Mika Biereth made a big impact on his Motherwell debut as he inspired the Steelmen to a 2-1 victory over Hibernian in the cinch Premiership.
The on-loan Arsenal striker came off the bench after 55 minutes and laid on the opening goal for Conor Wilkinson before blasting home in superb fashion to double the hosts’ advantage.
Adam Le Fondre gave Hibs some late hope with his injury-time penalty, though Motherwell held on for their first win of the season.
Lee Johnson’s side are still looking for their first point of the new campaign, while Motherwell moved up to fourth in the table.
Dylan Levitt dragged an effort wide of the target as Hibernian threatened in the early exchanges.
It took until the 20-minute mark for the hosts to register their first goal attempt, Blair Spittal trying his luck from range only for the ball to be deflected behind for a corner.
Dan Casey came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock with four minutes remaining in the first half as the defender bulleted a header beyond Hibs keeper David Marshall and against the underside of the crossbar.
Johnson made a double substitution at the break, introducing Martin Boyle and Le Fondre for Dylan Vente and Levitt – however, it was Motherwell who continued to look the more likely.
Conor Wilkinson did well to weave his way into the visitors’ penalty box in the opening minutes following the restart but was unable to get a shot away. The ball was eventually cleared to Lennon Miller, who could only manage a weak effort into the grateful arms of Marshall.
Spittal went close with a low drive on the hour mark before at the other end, Christian Doidge headed on to the roof of the net.
The opening goal arrived with 24 minutes remaining when Biereth did brilliantly to burst into the box and squared for Wilkinson, who made no mistake from close range.
Bevis Mugabi passed up a good opportunity to double the lead for Stuart Kettlewell’s side as he failed to make any contact with Pape Souare’s corner.
The game looked to have been put beyond doubt with five minutes remaining when Biereth robbed Paul Hanlon before turning two defenders inside out and slamming the ball low beyond Marshall, though there was still time for some late drama.
Hibs were awarded a penalty in the third minute of injury time, which Le Fondre calmly dispatched into the bottom corner.
Dominican Republic 1-3 Spain: La Roja seal quarter-final progress with game to spare
Fermin Lopez and Alex Baena were on target as Spain beat 10-man Dominican Republic 3-1 to seal their place in the men's quarter-finals at the Olympic Games with a match to spare.
Miguel Gutierrez also struck for La Roja, who made it two wins from two in Group C at Stade de Bordeaux, where their opponents played over half of the game with 10 players following Edison Azcona's red card.
Santi Denia's side opened their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan at Parc des Princes on Wednesday, and the first goal of this contest was handed to them on a plate in the 24th minute.
Fermin ruthlessly pounced on Enrique Boesl's tame pass out of goal, with the Barcelona midfielder calmly slotting home.
The Dominican Republic levelled 13 minutes later through Angel Montes de Oca's free header, but they were reduced to 10 men just before half-time with Azcona dismissed for violent conduct after lashing out at Pau Cubarsi.
Spain capitalised on their numerical advantage through Alex Baena's deflected strike in the 55th minute before substitute Gutierrez sealed the points 15 minutes later by tapping into an empty net, with the goal eventually standing following a VAR review.
Data Debrief: La Roja roar into quarter-finals
Spain dominated large periods of the contest with 21 shots to their opponents' five and, playing the entire second half with an extra player, their superiority eventually told.
Silver medallists in Tokyo three years ago, La Roja have progressed from the group stage of consecutive Games for the first time since a run of three straight qualifications between 1992 and 2000.
Argentina 3-1 Iraq: Albiceleste bounce back from opening loss at Olympics
Argentina got their Group B campaign at the Olympics up and running with a 3-1 victory over Iraq, with Thiago Almada, Luciano Gondou and Ezequiel Fernandez scoring.
Javier Mascherano's side made a losing start against Morocco on Wednesday, going down by a 2-1 scoreline in a chaotic match that featured almost 20 minutes of second-half stoppage time and a two-hour delay due to crowd trouble.
They bounced back against Iraq despite Aymen Hussein cancelling out Almada's opener, with Gondou and Fernandez on target in the second half in a deserved victory.
Argentina hit the front after 14 minutes as Julian Alvarez improvised to chest a deflected cross down to Almada, who lashed into the bottom-left corner on the volley.
But Iraq grew into the contest and got their reward five minutes into first-half stoppage time, Hussein getting across his marker to nod Ahmed Maknzi's cross into the far corner.
Argentina were in the ascendency throughout the second half, though, restoring their lead shortly after the hour mark. Iraq goalkeeper Hussein Hasan got caught under Kevin Zenon's cross as Gondou headed home at the far post.
They wrapped up the points when Fernandez scored the pick of the goals with five minutes remaining, the midfielder curling a left-footed shot into the top-left corner after clever play from Almada and Zenon.
The Albiceleste, Iraq and Morocco are now all level on three points with one game remaining, with Ukraine pointless ahead of facing the Atlas Lions later on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Almada pulls the strings
Almada was part of Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning squad and attracted plenty of admiring glances from European clubs while with Atlanta United, only to join Botofogo for an MLS-record fee earlier this month.
The Brazilian giants have every right to be pleased with their purchase.
As well as firing in the opener on Saturday, Almada managed a game-high three chances created and 30 passes in the final third. A sumptuous backheel in the build-up to Fernandez's goal provided another glimpse of his quality.
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."
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