Nigeria were disappointed to come away from their final Women’s World Cup group game against Ireland with just a point but would have gladly accepted it before kick-off if they knew it meant reaching the last 16, coach Randy Waldrum said. Nigeria started the game top of the Group B standings but the 0-0 draw allowed co-hosts Australia to move up to first place after they thrashed Canada 4-0, meaning the African side look on course to face England in the last 16. A pay dispute has overshadowed their campaign, with the outspoken Waldrum saying he was owed seven months’ wages and some of his players had not been paid in two years. But the American coach said he was proud of what his side achieved despite the complaints. “I just told them that two years ago, when we started this journey, so many things went well and so many things didn’t go well. They never gave up, they continued to believe,” a smiling Waldrum said after they sealed qualification for the last 16. “You know, I was actually disappointed in the second half because we could have won the match. So it almost feels disappointing that we didn’t get the result, the three points. But all of us would have taken this result before we started the match just to know we got through.” Japan lay down marker with Spain thrashing Elsewhere on Monday, Hinata Miyazawa grabbed two goals to become the tournament’s leading scorer as former champions Japan put on a counter-attacking clinic to beat Spain 4-0 and lock up top spot in Group C. Striker Riko Ueki also scored on the break as the Nadeshiko cut through Spain’s high press with three lightning raids in the first half before substitute Momoko Tanaka added the fourth with another quality strike eight minutes from time. Japan, winners of the 2011 World Cup and runners-up in 2015, will remain in the New Zealand capital to play Norway in the last 16 on Saturday, while Spain – who similarly to their opponents had already qualified for the last 16 – will move north to Auckland to face Switzerland earlier on the same day. “In the first and second games, we had more time to work with the ball but had to be wary of the counter-attack,” said coach Futoshi Ikeda. “In this match against Spain, we knew we would have to defend for long periods. So we knew we would have to take advantage of every opportunity we had to play the game we wanted to. I think were successful in this.” Zambia end tournament on a high Debutants Zambia claimed their first-ever victory at the Women’s World Cup with a 3-1 win over Costa Rica at Waikato Stadium, although both teams were already out of contention for the knockout stage. Zambia, whose first two games ended in 5-0 hammerings, finished third in Group C, as Costa Rica finished bottom and did not pick up a point in their three matches. Defender Lushomo Mweemba scored the fastest goal of the tournament so far, with a spectacular volleyed effort at two minutes and 11 seconds, and captain Barbra Banda doubled the lead from the penalty spot just after the half-hour mark. Melissa Herrera cut the deficit two minutes after the break and Costa Rica pushed for an equaliser, but substitute Racheal Kundananji netted the third in stoppage time to ensure Zambia’s debut World Cup campaign ended on a high. “It’s a historic day,” Banda said. “We’ve had a lot of support back home so we wanted to win today ... It was not an easy game for us. It was a battle. “I’ve been practising penalties in training so I was confident. At the same time, I was nervous, carrying the hopes of thousands of people back home. It was an honour for me to take that penalty.” Playing at their second World Cup, Costa Rica were still searching for their first win in the competition and scored two minutes after the break when forward Herrera bundled the ball home after goalkeeper Catherine Musonda was unable to clear it. Read More Women’s World Cup golden boot: Who’s leading the top-scorer standings? When do USA women play next? World Cup fixtures and route to the final What do England need to qualify for Women’s World Cup last-16? England vs China: Kick-off time and how to watch on TV Australia thrash Canada to save Women’s World Cup dream from the jaws of a nightmare Kelly Smith: England can cope without Keira Walsh — here is how Lionesses can adjust

Mikel Arteta insisted it has not become a psychological issue for Arsenal after they conceded in the first minutes of a home game for the third time this year against Fulham. Bukayo Saka’s blind pass let in Andreas Pereira to score for the visitors after just 57 seconds in front of a stunned Emirates, after the team made similarly poor starts against Southampton and Bournemouth last season. The hosts had looked to have done enough to seal a fine comeback victory when substitute Eddie Nketiah slotted past Bernd Leno from Fabio Vieira’s cross 18 minutes from the end. That was two minutes after Saka made amends for his early error and equalised from the penalty spot, with defender Kenny Tete penalised for tripping Vieira as he charged into the box from Gabriel Martinelli’s pass. And when Calvin Bassey was shown a second yellow card for bringing down Nketiah near the halfway line, Fulham’s hopes seemed to have gone until Joao Palhinha found space inside the box to hook Harrison Reed’s corner beyond Aaron Ramsdale in the 87th minute. Arteta lamented that his side had gifted Fulham a point by gifting two poor goals, but praised the way the players regathered their composure and went at their opponents after yet another bad start. “When in the first minute you make a mistake that we made and you give a goal to the opponent, the game becomes much more difficult,” said Arteta. “The reaction after that, even the first half, the number of situations and chances we generated, we didn’t give anything away. We controlled the game for full periods, but we didn’t score the goal. “In the second half we made some changes. The dynamic changed, we had better relationships. I think the subs (Nketiah and Vieira) made a huge difference and impact. I loved the determination and confidence they brought to the team. “We go 2-1 up and then you have to defend the box with your life. You cannot concede a goal after everything we’ve done, because we should have scored five, six, seven. “We had a big (error) here last year against Fulham where we gave a goal to (Aleksandar) Mitrovic. It’s part of football. “I haven’t seen it (playing on the players’ minds). I don’t see that afterwards, the way the team played. In any other sport you would win by a hundred points difference, but this is football. “We drew, we conceded two very, very poor goals. In the Premier League, when you give something (away), you’re going to get punished, and we were today. “If I compare the game we played against Fulham this season and last season, we were at least 10 times better today than last season. We were much better than last season. Last season we won 2-1 in the last minute, today we drew 2-2.” Arsenal had struggled to find a way back into the game despite putting Fulham under near constant pressure after going behind. It was not until the introduction of Nketiah and Vieira midway through the second half that their fortunes turned. Vieira showed ready instincts to anticipate Martinelli’s clever ball in behind to win the penalty, then his pinpoint cross was expertly timed for Nketiah to crash home their second to send the Emirates into raptures. Gabriel Jesus, who returned to training this week after surgery, was kept in reserve until being brought on in added time, a decision Arteta defended. “The way we generated chance after chance I didn’t think it was necessary (to bring on Jesus earlier),” he said. “In the last minute we decided to bring him in, he’s only had a few days of training sessions after the surgery. But I’m very happy with the subs, the way they came in. “Fabio, I’m delighted with him because he hasn’t played any minutes this season. To see a player that comes with a determination and positiveness to the team and has the impact he had, it’s difficult. I’m really pleased and I’m happy for him as well.” Fulham boss Marco Silva reflected on a point hard earned as his side recovered from the disappointment of their 3-0 home loss to Brentford last time out. “Really tough and emotional,” he said. “After the last defeat against Brentford – a harsh result for us – we wanted to react. “People said that (the Emirates) was not the best place to show a reaction. Our idea was completely different, that it was the best place for us to show a reaction. “In my opinion Arsenal are going to be even stronger than last season. The quality that they have is impressive. I have to say they are going to be contenders again.”

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Colorado dentist and father-of-six James Toliver Craig leaned back in his chair and twiddled his thumbs through his handcuffs on Wednesday, his beard unkempt above his orange prison jumpsuit, as court took a brief recess from a preliminary hearing on the first-degree murder charge he faces for allegedly poisoning his wife. The casual display came shortly after the prosecution laid out a litany of evidence they say supports their case that Craig deliberately poisoned his spouse of more than two decades, Angela Dawn Pray Craig, with shakes while pursuing a relationship with a Texas orthodontist. Craig, 45, was arrested one day after Angela, 43, was pronounced dead on 18 March following her third hospitalisation in a month for a host of concerning and worsening symptoms. Prosecutors on Wednesday revealed Craig was also now facing a second charge without specifying what it was. But testimony from the Arapahoe County Coroner and lead detective – as reporters and several of Angela’s relatives sat in the courtroom – included a number of explosive claims. According to evidence given by Arapahoe County Coroner Dr Kelly Lear, samples showed that Angela had an arsenic level of 68 around 11.50am on 15 March – but that level had increased to 330 just after 8.20pm. That would be “consistent with her receiving additional cyanide exposure in that time period,” Dr Lear said. The cause of death she listed in her report was acute “cyanide and tetrahydrozoline poisoning; the manner of death is homicide,” she testified Wednesday. Tetrahydrozoline is the decongestant used in Visine eye drops. The dentist had researched other types of poison before his wife’s death, including an internet search for oleander, Aurora Police Detective Bobbi Olson testified on Wednesday. A search warrant obtained for an exam room computer at his dental practice found that, in the weeks leading up to Angela’s final hospitalization, Craig had searched for “how to make murder look like a heart attack,” “is arsenic detectable in an autopsy” and “how many grams of pure arsenic will kill a human?” Det. Olson also testified about how hospital staff, then police, were informed by Craig’s business partner and his wife about their concerns regarding the dentist’s behavior. Ryan Redfearn and his wife, Michelle, who has a PhD in nursing, had been informed by staff at the joint dental practice he owned with Craig that his business partner had ordered a delivery of potassium cyanide to the office. He had instructed an office employee to look out for a private package but it was mistakenly opened by another worker after it arrived on 13 March, Det. Olson said. A staff member “reconstructed the box, put the packaging slip back in; prior to doing that, she saw that it said ‘potassium cyanide,’ described the container, said it was like a tinfoil cardboard type container” she’d never seen before in the dental practice, Det. Olson said. “There was also a biohazard type sticker on the box, as well; she put it back together and then handed it to Mr Craig.” The dentist was later seen leaving with the container, the detective said. The employee googled potassium cyanide and its symptoms, connected them to Angela’s illness and told the Redfearns, who then told nursing staff, who called police. Det. Olson said both Redfearns were interviewed in the early morning hours of 16 March. At that time, Michelle Redfearn pointed out to police the previous recent hospital visits Angela had made, the detective said. Mr Redfearn, meanwhile, told police that Craig had filed for bankruptcy in 2021 and the debt payments were being covered by his own part of the business to the tune of $18,000 a month. He said he’d informed his partner in January that he “needed to work more, be around more, take less time off and that he was going to have to take a pay cut,” the detective testified. Craig’s pay was $39,000 in January and less than $16,000 the following month, she said. The dentist had taken out four life insurance policies on his wife from two companies totaling nearly $4.5million, the court heard. Throughout all of this, prosecutors allege Craig was enjoying his burgeoning relationship with Texas orthodontist Karin Cain, who is named in the charging documents. Det. Olson on Wednesday confirmed that the dentist continued to write letters to Ms Cain from jail after his arrest professing his love for her. Just hours before Wednesday’s hearing, Ms Cain broke her silence to claim that Mr Craig lied to her about the state of his marriage and that she would never have gotten involved with him if she had known the truth. Rather than being his “mistress”, the Texas orthodontist said they had only met three weeks prior to his wife’s death at a dentistry conference. “I don’t like the label,” she said. “If I had known what was true, I would not have been with this person.” Ms Cain shared doubts that she played a part in Mr Craig’s alleged murderous motive, as she said they had never planned a future together. “There’s no way I’m a motive. There’s been no planning a future together,” she said. Ms Cain said that she met Mr Craig at the dental conference in February and that he lied to her by claiming his marriage was over and that he did not live in the same home as his wife. At the time, Ms Cain was also in the middle of divorcing her husband of three decades. While she was “not looking for love,” she said that they bonded over their apparent shared experiences and shared devotion to their children. In total, they spent just three days together at the conference, meeting on a Thursday before parting ways – her to Texas, him to Colorado – on Saturday. After that they messaged constantly and she felt “so connected” to her new companion, she said. She planned to visit him in Colorado but the first trip fell through. The second planned trip came in March when she said Mr Craig told her his wife was ill. The day before she was due to arrive in Denver, she said that Angela had a seizure and was placed on life support, with a low chance of survival. While she said she reconsidered going to Colorado at that time, Mr Craig allegedly encouraged her by saying that he could do with her support. They went for dinner twice, she said, where she noted his behaviour seemed odd. “He at no point seemed stressed or anxious,” she said. “I mean really I had to drag it out of him like, ‘Are you sure you’re ok?’” Days later, Angela was dead. Now, Ms Cain says she feels lied to by the person she felt she was falling in love with. “I don’t have any sort of headspace in my reality where it fits” what she has now learned in the criminal affidavit, she said. “I didn’t willingly have a relationship with somebody who was in a marriage.” Read More Poison shakes, an illicit affair and ‘crocodile tears’: What we know about Denver’s alleged killer dentist Prosecutors set to present evidence against Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife's shakes Colorado dentist is charged with murder for allegedly poisoning wife who complained of headaches for weeks

FRANKFURT Inflation in the euro zone fell for a third straight month in June as the cost of