Related items

• Barbados, Bermuda among winners on opening day of CFU Boys' U-14 Challenge Series

  Barbados and Bermuda were among teams that opened their 2024 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Boys’ U-14 Challenge Series campaigns in convincing manners with 6-2 and 4-0 victories over St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada on Friday.

  The tournament being hosted in Trinidad and Tobago started as expected, with Barbados dominating proceedings in a lopsided Group A, Tier II affair against St Vincent and the Grenadines. Games are played over 70 minutes.

  Barbados broke the deadlock in the fourth minute through Maleek Peters, who tucked away a rebound after St Vincent and the Grenadines goalkeeper Kevon Phillips saved captain Jamarco Johnson’s effort.

  They doubled the lead four minutes later, courtesy of Sacha Pounder, who finished a pass from Trey Barker.

  St Vincent and the Grenadines pulled one back in the 17th when Jomain Ollivierre latched onto a through pass from Beau Hoyte and fired past goalkeeper Shaquan King.

  Barker’s second assist came in the 32nd when he played a cross to Johnson, who finished from a tight angle to put Barbados 3-1 up at the break.

  St Vincent and the Grenadines again reduced the deficit in the 42nd through Xavier Thorne's own goal. However, that was all they would get from the contest, as Barbados took control from there when Peters completed his brace in the 45th.

  Substitute Rajari Rollins in the 50th with an easy finish from a Barker assist to make it 5-2 for Barbados. Barker was eventually rewarded for his efforts with a strike of his own in the 59th to complete the 6-2 scoreline.

  

  Bermuda 4-0 Grenada

  Bermuda also dominated their first match of Tier II Group C against Grenada at Ato Boldon Stadium.

  Jeon Wolfe got Bermuda’s show going with a quick brace in the sixth and seventh minutes. He opened the scoring with a tidy finish from a Zydon Lightbourne Furbert assist and then slotted into an empty net a minute later.

  An unfortunate own-goal pushed Grenada further behind, before Lightbourne Furbert capped Bermuda’s win with a 38th-minute strike.

  Anguilla 1- 3 Turks and Caicos Islands

  Over at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Turks and Caicos Islands scored a comfortable 3-1 win over Anguilla when the teams met in Tier II, Group B action.

  Turks and Caicos struck first in the fourth minute courtesy of Wilsony Charles, who made no mistakes from close range. They doubled the lead a minute later when Khazaiviyon Basden-Darvol converted from the penalty spot, and that just about signalled the writing on the wall for Anguilla.

  Anguilla pulled one back in the 36th through Zahir Hennis, who tucked home at the far post. However, Turk and Caicos restored their two-goal cushion and, by extension, wrapped up the win when Charles completed his brace with a well-driven shot from just outside the 18-yard box.

  

  Antigua and Barbuda 2-1 Guyana

  Antigua and Barbuda scored a 2-1 win over Guyana in Tier II Group A play at Larry Gomes Stadium.

  Captain Shemar Walters opened the scoring for Antigua and Barbuda in the second minute with a well-taken effort.

  Guyana's Mark Glasgow pulled his team level when he fired home in the 15th to keep things interesting.

  But their celebrations were short-lived as Luke Harney Rogerson restored Antigua and Barbuda’s lead with a 21st-minute effort.

  Though they continued to create chances, Antigua and Barbuda failed to add to their tally, but will hope to improve their scoring form in their next encounter on Sunday.

  

  Bonaire 2-1 St. Lucia 

  Bonaire secured a 2-1 hard-fought victory over St Lucia at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Tier II, Group C.

  St Lucia dominated the opening moments, mainly through Randall Monroe, as the Bonaire defenders found the lanky winger’s running and technical ability difficult to handle. The St Lucians were rewarded for their early hard work and took the lead in the match through an own goal.  

  Monroe got in behind the defence, and his cross found Eustace Blackstock on the back post. Blackstock’s redirected header came off Bonaire’s Julian Garcia Henriquez to give St. Lucia a 1-0 lead.

  Bonaire drew level through Rayvion Simon, whose powerful volley from the top of the penalty area left Jervonti Toussaint rooted to the spot.

  Margall Statie then gifted Bonaire the lead in the 32nd minute when got on the end of a Rushando Arrow whipped cross and finished with a expert header. 

  Both teams will be back in action on Saturday. Bonaire plays Bermuda, and St Lucia takes on St Maarten.

  Dominica 3-0 British Virgin Islands

  Dominica blanked British Virgin Islands 3-0 when the teams met in Tier II Group B at the Hasely Crawford Stadium.

  Che Etienne opened the scoring in the 11^th with an easy finish through the legs of BVI’s custodian, Trevon Steven. 

  Taran George quickly made it 2-0 in the 12th with a comfortable finish from close range. He later completed his brace and his team’s victory with a 28-minute strike.

  Dominica play the US Virgin Islands at 6:00 pm on Saturday, while BVI play Turks and Caicos Islands at 4:00 pm. 

   

• Slot: Liverpool 'a joy to watch' in second half of Ipswich win

  Arne Slot described Liverpool's second-half performance as a "joy to watch" after his new side started their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town.

  Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah were on target after the break as Liverpool claimed a deserved victory in Slot's first competitive match at the helm.

  The Reds needed an hour to make the breakthrough as the Tractor Boys put up a spirited performance in the first half, but they were utterly dominant once Jota finished a flowing move with a neat side-footed finish for 1-0.

  Liverpool racked up 15 shots worth 2.61 expected goals (xG) in the second period and limited Ipswich to just three attempts, none of which hit the target.

  Slot's team had been out-shot by four to three in the first 45 minutes and struggled to get a foothold as Ipswich won 58.5% of duels contested, leaving the former Feyenoord boss to praise his team's ability to change things at the interval.

  Asked how he judged Liverpool's display by TNT Sports, Slot said: "It depends which half you're asking about! The first half was not action-packed because they were right on top of us.

  "They were very aggressive, we couldn't find a rhythm or find those balls in behind, but the second half was a joy to watch.

  "The first thing I said is we can't speak about tactics if we lose every duel. It was not that Jarell [Quansah] lost every duel, but we needed [Ibrahima] Konate to win those long balls in the air. That gave us control.

  "I don't think they could keep up with our tempo in the second half. Gaps opened up and you saw that we can play some quite good football."

   

  Much has been made of Liverpool's failure to add a new midfielder this off-season, with Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi rejecting the chance to move to Anfield.

  Slot, however, was impressed by the performances of starting trio Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, saying: "I don't think our problem in the first half was the midfield. 

  "I was pleased with them and a lot has been said about signings, but I saw two or three come off the bench and they are good enough to play in our team.

  "We have many good players, but like I said, if we can find another one, we will not hesitate to do so."

  Despite some expecting a season of transition after almost nine years under Jurgen Klopp, Slot knows Liverpool must look to be in title contention this campaign.

  "I'm not looking so far forward to the end of the season. I think in every game we have to do everything in terms of defence but also with the ball," Slot said.

  "You saw last season how close the games were. If Son [Heung-min] scored [against Manchester City] we could've had another champion, but he didn't and City were champions. We have to make sure we are up there with those teams."

   

• Salah: Liverpool 'quite different' under Slot

  Mohamed Salah acknowledged life under Arne Slot "is quite different" after Liverpool opened their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win at newly promoted Ipswich Town.

  Salah marked his 350th appearance for the Reds by assisting Diogo Jota's opener before netting himself as they began life after Jurgen Klopp with victory at Portman Road.

  Slot became the first individual Liverpool boss to win his first Premier League game in charge - and their first in the top flight since Graeme Souness in April 1991.

  While Salah admitted the players were still finding their feet under the Dutchman, he urged his team-mates to embrace the process.

  "Jurgen was in the team for eight years, he gave everything. Now, it's a new manager and new system. 

  "It's quite different for all of us, we need to adapt. We don't need to put more pressure on him, we just need to play football and enjoy our games."

  Salah's contribution to the cause made Premier League history, with the Liverpool forward now the outright leader for goals (nine) and direct goal involvements (14) on matchday one.

  "Hopefully, I keep going like this for the whole season!" added Salah, who took his Liverpool goal involvement tally for all competition to 300. 

  "I always help to try to help the team all the time, I'm always happy to score goals or assist.

  "It was quite tough today; the weather was really warm, it's a tough team. When they play home especially, it's quite tough. The crowd is always up. We knew that before the game, we're experienced, so we expected a tough game."

  "I'm glad we won today, I'm always happy to make a difference."