Walsall’s wonderful form is no ‘flash in the pan’, said Saddlers boss Mat Sadler after his side beat Doncaster 3-1 to record a fifth successive win and climb to sixth in Sky Bet League Two.
Josh Gordon powered home a header from namesake Liam’s cross to give Walsall an early lead and they wasted chances to go further ahead before Kyle Hurst volleyed Doncaster level.
However, Jack Earing drilled home through a crowded area to put them back ahead before former Doncaster loanee Mo Faal rubbed salt in the wounds late on by heading home a corner.
“The lads are working really hard, they are listening to everything we are saying and taking it all on board, they love being with each other and growing together – that’s what’s special,” Sadler said.
“We just have to keep going and be relentlessly driven and focused – we don’t want to stop, we want to keep going. They are giving me everything, they are giving each other everything.
“Setbacks are going to happen, we will go behind in games because that’s football – the response and reaction from everybody is: we will get the next goal and go and win the game.
“I’ve been speaking about winning games in different ways and today it came from two set-plays, which is great. We looked a real threat from them.
“I think we’ve been good for a long time now, it’s not been a flash in the pan and I’ve known for a significant amount of time what a good team we’ve got here.”
Honest Doncaster boss Grant McCann accepted the blame for the defeat at his door as Rovers remained 20th but still 12 points clear of trouble.
McCann switched from zonal set-piece marking to man-to-man to combat Faal and that left Earing free to fire in Walsall’s crucial second goal.
“We didn’t start well and the conditions weren’t great but after we trusted ourselves and how we could play, I thought we were really good,” he said.
“Their second goal is a mistake from the staff, we’ve let the players down today.
“We’ve made a decision to mark Faal when we usually go zonal – and we’ve taken a marker away from the guy who scored.
“That’s cost us and I apologise to the players and to the fans. It’s a defeat that’s at my hands.
“We thought Faal was causing a problem in and around Timmy (keeper Thimothee Lo-Tutala) but we need to stick to the plan, stick to the process and we’ve let people down today.
“We talk about positivity and we’ve been negative in a situation and that has cost us today.
“It’s one of those days where decisions we made as a staff has hindered the result.”
Chile 0-1 Argentina: Super sub Martinez sends La Albiceleste through to Copa America quarter-finals
Lautaro Martinez struck a dramatic 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 - meaning a draw against Peru in their final game will 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 the quickest to fire into the roof of the net and send La Albiceleste through to the quarter-finals.
Persistence pays dividends for Argentina
The recent history books would suggest Argentina should fancy 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 La Roja resistance finally 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 today.
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.
Davies: Canada will 'enjoy the moment' after historic Copa America win
Alphonso Davies revelled in Canada's first ever Copa America victory, insisting he and his team-mates will savour their narrow 1-0 win over 10-man Peru.
Jonathan David scored the only goal in Kansas as Jesse Marsch's side boosted their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages from Group A.
The Lille striker struck 16 minutes from time to move the Canucks up to second place behind reigning champions Argentina, who beat them 2-0 in their opener, with 26 of his 27 international goals coming in competitive matches.
It gave Canada only their third victory over a South American opponent, and first since a 2-0 win over Colombia in the 2000 Gold Cup final.
They also kept their first clean sheet against a team from the CONMEBOL region since holding Brazil to a goalless draw in the 2001 Confederations Cup.
"We're going to enjoy the moment, but know the work isn't done," skipper Davies told Canadian broadcaster TSN.
Stephen Eustaquio added: "We were too naive in the first half, but played more direct in the second half."
Canada's first Copa America victory came in their second match, with Panama the only CONCACAF nation to achieve their maiden win in their opening match in the competition - doing so eight years ago.
Marsch's side face Chile in their final group encounter on Saturday, when a draw may be enough to take them through to the quarter-finals.
"We have everything to fight for in the last game," David told TSN.
Southgate urges England supporters to 'stay with the team' amid Euro 2024 criticism
Gareth Southgate pleaded for England's supporters to "stay with the team", after venting their frustration following the goalless draw with Slovenia.
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.
And Southgate knows a positive atmosphere within the camp will be crucial as the Euro 2020 finalists target another deep run in this competition.
"You never want to look back having not topped the group and spiral into tough matches where people can then accuse you that, because you didn't win the group, you've ended up with a tougher draw," he added.
"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."
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