Six goals in the first half propelled Mexico to a commanding 6-0 victory against Trinidad and Tobago in Group A of League A of the Road to the Concacaf Women's Gold Cup on Tuesday night at the Estadio Hidalgo in Pachuca, Mexico.

With the win, Mexico now sits in first place in the group with six points through two matches, while Trinidad and Tobago remain on zero points after one game.

Mexico wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard, as Maria Sanchez scored for the second game in a row by stabbing home a cross from Scarlett Camberos before the three-minute mark for a 1-0 lead.

Greta Espinoza quickly doubled the advantage to 2-0 in the 10th when Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Kimika Forbes spilled a long-range shot, allowing Espinoza to stroke home the rebound.

Mexico then made it 3-0 in the 19th with a sparkling goal in transition that saw Alicia Cervantes polish off the counterattack with a right-footed laser into net.

A long-distance effort from Alexia Delgado that rolled off the fingertips of Forbes and into goal extended it to 4-0 in the 25th, followed by Charlyn Corral turning in a blocked shot in the 39th for a 5-0 lead.

Corral was instrumental again in the 42nd, sending in a cross that allowed that was tapped home by Cervantes to stretch it to 6-0.

With the six-goal advantage, Mexico could play to their liking and patiently wait to carve out any further scoring chances. However, the Trinidad and Tobago defence held firm in the second 45, leading to the 6-0 final.

Arnicka Louis scored four goals to lead the way in a 5-1 victory for St Lucia at Guadeloupe in Group B of League C on the Road to the Concacaf Women's Gold Cup on Tuesday at the Stade Pierre-Aliker in Fort-de-France, Guadeloupe.

St Lucia came storming out of the ages, taking a 1-0 lead just one minute into the match when Shamalyn Albert made a dashing run down the left flank and crossed for Louis, who had an easy finish into net. It was the earliest goal scored by a player at this stage of the tournament.

Guadeloupe had a great chance at pulling level in the 20th on a well-struck left-footed free kick from Jalna Lepante, but Saint Lucia goalkeeper Kenna Lionel did enough to parry it off the post and out of play.

Lepante would get another chance though, this time in the 37th during the run of play and she finished with aplomb, stroking a shot past St Lucia back-up goalkeeper Renala Francis to even the score at 1-1.

Back came St Lucia and it was Louis again finishing an incredible 70-yard run in first half stoppage time for a 2-1 lead.

Arnicka Louis then picked up where she left off, completing her hat trick less than two minutes into the second half by tucking away a shot after a deflection in the area to make it 3-1.

Louis then capped off her memorable outing with an excellent finish in the 80th off a long ball from defender Eartha Pond for a 4-1 advantage.

The 5-1 scoreline was completed in the 87th with Eartha Pond again providing service with a long ball and Ellaisa Marquis polishing things off with a goal.

The spotlight was on Group C of League B in the 2023 Road to the Concacaf Women's Gold Cup tournament on Tuesday night.

Bermuda sits atop Group C with two victories to start its campaign. The Dominican Republic picked up its first victory, but Barbados maintains second place in the group on goal differential, while St Vincent and the Grenadines will use the break to reassess and return stronger during the October international fixtures.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines vs. Bermuda

Bermuda took a 4-0 victory at Saint Vincent and the Grenadines at the Arnos Vale Stadium in Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The home side generated a good chance to take the lead early in the 11th when a corner kick provided a menacing opportunity, but Dionte Delpeche could not connect with Asha Richards.

Jya Ratteray Smith took the lead for the visitors in the 14th, after connecting off a long pass into the box from Khyla Brangman.

Smith doubled the lead by completing her brace in the 39th, after Symira Lowe Derrell won a contested ball in midfield to provide the assist.

Eva Frazzoni added a third goal in the 78th after connecting with a pass down the right flank from Trinae Edwards.

Khyla Brangman extended the lead to four in the 86th from the penalty spot. Frazzoni was taken down on the previous play.

Dominican Republic vs. Barbados

The Dominican Republic earned a 3-0 victory over Barbados at the Felix Sanchez Olympic Stadium in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Acacia Small nearly had the visitors up in the sixth, but Odaliana Gomez, was there to block the shot on a night where she would collect the clean sheet.

Barbados goalkeeper Kamillah Burke also had a goal-denying save in the 20th, as she stood in the way of Vanessa Kara.

Kara broke through with the opening goal in the 39th with a pouncing run into the box to collect the ball and shoot it past Burke. 

Brianne Reed extended the lead by two in the 53rd by heading in a corner kick from Winibian Peralta. 

Kara collected her brace in the 55th with another attack into the box as a throw-in led to the three-goal lead.

Jaylen Vallecillo had a header towards goal in the 73rd as the hosts looked to increase their grasp on the scoreboard. Kara had another shot on goal in the 86th as the home side closed out the result.

England international Georgia Stanway has signed a new contract with Bayern Munich to extend her stay until at least 2026.

The 24-year-old midfielder left Manchester City to join the German champions last summer before playing a key role in England’s home-soil Euros triumph and the Lionesses’ run to the World Cup final.

“For me it feels like home here, which is very important for me,” said Stanway following the announcement of her contract extension. “This is the best place for me and this is where I see my future.

“The opportunity to extend your contract with FC Bayern and the fact that the club also wants it is a great honour.

“As a football player, and as a professional athlete, you are here to assert yourself and we as a team are here to win. I think that goes without saying. I am very ambitious, so I will do everything I can to help the team, both on and off the pitch.”

Stanway collected a Frauen-Bundesliga medal in her first season at the club, making 21 starts and scoring six times, as well as netting three Champions League goals.

“My favourite moment of last season was definitely winning the championship,” added Stanway, who played in England’s 2-1 defeat against the Netherlands on Tuesday.

“The week before the last league game was the longest week ever. And then finally playing against Potsdam and scoring a goal in the first few minutes was a great feeling.

“Lifting the championship trophy at the end was something very special. Once you get a taste for it, you definitely want to experience it again.”

Bayern head coach Alexander Straus added: “Georgia is still young and will become even more important to our team than she already is.

“She has grown into a leadership position within our team over the last year. I think everyone could see how important she was to us.

“We believe in Georgia, and I’m pleased that Georgia also believes in our team and our mission.”

Deadline-day signing Sofyan Amrabat says he only ever wanted to join Manchester United and believes Erik ten Hag’s side can “do something big” this season.

The 27-year-old’s qualities came to the fore during the 2022 World Cup, where his outstanding midfield displays helped Morocco on their historic run to the semi-finals.

Amrabat was linked with moves aplenty after Qatar and numerous clubs expressed their interest in a player that only wanted to leave Fiorentina this summer for one destination.

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The midfielder played under Ten Hag at Utrecht at the start of his career and was determined to link back up with him at United as he wrapped up a long-discussed deal at the start of September.

Asked if it was a difficult process waiting to get the move, Amrabat said: “Yes, of course.

“After the last game with the club, it was the Conference League final with West Ham and from that moment, the window started for me.

“A lot of clubs, a lot of speaking, talking, but for me it was clear I wanted Manchester United.

“It was long, long months for me, difficult months for me, but at the end it’s nice on the last day that I signed here and that I’m here is now the most important (thing).”

United paid 10million euros (£8.6m) to sign Amrabat on loan for the season, with the deal including the option to trigger a permanent move.

The Serie A will receive a 20m euros (£17.1m) fee and up to 5m euros (£4.3m) in potential add-ons if that option is taken by Ten Hag’s men.

“I don’t think about that,” Amrabat said of his future beyond this season. “For me, today, I am a Manchester United player.

“The only thing I can do is every day to give everything that I have, to do my best, to try to help the team.

“I hope we have a fantastic season, I hope we can win something and then later we will see what will happen.

“Of course, I would love to stay here, but that’s not important for me. I don’t look too far into the future.”

Amrabat spoke as he basked in the afterglow of an impressive first appearance at Old Trafford, where he helped United beat Crystal Palace 3-0 in the Carabao Cup third round.

“It was fantastic,” he said with a smile. “It was a dream of mine. Since I was a child I worked for this every day and to be here is a dream, it’s fantastic.”

After a small injury delayed his debut, Amrabat finally made his bow off the bench in Saturday’s much-needed win at Burnley before making his first start against Palace three days later.

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Those back-to-back victories have lifted the mood around Old Trafford after what had been a challenging start to the season on and off the field for absentee-hit United.

Pressure and scrutiny had grown having lost four of their opening six matches of a season for the first time since 1986, but Amrabat is confident they can kick on and enjoy a successful season.

“I have a lot of confidence because I see that we have so much quality,” he said.

“I think it was a bit unlucky with the injuries we had. Of course for every team it’s difficult if you have a lot of injuries.

“But I see a lot of quality, we have a fantastic coach, we have fantastic fans, so I believe that we can do something big.

“But at the end you have to show it on the pitch, not with talking, not with speaking, you have to work for it and hopefully we can reach something very nice.”

United won the Carabao Cup in their first season under Ten Hag, who described Amrabat as a “warrior” on Tuesday as he started as makeshift left-back due to a string of absentees.

“First of all, when I make a step on the pitch, for me it’s normal that you give everything, that you fight for every metre and give your all for the team,” the Morocco international added.

“Of course you can make technical mistakes, everyone can have a bad game, but I think – at the end – most importantly, you fight for the badge, for the club and that’s the minimum you can do.

“I think, for me, that’s normal and that’s what I try always.

“The manager knows me very well, a long time – maybe seven years ago that we worked together, so it’s a long time.

“But he knows me, I know him, I know what he wants and I try to do that at the best (level).”

A busy summer transfer window saw one of the biggest names in the Women’s Super League switch sides, while a Japanese World Cup standout is set to play English top-flight football for the first time.

Here, the PA news agency picks five players to look out for in the WSL as the new campaign gets under way.

Alessia Russo (Arsenal)

Arsenal tried and failed – with a rumoured world-record bid – to reach an agreement with Manchester United to sign England forward Russo during the January transfer window, but the Gunners finally landed their coveted target on a free transfer in July.

Russo hit 10 goals in the WSL last season as United finished runners-up to champions Chelsea and was boss Sarina Wiegman’s first-choice centre forward for the World Cup, where she netted three times for the runners-up.

With Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema also set for imminent returns from their respective anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, head coach Jonas Eidevall will boast an intimidating wealth of options in attack.

Hinata Miyazawa (Manchester United)

While Brazil international Geyse, a Champions League winner last season with Barcelona, will likely be seen as the most direct replacement for Russo, boss Marc Skinner will also be buoyed by the arrival of Japan international Miyazawa from WE League side MyNavi Sendai.

Versatile Miyazawa’s five goals in four games at the World Cup were good enough to secure her the tournament’s Golden Boot, and her breakthrough performance also landed the 23-year-old nominations for both the Ballon d’Or and FIFA Best Women’s Player of 2023.

With United playing more matches this season after securing a Champions League berth for the first time, Miyazawa adds pivotal depth to Skinner’s squad.

Mary Fowler (Manchester City)

While Fowler is not a new face at Manchester City, where she signed a four-year deal last June, the forward may find herself under a much brighter spotlight this season after helping Australia reach a first-ever semi-final in a Women’s World Cup.

Fowler was instrumental in ensuring the Matildas secured safe passage out of the group stage even without prolific striker and skipper Sam Kerr, who returned for the knockouts following a calf injury.

The 20-year-old netted in Australia’s 4-0 group stage victory over Canada, teed up Caitlin Foord with a brilliant through ball in her side’s last-16 victory over Denmark and scored a perfect penalty against France in a nervy quarter-final shootout – the longest in Women’s World Cup history – to solidify her status as one to watch.

Catarina Macario (Chelsea)

Macario became one of the many victims of the ACL injury crisis plaguing women’s football whilst playing for Lyon in June 2022 and has yet to return to action – but that did not stop WSL title-holders Chelsea from signing the 23-year-old to a three-year deal in July.

Though still in the early stages of her career, the American forward, who joins the Blues after two seasons with Lyon, has already accomplished something her decorated new boss Emma Hayes has not: winning a Champions League trophy.

Macario, who can play as a central striker or an attacking midfielder, scored 23 goals in 33 games for Lyon in 2021/22 and could prove a key component of Hayes’ European plans once deemed fit to return.

Daphne van Domselaar (Aston Villa)

Aston Villa boss Carla Ward was in search of a new goalkeeper after former first choice Hannah Hampton, whose contract had expired, also joined Hayes’ ranks over the summer.

Villa, who finished fifth last season, have signalled their intent to take on the league’s top sides with a busy transfer window and were delighted after beating big European challengers to secure the services of Netherlands goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar from FC Twente for the next three years.

The three-time Eredivisie Vrouwen winner, who joins Villa from FC Twente, was also the Netherlands’ first-choice shot-stopper at the World Cup.

Vincent Kompany is excited about Wilson Odobert’s potential after watching the teenager score on his full debut for Burnley in a 4-0 Carabao Cup win over League Two Salford.

The 18-year-old had already tested home goalkeeper Alex Cairns on a couple of occasions before crowning a comfortable win for Burnley with his 81st-minute strike, collecting a cross from the impressive Anass Zaroury and cutting back inside before firing home.

It was only Odobert’s second appearance in a Burnley shirt following his summer move from Troyes and while Kompany will not rush the young Frenchman, the manager wants him to be making a regular contribution soon as the Clarets look to turn around their Premier League form.

“We talk about the team settling and stuff and as I’ve told you, some of the guys who will be the heroes for us this season, you don’t see them but I see them in training and we have to be prepared for them to come into the team,” Kompany said.

“Guys like Wilson are these type of guys. You can see the talent. It’s a matter of time. Is it tomorrow? Is it in a week or a month’s time? We don’t know. We’ll go with them.

“Just like Luca Koleosho, we’ve some exciting players and hopefully they’ll be able to show it very soon for us. We’ll need it.”

Kompany made 11 changes from the side that lost 1-0 to Manchester United on Saturday as he continues to marshal a 34-strong squad and figure out his best combinations.

But even with so many changes, it still felt like a strong selection. Vitinho returned from injury, Odobert made his first start and Jack Cork got only his second run out of the campaign, starting in defence, but most of those involved have already featured regularly this term.

After bringing in 13 new faces this summer, Burnley still need time to gel, as has been reflected by their winless start to the Premier League season. A cup win over a side struggling near the bottom of League Two is only a small step forward, but progress all the same.

“We’ve got a lot of players still gelling together and I don’t think players would have played together as a team,” Kompany said. “Seeing a collective performance is more important than just seeing the individuals for me.”

He added of that gelling process: “It’s not something that’s abnormal. We knew it was part of something that was going to happen and we had it last year. In that sense, it’s not different.

“The level of opposition of course is different but you work hard on the training ground and after every game to make sure the team gets to the level it needs to be at as quickly as possible. You also enjoy that side of it. That’s why we’re coaches…

“It’s still early days for a lot of these guys but in the end, if the collective is robust then you can make adaptations. We prioritised game time – Corky played at centre back as if he had played there for the last 10 years.

“But when you look after the ball and when you have strikers and wingers who can be dangerous, it always gives you a chance to spread the load across the team.”

Demi Stokes believes Manchester City can rise to the challenge as the competition in the Women’s Super League gets ever tougher.

City were forced to settle for a disappointing fourth place last season, finishing outside the Champions League berths for the first time since 2014.

After winning the title in 2016 and then finishing runners-up in four successive seasons, City have been muscled out of the top positions in recent years.

Chelsea have been the dominant force, having won the past four WSL crowns, but first Arsenal and now Manchester United have got their noses in front of City.

Yet far from being frustrated, City defender Stokes has welcomed the increased competition as a sign of the growing strength of the women’s game and is convinced her side can match them.

“I think if you look at last year, we had some very good performances,” the 31-year-old left-back told the PA news agency.

“We were obviously disappointed with how we finished but I think if you look at the team and the depth that we’ve got, we’ve got everything that we need to win and it’s just about being consistent.

“Obviously the league is getting harder and harder but that’s what we want. Other teams are improving, but we’re improving. It is going to be tight.

“You know that you have to be consistent every week and every game is hard. It’s not just a handful that are going to be hard – each game is hard.

“Everyone can take points off everyone. If you don’t turn up on the day, you’ll get punished for it.

“But we know what we need to do. We’ve had our conversations and we’re just looking forward to the season starting.”

Stokes, a member of England’s successful Euro 2022 squad, was overlooked for this summer’s World Cup campaign.

She enjoyed watching the Lionesses run to the final as a fan but has not given up hope of forcing her way back into the international picture.

“I had a good summer and I enjoyed watching it,” said Stokes, who signed a new one-year contract at City in June. “The girls did really well and they should be proud.

“For me, I got my holidays in and it’s almost been like having a reset button and going again.

“I’ve just got to concentrate on City now and then see where that goes. Play minutes – injury free – and we’ll go from there.”

After a summer in which the England team took another historic step forward, the Women’s Super League returns this week with the next major phase in its development on the horizon.

New ground was broken by the Lionesses once again as, a year on from claiming their first major trophy with Euros glory on home soil, they reached a maiden World Cup final.

While they ended up being edged 1-0 by Spain on August 20, the exploits of Sarina Wiegman’s side at the tournament in Australia and New Zealand only further strengthened the sense of momentum surrounding the English women’s game.

The WSL has been a key contributor to that as well and, as the start of the 2023-24 season draws near, there has been much talk about the division – which has been fully professional since 2018 – entering a new era.

An independent company currently being referred to as ‘NewCo’ is set to take over the running of the league and the second-tier Championship from the Football Association from the start of 2024-25 onwards, and WSL chair Dawn Airey has spoken about the ambition to create the first billion-pound league structure in women’s football.

Indicators of the growth the WSL has enjoyed to this point include its broadcast deal with Sky and the BBC that started in 2021 and runs to the end of this coming season, and attendance figures, with the FA reporting the average rose by 170 per cent in 2022-23 compared to 2021-22, and a record 47,367 watching Arsenal v Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium last September.

That high mark may well be surpassed on the first day of the 2023-24 campaign this Sunday, when Arsenal are back at the stadium to kick-off with a clash against Liverpool – ticket sales hit 48,000 with a few days still to go in the build-up to the match.

The season will see a number of matches taking place at Premier League grounds, with three of those coming in the opening round.

Arsenal have committed to Jonas Eidevall’s Gunners, who came third last term as well as winning the League Cup, playing five WSL games at the Emirates across the season.

And the number is four for champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, starting with Sunday’s meeting with Tottenham as Emma Hayes’ side – also FA Cup winners last term – open their bid for a fifth league title on the bounce.

The runners-up to the Blues in both the league and FA Cup last season, their best finish in either competition, were Manchester United, who begin on Sunday by facing Aston Villa at Villa Park – minus Alessia Russo, after the England striker left in the summer and joined Arsenal.

It has also been confirmed that Marc Skinner’s United will play their WSL derbies against Manchester City this term at Old Trafford (November) and the Etihad Stadium (March).

Elsewhere on the opening day, Gareth Taylor’s City, seeking to bounce back after finishing outside the Champions League berths in fourth last season, are away against West Ham, who have a new boss in Rehanne Skinner.

Skinner, successor to Paul Konchesky, was previously at Tottenham, where Robert Vilahamn has replaced interim Vicky Jepson in the division’s other summer managerial change.

Everton host Brighton at Walton Hall Park, while newly-promoted Bristol City start their top-flight return by taking on Leicester at Ashton Gate, the ground set to be the venue for all the Robins’ WSL home games this term.

Millie Bright said it was “mind-blowing” that VAR was not used in England’s 2-1 Nations League defeat against the Netherlands.

Lieke Martens’ opener for the hosts would have been disallowed for offside if VAR had been in operation, as Danielle van de Donk took part in the build-up after returning from an offside position.

But VAR is not mandatory in the Nations League group stages – it is at the discretion of the host nation – and the Lionesses also had two goals struck off for offside, neither of which could be confirmed by VAR.

Speaking after the defeat England captain Bright, 30, was quoted on the BBC website as saying: “This is international football and we do not have VAR in a competitive international game, which is mind-blowing.

“There is no consistency. It is always frustrating (to not have VAR). We push the level of the game to be so high and professional, yet we sometimes have VAR, and sometimes we don’t and sometimes we have goalline technology.

“It is really unfortunate that these are still huge decisions that are incorrect. That’s where we as players have to keep speaking about it, we have to step up, and we have to demand better, and demand more.”

After Alessia Russo’s 64th-minute equaliser, England were then punished after losing possession in the 90th minute as Alex Greenwood gave the ball away and Martens fed substitute Renate Jansen, who rifled past Mary Earps.

England manager Sarina Wiegman also expressed her frustration at Netherlands’ first goal with Danielle van de Donk seemingly in an offside position before assisting Martens.

“When they scored their first goal, we didn’t do well, we didn’t play well, but it’s so obviously offside,” Weigman told ITV, following only the third defeat of her 41-game England tenure.

“That needs to be seen. I think the standards of the game are getting higher and higher, so (having VAR) would absolutely help. It’s just a little bit disappointing.

“(It is) absolutely a tough one to take and a very, very unnecessary one. The first half they were the better team.

“I think second half we totally dominated the game, and of course we scored one goal – but before that we got lots of huge opportunities, too. It’s just one moment that we don’t manage the game and in the counter-attack they score for 2-1. That’s very, very disappointing.”

The result leaves both England and Andries Jonker’s Netherlands on three points in Group A1. Belgium, who England face twice in October in their next group games, lead the pool with four points after drawing 1-1 with Scotland, who have one.

Wiegman’s side, 2-1 victors over Scotland in their opener last Friday, are attempting to secure a Paris 2024 Olympics qualification spot via this competition, and need to finish top of their group to have a chance to do so.

What the papers say

Arsenal are rumoured to be keen on signing Brentford forward Ivan Toney, the Mirror reports. The Gunners have been eyeing the 27-year-old and are said to be stepping up their interest ahead of the January transfer window, with Toney currently banned from all football activities until mid-January for gambling offences.

The Daily Mail reports that a sensational return to Chelsea could be on the cards for Tammy Abraham after two years at Roma as part of a swap deal for Romelu Lukaku, who is currently on loan at the Serie A club.

Manchester United may have their eyes set on German international forward Serge Gnabry from Bayern Munich, the Daily Mail reports. The Premier League club currently lack firepower without Antony and Jadon Sancho.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Aston Villa continue talks to extend Ollie Watkins’ contract, aiming to finalise a new deal for the England international by January according to 90min.

Nigeria midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, 26, may be gearing up for a move to Nottingham Forest or Barcelona, with interest being shown by both clubs for the Leicester midfielder.

John Terry was banned for four matches and fined £220,000 after being found guilty of racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand, on this day in 2012.

The Chelsea captain denied the charge but a Football Association regulatory commission ruled he was guilty of misconduct during his side’s 1-0 Premier League defeat to QPR at Loftus Road on October 23 2011.

The 31-year-old England defender announced his retirement from international football a week before the FA’s decision and decided not to appeal against it.

An FA statement read: “An independent regulatory commission has today found a charge of misconduct against John Terry proven and has issued a suspension for a period of four matches and a fine of £220,000, pending appeal.

“The Football Association charged Mr Terry on Friday 27 July 2012 with using abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour towards Queens Park Rangers’ Anton Ferdinand and which included a reference to colour and/or race contrary to FA Rule E3[2] in relation to the Queens Park Rangers FC versus Chelsea FC fixture at Loftus Road on 23 October 2011.

“The charge was the result of The FA’s long-standing investigation into this matter, which was placed on hold at the request of the Crown Prosecution Service and Mr Terry’s representatives pending the outcome of the criminal trial.”

The incident occurred in Chelsea’s defeat to QPR when the pair clashed verbally on several occasions in the match.

Terry was previously found not guilty – in Westminster Magistrates Court in July 2012 – of a racially-aggravated public order offence as the prosecution was unable to prove he had called Ferdinand a “f****** black c***” as an insult.

Terry admitted using the words, but insisted he had only been repeating words he thought Ferdinand had accused him of saying.

The FA decided to launch their own investigation of the matter which angered Terry and he announced he was quitting international football with immediate effect, saying his position was “untenable”, on the eve of the independent hearing.

Terry’s legal team had argued the governing body’s own rules dictated that his acquittal in court meant the case could not proceed but the FA decided to carry on with their investigation, stating their charge was distinct from the court charge.

The panel who handed Liverpool striker Luis Suarez an eight-match ban when they found him guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra the season before declared simply using racist language was enough to breach FA rules.

Jamaica’s senior Reggae Girlz battled bravely, but were unable to deny Canada, who registered a 2-1 scoreline in second-leg action of the Concacaf Olympic Qualifying playoff, on their return home at a sold-out BMO Field in Toronto, on Tuesday.

Unlike the first leg at Jamaica’s National Stadium where they were easy 2-0 winners, Canada, the reigning Olympic champions, came from behind on this occasion, to wrap up a 4-1 aggregate win and join United States as the confederation’s representatives in next year’s Paris Games.

Cloe Lacasse (39th) and substitute Jordyn Huitema (50th), did the damage for Bev Priestman’s side, after Drew Spence’s 33rd-minute strike offered Lorne Donaldson and his Reggae Girlz a glimmer of hope.

While Canada, by virtue of the win, also confirmed the second automatic spot in the Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup, the Jamaicans will have to quickly regain their confidence for meetings with Panama and Guatemala next month, which represents their opportunity to secure Gold Cup qualification.

Tuesday’s task for was always expected to be a difficult one for the Reggae Girlz, as Canada, playing at home for the first time in over a year, were brimming with confidence on the back of a two-goal advantage from the first leg.

Though Donaldson ringed in the changes, five to be exact, with talismanic striker Khadija "Bunny" Shaw and Jody Brown, out with injuries, it meant little to the Canadians, who went about business in a no-nonsense manner.

They required only two minutes to fire the first warning shot, as Adriana Leon unleashed from just outside the 18-yard box, but the effort was swallowed up by Rebecca Spencer, who produced another workmanlike performance in goal for Jamaica.

As Canada continued to show enterprise and mounted early pressure, the Reggae Girlz held their own defensively, as they ensured the opponent’s hunt for goals turned out fruitless at that point.

In fact, the Jamaicans were not without hope on the attacking front, and it was one of their occasional push forward that resulted in the opening goal.

Atlanta Primus’s initial effort from a distance was handled at the top of the arc by a defender and it was left for Spence to step up and convert a delightful free kick beating Kailen Sheridan diving full stretch to her right.

Canada launched a series of attacks in their probe for the equalizer and almost pulled level in the 35th, as a corner kick taken by Leon was headed on by Deneisha Blackwood. Fortunately for the Jamaican left-back, the crossbar was in the way.

The host again went close when Ashley Lawrence drove a stinging right-footer from a distance that Spencer tipped unto the crossbar and Primus, who dropped back to assist with defending, forced the ball out for a corner.

Leon served up a perfectly weighted delivery from the resulting corner and Lacasse rose above her markers to head home from close range to make it 1-1 heading into the break.

Though the Reggae Girlz were chasing the game, the manner in which they came out on the resumption said otherwise.

As such, their hopes of mounting a comeback were dented five minutes in, when Blackwood’s unforced error, allowed Lawrence to float a cross in for unmarked substitute Huitema to nod home.

Canada should have added another in the 62nd as another defensive error by captain Allyson Swaby, allowed another substitute, Christine Sinclair through on goal, but the legendary striker failed to add to her 190-goal tally, as her effort went straight at Spencer.

In the 72nd, Sinclair again found space in the 18-yard box for a right-footer that went just wide of the left upright.

The Girlz tried to play their game but were unable to cause any real problems in the attacking third. Instead, it was Canada, who asserted authority in the latter stages, and it took another big save from Spencer, who left her line well, to deny 19-year-old substitute Olivia Smith in time added.

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is reserving “the right to take legal action” against his own club after his team posted a bizarre video to TikTok seemingly mocking the player.

The odd video comes after Osimhen helped the Italian team secure a first league title, the club’s first in three decades.

Despite Osimhen singlehandedly bolstering Napoli with 31 goals across all competitions, he became the target of a strange, now-deleted video, shared to the Serie A club’s official TikTok account.

Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda issued a statement on Tuesday night about the incident.

He wrote on Twitter: “What happened today on Napoli’s official profile on the TikTok platform is not acceptable. A video mocking Victor was first made public and then, but now belatedly, deleted.

“A serious fact that causes very serious damage to the player and adds to the treatment that the boy is suffering in the last period between media trials and fake news.”

Calenda added: “We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor”.

The video featured a clip of the striker’s penalty miss from their match against Bologna on Sunday, with an odd, sped-up voice dubbed over the top.

The strange social media clip comes after there appeared to be tension between Osimhen and Napoli manager Rudi Garcia during the game.

The 24-year-old Nigerian striker was seen berating Garcia as he was substituted off with four minutes remaining of the goalless draw.

The bizarre social media scrap comes after Osimhen, who captured the interest of Manchester United this summer, did not sign a new contract with the Italian team.

Osimhen’s current deal runs through to the summer of 2025.

Erik ten Hag says Alejandro Garnacho was “not good enough” in his previous starts this season after the Manchester United teenager scored in the Carabao Cup victory against Crystal Palace.

Having secured a much-needed Premier League victory at Burnley on Saturday evening, the Red Devils ran out comfortable 3-0 victors against Roy Hodgson’s south Londoners on Tuesday night.

Casemiro scored and then crossed for Anthony Martial’s goal on a night started by Garnacho impressively putting the Carabao Cup holders ahead from Diogo Dalot’s cutback.

The 19-year-old began United’s first two matches of the season, but this was the first time he was named in the starting line-up since the defeat to Tottenham five weeks ago.

“You have seen at the start of the season we played him and then his contribution was not good enough,” manager Ten Hag said of the Argentina international.

“But he also had some good actions. You see always he is a threat in the game even when he is not playing that well.

“He has to learn when he does his job in defending he will always have his moment and he will always be decisive because he has great qualities.

“As well, it’s not only off the ball. But I want to see like today, he is entering the box in the right spot to finish.

“But I think it is quite normal for a player of his age that there is space for a lot of improvement.

“Everyone likes him, the fans like him, the team likes him, I like him but we also have to demand from him and push him because he can act on a very high level but he has to show it every day.”

United made seven alterations, as did Palace, ahead of Saturday’s Premier League reunion at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag will hope Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay can return from what the United boss called illness, so too left-back Sergio Reguilon.

The on-loan Tottenham full-back’s absence meant Sofyan Amrabat filled in there on his first start for the club, before stepping into midfield at half-time.

“Sofyan is a player, and that was one of the reasons we signed him, where the team needs him, he will play and he can play in more positions,” Ten Hag said.

“Every player has his best position but he gives a certain dynamic in the game. We have seen today but also for him and many players, we just started.

“That process was a little bit interrupted by the many injuries we have because when you can play a long time with the same team then you get routines, the players learn each other and it’s more automatic.

“You see Mason (Mount), Amrabat, you see also others, they can contribute to our game and they will do.”

As for Palace, Roy Hodgson had no arguments with the result as his side made a meek Carabao Cup exit in the third round.

“I thought we were well beaten, basically,” said the Eagles boss, who saw Dean Henderson go off injured on his debut at former club United.

“I thought they attacked better than we did, defended the few attacks we were able to mount quite comfortably.

“As a result, unfortunately, you tend when that happens to only be looking at one possible result and that was the result they came up with.”