Kylian Mbappe assisted two goals and scored the other as France eased to a 3-0 victory over Luxembourg in Wednesday's international friendly at Stade Saint-Symphorien in Metz.

In a game in which Olivier Giroud came on to become Les Blues' oldest-ever player aged 37 years and 249 days, new Real Madrid superstar Mbappe stole the show as France kicked off their preparations for Euro 2024 in a serene manner.

The former Paris Saint-Germain forward crossed for Randal Kolo Muani to head home the opener two minutes before half-time after a jinking run down the left, before fizzing in a delivery for Jonathan Clauss to settle himself and flash home a second in the 70th minute.

Mbappe was not finished there as he was teed up by former club-mate Bradley Barcola to slide in the third of the game for France, who did have one moment of concern as Dayot Upamecano departed with a knock.

Data Debrief: Mbappe overtakes two fellow greats

Mbappe has now assisted 28 goals for France, which is two more than Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry. Indeed, over the past 50 years, only Antoine Griezmann (30) has provided more.

While the victory was straightforward enough for Didier Deschamps' men, who face Canada in their final pre-Euro 2024 friendly, their expected goals return (xG) of 1.46 - compared to 0.13 for Luxembourg - was lower than many would have anticipated.

In a last-minute change, the Reggae Boyz's crucial World Cup qualifier against the Dominican Republic on Thursday, June 6, will now kick off at 3:30 PM instead of the previously scheduled 6:30 PM. This adjustment comes amid ongoing efforts to upgrade the lighting at Jamaica's National Stadium to meet international standards.

Sports Minister Olivia Grange recently highlighted the installation of new LED lights on Tower Four and additional lamps on the stadium canopy. These enhancements aimed to significantly improve the lighting quality, surpassing the minimum requirement of 1,000 lumens for international matches.

"The National Stadium lights over time have been less than optimal," Minister Grange stated last week. "Independence Park Limited has installed LED lights on Tower Four and some additional lamps on the canopy, pending further upgrades. This latest shipment of equipment, once installed, will improve the lighting substantially."

Despite these efforts, Major Desmon Brown, General Manager of Independence Park Limited (IPL), explained the decision to reschedule the match time in a statement released on Wednesday afternoon.

"Despite efforts by Independence Park Limited (IPL) to bring the lighting levels at the National Stadium up to the standards required by CONCACAF, the World Cup qualifying football match slated for Thursday, June 6, 2024, will kickoff at 3:30 p.m.," Brown stated.

The decision was influenced by broadcast requirements and was finalized on May 31. IPL had initially been notified by CONCACAF via a letter dated May 9, stating that the lighting levels during the last CONCACAF match on February 22 were below the required 1,000 lumens.

Consequently, no international night matches would be sanctioned at the National Stadium until the lighting was improved.

To address this, the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport authorized IPL to purchase light fixtures to meet the required standards pending a larger reconstruction project for the National Stadium.

IPL made swift arrangements, securing and installing lighting locally while awaiting fixtures from China, aiming for an inspection date of June 4. However, despite these proactive steps, the early kick-off time was necessitated to accommodate broadcast needs and ensure compliance with international standards.

The National Stadium, through a 'grandfather clause', has been allowed to host regional or international events sanctioned by FIFA or World Athletics, despite not meeting the latest standards. This clause allows the stadium to continue operations that were approved before the implementation of new regulations.

Fans are encouraged to adjust their schedules accordingly to support the Reggae Boyz in this pivotal match, now set for a 3:30 PM start.

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.

Kevin De Bruyne marked his 100th appearance for Belgium with a goal in Wednesday's 2-0 friendly victory over Montenegro at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.

The Manchester City midfielder was handed a start in the hosts' penultimate warm-up game ahead of Euro 2024 and found the net from distance just before half-time.

Matija Sarkic's weak backpass landed at the feet of De Bruyne and he made no mistake guiding it into the empty net from more than 30 yards out.

Milos Brnovic's second yellow card late on dented Montenegro's hopes of snatching a draw, before Leandro Trossard sealed the victory for Belgium from the penalty spot in added time after fellow substitute Jeremy Doku was felled in the box.

Data Debrief: Profligate Belgium extend unbeaten streak

Belgium were expected to ease to victory, even without record goalscorer Romelu Lukaku included in their squad, but it did not quite turn out that way.

Domenico Tedesco's men registered an expected goals (xG) return of 2.81, compared to 0.62 for their opponents, although their dominance did not truly show in the scoreline.

The Red Devils will know they will need to be more ruthless come their Euro 2024 opener against Slovakia in 12 days' time, yet ultimately they are now unbeaten in 14 matches.

Erling Haaland netted the 22nd hat-trick of his career for club and country as Norway eased to a 3-0 win over Kosovo in Wednesday's international friendly at Ullevaal Stadion.

The Manchester City striker, who was crowned the Premier League's top scorer in 2023-24 for the second season running, took just 15 minutes to get off the mark in Oslo.

Haaland headed home David Moller Wolfe's cross inside the six-yard box, before doubling his tally in the 70th minute with a clipped finish after being played through on goal.

The third and final goal arrived three minutes later as the prolific striker exchanged passes with Aron Donnum and fired home after Kosovo made a mess of cutting out the danger.

Haaland now has 30 goals in just 32 appearances for Norway, who face Denmark in their next friendly on Saturday.

Euro 2024-bound Denmark were themselves in friendly action on Wednesday as they earned a late 2-1 win over Sweden thanks to a late Christian Eriksen strike.

Eriksen netted via a dripping shot in the 86th minute at Parken Stadium after Alexander Isak had earlier cancelled out Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's opener.

The 2025 men's Africa Cup of Nations could be put back six months after a "scheduling nightmare", CAF general secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba has confirmed.

The tournament, which was won by the Ivory Coast last February, was initially scheduled to take place in Morocco in June 2025.

However, this will clash with the expanded 32-team Club World Cup, held in the United States between June 15 and July 13, with four African teams invited to participate.

"For the men, we need to make sure that the dates that we'll be choosing will be in the interests of the players,” Mosengo-Omba told BBC Sport Africa.

"For this, we need to balance different aspects and also discuss with our partners and then we complete [the dates]. Scheduling is a nightmare for everybody.”

"We can play after the Club World Cup, but is this good for the interests of the players who have played all the season, and then they travel to America [and then] to immediately come to play Afcon?"

The CAF general secretary also said there would soon be an update on when the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations would take place, with the forthcoming Olympic Games providing another potential clash.

"We are supposed to play this year, but we have teams engaged in the Olympics, so we have to find another date," he added.

"We are talking with UEFA, because most of the players are playing in Europe, the European Club Association, and also with FIFA in order to find [a] suitable date."

Ronald Koeman confirmed Bart Verbruggen will be the Netherlands' first-choice goalkeeper at Euro 2024.

There had been question marks over who would keep goal for the Oranje during the forthcoming European Championship, with Verbruggen facing competition from Mark Flekken and Justin Bijlow.

But the Brighton and Hove Albion goalkeeper, who made 27 appearances across all competitions during his debut season with the Seagulls, has been given the nod for the Netherlands' tournament opener against Poland on June 16.

The Dutch, who will also play France and Austria in Group D, continue their preparations with a friendly against Canada on Thursday, before playing Iceland in their final warm-up match four days later.

"It had been clear to me for several weeks that Bart would become the first-choice goalkeeper," Koeman told reporters ahead of the match against the Canucks. "Mark Flekken did well in March [the last international window], but the choice was clear to me."

Verbruggen, who won the first of his five caps to date against France last October, admitted he could not contain his excitement when told the good news.

"I didn't do a little dance, but I did have a grin from ear to ear," he said. "I don’t feel any pressure, but maybe it will come later because I have never been to a major tournament. But I feel I have the confidence of my team-mates."

Bologna have confirmed the appointment of Vincenzo Italiano as the club's new head coach, with the former Fiorentina boss succeeding Thiago Motta.

Italiano has put pen to paper on a two-year deal with the Rossoblu, who will play in the Champions League next season following a fifth-place finish in Serie A.

The 46-year-old departed Fiorentina at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, after guiding La Viola to successive Europa League Conference finals during his three-year spell.

However, the Florence club suffered heartbreak on both occasions; losing to a last-minute winner from West Ham's Jarrod Bowen in 2023, while Ayoub El Kaabi struck in extra-time to clinch a dramatic victory for Olympiacos the following year.

Italiano also led Fiorentina to the 2022-23 Coppa Italia showpiece, where they were beaten by Inter.

A promotion winner with Trapani and Spezia earlier in his managerial career, he takes charge at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara and succeeds Motta, who is expected to replace Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus.

Paulo Fonseca has left Lille to be replaced by Bruno Genesio, ahead of his expected appointment as Milan head coach.

Fonseca joined Lille in 2022, having previously enjoyed spells with Porto, Braga, Shakhtar Donetsk and Roma.

He led them to a fifth-place Ligue 1 finish in 2022-23 then improved on that achievement by taking them into the top four last term, ensuring Champions League qualification.

However, he had been expected to leave the Stade Pierre-Mauroy and return to Serie A, with Milan reportedly hoping to appoint him as Stefano Pioli's successor.

That move appears closer after Lille announced the departure of their Portuguese coach on Wednesday, immediately naming former Lyon and Rennes boss Bruno Genesio as his replacement.

In a statement, Lille president Olivier Letang said: "It is a great pleasure to make the arrival of Bruno Genesio official.

"He has achieved positive results with all the teams he has coached. His vision, his working methodology and his management are totally in line with what we want.

"Bruno will allow us to continue the work we have started over the past two seasons, whether in terms of the game we have put in place, the ambition and our desire to always perform, the development of young talents, or more generally the evolution of LOSC."

Genesio was named Ligue 1 Manager of the Year in 2021-22, when his Rennes side finished fourth in Ligue 1 and scored 82 goals in 38 games. 

Matheus Cunha insists he is "very happy" at Wolves amid speculation linking him with a move to Manchester United.

The 25-year-old, who is contracted at Molineux until 2027, is reportedly the subject of a £60 million bid by the Red Devils.

Cunha arrived from Atletico Madrid following an initial loan deal in January 2023 and, despite injury struggles, chipped in with 12 goals and seven assists for Wolves during the 2023-24 season.

The Brazilian, who was left out of the Selecao's Copa America squad, endeared himself to the Molineux faithful with a hat-trick against Chelsea, while he also netted in the FA Cup win against local rivals West Bromwich Albion.

Cunha has returned to his native Brazil for a post-season holiday, and was questioned about his future while attending a Botafogo match, but asserted his contentment with life at Wolves.

"We see this rush [Man United speculation]. But I'm very happy at Wolves," he told local media. 

"My focus is on resting and making the most of it with my family. I'm very happy at Wolves. The focus now is to have better seasons and help the club. [Hopefully] I will continue on this path."

Manchester United are negotiating a new deal with Jonny Evans to extend his stay with the Red Devils, who have released their retained list to the Premier League.

Evans, who won three Premier League titles during his 11-year stint at United between 2004 and 2015, returned for a second spell at the start of the 2023-24 season, signing a one-year deal at Old Trafford.

The Northern Ireland defender initially trained with the club during pre-season, before putting pen to paper on a short-term deal in September and going on to make 30 appearances across all competitions.

And United confirmed they are in discussions with the 36-year-old over fresh terms to keep him at Old Trafford for the 2024-25 campaign.

The Red Devils are also in negotiations with Tom Heaton over a new deal, and have offered a contract extension to young striker Omari Forson.

The 19-year-old made his Premier League debut in February's 4-3 win over Wolves and played a further six times, but is reportedly seeking a move away from the club.

Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane will leave United when their contracts expire on June 30 after 317 and 95 appearances respectively, while academy graduate Brandon Williams will also depart.

The Premier League's financial regulations are threatening to harm the quality of the league, Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has warned.

It was revealed on Tuesday were taking unprecedented legal action against the Premier League's Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules, regarding commercial and sponsorship deals with companies owned or associated with the club's owners.

Initially introduced in December 2021 in the wake of Newcastle United's sale to the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, the rules are designed to prevent clubs from inflating commercial deals with companies linked to their owners.

City reportedly said in a 165-page legal document they felt the rules are "unlawful" and they were victims of "discrimination", and would seek damages for revenue lost by preventions made by those rules.

Chairman Al Mubarak, speaking in an interview published on Wednesday, thinks the standard of play in the league will suffer as a consequence of the regulations.

"I think the Premier League got to where it is today by being the most competitive league. So, I hope there is a bit more sensibility in regulating," he said.

"Always, a balanced approach is good for all the leagues, be it in England or the rest of Europe. I think you won't see the same level as we've seen in the last years, because of the levels of regulations that have come into place over the last 12 months.

"There's also been a lot of restrictions now put in place on swaps and loans, so even that is now much more restricted. 

"I think the level of manoeuvrability that was in place before that allowed teams to do what they were able to do in the past, I think, is much more restricted this year and that's going to be reflected, I believe, this summer.

The dispute will be settled during a two-week private arbitration hearing beginning on Monday.

The result of this legal battle could affect the outcome of City's hearing into their 115 charges of allegedly breaching rules related to financial fair play, which is due to take place in November.

Many of these relate to the club allegedly not providing accurate information about the revenue to the Premier League, who deducted points from Everton and Nottingham Forest last season for not complying with Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

Al Mubarak does not think it is fair that the charges of "constantly referenced" when talking about City's success in recent years.

"Of course, it's frustrating - having it being talked about the way it's being talked about," he added. "I can feel for our fanbase, and everyone associated with the club, to have these charges constantly referenced.

"I think we as a club have to respect that there is a process that we have to go through, and we're going through it.

"It's taking longer than what anyone hoped for, but it is what it is, and I've always repeated, let's be judged by the facts, and not by claims and counterclaims."

Antonio Conte is back in management after being named the new head coach at Napoli.

The former Juventus and Italy boss replaces the outgoing Francesco Calzona, signing a three-year deal at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Conte returns to the dugout 15 months after leaving Premier League side Tottenham by mutual consent, and will hope to oversee an improvement on a disappointing 2023-24 season for Napoli.

Scudetto winners the previous year, the Partenopei were unable to launch a genuine title defence, finishing 10th in a campaign where they had three different coaches, firing Rudi Garcia and Walter Mazzarri before Calzona came in.

Conte won three successive Serie A titles between 2012 and 2014 with Juventus, while guiding Inter to the Scudetto three years ago. The former midfielder also led Chelsea to Premier League glory in 2017.

Club president Aurelio De Laurentiis said: "I am very proud that the new coach of Napoli is Antonio Conte. 

"Antonio is a top coach, a leader, with whom I am sure that the necessary refoundation will start after the conclusion of the cycle that led us to win the Scudetto last year after many seasons at the top of Italian football. 

"Today marks the beginning of a new important chapter in the history of Napoli."

Conte, meanwhile, told the club's website: "Napoli is a place of global importance. I'm happy and excited to sit on the Azzurri bench. 

"I can certainly promise one thing: I will do my best for the growth of the team and the club. My commitment, together with that of my staff, will be total."

Tottenham have confirmed Ryan Sessegnon and Japhet Tanganga are following Eric Dier and Ivan Perisic through the exit door as free agents.

Dier and Perisic had already agreed moves ahead of 2024-25, with Dier making his loan stay at Bayern Munich permanent and Perisic returning to boyhood club Hajduk Split.

Both players have now left the club following the expiration of their contracts, as have Sessegnon and Tanganga.

Sessegnon was considered one of the hottest properties in the English game when he joined from Fulham in a £25million deal in 2019, but he made just 57 appearances in five injury-affected years in north London, scoring three goals.

Sessegnon has been linked with several Premier League clubs, having seen his 2023-24 campaign ended by hamstring surgery in February.

Academy graduate Tanganga made 50 appearances for Spurs after breaking through under Jose Mourinho in 2019-20, and he spent the 2023-24 season on loan at Millwall. 

Gareth Southgate will use England's clash with Iceland on Friday as a chance to "get Harry Kane right" for Euro 2024, potentially meaning fewer minutes for Ivan Toney. 

Kane saw his first season with Bayern Munich ended early by a back injury, missing their last two Bundesliga matches as he finished with 44 goals across all competitions in 2023-24.

He came off the bench to score as England beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0 in the first of two warm-up matches on Monday and is expected to start at Wembley on Friday.

That may be bad news for Brentford striker Toney, who could be at risk of being omitted when Southgate cuts his 33-man preliminary squad to 26 players on Saturday.

"Toney will be involved in the game on Friday but I have got to get Harry Kane right," Southgate said.

"Sometimes the priorities of what's required and what you would like to see as well, you can't achieve all of those objectives. Simple as that."

Toney scored four goals in his first five Premier League matches after returning from a nine-month ban in January, but he ended the campaign on a 12-game goal drought – his longest ever in the competition.

Kane, meanwhile, will be key to England's hopes of ending their 58-year wait for silverware in Germany.

He has scored 12 goals at the last three major international tournaments (2018 World Cup, Euro 2020 and 2022 World Cup), with Kylian Mbappe the only other European player to match that tally.

Kane was also involved in 10 goals during Euro 2024 qualifying (eight goals, two assists), scoring or assisting on all seven of his starts. 

While Kane should be in peak condition by the time England kick off their Group C campaign against Serbia on June 16, doubts persist over the availability of left-back Luke Shaw.

With no other natural left-backs making Southgate's squad, Kieran Trippier could shift across to that side for the Three Lions' opening game, and the Newcastle United man is ready to go after suffering injuries of his own in the closing stages of 2023-24.

"I'm fit. If I pick the team, then obviously I put myself in it," Trippier said. 

"That's up to Gareth, but whether I play or I don't play, I'll be ready. I felt really fit. I'm feeling good, I'm feeling fresh."