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Luiz Diaz danced past four Argentina defenders to score an insane solo goal for Colombia in a World Cup qualifying clash.

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Colombia held Argentina to a 1-1 drawDiaz scored the opening goalArgentine defence was left chasing shadows Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Diaz produced one of the most electrifying goals of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, dazzling spectators with a sensational solo effort against reigning world champions Argentina. Having come close on two earlier occasions, the Liverpool star made his third opportunity count.

Receiving the ball just past the halfway line on the left side, Diaz surged forward with explosive pace. His balance and control were on full display as he weaved through Argentina’s backline and slotted the ball past Emiliano Martínez to give Colombia a stunning 1-0 lead.

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Despite Colombia's early dominance and Díaz’s heroics, Argentina managed to salvage a draw late in the match. With just under ten minutes remaining in regulation time, Thiago Almada produced a moment of quality to equalize.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Diaz's 24th-minute strike marked his seventh goal in the current qualifying campaign and continued his fine run of form, having now scored in three consecutive qualifiers. This latest effort brought his international tally to 19 goals.

El Tri defeated the Dominican Republic 3-2 with goals from Edson Álvarez, Raúl Jiménez and César Montes

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México will face Suriname next WednesdayRaúl Jiménez reached 40 goals with Costa Rica is next for the Dominican Republic in Group A actionFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Mexico’s 3–2 win over the Dominican Republic in their 2025 Gold Cup opener Saturday night sparked sharp media criticism, with several prominent analysts and former coaches expressing concern about the national team’s performance under Javier Aguirre.

Despite the result, many pointed to a lack of identity, intensity, and tactical coherence against an opponent ranked 139th in the world.

“You can’t allow this to happen. Mexico didn’t impose itself on the Dominican Republic at all – they let them do whatever they wanted,” said José Luis Sánchez Solá said on ESPN’s utbol Picante. “There wasn’t a single clear chance in the first half. I loved what the Dominican Republic did. Mexico frustrated me. This team isn’t working."

Fellow analyst and coach Mario Carrillo agreed, stressing the lack of basic tactical structure and saying, “Mexico must improve tactically. Today, you have to know how to move the ball, create triangles, and manage possession – especially against teams that run a lot. This is CONCACAF. This is the Gold Cup."

Francisco Gabriel de Anda offered a more optimistic but still cautious take, saying: “Aguirre should already have a core lineup with the World Cup less than a year away. You can't still be testing players. I’m optimistic, but he should have 60 percent of the squad defined by now.”

He added that dismissing opponents based on perceived quality is a dangerous mindset: “It’s not always about whether the opponent is too weak or too strong. Mexico won, but it wasn’t convincing.”

On FOX Sports, Cristian “Chaco” Giménez, father of striker Santiago Giménez, noted that Aguirre "adjusted the team’s structure at halftime due to dissatisfaction with the first-half display."

Eduardo de la Torre, a former executive and analyst, criticized Mexico’s offensive setup: “Aguirre has to choose between Raúl Jiménez and Santiago Giménez – this team needs to play with a single striker.”

Rubén Rodríguez, also on FOX, was blunt in his assessment: “Much of what the Dominican Republic accomplished was because Mexico allowed it. There was a huge gap in midfield. The team was reactive, not proactive. That’s something Aguirre never addressed. If the goal is to win, fine – but this team doesn’t function

David Faitelson of TUDN echoed that sentiment: “Less than a year from the World Cup, Mexico inspires no one – absolutely no one. There’s no identity, no style. What we saw today was very poor against a team with limited ability. In the end, Mexico was begging for the final whistle.”

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After the game, Aguirre acknowledged his team was pushed to the limit by an opponent he admitted surprised him.

They stuck to a 5-4-1, and did it well," he said. "It was an attractive game for the fans. There are things to correct -we could’ve scored more, but credit to the opponent. They have players in Europe, they’ve grown a lot. They were clinical. Malagón didn’t face too many shots, but the ones he did came from silly plays that led to goals. It could’ve been 3-0, but then it was 3-1, 3-2… and we were on edge again. We played with intensity, but the opponent took us to the limit."

DID YOU KNOW?

Aguirre has won eight of his 13 matches in his current stint as head coach of the national Team.

Raúl Jiménez reached 40 goals with El Tri, putting him just six behind Jared Borgetti (46) for second place on Mexico’s all-time scoring list. Javier “Chicharito” Hernández remains the national team’s top scorer with 52 goals.

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WHAT NEXT FOR MEXICO NATIONAL TEAM?

The Mexico will face Suriname Wednesday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, while the Dominican Republic will take on Costa Rica later that same afternoon at the same venue.

India batter to play the remainder of the County Championship and also the Royal London One-Day Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2023India batter Prithvi Shaw has secured a deal with Northamptonshire to play the remainder of the County Cricket season in England and also be a part of the Royal London One-Day Cup which starts in August. The 23-year-old is expected to join them at the end of the Duleep Trophy.Shaw is part of a strong West Zone side which is tipped to make it all the way to the final of the Duleep Trophy scheduled between July 12 and 16. He may have fallen down the pecking order for India but remains a prolific run-scorer for his state side, Mumbai, in all formats of the game. Shaw hasn’t played any first-class cricket for six months but he did make a career-best 379 off just 383 balls in a Ranji Trophy game against Assam in January 2023.The ability to score runs quickly is a big reason for Shaw’s rise through the ranks since winning the Under-19 World Cup for India in 2018. He had a stunning introduction to Test cricket, scoring a century on debut, but has since then struggled to deal with the quality of bowling on offer in international red-ball cricket. He played his last game as a first-choice pick for India in 2020 and only managed to get back when they had to send a second-string side to Sri Lanka in 2021.Most recently, Shaw was part of the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023. He went through a six-game stretch where he was unable to score more than 15 runs which led to his being dropped there as well. He did return later in the tournament and immediately struck a half-century.Northamptonshire play in Division One of the English County Championship. They have won just one out of seven games so far and have seven more until the end of the season.This will be Shaw’s first time playing domestic cricket in the UK. He will become the fifth Indian to be part of the 2022-23 season following Cheteshwar Pujara (Sussex), Ajinkya Rahane (Leicestershire), Arshdeep Singh (Kent) and Navdeep Saini (Worcestershire).Shaw is a very attractive package in white-ball cricket, where hitting through the line of the ball is much easier. He is approaching 3000 List A runs at an average of 52.54 and a strike-rate of 123.27 with eight centuries, one of which is a double. Former India opener Gautam Gambhir, in 2022, had even tipped him to lead the country at some point in the future.

Chelsea are eyeing a move for Brighton star Joao Pedro as they look to add more strikers to their roster ahead of the new season.

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Chelsea eyeing move for Brighton's PedroWill face competition from Newcastle Blues looking to sign more strikers after DelapFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Per , the Blues have identified Brighton's £70 million-rated ($94m) star Pedro as one of their key attacking targets and have kept the Brazilian in their transfer shortlist. The club have initiated initial contact with the Seagulls over a prospective move as the 23-year-old has been tipped to leave the Amex Stadium this summer.

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Other than Chelsea, Newcastle United are also keen on signing the attacker. Pedro has long been a target of Eddie Howe, who wanted to sign him in 2022, as he is seen as a versatile forward option who can contribute in multiple positions. The Selecao star scored 10 goals in 27 Premier League games in 2024/25 and is capable of playing on the left, as a 10, and as a central striker.

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The West London side, who have already signed Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, is looking to add more forwards to their roster after the club qualified for the Champions League this season.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

Enzo Maresca's side made a winning start to their Club World Cup campaign as they beat LAFC 2-0 in their tournament opener. They will now aim to book a berth in the knockout stage with a second consecutive win over Brazilian giants Flamengo on Friday.

Former Pakistan captain charged with concealing sale proceeds of state gifts received by him as Prime Minister to the election commission

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Aug-2023Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, who served as the country’s Prime Minister between 2018 and 2022, has been arrested and sentenced to three years in jail.A report said Imran, 70, had been sentenced by a Pakistan trial court for not declaring the proceeds of state gifts to the Election Commission of Pakistan. His political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has already filed an appeal with the country’s Supreme Court.In previous instances, any attempts to arrest Imran from his residence were met with significant resistance from his supporters, foiling at least two arrest attempts. When he was finally arrested on May 9, protests and rioting erupted across the country, leading to a severe crackdown against his party and a bill to try his supporters in military courts, a move that violates international law.Related

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When Imran was arrested in May, he was ordered to be released two days later by the Supreme Court, which declared the arrest illegal.Since Imran’s release was ordered by a judge on May 11, he has been ordered to appear in Pakistan’s courts in more than 150 cases registered against him. He has repeatedly said he risks being imprisoned in interviews and broadcasts on his social media channels.This case, in which a judge declared him guilty for concealing revenue earned from the sale of state gifts from the Election Commission of Pakistan, is locally known as the Toshakhana case. The court has imposed the maximum possible penalty allowed under the law, three years in prison and a fine of PKR 100,000. Imran’s lawyers said they have already appealed the verdict. Under the law, the appellate court can suspend the sentence until a verdict on the appeal is reached.Before entering politics, Imran represented Pakistan in 88 Tests and 175 ODIs for Pakistan and led them to the World Cup title in 1992.

Bottom club keep faint hopes alive despite career-best haul for Warwickshire seamer

ECB Reporters Network11-Sep-2023 by 108 runsNorthamptonshire fought back hard after Oliver Hannon-Dalby’s career-best bowling put Warwickshire on top on the second day of their LV=Insurance County Championship tussle at Edgbaston.Hannon-Dalby’s superb seven for 46 sent the visitors all out for just 250 in a match they must win to preserve any realistic hopes of avoiding relegation.That total looks a little under par but Jack White (three for 37) then led a big-hearted effort from Northamptonshire’s bowlers who made the home batters work very hard to reach 142 for four from 55 overs in reply.The match remains in the balance on a pitch which has assisted the seamers throughout. Hannon-Dalby will be on a hat-trick in the second innings when he will be hunting the three wickets he needs to reach 100 in two seasons – he is now on 44 this year to add to last season’s 53.After resuming on the second morning on 200 for five, Northamptonshire lost two wickets to the new ball as Saif Zaib edged Hannon-Dalby behind and Lewis McManus’ 97-minute resistance for 25 was ended by an outswinger by Chris Rushworth.Hannon-Dalby then polished off the tail. Tom Taylor edged to second slip before Simon Kerrigan fell lbw and White played on next ball. When Northamptonshire bat again, for the third time in 27 days, Hannon-Dalby will start his next bowl on a hat trick.Warwickshire also found run-gathering an arduous business. Kraigg Brathwaite, on his home debut, eked nine from 58 minutes before edging a lifter from White. Rob Yates prised 23 from nearly two hours before slicing Luke Procter to second slip.Will Rhodes (44, 92 balls) produced the most assertive batting of the day before skying White to third man. Sam Hain, on his last county appearance of the season following his England call-up, collected a workmanlike 30 that is unlikely to figure in his memoirs then was trapped in front by the impressive White.Fifth-wicket pair Dan Mousley and Ed Barnard survived intact, albeit while adding to the considerable number of play-and-misses in this match, but a strong first hour tomorrow morning would pour belief into Northamptonshire’s bid for a great escape.

The summer signing from Ipswich has seized his opportunity in the U.S. with his rival striker suspended for another brainless red card

As Chelsea's Club World Cup quarter-final against Portuguese giants Benfica looms, head coach Enzo Maresca has already had one selection dilemma decided for him. New £30 million ($41m) signing Liam Delap will almost certainly lead the line in North Carolina, after Nicolas Jackson effectively handed him the starting berth.

The Senegal international collected a needless red card just four minutes after coming off the substitutes' bench against Flamengo, costing his side as they went on to suffer a damning 3-1 defeat. In his absence, Delap would go on to coolly open his Blues account in their very next game.

This latest indiscretion has raised serious questions over Jackson's future at the club, and the new arrival's fast start to life at Chelsea is only intensifying that scrutiny. Could this be the final straw?

Getty Images SportRecurring problem

Jackson's discipline – or lack thereof – has been a recurrent issue since the striker arrived from Villarreal two years ago. While it seemed for a time like he had learned his lesson, he has taken two significant steps backwards of late.

It took the Senegalese just six games of the 2023-24 Premier League season to accumulate five yellow cards and a subsequent ban, as he struggled to keep a lid on his temper, regularly picking up needless cautions for dissent and cynical fouls.

Jackson collected just five more yellows in the remainder of the campaign, and was able to maintain that somewhat improved temperament in 2024-25, with his seven domestic yellows a bit more spaced out (although 18 in just two seasons still isn't great).

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However, the fiery centre-forward finished the season in the worst possible way, earning a straight red card in the first half of the crucial clash at Newcastle in the run-in after leading with his elbow in a challenge with Sven Botman.

Chelsea battled admirably without him but fell to a 2-0 defeat that put their Champions League hopes in serious jeopardy, while Jackson was suspended for the remainder of the league season to dent their chances even further.

Though the Blues ultimately got the job done without him, any hope that the striker would redeem himself at the Club World Cup was swiftly extinguished as he crashed into an ugly, studs-up challenge just four minutes after emerging from the bench against Flamengo in the west Londoners' second group game, and the referee brandished the red. Chelsea would go on to lose 3-1.

AFP'A bad moment'

To make matters worse, Jackson's ban was upgraded from one game to two – meaning he could well miss the remainder of Chelsea's tournament unless they reach the semi-finals.

"It happened against Newcastle and today…It's a little bit of a bad moment for Nico," his manager Enzo Maresca said in the aftermath. "The red card has nothing to do with Nico's future… Nico knows in both games it was not good for the team.

"Nico apologised. At Newcastle, we were just 1-0 down and it was in the first half. Today, we were 2-1 down but with half-an-hour left. There was time to play, but with one man down it became all the more difficult."

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Getty/GOAL'Stupid, stupid, stupid'

Jackson felt compelled to apologise publicly and at length after his latest misstep, writing on Instagram that he was 'so angry at himself'. He wrote: "No excuses. I take full responsibility. I'll reflect, I'll grow, and I'll come back stronger for the badge and for everyone who believes in me. Sorry."

However, one of the striker's most vocal critics, Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel, was having absolutely none of it. "[It's an] unbelievable, stupid, stupid, stupid mistake, I don't know what is going through his head," he said. "You come into the game at 2-1 down and your team needs you and he does that.

"You can't keep making mistakes. I don't care what his frustration is, it is massive club, Chelsea Football Club. If you are annoyed that Delap is going to be the competition with you, if you are a big player you have to embrace it. We can become successful together as a team.

"Maresca must ask do I still trust this guy or do I stick with the player I brought into the football club, Delap? If he doesn't trust him then it is time for Delap to start the game."

Cristian Romero is considering rejecting Tottenham’s new deal to join Atletico Madrid, with Diego Simeone pushing to land the Argentine defender.

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Atletico prioritise Romero as defensive leaderTottenham push new deal, captaincy offerSimeone plotting major summer squad revampFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Romero has emerged as Atletico Madrid’s top defensive priority this summer, with the Argentine defender reportedly prepared to reject a lucrative contract extension from Tottenham. Despite Spurs' offer to make Romero their highest-paid player and the promise of a key role, the 27-year-old is pushing to join Diego Simeone’s project at the Wanda Metropolitano. According to Atletico have submitted a bid worth €55 million (£47m/$61m) plus €15m (£12m/$17m) in add-ons, but Tottenham remain firm in their €70m (£60m/$81m) valuation.

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Rojiblancos are undergoing a major rebuild following their early exit from the Club World Cup and a squad reliant on players over the age of 30. Meanwhile, Simeone is determined to rejuvenate the team with high-calibre, battle-ready talent, not backups or stopgap solutions, and Romero is viewed as a perfect fit for his aggressive and intense system. The club have already signed creative midfielder Alex Baena and want Romero to be the defensive leader of a new cycle aimed at overtaking Barcelona and Real Madrid in the league.

WHAT JULIAN ALVAREZ SAID

Julian Alvarez, who joined Atletico from Manchester City last year, has openly endorsed the move, expressing hope that Romero will follow him to the Spanish capital. He said recently: “I hope it happens. He's a great player, one of the best centre-backs in the world, for me. A national teammate and a great person. This great addition would help the team a lot.”

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR ATLETICO MADRID?

Negotiations between Atletico and Tottenham are expected to continue in the coming days, as the Spanish side attempt to structure a deal closer to Spurs’ demands through performance-related add-ons. If successful, Romero would become the most expensive defender in Atletico’s history.

“Obviously proud, I suppose, of the group, and putting in that performance, as a whole and being able to play my part”

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-20231:17

McClenaghan: A classic captain’s knock from Edwards

Scott Edwards led from the front to take Netherlands to their most famous ODI World Cup win – their first over a Test-playing nation in five appearances at the tournament – when they beat South Africa in Dharamsala on Tuesday. He was “extremely proud” of his team, and “very excited to get our first win out of the way” in this edition, Edwards said at the presentation ceremony after the game.”We came into this tournament with high expectations, we feel like we’re playing good cricket, we’ve got a lot of good players… but in saying that, we know that there are nine other very good sides here,” he said. “So, yeah, very excited to get our first win out of the way after three games and hopefully a few more to come.”That’s a massive boost for us. In both the first two games, we were in decent positions, but we sort of fell away through the middle. Nice that we could put a few partnerships together at the end [against South Africa] and get ourselves to a total which we thought could be competitive.”Related

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Edwards walked out when Netherlands, after being put into bat, were 82 for 5 with not many batters left. That soon became 112 for 6 and then 140 for 7, but Edwards partnered with Roelof van der Merwe for 64 runs for the eighth wicket and then had a 41-run stand for the ninth with Aryan Dutt in next to no time – Dutt smashed 23 not out in nine balls – to take Netherlands to 245 for 8.It didn’t appear a match-winning total at the time, but it was certainly competitive, as Edwards put it, and possibly more than what South Africa thought they would have to chase.Edwards finished with 78 not out in 69 balls, which later earned him the Player of the Match award.”I think over the last couple of games, our issue’s been too many of our middle-order batters getting out before the end of the game,” he said. “So I was just sort trying to take it deep and hope that a couple of guys around me chip in and… yeah, we were lucky enough to get I don’t know how many towards the end there, but it was nice.”

“We came into the tournament and, we wanted to have a chance of making the semi-finals, and if you want to do that, you’ve got to beat teams obviously. South Africa is probably one of the favourites, the way they have been playing. It’s a big win for us”Scott Edwards

First, there was van der Merwe, the one-time South Africa international, who scored 29 in 19. “He’s good fun to bat with,” Edwards said. “He runs hard, which I like, and he hits it to quite strange areas. Good to watch and I am sure it’s good from the outside as well.”And then Dutt. “I think it was pretty easy on my behalf [batting with Dutt],” Edwards said. “I just sort of got him on strike and he was just clearing the ropes. That’s some of the best hitting I have seen in a long time, especially from a No. 10 bat. So, yeah, he’s got the talent and it was awesome to see today.”For the record, Dutt hit three sixes in his cameo, one each off Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Gerald Coetzee in the last three overs.And then the bowling group came together. South Africa were 44 for 4, then 109 for 6, and much like the Netherlands innings, there was a bit of late-order resistance, but it was way too much for them to pull off.Scott Edwards hit an unbeaten 78 off 69 balls•AFP/Getty Images”Obviously, yeah, proud, I suppose, of the group, and putting in that performance, as a whole and being able to play my part,” Edwards said. “We came into the tournament and, we wanted to have a chance of making the semi-finals, and if you want to do that, you’ve got to beat teams obviously. South Africa is probably one of the favourites, the way they have been playing. It’s a big win for us.”With Netherlands playing South Africa, there is always the talk of how much some of the Netherlands players have benefitted from their time playing in South Africa. There is a sense of familiarity and, not to forget, Netherlands did beat South Africa at the T20 World Cup last year too.”We obviously have guys who have played with these guys before so, yeah, we come up with a few match-ups, and some days it works and some days it doesn’t,” Edwards said. “So yeah, it’s nice that a few things came off today.”And, of course, it’s a time for Netherlands cricket fans, some of who were at the ground, to celebrate.”I’m sure there’s plenty of fans staying up [back home] from watching the game,” Edwards said. “There’s always a lot of supporters around. So, yeah, extremely grateful for all the support we’ve had and hopefully a few messages from them and that sort of thing.”

Fifties from Latham and Phillips lifted New Zealand to a competitive score and Afghanistan never really got going in their chase

Ashish Pant18-Oct-20231:07

Bond: Pleased with how Phillips batted today

After causing a major stir in the 2023 World Cup by beating defending champions England on Sunday, Afghanistan briefly harboured hopes of upsetting the 2019 runners-up too. But the New Zealand brand of professionalism and experience came to the fore once more as they managed to keep their unbeaten record intact to make it four out of four in the competition.Sent in to bat, New Zealand slipped from a comfortable 109 for 1 in the 21st over to a not-so-comfortable 110 for 4 in the space of nine balls. However, captain Tom Latham and the do-it-all man Glenn Phillips revived the innings with a 144-run stand for the fifth wicket. They were also helped by Afghanistan’s sloppiness in the field with as many as six chances – five catches and a run out – going a begging as New Zealand racked up 288 for 6.Mitchell Santner and Lockie Ferguson then continued their excellent run of form with three wickets each as Afghanistan collapsed in a heap in the chase. Only Rahmat Shah and Azmatullah Omarzai put up a semblance of fight before Afghanistan lost their last five wickets for just 14 runs in 24 balls to be bowled out for 139 and go down by 149 runs in Chennai. The win not only gave New Zealand’s NRR a huge boost but also solidified their position at the top of the points table.Related

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On a humid Wednesday afternoon, Afghanistan’s decision to bowl first raised eyebrows, but it was their efforts on the field that hurt them more. Fazalhaq Farooqi found Will Young’s outside edge on just his fourth ball of the day but Rahmat at wide slip failed to hang on to what was a regulation catch to his left. Young, on 1 at the time went on to score 54.With Young struggling initially, it was Devon Conway who set the ball rolling with a few eye-catching fours. Young soon found his mojo as he lofted Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman over long-on. But the bowler soon exacted revenge, albeit on Conway, trapping the batter in front of the stumps. The decision referred upstairs after the on-field umpire gave it not out, went Afghanistan’s way.Rachin Ravindra, who took 13 balls to get off the mark, got a life on 0 when Hashmatullah Shahidi dropped a straightforward catch at midwicket. He made sure to make Afghanistan pay as he added a brisk 79-run stand for the second wicket with Young.Afghanistan looked bereft of options before Shahidi turned to Omarzai and the medium-fast bowler delivered right away. Ravindra missed a cross-batted swat to find his middle stump flattened while four balls later Young fell courtesy a stunning one-handed take by wicketkeeper Ikram Alikhil. Young pushed at a wide length ball outside off, but could only manage a thin inside edge. Alikhil’s anticipation was on point as he moved to his left and plucked out a one-handed stunner inches from the turf. Daryl Mitchell was then sent packing by Rashid as New Zealand’s innings turned upside down in nine balls.Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips put on 144 off 153 balls•ICC/Getty ImagesThe ball started turning that bit more, and the pacers also found movement. Afghanistan conceded only 29 runs in the ten overs between 21 and 30, which had just two fours and three wickets.But, while all this was happening, Latham and Phillips held their own. There were a few nervy moments but the duo stuck to the basics well. It was the over after drinks when the two decided to take the more attacking route. Latham paddled Mujeeb fine past the stumps before Phillips took Nabi over deep midwicket. Even then, New Zealand could only reach 185 for 4 after 40 overs but two dropped catches turned the game their way.Latham was put down by first by Mujeeb in the 41st over at short fine leg, before Shahidi put down a sitter at short cover in the 43rd, both off Rashid. And New Zealand took their chances. They wallopped 103 runs off the last ten overs to breach the 280-mark. Mark Chapman with an unbeaten 12-ball 25 did his bit as well.Chasing 289, Afghanistan’s chase never really took flight. Trent Boult got the swing working for him from the get-go. He had both Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran in early strike but it was Matt Henry who drew first blood. Having just been pumped by Gurbaz straight over his head, the quick came back with a length back that seamed sharply back in breaching the batter’s defences and crashing into his stumps.Rahmanullah Gurbaz didn’t account for inward seam movement and got knocked over•Associated PressTwo balls later it was Ibrahim’s turn to depart when he closed the face of the bat too early to a Boult scrambled-seam delivery and lobbed a simple catch to Santner at cover. Shahidi and Rahmat Shah took 47 balls for the 16-run stand which was ended by Santner’s worldie. Lockie Ferguson’s sharp bumper was fended awkwardly by Shahidi, but he seemed to have got enough bat on it to clear the fielder at square leg. Santner, though sprinted back, kept his eye on the ball before leaping with his outstretched left hand to complete a blinder.Afghanistan were reduced to 43 for 3 after 14 with their chances getting slim. Rahmat and Omarzai did add a 54-run stand for the fourth wicket but at no point did New Zealand let the game drift.The boundaries were hard to come by and even strike-rotation wasn’t always on point. Azmatullah somewhat broke the shackles in the 25th over with two fours but was accounted for by Boult in the very next ball and when Rahmat fell in the 29th over, the Afghanistan innings slid quickly.Santner reached 100 ODI wickets by sending back Nabi with an absolute ripper before Ferguson removed Rashid and Mujeeb in the 34th over. Santner then closed the game in the 35th as New Zealand won comfortably.