Plymouth manager Steven Schumacher praised his players for battling to a 0-0 draw at QPR with 10 men – but felt they could have taken all three points.
Dan Scarr was sent off in the 25th minute at Loftus Road for a crude challenge on Ilias Chair.
Up to that point, Plymouth were the better side and missed chances to go ahead after Rangers repeatedly gave the ball away in the opening quarter of an hour.
Schumacher said: “It felt like a long time (with 10 men). I’ve just said to the players that I’m proud because the effort we put in under those circumstances was top drawer.
“I felt we deserved something from the game. Everything QPR threw at us we dealt with really well.
“They had to put their bodies on the line throughout the game, and any point away from home is a good point.
“I’m pleased to come away with something, but there’s a tinge of disappointment because I felt we should have scored in the first 15 minutes.
“We created the most opportunities, we just didn’t make the most of them. That’s the frustrating thing. We should have been holding on to a 1-0 rather than a 0-0.”
Ryan Hardie missed a golden chance for the visitors, lifting the ball over the crossbar after being teed up by Finn Azaz.
Schumacher said: “The one he put over was probably the biggest chance of the whole game. I don’t know how he got it over the bar.
“I wish we could have got one of them in. It would have been the perfect night.”
QPR boss Marti Cifuentes admitted his team were fortunate not to go behind during their dismal start.
The Spaniard said: “The start of the game was very poor. The first 15 minutes were perhaps the worst since I’ve been here.
“We were terrible and conceded a lot of chances. In that sense you could say we were lucky to be 0-0 at half-time because it was not a good first half.
“Plymouth were extremely aggressive and extremely good in the first half.
“In the second half we pushed much more, but Plymouth defended very well and made it difficult for us to create really clear chances.”
A win would have been Rangers’ fourth in a row and lifted them out of the relegation zone.
A point at least saw them continue to close the gap on the teams above them – and they have lost just one of their seven matches since Cifuentes took over.
“We missed the quality in the last third that we’ve had in other games. I would say it was just one of those days,” Cifuentes said.
“We’re really disappointed about getting only one point. When we look back, it has not been a good performance.
“It’s OK. Credit to the guys (for the recent improvement). But don’t ask me if I’m happy, because I’m not.
“Today was a day to take three points. We take one, OK, but I’m always quite demanding.”
Conte hopes for Ranieri's success at Roma after Napoli clash
Antonio Conte hopes that everything will go well for Claudio Ranieri after he came out of retirement to take charge of Roma, but only after their Serie A clash this weekend.
Ranieri was tempted back into management by a return to where he began as a player. His third spell at Roma comes after the club sacked two coaches already this season and with the team 12th in the standings.
A trip to leaders Napoli is Ranieri's first task, and Conte is looking forward to meeting up with the 73-year-old.
"I am pleased to see Claudio, I have great esteem for him and there is also friendship," Conte told reporters ahead of Sunday's game.
"I am happy with the chance he has been given. It will be a tough game, for us and for them. Last year, Roma finished ahead of Napoli, they are in the Europa League and had a good transfer window.
"They are not performing according to expectations and I hope for Claudio that everything starts to work after Sunday's game."
The arrival of Ranieri in place of Ivan Juric brings with it not just the danger of the 'new manager bounce' but also upsets Conte's plans for the game.
"When a team changes coach there is an important input on a nervous level," Conte said.
"They are at the third change on the bench. It's inevitable that, if Juric had remained, we knew what kind of team we were going to face.
"Now it's an enigma, we don't have much information nor do we know how they will deal with us. So let's think about ourselves, there is a desire and enthusiasm to continue this path."
After a streak of 21 consecutive home wins in Serie A, Conte lost his last home league match (0-3 against Atalanta). Only once in his career has he recorded two consecutive home defeats in the competition: in November 2009, when he was in charge of Atalanta (against Juventus and Roma).
Napoli are top of the table, but Conte knows it is still early, and with just two points separating the top six clubs, which includes the likes of Atalanta, Fiorentina and Lazio, for now, it is a different title race than usual.
"Only 12 games have passed and there are many teams within very few points," he said.
"We are doing well, but so are the others. There isn't one team which has distanced the others. Perhaps there is a little amazement in seeing some teams in those positions in the standings."
'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.”
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
