Manchester United winger Antony has been allowed a leave of absence in order to address allegations made against him of violence towards women.

The 23-year-old earlier this week was dropped from the Brazil squad after accusations of physical aggression on several occasions since January towards his former girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin, which are being investigated by police and which he denies.

United have agreed with the player for him to stay away from the club in order to focus on defending himself.

Antony has not been arrested or charged and says he will co-operate with police in order to prove his innocence.

United, fresh from dealing with Mason Greenwood’s exit from the club, said in a statement: “Manchester United acknowledges the allegations made against Antony.

“Players who have not participated in international matches are due back in training on Monday. However, it has been agreed with Antony that he will delay his return until further notice in order to address the allegations.

“As a club we condemn acts of violence and abuse. We recognise the importance of safeguarding all those involved in this situation, and acknowledge the impact these allegations have on survivors of abuse.”

United, who have not suspended Antony, will continue to monitor the situation as it develops, with Erik ten Hag consulted on the decision.

Antony will remain on full pay and hopes to return to the club as soon as possible.

“I have agreed with Manchester United to take a period of absence while I address the allegations made against me,” he said in a statement.

“This was a mutual decision to avoid distraction to my team-mates and unnecessary controversy for the club. I want to reiterate my innocence of the things I have been accused of, and I will fully cooperate with the police to help them reach the truth. I look forward to returning to play as soon as possible.”

Ireland expect Robbie Henshaw to be available for next weekend’s Rugby World Cup clash with Tonga as part of a potentially fully-fit squad.

Andy Farrell’s side launched their Pool B campaign in commanding fashion on Saturday afternoon by dispatching Romania 82-8 in a 12-try rout.

Centre Henshaw was a late withdrawal from the bench due to a hamstring issue, resulting in a recall to the match day 23 for the initially overlooked Mack Hansen.

Prop Dave Kilcoyne (hamstring), hooker Dan Sheehan, and back-rower Jack Conan (both foot) were also sidelined at Stade de Bordeaux.

Ireland appear to have come through their tournament curtain-raiser, which was played in sweltering heat, without any further fitness issues and are optimistic about their ranks being bolstered ahead of their next fixture.

Defence coach Simon Easterby said: “I’d say we haven’t ruled anyone out for next week. We’ll certainly assess more people today and tomorrow.

“It’s usually the case that things are maybe flagged 24, 48 hours sometimes after a game as opposed to straight after the night of the game.

“So as far as we are aware everyone came through pretty unscathed, so it was great in that respect in terms of getting players game time in the heat, the conditions.

“We’re hopeful that Robbie and others who haven’t taken part for whatever reason are available to us next week and that’s credit to the guys conditioning the boys and also the medics, the way that they’ve worked over the last few weeks in particular.

“At the moment we’re in pretty good shape.”

Farrell’s men were forced to come from behind against Romania following the shock of conceding an early score to scrum-half Gabriel Rupanu.

Johnny Sexton, Peter O’Mahony, Bundee Aki and Tadhg Beirne claimed two tries apiece in Ireland’s biggest World Cup win, while tournament debutants Jamison Gibson-Park, Hugo Keenan, Rob Herring and Joe McCarthy were also on the scoresheet.

“It was a good start I guess, in terms of the 80 minutes,” said Easterby. “First up, any World Cup match you want to get off to a good start.

“We obviously didn’t quite get that start we wanted considering the early try but certainly as the game went on we grew into the game and I think the second-half performance was right up there.

“We have to take into account what we were up against and the conditions but we’re really pleased with the way we finished the game. Not quite as much the way we started.”

Following temperatures of 36 degrees Celsius on a baking-hot Bordeaux afternoon, Ireland’s other three group-stage fixtures will kick-off at 9pm local time.

The Six Nations champions travel to Nantes to take on Tonga before Paris appointments with South Africa and Scotland.

George Ford had Jannie de Beer and England team-mate Danny Care in his sights as he masterminded a stunning 27-10 victory over Argentina in their World Cup clash at the Stade Velodrome.

Steve Borthwick’s men entered the Pool D opener as underdogs for the first time in the history of the fixture yet emerged conclusive winners despite seeing Tom Curry sent off in the third minute for a dangerous tackle.

Confronted by crisis yet again – Curry was their fourth red card in six Tests – they responded defiantly by matching spirited defence with smart, on-the-hoof game management.

Ford took command of an ugly spectacle by kicking the shambolic Pumas into oblivion, landing six penalties and three drop goals while intelligently steering his team around the field.

It was the drop goals – all landed in the second quarter – that infused England with belief and in the process evoked memories of when South Africa’s De Beer slotted a record five to boot them out of the 1999 World Cup.

But Ford joked that an internal rivalry also drove him on in a win that offers clear sight of the knockout phase.

“Jannie de Beer is the guy who got five in a game? I thought I was on track at one point. Five is incredible!” the Sale fly-half said.

“I’ve not kicked three in a game before. We were actually laughing in the changing room afterwards because Danny Care out of the squad was the guy with the most drop-goals for England (three).

“So I thought that’s not right, I need to put an end to that! Maybe that was the meaning behind this win!

“The crucial one was the third one that took us more than seven points ahead. That’s the life of a kicker sometimes. Some days you can’t hit a barn door, some days you can’t miss.

“In a game like this where it was dead greasy, it wasn’t going to be easy to hold the ball, move the ball and score tries. To get more than seven ahead was critical for us.”

Along with his fellow fly-halves Owen Farrell and Marcus Smith, Ford has been drilling drop-goals in training in the knowledge they could prove decisive in tight games at the World Cup.

“Marcus, Owen and myself, after every session we are doing drop goals. It’s part of what we do, it is part of our plan,” Ford said.

“We get the nines to pass us the ball and we get some guys to come over and put pressure on us. So we try and make it as realistic as possible.

“The thing with drop goals is when the opposition least expect it. It is to try and disguise it a little bit then you give yourself a little more time and space and hopefully try and kick it.”

“It’s such a crucial and critical weapon at times, especially when you see how influential they have been at World Cups.

“It’s something we have spoken about a tiny bit more, but the whole plan wasn’t about drop goals, it was just about imposing pressure and trying to come away with points in any way we can.”

Sir Mo Farah has announced his retirement after a glittering career which included four Olympic titles.

Farah, 40, signed off with one last race in the Great North Run.

Here, the PA news agency looks at his best wins.

London 2012

No wrap up of Farah’s achievements would be complete without his London 2012 victories. Part of Super Saturday on August 4 he won the 10,000m minutes after Jessica Ennis-Hill and Greg Rutherford won the heptathlon and long jump. A week later he became a sporting great by winning the 5,000m in 13 minutes and 41.66 seconds.

Rio 2016

Farah completed the double double in Brazil as he defended his 5,000m and 10,000m titles from London four years previously. He became the first British track and field athlete to win three Olympic gold medals as he first retained the 10,000m title after overcoming a fall mid-race and the 5,000m followed in Rio.

London 2017

Five years after his Olympic triumphs in Stratford, Farah returned to London for the World Championships. He took gold in the 10,000m in 26 mins and 49.51 secs ahead of rival Joshua Cheptegei having been put under serious pressure by the collective pack who were aiming to dethrone him.

Daegu 2011

Farah won his first world title in Daegu when he claimed 5,000m gold at the World Championships. The then 28-year-old became the first British world champion over the distance after holding off American Bernard Lagat to win in 13 mins and 23.36 secs, seven days after being pipped to victory in the 10,000m.

Beijing 2015

He repeated his long-distance gold medal double at the World Championships but it was his win in the 10,000m which made him the oldest world champion in that event, at 32. He still managed a trademark surge in a 54-second final lap and crossed the line in 27 mins and 1.13 secs.

Sir Mo Farah has announced his retirement after a final race in the Great North Run.

The 40-year-old’s glittering career included four Olympic gold medals.

Here, the PA news agency charts his career timeline.

2006 – Farah claims his first major medal when he wins 5,000m silver at the European Championships in Gothenburg.

2007 – At the World Championships in Osaka, Farah finished sixth in the 5,000m in 13 minutes and 47.54 seconds.

2008 – Farah steps up to the 10,000m but failed to reach the final of the 5,000m at the Beijing Olympics.

2009 – He wins gold in the 3,000m at the European Indoor Championships in Turin. At the World Championships he faded to finish seventh in the 5,000m but it was still the best by a European finisher.

2010 – Farah wins his first major title in the 10,000m at the European Championships before taking the 5,000m crown. In August, at the Diamond League meeting in Zurich, Farah ran 12 mins and 57.94 secs in the 5,000m to break David Moorcroft’s long-standing British record and become the first ever British athlete to run under 13 minutes.

2011 – He relocates to Portland, Oregon, to work with new coach Alberto Salazar in February before winning gold in the 5,000m at the World Championships in Daegu along with 10,000m silver.

2012 – Farah was part of Super Saturday for Team GB when he won 10,000m gold at London 2012. A week later he made it a double with the 5,000m title. Earlier in the summer he won the 5,000m at the European Championships.

2013 – He was awarded a CBE in the New Year’s honours list and more global titles followed with 10,000m and 5,000m victories in Moscow.

2014 – Farah runs his first London Marathon and finishes eighth but pulls out of the Commonwealth Games after having a tooth removed. He recovers to win 5,000m and 10,000m at the European Championships in Zurich.

2015 – He became the oldest 10,000m world champion when taking the title in Beijing and also defended his 5,000m crown.

2016 – Farah became the first Briton to win three athletic Olympic gold medals when he defended the 10,000m title in Rio. He then completed the double double to retain the 5,000m gold.

2017 – He was awarded a knighthood in the New Year Honours list. After winning the 10,000m at the World Championships in London, Farah retired from the track to focus on the marathon and split from Salazar.

2018 – Farah finishes third in the London Marathon and goes on to win in Chicago and set a new European record of two hours, five minutes and 11 seconds.

2019 – Farah announces he planned to return to the track to defend his 10,000m Olympic title at the Tokyo Games.

2021 – With Tokyo postponed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Farah tries to hit the qualifying time but, in Birmingham in June, he missed out. A race was arranged for him at the British Championships in Manchester but he was 19 seconds off the qualifying time.

2023 – In his final race, Farah finishes fourth in the Great North Run.

Sir Mo Farah is one of the Olympic greats and will go down in British sporting history.

The four-time champion has called it quits after his final race in the Great North Run.

The sight of Farah failing to reach the Tokyo Olympics during a last-ditch attempt in Manchester in June 2021 will not be his enduring image but it will be one when it was clear his time was up.

His dominance was over, the final push was not there and his legs no longer had it in them.

Before then, on the track at least, he had been all conquering and gave British sports fans some of the most memorable moments of the last decade.

None more so than at London 2012 when, already a 5,000m world champion – having failed to make the same final at the 2008 Beijing Olympics – Farah helped create the biggest day in British Olympic history.

Farah, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Greg Rutherford added three gold medals in 48 minutes at the Olympic Stadium, after wins in the men’s coxless four, women’s lightweight double sculls and women’s team pursuit earlier in the day.

He stormed to 10,000m gold after Ennis-Hill had won the heptathlon and Rutherford claimed the long jump title.

Seven days later he won the 5,000m to write his name further into British Olympic folklore.

It allowed Farah to become a personality and transcended athletics and the ‘Mobot’ became a symbol of his success.

He adopted it after it was suggested by presenter Clare Balding and then named by James Corden on TV show A League of Their Own just two months before the London Games.

A robot was even named “Mobot” at a Plymouth University research exhibition.

A year after London he became a double world and Olympic champion after victory in the 10,000m and 5,000m at the World Championships in Moscow, the first British athlete to win two individual gold medals at the Worlds.

In 2014 he stepped up to the marathon for the first time, coming eighth in London but continued to shine on the track, defending his world titles in 2015.

All roads then led to Rio with Farah completing a historic double double by defending his London titles – despite falling in the 10,000m.

“After the 10k my legs were a bit tired, and I don’t know how I recovered. I had to take an ice bath and stay in my room, there were people bringing me food in my room and I was just resting up,” he said.

“I can’t believe I did it. I did it! It’s every athlete’s dream, as I said… I can’t believe it, it hasn’t sunk in yet.”

Back in the Olympic Stadium in 2017 he won another 10,000m world title and came second in the 5,000m in London before announcing his retirement from the track to focus on the marathon.

Yet, aside from a victory in the Chicago race in 2018, he failed to convince.

At the start of his marathon career he also split from controversial Alberto Salazar amid a US anti-doping investigation into the coach.

“I’m not leaving the Nike Oregon Project and Alberto Salazar because of the doping allegations,” Farah said at the time. “This situation has been going on for over two years. If I was going to leave because of that I would have done.

“As I’ve always said, I’m a firm believer in clean sport and I strongly believe that anyone who breaks the rules should be punished. If Alberto had crossed the line, I would be out the door but Usada has not charged him with anything. If I had ever had any reason to doubt Alberto, I would not have stood by him all this time.”

A return to the track to defend his 10,000m title was announced in 2019 and, while the 12-month coronavirus delay to the Tokyo Games gave him more time, it also left him a year older.

At the official trials in Birmingham, Farah failed to hit the qualification mark, finishing 22 seconds adrift, and a hastily arranged race at the Manchester Regional Arena was his final chance.

As the stadium got quieter – with the PA slowly stopping announcing his lap times – it quickly became apparent Farah would not achieve his goal and in the immediate aftermath he hinted retirement was on his mind.

Now, he has officially hung up his spikes but will go down in athletics as an Olympic great.

It would be no surprise if Chiefman masters his rivals to become top dog in Newcastle’s AGMA EBF Restricted Maiden Stakes.

Archie Watson’s Cracksman colt was well held on his first start at Wolverhampton but it is his next outing at Ffos Las that provides plenty of encouragement ahead of his trip to Gosforth Park.

On that occasion he gave away lengths at the start when second to Ollie Sangster’s highly-promising youngster Per Contra. and although he had no answer to the Wathnan Racing-owned colt when it mattered, he gave a solid account and could have lots more improvement to come.

This looks a winnable assignment and Chiefman is fancied to make it third-time-lucky in the north east.

Latin Five’s consistency makes him a solid proposition in the Wl Distillery Handicap.

He has only been running off basement ratings for Pail Midgley, but he has not been out of the first four in his last six outings.

That counts for a lot at this level and it is hard to see him being out of the frame.

Down at Brighton Jack Channon’s Miguel can make it third time lucky in the  At The Races App Form Study EBF Restricted Maiden Stakes.

The Phoenix Of Spain colt finished second on his debut at Chepstow and returned to the Monmouthshire venue to finish third, beaten just a length, on his most recent outing.

Obviously, the ability of the newcomers is an unknown but he sets a fair standard.

Oisin Murphy has been booked for Ed Dunlop’s Lucidity in an attempt to go one better than last time out in the Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 “Confined” Handicap.

Over the obstacles at Newton Abbot, Syd Hosie’s Way Out can continue his winning streak in the Britbet “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle.

The six-year-old was deemed good enough to run in a Grade Two at Cheltenham earlier this year when beaten a long way by stablemate Rock My Way, but has somewhat found his real level of late, claiming a Fakenham maiden hurdle by an emphatic 15 lengths before following up in handicap company at Warwick.

He has to concede weight all-round here, but is heading in the right direction, and can continue his handler’s profitable summer.

Similar sentiments also apply to Investment Manager, who has racked up back-to-back course victories this summer and now bids for a hat-rick in the Ben Oliver Memorial Novices’ Handicap Chase.

Joe Tizzard’s seven-year-old is up to a career-high rating but is hard to oppose while in this sort of form at a venue he knows like the back of his hand.

Also looking to continue on a winning thread is Emmet Mullins’ Slate Lane who has made successful raids to Cartmel and Bangor in recent months.

Unbeaten since joining Mullins, the five-year-old now attempts to bring up the three-timer in the Talk Tidy Marketing Handicap Hurdle.

Irish raiders could also enjoy a successful afternoon north of the border at Perth and Gordon Elliot’s Doctor Nightingale looks the class angle in the opening Bet In Running On Racing At BetVictor Juvenile Hurdle.

SELECTIONS:

BRIGHTON: 2.20 Uncle Dick, 2.55 Miguel, 3.30 Line Of Fire, 4.05 Dee’s Dream, 4.40 Lucidity, 5.15 Imperiousity, 5.45 Moondial.

GALWAY: 3.20 Alvaniy, 3.55 The Vegas Raider, 4.30 Seddon, 5.05 Father Jed,  5.40 Sittingonthefence, 6.15 Calico, 6.45 Iridescent, 7.15 Just For Love.

NEWCASTLE: 4.55 Krona, 5.30 Irv, 6.00 CHIEFMAN (NAP), 6.30 Desert Raider, 7.00 Dream Final, 7.30 Blackcurrent, 8.00 Lupset Flossy Pop, 8.30 Latin Five.

NEWTON ABBBOT: 2.40 Sharp Note, 3.15 Way Out, 3.50 Investment Manager, 4.25 Slate Lane, 5.00 Saddlers Quest, 5.35 Johnnie River.

PERTH: 2.30 Doctor Nightingale, 3.05 A Different Kind, 3.40 Beauty To Behold, 4.15 Inca Prince, 4.47 Themanintheboots 5.22 Headscarf Lil.

DOUBLE: Chiefman and Way Out.

Wales aim to keep their Euro 2024 qualification hopes against Latvia on Monday.

The Dragons have ground to make up in Group D after suffering June defeats to Armenia and Turkey.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the main talking points surrounding the clash at Riga’s Skonto Stadium.

Page under pressure

How Rob Page could do with a win. Wales’ woeful run of one victory in 13 games – against Latvia in March – has piled the pressure on the manager. Page signed a four-year contract only 12 months ago but many fans have turned on the man who guided Wales to their first World Cup for 64 years. There were some positive signs in Thursday’s goalless friendly draw against South Korea, but Page knows that getting Wales’ Euro 2024 campaign back on track by beating Latvia is a must.

Brennan time

With record scorer Gareth Bale’s exploits firmly in the history books, it is time for Brennan Johnson to take the mantle of being Wales’ main man. Johnson may only be 22, but his £47.5million move from Nottingham Forest to Tottenham has elevated him to another level. His last international goal came over a year ago in June 2022 and Johnson has to start scoring regularly if Wales are to prosper post-Bale.

State of play

That disastrous June double-header has left Wales with a mountain to climb for a top-two spot and automatic qualification. But all is not lost after Friday’s results, which fell kindly for Wales. Group favourites Croatia thrashed Latvia 5-0 to damage Monday’s opponents, while Turkey and Armenia drew 1-1. Wales would draw level on points with Armenia if they win in Latvia and Croatia do likewise in Yerevan – and move within three points of Turkey with a game in hand.

James breakthrough

Jordan James made his first Wales start against South Korea and was one of the stand-out players on the night. The 19-year-old midfielder came through the same Birmingham academy as England international Jude Bellingham and also appears to have a bright future ahead of him. James’ passing and pressing offers balance to a Wales midfield that has often been overrun in the past year – but is it too early to throw him into a must-win qualifier?

Perfect record

Wales can take heart from their record against Latvia – played two, won two. The two nations first met in a Riga friendly in August 2004, which Wales won 2-0. Both goals came in the final 10 minutes through John Hartson and Craig Bellamy. Wales beat Latvia 1-0 in their Euro 2024 qualifier in Cardiff six months ago. Kieffer Moore’s towering 41st-minute header secured Wales’ win on a night when Bale was given a pre-match guard of honour as he said goodbye to the home supporters.

World Cup debutant Jack Crowley believes fellow Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton showed “the type of man he is” with his seamless return from almost six months on the sidelines.

Captain Sexton starred on his first competitive appearance since celebrating Six Nations Grand Slam success in March with a 24-point haul, including two tries, in Saturday’s 82-8 demolition of Romania.

The 38-year-old received a standing ovation from tens of thousands of Irish fans when replaced 15 minutes from time before understudy Crowley came on to land four successful conversions on his tournament bow.

Munster playmaker Crowley, who only made his Test debut in November, has been inspired by Sexton’s resilience and dedication to overcoming setbacks.

The 23-year-old is also ready when required to step in for his influential skipper looking ahead to Pool B fixtures against Tonga, South Africa and Scotland.

“It just shows the type of man he is, the preparation he puts into his training and the mindset he has,” Crowley said of Sexton’s comeback.

“That’s the type of leader he is: through actions. You could see that it doesn’t matter if he’s out for nine months, 10 months, he’s always going to perform because of the way he prepares. He’s a true leader.

“Of course, you’ve always got to be prepared (to fill in). You can’t be presuming or assuming anything.

“His level of preparation to get his performance is something that I learn from and I will try and do and put into action. You always have to be ready.”

Ireland’s thumping 12-try triumph in the blistering heat of Bordeaux was their biggest World Cup win.

Record-breaking Sexton shrugged off his lengthy absence through injury and suspension to surpass Ronan O’Gara as his country’s highest points scorer at the tournament (102) and John Hayes as Ireland’s oldest international.

Crowley feels he and fellow back-up number 10 Ross Byrne enjoy a “special, special relationship” with the 2018 world player of the year.

“Being in camp over the last 10, 12 months has been massive to be able to learn from him,” he continued.

“To see the way that he’s been out for the last couple of months, the way he’s applied himself to training and the way that he applies himself to preparation and everything like that is massive.

“You saw that it wasn’t just by fluke that he performs the way he does, the way that he can do certain things.

“To be able to come on for someone like him, for myself and Ross to learn from him, and the three of us to be able to bounce ideas off each other is a special, special relationship.”

Crowley has leapfrogged provincial team-mate Joey Carbery and, seemingly, Byrne to become Sexton’s first-choice replacement.

The Test rookie, who helped his province win the United Rugby Championship last season, admits the prospect of playing at the World Cup initially felt like a distant dream.

“As a young fella, you’re always looking at World Cups and Six Nations and wanting to be involved in it but you never really think that it’s possible because you’re so far back with where you are,” he said, following his seventh cap.

“But just staying in it and going through the levels and earning your rankings is massive.

“I’m very grateful where I am right now but I think it’s more that I’m in a special group of players and staff that are providing me with the opportunities to be the player that I can be.”

Kyle Walker is relishing England’s so-called friendly against Scotland after the long-serving right-back scored a goal he will remember for the rest of his life.

The 33-year-old made his senior debut in a friendly against Spain in November 2011 and has gone on to feature in four major tournament squads for his country.

But for all of Walker’s work it was not until Saturday evening in Poland that the Manchester City right-back was able to celebrate scoring an international goal on his 77th appearance.

The full-back raced behind and met a fantastic Harry Kane pass with a similarly impressive touch, before coolly cancelling out Ukraine captain Oleksandr Zinchenko’s opener in Wroclaw.

“Obviously to have 76 caps and not score a goal, it was playing on my mind a little bit,” Walker said after the 1-1 draw in Euro 2024 qualification.

“Just a lot of people were saying ‘you’ve played all these times’ and Harry Kane has been giving me a bit of banter, saying he’ll give me a penalty before I finish.

“But, listen, to get the goal, to help the team at the other end of the field was good.

“You know H likes to play them balls in behind and I just made the run.

“We do that at City where once the ball goes back, you make the in behind run.

“Harry’s made a great ball and picked me out. I think the touch has set it up because I’d probably have been looking to square it someone (otherwise).

“The touch felt good and it was a goal that I’ll remember definitely for the rest of my life.”

England were below par in Poland but it remains a case of when rather than if they wrap up qualification for next summer’s Euros.

Preparations for Germany continue with a first friendly game in 18 months on Tuesday evening, albeit the trip to old foes Scotland at Hampden Park is sure to have some bite to it.

Asked if there can ever be a friendly against Scotland, Walker told Sky Sports: “No, definitely not.

“I love playing in them games, especially just with everything behind it, with what they bring, their crowd and everything like that.

“Hopefully we can go there and have a good performance.

“They’ve had some good recent results so it’s going to be a tough game.

“The last time we went there we managed to scrape a draw in the last couple of minutes with Harry.

“So hopefully we can go there, put a good performance on, but it’s never going to be a friendly.”

Kane’s stoppage-time goal secured a 2-2 draw on England’s last trip to Scotland in 2017.

Walker was still a Tottenham team-mate of the striker at that point and it was widely reported this summer that the pair could have linked back up at Bayern Munich.

Kane moved to the Bundesliga but the 33-year-old has stayed with treble winners City, where his current deal expires at the end of the season.

“I have an obligation to fulfil my contract,” Walker said. “Obviously things haven’t gone for whatever way. Whichever way you want to look at it, it’s not happened.

“But I’m a Manchester City player. I want to stay at this club for as long as possible.

“But I need to do what’s right for me personally first and that’s stay at the top for as long as possible because there’s a lot of ex-players who’ve told me once you starting coming down it is difficult.

“So, if I can fulfil this season and many more hopefully at Manchester City that would be fantastic.”

Germany manager Hansi Flick’s position looks uncertain after an embarrassing 4-1 home friendly defeat to Japan on Saturday.

The former Bayern Munich boss has now overseen four defeats in the last five games, which comes on the back of a group-stage exit at last year’s World Cup.

The pressure is increasing on the 58-year-old, with director of the Germany national team Rudi Voller noticeably evasive when asked about his manager’s future.

Voller said in a television interview, reported by German newspaper De Bild: “We should collect ourselves first. There will be a bit of training tomorrow. Then we play against France. Afterwards, we should first reflect and think about what happens next. Let’s see.”

Japan, whose 2-1 victory in Qatar sent Germany home from the World Cup, went ahead through Junya Ito before Leroy Sane levelled.

But second-half goals from Ayase Ueda, Takuma Asano and Ao Tanaka saw Japan coast to victory in Wolfsburg, where the crowd turned on their side at full-time.

Flick replaced long-time boss Joachim Low in August 2021 but has won less than half of his 25 games in charge.

Gareth Southgate is looking forward to another really good test and “important learning step” as England head to Scotland for their first friendly in 18 months.

The Euro 2020 runners-up are among the favourites to win next year’s finals in Germany, which they are within touching distance of despite Saturday’s 1-1 qualification draw against Ukraine.

Long-serving Kyle Walker’s first-ever England goal cancelled out Oleksandr Zinchenko’s opener in front of a yellow and blue wall at the rocking Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw, Poland.

It felt like a home game despite Ukraine being forced to play away from their homeland due to Russia’s ongoing invasion, leaving Southgate to reflect on an important point and valuable learning experience.

The 53-year-old is expecting a similar test when they face in-form Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday evening in England’s first friendly since beating the Ivory Coast at Wembley in March 2022.

“We can have everybody in the squad involved for the next one,” Southgate said after 16 successive competitive matches, covering last year’s Nations League campaign, the 2022 World Cup and this qualifying campaign.

“We’ll assess everybody over there over the next 24 to 48 hours because it’s another really good test.

“Another hostile environment, a team that are playing really well.

“You know, they’re in great form, full of confidence so it’s another important learning step for us.” The nations last faced one another in June 2021, when they played out a hard-fought 0-0 draw at Wembley in the European Championship group stage.

Scotland, like England, are on the cusp of qualification for next summer’s Euros, with Friday’s 3-0 triumph in Cyprus extending their outstanding winning start in Group A to a fifth match.

Southgate’s side do not head into the friendly on the same high having failed to click against Ukraine, after which James Maddison said it was important to dig in and take a point if the attack is not firing.

“James would be one that won’t have played in an England game like that in the past,” the England manager said. “Marc (Guehi), Chilly [Ben Chilwell] wouldn’t have played a huge number of those games for us either.

“So, the only way to learn and grow as a team is to have those sorts of experiences. “To go behind in a game like that is a challenge, but we stayed calm.

“I’m not so sure it was a case of digging in because I think we were in control of the game. “But we had to defend some counter-attack moments and a couple of set plays well.

“And, yeah, without a doubt, to go through that sort of experience is good learning for several of the players.

“I think on a night like this the experienced players were really important for the team and I thought they all did a very, very good job.”

Southgate rued too many turnovers and a lack of attacking fluency on Saturday night, when skipper Harry Kane took it upon himself to spark England into life.

Ukraine stood off the striker and watched him fire an exceptional diagonal ball from just outside the centre circle over Vitaliy Mykolenko to put in Walker to score.

“In the end, it was difficult for all of the forward players to find space between Ukraine’s midfield and defence,” Southgate said. “I thought they did that as a team very well.

“I thought occasionally we were coming too deep outside of the block, but when you do that, if you’ve got players with that range of passing, then it’s an alternative way of breaking them down.

“The important thing was as he was dropping, Kyle making the run he did.

“He’s got outstanding vision but also technical quality to make those passes.”

James McCann hit two of the Orioles’ five home runs and Baltimore held on for its seventh straight win, topping the Boston Red Sox 13-12 in a wild slugfest on Saturday.

Baltimore had leads of 7-2 in the fourth inning, 12-6 in the seventh and 13-9 in the ninth before Yennier Cano retired Emmanuel Valdez on a game-ending flyout to strand the tying run at third and give the Orioles their AL-best 90th win.

The Red Sox, who outhit the Orioles 23-14, got a two-run, two-out double from Trevor Story and an RBI single from rookie Wilyer Abreu before left fielder Austin Hays caught Valdez’s flyball to end a three-hour, 40-minute contest.

Baltimore became the first team to win when allowing at least 23 hits since the Seattle Mariners on September 3, 1981, at Boston in a 20-inning game.

No team had done that in a nine-inning game since the St. Louis Cardinals on June 3, 1930.

Aaron Hicks and Gunnar Henderson hit three-run homers, McCann had a two-run shot and a solo blast and Jordan Westburg also went deep for Baltimore, which has won 13 of 16 to maintain a four-game lead over Tampa Bay in the AL East.

Justin Turner hit a two-run homer in the first and Abreu went 5 for 5 with three RBIs, but Boston dropped its fourth straight.

 

Diaz’s home run lifts Rays over Mariners

Yandy Diaz hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Tampa Bay Rays a 7-5 win over the Seattle Mariners.

After Taylor Walls drew a two-out walk from Taylor Saucedo, Diaz drilled an opposite-field shot to right.

The win kept Tampa Bay four games behind Baltimore in the AL East and moved it 7 ½ games ahead of Seattle and Toronto in the race for the top wild card.

Julio Rodriguez went deep for his 29th home run and is one short of joining Alex Rodriguez as the only Mariners to have 30 homers and 30 steals in a single season.

Seattle blew a lead for a second straight day to drop 1 ½ games behind AL West-leading Houston.

 

Diamondbacks beat Cubs again

Tommy Pham delivered an RBI single to cap a two-run 10th inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks made it four straight wins, 3-2 over the Chicago Cubs.

Gabriel Moreno scored on a wild pitch in the 10th to snap a 1-1 tie before Pham drove home Jordan Lawlar with a liner to left.

Paul Seward gave up Cody Bellinger’s run-scoring single with two outs in the 10th but got Dansby Swanson to foul out for his 32nd save.

Arizona pulled within one game of Chicago for the No. 2 spot in the wild-card race.

The Cubs have just four runs through the first three games of the four-game series and have fallen four games behind NL Central-leading Milwaukee.

Coco Gauff said she was “burning so bright” after coming from a set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka and win the US Open.

The 19-year-old became the first American teenager to triumph at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 1999.

Here, the PA news agency looks back at day 13 at the US Open:

Pic of the dayShot of the dayQuote of the dayNumbers game

Sabalenka will be world number one on Monday, while Gauff climbs to a career high third.

No doubles delight

There was disappointment for the US crowd earlier when Jessica Pegula and Austin Krajicek took on Anna Danilina of Kazakhstan and Finland’s Harri Heliovaara in the mixed doubles.

The top seeds could not claim the title as Danilina and Heliovaara won in straight sets, 6-3 6-4.

Who’s up next?

Daniil Medvedev stands in the way of Novak Djokovic and his 24th grand slam title.

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