other teams in Europe.

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Pukstas agrees new deal with HajdukMidfielder will sign until 2027Impressing in Croatian top flightWHAT HAPPENED?

The midfielder has agreed to extend his stay at the Croatian club. According to, he will sign an extension that keeps him tied to Hajduk until 2027. Pukstas' current deal runs until 2025 but he will put pen to paper on a new contract soon.

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Pukstas' impressive performances for Hajduk and the United States youth teams have reportedly caught the attention of several teams across the continent. The 19-year-old has already scored three goals in seven league games for Hajduk this season, despite having to overcome a cruciate ligament injury.

DID YOU KNOW?

Pukstas joined Hajduk from the Barca Academy in his homeland in 2020 and rose through the youth system to make his first-team breakthrough in 2022. He has made 12 appearance for the USA Under-20s, including in the U20 World Cup this year where they reached the quarter-finals.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR PUKSTAS?

Pukstas will hope to maintain his strong form for Hajduk to boost his chances of playing a key role for the national team at the Olympic Games in Paris next year. He will also have his eye on making the cut for the 2026 World Cup with the USMNT.

Monaco has had few star players represent them before leaving for pastures new. Which of them will make it into the ultimate XI?

Ligue 1 outfit Monaco are widely regarded as one of the best clubs in the world at developing and improving players.

They also have a reputation for signing potential superstars and later selling them for a huge profit.

A fair few stars of the modern game have turned out for Monaco in the past, including the likes of James Rodriguez, Youri Tielemans, Bernardo Silva, Thierry Henry and more.

And then there are players such as Kylian Mbappe and Layvin Kurzawa who have come out of the Monaco academy.

Of all the stars who have played for the club, who will make it into an ultimate Monaco dream team?

(C)Getty ImagesFabien Barthez | Goalkeeper

The first-choice goalkeeper for the French national team for a long time, Barthez was possibly more known for his stint with Manchester United.

But he played for Monaco before that and made a big impact.

After turning out for the likes of Toulouse and Marseille, Barthez moved to Monaco in 1995, making 189 appearances in all competitions for the club, winning two Ligue 1 and a Trophee des Champions titles.

Characterized by his bald head, Barthez was not a tall goalkeeper, but had good physical ability and amazing reflexes.

He spent five years at Monaco before joining United in 2000.

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesMaicon | Defender

In the late 2000s, Maicon was praised as "the world's best full-back" for his overwhelming attacking abilities.

He played at Monaco for two years from 2004 to 2006 and made 81 appearances. Although he failed to win a major title at Monaco, he caught the attention of Inter with his fine performances.

Maicon was known for physicality, speed, and stamina to run up and down the right wing. He also had the ability to send in high-precision crosses and had a powerful shot on him.

During his six years at Inter, he won Serie A four times and won the Champions League.

(C)Getty ImagesLilian Thuram | Defender

Legendary French defender Lilian Thuram, who is famous for scoring two spectacular goals in the 1998 France World Cup semi-final against Croatia, was a Monaco youth product.

He became a regular player shortly after making his professional debut in 1991 and made 186 appearances in all competitions before moving to Parma in 1996.

A defender who could play as a right-back and a centre-back with no issues whatsoever, Thuram was one of the best in the world during the '90s and early '00s.

He ended up playing for the likes of Juventus and Barcelona during his career.

With 142 national team caps, he is still holds the record of having made the most appearances for France.

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(C)Getty ImagesEric Abidal | Defender

Abidal, one of Barcelona's sextuplet winners of 2008/09 season, also played for Monaco in his youth and made his first-team debut at the age of 21.

He was a bit of a late bloomer, though, and only really established himself as a world-class player after leaving the club, impressing for Lille and Lyon before earning himself a move to Camp Nou.

At Barcelona, he played nearly 200 official games between 2007-2013 and was part of Pep Guardiola's great Barcelona side, winning 16 titles.

He had a liver tumor in 2011 that nearly put him on the verge of retirement, but he made a miraculous comeback and continued playing. In 2013-14, he returned to Monaco for one season.

After retiring in 2014, he held several directorial positions at Barcelona.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta heaped praise on his players after the club's thumping 4-1 win over Newcastle United.

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Arteta in awe of Arsenal playersArsenal thrashed Newcastle 4-1Praised the team's off-the-ball movementsWHAT HAPPENED?

The Gunners' convincing performance against the Magpies left Arteta in awe of his players as he wholeheartedly praised the team for their dominance against a formidable opponent. The manager also claimed that he was left impressed by his team's off-the-ball movements which were lacking in their defeat against FC Porto in the Champions League earlier in the week.

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Speaking to BBC Match of the Day after the game, Arteta said, "I'm really happy with the performance against a Newcastle team who are really really good. The boys were really good, really aggressive and we deserved to win the game. They [Newcastle] have a lot of resources to create issues but we continued in the same way, we maintained our rhythm and it was a joy to watch the team play.

"We are really happy, we have to continue to do the things that we are doing well. There are still things that we can do better and we are bringing big players back from injury so that is a big boost. Against Porto, we were ourselves with the ball but not without the ball. It was a big lesson and you learn a lot from those moments."

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Sven Botman's own goal handed the north London club the lead in the 18th minute before Kai Havertz doubled his team's lead in the first half. Bukayo Saka and Jakub Kiwior then scored a goal each in the 65th and 69th minute to seal the crucial three points. Joe Willock then netted a consolation goal for Eddie Howe's side in the 84th minute.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

The Gunners are set to face Sheffield United and Brentford in their next two Premier League matches before they take on FC Porto in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 fixture on March 12.

Brendan Taylor was concerned with his team’s performance from the half-time break when he declared their total, “20 runs short”

Firdose Moonda17-Mar-2014Brendan Taylor’s anger with himself was splattered all over his face as his under-arm throw missed the stumps. It was the last ball of Zimbabwe’s first World T20 qualifier against Ireland and the Zimbabwe captain’s wide throw gave the opposition the game.His eyes darkened and his face reddened, almost to the colour of his shirt, as he saw Stuart Thompson crash into Tinashe Panyangara and Alex Cusack sprint to the other end. Taylor’s expression said he knew the chance to take the game to a Super Over had been handed to him and he knew he gave it away.He did well not to yell at himself when he was asked about it, even though he took the blame. “I had a good feeling that it was going to be a Super over but it was not to be,” Taylor said.His anger with the rest of his team was a little more well-hidden. Taylor was irritable with them for putting themselves in a situation where they needed a Super Over and it lasted a little longer than his annoyance with himself.Taylor was concerned with his team’s performance from the half-time break when he declared their total, “20 runs short.” His bowlers ensured Zimbabwe were lacking by much fewer than that and could have made 163 enough but after their valiant efforts in the last six overs, Taylor was still upset the batsmen hadn’t done enough.”To defend 160, it was always going to be difficult. But, we showed some character to bring it back,” he said. “With guys getting out for 15 or 20, it was always going to be tough to rebuild with the new batter coming in.”He asked them to place more value on their time in the middle to avoid giving themselves too much to do in the latter overs. “They need to put a high price on their wickets and have to step up. There is no point leaving it for the next man coming in because he takes five to six balls to get going, so the game stop-starts,” Taylor said.Zimbabwe’s scoring rate started healthily with 56 runs coming in the Powerplay but they stagnated against Ireland’s spinners. In frustration, they tried to hit out and Sikandar Raza, Hamilton Masakadza, Taylor himself and Vusi Sibanda were all caught aiming to go big, something Taylor was not happy about. “Batters were a bit soft with their dismissals,” he said. “Mentally, we need to toughen up little bit. If you get yourself in, you need to kick on or else you are making it difficult for the team.”In the end, it was up to the finisher Elton Chigumbura to do just that. He also left it late, waiting until the last over to lash out but showing the temperament to bat longer. Despite that, Taylor said he will not be tempted to move Chigumbura up the order.”I genuinely believe that the guys who bat in top four can hit the ball very hard and can make it really difficult for the bowlers,” Taylor said. “If someone in the top four bats through, we will have a competitive total.”Zimbabwe will need to do more than just compete if they hope to play in the main draw of the tournament. They have to win both their remaining matches and hope Ireland slip up along the way. At least they have now had enough of a look at the conditions at the new Sylhet stadium – hosting its first international – to know what to expect for the rest of the week.Taylor had summed up the surface as being “a bit slower for the spinners in the afternoon,” but offered something for everyone throughout the encounter. “It (the ball) got a bit greasier under lights but the ball started swinging too. We found we were in the game all the time.”Taylor described the venue as a “lovely stadium,” and he and his team enjoyed what was a “great opportunity to play here.” At least that was something he did not have to get angry about.

Sian Ruck, the New Zealand women pacer, has signed up with Northern Districts from Wellington for the upcoming domestic season

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jun-2014Sian Ruck, the New Zealand Womens pacer, has moved to Northern Districts from Wellington for the upcoming domestic season.Ruck, who was one of four New Zealand women players to be handed professional contracts by New Zealand Cricket last year, said she was looking for a fresh start after a poor season with Wellington where she picked up just three wickets from nine innings. She also said she was enthused by the prospect of playing under the new coach Mark Coles and coaching mentor Cliff Dickeson.”It has not been an easy decision to leave Wellington as it’s my home and I identify myself as a Wellingtonian,” Ruck said. “But after a disappointing 2013-14 domestic season, I believe a fresh start and a new environment is the best way forward for me. I want to enjoy my cricket and to work my way back into the White Ferns.”Having the opportunity to work with Mark and Cliff again is very exciting. I’m also looking forward to playing alongside leaders such as Nicola Browne, Morna Nielsen, and Natalie Dodd. I am also pleased that I will get the chance to work with some of the young up and coming talent in the region.”Ruck’s signing was welcomed by Coles, who believed that her experience would benefit the rest of the squad.”I’m thrilled to have someone of Sian’s caliber as part of our team this year,” he said. “She brings strong bowling skills to the group but she also has leadership qualities that I think will add so much value. This is a new season for us with lots of change coming, and for the better.”Ruck has played 27 ODIs for New Zealand Women, taking 24 wickets at an average of 32.75. In T20s, she has 40 international wickets in 37 matches at an average of 17.20.

Robin Uthappa’s 16th first-class century and his fifth-wicket partnership of 177 with CM Gautam lifted Karnataka to a first-innings lead of 263 before they declared to leave Jammu & Kashmir an hour to bat out on day two

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy in Hubli06-Jan-2015
ScorecardRobin Uthappa’s 16th first-class century included 23 fours and a six•PTI Robin Uthappa’s 16th first-class century and his fifth-wicket partnership of 177 with CM Gautam lifted Karnataka to a first-innings lead of 263 before they declared to leave Jammu & Kashmir an hour to bat out on day two. J&K reached 37 in that time, for the loss of Obaid Haroon, who was caught behind while poking at a length ball in the corridor from Abhimanyu Mithun.Not long after he was dismissed, Uthappa was to learn that he had missed out on World Cup selection, but by then he had done all he could have, over the course of the season, to make a serious case for himself. In a Karnataka top six in which no one else was averaging 40, Uthappa had scored 437 runs in seven innings at 62.42. Even if J&K’s bowling on day two seldom made it seem that way, his 156 had come on a tricky pitch with seam movement and inconsistent bounce.At the end of day one, both teams had noted the presence of indentations on the pitch, created when the ball bounced on the moisture-laden surface in the morning. At lunch on day two, Karnataka’s coach J Arunkumar said these spots were still present, but the J&K bowlers had not managed to hit them often enough to worry the batsmen.Instead, they served up a series of short balls that released any pressure Karnataka might have felt when they started the day five down and 37 behind. Mohammed Mudhasir and Ram Dayal, who had picked up all five wickets on day one, began with 14 successive dot balls, but lost their length thereafter. Uthappa and Gautam hit five fours in the first eight overs of the morning, and all of them were pulls. Uthappa also pulled Mudhasir for a six that sailed over the fence behind square leg, causing the umpires to call for the box of replacement balls.The rate of boundaries did not let up at all, and of the 137 runs that came in the morning session, 111 came in fours and sixes. The range of strokes widened too. Uthappa cut crisply, even when his weight was on the front foot, and bisected third man and deep point with this shot, off Umar Nazir, to bring up Karnataka’s 200, in the 49th over. Gautam was severe on Parvez Rasool’s offspin, and hit him for four fours, including two chipped drives down the ground and a cheeky reverse-sweep past the man at slip.Ram Dayal had Gautam caught and bowled off the last ball of the first session, the ball stopping on the batsman and causing him to check his drive. By then he had made 80, his fourth firefighting first-innings half-century in as many matches this season.J&K did not do themselves any favours on the field, and twice dropped Uthappa in the slips – Paras Sharma put him down when he was on 63 and Ian Dev Singh when he was on 135. By the time the second drop occurred, he was already in the middle of another big lower-order partnership, this time with Shreyas Gopal. The seventh-wicket pair added 88 in 114 balls before Mudhasir finally broke through to bowl Uthappa. Shreyas, who already has a century this season, moved assuredly to 58 before Karnataka declared, and struck seven fours including a ramp over the slips off Nazir.

After a halting first experience of combat against Australia, Ravi Bopara is adamant he can return to Test cricket for England, and has the tale of his Sydney Sixers team-mate Steven Smith as a source of encouragement to do so.

Daniel Brettig20-Dec-2013If Steven Smith can do it, then why not Ravi Bopara? After a halting first experience of combat against Australia, Bopara is adamant he can return to Test cricket for England, and has the tale of his Sydney Sixers team-mate Smith as a source of encouragement to do so.Like Smith, Bopara stumbled on first contact with Ashes pressure, losing his place in the England top six to Jonathan Trott , after the first four Tests of the 2009 series reaped a mere 115 runs at 15. He has played only three times since, but Bopara yearns for another chance to prove he has learned much in the meantime. Still only 28, England’s batting stumbles in Australia may yet offer him a chance to emulate Smith’s century in Perth.”I’d love another crack at Test cricket, I’ve got a lot to offer still,” Bopara told ESPNcricinfo ahead of the Sixers’ first match, against the Sydney Thunder on Saturday. “I’d love another chance, and I think I have learned. I’ve become a stronger person, a better player, and I think my results of the recent past are showing that as well.”I’m 28 years old, I think I’ve got another seven, eight years in the game, hopefully I can stay fit, maybe even more. I’m not an allrounder where I need my bowling to get me into a team, I can do that with my batting alone, and you’ve seen batters go on to 39 or 40 these days, so there’s no reason I can’t do that.”A batsman of considerable talent but also a very useful change bowler, Bopara offers a few options to England’s hierarchy should they judge him to have made the necessary strides. Having batted at No. 3 in 2009, his more recent Test appearances have been at No. 6, but the likely long-term absence of Trott may open up another place in the middle order.As Australia were completing their 3-0 Ashes thumping of the tourists, Ravi Bopara was shaking off jetlag while settling into his Sydney base for the Big Bash League. As a key member of England’s limited-overs squads, he will play four matches with the Sixers before returning to the banner of the Three Lions ahead of matches against Australia, West Indies and the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.”I’m not entirely using this as a way to get acclimatised, this is a very important competition, not only to the club but to myself as well,” Bopara said. “I’d love to come and do well, and hopefully have a future in the BBL as well, it’s not just about these four games … it would be a lovely place to keep coming back to play.”Observing how the hosts had so vastly improved their performances to not only beat England but pulverise them, Bopara said he had felt something of a momentum shift during the ODIs that followed the Ashes. England had beaten Australia comfortably in a Champions Trophy encounter earlier in the summer, but in the autumn fixtures Mitchell Johnson’s pace and the aggression of the Australian batsmen had already begun to have an impact.”I definitely see a bit of a difference in the Australian team … I can only judge them on the one-day format and they beat us in that after the series in England so they were playing well,” he said. “When I played against them I thought ‘This is tough, hard cricket’, and it was always going to be tough to beat Australia out here in their own conditions. I’m shocked by the scoreline, but I’m not shocked that it was going to be difficult.”I know it’s 3-0 in the Test series but I wouldn’t be too doom and gloom about what’s happening on this tour, there’s a lot of cricket to be played over the next year or so, I’m pretty sure England will be back to winning ways soon – it won’t be too long.”

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Tottenham Hotspur again fell at the penultimate hurdle on Thursday, as they were beaten on penalties by Chelsea in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, as per the BBC.

It marks their third semi-final defeat in cup competitions in a row.

Spurs headed into the game with a 1-0 aggregate lead thanks to Harry Kane’s penalty at Wembley in the first leg.

But the striker was absent for the deciding tie through injury, along with the likes of Dele Alli and Victor Wanyama. Son Heung-Min, so electric on the wing this season, was also away at the Asian Cup with South Korea.

With a squad stretched to its very limit, Spurs almost capitulated, with Chelsea taking a 2-0 lead at Stamford Bridge through N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard.

CheekySport’s Joel claims Spurs badly need to invest in January after not having “the balls” to beat Arsenal. Check out his uncensored opinion in the video below…

Fernando Llorente, Kane’s replacement, pulled a goal back for Spurs and levelled the tie on aggregate but Mauricio Pochettino’s men were unable to find a killer second goal.

Eric Dier, the shootout hero at the World Cup when England beat Colombia, scooped his effort over the bar, while Lucas Moura’s kick was saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga. David Luiz then notched the winner to send the Stamford Bridge crowd into raptures.

Spurs fans were subsequently left to fume on social media as, yet again, a thin squad proved their undoing, with many calling on Spurs chairman Daniel Levy to step down after failing to buy a player in the last two transfer windows.

The PCB has expressed concern over allegations of fixing raised in the media with regard to the recently concluded West Indies-Pakistan ODI series

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2013The PCB has expressed concern over allegations of fixing raised in the media with regard to the recently concluded West Indies-Pakistan ODI series. A Pakistan board official told ESPNcricinfo on Sunday that the PCB is in touch with the ICC about the matter as it falls under the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit’s purview.The , which raised the allegations, reported that the series was set to be investigated over claims of wrongdoing. Pakistan had won the five-match series in the Caribbean, which concluded on July 24, by a 3-1 margin. The third game of the series was a tie.”The PCB is obviously extremely concerned at the recent allegations of fixing reported in the media with regard to recently concluded ODI series between Pakistan and West Indies,” the official said. “The PCB maintains zero tolerance towards corruption in the game but investigations in this matter falls within the purview of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit. The PCB is in contact with the ICC on this issue and understands that the ICC will be issuing a media release soon.”The PCB, at the moment, is examining all legal aspects but for the time being will not be making any further comments”.The Twenty20-leg of the tour is currently underway. Pakistan won the first of two T20s on Saturday, and the second and final game will be played later on Sunday in St Vincent.

Brendon McCullum is pleased with New Zealand clicking in every department in the first two ODIs against India

Abhishek Purohit in Hamilton22-Jan-2014Brendon McCullum is pleased with New Zealand clicking in every department in the first two ODIs against India. Both times, they have put big runs on the board after losing the toss. Both times, they haven’t allowed India to blaze away early. And both times, they have absorbed pressure while defending to break threatening partnerships and close out the game. The fielding, as always, has been an asset.Barring the few dropped chances, McCullum was satisfied with how his side had dealt with the challenge of facing up to the world champions so far, starting with scoring enough runs.”I thought the way we constructed our batting innings again through the back of Kane [Williamson] and Ross’s [Taylor] partnership, and Martin’s [Guptill] hand, gave us the platform from where to launch,” McCullum said. “And whilst the game was shortened, we were still in a nice position to do so. The batting blueprint was again executed tonight, which was encouraging obviously. And again I thought under pressure against a very good Indian batting line-up, we delivered at key times. It’s big from a confidence point of view. We have just got the challenge now to put it together again in a few days’ time.”The top order gave New Zealand the platform to launch, even in a shortened game•Getty ImagesWhen it comes to India’s batsmen, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have had plenty of success in the past year as an opening pair but New Zealand have been able to separate them without too much damage.McCullum said the key was to be effective with the new ball. “Ideally you want to take wickets up front and that’s where we spend our resources much, especially to try to attack early on knowing how important wickets are to the confidence of a team chasing. If we can get early wickets – we weren’t able to do that – but we did the next best thing which is to control the run-rate. And when you control the run-rate, there is pressure on the batsman and the wickets sort of followed after that.”I thought it was a pretty good performance from us with the ball under pressure. They played again some excellent hands. [Virat] Kohli again was brilliant to watch, put us under pressure but we stepped up at key times, different guys as well which was encouraging.”Kohli has made 123 and 78 in Napier and Hamilton respectively, and as long as he was in flow in both matches, along with MS Dhoni, India were in with a chance. McCullum said that to be in the hunt in such big chases despite losing other key batsmen showed what a quality side New Zealand were up against.”Continue to learn that they (Kohli and Dhoni) are very, very good players. They are obviously very good at how to construct a run chase around, both those guys. It’s quite important to not sit against them, it is important to try and take wickets knowing that if you can remove one of those two, it goes a long way towards nullifying their chase.”They are a very good team. There are not too many teams around the world where you head in at half time in a 42-over game with 300 on the board and you know that you still have to scrap pretty hard with the ball and in the field. Against this team we know that’s the case and thankfully we got it done under pressure.”One example of getting it done under pressure was Corey Anderson, who took quite a beating initially before coming back to pick up three late wickets, including the critical one of Dhoni. McCullum was grateful for the aggressive role Anderson played with the bat, but added it was important to support bowlers.”With the ball, he didn’t start that well, he knows that. One of the things we are trying to do is to ensure that you keep giving guys opportunities even though they may not start well but you need to keep coming back to them. Otherwise they will never get the opportunity to learn either. So that’s one thing that we are pretty keen on, still allowing him to have that opportunity under pressure at the end there to really stand up and show how he can operate under pressure. I thought he did that really well, I think he learnt quite a lot with the ball in hand today.”