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Northern Ireland’s emerging talent Isaac Price has credited ex-Everton boss Frank Lampard with being a “massive” influence on his development and indicated the manager’s Goodison Park exit prompted his own summer move to Standard Liege. Few Evertonians recall Lampard’s 12-month reign with great affection – they narrowly avoided relegation in May 2022 and then, amid protests against the board, failed to progress before he was sacked in January – but the 20-year-old Price believes he took big strides under the former England midfielder. “(Lampard) was massive for me,” Price said. “I learnt so much while he was there. I had my debut… at Arsenal (in May 2022) and ever since then I felt like he really taught me a lot of stuff. “He gave me my debut, he put a bit of trust in me. I was training with the (senior squad) regularly so I was learning a lot of things. Had it gone differently at Everton and he’d had the players he needed to get results maybe I’d still be there.” Although he did not play any Premier League football in the first half of last season, Price felt ready to step up after the World Cup break. But a few weeks later Lampard was sacked and his replacement Sean Dyche turned to experience in another fight against the drop. “When the World Cup was on we went to Australia and played two games and I played 90 minutes in both games and I felt like I was one of the best players there,” Price added. “We came back and I was around it, I got half an hour against Brighton, and after that I felt like I was pushed to one side. “Even though I had the belief in myself that I should be playing or at least coming off the bench I wasn’t really seeing that. As soon as Lampard left and the new manager came in I felt I was just pushed aside and that built up a bit of frustration in me that I wanted to leave.” That move came when Price joined Belgian club Standard Liege, ending 13 years at Everton. It was a leap on and off the pitch, but Price has the self-assurance to take on the challenge. He is learning the language, admittedly slowly, and said he has quickly settled. “I feel like it was a bit of belief in myself,” he said of his decision to move. “It’s different living away from home on your own but it’s great. The football is great, the fans are unbelievable, it gives you a bit of confidence every time you go on the pitch so I’m really enjoying it.” His first goal for the club was the winner in a 2-1 victory over Club Brugge last week, coming on the back of his first Northern Ireland goal in the 4-2 loss to Slovenia last month, his fifth cap. Slovenia will visit Windsor Park on Tuesday but first come San Marino on Saturday, a match Michael O’Neill’s side need to win to end a five-game losing run and change the mood around a Euro 2024 qualifying campaign which has unravelled since March. When the qualifying draw was made there was optimism that, having avoided some of the bigger nations and with O’Neill returning, Northern Ireland could challenge in Group H, but a horror run of injuries effectively ended their hopes. “We just have to put that behind us,” Paddy McNair said. “We have two home games, hopefully six points, and we start to build some momentum.” Qualification hopes may be over, but Saturday is still a must-win game for Northern Ireland in front of their own fans. “I agree,” McNair said. “If we don’t beat San Marino it wouldn’t be good at all. It’s a game, especially at home, we expect to win, so I’m looking forward to it.”

England Under-21s went goal crazy as they produced a stunning display to crush Serbia 9-1. Chelsea forward Noni Madueke, debutant Jaden Philogene and Harvey Elliott all scored twice at the City Ground. Liam Delap, Jonathan Rowe and Luka Subotic’s own goal heaped further misery on Serbia as the Young Lions came from behind in their first home game since winning Euro 2023. They had to hit back, despite dominating, after Vladimir Lucic’s classy strike gave Serbia the lead in the Euro 2025 qualifier. Victory made it two from two in Group F ahead of Monday’s game with Ukraine in Slovakia. Boss Lee Carsley had moved to distance this squad as European champions with just six of his winners featuring on Thursday after the majority of the class of 2023 aged out. His new-look Young Lions should have been cruising inside 10 minutes but Charlie Cresswell planted a free header wide after Philogene’s effort was turned over by Veljko Ilic. The goalkeeper then gathered a tame effort from Elliott and continued to deny the hosts, a reaction stop keeping out Philogene at the far post. Madueke pulled the strings, the forward teasing the overworked Serbia defence, but he should have done better than to drag wide following a neat exchange with Hayden Hackney. Carsley’s side dominated, Elliott shooting over, but they were shocked by Serbia after 27 minutes. Lucic started the move on the left and when Nikola Stankovic was played in behind Hackney he found Lucic to brilliantly guide a first-time finish into the top corner from 16 yards. It was a stunning finish and checked England’s momentum which, until then, had only been growing. The Young Lions were briefly cautious as they sized their opponents up again but Delap should have levelled nine minutes before the break rather than let Ilic save with his legs. Yet just two minutes later they levelled as Philogene marked his debut by smashing in high from the edge of the box after being gifted the ball by Ilic. Elliott went close before England got the second they deserved after 41 minutes when captain Cole Palmer was thwarted by Ilic but Philogene recycled the ball to find Delap who crashed in from five yards. It opened the floodgates and Elliott added a third when he collected the ball, advanced and arrowed a strike into the top corner. Eight minutes after the break Madueke got the goal he deserved when he danced across the Serbia defence and drilled in low. It was now a procession, with Serbia resorting to needless fouls to halt England’s rhythm, but they could do nothing to stop Madueke’s second. Hackney was allowed to run and slip the ball into Rico Lewis whose backheel found Madueke to roll into the corner. England continued to pile on the pain and Philogene got his second after 63 minutes, Delap unselfishly squaring to his Hull team-mate after Lewis put him clear. The scoreline reflected the gulf in quality and Cresswell and James McAtee went close to adding a seventh before Elliott hit the crossbar. It was left to Serbia to embarrass themselves as, under pressure from Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Mitar Ergelas’ clearance clattered off Subotic and looped over Ilic with three minutes left. There was still time for substitute Rowe to get a debut goal, the Norwich forward heading in Elliott’s cross from close range. Then, in stoppage time, Elliott added the flourish with a ninth goal, seizing on Igor Miladinovic’s wretched pass to complete the scoring. Read More Marcus Smith set for full-back role in England’s World Cup quarter-final Scotland slip to defeat in Spain but qualification hopes remain alive FA would face criticism one way or another for conflict response – Southgate Southgate says experimental England must have right mindset against Australia Graham Arnold urging Australia to claim England scalp for ‘kids and nation’ England ready for challenge of knocking India ‘off their perch’ – Chris Woakes

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Scotland suffered their first Euro 2024 qualifying defeat with a 2-0 loss in Spain but qualification hopes remain alive. The Scots had won their first five Group A qualifiers including a 2-0 win over the Spanish at Hampden Park in March and needed to take something from the return game in Seville or Norway fail to beat Cyprus, to qualify on the night. In a stifling warm evening, the Scots survived some heavy first-half pressure to go in at the break goalless before Scott McTominay, who scored both goals against Spain in Glasgow, fired in a wonderful free-kick in the 59thminute only to see it ruled out after a VAR check for a Jack Hendry infringement. Alvaro Morata headed in after 73 minutes and substitute Oihan Sancet and Scotland defender Ryan Porteous clashed together for the second in the 86th minute and with Norway beating Cyprus, Steve Clarke’s men move on to the second October fixture. Scotland face France in a friendly in Lille next Tuesday but Spain face Norway two days earlier and if the Norwegians drop points, Scotland’s place in Germany will be secured while the Scots also have Georgia away and Norway at home in November. That it was the annual National Day of Spain added to the sense of occasion although the Scots had work to do. In the absence of injured Kieran Tierney, Clarke stuck with a back-three with Scott McKenna taking over and Lyndon Dykes was asked to lead the line, supported mostly by Ryan Christie. Manchester City midfielder Rodri, who had criticised Scotland’s tactics and talent after the defeat in March, Gavi and Morata were some of the stars starting for this summer’s Nations League winners. Feran Torres missed a great chance in the second minute, beating Scotland keeper Angus Gunn with a close-range shot after taking a Morata pass but failing to hit the target. Torres’s corner moments later sped through the Scotland six-yard box but Morata’s header at the far post was at a stretch and caused no danger.It was looking like a long night for the visitors. La Roja kept their corner count ticking over amid their control of the game – Rodri was jeered by the Scotland fans – but the Scots stuck to their task with only the occasional foray forward. In the 34th minute, after Scotland defender Aaron Hickey brilliantly blocked a shot from Mikel Oyarzabal, Mikel Merino cracked the post with a left-footed drive and the ball spun away for a goal kick. Morata had the ball in the net soon afterwards but was well offside but some bad luck followed. Just before the break skipper Andy Robertson collided with Spain keeper Unai Simon and appeared to hurt his shoulder, with Nathan Patterson taking over and Hickey moving to left-back. Granada attacker, Bryan Zaragoza, who scored twice against Barcelona at the weekend, came on to make his debut for Spain at the start of the second half, along with Fran Garcia. Spain continued their dominance but in a rare Scotland attack, Christie could not quite control a John McGinn pass inside the box and the chance was lost. Christie did well to win a free-kick against Dani Carvajal near the byline on the left and the Tartan Army were in raptures when McTominay fired it high past Simon but after Dutch referee Serdar Gozubuyuk was sent to check his pitchside monitor, he ruled a Hendry foul on the keeper. Scotland were soon on the back foot again as Spain brought on Jesus Navas and Sancet and when Navas crossed from the right Morata skimmed a header past Gunn. It was another blow for Scotland who came right out their shell, substitute Che Adams, on for Dykes, stabbing a close-range shot at Simonwhile at the other end Porteous blocked a goal-bound shot from substitute Joselu before a mistake by Hickey allowed Joselu to square the ball andSancet and Porteous challenged with the ball ending in the net. It was a tough night for Scotland but in qualification terms, Germany is still very much on the cards. Read More FA would face criticism one way or another for conflict response – Southgate Southgate says experimental England must have right mindset against Australia Graham Arnold urging Australia to claim England scalp for ‘kids and nation’ England ready for challenge of knocking India ‘off their perch’ – Chris Woakes Ciaran McGuckin header hands 10-man Northern Ireland under-21s victory Ashes revenge or a famous Socceroos win? – England v Australia talking points

Gareth Southgate wants England’s players to be mentally “spot on” and grab their opportunity to impress as he experiments against old sporting rivals Australia. The Euro 2020 runners-up can seal their place at next summer’s edition in Germany when they host holders Italy at Wembley in Tuesday’s Group C encounter. But first comes just England’s second friendly since March 2022 after a run of 16 consecutive competitive matches came to an end with last month’s 3-1 victory at Scotland. Southgate avoided over-experimenting in Glasgow but still managed to try new things, just as he will in Friday’s sold-out encounter under the arch against the Socceroos. “It’s one of the great sporting rivalries and if Australia have any sniff that we’re not taking the game seriously, then we will be in trouble,” the England boss said. “Our mindset has got to be spot on. Equally, we’ve still got a bit of work to do to qualify for a European Championship, but we are potentially six games away from that. “We have good players and we need to give people opportunities to show what they can do. “That is part of our bond as a team, making sure people get chances to play and feel part of the group and important within that, so we have to get that right balance. “Most importantly, we have got good players and we need to have them in positions on the field where they can do their best work and feel comfortable, positions they play with their clubs, so that the transfer is as smooth as possible.” Jarrod Bowen will be hoping to make a dream Wembley debut after the West Ham star returned to the England set-up for the first time since September 2022. Chelsea defender Levi Colwill could make his debut, while uncapped Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah and in-form Aston Villa frontman Ollie Watkins will hope to prove a worthy back-up to skipper Harry Kane. Southgate would not confirm who will captain England on Friday, but it appears unlikely that Bayern Munich sharpshooter Kane will be leading the line from the start. Asked if the Australia game is a chance for players to make their mark, the England boss said: “Yeah, I mean, I think one of the things we always want to do is to make playing for England enjoyable. “It’s to take the tension out of playing for England, we want the lads to express themselves. “Equally, when you play for England there is a pressure and you know that you’re not going to get 10 opportunities unless you play well. “Every player that comes into the squad experiences that, has always done. “So, you can’t relieve that. No matter what I say to a player, he’s going to know that, so players coming in they are opportunities and you have to grasp them. “But they’ve had to do that at every stage of their career as well, when they first got into a club as a young player or when they first got in the first team at the club. “They are used to that and all of them are more than capable of going and playing incredibly well, and they’ll also be very excited about a full house at Wembley and the opportunity to play there.” Friday will only be England’s second match at Wembley this year and one that Harry Maguire would love to be involved in having found playing time hard to come by at Manchester United. The under-fire defender was hounded by Scotland fans at Hampden Park on his last England appearance, which he this week revealed led former skipper David Beckham to get in contact with him. “I was not aware (of the call from Beckham), but I can see from Harry’s comments how much it meant to him,” the England boss said. “David has played at United, he has played for England, so he knows the world Harry is living in and it will have meant the world to him to get that support. “(Maguire) is a very strong character, but nonetheless he is a human being and I am sure a call like that would have meant a huge amount to him.” Read More Graham Arnold urging Australia to claim England scalp for ‘kids and nation’ England ready for challenge of knocking India ‘off their perch’ – Chris Woakes Ciaran McGuckin header hands 10-man Northern Ireland under-21s victory Ashes revenge or a famous Socceroos win? – England v Australia talking points FA criticised for ‘weak response’ to Israel and Palestine conflict Sebastian Korda defeats Ben Shelton to book first ATP 1000 semi-final in Shanghai

Delving into the history of NBA games in Mexico, and how they expanded from a single preseason game in 1992 to become a regular fixture in the league's international rotation, with 30 games hosted in 30 years.

Australia manager Graham Arnold reiterated Ange Postecoglou’s message for his side to beat England for “the kids and the nation” ahead of the first ever meeting between the countries at Wembley. Arnold brought in Spurs boss Postecoglou and his fellow former Australia head coach Guus Hiddink in a bid to inspire the Socceroos ahead of Friday’s friendly in London. Australia are underdogs going into the encounter, having only beaten England once in seven meetings – a 3-1 triumph at Upton Park in 2003 – and sitting 23 spots below their fourth-placed hosts in the FIFA world rankings, but Arnold says his side will only have victory on their minds when they take the pitch. He said: “The speeches that Ange said yesterday were very similar about what we’ve been saying for years with doing it for the kids in Australia, the nation and your family and people who are close by and the supporters. “I know one thing is that they (the players) will run until they drop, the energy will be there and they’ll put in the performance of their lives. “I have got a special relationship with both (Postecoglou and Hiddink). I’ve known Ange for 40 odd years, I’ve played and coached against him, worked with him and we’ve had a great connection for years. “With Guus, he’s pretty much a mentor to me and like a brother, a father. I’ve got to be careful with what I say because he’s not that old but he’s always been a great man to me and I worked with him during the 2006 World Cup as his assistant. “We aim to win. We’re not going out there to lose or draw the game, we’re going out there to win the game. “It’s the culture that we bring. We’ve seen the Socceroos and the Matildas (Australia women’s team) bring the nation together and this is not my team, it’s the nation’s team.” While Australia are looking to make history at Wembley, Arnold highlighted some of the challenges he says they face trying to grow the game back home. Despite the successful co-hosting of the Women’s World Cup this summer, where the Matildas got to the semi-finals, Arnold says the infrastructure and support they receive pales in comparison to other sports Down Under, or that England enjoy. “We don’t get anywhere near the help and resources (of Australian rules football),” Arnold said. “We see the Prime Minister and the government say they love coming out to watch the Socceroos and Matildas with scarves on but they must lose them when they go home. We see the Prime Minister and the government say they love coming out to watch the Socceroos and Matildas with scarves on but they must lose them when they go home. Graham Arnold “We don’t have a home of football. Whether you believe that or not, we don’t have a home. “When the Socceroos come to Sydney to train, we have to go to a rugby league field where they remove the posts and put soccer posts up. That’s the truth. “We are the highest participated sport at grassroots (in Australia). The last four days England have been at St George’s Park and they come down to (Wembley) where they are inspired and have a culture, we don’t have anything like that. “After the World Cup I said ‘hopefully this will make things change’ and that government funding will help inspire the kid’s lives and fulfil their dreams.” Australia’s most recent meeting with England saw the home side claim a 2-1 win at the Stadium of Light in 2016, when an 18-year-old Marcus Rashford because the youngest player to score on his England debut. Roy Hodgson was in charge of England for that match but Arnold, who took charge in 2018, is looking forward to pitting his wits against the present incumbent Gareth Southgate. Arnold said: “England are a fantastic team and Gareth Southgate is a great coach, a wonderful man and I look forward to seeing him tomorrow night. “We are very appreciative of the invitation to play here and we’re looking forward to the match.”

Scotland are hoping to continue their winning start in Euro 2024 qualifying as they travel to Seville to take on Spain this evening. Steve Clarke’s men have won five from five in their campaign so far, including that impressive victory over the Spaniards at Hampden Park back in March. Should they triumph again tonight the Scots will secure qualification for the tournament in Germany next summer. They will also qualify if Norway fail to beat Cyprus in the other Group A fixture. However, Spain are in great form. Manager Luis de la Fuente has led the hosts to victory in the Nations League and will be confident of earning a victory over the Scots this time around. Spain have played one game fewer than Scotland and would move to within three points of the leaders with a win, keeping them on track to secure a place at Euro 2024 themselves. The top two teams will progress from Group A and La Roja will confirm their place at the tournament with wins over Scotland and Norway on Sunday. Follow all the action as Spain host Scotland in the Euro 2024 qualifiers plus get all the latest odds and tips right here: Read More Is Spain v Scotland on TV? Channel, start time and how to watch Euro 2024 qualifier online tonight How Scotland became the one team Rodri could not defeat What do Scotland need to qualify for Euro 2024?

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Northern Ireland under-21s secured their first win under manager Tommy Wright the hard way as they played more than half of Thursday’s 1-0 victory over Azerbaijan with 10 men in Baku. Ciaran McGuckin headed Northern Ireland in front with 19 minutes gone from Sean Stewart’s corner but the Euro 2025 qualifier changed eight minutes before the break. Aaron Donnelly, part of Northern Ireland’s senior squad back in June, brought down Murad Velijev inside the penalty area to be shown a straight red card, but Northern Ireland were spared further punishment when Dzhamal Dzhafarov sent the resulting penalty wide of the target. Unsurprisingly Azerbaijan kept Northern Ireland pegged back for long spells after the break but could not find a way past goalkeeper Stephen McMullan. The Fleetwood stopper did well to keep out a long-range strike from Samir Maharramli with 19 minutes left before Velijev headed over from a corner. But there was no way through as former St Johnstone boss Wright, appointed in August, could celebrate a first win after his opening two qualifiers in charge ended in 1-0 defeats to Luxembourg and Ukraine last month. Northern Ireland will continue their qualifying campaign with a home match against Serbia at Mourneview Park on Monday evening. Read More Ashes revenge or a famous Socceroos win? – England v Australia talking points FA criticised for ‘weak response’ to Israel and Palestine conflict Sebastian Korda defeats Ben Shelton to book first ATP 1000 semi-final in Shanghai

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