Kylian Mbappe’s first-half strike helped lift 10-man Paris St Germain to a 2-0 victory at Le Havre after Gianluigi Donnarumma was sent off 10 minutes into the Ligue 1 contest.

Hosts Le Havre at times came close to an equaliser, but instead saw their five-game unbeaten streak snapped while making it five games in six without a goal.

Vitinha netted against the run of play in the 89th minute to seal the result for PSG, who have now won seven consecutive league matches for the first time since September 2021.

The result gave the league leaders a boost after Tuesday’s disappointing Champions League draw against Newcastle, with the Parisians now four points ahead of second-placed Nice.

Le Havre wasted a golden chance after the ball pinged around the 18-yard box before landing at the feet of Gautier Lloris, who would have netted an opener but for the quick reaction of Carlos Soler to clear off the line.

Then goalkeeper Donnarumma, already under scrutiny, completely misjudged a challenge on Josue Casimir and immediately saw red for a high boot.

On came Arnau Tenas to make his PSG debut, replacing forward Bradley Barcola, who boss Luis Enrique decided would be the necessary sacrifice.

The visitors would not be pinned back and Mbappe was first denied by a good save by Arthur Desmas with a left-footed effort but made no mistake with his second attempt, firing through three blue shirts from centre before the ball clipped the inside of the post and crossed in for a 23rd-minute opener.

Mbappe had the ball in the back of the net again before the break but the offside flag was raised, while Casimir could only watch agonisingly on when what should have been an equaliser sailed just wide of the post after finding himself in space inside the area.

Le Havre, desperate get something out of the man advantage, applied more pressure to begin the second half as Yassine Kechta forced Tenas to tip the ball over the crossbar, while Mohamed Bayo sent a weak effort into the arms of the replacement PSG goalkeeper.

Ousmane Dembele nearly doubled the Parisians’ advantage, his effort clipping the edge of the post before going wide, before Tenas saved Danilo Pereira from scoring an own goal after Bayo’s attempt took a deflection off the PSG defender.

Pereira would soon prevent substitute Nabil Alioui a chance at levelling, while the hosts showed off their own defensive prowess when Christopher Operi prevented a threatening Dembele from getting a decent shot away.

Alioui skied an effort then twice-tested Tenas, who was quick to react at his near post as the hosts desperately searched for an equaliser, Antoine Joujou side-footing the ball past the post before Alioui tried again.

But there was no coming back after Vitinha’s strike took a deflection off Lloris and in to cap off a disappointing ending to a once-promising afternoon for the hosts.

Celtic survived a stoppage-time scare as they came from behind to beat St Johnstone 3-1 in Perth.

Celtic trailed to Diallang Jaiyesimi’s first goal for St Johnstone at half-time after failing to deal with an inswinging corner for the second weekend running – Motherwell netted a late equaliser at Parkhead from the same source.

Craig Levein again threatened to mastermind Brendan Rodgers’ first league defeat as Celtic manager as the Hoops took their time to get back in the game. Levein was manager of Hearts when the Jambos ended Rodgers’ 69-match unbeaten domestic start to his first Celtic reign in December 2017.

But Callum McGregor netted with a powerful strike in the 67th minute and Matt O’Riley hit his seventh cinch Premiership goal of the season 11 minutes later when he finished brilliantly from 22 yards.

The final outcome though hinged on two incidents in time added on. Saints substitute Jay Turner-Cooke headed off the post from seven yards before Celtic broke seconds later and Tomoki Iwata squared for fellow sub James Forrest to guide the ball home.

Celtic had looked set to sweep Saints aside in a dominant start. Kyogo Furuhashi and O’Riley could not make the most of decent chances in the penalty box inside the first six minutes.

Centre-forward Jaiyesimi, making only his third Saints appearance, forced a save from Joe Hart from the hosts’ attack after holding off Liam Scales but Celtic continued to press.

David Turnbull saw a goal disallowed after a clear offside against Yang Hyun-jun and the former Motherwell midfielder was soon denied by a brilliant diving stop from Dimitar Mitov after turning on to his left foot on the edge of the box.

Saints grew into the game and put Celtic under a bit more pressure in the final third before taking advantage of Graham Carey’s inswinging corner.

O’Riley could only knock the initial contact back towards goal and, after several players competed for the ball on the line, the midfielder’s next attempted clearance bounced off Jaiyesimi and spun in.

Hart claimed for a foul but referee Don Robertson had seen no foul and his view was backed by video assistant referee Kevin Clancy.

Mikey Johnston came on for Yang at half-time but there was another scare for Celtic when Cameron Carter-Vickers took a poor touch in his box. Carey shot first-time into the side net.

McGregor opened the Saints defence with a through ball to Furuhashi but Mitov was out quickly to block the Japan striker’s shot.

Oh Hyeon-gyu came on for Turnbull and the South Korean striker played a key role in the equaliser nine minutes later.

Oh controlled Johnston’s low cross at the near post and backheeled the ball across the face of goal. Mitov palmed it out and James Brown’s clearing header fell invitingly for McGregor, who drilled home first time from 16 yards.

McGregor had a long-range effort saved before Celtic went in front after taking advantage of a rare chance to catch St Johnstone on the back foot after winning the ball following a home throw. Furuhashi laid the ball off to O’Riley, who took a touch and smashed a shot with his weaker, right foot high into the net from 22 yards.

Forrest replaced the injured the injured Luis Palma and quickly forced a good parry from Mitov before having the final say.

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez has warned his team's perfect Euro 2024 qualification record will count for nothing at next year's tournament, though he is content with their group-stage draw. 

Portugal were drawn into Group F at Saturday's draw in Hamburg, alongside Turkiye, the Czech Republic and a yet-to-be-decided play-off winner.

Georgia, Luxembourg, Greece and Kazakhstan will battle for the final place in Portugal's group in March's play-offs.

Portugal have won all 10 of their games since Roberto Martinez replaced Fernando Santos in the aftermath of last year's disappointing World Cup exit, scoring 36 goals and only conceding two as they dominated their qualification group.

Having led Belgium to the last three major tournaments, Martinez is experienced enough to know that will count for little when Portugal begin their campaign against the Czech Republic on June 18.

Asked whether he was satisfied with the draw, Martinez said: "Yes, because the format of the European Championship is unpredictable, there can be three teams that qualify.

"They are difficult opponents. The Czech Republic is a bit of an unknown because they don't have a coach.

"Turkey won their qualifying group against Croatia and Wales. It is a team with a mix of talent, youth and experience. 

"We want to have a perfect preparation. We qualified very well, but that doesn't give us an advantage in the tournament. We need to be prepared."

Martinez's main focus was on the logistical implications of Portugal's draw, and he was relieved to discover that their final two group games will be played in the neighbouring cities of Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen.

"For us, it is good news to be in Group F," he said. "We are based in the centre of Germany and we will have extra time to prepare for the first game. This is important for us." 

Arsenal will host Liverpool in a blockbuster third-round FA Cup tie next month.

The Premier League giants are meeting for the first time in the competition since Arsenal won a fifth-round tie 2-1 in 2014.

The Gunners have come out on top in their last three FA Cup clashes, with Liverpool’s last victory back in the final of 2001.

The other standout tie of the draw saw Championship side Sunderland paired with neighbours Newcastle, who will travel to the Stadium of Light over the weekend of January 6 and 7.

It will be a first meeting between the North East giants since they were both in the Premier League in 2015/16, while they have not played each other in the FA Cup since 1956.

There were several other all Premier League ties, with Tottenham hosting Burnley, Everton travelling to Crystal Palace and Brentford facing Wolves.

Reigning champions Manchester City were handed a home tie against Championship strugglers Huddersfield while Manchester United will make the short trip to former champions Wigan.

Maidstone would no doubt have hoped for a plum tie following their second-round win over Barrow but were handed a home date with Stevenage or Port Vale.

Non-league Ramsgate will host Ipswich if they can get past AFC Wimbledon while a trip to The Hawthorns to face West Brom awaits the winners of Aldershot and Stockport.

Gareth Southgate says England must have the “humility to start again” as the Euro 2020 runners-up look to go one glorious step further in Germany next summer.

Impressive progress during the former defender’s seven-year reign means the side ranked third in the world are among the favourites to lift the European Championship trophy in Berlin.

England found out their Euro 2024 group and potential pathways to the July 14 finale in Saturday evening’s draw at the stunning Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg.

Southgate’s top seeds avoided a so-called group of death after Slovenia and Serbia followed Euro 2020 semi-final opponents Denmark, but there is little chance of complacency seeping in.

“Well, certainly when Denmark came out, and you could still have Denmark, Croatia, Italy or something like that, then you’re wondering where it’s heading,” the England manager said.

“But then, of course, you have to be very careful not to underestimate the opponents you have.

“I’ve been fortunate as a coach and a player to have been to eight tournaments.

“I’ve seen a lot of teams that were fancied and well ranked going into tournaments not deliver and not get out of their group.

“So, we have to have the humility to start again, as well as we’ve been playing and as well as we’ve built over a long period of time.

“We’ve been ranked in the top five in the world for five years, so we’ve had consistency of performances and results.

“But a new tournament means a new challenge and the first objective is to get out of the group again.”

England have progressed from every group during Southgate’s tenure, going onto reach at least the quarter-finals at all three major tournaments.

There were signs of progress before they lost at that stage to eventual finalists France at the 2022 World Cup, having gone within penalties of becoming continental champions in the last edition of the Euros.

Put to Southgate that opposing teams and players have praised his work and the England team, he said with a smile: “Yeah, well, I take that with a pinch of salt. Managers are good at that… because I do it myself!

“It’s clear the team are heading in a good direction. The rankings came out this week and we were third in the world, so I think our performances across the calendar year have been good.

“Eight wins, two draws, we won the toughest qualifying group and we won it comfortably, but that’s history and you have to go again in the next calendar year.

“It’s nice when we travel around Europe I have to say do get well received and we do get a lot of credit, which is lovely.

“But of course we know there’s still a step we want to take and that’s what drives us.”

This is shaping up to be Southgate’s final tournament in charge, with his contract at the Football Association expiring after next year’s finals.

The 53-year-old had considered quitting after Qatar this time last year but decided to give it another go at winning a trophy he and the nation craves.

“Probably the biggest pressure is what you put on yourself because of what you want to achieve and what you what you want to bring for your country, really,” Southgate said.

“But it’s no more or less than when I started in the job seven years ago.

“We now have a lot more experience, a lot more experience of big matches, a lot more experience of navigating tournaments, so we’re looking forward to it.

“We’re hoping that we can give our fans, our public some more great nights like I think we have in the last three tournaments.”

This summer will go down in history if England flourish in Germany, where fans will make the journey to a tournament en masse for the first time during his time in charge.

“The most recent tournaments have been a little bit different,” Southgate added.

“It wasn’t so easy to get to Russia or Qatar, and in the Euros we were coming out of Covid and was very different as well.

“This will be a little bit more like the tournaments when I was playing and when I was growing up and, yeah, we’re looking forward to that.

“We’re pleased that our fans are excited because that’s what it’s all about.”

Rangers have expressed “regret” at the fans’ pyrotechnics display at Dens Park last month as they warned of potential sanctions against the club if further incidents occur.

The cinch Premiership game against Dundee on November 1 was delayed by 45 minutes after the Gers team bus was held up in traffic and then suspended for 18 minutes after the travelling supporters let off a large number of flares that triggered fire alarms under the stand.

Rangers have been subject to an SPFL investigation and ahead of the home game against St Mirren on Sunday, a Rangers statement read: “As everyone at Rangers FC prepares for a massive month of fixtures, the club reminds supporters the use of pyrotechnics is not only dangerous, but also illegal within sports stadia.

“Supporters who bring pyrotechnic devices to football matches are at risk of arrest and put the club at risk of football sanctions.

“Rangers regrets the display of pyrotechnics at Dens Park last month, which resulted in a fire alarm triggering and our match with Dundee FC being temporarily suspended.

“This led to an investigation by the SPFL and has put Rangers in a position where a repeat has the potential for the club to be subject to disciplinary action.

“Rangers will continue to engage positively with the SPFL, Scottish FA, Police Scotland and the Scottish Government on this matter.

“The club thanks all our supporters for their fantastic, ongoing support during this busy spell of matches.”

Rob Page has called on his Wales team to give their supporters the chance to enjoy the Euro 2024 experience.

Wales are still two wins away from qualification but now know that if they can make it to the tournament they face mouthwatering matches against the Netherlands, Austria and France in Group D.

Page and his team will have home backing from the ‘Red Wall’ for their play-off semi against Finland on March 21 and the final against either Poland or Estonia on March 26 should they progress.

He wants his players to be buoyed on by the thought of setting up a Welsh party in Germany after challenging assignments for the fans at the last two major tournaments.

“Off the back of 2016 we’ve had Euro 2020, but because of Covid we were limited with travel,” he told the PA news agency.

“The World Cup (in Qatar last year) was very difficult for our supporters to get to, and respect to the supporters who got out there.

“For them to have a tournament that is close by, well organised, you know what the tournament is going to be like. For our supporters to experience that will be an extra bit of incentive to go and get the results (in March).”

Wales and France have faced each other six times before but never competitively, while Wales have lost all 10 of their previous encounters with the Dutch.

Nevertheless, Page is relishing the matches facing his side if they can make it to Germany.

“When you dream of becoming a footballer as a kid, you want to play against top teams, you want to play against top players, and those teams that are drawn in that group certainly fall into the category,” he said.

“They’re the best teams in Europe and well respected in world football and rightly so.

“For us to get there will be a big achievement and to look forward to playing those teams is incredible for the players again.”

Page also believes playing such big competitive matches less than three months before the finals will stand his team in good stead.

“I think so. It’s important that we strip the emotion out of it, I thought we handled (the World Cup play-offs for Qatar) really well and the big players on the occasion stepped up and delivered,” he added.

“It’s a different team, a different squad, we’re in transition. I’m trying to introduce some of the young players in like Brennan Johnson and Harry Wilson.

“We will be fully focused on March to get the games won, but what a carrot that (draw) is.”

Wales’ first match would be a 2pm UK time kick-off against the Netherlands on Sunday, June 16 should they make it, before facing Austria at 5pm UK time on June 21.

A match against France at 5pm UK time on June 25 would round off the group campaign.

Scotland boss Steve Clarke is reading nothing into Germany’s struggles heading into Euro 2024, warning the tournament hosts are “always on it” when it comes to major finals.

Scotland will have the eyes of the continent on them on June 14 next year when they take on Germany in the tournament’s opening match in Munich.

Germany failed to get out of their group at the World Cup in Qatar, with a 2-1 defeat to Japan contributing to their exit. A 4-1 loss to the same opponents in a friendly in September cost Hansi Flick his job.

Results have been mixed since, with former Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann succeeding Flick at the helm.

But Clarke does not see Germany as a vulnerable opponent in any way, shape or form. They are three-time Euro winners with a further four World Cup titles to boot.

“When Germany get to the finals of a major tournament they are always on it,” Clarke told the PA news agency.

“I don’t think it will be a poor Germany team, I think it will be a very, very good Germany side.”

Clarke’s team are also up against Hungary and Switzerland in Group A, as they aim to become the first Scotland side to go beyond the first stage of a finals tournament.

“The first thing for us to do is just to prepare properly,” Clarke said.

“Make sure we’re competitive, play as well as we can in the games and then after that we’ll count on the points and see if we’ve got enough.”

Clarke’s team qualified with two matches to spare, finishing second in their group behind Spain but ahead of a Norway side infused with the star quality of Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard.

“I think what impressed me most about this group of players (in qualification) is that they want to be competitive every time they go out there,” he said.

“We want to continue to improve – they feel as though they can improve a little bit more and hopefully between now and next summer, we do improve and we can be very competitive in Germany.”

Gabriel Martinelli is determined to ensure Arsenal stay at the Premier League summit after the Gunners’ narrow victory over Wolves guaranteed them top spot heading into the midweek fixtures.

Mikel Arteta’s side ran out 2-1 winners at the Emirates Stadium as early strikes from Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard were enough to seal the points despite a nervy end after Matheus Cunha halved the deficit late on.

Having moved top with victory at Brentford the previous weekend, the Gunners are now where they want to be.

Last season Arsenal were top of the table for 248 days before being caught by eventual champions Manchester City in the closing stages.

It is the longest period a side has been at the Premier League summit without going on to win the title – and this time Martinelli does not want any slip ups.

“We know we are top of the Premier League now,” he said.

“We want to be there; we want to be top of the Premier League for the rest of the season. We’ll try our best.

“We tried our best (against Wolves), we kept going, we didn’t start to play like it was already won.

“As I said, we tried our best to score another goal, but we didn’t score. But the most important thing is three points.”

Wolves have already beaten City and Tottenham this season and recovered from two early blows to run Arsenal close.

Gary O’Neil’s side have amassed 15 points from their 14 games to date and host Burnley on Tuesday night.

“We need to keep working because on Tuesday we have another game and we need to think positive and prepare the next game well. We play at home, so we will go with everything,” said Toti.

The centre-back also felt Wolves put in a good shift in north London, despite ultimately coming away empty-handed.

“We knew we were having a tough match,” he told the club’s official website.

“It’s not easy to come here, play against Arsenal and leave with a good result, but I think we did our best.

“It’s not easy to suffer those two goals at the beginning, but we had to stick together after those two goals so we could not concede more.”

Harry Maguire has warned Manchester United their need to be more aggressive if they are to achieve their ambitions for the season.

Erik ten Hag’s men slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle on Saturday evening – their third successive loss in all competitions against the Magpies – and were decidedly second-best until they very nearly snatched a point they really did not deserve amid a late rally.

England defender Maguire, who was one of their better players on the night, admitted as much in the wake of a disappointing display and called for a reaction against Chelsea at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening.

He told the club’s official website: “We know we’ve got to do better, we’ve got to play better, the team’s got to perform better.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Manchester United (@manchesterunited)

“We’ve got to play with a lot more intensity and tempo. We’ve got to win more duels – I feel that in the first half, we lost far too many duels. Every 50-50, we got beat in.

“We’ve got to be aggressive, we’ve got to play on the front foot, we’ve got to play at a big tempo and we just didn’t do that well enough tonight.”

Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute strike ultimately settled the game at St James’ Park, although Kieran Trippier had earlier hit the crossbar with a fine free-kick.

The visitors thought they had snatched a draw at the death when substitute Antony’s shot was unwittingly deflected into the Magpies’ net by Maguire, but he was in an offside position and the flag went up swiftly to dash their hopes.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Manchester United (@manchesterunited)

Maguire, who played in both last weekend’s 3-0 win at Everton and the 3-3 Champions League draw at Galatasaray, said: “The boys are disappointed. I don’t think we played to our level.

“It’s been a tough week – three away games in six days – but we don’t use that as an excuse. We didn’t play well enough, especially in the first half.

“We grew into the game in the second half and maybe could have got the point. We put a lot of pressure on them in the last 10 or 15 minutes but it wasn’t enough and, in the end, you’ve got to say Newcastle deserved it.

“We allowed them to get into our box far too easily, so it’s something that we need to work on – all of us as a team.”

Eddie Howe is confident there is more to come from Anthony Gordon as he attempts to force his way into Gareth Southgate’s England squad for next summer’s Euro 2024 finals.

The 22-year-old, a £45million signing from Everton in January, scored for the fourth successive Premier League game at St James’ Park to secure a 1-0 victory over Manchester United on Saturday night to further enhance his blossoming reputation.

Howe has studiously avoided pressing Gordon’s case for a senior international call-up, but knows further improvement will inevitably catapult him into Southgate’s thinking.

Asked how much more there is to come from the youngster, Howe said: “I think there is a lot more to come, but I would say that, that’s always been my mentality to players, especially if they want to improve.

“Anthony has got this desire to get better every day. Every day he steps on to the training pitch, he’s wanting to do extra. We have to sometimes take him off the pitch ourselves when we feel he’s done enough.

“But he’s got a burning motivation to be the best that he’s capable of becoming and we’re loving working with him.

“There’s an openness in him, he is inquisitive, he wants to ask questions, he wants to start that dialogue and debate his game which is great from our perspective.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Newcastle United FC (@nufc)

Gordon’s 55th-minute intervention proved decisive on the night as he timed his run to meet Kieran Trippier’s inviting cross and slot past keeper Andre Onana.

He also scored the winner against Arsenal on November and registered against both Crystal Palace and Chelsea to underline his rich vein of form.

Asked if his consistent level of performance put him in contention for England’s Euros campaign, Howe said: “I’d agree that he’s playing at a very, very high level and he has done this season. When you’ve come here to watch Anthony, that’s been his level.

“He is getting the goals and you need the headlines if you are going to force your way into the England squad with the competition that he has in those positions.

“There’s a long way to go to that squad and he’s just got to keep very level and focused on playing so well for us, and hopefully the rest will take care of itself.”

The only sour note for Newcastle was an injury to keeper Nick Pope, who is to see a specialist after dislocating his left shoulder late in the game.

Howe said: “That’s the disappointment of the night. Nick looks like he’s dislocated his shoulder. It was such a strange thing, really, because he has made that dive thousands of times, but it looks like the arm has kept going maybe on the moist floor and his shoulder has come out of joint.

“We’re going to have to seek specialist opinion and see what happens, but it doesn’t look good for him.”

Ramsgate striker Joe Taylor is hoping the Kent club’s own bit of ‘Crazy Gang’ spirit can help the eighth-tier side pull off an FA Cup shock against AFC Wimbledon on Monday night.

The Isthmian League South East Division pacesetters head to Plough Lane for the televised tie eyeing another upset after winning at Vanarama National League side Woking to book their place in the second round for the first time.

It is 35 years since Wimbledon beat Liverpool’s ‘Culture Club’ to lift the FA Cup trophy at Wembley, where captain Dave Beasant saved a penalty from John Barnes, the first goalkeeper to do so in a final.

With the since-reformed south-west London club now in Sky Bet League Two, it is Ramsgate who will take up the underdogs tag on Monday night, by which time the draw for the third round will have been made.

Taylor feels Ben Smith’s “tight-knit squad” can deliver another piece of FA Cup magic.

“We are quite a small squad of senior players and then we have got a group of young lads that have come through the academy,” Taylor told the PA news agency.

“They have sort of wrapped around us very nicely. It is a really good relationship.

“Obviously all of this cup stuff helps and we are up there in the league, so when you are winning, everyone is happy – but when times haven’t been so good, the group has been really good together.

“If we can get half of that ‘Crazy Gang’ spirit, then we would stand a good chance wouldn’t we?”

With nine goals so far in the competition, Taylor is in the race for this season’s Mitre Golden Ball Award, which recognises the top scorer in the FA Cup and gives players lower down the pyramid the opportunity to compete against Premier League stars.

Despite the extra attention on the Rams, Taylor is confident they can stay focussed to deliver the required performance at Plough Lane.

“In the last couple of weeks, we have had a lot of media (interest) and stuff that we are not used to, then we have had some really important league games during that time,” he said.

“The manager sort of banned any FA Cup talk – then he brought the TV cameras into the changing room and they were following us around everywhere!

“But we have managed to win all the (league) games and then drew a tough one (at Cray Valley).

“We are sitting up there in the league and we have had all of this going on as well, so the focus has been good actually.”

Taylor added: “We are no stranger to an upset now. I think the last four teams we have played have been higher league opposition.

“We sort of suit that (underdog) tag pretty nicely and we have all bought into that.

“Let’s be frank, Wimbledon are a better side than us, they are full-time, but we know our qualities and our strengths, so we are ready to give it a go.”

With Saturday's Euro 2024 group-stage draw done and dusted, Europe's elite know what awaits them in Germany next year and all eyes will turn to the opening game in Munich on June 14.

Steve Clarke's Scotland will be Germany's first opponents as they kickstart their bid to become the first sole host nation to win the tournament since France in 1984.

Elsewhere, England can be content with a somewhat kind draw as Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and company look to bring football home, while Group B looks set to earn the title of 'group of death', with defending champions Italy pitted against Spain and Croatia.

As fans across the continent begin plotting their nations' routes to the final, to be held in Berlin on July 14, Stats Perform runs through the best facts and figures from each of the six groups. 

Group A: Germany, Hungary, Scotland, Switzerland

Germany have endured a troubled build-up to their home tournament, with Julian Nagelsmann parachuted in after the dismissal of Hansi Flick in September. The last Germany boss to win a major tournament at his first attempt was Jupp Derwall, who led the team (then West Germany) to Euro 1980 glory.

They will face a familiar foe in the form of Switzerland, who they will meet for the 54th time in senior internationals – no other team has faced Germany as often, but the teams have never met at the Euros before.

Germany's matchday one opponents will be Scotland, who will be making their fourth appearance at the Euros after also qualifying in 1992, 1996 and 2020. They have never reached the knockout stages. 

However, they may fancy their chances of edging out Switzerland and Hungary in what could be a battle for second place this time around. Hungary took bronze when they first appeared at the Euros in 1964, but they have only won one of their nine games at the tournament since then (four draws, four defeats), beating Austria in the 2016 group stage.

Group B: Spain, Albania, Croatia, Italy)

All eyes will be on Group B ahead of the tournament, with three-time winners Spain drawn alongside defending champions Italy – who they beat in the 2012 final – and 2022 World Cup bronze medallists Croatia. 

Excluding penalty shoot-outs, La Roja have only lost two of their last 22 matches at the Euros, winning 13 and drawing seven. The last two teams to beat them? Croatia and Italy in 2016.

Spain are the only nation to win back-to-back editions of the Euros, doing so in 2008 and 2012. Luciano Spalletti's Italy are looking to replicate that feat, having inched past Ukraine to claim second place in their qualification group.

The Azzurri have now qualified for eight successive editions of the tournament, though this is the first time they have reached a major competition while losing two or more games in their qualifying group, having been beaten home and away by England.

While Spain and Italy will feel unfortunate to have landed in such a difficult group, the omens are good for teams that face Croatia when it matters. They have lost to the eventual winners at four of their last six major tournaments, being beaten by Spain at Euro 2012, Portugal at Euro 2016, France at the 2018 World Cup, and Argentina in Qatar last year.

GROUP C: England, Denmark, Slovenia, Serbia

Gareth Southgate may be relieved to have avoided some of the heavy hitters with England landing in Group C, where they will start against Serbia on June 16 before taking on Denmark and Slovenia.

England's rematch with Denmark – who they beat in the Euro 2020 semi-finals – could be decisive in the battle for top spot. The Three Lions are unbeaten in all three of their meetings with Denmark at Euros/World Cups (two wins, one draw), with Switzerland the only team they have faced as often at tournaments without ever losing.

With Kane thriving at Bayern Munich and Bellingham a former star at Borussia Dortmund, two of the Three Lions' star players are no strangers to German turf.

They also have an excellent record against Slovenia, winning five and drawing one of the teams' six all-time meetings. The only one of those games to take place at a major tournament came at the 2010 World Cup, when Jermain Defoe hit the winner in a 1-0 victory for Fabio Capello's team.

Serbia, meanwhile, will be featuring at the Euros for the first time as an independent nation. They competed as Yugoslavia or FR Yugoslavia in five editions, finishing as runners-up in 1960 and 1968.

Group D: France, Austria, Netherlands, play-off winner A

With Kylian Mbappe spearheading their star-studded team, France head to the Euros among the favourites. Boss Didier Deschamps captained his country to glory at Euro 2000, and he could become the first person to win the competition as both a player and a head coach.

Les Bleus, however, face a tough set of opponents in Group D, none more so than the Netherlands.

France have faced the Oranje more often at the Euros without ever winning than they have any other side, losing their last two such matches against them at the 2000 and 2008 tournaments.

Ronald Koeman might be pleased to see his team drawn alongside Austria, with the Netherlands winning their last seven matches against them, averaging 2.9 goals per game throughout that run (20 in total).

The final team in Group D will be decided via the play-offs in March, with Wales, Finland, Poland and Estonia vying for a ticket to Germany. France have met any of those nations at the Euros.

Group E: Belgium, Romania, Slovakia, play-off winner B

Belgium headline Group E, with Domenico Tedesco at the wheel as the last members of the Red Devils' so-called golden generation look to finally deliver on their promise.

Since losing to West Germany in the final of Euro 1980, Belgium have never reached the semi-finals of the tournament, being knocked out in the last eight at each of the last two editions – versus Wales in 2016 and Italy at Euro 2020.

They will be content with a kind-looking draw, with Romania the team drawn into Group E from pot two. Their win ratio of just six per cent at the Euros is the worst of any nation to qualify for more than one edition, winning just once in 16 games at the tournament. 

Slovakia, meanwhile, have only won two of their seven games at Euro tournaments (one draw, four defeats), also failing to score in four of their last five games.

Ukraine, Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland will battle for the final spot in this group in March.

GROUP F: Portugal, Turkiye, Czech Republic, play-off winner C

Group F contains 2016 winners Portugal, the only team to reach the knockout stages of the last seven editions of the Euros, a run that stretches back to the 1996 tournament. In fact, they have always progressed from the group stages in their eight previous appearances at the Euros.

Cristiano Ronaldo seems set to be sticking around for this tournament. He will be 39 by the time it rolls around. The Al Nassr attacker holds the records for most games (25) and most goals (14) at the Euros, has also managed a joint-record six assists (since records began in 1972).

Ronaldo's 20 total goal involvements at the Euros are twice as many as any other player since assist records began, with Michel Platini second on 10 (nine goals, one assist).

Roberto Martinez's team open their campaign against the Czech Republic, who are featuring at an eighth successive edition of the Euros (including appearances as Czechoslovakia). Only Germany (14) and France (nine) are currently on longer runs of consecutive appearances.

One of Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan and Luxembourg will join Turkiye in rounding out the group. They are looking to improve on their dismal showing at Euro 2020, and have qualified for three successive editions of the Euros for the first time. However, they have lost six of their last seven matches at the tournament (one win).

Luka Modric won the Ballon d’Or on this day in 2018, marking the first time since 2007 the award did not go to either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Real Madrid and Croatia midfielder broke the stranglehold placed on France Football’s prestigious award by Messi and Ronaldo in the previous decade at a ceremony in Paris.

Argentina forward Messi and former Real team-mate Ronaldo and had each won the Ballon d’Or on five occasions since Brazilian Kaka did so in 2007.

In his acceptance speech, Modric said: “It’s a unique feeling. I am happy, proud and honoured. I have sensational emotions at the moment that are really hard to describe in words.

“First of all, I would like to thank my team-mates and coaches at Real Madrid and all the people who work for Real Madrid, all my coaches and team-mates with the national team, all those who voted for me and of course, my family, my wife and kids.

“They are fulfilling me as a person and helping me in all aspects to be successful as a professional.

“As a kid, we all have dreams. My dream was to play for a big club, to win important trophies. I dreamed about it, but the Ballon d’Or was more than a childhood dream for me and it’s a real honour and a privilege to hold this trophy.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Luka Modric (@lukamodric10)

Modric’s recognition was reward for a fine 12 months during which he helped his club lift the Champions League for the third successive season before playing a key role in Croatia’s surge to the 2018 World Cup final.

He won the Golden Ball for his contribution in Russia and was named the Best FIFA Footballer of the Year, and was the first Croatian to claim the Ballon d’Or.

Modric, now 38, is still playing for Real Madrid and helped his country to the World Cup semi-finals last year in Qatar.

If ever there was a fitting way for a team to win the first title of the ISSA Schoolboy football season, it is to cop their first ever hold on that title, and Glenmuir High did just that when they snared the Champions Cup all-island knockout crown on Saturday.

The fact that Glenmuir achieved the feat by coming from behind to condemn their highly thought of neighbours Clarendon College to a first defeat of the season in an enthralling contest that ended 3-2, sweetened the deal, and the celebrations by the team and its fans which formed a sea of red in the Grandstand at the National Stadium, declared that much.

Ja-Son Whyte (27th), captain Kyle Gordon (53rd) and the menacing Orane Watson (82nd), etched Glenmuir's name in the annals of the competition's history, as they became the third rural area team to win the title and, more importantly, remain on course to secure the coveted treble.

They now join Jamaica College (2014 and 2022), St George’s College (2015), Wolmer's Boys (2016), Kingston College (2017 and 2019), Cornwall College (2018) and Clarendon College (2021) in the champions column.

Keheim Dixon (18th) and captain Malachi Douglas (90+5) got the goals for Clarendon College, who played most of the second half with 10 players after Nashon Bolt was red carded in the 51st minute.

Though elated, winning coach Andrew Peart cut a subdued figure, as he is aware that another tough battle against the same opposition for the more prestigious daCosta Cup title awaits.

 "To God be the glory, as I said at the start of the season, it is a three-year journey and so we are happy to be here as champions. The boys did well to come from behind and we couldn'task for a better fight," said Peart, who alps guided Glenmuir to Ben Francis triumph last season.

"We now have a one week break ahead of the next game. We know it's going to be tough, so we have to be better than we were today (Saturday), but this is one accomplishment achieved and so we prepare to fight for another, " he added.

It was always expected to be an entertaining encounter, and it didn't disappoint as both teams gave as good as they got from the start when they got off some early warning shots in their press for the early ascendancy.

Clarendon College eventually broke the deadlock when a decent team buildup sent Atibo Green down the right channel to play a perfect pass across the face of goal for Dixon to finish from close range.

They almost found a second in the 26th through Douglas, who found space inside the 18-yard box for a left-footed drive along the pitch, but Antwone Gooden got down well to his left to parry.

Glenmuir responded a minute later and were back on level terms courtesy of Whyte, who tucked away a firm right-footed effort from just about 20-yards out that left Roshae Burrell, in goal for Clarendon College, flat-footed and as a mere spectator.

Though they engaged in end-to-end action from there and created a few half chances, neither team was able to add to their tally as the score remained unchanged at the break.

Clarendon College was more purposeful at the top of the resumption, but their progress was thwarted six minutes in as Bolt was shown a straight red card by referee Steffon Dewar after he took out Orane Watson just inside the arc.

And if that wasn't bad enough, Gordon threw salt in Clarendon College's wounds with a firmly struck right-footer from the resulting freekick that gave Burrell no chance at a save.

With the numerical advantage and scoreline in their favour, Glenmuir enjoyed a decent passage of play, but failed to add to their tally at that point. 

Clarendon College were brave and instead of going defensive, Head coach Lenworth "Teacha" Hyde threw some fresh legs in attack, and the move almost proved fruitful as they went close on a few occasions through Douglas and Dixon.

In fact, they had two opportunities in quick succession in the 71st through Dixon, whose first effort from just inside the 18-yard box came off the left upright, and seconds later Douglas hit the right upright as the Chapleton-based team cursed their luck. To make matters worse, Glenmuir found a third when Burrell left his lines and made a big blunder which allowed Orane Watson to steal possession and calmly fire into an empty net from a distance.

Though down, Clarendon College fought on and pulled one back in time added, when Douglas converted from the 12-yard spot, after Dixon was brought down by Gooden inside the danger area. They went close to pulling level term on the final play of the game as Dixon rifled and effort from just inside the 18-yard box, but Gooden stood firm to deny the talismanic striker and sent the May Pen fans into frenzy.

Hyde, as always, lauded his team for their grit and determination despite the disadvantage.

"Even when we down to 10 players, we still created numerous chances and we could have won. So, hats off to my team, they fought hard, and it just wasn't to be, but we will get them replenished and motivated again for the daCosta Cup final," Hyde noted.