Jamaica...0

Canada...2

Prince (18th), Leon (90+2)

Jamaica's senior Reggae Girlz dreams of an historic Olympic Games qualification is all but up in smoke, as they suffered a 0-2 defeat to Canada in their first-leg playoff encounter at the National Stadium on Friday. 

Goals from Nichelle Prince in the 18th and the menacing Adriana Leon in the 90+2 minutes was enough to lift the Bev Priestman-coached reigning Olympic champions to a crucial advantage heading into Tuesday's second leg which will be played before a sold-out crowd at BMO Field in Toronto.

For Lorne Donaldson and his Girlz it will be a case of pulling off the improbable win in a hostile environment, if they are to progress.

The Girlz started out fairly disciplined, as they were quick on the ball and did well to contain Canada in the early exchanges. 

In fact, the Girlz looked more threatening in opening play, but their first real chance in the final third came from Deneisha Blackwood’s teasing 10^th-minute free kick, which had to be mopped up by the Canadian defenders. 

Such was the Girlz discipline when they gradually gained the ascendancy that Canada was hardly allowed to play their usual fluent passing game to get into the final third.

Instead, they were on the back foot and almost found themselves a goal down in the 14th minute. This, as Jody Brown was sent on the break by Atlanta Primus, but the diminutive forward’s shot was charged down by a defender. 

All the Reggae Girlz hard work was undone in the 18th when poor positioning by Blackwood allowed Ashley Lawrence to slip further down the right channel and deliver a weighted cross, which was expertly headed in by Prince, giving Rebecca Spencer no chance at a save.

Still, the Girlz fought on and again went close in the 29^th courtesy of Brown, who orchestrated a tidy build up and picked out Cheyna Matthews on the left, but the run amounted to nothing.

Matthews again went on the break five minutes later, as she shook her defender and should have initially struck a left footer, but was hesitant in doing so. When she belatedly got a shot off her favoured right foot, her marker had already recovered and averted the danger.

Though the score remained unchanged at half-time, the Jamaicans seemingly failed to recover from the manner in which they ended the first half. A defensive lapse immediately on the resumption allowed Leon through on goal and it took a tidy save from Spencer to deny her.

Canada again went close from the resulting corner with Prince's effort from the top of the 18-yard box rattling the crossbar. 

By virtue of pushing a high line in their probe for the equalizer, the Girlz absorbed some amount of pressure from Canada's break, as Leon got by Konya Plummer a couple of times but found Spencer in her way.

The Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper did her utmost best to keep the Girlz in the game as she was again called upon when Cloe Lacasse got away down the left channel in the 64th and struck a left-footed effort which Spencer had to parry at her near post.

The Girlz had their best chance of the second half a minute later when substitute Tiffany Cameron’s shot from a rebound went just over the crossbar, after Khadija “Bunny” Shaw's initial effort was thwarted by Vanessa Gilles. 

But just when the moderate turnout in the stadium may have harboured a glimmer of hope that the Girlz would pull one back, Leon broke their hearts with a cheeky finish at Spencer’s near post from a Julia Grosso cross to put Canada 2-0 up.

Despite being down, the Jamaicans continued the push to at least reduce the deficit, but when Plummer fired a tame left-footed effort straight at Canada’s goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, deep inside added time, it all but summed up their lukewarm evening.

Teams: Jamaica -Rebecca Spencer, Allyson Swaby, Konya Plummer, Tiernny Wiltshire, Deneisha Blackwood, Vyan Sampson, Drew Spence, Jody Brown (Solai Washington 55th), Atlanta Primus (Kayla McKenna 71st), Cheyna Matthews (Tiffany Cameron 55th), Khadija Shaw

Subs not used: Sydney Schneider, Liya Brooks, Sashana Campbell, Chantelle Swaby, Kameron Simmonds, Olufolasade Adamolekun, Trudi Carter, Shaneil Buckley, Paige Bailey-Gayle

Booked: None

Canada -Kailen Sheridan, Sydney Collins, Kadeisha Buchanan, Rebecca Quinn, Ashley Lawrence (Gabby Carle 82nd), Vanessa Gilles, Nichelle Prince (Jordyn Huitema 64th), Jessie Fleming (Julia Grosso 79th), Adriana Leon, Cloe Lacasse, Jade Rose (Shelina Zadorsky 79th)

Subs not used: Lysianne Proulx, Sabrina D'Angelo, Olivia Smith, Marie-Yasmine Alidou, Evelyne Viens, Christine Sinclair, Simi Awujo, Bianca St-Georges 

Booked: Gillies (54th), Grosso (90+5)

Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva (USA)

Assistant referees: Kathryn Nesbitt (USA); Felisha Mariscal (USA)

Fourth official: Natalie Simon (USA)

Match Commissary: Techell McLean (SKN)

Erik ten Hag admits he is at a loss to explain Manchester United’s poor defensive performances.

The Red Devils have conceded 14 goals in their last five games and 10 in the last three, with three goals against Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday not enough even to earn them a point.

United boss Ten Hag said: “We have shown that we can do it because last year we had the most clean sheets in the Premier League because of the team, because we defended very good as a team, so we have to get back to that standard.

“Of course I am pushing the team and demanding from the team, and from the start of the season, but they are human beings, not robots, so, why they are not doing it, I try to find out and I try to give the solutions and try to motivate the players to do the job.

“When you are in a period like we are in always as a manager you are asking yourself these questions. My job is to get them to do the job.”

On United’s tendency to concede goals soon after a restart, Ten Hag added: “(We’re) not concerned but we are aware of it. Of course you can’t close your eyes for things like this so we coach the players, we coach the team in that fact.”

Question marks have been raised about the attitude of United’s squad, with clips from the Bayern game apparently showing players not chasing back as hard as they might.

Ten Hag does not believe a lack of willingness was to blame, though, saying: “It’s always a concern when we didn’t run but I think against Bayern it was not the case.

“In certain situations yes so it’s also to recognise in which situation is it about they didn’t recognise it and didn’t make the right decisions or is it about willingness?

“Against Spurs, we didn’t run too much. But I think against Bayern we did our best from physical outputs but we didn’t always run in the right moment.

“If we bounced back like we did in Munich, you can’t say the spirit isn’t right. I think we have other problems than that.”

Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou is full of admiration for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, but fails to see many similarities between the pair.

Postecoglou’s youthful Spurs side face the biggest test of his early reign on Sunday when they make the short trip to the Emirates for the first north London derby of the season.

Second-placed Tottenham travel across the capital in high spirits but face an Arsenal team that are into a fifth season under Arteta, who also took over a club in the doldrums and has overseen a cultural change from top to bottom.

While Postecoglou is at the start of the same type of rebuilding job at Spurs, he poked fun at suggestions he is alike his 41-year-old opposite number.

He said: “I think Mikel has been outstanding, really strong right from the start by having a real vision for the football club and the club’s backed him, but I don’t think that’s unique.

“I think Liverpool did the same with Jurgen (Klopp). Most clubs that end up having a successful period do it on the back of having a really clear idea of what they’re trying to create.

“The only problem is that a lot of clubs jump at shadows at the first sign of things not progressing at the rate they were hoping to. Credit to Arsenal and credit to Mikel that they backed each other and they’re reaping the rewards of it but that’s not a blueprint for us to follow.

“We’ve got our own blueprint. You don’t have to follow anyone else’s timescale, you don’t have to follow anyone else’s processes. What you’ve got to do is have a clear idea about what you want and provided along the way you see progress, stick to it.

“In terms of similarities, I’m 58, he’s whatever (41). I’ve had 26 years, he’s five years into it. He’s managed in one country, I’ve managed in a few. I’m not sure how he’s got a great head of hair!

“He’s a lot fitter than I am. I don’t know, there’s not a lot of threads I can sort of join between us. I wouldn’t say we’re opposites.

“We’re different. Even in the way his team plays. Yes he does have a very attacking philosophy but it’s different from mine and that’s the beauty of the game. That’s what you love about it.

“It’s why you can’t copy. If you’re an artist and you see a Picasso, yeah you can copy it, but it’s not going to be a Picasso is it? It’s the same with football.

“You can see that somebody does something really well, but don’t bring your own personality into it. I have great admiration for the way he’s gone about things and how he’s stuck to his beliefs. It’s a credit to him.”

Postecoglou did not claim to have any type of personal relationship with Arteta, but he did reveal a time when he got to view the Spaniard up close.

The former Celtic boss watched Manchester City training not long after he was appointed manager at Yokohama, who are part-owned by the City Football Group.

“I spent a week at City when I first got the Yokohama job because they were part of the group and were generous enough to invite me in,” he revealed.

“I didn’t speak to anyone but I observed training and you could see then how passionate Mikel was about the game and that he was itching to get going and become a manager himself.

“He’s had a different journey but he’s made the impact.

“As I keep saying, there’s no real defined way to get here.”

Virgil van Dijk believes striker Darwin Nunez is starting to realise the potential which persuaded Liverpool to spend a possible club-record transfer fee on him.

The Uruguay international endured a testing start to life at Anfield and although he scored 16 goals, the feeling remained he had underperformed.

He has already played a significant part this season, scoring two late goals as a substitute to beat Newcastle, and with Mohamed Salah on the bench he took responsibility for equalising through a penalty in their eventual 3-1 Europa League victory over LASK in Austria.

Nunez has three goals and two assists this season but his all-round influence has been felt more than just from that contribution.

The Uruguayan, who had missed a couple of earlier chances but was denied a certain goal by a brilliant point-blank save by goalkeeper Tobias Lawal in the first half, also played a role in the second goal with his hold-up play on the halfway line.

Liverpool’s captain believes the 24-year-old is developing into the striker they hoped they were getting when they paid Benfica an initial £64million, which could rise to £85m, last summer.

“Everyone has a role to play whether you start or not. Everyone has now seen the potential and the quality he has.

“Against LASK Darwin was important with the goal. Long may it continue, and with the other boys as well.

“Up front, the competition is quite good. They all have to push each other and it’s good to see.”

One of those “other boys” – quite literally – was Ben Doak who became Liverpool’s fourth-youngest European player with his first start at the age of 17 years and 314 days.

The young Scot was given a run in Salah’s right-wing position and showed flashes of his talent despite being starved of opportunities in a poor first-half performance by the team.

“It was a big night for him,” added Van Dijk. “It was never going to be easy, it was a difficult pitch, but he could have set up at least two goals in the first half where he went past his man like no one was there but unfortunately nobody was on the end of it.

“I am pleased for him and I’m also very excited for him and the future that’s coming.

“You’ve seen in the last couple of weeks, if you watch closely it’s a fantastic group to be part of.

“We have a lot of quality, a lot of younger players, players who are getting new roles and they are enjoying that as well.

“But at the end of the day football is about results. Everybody wants to play their best football each and every game, but sometimes you have to find a way, like we did at Wolves (coming back from conceding first again to win 3-1).

“On Thursday it was after we conceded a set-piece, we showed that we stayed calm and found a way as well.”

After switching allegiance from Canada to Jamaica, Tiffany Cameron will play against her birth country in one of the most important fixtures of her career.

Cameron, who earns her Jamaican stripes through her parents Yvonne Brown and Donovan Cameron, represented Canada at the Under-17 level and then played six friendly contests with the senior team, before making a switch from the Canucks to the Reggae Girlz in 2019.

While it is not her first time playing against Canada since her switch, the significance of this two-leg Olympic qualifying playoff, is such that Cameron’s sentimental attachment to her birth country and former team, is almost non-existent.

In fact, Cameron is buzzing with excitement ahead of the opening fixture scheduled for later this evening inside the National Stadium at 7:00pm, and moreso about her return to the BMO Field in Toronto where the second-leg will be contested before a sold-out crowd on September 26.

“The last senior international cap I had with Canada was on June 2, 2013, against United States at BMO. We lost that game 0-3 and I haven’t played on the BMO Field since. So, it will be extra special for me to go back there now representing Jamaica,” Cameron told Sportsmax.tv.

“Situations like these don’t happen often, so I’m excited. I’m ready to give my best and I think it will be a competitive match,” she added.

The two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup representative, who has enjoyed a decorated career spanning 14 years to date, recently inked a deal with Liga F outfit, Real Betis, where she hopes to again put her versatility on display, much like she did with the Reggae Girlz at the global showpiece in Australia.

Simply put, Cameron, though at age 31, is still very much in her prime and has a real hard desire to work hard and improve her craft, especially now in a country where she enjoys their brand of football.

“I think it (Real Betis) is a great fit for me because I enjoy combinational play and playing with players that express themselves and make football an enjoyable sport to watch. Playing in Spain will improve my decision making overall, as the speed of play in Spain is ranked one of the highest in the world.  I have settled in well so far and I am very much looking forward to my time with the club,” she shared.

But, for now, Cameron is solely focused on assisting her Reggae Girlz team in their bid to once again rewrite the history books by being the first Caribbean team to qualify for women’s football at the Olympic Games.

The Reggae Girlz, are coming off a confident run at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, where they finished second in Group F, holding top 10-ranked teams France and Brazil to goalless stalemates, complemented by a 1-0 victory over Panama, before losing 0-1 to Colombia in the Round of 16.

It was the first time since 1938 that a Caribbean team –male or female –contested the knockout stages at the global showpiece and the Girlz have a chance to build on that momentum.

“We are all proud of what we were able to accomplish at the World Cup and I think those accomplishments have given us a boost in confidence going into these games against Canada. We want to continue to make Jamaica proud and will give our best,” Cameron declared.

“We know what’s at stake in these games, so we will go into these games with a similar mentality as the World Cup. The opportunity to continue to make history is a blessing within itself and we won’t be taking that for granted,” she noted.

A win and a draw against 10th-ranked Canadians would be good enough to not only book the 37th-ranked Jamaicans one of 12 spots at next year’s Olympic Games in Paris, but also a spot in the group stages of the Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup, alongside United States.

Both Jamaica and Canada are in this position after placing second and third at last year’s Concacaf Women’s Championships in Mexico. United States, by virtue of topping the tournament, earned automatic qualification to both the Olympic Games and the Gold Cup.

Like many of her teammates, Cameron knows all too well that another history-making feat would add further impetus to not only their status, but to women’s football in the Caribbean on a whole.

“It would mean a lot to us to be able to make history and be the first Caribbean team to qualify for women's football at the Olympics. The more successful we are, the more hope we will give to the younger generation in the Caribbean,” Cameron ended.

Mauricio Pochettino has defended Chelsea’s medical department amid the spate of injuries that left him with only 15 available first-team players for last weekend’s draw with Bournemouth.

The manager was without 12 of his senior squad for the drab goalless encounter at the Vitality Stadium with Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella and Noni Madueke late additions to an already lengthy list of absentees.

It is the second time in 2023 that the club has been hit by an injury crisis after former manager Graham Potter was left without 10 first-team players in January.

Pochettino included three players aged 19 or under who had no first-team experience on his bench last weekend, as well as two goalkeepers, as the late withdrawal of Cucurella – who had a fever – the night before the game stretched Chelsea’s billion-pound squad to breaking point.

Both the defender and Madueke will be available for Sunday’s visit of Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge, with Armando Broja also in line to return for his first appearance since damaging his anterior cruciate ligament in December, pending a late assessment.

But the squad remains a pale impression of what co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have spent such sums to assemble over the past three transfer windows.

The list of players unavailable includes summer signing Christopher Nkunku who was injured playing against Borussia Dortmund during the pre-season tour of the United States and is unlikely to make his competitive debut before December.

Club captain Reece James, new signing Romeo Lavia and defender Wesley Fofana are also missing, as is Carney Chukwuemeka who scored his first goal for the club against West Ham in August before being forced off with a knee problem.

Trevoh Chalobah is also out though Benoit Badiashile has returned to training with the team. Caicedo is due to be assessed on Saturday.

“Before we arrived here we did everything to try and have a clear idea of why there were too many injuries last season also, to analyse the risk,” said Pochettino.

“It’s (about) the profile of the player, the risk of the player. It’s not the people working in the medical staff of performance area.

“I think we need to respect these areas (at the club) are very good professionals, qualified people. That’s why they are working in football. But there’s an individual risk to (certain) players, you need to assess.

“Then there’s bad luck. We have injures that maybe happen in one season or maybe in two, but have happened (to Chelsea) because of different situations you cannot control.

“Christopher against Dortmund, it was a tackle and he twists his knee. Three or four months out. That is from the beginning of the game, he wasn’t tired, he was fresh, good, strong.

“The organisation in football are super professional and we need to respect that. Sometimes things happen like this and it’s difficult to evaluate.”

Pochettino said that he favours Conor Gallagher as captain over Enzo Fernandez in the absence of James, with Ben Chilwell having started the Bournemouth game on the bench.

The manager is concerned about the Argentina international’s communication as he is still learning to speak the language after moving from Benfica in January.

Gallagher skippered the team at the Vitality Stadium as he did against AFC Wimbledon in the EFL Cup earlier in September.

“Enzo is still struggling with his English,” said Pochettino. “If we need to communicate with the referee, Conor can perfectly do the job. For me I prefer Conor to Enzo because he can speak English.

“It’s not only about character or personality or profile. You need to communicate with people. And if you have not managed the language properly, you cannot be captain. Maybe I am wrong but it is my opinion.”

Pep Guardiola has laughed off suggestions he should be concerned about the number of chances Erling Haaland has missed this season.

The Manchester City manager claims anyone who says the prolific Norwegian has become wasteful will be proved wrong – and forced to apologise – soon enough.

Haaland scored 52 goals in an extraordinary debut campaign at City last season and, on the face of it, has started this one strongly too with seven in eight appearances.

Yet analysis shows he has missed 12 ‘big chances’ this term, nine of them being in his last two outings against West Ham and Red Star Belgrade. After eight games last season he had scored 12 goals, with eight ‘big chances’ missed.

“I will not sleep tonight!” Guardiola joked when these numbers were put to him at a press conference to preview the champions Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

“He has had incredible chances and he could have scored 14-15 goals now. What is important is he always says, ‘I have the chance, I have the chance, I have the chance. The problem is when I do not have chances, or I do not get balls or I am in the wrong position’.

“My advice is don’t criticise Erling too much. Criticise the full-back, the central defender or the manager, but never, never the striker who scored all those goals because he will and then you will be in a position where you have to apologise to him.”

Guardiola concedes Haaland was not fully fit at the start of the season, but that is not unexpected after last year’s exertions.

He said: “No (he was not fully fit) – it is quite simple – but in the pre-season I cannot expect him to be fully fit.

“Normally the new players come and are fully fit earlier. When you don’t start the last season, you are fitter earlier.

“When you win the treble maybe you think, ‘I wait a week longer to be completely fit’. It is a question of time.

“Erling is much better than in the first week. Every week he is better and everything is there.

“He is an incredible threat. He has had a lot of chances and that means we are playing good. Always I have the sense that the team are doing quite good by the number of chances Erling has.”

Goalkeepers John Ruddy and Asmir Begovic were the stars as Birmingham and QPR battled to a 0-0 Championship draw at St Andrew’s.

Begovic, the former Chelsea, Bournemouth and Stoke goalkeeper, and ex-Wolves keeper Ruddy, both 36, produced a string of saves as the hosts missed the chance to climb into the top six overnight.

QPR created the first chance when Ilias Chair crossed from the left and Sinclair Armstrong looped a header over the bar.

Only a desperate, acrobatic goal-line clearance from QPR midfielder Sam Field prevented Blues taking a 21st-minute lead.

Lee Buchanan’s fierce cross flicked off centre-back Steve Cook and looped over Begovic, but Field hooked the ball away, replays showing it was half over the line.

For all Birmingham’s attacking intent, QPR forced the first save of the game when Paul Smyth cut in on his left foot and his shot from just inside the box was pushed away by Ruddy.

Blues responded soon after when right-back Cody Drameh’s cross-shot was shovelled away at the near post by Begovic.

The home side continued to push for the opening goal and had three efforts blocked in the box, Jay Stansfield trying his luck with a header and then a shot either side of an effort from Miyoshi.

They then went close to taking the lead within two minutes of the restart.

This time Krystian Bielik produced a snapshot that was kept out by a stunning one-handed save by Begovic at full stretch.

Rangers went just as close to breaking the deadlock from the next move.

Chair gave himself room to cross on the run after a one-two split the defence and he pulled the ball back to Field, whose side-footed effort was palmed away by Ruddy and hit Armstrong before bouncing just wide.

Scott Hogan then missed a golden chance. The Birmingham striker had only Begovic to beat after Miyoshi put him through but sidefooted too close to the keeper.

Stansfield forced another save from Begovic when he cut inside and fired goalward from just inside the box.

But Ruddy produced arguably the save of the match when he tipped away Lyndon Dykes’ downward header from Albert Adomah’s cross as both sides had to settle for a point.

Jeremie Boga’s stoppage-time goal earned Nice a 1-0 victory over Monaco in Ligue 1.

Boga fired home in the first minute of six added on in the battle of the two previously unbeaten sides, moving above their opponents at the top of the early standings before the rest of the weekend’s action.

Inaki Williams scored one and set up the other as Athletic Bilbao won 2-0 away to Alaves in LaLiga.

Williams opened the scoring in the 18th minute after being teed up by Mikel Vesga, and then turned provider for Oihan Sancet to make sure of the points 14 minutes from time.

Lecce continued their strong start to the Serie A season as they edged out the 10 men of Genoa 1-0 on Friday night.

Remi Oudin got the winning goal seven minutes from time with a left-footed strike from outside the area.

By then, Genoa had played more than half the match a man down, with Aaron Martin having collected two yellow cards inside the opening 36 minutes.

Salernitana and Frosinone shared the points from a 1-1 draw, with Simone Romagnoli scoring for Frosinone 13 minutes in before Jovane Cabral levelled for the hosts early in the second half.

Stuttgart came from behind to beat Darmstadt 3-1 as Serhou Guirassy scored a brace.

The visitors led when Dan-Axel Zagadou put through his own net 17 minutes in, but Enzo Millot levelled for the hosts five minutes later.

Guirassy then completed the turnaround before half-time, adding his second of the night in the final minute.

England got their Nations League campaign off to a winning start with a 2-1 win against Scotland at the Stadium of Light.

Just over a month after their World Cup final defeat to Spain, the Lionesses earned an inaugural win in the competition after going ahead through former Black Cat Lucy Bronze.

Lauren Hemp doubled the lead before Scotland pulled one back just before the break through Kirsty Hanson and the visitors had plenty of good opportunities to level in the second half but were unable to capitalise on their chances.

Prior to kick-off both teams paid their respects to Sheffield United’s Maddy Cusack, who has died aged 27, and a period of silence was observed around the stadium.

England were on the front foot straight from kick-off and Georgia Stanway had the first real attempt of the game 10 minutes in when her header went just wide.

Lauren James then launched into an excellent mazy run across the Scottish half and threaded the ball to Rachel Daly, whose low effort was comfortably saved by Lee Gibson.

The Lionesses kept possession well but struggled to find the breakthrough as Stanway tried one of her trademark long-distance efforts from outside the box with Gibson saving.

However, the visitors took their chances where they could as Caroline Weir had a powerful effort from inside the box well saved by Mary Earps.

England thought they had broken the deadlock in the 25th minute through Daly’s flicked header from a corner, but the celebrations were quickly cut short when the goal was ruled out for offside against Chloe Kelly in the build-up.

Pouncing on a missed opportunity, Scotland were suddenly on the attack as Hanson made a great run down the left flank but Martha Thomas was unable to stab the ball home, before the Tottenham striker’s curling effort was held by Earps.

Former Sunderland defender Bronze opened the scoring for the Lionesses after a great cross from Katie Zelem picked out the right-back, who made a perfectly timed run to head home.

They doubled the lead in the 45th minute after Daly picked out Hemp on the left for the Manchester City winger to head into the top corner.

Scotland pulled one back with the last kick of the half as England failed to clear their lines in the box and Hanson was able to poke a low cross into the bottom corner.

A closely contested start to the second half saw James’ curling effort whistle over the top corner before Kelly hit a brilliant low cross into the box for Daly, who was unable to get her feet sorted in time.

Scotland threatened again as Earps was equal to Thomas’ header and the visitors looked the brighter of the two teams, but England were able to shut down the threat quickly.

Scotland had another great chance to level as Earps made a fantastic punch to clear Rachel McLauchlan’s attempted cross and Hanson smashed the rebound off the crossbar.

The visitors threatened again with six minutes to go as Lisa Evans picked out Christy Grimshaw on the edge of the box but her low effort was held by Earps.

James broke forward in added to head home after Gibson’s initial save, but the goal was ruled out for offside and Fiona Brown had the final effort of the game saved by Earps.

Logan Chalmers hit an early brace as Ayr secured an impressive 5-2 win away at Queen’s Park in the cinch Championship.

Last season’s runners-up have been slow out of the blocks this season but stormed past their hosts at Hampden Park.

Chalmers broke the deadlock after just six minutes as he scored directly from a corner and doubled up for the night by rounding off a counter-attack.

Ruan Paton halved the deficit, but Ayr were out of sight by the break after Ahkeem Rose and Jamie Murphy struck.

The hosts pulled another back through Barry Hepburn, although any thoughts of an unlikely comeback were extinguished a minute later when Anton Dowds grabbed his first goal for the Honest Men.

Sweden joined Spain’s players in a show of solidarity before Mariona Caldentey’s stoppage-time penalty gave the world champions a 3-2 Women’s Nations League victory as the scandal surrounding Spanish football rumbled on.

The two sets of players held a banner carrying the phrase “Se acabo” – meaning “it’s over” in English – as well as “our fight is the global fight” before the game in Gothenburg.

The game, a rematch of the World Cup semi-final, was Spain’s first outing since they beat England 1-0 to become world champions in August.

After the final, then president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF) Luis Rubiales kissed forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the post-match celebrations. Hermoso said the kiss was not consensual, subsequently filing a legal complaint, and the incident has plunged the RFEF into crisis.

Both Rubiales and World Cup-winning manager Jorge Vilda have already left their posts, and even after kick-off on Friday the federation announced on social media that director of integrity Miguel Garcia Caba has also been axed.

Spain’s players had threatened a boycott of this fixture, only calling that off on Wednesday after reaching an agreement with the federation, and their disrupted build-up perhaps showed as they fell behind in the 23rd minute when Magdalena Eriksson scored following a Sweden corner.

But Athenea del Castillo levelled seven minutes before the break, and Spain led when substitute Eva Navarro scored in the 77th minute, moments after she had replaced Del Castillo.

Lina Hurtig levelled for Sweden eight minutes from time but Spain had the final say in a dramatic finish.

Amanda Ilestedt brought down Amaiur Sarriegi in the box and, after the Sweden defender was sent off, Caldentey dispatched the penalty to seal the three points.

Defending ISSA Manning Cup champions have been docked three points following an investigation that revealed that the school used an ineligible player in their season-opening victory over Tivoli Gardens Comprehensive High School on September 9.

In the recent development, the Inter Secondary Schools Sports Association's (ISSA) Disciplinary Committee convened to address the issue pertaining to the alleged utilization of an ineligible player by Jamaica College in their season-opener clash against Tivoli Gardens High.

After a thorough investigation, the Disciplinary Committee reached a decisive verdict on the matter. It was determined that Jamaica College indeed fielded an ineligible player and as a consequence, Old Hope Road school will forfeit all three points initially earned in the match, and Tivoli Gardens High will be awarded the points with a revised score-line of 3-0 for the game.

The disciplinary committee also ruled that the player in question will continue to be ineligible for participation in the 2023 Schoolboy Football Competition.

This ruling by the Disciplinary Committee reshapes the dynamics of the Manning Cup standings. Tivoli Gardens High now assumes the leading position in Zone B with seven points, while Kingston Technical follows closely in second place with six points.

Jamaica College, despite having three points deducted, occupies the fourth spot, with the consolation that they have one match in hand to potentially amend their standing.

When contacted Jamaica College's Head coach Davion Ferguson referred the question to ISSA.

“You cannot play a player without registering the player because you cannot put him on your match card if he is ineligible. So, ISSA has to answer that,” he told Sportsmax.tv.

ISSA's competitions director Ewan Scott explained how they arrived at the ruling.

"Sometimes people get privileged based on the information presented. However, after the protest came in, we investigated further and took the necessary action," Scott shared.

"The player was registered based on the initial information provided. So, it's basically a case of them presenting us incorrect information and after the protest came, we conducted further investigation," he added.

In the high-stakes arena of Concacaf matches, exceptional talent invariably takes centre stage. At the 2023 Concacaf Central American Cup group stage, it was Deportivo Saprissa's dynamic forward, Javon East, who rose to the occasion and stood as a game-changer.

East, a 28-year-old Jamaican striker, delivered a stellar performance for the Monstruo Morado, propelling his team to a commanding first-place finish in Group A. His remarkable display included three goals from eight well-placed shots, all accomplished within 251 minutes of relentless gameplay. Impressively, he also boasted a pass completion rate of nearly 65 per cent.

As a fitting tribute to his pivotal role, Javon East has been bestowed with Concacaf's Game-Changer title for the 2023 Concacaf Central American Cup group stage. In an exclusive interview with Concacaf.com, East expressed his gratitude for this recognition and acknowledged its motivating influence on his future endeavours.

"I'm grateful for the credit, and it adds a little bit of motivation to push even harder for the future games coming up in Concacaf," said East.

He went on to emphasize the significance of the accolade, stating, "I'm thankful. I'm happy as a player that I know I'm doing something right, and people are watching and see my talent and give me credit for it. I'm grateful for that."

East's remarkable impact extends beyond the pitch, as he attributes much of Saprissa's success in the competition to the strong bonds forged both on and off the field.

"It's a family first. It's more important that we are a family on and off the field, it is carrying over inside the game, and we are doing pretty well in Concacaf. We are qualified to the next round, and we just have to take it a game at a time and see where it goes," East remarked.

While his two-goal performance in the resounding 5-0 victory against Coban Imperial may appear particularly impressive, East personally values his role in the team's opening 1-0 triumph against Cartagines as his standout performance of the group stage.

"I think the first game was my best game, not because I scored one goal in that game, but because of the number of chances I created. So normally as a striker, I like to see how many more chances I create more than how many I score," East explained.

With the group stage behind them, Saprissa now shifts its focus to the knockout stage, where they will encounter a formidable adversary in Real Esteli of Nicaragua during the quarterfinals. East recognizes the challenge posed by their upcoming opponent and emphasizes the importance of thorough preparation.

"[Real Esteli] are a team that has improved over the years. I watched them in their first game and their last game. I didn't know that we were going to play that team, but I was watching the game, and they are very impressive. I give them their respect. We have to prepare mentally and physically for that battle because it's going to be a tough one," East asserted.

As Javon East continues to make his mark on the Concacaf stage, his remarkable journey unfolds as an inspiring testament to talent, dedication, and the pursuit of excellence in the world of football.

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has attempted to play down expectations after his side’s strong start to the season.

The Bianconeri have claimed 10 points from their opening four Serie A games and sit second in the table, two points behind early leaders Inter Milan.

With no European commitments this season, Juve could made a strong push to reclaim the title but Allegri does not want to look further than Saturday’s trip to Sassuolo.

Allegri told reporters: “Now we have to stay focused because there’s too much euphoria and, while on the one hand that’s nice, it can take away energy and attention.

“We’re only on matchday five and Sassuolo, with the exception of a 3-0 win a few years ago, have always been tough opponents.

“They’re coming off the back of a big defeat to Frosinone, so we’ll have a tough task and we will have to be very attentive, physical and technically good. It will be important to get a good result.”

Allegri insists other teams are still in a stronger position than Juve and he thinks it will be tough enough to get back into the Champions League.

He said: “We have a chance to get into the top four, but it won’t be easy because Inter, AC Milan and Napoli are stronger than everybody.

“We have to go one step at a time, with balance, without mood swings that are tied to single results.

“Whatever path we take will be determined to have been right or not by the results at the end of the season.

“We have to have the desire to be at the top but we have to get the results to get into the Champions League.”

Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic have been passed fit for the trip to Reggio Emilia but with a short turnaround before Tuesday’s home clash with Lecce, Allegri recognises the need to manage his squad.

He said: “Vlahovic had some back pain and Federico had some fatigue with his flexor but they’re fully available.

“We are only thinking about Sassuolo but we have a game three days later and I think we’ll rotate on Tuesday. I’ll evaluate Vlahovic’s condition.

“We have a less experienced squad this year but we’ve got enthusiasm and dynamism.

“We have to keep working hard to improve, remembering that we have to run more than everybody else and results will bring more confidence and belief.”