Portugal boss Fernando Santos hailed the impact made by Joao Felix against Azerbaijan and said no conclusions can be made following his side's unconvincing 1-0 win.
Santos claimed his 50th victory in charge of Portugal in his 80th match thanks to Maksim Medvedev's first-half own goal in Wednesday's World Cup 2022 qualifying fixture at the Allianz Stadium in Turin.
The European champions managed 14 shots on target - compared to none for Azerbaijan - but struggled to find a way past inspired goalkeeper Sahruddin Mahammadaliyev.
Despite the slender nature of the scoreline against a side ranked 108th in the world, Santos insisted picking up three points in the Group A opener is all that counts.
"We won, which was the most important thing," he told RTP. "These games can be difficult.
"I expected to win more comfortably, but we must not draw conclusions. We can see what went well and didn't.
"In the first half we controlled things, though sometimes we could have built attacks better
"I think that in the first half Azerbaijan didn't even pass the midfield mark. The team was well organised, compact, reacted well to losing the ball.
"The game was controlled, but we lacked when it came to creating certain chances.
"Azerbaijan started playing in the second half. At that moment we were not so strong in the recovery and we allowed three or four attacks."
Joao Felix was brought on for Andre Silva 15 minutes from time and completed 12 of his 14 passes, 11 of those attempted passes in the opposition half.
Santos felt the Atletico Madrid forward made a telling impact on the game, even if it was a familiar tale for Portugal as Mahammadaliyev made a string of late saves.
"The team improved with the entry of Joao," Santos said. "There was more circulation to our play and he played a part in one of our best moves - it was brilliant."
Portugal have now won five games in a row against Azerbaijan without conceding and have lost just two of their last 25 matches since the last World Cup.
The Selecao turns their focus to Saturday's trip to second seeds Serbia, who beat the Republic of Ireland 3-2 to join Portugal on three points at the top of Group A.
Santos added: "Entering that game with victory was essential and now we are going to talk as a group and analyse the game.
"The Serbia match will be different [to the Azerbaijan one], but I always maintain confidence in my players."
Azerbaijan had drawn their previous four games by the same 0-0 scoreline and head coach Giovanni De Biasi is taking confidence from the narrow loss to Portugal.
"I am happy and disappointed," he told UEFA.com "We tried to play our football only in the second half. Never say never, football is made of dreams and we can qualify."
JC shines with dominant 3-0 win over KC; Tivoli High stun reigning champs Mona 3-1
Jamaica College (JC) once again demonstrated why they are a force to be reckoned with, as they made light work of rivals Kingston College (KC) with a comfortable 3-0 win in their ISSA/Digicel Group A quarterfinal encounter at Stadium East on Tuesday.
Led by Nashordo Gibbs’ 18th-minute penalty and a pair of clinical strikes from Jamoy Dennis (31st and 33rd) in quick succession, Jamaica College controlled the one-sided affair from start to finish, rarely allowing Kingston College to find a foothold.
With the win, Jamaica College moved into pole position in the group on four points, relegating Kingston College into second on three points. Tivoli Gardens (three points) kept their hopes of a semi-final berth alive with a surprise 3-1 win over reigning champions Mona High (one point) in the other group contest.
Jamaica College’s Head coach Davion Ferguson, expressed delight at the outcome.
“We understand the competition in terms of how we prepare to peak at the right time. Today was a difficult game, the scoreline might seem as if it was easy but it was a tough game because we played three days ago, and the key was just to get the boys recovered to come here and deliver a good performance.
“At this stage of the competition, it is not about the number in terms of goals, but more about continuity to ensure we consistently secure the three points,” Ferguson said.
His counterpart Vassell Reynolds, also had a positive outlook.
“I don’t think the scoreline was a true reflection of the game, but congrats to JC, they punished us. I thought that we gave away two easy silly goals, we weren’t concentrating, especially on the set plays. So there is no reason to be disappointed or hard on the boys, we just made some errors and we paid for them so it is just about refocusing and come again on Friday,” Reynolds said.
Jamaica College asserted their intent early, with a warning shot just seven minutes in as Donte Logan’s long-range effort forced Kingston College’s goalkeeper Malique Williams to tip the ball over the crossbar.
Excelsior in Group B action against Campion College which served as the curtain-raiser of the double header.
Dennis, an ever-present threat, continued to test Williams, firing off a quick shot in the ninth minute from Jabarie Howell’s pass, and then a powerful strike from just outside the box four minutes later, both of which were kept out by the custodian.
However, Jamaica College’s breakthrough inevitably came when Gibbs, a former Kingston College player, converted from the penalty spot after Jamone Lyle drew a crucial handball from Dejuan Green inside the area.
That opener laid the foundation for what would become a commanding performance as Kingston College's best chance of the game came in the 27th minute when Damaine Smith delivered a pinpoint cross to Deshawn Byfield, whose effort from point blank range was kept out by an alert Taywane Lynch in goal for Jamaica College.
Jamaica College quickly doubled their lead just four minutes later. Gibbs slipped past his marker and sent a precise pass to Dennis, who calmly slotted the ball past Williams to make it 2-0.
Barely two minutes later, Giovani Taylor capitalized on Kingston College’s defence that appeared momentarily disoriented from a quick free-kick, sending another slick pass to Dennis, who made no mistake in finishing his brace and putting Jamaica College 3-0 up.
The Old Hope Road boys again went close through Dyllan John, whose shot hit the upright in the 40th minute, adding to Kington College’s mounting frustrations.
Still, the North Street boys tried to fight back, with Shareef Ricketts attempting a powerful left-footed strike from distance in stoppage time, but Lynch proved equal to the task to preserve the shutout heading into the break.
The second half was a quieter affair as Jamaica College shifted gears to control possession and manage their lead.
Though showing more positive signs in attack, Kingston College’s struggles were compounded when Green received a second yellow card in the 86th minute, as they not only finished the game with 10 men but will be missing his presence in midfield when they take on Mona on Friday.
Tuesday’s Results
Hydel 2, St Catherine 0
Campion College 2, Excelsior 0
Jamaica College 3, Kingston College 0
Mona High 1, Tivoli Gardens 3
Manchester City and Bayern Munich maintain 100% records with comfortable wins
Manchester City maintained their perfect start to their Women's Champions League campaign with a 2-0 victory at home to Hammarby.
The Citizens sit top of Group D with nine points from their opening three games, with their latest result following up wins over St. Polten and 2023-24 champions, Barcelona.
Gareth Taylor's side also extended their unbeaten start to the campaign in all competition, winning every game since drawing with Arsenal on the opening day of the Women's Super League season.
Both teams went in at half-time level following a first half in which quality was at a premium, following a couple of half-chances for the home side.
The hosts went ahead just two minutes into the second half after a finish from Laura Blinkilde Brown, after Aoba Fujino had struck the woodwork earlier.
Khadija Shaw and Fujino both went close to doubling the lead, with the former having a goal disallowed in the 67th minute for offside after being picked out by Mary Fowler.
Fujino sealed a comfortable victory for City, netting their second on 79 minutes to seal a win in the first meeting between the two sides in the competition.
And City were worthy winners in the contest. They ended with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.75 from their 16 shots, though only three of their efforts were on target.
Elsewhere, Bayern Munich were also comfortable winners with a 3-0 home victory over Valerenga in a game the visitors never looked like taking anything from.
Bayern went a goal up in 10 minutes, with former Chelsea forward Pernille Harder heading home from inside the box for her fifth strike in three games in the competition.
Just seven minutes later, they were firmly in control of the match as Giulia Gwinn doubled their lead with a penalty after Elise Thorsnes had fouled Weronika Zawistowska.
The German side dominated the game, with more possession (76% to 24%), more shots (15 to 7) and a higher xG (1.95 to 0.47) than their opponents.
Bayern were able to add a third that their performance merited in second-half stoppage time, with Sarah Zadrazil sending a stunning volley beyond Tove Enblom.
The result leaves them top of their group with three victories from three matches, three points above second-placed Arsenal.
Valerenga are bottom of Group C and are still waiting for their first point of the competition.
England-born Isaac Hayden upbeat ahead of Boyz debut in high-stakes Nations League quarterfinal clash against US
Isaac Hayden is counting down the days to what promises to be a special milestone in his career—making his debut with the Reggae Boyz in the highly anticipated Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal clash against the United States.
The England-born midfielder has waited a long time for this moment, as his journey to this point has been marked by anticipation and heritage, and he’s ready to embrace both when he takes the field for the first-leg clash at the National Stadium on Thursday. The return leg is set for November 18 at Energizer Park.
“Yeah, things have been really, really good, and the first day has been fantastic. The lads and the staff have welcomed me in so well, and I’m just really, really excited to be here and hoping to contribute,” Hayden said with a smile.
For Hayden, this home leg, in particular, holds more than just competitive weight, as it also serves a family reunion of sorts given that his father and both grandparents were all born on the island.
Having represented England from the Under-16 to the Under-21 levels, Hayden declared his ambition to play for the Three Lions at senior level in 2019, but changed track to switch allegiance to Jamaica as he felt the significance of bringing those family ties full circle.
“I've still got some family members over here now who I think are going to come to the game on Thursday. It’s good to finally get it (the switch) done and get it over the line. It’s been a long time coming, and yeah, I’m just looking forward to it,” Hayden declared.
That said, the 29-year-old pointed out that adapting to the new environment has been an enjoyable process as he is quickly adjusting to the Caribbean conditions after his recent arrival.
“I had a good session with some of the lads. Obviously, some of the lads are still to come, but it was still a good group out there. Training and acclimatising to the weather... everything’s been fine; it has been smooth sailing. I am really enjoying myself so far,” Hayden shared enthusiastically.
Hayden’s smooth transition in the Reggae Boyz setup has been aided by a trusted figure in Head coach Steve McClaren, whose guidance and familiarity have given Hayden an extra layer of comfort.
In fact, the gravity of Jamaica’s World Cup ambitions is not lost on Hayden either. As a player with a wealth of experience from his days in England, Hayden is well aware of the task ahead.
“I've known the gaffer for a while. We had a few conversations before, and it was something he thought I could add to the group in a positive way. For me, I wanted to come in and contribute the best way possible to improve the team’s chances of getting to the next round of the Nations League, and then obviously looking further ahead is obviously World Cup qualification, which is a huge, huge goal of everyone here,” he noted.
Rated highly by former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger as a player whose key assets are concentration, intelligence, and strength, Hayden is energized and eager to parade his versatility in front of passionate Jamaican fans.
The Newcastle United defensive midfielder is also equally comfortable at centre-back and has previously featured at right-back and as a playmaker.
“I think playing on Jamaican soil in the first round is important,” he said, eyes lighting up at the thought.
“The atmosphere will be cracking with the amount of tickets sold and everything that comes around that, but the main thing for us is to go out there and do everyone proud in Jamaica,” he ended.
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
