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• Prince, Leon on target as reigning Olympic champions Canada blank Reggae Girlz 2-0 in first-leg playoff

  Jamaica...0

  Canada...2

  Prince (18th), Leon (90+2)

  Jamaica's senior Reggae Girlz dreams of an historic Olympic Games qualification is all but up in smoke, as they suffered a 0-2 defeat to Canada in their first-leg playoff encounter at the National Stadium on Friday. 

  Goals from Nichelle Prince in the 18th and the menacing Adriana Leon in the 90+2 minutes was enough to lift the Bev Priestman-coached reigning Olympic champions to a crucial advantage heading into Tuesday's second leg which will be played before a sold-out crowd at BMO Field in Toronto.

  For Lorne Donaldson and his Girlz it will be a case of pulling off the improbable win in a hostile environment, if they are to progress.

  The Girlz started out fairly disciplined, as they were quick on the ball and did well to contain Canada in the early exchanges. 

  In fact, the Girlz looked more threatening in opening play, but their first real chance in the final third came from Deneisha Blackwood’s teasing 10^th-minute free kick, which had to be mopped up by the Canadian defenders. 

  Such was the Girlz discipline when they gradually gained the ascendancy that Canada was hardly allowed to play their usual fluent passing game to get into the final third.

  Instead, they were on the back foot and almost found themselves a goal down in the 14th minute. This, as Jody Brown was sent on the break by Atlanta Primus, but the diminutive forward’s shot was charged down by a defender. 

  All the Reggae Girlz hard work was undone in the 18th when poor positioning by Blackwood allowed Ashley Lawrence to slip further down the right channel and deliver a weighted cross, which was expertly headed in by Prince, giving Rebecca Spencer no chance at a save.

  Still, the Girlz fought on and again went close in the 29^th courtesy of Brown, who orchestrated a tidy build up and picked out Cheyna Matthews on the left, but the run amounted to nothing.

  Matthews again went on the break five minutes later, as she shook her defender and should have initially struck a left footer, but was hesitant in doing so. When she belatedly got a shot off her favoured right foot, her marker had already recovered and averted the danger.

  Though the score remained unchanged at half-time, the Jamaicans seemingly failed to recover from the manner in which they ended the first half. A defensive lapse immediately on the resumption allowed Leon through on goal and it took a tidy save from Spencer to deny her.

  Canada again went close from the resulting corner with Prince's effort from the top of the 18-yard box rattling the crossbar. 

  By virtue of pushing a high line in their probe for the equalizer, the Girlz absorbed some amount of pressure from Canada's break, as Leon got by Konya Plummer a couple of times but found Spencer in her way.

  The Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper did her utmost best to keep the Girlz in the game as she was again called upon when Cloe Lacasse got away down the left channel in the 64th and struck a left-footed effort which Spencer had to parry at her near post.

  The Girlz had their best chance of the second half a minute later when substitute Tiffany Cameron’s shot from a rebound went just over the crossbar, after Khadija “Bunny” Shaw's initial effort was thwarted by Vanessa Gilles. 

  But just when the moderate turnout in the stadium may have harboured a glimmer of hope that the Girlz would pull one back, Leon broke their hearts with a cheeky finish at Spencer’s near post from a Julia Grosso cross to put Canada 2-0 up.

  Despite being down, the Jamaicans continued the push to at least reduce the deficit, but when Plummer fired a tame left-footed effort straight at Canada’s goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, deep inside added time, it all but summed up their lukewarm evening.

  Teams: Jamaica -Rebecca Spencer, Allyson Swaby, Konya Plummer, Tiernny Wiltshire, Deneisha Blackwood, Vyan Sampson, Drew Spence, Jody Brown (Solai Washington 55th), Atlanta Primus (Kayla McKenna 71st), Cheyna Matthews (Tiffany Cameron 55th), Khadija Shaw

  Subs not used: Sydney Schneider, Liya Brooks, Sashana Campbell, Chantelle Swaby, Kameron Simmonds, Olufolasade Adamolekun, Trudi Carter, Shaneil Buckley, Paige Bailey-Gayle

  Booked: None

  Canada -Kailen Sheridan, Sydney Collins, Kadeisha Buchanan, Rebecca Quinn, Ashley Lawrence (Gabby Carle 82nd), Vanessa Gilles, Nichelle Prince (Jordyn Huitema 64th), Jessie Fleming (Julia Grosso 79th), Adriana Leon, Cloe Lacasse, Jade Rose (Shelina Zadorsky 79th)

  Subs not used: Lysianne Proulx, Sabrina D'Angelo, Olivia Smith, Marie-Yasmine Alidou, Evelyne Viens, Christine Sinclair, Simi Awujo, Bianca St-Georges 

  Booked: Gillies (54th), Grosso (90+5)

  Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva (USA)

  Assistant referees: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA); Felisha Mariscal (USA)

  Fourth official: Natalie Simon (USA)

  Match Commissary: Techell McLean (SKN)

• ‘It was Gordon Banks-esque’ – Gareth Ainsworth hails John Ruddy save in QPR draw

  QPR manager Gareth Ainsworth likened John Ruddy’s late save to England great Gordon Banks as goalkeepers took centre stage in the 0-0 draw against Birmingham.

  Asmir Begovic, the former Chelsea, Bournemouth and Stoke goalkeeper, and ex-Wolves shotstopper Ruddy – both 36 – produced a string of saves as Birmingham missed the chance to climb into the Sky Bet Championship’s top six overnight.

  But Birmingam keeper Ruddy’s late stop to deny Lyndon Dykes’ downward header from Albert Adomah’s cross was the pick, after Begovic denied Scott Hogan in a one against one.

  “I thought there were some fantastic blocks from us, two magnificent saves from Asmir – the one where he came out and smothered (from Hogan) was world class, and it was,” said Ainsworth.

  “But then John Ruddy at the other end – it was Gordon Banks-esque; he put the ball up in the air and away from people.

  “When Lyndon headed it, you’re hoping it’s going into the side of the net. It was further out than I thought and a great cross and great header.

  “I’ve said Lyndon is going to get double figures this season and it’s going to be his biggest haul.

  “But when you come up against someone as good as Ruddy it’s tough to get past him – as Birmingham saw with Begovic.”

  Only a desperate, acrobatic goalline clearance from QPR midfielder Sam Field prevented Blues taking a 21st-minute lead, after Lee Buchanan’s fierce cross flicked off centre-back Steve Cook and looped over Begovic.

  Ruddy denied Paul Smyth and Field before his late heroics to prevent Dykes’ heading home, while Begovic matched him by foiling Cody Drameh, Krystian Bielik and Jay Stansfield.

  Birmingham head coach John Eustace agreed the two goalkeepers were on top in a game of chances at both ends.

  “I think that’s why John won Player of the Year last season. John’s a very good experienced goalkeeper,” he said.

  “He’ll be disappointed with a couple of goals he’s conceded this season but tonight he showed his class and that’s what top goalkeepers are all about.

  “So to not concede is also very good and very encouraging because we’ve had two very tough away games and to keep our levels of concentration in difficult moments was very pleasing.”

  Birmingham’s Hogan missed the game’s other standout chance when Begovic denied him.

  “You’d have to ask Scott (about his confidence) but what is pleasing is his workrate and his effort is still there,” said Eustace.

  “He’s still working his socks off and we have to create more chances for him as well – he can’t just be having one or two.

  “We have to create more opportunities for our front players. But Scott will score goals as long as he keeps going and keeps believing.”

• Erik ten Hag seeking solution to Manchester United’s defensive dilemma

  Erik ten Hag admits he is at a loss to explain Manchester United’s poor defensive performances.

  The Red Devils have conceded 14 goals in their last five games and 10 in the last three, with three goals against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday not enough even to earn them a point.

  United boss Ten Hag said: “We have shown that we can do it because last year we had the most clean sheets in the Premier League because of the team, because we defended very good as a team, so we have to get back to that standard.

  “Of course I am pushing the team and demanding from the team, and from the start of the season, but they are human beings, not robots, so, why they are not doing it, I try to find out and I try to give the solutions and try to motivate the players to do the job.

  “When you are in a period like we are in always as a manager you are asking yourself these questions. My job is to get them to do the job.”

  On United’s tendency to concede goals soon after a restart, Ten Hag added: “(We’re) not concerned but we are aware of it. Of course you can’t close your eyes for things like this so we coach the players, we coach the team in that fact.”

  Question marks have been raised about the attitude of United’s squad, with clips from the Bayern game apparently showing players not chasing back as hard as they might.

  Ten Hag does not believe a lack of willingness was to blame, though, saying: “It’s always a concern when we didn’t run but I think against Bayern it was not the case.

  “In certain situations yes so it’s also to recognise in which situation is it about they didn’t recognise it and didn’t make the right decisions or is it about willingness?

  “Against Spurs, we didn’t run too much. But I think against Bayern we did our best from physical outputs but we didn’t always run in the right moment.

  “If we bounced back like we did in Munich, you can’t say the spirit isn’t right. I think we have other problems than that.”