Sports Buzz

Category: Football

  • Biggest Wins And Losses In Premier League History

    Biggest Wins And Losses In Premier League History

    The Premier League is the perfect destination for fans looking for goals and entertainment. Moreover, the electric atmosphere of stadiums also adds another layer of excitement.

    Liverpool’s recent demolition over United was the Red Devil’s joint heaviest defeat in history. The last time they lost by that scoreline was in the second division against Wolves on Boxing Day in 1931 and it is the biggest-ever win for Liverpool over their old rivals.

    This was by far the worst mauling any team had ever had the displeasure of experiencing, it was the complete rout. It turned out to be the biggest league win in 97 years.

    And if that wasn’t enough, it was also the biggest win ever in Premier League history, until 2019. At the time Andy Cole was Britain’s most expensive striker, costing £7 million. It was Cole who delivered the worst blow—scoring five.

    Next up was Mark Hughes with a brace, whilst Roy Keane and Paul Ince scored one a piece. The win over Ipswich was instrumental in Man Utd overhauling Blackburn Rovers lead at the top of the Premiership, and also one of the reasons they secured the title that year.

    The thrashing Man Utd inflicted upon Ipswich was not at par for the course, it just happened. Ipswich Town arrived at the Theatre of Dreams hoping for a miracle, but they departed with the stuff of nightmares.

    Southampton 0-9 Leicester City – 25 October 2019

    The era of Leicester City under Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha’s Thai group changed the fortunes of the club. The Foxes have reached higher heights and they have continuously showcased their brilliance despite losing key players to bigger clubs. One example of their brilliance came in the 2019/20 season when they won 9-0 against Southampton. The show was started by Ben Chilwell, but Ayoze Perez finished it with a hat-trick.

     

    Manchester United 9-0 Southampton – 2 February 2021

    As if one 9-0 humiliation wasn’t enough for Southampton and Ralph Hasenhüttl, they suffered a repeat nightmare just 15 months after their thrashing at the hands of Leicester City.

    Old Trafford witnessed it’s second 9-0 scoreline in Premier League history, but this time around United were heavily assisted by a red card to Alexandre Jankewitz just one minute and 22 seconds into the match. He didn’t manage a single touch of the ball before his attempted tackle on Scott McTominay and he didn’t manage a single touch of the ball after the tackle.

    Seven different United players scored on the night, with this equalling a Premier League record for a club in a single game – level with Chelsea’s feat against Aston Villa in December 2012. Southampton came into the game in 11th position and became the highest-placed side to suffer such a thrashing in the competition

     

    Liverpool 9-0 Bournemouth – 27 August 2022

    In another humbling day for the South Coast, Liverpool showed no signs of the struggles which would later derail their 2022-23 campaign with a resounding win.

    Picked apart from the off, the Cherries were two goals down after six minutes thanks to strikes from Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott.

    Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Fabio Carvalho all got one for the Reds, Firmino bagged a brace and Chris Mepham fired into his own goal to, presumably, leave the visiting supporters wishing they had not made the trip to Anfield.

     



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  • Arsenal target among West Ham quartet in Prem’s worst XI featuring only three from Man Utd…

    Arsenal target among West Ham quartet in Prem’s worst XI featuring only three from Man Utd…

    A few Man Utd players should feel lucky – and thankful to West Ham – to avoid joining three of their team-mates in the Premier League weekend’s worst XI.

    With three at the back, here are the worst performers of the weekend, according to WhoScored ratings…

     

    GK: David De Gea – 4.34
    Conceded seven from eight shots on target and a Liverpool xG of 2.8 on a truly wretched day for the Manchester United keeper, who fell to 19th in this list as a result of his side’s surrender. It would be hard to directly blame De Gea for any of Liverpool’s many, many goals, but he looked to be beaten too easily on two, maybe three of them.

    CB: Raphael Varane – 4.98
    Varane is one of only three United players in this XI – a surprisingly low representation given the embarrassment involved. Seven of Erik ten Hag’s XI earned sub-six scores, with Varane the lowest of the outfield flops. The France defender actually ended with a 100% success rate from his three duels, which presumably were the only occasions he could get close to a Liverpool striker

     

    CB: Angelo Ogbonna – 5.64
    Like United, West Ham also had seven sub-six scores in their starting XI that was battered at Brighton. Ogbonna wasn’t necessarily at fault for any of the Seagulls’ four goals – he had been replaced by the time the fourth went in – and Ben Johnson was arguably more exposed, even if the centre-back was one of several defenders day-dreaming when the Hammers conceded from a corner for the first time this season.

     

    CB: Joachim Andersen – 5.67
    “The difference between the two teams today was the own goal,” said Patrick Vieira and, in terms of the scoreline at least, it’s hard to argue. Andersen was the scorer of that own goal, making a mess of a sliding interception, missing it with his right foot and beating his own keeper with his left knee, as Matty Cash’s cross looked set to find Ollie Watkins.

     

    LWB: Emerson – 5.71
    Brighton got plenty of joy down their right, with Emerson dribbled past three times while winning only two of seven duels. Going forward, he offered almost nothing, with neither of his crosses finding a team-mate – just two of the 12 occasions he lost possession. One of the many things the Hammers need this summer is a new left-back.

    RWB: Antony – 5.43
    Five crosses from Antony at Anfield – none successful. Five dribbles – none successful. Eleven out of 13 duels contested went the way of a Liverpool player. The United winger completed fewer passes (15) than the number of times he lost possession in 90 minutes. That he wasn’t dragged off felt more like a punishment than any tactical decision on Ten Hag’s part.

    16 Conclusions on Liverpool 7 (SEVEN) Man Utd 0: Salah, Fernandes, Gakpo, Shaw, Nunez and…

     

    CM: Declan Rice – 5.58
    Rice appeared a broken man after getting the runaround from Brighton. “We were beaten by a better team,” said the Hammers skipper. “Brighton played us off the pitch and made life difficult. But that wasn’t a performance that was acceptable… to be out there was demoralising.” Rice failed to make a tackle and lost all but one of the five duels he engaged in.

     

    CM: Cheick Doucoure – 4.41
    The Palace midfielder earned the lowest rating of any outfielder this weekend after getting himself sent off in the defeat to Villa. The recklessness of his second caution – a swing and a miss in the direction of Calum Chambers’ shin – was compounded by the fact it came so soon after his first. Not that Doucoure made a difference when he was on the pitch; he didn’t win a tackle or a duel while committing four fouls as Palace’s winless run extended to nine games.

     

    AM: Miguel Almiron – 5.80
    After scoring eight in nine Premier League games up to Boxing Day, the Newcastle schemer has only one goal in eight since. Against City, Almiron managed not a shot, a cross or even a dribble. Still, he got to leave one on Jack Grealish, so it wasn’t a wasted afternoon.

     

    FWD: Danny Ings – 5.79
    Ings was barely feeding off scraps but the West Ham striker wasted what service he was given. He lost 11 duels; succeeded with none of four dribbles; completed a grand total of three passes in 90 minutes while losing possession 10 times from 19 touches.



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  • Luke Shaw apologises to Man Utd fans for 7-0 defeat to Liverpool

    Luke Shaw apologises to Man Utd fans for 7-0 defeat to Liverpool

    Luke Shaw has apologised to Manchester United fans for the disastrous 7-0 defeat to Liverpool on Sunday evening – a record score-line in the historic fixture.

    United suffered their worst defeat ever at the hands of Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, concededing a stunning six of the seven they shipped in the second half of the game at Anfield alone.

    Speaking after the game to Viaplay, Shaw was to quick to apologise for the team’s horrific performance, stating: “It’s hard to explain this. I think the standards where we have been at, it was nowhere near it.

    “I feel embarrassed for the fans and the people who were watching for us. I can only apologise. It’s not going to be easy watching this back. But he [Ten Hag] is going to make us watch it back, and show us what we need to learn from this embarrassment.”

    David de Gea also took to Twitter after the loss to tell fans that Man Utd are fully focused on bouncing back quickly, writing: “I know these messages don’t sit well on such a day. This was a disastrous moment for us and these results shouldn’t happen, especially with the journey we are all on.

    “We have a duty to this club, a responsibility to represent the badge but we have many opportunities to look ahead, many games coming fast and we have to lock our focus on these.”

    Pledgeball’s Katie Cross & Canaries Trust’s Sarah Greaves join Shebahn Aherne to have football’s climate conversation about the success of Green Football Weekend. If you can’t see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!

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  • IRS Illegal Activities: What is considered suspicious activity by the IRS?

    IRS Illegal Activities: What is considered suspicious activity by the IRS?

    Filing a tax return can be one of the most stressful parts of the year for millions of Americans and it is crucial to know the up-to-date tax rules.

    Generally speaking, people will accidentally make a mistake on their return and that will lead to a delay in getting the return processed and the matter closed.

    It is most common that these people are not attempting to break the law, it can just be a very confusing process.

    That being said, it will make the entire process slicker and less stressful if you are fully clued up on what can lead to serious delays with a tax return.

    What tax violations should I know about?

    The IRS is always looking at suspicious activity or potential violations, whether intentional or not. These include:

    • False exemptions or deductions
    • Kickbacks
    • A false or altered document
    • Failure to pay tax
    • Unreported income
    • Organized crime
    • Failure to withhold
    • Failure to follow the tax laws

    It’s important to check that you’re not committing any of these, and also if anybody you work with is doing so.

    How to report suspicious tax activity

    If you feel that a business or individual is purposely trying to defraud the Inland Revenue Service (IRS), the 3949-A form can be used online.

    Identity can be kept confidential and the report cannot take place over the phone.

    Rewards can actually be claimed for correctly highlighting a person or business who is purposely committing tax fraud, and that can be claimed using the Form 221.

    Other types of tax fraud can also be reported, such as abusive tax promotion or avoidance schemes, fraudulent activity or an abusive tax scheme by a tax return preparer or tax preparation company.

    Identity theft and use of a social security number for employment or tax returns can also be reported to the IRS.



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  • Arron Lyall could save Rangers millions

    Arron Lyall could save Rangers millions

    3 minute read


    Glasgow Rangers head coach Michael Beale has been willing to dip into the youth set-up to bolster his first team during his short time at Ibrox so far.

    The Light Blues boss has offered chances to the likes of Adam Devine, Alex Lowry, and Leon King in recent months with that showing there is a clear pathway from the academy side to the senior squad.

    Supporters may now wonder who the next young star to break into the first team could be and a recent big decision from the club may have revealed the answer.

    Could Arron Lyall save Rangers millions?

    Football Insider recently claimed that the Gers have offered 19-year-old forward Arron Lyall a new long-term contract to remain in Glasgow beyond the end of his current deal, which is due to expire at the end of the season.

    The report stated that the youngster has impressed the coaching staff and that Beale has called the teenager up to train with the first team this season, which suggests the boss sees potential in the midfielder.

    Should Arron Lyall be given a first-team chance?

    Yes

    Yes

    No

    No

    Lyall, who was previously used as a winger in the academy, has been converted into a central midfield player this season and the Rangers manager could save the club millions by unearthing his quality in the coming months and years.

    Ryan Jack, Steven Davis, and Scott Arfield – who all play in the middle of the park – are all out of contract this summer and the emergence of a fresh talent in their position could prevent Ross Wilson from needing to splash out millions on a new signing to replace them.

    The “exciting” starlet – as he was dubbed by ex-boss Neil McCann – has caught the eye with some superb performances in the Lowland League – scoring eight goals and providing two assists in 29 matches from midfield.

    He has also produced two goals and one assist in five UEFA Youth League and Challenge Cup games combined and these statistics show that the dynamo has the ability to contribute at the top end of the pitch on a regular basis from a number eight position.

    Lyall, who The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell claimed has “terrific” pace, could provide a big threat from midfield and support the likes of Antonio Colak, Alfredo Morelos, and Ryan Kent by bursting forward from the middle of the park to join in with attacks.

    Beale clearly sees potential in the former Scotland youth international, given the contract offer and his involvement in the first team’s training sessions, and it is now down to the 19-year-old to prove that he can make the step up.

    If the speedster can adapt to senior football then his presence in the manager’s squad would certainly save Rangers millions with the young talent potentially set to become a ready-made replacement for Jack, Arfield or Davis if they depart in the summer.



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  • Why Brighton & Brentford Recruitment Strategies Are So Effective

    Why Brighton & Brentford Recruitment Strategies Are So Effective

    Both Brentford and Brighton have recently reached the dizzy heights of the Premier League after predominantly playing in the lower leagues of English football. Brentford were even playing in League One just seven years ago back in 2014.

    However, this hasn’t been achieved through heavy investment from rich owners, but more with savvy business acumen and targeting the right profile of players in the transfer market by focusing on analytics.

    The Bees sealed their status in the English top flight for the first time in 74 years after they were promoted in 2021, whilst the Seagulls secured their maiden voyage into the Premier League back in 2017.

    Below, we explore how and why the two clubs have been able to achieve such impressive success and how owners Tony Bloom and Matthew Benham have utilised “moneyball” tactics to elevate their respective clubs to the pinnacle of English football. You can find the latest spread betting odds on the English top flight here.

     

    A Frosty Relationship

    Interestingly, Brighton’s owner Bloom and Brentford’s owner Benham are familiar foes. The pair originally had a good relationship after Bloom hired Benham in the early 2000s to work for his company Premier Bet. Both owners come from well-educated backgrounds and have a history in using data, mathematics and statistical research.

    However, the pair left on bad terms in 2004, eventually becoming business rivals in the football betting market. Following a similar philosophy in using data-driven analytics to predict the outcome of results and thus becoming professional gamblers, the two businessmen were in direct competition.

    Expected Goals (xG) had yet to become widely used as a statistic in football and instead they hired people to watch over the chances created in a match, evaluating each opportunity in the process.

    Now, Bloom and Benham are Premier League rivals and have both found success by utilising their similar models.

    What is Moneyball?

    Brentford owner Benham was the catalyst for change in philosophy for the club when he purchased the Bees back in 2012. Instead of focusing on heavy investments on marquee players or facilities, he wanted to place his funds primarily into analytics.

    These “moneyball” recruitment strategies allowed the club to triumph on a shoestring budget and to overcome other clubs in the Football League with considerably larger budgets.

    This was a similar approach to that of Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s in 2002 which was popularised by the film “Moneyball” – the MLB franchise switched their recruitment and scouting policies to a more analytical approach in order to try and compete with larger and more affluent franchises such as the New York Yankees.

    The basis of “Moneyball” was surrounded by the use of sabermetrics and Bloom and Benham were able to filter out the empirical analysis of baseball to that suitable to football. This meant that strategies would focus on key performance indicators. This is related to the use of xG or the slightly different approach to xG used by the two owners. This is because it better analyses how well a team has played over the course of the match, instead of focusing on the end result.

     

    Why Has It Been So Effective?

    Several staff members now at the respective clubs were also former employees at both of Bloom and Benham’s betting businesses and thus are fully invested in the approach that they have to football. By using the statistical models from the betting companies, they have been able to target and identify similar players for recruitment.

    This has helped both clubs find hidden gems that had been undervalued by the market. Henceforth, instead of investing large sums on talents already identified by the rest of the footballing world, it allowed the clubs to find talents in less demand, meaning their transfer value would be significantly lower.

    The theory was also tried and tested on Danish club FC Midtjylland who have certainly seen great success themselves after Benham became majority shareholder in 2014. The club would go on to win their first ever league title just a year later, with Benham being largely attributed to the triumph.

    Brentford bought the likes of Ollie Watkins, Said Benrahma and Neil Maupay using these methods, to name just a few. Maupay joined the club from French side Saint-Etienne for under £2 million, making a profit of over £10 million when they sold the striker to rivals Brighton. Clearly, the two recruitment models had identified the same target.

    Watkins was signed from Exeter City for £1.8 million in 2017 before Benham would rake in a healthy profit once more after selling the English forward for £28 million to Aston Villa. It would be a club-record fee at the time by the Villans.

    Benrahma also offers a fantastic example of the success of using this type of recruitment. The Bees would profit around £25 million on the Algerian winger, purchasing him for £2.7 million in 2018 before offloading him to West Ham United in a deal worth up to £30 million.

     

    Can the Success Continue?

    Brighton are also still successfully using these methods and despite a number of high profile sales in the form of Benjamin White, Leandro Trossard and Marc Cucurella, they continue to find excellent replacements.

    The Seagulls currently occupy seventh in the Premier League table and are able to churn out high-quality players, despite many of their key players being poached by more affluent clubs. The likes of Pervis Estupinan, Kaoru Mitoma and Moises Caicedo have all been recent acquisitions using data-driven strategies, proving that it can be an endless cycle of identifying elite talent.

    Brentford are just two places below in ninth and head coach Thomas Frank continues to overachieve with his squad. Recent signings in the form of Aaron Hickey, Keane Lewis-Potter and Mikkel Damsgaard will hope to live up to the high expectations of Brentford’s recruitment.

    With the current models set up at both clubs, it allows them to continue their success, despite losing their best players to richer rivals, almost creating a conveyor belt of talent that is allowed to continuously filter into the club. Other clubs may start to invest in analytics and follow suit in the near future.



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  • Luka Doncic sends Devin Booker a message for next time they meet

    Luka Doncic sends Devin Booker a message for next time they meet

    The Phoenix Suns (36-29) overcame the Dallas Mavericks (33-32) Sunday at American Airlines Center in a back-and-forth clash that ended with a scuffle between Luka Doncic and Devin Booker.

    Doncic, 24, spoke to the media after the contest and sent a message to Booker, 26, who also commented on the incident during his postfame press conference.

    Doncic and Booker once again face off on the court

    “Next time, don’t wait until there’s three seconds left to talk,” Doncic said.

    Booker and Doncic were both seen laughing during the altercation, fortunately not escalating into a violent confrontation.

    “You guys say you don’t want everybody to be friendly-friendly,” Booker said. “There you go, we got some smoke … It’s just two competitors going at it. Everybody speaks on how friendly the NBA is right now and don’t like that. I have no problem with Luka on or off the court, but when we’re competing, we’re competing.”

    Kevin Durant wins it for Suns

    NBA Twitter was quick to point out how Booker and Doncic have had beef since last season’s playoff series in which Dallas eliminated Phoenix.

    They also said that Booker must feel a heightened sense of power now that a legendary player such as Kevin Durant joined the Suns’ ranks.

    Durant, 34, scored a game-high 37 points, including the winning jumper with 11 seconds to play, lifting his new team to a 130-126 victory.

    Booker added 36 points, and Doncic scored 34 points despite a poor shooting night, going 8-for-23 from the field and 1-for-9 from deep.



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  • Jon Jones celebrated UFC title with fiance, after she accused him of domestic violence

    Jon Jones celebrated UFC title with fiance, after she accused him of domestic violence

    The most anticipated comeback in recent times has been made by Jon Jones, who moved up in class and was crowned the new heavyweight champion. The American fighter defeated Frenchman Ciryl Gane in just 2:04 minutes with a guillotine from the corner of the octagon, in a fight much easier than it appeared to be in the lead-up to UFC 285.

    After being out of competition for three years, Jon Jones, considered by many to be the greatest fighter in the history of MMA (mixed martial arts), returned to the UFC in style, capturing the heavyweight title by defeating Ciryl Gane and extending his legacy. After cleaning up the light heavyweight division in the UFC, making 14 title defenses in that weight class.

    Now, with this coronation that elevates him to champion in two divisions, as UFC president Dana White rightly said, the discussion about the greatest of all time is over once and for all.

    Jon Jones celebrated with his fiance

    In these three years that Jon Jones was away from the octagon, he had many problems, especially with his fiance Jessie Moses, however, after the victory against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 and winning the full title, they were seen together very happy while celebrating.

    In September 2021 Jones was arrested for felony battery and domestic violence. Moses called the police and said that Jon had put his hands on her, when the officers arrived there was blood on the woman’s clothes, she was also bleeding from her nose and mouth.

    In 2022 Jones commented on twitter that Moses had left him after almost 20 years of relationship. But apparently all this was forgotten, because we could see in the octagon the couple very happy as they celebrated Jones’ new title.



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  • Liverpool humiliate Man Utd: Thoughts on Salah, Fernandes, Gakpo, Shaw, Nunez, Ten Hag and…

    Liverpool humiliate Man Utd: Thoughts on Salah, Fernandes, Gakpo, Shaw, Nunez, Ten Hag and…

    16 Conclusions on Liverpool 7 (SEVEN) Man Utd 0: Salah, Fernandes, Gakpo, Shaw, Nunez and…

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  • Real Betis 0-0 Real Madrid: Player ratings as Los Blancos lose ground in title race

    Real Betis 0-0 Real Madrid: Player ratings as Los Blancos lose ground in title race

    Real Madrid lost ground in the La Liga title race on Sunday, drawing 0-0 with Real Betis after Barcelona’s win earlier in the day.

    The results on Sunday mean that Real Madrid are now nine points adrift of their El Clasico rivals after 24 games.

    Real Betis were the much better side in the opening 10 minutes, with Ayoze Perez forcing Thibaut Courtois into a good save with a venomous volley from well outside the box.

    However, on the first occasion in which Real Madrid ventured forward in the 11th minute, they managed to find the back of the net. The goal however, scored by Antonio Rudiger who saw a Karim Benzema free kick from the edge of the area deflect off his arm and into the top right corner of the net, was disallowed for handball.

    The crowd at the Estadio Benito Villamarin would have to wait until the half hour mark for anything else notable to happen in what had been a rather stodgy game of football. That ‘notable’ thing that happened was a brilliant strike on goal from Federico Valverde from fully 35-yards out which just flew over the crossbar.

    The first real chance of the game would eventually come at the start of the second half when Vinicius Junior drifted past a few players on the left flank before cutting the ball back into the path of Benzema. The French forward’s subsequent effort on goal however was well saved by Claudio Bravo in the Real Betis goal.

    Business really picked up after the chance, with an even better opportunity falling to Borja Iglesias. The Spanish striker was denied what looked a certain goal by Courtois, who got a hand to his powerful shot from just six-yards out. A miraculous save from the best goalkeeper in the world.

    Los Blancos would come close to opening the scoring next, with Valverde putting the ball on a plate for Rodrygo inside the penalty area but the Brazilian could only volley the ball over the crossbar.

    Former Real Betis hero Dani Ceballos came off the bench to almost open the scoring next, side-footing wide of the post from just inside the box after being brilliantly found by Dani Carvajal.

    GK – Thibaut Courtois – 7/10 – Made a stunning save to deny Iglesias what looked a certain goal.

    RB – Lucas Vazquez – 3/10 – Targeted by Real Betis and most of their good play came down his flank.

    CB – Eder Militao – 6/10 – Made a few decent tackles and came forward with the ball at times.

    CB – Antonio Rudiger – 6/10 – A decent outing defensively. Had a goal disallowed for handball in the first half.

    LB – Eduardo Camavinga – 4/10 – Booked early and didn’t get forward quite as much as Carlo Ancelotti perhaps wanted him to.

    CM – Toni Kroos – 5/10 – Kept things ticking over.

    CM – Aurelien Tchouameni – 5/10 – He was ok. Nothing to write home about.

    CM – Federico Valverde – 6/10 – Had a few decent efforts from range which came close to breaking the deadlock.

    RW – Rodrygo – 6/10 – Lively but lacked a bit of quality at crucial moments.

    ST – Karim Benzema – 5/10 – Not really at his best. Linked up play quite well but didn’t take the one real chance that came his way.

    LW – Vinicius Junior – 6/10 – Drifted past opposition players with ease at times.

    SUB – Dani Carvajal – 7/10 – Impressed both offensively and defensively after being introduced.

    SUB – Nacho Fernandez – N/A.

    SUB – Dani Ceballos – 4/10 – Missed a great chance when he came on.

    SUB – Alvaro Rodriguez – N/A.

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