Tom Bradshaw’s first-half strike helped Millwall extend their unbeaten run to four Championship matches with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Norwich at The Den.
The Lions striker netted his second goal in two games to inflict back-to-back defeats on David Wagner’s inconsistent Canaries.
City dominated possession throughout the first half but went into the break behind after Bradshaw poked home from close range after 18 minutes.
Wagner’s side continued to lack creativity across a toothless festive performance as Joe Edwards’ hosts survived a late George Saville red card to hold on and climb eight points clear of the drop zone.
Wagner rang the changes from City’s Boxing Day defeat at West Brom as Ben Gibson, Danny Batth, Christian Fassnacht, Onel Hernandez and Hwang Ui-jo all started in a surprise away XI.
While for Millwall, Shaun Hutchinson, Murray Wallace and Zian Flemming all came in after the Lions’ much-needed 2-0 against QPR.
The visitors started brightly as Ashley Barnes shot straight at Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic and Hwang fired wide of the post from range.
And Korean striker Hwang almost emulated his stunning 30-yard strike against Watford last month when his free-kick whistled ferociously past a post.
But it was the hosts who took the lead against the run of play when Bradshaw slid in from close range after Brooke Norton-Cuffy’s inviting low delivery across the face of goal.
City responded by enjoying several sustained spells of possession but continued to lack ideas when in the final third.
And Millwall almost punished them on the stroke of half-time when Angus Gunn pulled off a brilliant acrobatic save to deny Flemming’s venomous goalbound effort.
The Lions looked lively straight after the break as Aidomo Emakhu stung the palms of Gunn once again with a rising near-post piledriver.
And Norton-Cuffy missed a golden opportunity to double their advantage when he inexplicably headed straight at the Norwich goalkeeper while completely free in the box.
Tempers flared on the hour mark when Barnes and Jake Cooper were booked for a pair of separate altercations that saw both sets of players clash and the atmosphere in Bermondsey reach boiling point.
Wagner threw on attacking trio Jonathan Rowe, Adam Idah and Marcelino Nunez shortly after and in-form winger Rowe injected some immediate impetus down the left-hand side.
But City continued to struggle for any cutting edge as Millwall battled bravely against prolonged periods of pressure out of possession.
The contest became increasingly end-to-end as City pressed for a leveller and Bradshaw came close to grabbing another when he fired over from a tight angle.
Gunn once again kept City in it with a flying save to deny Ryan Longman before Saville saw red with two minutes remaining for a cynical late lunge on a rampaging Rowe.
City rallied for a late equaliser but suffered another defeat on the road as Millwall took a significant further step towards Championship safety.
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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