Stephen Kenny’s reign as Republic of Ireland manager reached the point of no return after a comprehensive 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Greece finally killed off any hope of Euro 2024 qualification.

First-half goals from Giorgos Giakoumakis and Giorgos Masouras at a sparsely-populated Aviva Stadium plunged Ireland’s shambolic Group B campaign further into the mire and left Kenny, whose tenure is due to be reviewed next month, with nowhere to turn.

His team has managed to take just three points from its first six games of the campaign – and those from Gibraltar, who they face again in Faro on Monday evening – and for all his claims to have revitalised his squad with young, hungry players, he has not been rewarded with what he needs most – results.

Gus Poyet’s Greece, who already have a play-off place secured via the Nations League, went into the game ranked four places higher than Ireland, but were streets ahead in terms of both potency and solidity, and they will entertain the Netherlands and France in their remaining fixtures with 12 points banked and hope of upsetting the odds.

For Kenny, there is only the prospect of a bloody post mortem amid a mounting chorus of disapproval after a night which ended with a smattering of boos, but more apathy.

The return of 18-year-old Brighton striker Evan Ferguson after he missed September’s double-header against France and the Netherlands through injury had provided cause for optimism, but that dwindled after a bright start in which Will Smallbone forced a fourth-minute save from keeper Odysseas Vlachodimos and Ferguson grazed the foot of his right post with a curling shot.

Central defenders Shane Duffy and Nathan Collins repeatedly found themselves in possession, but with little useful movement ahead of them, and it was home keeper Gavin Bazunu who was called upon to keep out Tasos Bakasetas’ dipping, swerving shot from distance, which he did, but in unconvincing fashion.

The visitors were growing into the game and they silenced the home crowd with 20 minutes gone when Liverpool full-back Kostas Tsimikas was allowed to make ground before crossing for the criminally unmarked Giakoumakis to head powerfully past the helpless Bazunu.

Ogbene saw a snapshot blocked at source and Smallbone curled an effort over from range as the Republic responded, but with Greece working hard to deny them time and space, prompting Ferguson to drop deeper in search of the ball, they struggled to create meaningful opportunities.

Bazunu fielded another Bakasetas shot with some comfort as the Greeks prospered on the break and had to make a fine 37th-minute stop to keep out Dimitris Pelkas’ from Giakoumakis’ clever reverse pass after Petros Mantalos and Masouras had made the most of Ferguson’s failure to retain the ball on halfway.

Kenny’s men were laboured in their efforts to claw themselves back into the game with Josh Cullen firing harmlessly over after Ogbene had floated a cross beyond Ferguson and Duffy heading tamely at Vlachodimos from a Smallbone free-kick, and their plight worsened deep into stoppage time.

Giakoumakis did well to control Petros Mantalos’ steepling clearance on his chest and when Dimitris Pelkas returned his cross into the middle, Masouras pounced to make it 2-0.

Matt Doherty’s unwitting intervention prevented Pelkas’ 53rd-minute shot from creeping inside Bazunu’s left post after Bakasetas had opened Ireland up once again, but the hosts belatedly built up a head of steam.

Jason Knight sent a skidding attempt wide from distance and then saw appeals for a penalty waved away after he had gone down under Masouras’ challenge, and Kenny sent on striker Callum Robinson and winger Mikey Johnston with 20 minutes remaining in a desperate search for inspiration.

Vlachodimos repelled a 83rd-minute Doherty header with his feet and Robinson dragged a shot wide seconds later, but redemption proved beyond Kenny’s side.

Kylian Mbappe scored twice, including a stunning strike from just outside the box, as France beat the Netherlands 2-0 in Amsterdam to secure Euro 2024 qualification.

After putting Les Bleus ahead with a seventh-minute finish, Mbappe added a breathtaking second eight minutes into the second half, exchanging passes with Adrien Rabiot and sending a curling shot over Bart Verbruggen and into the top corner.

Quilindschy Hartman reduced the deficit with seven minutes of normal time remaining.

The result extended France’s perfect record in Group B to a sixth victory as they rubber-stamped their place in next summer’s finals in Germany with two fixtures to spare.

Their opponents dropped from second to third, replaced by Greece – who won 2-0 against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.

Georgios Giakoumakis and Georgios Masouras scored in the first half as Ireland’s chances of automatic qualification officially came to an end.

Greece are now three points clear of the Netherlands, who have a game in hand.

In Group F, Belgium sealed progress to the finals with a 3-2 win away against second-placed Austria.

The visitors appeared to be cruising after Dodi Lukebakio’s double and a Romelu Lukaku effort had them three goals up before the hour mark.

Things then became less comfortable as Konrad Laimer pulled a goal back in the 72nd minute, Belgium were reduced to 10 men by a red card for Amadou Onana six minutes later, and Marcel Sabitzer scored an 84th-minute penalty – but Domenico Tedesco’s side managed to see out the win.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan registered their first win in the group as they beat Estonia 2-0 in Tallinn.

Portugal also completed the job of qualification via a 3-2 victory as they defeated Slovakia in Porto, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice.

Goncalo Ramos and a Ronaldo penalty had the hosts two goals up at half-time, and after David Hancko’s reply, Ronaldo made it 3-1 in the 72nd minute with his 125th international goal.

Stanislav Lobotka netted a second for Slovakia, who are second behind Portugal in Group J.

Friday’s other matches in the pool saw Iceland and Luxembourg draw 1-1 in Reykjavik and Bosnia and Herzegovina win 2-0 in Liechtenstein.

Jordan Henderson was booed by some England fans on a night when Ollie Watkins helped Gareth Southgate’s much-changed side secure an unconvincing 1-0 win against Australia.

A sold-out Wembley crowd watched a surprisingly hard-fought friendly between these great sporting rivals on Friday night as the hosts experimented with Euro 2024 in mind.

England can wrap up qualification against Italy on Tuesday night and Watkins boosted his chances of being on the plane to Germany with a goal and solid display.

The Socceroos can count themselves unlucky to leave Wembley without so much as a goal to celebrate.

Lewis Dunk’s brilliant block denied Ryan Strain ending a fine team move just before half-time and Connor Metcalfe headed off the outside of the post late in the second period.

But England rode their luck to emerge victorious as Watkins, winning his first cap since March 2022, turned in Jack Grealish’s cross-shot at the far post in the 57th minute having earlier hit a post.

The in-form Aston Villa striker will have boosted his chance of being regular back-up to captain Harry Kane, whose place on the bench meant Henderson wore the armband on Friday.

There were murmurs from the crowd when his named was read out before England’s first home game since his controversial move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq.

That reception turned to jeers when he was replaced in the second half of a match that began with the innocent victims of the conflict in Israel and Palestine being remembered.

The Football Association was criticised by the UK government and the Jewish community in the build-up to the match for its response to recent devastating events.

The Wembley arch was not lit up on a night when both sides wore black armbands and observed a period of silence before kick-off.

Southgate made 10 alterations from last month’s friendly win in Scotland, leading to a sloppiness and disorganisation that allowed Australia to settle and threaten.

A slight touch prevented Watkins sweeping home with the first noteworthy attack of the night and Sam Johnstone soon brilliantly stopped Keanu Baccus’ curling effort going in off Fikayo Tomori.

England remained in control of first-half possession, but Australia continued to offer the greater threat.

Mitch Duke connected brilliantly with a low cross, flashing a first-time strike under pressure narrowly wide before Kye Rowles hammered over following a set-piece scramble.

England’s carelessness was summed up by James Maddison’s slip and strike out for a throw-in, but the Tottenham man showed his quality when slipping through Watkins.

The Aston Villa frontman took the ball around Mat Ryan and got away a bobbling effort from an acute angle that came back off the far post in the 34th minute.

Debutant Levi Colwill and Conor Gallagher received bookings in quick succession as a frustrating half continued, although it would have been worse was it not for Dunk – the only survivor from the side that started in Scotland.

Graham Arnold’s outfit showed skill and confidence playing out from the back, with Martin Boyle following fine hold up play by playing in Strain to get away an attempt that was blocked brilliantly by the Brighton skipper.

It was a moment Australia were made to rue in the 57th minute.

England returned from the break with more urgency and Trent Alexander-Arnold swung a ball over to the back post after an initial free-kick was cleared.

Grealish controlled and hit an attempt across goal that Watkins slid to turn home on the line – his third goal in eight England appearances.

Southgate made a quadruple change as he turned to his talent-filled bench with around 30 minutes remaining.

Henderson was among those withdrawn and Friday’s captain was booed by sections of the Wembley crowd, which he made a point of applauding as Kieran Trippier took the armband.

Baccus dragged wide as Australia tried to claw back an equaliser and Metcalfe was free to meet a corner with a powerful header off the outside of the post in the 80th minute.

Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah came on for his England debut and the visitors failed in their attempt to grab a memorable late goal.

Wembley fell silent ahead of England’s friendly against Australia in memory of those killed in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas as the Football Association faced fresh criticism for not lighting up the stadium’s arch in their honour.

The FA announced plans on Thursday for players to wear black armbands and for those inside the stadium to observe a period of silence “to remember the innocent victims of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine”.

But they stopped short from lighting the Wembley arch in the colours of the Israeli flag, a gesture they opted to employ ahead of the Ukraine match earlier this year as blue and yellow adorned the stadium’s signature landmark.

Jordan Henderson and Mat Ryan, the respective England and Australia captains on the night, led the two sets of players to the centre-circle as everyone inside the stadium observed an impeccable period of silence as the big screens carried a sombre message.

“Tonight we remember the innocent victims of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine,” it read.

“Our thoughts are with them, and their families and friends in England and Australia and with all the communities who are affected by this ongoing conflict.

“Tonight we stand for humanity and an end to the death, violence, fear and suffering.”

Hamas’ assault on Saturday and smaller attacks since have killed more than 1,300 people in Israel, including 247 soldiers — a toll unseen in Israel for decades — and the ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed more than 1,530 people in Gaza, according to authorities on both sides.

On Thursday, the Cabinet minister responsible for sport, Lucy Frazer, criticised the FA in a social media post, calling the decision “extremely disappointing”.

Then, just hours before kick-off at Wembley, Israel Football Association president Moshe Zuares hit out at what he deemed a lack of support for the country.

“There are moments in history when truth is one, sharp and clear. Such is the present time. More than 1,200 children, babies, women, men and old people were slaughtered by a barbaric enemy, who committed crimes against humanity,” he said in a statement released on social media.

“The only sin of the victims was that they were Israelis. Those who are afraid to light up a stadium in memory of the murdered and for the sake of historical truth, for reasons that cannot be understood at all and perhaps it is better not to even try, are in an even darker time than the one in my country is currently in.

“When this happens by the FA of a nation that has always known how to be a moral lighthouse for the free world, it is more disappointing than ever. I tried to explain this to my colleagues in the English FA several times in the past few days but they insisted on not understand (sic). Now they are the ones who need to explain.”

A rabbi working on a Football Association faith group has resigned over the governing body’s response to the Hamas attacks on Israeli citizens last weekend.

Alex Goldberg wrote to the FA to say he was “profoundly disappointed” that there were no plans for a specific tribute to the victims of those attacks.

He said the decision not to light up the Wembley arch in the colours of the Israeli flag ahead of the friendly between England and Australia on Friday night had been “received badly” and also questioned the decision not to permit the flags of any nation to be brought into Wembley besides those of England and Australia.

“Many see the statement only to permit flags and representations of the competing nations as eradicating Jewish symbols and it has compounded grievances with the gravity of the recent events, but also inadvertently neglects the security and emotional well-being of Jewish fans who may be in attendance,” he wrote in a letter published by the Jewish News.

The FA responded to Rabbi Goldberg’s letter by saying: “We are sorry to hear of Rabbi Alex’s decision to resign from his role in our Faith in Football group.

“Although this is an informal group that is not part of the FA’s governance structure, we are grateful for the support he has provided over the years.

“It is also important to clarify that our decision not to allow Israeli or Palestine flags into Wembley Stadium was made at the direct request of senior members of the Jewish community.”

Reggae Girlz forward Cheyna Matthews is to retire from professional football after what will be her final match this weekend, according to reports.

Matthews, who was a member of Jamaica’s history making Reggae Girlz squad that made it to the round of 16 at the FIFA Women’s World Cup and who plays for the Chicago Red Stars will hang up her boots after her team battles OL Reign at the SeatGeek Stadium on Sunday, October 15. She is to be feted by her club before Sunday's match.

The player who turns 30 in November, has played for the Reggae Girlz since 2019 and represented the team at two World Cups.

The Jamaica Football Federation expressed their gratitude for her contribution to Jamaica’s women’s programme.

“Thank you Cheyna for your wonderful service to Jamaica. As you retire from football we would like to wish you all the best on the next chapter of your life and you will always be a Reggae Girl.

A Georgia native, Matthews, a Florida State alum, began her professional career in 2016 when she was the seventh overall draft pick by the Washington Spirit. She played five years with Washington Spirit before joining Louisville FC in 2021.

Cheyna, who is married to San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jordan Matthews, is mother to three three sons.

Former champions Cornwall College and St Elizabeth Technical High (STETHS), as well as Cedric Titus High, won their respective zones on Wednesday as the race for qualification points in the second round of the ISSA/Wata DaCosta Cup football competition heats up.

Lincoln Cox scored his second double of the season while Dane Buckley and Javaine Barnes scored one goal each as Cornwall College beat Spot Valley High 4-1 in their return round game as they cruised to 23 points and wrapped up Zone A honours.

Second-placed Irwin High, who were held 1-1 by Green Pond High at Green Pond, moved to 19 points, four points behind Cornwall College, with one game to go for both teams.

In another game, St James High beat Maldon High 4-0.

STETHS played out a 1-1 draw against Munro College at Munro, and the point took them to 23 at the top of Zone E, and any of the other teams cannot catch them.

BB Coke moved to 19 points, one point away from advancing from Zone E after a 3-1 win over Lacovia High.

Cedric Titus edged Browns Town High 2-1 and improved to 25 points more than any other team in Zone C can get, while William Knibb Memorial kept their slim hopes of advancing alive after beating Ocho Rios High 2-0 in their Zone C playoff game.

Wednesday also saw The Mannings School wrap up their spot in the second round after beating Knockabout Technical 3-0 in their return leg Zone D game played at the Mannings grounds.

Gregory Phillips scored twice while Akieme Gordon got the third.

The win carried Mannings School to 16 points from five wins and a draw as they reclaimed the lead from Petersfield High, who are tied on 13 points with Black River High.

Mannings School, who made it to the semi-finals in the last two competitions, can win the zone on Saturday’s final game against Grange Hill.

On Thursday, despite being held to a 2-2 draw by Knox College, Mile Gully High is the first second-round qualifier from Zone G.

The point Mile Gully earned from the return round game was enough to see them win the zone as they took their points tally to 19, four more than second-placed Christiana High and five more than Knox College.

It was Mile Gully’s first time qualifying for the second round since the 2018 season.

Belair High and Edwin Allen High are also through to the second round after both scored 2-0 wins on Thursday.

Christian Henry and Daniel Brown scored for Belair High in their win over May Day High to push their points tally to 24 to take the second spot behind Manchester High, who were 1-0 winners over DeCarteret College and took their points tally to 27.

Edwin Allen High, who won the Ben Francis KO two years ago, joined defending champions Clarendon College as the qualifiers from Zone H after beating Lennon High 2-0.

Jahleel Blackwood and team captain Kimolar Ferron scored to give Edwin Allen a 2-0 win over Lennon High in their first meeting of the season, improved to 18 points, and secured second place.

Champions Clarendon College extended their winning run to seven games with a 4-1 win over Thompson Town and are 21 points at the top of Zone H.

Northern Ireland will hope the visit of San Marino to Windsor Park on Saturday is the opportunity they need to end their long losing run in Euro 2024 qualifying.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the key talking points ahead of the game.

Back to the start

Northern Ireland’s win away to San Marino in the opening fixture of this qualifying campaign back in March feels a long, long time ago now. Back then optimism was high that the return of Michael O’Neill as manager and what was seen as a favourable draw, certainly from pot five, in Group H could offer Northern Ireland a chance of challenging for qualification. But since their 2-0 win in Serravalle, nothing has gone right for O’Neill and his players, as a seemingly never-ending injury list and a string of narrow 1-0 defeats has doomed this campaign.

A must-win game

Qualification is now beyond them but the visit of San Marino is a must-win game for Northern Ireland, who have the opportunity to reset the narrative of this campaign and deliver a performance in front of the Windsor Park crowd. Even with their problems, anything short of a victory at home against the traditional whipping boys of European football would nudge a struggling team towards a crisis.

Home doubleheader

Northern Ireland have enjoyed few home comforts of late – winning only two of their last 17 fixtures in Belfast – but after the logistical challenges of last month’s away doubleheader against Slovenia and Kazakhstan, back-to-back games at Windsor is a welcome reprieve and a chance for O’Neill to get more work done with his players in the absence of long transfers. There is also a pressure of expectation from the sell-out crowd heading to Saturday’s match, but the players already expect nothing but a win anyway.

Marshall’s moment?

Since O’Neill announced his squad for these fixtures, much of the buzz has been around the return to the senior squad for West Ham striker Callum Marshall. The 18-year-old was denied a dream international debut by VAR in June when his late equaliser against Denmark in Copenhagen was ruled out for offside, but is now expected to get another chance in green against San Marino. Northern Ireland have been desperately seeking a reliable finisher for several years and although O’Neill is reluctant to put pressure on the teenager, many have already compared Marshall to record goal-scorer David Healy.

Euro 2028

This might be the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign but after UEFA confirmed this week that the 2028 edition will be hosted by the United Kingdom and Ireland, there has been talk all week of Northern Ireland potentially getting the opportunity to play on home soil in five years’ time. O’Neill is about the only person not keen to get involved – he has more pressing concerns as he tries to mould a young squad into one that might be more competitive by then – but there is now a massive carrot dangling for Northern Ireland’s players. “It’s a big thing that’s going to be coming here, it’s fantastic,” said the 35-year-old Jonny Evans. “Who knows? I might still be knocking about.”

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill understands the excitement around teenage striker Callum Marshall but is eager not to put pressure on the West Ham prospect.

Marshall is expected to feature in Saturday’s Euro 2024 qualifier against San Marino after returning to O’Neill’s squad this month, and fans are keen to get another glimpse of a player who has already drawn comparisons to Northern Ireland’s record goalscorer David Healy.

Marshall was denied a dream international debut in June when his late equaliser against Denmark in Copenhagen was ruled out by the VAR for offside, but the 18-year-old will hope for another opportunity against San Marino and in Tuesday’s match against Slovenia.

“I don’t want to put any added pressure on a young lad who is 18,” O’Neill said. “He’s shown a huge amount of promise. We probably skew that because of the moment in Copenhagen but that was only a moment.

“I can’t think back to when we’ve had a young striker – they generally come in later…A young striker coming in always excites people.

“Like every country, you want somebody at the top end of the pitch who can be a natural goalscorer, and without putting any burden on Callum, he has the potential and has shown the potential certainly since we’ve had him in. We’ve seen that he has the attributes.

“But he’s only starting on his journey in the game. The signs are very positive and if he has the opportunity to play from the start or play some part of the game, I know he’ll approach it in the right way.”

Marshall is yet another young face in a Northern Ireland squad robbed of experience by injuries, a significant factor in a qualifying campaign that has unravelled since the opening win in San Marino in March with five straight defeats.

“It’s having that resilience which I think you build over time,” O’Neill said. “This team doesn’t have resilience yet because the players haven’t played enough, they’ve not played through the experience that Jonny (Evans) played through and Steven Davis played through.

“That’s how you build it. That’s where you get it. We have too many players still in single figures in caps to have that resilience. That’s what they will learn when they step forward into the next phase of their international career, that the expectations will be there for us as a team to do better.”

Evans echoed that view. The Manchester United defender made his international debut in Northern Ireland’s famous 3-2 win over Spain in 2009, and has seen both the highs and the lows since.

“My international career got off to a good start and then had a bit of dip but you always find that, nothing is constant,” he said.

“You’ve got to be able to handle that. It wasn’t until I was 27 or 28 that Euro qualification came around. It’s a long time but you’ve got to keep learning.”

With Euro 2028 hosting rights having been awarded to the United Kingdom and Ireland this week, there is now the hope of Northern Ireland getting to play at another European finals, and to do so on home soil. However, O’Neill said that tournament is not on his radar yet.

“The most important thing is to continue to work with this group of players,” he said. “It needs a lot of work.

“There’s been a lot of talk about this campaign having not been what we hoped and being disappointing and yes, it has been, but we have to be realistic: this group of players is not ready to qualify for a major tournament.

“Seven of them are under 21. Fourteen of them are three, four, five caps. We need to grow this group of players into a group ready for the next campaign.”

Beth Mead looks likely to make her long-awaited return to Arsenal’s matchday squad when the Gunners host Aston Villa at the Emirates on Sunday, boss Jonas Eidevall confirmed.

The England forward, who won the Golden Boot in the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 triumph, has not played for club or country since rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) late last November.

Mead faces one final training session before her fitness for Arsenal’s third meeting of the new Women’s Super League season is confirmed, but the 28-year-old’s manager was feeling optimistic after seeing her put through her paces on Friday morning.

Eidevall said: “In order to, for squad selection, we have one more training to go. If she goes through that training she should be 100 per cent ready for squad selection.

“She has a lovely energy, she plays the game with both her right and left foot with really good attacking qualities too. We all know that Beth Mead is a quality football player, so of course we are really looking forward to having her back on the pitch again.”

Mead, whose injury ruled her out of this summer’s World Cup, was one of four of Eidevall’s players to sustain an ACL problem last season, drawing further attention to what many feel is a crisis facing women’s football, where the issue is alarmingly common.

Netherlands striker Vivianne Miedema joined the ‘ACL club’ a month after her team-mate and partner Mead but is also edging close to a comeback, said Eidevall, while Leah Williamson, who captained England to the European trophy, will not feature until after Christmas at the earliest.

Defender Laura Wienroither ruptured her ACL in May, while fellow defender Teyah Goldie became the fifth victim when she suffered the same issue in August.

Eidevall said: “Viv has returned to team training, which is really nice, so obviously the next thing from team training is to start playing in games, if that’s friendly games or internal games behind closed doors and so on.

“That’s the next step, and from there on obviously you’re not miles away from being able to be selected to be in the squad, so she’s definitely getting close.”

While the unfortunate quintuplet of team-mates have been able to support each other through the long recovery process, Eidevall and his staff do not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach.

He added: “Unfortunately we have a group of players that went through the same thing. I think, though, at the end of the day you need to deal with your things yourself, because even if it looks on paper that you have the same injury, it’s never exactly the same.

“There are always differences. There can be similarities and yes you can help, but at the end of the day everything is going to be unique to you as an individual. I try to be very mindful of treating people with similar injuries like a package.”

League C of the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League returned on Thursday with important encounters in Group A and Group C.

Bonaire vs. Anguilla

Bonaire earned their first win of this CNL campaign in Group A with a 2-0 triumph over Anguilla at the Stadion Antonio Trenidat in Rincon, Bonaire.

Bonaire are now back in the race for group honours with three points through two games, three points behind leaders St Martin. Anguilla are in third place with zero points.

Bonaire carved out their first goal of the night through Ginel Ronde in the 10th, as he polished off a counterattack spearheaded by Jonathan Libania for a 1-0 Bonaire advantage.

The lead was then doubled in the 36th, as Marschelon Pourier knocked in a shot from just a few yards out after Anguilla were unable to clear their lines.

With the two-goal cushion, Bonaire could play to their liking and confidently saw things out to pocket the victory.

Dominica vs. British Virgin Islands

The top two teams in Group C met and showed that there is little difference between them after a 1-1 draw between Dominica and British Virgin Islands at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet, St Lucia.

Each side now has four points after two games, with Dominica ahead on goal difference.

Luka Chalwell scored two goals in the September window and picked up where he left off by scoring the opening goal for British Virgin Islands in the 29th.

A long ball was hoofed upfield and Chalwell controlled it superbly, taking a touch and then firing a right-footed shot into net.

Dominica went to work on finding an equalizer and their efforts were finally rewarded in the latter stages, as Briel Thomas struck in the 82th to make it 1-1.

A free kick from the right flank was curled into the area by Troy Jules and Thomas met it with a soaring header to deliver the precious point to his side.

Tiquanny Williams shined with a hat-trick to deliver a victory for St Kitts and Nevis, as the 2023–24 Concacaf Nations League resumed with two Group A matches in League B on Thursday.

St Lucia edged Guadeloupe as the top two teams in the group faced off. After three games, St Lucia maintains the pole position for promotion with Guadeloupe, St Kitts and Nevis and St Maarten rounding out the group in that order.

St Maarten vs. St Kitts and Nevis

St Kitts and Nevis won 3-2 against St Maarten at the Raymond E. Guishard Stadium in The Valley, Anguilla.

Tiquanny Williams opened the scoring in the 16th with a difficult strike off the edge of the left post.

Gerwin Lake responded for the hosts with a thunderous strike inside the box in the 19th. Centre back Sergio Hughes found Lake on the right flank with an accurate long ball and the striker did the rest.

Williams retook the lead for the visitors, 2-1, in the 48th after pouncing on a rebounding ball off the crossbar to hit a left-foot strike into the net.

St Maarten nearly equalized in the 67th but was denied on a goal-line clearance followed by a Chovanie Amatkarijo attempt bouncing off the right post.

Williams completed his hat-trick in the 68th as St Kitts and Nevis used a quick counter attack to extend its lead.

Imar Kort took one back for St Maarten in the 79th after goalkeeper Julani Archibald could not contain a potent shot from and Amatkarijo free kick.

The visitors withstood the late St Maarten rally to gain its first victory of the campaign. The two will meet again in three days as St Kitts and Nevis will look to repeat the result on its home turf.

St Lucia vs. Guadeloupe

St Lucia kept their perfect record with a 2-1 win over Guadeloupe at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet, St Lucia.

Jerome Roussillon put the visitors in the lead in the 29th after connecting on a long pass from Andreaw Gravillon. Roussillon brought the ball down inside the box with his left before striking with his right.

Caniggia Elva tied the encounter 1-1 in the 45th as St Lucia pushed for the equalizer prior to halftime. Janoi Donacien propelled the play forward before passing to Elva inside the box.

Gregson President was denied on a breakaway in the 55th as Davy Royard was there to block as the last line of defense. Rouyard had another save just one minute later to keep the score level.

Jevick Mac Farlane put the home side in front 2-1 in the 58th with right-footed shot into goal. Elva provided the through ball as St Lucia completed an attack through the left flank.

Second half substitutes Kilian Bevis and Vikash Tille nearly connected for the tying goal in the 89th, but goalkeeper Vino Barclett provided the safe hands to intercept Tille’s header.

Angus Gunn insists Scotland still have eyes on topping their group after the 2-0 defeat by Spain on Thursday night delayed Euro 2024 qualification.

After winning their first five qualifiers, including a 2-0 win over the Spanish at Hampden Park in March, the Scots came up short in Seville after a controversial VAR call ruled out Scott McTominay’s terrific free-kick just before the hour mark.

Dutch referee Serdar Gozubuyuk was sent to check his pitchside monitor and he ruled an infringement by Scotland defender Jack Hendry, with some confusion as to whether it was for a foul on goalkeeper Unai Simon or offside.

Alvaro Morata headed in after 73 minutes and substitute Oihan Sancet, making his debut, added a second with four minutes or normal time remaining to leave Steve Clarke’s men three points ahead of La Roja at the top of Group A having played a game more.

Scotland face France in a friendly in Lille next Tuesday while Spain take on third-placed Norway in Oslo two days earlier and if the Norwegians drop points, Scotland’s place in Germany next summer will be secured before games away at Georgia and home to Norway in November.

Norwich keeper Gunn, 27, remains confident and he said: “We have put ourselves in an unbelievable position.

“From our point of view we have done a lot of the hard work early on in the group and we want to finish it off in the right way.

“We want to top the group as well so we have two more games and it might happen on Sunday but even if it does, we go away to Georgia and still try to win this group.

“I will probably watch it on Sunday. If it happens, it happens but we still have two more games.

“We have put ourselves in a good position and if it does happen on Sunday we deserve it.”

The Scots had put up a sturdy defensive display against this summer’s Nations League winners and it looked like they might be on their way to a smash-and-grab win when McTominay’s free-kick from near the byline flew into the net.

Gunn believes the decision to rule it out lifted the Spanish fans and gave the home side the boost to go on and clinch the three points.

He said: “We thought we went ahead and that was an unbelievable feeling at the time and it was gutting when it got chalked off.

“I thought we dealt with it quite well but I think it gave them more of a boost.

“Their crowd celebrated it like a goal and I think they got their tails up a little but which we had to deal with.

“I think we kept our emotions quite well even though there wasn’t much clarity around the decision, that was the most disappointing thing.

“But they are a top team and they went up the other end and scored and after that the momentum was with them.

“We are disappointed with the result.

“But I said, we put ourselves in the position where we are still top of the group, still looking strong and hopefully still able to qualify soon.”

What the papers say

Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips could leave the club in January to go to German giants Bayern Munich, the Sun reports. The 27-year-old, who continues to struggle for game time under Pep Guardiola, would join up with England team-mate Harry Kane at the Bundesliga champions.

The Express says Newcastle are interested in Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe in the summer transfer window. The 23-year-old midfielder has already played twice for England but has only played in six games for Arsenal in all competitions this season.

The Saudi Pro League’s director of football has labelled Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah as one of his “personal favourites” after the club turned down huge deals from Al Ittihad last summer, the Metro says.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Toni Kroos: Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo says Manchester City are interested in the 33-year-old Real Madrid midfielder when his contact expires next summer.

Arthur Vermeeren: The 18-year-old midfielder at Royal Antwerp is being sought by Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham.

While it was not the most polished performance, Jamaica’s senior Reggae Boyz did enough to ease past Grenada 4-1 in their Concacaf Nations League Group B encounter and move one step closer to a League A quarterfinals berth.

Despite starting without a number of the regulars, Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side raced to an early 2-0 lead courtesy of Kevon Lambert (13th) and Shamar Nicholson (23rd), before Demarai Gray (74th) and stand-in captain Bobby Reid (87th), made the three points safe.

Trevon Williams (30th) got Grenada’s consolation in the keenly contested encounter at the Kirani James Athletics Stadium.

With the win, their second of the tournament, the Jamaicans moved up to seven points, three ahead of second-placed Cuba (four points), who were scheduled to face third-placed Honduras (three points) in the group’s late kickoff.

Elsewhere, fourth-placed Haiti (three points) and fifth-placed Suriname (two points), played out a 1-1 stalemate in Paramaribo. Grenada remains at the foot of the standing with a solitary point.

It was a patient start by the Reggae Boyz in St George’s, as they took their time to breakdown Grenada’s defence and eventually found the go-ahead goal from a set play.

Gregory Leigh’s weighted corner kick was deflected towards goal by Romario Williams, but the effort was brilliantly kept out by Jason Belfon diving full stretch to his left. However, the custodian had no response to Lambert’s follow-up shot in a goalmouth melee.

The Boyz went close to doubling the lead three minutes later when Gray embarked on a darting run and played off a pass to Nicholson, whose effort was charged down by Darius Johnson, putting his body on the line.

Grenada belatedly came to life in attack a minute later with Josh Gabriel rifling a left-footed drive from a distance, but Jahmali Waite, who started in place of captain Andre Blake, proved equal to the task.

That was the start of a good, sustained attacking spell for Grenada, as they camped out in the Jamaicans half like a pack of hungry wolves, but their hunt for the equalizer proved fruitless.

They later paid for it when Nicholson extended the Jamaicans lead. The towering striker picked up a pass from Williams, slipped his marker and easily tucked a left-footed effort past Belfon.

Grenada pulled one back on the half-hour mark through Williams’s deflection on Johnson’s follow-up effort. The initial shot by Gabriel was kept out by Waite.

Both teams created chances at the backend of the half but failed to capitalise. While the Jamaicans went in 2-1 up, it was Grenada that enjoyed the momentum at the break.

Unlike they did at the start, the Boyz were more purposeful on the resumption and had opportunities to push further ahead. However, they were denied by faulty shooting and some good work by Belfon, at times.

On one of those occasions, Belfon did well to block Williams's shot from close range in the 58th minute.

Four minutes later, a good through pass from Reid found debutant Karoy Anderson and the 19-year-old dismissed his marker, but selfishly went for a shot from a tight angle.

Grenada almost pulled level in the 70th when Regan Charles-Cook got behind defenders, but Waite left his line well to avert the danger.

Jamaica asserted their authority in the latter stages of the contest and inevitably pushed further ahead through Gray. The former Everton man used his pace to good effect on the left channel, as he charged into the box and placed a right-footer past Belfon.

Reid added another three minutes from time. He got on the end of Daniel Johnson’s free kick and made no mistakes from close range.

Defending champions Jamaica College closed the gap between themselves and Group B leaders Tivoli High to one point thanks to a 7-0 win over Spanish Town High in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup on Thursday.

Kingston Technical made things even more interesting in the group with a 3-1 win over the leaders to also move within a point of top spot, trailing JC by 12 on goal difference.

The day’s other group game saw Cumberland beat Meadowbrook 4-0 for their first win of the season.

Elsewhere, Jonathan Grant hammered Greater Portmore 8-0 to move to second in Group C with 17 points, two points behind leaders Haile Selassie and two ahead of third placed Eltham.