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• Kerr will not rush Chelsea comeback, sets sights on Champions League

  Chelsea forward Sam Kerr is being cautious with her comeback from a major knee injury, as she set her sights on winning the Women's Champions League.

  Kerr, who is Australia's all-time leading goalscorer, has been out since January after she suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in training.

  She missed the back half of Chelsea's Women's Super League and Champions League campaigns, while she was also absent from Australia's Olympics squad.

  But despite being eager to return to action under new Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor, Kerr is not going to rush her comeback.

  "I'm not putting a date on my return, just making sure I get it right and making sure I feel good before I get back on the pitch," Kerr told Optus Sport.

  "I mean, it's my second ACL, so I know you need to take the time, you need to make sure it's right and I'm doing everything I can.

  "But definitely no rush for me, I want to make sure I can play for many more years to come."

  Bompastor replaced Emma Hayes after the latter ended her 12-year tenure at the end of last season.

  And though Chelsea enjoyed unprecedented domestic dominance under Hayes, the Blues are yet to get over the line in the Champions League.

  Bompastor, however, won that trophy with Lyon, and Kerr believes Chelsea now have an edge that was previously missing.

  She said: "We would love to win the Champions League, that's the one we want, that's what we shoot for.

  "We've fallen short a few years in a row, and hopefully Sonia brings that to this club."

  "We want to win as many trophies as we can – we want to retain the league, get the [domestic] cups back, but the Champions League is the one we're going for this year."

  Before her injury last season, Kerr was averaging 0.61 goals per 90 minutes, from 3.66 shots per 90, with a 16.67% conversion rate.

  But Kerr's goals per 90 was actually at its lowest since the 2019-20 season, while her xG per 90 (0.46) was at its lowest during her time at Chelsea.

  Kerr, who turns 31 on September 10, penned a new deal at the club earlier this year.

  Asked if she had thought about her next move, Kerr replied: "This feels like home now. I love it here, I love where I live, I love the girls. We win a lot, so it's nice.

  "I want to end my career, whenever that is, with as many trophies as I can, and I think we can do that [here]."

  Chelsea start their WSL season against Aston Villa on September 20.

• Carsley's confidence boosted by victory over Ireland

  England interim manager Lee Carsley believes he is capable of taking the job on a full-time basis, but conceded he had his doubts.

  Carsley oversaw a 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland in his first match in charge since stepping in to replace Gareth Southgate on a temporary basis.

  An extended audition continues on Tuesday when England take on Finland in their second Nations League match.

  And Carsley acknowledged the performance and result against Ireland, who he represented as a player, has provided a much-needed confidence boost.

  He said: "In the back of your mind you always think... you know, it's easy to be the England manager, isn't it, when you're sat in the house.

  "There have been times when I've thought I'm not sure if I could do it.

  "But it has done my confidence good, and the rest of the staff as well, that actually we're OK, we'll be all right.

  "I spoke about it at the first press conference, [being] a safe pair of hands. I feel like we’re in a good position with the players.

  "I think it's natural to have doubts.

  "Going into the Euros with the Under-21s, with the record that we've got, there was a worry we could go home in 10 days. But I've learned with ­experience and dealing with ­setbacks, having good people around you, that it gets easier."

  England managed some slick play in Dublin, in particular for their second goal, when Jack Grealish – returning to the fold after he was left out of the Euro 2024 squad – tucked home at the culmination of a sweeping team move.

  The Three Lions controlled possession (76.4%), had 16 shots and accumulated 2.67 expected goals (xG), while Carsley handed starts to Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, Anthony Gordon on the left flank and then brought on Morgan Gibbs-White and Angel Gomes for their debuts.

  "The end goal is doing that against the top teams in the world in the ­biggest moments," said Carsley.

  "They have got two years to get to that point [before the 2026 World Cup]. We have gone a good way to doing that. We've had four ­training sessions, so it's early. The players have to take huge credit for trying a few things that we have worked on and going out there and doing it for themselves.

  "We have to be careful with the term 'freedom'. We have tried to get really effective players in really ­effective areas, to do what they're good at.

  "If you call that freedom, maybe it is. But within that there comes a real responsi­bility out of possession. I thought we did really well in that area. We made the pitch really small and were able to suffocate Ireland and get the ball back."

• Tedesco 'still hurt' by France defeat at Euro 2024

  Domenico Tedesco says Belgium are still hurting after their Euro 2024 exit to France as they prepare to meet them in the Nations League on Monday.

  Belgium suffered a 1-0 defeat to France in the round of 16 at the Euros, conceding an 85th-minute Jan Vertonghen own goal to send them crashing out after a poor tournament.

  It was a tight affair when the sides met in July, with both only managing two shots on target, though France's came from 19 overall attempts compared to Belgium's five.

  And Tedesco would rather forget about that meeting as he targets a more positive result this time around.

  "At the European Championship, it was a close one against France. We could have won too,” Tedesco told reporters.

  "France were a bit better, they deserved to win, but we also had our chances. It would be a lie if I said that match is forgotten. It still hurts. I often think about the European Championship, but you also must look ahead.

  "Looking back is not always the best solution. We have to be ambitious; it's been a long time since we beat France in a competitive match with commitment. Let us perform well, and then the rest will follow."

  Tedesco also admitted that Belgium over-prepared for that meeting with France, with their adjustments to the game plan proving detrimental.

  "The last match at the European Championship was different from the one now, it was a knockout match," he added.

  "We learned that we adjusted our own plans a bit too much then. You always have to analyse your opponent, but we adjusted excessively."