Remember Dutch “total football?”

Paul Smyth marked his first start for Northern Ireland with a goal and an assist as they saw off San Marino 3-0, but although Michael O’Neill’s side ended a five-game losing streak it was a largely drab affair at Windsor Park. QPR striker Smyth, earning a sixth cap, got his first competitive goal for his country just five minutes in and then teed up Josh Magennis to get the second moments later, but it took until the 81st minute for Northern Ireland to get a third as substitute Conor McMenamin got his maiden strike. Victory over a side ranked 207th and last in the world will do nothing to solve the bigger problems that have plagued Northern Ireland throughout a miserable Euro 2024 qualifying campaign and beyond, but it does at least change the narrative as they recorded a first home win in over a year. Looking to mix things up, O’Neill brought a number of fresh faces into his starting line-up, with Conor Hazard making his first competitive appearance in goal and first starts for Smyth and Dale Taylor. Almost immediately the two forwards combined as Taylor met Smyth’s low cross at the near post, but he was unable to keep his shot down from a difficult angle. No matter, because two minutes later Smyth scored, arriving on cue to volley in Jamal Lewis’ dinked cross from the left. And only six minutes later, Magennis doubled the advantage as Smyth turned provider, driving a low cross in from the right which Magennis turned in at the near post – his first goal since the winner against Kosovo in September 2022, Northern Ireland’s last Windsor Park victory before this. Any fears that San Marino might upset a struggling Northern Ireland side dissipated and they continued to drive forward against their part-time opponents, with Daniel Ballard heading narrowly wide and Trai Hume sending a shot over from distance after being encouraged to try his luck by the crowd. Smyth thought he had a second in the 31st minute when Jonny Evans sent forward a long ball and he arrived to lift it over the goalkeeper with another volleyed finish, but it was ruled out for offside after a lengthy VAR check. But despite the scoreline the atmosphere inside Windsor Park felt flat, to the extent that at one point in the first half chanting was even played on the PA system, and it was not helped when a torrential downpour before half-time sent those in the family stand scrambling for cover. The 19-year-old Taylor had chances to emulate Smyth’s achievement on his first start after the break, but headed over from Paddy McNair’s free-kick and then squandered a better opportunity just before the hour, poking a shot wide after being played in by Magennis. O’Neill then brought on another exciting teenager in West Ham striker Callum Marshall, one of three changes as Conor Washington and Isaac Price also came on with Smyth, Magennis and Evans departing and Ballard taking the captain’s armband. Washington was fortunate to avoid an almost immediate red card when he connected heavily with the ankle of Lorenzo Lazzari, but referee Bram Van Driessche decided a yellow card was sufficient after being advised to check the replay. San Marino goalkeeper Elia Benedettini made a double save to deny Price and then Marshall but Northern Ireland were struggling to carve out clear chances as the visitors defended deep. But McMenamin came on along with Brodie Spencer with a little over 10 minutes left, and the St Mirren winger was on the scoresheet moments later. Benedettini got a hand to a powerful strike from Washington, but could only push it into the centre of goal, where McMenamin was waiting to wrap up the win for Northern Ireland. Read More Josh Hodge hat-trick helps Exeter inflict record defeat on Saracens Ben Stokes ‘getting better day by day’ but Afghanistan game could come too soon World Cup has given Rob Burrow the rugby union bug – Kevin Sinfield Returning Antoine Dupont ‘inspires fear in opponents’ – Mathieu Jalibert Gareth Southgate fired up as England face ‘revitalised’ Italy in crunch clash Chelsea defender Levi Colwill looking to build on ‘amazing’ England debut

Under-fire Harry Maguire has revealed former England captain David Beckham got in touch with him after last month’s Hampden Park hounding to help offer support and advice. Just over two years after being a Manchester United ever-present and part of the European Championship team of the tournament, the 30-year-old defender now finds himself as the butt of jokes. Many opposing fans have revelled in Maguire’s drop off and Scotland supporters goaded him mercilessly after coming on and scoring an own goal in England’s 3-1 win last month. Maguire immediately laughed it off as a “little bit of banter” but hearing from somebody that knows a thing or two about intense criticism meant the world to him. Few have faced sharper focus in an England shirt than Beckham, who has laid bare the pain he suffered after his 1998 World Cup red card against Argentina in a new Netflix documentary. “I actually spoke with David about three weeks ago, after the Scotland game,” Maguire said. “He got in touch with me, so it was really nice of him and I really appreciated that. It meant everything. I’ve spoken throughout my career about David Beckham being someone I looked up to and watched when I was a young boy. “Unfortunately, I didn’t end up on the right wing scoring and assisting as many goals as he has. But he was a big role model when I was growing up. “It shows how classy he is to reach out to me and to message me. It was something I really appreciated. It was touching really.” Maguire did not want to divulge too much about their conversation but said the “main thing” Beckham did was to remind him of his career to date and the big moments he has enjoyed. “I think when you’re going through tough moments you’ve got to go through past experiences and past memories and where you’ve gone in your career and what you’ve been through,” he said at St George’s Park. “Every career is so up and down, especially when you reach what I’ve reached, in terms of being the captain of the biggest club in the world for three and a half years. He’s been in that position and knows what it’s like. “Obviously having watched the documentary I couldn’t believe how much he went through at the time. In the documentary Gary Neville speaks about how resilient he is as a person. I think he’s been a huge role model for many footballers growing up, especially in my era.” That chat and his experiences have helped Maguire retain belief and confidence, as has the continued faith shown in him by Gareth Southgate. The England boss has been in charge for all 59 of his caps and snapped in Glasgow at treatment he said was “ridiculous”, “a joke” and “beyond anything I’ve ever seen”. “I try and stay away from it all,” Maguire said when Southgate’s comments were put to him. “Obviously you can’t stay away from it as your family and friends are probably seeing things, they probably read a lot more than I do. “Yeah, there has been a lot of talk about me over the last year. For that talk to happen, you have got to have built your way up to be a top performer like I’ve done over the previous five years to that. “Things haven’t gone to plan over the last year or so, but I am sure it will get back on track. A career is a long path. Many ups, many downs, it probably has been a little blip and I am trying to be back to where I was.” Maguire knows he needs to repay Southgate’s faith by playing more minutes with Euro 2024 looming large and says he can continue to “block” out any abuse. But he knows that is “a bit tougher” for his loved ones and his mother Zoe last month criticised the “disgraceful” abuse her son has been subjected to, which she claimed went far beyond football. “It probably affects my family and friends more than it affects myself, especially when I am playing in a game,” Maguire said. “I have had so many great nights and have so many great memories playing for my country and playing for my club as well. You play football to create memories – not just for myself but for my family and my friends. “Obviously, the last year has been a little bit difficult for them to enjoy the games as they did in the previous eight or nine years of my career. I’m sure that will change. I’ll keep working hard and keep fighting for my place and keep trying to put things right.” Read More Harry Maguire cannot wait for Euro 2028 and is ‘hopeful’ to be in the squad On this day in 2019: England lose long unbeaten qualifying record in Prague LIV Golf fails in bid to be eligible for world ranking points Harry Kane dreaming of leading England to Euro 2028 glory on home soil I am a Tottenham fan – Harry Kane wants Spurs to win Premier League Massimo Luongo feels Australians secretly support Spurs under Ange Postecoglou

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Yaya Toure has told Harry Kane to stay at Tottenham for the rest of his career. The England captain’s future has come under constant scrutiny this summer and Kane has regularly been linked with a move to Manchester United or Bayern Munich. Spurs are insistent they will not sell their star player, despite him entering the last year of his contract, and Toure thinks Kane should end his career at his boyhood club. Toure has had the chance to witness Kane at close quarters during his spell on the academy’s coaching staff and recognises his star quality. “Harry Kane is a brilliant player and a brilliant leader,” the 40-year-old, who has just taken a coaching job at Standard Liege, told the PA news agency. “For me I hope he is going to stay at Tottenham. What he did last season was incredible. “I hope he is going to stay, being involved with the staff I can see how familiar they are, they all believe in each other. “He came from the academy, he is different. He is not like (Sergio) Aguero, who came in from Atletico, he is at home. “I hope he is going to stay because he is a good player. Why not retire there, like (Paolo) Maldini or Gerrard did at Liverpool, if he does that it is going to be very significant.” Spurs’ inability to win a trophy over the last 15 years has been the main reason why Kane has been linked with a move away. But Toure believes the club is set up for success and Kane is integral to that. “Tottenham have everything to be successful, when you see the stadium and facilities, they are brilliant,” he added. Harry Kane is a brilliant player and a brilliant leader, for me I hope he is going to stay at Tottenham. Yaya Toure “What’s left now? Maybe change players, I don’t know. “But the competitiveness of the league, you have to match that. “What Manchester City are doing, you have to match that if you want to win. “That is what I learned when I was at top clubs, week in week out, try to improve the club to be successful. “I hope and believe that if Harry Kane stays, new players will join, the club will be improving and better and they will be able to challenge for something.” Before Toure heads to Belgium to begin at Standard Liege, he will first put his coaching skills to use on the launch of Amazon’s Prime Day, as a Prime customer can buy a private coaching session for them and three friends. He said: “I couldn’t stay away from coaching in the UK for long, but this is a fun one. “Amazon approached me because like them, I’m known for reliable delivery, so for Prime Day I’m going to be working with a group of football fans to give them a training session and show them a thing or two. “With the new season coming up, I’ll look to put them through their paces with knowledge I’ve gained through my years at clubs such as Barcelona and Manchester City. “It’ll be one last training session in England for a while.” ::Yaya Touré will give one lucky Prime customer and their three friends a football training session to learn perfect delivery this Prime Day. Prime Members should check out www.amazon.co.uk/primeexperiences throughout 11th and 12th July to purchase. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Football rumours: Saudi clubs join growing interest in Thiago Alcantara Jodie Burrage takes centre stage as Wimbledon plays catch-up on day three Dan Evans targets short break from tennis after latest Wimbledon disappointment

Leigh Wood and Josh Warrington will meet in a main-event clash in Sheffield this weekend, with the WBA featherweight title on the line. Wood, 35, defends the belt for the first time since regaining it in May, when the Nottingham boxer outpointed Mauricio Lara to avenge a stoppage loss to the Mexican, who won their first bout in February. FOLLOW LIVE: Wood vs Warrington – latest fight updates Meanwhile, Warrington is aiming to get back to winning ways, following a decision defeat by Luis Alberto Lopez in December. With that result, the Leeds fighter lost the IBF title, which he won from old foe Kiko Martinez last March – and which he previously held from 2018 to 2019. Prior to fighting Lopez and Martinez, Warrington actually had his own pair of duels with Lara in 2021. The 32-year-old was stopped by the Mexican in their first fight, and their rematch ended as a draw due to a clash of heads. Here’s all you need to know about Saturday’s card. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is the fight? The fight is set to take place on Saturday 7 October, at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield. The main card is due to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET). Ring walks for the main event are expected at approximately 10pm BST (2pm PT, 4pm CT, 5pm ET). How can I watch it? The event will air live on Dazn. A subscription to the streaming service is available to purchase here. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Odds Wood – 2/5 Warrington – 21/10 Draw – 14/1 Full odds via Betway. • Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers Full card (subject to change) Leigh Wood (C) vs Josh Warrington (WBA featherweight title) Terri Harper vs Cecilia Braekhus (for Harper’s WBA super-welterweight title; vacant WBO title) Hopey Price vs Connor Coghill (featherweight) Kieron Conway vs Linus Udofia (middleweight) Junaid Bostan vs Corey McCulloch (super-welterweight) Cameron Vuong vs Engel Gomez (super-featherweight) Koby McNamara vs Francisco Rodriguez (bantamweight) Nico Leivars vs Ryan Walker (super-bantamweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Anthony Joshua training with former Tyson Fury coach ahead of potential Deontay Wilder clash Tyson Fury contacts cruiserweight champion for help before Oleksandr Usyk showdown ‘Nobody can beat this Canelo’: Alvarez dominates Jermell Charlo for statement win in undisputed clash What time does Wood vs Warrington start tonight? How to watch Wood vs Warrington online and on TV tonight Leigh Wood: I’m Josh Warrington’s last chance to get back into title contention

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