Jamaica's Reggae Girlz in action against Brazil.
contributed
Though Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz were again on the losing end against Brazil, Head coach Hubert Busby says they will use the lessons from the two-match outing as a stepping stone, as they gradually rekindled their competitive fire ahead of major tournaments.
Much like Saturday’s first encounter, the Girlz were again blanked 4-0, as Jheniffer (64th, 79th), Cristiane (7th), and Marta (84th) did the damage at the Fonte Nova Arena, in Salvador, on Tuesday.
Still, the Jamaicans gave Busby his heart’s desire as they produced a much-improved performance at both ends of the park, but they were just not clinical enough to get on the scoresheet. However, to their credit, the Girlz did have a goal controversially ruled out for an offside, while Kayla McKenna slammed another effort into the upright.
While not happy about the scoreline, Busby lauded his team for the improved showing, which he believes represents a step in the right direction, especially with this being the first competitive tour together for the core players of last year’s World Cup team, in almost nine months.
“One of the things that we spoke about from the last match was improving our performance and I definitely was pleased with how we came and approached this game. Obviously not the result that we want because we come into every match to win and to get a result. But overall, the challenge was for the team to compete and show a better performance, and they did that,” Busby said.
Hubert Busby
“It's been an honour for us to be here in front of fantastic and passionate crowds and it's only going to put us in good stead, especially with some of our younger players who have come into a very hostile environment and learned what it's like to play at international level. So overall, you know, the two games aren't the results we want, but as part of the experience, it was exactly what we needed to start a new World Cup cycle,” he added.
Like Busby, attacking midfielder Atlanta Primus stressed the importance of regaining their competitive spirit and overall cohesiveness as a unit, and she is also of the view that Tuesday’s performance was a strong reminder of their capabilities.
“Obviously, it was important to come out and put a performance in. We haven't been together for a while, but I think to come and compete against one of the world's best is what we want to put ourselves back out there again. So, I think it was a good challenge for us and I think, moving forwards, these are the games you want to be involved in,” Primus reasoned.
“These are the games that are going to challenge us the most and set us up for the next World Cup, so, it's a challenge. Again, not the results we wanted, but credit to the girls, we worked hard, we put in a performance and I think today (Tuesday) was a lot better than we played on Saturday. So, yeah, credit to the girls and we keep building from here,” she stated.
Finally, Busby pointed to the strides made in Jamaica’s women’s football programme since they made their first World Cup appearance in France in 2019, as he believes the invitation from Brazil for the two-match friendly series is testament to that growth and development.
The now 42nd-ranked Girlz first engaged Brazil in 2019 and lost 3-0. However, they rebounded at last year’s global showpiece in Australia to not only hold the number 10-ranked South Americans to a goalless stalemate, but more importantly, made an historic appearance in the knockout round.
“When you think about where we are coming from 2019 to now, and think about the idea of Brazil inviting us to play in these matches, it's a huge testament to the programme and for us to be playing in these games is great. That wouldn't have happened four years ago, so it's a testament to how far we've come, but I know the group and the federation isn't satisfied just yet because we want to go even further,” Busby declared.
“It's very important that we play these games and we want to play tier one games and top teams in the top ten and top 20, because that's the only way you're going to grow. You know, you might not get the results you want, but it's always a measuring stick of which to find out where you are and how far you need to go to be the best,” the former national goalkeeper ended.
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
Netherlands 0-0 France: Simons denied as spoils shared at top of Group D
Xavi Simons saw a potential winner controversially disallowed as the spoils were shared in a 0-0 draw between the Netherlands and France in Group D at Euro 2024.
A VAR check led to the Dutchman's 69th-minute strike being chalked off for offside, stopping the Oranje from booking their place in the round of 16 with a game to spare.
Antoine Griezmann squandered a host of chances for France, who struggled in front of goal with Kylian Mbappe relegated to the bench due to a broken nose.
Both sides move onto four points, and after Austria's win over Poland earlier on Friday, it is all to play for between the top three on the final matchday, with Poland the first team to be officially eliminated from the tournament.
The Netherlands came flying out of the blocks, with Jeremie Frimpong forcing a fingertip save from Mike Maignan with less than a minute on the clock.
France soon found their footing though, with Griezmann, wearing the armband in Mbappe's absence, failing to scramble it in from six yards after Adrien Rabiot's lay-off before he drilled another effort just wide of the post.
Maignan was required again when Cody Gakpo cut inside from left before whipping a firm shot across goal, as the goalkeeper got a strong hand to it.
Just before the half-hour mark, Marcus Thuram looked set to break the deadlock after beating the offside trap, but one-on-one with the goalkeeper, he sliced his effort over the crossbar.
After a slow start to the second half, France rallied on the hour mark, with Aurelien Tchouameni flashing a header over before Griezmann saw another glorious opportunity smothered by Bart Verbruggen at his near post.
Against the run of play, Simons thought he had given the Netherlands the lead by picking out the bottom-right corner after latching onto the rebound of Memphis Depay's saved shot, but Denzel Dumfries, in an offside position, was judged to be impeding the goalkeeper and the goal was ruled out after a lengthy VAR check.
Toothless France struggle without their talisman
All the pre-match talk centred on whether Mbappe would be fit to play after suffering a broken nose against Austria.
The answer: he was not. Instead, he started on the bench, with Marcus Thuram tasked with playing as the main forward in his absence.
Griezmann provided their foremost threat though, appearing in his 11th consecutive game at the Euros for France – Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (18) and Germany's Toni Kroos (13) are the only outfielders on longer such streaks for their nations.
It was a record-equalling appearance for the stand-in captain too, his 32nd at major tournaments, the most for a French outfielder along with Lilian Thuram.
However, the forward had four of France's five first-half shots, finishing with five overall, but failed to lead Les Bleus to a statement victory.
Still, France's wait for a win without Mbappe in their starting lineup goes on, as they have failed to come out on top in any of their last seven such matches (four draws, three defeats).
Netherlands smother Les Bleus
After losing both meetings in qualifying for Euro 2024 by an aggregate score of 6-1, the Netherlands were likely not too happy to come up against Les Bleus once more.
However, in the absence of Mbappe, who has scored six goals in five matches against the Dutch, the Netherlands were able to hold firm.
At the Euros, the Oranje have now avoided defeat in all three of their group-stage meetings with France (2000, 2008, 2024).
Defensively, they stood strong. Despite France having 13 shots, only three were on target as they created 1.4 expected goals (xG).
Virgil van Dijk led by example, making the most clearances (seven) of anybody on the pitch as the Netherlands protected their clean sheet.
Martinez has no concerns over Ronaldo fatigue as Portugal face Turkiye test
Roberto Martinez has no doubts about Cristiano Ronaldo's ability to play 90 minutes every few days at Euro 2024, as Portugal prepare to face Turkiye in their second game.
Portugal opened their Group F campaign with a nervy 2-1 win over Czechia on Tuesday, with Francisco Conceicao coming off the bench to net a 92nd-minute winner.
Ronaldo – the all-time leading scorer at the Euros with 14 goals – played all 90 minutes in the Selecao's opening match, becoming the first player to feature at six different editions of the tournament (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024).
He endured a frustrating outing, failing to score from five shots worth 0.73 expected goals (xG) including missing one big chance, as defined by Opta.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has seen his place in the Portugal lineup debated since he was surprisingly dropped by Fernando Santos at the 2022 World Cup.
Martinez, however, feels the 39-year-old is more than capable of playing a full part, saying: "How many games did Cristiano play last season?
"There is no other player who has been at six European Championships. He brings experience, he offers us chances to score and opens up spaces.
"We analyse the data and can see what he does. He's in the team because he deserves it. He can play every four days."
Some in the Portuguese media have questioned whether Martinez should field another striker alongside Ronaldo, but the former Belgium boss wants his team to attack as a collective.
"He was the striker with the most shots on target, he was disciplined, he worked hard. He's an area player, he opens up spaces," Martinez said.
"The important thing for us is to arrive in the area. We are not a direct team. We want to get into the final third with six or seven players. We don't need another player close to Cristiano, we need six or seven."
Turkiye could call upon huge support at their opening match in Dortmund, as they overcame Georgia 3-1 in one of the games of the tournament to date.
Martinez predicts a hostile reception for his team on Sunday, saying: "We expect the stadium to be loud. Turkey had a lot of support in the stands.
"We also need to be ourselves, controlling the tempo and bringing width because that is what we do best.
"Turkey showed they can defend but their focus is always to attack. They are aggressive, they have character and attitude. There are no secrets."
Columbus Crew v Sporting Kansas City: Vermes looking to improve 'soft' defending
Sporting Kansas City head coach Peter Vermes wants to see a better defensive display when they travel to Columbus Crew in the MLS on Saturday.
Sporting KC sit second from bottom in the Western Conference, having won just three of their 19 games so far.
After back-to-back losses to LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake in which they conceded four goals in both, Vermes admitted they needed to rectify the situation as soon as possible.
"I can't deny the fight of the guys, but defensively, it's too soft," he said. "Unfortunately, it's similar to what happens in a lot of games.
"We can be fighting back in a game and give away a nothing goal. There's a ton of chances that could put us way ahead, but we can't be giving up the goals that we give up. That's it; that's the game."
Columbus, meanwhile, are right in the mix in the Eastern Conference, sitting sixth with 27 points.
A 2-1 defeat to Inter Miami snapped their four-match winning streak in the MLS, but head coach Wilfried Nancy is confident they can quickly put that result behind them.
"It has been good games, good performances," head coach Wilfried Nancy said. "[The last game] was also a good performance, but we were not good at certain moments. This is again something that we did well. We have grown a lot regarding these kinds of games."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Columbus Crew – Cucho Hernandez
Cucho attempted 10 shots in the Crew's defeat to Inter Miami on Wednesday, his third game with at least 10 shots since making his MLS debut in July 2022.
All other players in MLS have three total games with 10+ shots in that time (Raul Ruidiaz, Hany Mukhtar, Julian Carranza, one each).
Sporting Kansas City – William Agada
Agada scored two of Kansas City's three goals on Wednesday, his fifth multi-goal match for Sporting. Only five players have recorded more multi-goal games in the team's history.
MATCH PREDICTION: COLUMBUS CREW WIN
This will be the Crew's first regular-season home match since losing to FC Cincinnati on May 11. Columbus are winless in four straight MLS home matches after winning 12 of their previous 14 home league games.
Kansas City have lost nine of their last 10 regular-season matches (W1), including losing six in a row on the road in league play. This is the first time in the post-shootout era (since 2000) that Sporting have lost nine times in a span of 10 such matches.
However, Kansas City have lost just one of their last 12 matches against Columbus (W7 D4) dating back to October 2012, though three of the last four meetings have ended in draws. This will be the first meeting between the sides in Columbus in one day short of five years (June 23, 2019).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Columbus Crew – 64.2%
Draw – 19.1%
Sporting Kansas City – 16.7%
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