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Shaun Murphy v Wu Yize: World Snooker Championship final day one – live | World Snooker Championship
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“‘The WUmerang’” returns Andrew Goudie on a nickname for our leader. “He keeps coming back.”
I’m not sure this one works syntactically: Wu “The Wumerang” Yize is a bit like Mervyn “The King” King.
Shaun Murphy 5-7 Wu Yize Another red to Wu, making things even harder for Shaun, and he really needs the next frame to stick with the accelerating young genius. That’ll be easier said than done, and we’ll see if the interval affects momentum; see you in 15.
Shaun Murphy 5-6 Wu Yize (0-63) With 67 remaining, Wu plays for the black, just above the top cushion, and it’s frame-ball, so he goes at it softly, giving it every chance to drop, then plays safe with Shaun needing a snooker to tie.
Shaun Murphy 5-6 Wu Yize (0-33) Running out of position, Wu plays safe but playing without side, clips a stray ball, leaving a taxing mid-ranger … that Shaun wobbles into the jaws of left corner and out. So Wu sees it away, deliberately bumping a nearby red to stay in the middle of the table. From here, though pink and black are out of commission, he’’s a really good chance of winning the frame with blues.
Shaun Murphy 5-6 Wu Yize (0-13) A third-red break and a red left to left corner, perhaps for the first time in the tournament. The ball, though, still needs potting, and Wu steers home nicely, then sets about the table.
Shaun Murphy 5-6 Wu Yize Increasingly, it looks like we’re in for an arse-nipper. Let’s hope so.
Shaun Murphy 4-6 Wu Yize (73-35) Wu closes the gap, then puts the red near the blue and white behind the black; it’s not the hardest escape and Shaun deals with it easily enough. Soo n after, he nails a starter and this match is now of a standard.
Shaun Murphy 4-6 Wu Yize (72-0) Shaun secures the frame, and Ru will be wuing Wu will be ruing his poor break-off. Oh, but Shaun misses to middle so, with two snookers required, Wu returns to the table.
Shaun Murphy 4-6 Wu Yize (46-0) Very quickly, Shaun accumulates, both players now in flow. Consequently, neither dare miss.
Shaun Murphy 4-6 Wu Yize (15-0) A poor break from Wu leaves a starter to middle, Shaun quickly opens the pack, and this is a chance for him to establish his presence in the session.
Shaun Murphy 4-6 Wu Yize The pink stays out of both yellow and green pockets, leaving the break high and dry on 97 … then zooms around the angles and drops into right-centre! It’s all coming up Wu!
Shaun Murphy 4-5 Wu Yize (16-73) In comms, Uncle Joe rhapsodises Wu’s creativity in dealing with the last three reds, and rightly so. He’s started the session beautifully.
Shaun Murphy 4-5 Wu Yize (16-58) This is really good from Wu, the situation now assimilated into his sense of self, thus allowing his talent to take over. The last three reds aren’t as easy to access as the others, but he should find a way.
Shaun Murphy 4-5 Wu Yize (16-24) A fine blue to the yellow pocket is followed by an oblique red to the centre, then a cut-back black just about drops after thinking long and hard about stopping out. But still, Wu isn’t in prime position, slumping over the table to get at the next ball, and now he’s set.
Shaun Murphy 4-5 Wu Yize (16-9) Looking to dig into the pack, Shaun misses everything, so it’s back to baulk with a safety … but not for long, the white left short for Wu to punch in an opener. This time, the reds are nicely spread, so if he can keep a hold of the white, the frame is there for him.
Shaun Murphy 4-5 Wu Yize (8-3) Wu rattles a starter into left corner, and if he’s now over last evening, he’s in a great spot. Of course, as I type, adrenaline kicks in and he gives the white a little too much off the yellow, coming down the table with a safety … that allows Shaun to unload, a terrific opener earning him a chance to score. The pack will need attention, but there are some loose reds there to be going on with.
Shaun Murphy 5-4 Wu Yize No ton, but Wu is into the session.
Shaun Murphy 4-4 Wu Yize (1-67) Wu secures the frame and is now in search of a century. This has been a better break than any he made in racking up a 3-0 lead.
Shaun Murphy 4-4 Wu Yize (1-54) Back to the break, Angles noted before we started that Shaun’s gone third red 27 times, and on not one occasion has his opponent potted first go – though I guess it’d also help to know how many times they’ve taken a shot on, because they might just be cueing poorly. Anyroad up, Wu gets the pack open, the runs out of position; will he really attempt an oblique cut-back to middle? You betcha, and from here, the frame should be his.
Shaun Murphy 4-4 Wu Yize (1-9) The crowd are warned about phones – there was all sorts of noise during the first session – and breaking off, Wu shows why Shaun now targets the third red, hitting the bottom one and leaving a starter. Still, they’ve got to be dispatched and El Mago nails his pot, then … misses brown to middle, huffing about something. Wu, though, isn’t bothered and quickly gets to work.
Our players are ready to emerge, so here we go.
Evening all; we go again!
Shaun Murphy and Wu Yize finish the first session of the final level at 4-4
Shaun Murphy 4-4 Wu Yize It took both men a whole to get going, but they’re there now and I’m sure both are satisfied with 4-4. I can’t wait to see how things unfold this evening and happily there’s not long to go – we get going again just after 7pm, so I’ll be with you just before then. But until then, thanks for your company and comments; peace out.
Shaun Murphy 4-3 Wu Yize (32-67) Shaun lays his snooker, the escape is good enough., and though he’d rather keep a red on the table, hoping for a free ball, he opts to pot it then, seeking a snooker on the yellow, instead leaves a tickle to middle … which Wu sorts competently. We’re going to end a terrific session level.
Shaun Murphy 4-3 Wu Yize (24-65) Our players chase the final red, the situation compounded by the black, still over right corner. Shaun needs two snookers.
“I don’t know about The Surgeon,” writes David Wall, “but if he’s involved in any more frames where no balls are potted for almost an hour then The Anaesthetist might be more appropriate. Though perhaps Ebdon has already taken that.”
Shaun Murphy 4-3 Wu Yize (24-65) Wu goes at a long one, it doesn’t go in, and Shaun tidies, also from range, but again, doesn’t quite get his cannon. No matter: he goes again with a green across the table, and this time it not only moves but stops over left corner. The final red is on the right side, but he’s not got the angle to drop on it off the black, and when he leaves it on the lip, he needs two snookers.
Shaun Murphy 4-3 Wu Yize (19-65) Shaun has a go at the red off a black, the other two left stuck under the pink … and he gets close, but it remains where it is, so it’s a safety, seeking to develop balls … and has he left a plant? It’s frame-ball and Wu tries for it, but it’s not dead set and won’t drop, so on we go.
Shaun Murphy 4-3 Wu Yize (1-65) Not necessarily. A poor positional shot means he must jab over the black to send a red to which he’s dead close all the way down the table to the green bag … oh that’s very nice. But dare he take on a black to middle, keeping the mxi bid going, from the top rail? You know the answer to that, problem being he’s not that close, hitting the near jaw, and having offered an opener in the process, he’ll be concerned – though the red marooned on the side will be giving him life.
Shaun Murphy 4-3 Wu Yize (0-41) Lovely from Wu, sending a message to Shaun and the rest of us too: he’s here to win and he can handle the pressure …. but can he see out the frame? He’s still on a maxi, by the way.
Shaun Murphy 4-3 Wu Yize (0-17) It’s worth noting that, despite his scoring, Shaun hasn’t played no-miss snooker these last few frames – he’s needed a few chances and Wu’s had a few too. And immediately in this frame, a tester: will he attempt a long red knowing what might happen if he misses? You know the answer to that, and he flows it home beautifully, soon keeps the run going with a delicate black, and this is good work, a 147 still on.
Shaun Murphy 4-3 Wu Yize An 85, a 98, a 77 and a 109. Lovely behaviour from Shaun, who has now taken four frames on the spin.
Shaun Murphy 3-3 Wu Yize (103-1) An oblique yellow, punched from mid-range into its own pocket, raises the ton, Shaun’s tenth of the competition, and underlines just how nicely he’s playing now.
Shaun Murphy 3-3 Wu Yize (65-1) Before long, Wu needs snookers, and though he’d love the next frame, he’ll be delighted there’s only one to come in the knowledge that even if he loses it, he’s in an acceptable position from which to regroup and come again this evening.
Shaun Murphy 3-3 Wu Yize (44-1) Seeking a thin contact, Wu tries a roll-up, but he leaves an opener, and he’ll be a way behind when he next gets a go, I shouldn’t wonder.
Shaun Murphy 3-3 Wu Yize (9-1) Wu will be hearing John Williams’ legendary score as Shaun clips in another opener, adding the green, but, confident enough to go at a long red, he doesn’t get that close, not playing the kind of snooker that occasionally sees him eviscerate top players – as he did to Kyrizzle Wilson in Xian, for example. So Wu caresses home a cut-back, shot, snicks blue to middle … and runs off it into right corner. He doesn’t though, leave anything, so here comes a rare safety exchange.
Shaun Murphy 3-3 Wu Yize An 85, a 98 and a 77. Shaun’s momentum is building and when he’s feeling himself, there are few better – ever to have played the game.
Shaun Murphy 2-3 Wu Yize (63-24) To those asking, yes it is David Seaman in the photo at the top, and he’s presumably enjoying Shaun trotting through the balls once more. He’s not at his best yet, but he’s near enough to make himself a problem. Wu would, I imagine, be very happy to take one the two frames remaining this afternoon.
Shaun Murphy 2-3 Wu Yize (20-24) Ach, a pretty straightforward cut-back black – off its spot – stays on the lip, but then Wu misses the same ball to the same bag. Surely Shaun won’t let him away with that?
“It’s a pleasure to fire up the MBM (FBF?) for what is invariably one of the great sporting events in the calendar, writes Jim Crane. Nostalgia-driven? Perhaps – but what is professional sports-watching if not the most reliable of friends, always there when we turn to it, together through life (any excuse to continue the Dylan riff).
Funny you should mention the commentary conundrum. Who wouldn’t want to listen to Stephen Hendry’s thoughts on snooker? But – sacrilege as it may be – some of the Beeb lads could do with a bit of a refresh. And yes, Joe Johnson on TNT is simply a wonderful and unintrusive soundtrack to the main event – knows his onions, but never confuses himself for a lead protagonist (take note Mr Walker). Anyway, positive thoughts, this has the makings of an epic. Avanti!”
Oh, I love Uncle Joe, and how much he loves the game. But Dominc Dale is also excellent, so too Steven Hallworth and the currently-on Nealf.
Shaun Murphy 2-3 Wu Yize (5-23) Oh, but he soon runs out of position, a loose shot frustrating him so much he tries a double … and misses. Knowing when to call it quits, and feeling no ill will, is a crucial skill for a snooker player – Wu would do well to watch a bit of Mark J Williams, the most equanimous man ever invented – doing well to leave nowt. For all the good it does him, Shaun creaming a beauty from right side to left corner, and though he’ll need to deal with the pack sometime soon, he’s in for what is a serious smack-laying opportunity.
Shaun Murphy 2-3 Wu Yize (0-17) The Surgeon is so good from range, and he scythes a longun straight into left corner, then just about wobbles another down right-centre. He could do with a decent run to help him settle – despite the three frames won, he’s not really at it yet – and the hope is we’re on the cusp of that elusive peak: both players playing well simultaneously.
Shaun Murphy 2-3 Wu Yize An 85 and now a 98, a missed red to middle meaning no landmark. But Shaun is the better player now, and that’ll be enough for him.
Shaun Murphy 1-3 Wu Yize (84-0) A blue takes Shaun on to a red in what remains of the cluster, good shot, and, frame secure, he’ll want to convert this into a ton and that ton into a TC.
Shaun Murphy 1-3 Wu Yize (59-0) A fine black opens more balls, and this is the best either player has played so far today.
Shaun Murphy 1-3 Wu Yize (31-0) The only person who loves potting balls as much as Shaun is Neil Robertson, our man taking these with careful zealotry. He knows Wu didn’t play all that well for the 3-0 lead, and that if he gets on a roll, a lead is not beyond him.
Shaun Murphy 1-3 Wu Yize (1-0) Left on the bottom rail, Wu seems to think the ball runs off, his safety offering a cut-back that’ll necessarily take Shaun into the pack. Now confident, he barrels at it, sending balls all over, and already, the frame is there for him.
We go again…
Shaun Murphy 1-3 Wu Yize A missed red means no ton, but Shaun is on the board; we’ll see you again in 15 for the resumption.
Shaun Murphy 0-3 Wu Yize (72-0) After a protracted previous frame, a quick kill in this one, Shaun now fully into the match – as we cut to Wu rubbing his eyes, Perhaps they’re itchy, but he looks tired and with good reason. Still, he leads handily, and would, no doubt, happily split the four frames remaining this afternoon.
Shaun Murphy 0-3 Wu Yize (43-0) Shaun picks off loose balls, a blue punched into the yellow pocket keeping the run going. A few minutes ago, he needed the interval; now he’s potting his way into groove, I bet he’d do without it.
Shaun Murphy 0-3 Wu Yize (11-0) I thought Wu may start slowly given the physical and emotional energy he’ll have dumped playing till late last evening, and he’s not at maximum power yet. But he’s built a handy lead, and now Shaun must break-off knowing his last effort went very wrong. This time, though, he catches it nicely and, when Wu fouls seeking to escape a snooker, he leaves absolutely loads.
“I remember not so long ago Shaun Murphy suggested we bin off the option of playing for snookers,” writes Darrien Bold, “yet here he is going at it for the best part of half an hour. The Peter Ebdon influence perhaps?”
Possibly; let’s hope he doesn’t move from snooker-seeking to 9/11 conspiracies, though I’d love to see him with a ponytail.
Shaun Murphy 0-3 Wu Yize Shaun’s been chasing a snooker for half an hour now but then Wu gets one, and that’s the frame; Il Mago could really use the next, the last of the mini-sesh. I doubt we see many more like this one was.
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
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