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Se existe um momento ruim no Campeonato Brasileiro para travar, é na reta final. E São Paulo e Botafogo provaram neste domingo, no Pacaembu, que não conseguem embalar. Em jogo amarrado, os dois ficaram no 0 a 0 e ampliaram uma sequência sem vitória. Mas melhor para o Tricolor, que escapou matematicamente de qualquer risco de rebaixamento.

O Tricolor completou seu quarto jogo sem ganhar – vinha de dois empates e uma derrota. Chegou a 46 pontos, segue adiando a busca pelos 47 pontos, meta traçada pelo elenco para não ter risco de rebaixamento e fica ainda mais distante do sonho de uma vaga na Libertadores. Mas, como o Vitória empatou neste domingo e ainda tem confronto direto diante da Ponte Preta, esses 46 pontos são suficientes para eliminar qualquer risco de queda.

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Já o Botafogo, que antes parecia garantido entre as sete primeiras posições, que dão vaga ao principal torneio do continente, vinha de duas derrotas e, com o empate em São Paulo, chega a 52 pontos. Passa a ser seriamente ameaçado de ficar fora da Libertadores de 2018.

O resultado mostra o que foi a partida. Os dois times até tiveram uma chance clara cada um, ambas no segundo tempo, quando Lindoso teve o chute travado por Bruno Alves, aos dois minutos, e com Pratto acertando a trave, mesmo estando completamente livre na cara do goleiro Gatito, aos 16. Mas foi pouco.

O Botafogo se impôs somente nos cinco minutos iniciais do primeiro e do segundo tempo. O time de Jair Ventura avançou sua marcação e dificultava que a bola saísse do campo do São Paulo. Mas essa postura só durou enquanto Jucilei não acertava quase sozinho a marcação.

No resto do jogo, o São Paulo teve mais momentos de supremacia,
mas nada que empolgasse demais. Sem Hernanes, e com Cueva no banco, já que o peruano voltou com atraso da seleção, Dorival armou um 4-1-4-1 com Shaylon buscando mais a bola e Lucas Fernandes solto. Nenhum deles, porém, foi realmente efetivo.

No segundo tempo, os dois treinadores trocaram peças no setor ofensivo, tentando alternativas para superar a parede que seus ataques encontravam em frente às áreas adversárias. Nesse aspecto, o São Paulo melhorou com a entrada de Cueva, e rondou mais a área de Gatito. Mas pouco aproveitou.

O Botafogo, por sua vez, encontrava espaço para contra-atacar. Mas faltava velocidade para decidir o jogo dessa maneira.

A chance de recuperação de ambos fica para a próxima rodada, fora de
casa. No domingo, o São Paulo visita o Coritiba, enquanto o Botafogo pega o Palmeiras, na segunda.

FICHA TÉCNICA
SÃO PAULO 0 X 0 BOTAFOGO

Local: Pacaembu, São Paulo (SP)
Data-Hora: 19/11/2017 – 17h
Árbitro: Wilton Pereira Sampaio (Fifa-GO)
Auxiliares: Bruno Raphael Pires (Fifa-GO) e Leone Carvalho Rocha (GO)
Público/renda: 23.745 pagantes / 25.711 no total / R$ 635.360,00
Cartões amarelos: Carli, Bruno Silva, João Paulo (BOT); Gilberto (no banco), Petros (SPO)
Cartões vermelhos: –

SÃO PAULO: Sidão; Militão, Bruno Alves, Rodrigo Caio e Edimar; Jucilei; Marcos Guilherme, Petros, Shaylon (Júnior Tavares – 22’/2ºT) e Lucas Fernandes (Cueva – 14’/2ºT); Pratto (Gilberto – 33’/2ºT). Técnico: Dorival Júnior

BOTAFOGO: Gatito; Arnaldo, Carli, Igor Rabello e Victor Luis; Lindoso, Bruno Silva (Gilson – 45’/2ºT), João Paulo e Valencia (Marcos Vinícius – 35’/2ºT); Guilherme (Brenner – 43’/2ºT) e Pimpão. Técnico: Jair Ventura

Eddie Howe is set to be in the dugout for the first time as Newcastle manager as his side face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

He was forced to watch on from his home in isolation for the 3-3 draw with Brentford in the Premier League at St James’ Park last week.

The Magpies head into this clash bottom of the table with six points and are the only team left in the division without a single win to their name.

Liability

One change Howe should make to the XI for his first official game comes between the sticks. Karl Darlow had a howler against Brentford and must be brutally axed from the line-up against the Gunners, with Martin Dubravka coming in to replace him.

The ex-Nottingham Forest shot-stopper was given an opportunity to show Howe that he deserves to be the number one for the Magpies, but failed to grasp his chance as he struggled badly against the Bees. He recorded a SofaScore rating of 5.2 and that comes two games after he gave away a penalty against Chelsea and received a score of 5.7 that day.

On Match of the Day, Toon legend Alan Shearer blasted him as looking ‘nervous’ and berated his error for Ivan Toney’s goal, saying: “There were so many mistakes all over the place. Darlow there, it’s a basic error, he had a really poor game. He looked really nervous.”

The Brentford striker hit a low drive slightly to the side of Darlow and the Newcastle goalkeeper went down to his knees, allowing the ball to slip off his gloves and fly into the far corner. It appeared to be a routine save for the £30k-per-week man but it ended up costing the Magpies victory.

Dubravka averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.99 across 13 Premier League games last season but not made a single appearance this term, partly due to injury. It could be time for the Slovakian to come back in for Darlow and make his bow in the 2021/22 campaign, given his 31-year-old colleague’s poor form of late.

Darlow has become a liability between the sticks for Newcastle and Howe cannot afford to have an error-prone goalkeeper in a battle against relegation. Therefore, Dubravka must start and be given the chance to show that he can prove to be an upgrade in goal.

AND in other news, PIF can land Howe’s dream NUFC deal with “world class” £126m gem, he’s the next Suarez…

West Ham United slipped outside of the top four in the Premier League with a disappointing defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday evening.

The Irons have now failed to score in three straight matches as they were well-beaten by the Gunners in a frantic encounter at the Emirates Stadium and indeed, it was another game in which Michail Antonio looked hugely off the pace.

Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring right after the break before Hammers defender Vladimir Coufal received his marching orders after conceding a penalty, in which Alexandre Lacazette missed from the spot. But Emile Smith Rowe wrapped things up with a strike just three minutes from time.

After drawing a blank against Burnley at the weekend, manager David Moyes will be concerned that his side failed to test the opposition once again. managing only one shot on target all game.

And as he has often done lately, Antonio has failed to provide any sort of influence in the final third, making it just the one goal in his last 11 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

The 31-year-old talisman endured an absolute nightmare in north London – across 90 minutes on the pitch, he registered only 43 touches, in which he provided just six accurate passes from 15 attempts (40%).

Nor was he responsible for any of their shots on goal. A worrying sign.

Some of the blame may fall Coufal’s way but it’s performances like this from Antonio that should be called into question as he’s holding West Ham back with his poor form right now.

Elsewhere, the £10.8m-rated Jamaican international was lightweight and weak in his battles, managing just one successful dribble from four attempts, whilst he lost possession a whopping 27 times (the most in the game) and won just 18% of his total duels, both aerially and on the ground.

That shows he struggled to combat the threat from Gabriel and Ben White in the opposition’s backline. Antonio handed the ball back to Arsenal once every 1.6 touches, which is appalling.

football.london journalist Tom Clark was less than impressed, grading the Irons frontman amongst the worst performers. ‘Saw very little of the ball in the opening 45 minutes, worked hard tracking back but was wasteful in possession,’ he wrote, before later adding: ‘another poor display from the striker.’

On the above evidence, it was another shocking outing from the frontline veteran, one that will surely leave Moyes feeling badly let down, having kept the faith in his star striker once more.

AND in other news, Moyes could land another Soucek in West Ham swoop for “extraordinary” 6 ft 5 colossus – opinion

Manchester United earned their first Premier League point of November with a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge over the weekend.

Interim manager Michael Carrick made the bold call to drop five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo from the starting lineup, and his decision was arguably justified.

The Red Devils attempted to press in the early stages but soon dropped back behind the ball as the hosts took control of proceedings in a closely-fought encounter.

Chelsea couldn’t find a way through United’s stubborn defence, though, and the game hinged on two pivotal moments.

Jorginho’s miss control from a hoofed clearance allowed Jadon Sancho to race through on goal unchallenged before cooly slotting past Edouard Mendy, before Aaron Wan-Bissaka brought down Thiago Silva in the box, allowing the defensive midfielder to make amends from the penalty spot.

However, things could have been even better for the 20-time English champions if their midfield talisman hadn’t been so sloppy in possession and anonymous in the final third.

Bruno Fernandes had an afternoon to forget in west London, failing to impact proceedings in a positive manner and continuing his recent run of poor form.

As per SofaScore, the Portugal international received a match rating of just 6.3 out of 10, the lowest total awarded to any of his teammates who started the fixture.

And when taking a closer look at his underlying numbers, it’s easy to understand why. Fernandes failed to have a single shot on target throughout the 89 minutes he was on the pitch, was unable to play a solitary key pass and lost possession a whopping 15 times.

He also lost nine of his 15 duels (60%), made an error leading to an opposition shot and ended the game with a passing accuracy of just 78%, letting Carrick down in the process.

Manchester Evening News reporter Samuel Luckhurst was equally unimpressed with the 27-year-old’s underwhelming showing, awarding a measly three out of 10.

“Michael Carrick put the wrong Portuguese on the bench. Fernandes’ hoik led to the breakthrough but required assistance from Jorginho,” wrote Luckhurst.

With new manager Ralf Rangnick expected to be formally announced over the coming days, Fernandes will be desperate to return to form as soon as possible, or he could find himself on the sidelines once again over the coming weeks.

And, in other news…Predicted XI: How MUFC may look under Rangnick after potential £196.5m spending spree

Sussex retained their Pro40 title despite a heavy defeat to Worcestershire thanks to Durham’s narrow victory against Somerset

Andrew McGlashan27-Sep-2009
ScorecardMichael Yardy can’t believe he has been run out, but was able to celebrate a trophy despite defeat•Getty ImagesSussex retained their Pro40 title despite a heavy defeat against Worcestershire thanks to Durham’s narrow victory over Somerset. Sussex, who had their destiny in their own hands at the start of the day, fell to a 49-run loss and were forced to endure a nervous 45 minutes as Durham edged to their target at Taunton.Most of the players watched the big screen from the balcony, which was broadcasting footage from Taunton, and cheered each run as if it was their own. A strong contingent of Sussex supporters had also made the journey from the south coast and when Scott Borthwick hit Durham to victory celebrated loudly. “Ten trophies in nine years,” they sang, in reference to Sussex’s sustained success this decade, and their latest piece silverware confirmed them as the one-day team of the season. They were already Twenty20 champions and reached the final of the Friends Provident Trophy.The Pro40 title, which was won in thrilling style last season by Murray Goodwin’s last-ball six against Nottinghamshire, will also help to ease some of the pain of Championship relegation which was confirmed a few days ago.On the field, though, they produced one of their worst one-day performances of the summer and Mark Robinson, the coach, said his players were feeling the effects of a long season. They were sloppy in the field and wayward with the ball early on as Worcestershire made a flyer through Steven Davies. Although the second 20 overs with the ball were better a target of 215 was tough on a wearing, slow pitch.Rory Hamilton-Brown took 16 off the first over, but wickets fell steadily after he was held at mid-off. Goodwin, who was setting himself to guide another run chase, got a leading edge for 32 and Dwayne Smith tried to clear long on from just his second ball. When captain Michael Yardy was run out backing up, it was clear this wasn’t going to Sussex’s day in the middle and they would need help from elsewhere.After James Kirtley top-edged a sweep to end the match – giving Ian Fisher a wicket with his final ball for Worcestershire, a feat also managed by Gareth Batty – the Sussex players stood, sat and paced nervously in the dressing room. However, shortly before 6.30 their tension was relieved and the party started. They owe a few Durham lads a drink, too.

Though Flintoff has played the Ashes with a dodgy knee, Geoff Miller, the chairman of selectors, said the board was keen to have him play as many one-dayers as possible

Cricinfo staff18-Aug-2009Andrew Flintoff, who will be retiring from Test cricket after the deciding Ashes game at The Oval, will have only two days rest at the end of the series before heading to Belfast for a one-day game against Ireland. Flintoff may have played the Ashes with a dodgy knee but Geoff Miller, the chairman of selectors, said the board was keen to have him play as many one-dayers as possible.The rest of the summer is hectic for England with two Twenty20 internationals and seven ODIs against Australia, one ODI against Ireland and the Champions Trophy later in September. Flintoff is part of all the one-day and Twenty20 squads.”I hope there is no wishful thinking,” Miller said. “He is retiring from Test cricket so his focus is going to be on one-day cricket and we’re hoping he will play as many as possible because that’s what he has designated himself for.”We’re trying to build a squad and a side so that people are comfortable about where they play. We know what Andrew is capable of and he knows what he’s capable of. If we have to monitor Andrew day by day we will do that. But at the moment he’s in our squad and an integral part of our side.”Flintoff has struggled with injuries through his career, having undergone four ankle operations and a knee surgery. Earlier this summer, he decided to retire from Tests to prolong his career.

It’s been an impressive start to the new campaign for Crystal Palace, and a large reason for their early success is down to some outstanding recruitment.

The likes of Odsonne Edouard, Conor Gallagher and Joachim Andersen arrived at Selhurst Park over the summer much to supporters’ delight, but it’s perhaps with their youngest and least expensive acquisition where they really struck gold.

Michael Olise was new manager Patrick Vieira’s first signing back in July, putting pen to paper a five-year deal with the south London club after they triggered the £8m buyout clause in his Reading contract.

The 19-year-old earned his move to the Premier League after a string of impressive displays for the Royals saw him bag seven goals and provide a 12 assists in 44 Championship appearances, a return which saw him pick up the EFL Young Player of the Season award as a result.

Although a back injury has restricted Olise’s playing time at Palace so far, the youngster has clearly done enough to impress his new boss, with Vieira lauding his talent in a recent interview.

“He’s an interesting talent. He’s really good technically. He’s really good on the one-on-one – a left-footed player who is really composed on the ball,” said the French tactician.

“He can score. He can create something. He’s quite a creative player; he’s a winger who likes to come inside to link with the players. He’s a really good talent – a really special talent.

“We know at the same time that talent is not enough. He will need to express that talent around a collective that we are putting in place to allow him to express himself. But he is a really exciting young player.”

In just 68 minutes of top-flight action, Olise has already contributed one goal and one assist, playing a pivotal part in draws against both Leicester City and Arsenal.

The eye-catching contributions of the former France under-18 international have already seen his market value rise to £13.5m in a matter of months, and that’s only set to increase even further over the coming years if he maintains his recent form.

In other news…Never mind Benteke: Palace ace who made 3 key passes and won 7 duels shone against Arsenal 

Andy Flower has made it clear in the early days of his official reign that only those with strong character and a big heart need apply to take on the Australians later this summer. Those with suspect temperaments will not be considered. James Anderson is

Andrew McGlashan at Chester-le-Street16-May-2009

Andy Flower has made it clear in the early days of his official reign that only those with strong character and a big heart need apply to take on the Australians later this summer. Those with suspect temperaments will not be considered. He made a statement by leaving out the likes of Ian Bell and Steve Harmison, who have previously been accused of lacking the necessary ticker, in favour of those he feels have the bottle required.If you’d looked at the England side only a couple of years ago and tried to pick out those who had what it takes, James Anderson’s name wouldn’t have been anywhere near the top of the pile. However, over the last 12 months he has gone from the quiet man of the England team to an attack leader of some stature. His opening spell here was a prime example, where he had complete control of his swing and took out three top-order wickets.When he returned to the side against India, mid-way through 2007, he said he wanted to be the captain of the bowlers. During the winter tour to the Caribbean, during a low-key and almost anonymous practice session, the squad was split into two teams. The choice of each captain was fascinating. Stuart Broad led one side and Anderson the other. The captain of the bowlers had become a captain in his own right. It probably wasn’t an insight into a future role – bowling captains are a rare breed in international cricket – but Anderson has clearly become a senior figure.Yet, it isn’t only with the ball and in the field that Anderson’s growth as a player has become apparent. He has taken over the role vacated by Matthew Hoggard’s departure as England’s nightwatchman and has still managed to extend his extraordinary run of never collecting a duck to a world-record 48 innings.The merits of the nightwatchman role are there to be debated and Steve Waugh certainly wouldn’t approve of England’s desire to protect the specialist batsmen in any situation. Flower has admitted it was wrong to use Anderson in the second innings in Antigua, where the lead was already over 300, and a strong case could have been made here of a negative choice when he walked in at 282 for 2.However, Anderson rarely lets his team down when told to do the job despite often coming in when the quick bowlers have their tails up with a new ball. No bowler gets more excited by the sight of Anderson walking out than Fidel Edwards. “I’m not sure what I’ve done,” he said. “He just seems to crank it up each time I bat and I seem to get a few words. I honestly don’t have a clue what is going on. I really didn’t want to get out to him.”It’s a duel that started back in Antigua and simmered throughout the Caribbean, while last week at Lord’s Edwards pinned Anderson with a nasty blow on the helmet that left him momentarily on his back and not sure what day of the week it was. This time Anderson stayed upright, but still took some body blows. However, he stood up to the barrage and even managed an elegant square drive much to the annoyance of Edwards, who was close to boiling after Denesh Ramdin dropped a catch down the leg side and a no-ball was edged to third slip.Edwards’ response to eventually grabbing the wicket was an elaborate version of the DX crotch crop, a wrestling celebration, as Anderson thought about his revenge. “It does spur you on and I also had in the back of my mind that he still has to bat yet,” he said. “I’ll keep that in the locker.”When asked if the verbals from Edwards would be printable, Anderson replied: “Probably not.” Even Edwards’ own camp is none the wiser as to why he gets so charged up, but if Anderson keeps reply with devastating bursts of swing they may be telling him to stop. “It’s very strange, I can’t explain that,” said coach John Dyson.Anderson’s detirmination to front up to a battle head-on is mark of his development. It shows in his bowling, when he now longer becomes insipid when the ball doesn’t swing. Movement remains his greatest weapon – as he showed in his 11-over burst with the new ball, especially the wicket of Devon Smith bowled through the gate – but he is learning to take wickets in all conditions.”I think on any wicket, if you have a general idea of where you are going to pitch the ball and hit the top of off stump as people always say, you can’t go far wrong,” he said. “It could be tricky at times because it is a good wicket, but if the conditions are right and we ask as many questions as we did today we should have a good chance.”Two months of bowling on Caribbean featherbeads has had its benefits. Conditions may be too damp over the next couple of days, but Anderson is now mastering reverse-swing – such a key weapon for England in 2005 – which will become vital later this summer when, hopefully, the sunshine greets the Ashes series.It hasn’t been a seamless transition into the role of figurehead, but now that mantle is resting firmly on his broad Burnley shoulders. He has clearly made a strong impression on Flower. The early battles of the summer are being easily won by England, but that won’t remain so. When the going gets tough, Flower knows he’ll be able to call on Anderson. After six years in the shadows of England’s Test side, he’s ready to burst into the limelight.

A new deal for Mohamed Salah could affect Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino’s Liverpool futures, according to journalist James Pearce.

The Lowdown: Salah’s future still up in the air

The Reds were simply incredible in their 5-0 win away to Manchester United on Sunday, with Salah scoring a hat-trick to further add to his place in legend.

The Egyptian King is still yet to sign a new contract with Liverpool, which is causing some concern, considering his status as arguably the world’s best player at the moment.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

The Latest: Pearce makes big claim

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic before Sunday’s game, Pearce claimed that a massive deal for Salah could have a knock-on effect for Mane and Firmino, in terms of one potentially leaving.

In response to a query from one fan on the situation, the journalist replied: “Yes I’d say the outcome of the contract talks with Salah will have an impact on what happens with Mane and Firmino. I would be surprised if all three get new deals. Salah clearly the priority currently.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-8/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Salah HAS to sign

Keeping Mane and Firmino is clearly important for Liverpool, but Salah is the man they must tie down, even if it means bad news for one of the others eventually.

He is becoming an all-time Reds great before our very eyes, currently enjoying an outstanding season and making himself one of the club’s greatest-ever goalscorers, and at 29 he should still have four or five years at the very top, particularly given the way he looks after himself.

Losing Salah in his prime doesn’t bear thinking about and FSG would likely never be forgiven if they don’t give him exactly what he wants.

In other news, some Liverpool fans are excited about one transfer rumour doing the rounds. Read more here.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Virender Sehwag set the tone with a typical fire-starting innings, andfine hands from Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni were alsoinstrumental as India eased to a comfortable 53-run victory [byDuckworth-Lewis] in a match twice interrupted by rain.India piled up a mammoth 273 for 4 from their 38 overs and then reduced New Zealand to 111for 4 before further rain left them the near-impossible task of scoring105 from 43 balls. Harbhajan Singh then picked up three wickets in fourballs as the match fizzled out and apart from Martin Guptill’saccomplished 64, there was little for New Zealand to take from McLeanPark.After a small mid-innings wobble, Raina and Dhoni added 110 from just 12.2overs to wrest the initiative. Daniel Vettori had brought about a lull in the proceedings after Ross Taylor’s stunning catch to send back Sehwag, butonce 40 came from the three overs of the batting Powerplay, there was noholding the Indians back.New Zealand had reason to rue some poor bowling, with Kyle Mills,returning from injury, especially culpable. Raina was in superb touch, andfull tosses from Mills were ruthlessly dealt with, usually with cleaves ofthe bat that sent the ball soaring over midwicket for six. When thebowlers tried to curb him by bowling wide of the stumps, Raina improvisedto squeeze-steer the ball backward of point for fours. With Dhoni rotatingthe strike cleverly at the other end, New Zealand had no answer.It wasn’t as though Dhoni was only the supporting act though. He pulledpowerfully on occasion, paddle-swept cleverly and also played one majesticwristy flick through midwicket off Ian Butler. With the regular bowlerspowerless to stop the onslaught, Vettori turned to Grant Elliott. Itworked, with Raina miscuing another big hit. But by then, the run-rate washovering around seven an over, and it went beyond that as Yusuf Pathan (20from just 10 balls) and Dhoni finished strongly.Sehwag had started the day with a clutch off fours off the wayward Mills,but the players were back inside the dressing rooms within 20 minutes asthe rain came down. By the time the game resumed, 24 overs in total had been lost,and India’s sense of urgency was apparent. Sachin Tendulkar pulled IainO’Brien for four, and then guided Mills through the vacant slip position,while Sehwag cut a six over point.Things were looking bleak for New Zealand before Ian Butler came on, playinghis first ODI in more than four years. It was an inspired move, withTendulkar getting the thinnest of edges through to Brendon McCullum. Thatdidn’t stop Sehwag though. He pulled Jacob Oram for four to get to hishalf-century from 37 balls and then clipped one through midwicket for fourmore. Even Butler wasn’t spared, with a cut for four and a swat throughsquare-leg as the 100 of the innings came up in just 14 overs.Vettori brought himself on immediately afterwards, but there was littlerespite. Dhoni cut one powerfully for four and then lofted one to thesightscreen, before Taylor’s dramatic intervention gave New Zealand asniff of a chance. When Yuvraj, bogged down by accurate bowling, followedsoon after – a victim of his own hesitation between the wickets – Indiacould have lost their way, but Dhoni and Raina hadn’t forgotten theircompasses or their range of strokes.New Zealand never got the stroke-filled start that they needed. ZaheerKhan commenced with a maiden over, but it was Praveen Kumar who struckthe crucial blow early on, having McCullum caught off the top edge at deepfine-leg. Jesse Ryder thumped him down to long-off for a four, butanother attempted heave only found Sehwag inside the circle.Only 23 runs came from the first eight overs of the Powerplay, but Taylor andGuptill then broke free with some attractive strokes. Taylor cutMunaf Patel for four, while Guptill lofted the ball sweetly down to thelong-on boundary. With singles and twos being taken cleverly, the Indianswere briefly rattled.Taylor greeted Yusuf with a cut for four behind point, but amiscued slog-sweep only found Sachin Tendulkar at short fine-leg. Guptillcontinued to work the ball around cleverly, but with the fours drying up,the game began to drift away. And the pressure eventually told whenRaina’s throw from the deep found Elliott just short of his ground whilegoing for a second run.The rain then returned, and with 10 overs lopped off the innings, therewas only time for New Zealand to go down swinging. Jacob Oram was caughtbehind off Yuvraj and Neil Broom stumped off Harbhajan. Guptill’sresistance then ended with a fine catch by Gautam Gambhir at deep midwicket.Vettori ensured that his team wouldn’t be bowled out, but that was littleconsolation on a day when New Zealand were second-best by a distance.