Exeter manager Gary Caldwell felt his side got what they deserved as they were knocked off the top of the table in a 2-1 home defeat by Leyton Orient, whose winner came in stoppage time.

With seven players out through injury or on international duty, it was a lacklustre performance form a very young Exeter team, who went in front against the run of play through Demetri Mitchell’s spectacular strike four minutes after half-time.

But Joe Pigott levelled for the Os before Ruel Sotiriou’s long-range strike went over the hands of Exeter goalkeeper Gary Woods gave the Londoners a deserved victory.

“It was a really disappointing result and a disappointing performance overall,” Caldwell said. “We didn’t get going at any point in the match and we got what we deserved really.

“Leyton Orient deserved to win the game and we could have been a few goals down in the first half. It was a disappointing performance, but I said to the players I am not going to get overly cross with them.

“They have been fantastic and given so much, but this was a game where we dropped below the level and the standards we’ve set and we have to take that bump in the road and do something about it next week.

“We had eight players out today, but that’s not an excuse – that’s the reality and what it does is give opportunities to others.

“With the drinks break, half-time and the goal, there were plenty of opportunities for us to spark into life, but we never got going at any stage. The goal was a special moment and even after that, we still looked second best.”

Orient boss Richie Wellens felt his side were well worth the win at St James Park.

He said: “We were totally dominant in the first half. We hit the crossbar twice, we had three or four situations where we could have scored and, apart from one breakaway from Demetri Mitchell, there was no threat at all.

“We came out after half-time to build on that performance and their lad hits an absolute worldie and you are thinking maybe that’s our luck.

“But we never felt sorry for ourselves and we kept doing the basics right. That was a big thing today. Set-plays were good for and against, and even when we got it back to 1-1, I thought we were the dominant team.

“I thought Joe Pigott had his best game. He was a real handful and won his fair share of duels with the centre-halves. When you play really well, strikers want to see their names on the scoresheet, so it was a really good finish.

“Forget his goalscoring, I want a platform, something to play off especially when you are away from home. We needed to make sure we gave ourselves a platform and Joe was that.

“We could have scored a lot of goals today, so that was really pleasing.”

Steve Evans hit out at the “shambolic” defending which cost Stevenage victory in their 2-2 draw with Carlisle.

Jamie Reid’s double looked set to give Boro three points, but Joe Garner’s last-gasp header rescued a point for the Cumbrians, for whom goalkeeper Jokull Andresson was in inspired form.

The result was enough to take Evans’ newly-promoted side a point clear at the summit, albeit having played a game more than the majority of the division, but the Boro boss was not in the mood to revel in the lofty position.

“I’ve got no interest in being top of League One,” he said. “We played really well, but we’ve given away two of the worst goals a team can concede and a team deserving of nothing get a share of the spoils.

“That dressing room is flat and they will stay flat because we need to learn. Individuals have to take responsibility when we praise them and also when we criticise because it’s two shambolic bits of defending.”

Reid gave the hosts the a 15th-minute lead, firing home after Carl Piergianni flicked on Dan Butler’s free-kick.

Parity was restored four minutes later when Sean Maguire tucked the ball home via a deflection and in the aftermath, Stevenage assistant Paul Raynor was booked for dissent.

Andresson produced fine saves from Jordan Roberts, Charlie McNeill and Reid before the break and the first chance of the second half saw Piergianni hit the bar.

Reid doubled his tally with 16 minutes to go before being denied a hat-trick by the Icelandic goalkeeper, whose saves proved vital as Garner struck at the death.

“Jamie Reid will take the plaudits because he’s scored two, but he could have had five or six,” Evans said. “That’s not the standards you need at this level to win the game.

“There will be no plaudits from me about being top of the league when people around us have games in hand, that means nothing to me that nonsense.”

Carlisle came up alongside Stevenage in League Two last season and United boss Paul Simpson hailed goalkeeper Andresson for his part in earning his side a hard-fought point.

“Jokull is outstanding,” he said. “He’s made some excellent saves and that’s why we’ve brought him in because he’s a shot-stopper.

“He hasn’t got the height of Tomas Holy and his kicking might not be as good, but the players have got confidence in him.

“When he makes saves like that, they have more confidence in him and you need to be confident in your goalkeeper.

“It’s important to have a group who are ready and prepared to do the ugly stuff. I think if we do the ugly stuff throughout the game, then we could be taking away three points.”

Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny is targeting his best victory yet as he prepares for a must-win Euro 2024 qualifier against the Netherlands.

The game in Dublin appears to be a make-or break affair for Ireland, who have collected just three points from their first four Group B fixtures and will effectively be out of the race for qualification if they lose to the Dutch.

Memories of a famous Irish victory over the Netherlands in a World Cup qualifier in 2001 have inevitably come to the fore in recent days, but Kenny is reluctant to compare his team to the one in which Shay Given, Roy Keane, Damien Duff and Robbie Keane played.

Kenny said: “We’re not comparing ourselves to the team of 2001, they had some of the best players to ever play for Ireland.

“We’re an emerging team. We’ve shown a capacity to raise our game in front of our own support, our impassioned support and we’ve put in some very good performances at home there.

“It’s a game that will challenge us. Holland have players of the highest calibre, players with the top clubs.

“We’ve gone toe-to-toe with some of the best teams and we must raise our game and get our best victory yet as a team. That’s what we’d have to do and that’s the challenge for us.

“We’ll need the supporters to help us do that, we need that energy in the ground. We need that high-octane support to be really passionate and get behind the team and give the players energy.

“All their physical stats are very high after Paris in the heat, a tough game, so to go again, we’ll need everyone to really fire.”

Ireland finalised their preparations at a sunny Abbotstown on Saturday after recovering from Thursday night’s energy-sapping 2-0 defeat in France.

Defender Enda Stevens and forward Will Keane are out of the game through injury and strikers Sinclair Armstrong and Jonathan Afolabi have been drafted into the squad.

Whatever team Kenny picks, the players will know the stakes could hardly be higher with failure simply not an option.

Kenny said: “We know a victory is important for us, we know how important it is, that’s where it is. We’ll prepare well – as well as we can after just coming back on Thursday night – and make sure we’re ready.

“The players are clear on how we’re going to play and we’ll certainly be tested against this team. We’ll have to match them and we are capable of doing that and we have to show the belief and conviction to try to get the win that we need.”

Defender Shane Duffy, who made his first international appearance since June last year in the game at the Parc des Princes, is a veteran of the 1-0 Euro 2016 victory over Italy and knows he and his team-mates need to summon up a similar spirit to get what they need against the Dutch.

Duffy said: “It’s a huge game. Something we’ve to all thrive off and make it another special night as it’s more memories we can create.

“I think personally the games, they’re memories that I talk about to my children, big nights for your country. It’s another chance for us to make it another special night at the Aviva and make more memories.”

Leyton Orient came from behind to record a deserved 2-1 win at League One leaders Exeter, with Ruel Sotiriou firing home a stoppage-time winner.

Orient started well, with Omar Beckles striking the crossbar inside the first seven minutes and then Sotiriou side-footed wide from six yards when an Exeter clearance fell right at his feet.

Idris El Mizouni forced Grecians keeper Gary Woods into a smart save as Exeter, missing several players through injury and international duty, failed to assert themselves.

However, the home side broke the deadlock in spectacular fashion in the 49th minute when 16-year-old debutant Jake Richards lobbed the ball forwards and Demi Mitchell allowed it to bounce before lashing a stunning 20-yard half volley over the head of Sol Bryan which went in off the underside of the crossbar.

Orient  levelled six minutes later, though, as Joe Pigott was allowed to chest down a cross and fire a shot into the bottom corner from 10 yards.

Os defender Brandon Cooper forced Woods into a flying save with a shot from 20 yards, while Mitchell headed a good chance wide for Exeter.

But, Orient won it two minutes into stoppage time when Sotiriou was afforded too much space 25 yards out and his low shot flew past Woods into the bottom corner.

“A great feeling” is how Reggae Boyz winger Demarai Gray described netting his first goal on Jamaican soil.

The 29-year-old scored his third goal for the Reggae Boyz and his first in Jamaica to help the team secure a 1-0 win over Honduras to kick off their CONCACAF Nations League Group A campaign at the National Stadium on Friday.

After a scrappy and cagey first half, the Al Ettifaq winger latched on to a through ball from Fulham midfielder, Bobby Decordova-Reid, to comfortably slot home Jamaica’s winner in the 64^th minute.

“It was important that we got the three points because that’s all that matters in the end,” Gray told the media after the match.

“It wasn’t the nicest game. Credit to Honduras because they were aggressive and made it difficult for us but in the second half, we came back together and came up with a game plan. You have to be patient in these games and wait for the moment and, luckily, the moment came for me on this occasion. We’ll look back on what we did well and what we did badly and focus on the next game,” he added.

The former Everton man also described the feeling of scoring his first goal in front of the Jamaican crowd.

“Scoring in front of the fans was a great feeling but, most importantly, we take the three points. The fans came out to watch us so we needed to give them something to celebrate and we did that,” he said.

“We have to give thanks for them because without them, we’re half as strong. When we play at home, especially, we have to give our best. Jamaica as a team are going to keep growing,” he added.

Gray will hope to continue his excellent form to start his Reggae Boyz career when the Jamaicans host Haiti at the same venue on Tuesday.

Manchester United winger Antony has spoken on Brazilian television denying allegations made against him of violence towards women.

The 23-year-old earlier this week was dropped from the Brazil squad after accusations of physical aggression on a number of occasions since January towards his former girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin, which are being investigated by police and which he denies.

Since then, Brazilian newspaper Extra has reported that influencer and law student Rayssa de Freitas in May 2022 filed a police report against Antony alleging she sustained injuries in an incident involving the player and another woman after a night out in Sao Paulo.

Meanwhile, banker Ingrid Lana told Brazil’s RecordTV that in an incident at Antony’s home in Manchester in October 2022 he “pushed me against the wall, and I hit my head”.

Antony on Monday had issued a statement on Instagram in which he described Cavallin’s claims as “false”, and speaking on Friday on Brazilian network SBT, the forward said: “I have never and I never will (attack a woman)”.

He added: “I am 100 per cent sure that I have never touched a woman. And I will come with the proof. People will see the truth.”

His club on Wednesday released a statement regarding the Cavallin claims that said: “Manchester United acknowledges the allegations made against Antony and notes that the police are conducting enquiries.

“Pending further information, the club will be making no further comments. As a club, we are taking this matter seriously, with consideration of the impact these allegations and subsequent reporting will have on survivors of abuse.”

United, who have not said whether Antony remains available for selection, had no comment to make when contacted by the PA news agency regarding the subsequent accusations against him that emerged.

In an interview with Brazilian website UOL – which also published photographs and screenshots of messages between the pair – Cavallin claimed she was attacked by Antony “with a headbutt” in a Manchester hotel room on January 15, leaving her with a cut head which needed treatment from a doctor.

Cavallin also alleged she was punched in the chest by Antony, which she claimed caused damage to a silicone breast implant which required corrective surgery back in Brazil.

Another alleged incident is claimed to have taken place at a house on May 8, with Cavallin saying she suffered a cut finger while trying to protect herself, accusing Antony of throwing a glass cup towards her as well as then taking her passport.

Cavallin is said to have filed a report to Sao Paulo Civil Police concerning allegations of physical and verbal abuse by Antony while on holiday in Brazil during June 2022, when she was pregnant, as well as making a separate complaint to Greater Manchester Police.

In his Instagram post on Monday, Antony, who signed for United from Ajax in an £85.5million deal in September 2022, wrote: “From the beginning I have treated this matter with seriousness and respect, providing the necessary clarifications before the police authority.

“However, I can calmly state that the accusations are false and that the evidence already produced and the other evidence that will be produced demonstrate that I am innocent of the accusations made.

“My relationship with Gabriela was tumultuous, with verbal insults from both sides, but I never committed any physical aggression.

“Therefore, I come to vehemently deny the accusations made and inform you that I remain at the entire disposal of the Brazilian authorities to clarify whatever is necessary.

“I trust that the ongoing police investigations will demonstrate the truth about my innocence.”

Jamaica...1

Trinidad and Tobago, Panama and Guatemala all emerged with home victories to kick start League A of the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League on Thursday.

The day started with Trinidad and Tobago edging Curacao 1-0 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.

Curacao created majority of the scoring chances in the first half but overall, the finishing of the two sides was off target, leaving things scoreless going into intermission.

Trinidad and Tobago started to take control in the second half, creeping closer to goal, including a Reon Moore shot that flashed just wide in the 74th minute.

The decisive score came in the 87th and it was from 19-year-old debutante Nathaniel James, who took a nodded down header from Ryan Telfer and cranked a shot into net for his first Soca Warriors goal.

There was still work to do, though, to secure the three points and goalkeeper Denzil Smith made sure of it, making a one-on-one save against Curacao’s Jearl Margaritha in the 90th to nail down the win.

Panama started with a 3-0 win over Martinique at the Estadio Universidad Latina in Penonome.

It was an ideal start for the Canaleros, as Jose Fajardo made it 1-0 in the 9th when he finished off an inch-perfect pass from 2023 Gold Cup Best Player Award winner Adalberto Carrasquilla.

Panama remained on the front foot but would have to wait until the early stages of the second half to extend their advantage to 2-0. Ismael Diaz struck in the 47th thanks to a cross from the right wing from Eduardo Guerrero, allowing Diaz to nod home a header.

Martinique looked to pull a goal back and almost did so in the 86th when a superb backheeled pass set up Mickael Biron with a golden opportunity, but the shot-stopping ability of Panama's goalkeeper Cesar Samudio proved pivotal.

Cecilio Waterman then put the finishing touch on the Panama win with a strike in the final seconds of stoppage time.

Rounding out the day was an all-Central American contest between Guatemala and El Salvador at the Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores in Guatemala City, Guatemala, where the home side secured a 2-0 triumph.

It was all Guatemala at the start and after Nathaniel Mendez fired over the crossbar in the 7th, Carlos Mejia opened the scoring in the 15th by heading in a chip from Alejandro Galindo, making it 1-0 to Guatemala.

Mendez was then clipped in the El Salvador area in the 28th, leading to a penalty for the hosts, but Rubio Rubin’s effort was swallowed up by El Salvador's custodian Tomas Romero.

The spot kick save sparked the El Salvador attack and they nearly evened things up when Amando Moreno went just wide in 44th with an effort.

Guatemala reasserted their authority to start the second half and Mejia was a whisker away from a second but was unable to connect on a cross with the goal gaping wide open for him.

Guatemala kept pressing and the big insurance goal came in the 78th on a hammered left-footed shot from substitute Pedro Altan, doubling the lead and wrapping up the three points.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has been handed an additional one-match ban and a £100,000 fine after admitting he acted in an improper manner following his red card at Newcastle.

The Netherlands international was dismissed for a foul on Alexander Isak in the first half of Liverpool’s 2-1 victory at St James’ Park on August 27, but initially refused to leave the pitch – and then remonstrated with referee John Brooks.

An automatic one-match ban saw the centre-back suspended for the 3-0 win over Aston Villa before the international break, but he will now also serve an additional suspension and so miss the trip to Wolves on September 16.

A statement from the FA read: “Virgil van Dijk has been suspended for one match and fined £100,000 for breaching FA Rule E3.1 during Liverpool’s Premier League fixture against Newcastle on Sunday August 27.

“The defender admitted that he acted in an improper manner and used abusive and insulting words towards a match official after being sent off in the 29th minute, and the sanctions were subsequently imposed by an independent regulatory commission.”

Sarina Wiegman is an outstanding coach and could succeed Gareth Southgate as manager of the England men's national team, says former Spain captain Veronica Boquete.

With reports suggesting Southgate may depart after he leads the Three Lions to his fourth major tournament at Euro 2024, various coaches have been touted as potential successors.  

Manchester City's Pep Guardiola is a reported target for the Football Association, but Wiegman's name has also been mentioned after she led the Lionesses to Euro 2022 glory last year.

Wiegman was denied another trophy as England were beaten by Spain in last month's Women's World Cup final, but Boquete remains convinced by her work with the Lionesses.  

The 36-year-old midfielder – who captained her country at the 2015 World Cup – feels Wiegman's name should be in the conversation.

"I think this is going to arrive, there is going to be a moment where a woman will be coaching a high-level [men's] team or national team," Boquete told Stats Perform. "She has already showed that she is a fantastic coach, that she has the knowledge, that she is a leader. So why not? 

"What are they going to say? 'Oh, no, she cannot be the coach of the men's national team' – Why not? She has already proved that she is great. 

"For me, it's about capacities and knowledge and if the players want to be coached by the best. If she is the best, they should give her the chance. 

"Everyone would be supporting her because it would be something fantastic for football but also for society."

Spain's first Women's World Cup win was overshadowed by the behaviour of Spanish Football Federation [RFEF] president Luis Rubiales, who has been provisionally suspended by FIFA after grabbing Jennifer Hermoso and kissing the forward on the lips.

A group of 81 players have refused to represent La Roja if Rubiales remains in post, while head coach Jorge Vilda – who was the subject of a player revolt previously – was sacked a little over two weeks after lifting the World Cup.

Wiegman was praised for speaking out in support of Spain's players upon receiving the UEFA Women's Coach of the Year award in Monaco last week, and her comments further convinced Boquete of her leadership skills. 

"I think her speech was fantastic and it gave hope to so many people to really believe in change," she added.

"It's crazy that the coach of the team that loses the final offered her moment to those players that are in this crazy situation, to defend something in such a strong way. I already had so much respect for her on the sporting side, but obviously now also on the personal side. 

"I consider her a leader, globally, and her words were just fantastic. I think we need to say thanks so many times because it was her moment and we kind of stole it, so we really appreciate it."

Asked about the controversy engulfing women's football in Spain, Boquete claimed her nation had enough talent to win previous World Cups, only to be held back by the RFEF's poor leadership. 

"It is not easy to explain to other countries all the things that are going on behind the scenes," she said. "Everyone will say 'yeah, but you're winning, how is that possible?' 

"I say, yeah, we win because we have a lot of talent. Normally with their clubs, they have better conditioning so they develop and that's great, but can you imagine if everyone was working in the right way a long time ago? We could have been world champions 10 years ago. 

"We were missing a lot of chances. We just want change so that it doesn't happen again and Spain can always be at the top.

"We already had the talent before, we had amazing players that didn't win anything because the people in charge didn't help them develop. So we just want the [right] people on top, so everyone can just be focused on being the best."

Further allegations against Manchester United winger Antony have emerged following the domestic abuse claims that saw him dropped by Brazil.

The 23-year-old earlier this week was omitted from the Brazil squad after accusations of physical aggression on a number of occasions since January towards his former girlfriend Gabriela Cavallin, which are being investigated by police and which he denies.

Since then, Brazilian newspaper Extra has reported that influencer and law student Rayssa de Freitas in May 2022 filed a police report against Antony alleging she sustained injuries in an incident involving the player and another woman after a night out in Sao Paulo.

Meanwhile, banker Ingrid Lana has told Brazil’s RecordTV that in an incident at Antony’s home in Manchester in October 2022 he “pushed me against the wall, and I hit my head”.

Lana said that Antony “tried to have a relationship with me and I didn’t want to”, adding: “My purpose was just business. Arriving there, at his invitation, I realised that he had ulterior motives.”

United had no comment to make on those further allegations when contacted by the PA news agency on Friday.

Regarding the Cavallin accusations, the club had said in a statement: “Manchester United acknowledges the allegations made against Antony and notes that the police are conducting enquiries.

“Pending further information, the club will be making no further comments.

“As a club, we are taking this matter seriously, with consideration of the impact these allegations and subsequent reporting will have on survivors of abuse.”

United have not said whether Antony remains available for selection.

In an interview with Brazilian website UOL – which also published photographs and screenshots of messages between the pair – Cavallin claims she was attacked by Antony “with a headbutt” in a Manchester hotel room on January 15, leaving her with a cut head which needed treatment from a doctor.

Cavallin also alleges she was punched in the chest by Antony, which she claims caused damage to a silicone breast implant which required corrective surgery back in Brazil.

Another alleged incident is claimed to have taken place at a house on May 8, with Cavallin saying she suffered a cut finger while trying to protect herself, accusing Antony of throwing a glass cup towards her as well as then taking her passport.

Cavallin is said to have filed a report to Sao Paulo Civil Police concerning allegations of physical and verbal abuse by Antony while on holiday in Brazil during June 2022, when she was pregnant, as well as making a separate complaint to Greater Manchester Police.

Writing on Instagram earlier this week, Antony, who signed for United from Ajax in an £85.5million deal in September 2022, dismissed the claims as “false accusations”.

He wrote: “From the beginning I have treated this matter with seriousness and respect, providing the necessary clarifications before the police authority.

“However, I can calmly state that the accusations are false and that the evidence already produced and the other evidence that will be produced demonstrate that I am innocent of the accusations made.

“My relationship with Gabriela was tumultuous, with verbal insults from both sides, but I never committed any physical aggression.

“Therefore, I come to vehemently deny the accusations made and inform you that I remain at the entire disposal of the Brazilian authorities to clarify whatever is necessary.

“I trust that the ongoing police investigations will demonstrate the truth about my innocence.”

The allegations against Antony come after United announced last month that Mason Greenwood would leave Old Trafford.

Greenwood was suspended by the club on January 30, 2022 over allegations relating to a young woman after images and videos were posted online.

The case, where the forward faced charges including attempted rape and assault, was discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service in February and he has since joined Spanish side Getafe on loan.

A record sum of almost £6billion was spent on international transfer deals this summer, with Saudi clubs’ spending topping £700million.

The outlay by clubs in the Pro League was second only to the Premier League, whose teams spent just under £1.6bn on overseas deals alone, according to FIFA’s International Transfer Snapshot which was published on Friday.

In total, 7.36bn US dollars (£5.89bn) was spent globally in the summer window, while agents’ fees for 2023 are already at a record annual high – 696.6m US dollars or £558m.

The spending on deals in 2023 is a 47 per cent increase on the same period last year, and 26.8 per cent up on the previous mid-year record set in 2019.

Saudi clubs spent £701m on transfers according to FIFA, with Al Hilal’s signing of Neymar for a reported £77m from Paris St Germain the biggest single deal involving a Pro League club.

The spending figure could have been much higher. Al Hilal also bid a world-record £259m for PSG forward Kylian Mbappe, but the player refused to enter talks.

Al Ittihad, meanwhile, had a bid of £150m rejected for Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah.

Saudi clubs’ spending on international deals was just ahead of France (£688.8m) and Germany (£610.8m). They also spent more than double the amount laid out by clubs in Spain, where the total was £324.9m.

Saudi spending meant that for the first time, a confederation other than UEFA contributed more than 10 per cent of the total summer spend, with the Asian Football Confederation’s figure at 14 per cent.

Four Saudi clubs – Al Hilal, Al Ittihad, Al Nassr and Al Ahli – have been majority-owned by the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) since June. The fund has assets under management estimated at a value of around £476bn.

Germany topped the list for money earned from international transfers at 1.11bn US dollars (£889m) – the first time a single country has earned more than one billion dollars from summer deals.

The FIFA report also identified an increase in the number of international deals in the women’s game for a sixth successive year. There were a record 829 transfers in the mid-year period including a record 66 which involved fees.

Michael O’Neill admitted Northern Ireland’s Euro 2024 hopes are over after Thursday’s 4-2 qualifying defeat to Slovenia left them adrift towards the bottom of Group H.

A fourth straight defeat left a six-point gap between Sunday’s opponents Kazakhstan in fourth place and Northern Ireland in fifth, with nine points separating them from leaders Finland.

Although not mathematically over, both the size of the deficit and the number of teams involved make it difficult to see a path to qualification.

“We’ve just got to finish as high as possible,” O’Neill said. “Qualification now, I think if we won all five games (remaining) it wouldn’t be enough. I’m not going to sit here and say ‘While it’s mathematically possible…’ and things like that.

“We’re trying to develop a team here. It’s a young team, a team that’s ravaged by injuries. Our chance in this group probably was to get momentum in the early part and we didn’t do that unfortunately.

“Now we’ve got to make sure we finish the group strong and so we can carry that forward for the preparations for the next tournament.”

Northern Ireland played positively, enjoying more possession and more chances than Slovenia, but left the door open at the back for Andraz Sporar and Benjamin Sesko to exploit.

“I thought Trai Hume, Shea Charles were excellent, Isaac Price getting his first goal, they’re all real positives,” O’Neill said. “That’s three young players who could all have played for the under-21s. Some of the senior boys put in a good performance as well – George Saville had a very good game as well.

“We will look at the game and some of things we did that were poor in the game but we’ll focus as well on a lot of things we did well and we’ll be ready to give it a go again on Sunday night.”

Northern Ireland’s injury headache got worse, with Ciaron Brown forced off after being hurt in the build-up to Slovenia’s second goal before his replacement, Craig Cathcart, hobbled off late on.

“Ciaron will be an extreme doubt (for Sunday), he’s twisted his ankle which led to the second goal, a deflected goal, so there was a little bit of misfortune for us there on a couple of counts,” O’Neill said.

“Craig, his groin was tight so we’ll see how he reacts. We’ve got a long flight to Astana to deal with and we’ll just have to assess the players probably before we go.”

Northern Ireland’s qualifying campaign has been all downhill since the opening win over San Marino in March, with the relentless run of injuries depriving O’Neill of some of his most effective dressing room leaders.

Asked how he could pick his side up after this latest setback, O’Neill said: “I don’t think that will be difficult. There’s a sense of realism in the dressing room about where we are as a group at the minute.

“I think the bigger concern is if you going into the games feeling you’re inferior to the opposition. We don’t feel that in this group. The results have been disappointing for us obviously. It’s been well documented about the players that are unavailable to us.

“I think this group of players will be clearly a lot better of the experience of what they’re dealing with at the minute. For the younger ones in particular playing two games in the space of three days, both away from home, for many of them it’s their first experience of that.

“That’s the nature of international football and trying to qualify. We feel we due more points than the points that we have but we have to accept where we are at this minute in time and make sure that we finish as strongly as we can in the group.”

What the papers say

With the Saudi transfer window closed, Al-Ettifaq did not manage to secure Jadon Sancho in time, with the Daily Mail reporting the deal failed as Manchester United wanted to put a £50m obligation to buy the player in the agreement between the clubs.

Turkey is emerging as a likely destination for Ivory Coast winger Nicolas Pepe. According to the Evening Standard, Besiktas and Trabzonspor are keen on taking the 28-year-old from Arsenal.

Former England striker Wayne Rooney, now DC United manager, may be the man to take over at Birmingham City if current boss John Eustace leaves the club, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Harrison Reed: Fulham are understood to be in talks for a new contract with the 28-year-old midfielder after turning down a £3million bid from Wolves.

Jesse Lingard: The 30-year-old will play in a behind-closed-doors friendly for West Ham against Ipswich as the club mulls over a contract offer.

Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny has called on his players to produce the performance of their lives after their Euro 2024 qualification hopes were left dangling by a thread.

A 2-0 Group B defeat in Paris on Thursday evening means Ireland have taken just three points from their first four games, and realistically they need to beat the Netherlands in Dublin on Sunday to stand any chance of progressing.

Speaking in the bowels of the Parc des Princes after an energy-sapping night at the hands of the mesmeric Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele, Kenny said: “We’ve just got to get ready for Sunday now.

“We knew that if Holland beat Greece tonight and we beat Holland, we’re level on Sunday. We’ve got Greece at home and Gibraltar away in October, so it’s that big for us. We know it’s that big for us.

“The energy of the home crowd has been special, it’s been electric at home and we need that again on Sunday to pull out the performance of our lives. That’s what we’ve got to do.”

Ireland arrived in Paris knowing they were up against it because of the quality of both the opposition and the heat, and while they battled manfully throughout, the gulf in class – Didier Deschamps was able to bring Champions League winners on from his bench while one of Kenny’s substitutes, James McClean, is currently playing his football with League Two Wrexham – eventually told.

Aurelien Tchouameni blasted the French into a 19th-minute lead as Ireland once again conceded from distance, and the side ranked second in the world never looked back against opponents rated 53rd by FIFA.

They increased their lead three minutes after the restart through substitute Marcus Thuram, a first-half replacement for the injured Olivier Giroud, and although it took a good save by Mike Maignan to keep out Chiedozie Ogbene’s header, the Republic had to defend for dear life to ensure the margin of victory did not stretch beyond 2-0.

Kenny said: “To be fair, obviously France are a world-class team, a really top-class international team, one of the best teams in the world, if not the best.

“But I can’t fault my players. I thought they gave everything really in the match. We were beaten by a better team for sure. For a lot of the players it’s the best team they have played against.

“Of course we could have done better at times, for sure, but everyone gave everything of themselves.”

France boss Didier Deschamps admitted his team could have been more clinical, but was largely satisfied.

He said: “We could have done more, but broadly speaking I’m very satisfied with the result and the performance of the players.

“Kylian did good things, even if he didn’t score. It’s not always Olivier Giroud or Kylian Mbappe supposed to score. It’s more about focussing on the goal, to qualify.

“We had many chances to score, especially from outside the box. We were expecting a good team from the Irish team. With their three defenders, they were very present.

“They created some difficult situations for us, especially if you remember the game in Dublin which was a bit risky for us. It’s a team that plays very deep and there were some difficulties.”