Ben Johnson says West Ham will score when they need to after sealing their place in the Europa Conference League last-16 by beating Silkeborg 1-0 at London Stadium.

David Moyes' side sealed victory thanks to Manuel Lanzini's lone penalty in the capital, to maintain their unbeaten record in Group B this season.

But spurned chances elsewhere meant a surprisingly tight scoreline, with the Hammers having previously put three past the Danish outfit in the return fixture.

Johnson, however, is unconcerned by the narrow margins as long as he and his team-mates get the win, stating they will score when they need to.

"We won the game, we got the three points, we're through and we're top," he told BT Sport. "In the games where we need to put the ball in the net, I'm sure we will do."

Moyes was less enthused about wasted opportunities, though, suggesting his side needed to sharpen their calls on the field in order to yield greater returns.

"I thought we did enough to get two or three goals," he added. "I wouldn't put it simply down to poor finishing, but decisions in the final third more generally.

"We still had chances, and two or three players who probably should have got themselves a goal."

Defending champions Garvey Maceo will continue their quest for back-to-back ISSA/Digicel daCosta Cup titles after advancing to the quarterfinal round after a 10-0 home hammering of DeCarteret College in the second leg of their second-round fixture on Tuesday. Overall, they won the tie 15-0 after a 5-0 first leg win at Brooks Park on October 21.

With 32 teams advancing to the second round of the daCosta Cup, the teams played two leg knockout fixtures to determine the 16 teams to take part in the quarterfinal round. The quarterfinal round will involve four four-team groups with the winners advancing to the semi-finals.

Joining Garvey Maceo in Group 1 of the quarterfinal round will be Central High, Christiana High and Manchester High. Central advanced after beating Irwin High (Zone A winners in the preliminary round) 4-1 on aggregate. Christiana came out on the right side of a dogfight with Happy Grove, prevailing 4-3 on aggregate while Manchester beat B.B Coke 3-1 over two legs.

Group 2 will be contested by Cornwall College (Zone A runners up), Dinthill Technical (Zone K winners), Paul Bogle (Zone L winners) and William Knibb (Zone C winners). Cornwall College got to the quarters after beating Vere Technical 5-3 on penalties after the teams were deadlocked at 3-3 after two legs. Dinthill Technical now have 12 wins from as many games in this year’s daCosta Cup after 4-1 and 4-0 wins over Browns Town to advance. Paul Bogle beat Cedric Titus 2-0 on aggregate while William Knibb beat Petersfield 1-0 over two legs.

Clarendon College (Zone H winners), Frome Technical (Zone B winners), Rusea’s (Zone B runners up) and York Castle (Zone I winners) make up Group 3. Clarendon College hammered St. Mary Technical 12-1 on aggregate. Frome are still unbeaten this season after 3-0 and 3-1 wins over Titchfield, Rusea’s enjoyed a pair of 2-0 wins over Belair High and York Castle put seven past Seaforth over two legs without conceding.

Group 4 will be occupied by Edwin Allen (Zone H runners up), STETHS (Zone E winners), Manning’s (Zone D winners) and Glenmuir (Zone M winners). The second round saw STETHS secure a narrow 2-1 aggregate win over Holmwood, Edwin Allen beat McGrath 3-0, Manning’s get past Charlemont 4-2 and Glenmuir beat Tacky 10-1.

The quarterfinals get underway on Saturday.

Defending champions Kingston College were held to a surprising 0-0 draw by Jose Marti High in the first leg of their second-round tie in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup at Royal Lakes on Wednesday.

The second round of the Manning Cup will see 16 teams face off in two leg knockout fixtures to determine the eight teams to advance to the quarterfinals.

Kingston College advanced as winners of Group A while Jose Marti advanced as one of the best non-automatic qualifiers after finishing fourth in Group F.

Wednesday’s other second round fixtures saw Group B winners Jamaica College beat Norman Manley 5-0 at Calabar, STATHS (Group D winners) beat St. Jago (Group B third-place finishers) 2-1 at the Spanish Town Prison Oval and St. Catherine (Group B runners up) secure a 1-0 win over Wolmer’s Boys (Group E runners up) at Stadium East.

On Tuesday, Group E winners Mona High, the only team to have achieved maximum points from their 10 first round matches, continued their quest for a perfect season with a 2-0 win over Tivoli (third in Group C) at Stadium East.

Campion College (Group F runners up) and Charlie Smith (Group C winners) played out a 1-1 draw at Jamaica College while Haile Selassie (Group C runners up) and St. George’s College (Group A runners up) got 1-0 and 4-1 wins over Excelsior (Group F winners) and Jonathan Grant (Group D runners up) at Calabar High and the Spanish Town Prison Oval, respectively.

The second legs for the Tuesday fixtures will take place on Friday and the ones for the Wednesday games will happen on Saturday.

 

 

Didier Deschamps wants Raphael Varane and Paul Pogba to prove they can contribute at Qatar 2022 after announcing he will not be taking any injured players to the World Cup.

The France boss said everyone who travels to the finals, where Les Bleus will be defending the title they won in Russia, must be able to contribute immediately.

Manchester United centre-back Varane is not expected to play any club football until the Qatar 2022 finals get under way, after suffering a leg injury, while Pogba is back in training with Juventus after knee surgery but will not be rushed back to action.

"It's absolutely clear," Deschamps said in an interview with French website Brut. "I've never embarked on a big competition with an injured player, even if there are some who can come up with examples from 2018 with our full-backs who were Benjamin Mendy and Djibril Sidibe.

"They were healed. After that, it's about athletic condition. And between the time I made the list and what should have happened, that didn't happen… there you go.

"But leaving for a big competition with players who are not ready, already it occupies too much attention, and for those who have to play, it also monopolises the medical staff. I consider that we must leave with valid and capable players."

Pogba is still waiting to make an impact on the pitch in his second spell at Juventus, having rejoined the Serie A giants from Manchester United.

There is a strong will from Deschamps for the midfielder to be on the plane to Qatar, and Pogba may well return to club action in the coming weeks.

The coach has plenty of sympathy for the 29-year-old who has had a tough time away from football lately.

An investigation was opened in August into allegations Pogba was the target of an extortion plot by his brother Mathias and childhood friends demanding a €13million sum.

Mathias Pogba and four others were charged in relation to the matter and Deschamps regards Paul Pogba as "a victim".

"That it's been a very difficult moment for him, yes," Deschamps said.

"I talk to him regularly. He's someone who has a big mentality. Obviously, relating to his injury, it's not easy to manage. But psychologically, he's fine."

Bruno Guimaraes is playing a major role in Newcastle United's impressive start to the 2022-23 season.

The 24-year-old Brazilian midfielder has scored two goals and provided two assists for the Magpies this Premier League season.

Guimaraes joined Newcastle from Lyon in January on a four-and-a-half-year contract.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL AND REAL JOIN GUIMARAES PURSUIT

The list of suitors for Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes is growing with Liverpool and Real Madrid keen on the Brazilian, according to TNT Sports.

Newcastle are eager to sign the midfielder to an improved and lengthy contract extension, making him their highest paid player to ward off interest.

Last week, Goal linked Chelsea with him, with clubs reportedly monitoring his contract status ahead of potential January offers.

ROUND-UP

– Premier League leaders Arsenal are looking to spend in January with three players on their radar according to The Sun. The Gunners are chasing Palmeiras midfielder Danilo, Shakhtar Donetsk attacking midfielder Mykhaylo Mudryk and Villarreal winger Yeremy Pino .

– L'Equipe reports Bayern Munich are weighing up moving for Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram as they look for a long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski, who left for Barcelona in the close season.

Juventus have commenced talks with English teenager Samuel Iling-Junior on a new deal, claims Calciomercato. The 19-year-old made his Champions League debut on Tuesday.

– Football Insider claims Nottingham Forest will spend another £50m-£100m in the January transfer window to enhance their Premier League survival hopes. Forest made a record 22 signings following their promotion last term.

– Former Bochum boss Thomas Reis will take over as Schalke head coach, reports Sky. Schalke sacked Frank Kramer last week after their DFB-Pokal exit.

Sam Kerr scored four goals as Chelsea crushed Vllaznia 8-0 in the Women's Champions League on Wednesday, maintaining their perfect start in Group A.

Pernille Harder also struck a hat-trick and Katerina Svitkova headed home late on as the Blues followed up last week's impressive win over Paris Saint-Germain with a dominant display at Kingsmeadow.

Kerr needed just an hour to hit the net four times, finishing from close range on three occasions as well as converting Guro Reiten's corner with a towering header. 

Chelsea now hold a two-point advantage at the top of their group after Real Madrid played out a lively 0-0 draw with Paris Saint-Germain at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.

In Group B, Wolfsburg recorded their second win in as many games as goals from Jule Brand and Ewa Pajor helped them to a 2-0 success against Slavia Prague.

However, the two-time Champions League winners look set to be pushed all the way by tournament debutants Roma after they triumphed 4-3 in a remarkable meeting with St. Polten.

Alessandro Spugna's Giallorosse were 2-0 down with 15 minutes to play, but held firm after goals from Elena Linari, Valentina Giacinti, Manuela Giugliano and Paloma Lazaro turned the contest around to move onto six points.

Yannick Carrasco missed a last-gasp penalty as Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Champions League following a 2-2 draw with Bayer Leverkusen, who were also eliminated.

Requiring victory to maintain any hopes of progressing from Group B, Diego Simeone's side twice came from behind as Carrasco and Rodrigo de Paul cancelled out efforts from Moussa Diaby and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

There was late drama at the Wanda Metropolitano, where Clement Turpin had initially blown the full-time whistle before VAR penalised Piero Hincapie for handball in the box.

However, Carrasco was denied by Lukas Hradecky as Atletico bowed out at the group stage for the first time in five years.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas feels sanctions against Paris Saint-Germain are too lenient, comparing potential fines as comparable to "a cup of coffee" in cost for the club.

The Ligue 1 outfit, who are owned by Qatar Sports Investments, are one of the highest-spending sides in European football, under the watch of chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

PSG's transactions have come under intense scrutiny from critics, with the club previously handed a €65million fine - with €55m suspended - for Financial Fair Play breaches.

Tebas, however, feels such repercussions are too soft on the French outfit, who he claims are dismantling the sport's rulebook.

"€10m for PSG and Nasser is a cup of coffee!" he told L'Equipe. "Sanctions have to be dissuasive and also affect the sporting side of things.

"That has not been the case with those that were taken. These penalties don’t work, they have to be sanctioned now.

"Over the last six or seven seasons, PSG have lost a billion euros. They are breaking the European football ecosystem.

"How can other clubs compete with someone who has losses of one billion euros? It’s difficult."

 

European champions England will face off against Copa America Femenina champions Brazil at Wembley in the inaugural Women's Finalissima next year.

The clash on April 6 has been organised between UEFA and CONMEBOL to follow on from the success of the men's Finalissima in June, where South American champions Argentina defeated European title-holders Italy in front of a sold-out crowd at Wembley.

A cross-continent fixture has also taken place at youth level, with UEFA Youth League winners Benfica overcoming Uruguay's Club Atletico Penarol at the Estadio Centenario in August in Montevideo.

The clash will give both England and Brazil the opportunity to clinch a further title before the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, leading Three Lionesses head coach Sarina Wiegman to outline her excitement for the fixture.

"The great games keep on coming for us. This time, we have the opportunity to welcome Brazil to Wembley and it will be another big moment after the Euros and USA match," she said.

"Like us, they will be thinking about the World Cup next summer. This is a chance to again test ourselves against another top 10 team in the world, an opportunity to win another trophy and give our fans something special to watch, hopefully in a packed-out Wembley."

England's Euro success was only the second senior title they have ever lifted, while Brazil's triumph against Colombia in the Copa America was their fourth in a row and eighth in the nine editions of the tournament.

Chelsea have announced the arrival of Laurence Stewart from Monaco as technical director with a focus on global football, in what is seen as the first move towards a multi-club model.

Stewart, a former performance analyst for England during the 2014 World Cup, will arrive at Stamford Bridge upon the completion of his tenure with the Ligue 1 outfit.

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has made little secret of his desire to move the Premier League outfit towards a multi-club model, akin to Manchester City and the City Football Group, who own teams in 11 countries.

Stewart, who has experience with such a model through Monaco, appears to be arriving to help facilitate that vision, given the emphasis his role will have on global matters.

"Laurence is an important appointment as we plan to build a deep sporting team that will collaborate closely," Boehly said in a statement with co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali.

"[He's] a world-class football leader who understands talent management, data and scouting, player development and performance."

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly preparing to rival Chelsea in the pursuit of RB Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku, with this expected to be the forward's last season in the Bundesliga.

Nkunku, 24, burst onto the world stage this past season when he raised his goal tally in all competitions to 35 in 52 games, after previously never having scored more than seven goals in a season.

This season he has shown it was no fluke, with eight goals from Leipzig's first 11 Bundesliga fixtures, while adding another two in the Champions League, including one in Tuesday's home win against Real Madrid.

His form warranted his senior international debut for France in March, and as he is preparing to play a role for the defending champions at the World Cup, his old club have reportedly decided they want him back.

 

TOP STORY – PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN LOOK TO RECLAIM LEIPZIG'S NKUNKU

Nkunku spent nine years with PSG after arriving as a 13-year-old in 2010, earning 55 Ligue 1 appearances before being sold to Leipzig for a fee of €13million in 2019.

According to Fichajes, they now view that move as a mistake, and will look to reclaim France's new star as soon as January.

The report states both Liverpool and Chelsea are prepared to activate his €60m release clause in January, with Chelsea already said to have completed a preliminary physical in the previous transfer window, having been engaged with Leipzig in the sale of Timo Werner and an enquiry about Josko Gvardiol.

It is not known if PSG will have the funds to complete the move in January, especially while in contract renegotiations with superstar Lionel Messi.

 

ROUND-UP

– According to 90min, Bayern Munich are considering a move for 32-year-old German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City at the end of the season.

– Sport reports that Barcelona are in talks with Wolves about securing 25-year-old midfielder Ruben Neves, with a deal believed to be possible in January. 

– The Los Angeles Times claims Cristiano Ronaldo could come to Major League Soccer to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy, Los Angeles FC or Inter Miami if he can not find a European club.

– Calciomercato is reporting Manchester United have joined Chelsea and Barcelona with their interest in 25-year-old Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez.

Paris Saint-Germain are prepared to pay €30m for 16-year-old Brazilian Endrick, per UOL Esporte. Endrick is playing in the Brazilian league with Palmeiras, and will not be allowed to make the jump to Europe before turning 18.

Retired Reggae Boy Ricardo Fuller is set to step into coaching after taking a role at the academy of former club Stoke City.

The 42-year-old former player is a cult favorite at the West Midlands club where he made 182 appearances between 2006 and 2012 and scored 43 goals.

The Jamaican will return to the club as part of the Professional Player to Coach scheme, an initiative that is jointly administered by the Premier League, EFL, and Professional Footballers' Association.  The aim of the program is to increase the presence of minority coaches in the game of English football, a major talking point for the last several years.

Fuller will do work with all age groups at the club’s youth academy, where players range in age from 9-21.  Despite being a former fan favourite, the club made it clear the retired striker was not simply handed the position.

“Ricardo was one of a host of applicants for the role and he proved to be the strongest candidate after a thorough interview process,” Garth Owen, the director of the club’s academy, explained.

Fuller made 72 appearances for the Jamaica national team and scored a total of 9 goals.

 

 

Casemiro has highlighted the importance of Brazil remaining grounded after being labelled as one of the favourites to win the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

Brazil last lifted football's most prestigious trophy 20 years ago, when Ronaldo Nazario scored eight goals as Luiz Filipe Scolari's team triumphed in Japan and South Korea. 

However, Tite's team have been tipped by many to end that drought this year, with the Selecao topping the FIFA World Rankings ahead of the tournament and seeing the likes of Neymar and Vinicius Junior start the club season in fine form.

Speaking to Manchester United's media channels, Casemiro said: "There are two sides to it. Of course, there's no hiding from the fact Brazil are favourites, but the favourites don't always win in football, the favourites aren't always champions.

"We know there are other national teams doing some great work, teams that are also favourites. Football, nowadays, speaks for itself. We know there are other teams playing very well.

"We know our responsibility, we know we have to respect the teams we come up against. 

"It's inevitable when we talk about Brazil, though we do this with our feet on the ground and a lot of respect for our opponents."

With 65 senior caps to his name, Casemiro appears a certainty to feature when Brazil open their Group G campaign against Serbia on November 24, and he could be joined by United team-mate Antony.

The winger has scored three goals in his first six Premier League appearances since joining Red Devils from Ajax, and now hopes to make an impact for Brazil on the grandest stage of all.

"My first call up to the Selecao was this year, so it's a wonderful experience for me," Antony said, being interviewed alongside Casemiro.

"I've always dreamed of putting on the Brazil shirt, today I can live that dream leading up to a World Cup.

"Putting on the national shirt, representing your country and your family is very important to me. I hope to be putting it on more and more and make history with the Brazilian national team."

Juventus winger Angel Di Maria wants to finish his playing career where it started, back in Argentina with Rosario Central.

Di Maria, 34, joined Rosario as a four-year-old, spending the next 15 years with the club before a starring performance in the Under-20 World Cup saw Benfica come knocking.

His move to Benfica was the beginning of a remarkable European career, where he proceeded to play for Real Madrid, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain before landing in Italy with Juventus.

Despite all his success in Europe, Di Maria spoke about his desire to return to his roots in an interview with former player Ezequiel Lavezzi, who represented Argentina on the international stage 51 times between 2007 and 2016.

"I'd like to go back to Rosario," he said. "I know it's difficult... but it's as I always say – the dream of all those in Argentina is to come and play in Europe, mine is to return one day to wear the Rosario Central shirt. 

"It's reality, I've always said it. If I get the chance, I'd love to."

Rosario currently sit 19th in the 28-team top division in Argentina, and with little spending power, it would require a massive pay cut to become a reality.

Paris Saint-Germain can "do great things" in the Champions League if the attacking trio of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar continue their rich vein of form, according to defender Achraf Hakimi.

With Neymar operating just behind Mbappe and Messi, all three were on target as Christophe Galtier's side soared through to the knockout stages with a dominant 7-2 victory over Maccabi Haifa at Parc des Princes.

Supported by a midfield trio of Fabian Ruiz, Renato Sanches and Vitinha, the front three embraced the opportunity to express themselves more freely with PSG netting seven goals in a Champions League game for only the third time.

"We played a good game, we fulfilled the objective of qualifying," Hakimi told RMC Sport 1. "We scored a lot of goals. The coach chose the system to try things.

"The coach likes to play with this midfield, we hope it's a good possibility for the team. If the front three stay like that, it's possible to do great things. We're glad they all scored."

Galtier added: "It would be pretentious to think that we have the best team in the world. There are high quality teams in this competition.

"But I have three extraordinary players up front. We had to find a system so that they could express themselves more freely.

"Everyone knows the technical quality of the three, but we also realise that, in this competition, defending more in density allows us to have transitions. It's very nice to see, they play for each other."

Although disappointed by the manner in which the second goal was conceded, Galtier was impressed by the overall performance of his players, who he is urging to secure top spot in Group H when they face Juventus next week.

"I regret the second goal. We lacked requirement and rigour at the beginning of the second half to avoid reviving the team," the head coach added.

"Apart from that, I'm happy with the game. Overall, the team has been fantastic. We played lively, alert football, with a lot of technical relationships and connections between the lines. I am satisfied.

"We are qualified; it's very good, it's the most important. The competition is not over, we have to go for first place against Juventus. PSG's ambition is to finish first. We remain focused on this objective."

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