Argentina made an early statement of intent ahead of the World Cup with an impressively dominant 3-0 win over Italy to win the UEFA/CONMEBOL Finalissima at Wembley.
Although Italy failed to qualify for Qatar 2022, few would have expected the European champions to be so stunningly outclassed by the Copa America 2021 winners.
Much of the pre-game focus was on Giorgio Chiellini, but the last game of his distinguished international career ended at half-time with Argentina deservedly 2-0 up thanks to goals from Lautaro Martinez and Angel Di Maria.
Italy somehow prevented the inspired Lionel Messi and Di Maria adding more gloss to the scoreline, but Paulo Dybala finally got their third with the last kick of the game.
A brilliant intervention by Cristian Romero had earlier denied Andrea Belotti a simple finish in the 20th minute, with the striker then seeing a looping header saved by Emiliano Martinez a few moments later.
But Argentina soon took charge.
Messi wonderfully turned away from Giovanni Di Lorenzo and held him off before passing across goal for Martinez to tap home.
The Inter forward then turned provider on the stroke of half-time, spinning Leonardo Bonucci and feeding Di Maria, who lifted an audacious chip over the helpless Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Roberto Mancini made three changes at the break but if anything Argentina only became more dominant – Donnarumma desperately scurried back to stop a Bonucci back-pass going in, before importantly denying the excellent Di Maria twice.
Giovani Lo Celso then missed an open goal – albeit from a slightly tight angle – after great work by Messi, who subsequently tested Donnarumma twice.
But Donnarumma was eventually beaten again at the end, substitute Dybala finding the bottom-right corner after a solo Messi run terrified the Italy defence.
Ange Postecoglou promises excitement at Tottenham
Ange Postecoglou has promised “a team to get excited by” as he strives for success after being appointed as Tottenham head coach.
The Australian takes up the post having guided Celtic to the domestic treble north of the border, signing a four-year contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Postecoglou, 57, takes the reins after Antonio Conte’s dismissal in March and interim runs for both Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason.
Spurs finished eighth at the end of a dismal season, their worst Premier League position since 2008, and Postecoglou is ready to get started on turning those fortunes around.
“It’s great to finally get started as manager of this great football club,” he said in a video message posted on the club’s social media accounts.
“I’m really looking forward to our task ahead. I think it’s an exciting opportunity for us to now set off on a new direction, play football and create an environment that embodies the values and traditions of this fantastic football club.
“Hopefully a team that you can all be proud of, and more importantly get excited by.
“I can assure you that right through pre-season we won’t leave any stone unturned, myself, the staff and the players, to make sure that when the league comes around you will be as excited as I am about the season ahead.
“So I really look forward to seeing everyone at the stadium, in particular at our first home game, and I look forward to the journey ahead.”
Lawrence Shankland keen to end strong season by helping Scotland’s European push
Lawrence Shankland is hoping to end his “really strong season” by helping Scotland take another big stride towards Euro 2024.
The 27-year-old has enjoyed arguably the best campaign of his career as he scored 28 goals and earned the captaincy in his first year at Hearts, whom he joined last summer from Belgian club Beerschot.
Shankland’s form at Tynecastle earned him a first Scotland cap for two and a half years in the victory over Spain in March, and he has retained his place in the squad for this month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers away to Norway and at home to Georgia.
“When you get to the end of a season you get the chance to look back and assess it,” Shankland told the Scottish Football Association.
“For me, it was a really strong season. My performances throughout the season were to a really high standard and I was really happy with them.
“The number of goals I managed to chip in with was great. It was my first season at Hearts as well so it was good to get off to a good start. The captaincy was an opportunity that I probably didn’t expect when I first went to Hearts but when it was offered to me I was keen to take on that role.
“I felt it was something that would improve my all-round game, improve me as a person, and I felt I took it in my stride and handled it really well. It’s been a huge learning opportunity for me and hopefully it stands me in good stead for the future.”
Shankland has won five Scotland caps but he admits such a scenario would have been a pipe dream when he found himself without a club and pondering getting a job away from football when he was released by Aberdeen in 2017. He eventually joined Ayr and set about rebuilding his career.
“There’s been a lot of rejections along the way but it comes down to hard work and determination really,” he said, reflecting on his rise. “You have your end goals and what you want to achieve in your career.
“There have been times when I couldn’t have dreamed of getting a Scotland cap. But you just need to knuckle down and if you keep working hard, things pay off and you get these opportunities.
“I’ve taken most of them first time and did well at most of the clubs I’ve been at. It has been a bit of an up-and-down journey but I’ve worked hard and I feel like I deserve what’s come my way.”
The Scotland squad are currently at a training camp in Spain gearing up for their showdown with Norway in Oslo a week on Saturday.
Steve Clarke’s side sit top of their qualifying section after winning their opening two matches and know that a good share of points from their two outings this month will leave them firmly on course for the finals in Germany next summer.
“It’s been good to meet up and get everybody back together,” said Shankland.
“The wee break in between (the end of the club season) gives us a bit of time to do a training camp and I think that’s important for us before we go into the game week next week.
“The training’s been good and the weather’s been nice. The last two games we had really good results and we’ve given ourselves a really good opportunity going into these two games. If we get positive results we could be in a really good position.”
Alex Iacovitti says goodbye to Ross County
Alex Iacovitti has thanked Ross County for “an incredible three years” after his departure from the Staggies was confirmed.
The 25-year-old former Scotland Under-21 defender moved to the Highlands from Oldham in 2020 and made 116 games appearances for the Dingwall club, scoring 12 goals.
Iacovitti is leaving County, who survived in the cinch Premiership following a dramatic play-off victory over Partick Thistle, under freedom of contract.
“Firstly I’d like to place on record my thank you for an incredible three years at the club,” he said in a statement on the Staggies’ website. “I’ve loved my time in the Highlands and was happy to call it home for this period.
“The supporters were excellent throughout my time here and they will always hold a special place in my heart for how they have treated me.
“The players I played with at the club are also a top bunch of lads, unfortunately I was unable to play a part in the play-offs due to an injury I had played through that eventually got the better of me.
“I was absolutely delighted the club secured their Premiership status, where they belong.
“I wanted to thank all of you for your support throughout and wish you all and the club the very best for the future. I’ll be back to watch a game as a County fan in the future!”
County will announce full details of their retained/released list in due course.
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