Ivan Toney scored on his first England start in the friendly draw with Belgium and is now aiming to make up for lost time by securing a place at Euro 2024.
The Brentford striker won and scored a penalty either side of a Youri Tielemans brace for the visitors, who looked on course for a Wembley win before Jude Bellingham’s last-gasp effort secured a 2-2 draw.
It was Toney’s full England debut and just his second cap, coming exactly a year after his first.
For the majority of that year Toney was sidelined through suspension, having been banned for eight months after breaching Football Association betting rules.
He returned to action for Brentford in January and has scored four goals for the Bees since, while England boss Gareth Southgate kept a watching brief.
“It was always going to be hard to watch knowing I should have been there,” Toney said of England games he missed while banned.
“But that’s done and dusted now. I can’t change it. There’s no point dwelling on something I can’t change because it’ll just hurt me even more.
“But hopefully I can make the Euros squad and put things right. I try to be confident, but let’s see what happens.”
There was a long delay between Toney winning the spot-kick for a foul by Jan Vertonghen and then coolly converting from 12 yards.
For Toney, though, the outcome of the penalty was never in doubt.
“It felt very good,” he told BeIN Sports.
“This morning I spoke to my friends and I said I feel a penalty today and when I ran in behind, I felt the contact and there was no doubt that it was a penalty.
“So it is just patience, really – wait for the keeper to get on the line and do what I do best.
“I practise them all the time, every day and just pretend it is a training pitch and put in the back of the net and I’ve done that.”
While Toney impressed and got off the mark for England, there were other standout displays.
Manchester United teenager Kobbie Mainoo’s midfield performance was particularly eye-catching, while Jarrod Bowen enjoyed arguably his best night in an England shirt too.
The 27-year-old West Ham forward looked sharp on his seventh cap but saw his first England goal chalked off when VAR ruled him offside as he headed home in the first half.
Bowen is also hopeful of squeezing into Southgate’s ranks in Germany.
“There is no question I want it more than ever,” he told BBC Radio 5Live. “The main thing now is to go back to West Ham, hit the ground running there, keep doing what I’ve been doing all season and hope I get the opportunity.
“There is a lot of football to be played before that squad is named. I have been in a good place this season and the main thing was to continue to do what I’ve been doing.”
Rob Page believes Wales possess a bright future and are “going places” despite Euro 2024 play-off heartbreak.
Wales missed out on a third successive European Championship as Poland won 5-4 on penalties at Cardiff City Stadium on Tuesday following a goalless 120 minutes.
But boss Page insists Wales’ young squad are heading in the right direction ahead of 2026 World Cup qualifying.
“I just know I’ve got a good group players, great staff, and we’re going on the right path,” said Page, who has over two years left on his contract.
“There are younger players to be introduced as well, so that’s my next aim.
“We haven’t got there this time, but with the games in June we can start to introduce a couple of the younger players and build on what we’ve got here.
“We’re a good group and we’re going places.
“We have learned lessons, I’ve learned lessons from the campaign overall from the first game in Croatia.
“If we get our values right, with or without the ball, we’re a force to be reckoned with.
“We’re disappointed but we’ll build on it.”
Page insisted after the agony of Daniel James’ missed spot-kick that he is the right man to take Wales forward.
Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney put Page’s future in the spotlight in October by saying the manager’s position would be reviewed, having not qualified for Euro 2024 automatically.
Page and Mooney held clear-the-air talks after those comments – but the FAW will conduct a review into the Euro 2024 campaign over the coming weeks.
Wales will return to friendly action this summer with a planned home game before heading to Slovakia on June 9.
“We’ve got games in June, Nations League in the autumn, and then the start of a World Cup qualifying campaign,” Page said.
“So that’s my full focus now, building on what we’ve already started and the transition we’re in at this time.
“Expectations go up because of the success we’ve had. Qualification for a Euros, then a World Cup, now we’ve been one penalty kick from another Euros without all the senior players we’ve had.
“We’ll continue to add youth and competition for places, the supporters buy into that. They see what we’re trying to do.”
Jordan James was a huge success story during the Euro 2024 campaign in forming a strong midfield partnership with Ethan Ampadu.
The Birmingham midfielder does not turn 20 until July and already has 10 caps to his name.
Striker Lewis Koumas seems certain to be the next teenager to be introduced to the senior ranks after scoring debuts for both Liverpool and Wales Under-21s over the last month.
Page said: “JJ will have learned a lot from that experience, that will hold him in good stead and make him bigger and better in the future.
“He’ll be another Ethan Ampadu with cap accumulation. 50-odd by the time he’s 23, no doubt.
“The age of the group is different to what we’ve had before. They are a hungry group.
“I’m keen to get as many of those young players as possible, but it’s got to be done in the right way.”
Agenda emerged as yet another potential Classic contender for Aidan O’Brien after opening his account with a wide-margin victory at Dundalk on Tuesday evening.
A promising third on his sole juvenile start over seven furlongs at the Curragh in October, the son of Galileo was an 11-10 favourite to go a couple of places better on his return to action in County Louth.
A slow start suggested the three-year-old still has plenty to learn, but his latent ability shone through in the latter stages of the extended 10-furlong contest and in the end he was thoroughly impressive in beating Huxley, not too far behind O’Brien’s star colt City Of Troy in a Curragh maiden last season, by just under five lengths.
Agenda holds an entry in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby on June 30, while stable representative Chris Armstrong raised the possibility of him crossing the Irish Sea for a possible Derby trial at Chester’s Boodles May Festival.
He said: “It was (a lovely performance stepping up in trip), he had a lovely run as a two-year-old at the Curragh in a race that worked out nicely.
“He has the makings of a lovely horse, he’s still very babyish and raw. I think there is plenty of improvement but, when he gets there, he could be a nice one.
“We’ll probably look at a trial for him next, he might be one for Chester.”
Agenda was providing jockey Wayne Lordan with his first winner since returning to the saddle earlier this month, having been sidelined since suffering multiple injuries when unseated from the fatally injured San Antonio in the Irish Derby last July.
“Wayne gave him a lovely ride and it is great to get Wayne back on a winner,” Armstrong added.
“He’s a big part of the team and we have got to say a massive thanks to the paramedics who attended to him at the Curragh, to Jennifer Pugh and all her team, all the various consultants, doctors and physios.
“It has been a long road back for him, especially for his wife and his kids at home. In fairness, he got the best of care and he worked hard over the winter on his fitness.
“He has been back with us in the first week of January riding out. Hopefully, it is a good season ahead for him.”
What the papers say
Arsenal’s pursuit of a striker has received some encouragement from a potential target. Newcastle’s Sweden forward Alexander Isak, 24, admitted “things can happen” during the summer according to the Daily Mail.
The Gunners have been tracking another Sweden forward but the Sun reports scouting trips to see Viktor Gyokeres, 25, at Sporting have seen the Lisbon club’s Ivory Coast centre-back Ousmane Diomande, 20, catch their eye.
Wolves are in pole position to sign Southampton’s Scotland striker Che Adams according to The Daily Telegraph. The 27-year-old becomes a free agent in the summer.
Brighton are looking at Nigerian winger Philip Otele at Romanian club Cluj, reports the Evening Standard.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Erling Haaland: Barcelona are keen on the Manchester City striker in 2025 according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, which says the 23-year-old’s agent met with the La Liga club last month.
Joao Gomes: The Wolves midfielder, 23, has been identified by Manchester United as a replacement for fellow Brazilian Casemiro, 32, reports Spanish outlet Sport.
England’s all-time record scorer Harry Kane opened his international goal account within 80 seconds of making a “dream” debut on this day in 2015.
Kane netted almost immediately after coming on as a 70th-minute substitute against Lithuania at Wembley, wrapping up a 4-0 win with a thumping far-post header.
The then 21-year-old, who had already scored 29 goals for Tottenham that season, was given a standing ovation as he took to the field and it did not take him long to get the sell-out crowd back on their feet as, with one of his first touches, he found the back of the net.
Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Raheem Sterling scored England’s other goals, but the headlines belonged to Kane after a one-sided Euro 2016 qualifier.
Asked if he knew how long he had taken to get off the mark, Kane said: “Maybe a minute? Eighty seconds? Hey, it’s not too bad!
“It’s the start I dreamed of, it’s a little bit of a blur at the minute. It’s the best moment by far, to represent your country at senior level is the top. Hopefully I can keep doing it and it’s the first of many.”
It was a dream start which impressed then England captain Rooney – a man who knew a thing about coping with pressure and scoring goals and whose national-record of 53 goals Kane surpassed in March 2023.
“It’s fantastic, international football’s different and to score after 80 seconds is incredible for Harry,” he told ITV. “We’re all delighted and hopefully it’s the first of many.”
All those involved were quick to try and keep a lid on expectations, but given Kane now stands alone at the top of England’s goalscoring charts, they clearly knew what they were seeing.
“It is fantastic for Harry,” manager Roy Hodgson said. “We’re so delighted for him. It is a bit of a fairytale, but it’s nice when fairytales come true and it’s come true for Harry.”
“He’s crowned his England debut with a well-taken goal. Couldn’t be better really. It’s a very satisfying evening for us. I think it’s too early to put this pressure on Harry Kane. We should just be happy that he has done so well for Tottenham and made a name for himself to get into the England set-up.
“That’s not easy to do as we have a number of good forwards but let’s be happy with that and leave the future predictions to the future.”
Austin Reaves notched a triple-double and drilled a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 37.8 seconds left in the second overtime as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied to beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 128-124, on Tuesday despite the absence of LeBron James.
Reaves had 29 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in 47 minutes, Anthony Davis tallied 34 points and 23 rebounds in 52 minutes and D’Angelo Russell had 29 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds.
The Lakers, who never led in regulation, overcame a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter and won their season-best fourth straight game with James sidelined with an ankle issue.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points, a season-high 21 boards and 11 assists and Damian Lillard added 21 points for the Bucks, who had won six straight at home.
Reaves’ 3-pointer with 38 seconds left in the second OT snapped a tie and Lillard missed a 3 before Antetokounmpo missed two free throws. Russell then sank a pair from the line and Davis sealed the win with two free throws with two seconds left after Malik Beasley’s 3 drew Milwaukee within two.
Doncic keeps Mavericks rolling
Luka Dončić scored 26 of his 28 points in the first half and the Dallas Mavericks cruised to their fifth straight victory, 132-96 over the Sacramento Kings.
Doncic added 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals and Kyrie Irving had 24 points and eight assists for Dallas, which has won nine of 10 to move into sixth in the Western Conference.
De’Aaron Fox scored 18 points on 6-of-18 shooting and Domantas Sabonis had 12 points, 11 boards and nine assists for his 55th consecutive double-double, tying Jerry Lucas for the longest streak in franchise history.
Thunder ride late run past Pelicans
Jalen Williams scored 26 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder used a game-ending 12-0 run to rally for a 119-112 win over the New Orleans Pelicans after blowing a 20-point lead in the third quarter.
Josh Giddey added 25 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 24, including a tying 3-pointer with 89 seconds left.
Zion Williamson had 29 points and 10 assists for the Pelicans, who led 112-107 with 3:11 to play before missing their final five shots.
The Thunder won for the fifth time in six games to pull within a half game of idle Denver for the top spot in the Western Conference.
Roman Josi scored 40 seconds into overtime to cap a stunning comeback and the Nashville Predators extended their point streak to 18 games with a 5-4 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.
The Predators scored three times in the third period to erase a 4-1 deficit before Josi’s goal gave them their sixth straight win and a 16-0-2 mark since a regulation loss to Dallas on Feb. 15.
Filip Forsberg had a goal and two assists to reach 40 goals for the second time in his career. He has seven goals and seven assists during a seven-game point streak.
Ivan Barbashev, Brett Howden and Shea Theodore scored first-period goals for Vegas and Mark Jankowski’s tally in the second made it 4-1.
The Golden Knights, who had won three straight, pulled within one point of Los Angeles for third place in the Pacific Division and are six points ahead of St. Louis for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.
Rangers clinch playoff berth
Adam Fox scored 36 seconds into overtime after a wild third period and the New York Rangers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot with a 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Alexis Lafreniere scored twice and Vincent Trocheck had a goal and two assists for the Rangers, who took over the NHL lead with their 100th point and gave coach Peter Laviolette his 800th victory.
The teams combined for seven goals in the third period with Philadelphia’s Tyson Foerster scoring with 3:31 left to forge a 5-5 tie.
Travis Konecny and Scott Laughton each had a goal and an assist for the Flyers, who are winless in four straight road games (0-2-2) and have a one-point lead over Washington in the race for third in the Metropolitan Division.
Bruins beat Panthers to move atop Atlantic
Trent Frederic and Pavel Zacha scored late in the third period to rally the Boston Bruins to a 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers, moving them into sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division.
Carter Verhaeghe scored midway through the third period to give Florida a 3-2 lead but Frederic scored on a power play with 4:22 remaining and Zacha put Boston ahead just over two minutes later.
Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak also had goals for the Bruins, who avoided a third straight loss and lead the Atlantic with 99 points, two ahead of the Panthers.
Evan Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart also tallied for the Panthers, who dropped to 1-4-1 in their last six games since losing star defenseman Aaron Ekblad to a lower-body injury on March 9.
Victoria Azarenka kept her hopes of a fourth Miami Open title alive as she reached the semi-finals with a hard-earned victory over Yulia Putintseva.
The number 27 seed, a winner here in 2009, 2011 and 2016, laboured for just under three hours as she battled past her Kazakhstani opponent 7-6 (4) 1-6 6-3.
The 34-year-old saved three set points at 5-4 down in the opening set, then failed to convert two of her own before she held her nerve in the tie-break with some decisive forehands.
Putintseva hit back hard in the second, giving up a solitary game as she found her rhythm, but the momentum shifted when Azarenka salvaged a pair of break points at the start of the decider.
After regaining control she did not take advantage of her first match point at 5-2 up, but made no mistake when the chance opened up again in her next service game.
Azarenka will face another Kazakhstani opponent in the last four after Elena Rybakina outlasted eighth seed Maria Sakkari in another marathon clash 7-5 6-7 (4) 6-4.
The fourth seed, runner-up in 2023, won the first set with a late break before Sakkari – who reached the final in Indian Wells last week – survived two match points to edge a tight second set on the tie break.
But Rybakina, who had already gone the distance twice in Miami, broke in the seventh game of the decider and served out to win – more than an hour after her first match points.
“I have no words because I’m so tired. But I’m really happy with the win. It was such a tough battle,” said Rybakina after clinching the win in two hours and 48 minutes.
Maia Bouchier defied injury to hit 91 as England Women outpowered New Zealand to win the fourth T20 international in Wellington by 47 runs and clinch the series.
Bouchier’s 91 off 56 balls, her second successive half-century, helped England to 177 for three, Charlie Dean taking four wickets as New Zealand were restricted to 130 for seven.
England lost Danni Wyatt, back in the side after playing in the Women’s IPL, early but Alice Capsey and Bouchier – hampered by a quad injury – added 75 in 10 overs.
Captain Heather Knight (21 not out) and Nat Sciver-Brunt (29 not out) smashed 35 off the final 14 balls to set the hosts a daunting target.
That target was made more daunting without captain Suzie Bates, injured in the field, and England struck at regular intervals.
Dean grabbed four for 26, and Brooke Holliday was at the top scoring, with 25 for the hosts.
The win gives England an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series, which concludes in Wellington on Friday.
Second seed Jannik Sinner moved into the last eight of the Miami Open as he produced a strong showing to see off Christopher O’Connell.
The Italian came through 6-4 6-3 in windy conditions after weathering early problems. Behind 3-1 and 0-30 in the first set, he regained his composure to take five of the next six games.
Showing greater composure than his Australian opponent, Sinner broke at the first time asking in the second set and closed out the win in one hour 51 minutes.
Sinner, runner-up here in 2021 and 2023 – will meet Tomas Machac. The Czech, 23, is looking for a second successive Italian scalp after beating Matteo Arnaldi 6-3 6-3 to earn his first appearance in a Masters 1000 quarter-final.
Another Italian bowed out as 23rd seed Lorenzo Musetti was brushed aside 6-3 6-3 by top seed Carlos Alcaraz, who won 18 points from his 22 visits to the net.
“I tried to play my game, play aggressive with my shots, go to the net, drop shots, my style,” said the Spaniard. “I think I did pretty well, and I’m really happy with my performance.
“I’m feeling great on the court. I’m moving great, not injured or thinking about the ankle [injury] anymore. I think this is the best feeling since last summer.”
Next up for Alcaraz is 11th seed Grigor Dimitrov, who came from a set down to edge past eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz 3-6 6-3 7-6(3).
Defending champion Daniil Medvedev came through in straight sets against Dominik Koepfer. After needing a tie-break to take a back-and-forth first set 7-6(5), the Medvedev ran up a 6-0 scoreline in a one-sided follow-up.
He goes on to play Nicholas Jarry, after the Chilean’s 7-6(3) 6-3 success over Casper Rudd.
Unseeded Fabian Marozsan continued his run as he upset ninth seed Alex de Minaur 6-4 0-6 6-1.
Rob Page insisted he will take Wales forward after their Euro 2024 dream was ended by penalty shoot-out heartbreak.
Daniel James missed the decisive spot-kick as Wales lost 5-4 on penalties to Poland after a goalless draw at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney put Page’s position in the spotlight in October by saying the manager’s position would be reviewed if the Dragons did not qualify for Euro 2024 automatically.
Page and Mooney held clear the air talks after those comments – the 49-year-old remaining in post after Wales had to settle for a play-off place that ultimately ended in failure.
“I’ve got a great relationship with Dave Adams, the technical director,” said boss Page.
“We’ve had our issues in the past, haven’t we? It’s been well documented. But everything’s fine. Everything’s great. I think they appreciate it.
“The board, the chief exec, the president, I think they see the journey we’re on and what we’re trying to do.
“In 12 months, from retirement of senior players to introducing younger players and being one kick away from qualification. I think they see the work we’re doing and the supporters do too.”
Wales had never been involved in a penalty shoot-out in their history and it was left to James, with the 10th spot-kick, to feel the pain of failing to convert as Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny pushed out his effort.
Page told S4C: “It is a cruel game and that is what I have said to the players. One kick away from qualifying and it hurts.
“I thought we were the better team. I’ve just said to the group, ‘look how far we have come – we are that disappointed we have not qualified for a major tournament’.”
Page offered sympathy to James and praised his squad for their efforts throughout the qualifying campaign.
He added: “We will rally round Deej. He had the bravery to take that penalty.
“I’m just so proud of that group and the nation should be proud of them. They have put a shift and some in tonight to try to get us there.
“We will be bigger and stronger for going through this horrible experience. We are going somewhere. There is something good happening with this group.
“They are so disappointed but they are hungry for it. We were nearly there, one kick away. There is a lot more to come.”
Page defended his decision to keep Aaron Ramsey on the bench and not send on his skipper in the closing stages.
Ramsey has not started a game since September because of knee and calf issues, but played 20 minutes for Cardiff in their last game following his latest injury.
“Who could he come on and replace?” said Page.
“We needed two sixes on the park and we weren’t going to take a risk in extra-time.”
Gareth Southgate praised Jude Bellingham’s never-say-die attitude after saving England from defeat against Belgium at the end of an international break that provides plenty of food for thought ahead of the Euros.
Among the favourites for glory this summer, the side third in FIFA’s world rankings stepped up preparations with a pair of high-level friendlies against the nations directly behind them in those standings.
Brazil are fifth and struck late on Saturday to inflict a first defeat on England in 15 months, which fourth-placed Belgium looked set to compound at rainy Wembley three days later.
Youri Tielemans opened the scoring after a Jordan Pickford error, with a Lewis Dunk mistake resulting in the Aston Villa midfielder scoring again after Ivan Toney had converted a penalty on his first senior start.
Fellow full debutants Ezri Konsa and, in particular, 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo also impressed in a friendly that ended 2-2 after Bellingham struck at the end of second half stoppage time.
“I liked it because I know the rubbish we would have got if we lost two games on the bounce,” the Real Madrid midfielder told Channel 4.
“These are two games that are going to stand us in good stead going into the Euros. I know people will be negative but you have to take these games for what they are.
“You’ve got to keep perspective. We had a lot of lads making debuts (this week) and a lot of lads I’ve never played with. We created a lot of chances. I should have scored (previously). I was happy I could make it up to the team.”
England boss Southgate told the post-match press conference: “Jude, of course, is the headline.
“That competitive spirit, that desire not to lose, desire to win in the end, was decisive in getting the late goal.
“But I thought the whole team showed that throughout the game and recovered from setbacks with a pretty inexperienced team, really, against a team that have got some very, very good players. Very pleased with a lot of what I saw tonight.”
Bellingham pulled the Euro 2024 hopefuls through at the end of a challenging international meet-up marred by injuries.
John Stones joined England’s eye-watering absentee list when limping off with an adductor issue within 10 minutes on Tuesday, when Mainoo’s man-of-the-match performance was among a number of impressive displays.
“The great thing is definitely some players have emerged positively from the opportunities they’ve had,” Southgate said reflecting on the Brazil and Belgium friendlies.
“We’ve perhaps got more depth in one respect, but the injuries are a concern. We’ve got so many players missing at the moment, and we’ve still got the real heat of the season to come, with the intensity of the games, what’s resting on the games.
“We’re not going to know what we’re left with until right until the end but we’ll just have to make the best decisions that we possibly can.”
Southgate praised Toney, Jarrod Bowen and James Maddison for their attacking impact against Belgium, while Anthony Gordon has also earned plaudits during the week.
Southgate has plenty to mull over ahead of announcing his provisional squad on May 21, which has to be whittled down to a 23-man group by June 8.
“In terms of knowing the 23, there’s so many unknowns at the moment in terms of who might be available,” Southgate said.
“So, yes, these performances were very important for players to be able to see whether or not they could play against high level opposition.
“But equally the way they play between now and the end of the season with their club, in big matches is going to have a high tariff as well so we will track all of that.”
John O’Shea insists he is “more than ready” for management despite his spell as interim Republic of Ireland boss ending in disappointment.
The former Manchester United and Ireland defender, placed in charge for this month’s friendly double-header against Belgium and Switzerland, saw his side go down 1-0 to the Swiss on Tuesday evening after Saturday’s 0-0 draw against the Belgians.
Football Association of Ireland chiefs have indicated they will name Stephen Kenny’s successor early next month with O’Shea having attracted popular support over the last week or so.
Asked what his instinct is on his own future, he said: “My instinct would be that I’m more than ready and capable to be a manager.”
O’Shea has vast experience of international football as a player – he was capped 118 times for Ireland – and has worked as a coach with both the Under-21s and the senior squad under Kenny as well as holding club roles with Reading, Stoke and Birmingham.
Asked if he would seek clarity from the FAI over his chances of being considered for the vacancy, the 42-year-old replied: “I think that’s something that we will obviously discuss later on.
“For me, the full focus was on the two games, enjoy the moment, learn from it and really understand it, learn about myself in terms of how I cope with the situation, with the games, and learn do I want to do it more.
“And look, the emphatic answer from me would be, yes. But where that is, let’s wait and see.
“As I’ve mentioned before, it’s only given me a taste for more, whether that be with Ireland or with club football or whatever the case may be.
“It’s something I’ve loved every minute of and I’ve been fully engrossed with it. It’s just annoying that we didn’t get a win in either of the two games.”
O’Shea’s second game at the helm proved more frustrating than the first as Ireland largely played second fiddle to a side ranked 43 places above them.
It was ultimately settled by Xherdan Shaqiri’s expertly-dispatched 23rd-minute free-kick, but Euro 2024-bound Switzerland were superior for much of the game – skipper Granit Xhaka rattled the post after pouncing on a first-half error by keeper Gavin Bazunu – and ran out deserved winners.
Ireland mounted a late fightback after struggling to create meaningful opportunities until the closing stages, but even then, lacked the precision to convert the pressure into genuine chances.
O’Shea said: “Look, like I spoke to the players about beforehand and beforehand against Belgium too, that’s the level you want to be competing at to qualify for major tournaments.
“Belgium and Switzerland qualify for major tournaments year after year after year, so you have to compete, you have to be clinical and we weren’t clinical enough in the two games.
“That’s something obviously we have to really nail down in terms of taking chances, making that decision in terms of controlling it, the right pass, the right time and being really clinical and getting back to winning games again.”
Steve Clarke remains confident that Scotland will be ready for Euro 2024 this summer despite their winless run being extended to seven games with a 1-0 friendly defeat by Northern Ireland at Hampden Park.
The Scotland boss was looking for a response following a 4-0 defeat to the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Friday night but midfielder Conor Bradley’s first international goal gave Northern Ireland a first win in Mount Florida in 50 years.
Scotland have not been on a seven-game winless run since August 2004 to March 2005 and they take on Gibraltar and Finland in June friendlies before facing Euro 2024 hosts Germany in the opening game of the tournament at the Allianz Arena.
“I’m not counting,” said Clarke, who revealed captain Andrew Robertson will be assessed at Liverpool after going off with an injury. “We are going to be ready in June and that is the most important thing.
“The performance was okay, we wanted to win the game.
“Credit to Northern Ireland, I thought they were excellent, good shape, discipline, defended with their lives. We had 14 shots blocked, that is good defending.
“They had two chances and scored with one of them.
“They got the goal with the deflection, we didn’t find enough to get the goal to equalise or go on to win the game.
“We had a lot of the game. We tried our best to open them up. It was difficult to find space.
“It was a totally different game to what we have played recently, we were playing against the top teams and they open the pitch and you saw on Friday night that we manged to create a number of really good chances.
“Tonight when we needed a little bit of craft or guile towards the last third of the pitch we couldn’t find that and that is basically why we lose the game.
“We had more than the lion’s share of possession, 14 shots, but not one good enough to go into the back of the net.
“It’s probably fair to say we’re not very good at friendlies because we don’t win too many of them.
“Let’s hope when we come to the competitive games in June we are ready to go. I’m sure we will be.
“The biggest thing for us is to be ready for June.
“I’m a little bit late into the press conference. I would rather be sitting here in my position.
“Unfortunately Wales have just been knocked out on penalty kicks. It’s not all doom and gloom.”
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