South Africa v England: Joe Root helps tourists press for victory

 

First Test, Durban, Day Three

England 303 & 172-3: Root 60*, Compton 49; Piedt 2-65

South Africa 214: Elgar 118*, De Villiers 49; Broad 4-25, Moeen 4-69

England lead by 261 runs

Joe Root hit 60 not out as England tightened their grip on the first Test against South Africa in Durban.

The tourists are 172-3 in their second innings - a lead of 261 - and will aim to declare on Tuesday, then set about bowling the hosts out.

Earlier, Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad took four wickets apiece as South Africa's batting line-up fell apart.

Hashim Amla's men also dropped three catches on a disastrous third day for the number one ranked Test side.

The Proteas' senior fast bowler Dale Steyn was forced off with injury, star batsman AB de Villiers failed to quash rumours of his Test retirement, and the middle order surrendered meekly.

Opener Dean Elgar resisted with a superb unbeaten 118, but England remain in an excellent position to push for only a second win in 16 away Tests.

"We probably have to be proactive, while still having a lot of patience with the bat," said Moeen.
"We've got a good foundation and tomorrow is about not doing what both teams have done and lose wickets in the first session in clusters."

Former England opener Geoffrey Boycott on Test Match Special

"England did well but South Africa, number one side in the world? Are you kidding? Whatever problems we have in our team we still look miles better than them.

Broad and Moeen finish the job

Moeen made the most of the turning pitch and the batsmen's problems against spin

Broad and Moeen impressed as England brushed aside the South African lower order in the morning session to earn a first-innings lead of 89.

With South Africa resuming on 137-4, Broad removed Temba Bavuma with the second delivery of the day, inducing him to a drag on a wide delivery that kept low.

Then it was over to Moeen who, at the end of a year in which he has often struggled in his primary role as spinner, produced perhaps his best performance with the ball since his superb series against India in 2014.

He had JP Duminy caught at slip for two, removed Kyle Abbott for nought via a sharp bat-pad catch from James Taylor, and then enticed Steyn to sky one to Chris Woakes at mid-off.

Elgar carries his bat
Elgar scored South Africa's first hundred in seven Test matches.
He also became the first South African to carry his bat since Gary Kirsten in 1997 and only the second since the nation's readmission to Test cricket in 1991

After Moeen finished with figures of 4-69 - his best in an overseas Test - Steven Finn claimed the final two wickets, having Dane Piedt caught behind and getting Morne Morkel to edge to slip.

With James Anderson looking set to return from injury for the second Test in Cape Town, Finn's late burst could prove decisive in his likely battle with Chris Woakes for the third seamer's spot.

Elgar remained unbeaten following a fine innings full of discipline and application, becoming only the sixth South African to carry his bat.

 

 

 

Root reliable but Hales fails

Root passed 50 for the 13th time in 26 innings this year to equal the Test record

Root batted with characteristic tempo and fluency to guide England to a strong position after they lost Alastair Cook and Alex Hales in an eventful afternoon session.

Skipper Cook missed a straight delivery from Piedt and was adjudged lbw for 7, while Hales battled for his 26 runs before he was caught at long-on attempting to hit the spinner over the top.

Hales is the eighth opening partner Cook has had since the retirement of Andrew Strauss, but after making only 10 in the first innings, the Nottinghamshire batsman is yet to provide evidence that England's long search for an opener is over.

That brought Root to the crease to join Nick Compton, who on his comeback appearance made his second substantial score of the match.

The South Africa-born batsman made 49 before he was caught behind off the bowling of the tireless Morne Morkel, but Root remained unbeaten, with James Taylor 24 not out alongside him at the close.

South Africa in disarray

Morkel had three catches dropped off his bowling

South Africa are the world's number one ranked Test team and have won 10 of their last 14 series, but they looked a pale imitation of that successful side and on this evidence face a struggle to retain the Basil D'Oliveira Trophy.

Their batting line-up appears bedevilled by poor form, with five of their seven batsmen - Stiaan van Zyl, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma and JP Duminy - averaging 27 or fewer this year and without a single Test century between them in that time.

They dropped three simple catches in the field, with Elgar spilling a regulation slip chance offered by Compton on 11 and even the usually impeccable De Villiers reprieved Root on six and then dropped Compton on 45.

The sight of the clearly injured Steyn leaving the field in pain, only to return, bowl three deliveries and then trudge off again, also suggested a team in some disarray.

And then there is the ongoing uncertainty over the future of De Villiers, who before play gave an equivocal response to rumours that he could quit Test cricket, saying: "It's important to look at the schedule moving forward, that's the talk in the camp and for me maybe not to play all kinds of cricket."

South Africa's Test results in 2015
Date	Match	Result
2-6 January, Cape Town	Third Test v West Indies	SA won by eight wickets
21-25 July, Chittagong	First Test v Bangladesh	Match drawn
30 July-3 August, Dhaka	Second Test v Bangladesh	Match drawn
5-7 November, Mohali	First Test v India	India won by 108 runs
14-18 November, Bangalore	Second Test v India	Match drawn
25-27 November, Nagpur	Third Test v India	India won by 124 runs
3-7 December, Delhi	Fourth Test v India	India won by 337 runs

 Shaw Post believes that the England Cricket Team will be feeling very positive about their chances of victory in the First Test as they ended Day Three some 261 runs ahead of South Africa's 1st innings score of 214. All England need to is declare with a lead of 350 - 375 and bowl South Africa out convincingly.

As for South Africa they're a team in disarray as they have had a rather torrid 2015 in which they only won one single test match against the West Indies in January 2015.

 Arsenal 2 - 1 Manchester City

 

Arsenal moved to within two points of surprise Premier League leaders Leicester City with victory over Manchester City at Emirates Stadium. 

The Gunners - without a title triumph since 2004 - showed the sort of impressive drive, cutting edge and resilience that will lead manager Arsene Wenger to believe Arsenal can finally end that barren spell.


City dominated early possession but Kevin de Bruyne wasted a good chance and Theo Walcott punished the visitors with a right-foot finish from 20 yards in the 33rd minute.

Eliaquim Mangala's dreadful clearance allowed Mesut Ozil's 15th assist of the season as he set up Olivier Giroud for an angled finish in first-half stoppage time. Yaya Toure's clever shot from outside the area set up a tense finale which saw both Toure and substitute Wilfried Bony waste chances to equalise.
 

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Wenger's side have often been accused of having a soft centre when the pressure is on - but here, faced with the team many believe will still emerge as their closes title rivals, they showed a ruthless streak.
City may have dominated possession and territory for the first half hour but it was Arsenal who made it count at the business end. Their tally for the opening 45 minutes read two shots on target and two goals. For a manager who prides himself on efficiency, Wenger will have been delighted.

The Gunners were impressive at the back too, where goalkeeper Petr Cech was the epitome of safe handling and security, proving once more what a significant signing he has been.

Arsenal's defenders were in the mood too, with two crunching tackles from full-back Nacho Monreal drawing a high-five from fellow defender Per Mertesacker.

Walcott grows in stature

For a player often criticised for his lack of end product, Walcott looks to be evolving into the complete striker at the age of 26.

Walcott's goal, wonderfully accomplished as he turned inside before curling a perfect finish beyond the stretching City keeper Joe Hart, was his 13th in his past 17 league appearances and delivered further evidence of his development into a consistent and reliable goalscorer.

He, and indeed Arsenal, are receiving plenty of help from the Premier League's current creator supreme Ozil, who had a hand in both goals and received a standing ovation when he was replaced late on.

Add in Giroud's golden sequence of 12 goals in his past 14 matches in all competitions, and Arsenal will believe they possess the potency to carry them all the way.

Mesut Ozil's heat maps against City (left) compared to the defeat against West Ham on the opening day (right) show how he has drifted wider to find space

 

 

Manchester City come up short again

     Twenty-eight of Yaya Toure's 109 touches - over 25% - came in the final 15 minutes. 

Aside from a dominant opening half and a late rally after Toure's goal, this was another poor performance from Manuel Pellegrini's side.

City were too often laboured and the sight of captain Vincent Kompany watching forlornly from the stands pointed to where many of the problems lie.

Pellegrini may have signed Mangala and Nicolas Otamendi for fees in excess of £60m, but they are still not the same and markedly less assured.

And with Sergio Aguero still not fully fit and substituted, City are currently well short of their best.

 

 

Man of the match - Mesut Ozil

Ozil's 15 assists are more than twice as many as any other player has managed in the Premier League this season

 

 

What the managers said

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "I believe we have shown spirit, organisation, brilliance and altogether they gave us the three points.

"You could see that there is exceptional life in this team and when we did not have the legs anymore, we relied on spirit and that got us through in the end."

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini: "In the second half we took some risks, we continued going for the game.

"We did better than Arsenal but we didn't win and that is all that matters.
"We didn't deserve to lose the game."

Alastair Cook & Joe Root hit tour centuries against South Africa A

 

 

Tour match, Pietermaritzburg (day two of three):
South Africa A 136 & 35-2: Moeen 1-0
England 414-6 dec: Cook 126, Root 117
England lead by 243 runs

Captain Alastair Cook and Joe Root struck centuries on day two of England's three-day tour match with South Africa A in Pietermaritzburg.

Cook hit 126, sharing an opening stand of 112 with Alex Hales, who made 56.
The skipper reached 100 with a pulled six - his second of his innings - while Root made 117 off 125 deliveries.

Ben Stokes' 47-ball 66 helped England declare on 414-6 before they reduced the hosts to 35-2 - 243 behind with one day remaining at the City Oval.

The game is England's last before the four-Test series against South Africa begins on 26 December in Durban.

Hales scored only 16 runs in two innings in England's drawn opening warm-up game in Potchefstroom last week.

However, he hit nine fours in his 102-ball innings, which ended when he was bowled by a Dane Paterson inswinger.

Nick Compton, who is expected to make his Test return at number three after a two-and-a-half-year absence, scored 29 from 74 balls before he was trapped lbw.

Cook, who struck 16 fours, lobbed spinner Keshav Maharaj to mid-on but Root raced to 50 off 60 balls and brought up his century off 116.

He departed to a top-edged a pull to backward square-leg.

Trailing by 278 on first innings, South Africa A lost Stephen Cook - lbw to Stuart Broad - before for Moeen Ali bowled Reeza Hendricks from round the wicket in the 11 overs possible before the close.


 Joe Root told BBC Sport: "In the last game we had a small collapse so to put that right in this game was vitally important.

"There was some great time in the middle for a lot of the guys and we set the game up nicely so hopefully we can get a really strong result, which is exactly what we want from this fixture."

South Africa Test series dates
26-30 Dec: 1st Test, Durban	14-18 Jan: 3rd Test, Johannesburg
2-6 Jan: 2nd Test, Cape Town	22-26 Jan: 4th Test, Centurion

Olympiakos 0 - 3 Arsenal

Olivier Giroud scored his first ever hat-trick for Arsenal to ensure the Gunners qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League by beating Olympiakos. 

Needing to win by two clear goals, the Gunners produced a performance of nerve and nous to finish second in Group F.

Giroud headed the opener in the first half, then stroked home the second after good work by Joel Campbell.

The French striker put Arsenal's qualification beyond doubt with his third from the penalty spot.

 

 

Arsenal's proud record remains intact

Arsenal have never failed to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League since the start of the new format in 2003-04, and their experience on the biggest stage shone through on a memorable night in Athens.

They weathered the early enthusiasm from the physical home side, who were backed by typically partisan support, and slowly seized the initiative with a composed performance.

Mathieu Flamini had already hit the bar before Giroud opened the scoring with a near-post header which went in off the goalkeeper, Roberto.

The second was the best goal of the night as Giroud won a flick-on on the halfway line and timed his run into the box to perfection before stroking home.

The third was slightly more fortuitous as Omar Elabdellaoui was penalised for handling Nacho Monreal's shot and Giroud stepped up to convert with ease.

 

Man of the match

Joel Campbell (right) was applauded by both sets of fans when he was substituted on his return to Olympiakos 

It's got to be Olivier Giroud for the way he applied the finishing touches to an accomplished team performance.

However, special mention must go to Joel Campbell who held off three defenders before taking out another two with a cute pass for Giroud's second goal.

Time and again, Campbell showed strength to hold off his marker and vision to slide in Giroud to offer hope to Arsenal fans that they have the makings of a fine strike partnership.

Gunners fans will also be cheered to see Theo Walcott starting the game, and while the England forward clearly lacked match fitness he made some clever runs and looked dangerous both out wide and when he drifted inside.

Arsenal's hat-trick hero Olivier Giroud reacts on BT Sport: "It's fantastic for me and for the team. We are really pleased. It's nice to go through because we were not in a good position and finally we have done it. We feel relieved tonight.

"In the Champions League it's one level up and we need to be all focused. As a unit, together, good cohesion, defending well and finishing well. It's nice for us. It was not so easy in this stadium with this atmosphere and we are really pleased to have done it.

"We want to go as far as we can. The target is to maybe reach at least the quarter final. It's the fourth year I'm here and we have never played a quarter final. We will have a good rest and open the new page of the Champions League in February."

Manager Reaction

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "I told you before that it would be the greatest escape. I must say I'm very proud of the team as we had to be right on the mental and tactical side. At 2-0 we had to push for a third goal, it was too dangerous to stay at 2-0."

On coming back in the group: "Nine times out of 10 you are out. We needed something special to come back like we did and tonight we needed a complete team performance. This team really is a team and they showed it again.

"You don't need to single Giroud out tonight because he scored the goals. But he showed character again with the penalty."

 Arsenal 3 - 1 Sunderland

Olivier Giroud scored for both teams as Arsenal scraped victory over Sunderland to end a run of three Premier League games without a win. 

Arsenal were poor for long periods, but led when Joel Campbell finished from a Mesut Ozil through ball.

Sunderland deservedly levelled through a free-kick that Giroud deflected into his own net.
But Giroud made amends with a header from virtually the same spot, before Aaron Ramsey scrambled a late third.

Sunderland, who could be dragged back into the relegation zone depending on the results of Bournemouth and Newcastle, can rightly feel hard done by after a performance of both disciplined defence and incisive attacking play.

Arsenal were hampered by the absence of both Santi Cazorla and Alexis Sanchez and looked ponderous going forward, while a shaky defence was indebted to the excellence of goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Still, they climb to second in the Premier League, two points behind leaders Leicester.

 

 

Giroud makes amends

                                  Giroud turned into his own net on the stroke of half-time 

Giroud's performance was almost Arsenal in microcosm - the own goal an error caused by Sunderland pressure, but ultimately enough quality to secure a victory that was barely deserved.

A lacklustre first-half display looked set to be behind the Gunners when Campbell finished a seven-pass move underneath the on-rushing Costel Pantilimon.

But they were ahead for only 12 minutes as the impressive Duncan Watmore won a free-kick on the left that was swung in by Yann M'Vila and accidentally steered home by the leg of Giroud.

Arsenal showed little sign of improving in the second half, but, as in the first, one flowing move was enough to cut through an otherwise organised Sunderland defence.

Nacho Monreal was heavily involved as Arsenal came down the left, with Giroud stooping to head Ramsey's cross into the same part of the net he erroneously found in the first half.

The third, in the dying moments, was harsh on a Sunderland team looking for an equaliser. With visiting defenders outnumbered, Ramsey pounced to leave a scoreline that did not reflect the contest.

As with their opening goal, Arsenal opened up Sunderland for the second with a moment of rare quality. Eight players were involved in a 15-pass move before Giroud headed in.

 

Big Gunners stand up

With so many players out injured, Arsenal needed their most experienced men to perform and Ozil and Cech delivered.

Virtually all of Arsenal's attacking play went through Ozil, but it was the performance of Cech that was perhaps most telling.

He made saves from Fabio Borini and a Mathieu Flamini deflection in the first half and, most importantly, brilliantly denied Steven Fletcher in the second.

As Fletcher arrived at the back post from a corner, Cech moved across his goal to stop the ball virtually on the line. Moments later, Arsenal were ahead.

 

Willing Watmore

Sunderland arrived at the Emirates on the back of two wins and two clean sheets.

While they defended with nine behind the ball, that also carried an attacking threat, particularly through the industry of Watmore - indeed, Arsenal ended with six defenders on the pitch.

Making only his second Premier League start, the 21-year-old not only did his defensive duties but regularly had the legs to get up in support of Fletcher.

He won the free-kick that resulted in Sunderland's goal and also, with the score still at 2-1, got behind the Arsenal defence only to fire a tame shot straight at Cech.

And, while it was Watmore who impressed, the Black Cats demonstrated that Sam Allardyce has brought both enough solidity and potency to suggest that fight against relegation can be won.

The graphic shows the average position in which each player touched the ball. Sunderland are on the right. Watmore (number 41), not only was asked to defend when Arsenal had the ball, but also had an average position higher than any Arsenal player.

 

Man of the match - Petr Cech

It says plenty about Sunderland's performance that Cech was forced to make at least five quality saves. The one to thwart Fletcher was a pivotal moment. From possibly being 2-1 down, the Gunners were soon 2-1 up.

 

What they said

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: "We started a bit nervous and edgy in the first half. We were unlucky to come in at 1-1, so I was positive. I told the players they still had 45 minutes to win the game, and play with more pace and different angles. You see this Premier League is a battle. Sunderland played a dangerous game on the break.

"It could have been one of those days, but we kept our determination and the mental aspect was good. We have lost players in the heart of our game, so we had to find a balance again. It took us time to get going.

"Leicester have been very impressive. The best you can do is to win games, and hope that they drop points, but that is not happening. We go to Olympiakos in midweek, which Leicester don't do, so they have an advantage in that way too.

Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce: "I couldn't ask for any more in terms of the way we played, I couldn't have asked for more in terms of the chances we created, but we failed to create the chances we had.

"It makes me wonder what would have happened if we'd had Jermain Defoe on the field. He could have had two or three goals. I'm really disappointed we haven't got anything out of the game, but I have to be satisfied with the performance.

"I think we've got goalscorers. We've got Steven Fletcher, we've got Duncan Watmore. We've got Jermain to come back. We just haven't taken the chances we've created."

 

What next

Arsenal go to Greece on Wednesday, needing to beat Olympiakos either 2-0, or by any margin if they score at least goals, in order to progress in the Champions League. They travel to Aton Villa in the Premier League next Sunday, while Sunderland host Watford the previous day.