Related items

• Harbour View, Atletico Pantoja settle for hard-fought draw

  Atletico Pantoja of the Dominican Republic and Jamaican side Harbour View settled for a 1-1 draw in Group B action of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup on Wednesday night at the Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

  Harbour View now sit atop the group with four points after two matches, while Atletico Pantoja played to their third consecutive draw, with three points from three matches.

  The match came to life very quickly, as just five minutes into the contest Harbour View held a 1-0 lead when Omar Thompson collected a pass on the left flank, cut to his right and unfurled and sizzling right-footed shot that went blazing into the top right corner.

  Atletico Pantoja went right to work on trying to even the scoreline and started peppering the Harbour View goal, namely through Frantzedy Herard and Luis Espinal, who had three and two shots, respectively, in the first half.

  Atletico Pantoja kept plugging away and a lack of communication from the Harbour View defense led to a chance for Herard, who was clipped in the area, resulting in a penalty. 

  Captain Robert Rosado stepped up to take the spot kick and coolly converted to even things at 1-1 in the 59’.

  The final half-hour saw the two sides battle ferociously in search of a winning score, but the only thing to emerge from the physical, hard-fought final 30 minutes was a point for each team as things ended in a share of the spoils.

   

• Brendan Rodgers reveals his dismay at Celtic’s summer transfer business

  Brendan Rodgers has admitted his discontent with Celtic’s summer transfer business in the same week the club announced record profits.

  The Celtic boss claimed every manager would want more signings, but he made it clear he was not satisfied with what transpired.

  Celtic announced a record annual profit of £40.7million on Monday and revealed they had had £72.3m “net of bank borrowings” on June 30 this year, although they have since invested £15million on transfer fees.

  The Scottish champions signed nine players this summer, but when asked if he was content with the business, Rodgers said: “No. No, I think if you ask any manager they will always be wanting more, of course.

  “But we work with the players that’s here. I’m not saying that in any disrespectful way, I think every manager will tell you they maybe wished they could have done one or two more signings.

  “But the window closed, we had the players we had in and I’m a coaching manager, and we will work with the very, very best players at our disposal to make our performance level the best we can possibly be.

  “And now we are preparing already for the January window and the summer window.”

  Celtic signed seven players on permanent deals this summer – Kwon Hyeok-kyu, Marco Tilio, Yang Hyun-jun, Odin Thiago Holm, Maik Nawrocki, Gustaf Lagerbielke and Luis Palma – and brought in Paulo Bernardo and Nat Phillips on loan.

  Of those, only Palma and Lagerbielke started in Tuesday’s opening Champions League defeat by Feyenoord and the Swedish defender was sent off alongside substitute Holm.

  Outside of Phillips, who came in late in the window after a spate of injuries to central defenders, the average age of the new arrivals was 21 when they signed.

  Celtic lost three regulars from their treble-winning squad in Jota, Carl Starfelt and Aaron Mooy, and now have a larger but arguably less experienced squad.

  Rodgers said: “Listen, if you look at the strategy of the club, it’s signing the younger players to develop and improve.

  “I think I have said it before here, that to maximise that potential, of course, you need that balance in your squad.

  “You need quality and you need experience, and that will obviously help and support potential that you have.

  “So that’s something that hopefully over the course of my time here that the squad can regenerate into that way.”

  Rodgers admitted pre-match in Rotterdam that his team were not at “peak Celtic”, but there were positive signs during the game before a soft opening goal from a free-kick and the two red cards undermined their chances.

  When asked how close they were to clicking into gear, Rodgers said: “It’s time. A lot of young players coming into the squad, coming into the team.

  “It’s a different team even from when I agreed to come in, looking at the players who have moved on and the players we have brought into the club.

  “It takes that little bit of time and obviously when you are missing key players, key players can influence the level at which you play the game.

  “But thankfully the likes of Reo Hatate…. he had another 55-60 minutes the other night, so that’s really good for him in terms of match practice because he has not played so much. When he gets up to speed, he will show he is a fantastic player.

  “A few others are coming back a little bit later, but I would anticipate us getting better as the season goes on.”

  Phillips remains a doubt for Saturday’s trip to face Livingston in the cinch Premiership after missing Tuesday’s European clash in Rotterdam.

  “Nat had a heavy roll on his ankle last weekend,” Rodgers said. “We will give him another 24 hours. He has been out on the pitch so we will just assess it from there.”

• Shaw signs on as Powerade brand ambassador

  Powerade on Wednesday announced the addition of Jamaica and Manchester City forward, Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw, as its brand ambassador for the next two years.

  The 26-year-old Shaw, the first Jamaican to ever be nominated for the Ballon d'Or, is pleased to be on board. 

  "For me, personally, as I continue to grow and evolve as a human being, I want to always bring awareness as well as motivate and inspire young girls and young boys to believe in themselves and their dreams and know that with hard work anything is possible," Shaw said.

  "I think with me partnering with Powerade, I truly believe that we can help to inspire and motivate young boys and girls," she added.

  Andrew Mahfood, CEO of Powerade distributor Wisynco Group, said the company has known Shaw since high school.

  "At Wisynco, we have been following Bunny for years, since our Coca-Cola trophy tour, and it is unbelievable to see Bunny's dream unfold before our eyes," Mahfood said.

  Powerade's brand manager, Chantelle McDonald, explained the rationale for Powerade.

  "As a born and raised Jamaican, Bunny is not just a footballer; she is a symbol of dedication, perseverance, unmatched skill and an inspiration for women and girls in the sport. From humble beginnings to top scorer, she plays an integral part in the rise and significance of women's football in Jamaica. We are proud to have her represent Powerade."

  Powerade will support any outreach activities Shaw plans to carry out in Jamaica as part of the partnership. Shaw will also appear in Powerade's advertising campaigns and make appearances on behalf of the brand.