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The key in Deion Sanders being able to turn around Colorado is all about player development.Deion Sanders knows he cannot do it alone, which is why he has assembled quite the coaching staff at Colorado to hasten the turnaround for the long, downtrodden Buffaloes program.But why Colorado? San...

Brentford B have announced the signing of Romeo Beckham from Inter Miami on a one-year deal following an impressive loan spell. The 20-year-old son of David Beckham – who is co-owner of Inter Miami – spent the second half of last season on loan with Brentford’s B side but has now put pen to paper on a permanent contract, with the option of a further year. Beckham helped the Bees lift the Premier League Cup last season and featured 15 times, scoring a late goal against National League side Wealdstone in the Middlesex Senior Cup. Brentford B head coach Neil MacFarlane will be hoping the youngster can continue where he left off in west London. He told the club website: “We added Romeo to our squad in January and he’s been fantastic for the group. “He’s had a terrific end to the season in terms of his recent match against Manchester City where he showed what he’s learned during his loan with us. “We’ve continued to develop him in and out of possession and we look forward to him coming back in good spirits to continue working with him next season.” Read More George Saville will never complain about lack of recognition for his hard work David Brooks accepts people will start to doubt Wales following Armenia defeat Legendary commentator Martin Tyler steps down from Sky Sports role after 33 years

George Saville will never complain about a lack of recognition for his work in the Millwall and Northern Ireland engine rooms, but when praise came his way at the end of the season he was delighted to get it. Saville has made his career out of doing the dirty work in midfield, the sort of unglamorous role which can go unnoticed. But the 30-year-old was third in the running for Millwall’s player of the season award after being singled out by manager Gary Rowett for praise during a play-off push which fell short on the final day of the Championship season as Blackburn came from 3-1 down to win 4-3 at The Den. “With the manager having that trust in me, how he spoke to me at the back end of the season was fantastic and to get recognition at that level was great,” Saville told the PA news agency. “I’ve had a good season personally, my confidence is good, my fitness is good. It’s just a shame we missed out on the play-offs on the final day when it was in our hands. But that’s football. “You learn lessons and hopefully that makes the team stronger. For me as an individual I do what I can every time I step on the pitch and long may it continue.” Saville is playing some of the best football of his career, and was a strong performer again as Northern Ireland suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat away to Group H top seeds Denmark, working tirelessly to support young, relatively inexperienced colleagues in his side’s injury-ravaged midfield. “I enjoy the hard work and that side of the game,” Saville added. “In club football I do the same thing, I play a deeper role for Millwall. A lot of work goes unnoticed but I don’t need a pat on the back or for anyone to say well done for doing this or that. “I don’t need a high profile, I’m happy to do what I need to do for the team and if that goes unnoticed so be it. As long as it helps the team that’s the main thing.” Friday was Saville’s 45th cap but he is yet to score in international football, a fact he is not always happy to be reminded of. Saville gets his share of goals at club level, and remains convinced he can one day get on the scoresheet for Northern Ireland. “I wouldn’t say it plays on my mind,” he said. “I’ve had opportunities to score. For club level I’ve scored goals, it’s just something that I feel like will still come. I don’t think about it much, I’m more focused on the team. “I’m in the right areas. I’m an optimistic person. I think it will come but the main objective for me now is qualifying for a major championships.” Saville is enjoying once again working under Michael O’Neill, the man who gave him his international debut in 2017, and who returned to the Northern Ireland job in December after a spell at Stoke. “Michael first brought me in so for me it’s great,” he said. “We’ve got a great relationship and understanding and he’s someone I really enjoy working with, I really enjoy having Michael as a manager. “As a person he’s the same old Michael. He’s had different experiences and he’s come back to a different squad. We’ve lost a few experienced lads. “In the last couple of camps it’s been a young squad and now they are coming through and it’s become more that way. It’s a different situation for us and for him and one we’re all adapting to and trying to give ourselves the best opportunity.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live David Brooks accepts people will start to doubt Wales following Armenia defeat Michael O’Neill not thinking about Northern Ireland qualifying for Euro 2024 Gareth Southgate wants England to retain winning mentality on road to Euro 2024

David Brooks accepts that “people will be starting to doubt us” following Wales’ humiliating 4-2 Euro 2024 qualifying defeat against Armenia. Wales would have gone top of Pool D had they beaten a team 71 places below them in the world rankings. And life will not get any easier in terms of the battle for automatic qualification as Wales face an appointment with group leaders Turkey in Samsun on Monday. “If we win that, we go back into a position of power,” Brooks said. “We all know that, and that is what we are going to be trying to do. “We all know what we want to achieve – we want to get to the major tournaments. We have two days to kind of get over it and get back to work. “I think people will be starting to doubt us, but we have got to go and try and put in a performance to prove all those people wrong. “We all want to get to a major tournament, so nothing has changed.” Wales’ first European Championship qualifying defeat at home since 2011 dropped them to third in the group as Turkey won 3-2 in Latvia. Lucas Zelarayan and Grant-Leon Ranos both scored twice as Armenia secured one of the greatest victories in their football history. And Welsh misery was completed by the dismissal of Kieffer Moore, who was adjudged to have committed foul play by Bulgarian referee Georgi Kabakov after tangling with goalkeeper Ognjen Chancharevich. He will miss the Turkey clash. Brooks added: “Four goals at home isn’t good enough, I think we all know that, and we will be getting together and trying to figure out how to put that right in two days’ time. “Bigger teams than us have done that to us, and we’ve caused upset results. It happens near enough every week in the Premier League, and we all knew that going into the game. They took their chances well. “I’ve spoken to Kieffer. I don’t think he thinks he’s done a lot. They were kind of making a meal out of everything. “Kieffer is a big part of what we want to do, so he is going to be a big miss for Turkey.” Brooks’ return to the international arena was a highlight of an often chaotic night at Cardiff City Stadium. He was diagnosed with stage-two Hodgkin lymphoma while on international duty in October 2021, and Brooks received a standing ovation when he went on as a second-half substitute. “It was special,” he said. “It has been a long two years to finally put that Wales shirt back on. “To get the reception that I did, especially when I came on – I could hear every single one of them (fans) – and I just want to say thank you.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Michael O’Neill not thinking about Northern Ireland qualifying for Euro 2024 Gareth Southgate wants England to retain winning mentality on road to Euro 2024 Josh Cullen admits Republic of Ireland have no excuses after Greece defeat

Gareth Southgate wants England to retain a relentless winning mentality akin to treble winners Manchester City as the road to Euro 2024 continues. Monday’s Group C encounter against North Macedonia marks the halfway point of qualification for next summer’s tournament in Germany. England already look all but assured of reaching the Euros having won at reigning champions Italy and beaten Ukraine in March before swatting aside Malta 4-0 on Friday night. Southgate’s opposite number Michele Marcolini said the minnows, ranked 172nd in the world, could not get anywhere near the visitors as they had an “amazing attitude on the pitch from the first minute”. That is the product of the impressive mindset cultivated by England, who are also expected to beat 65th-placed North Macedonia as this mammoth season finally comes to a close on Monday. Put to Southgate that progress to date will count for nothing if complacency seeps in at Old Trafford, the England boss said: “Correct, yeah. That’s what we have to be. “We’ve just watched the team win three trophies. Why? Because pretty much every game I saw them play the mentality was spot on. Sometimes you can say things as a coach but the fact that there's somebody sitting ready to take your place that's a good player also has an impact Gareth Southgate “That helps when you’ve got competition for places like we have because also you know that you can’t afford a dip. You’ve got to produce. “So sometimes you can say things as a coach but the fact that there’s somebody sitting ready to take your place that’s a good player also has an impact. “But we have good professionals. Everybody, of course, is excited by our younger players, but our senior players have a big impact on the way they train. “The way they embrace the younger ones coming in and the way they demand in the dressing room, the mentality that they start to set, so it all plays a part.” Southgate utilised an experienced core in Malta, while giving Marc Guehi and James Maddison starts on a night when Trent Alexander-Arnold played in midfield. That experiment worked brilliantly as the Liverpool right-back put in a man-of-the-match display, scoring a fine effort and playing a part in England’s two other first-half goals. Southgate admits England’s performance in Malta has slightly altered his thinking ahead of facing North Macedonia, but suggested it was down to other aspects than Alexander Arnold’s display. “Yep (the performance made me think differently) but not the obvious that you might think!” he said with a smile. “We always have in mind what happens (next). Of course, there’s still training over the next couple of days also to take into account. “But what we saw tonight probably confirmed a couple of things, but also, you know, left one or two things open. “You’ve always got a plan but normally we’re on plan E, F or G by the time we get to matchday because of the players we’ve lost or things that have happened. “So, you always have to be flexible but pleased to get the players off that we got off and nice to give some minutes to some others as well.” Harry Kane – who scored England’s third – Luke Shaw, Jordan Henderson and Maddison were withdrawn in the second half after Bukayo Saka was taken off at the break. The 21-year-old forward had looked in discomfort after a tackle just before half-time, but Southgate moved to allay any injury concerns. “He is good,” the England boss said. “We just thought there’s no point in taking any chances with the scoreline as it was.” In truth, Friday’s straightforward match in Malta will not live long in the memory but it will be forever etched in Eberechi Eze’s memory. Denied a place in England’s provisional Euro 2020 squad by a cruelly timed Achilles injury, the Crystal Palace midfielder finally made his debut as a 70th-minute substitute at the Ta’ Qali National Stadium. “For Eze, nice to dip his toes,” Southgate said. “He’s only had a few days training with us so he’s still getting used to everything. “It’s, of course, a big step coming into a senior camp for the first time, even though he’s been with the Under-21s. “He’s, I think, had his eyes opened to the level, the quality of the players, the intensity every day so a brilliant experience for him. “He’s fabulous boy, I have to say. He really gives a lot of energy every day, which is brilliant.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Josh Cullen admits Republic of Ireland have no excuses after Greece defeat Callum Wilson praises England for being clinical and ruthless in win over Malta Commentator Martin Tyler stepping down from role at Sky Sports after 33 years

Michael O’Neill has said trying to qualify for Euro 2024 is no longer his primary concern as Northern Ireland’s injury crisis shows no sign of abating. Craig Cathcart was a late withdrawal ahead of Friday’s 1-0 defeat to Denmark in Copenhagen, taking the number of senior players missing through injury into double figures. A youthful line-up that included teenagers Conor Bradley, Shea Charles and Isaac Price handled the intimidating atmosphere of the Parken Stadium admirably and thought they had a stoppage-time equaliser to cancel out Jonas Wind’s goal, only for debutant Callum Marshall’s strike to be ruled offside by VAR. Defeat leaves Northern Ireland with one win from their opening three qualifiers, albeit still only three points off top spot with Denmark, Finland, Slovenia and Kazakhstan all on six points. When O’Neill, the man who guided Northern Ireland to Euro 2016, returned to the job in December, there was real hope that they could capitalise on what was seen as a favourable draw in Group H. But asked if Friday’s defeat put pressure on Northern Ireland to beat Kazakhstan at Windsor Park on Monday, O’Neill said: “We had six under-21s on the pitch. We’re not thinking about qualification. We’re thinking about putting points on the board. We have 10 senior players out injured. “We’re not in that place that the teams we’re playing against, the likes of Denmark, are. We’re building a team here that’s dealing with a difficult situation with the number of senior players we’ve lost. “We’re not in there before the game talking about qualification, we’re talking about a level of performance, to give a really good account of ourselves, which we did. Obviously if we can take points which we nearly did we’d be delighted but we’re not talking in that vein at the moment.” With the likes of Steven Davis, Stuart Dallas, Corry Evans and Shane Ferguson all out with long-term injuries, O’Neill was already relying on young players during March’s fixtures and was made to do so again for a trip away to the top seeds in the group. Cathcart could return in time for Monday’s fixture, but a huge amount of vital experience is missing from O’Neill’s ranks. “You know the players who are missing and you know the players we’re asking to play at this moment in time,” he said. “They’re not first-team players at their respective clubs on a regular basis and we’re playing against established international players who play at top clubs in Europe. “We have to be realistic with the level we can compete at on a consistent basis. “But the experience the players will have from nights like this, this is a brilliant place to play football, a brilliant stadium, brilliant home support, a fantastic pitch, and they will be better at the start of what is an international journey for a lot of these players. “A number of these players will have long and distinguished international careers, it’s nights like these they will really benefit from.” Northern Ireland left Copenhagen still frustrated by the disallowed goal, with VAR having taken five minutes to decide Jonny Evans’ heel was offside before he headed the ball on for Marshall to finish, but there was pride in a battling display. One mistake proved the difference, with Wind pouncing when Ciaron Brown failed to deal with Joakim Maehle’s cross into the box. “It’s disappointing to lose to a goal of that nature,” O’Neill added. “But we have to look at so much that was positive in our performance. We lost Craig Cathcart overnight with a back injury and I think what we got from our lads was terrific and as a manager you can’t really ask for much more.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Gareth Southgate wants England to retain winning mentality on road to Euro 2024 Josh Cullen admits Republic of Ireland have no excuses after Greece defeat Callum Wilson praises England for being clinical and ruthless in win over Malta

Commentator Martin Tyler is stepping down from his role at Sky Sports ahead of the new season after 33 years. The 77-year-old has been the voice of football on Sky since the launch of the Premier League in 1992. In a statement on the Sky Sports website, Tyler said: “In my humble opinion, the huge corporation Sky is today has stemmed from Sky Sports’ innovative and inspired coverage of the Premier League. “It has been a privilege to play a small part in the broadcasting history of the greatest league in the world. “Along the way I have worked alongside legions of wonderful professionals in all aspects of the television industry. I thank them all for their support and expertise. It has been an honour to be a member of a very gifted team.” Tyler worked for ITV throughout the 1980s as the number two to lead commentator Brian Moore, before joining Sky in 1990. His most famous commentary came when Sergio Aguero scored Manchester City’s title-winning goal against QPR in 2012. Gary Hughes, Sky Sports’ director of football, said: “Everyone at Sky Sports would like to say a heartfelt thank you to Martin for his unparalleled contribution and dedication to our coverage over the last 30 years. “‘The Voice’ will always be synonymous with the Premier League and Sky Sports. When you think of commentary, you think of Martin Tyler. “‘Collymore closing in’ (from Liverpool’s 4-3 win over Newcastle in 1996) and ‘Aguerrrrrroooooooooo’ are two of the greatest moments in Premier League history. We thank him and wish him all the very best for the future.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

University of Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders is at risk of having his left foot amputated due to poor circulation, according to doctors at the school.

Manchester United announced they had accepted a £25million bid from Real Madrid for David Beckham on this day in 2003. Starting in United’s academy, the England captain went on to make 394 appearances for the team, lifting six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the 1999 Champions League in a hugely successful era for the club. He helped United win the Premier League title in 2003 but his future had been under intense speculation, with plenty of sides interested in signing the midfielder. Initially it looked like Barcelona would be the preferred option, and Beckham had been the central figure in Joan Laporta’s successful campaign to become president of the Catalan club, but the midfielder opted for rivals Real instead. A statement from Manchester United confirmed the move, saying: “Manchester United today reached agreement for the transfer of David Beckham to Real Madrid for a fee of 35million euros (approximately £25m). “The deal is expected to be completed in July, conditional upon approval by the boards of Manchester United and Real Madrid, and on the provision of satisfactory payment guarantees. “David Beckham has agreed personal terms with Real Madrid and expects to sign his new contract with the club on completion.” Beckham spent four seasons at the Bernabeu, where he won the 2006-07 LaLiga title before going on to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris St Germain. He eventually retired in 2013, calling time on a playing career spanning just over 20 years. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Michael O’Neill said his Northern Ireland players were “angry and upset” after teenage debutant Callum Marshall saw a stoppage-time equaliser ruled out by VAR for a marginal decision in Friday’s 1-0 Euro 2024 qualifying defeat to Denmark. Marshall had only been on the pitch for a few minutes when the West Ham youngster flicked on Jonny Evans’ header to find the corner of the net, cancelling out Jonas Wind’s 47th-minute strike and sparking huge celebrations amongst the 1,700 travelling fans. But hearts sank as referee Daniel Stefanski signalled a VAR check that would last a full five minutes, with Tomasz Kwiatkowski taking an age to review the footage before determining that Evans had been fractionally offside when the free-kick was sent into the box. “I thought it was all about ‘clear and obvious’ and the different terminology that we have in different situations,” O’Neil said. “If it takes that long to disallow a goal why would they disallow it in that situation? I don’t know whose call that is. “The referee obviously doesn’t go to the monitor to look at it so whoever is looking at it has to take that decision. But I’m baffled that it took so long, and clearly the margin was so minimal. For me it’s not how the technology should be used.” Jordan Thompson had sent in a free-kick from 40 yards out on the right, with Evans heading it goalwards and Marshall’s flick beating Kasper Schmeichel. “By the time Jonny heads it Jonny is clearly onside so we’re looking pre-the delivery of the ball,” O’Neill said. “Did he gain any advantage? The referee said to me something about 30 centimetres. I don’t know where he gets that from. I'm baffled that it took so long, and clearly the margin was so minimal. For me it's not how the technology should be used. Michael O'Neill “I’m not really sure where we gain an advantage. We won’t get a satisfactory explanation, I know that, so it’s done and we have to move on.” Asked if he wanted his players to use a sense of injustice as fuel going forward, O’Neill added: “I don’t think we need it. We don’t need that to turn around our team to be ready to play on Monday night (at home to Kazakhstan). “We’ll be playing in front of a vociferous crowd who will be proud of how we played tonight. We’re angry and we’re upset but we don’t need that.” O’Neill was seen with a consoling arm around Marshall’s shoulder as the players went to applaud the travelling support. “We’ve put him on because he’s got a lot of potential,” he said. “He’s come on, scored a goal and he’s had the fairytale start to his international career taken away from him. “I put my arm around him and told him there’ll be plenty more goals. He’s a young player with massive potential but it’s heartbreaking to have that taken away from you in that type of scenario.” For all the frustration at the end, O’Neill was proud of the way his young Northern Ireland side had handled the toughest fixture in Group H. An injury to Craig Cathcart took the number of senior players missing to 10, with O’Neill forced to rely on inexperienced players including four teenagers. “It was a tough game but we did very well in the first half to contain them and we managed the game well,” he said. “I felt the second half with the goal got a bit ragged and we should have done better out of possession but our reaction to going a goal down was excellent. At that point you have to stay in the game, it would be easy here to concede again but we didn’t do that. “We knew we could get a bit of play in the last 15-20 minutes and on the basis of the last 15 minutes we deserved to get something from the game and we feel pretty aggrieved that we didn’t.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Wales’ Euro 2024 qualifying defeat to Armenia a necessary ‘slap’ – boss Rob Page Sam Curran claims five as Surrey beat Somerset in top-of-the-table showdown Matt Fitzpatrick keeps US Open defence alive with first professional ace

Rob Page suggested Wales’ Euro 2024 qualifying defeat to Armenia was a necessary “slap” as he surveyed the wreckage of one of the most humiliating losses in the nation’s football history. Armenia ran out shock 4-2 winners in Cardiff, despite being ranked 97th in the world and 71 places lower than Wales. Page’s side – who took four points from their March games away to Croatia and at home to Latvia – would have topped Group D with victory in Cardiff. Instead a first European Championship qualifying defeat at home since 2011 dropped them to third in the group as Turkey won 3-2 in Latvia. Wales’ next qualifier is away to Turkey in Samsun on Monday. “They fell well short of the standards they have set before,” said Page. “I didn’t see that coming. It has really shocked me. “Everything happens for a reason, perhaps it’s the slap we need, a little bit of a reality check. “Everybody is starry-eyed and getting carried away. Yes, we had a great start in March but there are no bad teams now anymore. “Look at what Turkey had to do in the 96th minute against Latvia.” Daniel James’ sixth international goal fired Wales into an early lead, but Armenia exploited some dreadful home defending to lead by the half-hour mark through Lucas Zelarayan and Grant-Leon Ranos. Armenia extended their lead through Ranos before Harry Wilson reduced the deficit with 18 minutes to play. Ranos hit the post before Zelarayan’s second killed off Wales and home misery was completed 12 minutes from time when Kieffer Moore was sent off for a kick on goalkeeper Ognjen Chancharevich. Page confirmed that Wales would not appeal Moore’s red card and the Bournemouth striker will now miss the Turkey game. “I felt such in a positive place before the game, full of confidence and I didn’t see that coming,” Page said. “That’s really shocked me as much as anyone else. “The fundamentals of what we stand for, what we represent, the hard work…we were too expansive and that’s not what we’re all about. “We’re hard-working and we pride ourselves in doing the not-so-pretty side of it. “They taught us a lesson in that, how to do the not-so-pretty side of the game.” Victory was especially sweet for Armenia manager Oleksandr Petrakov, who was in charge of Ukraine for their World Cup play-off final defeat in Cardiff exactly 12 months ago. Petrakov said: “We have a game in Latvia in three days so if we go on celebrating, this victory will not mean anything. “It’s more or less the same Wales team apart from Gareth Bale so I can not under-estimate the valuation of my team. “My only objective as Armenia coach is to is to qualify for a major tournament.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Michael O’Neill: Northern Ireland ‘angry and upset’ after disallowed equaliser Sam Curran claims five as Surrey beat Somerset in top-of-the-table showdown Matt Fitzpatrick keeps US Open defence alive with first professional ace

Gareth Southgate praised Trent Alexander-Arnold for buying into England’s midfield experiment and showing what he was capable of in the comfortable win away to Malta. The 24-year-old may be an established star at Liverpool but he has often flattered to deceive with the national team, with intense competition at right-back restricting opportunities. Alexander-Arnold struggled in a midfield against Andorra when Southgate tried him there in September 2021, but things worked far better in Malta as he won just his 19th cap on Friday evening. The England star had a hand in all three first-half goals, including curling home superbly either side of Ferdinando Apap’s own goal and a Harry Kane penalty. Substitute Callum Wilson completed a 4-0 win with a spot-kick of his own but this was Alexander-Arnold’s night as Southgate’s side continued their winning start to Euro 2024 qualification. “Inevitably a lot of what happens is going to be a little bit dependent on his club,” the England boss said. “The fact that he’s been playing partly in there with the ball, albeit a bit deeper, I think has helped his transition tonight. “What was pleasing tonight, he’s getting used to receiving in tight areas with his back to goal, with players behind him. “Whereas he’s used to receiving on the touchline, with the play in front of him, and he was very comfortable doing that. “Look, I’ve got no questions in my head he can do it. It’s just learning some nuances of the role, without the ball especially very different for him. “But he’s very keen to do it. He’s enjoyed the sort of project, if you like. “We talked about it about four weeks ago on the phone, and I think he’s been excited by it and, yeah, he showed exactly what we think he could be capable of. He gives us something different to our other midfield players.” This was a far more simple night for England compared to their last trip to Malta, when a drab, goalless first half against the limited hosts saw the travelling support turn on the team. Southgate’s side have come a long way in the six intervening years and there was never any danger of their 100 per cent Euro 2024 qualification record slipping in their third Group C match. “Of course we know we have the quality to win the games, but it’s about your mentality then and I thought that was excellent right from the start,” Southgate said. “We tried to balance looking at a few things with some experienced players that give you leadership on the pitch and set the tone. That’s how they’ve trained all week. “In particular when we lost the ball, the reaction to winning it back was a sign that the team were in a good place mentally. “Then of course some really good quality for the first couple of goals, especially, so yeah, we’ve made it look fairly straightforward. We tried to balance looking at a few things with some experienced players that give you leadership on the pitch and set the tone Gareth Southgate “That, as we know from last time, here isn’t always the case! “We’ve been able to look at a few things, we’ve been able to get players on, we’ve been able to get some players off, so very pleased with the night.” England now turn their attention to Monday’s home game North Macedonia after preventing Malta – ranked 172nd in the world – from having a shot in their box, never mind an attempt on goal. Head coach Michele Marcolini said: “I think that we don’t shoot on goal because England for 90 minutes pressed very high and didn’t give us the chance to play easy. Never, never. “To be honest, the difference physically was clear. To build the action easily, we cannot, to be honest. “We are sorry about that but at the end we have to be honest and say that this kind of match for us with this kind of behaviour from the opponent it’s very tough. “When you play with this difference between the teams, you have to hope that the opponent comes here a little bit calmer or they take the match easily. “But this didn’t happen today because England has an amazing attitude on the pitch from the first minute until the end.”