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Who will play on Monday Night Football in Week 1?

Nathan Collins has given his backing to under-pressure Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny as speculation over his future mounts. Ireland’s hopes of qualifying for the Euro 2024 finals were dealt a potentially fatal blow on Sunday evening when they were beaten 2-1 by Group B rivals the Netherlands in Dublin on a night when they simply had to win. Kenny, who is contracted until the end of the campaign, remained defiant after the final whistle as his critics sharpened their knives, but Brentford defender Collins is firmly behind the 51-year-old. Asked if he wanted the manager and his staff to stay, he said: “One hundred per cent. “I can’t put into words how much work they put in, every day and every hour, how many hours they watch other teams. Their whole lives have revolved around this week. “He has given me my chance, he has put me in and has had belief in me, he is putting confidence in me and all of them. I can’t speak highly enough.” Kenny replaced Mick McCarthy as manager in April 2020 after stepping up from the Under-21 ranks, and has since blooded a new generation of young players and attempted to play a more progressive brand of football. We can’t just let this now be it. We can’t just let it fade away. Republic of Ireland defender Nathan Collins However, while his team has won plaudits at times, positive results have been hard to come by and a return of five wins from 26 competitive games tells its own story. Defeat by the Dutch left Ireland with just three points from their first five games, 12 adrift of leaders France and six behind both the Netherlands, who have played a match fewer, and Greece. Collins said: “Obviously the table speaks for itself. We need to be proud of ourselves and go into the next game with a bit of pride and make amends for it. “We can’t just let this now be it. We can’t just let it fade away. We put in so much work. We have gotten so close, we might as well carry it on, take that next step to push on and get better and beat teams at home, finish teams off home and away, take our chances, learn from it and build a team who can beat anyone.” This month’s double-header – France in Paris last Thursday evening and the Dutch at the Aviva Stadium – always looked a big ask against teams ranked second and seventh in the world respectively. But where the Republic were beaten comfortably at the Parc des Princes, where they lost 2-0, they led Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands courtesy of Adam Idah’s early penalty and might have increased their advantage before Cody Gakpo levelled from the spot and set the stage for substitute Wout Weghorst to win it after the break. Collins said: “Everyone knows we were close with that performance. Putting in a performance against a top side like that, it’s very frustrating. It’s massively frustrating. “The lads put everything into it, we made them very uncomfortable, but they showed their quality and that is how they got their goal. We should have taken a few more chances in the first half and it would have been a different game. “But honestly, I am proud of that performance. We were good, we were strong, we were set-up well, but we didn’t put our chances away.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Pressure still on Wales despite narrow win over Fiji – Jonathan Humphreys Finn Russell certain Scotland can hit back from opening loss to South Africa Dallas Cowboys send message with dominant 40-0 victory over New York Giants

What the papers say Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is reportedly interested in making a bid for West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd next summer, the Sun reports. They may face stiff competition for the 27-year-old Moroccan from Manchester City. Tottenham are leading the race for 16-year-old Croatian youngster Luka Vuskovic who has been linked to four other teams including Liverpool, Chelsea, Paris St Germain and Manchester City, according to the Telegraph. The teenager would not join Tottenham until the summer of 2025. Social media round-up Players to watch Marco Verratti: Barcelona, Chelsea and Bayern Munich all had unsuccessful bids to sign the 30-year-old Italian from Paris St Germain this summer, Football Transfers says. Alex Baena: Aston Villa are interested in signing the 22-year-old forward from Villareal, Spanish outlet Fichajes reports. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The beloved Manningcast is back for its third season. Here's what games Peyton and Eli will present an alternate telecast for in 2023.

The Republic of Ireland’s hopes of qualifying for Euro 2024 were all but ended by the Netherlands for whom substitute Wout Weghorst’s goal secured a 2-1 win in Dublin. The hosts, in need of victory to put themselves in contention in Group B, took the lead on four minutes when Adam Idah scored from the penalty spot after Virgil van Dijk had been penalised for handball. Goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu brought down Denzel Dumfries as the Netherlands won a penalty of their own midway through the first half, with Cody Gakpo levelling from 12 yards. Weghorst ensured his side moved second with a game in hand behind leaders France when he scored from Dumfries’ cut-back after 56 minutes to leave the Republic requiring a Dutch collapse if they are to progress. Elsewhere in the group, Greece beat Gibraltar 5-0 in Athens to remain in the race for the second qualifying spot. Dimitrios Pelkas opened the scoring after nine minutes before Konstantinos Mavropanos followed up midway through the half with the first of two goals. Giorgos Masouras netted after the break, before both he and Mavropanos each grabbed another to seal the victory and put the hosts level with the Dutch on nine points, albeit having played a game more. Northern Ireland fell to a 1-0 defeat in Kazakhstan, their fourth by the same scoreline in a run of five straight losses, to leave their hopes of qualification virtually extinguished. Striker Maksim Samorodov drilled into the bottom corner from outside the box and beyond Bailey Peacock-Farrell after 32 minutes to keep the home side in with a realistic chance of reaching their first major tournament. They are one of four teams separated by a point at the top of Group H, with Denmark leading the way thanks to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s 86th-minute strike to seal a 1-0 win away in Finland. It meant the Danes briefly replaced their hosts at the top of the group, before being knocked back into second on goal difference after Slovenia romped to a 4-0 win in San Marino. Zan Vipotnik, Jan Mlakar, Sandi Lovric and Zan Karnicnik scored the goals against the section’s bottom side, who remain without a point. Poland’s hopes of reaching the finals received a serious knock as they lost for the third time in five games in Group E, this time going down to a 2-0 defeat in Albania. Jasir Asani and Mirlind Daku scored either side of half-time in Tirana to send Albania two points clear of the Czech Republic at the top of the group. Moldova are behind the Czechs on goal difference after they kept up their surprise bid to reach the finals with a 1-0 win in the Faroe Islands. Vadim Rata netted early in the second half in Torshavn to move his side onto eight points and leave the Faroes adrift at the bottom with a single point on the board. In Group G, Montenegro and Serbia kept up the pressure on leaders Hungary in a three-way fight to qualify. Montenegro needed a goal six minutes into added time from Stevan Jovetic to snatch a 2-1 win against Bulgaria in Podgorica despite having played more than 30 minutes with 10 players. Igor Vujacic was sent off just before the hour mark after Stefan Savic had given the hosts the lead on the stroke of half-time, but Preslav Borukov levelled in the 79th minute before Jovetic’s dramatic late intervention. Aleksandar Mitrovic score a first-half hat-trick as Serbia coasted to a 3-1 win in Lithuania, with Gytis Paulauskas’s goal not enough to rescue the home side’s faint hopes of qualification. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Manu Tuilagi laughs off adversity after 14-man England grind out win Liam Livingstone makes innings he was ‘crying out for’ as England level series Rob Page determined to see out Wales contract with Euro qualification in doubt

Luis Rubiales has resigned as president of the Spanish FA (RFEF) after kissing midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips following Spain’s victory in the Women’s World Cup final. Rubiales was asked by the Spanish football federation to step down and Hermoso, who insisted the kiss was not consensual, filed a complaint to the national prosecutor’s office. Fifa has provisionally suspended Rubiales for 90 days and opened up disciplinary proceedings against him, but he has now released a statement with his resignation to the federation’s acting president Pedro Rocha. “My resignation? Yes, I’m going to, I cannot continue my work,” Rubiales told Piers Morgan Uncensored. “I love so much my daughters, and they love me so much, I’m very happy and proud of them. My father, my daughters, I spoke with them, they know it’s not a question about me. They say to me, ‘Luis, now you have to focus on your dignity and continue your life, because you will do damage to people you love.’ “When somebody is not thinking only about themself, because I had to in these few weeks, it’s not only a question of me. It can affect third parties, it’s very important, this situation now, it’s the thing I have to do.” While Rubiales’ statement read: “After the quick suspension carried out by Fifa, plus the rest of open proceedings against me, it is evident that I will not be able to return to my position,” Rubiales’ statement read. “Insisting on waiting and holding on is not going to contribute to anything positive, neither to the federation nor to Spanish football.” Spain’s women’s team claimed they would not play again for their country until Mr Rubiales was removed from his post. Rubiales maintained throughout that the kiss was “mutual” and “consensual”, but did add that he had made “some obvious mistakes” in recent weeks. Read More Rubiales could face prison over kiss as prosecutor accuses FA chief of sexual assault Rubiales could face criminal charges after sexual assault filing Sacked Jorge Vilda defends clapping Luis Rubiales’ ‘I will not resign’ speech

Luis Rubiales resigned from his position as president of the Spanish soccer federation following weeks of fierce criticism over the unwanted kiss with Women's World Cup winner Jennifer Hermoso.

Mel Tucker has been fired by Michigan State after a sexual harassment investigation.

Under-fire Wales boss Rob Page says he is determined to see out the three remaining years of his contract. Page signed a four-year deal exactly 12 months ago as Wales prepared to make their first appearance at a World Cup for 64 years. But their fortunes have plummeted since and Page faces a potentially make-or-break Euro 2024 qualifier in Latvia on Monday. Wales must beat bottom side Latvia – who are yet to register a point in Group D – to keep alive hopes of a top-two place and automatic qualification for next summer’s finals in Germany. Asked at his pre-match press conference whether he was under pressure from the Football Association of Wales executive to qualify, Page said: “I can’t let that affect me. I can’t think about that. “I’ve got a job to do. I want to qualify for me, as a Welsh supporter myself. “As the manager, I want to be in this job for the rest of my contract. I really enjoy working with this group of players.” Pressed further on whether he was fighting for his job, Page replied: “We are in an industry where you need to win games of football. “We are in a period of transition as well. I can’t influence what the board or people above do. “All I can worry about is winning games of football and giving it my best shot. “If I do that and it doesn’t work out for me, then at least I can walk away with my head held high.” Wales warmed up for their trip to Latvia with a goalless draw against South Korea on Thursday. Page said he saw plenty of positive signs during that Cardiff clash and Wales were further boosted by Friday’s set of results in their qualifying section. Group favourites Croatia left Latvia dispirited with a 5-0 thrashing, while Turkey and Armenia drew 1-1. Wales would draw level on points with Armenia if they win in Riga and Croatia do likewise in Yerevan – and move within three points of Turkey with a game in hand. “(Turkey and Armenia drawing) was probably the best result for us,” Page said. “It would be nice for Croatia to get another win for them to run away with it and have us fighting it out for second spot. “We want to win the game. It’s all about the points for us. It doesn’t matter if it’s 1-0. “They are off the back of a tough game but they have been in games right up until the 90th minute. “We can’t wait for it off the back of a positive performance against Korea. I didn’t want the game because I didn’t want to risk injuries and we’ve picked up an injury from that game as Wes (Burns) came on and he tweaked his hamstring. “There is a generation of supporters who have seen Wales qualify for major tournaments. Losing players makes the job harder, but expectations say that we should be qualifying. “It’s not as easy as that. We will continue to try and qualify for every tournament.”

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Michael O’Neill admitted Northern Ireland’s miserable Euro 2024 qualifying campaign was starting to feel like Groundhog Day as he urged fans to look at the bigger picture while he tries to mould a new team. After Thursday’s 4-2 defeat to Slovenia on Thursday, it was back the old familiar feeling of a 1-0 defeat in Kazakhstan on Sunday – a fifth consecutive defeat in this campaign and the fourth 1-0 reverse during that run. The build-up to the match was dominated by talk of injuries – Northern Ireland have been without as many as 18 different players during this campaign to date – and yet again the talk after was of a game decided by narrow margins. Maxim Samorodov’s 27th minute strike settled it, but Northern Ireland missed a golden first-half chance when Kazakhstan’s goalscorer tracked back to stop Conor McMenamin prodding home when Matty Kennedy’s mis-hit shot was rolling towards the goal line. Although they did not produce anything like the attacking display they showed in Ljubljana on Thursday, O’Neill’s side still ended the game with more possession and more shots than Kazakhstan, but on the wrong side of the result. “I think it followed quite a similar pattern for us,” O’Neill said. “Obviously the goal in the game is the only defining moment. We started the game well, we were dominating but our play in the final third let us down, we’re lacking a little bit in that area at the minute obviously.” The absence of Steven Davis, Stuart Dallas, Corry Evans and Shane Ferguson has been a constant since before the campaign even started, but on top of that, Northern Ireland have suffered a succession of injuries, with Craig Cathcart and Ciaron Brown the latest to join the list. That has forced O’Neill to blood young players more quickly than planned, and meant a campaign which started with such optimism has turned into a recurring nightmare, the only thing missing being the sound of Sonny and Cher’s ‘I Got You, Babe’ heralding the start of each international window. “It has been a little bit (like Groundhog Day),” O’Neill said. “This is our third time together as a group in terms of my time back in charge so there is a process we’re having to go through a little bit, which is painful. “For a lot of those lads, it’s always nicer to come into international football for the first time and you’re winning games, it’s always easier to come into a team that’s doing well. “I reflect back to the lead-in to Euro 2016 and you had the likes of Stuart Dallas and Paddy McNair come into the team and we were always going well. It’s always an easier process. “Now we’re trying to introduce players into a team when the results are not so good so it’s more challenging for the players.” The hope is that those younger players benefit further down the line, particularly when the day comes that the senior players Northern Ireland have leaned on for so long are no longer around – a time that may well arrive by the start of the World Cup qualifying campaign in March 2025. “We just have to play through this period,” O’Neill added. “I think the team in many ways is developing. People may argue against that based on the results, but I have to look at the bigger picture in terms of where the team has to go in the next 12 to 18 months. “We just have to persevere with what we’re doing. I think a lot of what we’re doing with the team is the right way to approach, but in this campaign we’ve had four 1-0 defeats and the margins in all the games have been very narrow.”