LONDON: Everton came from 2-0 down to beat Barnsley 5-3 in extra-time in the second round of the English League Cup on Wednesday.
The build-up to the match was overshadowed by ongoing speculation that Everton defender John Stones, a former Barnsley player, would be leaving the Merseysiders for Premier League champions Chelsea after reportedly handing in a transfer request.
Everton manager Roberto Martinez played Stones against his old club despite the transfer hype but the way in which the Toffees were made to struggle by third-tier Barnsley at Oakwell is unlikely to strengthen his resolve to stay with the Toffees.
“I thought Barnsley were superb throughout — dynamic and clinical,” Martinez told Sky Sports.
“We were a little slow in the first half and showed poor focus in front of goal. It was a test to see if we could come back into the scoreline, but it was terrific to see the younger players showing up after a performance that was not acceptable in the first half.
“They reacted with desire in the second half and that shows how much this matters and how much we wanted to progress.”
Martinez added: “I thought that John Stones was incredible under enormous pressure. I think that the authorities need to look at what has gone on because it has become a bit of a circus.
“Our fans know that all we are doing is trying to become better and John is a massive part of that. Money cannot buy everything in life, there are some things like values. He is not for sale.”
Sam Winnall’s shot gave Barnsley the lead before Marley Watkins got on the end of a ball into a crowded penalty area to make it 2-0 in the 28th minute.
Kevin Mirallas and Gary Naismith got Everton back on level terms only for Dan Crawley to make it 3-2 on the hiour mark to Barnsley — a minute after the Toffees’ equalizer.
But Romelu Lukaku made it 3-3 to send the match into extra-time where the unlucky Marc Roberts put a cross from Gerard Deulofeu into his own net before Lukaku made the game safe as Barnsley pressed for an equalizer.
Everton will be away to second-tier Championship side Reading in the third round next month.
Everton survives Barnsley scare as Martinez slams Stones ‘circus’
Everton survives Barnsley scare as Martinez slams Stones ‘circus’
Pakistan face arch-rivals India today in blockbuster T20 World Cup clash in Colombo
- Cricket contest takes place amid surging political tensions between India and Pakistan after their May 2025 clash
- Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav says team will decide whether or not to shake hands with Pakistani cricketers
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan take on defending champions and arch-rivals India today, Sunday, in Colombo in a highly anticipated T20 World Cup 2026 clash between the two sides.
The Group A fixture between the two sides will not just be important for the on-field cricket action but also because of the political tensions between the neighbors. India and Pakistan engaged in a brief military confrontation in May 2025 which came to a halt after Washington brokered a ceasefire.
However, political tensions spilled over onto the cricket field when Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav opted out of shaking hands with his Pakistani counterpart before the toss at their Asia Cup encounter last year in September. The Indian team refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts in all three matches of the tournament, triggering a strong protest from Pakistan.
Tensions surged again after Pakistan’s government announced earlier this month it would not allow its team to play against India in the World Cup in solidarity with Bangladesh. The South Asian country was replaced with Scotland after it refused to play its matches in India due to security reasons. Pakistan criticized the move and announced boycotting the Feb. 15 match against India. However, Islamabad later took back its decision to boycott the match after negotiations with the International Cricket Council.
“The game should be played in real spirit, the way it has been played since it started,” Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said at the pre-match press conference on Saturday. “The rest is up to them (India), what they want to do.”
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav did not commit whether his team will shake hands with Pakistan or not on Sunday.
“Why are you highlighting that?” Yadav asked reporters. “We are here to play cricket. We will play good cricket. We will take all those calls tomorrow. We will see tomorrow.”
Political and military tensions have meant the two teams have not played a bilateral series for years.
India has not traveled to Pakistan since 2008 and Pakistan visited India for the 50-over World Cup in 2023 but has since played ICC tournaments at neutral venues.
India has defeated Pakistan 12 times in the 16 T20 games they have played. They also have an impressive 6-1 record in the eight T20 World Cup matches since the first edition in 2007, with one being tied.
“We don’t have a good record against them in World Cups,” Agha admitted. “But whenever you come to play a new match, it’s a new day and you have to play good cricket to win.
“You can’t change history. You can learn from it. We learned from it and we’ll try to do a good performance tomorrow and win the match.”
Both sides have won their two fixtures so far, with India beating the USA and Namibia while Pakistan have defeated the Netherlands and the USA as well.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Eight stage of the World Cup.
The match is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time.
