England survived an early scare to mount an impressive comeback and outclass Montenegro in Podgorica, in a game overshadowed by racist abuse directed at visiting players.
Manager Gareth Southgate gave first starts to youngsters Declan Rice and Callum Hudson-Odoi but England were stunned after only 17 minutes when Marko Vesovic gave Jordan Pickford no chance with a precise, curling finish. The visitors kept their composure to respond emphatically with confidence, class and power by taking maximum points - and 10 goals - from their first two Euro 2020 qualifiers. Everton defender Michael Keane headed home Barkley's free-kick for his first international goal on the half hour, before the midfielder turned in Chelsea team-mate Hudson-Odoi's shot to give them the lead before the break. Montenegro posed only a fleeting threat and Barkley effectively wrapped up the victory with a powerful finish after determined work by Raheem Sterling on 59 minutes. England emphasised their vast superiority when Sterling was provider once more for Harry Kane's simple finish before the Manchester City forward got on the scoresheet himself. However, the victory was marred by an unsavoury conclusion with Sterling clearly responding to taunts from the home fans in his goal celebration, and Hudson-Odoi having to retrieve an object thrown on to the pitch. And the Montenegro supporters also directed chants at Danny Rose after the defender was shown a yellow card late on, casting a shadow over another great night for Southgate and his team.
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2019-03-26 02:00:00
Callum Hudson-Odoi sends message to Chelsea
Callum Hudson-Odoi's full England debut brought joy to Gareth Southgate - and hopefully a measure of embarrassment to Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri. Southgate has shown more faith in 18-year-old Hudson-Odoi in 10 days than Sarri has shown all season at Stamford Bridge, an instant elevation from England's under-21 squad followed by a debut as a substitute against the Czech Republic at Wembley on Friday then a first start in Montenegro. The teenager's career is being played out back to front because of Sarri's reluctance to incorporate the gifted attacker into his tactical framework at Chelsea. And on the evidence of his performance on the pitch in the 5-1 win in Montenegro and his strong, mature, measured response after the game when questioned about the disgraceful racist abuse suffered by England's players, he is an all-round class act and will be for years to come. He is getting his chance, the show of faith in his talent, from England. This is a youngster with two England caps to his name before he has made a Premier League start for Chelsea - a stark statistic that does not reflect well on Sarri. Chelsea's fans have become increasingly mystified by Hudson-Odoi's continued marginalisation and the temperature on those feelings will only have been turned up several notches by the maturity of his performance here in the hothouse of Podgorica, where natural passion boiled over into shameful incidents of racist chanting aimed at England's players. Hudson-Odoi was not only one of England's stand-out performers, helped by Southgate's successful early switch from right to left, he showed character beyond his years in this unforgiving, unpleasant atmosphere. He was composed amid the acrimony from the terraces, picking up an object thrown from the crowd in the aftermath of Raheem Sterling's goal before getting back to the business of ensuring England recorded another dominant win after Friday's 5-0 dismissal of the Czech Republc at Wembley. The winger is seriously considering following his England team-mate Jadon Sancho's route to the Bundesliga. Sancho, who celebrated his 19th birthday on Tuesday, has been a huge success since leaving Manchester City for Borussia Dortmund. It cleared a pathway to the England team for Sancho and now Bayern Munich are willing to pay well in excess of
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2019-03-26 02:00:00
Emiliano Sala: Cardiff set to claim transfer deal 'not legally binding'
Cardiff City are set to claim the deal to buy Emiliano Sala from Nantes for
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2019-03-26 02:00:00
England v Czech Republic: Could evolution push World Cup heroes to margins?
"Golden Generation" is the phrase that should never speak its name again when projecting England's future - the ultimate over-exaggeration for international underachievers. England's collection of world-class club players such as Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen, along with the Manchester United quartet of Gary Neville, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes, all felt the weight of the millstone as they came up short at major tournaments. For England's latest generation, the expectation has heightened after reaching the World Cup semi-finals in Russia and securing a place in the final four of the inaugural Nations League in Portugal in June.And while one label must be banished from the lexicon, it is not stretching reality to suggest Gareth Southgate's side start their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign against the Czech Republic at Wembley on Friday on the brink of an exciting evolution. England are in the process of assembling one of the most promising young international squads in world football and the message to the more established guard is that the train is moving and if they stand still they will be left on the platform. The elevation of Chelsea's exciting 18-year-old Callum Hudson-Odoi from England's Under-21s to the full squad for the games against the Czechs and Montenegro in Podgorica on Monday is the latest symbol of Southgate's boldness and determination to build on the success of Russia, not rest on it.
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2019-03-22 02:00:00
Virgil van Dijk scored his third goal in six internationals for the Netherlands
Memphis Depay scored twice and provided assists for Liverpool duo Georginio Wijnaldum and Virgil van Dijk as the Netherlands thrashed Belarus in their opening Group C Euro 2020 qualifier. The Dutch took a first-minute lead when Depay punished a sloppy backpass before his backheel pass was converted by Wijnaldum in Rotterdam. The Reds midfielder then earned a penalty from a foul by Mikhail Sivakov. Depay converted before he crossed for Van Dijk to head in a late fourth. Ronald Koeman's side, who face England in the Nations League semi-finals in June, host Germany in an eagerly anticipated clash on Sunday.
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2019-03-22 02:00:00
Northern Ireland made a winning start to their Euro 2020 qualifiers
Northern Ireland made a winning start to their Euro 2020 qualifiers with Niall McGinn and Steven Davis on target in a 2-0 victory over Estonia. A frustrating first half saw the hosts fail to turn their dominance of possession into goals. McGinn lashed the ball into the net from 16 yards from Kyle Lafferty's lay-off in the 56th minute and Davis fired home from the penalty spot in the 75th. Northern Ireland play Belarus in their next Group C game in Belfast on Sunday. With Northern Ireland drawn in a difficult group alongside European giants Germany and the Netherlands - only two countries will qualify for Euro 2020 - manager Michael O'Neill had emphasised the necessity of building early momentum and getting early points by beating lower ranked teams Estonia and Belarus in their first two games. O'Neill's side will face Estonia and Belarus again away from home in June, before the formidable double-headers against the Dutch and Germans in the autumn. Northern Ireland had gone eight competitive games without a win before this fixture but they now have the opportunity to repeat or better their start to their successful Euro 2016 qualifying series when they triumphed in their first three matches. The win over the Estonians ensured O'Neill began his fourth qualifying campaign on a winning note as he attempts to lead his side to successive European Championship finals by negotiating the condensed qualifying competition which runs from March to November.
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2019-03-22 02:00:00
Chelsea's Eden Hazard scored twice to spare the blushes of former club-mate Thibaut Courtois
Chelsea's Eden Hazard scored twice to spare the blushes of former club-mate Thibaut Courtois as Belgium began their road to Euro 2020 with victory over Group I rivals Russia. Leicester's Youri Tielemans' low shot gave Belgium a 14th-minute lead. Two minutes later keeper Courtois gave the ball away under pressure from Artem Dzyuba and Denis Cheryshev slotted in. But just before the break it was 2-1 when Hazard converted a penalty before he slotted in a late third. The World Cup semi-finalists are in Cyprus for their next qualifier on Sunday. Russia travel to neighbours Kazakhstan,
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2019-03-22 02:00:00
Aberdeen's Shay Logan forced to dress as Celtic's Scott Brown
We've all seen someone on their stag do forced to dress up as Little Bo-Peep or in a big baby's nappy, then paraded around in public in their embarrassing attire. Aberdeen defender Shay Logan's friends were equally unforgiving, but a little bit more inventive - they made him dress up as Celtic captain Scott Brown. The Pittodrie full-back wore a full Celtic strip, complete with Brown's name and number on the back of his shirt. Logan, 31, did not appear exactly thrilled by the idea - given he has had a number of run-ins with Brown and fans of the Parkhead club - saying "the boys have killed me" and "stag do or not, I'm still a Don". Logan v Tonev The bad-feeling started in 2014 when Logan accused the then on-loan Aston Villa midfielder Alexander Tonev of racially abusing him during a Celtic v Aberdeen game in Glasgow. Tonev denied the accusation, but Logan was found by a Scottish FA tribunal to be a more reliable and convincing witness than the Bulgarian, who was subsequently banned for seven games.
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2019-03-21 02:00:00
Manchester City fan Paul Worth reveals Schalke attack left him 'close to death
Manchester City fan Paul Worth reveals Schalke attack left him 'close to death
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2019-03-21 02:00:00
Giggs defends decision to rest Bale amid disappointed Wales fans
Ryan Giggs says he understands why some Wales fans were disappointed that Gareth Bale was left out of Wednesday's friendly win over Trinidad and Tobago. Wrexham's Racecourse Ground was sold out for Wales' first match in the north since 2008. But some supporters were left disappointed as Giggs fielded a second string team ahead of Sunday's opening Euro 2020 qualifier against Slovakia. "Of course it's disappointing for the fans," said Giggs. "They want to see the likes of Gareth. But it's my job to make sure we are ready for Sunday. "Gareth got his first 90 minutes in three months [for Real Madrid last weekend], took part in a little bit of training yesterday, then trained this morning, really well. "So it was just too much of a risk with Sunday in mind. That was the case with a few of the players. I gave the chance for players to push forward for Sunday, but also keeping players fresh." Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey missed the game with a thigh problem and Bournemouth's David Brooks was absent with an ankle knock, with Harry Wilson and Connor Roberts left on the bench. Giggs said: "Originally when I planned the game, it was going to be a first-half [at full strength] and then we make changes. "But Brooksy took a knock at the weekend on his ankle, Harry has played a lot of games, Connor has played a lot of games. Aaron picked up that little knock. It gave me the opportunity to look after them at the start of the week." As Giggs made wholesale changes to his side to face Trinidad and Tobago, an unfamiliar looking Wales team struggled to impose themselves on their opponents ranked 93rd in the world. Former Wales captain Kevin Ratcliffe, who was a part of the BBC Radio Wales commentary team for the game, said in the first half: "It's looking like a bunch of players that have been thrown together, not knowing when to pass it." Wales had an escape in the second half when Chris Gunter cleared off the line from Trinidad and Tobago's Aubrey David. But they improved and eventually forced a winning goal two minutes into added time as Ben Woodburn chested the ball in from close range. "The performance, first half especially, I was really pleased with," said Giggs. "We had a couple of days to work on a few things and felt we did that in the first half without that final third composure, without making the right decisions and having a bit of quality. "Trinidad and Tobago didn't have anything. But I reminded the players at half-time about Albania [where Wales lost in November]. It was exactly the same in Albania, so we had to keep that clean sheet. "We rode our luck a bit in the second half. Obviously Gunts made a fantastic clearance off the line. Credit to Trinidad and Tobago, in the second half they made it difficult for us. We just had to be patient. "To score late in the game is a great trait for teams to have, so I'm really pleased with the result."