Bradford boss Mark Hughes admitted his game plan went out of the window following “naive” Dan Oyegoke’s first-half red card but backed the on-loan defender to learn from the experience.
City slumped to a 1-0 defeat at Crawley after failing to recover from Will Wright’s 14th-minute opener and 20-year-old Oyegoke’s dismissal before the break.
Oyegoke, on a season-long loan from Brentford, picked up two yellow cards for fouls and was handed his marching orders in the 41st minute as Bradford’s season started on a losing note.
Hughes, whose assistant Glyn Hodges and Crawley boss Scott Lindsey were among 13 yellow cards handed out by referee Thomas Parsons, said: “The sending off cost us but Dan is a bright young man and he will learn from it.
“He was a bit naive but the point I made to the referee was that not all fouls are yellow cards
“Our game plan went out of the window; it cost us and we had to re-organise.”
Hughes was critical of his side in the manner that they conceded as Wright netted from 25 yards, and admitted: “We needed to get the wall right and we didn’t line it up correctly.
“There weren’t too many clear-cut chances in the game and all in all it was disappointing.”
Reds manager Lindsey took most pleasure from observing that hard work on the training ground paved the way to victory.
Lindsey admitted he had to play in a different way after taking over in January in order to secure Crawley’s league status.
He said: “I congratulated the players afterwards and told them if they play like that against 11 men they will be fine.
“We scored a good goal and we’re very strong defensively. They threw a lot at us.
“They have their threats with (Andy) Cook and I felt we dealt with it perfectly. I’m pleased with the afternoon’s work.
“The most pleasing aspect was that the work we did on the training ground was evident.
“The players were low on confidence when I came in and I had to do things against my beliefs to get us the wins that we needed.
“But now I’ve got players on the training ground who can do what I’m asking them to do and it can only bode well for the future.”
Lewandowski delighted to join Ronaldo and Messi with Champions League ton
Robert Lewandowski was delighted to join Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as a Champions League centurion in Barcelona's 3-0 win over Brest.
Lewandowski scored twice either side of a Dani Olmo strike as Barca ran out 3-0 victors, leapfrogging the French side in the standings as they moved to 12 points from five games.
The Poland international is just the third player to score 100 goals in the Champions League, after Ronaldo (140) and Messi (129).
The Barca striker, however, took the fewest shots (451) to reach the milestone, with Messi needing 527 to get there, and Ronaldo 793.
Lewandowski netted 17 times in the competition for Borussia Dortmund, 69 times for Bayern Munich and now 15 times for the Blaugrana. Meanwhile, 22 of his Champions League goals have come under Hansi Flick.
"I'm very happy, very happy. 101 goals in the Champions League is great number," Lewandowski told Movistar Plus after the game.
"I didn't think I could score so many goals in the Champions League. To join Messi and Ronaldo... I guess they are good, right?"
In all competitions this season, Lewandowski has now scored 22 goals in 19 appearances – nine more than any other LaLiga player.
Indeed, he is only four goals shy of his final tally for last season (26 in 49 games).
Barca, meanwhile, are the fifth team to win four successive European Cup/Champions League matches by at least three goals, after Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 (five), Bayern in 2020 and 2021 (four on both occasions), Leeds United in 1969 (four) and Reims in 1958 (four).
Their victory came on the back of a disappointing pair of results in LaLiga, where a 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad and a 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo have allowed Real Madrid to cut their lead at the summit.
"We haven't been playing well in LaLiga lately, but we have a lot of games to play yet. We just have to be patient, we'll score more goals in the end," Lewandowski added.
"We're looking to win every game. If I can score goals to help the team, all the better. We have to win every game until the end of the season."
Head coach Flick heaped praise upon Lewandowski, also saying Barca deserved the three points after racking up 19 shots worth 2.86 expected goals (xG) while limiting Brest to two, worth 0.07 xG.
"Lewandowski is great, I'm delighted with his goals. I think Lewandowski knows he has to score and he is in the position to do it, but the important thing is what the team generates," Flick said.
"Obviously, he knows he has to score and he plays for it, but what this team does is just wonderful.
"I'm very happy. We deserved it, winning by three goals but we could have scored more, but I'm happy either way because delivering a performance like this after Vigo is just great."
Alonso full of praise for Wirtz after man-of-the-match performance against Salzburg
Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso was particularly pleased with the performance of Florian Wirtz during his side's 5-0 victory over RB Salzburg.
The Germany international scored two goals in the match and was named player of the match for the fourth time in five games in the Champions League this season.
The result and performance came at an opportune time for Leverkusen, who were off the back of a 4-0 defeat to Liverpool and 1-1 draw at Brest.
Following the win, they currently occupy fifth in the 36-team league, while Wirtz is equal-second in the top goalscorers with five goals.
"We want to help Florian Wirtz, we know how different he is for us. We have to find him at the right moments. We need to have a good structure to help him. This competition is for him, he is a Champions League player," Alonso told reporters.
"Hopefully we can go through to the next round. For Florian, he wants to have a big game. A big game is the best thing for him."
Alonso is hoping that his side can use the performance on Tuesday to pick up in the Bundesliga, where they are fourth despite having won just one of their last four matches.
Having won the domestic double last term though, he is aware there is still room for improvement in their performance.
"We did very well against Salzburg today. We want to build on that against Union [Berlin] on Saturday and maintain the level we have set ourselves," said Alonso.
"There are still ups and downs. We weren't great, but we weren't very bad. But I think there's still room for improvement. We can do better," he said.
USWNT goalkeeper Naeher to retire from international football
United States goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is to retire from international football next month.
Naeher has won 113 caps for the USWNT and was a regular between the sticks during their most recent World Cup-winning campaign in 2019, also starting for Emma Hayes' Olympic Gold medallists in Paris earlier this year.
The 36-year-old, who has represented the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL since 2016, will link up with Hayes' side for their upcoming friendlies against England and the Netherlands, but that will be the final camp she attends.
Naeher said in a statement posted to her Instagram account: "With immense gratitude and very thoughtful consideration, I have decided to retire from the international game.
"Having the opportunity to be a part of the USWNT for the past 15 years has been the greatest honour.
"This has been a special team to be a part of and I am beyond proud of what we have achieved both on and off the field. The memories I have made over the years will last me a lifetime.
"I know one chapter is ending, but I am so excited to continue to see the growth of this team going forward and what more they can accomplish."
Hope Solo (202) and Briana Scurry (175) are the only goalkeepers to make more appearances for the team than Naeher, who made her debut versus Argentina in December 2014.
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