March 2023 – Page 21

Steven Gerrard added further fuel to speculation over Liverpool’s move for Jude Bellingham after telling the midfielder his development is well ahead of his own progress at the same age.

Bellingham impressed once again as England cruised past Ukraine with a 2-0 victory in Sunday’s Euro 2024 qualifying clash and joined Gerrard on the Wembley Stadium touchline at full-time.

The former Reds captain, speaking as a pundit on Channel 4, lavished high praise on the Borussia Dortmund midfielder, who is reportedly a target of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester City.

“You’re a lot further ahead than when I was your age, so you’re going in the right direction that’s for sure,” Gerrard told Bellingham.

When pressed on how Bellingham is further developed than ex-Liverpool and England star Gerrard, he added: “I never had that power and strength until I was probably 22, 23.

“So he is definitely more physically developed than me. He’s more confident than me on the ball in terms of what he will try. And I’m not saying that just being modest, it’s the truth, I think he’s further on than what I was at 19.

“I got to where I wanted to get to and he’ll get to where he wants to get to if he carries on doing what he’s doing.

“He’s in a fantastic place. Everything else around him he just needs to park it up and keep playing well and everything else will take care of itself.”

It was not the first time Gerrard has lauded the teenage star, offering in January to take Bellingham out for dinner and talk about his future, suggesting a move to England and Liverpool would benefit his career.

Bellingham was quick to return the favour, praising the impact Gerrard had as Liverpool captain during his playing career.

He said: “The things that Stevie could do, the way he could carry a team and single-handedly win a game. He could do everything as a midfielder.

“I’ve said it multiple times that I look up to you and your game.”

While a transfer-window battle awaits for the signature of one of Europe’s hottest prospects, Bellingham continues to enjoy the learning experience of playing with England.

The former Birmingham City midfielder has already captained Dortmund this season and while appreciating patience will be required, said leading his country out would be the greatest honour in football.

“That would be the biggest dream, and the biggest honour in football I think is to captain your country,” he continued.

“There’s a long pecking order that I highly respect and I’ll wait my turn. In the meantime it’s picking up what I can learn from them. This is the best place to do it.

“We should be looking to win every game. You set yourself a standard and an expectation and it’s important you match that. We have to carry that on for the rest of the qualification campaign.”

Mateo Retegui’s instant impact for Italy has left Roberto Mancini considering exploring further options for the Azzurri through the dual-citizenship ruling.

Argentina-born Retegui scored on his international debut for Italy in Thursday’s 2-1 defeat to England and found the net again in the 2-0 victory over Malta three days later in Euro 2024 qualifying.

The striker’s selection has sparked debate closer to home with Azzurri striker Mario Balotelli previously suggesting Mancini has enough attacking options to call upon from Italy.

But head coach Mancini has been encouraged by Retegui’s early development and refused to rule out making similar moves in future.

He said at his post-match press conference: “Retegui is a goalscorer, it’s no small thing. It’s what we saw when we followed him. He still needs time, but he scores goals and it’s an important quality.

“He has the qualities of a centre-forward, but now we have to wait, we have to give him time. He’s like a student in a new school: he has to learn everything. But he has unlocked the game, that’s no small thing.

“Retegui in Serie A would be a good thing, I think this would give him more strength, he would be able to learn the language and consequently communicate better with his team-mates.”

Pressed on whether he would select more non-Italian natives, Mancini added: “Yes, it’s a possibility. We have a small percentage of players in Serie A. In Switzerland, 15 out of 20 are natives.

“Belgium is the same. France, Germany, England are among the natives. Up until a certain number of years ago, we had strong players and we didn’t need to.

“The others have done things to us, often they’ve taken away players we’ve raised and we’ll do the same.”

Victory over Malta leaves Italy three points behind embryonic Group C leaders England, with the Azzurri not again in action until June’s Nations League semi-final against Spain.

“We just have to work and do the right things,” Mancini added to Sky Sport Italia. “We always say the same things, we are becoming talkative.

“Work is a big word because there isn’t time, we only have time to make them recover and to prepare a little something, there isn’t time.”

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has called on everyone associated with the club to pull together for the remainder of the season after parting ways with head coach Antonio Conte.

Spurs released a statement on Sunday confirming the exit of Conte, whose future had been the subject of intense speculation since hitting out at his players the previous weekend.

The Italian called his players “selfish” after squandering a two-goal lead in a 3-3 draw with bottom side Southampton, while questioning the club’s lack of success during Levy’s time as chairman.

Tottenham exited the FA Cup and Champions League this month, stretching their wait for a trophy into a 16th year, with a top-four finish in the Premier League now their only target.

Conte’s assistant Cristian Stellini will oversee Spurs’ remaining 10 league games, starting with a trip to Everton on April 3, and Levy is hoping for a strong finish to the campaign.

He said: “We have 10 Premier League games remaining and we have a fight on our hands for a Champions League place.

“We all need to pull together. Everyone has to step up to ensure the highest possible finish for our club and amazing, loyal supporters.”

Spurs still have top-four rivals Manchester United, Newcastle and Liverpool to face in their remaining fixtures.

Fourth-placed Tottenham are two points better off than the Magpies and seven in front of Jurgen Klopp’s Reds but both teams have two games in hand.

Emma Hayes is confident Chelsea will bounce back from their setback at Manchester City by finishing the job against Lyon.

After defeating the European champions 1-0 in the first leg of their Women’s Champions League quarter-final earlier in the week, the Blues slipped to a 2-0 defeat at title rivals City this afternoon.

The result saw the holders slip to third in the Women’s Super League having started Matchday 16 top of the table.

But Hayes, 46, has vowed to rally her troops ahead of Lyon’s visit to Stamford Bridge on Thursday night.

Speaking to Chelsea’s official website, she said: “The team will be ready for the week. We have to move on as quickly as possible.

“My job now is to get the team recovered as quickly as possible.

“I want the players to do what they do so well in the way they look after each other and recognise what it takes to go again.

“I know exactly how this team will respond to what they will all describe as disappointing. For that reason, no matter the result, they’re champions in my heart.”

First-half goals from Filippa Angeldahl and Lauren Hemp were enough to see off Chelsea at the Manchester City Academy Stadium.

Hayes was quick to admit the opening 45 minutes had simply not been good enough but also stressed it was her side’s third away fixture in the space of a week.

The Blues boss added: “It wasn’t a game of a million chances but we were so sluggish first half. I’m not frustrated with them. We just weren’t at our best.

“I’m not going to dig my girls out. We had an honest conversation at half-time.

“We talk about goals and results but I’m going to focus on the process and what we delivered in the second half in preparation for Thursday.”

Chelsea are now a point adrift of league leaders Manchester United, who are ahead of City on goal difference.

They have a game in on hand on both Manchester sides but travel to in-form Aston Villa next weekend on the back of hosting Lyon.

Villa remain fifth in the table after hammering rock-bottom Leicester 5-0 at Villa Park. Alisha Lehmann and Rachel Daly both bagged two apiece following Kenza Dali’s early opener.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal eased to a 6-0 win away at Luxembourg in Euro 2024 qualifying.

Ronaldo got the ball rolling early, before further goals from Joao Felix and Bernardo Silva made it 3-0 inside 18 minutes, while Ronaldo added another just after the half-hour mark.

Second-half goals from substitutes Otavio and Rafael Leao completed another routine victory for Portugal after their 4-0 win over Liechtenstein to kick off their qualifying campaign and the rein of new head coach Roberto Martinez.

They sit top of Group J after two games, two points ahead of Slovakia in second after their win against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Portugal took the lead in the ninth minute when a ball to the far post from Bruno Fernandes was headed back across goal by Nuno Mendes, giving Ronaldo a simple tap-in from close range.

The advantage was doubled just six minutes later, as this time Silva’s inswinging ball from the right was nodded across Luxembourg goalkeeper Anthony Moris and into the corner of the net by Joao Felix.

Silva got on the end of a long pass from Joao Palhinha to head in the third, while Ronaldo grabbed his second and Portugal’s fourth in the 31st minute when Fernandes played him through on goal, with the Al Nassr striker placing his left-foot shot low to Moris’ right.

Portugal had another in the 77th minute when Leao and Otavio combined, with the latter heading home the Milan attacker’s cross from the left.

Leao saw a late penalty saved by Moris after winning it himself, but made up for it shortly after when his run inside from the left ended with a composed finish.

What does it mean? More than meets the eye in Portugal thrashing

On the face of it, many might have predicted this outcome beforehand with the firepower of Portugal against the comparative minnows of Luxembourg.

However, despite the hosts’ FIFA ranking of 92nd, they have improved in recent times, finishing second in League C Group 1 of the Nations League and only losing one of their previous nine games before this one, earning a 0-0 draw in their opening qualifier in Slovakia.

Luc Holtz’s team were no match for their opponents here though, with Portugal having 14 shots, 62 per cent possession and winning 66 per cent of their duels.

Ronaldo keeps rolling back the years

When he was benched during the World Cup and moved to the Saudi Pro League in January, there were people who thought Ronaldo’s time at the top was over.

While goals against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg might not exactly be the top level, the 38-year-old has showed he can still be a leading light in Martinez’s team, recording four goals already in qualifying.

Fernandes and Palhinha pull the strings

In Martinez’s preferred 3-4-3 formation, a lot is asked of the two central midfielders, but Fernandes and Palhinha appear to be an ideal combination.

Both provided steel – Fernandes winning possession five times while Palhinha won eight of his 12 duels – as well as creativity as the Manchester United man offered up three crosses and two key passes while Fulham star Palhinha completed 96.4 per cent of his 28 passes in the Luxembourg half.

What’s next?

Luxembourg host Liechtenstein when qualifying resumes on June 17, while Portugal are at home to Bosnia-Herzegovina on the same day.

Northern Ireland could not produce a performance to match the occasion as Michael O’Neill’s first home game back at Windsor Park ended in a 1-0 defeat to Finland.

After Thursday’s 2-0 win over San Marino, this was a more sobering night against stronger opposition, and a result which deals a significant blow to hopes of reaching Euro 2024 even at this early stage of the campaign.

Northern Ireland appeared off the pace before Benjamin Kallman fired Finland in front with 28 minutes gone, and although the hosts improved while chasing the game, they could not find an equaliser as Dion Charles had a 62nd-minute goal ruled out for handball.

It was hardly the night O’Neill would have been hoping for on his return to a ground where so many memories were made during his first reign.

O’Neill made only one change as Jordan Thompson replaced George Saville, with the manager asking teenagers Shea Charles and Conor Bradley to deliver again following their impressive performances in Serravalle.

That worked insofar that Shea Charles was once again neat and tidy in his use of the ball at the base of midfield, while Bradley was the brightest spark going forward, but there seemed to be a lethargy about Northern Ireland’s display.

They did not truly threaten anything until the 21st minute, with the chance coming from what could have been a costly mistake from captain Craig Cathcart.

Instead, the Watford defender recovered from a miscontrol to hook the ball away from Norwich striker Teemu Pukki and set Bradley away down the right. The wing-back, on loan at Bolton from Liverpool, then cut the ball back for club-mate Dion Charles, but Thursday’s goalscorer sent his shot over.

But Northern Ireland were allowing Finland too much time on the ball when defending, and it proved costly as the visitors dampened the Windsor Park mood by taking the lead with their first real sight of goal just before the half-hour mark.

Robin Lod sent in a low ball from the right, Pukki touched it on, and Kallman beat Bailey Peacock-Farrell at the far post.

Peacock-Farrell then saved well to keep out Pukki’s close-range effort before the flag went up as Dan Ballard blocked the follow-up.

Northern Ireland ended the half on top, but Conor Washington’s appeals for handball against Nikolai Alho were ignored after his shot was blocked in the box.

The best move came in the 44th minute when Shea Charles sent Bradley racing away and he rolled the ball through for Dion Charles, but Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky made himself big to keep it out.

There was a blow just a few minutes into the second half as Sunderland defender Ballard was forced off with an injury, meaning a change of shape as Josh Magennis replaced him and 3-5-2 became 4-3-3.

Magennis was quickly into the action, with his backheel freeing Dion Charles only for the striker to overhit a cross towards Washington.

The Wigan striker then freed Jamal Lewis, and as his deep cross was headed back in by Paddy McNair, Magennis arrived but could not keep his shot below the crossbar.

Dion Charles had the ball in the net in the 62nd minute, poking home from a corner, but referee Ivan Kruzliak blew for handball.

That at least energised the crowd but the response from the team was lacking. Cathcart almost played himself into trouble again, recovering to block Finland substitute Marcus Forss. Lod then sent in a dangerous free-kick which Peacock-Farrell parried before Robert Ivanov fired over.

There were late opportunities for Lewis and McNair, but neither could get their shots on target as Northern Ireland mis-fired on O’Neill’s big night.

Mateo Retegui was on target once again as Italy triumphed 2-0 at Malta to record their first victory in Euro 2024 qualifying.

Argentina-born Retegui scored on his international debut in Thursday’s 2-1 defeat to England and found the net once more with a simple 15th-minute opener three days later.

Matthew Guillaumier’s own goal 12 minutes later offered Roberto Mancini’s side complete control at Ta’ Qali National Stadium, with Malta rarely threatening a response.

Victory leaves Italy three points behind embryonic Group C leaders England, who eased past Ukraine by the same scoreline earlier on Sunday.

Malta almost grabbed an unlikely fifth-minute lead but captain Gianluigi Donnarumma rescued Italy with a fine stop against Alexander Satariano when one-on-one.

That missed chance proved pivotal as an unmarked Retegui headed home from Sandro Tonali’s corner soon after, before Wilfried Gnonto limped off injured.

Guillaumier turned into his own net from Emerson’s inviting cross as Italy furthered their lead, though Henry Bonello denied substitute Vincenzo Grifo to keep the scoreline respectable at half-time.

A frantic scramble inside the Italy area offered Mancini’s visitors a rare second-half scare before Bonello thwarted a fizzing Bryan Cristante attempt.

Gianluca Scamacca’s inventive acrobatic effort forced another smart Bonello save as Italy cruised to their first win on the road to Germany 2024.

What does it mean? Italy back on track after England disappointment

Italy lost for a first time in 41 European Championship qualifiers after failing to deliver against England in Naples but responded with an assured performance at lowly Malta.

With fellow qualification hopefuls Ukraine brushed aside by England in the second round of matches, Italy may hope for a simple qualification path by finishing second in Group C.

It may not be all straightforward for Mancini’s men, though, with Ukraine by no means pushovers and two clashes to follow with North Macedonia, who eliminated Italy in the World Cup play-offs last year.

Rampant Retegui

Mancini has repeatedly fielded questions over his selection decisions to call up Retegui, who qualified for the Azzurri because of his grandfather’s Italian passport.

Retegui silenced the critics once again, joining Riccardo Orsolini (November 2020), Enrico Chiesa (June 1996) and Giorgio Chinaglia (September 1972) as the only players to score in their first two Italy appearances.

Sorry Satariano

In stark contrast to the in-form Retegui, Satariano struggled against the experienced Alessio Romagnoli and centre-back partner Giorgio Scalvini.

The Malta striker faltered from a gilt-edged first-half opportunity and managed just seven passes before being replaced in the 64th minute, while even Italy goalkeeper Donnarumma enjoyed more than Satariano’s 24 touches.

What’s next?

Italy are not in action until their Nations League semi-final against Spain on June 15, while Malta host England in Euro 2024 qualifying the day after.

Antonio Conte has left Tottenham by mutual consent, a week on from criticising the club and players in a remarkable outburst, with assistant Cristian Stellini to take charge until the end of the season.

Conte hit out after Spurs blew a two-goal lead in a 3-3 draw away to rock-bottom Southampton last Saturday, calling his players “selfish” and questioning Tottenham’s lack of success during Daniel Levy’s time in charge.

He was reportedly asked by Levy and club chiefs to clarify those comments, apparently insisting his “20 years and they never won something” comment was aimed at the players, rather than his bosses.

But seemingly Conte’s position had become untenable, with Spurs confirming the Italian’s departure on Sunday.

“We can announce that head coach Antonio Conte has left the club by mutual agreement,” a Spurs statement read.

“We achieved Champions League qualification in Antonio’s first season at the club. We thank Antonio for his contribution and wish him well for the future.

“Cristian Stellini will take the team as acting head coach for the remainder of the season, along with Ryan Mason as assistant head coach.”

Conte already looked likely to leave Spurs in June when his contract was set to expire.

Media reports earlier this month suggested neither Conte nor Spurs wanted to extend the arrangement.

Fans had long been frustrated by the brand of football introduced by Conte, and recent results only made the atmosphere more toxic.

While Conte was absent after having gallbladder surgery, Spurs were knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship side Sheffield United on March 1, and a week later they were eliminated from the Champions League after a limp 0-0 draw at home to Milan, who had beaten them 1-0 in San Siro.

Although Spurs beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 on March 11 to earn some momentary respite, their late collapse at St Mary’s – followed by Conte’s extraordinary rant – proved the final straw.

Conte departs with Spurs still firmly immersed in the race for Champions League qualification, sitting fourth in the Premier League.

However, Liverpool and Newcastle United – five and two points behind, respectively – still have two games in hand.

Former Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino is among those linked with succeeding Conte, while Luis Enrique, Marco Silva and Thomas Tuchel are also said to be contenders.

Russia defeated Iraq 2-0 on Sunday in their first home international since the country invaded Ukraine.

European and global football governing bodies UEFA and FIFA announced in February 2022 that Russia’s international and club sides would be suspended from their competitions.

Russia have played Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Iran in friendlies since then, but not since November 2021 had they played on home soil.

Anton Miranchuk gave Russia the lead against Iran early in the second half at the Gazprom Arena and Sergey Pinyaev added a second just before the hour mark.

The venue in Saint Petersburg had been due to host last year’s Champions League final, but it was instead held at the Parc des Princes in Paris in wake of Russia’s military actions.

The first batch of qualifiers for next year’s European Championship are nearly done and dusted with Monday and Tuesday’s matches bringing the opening salvo to a conclusion.

Among the games to look out for over the next two days are Ireland’s clash with France, Georgia against Norway and a resurgent Scotland taking on the might of Spain.

There are also some individuals to keep an eye on and here is a look at five players who could find the net in these next Euro 2024 qualifiers.

Back Kvichva Kvaratskhelia to score anytime @ 13/5

Georgia warmed up for their first Euro 2024 qualifier with a 6-1 friendly thrashing of Mongolia on Saturday and that victory was made all the more impressive by the fact they recorded it without star man Khvicha Kvaratskhelia involved.

But Napoli ace Kvaratskhelia was included in the squad for this month’s matches and is expected to be involved in Georgia’s first qualifier against Norway, who sustained a 3-0 defeat to Spain last time out.

There were gaps to be exploited in the Norway defence and Kvaratskhelia is exactly the kind of player who can capitalise, having scored 12 goals and laid on 10 assists for Napoli in Serie A this season.

The 22-year-old looks a good bet to score at anytime.

Back Dusan Vlahovic to score at anytime @ 6/4

Another Serie A ace to monitor in the coming days is Serbia marksman Dusan Vlahovic.

Vlahovic has struck eight goals for Juventus in Serie A this season and, although he often has to share his scoring duties with Aleksandar Mitrovic for Serbia, he is worth considering to get on the scoresheet against Montenegro.

Vlahovic scored against Freiburg in the Europa League for Juventus pretty recently and bagged Serbia’s decisive goal in their recent 2-0 win over Lithuania.

Back Tomas Cvancara to score at anytime @ 13/10

Sparta Prague forward Tomas Cvancara marked his Czech Republic debut with a goal in a key 3-1 win over Poland last time out and the 22-year-old could again get on the scoresheet when his nation faces Moldova.

Adam Hlozek, one of the most up-and-coming strikers in Europe, led the line for the Czech Republic last time out but it was wide player Cvancara who looked the most lively, scoring and managing four shots on target against the Poles.

If he puts in a similar display against a shaky Moldova side, the goals could flow.

Back Enes Unal to score at anytime @ 7/2

Croatia exceeded expectations to make the semi-finals of the Qatar World Cup last year but they were held by Wales in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier and should be wary of Turkey in their next game on Tuesday.

Turkey started their qualifying campaign on a winning note, beating Armenia 2-1 away from home, and Enes Unal looked sharp in the contest, managing two shots and laying on an assist.

Only Robert Lewandowski (15) has scored more La Liga goals than Getafe marksman Unal (13) this season and he can find the net when Turkey take on Croatia.

Back Dani Olmo to score at anytime @ 23/10

In Luis de la Fuente’s first game in charge of Spain, all the talk was around the brace from veteran forward Joselu in their 3-0 win over Norway but Dani Olmo also got on the scoresheet and is worth watching against Scotland.

Olmo is a midfielder who loves to get forward, having scored the first goal of Spain’s 7-0 romping of Costa Rica in last year’s World Cup, and he could breach Scotland.