Gareth Southgate hails Rico Lewis after strong England debut in North Macedonia
Gareth Southgate praised Rico Lewis after the teenage debutant bounced back from a contentious penalty call made against him during an impressive first England appearance away to North Macedonia. An unbeaten year that started with victory in Italy ended with a 1-1 draw away in chilly Skopje as the Euro 2020 runners-up rubberstamped their place among the top seeds for next year’s finals. Monday’s trip to Skopje represented England’s final match on foreign soil before Euro 2024 gets under way in June, and Southgate’s side had to dig deep after falling behind to a team they beat 7-0 in June. Lewis was unlucky to see a spot-kick awarded against him shortly after Harry Maguire survived making a clumsy challenge in the box, with Enis Bardhi scoring after Jordan Pickford saved his initial spot-kick. England returned from the break strongly and Southgate quickly turned to Harry Kane, who immediately forced Jani Atanasov into an own goal that would seal the draw. “I thought the performance was good, mentality was excellent,” England boss Southgate said after bringing the curtain down on 2023. “I thought we played well, we totally controlled the game. “It was difficult with the way that they defended and the pitch not easy to get the perfect final pass. “But I thought there were some excellent performances within the game. “I didn’t think that was a penalty. The one before might have been, so maybe that evened itself out. “I’ve zero to say about (the VAR) which probably tells you everything.” Thankfully Southgate was more forthcoming when it came to the performance of versatile talent Lewis. Making his England debut a day shy of his 19th birthday, the left-back was in a far more advanced position in possession and reacted well to the penalty decision against him. Lewis caught Bojan Miovski with an arm when rising to win a header and referee Filip Glova pointed to the spot after reviewing the incident on the VAR’s behest. Asked if that moment may overshadow the teenager’s debut, Southgate said: “Well, it shouldn’t do because he was excellent. “His performance and then his reaction to what I know will have been a disappointment for him, but we’re not looking at him for being at fault in any way. “His composure with the ball was outstanding and he should be really proud because we are very, very pleased with what he did.” Southgate said there was no need to console Lewis about the penalty at half-time and instead reminded him about how well he was playing. “We thought Rico throughout the whole game was excellent,” the England manager added. “Great composure, great resilience. “We didn’t feel he had anything to come back from but I know sometimes as a player you might feel that. “But we thought there was no crime, so we were pleased with everything he did.” Lewis was the youngest starter on a night when Manchester City team-mate Kyle Walker was the elder statesman and skippered his country for the first time. “It was a nice moment for him to captain his country,” Southgate said of the 33-year-old. “He’s really grown in terms of his leadership. I know he’s thriving on that with his club and that will be a special moment in his career as well.” Read More Michael O’Neill calls Northern Ireland win over Denmark step in right direction Phil Taylor to retire from darts at the end of next year Everton’s 10-point penalty ‘grossly unjust’ and should be suspended, says MP Rob Page: Wales not entertaining Euro 2024 play-off talk before Turkey qualifier Mayor of Liverpool writes to Premier League over ‘excessive’ Everton penalty 5 talking points ahead of Republic of Ireland’s friendly against New Zealand
2023-11-21 07:59
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Harry Kane says England can be proud of qualifying campaign despite closing draw
Harry Kane insisted England should be proud of their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign despite a flat end to the year with a 1-1 draw in North Macedonia. England topped their group, finishing six points ahead of Italy, to book their place in Germany with two games to spare. Kane told Channel 4: “Difficult game, we knew it would be and it was tough against a decent side playing on a pitch that is difficult to play our style of football on. “We went 1-0 behind against the run of play with a soft penalty. It was good to get on the pitch. It was important for us to get a goal back and a shame we couldn’t get a second.” England equalised seconds after Kane came on as a substitute and pressured Jani Atanasov into scoring an own goal. “I’m pretty sure it was an own goal,” he added. “If anyone was going to get a second it was us. “We can be really proud of how the qualifying campaign has gone.” Kyle Walker captained England from the start, with Manchester City team-mate Rico Lewis making his debut a day before his 19th birthday. “I think after the qualifying we’ve had it was always going to be tough here but we dug in and got a point,” Walker told Channel 4. “It’s football. It’s been a short week, two games when we’ve already qualified. It’s no excuses, we know we should be taking three points from here but it’s something to work on for the future.” Lewis was harshly penalised for the penalty which led to North Macedonia’s opening goal. Enis Bardhi saw his spot-kick saved by Jordan Pickford but was first to the rebound to lash his side ahead “The man to my right has probably received an unfair decision there,” added Walker. “He deserves this cap and happy birthday for tomorrow.” Lewis said: “Overall I’m very happy – not with the decision that went against me – but I couldn’t have dreamed of anything better. I’m not really focused on any tournaments, just on myself and what I can do to get better.” Boss Gareth Southgate thought the penalty decision against Lewis was “really harsh”. “He was excellent,” Southgate told Channel 4. “His composure with the ball and the way he responded to that really harsh setback, he’s a super footballer and he was excellent.” It was not the end to the qualifying campaign Southgate wanted, but he added: “The really big results were in March against Italy and Ukraine. It meant coming here tonight was a completely different test. “I thought that given we had already qualified and everything had been achieved the mentality of the players was excellent. “The quality on the ball was good on a difficult pitch. Just that final pass or finish was difficult to find. But I thought there were lots of positive performances.” Read More Phil Taylor to retire from darts at the end of next year Everton’s 10-point penalty ‘grossly unjust’ and should be suspended, says MP Rob Page: Wales not entertaining Euro 2024 play-off talk before Turkey qualifier Mayor of Liverpool writes to Premier League over ‘excessive’ Everton penalty 5 talking points ahead of Republic of Ireland’s friendly against New Zealand Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds push on with Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground plans
2023-11-21 06:59
Lacklustre England end Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a whimper
England toiled to a 1-1 draw in North Macedonia as their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign came to a lacklustre close. Gareth Southgate’s side secured qualification to next summer’s finals in Germany last month and a forgettable draw in Skopje was at least enough to confirm them among the top seeds for December’s draw. Debutant Rico Lewis endured a night to forget at the Tose Proeski Arena as he conceded a controversial first-half penalty which Jordan Pickford saved before Enis Bardhi turned home the rebound. Captain Harry Kane came off the bench and played a part in the leveller as Jani Atanasov scored an own goal but England failed to find a winner. England showed six changes from the team that limped to a 2-0 win over Malta on Friday night as Kyle Walker captained his country for the first time – but it was another disjointed display from a team Southgate is aiming to lead to the top of the world rankings. Declan Rice was among those to come back into the starting line-up but, having called on England to conclude their unbeaten 2023 with a “bang” it instead ended with a whimper. England were as toothless in the first half as they had been in the drab victory over Malta on Friday night, although Rice did come close to opening the scoring with a low strike that cannoned off the base of the post. A tame header from Ollie Watkins followed before the hosts started to get a foothold, mainly due to England’s own poor defending. Midway through the half and Harry Maguire gifted possession to Bojan Miovski, who slipped in Eljif Elmas. Manchester United defender Maguire then seemed to barge Elmas off the ball inside the box but no penalty was forthcoming despite the protestations of the home side. However, Macedonia would be awarded a penalty 10 minutes before the break, Lewis’ stray hand catching Miovski as he attempted to head clear, with referee Filip Glova pointing to the spot after consulting his pitchside VAR monitor. Pickford made a fine stop to keep out Bardhi’s spot-kick but the Macedonia skipper was alive enough to turn home the rebound. England had been as blunt as the side that toiled against Malta three days ago and it took until first-half stoppage time for the visitors to have a shot on target, albeit a tame effort from Lewis. Trent Alexander-Arnold then stung the palms of Stole Dimitrievski and, in the last action of the half, England were left calling for a penalty of their own as Maguire stooped to meet the resulting corner and was caught by Elmas’ boot – this time, though, Glova was unmoved. England thought they were level less than two minutes after the restart but Jack Grealish saw a close-range finish ruled out for offside following another lengthy VAR check. Watkins, given a chance to once again show he has the capabilities to be the back-up to Kane at the Euros, had an ineffectual evening and was replaced by the skipper for the final quarter of the contest. Kane – who was missing from the starting XI of a competitive England game for the first time in over two years – was immediately involved, his run to meet Phil Foden’s corner saw him tracked by Atanasov, who inadvertently deflected the set-piece into his own goal. Southgate shuffled his pack as Marcus Rashford, Cole Palmer and Kalvin Phillips came on in the closing stages but, other than a wayward free-kick from the former, there were no real chances for England to seal victory. Macedonia head coach Blagoja Milevski had said on the eve of the contest that his side would show a “new face” from the one thrashed 7-0 at Old Trafford in June and they certainly put England’s nose out of joint here. Southgate will call for an improved performance in the two March friendlies when Brazil and Belgium visit Wembley but it was ultimately another successful, and unbeaten, qualification campaign under the 53-year-old. Read More North Macedonia vs England LIVE: Euro 2024 qualifier result and reaction Gareth Southgate wants vastly-improved display from England in North Macedonia Jarrod Bowen adds to England withdrawals after injury in training Kieran Trippier withdraws from England squad ahead of trip to North Macedonia Lauren James brilliance sinks Liverpool as five-star Chelsea take control of WSL I always want more for myself – Phil Foden targets England goals and assists
2023-11-21 06:29
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Northern Ireland end Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with fine win over Denmark
Northern Ireland saved their best until last as they ended a miserable Euro 2024 qualifying campaign on a high note with a 2-0 win over Group H winners Denmark. Second-half goals from Isaac Price and Dion Charles got Windsor Park roaring again as Northern Ireland recorded only their third win of the year, and the first against anyone other than San Marino. The match was effectively a dead rubber – Northern Ireland’s hopes of progressing to next summer’s finals were over by the summer while Denmark booked their ticket with a 2-1 win over Slovenia on Friday night – but this was a much-needed win for Michael O’Neill’s men after a testing few months. The injury problems that have plagued them from the very start continued to the bitter end with Daniel Ballard ruled out of this one, but the young players O’Neill has had to lean on so heavily should take great encouragement from a win over the top-ranked nation in Group H. Victory came thanks to two fine goals. On the hour, Jamal Lewis spun away from his man and ran down the left, playing the ball inside to Dion Charles who shuffled it on to Shea Charles. The Southampton man then saw the run of Price, whose shot beat Kasper Schmeichel at his near post. Then with nine minutes left Conor McMenamin, just on as a substitute, burst down the left, beat Crystal Palace’s Joachim Andersen and played a low ball across goal for Dion Charles to sweep home. At the other end, it was a good night too for Conor Hazard. O’Neill had been unhappy with how the Plymouth goalkeeper had conceded the second goal in Friday’s 4-0 loss to Finland, but the stand-in stopper came up with two big saves in the first half here, then another in stoppage time. O’Neill had made three changes from Friday’s heavy defeat. Ciaron Brown replaced the injured Ballard, Dale Taylor came in for Ross McCausland and Shea Charles returned from suspension at the expense of Jordan Thompson. As they did in Helsinki, Northern Ireland began well, and they were gifted a golden opportunity eight minutes in when Rasmus Kristensen’s poor header fell into the path of Dion Charles only for the Bolton striker to see his shot rattle the far post. Eoin Toal then headed wide from a deep cross, but gradually Denmark, sporting seven changes from Friday’s win as Kasper Hjulmand assessed some of his squad players, began to exert control and the spark went out of Northern Ireland’s performance. Hazard watched Morten Hjulmand’s half-volley fly over the crossbar before Mohamed Daramy cut in from the left to hit a shot which perhaps struck Paddy McNair on the arm although the Middlesbrough man, wearing the captain’s armband, had his hands across his chest. Hazard made a reaction save to deny Andersen from a corner, and then used less orthodox methods to keep out a long-range effort from ex-Chelsea man Andreas Christiansen, diving to his right and then kicking it clear after it took a deflection off Toal. The crowd had gone quiet as Denmark bossed play, but it all changed in the second half. Toal had headed narrowly wide from a Lewis cross just before Price finished off Northern Ireland’s best move of the night, perhaps of the entire campaign, to wake Windsor Park from its slumbers. Denmark substitute Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg blasted a shot wide soon after, but McMenamin then came off the bench to tee up the decisive second. After Hazard made another good save to deny Jonas Wind, the match-winner in Copenhagen back in June, in stoppage time the final whistle was greeted with a huge cheer as the frustrations of a long campaign were expunged. Read More Northern Ireland keen to go out on high note against Denmark – 5 talking points England continue unbeaten Euro 2024 qualifying run with victory over Malta Michael O’Neill urges Northern Ireland to stick to plan Finland put Northern Ireland to the sword in Helsinki Jarell Quansah keen to become ‘top centre-back’ after Liverpool breakthrough On this day in 2004: John Toshack becomes Wales boss on five-year deal
2023-11-21 06:25
England bring qualifying campaign to lacklustre close with North Macedonia draw
England toiled to a 1-1 draw in North Macedonia as their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign came to a lacklustre close. Gareth Southgate’s side secured qualification to next summer’s finals in Germany last month and a forgettable draw in Skopje was at least enough to confirm them among the top seeds for December’s draw. Debutant Rico Lewis endured a night to forget at the Tose Proeski Arena as he conceded a controversial first-half penalty which Jordan Pickford saved before Enis Bardhi turned home the rebound. Captain Harry Kane came off the bench and played a part in the leveller as Jani Atanasov scored an own goal but England failed to find a winner. England showed six changes from the team that limped to a 2-0 win over Malta on Friday night as Kyle Walker captained his country for the first time – but it was another disjointed display from a team Southgate is aiming to lead to the top of the world rankings. Declan Rice was among those to come back into the starting line-up but, having called on England to conclude their unbeaten 2023 with a “bang” it instead ended with a whimper. England were as toothless in the first half as they had been in the drab victory over Malta on Friday night, although Rice did come close to opening the scoring with a low strike that cannoned off the base of the post. A tame header from Ollie Watkins followed before the hosts started to get a foothold, mainly due to England’s own poor defending. Midway through the half and Harry Maguire gifted possession to Bojan Miovski, who slipped in Eljif Elmas. Manchester United defender Maguire then seemed to barge Elmas off the ball inside the box but no penalty was forthcoming despite the protestations of the home side. However, Macedonia would be awarded a penalty 10 minutes before the break, Lewis’ stray hand catching Miovski as he attempted to head clear, with referee Filip Glova pointing to the spot after consulting his pitchside VAR monitor. Pickford made a fine stop to keep out Bardhi’s spot-kick but the Macedonia skipper was alive enough to turn home the rebound. England had been as blunt as the side that toiled against Malta three days ago and it took until first-half stoppage time for the visitors to have a shot on target, albeit a tame effort from Lewis. Trent Alexander-Arnold then stung the palms of Stole Dimitrievski and, in the last action of the half, England were left calling for a penalty of their own as Maguire stooped to meet the resulting corner and was caught by Elmas’ boot – this time, though, Glova was unmoved. England thought they were level less than two minutes after the restart but Jack Grealish saw a close-range finish ruled out for offside following another lengthy VAR check. Watkins, given a chance to once again show he has the capabilities to be the back-up to Kane at the Euros, had an ineffectual evening and was replaced by the skipper for the final quarter of the contest. Kane – who was missing from the starting XI of a competitive England game for the first time in over two years – was immediately involved, his run to meet Phil Foden’s corner saw him tracked by Atanasov, who inadvertently deflected the set-piece into his own goal. Southgate shuffled his pack as Marcus Rashford, Cole Palmer and Kalvin Phillips came on in the closing stages but, other than a wayward free-kick from the former, there were no real chances for England to seal victory. Macedonia head coach Blagoja Milevski had said on the eve of the contest that his side would show a “new face” from the one thrashed 7-0 at Old Trafford in June and they certainly put England’s nose out of joint here. Southgate will call for an improved performance in the two March friendlies when Brazil and Belgium visit Wembley but it was ultimately another successful, and unbeaten, qualification campaign under the 53-year-old. Read More Phil Taylor to retire from darts at the end of next year Everton’s 10-point penalty ‘grossly unjust’ and should be suspended, says MP Rob Page: Wales not entertaining Euro 2024 play-off talk before Turkey qualifier Mayor of Liverpool writes to Premier League over ‘excessive’ Everton penalty 5 talking points ahead of Republic of Ireland’s friendly against New Zealand Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds push on with Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground plans
2023-11-21 06:21
Call of Duty League 2024 Maps and Modes Announced
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