Chiedozie Ogbene has warned the Republic of Ireland they must expect the Netherlands to be every bit as good as France as they head into Sunday’s do-or-die Euro 2024 qualifier in Dublin.
The 26-year-old Luton frontman and his team-mates were back on home soil on Friday, still licking their wounds after a 2-0 Group B defeat in Paris in which they were subjected to the full armoury at Didier Deschamps’ disposal.
With only three points banked from their first four games – and those from a 3-0 victory over Gibraltar – anything less than a win against the Dutch would leave their qualification hopes in tatters.
But asked if they could a least hope Ronald Koeman’s side would not be as powerful as the French, Ogbene said: “I think they will be as good.
“The Dutch have good experience in this competition. We’ll take nothing for granted. We’ll do our homework and try and get a positive result because that is what we need right now. Any sort of good result to help us control our destiny in this competition.
“Nothing is over until it is over. We like to control our destiny. If we don’t get a positive result, it is out of our hands.”
Ireland were taught a brutal lesson at the Parc des Princes by the side ranked second in the world and had to defend for dear life to stay within touching distance.
The Netherlands are only five places worse off, while Ireland sit in 53rd place in the table and the trip to Paris proved a bruising one.
However, Ogbene knows there is only so much time to reflect before minds have to focus once again.
He said: “It’s difficult for some players because everyone is emotionally engaged in this competition. We all want to qualify for Germany and do well for the nation.
“It’s not as easy as it says, just to move on to Sunday. We have to do it. We have 24 hours (for it) to sink in and let our thoughts run wild.
“After 24 hours, you have to move on because we have a big game on Sunday. If we win that, we’re back in the running.”
Manager Stephen Kenny is hoping that is exactly what happens with knives being sharpened at the prospect of the campaign effectively ending with three games to go.
For a generation of Ireland supporters, memories of a famous 1-0 World Cup qualifier win over a Dutch side which included Edwin Van Der Sar, Jaap Stam, Marc Overmars, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Patrick Kluivert at Lansdowne Road in September 2001 remain vivid and a repeat could hardly be more timely.
Kenny said: “I was a supporter in the crowd at that game. It was an unbelievable performance all right and a great win and a famous win, of course.
“That team was a really top-class Irish team. But from our point of view, that’s what we need to do. We have got to believe that we can put in the performance that can get the result we need.”
Genoa 0-3 Juventus: Vlahovic double ends goal-drought to send visitors top of Serie A
Dusan Vlahovic scored twice to help Juventus to a 3-0 win at Genoa in Serie A as Thiago Motta's side moved top of the standings.
Vlahovic scored Juventus' first goal in four league games when he converted from the spot after they were awarded a penalty for a handball following half-time.
He added his second in the 55th minute from a tight angle after Teun Koopmeiners found the Serbian striker on the edge of the box with a deep cross-field pass.
Substitute Francisco Conceicao then sealed the win with a low, one-touch finish late on.
The game in Genoa was played behind closed doors after crowd violence during their Coppa Italia fixture against Serie B side Sampdoria left more than 50 people injured.
Juventus, who drew each of their last three league games 0-0, top the table with 12 points from six games, one point ahead of second-placed Torino who host Lazio on Sunday.
Data Debrief: Vlahovic gets Juventus firing
Vlahovic broke the deadlock on Saturday and is now only one of the two players to score at least two braces in Serie A this season, level with Marcus Thuram.
The Serbian was bound to score from the sport having converted 18 of his 22 penalties taken in Serie A, including his last three in 2024.
Fellow goalscorer Conceicao scored 8,252 days after his father, Sergio, last bagged in Serie A on 24 February 2002, meanwhile, for Inter against Udinese.
International record goalscorer Sinclair to retire after NWSL season
Christine Sinclair, the all-time record goalscorer in international football, will retire at the end of the National Women’s Soccer League in November.
Sinclair, 41, has 190 goals in 331 appearances for Canada, making her the top scorer across both men's and women's football.
She has played for the NWSL's Portland Thorns since 2013, helping them to win the inaugural title that year. She added further league crowns to her collection in 2017 and 2022.
The Canadian great has had similar success with her national team, winning a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She is also one of three players to score at five World Cups, alongside Brazil's Marta and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.
Sinclair retired from international football in December 2023, and will now call time on her club career.
"Portland, thank you will never be enough. Soccer has been my passion since I was four years old and it has taken me on a journey I could never have imagined," Sinclair wrote on Instagram.
"As I finish out this last ride, I want to say what a privilege it has been to represent this unique, beautiful, and passionate city that I will always call home."
St. Louis City v Sporting Kansas City: This rivalry is important to MLS, says Hackworth
John Hackworth believes St. Louis City's derby with Sporting Kansas City is key to MLS as they resume their rivalry on Saturday.
The last two meetings between the sides have finished level, with both ending in dramatic fashion.
St. Louis City come into the latest edition having lost just one of their last six outings, though that was their last home match.
They sit 13th in the Eastern Conference, level on points with Sporting above them, and Hackworth is now keen to build on the momentum from their win over San Jose Earthquakes last Saturday.
"We talked about trying to finish these last five games with a lot of momentum, showing our fans what we were capable of," Hackworth said.
"We knew we had to go on the road in one of these three games and be successful, and now we just need to build on that.
"This rivalry is really important to our league. It's two teams who are going to go after it and play by their principles, leaving it all out there to see what happens - two dramatic draws set us up for this contest."
Meanwhile, Kansas City have won just one of their last five matches in all competitions and suffered a 3-1 defeat to Los Angeles FC in the US Open Cup final on Wednesday.
Head coach Peter Vermes was left disappointed by the result but believes there are positives to take from the performance.
"I give the guys a lot of credit. I'm very proud of the effort that the guys put into that game," Vermes said.
"It never feels good to lose. But I also think that the group did themselves proud in the way they performed. We had good responses in that game, but in the end, we fell short."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
St. Louis City – Cedric Teuchert
Cedric Teuchert scored in the fourth minute in each of St. Louis City's last two matches.
Teuchert is one of six players to score more than one goal in the opening four minutes of matches this season and the second to do so in consecutive matches (Mikael Uhre).
Sporting Kansas City – Tim Melia
Both goals Sporting Kansas City conceded in their loss to Minnesota United on Saturday came in the final 30 minutes.
Sporting have allowed 31 goals in the final 30 minutes of matches this season, only San Jose (33) has allowed more, and Tim Melia will be hoping his concentration levels can improve ahead of Saturday's match.
MATCH PREDICTION: ST. LOUIS CITY WIN
St. Louis City have lost only two of their last 10 matches in all competitions (W4 D4), including picking up a 2-1 win at San Jose on Saturday. St. Louis have not won two straight matches in all competitions since wins over Minnesota United and Sporting Kansas City last September.
Sporting have lost 10 of their last 12 regular-season away matches, including a 2-0 loss in Seattle in their last league road match. Only league-worst San Jose (11) have lost more away matches this season than Sporting (10).
However, Kansas City are unbeaten in four straight meetings with St. Louis (W2 D2) after St. Louis won two of the first three encounters. This will be the eighth meeting between St. Louis and Kansas City, totaling 10.4 % (8/77) of all of St. Louis' games in all competitions up to this point.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
St. Louis City – 43.4%
Draw – 26.7%
Sporting Kansas City – 29.9%
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