Northern Ireland continue their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign when Kazakhstan are the visitors to Windsor Park on Monday night.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the key talking points ahead of the match.
Taking out some frustrationsMichael O’Neill said Northern Ireland left Copenhagen “angry and upset” following Friday’s 1-0 loss to Denmark having seen what they thought was a stoppage-time equaliser ruled out for offside following a VAR check that took a full five minutes. They will not be in need of any added motivation for a match which they need to win in order to keep in touch in Group H, but if they can bottle some of that feeling and take it out on the visitors, it could be a lively night in south Belfast.
Confidence boostLost in the late drama at the Parken Stadium was the fact that, even in defeat, Northern Ireland had played well away to the top seeds in the group. They soaked up pressure for long periods as Denmark grew increasingly frustrated and, having fallen behind as the result of a rare mistake, were able to threaten late on after substitutions disrupted the flow of the game and worked in Northern Ireland’s favour. With so many young players involved, the performance was a positive one which should bring plenty of optimism about the direction Northern Ireland can take.
Fort WindsorNorthern Ireland must rebuild their home form, which for years was the backbone of the success they enjoyed. Home advantage became less of a factor during Ian Baraclough’s reign – plenty of which came during the pandemic and was played behind closed doors – and O’Neill could not immediately recapture it on his return, with his first game back in charge ending in a 1-0 defeat to Finland in March. Coming off a tough trip to Denmark, and with an away double-header next up in September, three points at home to Kazakhstan looks like a minimum requirement.
Injury woesCraig Cathcart came back into training on Sunday in a welcome boost after his absence in Copenhagen took Northern Ireland’s injury tally into double figures. But, while there is optimism the veteran Watford defender will be fit for Monday, there are problems elsewhere. O’Neill said there were doubts over Conor Bradley and Paddy McNair – two players certain to start if fit – after the Denmark game, and their status will be monitored closely. Meanwhile, Matty Kennedy has returned home with an adductor issue, with uncapped Fleetwood youngster Carl Johnston called in as cover.
Kazakhstan offer up unknownsAfter the challenge of facing a Denmark side full of experienced campaigners and Champions League regulars, Northern Ireland will have a very different task against Kazakhstan. With a squad dominated by players who play domestically in the country, they have thrown up a difficult challenge for Northern Ireland’s analysts, and O’Neill is keeping the focus on his own side more than the opposition in part because relatively little is known. But that does not mean the threat can be played down, and their come-from-behind victory over Denmark in March shows they are no pushovers.
Orlando City 1-0 Atlanta United: Enrique strike sets up Red Bulls clash
Atlanta United beat Inter Miami in the first round of the MLS playoffs, yet their postseason came to an end with a 1-0 defeat to Orlando City.
The Five Stripes went into Sunday's Eastern Conference semifinal at Inter&Co Stadium full of confidence after ditching Lionel Messi and the rest of Miami's stars out of the playoffs last time out.
Yet it was Orlando who, for the first time in club history, booked their place in the Eastern Conference finals thanks to Ramiro Enrique's 39th-minute winner.
Enrique tucked in from close range after Atlanta failed to clear their lines from a corner.
That goal came after Orlando had started brightly, with Dagur Thorhallsson hitting the woodwork early on before Facundo Torres saw an effort cleared off the line.
Buoyed by a fine record against Orlando, who they had lost to just four times in 22 meetings ahead of this contest, Atlanta pressed for an equaliser after the break, but they could not find a way through a robust Lions defence.
Orlando will now host the New York Red Bulls in next week's Eastern Conference final, with a place in the MLS Cup final on the line.
Data Debrief: Stay away from the Lions' den
Fresh from the Orlando Pride's victory in the National Women's Soccer League on Saturday, Orlando had plenty to live up to if they wanted to cap a great sporting weekend for the city.
And they did just that, with the backing of a vociferous crowd that helped them get over the line. Those fans will be called on again next week when the Red Bulls roll into town, but Orlando need not fear. They have lost only one of their last 14 home matches in all competitions (W9 D4 including two penalty shootout wins and one penalty shootout loss).
And while Atlanta huffed and puffed, they never really threatened to blow the door down, as Orlando limited them to just eight shots, with none of those hitting the target.
Indeed, Orlando had openings on the counter and could have put the match to bed with a bit more composure, as they finished with 1.3 expected goals to Atlanta's 0.4 xG.
Conte: Napoli need to focus on improvement, not Serie A lead
Napoli should pay little attention to their place at the top of Serie A, so says Antonio Conte, who has demanded improvement from his team.
Romelu Lukaku's second-half goal handed Napoli a 1-0 win over Roma on Sunday.
That victory sent Napoli back to the summit of Serie A, with Conte's side one point ahead of Atalanta, Inter, Fiorentina and Lazio, while Juventus are only four points back in a six-team title race.
Napoli needed to get back to winning ways after a draw against Inter and a 3-0 loss to Atalanta before the international break, and Conte insists his team must sharpen up.
"Before the match, I told the lads not to look at the table, but to focus on ourselves and improving what we are working on," Conte told Sky Sport Italia.
"I maintain that now too because we need to take a series of steps to raise the level.
"I was satisfied with the performance for a good 65 minutes today, we could’ve taken more of our chances and were up against a strong Roma who have great players.
"Roma were also making their debut under a new coach and therefore were very eager to prove themselves, but we still should've dealt with the final 15-20 minutes better, as we sat too deep and made it complicated for ourselves."
Roma, playing under new boss Claudio Ranieri, came close to equalising when Artem Dovbyk hit the woodwork with a header.
Ranieri came out of retirement to take charge of Roma following Ivan Juric's dismissal earlier in November, though the visitors had just six shots and accumulated only 0.6 expected goals (xG) at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
"If we look back, we have some problems and that is why I was called. We were up against a team that is fighting to win the Scudetto," Ranieri told Sky Sport Italia.
"Having said all of that, I am happy with the performance from my players. We made some mistakes that we will talk about during the week, but the hunger, the determination to get back on track was there.
"We have a lot of work to do, but I feel positive.
"We know there is work to be done, we have to focus on reacting rather than sitting there feeling sorry for ourselves.
"The [players] need the right character to help themselves and then others. Naturally, when I arrived, the team was a little closed up, but I think we started to open up a bit by the second half."
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
