Deadline-day signing Sofyan Amrabat says he only ever wanted to join Manchester United and believes Erik ten Hag’s side can “do something big” this season.
The 27-year-old’s qualities came to the fore during the 2022 World Cup, where his outstanding midfield displays helped Morocco on their historic run to the semi-finals.
Amrabat was linked with moves aplenty after Qatar and numerous clubs expressed their interest in a player that only wanted to leave Fiorentina this summer for one destination.
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The midfielder played under Ten Hag at Utrecht at the start of his career and was determined to link back up with him at United as he wrapped up a long-discussed deal at the start of September.
Asked if it was a difficult process waiting to get the move, Amrabat said: “Yes, of course.
“After the last game with the club, it was the Conference League final with West Ham and from that moment, the window started for me.
“A lot of clubs, a lot of speaking, talking, but for me it was clear I wanted Manchester United.
“It was long, long months for me, difficult months for me, but at the end it’s nice on the last day that I signed here and that I’m here is now the most important (thing).”
United paid 10million euros (£8.6m) to sign Amrabat on loan for the season, with the deal including the option to trigger a permanent move.
The Serie A will receive a 20m euros (£17.1m) fee and up to 5m euros (£4.3m) in potential add-ons if that option is taken by Ten Hag’s men.
“I don’t think about that,” Amrabat said of his future beyond this season. “For me, today, I am a Manchester United player.
“The only thing I can do is every day to give everything that I have, to do my best, to try to help the team.
“I hope we have a fantastic season, I hope we can win something and then later we will see what will happen.
“Of course, I would love to stay here, but that’s not important for me. I don’t look too far into the future.”
Amrabat spoke as he basked in the afterglow of an impressive first appearance at Old Trafford, where he helped United beat Crystal Palace 3-0 in the Carabao Cup third round.
“It was fantastic,” he said with a smile. “It was a dream of mine. Since I was a child I worked for this every day and to be here is a dream, it’s fantastic.”
After a small injury delayed his debut, Amrabat finally made his bow off the bench in Saturday’s much-needed win at Burnley before making his first start against Palace three days later.
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Those back-to-back victories have lifted the mood around Old Trafford after what had been a challenging start to the season on and off the field for absentee-hit United.
Pressure and scrutiny had grown having lost four of their opening six matches of a season for the first time since 1986, but Amrabat is confident they can kick on and enjoy a successful season.
“I have a lot of confidence because I see that we have so much quality,” he said.
“I think it was a bit unlucky with the injuries we had. Of course for every team it’s difficult if you have a lot of injuries.
“But I see a lot of quality, we have a fantastic coach, we have fantastic fans, so I believe that we can do something big.
“But at the end you have to show it on the pitch, not with talking, not with speaking, you have to work for it and hopefully we can reach something very nice.”
United won the Carabao Cup in their first season under Ten Hag, who described Amrabat as a “warrior” on Tuesday as he started as makeshift left-back due to a string of absentees.
“First of all, when I make a step on the pitch, for me it’s normal that you give everything, that you fight for every metre and give your all for the team,” the Morocco international added.
“Of course you can make technical mistakes, everyone can have a bad game, but I think – at the end – most importantly, you fight for the badge, for the club and that’s the minimum you can do.
“I think, for me, that’s normal and that’s what I try always.
“The manager knows me very well, a long time – maybe seven years ago that we worked together, so it’s a long time.
“But he knows me, I know him, I know what he wants and I try to do that at the best (level).”
Rosie Eccles believes the heartbreak of missing out on a place at the Tokyo Olympics will stand her in good stead when she finally realises a long-held boxing ambition in Paris next year.
The 27-year-old from Cardiff was denied a second shot at reaching the delayed 2020 Games when Covid forced the cancellation of the second qualifier in London, and three personal bouts with the illness left her fearing the “curse” could strike again.
But, after fighting back to clinch Commonwealth gold for Wales in Birmingham last year, Eccles belatedly booked her place at the Games in June when she won a bronze medal at the European Games in Krakow.
Eccles told the PA news agency: “I’ve really had to do it the hard way, and just when I thought I was in the clear I got Covid again, so it felt like I was cursed and history was going to repeat itself.
“I was absolutely heartbroken to miss out on Tokyo and it’s been a real monkey on my back for a long time. But I showed at the Commonwealths that I had that grit to come back and get the medal in tough circumstances, and that shows I have plenty of self-belief.”
Eccles has dreamed of going to the Olympics since her first boxercise class in 2011, one year before the likes of Nicola Adams and Katie Taylor helped boost the profile of the women’s sport at London 2012.
“I already had a massive ambition to go to the Olympics and watching the likes of Nicola Adams just confirmed it,” added Eccles.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of the Olympics, I remember sitting down when I was younger and watching the likes of Kelly Holmes. But boxing made me realise that this is my sport and this is where I want to be, and about a decade later it’s finally happened.”
Having overcome her Covid setbacks, Eccles underscored her potential for Paris by coming through a tough draw in Krakow, including a notable win over Ireland’s world champion Amy Broadhurst to effectively seal her place.
She will have the added bonus in the French capital of a change to the Olympic weights, which means she will be able to fight in her favoured 66kg category, rather than the 70kg division in which she won her gold medal in Birmingham.
“It’s my natural weight and it’s really going to benefit me,” added Eccles. “I’m ready to go out and achieve what I know I can achieve. I’ve waited my whole life for this bit. I’ve had plenty of ups and downs, but all that heartache is only going to help.”
Trainer Tomohito Ozeki expects Through Seven Seas to do Japan proud in Sunday’s Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp.
Japan currently boasts the top-rated horse in the world in Equinox, a four-time winner at the highest level who easily accounted for Arc contender Westover in the Sheema Classic at Meydan back in March.
He beat Through Seven Seas by a neck when the pair clashed in the Takarazuka Kinen, but connections had already ruled out an Arc trip for their superstar by that point.
Japan has come close to Arc victory in the past, with El Condor Pasa memorably caught by Montjeu with the post in sight back in 1999 while Nakayama Festa was beaten just a head by Workforce in 2010. Deep Impact and dual runner-up Orfevre were two other giants of the Japanese racing scene to line up in Paris.
Titleholder was well fancied last year but failed to shine as the rain poured down, with similar comments applying to Chrono Genesis the year before and Ozeki thinks ground conditions have now become a factor in the decision-making process, with the race usually staged on testing ground.
Ozeki said: “There’s a lot of thought going on in Japan at the moment in the sense of which horse could adapt to the ground in the Arc – that is the major thing people think about. It was the same for Through Seven Seas, the owners and breeders sat together for long discussions before they decided to come here.
“Personally I believe at the moment the mare is the best horse the Japanese could have sent over to run in the Arc.
“Obviously for the last three or four years Japanese horses have found it very difficult to run in the Arc because the ground has been very soft, even heavy last year. This mare could adapt to soft ground but as conditions are expected to be better, I’m not worried about it.”
The five-year-old Through Seven Seas has yet to strike in Group One company and has not run since that June defeat at the hands of Equinox, but Ozeki retains plenty of faith and thinks she is on an upward curve.
He said: “She was quite tiny, quite skinny, she didn’t eat a lot and she was a bit of a difficult character, but has matured and started to put on weight. Last summer she had a long stretch without running and that did her a lot of good. She has just grown stronger as the year has progressed.
“She is a mare that needs a little bit of time between her races, probably longer than other horses, so if you look at the time between her Grade Three win and her Grade One run, it is the same time period to the Arc and I think that is ideal for her.
“For every trainer the Arc is a big target in your career. It’s usually a target that is very far away, but now it’s here and I’m finding myself with this race in front of me and I have to be me on the day. But it would mean a lot to me as a trainer.”
Christophe Lemaire takes the ride on the daughter of Dream Journey and he too would relish chalking up an inaugural win for Japan.
He said: “As a jockey you dream about winning the Arc, for me especially with a Japanese horse as you can imagine considering my history with Japan, it would mean a lot to win the Arc with a Japanese horse.
“It would be such an event if I were to win the Arc with a Japanese horse, so I’m going to give everything I have.”
The mare enjoyed a spin on Wednesday morning and while Lemaire was not in the plate, he was delighted with what he saw and feels Through Seven Seas certainly merits her place.
He added: “I saw the Through Seven Seas that I recognised – she had her usual good, big stride. I thought she was very fit and this morning she worked on soft ground and I thought she was very fluid in her action and she worked with a lot of power, so I was very satisfied with what I saw.
“When I won the Grade Three I was quite impressed because she actually won very easily and I could feel that she had improved a lot since last year. She then confirmed that form when she finished second to Equinox, so she has developed into a Group One contender and certainly has the right to run in the Arc and produce a good performance.”
Alex King has hailed the hard work of Wales’ Rugby World Cup squad and says their quarter-final achievement has been “four months in the making”.
It was towards the end of May that head coach Warren Gatland and his assistants began work with an extended training group.
That came on the back of a dismal Six Nations campaign, where Wales only avoided the wooden spoon by beating Italy in Rome.
Off-field issues in the Welsh professional game such as finances and contractual uncertainty for players, meanwhile, almost led to a full-blown national squad strike ahead of Wales’ Six Nations clash against England.
But the transformation quietly began at Wales’ training base in the Vale of Glamorgan, before punishing camps in Switzerland and Turkey moved preparations to another level.
A record 40-6 victory over Australia confirmed Wales’ place in the last-eight for the fourth World Cup in a row, setting up a probable appointment with Argentina in Marseille on October 14.
“I am just delighted for the lads,” Wales assistant coach and attack specialist King said.
“They have worked so hard – four months in the making. We are now in the quarter-finals, but we want to really focus on Georgia next week to finish top of the group.
“We know how hard that Georgia game is going to be, and then we can see what happens, going forward, after that.
“It was awesome (against Australia), wasn’t it? We knew how important the game was for both countries.
“We scored a really good try early on, and it probably settled a few nerves.
“We then just managed to get control of the game, our set-piece got on top and we managed to keep the scoreboard keep ticking over.
“When you are playing a team that is low on confidence, the game just goes away from them. We were able to establish a good lead and stay in control to the end.”
Two of Wales’ three tries came from impressive creativity, with Gareth Davies scoring the first following captain Jac Morgan’s break, then Gareth Anscombe’s superbly-placed kick into space being finished off by Nick Tompkins.
On Davies’ score, King added: “The guys work hard, and it is nice when one comes off like that.
“It’s hard to break down defences at this level because they’re so well organised, but Gareth Davies did the support line and Jac was superb. It set the tone, really, and gave us a foothold in the game.
“All the teams that are going to go far (in the World Cup) will bring a balance of structured and unstructured (play).
“We realise that it wasn’t perfect, and no game ever is, and realise we have things to build on. But it is a good foundation to build from.
“If there is anything, there is some work in the 22 we need to tidy up on.
“It is one of the hardest places to attack because you have got a front line of 15 defenders.
“I thought Gareth finding space in the back-field for Nick Tompkins was an example of where we can go to with our kick-space.
“There are always things to work on, and we want to get Louis (Rees-Zammit), Josh (Adams), Rio (Dyer) and Liam (Williams) on the ball as much as possible.
“Sometimes a game works out that way, sometimes it doesn’t. But that is the plan.”
Marcus Smith has developed into England’s fastest player over short distances, according to sprint student Jonny May.
Making his first start at full-back, Smith excelled in Sunday’s 71-0 rout of Chile that has placed unbeaten England on the brink of qualifying for the World Cup quarter-finals.
The 24-year-old Harlequins magician, a converted fly-half, conjured a dazzling solo touch down as part of an individual two-try haul and also offered an extra dimension in attack.
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While Smith’s creativity as a ball player is well established, the lightening-quick May has been caught by surprise by just how rapid he has become.
“Marcus’ acceleration is as good as anyone’s,” said May, who sharpened his own running technique with a spell at Michael Johnson Performance in Texas.
“Off the mark he’s frightening. Top speed he’s getting faster as well.
“His top speed is probably not like a winger yet, but he doesn’t need that.
“He is deadly in the outside channels. He’s as good as anyone out there.
“He has his famous goose-step and change of direction, and then acceleration which really is as fast as anybody’s here.
“He’s probably the fastest off the mark.”
Racing 92 wing Henry Arundell underlined his pace when plundering five tries against Chile, but even the squad’s most rapid player can not match Smith for sheer speed from a standing start.
When asked if Smith is faster than Arundell, May replied: “Yes, I think he is – off that 10-metre burst.
“For acceleration you want low heel-recovery – and that’s how Marcus runs. For top speed you want your legs to come up high, but for acceleration you want it to be low.
“He really does drive his knees and keeps his feet close to the ground.
“He just whizzes off the mark. He’s an acceleration guy and he’s quick at it.”
May first encountered Smith when the Brighton resident, who was making waves as an age-grade player, was invited by former head coach Eddie Jones to join an England camp on the south coast in 2017.
“I’ve actually been saying to Marcus, ‘mate you are physically blossoming’. It’s sort of sprung up on me,” the veteran Gloucester wing said.
“You forget he has been coming in with us since he was 16. We’d put a GPS on him and he’d be running around Brighton College with us.
“I don’t want to sound patronising but because he’s always been that little guy running round with us, it’s only now I’m realising he’s looking quick and that all of a sudden his legs are big.
“You start to come into yourself at 24. Rugby is bit of a late-development sport. He’s definitely coming into himself physically.
“He has put on a bit and his legs are looking good. People are whacking him and he’s spinning off them.
“He’s looking quick, he’s obviously fit and it’s crept up on me a bit. Suddenly I’m thinking ‘bloody hell, mate, good stuff’.”
Caroline Dubois believes she has the tools to beat Mexican Magali Rodriguez and has set her sights on a spectacular knockout when the pair meet at York Hall.
The 7-0-0 Dubois returns to the ring on Saturday after three months away as she continues her bid to become a world champion.
The unbeaten 22-year-old credited the experienced 22-6-4 Rodriguez and will look to put a marker down with another impressive victory in London.
“She’s fought some good names (Rodriguez) and top fighters and got a knockdown in her draw against Estelle Yoka-Mossely, who was Olympic champion,” Dubois told the PA news agency.
“Rodriguez is tough and experienced and has had more fights than me at this level.
“I’ve got advantages in speed, the skill, the ability and it’s just about how I put it together on the night .
“She’s durable, she’s never been stopped, she’s tough, she knows how to take punches and ride them and how to manoeuvre through the rounds. She can cope during rounds because of her experience
“I’m looking for a win; I’m lying if I’m saying I don’t want to go out and get a spectacular knockout so it’s up to Magali and me.
“I want to put a good stamp down and impress a lot of people and open their eyes to Caroline Dubois.”
The Briton went the distance for the first time since her professional debut in her last bout against Yanina Lescano.
And Dubois, who is competing for the vacant IBO lightweight title this weekend, welcomed the experience of extra rounds while highlighting her dangerous knockout record.
“Lescano was really tough, she’s maybe someone who would not beat world champions but she could compete with world champions at my weight and give them trouble as well,” Dubois, who has won five of her seven bouts by knockout, added.
“I was able to go out there and win and know that I was able to hurt her in the later rounds and that I had the ability to overwhelm her and beat her easily really.
“Definitely (good to get experience of longer fights). At the time it was a bit frustrating but this is what will pay dividends in the times I’m in a hard fight because I know I can do 10 rounds and get through it.
“It’s been every fight except two and I’m happy with it. For me to get knockouts in 10 two-minute rounds is pretty insane when you think of it.
“It’s massive and so important. I can outbox someone but I’ve also got that factor where I can hurt them and take them out too.”
Dubois relishes her York Hall return and praised the support of Sky Sports who will broadcast the fight
She said: “It’s crazy and it’s amazing.
“I’ve always been with Sky so maybe I don’t appreciate it as much as I should do because some people who turn pro don’t get the backing of Sky network.”
St Leger hero Continuous and German Derby winner Fantastic Moon have both been supplemented for Sunday’s Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp.
Continuous, trained by Aidan O’Brien, landed the final British Classic of the season with a two-and-three-quarter-length victory in Doncaster’s St Leger, a performance that sparked conversations about his late inclusion in the Arc.
Those plans have come to fruition and he will fly the flag for Coolmore in the ParisLongchamp Group One, where he will be joined by a German contender in Sarah Steinberg’s Fantastic Moon.
The German Derby victor took a key Arc trial in the Prix Niel, a Group Two run over the Arc course and distance, but was ruled out of the big race on account of the likely occurrence of soft ground in Paris on Sunday.
Autumn in France has been warm and dry so far, however, causing connections to set aside Japan Cup and Breeders’ Cup aims and supplement their Sea The Moon colt for a shot at the Arc.
The field is currently headed by Jean-Claude Rouget’s Ace Impact, the unbeaten market leader, with Owen Burrows’ Hukum the second favourite.
Scott Cummings described Gregor Townsend as “a massive influence” on his career as he savours his second World Cup under the Scotland head coach.
The 26-year-old lock has enjoyed the most significant moments of his rugby journey under the man currently in charge of the national team.
Townsend was the Glasgow head coach when Cummings broke through and made his debut at club level as a teenager in 2015.
Two years later – and just months after landing the Scotland job – he gave the Warriors second-rower his first full international call-up for the Autumn Tests in 2017.
Townsend then handed Cummings his first cap in the summer of 2019 and took him to his first World Cup that year in Japan, where he made four appearances, aged 22.
The dependable Warriors forward has remained involved throughout the head coach’s reign and – although not always a starter – has accumulated 31 caps, two of which came in the opening matches of this World Cup against South Africa and Tonga.
“Gregor’s been massive for me,” he said. “World Cups have always been a good time for me. Eight years ago was when I made my debut for Glasgow, as we had about 22 guys away at the World Cup (in England in 2015).
“Gregor gave me my debut, and then I managed to get in the squad for the last World Cup, and then this one. He’s been a massive influence on my career and has helped shape me into the player I am.”
Asked if Townsend has evolved as a coach since he first played under him, Cummings said: “Yes, I think he probably has. The game has changed as much as anything.
“We play a different style to what we did back then. He has always been an attacking coach, something I like. I don’t want it to be slow. Gregor has always had a fast-paced game plan and I’ve really enjoyed playing under that.”
Cummings feels being at the previous World Cup has helped him deal with the demands of this one.
“Being in Japan was an amazing experience but now, being a bit older, I’ve understood what it means a bit more the second time round and the magnitude of it,” he said.
“We’ve loved being here. We had a fantastic camp (in the build-up) and a lot of fun, training hard and played in some tough games. I’ve really enjoyed it so far.”
Cummings explained how the camaraderie within the squad has helped the players deal with the intensity of living together in their hotel in the hills just outside Nice for the best part of a month.
“It’s tough,” he said. “You’re coming in every day, doing the same sort of things, building towards the same stuff, living in a hotel.
“We’ve been in our hotel for about three weeks now. It’s just about not letting people go into their shells, going out for a meal sometimes on a day off.
“There’s a lot of PlayStation being played, getting tournaments going, things like that, keeping morale up as much as we can.
“A lot of players’ partners and families have been out, so they have been around the hotel, and people seeing their kids.
“The squad is in a great place. It’s been a real family ethos, we are all great mates who are all getting on and enjoying spending time with each other.”
Scotland have spent their entire World Cup so far in the south of France, with their time in Nice interrupted only by a trip along the coast to Marseille for their first match against South Africa.
They will fly to the other end of the country for this Saturday’s must-win encounter with Pool B minnows Romania in Lille.
“It should be a bit colder up there so it will be nice to get away from the sun for a bit and get out of the hotel, have a couple of days somewhere else, see a different part of the country,” said Cummings.
“France is an amazing country and I really enjoyed Marseille and staying out in Aix en Provence.
“It’s a lovely part of the country but it will be good to see somewhere else and not always be in Nice.”
Cummings has seen a familiar face added to the squad over the past few days, with his uncapped Glasgow club-mate Johnny Matthews called up at the weekend after hooker Stuart McInally had to pull out with a neck injury.
“Johnny had an amazing season last year, as anybody who follows the URC will know,” he said. “He’s been playing unbelievably well for Glasgow and it’s very well deserved.
“We’re all absolutely gutted for Stuart not to get that 50th cap he really deserved. But Johnny came out on tour with us last year to Chile, so he’s been in and around the squad before, and he massively deserves the opportunity. I am excited to hopefully see him play.”
Rory McIlroy believes the Ryder Cup absence of Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood will be felt more keenly by the LIV rebels than it will by the European team in Rome.
The trio have been stalwarts of the event for two decades but made themselves ineligible after joining the Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway and resigning their tour memberships.
Despite Garcia, the Ryder Cup’s all-time leading points scorer, making a forlorn late attempt to find a way back into the reckoning, McIlroy said the current side would not be dwelling on former team-mates.
“I mean, it’s certainly a little strange not having them around,” said the Northern Irishman.
“But I think this week of all weeks it’s going to hit home with them that they are not here and I think they are going to miss being here more than we’re missing them.
“It’s just more this week is a realisation that the decision they made has led to not being a part of this week and that’s tough.
“The landscape in golf is ever-changing and more dynamic, and we’ll see what happens and whether they will be part of it in the future.”
This summer’s surprise decision to merge LIV Golf into the PGA Tour is likely to offer a way back for all those players who initially defected, but there is plenty of negotiation and trade-offs to be done before that picture becomes clear.
But, having probably seen their Ryder Cup playing careers ended, Justin Rose, back after missing the record defeat at Whistling Straits, admits his former team-mates still have something to offer as members of the backroom staff.
“Obviously Westy, Poults as captains or vice-captains or however they may or may not be involved in the future do have a lot to offer,” said the Englishman.
“But the more we can kind of blood the younger generation coming through, the quicker you’re going to kind of skip through that transition phase.
“Maybe the transition started last time around at Whistling Straits and now we’re coming through that already.”
McIlroy is making his seventh Ryder Cup appearance, the most of any player at Marco Simone, and will be viewed as Europe’s leader on and off the course.
However, the world number two is keen to be viewed as just another regular member of the team and no hero figure.
“I’m not there giving rallying cries and speeches. When we came on the practice trip I said to every guy – and some of these guys have watched me play on TV – I don’t want anyone looking up to me,” he added.
“I want them looking over to me. I want them to see me like I’m on their level and there’s no hierarchy on our team.
“I guess that’s the one message I’ve tried to relay to some of the younger guys on the team.”
McIlroy will feel like he has a debt to repay after a paltry one-point return from a singles victory over Xander Schauffele in 2021, but he admits his game is in a much better place than two years ago.
“I felt like I was searching a little bit. I didn’t feel in full control of my game,” he said.
“I got a lot of confidence and belief in myself that Sunday singles at Whistling Straits because I certainly wasn’t believing in myself at that time, but the rest of my team did believe in me and sent me out number one to go get a blue point on the board.
“I realised that just being myself is enough. I think for a good part of 2021, I was trying to be something that maybe wasn’t natural to me.
View this post on InstagramMcIlroy was also asked about the behaviour of fans, particularly in the wake of Open champion and United States team member Brian Harmon being abused at Royal Liverpool this summer.
“There’s certainly a line. Most fans that come out to watch golf are very respectful and they know what that line is,” he added.
“Someone said to me once, ‘If you want to be part of the circus, you have to put up with the clowns’.”
Vincent Kompany is excited about Wilson Odobert’s potential after watching the teenager score on his full debut for Burnley in a 4-0 Carabao Cup win over League Two Salford.
The 18-year-old had already tested home goalkeeper Alex Cairns on a couple of occasions before crowning a comfortable win for Burnley with his 81st-minute strike, collecting a cross from the impressive Anass Zaroury and cutting back inside before firing home.
It was only Odobert’s second appearance in a Burnley shirt following his summer move from Troyes and while Kompany will not rush the young Frenchman, the manager wants him to be making a regular contribution soon as the Clarets look to turn around their Premier League form.
“We talk about the team settling and stuff and as I’ve told you, some of the guys who will be the heroes for us this season, you don’t see them but I see them in training and we have to be prepared for them to come into the team,” Kompany said.
“Guys like Wilson are these type of guys. You can see the talent. It’s a matter of time. Is it tomorrow? Is it in a week or a month’s time? We don’t know. We’ll go with them.
“Just like Luca Koleosho, we’ve some exciting players and hopefully they’ll be able to show it very soon for us. We’ll need it.”
Kompany made 11 changes from the side that lost 1-0 to Manchester United on Saturday as he continues to marshal a 34-strong squad and figure out his best combinations.
But even with so many changes, it still felt like a strong selection. Vitinho returned from injury, Odobert made his first start and Jack Cork got only his second run out of the campaign, starting in defence, but most of those involved have already featured regularly this term.
After bringing in 13 new faces this summer, Burnley still need time to gel, as has been reflected by their winless start to the Premier League season. A cup win over a side struggling near the bottom of League Two is only a small step forward, but progress all the same.
“We’ve got a lot of players still gelling together and I don’t think players would have played together as a team,” Kompany said. “Seeing a collective performance is more important than just seeing the individuals for me.”
He added of that gelling process: “It’s not something that’s abnormal. We knew it was part of something that was going to happen and we had it last year. In that sense, it’s not different.
“The level of opposition of course is different but you work hard on the training ground and after every game to make sure the team gets to the level it needs to be at as quickly as possible. You also enjoy that side of it. That’s why we’re coaches…
“It’s still early days for a lot of these guys but in the end, if the collective is robust then you can make adaptations. We prioritised game time – Corky played at centre back as if he had played there for the last 10 years.
“But when you look after the ball and when you have strikers and wingers who can be dangerous, it always gives you a chance to spread the load across the team.”
Hugo Keenan hopes Ireland’s statement win against South Africa has eased “lurking” pressure of playing at Stade de France as they prepare for up to four more crunch World Cup fixtures at the venue.
Full-back Keenan revealed his partner thought he looked ill due to nerves ahead of Saturday’s thrilling 13-8 success over the reigning champions.
The 27-year-old’s only other Test outings in Paris ended in costly Six Nations defeats to France in 2020 and 2022.
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But Andy Farrell’s men ended their hoodoo at the home of French rugby to take control of Pool B moving towards a pivotal group-stage finale against Scotland on October 7.
Ireland’s World Cup destiny will be decided in Saint-Denis – the showdown with the Scots will also be staged there – in addition to each of their potential knockout matches, including the final.
Tournament debutant Keenan was riddled with anxiety at the prospect of arguably the biggest match of his career before helping to snap his country’s Paris losing streak.
“God, I was nervous, I met my girlfriend briefly (beforehand) and she thought I looked sick,” he said of facing the Springboks.
“I felt good once I got out there; it’s a pressure environment.
“Stade de France hasn’t been kind to us in the past. There’s a pressure lurking that we were keen personally and as a team from that loss to France last year to learn from.
“We’re just going to review this game and focus on Scotland; it’s the only thing we can control and we’re definitely not getting ahead of ourselves.”
Keenan’s second international cap was a 35-27 away loss to Les Bleus, which wiped Ireland out of title contention in the protracted 2020 Six Nations.
The Leinster player has been an almost ever-present since his Test debut and was part of the team ultimately denied a Grand Slam by a 30-24 defeat in the French capital in February last year.
While the second of those setbacks occurred in front of a partisan home crowd following a behind-closed-doors clash amid the coronavirus pandemic, Ireland were roared on to victory against the Springboks by tens of the thousands of travelling Irish fans.
“Jeez, that support was incredible,” said Keenan.
“The Irish crowd are amazing: the numbers, the amount of people who made the effort to get over here and support us – it made some difference.
“You need to harness it at the right times and I think the forwards did.
“I’m sure South Africa felt under the cosh at times when the 60-odd-thousand Irish fans are cheering for us, it does make a difference.
“There’s times you have to ignore it during play and just do your job, but you also have to embrace it and make the most of it.
“The walkaround after the game was incredibly special, I saw some familiar faces which makes it extra cool.”
Millie Bright said it was “mind-blowing” that VAR was not used in England’s 2-1 Nations League defeat against the Netherlands.
Lieke Martens’ opener for the hosts would have been disallowed for offside if VAR had been in operation, as Danielle van de Donk took part in the build-up after returning from an offside position.
But VAR is not mandatory in the Nations League group stages – it is at the discretion of the host nation – and the Lionesses also had two goals struck off for offside, neither of which could be confirmed by VAR.
Speaking after the defeat England captain Bright, 30, was quoted on the BBC website as saying: “This is international football and we do not have VAR in a competitive international game, which is mind-blowing.
“There is no consistency. It is always frustrating (to not have VAR). We push the level of the game to be so high and professional, yet we sometimes have VAR, and sometimes we don’t and sometimes we have goalline technology.
“It is really unfortunate that these are still huge decisions that are incorrect. That’s where we as players have to keep speaking about it, we have to step up, and we have to demand better, and demand more.”
After Alessia Russo’s 64th-minute equaliser, England were then punished after losing possession in the 90th minute as Alex Greenwood gave the ball away and Martens fed substitute Renate Jansen, who rifled past Mary Earps.
England manager Sarina Wiegman also expressed her frustration at Netherlands’ first goal with Danielle van de Donk seemingly in an offside position before assisting Martens.
“When they scored their first goal, we didn’t do well, we didn’t play well, but it’s so obviously offside,” Weigman told ITV, following only the third defeat of her 41-game England tenure.
“That needs to be seen. I think the standards of the game are getting higher and higher, so (having VAR) would absolutely help. It’s just a little bit disappointing.
“(It is) absolutely a tough one to take and a very, very unnecessary one. The first half they were the better team.
“I think second half we totally dominated the game, and of course we scored one goal – but before that we got lots of huge opportunities, too. It’s just one moment that we don’t manage the game and in the counter-attack they score for 2-1. That’s very, very disappointing.”
The result leaves both England and Andries Jonker’s Netherlands on three points in Group A1. Belgium, who England face twice in October in their next group games, lead the pool with four points after drawing 1-1 with Scotland, who have one.
Wiegman’s side, 2-1 victors over Scotland in their opener last Friday, are attempting to secure a Paris 2024 Olympics qualification spot via this competition, and need to finish top of their group to have a chance to do so.
The Philadelphia Phillies clinched a return trip to the postseason in thrilling style, as rookie Johan Rojas delivered an RBI single in the 10th inning for a walk-off 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday.
The defending National League champion Phillies lost the World Series to the Houston Astros last season and now will have a chance to take it one step further.
After Jeff Hoffman worked a scoreless top of the 10th, Rojas’ single up the middle off David Bednar easily scored pinch-runner Cristian Pache and sent the crowd of more than 30,000 fans into a frenzy.
The Phillies celebrated their first clinch of a postseason spot at Citizens Bank Park since Sept. 18, 2011, when they won their fifth straight NL East title.
Brandon Marsh homered for Philadelphia, which is poised to earn the No. 1 wild card and host all games next week in the second year of the wild-card series.
Bryce Harper’s sacrifice fly in the sixth gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead but Bryan Reynolds homered in the seventh and Henry Davis took Craig Kimbrel deep in the eighth to forge a 2-2 tie.
Aaron Nola limited the Pirates to one run and four hits over 6 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts.
Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller took a no-hitter into the sixth before Marsh’s 11th home run opened the scoring.
Suzuki commits costly error, Cubs blow 6-run lead in loss
Seiya Suzuki dropped a fly ball in the eighth inning to allow the tying and go-ahead runs to score as the Chicago Cubs squandered a six-run lead in a disheartening 7-6 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
The loss gave Milwaukee the NL Central title and dropped the Cubs a game behind Arizona for the second of three NL wild cards.
Chicago is one-half game ahead of fourth-place Miami, which was rained out at the Mets.
Ronald Acuna Jr hit his 41st home run – a two-run shot - in the seventh to pull Atlanta within 6-5 after the Braves scored three in the sixth on Kevin Pillar’s homer, Matt Olson’s RBI single and Marcell Ozuna’s double.
Pilllar’s drive made the Braves the third team in major league history (2019 Twins, 2019 Yankees) with 300 home runs in a season.
Kirby stifles Astros in Mariners’ win
George Kirby pitched six scoreless innings and the Seattle Mariners took advantage of three Houston errors to snap a four-game losing streak with a 6-2 win over the Astros.
Kirby allowed five hits with one walk and four strikeouts to win his second straight start.
Cal Raleigh had two hits and one RBI and Ty France homered to help Seattle pull within one-half game of Houston in the race for the final AL wild card.
Jose Altuve had three hits for the Astros, who tied a season high with three errors and dropped to 9-14 this month.
John Terry was banned for four matches and fined £220,000 after being found guilty of racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand, on this day in 2012.
The Chelsea captain denied the charge but a Football Association regulatory commission ruled he was guilty of misconduct during his side’s 1-0 Premier League defeat to QPR at Loftus Road on October 23 2011.
The 31-year-old England defender announced his retirement from international football a week before the FA’s decision and decided not to appeal against it.
An FA statement read: “An independent regulatory commission has today found a charge of misconduct against John Terry proven and has issued a suspension for a period of four matches and a fine of £220,000, pending appeal.
“The Football Association charged Mr Terry on Friday 27 July 2012 with using abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour towards Queens Park Rangers’ Anton Ferdinand and which included a reference to colour and/or race contrary to FA Rule E3[2] in relation to the Queens Park Rangers FC versus Chelsea FC fixture at Loftus Road on 23 October 2011.
“The charge was the result of The FA’s long-standing investigation into this matter, which was placed on hold at the request of the Crown Prosecution Service and Mr Terry’s representatives pending the outcome of the criminal trial.”
The incident occurred in Chelsea’s defeat to QPR when the pair clashed verbally on several occasions in the match.
Terry was previously found not guilty – in Westminster Magistrates Court in July 2012 – of a racially-aggravated public order offence as the prosecution was unable to prove he had called Ferdinand a “f****** black c***” as an insult.
Terry admitted using the words, but insisted he had only been repeating words he thought Ferdinand had accused him of saying.
The FA decided to launch their own investigation of the matter which angered Terry and he announced he was quitting international football with immediate effect, saying his position was “untenable”, on the eve of the independent hearing.
Terry’s legal team had argued the governing body’s own rules dictated that his acquittal in court meant the case could not proceed but the FA decided to carry on with their investigation, stating their charge was distinct from the court charge.
The panel who handed Liverpool striker Luis Suarez an eight-match ban when they found him guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra the season before declared simply using racist language was enough to breach FA rules.
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