Portsmouth march on while Wrexham miss chance to share League Two lead

By Sports Desk March 12, 2024

Kusini Yengi’s brace kept Portsmouth five points clear at the top of League One with a 2-1 win over Burton.

Yengi scored the opener from the penalty spot in first-half stoppage time after being brought down and then turned in Abu Kamara’s cross just after the hour, with Burton captain John Brayford pulling one back late on.

Derby kept pace as Dwight Gayle scored his third goal in as many games to help them to a 2-1 win over Reading.

That kept Derby second, one point above Bolton, who thrashed Oxford 5-0 with goals from Nathanael Ogbeta, Josh Dacres-Cogley, George Thomason, Aaron Collins and Josh Sheehan.

Barnsley moved up to fourth as they came from behind to beat bottom club Carlisle 3-2 with goals from Jordan Williams, John McAtee and Jon Russell, while Blackpool moved to within a point of the play-off places as Matt Pennington’s scruffy second-half goal beat Northampton 1-0.

Jack Moylan and Joe Taylor each scored twice as Lincoln stretched their unbeaten run to 12 matches with a 6-0 rout of Cambridge, and an own goal from Wigan goalkeeper Sam Tickle gave Wycombe a 1-0 win.

Exeter picked up their first win in five by beating 10-man Shrewsbury 3-0 while Fleetwood remain six points from safety after a 0-0 draw with Bristol Rovers, as do Port Vale after a goalless draw with play-off chasing Leyton Orient.

Wrexham missed the chance to move level on points at the top of League Two as they were held to a goalless draw at home to Harrogate on the night that leaders Mansfield were beaten 2-1 at Tranmere.

Tranmere took an early lead against Mansfield through Regan Hendry, and although Will Swan levelled for the Stags before half-time, Rob Apter’s strike just before the hour proved the winner.

Elliott Nevitt’s 15th goal of the season earned Crewe a 1-0 win over basement boys Sutton, moving them above MK Dons who sit fifth after losing 1-0 at relegation-threatened Grimsby, with Justin Obikwu getting the goal. Sixth-placed Barrow took a point from a 1-1 draw at Walsall.

Omar Bugiel’s brace fired AFC Wimbledon into the play-off places with a 2-0 win over Gillingham, Ade Adeyemo’s late winner saw Crawley come from behind to beat 10-man Notts County 2-1, while Forest Green moved out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 win at Bradford as Christian Doidge scored in the first and last minutes.

Late goals from Harry Charsley and Seb Palmer-Houlden saw Newport take the points from a 5-3 thriller against Morecambe while Accrington ended a run of fourth straight defeats as Alex Henderson’s late goal saw them win 2-1 at Swindon.

The match between Colchester and Doncaster was postponed.

Related items

  • Al-Nassr 1-2 Al-Qadsiah: Aubameyang winner ends hosts' unbeaten run Al-Nassr 1-2 Al-Qadsiah: Aubameyang winner ends hosts' unbeaten run

    Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hit the winner as Al-Qadsiah inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League on Friday to end their 21-match unbeaten run. 

    Cristiano Ronaldo's seventh league goal of the season put Al-Nassr ahead, but Al-Qadsiah replied swiftly through Julian Quinones before Aubameyang struck the decisive blow.

    The hosts drew first blood in the 32nd minute when Ronaldo slotted home after Al-Qadsiah goalkeeper Koen Casteels had spilled a routine catch from Talisca's cross.

    However, Al-Nassr's joy was short-lived when Quinones brought down Turki Al Ammar's delivery five minutes later, with the Mexcio winger firing past Bento to level the scores.

    Quinones also played a part in the winning goal after brilliantly turning the ball back across goal from Nahitan Nandez's search pass to tee up a simple finish for Aubameyang. 

    The result sees Al-Qadsiah move level on 22 points with third-placed Al-Nassr, with Al-Shabab also level with them.

    Stefano Pioli's Al-Nassr are six points adrift of defending champions and leaders Al-Hilal, who also have a game in hand. 

  • Arsenal handed another injury blow as White ruled out for 'months' Arsenal handed another injury blow as White ruled out for 'months'

    Mikel Arteta confirmed that Arsenal defender Ben White is facing "months" on the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury. 

    White had been dealing with several issues all season and has missed five games in all competitions for the Gunners already this term. 

    After struggling through until the November international break, the decision was taken for him to undergo surgery in order to finally address the ongoing problems.

    It serves as a bitter blow for Arteta, with only Thomas Parety (13) making more interceptions than White (11) for Arsenal in the Premier League this campaign. 

    Though Arteta confirmed that the surgery was successful, White is set for a lengthy spell out of the team. 

    "It has been different kinds of struggles. It has never been the same thing, but we had to make a decision. He has not improved over the last few weeks, unfortunately," said Arteta.

    "We know that Ben is going to push every boundary, but it got to the point where we have to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery.

    "He agreed with that and it is going to keep him out for a few months."

    Asked for a specific time frame, Arteta added: "We have to see how he reacts post-surgery. I don't expect it to be half a year, but I cannot tell you exactly."

    It offers a concern for Arteta in the full-back area, with the Spaniard also revealing on Friday that Takehiro Tomiyasu is "going to be out as well for a bit".

    There was, however, some positive injury news for the Gunners ahead of welcoming Nottingham Forest to the Emirates on Saturday. 

    After not featuring for England during the international break, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are expected to be fit to feature against Nuno Espirito Santo's side. 

    Leandro Trossard will also be available for Arteta despite picking up a hamstring injury during the international break with Belgium.

    Defender Riccardo Calafiori is also in contention for Saturday's game after a month out with a knee problem. 

  • Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan Vlahovic out of Juventus clash with Milan

    Dusan Vlahovic will miss Juventus' trip to Milan in Serie A this weekend and is also a doubt for the Champions League game at Aston Villa, head coach Thiago Motta has confirmed.

    Vlahovic returned from the international break with a muscle problem in his left thigh, and the manager, after he confirmed the Serbian's absence for Saturday's game at San Siro, was asked about his chances of playing on Wednesday at Villa Park.

    "I don't know. He definitely won't be there tomorrow. We hope to have him back as soon as possible," Motta told a press conference on Friday.

    "Injuries are part of football. Now it's Vlahovic's turn, but we'll keep playing with the same principles, attacking and defending together."

    Vlahovic is the latest of Motta's injury problems at Juventus. Argentine winger Nicolas Gonzalez missed the last six league games and is still unavailable, while Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik is a long-term absentee.

    Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz will also miss the game with Milan and defender Juan Cabal recently suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury, the same issue which will keep fellow defender Gleison Bremer out for the rest of the season.

    "I'm really disappointed for Cabal because, like Bremer, he'll be out for a long time," Motta said.

    "This is another reason to push ourselves, to commit that bit more so that these absences don't weigh too heavily."

    Juventus go into the game as the only unbeaten side in Serie A but find themselves sixth in the standings in what is so far a very tight title race, with just two points separating Motta's side from leaders Napoli.

    "It's very balanced and this is good for both us and the public," Motta said.

    "We must all try to continue like this. We have to try to get as many positive results as possible."

    Milan are one place behind Juve but six points off Motta's side.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.