Wycombe fight back from two goals down to earn draw against 10-man Fleetwood

By Sports Desk January 27, 2024

Richard Kone’s first league goal helped Wycombe recover from 2-0 down to earn a point against 10-man Fleetwood in an entertaining 2-2 draw at Adams Park.

Fleetwood looked in control thanks to first-half goals from Promise Omochere and Jayden Stockley but they suffered a huge setback on the stroke of half-time when Omochere was sent off.

Wycombe made their numerical advantage count after the break to pull a goal back through Garath McCleary’s penalty before Kone salvaged a point with seven minutes left.

The Cod Army, looking to move off the bottom of League One, took the lead in the 14th minute when Omochere poked home Harry Boyes’ smart low cross.

Stockley nodded home his fifth goal of the season to make it 2-0 after the half-hour but Fleetwood’s hopes of victory were hit just before the break when a reckless lunge on David Wheeler earned Omochere a second yellow card.

Wycombe upped the pressure in the second half and won a penalty in the 53rd minute when a goal-bound strike deflected off an arm, but Luke Leahy was denied fantastically by Jay Lynch from 12 yards.

Another handball gifted the Chairboys a second chance from the spot in the 62nd minute, and this time McCleary confidently dispatched his effort into the roof of the net.

January signing Kone saw a header ruled out for offside as Wycombe pushed for an equaliser, but his smart finish with time running out earned the hosts a point.

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    The Three Lions advanced to the Euro 2024 knockout stages as Group C winners, despite winning just one of their opening three games and scoring two goals. 

    Southgate's side, who came under scrutiny following their 1-1 draw with Denmark, did little to silence those critics with another underwhelming performance against the Slovenians.

    Despite dominating large periods of the contest with 74% of possession, it yielded an expected goals (xG) tally of just 0.87, with the front three of Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden registering just two shots on target between them.

    Sections of England fans jeered their team at the final whistle, while hurling empty drinks cups in the direction of Southgate as he applauded them.

    The Three Lions boss empathised with the supporters, but urged them to point the finger of blame at him, rather than his players.

    "I understand it. I'm not going to back away from it," he told reporters during his post-match press conference. "The most important thing is the supporters stay with the team.

    "I understand the narrative towards me, and that's better for the team than it being towards them. But it is creating an unusual environment to operate in. I've not seen any other team qualify and receive similar.

    "[The players] kept composure in a game where they've come into a really challenging environment. Of course, we'd love a couple of goals that sends everybody home happy. But we were definitely an improvement on what we did in the last game."

    "I think the changes we made had a positive effect on the game tonight. We weren't able to find the right pass, the final finish. But we are improving."

    Despite the disappointment at their performance levels, England have managed to avoid the half of the draw that includes the likes of France, Germany, Spain and Portugal.

    The Three Lions will play either the Netherlands, who finished third in Group D, or Group E's third-placed side in the round of 16 in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday.

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    "We have made England over the last three or four years fun again. I think it has been enjoyable for the players, and we have got to be very, very careful that it stays that way."

  • Scotland denied '100% penalty' against Hungary, says Clarke Scotland denied '100% penalty' against Hungary, says Clarke

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    Stuart Armstrong looked to have skipped beyond Hungary's Willi Orban in the 80th minute, before the RB Leipzig defender grappled across the midfielder, with both tumbling inside the area. 

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    Germany looked sure to be on the end of a shock defeat to Switzerland until substitute Niclas Fullkrug stepped up to make it 1-1 in stoppage time and send the hosts through as group winners.

    Meanwhile, Scotland crashed out of the tournament without a win after conceding the latest goal ever scored at the Euros, with Hungary keeping their hopes of knockout football alive with their 1-0 victory.

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    Switzerland 1-1 Germany: Neuer makes history, but Fullkrug grabs headlines

    Having already qualified for the last 16, the hosts left it late to seal top spot in the group, needing Fullkrug to make a much-needed impact off the bench in Frankfurt.

    Dan Ndoye had given Switzerland a first-half lead with his maiden international goal to become the nation's second-youngest goalscorer at the Euros (aged 23 years 242 days), but Switzerland could not hold on.

    Manuel Neuer was left helpless against the forward's first-time finish on his 18th appearance at the European Championships, the most among goalkeepers at the tournament (overtaking Gianluigi Buffon – 17). At major tournaments, only Cristiano Ronaldo (45) has played in more games than the Bayern Munich stopper (37).

    Julian Nagelsmann named the same starting XI for three consecutive games, the first time Germany have done so in the competition's history, though it looked like tiredness was starting to take its toll as they struggled to break down their opponents.

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    Having completed 323 passes so far at Euro 2024, Kroos has made the joint-most on record (since 1980) by a player in the group stage since himself at Euro 2016 (also 323).

    Germany eventually had 18 shots, with Fullkrug picking out the top corner with the final one; the striker has scored 13 goals in just 19 international appearances, while his four as a substitute at major tournaments are more than any other European player.

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    Kevin Csoboth cemented his place in European Championship history with his counter-attacking finish as he netted the latest goal ever scored in the tournament's history (excluding extra time), timed at 99 minutes and 32 seconds.

    Despite needing a win to finish third, Scotland failed to have a single shot on target in the game. In total, the Tartan Army had just 17 shots at Euro 2024 – since the group stage was introduced in 1980, it is the joint-fewest by a national team, along with Northern Ireland at Euro 2016.

    Indeed, only twice at Euro 2024 has a team failed to manage a shot on target in the first half of a match and both have been Scotland (also on MD 1 against Germany).

    Scotland pushed numbers forward for their last-minute corner with the hopes of reaching the knockout stage of the Euros for the first time, but instead will leave a major tournament group stage without a win for the sixth time (1954, 1958, 1986 and 1998 World Cups and Euro 2020 and 2024).

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