England win epic Cricket World Cup Final on boundaries

CRICKET WORLD CUP

ENGLAND ARE THE CHAMPIONS

FINAL Sun 14-Jul	10:30	NEW ZEALAND	241-8		15-1 (Super Over)
Lord's		ENGLAND	241		15-0 (Super Over)

▪️ MATCH TIED - ENGLAND won on boundaries scored during the match (26-17)
Player of the match: Ben Stokes (84* & 8*)

ENGLAND won the Cricket World Cup for the first time ever after beating New Zealand on boundaries scored following an astonishing tie in the Final at Lord's.

Even a Super Over could not separate the teams with Jason Roy running Martin Guptill out off the last ball of the match as the Kiwi scrambled back in a forlorn attempt to make the winning run.

In all honesty, it is difficult to know where to start with this epic match. Just how on earth did England win this?

Well, to begin at the beginning - New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat, a decision which looked pretty reasonable despite the overhead conditions. 

Opener Henry Nicholls (55) and captain Kane Williamson (30) cautiously built a steady partnership of 74 following the early loss of Guptill (19).

However, Liam Plunkett has been an incredibly important factor to England's journey to the top of the One-Day International rankings - and the Middlesbrough-born paceman dismissed both set batsmen.

Mark Wood soon joined the party as he trapped a static Ross Taylor in front for 15 although replays would show the ball was bouncing over the stumps.

The Black Caps had already used their review, having earlier foolishly requested the plumb lbw decision made against Guptill to be looked at again.

Tom Latham then attempted to turn the tide - but the wicketkeeper-batsman regularly lost partners at the other end as Chris Woakes and Plunkett finished with three wickets apiece.

At 241-8 off their 50 overs, New Zealand looked a bit short. Out of the six bowlers employed by England, only Ben Stokes went for more than five per over - and he only bowled three overs.

Meanwhile, Jofra Archer - a vital figure in the hours to come - took 1-42 off his full allocation.

The Kiwis, nevertheless, had at least scored 58 runs more than four years ago when they were hammered in the Final against Australia by seven wickets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Impressively, New Zealand had also defended 239-8 as they shocked India by 18 runs in their semi final at Old Trafford.

By contrast, England had blasted their way to a first Final in 27 years, thrashing Australia by eight wickets at Edgbaston - and, in their previous match to that, had beaten the New Zealanders by the not-so-small matter of 119 runs at Chester-le-Street.

In the Final at Lord's, though, it was always going to be completely different - especially as New Zealand started well with the ball.

Prodigious opener Roy was caught behind by Latham off Matt Henry, and Joe Root soon followed after an uncharacteristically scratchy innings in which he scored just seven off 30 balls.

Captain Eoin Morgan appeared to be faring better, scoring six runs off his first seven deliveries - but he too became bogged down and was out for just nine after he hoicked Jimmy Neesham's first ball to the impressive Lockie Ferguson.

Ferguson produced a superb catch, diving forwards - having already bowled Jonny Bairstow for a patient 36 - and, at 86-4 in the 24th over, England were in deep trouble.

Enter Stokes and Jos Buttler. Finally, England had found two batsmen willing to rotate the strike and make inroads into the chase which had suddenly become mammoth.

The required rate continued to creep upwards, however - and, just as England were preparing for a few last big overs, Ferguson struck again to take the big wicket of Buttler.

Woakes followed in Ferguson's next over before Neesham accounted for both Plunkett and Archer in the 49th.

Neesham nearly also had Stokes' wicket too - but, as Boult took the catch, he trod on the boundary rope - and instead England picked up a vital six runs.

Heading into the last, the hosts still required 15 runs to win, or 14 to tie with Stokes and Adil Rashid at the crease, and Stokes on strike.

Looking to make amends, the Black Caps' main bowler Boult held the ball - and his team's destiny - in his hands and he started well with two yorkers which Stokes could barely get off the square.

But, in response, the Christchurch-born all-rounder turned the tables by smashing the paceman over midwicket for six off the next ball - and the fourth ball then also counted for six in the most extraordinary way.

Stokes smeared a full toss away to midwicket where it was collected - but, as the luckless Guptill lined up a direct hit, Stokes - desperate to make his ground - got in the way, and he inadvertently deflected the ball with his outstretched bat.

The ball trundled towards the boundary - and there was simply nothing New Zealand could do as umpire Kumar Dharmasena signalled with six digits on his two hands, although it has subsequently emerged that he should have only used five.

Law 19.8 advises that the two batsmen must have crossed for their second run prior to Guptill throwing the ball for the run to count.

However, this - in itself - appears inconsistent with the general principle applied in other Laws that all of the play is taken into account on each ball until the ball becomes considered dead - i.e. when it hit the boundary rope.

Regardless, it is to the immense credit of the New Zealanders that they have not collectively made a big deal of the umpiring error - though it can surely only have compounded their disappointment.

Still, despite that, the Black Caps could have won. Boult had two deliveries remaining - and, with the first, he found his yorker length again - but Stokes played it well.

This time, the ball trundled to Mitchell Santner at long-off - and, this time, the run out was enacted as Boult dismissed Rashid by a long way.

England had completed one run, however, and so needed two off the final ball for victory.

Instead, there was another run out, though again England had completed a single before Wood was out well short of a second.

Incredibly, the Final had gone to a Super Over.

Now, England batted first, nominating Buttler and the unbeaten Stokes as their batsmen as Boult again took the ball in hand.

Four runs came off the first two balls before Stokes doubled that with a boundary through midwicket off the third delivery.

The second part of the over followed a similar pattern as three runs off the next two balls were topped off by a four when Buttler found the fence at deep square leg.

England therefore had scored a very decent 15 off their six balls - as Guptill and Neesham came out to bat for the Kiwis.

Archer - the raw 24-year-old Barbados-born fast-bowler had been just about a last-minute pick by the selectors - and yet he was now given the responsibility of winning the game for England.

Rather understandably, Archer started nervously with a wide called off his attempt before he was hit for six by Neesham off only his second legal delivery.

Suddenly, New Zealand needed just seven to win off four balls - but Archer found a fuller length to restrict the Black Caps to four off the next two.

The next ball was banged in short and Neesham, failing to connect on the pull, had to settle for a single, bringing Guptill on strike for the first time in the over - just in time for the last ball.

New Zealand needed two runs to win as Archer again went full. Guptill managed to clip the ball to deep midwicket - but, as the Kiwi batsmen tried in vain to make the 22 yards, Roy found his range and finally finished the contest.

More than nine hours of play featuring 643 balls - including wides, no balls and the Super Over deliveries - had not been enough to separate the two teams on the scorecard.

England had scored 241 runs and 15 in the Super Over - New Zealand had done likewise - and, though it was in the rules at the start of the tournament, the boundary count seems a slight arbitrary next tiebreaker.

After all, right up until the end of the Super Over, all of the runs - no matter how they had been scored - had counted equally.

So, as much of a cop-out as it sounds, this was a Cricket World Cup Final in which a tie should have meant just that - a shared trophy.

England will have still got the plaudits which they have deserved for their hard work over the last four years. 

But New Zealand too would have something to take from this epic occasion, rather than being left only with perhaps indelible scars caused by this absolute heartbreak.

Even a couple of days later, that still seems a little too cruel on the Black Caps.

CRICKET WORLD CUP

 SEMI FINAL RESULTS
 

SF1 Tue 09-Jul	10:30	INDIA	221 49.3	▪️ NEW ZEALAND won by 18 runs
Old Trafford		NEW ZEALAND	239-8
SF2 Thu 11-Jul	10:30	AUSTRALIA	223 49.0	▪️ ENGLAND won by eight wickets
Edgbaston		ENGLAND	226-2 32.1

GROUP STAGE TABLE

Pos	Team	W	L	NR	NRR	Pts
(Q)	INDIA	7	1	1	0.809	15
(Q)	AUSTRALIA	7	2	0	0.868	14
(Q)	ENGLAND	6	3	0	1.152	12
(Q)	NEW ZEALAND	5	3	1	0.175	11
(5)	PAKISTAN	5	3	1	-0.430	11
(6)	SRI LANKA	3	4	2	-0.919	8
(7)	SOUTH AFRICA	3	5	1	-0.030	7
(8)	BANGLADESH	3	5	1	-0.410	7
(9)	WEST INDIES	2	6	1	-0.225	5
(10)	AFGHANISTAN	0	9	0	-1.322	0

GROUP STAGE RESULTS

01 Thu 30-May	10:30	ENGLAND	311-8	▪️ ENGLAND won by 104 runs
The Oval		SOUTH AFRICA	207 39.5
02 Fri 31-May	10:30	PAKISTAN	105 21.4	▪️ WEST INDIES won by seven wickets
Trent Bridge		WEST INDIES	108-3 13.4
03 Sat 01-Jun	10:30	NEW ZEALAND	137-0 16.1	▪️ NEW ZEALAND won by 10 wickets
Cardiff		SRI LANKA	136 29.2
04 Sat 01-Jun	13:30	AUSTRALIA	209-3 34.5	▪️ AUSTRALIA won by seven wickets
Bristol		AFGHANISTAN	207 38.2
05 Sun 02-Jun	10:30	BANGLADESH	330-6	▪️ BANGLADESH won by 21 runs
The Oval		SOUTH AFRICA	309-8
06 Mon 03-Jun	10:30	ENGLAND	334-9	▪️ PAKISTAN won by 14 runs
Trent Bridge		PAKISTAN	348-8
07 Tue 04-Jun	10:30	AFGHANISTAN	152 32.4	▪️ SRI LANKA won by 34 runs  DLS
Cardiff		SRI LANKA	201 36.5
08 Wed 05-Jun	10:30	INDIA	230-4	▪️ INDIA won by six wickets
Southampton		SOUTH AFRICA	227-9
09 Wed 05-Jun	13:30	BANGLADESH	244 49.2	▪️ NEW ZEALAND won by two wickets
The Oval		NEW ZEALAND	248-8 47.1
10 Thu 06-Jun	10:30	AUSTRALIA	288 49.0	▪️ AUSTRALIA won by 15 runs
Trent Bridge		WEST INDIES	273-9
11 Fri 07-Jun	10:30	PAKISTAN		▪️ NO RESULT - rain
Bristol		SRI LANKA
12 Sat 08-Jun	10:30	ENGLAND	386-6	▪️ ENGLAND won by 106 runs
Cardiff		BANGLADESH	280 48.5
13 Sat 08-Jun	13:30	AFGHANISTAN	172 41.1	▪️ NEW ZEALAND won by seven wickets
Taunton		NEW ZEALAND	173-3 32.1
14 Sun 09-Jun	10:30	AUSTRALIA	316	▪️ INDIA won by 36 runs
The Oval		INDIA	352-5
15 Mon 10-Jun	10:30	SOUTH AFRICA	29-2 7.3	▪️ NO RESULT - rain
Southampton		WEST INDIES
16 Tue 11-Jun	10:30	BANGLADESH		▪️ NO RESULT - rain
Bristol		SRI LANKA
17 Wed 12-Jun	10:30	AUSTRALIA	307 49.0	▪️ AUSTRALIA won by 41 runs
Taunton		PAKISTAN	266 45.4
18 Thu 13-Jun	10:30	INDIA		▪️ NO RESULT - rain
Trent Bridge		NEW ZEALAND
19 Fri 14-Jun	10:30	ENGLAND	213-2 33.1	▪️ ENGLAND won by eight wickets
Southampton		WEST INDIES	212 44.4
20 Sat 15-Jun	10:30	AUSTRALIA	334-7	▪️ AUSTRALIA won by 87 runs
The Oval		SRI LANKA	247 45.5
21 Sat 15-Jun	13:30	AFGHANISTAN	125 34.1	▪️ SOUTH AFRICA won by nine wkts  DLS
Cardiff		SOUTH AFRICA	131-2 28.4
22 Sun 16-Jun	10:30	INDIA	336-5	▪️ INDIA won by 89 runs  DLS
Old Trafford		PAKISTAN	212-6 40.0
23 Mon 17-Jun	10:30	BANGLADESH	322-3 41.3	▪️ BANGLADESH won by seven wickets
Taunton		WEST INDIES	321-8
24 Tue 18-Jun	10:30	ENGLAND	397-6	▪️ ENGLAND won by 150 runs
Old Trafford		AFGHANISTAN	247-8
25 Wed 19-Jun	10:30	NEW ZEALAND	245-6 48.3	▪️ NEW ZEALAND won by four wickets
Edgbaston		SOUTH AFRICA	241-6 49.0
26 Thu 20-Jun	10:30	AUSTRALIA	381-5	▪️ AUSTRALIA won by 48 runs
Trent Bridge		BANGLADESH	333-8
27 Fri 21-Jun	10:30	ENGLAND	212 47.0	▪️ SRI LANKA won by 20 runs
Headingley		SRI LANKA	232-9
28 Sat 22-Jun	10:30	AFGHANISTAN	213 49.5	▪️ INDIA won by 11 runs
Southampton		INDIA	224-8
29 Sat 22-Jun	13:30	NEW ZEALAND	291-8	▪️ NEW ZEALAND won by five runs
Old Trafford		WEST INDIES	286 49.0
30 Sun 23-Jun	10:30	PAKISTAN	308-7	▪️ PAKISTAN won by 49 runs
Lord's		SOUTH AFRICA	259-9
31 Mon 24-Jun	10:30	AFGHANISTAN	200 47.0	▪️ BANGLADESH won by 62 runs
Southampton		BANGLADESH	262-7
32 Tue 25-Jun	10:30	ENGLAND	221 44.4	▪️ AUSTRALIA won by 64 runs
Lord's		AUSTRALIA	285-7
33 Wed 26-Jun	10:30	NEW ZEALAND	237-6	▪️ PAKISTAN won by six wickets
Edgbaston		PAKISTAN	241-4 49.1
34 Thu 27-Jun	10:30	INDIA	268-7	▪️ INDIA won by 125 runs
Old Trafford		WEST INDIES	143 34.2
35 Fri 28-Jun	10:30	SOUTH AFRICA	206-1 37.2	▪️ SOUTH AFRICA won by nine wickets
Chester-le-Street		SRI LANKA	203 49.3
36 Sat 29-Jun	10:30	AFGHANISTAN	227-9	▪️ PAKISTAN won by three wickets
Headingley		PAKISTAN	230-7 49.4
37 Sat 29-Jun	13:30	AUSTRALIA	243-9	▪️ AUSTRALIA won by 86 runs
Lord's		NEW ZEALAND	157 43.4
38 Sun 30-Jun	10:30	ENGLAND	337-7	▪️ ENGLAND won by 31 runs
Edgbaston		INDIA	306-5
39 Mon 01-Jul	10:30	SRI LANKA	338-6	▪️ SRI LANKA won by 23 runs
Chester-le-Street		WEST INDIES	315-9
40 Tue 02-Jul	10:30	BANGLADESH	286 48.0	▪️ INDIA won by 28 runs
Edgbaston		INDIA	314-9
41 Wed 03-Jul	10:30	ENGLAND	305-8	▪️ ENGLAND won by 119 runs
Chester-le-Street		NEW ZEALAND	186 44.5
42 Thu 04-Jul	10:30	WEST INDIES	311-6	▪️ WEST INDIES won by 23 runs
Headingley		AFGHANISTAN	288
43 Fri 05-Jul	10:30	PAKISTAN	315-9	▪️ PAKISTAN won by 94 runs
Lord's		BANGLADESH	221 44.1
44 Sat 06-Jul	10:30	INDIA	265-3 43.3	▪️ INDIA won by seven wickets
Headingley		SRI LANKA	264-7
45 Sat 06-Jul	13:30	SOUTH AFRICA	325-6	▪️ SOUTH AFRICA won by 10 runs
Old Trafford		AUSTRALIA	315 49.5

CENTURIES
166 David Warner (Australia) v Bangladesh
153 Aaron Finch (Australia) v Sri Lanka
153 Jason Roy (England) v Bangladesh
148 Eoin Morgan (England) v Afghanistan
148 Kane Williamson (New Zealand) v West Indies
140 Rohit Sharma (India) v Pakistan
124* Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) v West Indies
122* Rohit Sharma (India) v South Africa
122 David Warner (Australia) v South Africa
121 Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) v England
118 Nicholas Pooran (West Indies) v Sri Lanka
117 Shikhar Dhawan (India) v Australia
113 Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka) v India
111 Jonny Bairstow (England) v India
111 KL Rahul (India) v Sri Lanka
107 Joe Root (England) v Pakistan
107 David Warner (Australia) v Pakistan
106* Kane Williamson (New Zealand) v South Africa
106 Jonny Bairstow (England) v New Zealand
104 Avishka Fernando (Sri Lanka) v West Indies
104 Rohit Sharma (India) v Bangladesh
103 Jos Buttler (England) v Pakistan
103 Rohit Sharma (India) v Sri Lanka
102* Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh) v Australia
102 Rohit Sharma (India) v England
101* Babar Azam (Pakistan) v New Zealand
101 Carlos Braithwaite (West Indies) v New Zealand
100* Joe Root (England) v West Indies
100 Aaron Finch (Australia) v England
100 Imam-ul-Haq (Pakistan) v Bangladesh
100 Faf du Plessis (South Africa) v Australia

FIVE-FORS
6-35 Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan) v Bangladesh
5-26 Mitchell Starc (Australia) v New Zealand
5-29 Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) v Afghanistan
5-30 Mohammad Amir (Pakistan) v Australia
5-31 Jimmy Neesham (New Zealand) v Afghanistan
5-44 Jason Behrendorff (Australia) v England
5-46 Mitchell Starc (Australia) v West Indies
5-59 Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh) v India
5-69 Mohammad Shami (India) v England
5-75 Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh) v Pakistan

All scheduled start times are BST
Full 50 overs batted unless stated
DLS = Result decided using Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method
NRR = Net run rate

Bairstow and Roy send England to the semis

CRICKET WORLD CUP

TEAM-BY-TEAM REVIEW

1 INDIA W 7 L 1 NR 1 NRR 0.809 Points 15

Coach Ravi Shastri (since July 2017)

Most runs Rohit Sharma (647)
Most wickets Jasprit Bumrah (17)

CWC19 results WWXWWWLWW

Group winners India made light work of the opening phase and, in the latter part of last month, regained their position at the top of the rankings. As such, it is no surprise that it is now India - and not England - who have now been installed as favourites for this World Cup. Predictably, the key to the Indians' success has been their rock-solid top three which easily overcame the tournament-ending thumb injury to Shikhar Dhawan who, nevertheless, had already registered a match-winning century against Australia. Altogether, Indian players scored seven centuries in their nine group stage matches - with a World Cup record of five compiled by the prolific Rohit Sharma alone. Opener Sharma is unsurprisingly the top scorer at this World Cup so far with 647 runs at an eye-watering average of 92.42 and it would be fair to say he has outshone even Virat Kohli who holds a still-highly respectable best score of 82 and average of 63.14. The frontline bowlers too have made an impact - Jasprit Bumrah has taken 17 wickets at a cost of just 19.52 each and Mohammed Shami has produced some fine demonstrations of exactly how to bowl against the tail at the death. And so, everything considered, it is frankly very difficult to see a suddenly woefully out-of-form New Zealand getting anywhere near to India in their match which, weather-permitting, is due to be played at Old Trafford tomorrow. Of course, the group match between the teams at Trent Bridge was itself a washout - but even a repeat of that rather undesirable outcome would still be enough to take India to a fourth World Cup Final. 

2 AUSTRALIA W 7 L 2 NR 0 NRR 0.868 Points 14

Coach Justin Langer (since May 2018)

Most runs David Warner (638)
Most wickets Mitchell Starc (26)

CWC19 results WWLWWWWWL

Five-time winners Australia were the first team to qualify for the semi finals all the way back on 25 June after beating England at Lord's - and their long wait for another truly meaningful game perhaps provides the reason why the Aussies took their eye off the ball against South Africa on Saturday, though only just by 10 runs. It is nevertheless a potentially costly defeat as it meant India unseated the Baggy Greens at the top of the table on the last day of the group phase. Australia now face a reinvigorated England in the semi finals on Thursday instead of a New Zealand team which seems to have completely lost its way. Meanwhile, the initial Aussie squad has also suffered from several injuries with Mitchell Marsh, Peter Handscomb and Matthew Wade called up to replace the stricken Marcus Stoinis, Shaun Marsh and Usman Khawaja respectively. Unsurprisingly, off-spinner Nathan Lyon has started the mind-games early by declaring England to be the favourites for the match - but really that would only clearly be the case if the injuries had been suffered by one of the openers or Mitchell Starc. Rather predictably, all three players have been the figureheads of this Aussie campaign - opening pair David Warner (638) and skipper Aaron Finch (507) are in second and fourth place in the run-scorers list, while Starc - with 26 wickets so far - needs just one more to have taken the most by a player at a single World Cup. Forget the defeat on Saturday then - knowing how to win a Cricket World Cup is part of the Australian DNA and this set of players is just as fearsome as their predecessors in the gold and green. 

3 ENGLAND W 6 L 3 NR 0 NRR 1.152 Points 12

Coach Trevor Bayliss (since May 2015)

Most runs Joe Root (500)
Most wickets Jofra Archer (17)

CWC19 results WLWWWLLWW

England captain Eoin Morgan was compelled to resort to cliché when asked to describe his side's performance during the group phase - but, in fairness to him, he could not really be faulted for referring to the last few weeks as like being on a rollercoaster. It had all looked rather more straightforward at the halfway stage, at which point a high-scoring defeat to Pakistan had been the only blip. Ben Stokes had taken an iconic catch in the opening game on the first day of the tournament against South Africa - while Morgan himself now holds the record for the most sixes in a single One-Day International after clearing the rope on 17 occasions against Afghanistan. But, when a shock defeat to Sri Lanka at Headingley was followed up by a worryingly facile reverse against Australia at Lord's, England hopes of a first semi final since 1992 were suddenly hanging by the thinnest of threads. Indeed, the wheels threatened to come off altogether when opener Jonny Bairstow became involved in a spat on social media with former captain Michael Vaughan. Bairstow claimed that he felt there were some observers who were just waiting for the team to fail - but, having finally been reunited with his previously hamstrung opening partner Jason Roy, the Yorkshireman blossomed with back-to-back centuries against India and New Zealand. 
True, matters were never quite out of the hands of the hosts - but, following their wobble, few people were expecting successive victories against two sides who England had failed to beat at a World Cup for 27 years. Certainly, the successes of the past week or so have gone a long way to restoring confidence to a team which, after all, came into the tournament ranked as the world number one. Bairstow looks far more comfortable at the top of the order with Roy instead of the far looser James Vince while Liam Plunkett has sensibly been restored to provide some threat in the middle overs with the ball. A note of caution, however, in that it should be noted that Morgan won both tosses in the last two games and opted to bat first with England having failed to chase on three separate occasions - and, of course, the coin will not always land in the hosts' favour.

4 NEW ZEALAND W 5 L 3 NR 1 NRR 0.175 Points 11

Coach Gary Stead (since August 2018)

Most runs Kane Williamson (481)
Most wickets Lockie Ferguson (17)

CWC19 results WWWXWWLLL

There or thereabouts, always there or thereabouts. New Zealand qualified for a fifth semi final in the last six World Cups and their eighth overall on the back of pretty typical results in which they beat the teams they would expect to beat and lost against or did not play some of the tougher opponents. Certainly now, though, the five successive wins either side of the washout against India at the start of the tournament feel an age away following three consecutive heavy defeats to Pakistan, Australia, and England. Meanwhile, some of the Black Caps' victories were far less comprehensive - Bangladesh were beaten by two wickets in the 48th over, South Africa were beaten in the 49th over and West Indies were beaten with an over to spare by just five runs. Undoubtedly then, New Zealand are comfortably the weakest of the four remaining teams with the ongoing struggles of openers Martin Guptill and Colin Munro exemplified by the ease with which the openers from the other three semi finalists are racking up the runs. On a more positive note, skipper and top scorer Kane Williamson has already shown in this tournament against South Africa that he is a genuine match winner, while a bowling attack boosted by the emergence of Lockie Ferguson alongside Trent Boult has enabled New Zealand to chase successfully on four occasions despite it having been far from the preferred option of any of the teams throughout the competition.

5 PAKISTAN W 5 L 3 NR 1 NRR -0.430 Points 11

Coach Mickey Arthur (since May 2016)

Most runs Babar Azam (474)
Most wickets Mohammad Amir (17)

CWC19 results LWXLLWWWW

Pakistan will feel hard-done by after reacting to their customary World Cup defeat to India by winning their last four matches, thereby drawing level with New Zealand on 11 points. Indeed, the Falcons beat the Black Caps, winning by six wickets on the back of a Babar Azam century, and also triumphed against South Africa, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh in their late surge. Earlier in the piece, Pakistan had shocked hosts England in a high-scoring thriller at Trent Bridge - and the campaign spookily mirrored the order of their results in 1992, an edition of the World Cup in which Imran Khan's Cornered Tigers were ultimately victorious. This time, however, the Pakistanis' late run was not enough - although elimination on net run-rate has proven controversial among the more paranoid Pakistan supporters - and even coach Mickey Arthur - who pointed out they would have progressed instead of New Zealand if their head-to-head record had been the tiebreaker. The rules, though, were clear before the start of the tournament - and so Pakistan only have themselves to blame for being ambushed so badly in their first game against a West Indies team which eventually finished ninth and for later chasing so timidly against rock-bottom Afghanistan. At least, Pakistan can still leave their long stay in England with several positives - in particular, youngsters Babar and Imam ul-Haq have shown plenty of promise at the top of the order while teenager Shaheen Afridi looks as if he could forge a fearsome strike partnership with the rehabilitated Mohammad Amir.

6 SRI LANKA W 3 L 4 NR 2 NRR -0.919 Points 8

Coach Chandika Hathurusingha (since December 2017)

Most runs Kusal Perera (273)
Most wickets Lasith Malinga (13)

CWC19 results LWXXLWLWL

Like the girl with the curl right in the middle of her forehead, Sri Lanka were very good when they were good - but, when they were bad, they were horrid. For all their complaints about bowler-friendly pitches, poor facilities and accommodation, and a cramped team bus, the Lions actually performed better than expected for their midtable finish. However, they are also the classic definition of a team in transition. From their magnificent 20-run win over hosts and pre-tournament favourites England, the Sri Lankans - in their next game just seven days later - were comprehensively beaten by already-eliminated South Africa. Of course, still more changes are set to follow with star performer Lasith Malinga due to join the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Rangana Herath in retirement. Nevertheless, the rest of this team has done enough to put to bed a selection policy which has, in recent times, resembled a wildly-spinning revolving door. An exception, though, can surely be made for Niroshan Dickwella who showed his credentials on an 'A'-team tour of India played at the exact same time as he should have been in this squad. 

7 SOUTH AFRICA W 3 L 5 NR 1 NRR -0.030 Points 7

Coach Ottis Gibson (since August 2017)

Most runs Faf du Plessis (387)
Most wickets Chris Morris (13)

CWC19 results LLLXWLLWW

South Africa headed to the World Cup in third place in the rankings but endured the sort of campaign which, in time, will no doubt produce a series of eye-opening accounts in the chapters of the autobiographies of some of these players. In fairness, the Proteas were given a tough fixtures draw with hosts England in their opening match and powerhouses India in their third game. But defeat to Bangladesh in between and a washout in the fourth fixture against West Indies effectively left South Africa needing to win all of their remaining matches from then on. Certainly, their cause was not helped when a flare-up of a long-standing shoulder injury to strike bowler Dale Steyn ruled him out of the tournament without him having made a single appearance. Meanwhile, fellow fast-bowler Lungi Ngidi struggled early on with a hamstring strain and opener Hashim Amla looked a shadow of his former self with the bat. But, just as it looked as if Ottis Gibson's men were heading out limply and not in their usual tragicomic manner, South Africa became involved in the best tussle of the tournament against New Zealand. As ever, the Proteas should have won but did not - as they failed to review a not-given caught-behind against Kane Williamson which he had hit with the toe-end of the bat. Kiwi skipper Williamson went on to make a match-winning unbeaten 106 as the Black Caps scrambled to victory with three balls to spare - and so, South Africa were mathematically out with three matches to spare. With the pressure off, the South Africans belatedly showed their worth by strolling to a nine-wicket win over Sri Lanka at Chester-le-Street before narrowly defending a score of 325 against Australia at Old Trafford. In the latter, skipper Faf du Plessis scored the only century by a South African at this World Cup while Rassie van der Dussen grafted hard for his 95. Altogether, though, it was much too little, too late. 

8 BANGLADESH W 3 L 5 NR 1 NRR -0.410 Points 7

Coach Steve Rhodes (since June 2018)

Most runs Shakib Al Hasan (606)
Most wickets Mustafizur Rahman (20)

CWC19 results WLLXWLWLL

Only three men have scored more than 600 runs at this World Cup and only eight men have taken a five-for - but only one player is on both of those lists: Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh. Certainly then Shakib has enhanced his standing as one of the world's best all-rounders - and he was also backed up effectively by his skipper Mustafizur Rahman who took two five-fors himself against India and Pakistan in a haul of 20 wickets. This is a total bettered only by Mitchell Starc - yet there was precious little else from the Tigers at this tournament - and the win for South Africa over Australia in the last group match consigned the Bangladeshis to a place in the bottom three. Undoubtedly, Bangladesh can expect to be more competitive at the next World Cup in 2023 which, on Asian soil, will play to their strengths - but, regardless, they will need altogether far greater depth than they have currently to put up a more serious challenge than this for a place in the top four. 

9 WEST INDIES W 2 L 6 NR 1 NRR -0.225 Points 5

Coach Floyd Reifer (since April 2019)

Most runs Nicholas Pooran (367)
Most wickets Sheldon Cottrell (12)

CWC19 results WLXLLLLLW

It was difficult to know what to make of West Indies in the run-up to the World Cup and it is still difficult to know what to make of them now. First, of course, it must be remembered that the Windies had been - somewhat humiliatingly - forced to qualify for a tournament which they had dominated in its embryonic years - and yet, just before this campaign, Jason Holder's men deservedly drew 2-2 against the then-world number one team England. At the World Cup itself, West Indies simply could not have started any better as they bowled Pakistan out for 105 and won by seven wickets in their first game. However, six consecutive defeats either side of a washout against South Africa left West Indies without any sort of chance of a respectable place in the group phase. The narrow win in the last match against rock-bottom Afghanistan will be considered as little more than the most minor consolation for the men from the Caribbean - although things would have definitely looked rosier if West Indies had got over the line against in similarly tight finishes against either or both of Australia and New Zealand. Still, the fact they did not take either match rather belied a lack of confidence which comes from winning games so rarely - and recently-appointed coach Floyd Reifer has much work to do to rebuild this in the wake of this ninth-placed finish and the impending retirement of talisman Chris Gayle.

10 AFGHANISTAN W 0 L 9 NR 0 NRR -1.322 Points 0

Coach Phil Simmons (since December 2017)

Most runs Rahmat Shah (254)
Most wickets Mohammad Nabi (10)

CWC19 results LLLLLLLLL

Played nine, lost nine - it is hardly an unsurprising result for Afghanistan considering they were facing all of the teams currently ranked above them. Indeed, the outsiders went close against some of their more illustrious opponents, losing to India by just 11 runs before pushing Pakistan into the last over in one of the most remarkable matches of the World Cup. At the same time, though, it is equally true that the Afghans failed to maximise their chances due to some horrific decision-making, both before and during the tournament. In the run-up, Asghar Afghan was sacked as captain and replaced by Gulbadin Naib and then, just two matches into the campaign, the best player in the team - Mohammad Shahzad - was sent home, accused of being unfit. New captain Gulbadin took it upon himself to be a jack of all trades and master of none as he opened the batting and took on some of the most important overs with the ball, not least against Pakistan. However, nothing summed up his World Cup more than him ducking out of the way of a catch in the final group game against West Indies. At least, during that match, there was a spirited 86 from teenage wicketkeeper Ikram Alikhil, the best score by any Afghani player in the tournament. Afghanistan have now reached a critical juncture in their development as a team - and, to compete at the top level, they need better selection from their administrators which brings through more of the likes of Ikram and surely less of Gulbadin.

Hanging by a thread

CRICKET WORLD CUP

GROUP STAGE

Pos	Team	W	L	NR	NRR	Pts	Remaining fixtures
(Q)	AUSTRALIA	6	1	0	0.906	12	New Zealand (29/06), South Africa (06/07)
(2)	INDIA	5	0	1	1.160	11	England (30/06), Bangladesh (02/07), Sri Lanka (06/07)
(3)	NEW ZEALAND	5	1	1	1.028	11	Australia (29/06), England (03/07)
(4)	ENGLAND	4	3	0	1.051	8	India (30/06), New Zealand (03/07)
(5)	BANGLADESH	3	3	1	-0.133	7	India (02/07), Pakistan (05/07)
(6)	PAKISTAN	3	3	1	-0.976	7	Afghanistan (29/06), Bangladesh (05/07)
(7)	SRI LANKA	2	2	2	-1.119	6	South Africa (28/06), West Indies (01/07), India (06/07)
(8)	WEST INDIES	1	5	1	-0.320	3	Sri Lanka (01/07), Afghanistan (04/07)
(9)	SOUTH AFRICA	1	5	1	-0.324	3	Sri Lanka (28/06), Australia (06/07)
(10)	AFGHANISTAN	0	7	0	-1.634	0	Pakistan (29/06), West Indies (04/07)

ENGLAND hopes of reaching a first Cricket World Cup semi final since 1992 were dealt a huge blow by Australia after they inflicted a painful 64-run defeat on the hosts at Lord's.

Aussie skipper Aaron Finch scored exactly 100 with the bat and left-arm seamer Jason Behrendorff took 5-44 with the ball as the five-time winners became the first - and so far only - team in the tournament to guarantee themselves a top four spot.

By contrast, England - who came into the competition as the world number one ranked team - now face an uphill task to make it through.

Following back-to-back defeats at home for the first time in four years, Eoin Morgan's men finish the group stage against the only two teams, other than Australia, currently above them.

The hosts will play India at Edgbaston on 30 June and New Zealand at the Riverside in Chester-le-Street on 3 July - and another two defeats almost certainly would be the end of their campaign altogether.

In fact, even one win and one loss would not be enough for England if either fifth-placed Bangladesh or sixth-placed Pakistan win both of their remaining games.

The pair of hopefuls meet each other at Lord's on Friday 5th July in what increasingly looks like being a decider for the last top four place.

Ahead of that clash, Pakistan - who ended New Zealand's unbeaten start today with victory in the final over - meet Afghanistan on Saturday while Bangladesh face India next Tuesday.

Morgan, defiantly, has been at pains to stress that England still have their own destiny within their hands - but it now seems inevitable in reality that there will be some reliance on results outside of their control going their way.

It is a far cry from the expectations held on the first day of the tournament when it had all begun so well against South Africa at the Oval.

The inimitable Ben Stokes scored 89 and took 2-12, a run-out, and a doozy of a catch as England easily brushed aside the Proteas by 104 runs to get off to an ideal start.

But the ideal start did not last long as Pakistan took advantage of a sloppy fielding performance to produce a characteristic turn-up for the books and win by 14 runs at Trent Bridge.

It did not matter that the Pakistanis had lost 4-0 in a bilateral series to the same opponents immediately before the World Cup - or that they had been bowled out for just 105 in their first game against West Indies.

In Nottingham, Sarfaraz Ahmed's side hit 348-8 - and England could not chase it down despite the best efforts of Joe Root (107) and Jos Buttler (103).

Still, the high-scoring nature of the contest did not raise too many concerns and, in any case, England soon got back on track with a trio of big wins against Bangladesh (by 106 runs) in Cardiff, West Indies (by eight wickets) in Southampton, and Afghanistan (by 150 runs) at Old Trafford.

Indeed, against Afghanistan, England were just about at their best in posting 397-6 as Morgan set a new One-Day International record of 17 sixes in his imperious 148.

Victory over the Afghans took England to the top of the standings on eight points, level with Australia, and a point clear of India and New Zealand on seven.

Sri Lanka were in fifth place, three points behind on four, ahead of a whole clutch of teams on three points - and so, at that stage, it looked as if the group phase would peter out on the back of a series of dead rubbers. Simply put, the top four looked pretty set in stone.

Even the always eagerly awaited India v Pakistan clash at Old Trafford failed to produce anything close to an iconic World Cup moment as the Indians recorded another routine win over their biggest rivals.

Rohit Sharma blazed his way to 140 off 113 balls as India won by 89 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method for a seventh victory out of seven over Pakistan in all World Cups.

The match, sadly, had also been blighted by rain - and, in the absence of any shock results or many close matches, the British summer weather quickly became the main topic of conversation between fans and pundits alike.

Rain has caused the abandonment of no fewer than four World Cup fixtures, three of them were total abandonments, and two of them came in four days in the drizzle in Bristol.

Previously, a total of two washouts was the most recorded at a single World Cup - in 1992 and 2003 - as organisers battled in vain against what is likely to be confirmed as one of the wettest months of June since records began.

Nevertheless, the extent of the bad weather did nothing to reduce the legitimacy of the complaint raised by Bangladesh coach Steve Rhodes about a lack of reserve days after the Tigers' tie against Sri Lanka was wiped out.

Back to the action and, last Friday, the Sri Lankans were next up for England. With just one win in their opening five matches, the lowly-ranked Lions were expected to cause few problems for the hosts at Headingley.

And so it was no surprise then when England quicks Mark Wood and Jofra Archer duly took three wickets apiece to restrict Sri Lanka to 232-9.

Of course, at 170-5, it could hardly be said that the chase was going completely to plan - but, with Stokes and Mooen Ali at the crease and Chris Woakes still to come, 63 runs in more than 12 overs did not look like too much of a stretch.

But then the England middle order, with the honourable exception of Stokes, completely and collectively lost their minds, their nerve, or both.

Mooen marked his 100th One-Day International by holing out for 16 to long-off before Woakes and Adil Rashid were both out cheaply edging behind in Dhananjaya de Silva's very next over.

At 178-8, Stokes was left with only Archer and then Wood - and, rapidly, it was just his Durham team-mate Wood left when Archer found long-on trying to clear the boundary.

Encouragingly, Stokes thumped 23 from eight deliveries to make a deafening crowd believe - but, needing to defend the final ball of the 47th over, Wood edged Nuwan Pradeep behind for a 19-minute, four-ball duck.

Stokes - miserably - was stranded on 82 not out and England had been bowled out for 212 to finish 20 runs short.

At least, at this point, it could be said that the tournament had belatedly come to life.

England's defeat to the Sri Lankans came hard on the heels of an exciting match at Edgbaston where Kane Williamson hit an unbeaten 106 and coolly steered New Zealand to victory over hapless South Africa with just three balls to spare.

Then, last Saturday, there were two back-to-back thrillers as Afghanistan gave India an almighty scare - and eventually fell just 11 runs short - before an even tighter contest under lights between New Zealand and West Indies at Old Trafford.

At 211-8, requiring another 81 off less than 12 overs, it looked as if West Indies were set to be well short of their target.

In fact, the Windies still needed 33 runs from the final 18 balls to seal an unlikely success - but then Carlos Brathwaite struck three huge sixes off Matt Henry in the 48th over.

Braithwaite also top edged a four to take the required runs down to eight from 12 balls - and, in the following over, he reached a sensational century with six runs still needed.

All of a sudden, victory was within one blow for the men from the Caribbean - but, with a full over to go, Braithwaite's death-or-glory shot from the final ball of the penultimate over was surely the wrong option.

New Zealand thus escaped with two points from a tight match for the second time in four days - and the Black Caps now need just one more win to make sure of qualifying for an eighth World Cup semi final.

Sadly, England do not seem likely to join them, particularly if stricken opener Jason Roy is still not ready to come in for his overwhelmed replacement James Vince.

Without the settled opening partnership of Roy and Jonny Bairstow (and, before that, Roy and Alex Hales), Root and Morgan have been at the crease in the last two matches far sooner than they would have liked.

Meanwhile, Buttler - barring one ton scored in a losing cause against Pakistan - has failed to tear up the tournament in a way that was expected of him based on his form in the last couple of years.

Finally, Moeen - more of a confidence player than most - appears to be at a particularly low ebb with the bat.

In fairness to the bowlers, none of them particularly disgraced themselves against Sri Lanka or Australia - but, against the latter, quicks Wood, Woakes and Archer were all guilty of failing to threaten the stumps by bowling too short.

So, there is plenty for England to work on ahead of Sunday then. Arguably, though, the biggest issue now is the need to rebuild the shattered confidence of the squad as a whole.

Ultimately, it looks as if a home World Cup has been just too big a deal for England to cope with.

After all, it is widely recognised that a World Cup has a completely different level of pressure to the standard bilateral series which England have dominated over the last two years.

"The team, which handles the pressure best, carries the day," said former Pakistan captain Imran Khan before he led his side to the unlikeliest of triumphs in the 1992 edition.

England need just a drop of the spirit held by Khan's Cornered Tigers from 27 years ago. Tellingly, though, yet another group stage exit is now odds-on with the bookmakers.

CENTURIES
166 David Warner (Australia) v Bangladesh
153 Aaron Finch (Australia) v Sri Lanka
153 Jason Roy (England) v Bangladesh
148 Eoin Morgan (England) v Afghanistan
148 Kane Williamson (New Zealand) v West Indies
140 Rohit Sharma (India) v Pakistan
124* Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) v West Indies
122* Rohit Sharma (India) v South Africa
121 Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) v England
117 Shikhar Dhawan (India) v Australia
107 Joe Root (England) v Pakistan
107 David Warner (Australia) v Pakistan
106* Kane Williamson (New Zealand) v South Africa
103 Jos Buttler (England) v Pakistan
102* Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh) v Australia
101* Babar Azam (Pakistan) v New Zealand
101 Carlos Braithwaite (West Indies) v New Zealand
100* Joe Root (England) v West Indies
100 Aaron Finch (Australia) v England

FIVE-FORS
5-29 Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) v Afghanistan
5-30 Mohammed Amir (Pakistan) v Australia
5-31 Jimmy Neesham (New Zealand) v Afghanistan
5-44 Jason Behrendorff (Australia) v England
5-46 Mitchell Starc (Australia) v West Indies

For the record: Red-emption for Salah and Liverpool

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL 1 June 2019
Liverpool 2 Salah 2 (p), Origi 88
Tottenham Hotspur 0

Liverpool Alisson - Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk, Matip, Robertson - Wijnaldum (Milner 62), Fabinho, Henderson - Salah, Firmino (Origi 58), Mane (Gomez 90)
Tottenham Hotspur Lloris - Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose - Winks (Moura 66), Sissoko (Dier 74) - Eriksen, Alli (Llorente 82), Son - Kane
Referee Damir Skomina (Slovenia) ▪️ Attendance 63,272 at the Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid

LIVERPOOL lifted the European Cup for a sixth time by beating Tottenham Hotspur in a largely stodgy all-English final in Madrid.

The Reds struck at the start and the end of the contest to erase the disappointment of last season's Champions League final loss to Real Madrid.

Only two minutes had gone when Sadio Mané marauded down the left, only for Moussa Sissoko to be adjudged to have blocked his cross with his hand.

Mo Salah gleefully converted the spot-kick - although the penalty award looked harsh with the ball appearing to hit Sissoko at the top of the armpit, just below the shoulder.

Even the presence of so-called video assisted referees could not save Spurs - and so, while VAR will surely cut out the absolute howler, equally it will not end debates about referees' decisions.

Salah, of course, did not care a jot. For him, this was a golden opportunity to put last year behind him when he cut a disconsolate figure as he was withdrawn injured after only half an hour following a tangle with Sergio Ramos.

Instead, this time, it was Tottenham who had the injury worries. Talisman Harry Kane was making his first appearance since 9 April when he damaged the lateral ligaments in his left ankle in the first leg of the quarter final against Manchester City.

Unfortunately for him, it showed and he never looked like adding to his seasonal total of 24 goals, the most recent of which came in early March.

Spurs did at least enjoy plenty of the ball - and, in fact, finished with 61% of the possession - but it was not until late in the second half that they carried much of a threat.

Their push began with perhaps little more than 20 minutes left as the talented Son Heung-min began to find more space around the Liverpool box.

But, by then, the Reds' defence was set and eventual man of the match Virgil van Dijk eased the Korean off the ball just as he looked set to break through.

Son - to his great credit - was not in the mood for giving up and he brought Allison into the action with a hard piled river before Lucas Moura also followed up on target.

Allison, like van Dijk, did not come cheap but both have undoubtedly been money well spent.

Still, there was one last Spurs wave for the Reds to survive as the ball was pumped towards Danny Rose, and the left-back was fouled by James Milner on the edge of the area.

The free-kick was well within the range of Christian Eriksen and the Dane drew another decent save from Allison which resulted in a corner.

Kieran Trippier delivered an outswinger which was met by Moura but the Brazilian scuffed his shot into the ground and Son - who was offside - could only redirect the ball over the bar in any case.

Then, the inevitable happened and Liverpool doubled their lead with just three minutes left as substitute Divock Origi added to the two goals which he scored in the incredible second leg comeback against Barcelona in the semi finals.

Spurs' downfall would be a set-piece as they failed to deal with Milner's corner and Origi pounced on the loose ball to drive the ball low past Hugo Lloris into the corner.

At 2-0, the match was over and Liverpool played out the last few minutes with ease as Jurgen Klopp finally shrugged off the tag of having never brought a trophy to the Anfield club.

The German enthused: “I’m so happy for the boys, I’m so happy for all of these people, I’m so happy for my family. Did you ever see a team like this? Fighting with no fuel in the tank any more.

"And we had a goalkeeper who makes difficult things look easy. Tonight this is going to be great. This may be the best night of my life, professional wise.”

However, for Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, the frustrating wait endures. The Argentine has been at the London club for five years now and overseen the temporary residence at Wembley and the move to a new stadium.

Regular Champions League football has also been achieved against that unsettling background - but, disconcertingly, there has been a complete lack of silverware and Pochettino will need some backing from the board this summer if he is not to be lured elsewhere.

Meanwhile, by their own standards, a seven-year trophy-less spell had been long enough for Liverpool - and the pain had been ramped up even more by the events of the past 12 months.

The Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid was followed by a league campaign in which the Reds lost just once, won 97 points - and yet still could only finish runners-up to domestic treble winners Man City.

But, suddenly, that has all changed now. Klopp has joined the pantheon of managerial legends at Anfield - and the Liverpool are champions once again. Champions of Europe for a sixth time.

⚽️

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE FINAL 29 May 2019
Chelsea 4 Giroud 49, Pedro 60, Hazard 65 (p), 72
Arsenal 1 Iwobi 69

Chelsea Arrizabalaga - Azpilicueta, Christensen, Luiz, Emerson Palmieri, Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic (Barkley 76) Pedro (Willian 71), Giroud, Hazard (Zappacosta 89)
Arsenal Cech, Papastathopoulos, Koscielny, Monreal (Guendouzi 66), Maitland-Niles, Torreira (Iwobi 67) Xhaka, Kolasinac, Lacazette, Ozil (Willock 77), Aubameyang
Referee Gianluca Rocchi (Italy) ▪️ Attendance 51,370 at the Olympic Stadium, Baku

CHELSEA cruised to Europa League glory against London rivals Arsenal as Eden Hazard signed off for the Blues with two farewell goals in Baku.

The Belgian effectively confirmed he was leaving Stamford Bridge having scored twice in seven minutes either side of a spectacular strike by Arsenal substitute Alex Iwobi.

At 3-0 with 20 minutes left, Iwobi's powerful hit from outside of the box had served to give the briefest of hope to the Gunners.

But Hazard almost immediately snuffed out any chance of that, once again tearing apart the Arsenal defence by playing a one-two with Olivier Giroud and firing home Chelsea's fourth goal.

Giroud had earlier opened the scoring four minutes into the second period with a neat diving header - and, consequently, the match eventually opened up following a horribly sterile first half.

For, there can be no doubt that this showpiece contest was not helped by the flat atmosphere in the Olympic Stadium as, understandably, only the hardiest fans of both clubs made the difficult 2,500-mile journey.

Indeed, neither of the two clubs was able to sell even their measly allocations from UEFA - and those fans who did make it found their view restricted by a covered-up athletic track which formed the perimeter of the pitch.

The match had an official attendance of 51,370, making it the third-largest crowd for a Europa League final ever - but it was simply impossible to hide the large sections of empty seats from the television cameras.

Certainly, these were not fitting surroundings for a major European final.

At least, after a dreadful first half, the match itself did pick up, thanks in no small part to Giroud and Hazard with the former notching against the club at which he had previously been six years.

Pedro made it 2–0 on the hour mark when he steered a low shot past former Chelsea man Petr Cech from 12 yards out after Hazard had crossed from the left.

Then, five minutes later, it was 3-0 as Hazard converted a penalty following an extremely clumsy foul by Ainsley Maitland-Niles on Giroud.

It was beginning to look more than a little bit embarrassing for Unai Emery's men so it was probably just as well that Iwobi stemmed the tide.

However, Hazard was always going to make sure he had the final word - and, in fact, in his post-match interview, he said: "I think it is a goodbye, but in football you never know."

Chelsea thus picked up their 16th piece of major silverware under the ownership of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich - but have also picked up a few headaches on the way back from Azerbaijan.

After all, when Hazard presumably leaves, it will be impossible for the Blues to replace him due to their FIFA-imposed transfer ban.

Meanwhile, following a turbulent season debut season at Stamford Bridge, manager Maurizio Sarri also looks set to depart.

To his credit, the Italian has led the club to third place in the Premier League, a fifth European title, and the final of the League Cup.

But, of course, nothing is ever as straightforward as that at Chelsea.

Conversely, at Arsenal, things are somewhat calmer at the Emirates despite the comprehensive nature of this defeat.

It is widely accepted that manager Emery was always going to need more than one season to plug the gaps left in the squad - and he also enjoyed a decent unbeaten run in the first half of the campaign.

Away form was less clever, however, after the Christmas break - and, although the Gunners finished one place higher in the league and won seven more points than last season, they conceded more than 50 goals for a second year in a row.

Put simply, the Arsenal defence is still not good enough for a club with ambitions to play in the Champions League - while, by contrast, Chelsea will take their place in the elite UEFA competition.

The imminent departure of Hazard and the transfer ban, though, make it difficult to see the Blues being too competitive next season, regardless of whether Sarri remains in his post, or not.

⚽️

ROLL OF HONOUR 2018-19

ENGLAND

Premier League

Champions	Manchester City
Runners-up	Liverpool
Champions League	Chelsea (third place), Tottenham Hotspur (fourth place)
Europa League	Arsenal (fifth place), Manchester United (sixth place), Wolverhampton Wanderers (seventh place)
Relegation	Cardiff City, Fulham, Huddersfield Town

Championship

Champions	Norwich City
Runners-up	Sheffield United
Playoff winners	Aston Villa (won 2-1 v Derby County)
Relegation	Rotherham United, Bolton Wanderers, Ipswich Town

League One

Champions	Luton Town
Runners-up	Barnsley
Playoff winners	Charlton Athletic (won 2-1 v Sunderland)
Relegation	Plymouth Argyle, Walsall, Scunthorpe United, Bradford City

League Two

Champions	Lincoln City
Runners-up	Bury
Also promoted	Milton Keynes Dons
Playoff winners	Tranmere Rovers (won 2-1 v Newport County, after extra time)
Relegation	Notts County, Yeovil Town

National League Premier

Champions	Leyton Orient
Playoff winners	Salford City (won 3-0 v AFC Fylde)
Relegation	Gateshead, Braintree Town, Havant & Waterlooville, Maidstone United

National League North

Champions	Stockport County
Playoff winners	Chorley (won 4-3 on pens v Spennymoor Town, after 1-1 aet)
Relegation	Ashton United, FC United of Manchester, Nuneaton Borough

National League South

Champions	Torquay United
Playoff winners	Woking (won 1-0 v Welling United)
Relegation	Truro City, East Thurrock United, Weston-super-Mare

Domestic Cup Finals

FA Cup Final	Manchester City 6-0 Watford
League Cup Final	Manchester City 0-0 Chelsea, aet. Manchester City won 4-3 on penalties.
FA Community Shield	Manchester City 2-0 Chelsea
EFL Trophy	Portsmouth 2-2 Sunderland, aet. Portsmouth won 5-4 on penalties.
FA Trophy	AFC Fylde 1-0 Leyton Orient
FA Vase	Chertsey Town 3-1 Cray Valley Paper Mills, aet

SCOTLAND

Premiership

Champions	Celtic
Runners-up	Rangers
Europa League	Rangers (runners-up), Kilmarnock (third place), Aberdeen (fourth place)
Relegation	Dundee

Championship

Champions	Ross County
Runners-up	Dundee United (not promoted)
Relegation	Falkirk

League One

Champions	Arbroath
Runners-up	Forfar Athletic (not promoted)
Relegation	Stenhousemuir, Brechin City

League Two

Champions	Peterhead
Runners-up	Clyde
Playoff winners	Clyde (won 2-1 on agg v Annan Athletic (0-1a, 2-0h))
Relegation	Berwick Rangers (lost 0-7 on agg v Cove Rangers (0-4a, 0-3h))

Domestic Cup Finals

FA Cup Final	Celtic 2-1 Hearts
League Cup Final	Celtic 1-0 Aberdeen
Challenge Cup Final	Ross County 3-1 Connah's Quay Nomads

WALES

Welsh Premier League

Champions	The New Saints
Europa Lg	Connah's Quay Nomads (runners-up), Barry Town United (third place), Cardiff Metropolitan University (playoff winners)
Relegation	Llandudno, Llanelli Town

Welsh Cup Finals

FA Cup Final	The New Saints 3-0 Connah's Quay Nomads
League Cup Final	Cardiff Metropolitan University 2-0 Cambrian & Clydach Vale

NORTHERN IRELAND

Irish Premiership

Champions	Linfield
Europa Lg	Ballymena United (runners-up), Crusaders (cup winners), Cliftonville (playoff winners)
Relegation	Ards, Newry City

Irish Cup Finals

IFA Cup Final	Crusaders 3-0 Ballinamallard United
League Cup Final	Linfield 1-0 Ballymena United

EUROPE

UEFA Finals

Champions League	Liverpool (Eng) 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Eng)
Europa League	Chelsea (Eng) 4-1 Arsenal (Eng)
Super Cup	Atlético Madrid (Spa) 4-2 Real Madrid (Spa), after extra time

Major European league champions

Spain	Barcelona
Italy	Juventus
Germany	Bayern Munich
France	Paris Saint-Germain
Portugal	Benfica
Netherlands	Ajax Amsterdam
Belgium	Racing Genk
Greece	PAOK Thessaloniki
Turkey	Galatasaray