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.”
Euro 2024: The group stage's lucky winners and unlucky losers
The Euro 2024 group stage is done and dusted.
Croatia were the biggest name to fail to make the knockouts, as they and Hungary were the two third-placed sides to miss out on the last 16.
Previous finalists Italy and England progressed along with the likes of hosts Germany, France, Spain and Portugal, though some nations were more fortunate to advance than others.
Here, we use Opta data to assess the unlucky losers and the lucky winners from the Euro 2024 group stage, both in terms of individual matches and the first phase of the tournament as a whole.
UNLUCKY LOSERS
Croatia
Let's start with the tournament's biggest expected goals (xG) underperformers so far... and the big-name casualty of the group stage.
Luka Modric became the oldest player to score at the Euros in the tournament's history on matchday three, and that goal against Italy seemed to be sending Croatia through from Group B, only for Mattia Zaccagni to rescue the Azzurri late on.
That 1-1 draw condemned Croatia to third place. But they were highly unfortunate not to take more than two points.
They lost 3-0 to a rampant Spain on matchday one, despite accumulating 2.38 xG to La Roja's 2.01. They then amassed 2.69 xG against Albania, only to concede late on in a 2-2 draw.
Indeed, Croatia finished with an accumulative xG total of 6.55, which leads the tournament, yet they only managed three goals.
Defensively, they can consider themselves unfortunate too. Croatia conceded six goals from an xG against (xGA) of 4.37, though their 15 shots on target faced does rank joint-fifth worst. Ultimately, Zlatko Dalic's team allowed too many efforts on goal, and they paid the price for profligate finishing at the other end.
Czechia
Czechia finished bottom of Group F, with Georgia the surprise package as they stunned Portugal to claim third place.
Despite not winning a match, Czechia recorded 5.11 xG in total, the sixth-highest figure in the tournament.
Interestingly, the four Group F teams (Portugal, Turkiye, Georgia and Czechia) all rank in the top nine for xG so far.
Czechia converted that xG into just three goals, though, with Patrik Schick - who shared the Golden Boot with Cristiano Ronaldo at Euro 2020 - failing to spark like he did three years ago.
But, we can't pin Czechia's failure on their finishing. Their xG on target (xGoT) of 6.01 shows they were forcing opposition goalkeepers into action, with Ivan Hasek's team leading the way for shots on target (20, equal with Germany). Czechia's 6.82% shot conversion rate was the lowest in Group F, though.
Ukraine
For the first time in the history of the Euros, four teams in one pool all finished level - that was in Group E, with Romania, Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine all collecting four points.
Ukraine were the unfortunate team to miss out, as they became the first side in Euros history to finish bottom of the group while earning four points. Ouch.
What do the metrics say? Well, they should probably have scored a goal more than the two they managed, having accumulated 3.07 xG. Their shot conversion rate of 5.13% ranks 19th out of 24, though.
At the other end of the pitch, even though they only had a total xGA of 2.95 across the three games, they were punished by some quality finishing from Romania in an opening 3-0 defeat, which ultimately proved decisive in their exit.
LUCKY WINNERS
Italy
It's a good job for the holders that Zaccagni curled in late on against Croatia. If not, and if results in other groups had gone as they have done, then the Azzurri would not have made it through as one of the best third-placed teams.
As it was, they did get that crucial goal against Croatia, despite mustering just 0.9 xG, so they made it through in second and will now face Switzerland in the last 16.
With Germany, Spain, France and Portugal on the other side of the bracket, could a path be opening up for Luciano Spalletti's team to defend their title, against the odds?
Italy generated just 2.62 xG across their three games, the sixth-lowest in the competition, while they have only had nine shots on target, more than only Scotland (three), Serbia (six) and Slovenia (seven).
They are on the kinder half of the draw, but it's fair to say they are fortunate to be there.
Georgia
It is fantastic to see tournament debutants Georgia make it into the knockouts, and based on their performance against Portugal, in a 2-0 win, it is hard to say they didn't deserve it.
Georges Mikautadze is the first player to score or assist in each of his first three games at the European Championship since Gareth Bale for Wales in 2016, and as it stands, he is also the unlikely leader in the Golden Boot race.
That being said, the metrics do not reflect particularly well on Willy Sagnol's team, who have been defensively wide open, facing a tournament-high 71 shots, with 25 of those (another competition high) hitting the target. In fact, they have given up over 3.0 xG in two of their three matches so far.
They have been hugely reliant on goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who has prevented the most goals of any shot-stopper in the tournament based on Opta's xGoT model (four goals conceded from 7.6 xGoT).
Mamardashvili is likely to have to be on top form again if Georgia are to shock Spain on Sunday.
Going the other way, Georgia have only had 26 shots (only Scotland, with 17, managed fewer), but their shot conversion rate is an impressive 15.38%, the third-highest in the tournament.
You have to have luck on your side to win a tournament, but is this going to be sustainable in the knockouts?
England
Much has been made of England's poor performances in Germany, considering the attacking talent Gareth Southgate has at his disposal.
And the metrics do support those moans and groans - the Three Lions' 2.19 xG is the third-lowest in the competition.
However, they also have the stingiest defence, having kept two clean sheets and given up just 1.15 xG.
England, though, have certainly been fortunate that Denmark, Serbia and Slovenia hardly offered the sternest of opponents in Group C. They have landed in the kinder half of the draw, but it's time for the pre-tournament favourites to click into gear.
'I knew it could be good' - Sabitzer proud after earning Austria top spot
Marcel Sabitzer is proud of not only his winning goal, but also the strength Austria showed in their 3-2 victory over the Netherlands on Tuesday.
Ralf Rangnick's side were drawn into a group including pre-tournament favourites France, the Netherlands and Poland, and few expected them to come out on top.
However, after narrowly losing their opening to Les Bleus, Austria beat Poland 3-1 before Sabitzer struck the winner – his first goal at the European Championships – against the Netherlands to see them finish first in Group D.
With a last-16 tie against one of the best third-place teams still to come, Sabitzer is confident in Austria's togetherness.
"I got the ball deep, I looked up to see if someone was free in the middle, but I got the impression that [the Netherlands] had more men there. In the past, the left foot has often helped me, so I thought that was the moment I could give it a try," Sabitzer told reporters.
"As soon as the ball left my foot, I knew it could be good.
"We are all footballers who want to win games, and that is our objective in every game. And if you have moments where things are a bit more difficult, and it goes back and forth, then the question is how does the team react to that.
"You can be proud of the unity we have, the mentality we have on the pitch ... we used our strengths, the goal was very nicely worked. So many Austrians who watch us in the stadium trust us, and we want to give them something back."
Chile 0-1 Argentina: Super sub Martinez sends Albiceleste to Copa America quarter-finals
Lautaro Martinez struck a late winner as Argentina beat Chile 1-0 to secure their place in the Copa America knockout stages with a game to spare.
The reigning champions looked like they would have to settle for a point on a frustrating night at the MetLife Stadium, having failed to turn their superiority into the game's opening goal.
But substitute Martinez, who also netted from the bench in his nation's opener against Canada, finally broke Chile's resolve when he lashed home two minutes from time.
It moved Lionel Scaloni's side onto six points at the Group A summit, three points ahead of Canada, who beat Peru 1-0 earlier in the day. A draw against Peru in their final game will now be enough to secure top spot.
Argentina dominated the first half with 13 unanswered shots, yet just three of those were on target. One of them saw Julian Alvarez fire straight at Claudio Bravo from close range in the 22nd minute.
Lionel Messi also went close to scoring in the 36th minute. La Albiceleste's skipper let fly with a fizzing 25-yard attempt that clipped the outside of Bravo's left post, while Erick Pulgar almost turned Nahuel Molina's cross beyond the Chile goalkeeper two minutes later.
La Roja had Bravo to thank for keeping Argentina at bay, as the reigning champions continued to carry the greater attacking threat after the break.
The veteran stopper beat away Molina's fierce strike within five minutes of the restart, and just after the hour mark, he produced a superb reflex save to tip Nicolas Gonzalez's drive onto the crossbar.
With the breakthrough still eluding the world champions, Scaloni bolstered his attack by introducing Angel Di Maria and Martinez for the final 17 minutes.
Chile had increased their own attacking threat by registering their first attempts on goal in the contest, with Rodrigo Echeverria calling Emiliano Martinez into action on both occasions.
Yet, there was to be a late twist in Argentina's favour when an 88th-minute corner broke kindly for Martinez, who reacted quickest to fire into the roof of the net and send La Albiceleste through to the quarter-finals.
Persistence pays dividends for Argentina
The history books would have suggested Argentina should have fancied their chances against Chile.
This is epitomised by the fact they are now unbeaten after 90 minutes in the last 13 meetings, winning eight of those, but that does not tell the full story.
Seven of those eight victories have only been by a single-goal margin and, of course, they lost on penalties in the Copa America final showdowns of 2015 and 2016.
Though they dominated most of this contest and registered 22 shots to their opponents' three, just the one goal was enough once more, with both of Martinez's strikes from the bench in this competition coming in the 88th minute.
Argentina progress to the Copa America knockout stages for a 14th consecutive time, excluding when they withdrew from the 2001 tournament.
Toothless Roja see resistance broken
Chile looked set to frustrate Argentina once again at the Copa America and hold out for a second successive clean sheet.
Their defensive resolve - along with an inspired performance by Bravo between the sticks - looked like it would remain firm and keep the reigning champions at bay, until Martinez's late intervention.
What will be more concerning for La Roja is the fact they have now gone four successive Copa America matches without scoring, while having to wait until the 72nd minute for their first attempt on goal.
That is something they need to address quickly ahead of their crucial final Group A clash with Canada, in which a victory could still see them snatch second place and a quarter-final spot.
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