Aberdeen recorded a second straight cinch Premiership victory with a 2-1 home win over Ross County to move six points clear of their visitors, who remain in the relegation play-off place.
Bojan Miovski and Jamie McGrath struck at either end of the match to give their side the points, although the defending that lead to Simon Murray’s 17th goal of the season exposed their soft underbelly.
The home side were quick out of the traps, with Miovski testing George Wickens just two minutes in, only for a debatable offside flag to render the goalkeeper’s save moot.
But the visitors did not heed the warning and were behind after after minutes.
This time it was Junior Hoilett who slid the pass down the side of the County defence and, although Miovski seemed to have been forced wide, his prodded effort trundled through a ruck of players and across the line, despite the despairing late lunge of Loick Ayina.
Perhaps the goal gave Don Cowie’s men a wake-up call as they began to edge back into the game.
Josh Reid was denied a leveller when Murray played him in, only for the wing-back to be foiled by Kelle Roos’ low save.
But Murray brought his side level, first winning a corner off Stefan Gartenmann before heading home unchallenged at the back post from Yan Dhanda’s whipped delivery.
Aberdeen’s bright start was now a distant memory and, while Michee Efete was called offside when he blasted over from close range, it was another warning for the home side.
There were signs of life for the Dons early in the second half, but the Staggies could have been in front in the 65th minute as Dhanda’s powerful drive forced Roos to push over.
The introduction of Duk brought some fresh impetus to the hosts’ attack and he charged on to a long ball that drew Wickens out of his area.
The latter took out the former and the keeper was perhaps lucky to escape with a yellow card after a VAR check.
Leighton Clarkson whipped the resulting free-kick inches wide of an upright.
Duk was involved again when his side took the lead after 78 minutes. His quick spin in the area took out his man and he laid the ball on a plate for McGrath to turn home from six yards.
It could have been three for Aberdeen when Dante Polvara’s vicious half-volley cannoned back off the bar late on and, although they survived a late VAR check for Gartnemann’s challenge on Murray, it was ultimately job done for the Pittodrie men.
Bologna sign Dallinga from Toulouse as Zirkzee replacement
Bologna have signed Dutch forward Thijs Dallinga from Toulouse for a reported €15million fee, a statement confirmed on Tuesday.
Dallinga, who joined Toulouse from Excelsior having scored 32 goals in 37 appearances in the 2021-22 Eredivisie season, ends a two-year spell with Le Tefece.
The 23-year-old netted 19 times in 44 outings in all competitions for the French side last season, including two goals against Liverpool in the Europa League group stage.
The Dutch international helped Toulouse win their first major trophy with their Coupe de France success in 2023, scoring two goals in the final against Nantes.
Dallinga will serve as a replacement for Joshua Zirkzee, who completed a £36.5million switch to Manchester United last week.
Zirkzee scored 11 times in Serie A last season, helping Bologna clinch qualification to the Champions League as they finished fifth in Italy's top flight.
New beginning: T&T’s Andre Raymond at home with St Johnstone after jail-time disrupted opportunity with SC Braga
Trinidad and Tobago's Andre Raymond knows all too well that opportunities in football often come with their fair share of challenges and setbacks. Though those setbacks are sometimes harrowing, much like his jail-time experience in Portugal, Raymond, like the professional he is, has learned to smile in the face of adversity.
In fact, it is Raymond's resilience and determination that ensured a bad situation took a positive turn and brought him back on track to pursue his professional dreams, as he recently signed with St Johnstone in the Scottish Premiership, where he had an encouraging start in a 2-0 win over Morton on Saturday.
“I was very happy with my debut. I needed to get some minutes in the tank and build a bond with the team and the intensity was really high—it was really good,” said Raymond, whose last competitive outing was a friendly international against Guyana in May.
“I didn’t know the coach [Craig Levein] had asked Dan [Phillips] about me. Then, in March, I got a phone call saying he was interested. He’d done some research and liked what he saw, so things started moving then. I made my mind up straight away; I wanted to join St Johnstone because the Scottish league is a top league,” he told The Courier.
Prior to his move to Scotland, Raymond, whose speed, defensive acumen, and ability to contribute offensively made him a sought-after player, caught the eye of scouts from various clubs, including SC Braga, one of Portugal’s top football teams.
The opportunity to sign with Braga seemed like the perfect next step in Raymond’s burgeoning career. However, his aspirations were abruptly halted by an unexpected turn of events.
During his trip to finalize the deal with SC Braga, Raymond was detained by Portuguese authorities for overstaying on a previous visit. This oversight resulted in him being thrown into prison for two days.
“I was at university in America and did one semester. While I was at home, my friend was going with an academy team to Spain. I was dropping him off at the airport, and the coach of his team asked me what I was doing and why I wasn’t playing football and going with them,” Raymond recalled.
“He wanted me to go with them, so he spoke to my dad about it, but my mom was saying, ‘No way, you have to go back to school,” he shared.
In the end, Raymond managed to persuade his parents, and a few days later, he joined the Academy team in Spain for the tournament.
“After that, we went to Portugal, and I ended up with Braga, but then some stuff happened—I got arrested because we’d been away from home for so long, and I ended up staying for four months instead of three. I went back home to get my documents and then back to Portugal for pre-season with Braga, but they didn’t let me in and threw me in jail,” Raymond explained.
“I was in there for two days; it was horrible. I was allowed a 15-minute phone call and locked in a cell. I know it was only two days, but that was enough. It was a new experience, that’s for sure, and I wouldn’t want anyone to go through it,” he added.
The detention not only affected Raymond personally but also jeopardized his professional prospects. The deal with SC Braga fell through as the club, wary of the legal complications, decided not to proceed.
For Raymond, it was a devastating blow, as the young defender was on the brink of a significant career milestone.
“They sent me back to Trinidad, and I had to spend three months out of Europe before I could go back. But, because of the length of time it was, Braga had moved on and signed another left-back, and that left me without a club.
“I felt like giving up football again, to be honest, but I got the chance to sign for Vilar De Perdizes, so I decided to do that. My mom wanted me to go back to school, but my dad said I should push on and keep going,” Raymond revealed.
Through resilience and his father’s unwavering support, the now 23-year-old continued to push and inevitably caught the attention of St Johnstone through a timely referral from his Soca Warriors teammate Dan Phillips.
Now a part of the St Johnstone squad, Raymond is eager to leverage his skills and experiences to help the Perth-based club succeed while continuing to develop as a player.
“I spent the last few months of the season watching the team play, looking at the players, the style of play, and the atmosphere in the stadium. All the time I was speaking to the manager and hoping they would stay in the Premiership, and I was very happy that they did,” Raymond said.
“I wanted Dan to stay, but he has goals and aspirations of his own. We still speak a lot. He told me to come here because it’s a good club and I would fit in here. He said that my style of play would match up with Scottish football, and I’m feeling that too because I like to defend, but I also like to get forward,” he ended.
Morata and Rodri charged by UEFA for Gibraltar chant
Alvaro Morata and Rodri have been charged by UEFA following their actions during Spain's trophy celebrations after winning Euro 2024.
The Spanish duo, who were a key part of La Roja's record fourth European Championship success, were at the centre of complaints from Gibraltar's FA over unacceptable chanting during the trophy parade in Madrid.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri could be seen chanting "Gibraltar is Spanish" on the stage, with Morata later encouraging the crowd to join in with the same chant.
Last Friday, UEFA confirmed they had opened an investigation and have since come to their conclusion.
The pair have been charged with "violating the basic rules of decent conduct, using sporting events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature, and bringing the sport of football, and UEFA in particular, into disrepute".
Rodri was named the player of the tournament in Germany, with Morata scoring once in their Group B opener against Croatia in Berlin.
In a statement, the Gibraltar FA said: "The Gibraltar FA welcomes the announcement today that UEFA has decided to open formal disciplinary proceedings against Rodri and Alvaro Morata further to the complaint filed by the Gibraltar FA with UEFA.
"This is an important first step in order to establish the unlawfulness of the chant on the basis of the grounds put forward by the Gibraltar FA in its complaint.
"The Gibraltar FA now awaits the decision of the UEFA Control Ethics and Disciplinary Body when the matter is heard."
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