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Manchester United are on the lookout for new signings as they prepare for life under Sir Jim Ratcliffe and potentially a new sporting director to boot, and one youngster with "world-class material" is believed to be a priority target this summer.

Man Utd transfer news

The Red Devils have been linked with plenty of players in recent weeks, too, even though the January transfer window has only recently slammed shut, because the approval of Ratcliffe's takeover has led to interest in Newcastle and former Brighton transfer guru Dan Ashworth. He is seen as an ideal sporting director, and Jason Wilcox could come in as technical director.

Inter Milan right-back Denzel Dumfries has emerged as a target for United, with manager Erik ten Hag thought to be a big admirer of his Dutch compatriot and fans desperate to see who their new regime identifies for the boss – or indeed if they get a new boss altogether.

Atalanta centre-back Giorgio Scalvini is also a player who has been backed to move to Old Trafford in the near future, with the 20-year-old seen as an exciting young option with a high ceiling. Contact has reportedly been made by United. There is also Matthijs de Ligt on the topic of defenders, with the Dutchman finding himself out of favour at Bayern Munich this season, meaning a summer move away could appeal to him.

Man Utd prioritise Leny Yoro

According to a new update from AS [via Sport Witness], Manchester United want to sign Lille defender Leny Yoro this summer, with the young starlet among their "priorities" in the next transfer window.

The Red Devils "recently expressed interest" in snapping him up, and while Paris Saint-Germain are also in the mix to sign him, their rivalry with Lille could ultimately work in United's favour, should they prefer to sell to them.

Yoro really could be a fantastic signing by the club if they can strike a deal this summer, considering he would be arriving as both an immediate key figure and also a player who could be a force for at least the next decade.

This season, the 18-year-old has started 19 matches in Ligue 1, during which time he has shone, enjoying a 91.8% pass completion rate and averaging 3.1 clearances per game. Meanwhile, football talent scout Jacek Kulig says he is "world-class material", in terms of the level he can reach as he further matures as a player.

Related Man Utd now in “front row” to sign “dangerous” player Ten Hag loves

The Red Devils are aware of the contractual issues that have arisen.

Posts ByDavid Comerford Feb 16, 2024

Too often in the past, United have been guilty of poor recruitment when it comes to the age of signings, with too many big names coming in when they are either too old or on the verge of being past their peak. There are almost too many examples to mention, but the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Christian Eriksen, Casemiro, Edinson Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic all stand out.

The hope is that Ratcliffe wants a very different approach to transfers, however, as his – and potentially Ashworth's – influence at United hopefully keeps growing, with focus on bringing in the top young talent who can help take the club back to the top of English football.

Yoro would be a perfect place to start, coming in as an upgrade and far younger alternative to Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire, potentially becoming a genuine defensive force for many years.

MatériaMais Notícias

O governador em exercício do Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro, seguiu a recomendação da Alerj, que voltou atrás do próprio projeto de lei,para que a mudança de nome do Maracanã de Mário Filho para Rei Pelé fosse vetada. A decisão foi publicada no diário oficial do estado nesta quinta-feira.

+ CONFIRA OS CONFRONTOS DA COPA DO BRASIL

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A proposta foi recebida de forma negativa para boa parte da população e da imprensa, que alegaram que o estádio deveria continuar homenageando o jornalista que lutou pela sua construção nos moldes como ele ficou famoso no mundo todo: para mais de 100 mil pessoas, o que gerou a alcunha de ‘Maior do Mundo’, o que era fato em 1950, ano de fundação do estádio.

A proposta feita pela Alerj, à época, também causou mal-estar na família do homenageado. O neto de Mário Filho fez um desabafo ao LANCE!e criticou principalmente o deputado estadual e ex-jogador Bebeto (PODE), que foi relator do projeto de lei. Já o neto de Nelson Rodrigues, que era irmão de Mário filho, fez um apelo para que o governador vetasse a decisão, o que foi feito hoje.

Procurado pelo LANCE! após a decisão da Alerj em recomendar o veto, o neto do jornalista Mário Filho comemorou a mudança de postura da Alerj.

– Fez-se justiça. Isso tudo teve seu lado positivo: o quanto o meu avô é reconhecido como o grande homem que foi – disse Mário Neto.

فتح أسطورة نادي ريال مدريد، بيديا مياتوفيتش، النار على لاعبي خط وسط الفريق الأول لكرة القدم الحاليين بعد الخسارة أمام ليل في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وسقط ريال مدريد يوم أمس الأربعاء، بهدف نظيف ضد ليل في إطار مباريات الجولة الثانية من البطولة القارية في فرنسا.

ولم يكن أداء لاعبي ريال مدريد هو الأفضل تحت قيادة المدرب كارلو أنشيلوتي، وهو ما عرضهم للانتقادات خاصة من لاعبي الوسط وهم أوريلين تشواميني، إدواردو كامافينجا وفيدي فالفيردي.

اقرأ أيضًا | مدرب ليل: استغليت مباراة ريال مدريد وأتلتيكو مدريد.. ونحتاج لقليل من الحظ

وقال مياتوفيتش في تصريحات عبر إذاعة “كادينا سير” الإسبانية: “الفريق ليس سيئًا على المستوى الدفاعي، ليل لم يلعب كذلك مباراة جيدة، لكنني أعتقد أن ريال مدريد بحاجة إلى تحسين وتطوير بعض الأشياء”.

واستمر: “خط وسط ريال مدريد كما لو كنت أشاهد فريق روك أند رول أمام ليل في وجود تشواميني، كامافينجا، فالفيردي وأخيرًا بيلينجهام”.

وواصل تصريحاته: “بصراحة، لست مقتنعًا بهؤلاء اللاعبين معًا، اعتقد أن المشكلة أمام ليل كانت في خط الوسط، بالنسبة لي فهم عضلات بلا عقل، يفتقدون للإبداع”.

وأضاف: “لقد افتقدنا في تلك المباراة للعقل مثل لوكا مودريتش وتوني كروس”.

وعن بداية إندريك: “أعتقد أنه لم يكن جاهزًا، يحتاج للمشاركة كبديل أكثر في الموسم الحالي، والاستفادة من طاقته في وقت يكون المنافس قد استنفد قوته”.

England set a target of 398 in 97 after a day of leather-chasing at Edgbaston as bowling attack runs out of steam

The Report by Andrew McGlashan04-Aug-2019

For the second time in four days Steven Smith wrote himself a place in Ashes folklore, while Matthew Wade completed a comeback story of his own as Australia enjoyed utter dominance with the bat to leave them as the only team with a chance of victory at Edgbaston.Smith became just the fifth Australian to hit twin centuries in an Ashes Test as his match took on even greater proportions of greatness. Wade then cantered to a career-best 110, his third Test hundred and first for six-and-a-half-years, to set up Australia’s declaration late in the evening session, after some fun from James Pattinson and Pat Cummins, leaving England needing a notional 398 in 97 overs.Rory Burns and Jason Roy made it through seven demanding overs under gloomy skies with Nathan Lyon given the new ball on a responsive surface. There was more than enough to put a smile on his face at the potential of what’s on offer. Meanwhile, by surviving to resume in the morning, Burns put himself on the list of players who will have batted on all five days of a Test barring a washout. England would probably take that, but the forecast was largely fine.Well before the openers emerged a draw was England’s best hope before heading to Lord’s, which was a quite remarkable change of fortune from midway through the opening day when Australia were 122 for 8 and starring at another Edgbaston horror show. It was Smith, with help from the tail, who turned the tables then and on Sunday it was Smith who pulled Australia into a strong position before Wade made it impregnable.Smith did the groundwork alongside Travis Head, who made a compact half-century, in a stand of 130 for the fourth wicket which took Australia from 15 behind to 115 in front. However, when Head edged Ben Stokes, England having waited 23 overs for a breakthrough on the fourth morning, there was still plenty of work to do. The stand of 126 between Smith and Wade deflated England’s depleted attack. Stuart Broad had started promisingly, but Moeen Ali had a day to forget, which gave Joe Root a massive problem as he lacked control and wicket-taking threat on a surface aiding spin.Moeen had been handed the first over of the day and it included the opening delivery grubbing at Smith as well as a full toss that flew over his head that he tried to swat away and seemed annoyed that he hadn’t. There was the occasional promising sign, such as when one spun sharply to beat Head, but Moeen couldn’t string together consistent overs.Root and Joe Denly bowled 26 overs between them, with Denly’s legspin at times looking the most threatening of England’s options and he should have had Head stumped on 46 but Jonny Bairstow couldn’t stay low in his stance to gather the ball. That was not overly costly in terms of runs, but with the ball not swinging and the pitch slow England lacked inspiration.Chris Woakes only bowled seven overs in the day but was the man to finally dislodge Smith for 142, driving at the second new ball to leave his match tally 286 runs – just the fourth time a batsman has made two scores over 140 in a Test. Having started the day on 46 the half-century arrived early and any thought England would have found a magical formula overnight went out the window. He went to lunch on 98 and in the second over after the break drove Broad imperiously through the covers. This time the celebrations were a touch more subdued: he was just back doing what he loves.When Smith fell Australia’s lead was 241 and England might have had one final hope if the new ball had scuttled the lower order, but there was not enough left in the tank of the seamers. Root was back on with the ball six overs old, which allowed Wade and Tim Paine to pretty much do as they pleased.Where Smith had been methodical in everything he did, Wade was more attacking from the outset – the method which has served him so well during prolific domestic and Australia A form. He took advantage of some friendly half-volleys from Denly to get his innings going and did not have to contend with the swing that troubled him on the first day. Early in his innings he was bringing out the reverse sweep although Root did beat him on occasion, which rather went to highlight Moeen’s problems.On 69, Wade was saved by the DRS when given lbw to Broad, another poor decision from Joel Wilson given it was the hard new ball and had struck Wade above the pad. It was fitting that such an enterprising century was reached with a reverse sweep and Wade embraced his captain, and Tasmania team-mate, Paine in a moment of significance for both men who find themselves in positions they could scarcely have imagined.The pair added 76 in 13 overs as England largely abandoned hope of bowling Australia out. Stokes hurled himself into a big-hearted seven-over spell and eventually had Wade caught at deep backward square leg, then Paine fell in the next over to a ripping offbreak from Moeen that spun through the gate. While that was a boost for Moeen, it probably did more good for the Australian dressing room.The leather-chasing wasn’t over either as Pattinson avoided a pair and enjoyed the freedom to play his shots. One, in particular, will have given him great satisfaction when he launched Nottinghamshire team-mate Broad high over long-on and he also clobbered the last ball of the innings into the stands. It was a chastening day for England, but what happens on Monday could have an even greater bearing on the series.

غادر محمد عبد المنعم، مدافع منتخب مصر وفريق نيس، مباراة الفراعنة أمام موريتانيا، الجارية الآن ضمن تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا.

ويلتقي منتخب مصر مع موريتانيا، على أرضية استاد القاهرة في إطار منافسات الجولة الثالثة من عمر مباريات المجموعة الثالثة لـ تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا 2025 بالمغرب.

وسقط عبد المنعم على أرضية الملعب مصابًا ولم يستطع استكمال المباراة ليغادر ويحل مصطفى محمد بدلًا منه.

طالع.. فيديو | وائل جمعة: منتخب مصر يفتقد لاعب الأهلي.. وحسام حسن “سلم” صلاح ومرموش لموريتانيا

ويتواجد منتخبا مصر وموريتانيا في المجموعة الثالثة بالتصفيات المؤهلة لنهائيات كأس أمم إفريقيا، والتي تضم إلى جوارهما الرأس الأخضر (كاب فيردي) وبوتسوانا.

وتقام تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا المغرب 2025 من مرحلة واحدة بمشاركة 48 منتخبًا، تم تقسيمها على 12 مجموعة بواقع 4 منتخبات في كل واحدة، يتأهل منها المتصدر والوصيف.

ويسعى منتخب مصر للمضي قدمًا نحو تأكيد تأهله مبكرًا للبطولة القارية التي يملك أكبر عدد كؤوس منها في التاريخ، حيث يتربع الفراعنة على عرش الأكثر تتويجًا بأمم إفريقيا بواقع 7 مرات.

وكان منتخب مصر قد نجح في تحقيق الفوز في مباراتي الجولتين الأولى والثانية أمام الرأس الأخضر وبوتسوانا، بأداء قوي أهله لتسجيل 7 أهداف في المباراتين، دون أن تهتز شباكه.

وعلى الجانب الآخر، يحتل منتخب موريتانيا المركز الثالث في ترتيب المجموعة بـ تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا برصيد 3 نقاط بعد أن فاز على بوتسوانا وخسر أمام الرأس الأخضر. لحظة إصابة محمد عبد المنعم ومغادرة الملعب

The opener added an unbroken 70-run stand with Watling to reduce the deficit to 48 at stumps on day three

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu24-Aug-2019

A compact century from Tom Latham and a more adventurous one from Dhananjaya de Silva headlined an absorbing day of cricket at Colombo’s P Sara Oval. De Silva’s 109 off 148 balls – 77 of them came today, off 86 balls, in the company of the tail – carried Sri Lanka to 244 and seemingly a position of strength, but Latham did well to stand up to their spin barrage even as the track showed signs of breaking up. The left-hander forged a crucial, unbroken 70-run stand with BJ Watling and trimmed the deficit to 48 at stumps on day three.This was Latham’s tenth Test hundred; only John Wright (12) has more among New Zealand Test openers. Watling, meanwhile, surpassed his former captain Brendon McCullum to become the leading run-getter among New Zealand Test wicketkeepers.Both Kane Williamson (20) and Ross Taylor (23) nicked off cheaply, but Latham saw off the new ball and later deployed a proactive approach against spin. His strengths – a still head, decisive footwork and intense focus – were on bright display against Dilruwan Perera, Lasith Embuldeniya and de Silva. He was also particularly strong off the back foot, cutting and pulling with purpose, but when the ball was full enough for the sweep, he nailed it into the leg-side gaps. As many as 81 of his 111 runs came on the leg side.It was only fitting that Latham raised his half-century with a hard, flat sweep to the square-leg boundary. He then reached his hundred with a full-blooded pull to the midwicket boundary against Dilruwan’s offbreaks.At the other end, Watling struggled against the ripping turn and bounce on offer but, as ever, his composure kept him on the wicket, unbeaten on 25.Lahiru Kumara celebrates a wicket•Associated Press

Sri Lanka ended the day with their own wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella having to give up the gloves to substitute Dinesh Chandimal after hurting a fingernail. Dimuth Karunaratne, the captain and often a key player in second innings of Test matches, also left the field with a thigh problem. Things were so different in the morning.De Silva was centre stage then, scoring 109 of the 151 runs that Sri Lanka made while he was out in the middle. There were sumptuous drives through cover, lofts straight over fast bowler’s heads and equally importantly those nicked singles that helped him keep strike and frustrate New Zealand. The innings was not without luck though. He was on 9 when Trent Boult missed a sitter of a caught-and-bowled chance and even when he was on 99, he very nearly inside-edged Tim Southee onto his stumps.But those moments faded away in light of the way he collared Ajaz Patel and struck three successive fours off the left-arm spinner, the pick of them an inside-out shot over extra-cover. It provided a throwback to his first runs in Test cricket: a similarly regal inside-out loft off Steve O’Keefe in Pallekele in 2016.Ajaz, however, found success at the other end when he pinned the other overnight batsman Dilruwan with an arm ball that skidded off the pitch. Southee then went around the wicket and softened Suranga Lakmal with a short-ball attack, which resulted in the batsman taking his eyes off and fending one behind to Watling. In his next over, Southee removed Embuldeniya to come within one scalp of joining Boult in reaching 250 Test wickets in the same game.De Silva, of course, persevered, even if the earlier moments of carefree abandon had given way to nerves as he approached his century with only the No. 11 at the other end. But a slash over backward point finally gave him what he wanted and he celebrated it by blowing kisses to the crowd. It was shaping up to be a very good day for Sri Lanka but now the Test match is back in the balance and the neutral fan should be bubbling with excitement.

MatériaMais Notícias

Everton Ribeiro, Arrascaeta, Bruno Henrique, Gabigol… O setor ofensivo do Flamengo está consolidado com esse quarteto multicampeão, mas sempre há espaço para mais opções de qualidade. Em 2021, sendo o atleta do ataque com mais jogos, Vitinho tem ajudado com gols e assistências, e pode ser uma das mudanças de Rogério Ceni para o jogo contra o Volta Redonda, neste sábado.

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Na primeira partida da semifinal do Carioca – que terá transmissão em tempo real do LANCE! -, o Rubro-Negro deve mesclar reservas e titulares por conta do jogo de terça-feira, contra a LDU, no Equador. Filipe Luís e Gabigol sequer foram relacionados. Já Gerson, com dores, realizará exames nesta manhã.

A contribuição de Vitinho na atual temporada tem sido importante. Marcou, por exemplo, o gol da vitória o próprio Volta Redonda, há uma semana, que garantiu o título da Taça Guanabara e a vantagem do empate na semifinal.

O bom desempenho – que já pôde ser visto na reta final do Brasileirão de 2020 – fazem com que o camisa 11, outrora questionado por parcela da torcida, hoje viva uma espécie de lua de mel com os rubro-negros. Nas redes sociais, há quem peça sua titularidade no lugar de Everton Ribeiro. Possibilidade que, se levando em conta as declarações de Ceni, é improvável nos principais jogos, como na Liberta. O técnico, recentemente, classificou o meia como “especial”.

> Confira as chaves e as datas das semifinais do Campeonato Carioca!

Os artilheiros e garçons do Flamengo em 2021 (números de jogos):

7 Gols – Gabi (8J)
5 Gols – Arrascaeta (6J) e Rodrigo Muniz (11J)
4 Gols – Pedro (6J) e Vitinho (11J)

4 Assistências – Michael (10J)
3 Assistências – Bruno Henrique (7J) e Matheuzinho (10J)
2 Assistências – Diego (7J), Gerson (7J) e Vitinho (11J)

Manchester United suffered their latest setback this weekend, as they lost 2-1 to Fulham at Old Trafford.

However, Erik ten Hag is insistent that he’s happy with the progress at the club, stating that “the bigger picture looks very good.”

A team's true character isn’t displayed when winning, but during matches when things simply aren’t going their way.

This season at United, bar a handful of players, only the youth have shown the courage to step up, and that was on display once again yesterday, with Alejandro Garnacho impressing in particular.

Alejandro Garnacho’s 2023/24 season in numbers

United’s Argentine has simply gone to another level this season, developing to a point where he is one of Ten Hag’s most important players and completely unstoppable.

In 18 starts this campaign, the 19-year-old has scored five goals in the league this season while also providing three assists. Garnacho has been particularly brilliant since Boxing Day, however, with only Rasmus Hojlund contributing to more goals than him this year.

His relentless style of play, confidence, and resilience are what make him so special, and it is infectious.

Against Fulham on Saturday, Garnacho attempted four dribbles, had three shots, and completed three key passes, which all highlight that he was attempting to take the initiative to help his team win.

However, there is another player in the United squad who only played 19 minutes at the weekend who could have a similar impact on the side as Garnacho.

Man Utd's next star is waiting in the wings

Amad Diallo is a highly-rated youngster that the United faithful have barely seen in action wearing a Red Devils shirt, playing 11 games, with his only goal coming on his debut against AC Milan in the Europa League.

However, they all know about him for his performances for Sunderland while on loan. The 21-year-old was influential for Tony Mowbray’s team last season, operating in a right-wing role that was previously a problem position for Ten Hag before he trialled Garnacho on the opposite flank.

During his time at the Black Cats, Diallo played 37 matches, scoring an impressive 13 goals and providing three assists, but the table below showing his stats from last season and how they compare to his positional peers proves he is much more than just a goal contributor.

Amad Diallo: 2022/23 Season

Metric

Stat (per 90)

Ranking in the Championship

Goals

0.45

Top 6%

Passes completed

40.51

Top 4%

Passes into final third

3.90

Top 4%

Shot-creating actions

4.14

Top 8%

Carries into penalty area

1.57

Top 12%

Successful take-ons

2.16

Top 12%

Stats via FBref

Amad is clearly the definition of a creative winger who can sprinkle his magic at any given point. The winger is the type of player to win his side a game out of nothing, which is why former teammate Papu Gomez said he’s “like Messi” because “you can’t stop him.”

Related Man Utd could have beaten Fulham by making this sub instead of McTominay

This was Man United’s first defeat in 2024.

Posts ByTom Lever Feb 25, 2024

His slender 5 foot 8 frame allows him to wriggle his way past players, but he rarely gets bullied off the ball due to his immense technical ability.

Diallo also has incredible vision, which enables him to play clever passes into the final third.

With the Fulham game highlighting that United tend to struggle against a low block, Ten Hag may look to the former Atalanta player for goals in the FA Cup tie against Nottingham Forest in the week, and he could just have a say on the outcome of the tie, like Garnacho often does.

Chelsea have had something of an inconsistent 2023/24 season thus far. Despite reaching the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool last month, the Blues currently reside in 11th place, 14 points off the top four spots.

Granted, their form in the last campaign wasn't much better as Todd Boehly's team found themselves finishing the season in the bottom half of the table.

The last couple of years have been a major fall from grace for the west London club as, prior to Boehly's takeover, the side not only finished in the top half of the Premier League table, but they managed to achieve Champions League qualification.

So, despite the American spending over £1b in both transfer and loan fees since the start of his tenure, the Stamford Bridge club have made little obvious progress to date.

For example, in Saturday's clash against Brentford, the Blues had to rely on an 83rd-minute goal from Axel Disasi in order to gain a point from the encounter, the two sides playing out an entertaining 2-2 draw in west London.

It wasn't just Disasi who proved to be Chelsea's saviour this afternoon, however, one other player whom Boehly acquired from Ligue 1 having started to pick up form and showcase his ability. That player being, Malo Gusto.

Malo Gusto's game in numbers vs Brentford

Gusto has been a fairly consistent starter for Mauricio Pochettino this season due to the injuries which Reece James has suffered to date.

The France international has played a total of 26 times for Chelsea in all competitions this term and has provided his team with six assists – notably teeing up Nicolas Jackson's opener against the Bees with a delicious cross.

During the game, the promising defender also managed to successfully dribble past his opponents twice and win 66% of the duels which he attempted, as per Sofascore, having also chalked up three key passes from his wing-back berth,

The former Lyon man did, however, manage to lose the ball 17 times, although that was likely due to his willingness to make things happen for his side in a creative sense, seemingly more than deserving of his 7/10 match rating – as per GOAL.

The attack-minded defender wasn't the only Chelsea player who had a stellar game, however, as Disasi was the reason behind the Blues getting a point at all.

How well Disasi played against the Bees

Disasi is another one of Boehly's signings which seems to have aged well. The defender was signed for a fee in the region of £38m and has been a regular in Pochettino's squad.

The 25-year-old has appeared a total of 34 times for the west London club and has scored twice during that time.

Whilst these returns aren't the strongest, defenders are often not judged by the amount of goals they contribute to their team, rather, they are judged by the amount of goals they can keep out.

The former Monaco man largely did a stellar job at that during their meeting with Thomas Frank's side as he managed to win 60% of the duels which he attempted and cleared the ball a total of three times.

Disasi also had 81 touches of the ball, which is more than what Ben Chilwell managed despite the former Leicester man playing in a much more advanced role.

If the centre-back's form continues as it has been doing over the last few seasons, there is no reason as to why we won't be seeing the 6 foot 2 titan donning the blue of Chelsea for many years to come.

The result, though comfortable in the end, looked improbable after India huffed and puffed to 130 in the first innings

The Report by Ankur Dhawan24-Sep-2019

Deepti Sharma and Poonam Yadav spun a web around a listless South Africa middle order, taking five wickets for just 33 between them to help India to an 11-run win in the first T20I in Surat. That was despite a spirited counter-attack from Mignon du Preez, who kept a packed stadium and all the Indian fielders on the edge with some powerful blows in her 43-ball 59. At one stage, she brought the equation down to 12 off five balls with a six off the first delivery of the last over, before running past one in the search of another maximum, stumped in the final over.The result, though comfortable in the end, looked improbable after India huffed and puffed to 130 and Pooja Vastrakar, who started proceedings on her return to international cricket bowled a wayward first over that went for 18. Lizelle Lee was the beneficiary, picking up three fours in the opening over of the chase.The poor start seemed to have had a cascading effect as the experienced Shikha Pandey, too, strayed her inswinger onto the pads of Lee, paying the price with a four pulled through square leg and a couple of wides down the leg side. But she had the last laugh, getting her final ball on target, and the inswinger burst through the gap between Lee’s seemingly impenetrable forward defence.Lee’s wicket marked the beginning of South Africa’s steep slide. After the first 11 balls had gone for 25, the next 7.1 overs saw four wickets fall for just 23. It was precisely when the match turned as Deepti started with a maiden over, before removing Tazmin Brits and Nadine de Klerk in the space of four balls. In her next, which was quite remarkably the second of her three consecutive maidens.Four overs later, after a quiet period, Poonam struck twice in two balls, removing Laura Woolvaardt and stand-in captain Sune Luus, with a chance of a hat-trick against a batsman who hadn’t faced a ball in international cricket. Though Nondumiso Shangase survived the hat-trick, Harmanpreet Kaur, who was extracting appreciable turn with her seemingly innocuous offbreaks, got one to rip through her defences to leave them tottering at 65 for 6 in the 12th. With the match slipping from their grasp like quicksand, du Preez went on the attack, but though she threatened right till the end, she didn’t have enough support to take her side over the line.Earlier, after being put into bat, India started poorly, losing 15-year-old debutant Shafali Verma for a four-ball duck to Shabnim Ismail, though much of the credit for the wicket should go to Tumi Sekhukhune, who took a stunner diving to her left at mid-on. South Africa’s fielding oscillated between moments of brilliance like that and mediocrity as they missed run-out chances and dropped catches, the steepler of Harmanpreet costing 14, which proved to be quite significant in the end as the Indian captain rode her luck to get 43.But before that, opener Smriti Mandhana and No.3 Jemimah Rodrigues feasted on some inconsistent bowling which included a number of full tosses that they dispatched to the fence. Ironically, it was a high full toss that saw the end of Mandhana for 21, after she had found the boundary twice in the sixth over from Shangase already. This time, she only managed to sky one to backward point, the umpires, after a brief consultation upstairs, deeming it a legal delivery. Rodrigues holed out to long-on, but India’s own collapse was orchestrated by de Klerk, who struck twice in the space of three balls to send back Deepti and a dangerous-looking Harmeenpreet, who swung across the line of a straight one to be trapped in front. Despite those wickets, the lower order managed to eke out some vital runs that took India to 130, which proved sufficient.