List of All Articles with Tag 'ball'

Tottenham sacked manager Mauricio Pochettino on this day in 2019. The sudden and unexpected decision came less than six months after the Argentinian had guided Spurs to the Champions League final. Pochettino had been in charge for five-and-a-half years but paid the price for a poor start to the 2019-20 season. He left Spurs 14th in the Premier League table after winning just three, and collecting only 14 points, from their opening 12 games of the campaign. “Regrettably domestic results at the end of last season and beginning of this season have been extremely disappointing,” said chairman Daniel Levy. “We were extremely reluctant to make this change. It is not a decision the board has taken lightly, nor in haste.” Pochettino left Southampton to take over at Spurs in May 2014 and led them to the League Cup final in his first full season but lost to Chelsea. They pushed Leicester for the title in 2016 but ultimately finished third. They were runners-up the following year and third again in 2018. Their run to the Champions League final in 2019 included memorable wins over Manchester City and Ajax in the knockout stages but they were beaten by Liverpool in the showpiece in Madrid. They also won only three of their final 12 Premier League matches of that season and it was the continuation of that form that eventually cost Pochettino. His period in charge had also spanned Spurs’ move from their old White Hart Lane stadium to their new arena on the same site, with home games played at Wembley for 18 months. Spurs wasted little time in replacing him, with his successor Jose Mourinho appointed the following day. Pochettino returned to the game as Paris St Germain manager in January 2021, and after leaving the French club 18 months later he took charge at Chelsea this summer. Read More Stephen Kenny confident with Republic of Ireland’s solid base for bright future England full-back Kieran Trippier not taking his place at Euro 2024 as a given Gareth Southgate admits he will ‘take far fewer gambles’ in his Euro 2024 squad Wout Weghorst fires Netherlands to Euro 2024 as Ireland end with whimper Saracens overcome injuries to England stars in thrashing of Harlequins Erling Haaland’s injury is not serious – Norway boss Stale Solbakken

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Stephen Kenny is confident the foundation is in place for a brighter future for the Republic of Ireland despite seeing their disappointing Euro 2024 campaign fizzle out in the Netherlands. Ireland knew before kick-off at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam that they would not be going to next summer’s finals after their feint hopes of snatching a play-off spot had finally been extinguished. They had hoped to sign off with a famous win over Ronald Koeman’s men, but ultimately slipped to a 1-0 defeat which could and perhaps should have been significantly more substantial. However asked if he remains convinced there is a firm base in place after three and a half years at the helm which have seen a major overhaul of the squad, a defiant Kenny said: “Yes, without doubt there is. “What was the alternative? If you can tell me… Over the years, a lot of our players have moved down the divisions, so absolutely. These are the best players that Ireland have now. “They’ve gone up against a world-class team there, one of the best teams in Europe. It’s a tough game when you come to Holland, for sure, there’s no doubt about that. “The reason no Irish team in its history has beaten a team of Holland’s calibre away from home – and there’s been better teams than us, for sure, a lot of great teams – is because it’s really difficult, really, really difficult to beat a tier one nation like that away from home in a qualifier.” It was a brilliant finish and you would not expect him to score from that angle, but it was a phenomenal finish and we got punished Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny The contest was settled by Wout Weghorst’s 12th-minute strike after he turned Nathan Collins on halfway before surging upfield to blast a shot past goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu. Kenny said: “Ryan Manning and Nathan collided and it opened up for Weghorst to go and score. It was a brilliant finish and you would not expect him to score from that angle, but it was a phenomenal finish and we got punished.” The Hoffenheim frontman’s contribution – he is on loan at the Bundesliga club from Burnley – should have been just a start, and the Dutch were grateful they were not made to pay for their profligacy as chances came and went without the scoreline changing. That said, Ireland produced little of note in reply barring substitute Adam Idah’s 59th-minute effort, which was ruled out for offside to the great relief of keeper Bart Verbruggen, who had allowed the Norwich striker’s shot to squirm between his legs. Kenny’s men finished fourth in Group B with all six of their points coming from victories over Gibraltar, who were trounced 14-0 by France, and most commentators do not expect him to survive a review later this month with his current contract due to expire after Tuesday’s friendly against New Zealand. Asked if he has been able to enjoy his time at the helm, he said: “It’s an absolute privilege to manage Ireland, I’ve always said that and I always would feel that. Yes, it’s been a roller-coaster of emotions, of course, but it’s all been an honour to manage Ireland.” Opposite number Ronald Koeman was measured after securing the win which ensured the Dutch will be at the finals in Germany. He said: “Of course we are happy to have the qualification for the Euros. We did our job. We won twice against Ireland, we won twice against Greece, we lost twice against France – that made the away game against Ireland more difficult. “There was more pressure even against Greece away, but we did the job that we had to do, that everybody was expecting, but you have to do it.” Read More England full-back Kieran Trippier not taking his place at Euro 2024 as a given Gareth Southgate admits he will ‘take far fewer gambles’ in his Euro 2024 squad Wout Weghorst fires Netherlands to Euro 2024 as Ireland end with whimper Saracens overcome injuries to England stars in thrashing of Harlequins Erling Haaland’s injury is not serious – Norway boss Stale Solbakken Rob Page admits Wales’ best chance of making Euro 2024 likely to be in play-offs

Wout Weghorst fired the Netherlands into the Euro 2024 finals as the Republic of Ireland’s dismal campaign ended with a whimper. Hoffenheim’s on-loan Burnley frontman, whose winner in Dublin in September left Ireland with a mountain to climb, repeated the dose in Amsterdam to secure a 1-0 victory which was far more comprehensive than the scoreline suggested. As a result, the Dutch secured second place in Group B behind France, who put 14 without reply past Gibraltar. Stephen Kenny’s men, who have now won only six of the 29 competitive games they have played under his charge, barely laid a glove on a far superior side under the closed roof at the Johan Cruyff Arena on a night when they had hoped to bloody the nose of one of Europe’s traditional big guns. Their feint hopes of securing a play-off berth via the Nations League were formally dashed on Thursday night by Slovakia’s 4-2 victory over Iceland with automatic qualification having slipped from their grasp long before. Kenny is out of contract after Tuesday night’s friendly against New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium, with his future due to be resolved when the results of a review are presented to the Football Association of Ireland’s board on November 28, although few are expecting an extension. Callum Robinson, making his first competitive start for his country since June last year, made an early impression with an inviting fifth-minute through-ball to Alan Browne, but although the midfielder struck his shot well he directed it straight at goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. Xavi Simons was less accurate at the other end as the Dutch mounted their first real attack, but they went ahead with just 12 minutes gone after Weghorst’s clever turn on to Stefan de Vrij’s pass on halfway left Nathan Collins for dead. The striker sprinted upfield before smashing a rising shot past helpless keeper Gavin Bazunu and into the roof of the net. The visitors’ efforts to work their way back into the game were repeatedly thwarted by a lack of penetration despite periods of possession and a tendency to surrender the ball in vulnerable positions. As Liverpool frontman Cody Gakpo started to unfold his repertoire, aided and abetted by Xavi Simons, Ireland looked increasingly stretched. The home defence, expertly marshalled by Virgil van Dijk, proved watertight as Ireland probed without reward, although the Netherlands failed to take advantage of their superiority at the other end with Gakpo and Tijjani Reijnders both missing the target from distance in quick succession. Ireland were in disarray as the whistle approached, with Gakpo and Simons repeatedly carving them open, but they somehow made it to the break without further damage – thanks in part to Bazunu’s 44th-minute save from Reijnders. They were fortunate not to fall further behind within three minutes when Simons connected with Denzel Dumfries’ cross at the end of a flowing counter-attack, only to see his goal-bound effort blocked by unwitting team-mate Gakpo. Bazunu came to the rescue twice within seconds, first palming away Weghorst’s instinctive strike and then turning Reijnders’ dipping effort on to the post, prompting Kenny to replace the isolated Ferguson with midfielder Jamie McGrath. Adam Idah thought he had levelled with 59 minutes gone when he ran on to Ryan Manning’s through-ball and cut inside Van Dijk before firing in a shot which clipped the defender’s heels and squirmed through Verbruggen’s legs and across the line, although the keeper’s blushes were spared by a late offside flag. The Dutch swarmed all over the visitors in their pursuit for further goals, but lacked the necessary precision to prosper and ultimately found themselves under unnecessary pressure as the clock ticked down. Read More Adam Johnson’s name chanted by fans as tributes paid at memorial match Saracens overcome injuries to England stars in thrashing of Harlequins Erling Haaland’s injury is not serious – Norway boss Stale Solbakken Rob Page admits Wales’ best chance of making Euro 2024 likely to be in play-offs James McAtee scores twice as England Under-21s win comfortably in Serbia A look at the data behind Virat Kohli’s record 50 ODI centuries

Curious about the last time Maryland picked up a win over Michigan? Find out here.

Rob Page accepts that Wales’ Euro 2024 destiny might lie in the play-offs following their damaging draw with Armenia. Wales needed a Nair Tiknizyan own goal on the stroke of half-time to give them a 1-1 draw in Yerevan, when Armenia were the most dangerous side for large parts of a low-quality contest. Croatia are now favourites to take the second automatic qualifying spot behind Turkey, who travel to Cardiff for Wales’ last group fixture on Tuesday safe in the knowledge they will be playing in the finals in Germany next summer. Having dropped points to remove automatic qualification from their own hands, manager Page said: “There’s a disappointed group in there, but we’ve got to pick ourselves up and finish on a high on Tuesday. “Unfortunately it’s now out of our control. With a win, we’d all have been buzzing and looking forward to the game on Tuesday, and a win would have seen us qualify. “It’s not materialised as we’d like, but that’s life and we have to get on with it. “It’s about building momentum and, if it’s a play-off in March, it’s a play-off in March. “If results go for us, we’ve still got an opportunity to qualify (automatically). “We can only control what we can do, get the players in the right frame of mind, mentally and physically ready for Tuesday.” Wales were beaten 4-2 by Armenia – ranked 95 in the world and 67 places below them – at the Cardiff City Stadium in June, and Page’s side were shaken again within five minutes of the Yerevan return. Lucas Zelarayan, who scored twice in Cardiff, worked space on the edge of the area after Wales failed to clear a corner and slotted the ball into the corner of Danny Ward’s net. Page said: “We got off to the worst possible start, we knew they were going to come out the traps fast. I’m disappointed with that. “I thought we grew in the first half and scored at the perfect time. “But the break came at a bad time for us because I thought we were growing in momentum. “We got into some OK positions. Whether it was the final pass or the final ball, that final detail wasn’t quite right for whatever reason. “We threw everything at it and both teams were going for the win. “You could see by the changes we made. We took a wing back-off and put a winger on to try and get as many forward players on the pitch as we could.” Wales had beaten World Cup semi-finalists Croatia last month to put them in control of the race for a top-two place. But on a poor pitch that neither team were able to master, Wales did not remotely come close hitting the heights of that performance. Reflecting on the contrasting two displays, Page said: “It’s not to say there were a lot of players who had off-days, but you do have that in transitions, you have inconsistencies. “I’m not going to fault the players for their effort. Their effort, to a man, was commendable. They gave everything, like they always do. “The pitch was heavy, like nothing we’ve seen back home, but it was the same for both sides. “We’ll get them recovered, have a recovery session on Sunday and go through with the medical team who we’ve got available for Tuesday. “We need to finish the campaign on a high. It’s important to have some momentum if there is a play-off in March.” Read More James McAtee scores twice as England Under-21s win comfortably in Serbia A look at the data behind Virat Kohli’s record 50 ODI centuries Steve Clarke wants return to winning ways – Scotland v Norway talking points Steve Clarke not concerned over which pot Scotland are in for Euro 2024 draw Liam Broady replaces injured Andy Murray in Great Britain’s Davis Cup team Matt Wallace produces stunning back nine display to shoot 60 and lead in Dubai

Stale Solbakken admits it was a “big blow” to lose Erling Haaland for Sunday’s dead-rubber Euro 2024 qualifier against Scotland at Hampden – but the Norway manager is confident the Manchester City striker’s injury is not a serious one. The free-scoring forward withdrew from the squad on Saturday morning after damaging his ankle in the second-half of Thursday’s 2-0 friendly win over Faroe Islands. “It’s a big blow for any team but we have played without him before, sometimes with success, sometimes without,” said Solbakken, speaking at Hampden on Saturday evening. “We started the qualification when he was not ready for the first two games, but after that he has played every single game so it was unfortunate for us that he got the small knock on Thursday. “It’s the movement in his foot that is the problem but it’s not a serious injury. Had it been a final, I don’t know (if he would have been fit to play). “All parties agree it is probably a little too early (for him to play) but it is not a career-threatening injury.” When asked why Haaland – a talisman for club and country – was risked in such a low-key match, Solbakken said: “It was his choice. He wanted to play 45 minutes to keep the momentum in a week where we were maybe not training as much. It was his decision. “There were three players who have played many games and we had conversations with all three of them and Erling’s much preferred choice was to play 45 minutes.” Many anticipated Sunday’s match being a qualification decider but Scotland’s 2-1 win in Oslo in June, when they scored two goals in the closing minutes to overturn Haaland’s penalty, has proved pivotal. It's the movement in his foot that is the problem but it's not a serious injury Stale Solbakken The Scots are already assured of a place in the finals in Germany and are six points ahead of third-placed Norway, who have only a slim chance of landing a play-off if results elsewhere go their way. “It was probably the sorest defeat you will ever feel,” said Solbakken, recalling Scotland’s late turnaround in the summer. “I still wake up at night thinking about those last five minutes but that is life. “If you look back now, those five minutes were very, very damaging. Otherwise the game tomorrow would have been a final. That speaks volumes. “But we must congratulate Scotland on a great campaign. They have done really, really well, not only in this campaign but also in the years before that. “They’ve played at a very high level and have also been good at bringing the margins on their side in tight games, which is very important in national football when there are so few games.” Unless they manage to salvage a Euro 2024 place via a play-off, Norway’s run without major tournament football will extend to 26 years. The Scots ended a 23-year wait when they qualified for the Euros in 2021 and Solbakken feels his nation can draw inspiration from Steve Clarke’s resurgent side. “Of course we can,” he said. “I think we are quite even. We always play very tight games against each other but they have been better than us with the small margins lately. We need to see if we can find that way too.” Read More Rob Page admits Wales’ best chance of making Euro 2024 likely to be in play-offs James McAtee scores twice as England Under-21s win comfortably in Serbia A look at the data behind Virat Kohli’s record 50 ODI centuries Steve Clarke wants return to winning ways – Scotland v Norway talking points Steve Clarke not concerned over which pot Scotland are in for Euro 2024 draw Liam Broady replaces injured Andy Murray in Great Britain’s Davis Cup team

James McAtee’s brace inspired dominant England Under-21s to a routine 3-0 win in Serbia. The Manchester City midfielder, on loan at Sheffield United, scored his first goals for the Young Lions. Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott added a third early in the second half as England saw out their Euro 2025 qualifier on Saturday with minimum fuss, shrugging off last month’s rare defeat to Ukraine. Lee Carsley’s side remain second, three points behind leaders Ukraine in Group F after their 4-0 win over Luxembourg on Friday. England thumped Serbia 9-1 at the City Ground last month and were dominant from the start in Backa Topola. It took just five minutes for the Young Lions to open the scoring when McAtee collected the ball on the edge of the area and his strike deflected off Mihajlo Ilic to loop over Veljko Ilic in goal. Four minutes later Liam Delap came close to doubling the lead when he glanced Noni Madueke’s cross just wide. But it was 2-0 after 19 minutes when McAtee received Hayden Hackney’s pass 20 yards out and drilled in, although Ilic should have done better. England dominated the rest of the half without adding to their advantage but took just nine minutes of the second half to make it 3-0. Elliott scored twice in the rout in Nottingham and got in on the act when he drilled into the bottom corner from 25 yards. Striker Jay Stansfield, making his debut after a late call this week, hit the woodwork after a neat turn and strike with 13 minutes left and also went close late on. Stansfield, on loan at Birmingham from Fulham, was denied a debut goal with three minutes remaining when he latched onto Madueke’s pass but saw his shot blocked. Read More A look at the data behind Virat Kohli’s record 50 ODI centuries Steve Clarke wants return to winning ways – Scotland v Norway talking points Steve Clarke not concerned over which pot Scotland are in for Euro 2024 draw