March 2023 – Page 22

Gareth Southgate praised the ruthlessness of Bukayo Saka after his starring role in England’s 2-0 win over Ukraine.

England made it six points from two Euro 2024 qualifiers with a routine win at Wembley on Sunday.

Saka, a leading light in Arsenal’s challenge for the Premier League title, supplied the assist for Harry Kane’s opener in the 37th minute.

He then made it 2-0 three minutes later by bending a magnificent long-range strike into the top-right corner, his eighth goal for the Three Lions.

“It is a top-level finish [from Saka],” Southgate told Channel 4.

“That is the ruthless part he has added to his game in the last 18 months or so. There were times you weren’t sure he was going to finish, but now he has that confidence in front of goal.”

England were in control throughout, with Ukraine never looking likely to produce a comeback in a game where they did not manage a shot on target.

The command England enjoyed naturally delighted Southgate, who also had plaudits for James Maddison, the Leicester City playmaker creating five chances in an impressive showing.

“The risk is that when you have control of the game you have the odd sloppy pass, but the application throughout was excellent,” added Southgate.

“We have broken down a lot of barriers over a period of time. We still had that question mark over some of the bigger teams.

“We are starting to win those games now but there is still lots of room for improvement.

“To back up the Italy result was important, but there is still room to grow.”

“We are always trying to think about now and what is next. We did that with James Maddison today. We thought it was a good game to see him.

“He was defensively very solid. It was nice to get Ivan Toney on the pitch as well. We will always look at people, but we have to qualify and we can’t take that for granted.”

Juventus midfielder Filip Kostic has been ruled out of Serbia’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Montenegro with an Achilles injury.

The 30-year-old played a full part in Friday’s 2-0 win over Lithuania and set up Dusan Tadic’s early opener.

But Kostic will not be available against Montenegro at Podgorica City Stadium on Monday, having returned to his club side for treatment.

“It’s bad news for us,” Serbia head coach Dragan Stojkovic said at Sunday’s pre-match press conference. “He left the team because he has Achilles tendinitis.

“There is no need to take any risks with him. The decision was to return to the club. I’m always sorry when a player gets injured – there’s nothing worse for a coach.”

Juventus will hope to have Kostic available for a busy run of fixtures when they return to action later this week.

Massimiliano Allegri’s side have nine games in April across three competitions, starting with Saturday’s Serie A meeting with Hellas Verona at the Allianz Stadium.

Kostic has played in 38 of Juve’s 39 matches this season – only Danilo has featured as regularly – and has a team-high 11 assists to go with his three goals.

Ten-man Hamilton hung on to defeat defending champions Raith Rovers 1-0 in the final of the SPFL Trust Trophy.

Raith, who saw off Queen of the South 12 months ago and also shared the trophy in 2020, were hoping for a repeat at Falkirk Stadium but could not find an equaliser after Dan O’Reilly was sent off early in the second half.

Hamilton took the lead in the 30th minute through a fine finish from Reghan Tumilty against his former club and that proved to be enough as they lifted the trophy for the first time since 1993.

Hamilton, who sit bottom of the Scottish Championship, were forced into two early changes because of injury, with first Benny Ashley-Seal and then Marley Redfern going off.

It was they who made the breakthrough, though, as Tumilty fired in from a corner and they held onto their advantage until half-time.

Raith came out strongly at the start of the second period and Ryan Fulton made an important save before Hamilton were reduced to 10 men as defender O’Reilly saw red for a challenge on Sam Stanton.

Fulton quickly found his goal under siege but he proved the equal of everything thrown at him, keeping out efforts from Scott Brown, Lewis Vaughan and Stanton, while Brian Easton also cleared off the line.

The result means, for the first time since 2019, Raith’s name will not be on the trophy after they shared the spoils with Inverness in 2020, while the tournament was cancelled in 2021.

Kai Havertz and Nico Schlotterbeck have withdrawn from Germany’s squad for Tuesday’s friendly with Belgium.

Both players started Saturday’s 2-0 win over Peru, but the German Football Association (DFB) confirmed on Sunday they have now returned to their clubs.

Chelsea attacker Havertz is ruled out of the Belgium match through illness, while Borussia Dortmund defender Schlotterbeck has a thigh injury.

Germany head coach Hansi Flick has decided against calling up any replacements for the friendly at RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne.

Belgium, who beat Sweden 3-0 in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier on Friday, will be without Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois due to a minor strain injury.

Didier Deschamps expects Kylian Mbappe to continue breaking France records but knows a Republic of Ireland generation inspired by teenage talisman Evan Ferguson pose a threat.

Les Bleus thrashed the Netherlands 4-0 in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier and will be confident of claiming another three points in Dublin on Monday.

New captain Mbappe hit a double against the Dutch, taking him to 38 international goals and fifth on France’s all-time scoring charts – just three shy of the great Michel Platini (41).

Mbappe has scored half of those in his last 16 outings, as many as in his first 51 games, Deschamps suggests there is no limit for the 24-year-old.

“It’s Kylian, he’s full of ambitions. When he reaches one, he has another to reach,” Deschamps said at a press conference.

“He reached and exceeded quite a few very early on. He has that in him. He has a driving role compared to the whole group.

“He will do everything to get there, he will need the others, but it’s Kylian.”

France have won their last four qualifying matches, for both the World Cup and Euros, by an aggregate score of 16-0.

Les Bleus have not managed five qualifying victories without conceding since doing so between November 1981 and December 1984, but they face an Ireland side buoyed by a young prospect of their own.

Ferguson scored on his first international start in a 3-2 win over Latvia and could become the first Ireland player to net in consecutive appearances before turning 19.

The Brighton and Hove Albion striker has been a hot topic of discussion, with Deschamps acknowledging the danger the 18-year-old might offer.

“It goes back to [Euro] 2016. I remember that we were trailing 1-0 [in the round of 16 before winning 2-1] and that it was complicated,” Deschamps said.

“But there is a new generation with Ferguson. It is always very difficult to compare.”

Ireland have lost just three of their last 30 Euros qualifying games (W14 D13) and are unbeaten in their last 14 on home soil (W8 D6), including play-off fixtures.

That strong home form is a factor Deschamps knows France must deal with.

He continued: “They are a technical team. From what I have seen, they use less direct play and long balls. It will be a different game, with the crowd pushing as well.

“It’s a high level and it’s up to us to do no less.”

England eased to a 2-0 victory over Ukraine thanks to the Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane show in the first-half at Wembley.

Kane scored his 55th England goal in the 37th minute and Saka curled in a beautiful strike only three minutes later.

It was a routine win for Gareth Southgate’s side who have had a successful international break, winning both of their opening Euro 2024 qualifying games.

England are now absent until June where they will try and continue their perfect campaign by facing Malta and North Macedonia.

Sublime Saka

As England are now building their squad to compete at the Euro’s next year, Saka has once again proved that he is one of the first names in the starting 11.

The 21-year-old is having a fantastic season with Arsenal and he took that form into this game especially — grabbing a goal and an assist in the first-half.

The cross for Kane’s goal was superb. He shifted the ball onto his left-foot, worked a yard of space and whipped in a ball that landed on to his captain’s foot.

His goal was equally as impressive — Saka once again earned himself a yard of space but this time it was to cut in and curl a wonderful strike into back of the net.

If England are to push on and win a major trophy, Saka will be at the heart and soul of it.

Jack of all trades

England’s first goal of the afternoon showcased Kane’s world-class skillset.

He received a pass with his back to goal, managed to turn and switch the ball out to Saka which made the entire Ukraine shape shift.

This allowed Kane to creep in at the back post and show the clinical side to his game. Saka put a brilliant cross into the box and the England captain tapped the ball in the back of the net.

This was the 29-year-old’s 55th goal for the Three Lions and it was a great embodiment of his ability to link-up play but also get into the right positions to score.

Maddison lively

James Maddison was rewarded with his first ever England start and despite not grabbing a goal contribution, he had a positive performance.

The 26-year-old was played out on the left-hand side, forming a front-three with Kane and Saka.

He would constantly want to receive the ball between the lines, finding pockets of space that Ukraine would find uncomfortable.

There were a couple of incidents where his final ball did let him down but that was perhaps due to his his lack of familiarity with his teammates.

However, it was still a positive performance as the Leicester midfielder was generally a lively outlet who wanted to push his side up the pitch and create chances.

Walker and Chilwell movements

Kyle Walker and Ben Chilwell were the chosen full-backs for Gareth Southgate this afternoon but they both had very different roles.

When England were in possession, Walker would shuffle to a more narrow position to form a back-three with Harry Maguire and John Stones.

Chilwell, however, would go very high and wide — effectively being England’s width on the left-hand side as Maddison would float into a more narrow position.

The intention behind this could also be safety first, as Walker’s recovery pace can protect England if they lose the ball and the opposition counter-attack.

Toney debut

In the 80th minute, Ivan Toney came on to make a deserved debut for England.

It is a fascinating situation as he has never even represented the country at youth level, testament to how quickly he has risen up the ranks.

England strikers are generally in a sorry situation as Kane’s role in the team is untenable, so they will only be afforded quick cameos to impress Southgate.

He did not conjure up anything of note but if he keeps his Premier League form up this will not be the only time he represents his country.

Bukayo Saka scored a stunner after Harry Kane extended his goalscoring record as England continued their winning start to Euro 2024 qualification against Ukraine.

Gareth Southgate told his players that Thursday’s impressive 2-1 victory at Euro 2020 conquerors Italy could only be considered a fantastic result if they followed it up with another win at Wembley.

England did not disappoint in their first home match since reaching the World Cup quarter-finals as Kane and Saka struck late in the first half to seal a 2-0 triumph against Ukraine.

It was the perfect return from their toughest-looking Euro 2024 double-header, meaning Southgate’s side are already well placed to progress from a group completed by North Macedonia and Malta.

England are expected to get maximum points against those nations in June, when Kane could add a flurry to his national team scoring record that stands at 55 after his first-half opener.

The skipper, who was presented with a commemorative golden boot for his historic strike in Naples, fired in after meeting a fine cross by Saka, who went onto score a superb effort three minutes later.

The 21-year-old’s fantastic 20-yard curler was his eighth international goal and all but ended this Group C clash a contest.

Given England’s struggles after half-time in Italy and an already-depleted squad being further diminished by Phil Foden needing appendix surgery on Sunday morning, Southgate will not mind the largely forgettable second half here.

Ahead of the game both sets of players posed with a Ukrainian flag that read ‘peace’ in a show of solidarity as the country continues to fight invading Russia.

More than 1,000 displaced Ukrainians and their host families were invited to the match as special guests of the Football Association.

The 4,200-strong away contingent were in fine voice from the outset but there was a collective early gasp when Kane rose to his feet claiming for a penalty following a clumsy Oleksandr Svatok challenge.

The defender got away with that and somehow avoided a card for a poor challenge on Jude Bellingham midway through the first half – a tackle checked by the VAR for a possible red card.

Ukraine goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin was also relieved having botched a seemingly simple catch from a cross, with full debutant James Maddison adjudged to have fouled him when following in.

The visitors looked shaky and Kane unsurprisingly looked England’s biggest threat, with his movement proving problematic before opening the scoring in the 37th minute.

Kane spread the ball to Saka on the right and ran into the box, with winger swinging a left-footed cross that the England captain finished smartly at the far post under pressure from Oleksandr Karavaev.

Wembley was celebrating again three minutes later thanks to a moment of magic from Saka.

The Arsenal star collected a Jordan Henderson pass, spun away from pressure and got away a superb left-footed shot that curled past Trubin from 20 yards.

The Ukraine goalkeeper prevented Kane from making matters worse for the visitors as a one-sided first half came to an end.

England returned from the break in cruise control, taking the sting out of proceedings three days on from a ragged second-half display nearly allowing Italy back into the match.

Maddison missed the target before Saka sent in a dangerous cross which Bellingham was unable to take advantage of, before the youngsters reversed roles with the same frustrating outcome.

Brentford striker Ivan Toney made his debut in place of Kane with nine minutes remaining at Wembley, where paper planes and Mexican waves seemed to provide fans with more entertainment than the football.

Fellow substitute Conor Gallagher was thwarted by Trubin before stoppage time provided two further chances for England, with Harry Maguire heading over before Jack Grealish was denied.

Kylian Mbappe hailed the “carefree” mindset of the new France generation as the forward eyes surpassing Michel Platini on Les Bleus’ all-time scoring charts.

The Paris Saint-German superstar scored twice in his first game as France captain as Didier Deschamps’ side hammered the Netherlands 4-0 to kickstart their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign on Friday.

That double took the 24-year-old striker to 38 goals in 67 appearances for his country, just three international strikes short of Platini, who sits fourth in France’s leading scorers chart.

Antoine Griezmann (43), Thierry Henry (51) and Olivier Giroud (53) are the only three to manage more and Mbappe is out to catch Platini when Deschamps’ men visit the Republic of Ireland on Monday.

He said at Sunday’s pre-match press conference: “It’s an honour but it’s also the next target to beat.

“Platini remains a legend of French football but I want to continue my journey and it goes through Michel Platini.”

France fell agonisingly short at the World Cup in Qatar, losing on penalties to Argentina in the final, but the future appears incredibly bright for Les Bleus.

Deschamps has the likes of Aurelien Tchouameni and Edouard Camavinga in midfield, while Randal Kolo Muani provides support for Mbappe up top.

Centre-back pairing Ibrahima Konate and Dayot Upamecano are yet to reach their 25th birthdays and Mbappe says he is relishing leading a youthful France.

“I don’t know all the generations. This one is carefree,” he added. “We always have this desire to show that we can do good things.

“This team can aim for the heights. In adversity, we will see other things. We had a first match that we made easy. We will see in due time.

“Maybe there will be more difficult moments and I hope that we can overcome them.”

As for the captaincy, Mbappe suggested little has changed despite taking the armband from the retired Hugo Lloris.

He continued: “I was the same, I naturally played my new role. There was not much to say in relation to the team’s performance. I’m not going to talk just to talk.

“I was the link between the two generations but there were no differences during the week. The group is doing very well, I did not have to intervene. The less work I have, the better for everyone.

“We must not get carried away and we have started qualifying well. Tomorrow’s match will be more complicated than what people may think.”

Qualifying for next year’s European Championship continues on Monday and Tuesday, with the likes of big guns France and Spain in action.

However, there is value in following some of their more midsized footballing nations and our five-fold accumulator covering the two nights is worth 29/1.

Monday, 7.45pm

Bet 1: Hungary to beat Bulgaria at 10/21

Hungary made a winning start in Group G by beating Estonia 1-0 and should have no issues when Bulgaria head to the Puskas Arena on Monday.

The Bulgarians were edged 1-0 by Montenegro on Friday and, having drawn 0-0 against Luxembourg in their most recent game before that, look like a side in the doldrums, which is reflected in the odds.

Monday, 7.45pm

Bet 2: Serbia to beat Montenegro at 8/11

Serbia will look to make it three wins out of as many meetings when they head to neighbours Montenegro in Group G.

Orlovi won both Nations League matches in 2018 and opened their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 home victory over Lithuania after the Montenegrins had earlier triumphed 1-0 in Bulgaria.

However, Serbia’s scorers on Friday, Dusan Tadic and Dusan Vlahovic, are two examples of the quality running throughout their squad and they should have enough in Podgorica.

Monday, 7.45pm

Bet 3: Poland to beat Albania at 11/20

Poland were poor in Friday’s 3-1 defeat to the Czech Republic and will surely raise their game against Group E rivals Albania in Warsaw.

The Albanians have won only one of their last 10 away games and lost both meetings in qualifying for last year’s World Cup.

Tuesday, 5pm

Bet 4: Georgia to beat Norway at 5/2

Georgia take on Norway on Tuesday in Group A and their home record suggests they can spring an upset.

Willy Sagnol’s side beat Mongolia 6-1 on Saturday to extend their unbeaten record on their native turf to six matches, while a wider look at their record shows they have lost just one of their last 13 matches.

Norway went down 3-0 to Spain in their Group A opener, Joselu’s late brace adding some extra credibility to La Roja’s performance.

Lovene have good players but lack goals without superstar Erling Haaland and look vulnerable heading into their trip to Batumi.

Tuesday, 7.45pm

Bet 5: Croatia to beat Turkey at 23/20

Croatia let complacency get the better of them in Saturday’s 1-1 Group D draw with Wales but are unlikely to allow lightning to strike twice.

Vatreni take on a Turkey side with burgeoning confidence after beating Armenia on Saturday to make it three 2-1 wins on the spin.

However, they lack a consistent cutting edge and Croatia’s quality, especially in midfield, should see them get back on track.

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Denmark threw away a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 at Kazakhstan and suffer an early blow in Euro 2024 qualifying.

Kasper Hjulmand’s side were semi-finalists at the last Euros and were handed a relatively kind draw for this qualifying campaign, beating Finland 3-1 in Thursday’s opener.

Atalanta sensation Rasmus Hojlund scored a hat-trick in that game and then grabbed another two goals in the first half on Sunday, seemingly setting up another routine win.

But Baktiyor Zainutdinov pulled one back from the penalty spot with 17 minutes to play, and Kazakhstan were back level through captain Askhat Tagybergen’s spectacular long-range strike four minutes from time.

That was not the end of the scoring as substitute Abat Aimbetov nodded the winner, although he was sent off in stoppage time.

Denmark will surely still back themselves to come through the group – particularly if Hojlund maintains his remarkable form – but this was an unexpected setback.

“I have to be careful what I say right now,” captain Simon Kjaer told TV2.

“We run after instead of acting. We run after and not ahead with the ball. That’s the difference in the second half, I think.”

Asked why he needed to be careful, Kjaer said: “It is embarrassing. We win and lose together. Today we lose together. You cannot be 2-0 up and losing 2-3. You cannot. I don’t know what it was.

“It was many things. It wasn’t good enough. What exactly happened in the situations I’m a little unsure about, and I don’t want to say things I’m not sure of.

“We must take responsibility for the criticism that will come. And then we must move on.”