Israeli striker Stav Nahmani made an instant impact in Scottish football with two goals off the bench as St Mirren beat Arbroath 4-0 in the Viaplay Cup.
Former Motherwell striker Mikael Mandron also headed his first goal for the Buddies as Stephen Robinson’s side took just 10 minutes to get off the mark following their opening loss against Montrose.
New club captain Mark O’Hara doubled the lead just before the break and Nahmani was introduced in the 63rd minute following his arrival on loan from Hapoel Beer Sheva earlier this week. The 21-year-old struck twice in his first 16 minutes of action to round off a convincing victory.
Montrose followed up their opening win with a penalties success against Cowdenbeath following a 1-1 draw at Central Park.
St Johnstone also bounced back from an opening defeat to win 4-0 as they triumphed at Alloa.
Cammy Ballantyne took less than 60 seconds to net his first goal since last year’s group stage following good link-up play between Stevie May and debutant Luke Jephcott.
Ryan McGowan doubled the lead in the 20th minute with a 25-yard drive and May struck in the 63rd minute. Young striker Ben McCrystal came off the bench for his debut and marked it with an 89th-minute goal.
Stirling stay top of Group A after first-half goals from Dale Carrick and Aaron Dunsmore earned a 2-1 win over Stenhousemuir.
Livingston face a battle to qualify after a 1-1 home draw with Hamilton which saw Accies claim the bonus point.
Andrew Winter gave the visitors the lead on the half-hour mark before Bruce Anderson levelled in the final minute. Hamilton won 4-1 on penalties to stay top of Group C ahead of Cove Rangers, who came from behind to win 3-2 at Brechin thanks to Kyle Connell’s double.
Ross County also came from behind in the final 20 minutes to beat Morton 2-1 in Group D.
Former Inverness striker George Oakley headed home in the 37th minute for the visitors but Jay Henderson volleyed his first goal for the Staggies and Simon Murray latched on to Jordan White’s flick-on to hit the winner in the 77th minute.
Stranraer beat Edinburgh City 2-1 in the other game in Group D.
Kilmarnock took control of Group F with a 2-0 win at Dunfermline. Fraser Murray was on target from close range inside four minutes and Kyle Vassell supplied an emphatic finish in the 81st minute.
Lowland League newcomers Albion Rovers gave their travelling fans something to cheer when they beat Annan 2-1 thanks to a late comeback.
Airdrie moved into pole position in Group E courtesy of player-manager Rhys McCabe’s 89th-minute penalty against Dundee, who earlier missed from the spot through Lyall Cameron. That was the only goal in the group with Dumbarton and Bonnyrigg Rose playing out a stalemate.
Falkirk emerged with the bonus point following a dramatic 2-2 draw against Group B leaders Partick Thistle at Firhill.
Ross MacIver gave the Bairns an early lead but the game looked to have turned midway through the second half when Brad Spencer was sent off and Brian Graham added further punishment by converting the resulting free-kick.
Alfredo Agyeman scored a brilliant solo goal three minutes later to put the Bairns back in front before James Lyon levelled in the final moments. Falkirk won 7-6 on penalties.
Louis Moult got his first goal for Dundee United as they ended a seven-game losing streak with a 3-0 win against Peterhead. Kevin Holt netted two second-half penalties for Jim Goodwin’s men.
Queen of the South maintained their hopes in Group G with a 2-0 win at Elgin despite having Kyle McLelland sent off. Kieran McKechnie and Paul McKay were on target for Marvin Bartley’s men.
Motherwell retained top spot in the group with a 1-0 home win over Queen’s Park in the evening kick-off.
Well started slowly but Jon Obika missed a glorious headed chance before netting via the aid of a deflection in the 29th minute.
Callum Slattery and Jack Thomson hit the bar at either end and Queen’s Park had two penalty claims denied as the game remained in the balance.
Sessegnon rejoins boyhood club Fulham after Tottenham departure
Ryan Sessegnon has resigned for Fulham on a free transfer, five years after leaving the club.
The 24-year-old signed a two-year contract with the Cottagers with the option to extend for a further year following his departure from Tottenham last month.
In his first spell at the club, Sessegnon worked his way through the academy over 11 years, scoring 25 goals in 120 first-team appearances.
He then moved to Spurs in a £25million deal in 2019, though struggled to nail down a place in North London, making just 57 appearances in all competitions, and scoring three goals.
"It's amazing to be back. Emotional, as well," he told FFCtv. "It's where it started for me, where everything began, and it's amazing to be back.
"It will always be home for me. I think it had the feeling that it was meant to be, coming back here, so I'm delighted to get it done."
Sessegnon is Fulham's first signing of the transfer window, though they have seen plenty of first-team departures already, with Joao Palhinha, Tosin Adarabioyo and Bobby De Cordova-Reid all leaving the club.
Lindstrom joins Everton on loan from Napoli
Everton have completed the loan signing of Jesper Lindstrom from Napoli, the club confirmed on Friday.
Lindstrom will join the Toffees for the 2024-25 season with the deal including an option to make the move permanent at the end of the campaign.
The 24-year-old becomes the fourth addition at Goodison Park following the arrivals of Tim Iroegbunam, Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Harrison.
Lindstrom arrives after a difficult season with Napoli, playing just 416 minutes in 22 league appearances for the Serie A side.
The Denmark international arrived in Naples from Eintracht Frankfurt where he scored 14 goals in 80 appearances, helping the German side lift the Europa League in the 2021-22 season.
“I feel very good. It’s amazing to represent Everton," Lindstrom said in his first interview with the club.
"This is a big club, with big history, a good stadium and, as I’ve seen, very good facilities as well. I’m very, very happy to be here and I feel like this is a good fit.
“I actually heard of Everton’s interest a while ago – not only from now but previously. England is very similar to Denmark so I will feel at home quickly.
“I’ve spoken to the manager. It sounds as though he likes the way I play football and I can be a good fit for the team with my speed, so now I want to deliver."
The search for another attacking option out wide had been the priority at Everton, having seen Arnaut Danjuma return to Villarreal following the completion of his loan deal, and the sale of Lewis Dobbin to Aston Villa.
Everton managed 40 goals last season, the second worst in the Premier League ahead of Sheffield United (35), and Dyche believes Lindstrom has a lot to offer in the final third.
"Jesper is a player with very good ability who can operate in a number of different attacking roles, which will benefit us heading into the new season," said Dyche.
"He joins us with a range of different experiences. He is hungry and eager to succeed with us, and that's a strong starting point as we look to add more productivity to our attack."
Maguire labels England criticism 'ridiculous' following Euro 2024 display
Harry Maguire has defended his England team-mates after their performance at Euro 2024, labelling the criticism as "a bit ridiculous".
England reached back-to-back European Championship finals but suffered the same outcome in Berlin as they did at Wembley three years ago.
The defeat against Spain saw Gareth Southgate become the first head coach in the history of the tournament to end up on the losing side in two finals.
Southgate called time on his eight-year tenure in charge of the Three Lions two days after the tournament ended, winning 59.8% of his 102 games in charge.
Despite this, underwhelming performances in Germany saw cups thrown towards the former England head coach as supporters jeered the players.
Southgate came under fire for his defensive approach, though only Walter Winterbottom (383) and Alf Ramsey (224) have overseen more England goals than his 213.
However, Maguire has come to the defence of his team-mates.
“Yes, performances might not have been amazing but it is tournament football," Maguire told BBC Sport.
"It is not as expansive. There are far less risks taken. You can’t afford to make mistakes or get caught going out in a full press. You saw throughout the tournament there were not many high-scoring wins.
“I just don’t know what the media or fans expected of this team. Was it to go and beat Serbia 4-0 in the first game and then beat Denmark 3-0? Did they think it was just going to be a walk in the park?”
Under Southgate's stewardship, England reached more major tournament finals in four attempts (two) than they did in their first 23 appearances at the World Cup and Euros (one).
Maguire played 63 times during Southgate's time in charge, a total only bettered by Harry Kane (81), Kyle Walker (70), Jordan Pickford and John Stones (both 68).
Maguire was forced to miss the tournament having picked up an injury in May, forcing him to miss Manchester United's FA Cup success against Manchester City.
Euro 2024 was the first major tournament he has missed during his international career, having become a mainstay in central defence alongside Stones.
Maguire's 17 appearances at major tournaments saw him keep seven clean sheets, but he insisted that missing out on Euro 2024 was difficult for him to comprehend.
"To miss out was tough," said Maguire.
“It has been really frustrating, working all season to get myself mentally and physically at the top of my game and be in a position to feel I could really make a difference for Manchester United and my country."
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