Chesterfield assistant manager Danny Webb is delighted his side’s fans will get the chance to sample a big match atmosphere in the third round of the FA Cup against Championship outfit Watford.
The Spireites booked a trip to Vicarage Road with a 1-0 win over Leyton Orient at the SMH Group Stadium to add the O’s to the first-round scalp of fellow League One side Portsmouth.
The National League leaders always looked on top even if there was some good fortune about their winning goal which went in via the head of Orient captain Idris El Mizouni.
Webb said: “Watford away, they are obviously not Man United or Tottenham but they are a very, very big club.
“I hope we take thousands down there and genuinely enjoy the day.”
Webb was proud of the way the Chesterfield players acquitted themselves against higher-ranked opponents in Orient.
He said: “I would say to everyone that the result doesn’t lie. We were the better team from start to finish.
“It would be good if the season ended now but life isn’t that easy. It shows how much we attack the FA Cup. It shows how much it brings the ground together and how much they get behind us.”
Will Grigg had the first effort on target when his close-range back heel at a corner was held by Orient keeper Sol Brynn.
Orient full back Tom James tested Ryan Boot with a shot from outside the area before Chesterfield grabbed the lead with 38 minutes gone as a cross from Banks deflected off the top of El Mizouni’s head and over Brynn.
The Orient midfielder almost made amends after 53 minutes when his shot forced Jamie Grimes into a hacked clearance which spun back wide of his own goal.
Armando Dobra’s deflected shot fell to Brynn and James Berry shot wide as Chesterfield added Orient to the first-round scalp of League One pacesetters Portsmouth.
Orient boss Richie Wellens did not hold back in his assessment of his side’s performance.
He said: “It was a disgrace. The first six or seven minutes we were in control of the game but they ran a little bit harder, fought a little bit harder.
“Just at the moment little things are going against us. I spoke to the players at half-time and I said try and put this into perspective that it’s a freezing cold weekend and our supporters have saved up, worked overtime in the current crisis when it is coming up to Christmas and the energy bills are what they are and that first-half performance is not acceptable, nowhere near.”
Sevilla 1-2 Barcelona: Bittersweet farewell for Xavi as Barca end season with a win
Barcelona ended the season with a 2-1 victory at Sevilla in LaLiga on Sunday, making departing coach Xavi's farewell bittersweet after a trophy-less season.
La Blaugrana came out all guns blazing from the start and took the lead in the 15th minute through Robert Lewandowski who scored from close range after latching onto Joao Cancelo's cross.
Sevilla levelled with Youssef En-Nesyri's strike in the 31st minute and went close again but failed to beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen before Barca got the winner on the hour through Fermin Lopez.
Barca were already guaranteed second place going into Xavi's final game. The Spaniard was sacked on Friday, after a disappointing campaign in which they lost the Spanish Supercopa final to Real Madrid and were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-final.
Data Debrief: A legend departs
Xavi never lost any of his six games as a manager against Sevilla in LaLiga (W5 D1), making them just the third opponent that he faced six times without defeat (also W5 D1 against Real Mallorca and Osasuna).
Fermin got the all-important goal to ensure Xavi's tenure ended on a high note. He has scored seven goals in LaLiga in 2024, a record surpassed by only one other Spanish player in Europe's top five leagues this year: Iago Aspas (eight).
Verona 2-2 Inter: Arnautovic double earns point for Serie A winners
Champions Inter end their Serie A season with a 2-2 draw against Verona thanks to a Marko Arnautovic double.
The Austrian opened the scoring after 10 minutes with a neat finish, but Inter were soon pegged back as Tijjani Noslin equalised six minutes later.
The Dutchman then set up Tomas Suslov for their second to turn the game on its head, but another smart finish from Arnautovic on the stroke of half-time ensured they would salvage a point.
Simone Perilli proved the hero for Verona in the end, pulling off a string of fine saves to keep his side level.
Data Debrief: Landmark for Inzaghi
Simone Inzaghi has now earned 250 points as a coach in Serie A with Inter, an achievement only Roberto Mancini has reached so far with the Nerazzurri in the three-points-per-win era (436). This draw takes him up to the landmark after 77 wins and 19 draws (18 losses).
After winning the Scudetto with five games to go, Inzaghi has led Inter to 94 points in Serie A, with only three teams ever earning more points in a single campaign in the competition in the three-points-per-win era: Inter in 2006-07 (97) and Juventus in 2013-14 (102) and 2017-18 (95).
Bonucci calls time on glittering career
Leonardo Bonucci has called time on his glittering career, after playing his final game for Fenerbahce.
The decorated defender announced on Saturday that he would retire at the end of the Turkish Super Lig season, which concluded with Ismail Kartal's side inflicting a 6-0 rout on Istanbulspor.
However, it was not quite enough to snatch the title from Galatasaray, who finished three points clear after a 3-1 victory at Konyaspor on the final day.
Bonucci, who signed from Union Berlin in January, was given a wonderful reception as he was presented with a plaque before the game, in which he came on as a 64th-minute substitute.
The 37-year-old enjoyed the most success during his career with Juventus, where he won eight Serie A titles and reached two Champions League finals, while he helped Italy to glory at Euro 2020.
"It was a pleasure for me to be a part of this wonderful family," he said of his time at Fenerbahce on Saturday. "I tried to show my best on and off the field.
A statement on the club website paid tribute to Bonucci, reading: "It was an honour to see a legend like you in a Cubuklu jersey.
"At this special moment of your career, we would like to thank you on behalf of the entire Fenerbahce family. We wish you successful and healthy days in which you will be a part of football in your future life."
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