Mbappe hat-trick powers Real Madrid to 4-1 win over Real Sociedad

Madrid [Spain], August 27 (ANI): A Kylian Mbappe hat-trick helped Real Madrid crush Real Sociedad 4-1 in their La Liga match at their home arena of Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

This marks their first win of the season at home and their second win in two matches. The Jose Mourinho era continues undefeated for the Spanish giants, who would be eyeing redemption after two dry seasons without any major titles.

Denzel Dumfries, along with Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr, was a part of the starting line-up for Real Madrid. In the first half, there were chances at both ends, with Mbappe, Vinicius and Mikel Oyarzabal of Sociedad all being denied, as per Goal.com. sportbet.reviews

A wide strike from Sergio Gomez made it seem like the first half would be drawless, but the match came to life in the final five minutes of the first half.

Mbappe struck to make it 1-0 in the 40th minute, sending his opponent the wrong way after a pass from Federico Valverde. Four minutes later, Luka Susic produced a gentle equaliser, taking the scoreline 1-1 into half-time.

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Mbappe later combined with Bellingham to make it 2-1 in the 60th minute. Vinicius also struck, making it 3-1 in the 68th minute, before Mbappe completed his hat-trick in the 80th minute to make it 4-1. Brahim Diaz’s strike could have made it 5-1, but saw his goal ruled out for offside.

Speaking after the match, Mourinho said, as quoted by the club’s official website, that the first half was difficult as they struggled to click with their pressing and admitted to sitting on the bench “wishing for a water break".

“The first half was difficult for us, in the sense that we weren’t clicking with our pressing, and Real Sociedad didn’t create or have many scoring opportunities. I think their goal was the only shot on target they had in the first half, but they were very well-organized. They are a team with a very good coach, large distances between their central defenders, and very hard to press. It was one of those games where I was saying on the bench that I wished there was a water break, it would have been perfect," he said.

“At halftime, we adjusted some things, and then in the second half, we scored four goals, but it could’ve been five or six. That would have been unfair to a Real Sociedad that had a great first half but faced obvious difficulties in the second against a team with players like Kylian, Jude… It is a lot of football and a lot of quality. In the second half, it was impossible for them," he added.

Making his return to Bernabeu after the first spell with the club from 2010-13, he said that the match was “calm"

“The first match at the Bernabeu was calm. I don’t get very nervous or tense before matches anymore. I enjoyed it a lot. The last time I came here with Benfica (his previous team), I stayed in the garage watching the game. Today is the first time I have been in the new Bernabeu. I am not a fan of them chanting my name. The team is the most important thing, and feeling the support is what matters most to me. I am very happy with the players’ feelings after playing their first home match, winning well, the fans going home smiling, and tomorrow we train because Malaga is coming on Sunday," he signed off. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Ex-West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard posted a sweet message for wife Jenna on the occasion of their 14th wedding anniversary recently. Sharing a few pictures alongside her with his 1.5mn Instagram followers, he wrote: “2012 till 2026 and counting, through thick and thin, ups and down, we’re still standing side by side.

I love you. Boy to man. Princess to queen.”

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India’s Asian Games cricket campaign will begin on September 29, with Shreyas Iyer set to lead the men’s team in Japan as the country aims to add another gold medal to its growing dominance in the continental competition.

The Indian men’s side has been handed a direct entry into the quarter-finals, meaning Iyer and his teammates will enter the tournament at the knockout stage rather than playing in the preliminary groups. Their first opponent will be the second-placed team from Group A, which features Afghanistan, hosts Japan and Nepal.

India start as one of the favourites

India’s position among the seeded teams reflects the strength of the squad and its record in the previous Asian Games. Along with Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, India have been given direct access to the men’s quarter-finals.

The cricket competition is being staged as part of the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, with matches taking place around the Nagoya region. The men’s gold-medal match is scheduled for October 3.

For Iyer, the assignment brings another leadership opportunity on the international stage. The middle-order batter will have to combine his experience with the energy of a squad built to compete for a major continental title.

A short road to the gold medal

Unlike teams entering through the preliminary groups, India will need only two victories to reach the final.

India’s men’s route:

September 29: Quarter-final

Next stage: Semi-final, if India win

October 3: Men’s final

That compressed route makes the opening match particularly important. A slow start could immediately end India’s gold-medal ambitions, while a convincing quarter-final victory would put the team within one win of the title match.

India’s recent Asian Games record

India have already established themselves as a force in Asian Games cricket. The men’s and women’s teams both won gold at the previous edition in Hangzhou, China, making the 2026 campaign an opportunity to defend both crowns.

The women’s team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, will begin earlier, facing Japan on September 18. Their final is scheduled for September 22.

The men, meanwhile, have a little more time before their campaign begins, with the September 29 quarter-final marking the first major test for Iyer’s side.

Key numbers

Captain: Shreyas Iyer

Men’s campaign begins: September 29, 2026

Men’s final: October 3, 2026

India’s entry: Direct quarter-final

Group A: Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal

Men’s seeded teams: India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

Previous Asian Games: India won gold in the men’s and women’s events

What makes the campaign interesting

The biggest storyline will be whether India can turn their seeding and previous success into another gold medal.

Iyer’s leadership will be closely watched, particularly because knockout cricket leaves little room for recovery. India will not have the luxury of building momentum through several group matches. Their first appearance will immediately be a do-or-die contest.

With the Asian Games title already in their trophy cabinet, India arrive in Japan carrying expectations rather than uncertainty. The challenge now is to justify that status when the pressure begins on September 29.

The post Shreyas Iyer’s India Begin Asian Games Gold Hunt on September 29 appeared first on SSI FANZINE.

Vaibhav Tripathi, Colombo

There was a guy who used to change the course of the game from behind the wickets. Generally, whenever this phrase is used, on most occasions, it has been in relation to MS Dhoni. The legendary wicket-keeper-batter is regarded as having one of the best cricketing brains. In his decorated career, so many times he has changed the course of the game with his decision-making or by passing on the tips on to the bowlers. On day 4 of the second Test, Dhoni’s apprentice, Pant proved to be the catalyst in the process of getting the wicket of Pasindu Sooriyabandara who batted really well for his 92.

Sri Lanka adopted an aggressive blueprint to unsettle India’s spinners, and Sooriyabandara led the charge with intent. From the moment he walked in, his footwork reflected a clear urgency to keep the scoreboard moving. Unlike his first-innings 80, the right-hander was far more proactive against spin early on, repeatedly stepping out of his crease to disrupt the bowlers’ rhythm and put them under immediate pressure.

With the pitch occasionally offering big turn, and seldom from the line of the stumps, India’s three spinners toiled hard with little reward through the first two sessions. And Sri Lanka’s aggression forced them into defensive plans, with Manav Suthar going over the wicket to Sooriyabandara in an effort to challenge his sweep out of the rough outside the leg stump. This tactic, though, failed miserably. Post tea, India went back to the basics. They brought control and dried up the boundaries. With no boundaries coming, as a set batter, Sooriyabandara was the one who had to do something having understood the nature of the wicket. More pressure came on him when he closely survived a close call thanks to the DRS.

Sensing something is going to happen, Pant told Manav, Shubman Gill and the fielders that a restless Sooriyabandara could try clearing the inner ring.

“Restless ho raha hain, mid-on ready rehna. (He is getting restless, someone in mid-on get ready.),” said Pant.

Pant conveyed the message in Hindi.
Not sure if Sooriyabandara understood what he said. But what he did was exactly what Pant wanted the opener to do.

With runs drying up, a batter in the 90s gave a pre-empted charge to Manav. The bowler saw it coming after which he slowed down the pace and pushed it well outside off. Sooriyabandara had a desperate lunge, but he couldn’t come anywhere near the ball and Pant had ample time to do the stumping.

Had Sooriyabandara scored that hundred, things could’ve been completely different by the end of the day. Pant took the route of playing mental games and fair to say he was successful in his motive. Due credit to the bowler for bowling outside of the batter’s reach, but the seed of doubt was sown in by Pant. Gill also had bluffed him with his field placement.

Poor Pasindu, once again found himself caught in the tense territory of the nervous 90s, undone by a player who knows all too well the frustration of falling short of three figures himself.

This episode was another illustration of the mental demands of the game, that can be just as decisive as physical endurance.

The post Pant, Pasindu and a Plot Written Behind the Stumps appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.

The IND vs SL 2nd Test stands on a compelling note after the conclusion of play on day 4. And that is because the Sri Lankan batsmen produced some fight in this game while the visitors are also battling against rain.

Having been bundled out for 284 and 206 in the 1st Test in Galle, where they lost by 165 runs, Sri Lanka scored 290 in their first innings in Colombo in reply to India’s mammoth total of 503.

Sri Lanka failed to avoid the follow-on by only 14 runs, and while usually teams these days don’t enforce the follow-on, India had already made up their mind to ask the hosts to bat again should they get the opportunity to do so. This is because of the threat of rain that has hung over this entire Test match in Colombo.

India enforced the follow-on on the Lankans, who would have raised their hopes slightly during the second- and third-wicket partnerships in their second innings. Pasindu Sooriyabandara, who would eventually fall for 92, was involved in a stand of 58 (68) with Kamil Mishara and of 115 (170) with Kamindu Mendis, who notched up a half-century.

But India found ways to break both those partnerships, and by the premature end to the day, India had plucked six Sri Lankan wickets while the hosts had a slender lead of 16 runs. On day 5, India would hope to clean up the rest of the Sri Lankan batting lineup early tomorrow and chase down whatever target is put in front of them.

However, one of the batters at the crease is Sri Lanka’s first innings centurion, Sonal Dinusha. But a bigger worry for India right now would be the Colombo weather for Thursday, where rain is predicted once again.

So far in four days of play, 300 overs have been bowled and 60 overs have been lost to rain, which is not an unusual thing in Sri Lanka this time of the year.

IND vs SL 2nd Test: Colombo weather update for Thursday; what are the chances of rain?

In the morning, there is a 96% probability of precipitation in Colombo on Thursday and 89% cloud cover. The probability of precipitation dips to 70% in the afternoon but back to 89% in the evening.

It’s possible that around 30-40 overs of play could be held on day 5. India would need to make the inroads quickly and go after the target with haste as they aim for a 2-0 sweep.

Meanwhile, the Indian captain Shubman Gill and the team management have been dealt with a rare worry of no-balls by their spinners. The Indian spinners have bowled 10 no balls in the Colombo Test, the third-most by a spin attack has done since 2021.

India’s spin bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule fronted up to the press. He reckoned the lack of fear of a free hit in Test cricket could be one reason for the Indian spinners treading the front-foot line less cautiously.

“If you bowl a no ball, there will be a consequence. I am no guardian of the rules, but if it [free-hit] comes, obviously, they [no-balls] will definitely reduce. No team would want to bowl those no-balls and give that extra ball and give those extra runs,” Bahutule said.

Bahutule, who was appointed in the role in June this year, also feels that sometimes the no-balls could be a result of the bowling trying to push harder in search of a wicket.

“To be honest, definitely, it is something which we have been working on. It is not that we are ignoring it. It is definitely a concern at times, but generally when the bowler is putting in that effort, trying to see how he can create that opportunity and get the wicket in, in situations where wickets are not coming through, he has a tendency to push himself. But that is not an excuse,” Bahutule added.

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