Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson hailed the character of his squad after bouncing back from play-off agony with a successful start to the new season.
Ferguson was also full of praise for midfield ace Hector Kyprianou after he hit the only goal in first-half stoppage time as Posh eased past Charlton 1-0 to follow up an opening day triumph at relegated Reading by the same scoreline.
Keeper Nicholas Bilokapic was a key figure for Ferguson’s new-look squad, pulling off smart saves in each half from Panutche Camara and Alfie May.
Jonson-Clarke Harris was then a whisker away from a late Posh clincher when he fired against a post at the death.
Ferguson, whose side were knocked out of last season’s play semi-finals by Sheffield Wednesday despite leading 4-0 from the first leg, said: “Two wins from two league games and through in the League Cup…it’s been a good week to start the season!
“We controlled the majority of the first half and it was a fantastic goal from Hector that got us ahead just before half-time.
“The boy is a talent. As soon as I came back to the club in January, I felt he was a player I could really work with and help develop.
“But we were careless in the second half. We didn’t look after the ball anywhere near well enough and that gave Charlton momentum, but they didn’t have too much in the way of clearcut chances.
“It is a really important result coming with another clean sheet and we have to give the players credit – especially the ones who were here last season – to recover from the way it ended with such an almighty blow.
“We’ve got our head down, worked hard and the fans will appreciate what this group are about. They’ll have a right go and won’t stop running.”
Ferguson and Charlton boss Dean Holden both featured on a list of a dozen bookings.
Holden admitted: “It goes down as a game we should have got more from.
“I’m really pleased with the performance but disappointed with the result.
“Football is all about both boxes. We conceded a goal we shouldn’t have and couldn’t take the chances we created.
“It was a poor goal to let in. We needed to clear a throw-in that bounced around the edge of our box, we didn’t and we got punished.
“It should have been 0-0, but we’ve come in 1-0 down so we had a bit of work to do at half-time in terms of mentality.
“Coming to Peterborough was always going to be a big test but for 20-25 minutes in the second half it was one-way traffic.
“There was a good chance for Alfie, Corey (Blackett-Taylor) got on the inside a few times, but we just couldn’t quite find that moment to get ourselves back level.”
'It's a shame' - Alonso confirms Leverkusen's Boniface out with thigh injury
Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso confirmed that Victor Boniface will be sidelined for some time after picking up a thigh injury on international duty with Nigeria.
Boniface, who has scored eight goals in 15 appearances in all competitions this season, was replaced late on in the Super Eagles' 2-1 defeat to Rwanda on Monday.
It is another blow for Leverkusen, who have managed 17 points from 10 games so far this season, the worst start to a league campaign in 12 years by a defending champion.
Only Omar Marmoush and Harry Kane (both 11) have scored more goals in the league than Boniface this term (six).
Alonso revealed that the 23-year-old will miss Saturday's Bundesliga encounter against Heidenheim and their Champions League tie against RB Salzburg next week.
"We will have to see how long he will be out. It is a shame," Alonso told a press conference.
"He has a thigh injury. For tomorrow, for Salzburg and maybe a bit longer. We will have to wait and see.
"It is too early to say but we hope he can still play this year. We have to see with the recovery and improvement but it is not a matter of six or eight weeks."
Leverkusen have dropped points in six Bundesliga games already this season (D5, L1), as often as they did during the entirety of their 2023-24 title-winning campaign (D6).
They come into this weekend's fixture against Heidenheim on a three-game winless run in the Bundesliga (D3), the first time they have gone this long without a victory since between April and May 2023 (five games).
Leverkusen sit fourth in the Bundesliga, already nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich as the busy festive schedule kickstarts on Saturday.
Alonso's side have eight games in just under a month, including a DFB-Pokal round of 16 clash with Bayern at the start of December.
"Eight games in four weeks. It is nothing new for us," Alonso said. "An intense phase is coming up for us and it starts tomorrow.
"We have clear goals for the Bundesliga, the Champions League and the German Cup."
Object thrown at City striker 'Bunny' Shaw in Champions League win over Hammarby sparks UEFA investigation
UEFA has opened an investigation after Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw was hit by an object during their Women’s Champions League win against Swedish side Hammarby on Thursday.
The towering Jamaican striker scored both goals in City’s 2-1 win at the Stockholm Arena to see her side through to the quarterfinal stage.
Her animated celebration in front of the home fans after her first goal saw the 27-year-old being booked, with replays also showing an object seemingly thrown her way from the stands.
“Proceedings have been opened against Hammarby IF for throwing of objects (Article 16(2)(b) of the Disciplinary Regulations),” UEFA said in a statement.
“Manchester City player Khadija Shaw received a yellow card following her goal presentation for unsporting conduct,” the statement added.
Following the game, City captain Alex Greenwood chided match broadcaster DAZN for failing to mention the incident in a social media post.
The post on X, external said Shaw “antagonised” the home fans and received “stick” from them.
Greenwood replied, "Correction. Travel to Stockholm, score a big goal. Celebrates her goal. Gets objects thrown at her.”
Girona handed huge injury boosts ahead of Espanyol clash
Michel says Girona are in better physical shape ahead of their home clash against Espanyol after being handed numerous injury boosts.
Last season's surprise package, Girona, have had a mixed start to the campaign and sit 10th in the table but registered back-to-back league wins before the international break.
They have struggled with injuries to key players this season, but Viktor Tsygankov, Jhon Solis, Arnaut Danjuma, Yaser Asprilla, Ladislav Krejci, Ivan Martin, and Alejandro Frances are all available for the game.
Michel hopes that having a wider group of players available will help them to extend their winning run.
"We are better physically. Only Yangel Herrera, [Gabriel] Misehouy, Portu and Abel Ruiz are out, and the rest are in the squad" Michel told reporters.
"Each case will be different in terms of giving us minutes, but they are ready to help us.
"Now we have replacements in each position, and it gives me peace of mind. We need everyone ready and in the next two to three weeks, we will be ready to play at 100%."
Michel said Herrera, who has scored twice and registered one assist in LaLiga this term, was not expected to return until the new year.
"He is a player who makes the difference in terms of duels, arrivals into the opponent's area and possession. He is vital, but we will not have him until 2025," he added.
Girona have 18 points after 13 games and will face an Espanyol side sitting in the relegation zone. The visitors are yet to win away this season, losing five of six games on the road, but Michel has won just one of his four LaLiga matches against Espanyol (D2 L1).
The Girona head coach said Manolo Gonzalez's team cannot be taken lightly despite their underwhelming performances in away games.
Espanyol are yet to win away this season, losing five of six games on the road.
"We faced each other in pre-season and we drew. It will be difficult since they are a very good team in transition with players like [Javi] Puado or Jofre [Carreras] with speed and depth," Michel said.
"It's always a different game. It's a derby, and it's good to play them. There is a rivalry that must be sporting and, for our people and the players, it is a different game."
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