United News of Bangladesh

Argentina's Lionel Messi and Brazil's Vinicius Júnior had frustrating nights in South American World Cup qualifying. While Messi could not help his team avoid a 2-1 defeat at Paraguay, Vinicius Junior missed a second-half penalty as Brazil was held to a 1-1 draw at Venezuela on Thursday. Argentina will remain on the top of the 10-team round robin competition with a 22 points in 11 matches, Brazil is provisionally in third place in the standings with 17 points. Also on Thursday, Ecuador hosted Bolivia. The 11th round of South American World Cup qualifying will continue on Friday with second-place Colombia visiting Uruguay and the bottom two teams in the standings, Peru and Chile, facing off in Lima. An anti-Messi message Argentina played at Paraguay with the hosts having banned local fans from wearing any Messi shirts in the home crowd. TV footage of the match in Asuncion showed that the vast majority of the local crowd was wearing Paraguay’s red and white colors, with no Messi shirts visible in the local broadcasts. Messi had few opportunities to touch the ball during the first half, but saw Lautaro Martínez open the scoring in the 11th minute with a crossed shot. The goal was allowed after a video review. Paraguay scored the equalizer with a bicycle kick by Antonio Sanabria in the 19th minute, shortly after defender Gustavo Gómez hit the bar with a header. The hosts continued to apply pressure, and gave the Argentine star some heavy marking. Messi showed he was upset with Brazilian referee Anderson Daronco for not sending off Paraguay's Omar Alderete for his aggressive tackles. It was Alderete who scored Paraguay's winner with a header in the 47th minute, which puts Paraguay back in contention for a spot in the next World Cup. “We came to a hard place where the national team always struggled,” said Martínez. “We have to correct a lot of things we did wrong in this match, but generally speaking we are playing well. We are still in the lead, and we have to look forward.” A disappointing night for Vinicius Júnior Vinicius Júnior is still without a goal in six matches of World Cup qualifying. He had the chance to score a potential winner after he earned the penalty in the 67th minute but his low spot kick was saved by goalkeeper Rafael Romo and the Brazil forward then shot wide from the rebound. Brazil had the best chances in the first half, with Vinicius hitting the post once after dribbling three Venezuelans and shooting from the edge of the box. But it was Raphinha who opened the scoring from a free kick in the 43rd minute. Venezuela brought on 21-year-old Telasco Segovia at halftime and the substitution had an immediate effect as he equalized in the 46th minute with a powerful shot from the edge of the box. Venezuela went down to 10 men in the 89th minute after Alexander Gonzalez was sent off for hitting both Gabriel Martinelli and Vinicius Júnior in the face. The irrigation system then came on two minutes before the final whistle at the Monumental Stadium in the city of Maturin, 500 kilometers (310 miles) west of the capital Caracas, which angered Brazil players. “When we don't win I leave the pitch a bit disappointed, we deserved to win this one,” Raphinha said after the match. “But it is an important point playing away, we are working hard to win the next one at home.”

South East Bank PLC accorded a reception to the unbeaten SAFF Women's Champions Bangladesh Football team at its head office in Dhaka on Thursday. The bank rewarded Tk 3 lakh to each of the 23 booters of the team and Tk 1 lac each to nine team officials and coaching staff. Besides, the footballers were also awarded with the bank's international debit card. Earlier, the Ministry of Youth and Sports distributed their pre-pledged bonus of TK 1 crore to the Bangladesh women's football team through a separate check early this week. Bangladesh Women's Football team clinched the prestigious SAFF women's crown for the 2nd consecutive time, shocking hosts Nepal by 2-1 goals in the final at a houseful Dashrath Rangasala (Stadium) in Kathmandhu on October 30. Adviser for the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Asif Mahmud Sojib Bhuiyan, announced the bonus for the Bangladesh Women's Football team on behalf of the ministry and handed over a replica cheque at the BFF office soon after the team returned from Nepal on October 31. The National Sports Council, under the Ministry of Youth and Sports, issued separate cheques of Tk 3,12,500.00 (three lacs, twelve thousand and five hundred) for each of the 32-member Bangladesh Women's Football team, including 23 footballers, nine coaching staff, and team officials. The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) also announced a bonus of Tk 1.5 crore for the Bangladesh Women's Football team after its first executive committee meeting at the BFF office in Motijheel last Saturday.Bangladesh Cricket Board (BFF) also announced a reward of Tk 20 lakh for Bangladesh Women's Football team for their feat. Both rewards are likely to be distributed within this month.

Glenn Maxwell's robust 43 off 19 balls helped Australia thump Pakistan by 29 runs in a rain-shortened first Twenty20 on Thursday. After a nearly three-hour delay due to lightning and rain, the match was shortened to seven overs per side. Maxwell powered Australia to 93-4 and Pakistan reached only 64-9 after slumping to 16-5 inside the first 15 balls. Nathan Ellis (3-9) and Xavier Bartlett (3-13) ran through the top order before No. 8 batter Abbas Afridi’s unbeaten 20. “Certainly had a lot of fun out there,” Maxwell said. “We thought we had enough on the board … the bowlers did a great job. There was a few of us who had packed our bags expecting the game to be called off, so it was a mad rush to get ready.” Maxwell followed scores of 0, 16, 0 in the preceding one-day international series won by Pakistan 2-1 by smacking three sixes and five boundaries. He played some extravagant lap shots to third man against the pace of Haris Rauf (1-21) and Naseem Shah (1-37). Maxwell fell in the penultimate over when he hooked Abbas Afridi (2-9) to backward square leg but Marcus Stoinis provided a final flourish with an unbeaten 21 off seven balls. Stoinis smashed 20 runs in Shah’s last over with two fours and six. None of the top six Pakistan batters reached double figures. Sahibzada Farhan hit Spencer Johnson for two successive boundaries off the first two balls he faced before mistiming a pull shot off the fourth ball and holing out at midwicket. Mohammad Rizwan, in his first match as the Pakistan skipper, fell to the first ball when he top-edged Bartlett to point. Usman Khan was caught at third man in the same over. Ellis struck twice in his first over when Babar Azam was caught in the deep and Jake Fraser-McGurk snapped his third catch as Irfan Khan also offered a tame catch at deep midwicket. Pakistan was 24-6 in the fourth over when Salman Ali Agha scored only 4 in his debut T20, guiding a sharp, short Bartlett delivery to Australia first-time captain Josh Inglis on the run. Leg-spinner Adam Zampa clean-bowled Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah off successive balls in the last over to complete the rout. “It was difficult to keep things normal in a seven-over game,” Rizwan said. “Got to give credit to Maxy, his style worked really well.” The second T20 is in Sydney on Saturday, and the last in Hobart on Monday.

Even when he is not there for France, the focus remains on Kylian Mbappé. On the eve of a high-risk Nations League match against Israel in Paris, France coach Didier Deschamps was asked Wednesday if he had spoken with Mbappé about his decision to leave the Real Madrid forward out of his squad. Deschamps first joked that he had expected the question to be asked earlier during the press conference. Quickly back to his serious self, Deschamps then avoided a debate. “Listen, I told you what I told you,” Deschamps said. "You are free to speak, and interpret that. I have a game tomorrow, There are 23 players here. Kylian isn’t here – please leave him alone.” Mbappé was also absent from the previous France gathering because of a minor thigh injury. This time he is not injured, but struggling with form. Mbappé’s performances have been below par in recent weeks after he joined Madrid from PSG this summer. His struggles to adapt to his new side’s playing style have coincided with a global rough patch of form for the Spanish club. Mbappé hasn’t added to his 48 goals for France since June. Deschamps last week did not elaborate about his choice to do without Mbappé but said it was not related to recent reports in Swedish media that the former Paris Saint-Germain star was the subject of a rape investigation. Mbappé’s representatives have rejected the reports as “false and irresponsible.” France plays Israel at home then travels to Italy three days later. Italy leads the group standings after four matches, one point above France. Belgium is third, ahead of Israel.

Hosts Bangladesh made a frustrating start in the two-match FIFA Tier-1 International Friendly series, losing to the Maldives in the first match at the floodlight Bashundhara Kings Arena in the capital on Wednesday evening. With the day's well-deserved victory, the Maldives team not only regained their rhythm after their absence in international football for one year but also took sweet revenge for their 1-2 goal defeat against Bangladesh at the same venue in October last year. The Maldives team, FIFA ranked 163rd, now enjoyed an upper hand against FIFA ranked 186th Bangladesh after 19th international matches on Wednesday with seven wins, six draws, and six defeats. The second and last match between two teams will be held on Saturday (November 16) at the same venue. In the day's match, midfielder Ali Fasir scored the match-winning goal for the Maldives in the 18th minute by a well-judged header from close, off a free kick of Hamza Mohammad from the right wing (1-0). Bangladesh was too unlucky in the day's match, as they did everything except score a goal. Most of the Bangladesh attempts were foiled due to the shakiness of the forwards as well as the confident defence line-up of the Maldives. In the day's match, midfielder Ali Fasir put the Maldives ahead in the 18th minute by a well-judged header from close, off a Hamza Mohammad free kick from the right wing (1-0). Bangladesh came close to levelling the margin in the following minute, but they failed to fire target from goalmouth melee despite the repeated attempts. In the 43rd minute, a long-distance shot by Sohel Rana missed target, narrowly hitting the side post. Forward Rakib Hossain saved Bangladesh from conceding another goal in the 62nd minute, foiling a good Maldivian attempt from the danger zone in a one-to-one situation. Mohammad Hridoy and Isa Faysal of Bangladesh and Ahmed Aiham of the Maldives were cautioned with yellow cards in the match. Newly elected BFF President Tabith Awal, Sr Vice President Imrul Hasan, vice presidents, and some EC members gathered in the stadium to witness the match along with former captain of Bangladesh Cricket team Habibul Bashar Sumon, but they were frustrated in their first official appearances today (Wednesday).

Former Bangladesh opener Imrul Kayes said he is set to wave goodbye to Test cricket this month, as well as his First-class career. The batter announced it on a social media post on Wednesday.  Imrul started playing Test cricket in 2008 and appeared in 39 matches. His last Test appearance was in 2019.  “I am about to make a difficult decision regarding my career,” Imrul said in a video posted on social media.  “I am announcing the end of my Test career on November 16th, and with that, I am also going to announce the end of my First-class cricket career. This is one of the most difficult and emotional moments in my 17-year journey,” he added.  In his 39-match Test career, Imrul hit three centuries and four fifties.  In his 137-match First-class career, the left-handed batter hit 20 centuries and 27 fifties.  Since his last appearance in Test in 2019, Imrul on several occasions said, he wants to play Test cricket, but the 37-year-old batter never called back to the Bangladesh team again.  One of the most notable achievements of Imrul’s career was a 312-run partnership with Tamim Iqbal, which is the world record for the highest-run stand in the first wicket partnership in a third or fourth innings of a Test match.  It was notched up in the Khulna Test against Pakistan in 2015. Imrul hit 150 in that partnership, which remains as his best knock in Test cricket. 

Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat in the first one-day international against a new-look New Zealand team on Wednesday. The series will provide New Zealand with a build up for next year’s Champions Trophy for which Sri Lanka hasn’t qualified after it finished ninth in last year’s World Cup in India. While New Zealand will be playing its first ODI since December of last year, Sri Lanka has fared well in the 50-over format, winning 10 of its 15 ODIs in 2024. All-rounder Nathan Smith, opening batter Tim Robinson and wicketkeeper Mitchell Hay made ODI debuts for New Zealand. Canterbury wicketkeeper-batter Hay became the first wicketkeeper in T20s to feature in six dismissals behind the stumps as New Zealand drew the series 1-1 and successfully defended a low score of 108 at the same venue last week. Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson was ruled out of the series after he sustained a calf injury during the second T20 soon after grabbing a hat-trick. Sri Lanka will also miss its star leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, who has been sidelined for the three ODIs due to hamstring injury. Pallekele will host the remaining two ODIs on Sunday and next Tuesday.

Australia hosts Saudi Arabia in a crucial World Cup qualifier at Melbourne on Thursday while Japan and South Korea can take a big step towards North America in 2026 when the third round of Asian qualifying reaches the halfway stage. With only the top two teams from each of the three groups of six progressing automatically to the expanded 48-team tournament, Australia and Saudi Arabia both have only five points from four Group C games, five behind leaders Japan. The sputtering form of the two teams has already resulted in coaching changes since the third round began. Graham Arnold stepped down as Socceroos head coach in September and was replaced by Tony Popovic while Saudi Arabia fired Roberto Mancini in October after a 0-0 draw with Bahrain in Jeddah. Renard returns to Riyadh Herve Renard is back in Riyadh to take over the Saudi team for a second spell. “I believe we can qualify; otherwise, I wouldn’t be here,” Renard, who left Riyadh in March 2023 to take over the French women’s national team, told local media. “I know the players well. We’re not in an ideal situation, but it’s far from hopeless. We still have six games remaining, four of them away.” Renard led Saudi Arabia to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, topping a qualification group above Japan and Australia. It then defeated eventual champion Argentina 2-1 in its opening game in Qatar before losing its next two games and finishing last in its group, failing to qualify for the knockout rounds. “Many of these players were part of the squad that qualified for the 2022 World Cup,” Renard said. “They must draw on that experience, keep their spirit high, and do everything necessary to reach the 2026 World Cup.” Saudi Arabia is hoping that a coaching change can produce the same upturn in results that Popovic delivered for Australia in his first two games in October, with a win over China at home followed by a 1-1 draw in Japan. Japan favored in two away matches in Indonesia, China Those were the first points that Japan, which has appeared in every World Cup since 1998, dropped in qualification. The Samurai Blue is expected to beat Indonesia despite playing in front of an expected 78,000 fans in Jakarta, before traveling to China. “If you look at the FIFA rankings and the games in the World Cup qualifiers so far, you might think that the advantage is with Japan,” said coach Hajime Moriyasu. “But we are playing both games away and I think it will be tough.” South Korea to be cautious with Son Heung-min In Group B, leaders South Korea has recovered from a disappointing opening-game draw with the Palestinian team to win three consecutive games. Victory in Kuwait will see the South Koreans go five or six points clear of third place. Captain and star Son Heung-min missed the victories over Jordan and Iraq due to a hamstring injury and has been short of minutes for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. “At this point, I have absolutely zero plans to push him hard,” South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo said. “I will figure out ways to use him efficiently. As soon as he joins the team, I will sit down with him and discuss his playing time. It’s really important for us to see a healthy version of Son Heung-min.” Iraq and Jordan are level in second place in Group B — three points behind — and meet in Basra. In Group A, Iran and Uzbekistan are six points clear of the rest of the group and face respective away games against North Korea and Qatar.

Argentina and Brazil will have two of their leading stars available again as South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup resumes with the last two rounds of games this year. Defending World Cup champion Argentina will once again count on goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who was suspended for two international matches in October. Brazil will bring back winger Vinícius Júnior, who missed the last two qualifiers through injury but has recovered. South American leaders Argentina will play at Paraguay on Thursday, shortly after fourth-place Brazil visits Venezuela. Also on Thursday, host Ecuador and Bolivia will face off in Guayaquil. Potentially the most interesting match of the 11th round will be played on Friday in Montevideo, where third-place Uruguay hosts second-place Colombia. The bottom two in the 10-team standings, Peru and Chile, will meet the same day. All teams play again next Tuesday in the 12th round of games, when Argentina hosts Peru and Brazil has a home game against Uruguay. Argentina currently has 22 points, three more than Colombia, with Uruguay and Brazil third and fourth with 16 points each. Ecuador and Paraguay, with 13 points, complete the top six which are direct spots in the next World Cup. Bolivia has 12 points, and its seventh place would qualify the Andean team for an international playoff. Venezuela (11), Peru (6) and Chile (5) complete the standings. Argentina looks to Messi Argentina can move even closer to a spot at the World Cup by beating Paraguay and Peru. Captain Lionel Messi will be his team's best hope for goals once again after his hat trick and two assists in the 6-0 win against Bolivia in October, with the 37-year-old the top scorer in the current South American qualifying. Argentina will travel to Asuncion with an additional challenge since Paraguay has been unbeaten since coach Gustavo Alfaro, an Argentine, took over in the middle of the year. In September, the Paraguayans beat Brazil 1-0. Coach Lionel Scaloni faced a last-minute injury that could force even more changes in Argentina's defense. Lisandro Martínez suffered an apparent abdomen injury during Manchester United's 3-0 Premier League victory over Leicester and was discharged from international duty. Scaloni had already lost Germán Pezzella. Vinícius under pressure Pressure on Brazil coach Dorival Júnior was eased in October after two wins in qualifying over Chile and Peru. And Vinícius wasn't on duty in either of them. Fans will pay close attention to the winger's performances against tough defenses at Venezuela and later against Uruguay, as he tries to reproduce for Brazil the same decisive performances for Real Madrid. Brazil once again will not have Neymar, who picked up a muscular injury earlier this month. There's no big name as a center forward because Rodrygo is injured, too, and Endrick was not chosen. Vinícius will likely have to link up effectively with Raphinha and Luiz Henrique. Vinícius will face two teams that are in a degree of turmoil. Venezuela hasn't won any of its last six qualifiers, and Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa is still under fire from former players for his handling of the team. Two wins for Brazil won't secure the team a spot at the next World Cup just yet, but they will give fans and players some reassurance after a turbulent year. Unfinished business Colombia is hardly expecting a friendly reception in Montevideo on Friday. After all, there's unfinished business with Uruguay since their turbulent semifinal encounter at the Copa América in the United States in July. Colombia's victory kicked off a brawl between Colombian fans and relatives of the Uruguay players. Led by striker Darwin Núñez, the Uruguayans went into the stands to defend their relatives. Núnez was later suspended for five matches. Uruguay's Bielsa will be without two key midfielders, Nicolás de la Cruz and Giorgian de Arrascaeta, both injured. Uruguay has not won since its third-place match at the Copa America.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced Tuesday that Shahadat Hossain Dipu will replace Najmul Hossain Shanto in the upcoming Test series against the West Indies. Shanto, the regular captain, has been ruled out of the squad after sustaining a groin strain, impacting both the team’s leadership and batting lineup. Shahadat, a 22-year-old right-hander from Chattogram Division, was called up by the BCB’s National Selection Panel to fill Shanto’s spot. Shahadat’s performances in domestic cricket have drawn attention, making this series a significant opportunity to prove himself in the international arena. Bangladesh will play two ICC World Test Championship matches against the West Indies, starting on November 22 in Antigua, followed by the second Test on November 30 in Jamaica. With Shanto sidelined, the squad will look to vice captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz to take on the leadership role. Bangladesh Test Squad: Shadman Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque Showrab, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Litton Das (Wicketkeeper), Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Hasan Murad.