Tomas Soucek’s second-half goal ensured West Ham overcame a tough test in the Carabao Cup third round at Lincoln with a 1-0 victory.
This was nothing other than ‘job done’ for the Hammers as Soucek’s 70th-minute strike from a corner booked their place in the next round.
Boss David Moyes made a host of changes to his side but Soucek was one of his Premier League starters who was involved and that proved vital while goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski also made a number of good saves.
League One Lincoln, who were winners at Sheffield United in the last round, gave them a scare and should have led in the first half but they could not produce another upset.
This home tie for the Imps was a reward for that penalty shootout victory at Bramall Lane in August and they had designs on a second shock.
They had to survive a scare in the opening 20 minutes as defender Sean Roughan slipped at the vital moment when receiving a pass, allowing Max Cornet to burst forward.
However, goalkeeper Lukas Jensen got out well to smother efforts from Danny Ings and Said Benrahma.
From that point, the Imps began to cause their visitors some problems, with Reeco Hackett firing a fierce shot from distance straight at Fabianski.
They thought they had taken the lead in the 26th minute as Alex Mitchell turned in Ali Smith’s cross at the far post but he was offside.
Lincoln kept going and should have gone in front just before half-time.
A nice move saw Smith in space on the left and he sent in a perfect cross for Hackett to produce a powerful header that seemed destined to ripple the net but Fabianski somehow palmed it away with a flying stop.
A storm blew through Sincil Bank in the opening 15 minutes of the second half and with the wind at their tails, Lincoln penned West Ham in and they would have fancied their chances of creating something with their direct approach.
But the quality was lacking and as the wind died down, so too did the Imps’ threat.
The Hammers began to take control, though were hardly banging the door down and needed a set-piece to go in front.
Benrahma whipped in a low corner from the left and Soucek prodded home at the near post.
They almost made it 2-0 shortly after as Ben Johnson let fly with 30-yard shot that crashed into the post.
Lincoln went for it in the final 15 minutes in a bid to force penalties and Dylan Duffy tested Fabianksi with a stinging shot from distance, which the keeper met with a full-length save.
West Ham were able to see it out to make it through to the fourth round for the fourth successive year.
World Cup Girlz back in the fold? Gilbert hints at return of experienced players for Brazil friendlies
For the first time in almost nine months, it seems as if Jamaica’s interim Reggae Girlz Head coach Xavier Gilbert will have members of the World Cup squad at his disposal, when they visit Brazil for a two-match friendly international series in June.
The Girlz, who first locked horns with Brazil, and lost 0-3, at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, went one better at last year’s global showpiece in Australia, as they not only held the South American giants to a goalless stalemate, but also ensured their elimination at the group stage.
By all indications, that performance, and by extension, the fact that the Girlz made an historic appearance in the knockout stages of the World Cup, earned them even more respect from the number 10-ranked Brazilians, who are currently in preparation for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
The games, scheduled for June 1 and 4, are expected to assist Brazil in their preparation, while the now 42nd-ranked Jamaicans will get a much-needed test to regain their appetite for international competition, having last sported the nationals colours against Canada last September.
Since that Olympic qualifying fixture in Canada, members of the World Cup squad withdrew their services from national representation, citing lack of payment and mistreatment from the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), among their reasons.
While it is yet to be confirmed how many, if any, of the World Cup players will make the trip, Gilbert gave the clearest indication yet that there might be a few, as he welcomed the games, after not utilizing the last FIFA window.
“It is always important to secure games during the international window. It not only assists in exposing players, but it also ensures the team is active, which helps our rankings, and also our quality of play. Because as you know, the more we play together, especially against quality opponents, the better the team becomes, and we also get to work on different things both offensively and defensively,” Gilbert told SportsMax.TV.
“The expectation is for us to give a good account of ourselves, it has been a while since these players have played together, but the good thing is that they are actively engaged in their respective leagues in Europe and United States. So, it is not like they were inactive, and obviously, it is not the first time they will be playing together.
“So, we just have to keep things as simple or as close to what we did prior to, and during the World Cup, to make sure we are competitive. It is going to be a little bit different, but it’s not far-fetched that we can get another positive result against Brazil,” he added.
Atletico Madrid 3-1 Athletic Bilbao: Hosts close in on top-four finish
Atletico Madrid beat newly crowned Copa del Rey winners Athletic Bilbao 3-1 at home in LaLiga on Saturday as Diego Simeone's side moved a step closer to a top-four finish.
Fourth-placed Atletico moved onto 64 points and have increased their advantage over Athletic, in fifth, to six points with five games to play.
Midfielder Rodrigo de Paul put Atletico in front in the 15th minute with a goal from outside the box. After controlling an attempted clearance from the visitors, his effort dipped just under the bar as his strike deflected off one of the Athletic defenders.
Athletic levelled just before half-time through Nico Williams after Antoine Griezmann lost the ball through a careless pass.
But Angel Correa restored the lead for Atletico in the 52nd minute and later came close to scoring again.
With 10 minutes to play, away goalkeeper Unai Simon inadvertently made it 3-1 with an own goal after Samuel Lino’s effort came back off the post, ending any Athletic hopes of a comeback.
Hull City 3-3 Ipswich Town: Tigers fight back three times to deny Tractor Boys
Ipswich Town missed the chance to move into an automatic promotion spot as play-off-chasing Hull City came from behind three times in a thrilling 3-3 Championship draw at The MKM Stadium.
Ipswich knew a victory would take them second after Leeds United were surprisingly beaten 4-0 by Queens Park Rangers on Friday, and they led on three separate occasions, George Hirst opening the scoring before Omari Hutchinson produced two brilliant strikes from the edge of the area.
However, buoyed by slip-ups from rivals Norwich City and West Brom earlier on Saturday, Hull dug deep to fight back on each occasion, Ozan Tufan and Liam Delap scoring their first two equalisers.
With Liam Rosenior's men 3-2 down with just four minutes to play, substitute Noah Ohio blasted his shot in off the crossbar to punish an error from Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.
The result keeps Ipswich behind second-placed Leeds on goal difference, though the Tractor Boys have a game in hand to come at Coventry City on Tuesday.
Hull, meanwhile, are two points adrift of the top six, with Norwich's goal difference advantage meaning their top-six spot is all but assured. The Tigers will, however, leapfrog West Brom if they beat Plymouth Argyle on the final day and Albion lose to Preston North End.
Data Debrief: Hutchinson's best not enough
Hutchinson was a man who deserved to be on the winning side on Saturday, giving Ryan Allsop no chance with two near-identical left-footed strikes from the right corner of the penalty area.
His goals came from an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.6, and he led all players on the pitch for shots (eight) and passes in the final third (21), also laying on three chances for his team-mates.
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