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The Phillies were knocked out of the MLB playoffs in extra innings on Thursday night after a brutal error from reliever Orion Kerkering allowed the Dodgers to bring in the game-winning run.

While it is easy to point to Kerkering’s mistake as the moment that ended the Phillies’ season, the team had plenty of opportunities earlier in the game to make a play or have one break go their way that might have prevented the game from ever going into extras in the first place.

And according to starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez, an umpire acknowledged one of those bad breaks. Per Lochlahn March of the , Sánchez said after the game that the umpire apologized to him for missing what should have been a called strike three on a 2–2 count against Alex Call in the bottom of the seventh.

Watching a replay of the pitch in question, you can clearly see it was a close call, but the ball did in fact hit the strike zone. On the mound, Sánchez knew he should have had the K and with it, two outs in the inning, and gave the ump quite a stare in response to the call.

Unfortunately for the Phillies, that base runner would prove to be the difference that brought the game to extra innings. After a second runner got on base, the Phillies pulled Sánchez to turn the ball over to closer Jhoan Duran. Philadelphia decided to intentionally walk Shohei Ohtani to load the bases with two outs, bringing Mookie Betts to the plate.

After working the count full, Betts was able to hold off a pitch that was high out of the zone, walking in the game-tying run.

Baseball is a game full of sliding-door moments, but had the Phillies gotten that strike called, they would have had two outs and no men on in the inning, and very possibly could have escaped unscathed, and then would have been six outs away from forcing Game 5 back in Philadelphia.

Instead, the Dodgers got the run they needed to extend the game. In extras, the Phillies bats didn’t heat up, and their defense made one mistake too many. A brutal way to see a season end.

The Africa Cup of Nations is back this December and January, with the continent's very best set to battle it out in Morocco as they aim to take Cote d'Ivoire's crown after their unlikely victory at the start of 2024. AFCON's prestige, drama and quality remains up there with the Euros and Copa America, but the downside for European clubs is it's another tournament which falls slap bang in the middle of their seasonal calendar, meaning most teams will be losing players for up to a month.

The Premier League's growth to become a truly global competition means all but three teams – Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds United – will be affected, though some will feel the pinch a bit more than others.

We at GOAL have ranked the remaining 17 clubs based on whose prospects of a successful season will most be damaged by players leaving for AFCON. Let's dive in…

Getty Images Sport17Aston Villa

Number of absentees: 1 – Evann Guessand (Cote d'Ivoire)

Arriving from Nice as one of Ligue 1's most exciting forwards this summer, Evann Guessand hasn't quite hit the ground running at Aston Villa, scoring once in 15 games for his new club. Thus, his absence this winter shouldn't really be to the detriment of Unai Emery, who has plenty of other forwards capable of finding the net to rely upon.

AdvertisementGetty Images16Newcastle

Number of absentees: 1 – Yoane Wissa (DR Congo)

As is the case with Guessand at Villa, Yoane Wissa hasn't impressed for his new club yet. In fact, he hasn't even played a single minute for them at the time of writing. After missing part of Brentford's pre-season campaign to force through a move to Newcastle, the striker picked up an injury on duty with DR Congo and hasn't been fit since. He's expected to recover in time for AFCON and make his long-awaited Magpies debut in the near future.

Why do Newcastle rank above Villa then? Because Eddie Howe could seriously do with another source of goals, and the availability of their £55 million ($72.5m) attacker would be nice.

Getty Images Sport15Bournemouth

Number of absentees: 1 – Amine Adli (Morocco)

Another team with only one player departing in December, Bournemouth's thin squad becomes tested at the first sign of absence. Amine Adli, a Bundesliga title winner with Bayer Leverkusen, is yet to win the full trust of Andoni Iraola, but the Cherries' high intensity means they need to count on every first-team player, and they will need to find someone to replace those minutes. In better news for Bournemouth, Antoine Semenyo won't be going anywhere as Ghana somehow failed to qualify for the finals.

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Getty Images Sport14Manchester City

Number of absentees: 2 – Omar Marmoush (Egypt), Rayan Ait-Nouri (Algeria)

If this were a list ranking teams by how much individual quality each team will lose for AFCON, then clearly Manchester City would be towards the very top. Yet, such are the riches of depth in Pep Guardiola's squad, they will barely be troubled by Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri's exits, especially given the Catalan manager has openly reiterated his desire to trim down his roster.

Marmoush has missed much of this season with a knee injury, while Ait-Nouri has been sidelined with an ankle injury after joining from Wolves. City will probably be just fine.

He had a couple of lives, on 61 and 98, but Labuschagne played with impressive fluency against Tasmania

AAP06-Oct-2025Marnus Labuschagne credited Steve Smith’s influence for helping him rebuild his game after he was dropped from the Australian Test team.Labuschagne took a major step towards reclaiming his berth for the first Ashes Test by top-scoring for Queensland on Monday in their Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania at Allan Border Field.Related

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While his 160 was not perfect, Labuschagne clearly won round one of the informal Shield bat-off for top-order spots ahead of the Ashes opener from November 21 in Perth.After a mammoth first innings of 612, Queensland were well-placed at stumps on day three, with Tasmania 62 for 1 in their second innings and trailling by 171.Labuschagne was dropped for the Test series in the West Indies after Australia’s World Test Championship final defeat to South Africa in June. While he starred in the Bulls’ Shield opener, on the other side of the country incumbent Test opener Sam Konstas notably failed again for NSW in their match against WA.Labuschagne said after Monday’s play that Smith had loomed large in his thinking after he lost his Test berth.”It’s always nice to score a hundred and to get the team in a position where we can win the game on day four, it’s always a good thing,” Labuschagne said. “I felt good out there. It felt like I was reading the conditions well. I took the game on at certain times.”I feel like I’ve really stripped it back and my focus is just scoring runs – it’s not really too technical … just what I need out there to score runs. The nice thing is, over the last six or seven years, I’ve played with one of the best players in the world and learned a lot from him.”So having a technique that’s adjustable and something that I can just use, rather than work out what’s the exact, perfect way to play – just going back to find a way to score runs.”Labuschagne also scored a domestic one-day century last month.National selector George Bailey was present in Brisbane as Labuschagne flourished after taking 12 balls to get off the mark.His big innings was not flawless – he was dropped on 61 and nearly blew his century with a wild swipe on 98. Labuschagne went down the wicket to spinner Nivethan Radhakrishnan and wicketkeeper Jake Doran could not take the chance. It was either a dropped catch or a missed stumping. The ball ricocheted off Doran’s glove and landed clear of Jackson Bird at first slip.Soon afterwards, Labuschagne brought up his 33rd first-class century with an all-run four. Labuschagne hit 17 fours and two sixes and only faced 206 deliveries.Queensland took control with their huge first innings, with opener Matt Renshaw also putting his hand up for a Test recall and current opener Usman Khawaja impressing.The pick of the Tasmanian attack was legspinner Nikhil Chaudhary, the Indian-born allrounder who plays for the Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL. Making his first-class debut, he finished with 5 for 108.He found out only two days before the match that he was playing. “Nothing can get better than having a five-for on debut,” Chaudhary said.

Newcastle United have bounced back from Alexander Isak’s troubling departure this summer with ease.

Banking Eddie Howe’s Toon an eye-watering £125m when ditching Tyneside for Liverpool, it’s clear that Isak wasn’t cut out for the pressures of such an expensive move straight away, with only one goal coming his way at Anfield to date.

On the contrary, Nick Woltemade – who entered the building in a last-ditch summer move for £69m – has looked ready-made for the pressures of being Newcastle’s main marksman from minute one of his arrival, with the goalscoring prowess he became known for in the Bundesliga immediately following him to English shores.

Woltemade's fantastic start at Newcastle

Often, it takes a goalscoring machine from a European league plenty of time to settle into their groove when getting used to what is expected of them in the Premier League.

In Woltemade’s case, however, the goals have just continued to flow, with the 6-foot-6 menace joining Howe’s ranks off the back of a blistering 17-goal season on the books of Stuttgart.

In total, Woltemade already has five goals next to his name from just ten Newcastle appearances, with journalist Zach Lowy’s previous billing of the Bremen-born striker as being a “ridiculous” finisher of chances clear for all to see at St James’ Park.

Indeed, the 23-year-old’s four-goal tally in the Premier League alone means his goalscoring frequency in the daunting division sits at every 120 minutes, as the number 27 goes about trying to immortalise himself in the Newcastle hall-of-fame as one of their most devastatingly effective centre-forwards.

It will, of course, take a superhuman effort from Woltemade to ever reach Alan Shearer’s venomous levels in front of goal, with a record-breaking 260 Premier League strikes next to the Magpies icon’s name.

But, he could be on his way to becoming even more clinical if he lines up with this Newcastle assist king more often, with the pair ready to cause widespread havoc together to push their side further up the early league standings.

The Newcastle star who can make Woltemade even better

It’s safe to say that the Germany international is blessed with who he has around him in the attacking positions on Tyneside, with Anthony Gordon capable of bursting into life at a moment’s notice as one of Howe’s many livewires down the left wing, having accumulated 24 assists to date at Newcastle.

Yet, despite this impressive track record, it’s actually Jacob Murphy who might well be the attacking teammate that can take Woltemade to new heights, despite often being thought of as an under-the-radar “unsung hero” at the Premier League giants, according to journalist Scott Wilson.

Games played

10

Minutes played

752

Goals scored

1

Assists

3

It’s clear from taking one glance at the table above that Murphy is the sort of presence that excels when he’s made to feed off scraps, with just 752 minutes of action handed to him this season, resulting in the 30-year-old attacker still being able to pick up a standout four goal contributions.

He would even get the ball rolling for his team last time out against Fulham when he finished under pressure to seal a one-goal lead, with more starts surely coming his way, having been labelled as being “in the form of his life” after his lively afternoon against the Cottagers by Newcastle-based blog Mouth of the Tyne.

But, away from his assured nature to fire this fierce effort past Bernd Leno last time out, it’s also his ability to be an effective partner for a lethal striker that will be music to Woltemade’s ears as he attempts to become even deadlier in England.

A large portion of Isak’s 62 goals in Newcastle black and white would come about off the back of a Murphy assist – 11 to be exact – with the German, therefore, hopeful of reaching this tally, and even eclipsing it, knowing he has the “outstanding” number 23, as he was once labelled by ex-Toon forward Craig Bellamy, next to him supplying him with chances galore.

With Anthony Elanga also in reserve, Woltemade should not find it tricky whatsoever in his bid to become the next Shearer-shaped talisman, having already scored four in his first six league games for the Magpies.

For comparison, Shearer’s start to 1996/97 saw him score three times from his first six top-flight appearances for the Tynesiders – albeit while then reaching seven from just his first ten league outings.

Woltemade is then on the right track, with a new fan favourite having emerged at St James’.

Move over Woltemade: Howe has unearthed a new “game-changer” at Newcastle

Newcastle United have unearthed a new game-changer, and it’s not Nick Woltemade.

ByKelan Sarson Oct 26, 2025

Manchester United certainly raised eyebrows during the summer transfer window, especially after dropping over £200m on new additions to bolster their first-team ranks.

Such spending may have come as a surprise to many, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe previously stating before the summer that no massive deals would be conducted.

The vast majority of their efforts were directed to the final third, as Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko were all added to Ruben Amorim’s attacking department.

However, the trio have all made an immediate impact at Old Trafford, scoring seven times between them in the first nine Premier League outings of 2025/26.

As a result of their shopping spree, it would be a surprise to no one that other players will need to be offloaded during the January window to try and balance the books.

The United players who could leave the club in January

Over the last couple of days, United forward Joshua Zirkzee has been strongly touted with an exit from Old Trafford – no doubt due to the form of the aforementioned trio.

It was reported earlier this week that the Dutch international is keen on a temporary or permanent move away from the Red Devils in January, with Aston Villa interested in his signature.

Manuel Ugarte is another first-team member who could be shown the exit door in the next few months, with his move to the Premier League failing to deliver at present.

The Uruguayan international cost a staggering £50m from Ligue 1 outfit PSG last summer, but his move has failed to hit the heights – as seen by his lack of game time under Amorim in 2025/26.

He’s only made two starts in England’s top-flight this season, even dropping behind 33-year-old Casemiro in the club’s pecking order during the early stages of the campaign.

One other first-team member in the form of Diogo Dalot could also find himself one step closer to the exit door after failing to impress over the last couple of months.

Despite making six league appearances under Amorim this season, the Portuguese international has fallen way below the standards expected of him – as seen by his tallies compared to the other options at the manager’s disposal.

The 26-year-old has only completed 75% of the passes he’s attempted in the Premier League, the lowest of any defender in the Red Devils squad – showcasing his lack of impact in recent weeks.

The United star now on borrowed time

The Erik ten Hag era at United was a period largely full of disappointment, with the Dutchman unable to take the club back to their former glory during his tenure in charge.

The 55-year-old spent a little over two years in the role at Old Trafford, achieving a 56% win record and also winning the Carabao Cup and FA Cup during such a period.

However, the eighth-place finish in 2023/24 was disappointing to many fans, with the start to last season ultimately spelling the end of his time in England.

Ten Hag was responsible for bringing Zirkzee and Ugarte both to the Theatre of Dreams, further highlighting how disappointing his work in the transfer market at the helm.

Despite the failures in the window, the Dutchman deserves huge credit for his work in the development of midfielder Kobbie Mainoo – subsequently handing the youngster the chance to cement his place in the first team.

He would have been an unknown quantity to many supporters, but the 20-year-old amassed a total of 32 appearances in 2023/24, even scoring on five separate occasions.

Many of his efforts were crucial ones, from last-minute winners against Wolverhampton Wanderers and efforts against Manchester City in the FA Cup final – it truly was a season to remember for the academy graduate.

Such performances led to journalist Liam Canning labelling Mainoo as United’s “best player” in March 2024, but it’s safe to say it’s not been plain sailing for the youngster since Amorim’s arrival.

In the Premier League in 2025/26, the Englishman has failed to start a single outing, subsequently being restricted to just seven substitute appearances – totalling just 138 minutes in the process.

Games played

25

Minutes played

1656

Pass accuracy

87%

Chances created

1.7

Successful dribbles

1.3

Tackles won

63%

Duels won

5.9

Interceptions made

1.2

Recoveries made

4.8

Mainoo has previously voiced his displeasure at the lack of action since the 40-year-old’s appointment – even requesting a temporary loan move away this summer to gain valuable game time.

However, such a request was swiftly rejected by the manager and the board, but he still remains behind the likes of Ugarte and Casemiro in the current pecking order.

Given the lack of faith shown in him by the manager, it’s safe to say the youngster will be on borrowed time at Old Trafford, and the club could look to cash in on him – with a £70m price tag previously mooted.

Ten Hag may have struggled in the role, but one of the best things he did in Manchester was show the needed faith in Mainoo to allow him to flourish in the professional game.

Amorim could learn a thing or two from the Dutchman, as the Red Devils potentially risk offloading yet another top talent far too prematurely.

Casemiro replacement: Man Utd to make £42m bid for "one of the best CMs"

Manchester United look set to make a huge move for a new midfielder in January.

ByEthan Lamb Oct 29, 2025

Right-arm quick Matiullah, left-arm spinner Simranjeet are additions to the squad playing ongoing T20I tri-series

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Sep-2025Muhammad Waseem will lead UAE’s 17-member squad at the 2025 Asia Cup.Right-arm quick Matiullah Khan and left-arm spinner Simranjeet Singh are the two additions to UAE’s side from the ongoing T20I tri-series against Pakistan and Afghanistan, with the rest of the players retaining their places.Matiullah, 32, has played one ODI and five T20Is so far. The last of those T20Is came against Nigeria in the Pearl of Africa Series in July. Thirty-five-year-old Simranjeet has played five ODIs and 11 T20Is. He last represented UAE at the Gulf T20I Championship last December.UAE previous Asia Cup appearance was in 2016 in Bangladesh, when the tournament was played in the T20 format as well.Related

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UAE are part of Group A in this year’s Asia Cup, which starts on September 9, and will be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The other three teams in their group are India, Pakistan and Oman. UAE start their campaign on September 10, when they face India in Dubai. While they are yet to beat India or Pakistan in any format, they have beaten Oman in five T20Is.The top two teams from the group will progress to the Super Fours stage.UAE squad for Asia CupMuhammad Waseem (capt), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wk), Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D’Souza, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Matiullah Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra (wk), Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh and Saghir Khan