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Gareth Southgate cannot understand why fans turned on Jordan Henderson after the long-serving England vice-captain was booed off against Australia at Wembley. Eyebrows were raised when the 33-year-old swapped his role as Liverpool skipper for the Saudi Pro League, joining Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq in a controversial £12million deal. Henderson had been a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Anfield and last month apologised for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal. There was no noticeable negative reaction towards him during September’s doubleheader against Ukraine and Scotland, but things were different in England’s first home match since his controversial move. There were murmurs when Henderson’s named was read out before Friday’s 1-0 friendly win against Australia at sold-out Wembley, where he was jeered by some fans when replaced in the second half. “I really don’t understand it,” Southgate said of the reaction. “He’s a player who I think has 79 caps now for England. “His commitment and what he has delivered for England is exceptional. “His role within the group on and off the pitch is phenomenally important. “He’s the one that has taken the likes of Jude Bellingham under his wing as soon as he came in the squad, provides a brilliant role model for all of the group in his professionalism and his approach to every part of his work. “Some people decided to boo. I really don’t understand what that is for. This is a team that are delivering a lot and they all deserve everybody’s support Gareth Southgate “We’ve got players in England shirts. Yeah, come on, we play Italy on Tuesday (in a key Euro 2024 qualifier). Let’s get behind this team. “I know we weren’t at our best tonight but that was due to a lot of changes we made and we gave the players out there a difficult task because to be cohesive with so many changes is tough. “But I would just say that this is a team that are delivering a lot and they all deserve everybody’s support.” Speaking upon calling up Henderson for September’s fixtures, Southgate said “I don’t really know why a player would receive an adverse reaction because of where he plays.” Asked if perhaps the player’s recent promotion of Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid might have had an impact, Southgate said: “What has that got to do with supporting a guy wearing an England shirt?” Put to him that England fans may not agree with Henderson’s principles, he said: “Well, yeah, I don’t really know where we are heading with everything. “I’m hugely impressed with the impeccable values and decisions that everybody in our country is making then. “Yeah, clearly, I don’t understand it. I know what’s created it and I know why it has happened, but it defies logic to me that you would give a player who is playing and putting his heart and soul into playing for England… why boo him? “How is that going to help him or help the team?” Southgate was later quizzed about his comments relating to what created the reception, only to respond “there’s nothing to gained by going over it, really”. The England manager was heard loud and clear in the post-match press conference, but the same could not be said for counterpart Graham Arnold. The passionate Australia boss lost his voice on a night when his side pushed England close, only to lose to returning Ollie Watkins’ 57th-minute effort. Arnold’s assistant Rene Meulensteen instead faced the media and was asked if it felt like a missed opportunity given the Socceroos’ performance under the arch. “Yeah, I think so,” the former Manchester United coach said. “Having said that, I think we’d be very, very proud of this performance. “Sometimes in football you play games and the results are not going for you, then you try to look for what the causes are. “But this, I think, is one of those losses where you can be really, really proud of the performance. “I mean, we played against a very strong nation. “They’ve obviously got a very big game coming up in a few days against Italy as we all know but they can field two world-class teams, without a shadow of a doubt.” Read More Stephen Kenny admits Republic of Ireland ‘needed to win’ against Greece Ben Davies: Wales go into Croatia clash believing anything’s possible Matty Jones says late Wales Under-21s draw in Czech Republic ‘feels like a win’ Stephen Kenny under pressure as Ireland’s qualification hopes come to end England and Australia observe silence for those killed in Israel and Gaza Simon Raiwalui ‘in no doubt’ grieving Sam Matavesi will be ready to face England

The mood is subdued in the run-up to cricket's fiercest rivalry but that's set to change on Saturday.

Beleaguered Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny declined to discuss his future after a deeply damaging 2-0 home defeat by Greece finally ended hopes of automatic qualification for Euro 2024. Ireland were decidedly second-best at the Aviva Stadium and will head for Gibraltar on Monday evening having taken just three points from their first six qualifiers. However, asked about his tenure, Kenny said: “I’m not going to use this to speak about that. “Ultimately of course we’re disappointed. We knew it was a group of death, tough games. “France, Holland, really tough. We had epic games against both of them. “You shouldn’t be losing at home to Greece. They are a good team, better than people think they are, technically very good with good qualities. “We needed to win tonight, I know that.” Kenny had gone into the game under pressure, but with the Football Association of Ireland having indicated he would remain in charge until the end of the campaign whatever happened. Asked this week if the results in these two fixtures could change the association’s stance, chief executive Jonathan Hill said: “No, I don’t think so. “We’re committed to that process of reviewing the whole of the qualification process in November.” Whether that is still the case after a dark night at the Aviva Stadium remains to be seen. The brutal truth is that Kenny’s 27 competitive matches at the helm have yielded just five victories – against Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Scotland, Armenia and Gibraltar – with only a 3-0 Nations League success against the Scots in June 2022 backing the manager’s claims of progress. He had made qualification for next summer’s finals – they still have a notional, but unlikely chance of securing a play-off spot – his goal when he was first appointed, and Ireland’s abject failure to even establish themselves in the race is a damning indictment. Greece, who had set out on the campaign knowing they and the Republic would realistically be competing for third place and a possible challenge to big two France and the Netherlands, were far superior in Dublin as they backed up their June win in Athens with an even more impressive display. First-half goals from Giorgos Giakoumakis and Giorgos Masouras did the damage, but did not fully reflect the comfort with which they banked the three points which took them to 12 from their opening six games, nine more than Kenny’s men. I think we're going to be in a better position to qualify Gus Poyet The Ireland boss said: “It is definitely a game that we would have wanted to win and it’s a disappointing result to lose at home to Greece.” Opposite number Gus Poyet, who reacted angrily to accusations that he had used Irish spies to plot victory in the reverse fixture, was delighted with his team’s efforts in Dublin, which left them three points ahead of Monday’s opponents the Netherlands having played a game more. He said: “I think we’re learning, I think we’re growing up. “I think the players are understanding that to qualify for the Euros and then to perform in the Euros, we still need a little bit more, and I think Monday is going to be massive. “There are plenty of things that we need to do well on Monday and depending on that, how much we grow up as a team, I think we’re going to be in a better position to qualify. “But I have to say, we have put ourselves there with our victories, with our work somehow, and if you’d asked me before we started when I was in Frankfurt for the draw and you said to me that we would be here now with this chance to qualify, I would have taken it.” Read More Ben Davies: Wales go into Croatia clash believing anything’s possible Matty Jones says late Wales Under-21s draw in Czech Republic ‘feels like a win’ Stephen Kenny under pressure as Ireland’s qualification hopes come to end England and Australia observe silence for those killed in Israel and Gaza Simon Raiwalui ‘in no doubt’ grieving Sam Matavesi will be ready to face England Shubman Gill could return to top of India order against Pakistan

Ben Davies has urged Wales to summon up the spirit of reaching the World Cup to beat Croatia and keep their European Championship qualification hopes alive. Turkey’s shock win in Croatia on Thursday night damaged Welsh prospects of claiming a top-two place in Group D. Wales must now realistically beat top seeds Croatia in Cardiff on Sunday and finish with wins over Armenia and Turkey next month to qualify for Euro 2024. By doing so, Wales would qualify for a third successive major tournament – two European Championships either side of the 2022 World Cup. “We know the situation we’re in and it’s definitely going to be challenging,” said Tottenham defender Davies, who will be wearing the Wales armband in the absence of injured captain Aaron Ramsey. “We’ve shown in the past at Cardiff that against good teams we can win games. It’s the same mentality again that we go into it believing anything’s possible. “The two World Cup qualifiers (play-offs against Austria and Ukraine) were big pressure moments for this team. We've shown in the past at Cardiff that against good teams we can win games Ben Davies “Arguably people would say they were better sides than us, but we showed that we’re more than capable of making our home in Cardiff a fortress and making it difficult for the opposition. “We’ve played some of the best teams in Europe there – like Belgium and the Netherlands – and we’ve put good performances in. Playing at home gives us that something special.” Wales have not beaten Croatia in seven games between the two nations. There have been three 1-1 draws, including the March meeting in Split when Nathan Broadhead equalised with virtually the last kick of the match to get Wales’ Euro campaign off to a promising start. Davies said: “They’re a great footballing nation that have had great results over the last 10, 15, 20 years. “They’re a team stacked with quality players playing at the highest level. We know it’s going to be a hard game, but we believe it’s one we can get something out of. “It’s a huge opportunity playing at home. If we can get three points, then it will put us in a better situation going into next month.” Wales warmed up for their Croatia task by sweeping aside friendly opponents Gibraltar 4-0 in Wrexham on Wednesday. It was Wales’ third consecutive clean sheet following shut-outs against South Korea and Latvia last month, the first time the Dragons have achieved that for nearly three years. Number one goalkeeper Danny Ward said: “We got back to what we do best in the last camp, being defensively sound. “That was vital after the summer we had (4-2 and 2-0 defeats to Armenia and Turkey) and we’ve taken that into this camp.” Ward has yet to play for Leicester this season after losing his first-team place at the Sky Bet Championship club, but the 30-year-old insists that is not an issue while he is on Wales duty. He said: “It’s different for a goalkeeper as opposed to an outfield player. “It’s not so much about rhythm, more about bearings, knowing where you are on the pitch, distances, getting up to speed if you like. “That normally doesn’t take too long for our position thankfully.” Read More Matty Jones says late Wales Under-21s draw in Czech Republic ‘feels like a win’ Stephen Kenny under pressure as Ireland’s qualification hopes come to end England and Australia observe silence for those killed in Israel and Gaza Simon Raiwalui ‘in no doubt’ grieving Sam Matavesi will be ready to face England Shubman Gill could return to top of India order against Pakistan Sam Tomkins says Grand Final farewell will only be a fairytale if Catalans win

Kylian Mbappe scored twice, including a stunning strike from just outside the box, as France beat the Netherlands 2-0 in Amsterdam to secure Euro 2024 qualification. After putting Les Bleus ahead with a seventh-minute finish, Mbappe added a breathtaking second eight minutes into the second half, exchanging passes with Adrien Rabiot and sending a curling shot over Bart Verbruggen and into the top corner. Quilindschy Hartman reduced the deficit with seven minutes of normal time remaining. The result extended France’s perfect record in Group B to a sixth victory as they rubber-stamped their place in next summer’s finals in Germany with two fixtures to spare. Their opponents dropped from second to third, replaced by Greece – who won 2-0 against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin. Georgios Giakoumakis and Georgios Masouras scored in the first half as Ireland’s chances of automatic qualification officially came to an end. Greece are now three points clear of the Netherlands, who have a game in hand. In Group F, Belgium sealed progress to the finals with a 3-2 win away against second-placed Austria. The visitors appeared to be cruising after Dodi Lukebakio’s double and a Romelu Lukaku effort had them three goals up before the hour mark. Things then became less comfortable as Konrad Laimer pulled a goal back in the 72nd minute, Belgium were reduced to 10 men by a red card for Amadou Onana six minutes later, and Marcel Sabitzer scored an 84th-minute penalty – but Domenico Tedesco’s side managed to see out the win. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan registered their first win in the group as they beat Estonia 2-0 in Tallinn. Portugal also completed the job of qualification via a 3-2 victory as they defeated Slovakia in Porto, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice. Goncalo Ramos and a Ronaldo penalty had the hosts two goals up at half-time, and after David Hancko’s reply, Ronaldo made it 3-1 in the 72nd minute with his 125th international goal. Stanislav Lobotka netted a second for Slovakia, who are second behind Portugal in Group J. Friday’s other matches in the pool saw Iceland and Luxembourg draw 1-1 in Reykjavik and Bosnia and Herzegovina win 2-0 in Liechtenstein. Read More Newcastle boss Eddie Howe hails Alexander Isak’s battling response against PSG Dan Burn’s dream comes true on a ‘special’ night for Newcastle Alan Shearer leads tributes after Newcastle’s Champions League demolition job Eddie Howe praises Jamaal Lascelles for stepping up as Newcastle stun PSG Eddie Howe staying grounded after Newcastle’s ‘amazing night’ against PSG Newcastle’s local heroes stun PSG to twist a tale of geopolitical tension

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By Leika Kihara MARRAKECH, Morocco Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Friday he told his G20 counterparts

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England football team are back in action for rare international friendly when they take on Australia at Wembley this evening. It is their first game since being confirmed as co-hosts of Euro 2028 and Gareth Southgate will use the opportunity to warm-up up his squad ahead of for next week’s more crucial Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy. Southgate will look to use this fixture as an opportunity to try out new partnerships and welcome a few less-familiar faces onto the international stage. Levi Colwill and Eddie Nketiah are the two uncapped players in the Three Lions’ squad, but a further nine players have won fewer than 10 caps apiece. Australia reached the round of 16 at the Fifa World Cup before losing to eventual winners Argentina, but they have only won once in four matches since then. “This will be a good challenge for us as Australia performed well at the World Cup despite against having four tough opponents,” said Southgate, “I imagine there will be a strong Aussie contingent in London for both games. We all know the sporting rivalry between our two countries and that alone will add an extra edge.” Follow the action from Wembley and get all the latest odds and tips for the match right here: Read More England’s Ollie Watkins: ‘I used to shop in Sainsbury’s ... then I came to Aston Villa and I couldn’t’ Harry Maguire supported by ‘role model’ David Beckham after Hampden experience Jarrod Bowen ‘in a good place’ on England return

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MARRAKECH, Morocco U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Reuters on Friday that her plan for an "equi-proportional" increase

By Andrea Shalal and David Lawder MARRAKECH, Morocco U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday told Reuters she