HALGRIMSSON...I’ve seen the replay and, for the love of God, I don’t know why this wasn’t a penalty if the other one was a penalty.
Jamaica’s Head Coach Heimir Hallgrimsson was left with a mixed bag of emotions after his Reggae Boyz suffered a tough 1-3 loss to Ecuador in a hard-fought Copa America encounter in Las Vegas, on Wednesday.
While he lauded his players’ efforts and resilience on the pitch at the Allegiant Stadium, Hallgrimsson did not shy away from expressing his disappointment with the officiating that he believes marred the match, and ultimately eliminated his team from the tournament.
An historic first Copa America goal scored by Michail Antonio in the 54th minute, highlighted Jamaica’s stout-hearted performance, which Hallgrimsson believes could have brought about a more positive result if a potential penalty was awarded to his team by Chilean Referee Cristian Reyes.
Antonio’s strike, his fourth since joining the Jamaican setup, was also the country’s first across its three appearances in the prestigious CONMEBOL tournament. They also graced the tournament in 2015 and 2016.
Ecuador’s goals were courtesy of Kasey Palmer’s 14th-minute own-goal, with Kendry Paez’s 45+4-minute penalty and Alan Minda (90+2) being the others.
“First half was difficult for us Ecuador came out strong which we knew they would so we give them credit for that. We then tweaked or tactics and we started going at them with a high pressing line in the second half because we had nothing to lose at two-nil down. We scored one goal early which was important we should have had a penalty.
“If the first one was a penalty the second one should have been a penalty as well because they were identical incidents, but one was given in favour of Ecuador and we didn’t get ours. So give credit to my players for never giving up until the end, we took risk and Ecuador did well in one counter attack and scored the third goal,” a disappointed Hallgrimsson said in a post-match conference.
“I think it was just more positivity, more power, more on the front foot. We had nothing to lose [being] two under so we decided to go all in. I must give my players credit for everything they gave for the second half; they left everything on the pitch [but], sadly, results didn’t go in our favour. There’s a lot of things that didn’t go to us in this game. We deserved to have more — especially after the second-half performance,” he added.
Hallgrimsson stressed the contentious decision by the referee, as he recounted the incident, emphasizing the need for fair play and consistency in officiating.
The incident in question happened in 70th minute when Michael Hector toed the ball onto the outstretched hand of Steven Franco, but referee Reyes saw no issue with the infringement, even after a lengthy VAR check. This served as a slap in the face of the Boyz, who were on the other end of a similar incident in the first half when a ball clipped Greg Leigh’s elbow and a penalty awarded to Ecuador.
“I thought we should have had a penalty, like Ecuador had a penalty. I don’t see a difference between the two instances so I don’t know why the referee, after looking at it, decided not to give us a penalty but decided to give them a penalty,” Hallgrimsson argued
“I cannot, for the love of God, I don’t want to say much but I don’t understand the difference between those two. I haven’t got the reason. I’ve seen the replay and, for the love of God, I don’t know why this wasn’t a penalty if the other one was a penalty. I can’t answer for [the referee]. I wish they could sit here and answer that question for me,” he reasoned.
Despite the officiating controversies, Hallgrimsson took some of his players to task, even as he remained focused on the positives.
The Jamaicans, who are rooted at the bottom of group B with no point, will close another failed Copa America campaign against Venezuela, in Austin, Texas, on Sunday.
“Too many players had an off day for us in the first half and when you play these kind of tournaments you cannot have that, but we just didn’t have a response to the pressure that Ecuador applied early. But I don’t think the game was a 3-1 scoreline, we played better than that so it is kind of embarrassing to go with that scoreline,” he ended.
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
Juve must play at their limits against in-form Lille, warns Motta
Thiago Motta stressed the importance of Juventus playing at their very best when they face Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Juve face a tough task against a side who have already upset Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in this season's competition.
This will be the first ever meeting between these teams.
However, Juve have lost three of their last four Champions League matches against French opponents (W1), including both against Paris Saint-Germain in the 2022-23 campaign. and Motta warned against any complacency.
"All matches are important. We, as Juventus, always want to win. The most important thing is always trying to improve," Motta told reporters on Monday.
"Lille are very confident, and we want to face them in optimal condition. We aim to give more than our maximum.
"There are no favourites in a match. It's a beautiful game, in a beautiful stadium, and we hope the pitch will be in good condition tomorrow. We can only talk tomorrow about who played better."
Motta will have midfielder Douglas Luiz from injury, but is still without a glut of players.
"He's [Luiz] one more player who can help the team. We’ll be missing Arek [Arkadiusz Milik], Gleison [Bremer] and [Nicolas Gonzalez]."
Lille boss Bruno Genesio knows Juve will present a stern test for his team, despite their shock wins over the Madrid clubs this term.
"Every Champions League match is different, but there is one essential parameter to get a result - commitment," he said.
"Like all Italian teams, Juventus are very well organised, very difficult to play against. Having already achieved two big results in this competition, we are going to give it our all again and we have our fans who will give us strength."
Jonathan David will be one of the standout Lille players Juve have to keep a close eye on.
The Canada international has scored six goals in his last eight Champions League appearances for Lille.
Lille have won all five games he has scored in but have not won any of the six games he has featured in without scoring (D2 L4).
Gyokeres rated above Haaland by Sporting captain Hjulmand
Sporting CP captain Morten Hjulmand hailed his team-mate Viktor Gyokeres as a superior striker to Erling Haaland ahead of Tuesday's clash with Manchester City.
Sporting, who will lose head coach Ruben Amorim to Manchester United next week, face the Red Devils' fierce rivals in their fourth Champions League game of the season.
That contest will pit two in-form Scandinavian strikers against one another as Sweden international Gyokeres takes on Norway superstar Haaland.
Gyokeres has been a revelation since swapping Coventry City for Sporting last season, scoring 34 goals in the Portuguese top flight this calendar year.
That is more than double the figure managed by the competition's next-most prolific player, with Porto's Galeno netting 16 times.
Gyokeres' haul has come from an expected goals (xG) figure of 28.17, while his shot conversion rate of 27.9% also dwarfs that of nearest rival Galeno (19.5%) and he has scored 31 of 47 big chances in 2024.
His 61.2% big-chance conversion rate is the second-best of any player in Europe's top 10 leagues, behind Jan Kliment, who has managed a 75% ratio for Czech side Sigma Olomouc.
As Gyokeres prepares to do battle with Haaland, who has 11 goals in 10 Premier League games this term, he has received a glowing endorsement from his skipper.
Asked which striker was the better player at Monday's pre-match press conference, Hjulmand said: "Gyokeres, because he plays for Sporting."
Outgoing boss Amorim, meanwhile, knows Sporting's financial position means they will one day cash in on the Swede, who has been linked with several Premier League clubs.
"I don't know Sporting's plans, but if the right offer arrives they will have to sell," Amorim said on Monday.
"He is an athlete who is at his peak and can give a lot, both in terms of money to his club, and income to the future club".
Gyokeres already has 16 league goals for Sporting this season, the most of any player in Europe's top 10 leagues ahead of Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski, who has 14.
Haaland is tied for third place, alongside Bayern Munich's Harry Kane and Atalanta's Mateo Retegui.
Gyokeres has also been directly involved in 10 goals in 12 appearances for Sporting in European competitions (seven goals, three assists), scoring on all four of his European starts at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
He still has some way to go to match the Champions League exploits of Haaland, though.
The City talisman has been directly involved in 49 goals in 42 appearances in the competition (44 goals, five assists).
If he scores or assists on Tuesday, he will become the fastest player to 50 goal contributions in the competition's history (43), overtaking Ruud van Nistelrooy for fewest appearances to reach that figure (45).
Arsenal sporting director Edu steps down
Arsenal have confirmed Edu has resigned from his role as the club's sporting director.
Edu, a former Arsenal player who was part of the "Invincibles" squad in the 2003-04 season, has been involved in the behind-the-scenes running of the Gunners since July 2019.
He first returned to the club as technical director, and was promoted to sporting director in November 2022.
Edu has played a key role in supporting Mikel Arteta, and helping the Spaniard transform the Gunners into Premier League title contenders.
Reports emerged on Monday, however, that the Brazilian was quitting his role, with speculation mounting that he will be joining Evangelos Marinakis' footballing organisation - the Greek magnate owns Nottingham Forest and Olympiakos.
"This was an incredibly hard decision to make," Edu said in a statement released on Arsenal's website.
"Arsenal has given me the opportunity to work with so many amazing people and the chance to be a part of something so special in the club’s history. It has been a special journey.
"I've loved working with so many great colleagues across our men’s, women’s and academy teams, especially Mikel, who has become a great friend.
"Now it is time to pursue a different challenge. Arsenal will always remain in my heart. I wish the club and its supporters only good things and all the very best."
The news comes after Arsenal were beaten 1-0 by Newcastle United on Saturday to leave them seven points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Arsenal face Inter in the Champions League on Wednesday.
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