Jamie McClurg said he was “choked” at Bracknell Town’s exit from the FA Cup at Sky Bet League One Cambridge following a 2-1 defeat.
The Southern League Premier Division South side were playing in the first round for the third time and looked set to be heading out following Fejiri Okenabirhie’s opener and Olukayode Osu’s own goal soon after half-time.
Joint manager McClurg was left ruing a penalty appeal which was turned down midway through the second half for a challenge on sub Ben Harris, whose goal two minutes from the end proved in vain.
“If it’s down the other end, it’s a penalty. That’s how I see it,” McClurg said afterwards.
“Ben’s gone through and he’s been taken from behind, it’s clear as day. Even the fourth official’s agreed with me and then changed his mind.
“We said we wanted a performance, and every single one of them has given us that. I’m extremely proud like Carl (Withers, his fellow joint manager) is and all the management team.
“I am choked about a couple of decisions, the goals, the penalty, there’s a chance at the end. I’m actually really choked about things but I’m so proud of the lads.
“Football comes down to moments. I want to focus on all the lads and what they gave us, all the efforts that have gone into this, but I really thought this would be the time that Bracknell got into the second round so I’m quite emotional about it.
“I’m sure the whole town is proud of what of what we’ve achieved. I felt it was there for us today, but that’s football.”
Cambridge boss Mark Bonner felt his side had nearly thrown the victory away despite looking comfortable at 2-0 up.
“If you want the magic of the cup you’ve got to get through the first few rounds, so we’re pleased to have done that, but the second half was ridiculous,” Bonner said.
“The way the game finished was ridiculous as well. We got away with one, really.
“They had chances to do it and they’ll think they should have done it. They probably should have done in the end because we gave them so many moments.
“We were really comfortable up to the second goal. Obviously we had lots of the ball, created lots of chances, could be a bit more clinical, but we were happy enough with the first half.
“In the second half we get an early goal and you just say ‘right, let the game roll away from them and take the game,’ but we got scruffy and scrappy.
“Every time we made changes we kept getting worse, so it was a horrible end, but just get through and have the opportunity to play another game.”
Messi to miss Peru clash as Scaloni 'upset' by touchline ban
Lionel Messi will miss Argentina's Copa America showdown with Peru on Saturday, while head coach Lionel Scaloni will also be absent after being handed a touchline ban.
The reigning champions have already secured their passage into the quarter-finals with a game to spare following back-to-back wins over Canada and Chile, and a point against Peru will be enough to secure top spot in Group A.
Therefore, it will provide a welcome opportunity for La Albiceleste to potentially rotate and rest several key players, including skipper Messi, whose absence was confirmed due to a groin issue.
"Leo had a [groin] problem in the last game and, in this one, he will not be there," Argentina assistant coach Walter Samuel told reporters during his pre-match press conference. "We are going to see day by day how it is."
The reigning world champions will also have to make do without Scaloni following a sanction by CONMEBOL.
It comes after Argentina returned late for the second half in successive matches, with the governing body issuing a fine and touchline ban to their head coach, whose side were initially warned for the first instance.
"We got the news today, it was a shock," Samuel added. "Lionel is upset about this. He wanted to be with the team, but we will abide by what CONMEBOL says.
"We consider ourselves to be staff with a lot of professionalism. Sometimes, you're talking about a small detail. We weren't trying to find an advantage. Now, we have to focus on the next match and move forward."
Samuel also shrugged off suggestions Argentina are favourites to successfully defend their crown in the United States, insisting they are focused very much on the short term.
"Are we the favourites to win the Copa America? It's hard to be favourites because there are many great teams," he said.
"We don't like to say that [we are favourites], we always go with 'game-by-game'. Now, we only think about Peru, and then treat each game like a final."
Portland Timbers v Minnesota United: Neville insists hosts 'not taking our foot off the gas'
Phil Neville insists Portland Timbers are still "nowhere near" their capabilities, despite an impressive MLS run lifting them up the table ahead of Saturday's clash with Minnesota United.
The Timbers have surged up the Western Conference standings, sitting seventh in the league after a six-game undefeated streak.
Neville's men leapfrogged Vancouver Whitecaps with a commendable 2-0 victory last time out, with this another chance to put pressure on the teams above them.
The former Inter Miami head coach still believes Portland can significantly improve, too.
"It's step by step, we've got a lot of work to do, but we're not getting carried away," Neville said.
"We're keeping our feet firmly on the ground, but we are building confidence, and I think the boys are enjoying what we are doing at the minute.
"I think the longer that continues, the better it is for us. I think this team could still play better. We're nowhere near where we need to be.
"There's a big improvement still needed, we have another opportunity to go here – we're at home, we need to improve our form there, and gaining points here is going to be key to us making the playoffs."
Minnesota are two places above the Timbers despite a three-match losing streak, a run they will be desperate to snap here.
The Loons came away empty-handed once more in their last outing, a 1-0 defeat to Austin FC, but Neville acknowledged the quality his side will face.
"We're against a team that has brilliant players," Neville added. "We're going to have to play better than we did against Vancouver – we're not taking our foot off the gas."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Portland Timbers – Felipe Mora
Felipe Mora scored his ninth goal of the season on Saturday, while Jonathan Rodriguez netted his eighth of 2024.
That pair join Evander (eight goals) to make Portland the only MLS team with three players to have scored at least eight goals this season, though Mora may be the one to keep an eye on against Minnesota.
Minnesota United – Robin Lod
Robin Lod created four chances against Austin, his ninth match with at least that many in an MLS game for the Loons.
The only Minnesota players with more MLS games in which they have created four or more chances are Emanuel Reynoso (24) and Darwin Quintero (14).
MATCH PREDICTION – PORTLAND TIMBERS WIN
Minnesota may boast a favourable head-to-head record in this fixture, but Portland are the favourites for victory here.
Indeed, the Loons have only two of their last 13 meetings with the Timbers in all competitions (won nine, drawn two), including winning the last three in a row.
Yet, Minnesota have never won four straight against Portland, who are in fine defensive form before this clash.
Portland have kept a clean sheet in three of their last five matches, including a 2-0 win over Vancouver on Saturday.
Prior to that, Portland had two shutouts in their previous 31 regular-season games dating back to last June, and another could be on the cards against the out-of-form Loons.
Minnesota dropped their third consecutive game with the loss to Austin, though the Loons have not lost four straight regular-season games since failing in the first four matches of the 2021 season.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Portland Timbers win – 44.8%
Draw – 26.9%
Minnesota United win – 28.3%
'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."
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