Scott Murray's Blog, page 184
April 15, 2015
PSG v Barcelona: Champions League quarter-final – live!
7.04pm BST
Paris Saint Germain: Sirigu, van der Wiel, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Maxwell, Rabiot, Cabaye, Matuidi, Lavezzi, Cavani, Pastore.
Subs: Douchez, Camara, Lucas Moura, Bahebeck, Digne, Luiz, Kimpembe.
Barcelona: ter Stegen, Montoya, Pique, Mascherano, Jordi Alba, Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta, Messi, Suarez, Neymar.
Subs: Bravo, Xavi, Pedro, Rafinha, Bartra, Adriano, Mathieu.
6.30pm BST
Chelsea
Manchester City
Barcelona are the second favourites for this year’s Champions League. With Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez weaving rococo patterns up front, a fifth European Cup is a distinct possibility. But advancement to the semi-finals this season is far from a nailed-on guarantee. For in Paris St Germain they’re faced with ... well, not a bogey team, exactly. But the Catalan giants’ record against the nouveau-riche Parisians isn’t particularly great.
The Blaugrana have only beaten Les Rouge-et-Bleu twice in seven competitive meetings. Their first victory came in the 1997 Cup Winners Cup final, Ronaldo scoring the only goal. The second and last came at Camp Nou the December just gone, a 3-1 win in the group stages, Messi, Neymar and Suarez wiping out Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s early opener.
Continue reading...
The Fiver | The pulseless art of data crunching
MORE THAN A CLIPPING ABOUT KLOPP
Managerial announcements from Germany did not always get that much space in Big Paper back in the day. When Franz Beckenbauer took charge of the West German national team in 1984, for example, the subject was only broached in the sixth paragraph of a general football roundup. To be fair, the first five paragraphs were about Diego Maradona moving from Barcelona to Napoli in a reported world-record $7.5m deal, and people generally didn’t obsess about football in the middle of July back then, so we’re not exactly sure what we’re trying to say here. But whichever way you spin it, a story about one of the greatest players to ever play the game taking over one of the most successful international teams of all time was squirrelled away in the middle of page 18.
JFT96
Continue reading...April 12, 2015
Masters 2015: final round – live! | Scott Murray
6.30pm BST
Dufner and Walker both have eagle putts on the 13th. Walker’s attempt whistles five feet past though - still has a decent chance for a birdie though, which he takes – he’s now -1 for the week. Dufner’s also slides past but he’s a little closer than Walker, and a birdie takes him to four over.
6.22pm BST
Not much golf as CBS discuss how much Spieth got last night. They’re pretty admanant he didn’t get much. Well, you wouldn’t with two TV commentators standing over your bed checking on your REM, would you?
6.13pm BST
Singh birdies the 16th! That’s his third in four holes and he’s on a run. A run to seven over anyway. His playing partner Darren Clarke is on five over. They seem cheerful enough as their weekend comes towards an end though. Elsewhere, Jimmy Walker birdies a long putt on the 12th for a birdie. He’s now even.
6.07pm BST
Keegan Bradley reaches the turn in 32 strokes. He’s -2 for the tournament. A few of the lads further up the leaderboard would pay cash money for that return later today. Meanwhile there’s been another typically wayward and entertaining start by the outgoing champion Bubba Watson. He started out with a double bogey, three birdies, a bogey and another birdie yesterday. He’s started today with a bogey at Tea Olive and an eagle at 2. He’s -2, and you wouldn’t have him any other way. And with that, I’m going to hand over to Tom Lutz, who will make you feel loved while I go and hectically shovel several kilograms of Hamburger Helper, the only food-flavored product to be marketed by a talking golf glove, down my fat throat. See you soon for the denouement to the 79th Masters Tournament!
6.01pm BST
Anyway, never mind all these professionals cluttering up the place. What about Augusta National’s world-renowned official marker, Jefferson Knox? Here’s our man in Augusta, Andy Bull:
I’m told Jeff Knox shot 77 yesterday, far from his best day. Probably one of his worst around here in a long while, in fact. But in his defence, he was, just like Henrik Stenson, suffering with the flu last week. Which is why he didn’t get a chance to play with Rory McIlroy last week.
Today, they say he hasn’t made a par yet - he’s through 13 as I type this. But he’s still playing some marvelous stuff. I’ve just come back from Amen Corner, where I saw him hit his drive wide right into the trees at 11. From there, I couldn’t even see the green, much less imagine how I might play a shot that would find it. But Knox eased his approach through two pines and over the top of a couple more. It landed slap on top of a little hill at the front right. He smiled, and gave a shrug as if to say ‘well, would you look at that.’
5.49pm BST
Mickelson, Rose, Hoffman et al need the encouragement offered by the likes of Bradley, who has just birdied 8 to move to -2, four under for his round. Because there aren’t otherwise a whole load of red numbers being posted at the minute. Of the 29 players out there right now, only seven are below par for their round. Patrick Reed has birdied 2 and is -1 for his round and the tournament after 4. Henrik Stenson has just made birdie at the same hole to move to -1. Walker has dropped a shot at 9, and Donaldson has bogeyed 11, though they’re both still in credit today at two and one under for their rounds respectively. The course is playing as tough as it’s played all week.
5.40pm BST
Another birdie for the 2011 PGA champion Keegan Bradley, this time at 7. He’s -1 overall now, and may be ruing his dismal 75 yesterday, which might have cost him a decent placing. His early performance, along with that of Steve Stricker and Jimmy Walker, will be offering encouragement to Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose and Charley Hoffman, all of whom need to embark on a birdie blitz when they trot out in a couple of hours. Of course, anything they can do Jordan Spieth is more than capable of matching or bettering, but as Jack Nicklaus once said, while of course it’s better to be leading, there’s also the fear of being chased. You feel no fear if you’re the one doing the chasing.
5.28pm BST
One of the feelgood moments of the 2014 season was Erik Compton’s second place in the US Open at Pinehurst No2. Not only because his achievement meant - in his own words - he was no longer “just the guy with the two heart transplants”, but also because in his post-round interview he cracked a smile as wide as North Carolina when he found out that he’d qualified for the Masters as a result. He’s enjoyed his week at Augusta without ever being involved in the thick of it, with rounds of 73, 72 and 74. He’s going along nicely today, too; a bogey at 6 has been quickly cancelled out by birdies at 7 and 8. He’s +2 overall.
5.20pm BST
Walker (three under for his round) and Bradley (two under) apart, there’s nobody out there really tearing the place up. Ah, hold on, here’s dependable Steve Stricker, who started with a birdie, bogeyed 3, birdied 4, and has now just registered back-to-back birdies at 6 and 7. He’s three under for his round and, along with Jimmy Walker, is the hottest property on the course out there right now! Having shot three 73s this week, he’ll need to slow down quite dramatically if he wants to become only the fifth man to shoot the same score in all four rounds at the Masters. For the record, the four who have achieved it are: Walter Hagen (76s in 1939), Lew Worsham (74s in 1954), Kenny Knox (75s in 1987) and George Archer (75s in 1989). Looks like Kevin Streelman - three 70s carded this week - will have to field this one on his own.
5.10pm BST
Jamie Donaldson, the man who put the USA to the sword at the Ryder Cup, has been a bit erratic this week. An opening-day 74, a one-under 71 on the Friday, and a wonky 76 including a couple of double-bogeys at par threes yesterday. But he’s swinging along smoothly today, with birdies at 3, 4 and 8, a bogey at 5 the only blemish on his card so far. He’s +3 and seemingly in the mood to gain a few places on the field with a late run up the leaderboard.
5.03pm BST
Not everyone can be as precocious as the Spieths, McIlroys and Tigers of this world. So 27 still counts as up-and-coming in my book. Danny Willett’s first visit to the Masters will stand the young man in good stead. His 71s of Thursday and Friday were highly impressive, and though he suffered a bit around Amen Corner yesterday on his way to a 76, this all counts as invaluable experience. The Sheffield star has begun his round today in a nice relaxed manner; a birdie at 2 and he’s back to +1 for the tournament through 4. He’s fast becoming a steady performer in the majors, albeit on the fringes of the action, without getting involved in any big conversations as of yet. Plenty of time for all that.
4.55pm BST
Oh O’Meara! He’s made an awful balls of 3, the pin tucked into the thin appendage on the left of the green. His chip from off the front went clean through the green, and his attempt to get the ball back up was timid, only just reaching the fringe. A painful back and forth which resulted in a double bogey six, and he’s back to +2. Meanwhile what a start by Keegan Bradley: he dropped a shot at the opening hole, but three birdies in a row have catapulted him up the leaderboard to level par for the tournament.
4.47pm BST
There have been some big scores run up this week. Ben Crenshaw’s 91, Mike Weir’s 82, Gunn Yang’s 85, Tom Watson’s 81, Thongchai Jaidee’s 80 yesterday. But nobody seems to be suffering too much out there right now. Jaidee, bottom of the pile at +10, is only one over for his round today through 9. And nobody out there is more than a shot over par as things stand. Plenty of time for the course to bare its teeth, mind. “A lot is being made of that Spieth total of 200 after 54 holes. It’s not all that really. I reckon I could do it after 36.” Ladies and gentlemen, Simon McMahon. He’s here all week, try the cornbread. And it’s good to see spikes-bar humour didn’t die out despite mainstream television turning their back on the Jimmy Tarbucks and Kenny Lynches of this world decades ago. (For US readers, think Bob Hope crossed with Richard Dawson, that’s the best I can manage off the top of my head.)
4.34pm BST
The folk in hot pursuit of Spieth will be happy to see that scores are out there, if they want them. A couple of players have flown out of the blocks quickly this morning. The 1998 champion and 58-year-old veteran Mark O’Meara shot a stunning 68 on Friday, and he looks in the mood again today, with birdies at the opening two holes; he moves to level par for the tournament. Meanwhile one of the pre-tournament favourites who didn’t really turn up this week, Jimmy Walker, is three under for his round through 4, having birdied 1, 3 and 4. He’s level par overall as well.
4.28pm BST
As you’d expect on Sunday, a couple of the pins are in quite tight positions. Difficult to know which looks the most treacherous: 11, 12, 13 or 16. I’ll go for 11, especially if the chasing pack are having to put the foot on the gas.
4.12pm BST
A word on today’s weather. It should be sunny for most of the day. Perhaps all of it. But there are thunderstorms expected across Georgia tonight and tomorrow, and a few of the clouds may be rocking up early doors late this afternoon to give the locals a sneak preview of what they’ll be getting. If some bad weather does arrive, it should be nothing more than a heavy shower, and not enough to stop play. No thunder and lightning. But then again the forecasts have been wrong all week - a lot of rain was expected during the days, but none of it came to pass - so who knows. Either way, sounds like it’s unlikely to have a huge effect on the tournament.
4.00pm BST
So has everyone finished their healthy morning repast of iced tea and pimento cheese sandwich? Yes? That’s great news, because it’s time to go out and about, and join all the other patrons swarming around Augusta National. Still nearly four hours to go before the final pairing make their way out onto the course. Imagine being Jordan Spieth right now! What a day lies in store for that absurdly talented young man. He’ll be making history one way or the other: either as the second youngest Masters champion of all time behind the 1997 version of Tiger Woods, or as one of only five players to have failed to convert a 54-hole lead of at least four shots into a win. Goodness gracious, it’s hard enough winning your first major championship at the best of times - ask Colin Montgomerie, Doug Sanders or Jean van de Velde - but doing it at the Masters, at 21 years of age, and with Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy and Tiger breathing down your neck ... ulp! God speed, then, young Jordan. The best of luck. But the best of luck to the rest of the field, too. May the best man win, after a Masters Sunday for the ages. Absurdly excited? Yep, us too.
3.00pm BST
If history can teach us anything, it’s that a four-shot lead after three rounds of the Masters guarantees zilch. Zip. Nada. So will Jordan Spieth - who has just broken Raymond Floyd and Tiger Woods’ best-ever 54-hole mark of 201 by a stroke, is only a round of 69 away from breaking the lowest 72-hole tally in this grand old tournament’s history, and stands four clear of Justin Rose going into the final day - crumble?
As we’re about to see, anything is possible on Masters Sunday. But first let’s just consider the tumultuous climax to last night’s third round. Spieth had carved out a seven-shot lead for himself by 6.30pm. Less than half an hour later, thanks to a double bogey at 17, and Rose’s birdie at the last, that lead was cut to four. And he’d just hoicked a Greg Normanesque approach at 18 into the gallery. He was in grave danger of total meltdown. But he didn’t succumb. Instead, snookered by a bunker and in a tight spot up a bank, he flopped a steel-nerved wedge to eight feet, then knocked in the putt. Par saved, his four-shot advantage maintained.
Continue reading...April 8, 2015
A brief history of the Masters and why it matters
The curious fan’s guide to the first major golf tournament of the year
With the Guardian’s unstoppable rise to global dominance** we at Guardian US thought we’d run a series of articles for fans wishing to improve their knowledge of the sports history and storylines, hopefully in a way that doesn’t patronise you to within an inch of your life. A warning: If you’re the kind of person that finds David Foster Wallace too populist this may not be the series for you.
** Actual dominance may not be global. Or dominant
Continue reading...April 7, 2015
Masters 2015 quiz: test your knowledge of Augusta National
April 2, 2015
Masters 2015 heralds another fantasy year for golf’s four majors | Scott Murray
• Woods plays 18 holes at Augusta as Masters return moves closer
Spring has sprung. The azaleas and rhododendrons in bloom. Pine needles rustle. Creeks gurgle. And trucks trundle, carrying industrial vats of creamy pimento cheese down Magnolia Lane. Hey, patrons gotta eat. Yes, the Masters is nearly upon us, and once again it’s time for golf lovers to consider exactly what it is they really want from 2015. To hell with that new job, a lottery win or world peace: the big dream depends upon the correct and most righteous players winning the four constituent parts of the Impregnable Quadrilateral of Golf.
Or the majors, as they’re also known to those who have reluctantly moved on from mid-1930s nomenclature.
Related: American trio emerge from Tiger Woods’ shadow to challenge Rory McIlroy | Ewan Murray
Continue reading...March 30, 2015
Field Notes ... England's football rivalry with Italy
The curious fan’s guide to one of the game’s grandest international fixtures (depending on who you ask)
With the Guardian’s unstoppable rise to global dominance** we at Guardian US thought we’d run a series of articles for newer football fans wishing to improve their knowledge of the game’s history and storylines, hopefully in a way that doesn’t patronise you to within an inch of your life. A warning: If you’re the kind of person that finds The Blizzard too populist this may not be the series for you.
** Actual dominance may not be global. Or dominant
March 28, 2015
Israel v Wales: Euro 2016 Group B qualifier – as it happened
A marvellous, two-goal performance by Gareth Bale fires Wales to the top of the group as Israel were swatted aside in Haifa.
6.51pm GMT
And that’s that. A comprehensive, and highly impressive, win for the Welsh. They’re top of the group. Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, huh? The dream of a first major finals since 1958 is very much still on!
6.49pm GMT
90 min +1: Taylor whips a cross in from the left. Vokes controls on the penalty spot, but can’t turn swiftly enough. He’s had chances.
6.48pm GMT
90 min: There will be two added minutes. They can’t go by quickly enough for Israel, who are holding on for dear life. Bale very nearly releases Macdonald into the area down that inside-left channel. Dgani intercepts at the last.
6.47pm GMT
89 min: Bale scampers down the inside-left channel. Desirous of his hat-trick, he shoots from the left-hand corner of the D and - not for the first time this evening - sends a lame effort well wide right of the target. Still, two goals, eh.
6.46pm GMT
88 min: Bale, running at full pelt, scoops a delicious ball down the left channel to release Vokes into the area. Vokes takes a first-time shot, lashing the ball into the side netting.
6.44pm GMT
86 min: And now the corner’s wasted.
6.44pm GMT
85 min: Before the corner can be taken, Ramsey limps off to be replaced by Macdonald.
6.43pm GMT
84 min: Bale, tight on the byline to the right of goal, nutmegs Biton, who might now regret coming back on. He pelts a shot towards the bottom right, from a tight angle. Marciano does well to turn it round for a corner.
6.42pm GMT
83 min: Chances at either end. First Bale slides a pass down the left to release Vokes into the box, but the striker lets the ball roll under his feet. Israel launch one long up the other end, and Sahar’s suddenly free down the inside-left channel and into the area! He’s one on one with Hennessey, who stands firm as Sahar looks for the left-hand portion of the net. A magnificent save.
6.40pm GMT
81 min: Ramsey tries to release Gunter into space down the right. And crumples. He rolls around on the floor awhile, grabbing his groin. He’s not happy. He might have pulled something, writes Dr Murray, who in truth has no idea, but limps on for a bit. That might look worse than it actually is.
6.38pm GMT
80 min: Biton, who was sent on to shore things up for Israel, limps off injured. The home side have no changes left to make, so they’ll be hoping to send him on again. If they can’t do some running repairs, Israel will end this game in tatters, with nine men.
6.37pm GMT
79 min: This will be Israel’s first competitive home defeat for two-and-a-half years. Wales have been magnificent.
6.36pm GMT
But it’s over now. Vaughan steals the ball down the left, and slips Ramsey forward into the box. Ramsey holds the ball up a second, before cutting the ball back to Bale on the penalty spot. Bale whips the ball into the top right. Maybe not quite in the top right. The keeper got a hand on that, and might have done better. But that’s two goals for Bale, back to his superlative best. His scream of joy betrays the preposterous frustrations of Madrid.
6.34pm GMT
76 min: Israel nearly get themselves back into the game. Sahar busies himself down the left, a purposeful and skiful run. His cross, from near the byline, is inches away from finding the head of Hemed, six yards out, but Hennessey comes off his line to claim. That nearly shone a very different light on this game.
6.33pm GMT
74 min: Bale, from a deep position down the left, creams a diagonal ball forwards to set Ramsey clear on goal. He stretches to shoot on the edge of the box, and the effort’s heading goalwards, but Marciano is out quickly to block. The rebound could fall to Vokes, free on the edge of the box, but his luck’s not in right now.
6.31pm GMT
73 min: Balls flung into the Welsh area from the left, then the right. Taylor deals with one, Collins hoicks away the other. Israel, their leading scorer off injured, lack a cutting edge.
6.30pm GMT
71 min: And it’s nearly a Harry Kane style introduction from Vokes, who is sent clear into the area by a lovely sliderule pass down the right from Allen. His shot is straight at Marciano, who nevertheless has to keep strong to parry the effort out. Wales have had their chances to put this game to bed. They’re not home and hosed yet.
6.28pm GMT
70 min: Zahavi clatters into Bale. It’s his last act of the evening, as he’s hooked in favour of Sahar.
6.27pm GMT
69 min: Vokes comes on for Robson-Kanu. It’s the injury-hit Burnley striker’s first appearance of the Euro 2016 campaign.
6.26pm GMT
68 min: Wales get back on the ball, and remind Israel they’re a man light. Some neat, crisp, possession passing in the middle of the park. Exactly what was required. The home crowd start with the whistling and jeering again, stage one in getting them to simmer down.
6.25pm GMT
66 min: Israel were really rocking back there, but they’ve been allowed to claw back a little confidence. The crowd are doing their best, responding to this slight change in momentum. Wales need to get back on the ball, and remind Israel they’re a man light.
6.23pm GMT
64 min: Davies bundles Hemed over down the right. The free kick is curled towards the near post. Ramsey looks to see the ball out for a goal kick, but allows Refaelov to stick out a leg and divert it towards the bottom right. Hennessey is forced to parry, and the ball’s cleared. This is a bit sloppy from Wales, all of a sudden. They could do with regaining their composure, and more importantly their discipline.
6.21pm GMT
62 min: Taylor clips Refaelov’s heels, a needless foul, 35 yards from goal down the inside-right channel. A chance for Israel to load the box and get back into this game. But the free kick’s tapped to Natcho, who faffs and fannies around, allowing Taylor to atone for his error by racing out from the wall and blocking the attempted delivery into the danger zone at source. What a farce. Utterly pathetic from Israel, who can’t afford to be giving up chances to create bedlam like that.
6.18pm GMT
60 min: Another change for Israel: Ben Chaim, who impressed with his Garrincha-lite skills during the first half, is sacrificed for Biton.
6.17pm GMT
58 min: Zahavi jinks in from the left and lays off to Refaelov, who looks for Hemed in the Welsh box with a sliderule pass. Collins strides across to batter the ball back upfield with extreme prejudice. Better from Israel, but they’re struggling to make any impact - and to be fair, were finding it difficult with 11 men on the field. Wales have been very impressive tonight.
6.15pm GMT
57 min: The Itztadion Sammy Ofer is a fairly quiet place right now. A few defiant whistles as Wales stroke it around the back, the footballing equivalent of yawning and scratching one’s arse. The visitors couldn’t be more comfortable right now.
6.14pm GMT
55 min: Robson-Kanu, 30 yards from goal, looks for the top left. Not a bad effort at all, albeit a fair few feet over the bar. Wales are rampant.
6.13pm GMT
54 min: Israel have lost the plot. A ball’s slipped out to Bale, on the right wing. There’s nobody within 15 yards of him! Bale jigs into the area, and really should score, but he drags a low shot wide right. That’s poor, because the game was there, on a plate. Though I’ve a funny feeling that won’t be the last chance Israel offer up this evening.
6.11pm GMT
53 min: Injury is added to insult. Bale takes the resulting free kick, and slaps the ball straight in Dgani’s coupon. Jets of water are applied to the Israeli defender’s startled boat.
6.10pm GMT
52 min: Bale goes on another scamper down the inside-right channel. Tibi, who has been all over the shop tonight, sticks a big arse in Bale’s way. That’s obstruction, and another yellow! It’s all falling apart for Israel.
6.09pm GMT
... whips a ball into the top right corner! So simple! What a magnificent finish! Sensational! Marciano was rooted to the spot, watching the ball fly into the net. As was Natcho, stationed on the post. Wow.
6.07pm GMT
49 min: Bale drops a shoulder to burst past Tibi, with a view of breaking into the area down the right-hand channel for a shot. And he’s brought down, cynically. Tibi goes in the book. That’s right on the edge of the box, a couple of yards to the right of the D. A very dangerous position. Bale stands over it, and ...
6.06pm GMT
47 min: An early worry for Wales, with Ledley down receiving treatment. Not sure what’s wrong with him, writes Dr Murray, who is a right quack and no mistake. Seizure of the beard, perhaps. And he’s having to go off with some unspecified niggle. Vaughan comes on in his stead.
6.04pm GMT
And we’re off again! Wales get the ball rolling once more. “Wow, what a goal,” begins Simon McMahon, who ain’t wrong. “I’ve never seen that one before. Take a bow, Ivor Allchurch, who I’m hoping was nicknamed ‘The Engine’. Almost as good as Dundee United and Scotland legend Dave Narey’s toe poke against Brazil in 1982.” And for the benefit of anyone who didn’t sit in front of BBC1 during the late 1970s with a snotty nose, waiting for their tea ...
5.53pm GMT
Half-time entertainment: With the successes of 1958 increasingly in mind, how about another look at one of the best World Cup goals ever? Step forward, and belt it, Ivor Allchurch!
5.49pm GMT
Wales deserve their lead. And if they keep hold of it, they’ll be topping the group tonight!
5.48pm GMT
A very simple one, this. Hennessey larrups a long ball down the inside-right channel. The ball’s allowed to bounce. Bale, on the right-hand edge of the six-yard box, heads inside. Ramsey meets the dropping ball, and cushions a well-judged header into the top right, over a badly positioned Marciano. Charles Reep will be spinning in his grave, only with great excitement. That’s a route-one classic!
5.46pm GMT
44 min: Refaelov is booked for a cynical tug on Ramsey in the centre circle.
5.45pm GMT
43 min: Damari goes down. No challenge. He must have tweaked something, writes Dr Murray, who doesn’t know. He limps off, to be replaced by Hemed. There goes this group’s leading scorer!
5.44pm GMT
41 min: More komik kutz, as Wales want the ball put out, one of their men down, fannying around. Yeini stops playing, rather than knocking the ball away. Bale steps in and looks to break off down the left. Yeini takes Bale by the shirt in the Mackay-Bremner style. It’s all a lot of childish nonsense, the pair of them. The ref comes over and reminds them they’ve both left school a long time ago.
5.41pm GMT
39 min: Gunter looks to burst past Ben Harush down the right. As he drops a shoulder, his feet give way from under him. Falling, he takes his opponent out. The sort of action that should be accompanied by trills on an out-of-tune pub piano.
5.39pm GMT
38 min: Just to put the complete kiss of death on this game, Israel’s last 26 matches have featured at least two goals. So, you know, there’s that.
5.38pm GMT
36 min: Ramsey skates down the right but his low cross into the six-yard box is cleared by Tibi’s swinging leg. Crump. Then in the centre circle, Ledley and Allen hesitate, after you, sir, and Damari very nearly scampers clear on goal. Allen saves his own blushes by getting back in to poke the ball away from the striker.
5.35pm GMT
34 min: Wales go straight up the other end through Bale, who very nearly burns past Dgani along the left wing. A telescopic leg saves the day for Israel, and the resulting corner is a waste of everyone’s time and effort. There’s a nice, open feel to this match. Both teams doing their best in attack, positive mindsets all round.
5.34pm GMT
33 min: Ben Chaim, working the right flank now, dances into space and slides a gorgeous pass down the channel to release Zahavi into the area. He’s got a clear sight at goal, having zipped past a snoozing Taylor. His rising shot is straight at Hennessey, who parries out to the left of his goal for a corner. The set piece comes to naught.
5.33pm GMT
31 min: Collins, attempting to play out from the back, nearly takes Allen’s head off with a ludicrous wallop of a pass. Allen acrobatically chests down and recycles possession. That was quite something, from the ridiculous to the sublime.
5.31pm GMT
30 min: Israel have enjoyed 54% of possession so far. But Wales have had the better chances. They’ll be happy enough with the way this is going right now.
5.30pm GMT
28 min: Israel try to get themselves going again with a few neat triangles in the middle. Natcho attempts a pitching-wedge style pass down the inside-left channel with a view to releasing Damari into the area, but he’s taken out the 3-wood instead. Blooter! Goal kick.
5.28pm GMT
26 min: Ramsey drifts in from the right and scoops a strange cross towards the far post. Difficult to read the flight of that one, and so Taylor, in a bit of space on the other side, doesn’t bother. A red shirt bombing in from the left would have had a chance to convert.
5.26pm GMT
25 min: A bit more noise in the stadium as Zahavi diddles his way past Gunter down the left and into the area. His attempted cross is blocked out for a corner, from which nothing comes, Allen getting the credit for snuffing that danger out with some busy pestering.
5.25pm GMT
24 min: Robson-Kanu takes the ball down the inside-left channel. Wales are getting a lot of joy here. The resulting shot is weak, dragged across goal and out of play in the style also favoured by Gareth Bale this evening. The Welsh keeping the home fans quiet right now, though.
5.23pm GMT
21 min: Wales really should be ahead. Tibi plays a disgraceful square ball across the Israel back line, straight to Bale. Bale zips down the left channel, and upon entering the box should at least be testing Marciano. But no, he hesitates, allowing Ben Haim to stick a leg out to block. Wales don’t even get a corner. A throw, and it’s wasted.
5.22pm GMT
19 min: ... Wales should really score. The corner delivery is easily cleared, but the ball’s soon coming back from the left flank, twice in quick succession. First Robson-Kanu nearly gets his head to a cross. Cleared. Then Bale whips a glorious up-and-downer to the feet of Collins, six yards out. Collins just has to sidefoot home, Marciano desperately trying to scramble across. The keeper’s never going to make it, but Collins lets the ball stick under his boot. Clank. And Israel clear.
The flag goes up for offside, but that could well be a sympathy vote. Given Collins wasn’t to know... what a miss!
Nope, no offside flag. What a miss!
5.20pm GMT
18 min: And now a nice period of pressure by Wales, Allen making good towards the area before setting up Ramsey for a shot down the inside-left channel. That’s blocked, but the ball breaks to Bale, who can’t get a shot away from the inside-right position. Then another chance for Ramsey to take a whack from the left, but Tibi slides in for a corner on the left. From which ...
5.18pm GMT
16 min: Israel are capable of some very tidy football. Zahavi cuts in from the left and knocks a ball across to Yeini, who engages in some crisp triangulation with Natcho and Refaelov. They work the ball up and down the right, before Natcho gets a bit impatient and loops an aimless cross into the box. Hennessey comes out to claim.
5.16pm GMT
14 min: Wales pass the ball around the back awhile. It’s clever, patient play, the team waiting for an opening and taking the sting out of the game too. The home support getting a little frustrated. But then Williams gets fed up and blooters a hopeless Hollywood ball down the inside-right channel. Ledley’s never getting it, and possession’s gifted back to the hosts. Plus some new wind in the supporters’ sails. Oh Ashley.
5.13pm GMT
11 min: A miscontrol by Tibi, 35 yards from his own goal. The loose ball falls to Bale, of all people, and he’s scooting with purpose towards the Israeli box down the inside-left flank. Chance for a shot, and it’s taken, but he drags it across the face of goal and out on the right. Not particularly brilliant. Bale appears pained, a look he’ll have been working hard on in Madrid of late.
5.10pm GMT
9 min: Ben Chaim diddles this way and that, dribbling down the left in the old-fashioned Stanley Matthews style, all tight control and tricksy tricks. He makes mincemeat out of Gunter, then fizzes a high ball through the area, the ball flicked away from Damari by the eyebrows of Collins. Danger there.
5.09pm GMT
7 min: But this is nice from Wales. Gunter, out wide on the right, passes inside to Ramsey, who drops a shoulder to swan past Damari and attempts an outrageous curler with the outside of his boot towards the top left. It’s wide of the target, but not by much, and if that had been tucked into the corner I’m not sure Marciano was getting to it. Ramsey smiles ruefully.
5.07pm GMT
6 min: Israel are beginning to impose themselves on Wales. Yeini snaps into a tackle down the right and strides down the flank. He slips a ball inside for Refaelov, but it’s behind his man and hacked clear from the Welsh area.
5.06pm GMT
4 min: Ben Chaim takes up possession on the Israel left. Gunter shoves him in the back. The ball squirts off down the Welsh right flank. Ramsey attempts to rake the ball home from the best part of 40 yards. It’s well wide right, and Gunter is rightly penalised for the push anyway. More whistles.
5.04pm GMT
2 min: First touch for Bale, who strides down the inside-left channel and slips a pass out wide for Taylor. But the move breaks down in double-quick time, white shirts swarming around Taylor. A scrappy start to this game. Not many passes sticking.
5.02pm GMT
25 sec: Wales get their first touch of the ball. It’s Joe Allen. He’s really getting the bird. Some common-or-garden intimidation there. Or are there a disproportionate number of Liverpool fans in Haifa?
5.01pm GMT
Wales get into a pre-match huddle, and once that’s done, we’re off! Israel set the ball rolling. A fantastic atmosphere in the Itztadion Sammy Ofer. This could be a cracker!
4.57pm GMT
The teams are out! Time for some celebratory nationalist warbling. Some similar themes in the lyrics, with both anthems having a land of my/our fathers thing going on. We are all one. So in the interests of avoiding confusion, Israel are playing in white with blue trim, Wales in dragon red. We’ll be off in a minute. It’s on!
4.38pm GMT
The hosts and group leaders Israel make two changes from the side which beat Bosnia 3-0 in their last qualifier. Defender Orel Dgani and midfielder Lior Refaelov come in for Eyal Meshumar and Gil Vermouth. Meanwhile the Wales manager Chris Coleman selects three at the back, or five, depending on the way you look at it. James Collins and Ben Davies come in after the 0-0 draw with Belgium in November, with James Chester and David Cotterill dropping out.
4.24pm GMT
Israel: Marciano, Dgani, Tal Ben Haim, Tibi, Ben Haroush, Natcho, Yeini, Zahavi, Rafaelov, Tal Ben Chaim, Damari.
Subs: Harush, Dasa, Biton, Gershon, Hemed, Barda, Shechter, Sahar, Twatha, Kayal, Buzaglo, Haimov.
Wales: Hennessey, Collins, Ashley Williams, Davies, Gunter, Allen, Ledley, Ramsey, Taylor, Bale, Robson-Kanu.
Subs: Owain Fon Williams, Edwards, Cotterill, MacDonald, Church, Vokes, Lawrence, Ricketts, John, Vaughan, Henley, Ward.
4.00pm GMT
Two countries here. And just two appearances at a major finals between them. Israel made it to the 1970 World Cup; Wales got to Fifa’s big jamboree in 1958. They’ve both been waiting a long, long time to taste glory again. Is their patience finally to be rewarded?
Could be, could be. Israel have started their Euro 2016 campaign perfectly, with wins against Andorra, Cyprus and Bosnia-Herzegovina, nine points from nine. Wales haven’t been too shabby, either, with draws against ante-post favourites Belgium and Bosnia-Herzegovina in the bag, alongside wins over Andorra and Cyprus. The pair currently hold the top two spots in Group B. If only it could be over now, to end a cumulative total of 102 years of hurt.
Continue reading...March 25, 2015
Scotland v Northern Ireland: International friendly – as it happened
A late Christophe Berra header settled a dour game at Hampden.
9.39pm GMT
And that’s that. A win’s a win’s a win, and there’s no shame in Scotland struggling to break through this resolute Irish defence. But both teams will need to raise their games a little on Sunday, when they face Gibraltar and Finland respectively. A pair of victories, please, and the Euro finals will be one step closer.
9.36pm GMT
90 min: There will be two added minutes of this. At 30 seconds per substitution, there should be about 37 minutes, but this is what’s been decided.
9.35pm GMT
88 min: Anya goes on a fast zip down the right, but he mishits his cross while in acres of space, and Russell free in the middle. “The invisible match would be even more interesting if everything except the nets were visible (so you could deduce that a goal had been scored if it bulged in the right way), but you didn’t know which direction the teams were playing,” argues Neil Metcalfe. “Only I guess you could (sadly) usually work that out in the case of Scotland.”
9.33pm GMT
87 min: So this now qualifies as a very decent debut for Ritchie now. He started very slowly, and only really got going in the last 20 minutes or so. But he’s really stepped up to the plate there; a few busy bustles down the right, a decent shot on target, and some fantastic dead-ball delivery!
9.31pm GMT
Scotland on the attack again, first with Russell down the left, then Anya down the right. Anya wins a corner. Ritchie takes, and it’s a superlative delivery, whipped to the near post, where Berra rises to head down and plant the simplest of headers into the bottom-right corner!
9.29pm GMT
83 min: A free kick for Northern Ireland, out on the right. Davis whips it to the back post, where the newly arrived McCullough is caught a bit cold. He should get a shot away, but is hassled by Anya before he can cream one goalwards. Northern Ireland still earn a corner from the move, then another, and then another, as Scotland are pressed back for the first time in the match. The period of pressure finally ends when a long ball’s pumped down the middle by the Irish, and McKay heads weakly over. What a smash and grab a Northern Ireland win would be!
9.26pm GMT
81 min: Evans is replaced by McCullough. Meanwhile Simon McMahon’s back. Again. “I’ve taken on board your own suggestion Scott, and just imagined my own match. Scotland are now leading 3-0 thanks to a brace from Ivor Cutler and a King Creosote penalty.”
9.24pm GMT
79 min: Whittaker bombs down the right and fizzes a low cross into the middle. Rhodes, sliding in, nearly connects, but Evans gets in first to clear. It’s Whittaker’s final contribution to tonight’s highly visible entertainment: he’s hooked for Russell.
9.23pm GMT
76 min: McKay comes on for Magennis. “What about just showing the ref?” writes Alys Barber-Rogers, who has just blown my mind. “Without wishing to be all worthy (never heard of at Guardian HQ), it might help show how bloody hard they work. Also, I suspect it would look all kindsa funny.” Can we still see their whistle floating around? And cards and pencil?
9.20pm GMT
74 min: Ritchie has upped his game. Once again he strides with purpose down the right flank, and batters a low shot towards the bottom-right corner. McGovern deals with it. “This idea by Simon McMahon that you have expanded on has interested me,” writes Ronan Mellan. “With the invisible players and ball, would we just have the ripple of the nets to indicate a goal? That could be a thing of subtle beauty.” Yes, and the possibilities are endless. Invisible players, invisible ball, invisible goals, invisible shirt-tugs, invisible fouls, invisible bench-emptying 21-man brawls. An invisible empty bench. That’s entertainment, right there.
9.17pm GMT
71 min: Good work by Anya down the left. He works a little space and time for a shot, but it’s blocked by Hodson. Ritchie sends a decent corner onto Berra’s head, ten yards out. The defender can’t clatter the ball goalwards. Another corner, this time from the other side, and Naismith flashes a header straight at McGovern. Better from Scotland, who have been a shambles since the restart.
9.15pm GMT
70 min: More changes, this time for the Irish. Davis and McLaughlin on, Norwood and Reeves off.
9.15pm GMT
69 min: Ritchie exchanges passes with Naismith down the right, cuts inside, and flashes a shot wide left. There was power and irritation in that. Ritchie really hasn’t done much on his debut.
9.13pm GMT
67 min: A long, aimless hoof upfield, and suddenly Magennis is tearing down the inside-right channel pretty much unopposed! He’s got no help, and a couple of white, yellow and pink shirts soon get close, but not close enough to stop Magennis dribbling a shot across McGregor and a couple of feet wide of the left-hand post.
9.12pm GMT
65 min: Scotland with a lot of passing. Going absolutely nowhere. This is pretty dismal stuff right now.
9.08pm GMT
62 min: Scotland make another couple of changes themselves. Morrison comes on for McArthur, while Rhodes, winning his first cap in a year and a half, replaces the ineffective Steven Fletcher.
9.07pm GMT
60 min: Northern Ireland are slowly working their way into this game. Scotland have gone right off the boil. A few triangles down the right, and Dallas should be sent scampering clear down the wing. But McNair’s ball through the Scottish back line is a dreadful clump, and it flies out of play for a goal kick. “Tell Simon McMahon he can wonder no longer,” writes Mick McMenemie. “Here’s football with an invisible ball. He can find his own video of invisible players.” Shouldn’t be a problem. Scotland have sent a few of those to World Cups in the past.
9.03pm GMT
58 min: A couple of changes for Northern Ireland. McCourt and Hodson come on for Grigg and Baird.
9.01pm GMT
55 min: This is much better from Northern Ireland, though, who are enjoying their first sustained period of possession in the match. Like Scotland before them, it’s all a bit sterile, but surely preferable to backs-to-the-wall defence.
9.00pm GMT
53 min: Not a whole lot going on right now, the Irish seeing a little more of the ball but doing very little with it. So here’s Simon McMahon again. “Not that this game is meaningless or anything, but I’ve been wondering recently what would be more interesting: watching the game by just seeing the ball, with invisible players as it were, or by just seeing the players, with an invisible ball. It’s not keeping me awake at night, but all the same, what do you and your other reader think? Sky or whoever can have this idea, in fact I’m sure they’ve got people working on it as we speak.” How about no players and no ball? Just the pitch. Perhaps get Brian Eno to work on a soundtrack, Robert Wyatt on piano. It would make Zidane, A 21st Century Portrait look like a Bond movie.
8.57pm GMT
50 min: Forsyth scampers after a ball down the left. His determination gets him there, and he whips a high cross to the near post, where Naismith flashes a header, meant for the top left, wide and high. A decent effort, and as near as the Scots have come to opening the scoring. Naismith has injected a little fizz into the Scottish front line.
8.53pm GMT
47 min: Anya earns a corner down the left. Subsequent events prove it to be a waste of his time.
8.52pm GMT
46 min: Naismith is in the thick of the action quickly, dragging a lame snapshot across the face of goal from the left-hand corner of the box. Not much of an effort, but one which shows Scotland are desperate to break Northern Ireland down.
8.51pm GMT
And we’re off again! It’s as you were for Northern Ireland, who kick off. Scotland make three changes: McGregor replaces Gordon in goal, Berra steps in for Martin at the back, and Naismith comes in for Maloney. Whether this match reaches England versus Australia proportions remains to be seen, but there are a lot of substitutes on the benches.
8.36pm GMT
Half-time entertainment:
8.35pm GMT
Not a single second of added time - told you the referee has hardly had to blow his whistle - and that’s that for the first half. More entertaining than the scoreline suggests. It’s been all Scotland, but Northern Ireland have been staunch in defence. I realise this is a hard sell, but ... no flipping!
8.33pm GMT
45 min: Another pass down the left channel, this time by Maloney. Steven Fletcher’s into the area, but McGovern’s off his line to smother the shot. A corner, which comes to nothing.
8.33pm GMT
43 min: Darren Fletcher slides a pass down the left channel. His namesake Steven flicks the ball inside for McArthur. Lovely first-time passing, but they can’t quite break through this resolute blue line. Hughes intercepts and clears. Forsyth has a dig from 30 yards, but the shot loops harmlessly into McGovern’s arms.
8.29pm GMT
40 min: A rare shrill parp of the referee’s whistle. This has been a friendly all right. Forsyth curls a dangerous looking ball into the Irish area from the left. Steven Fletcher nearly gets on the end of it to poke home, but he’s a yard offside. Peep!
8.28pm GMT
39 min: Twice within 60 seconds, a period of Scottish probing ends with the ball being cheaply given away, and a long pass nearly springing Grigg clear on the halfway line. Scotland have been the better team so far, but they need to watch this. Northern Ireland could easily hit them with a rope-a-dope sucker punch.
8.25pm GMT
36 min: Scotland with the sterile domination again. “After the Burley and Levein era, Scotland as an international Arsenal (19 min) with Strachan as Wenger will do for me,” writes Simon McMahon. “Perennial qualifiers who never actually win anything? Yes please.”
8.23pm GMT
33 min: Grigg tries to take down a long ball along the right wing, but succeeds only in kicking it up and into his startled coupon. It flies apologetically to Gordon in the Scotland goal. Easy to laugh, of course, but that was a clever run by Grigg, who would have had a tattered Scottish defence in all sorts of bother if he’d managed to control a difficult pass.
8.21pm GMT
32 min: Hampden will be noisier than this for the visit of Gibraltar on Sunday. It’ll have to be.
8.19pm GMT
30 min: Northern Ireland are making a lot of silly mistakes at the back. In the centre circle, Baird hectically batters what should be a simple pass at McNair, and the confusion allows Steven Fletcher to scamper off with the ball. He drifts down the left channel before skelping a low effort towards the bottom right. McGovern is behind it all the way.
8.17pm GMT
28 min: Magennis plays a dismal ball inside from the Irish right wing, allowing Anya to intercept and scoot off with extreme prejudice down the Scotland left. He reaches the byline and cuts an inviting ball back for Maloney, free in acres just inside the box. Blooter! The struggling Scottish rugby team could do with Maloney, because that’s a three pointer.
8.15pm GMT
26 min: It’s a nice, open game this. Northern Ireland are beginning to string a few passes together, and apply a little pressure to the Scottish defence. Dallas scoots into space as big as Texas down the left, but his cross evades Grigg in the middle and a Scottish boot hacks clear.
8.13pm GMT
24 min: It would be typical Scotland if they conceded the opening goal after their comfortable start. And that’s what they very nearly do, Daniel Lafferty’s looping cross from the left deceiving McArthur on the left-hand edge of the box and falling for Grigg, who looks to snap a shot across Gordon and into the bottom right. But Greer steps across to block the effort at source.
8.11pm GMT
22 min: Scotland have had 67% of the possession so far. And they should be leading, because Baird plays a loose pass to a snoozing Norwood in the centre circle, and McArthur is tearing off towards the Irish goal. He’s got Steven Fletcher begging to be slipped clear down the middle, but opts to lay off to Anya, who squirts a poor effort well wide left of goal from the edge of the box.
8.09pm GMT
21 min: A free kick for Scotland down the left. Scotland load the box. Ritchie takes. Grigg clears. Then McArthur whips a cross in from the right wing. Steven Fletcher is once again up with the keeper, but once again McGovern wins the duel, punching clear with confidence.
8.08pm GMT
19 min: Scotland are in total control right now. Dominant. A lot of pretty passing in the middle of the park. A loss of crispness when they get nearer the box. No goal yet. An international Arsenal.
8.05pm GMT
16 min: Not a roaring atmosphere at Hampden Park, it has to be said. The away fans making most of what noise there is. Anya is currently on a one-man mission to rouse the home support. First he dribbles down the left, but his cross is aimless. Then he jigs down the inside-left channel, before creaming a low shot a foot wide left of the Northern Ireland goal. A decent effort, and one which had McGovern scrambling.
8.03pm GMT
13 min: The Irish put a few passes together. And then Evans, down the left, sprays a diagonal ball to Magennis, on the right-hand corner of the Scotland box. He heads down for Norwood, who has a little space just inside the area, but blooters over. That’s much better from the visitors, who have taken a while to announce their presence tonight.
8.01pm GMT
12 min: A high ball from the left into the Irish box, and Steven Fletcher is battling for a header. McGovern does just enough to tip it away. But Northern Ireland are living a little dangerously here. Scotland have started very strongly. The Irish really need to put a few passes together.
8.00pm GMT
10 min: Maloney floats the corner to McArthur, on the edge of the D. It’s a Beckhamesque delivery, but McArthur is no Paul Scholes, and despite having time and space, doesn’t have the confidence to volley it goalwards first time. He brings the ball down and tries a curler that’s overcooked, and flies over the bar. For a second, Hampden held its breath in anticipation of the most spectacular goal at the ground since Zinedine Zidane rocked up for the Champions League final in 2002. But no.
7.58pm GMT
9 min: Whittaker sliderules a pass down the right wing for Ritchie, who looks to break into the box by nudging the ball past Evans. Evans blocks for a corner. From which the ball breaks to Anya, on the left-hand corner of the box. He fizzes a low shot towards the bottom left, and McGovern is forced to tip round for a corner.
7.55pm GMT
7 min: A high ball hoicked into the Irish box. Maloney rises at the left-hand post, but can only brush the ball onto the top of the netting. The away side will presumably be along in a minute or two.
7.54pm GMT
6 min: But there’s another one along in a minute. Anya’s started very well, and his bustle wins it down the left. Maloney takes, and there’s a game of head tennis in the Northern Irish six-yard box. The visitors eventually clear, but only after Steven Fletcher nearly guided a header into the top-left corner from eight yards.
7.53pm GMT
4 min: Forsyth flicks a lovely pass down the left wing to release Anya into the box. Anya reaches the byline and pulls the ball back. Steven Fletcher has a snap shot, but the ball’s deflected over the bar by Norwood. That nearly fell to Ritchie, too. The set piece comes to nothing.
7.52pm GMT
3 min: A little bit of space for Dallas down the left. He’s got blue shirts to aim for in the middle, but his low cross is hacked clear easily enough by Martin. Then McNair’s second touch of the ball in international football. A header, which leads to him clattering into Anya’s shoulder. Ooyah, oof, that’s a sore one. He gets up, he’ll be OK, but the poor lad will have been hoping for an easier introduction to the big time than this.
7.50pm GMT
2 min: McNair gets his first touch in international football, and is immediately robbed by Anya. The only way is up.
7.50pm GMT
And we’re off! Scotland get the ball rolling. The ball’s lumped forward, and quite quickly lost. Then regained, and passed around the back awhile. Scotland’s players are getting a feel of the ball. Northern Ireland haven’t really touched it yet.
7.48pm GMT
The teams are out! Fireworks! Unnecessary loud music! Passionate renditions of the national anthems! Northern Ireland’s God Save The Queen is given the bird by the Hampden crowd, who are much more into the Scottish number Awflourascawlin (© Stanley Baxter). Both teams are in their away strips, rugby union style. The Irish sport a two-tone blue number, while Scotland are in their Fifth Earl of Rosebery primrose-yellow and rose-pink affair. Lovely kits both. But before we kick off, there’s a minute’s applause in loving memory of one of Scotland’s true greats, Dave Mackay, who passed away three weeks ago. Five foot eight, and still a giant.
7.21pm GMT
Introducing ... Bournemouth striker Matt Ritchie, who wins his first cap for Scotland, supporting Steven Fletcher up front ... Derby County defender Craig Forsyth, making his first start for the Scots in his second match ... 19-year-old Manchester United defender Paddy McNair, turning out for Northern Ireland for the very first time.
7.15pm GMT
Scotland: Gordon, Whittaker, Forsyth, Greer, Martin, McArthur, D Fletcher, Ritchie, S Fletcher, Maloney, Anya.
Subs: McGregor, Marshall, Russell, Brown, Naismith, May, Robertson, Rhodes, Berra, Hutton, Bannan, Reynolds, Morrison, Forrest.
Northern Ireland: McGovern, D Lafferty, Evans, Baird, Dallas, Reeves, Norwood, McNair, Hughes, Magennis, Grigg.
Subs: Mannus, C McLaughlin, McCullough, Davis, McKay, K Lafferty, Brunt, R McLaughlin, McCourt, Ward, Cathcart, Hodson.
6.45pm GMT
It’s the 95th meeting between the oldest and fourth oldest international teams in the world. The first match, in 1884, saw Scotland beat Ireland, as the IFA’s representative team was then known, 5-0 in Ballynafeigh, Belfast. William Harrower of Queen’s Park and James Gossland of Rangers both scored twice, John Goudie of erstwhile Paisley outfit Abercorn bagged the other. The 94th match, in 2011, was also won by Scotland, 3-0 over Northern Ireland, Kenny Miller, James McArthur and Kris Commons doing the business in the Carling Nations Trophy at the Aviva in Dublin. And Scotland have had the rampant lion’s share of wins in between times, too. Still, Northern Ireland won the last match that really mattered, a 2-0 victory at Windsor Park in December 1983, on their way to winning the last-ever Home International Championship, Norman Whiteside and Sammy McIlroy the heroes. So it’s swings and roundabouts.
A local derby with a rich history; by definition, tonight’s match should be a seismic stramash. But this isn’t an ITV Sport production from the mid 1980s, so let’s be honest with each other. Scotland and Northern Ireland both have more important matters on their minds: upcoming European Championship qualifiers against Gibraltar and Finland. Not quite as romantic, maybe, but the Scots haven’t qualified for a major tournament since 1998, the Irish haven’t made one since 1986, and both are going well in their respective groups. Prioritisation is inevitable. Which doesn’t mean this won’t be competitive: both countries have pride at stake, will want to add a positive new chapter to that 131-year-old history book, are high on confidence, and are desirous of getting back into the groove, just in time for those crucial qualifiers. Tonight’s game just might not reach the blood and thunder levels of the old Home Internationals, is all. So there we go, miserably managing expectations. Now the Scots and Irish know what it feels like to follow a team coached by Roy Hodgson.
Continue reading...March 21, 2015
England v France: Six Nations 2015 – as it happened
Ireland are crowned 2015 Six Nations champions as England fall just short of glory after an astonishing 90-point thriller - a 90-point thriller! - at Twickenham.
7.11pm GMT
Ireland’s fans stayed put at Murrayfield, in the hope of France doing them a favour. And they’ve being rewarded for their patience, their team lifting the 2015 Six Nations trophy in the Edinburgh gloaming! Jamie Heaslip gets his hands on it first. And that’s kind of apt, because it was Heaslip who got his hands on Stuart Hogg right at the end of Ireland’s final match, forcing the Scotland winger to drop the ball instead of touching down for a try! What a difference a converted try would have made. The thin line between success and failure for the Irish and the English! A lot of skipping and dancing going on at Murrayfield right now; quite a bit of depressed trudging at Twickenham. But what a Six Nations this has been. What a final round! Just the 221 points today, then. Roll on the World Cup!
7.00pm GMT
Full-time nerve soother: Another delicious Calming Pint, yours to cut out and enjoy. This one’s on the Guardian too.
6.58pm GMT
What a brilliant performance by England. What a brilliant performance by France, for that matter, but especially by England. They trudge off the field with faces on, and no wonder: they’ve come up six points short, and IRELAND ARE THE 2015 SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONS! England come second, six points shy, with Wales a further four points behind in third. That was ... that was ... that was top-level sport at its very, very best. Commiserations to England, who can be very proud of their efforts tonight nonetheless. And congratulations to Ireland!
6.56pm GMT
80 min: But it’s a penalty to France! And after some astonishing faffing - with the French ludicrously shuttling the ball inside instead of kicking to touch, and nearly losing it in front of the posts - the ball’s dispatched to the stands! One of the most amazing games in Five and Six Nations history is over!
6.55pm GMT
79 min 50 sec: Robshaw plucks the line out from the sky! England set up the drive! And go for the line! Can they push over for one last hurrah?
6.54pm GMT
79 min 20 sec: France collapse the scrum! And Ford has to gamble, whipping the penalty out of play by the left-hand corner flag.
6.53pm GMT
79 min: France are being pushed back into their own 22. England fling the passes around. But Cipriani slides out of play on the left. A time out’s been called, with one minute and 14 seconds to go. France have the put-in at the restart, so the odds are firmly against England getting the try they so desperately desire. But you never know. Not in this astonishing match. Is there one last twist?
6.51pm GMT
78 min: This is preposterous. Kockott goes on a speedy sashay down the middle of the park, and nearly breaks clear to score! But he’s held up, and soon enough England have a penalty decision. A chance to cream a ball upfield, out on the right! This is crazy! Utter bedlam at Twickenham!
6.49pm GMT
76 min: It’s over! And it’s on!
6.49pm GMT
The ball’s shuttled out to the left. Ford delays a pass, dummies, and feeds Nowell, who bursts over. The dream isn’t over yet, because if Ford’s kick goes over, they just need a converted try to snatch the Six Nations title from Ireland!
6.47pm GMT
74 min: France clear their lines. The game flies up the other end. France prepare to launch an attack, but Dusautoir fails to anticipate a pass and lets the ball clank off his confused coupon. A knock on, and England are able to eat up the yards with a kick down the left. A couple of phases later, and England have the put-in at a scrum, six metres from the French tryline.
6.43pm GMT
71 min: A few phases for England in the French half, but the away side are holding firm right now, and not making any costly disciplinary mistakes.
6.43pm GMT
69 min: But with time running out, you can’t afford to let the opposition steal the line-out. England’s desperation is beginning to betray them. Ah hold on, what am I talking about? That started happening after about 15 minutes!
6.42pm GMT
67 min: No conversion. England need 13 points. And they’re back to their full complement of 15 men.
6.41pm GMT
France go straight up the other end and score. An offside decision gives them chance to make ground. Then a drive down the left flank. And it’s the 11th try of the afternoon, as Kayser powers over.
6.37pm GMT
Two points, no bother. And now all they need are eight.
6.37pm GMT
Vunipola picks up the ball and hoists himself over the line from a couple of yards. A suggestion that he dropped the ball instead of grounding it, but having flopped his big frame over the ball, the referee gives the try. This is one of the craziest sporting events in living memory. England are within ten points of their Six Nations dream again!
6.35pm GMT
63 min: Cipriani comes on for Watson. A line-out - and France have too many men in it! Chance for England to launch an attack on the tryline! A couple of phases. England set themselves in front of the post. France hold England up, centimetres short of the line. But then ...
6.33pm GMT
62 min: An immediate response by England, who goes upfield. Penalty for England, as Maestri goes off his feet. Too far out to kick, so Ford looks for the corner.
6.32pm GMT
61 min: That’s Debaty’s last act of the game. He’s hooked for Atonio. Kockott can’t convert from a tight spot on the left touchline.
6.32pm GMT
But they turn the screw on the 14 men now! A few passes shuttled out to the left wing, and suddenly Nakaitaci is tearing down the left wing. He glides inside, drawing a few white shirts, and slips the ball to the big Debaty, who has done outstandingly well to keep up, and powers over in the corner!
6.30pm GMT
59 min: From a French lineout, Robshaw grabs possession at the back of it, and very nearly tears clear into the opposition half! He’s caught by a desperate Dusautoir tackle. France aren’t making much of their one-man advantage, that’s for sure, because Brown bursts down the left. A little grubber kick to see if he can feed Nowell in for a try at the corner. But an unkind bounce, and it’s out of play. France to get things moving again at the 22.
6.26pm GMT
57 min: Haskell comes sliding in on Plisson. It’s a slide tackle in the John Terry soccer style! He hangs out a leg. Deliberately. That’ll be ten minutes in the sinbin. No arguments.
6.25pm GMT
55 min: Ford makes no mistake, from a tight position on the left. What a fine kick under pressure. Sixteen points down. Just the ten to go. Cats, dogs and goats have been added to John Hill’s bag of mad frogs (49 min). It’s quite the menagerie.
6.23pm GMT
The ball down the left. Young, then Ford, fling the ball to Nowell, tight on the touchline. He drops a shoulder to move inside, slips through a couple of weak tackles, and he’s over for the try! The madness continues.
6.22pm GMT
Kockott nearly does a Plisson, his kick from 30 metres fading towards the left, but the ball clips the left-hand upright and through for the three points. Lucky Kockott. Or just good enough. Up to you.
6.21pm GMT
51 min: England refuse to release the ball in the midfield, giving France the opportunity to cream a kick down field by the England 22 on the right. Chance for France to put together a couple of phases. England look to turn over, but they’ve poked their pinkies in a ruck. Penalty. Before it’s kicked - and it’ll be Kockott - France take a little time to regroup.
6.18pm GMT
49 min: Tillous-Borde is replaced at scrum-half by Kockott. “If you put a load of rugby playing frogs in a bag, this is what it would look like,” opines John Hill.
6.16pm GMT
47 min: Ford adds the extra points. The home support crack out a lusty version of Swing Low. Is there any other kind?
6.15pm GMT
This was so simple. Youngs, in the middle of the park, spots a gap down the right of the French defence, bursts through it, and tears towards the tryline. He draws a couple of blue shirts, before passing to Ford on his inside. Ford crosses, and this crazy game keeps on keepin’ on!
6.13pm GMT
45 min: The teams trade kicks again. Brown flicks a pass to the left, where Nowell bursts down the wing. The ball’s shuttled to the other flank, Joseph threatening to tear into acres of space. But he’s crumped to the floor, and France turn over.
6.12pm GMT
44 min: Even the mercurial Plisson isn’t going to Gavin Hastings it from right in front of the posts. (Yes, 1991 still hurts.)
6.11pm GMT
But then suddenly the dam bursts. Guirado storms towards the posts. He’s felled by a crunching tackle, but flicks the ball behind him as he meets the turf. Mermox, on his right shoulder, picks the ball from the air and flies over the line. Twickenham silent. The dream takes an early battering.
6.09pm GMT
42 min: France fling it around in the English 22. England very much on the back foot, and Twickers tense. France threatening the tryline. But England area holding them up well so far.
6.09pm GMT
41 min: The teams exchange kicks. Ford puts his out on the full. Brown rollocks and bollocks him. The unique tension of the business end of the Six Nations in full effect already.
6.07pm GMT
And we’re off again! England get the ball spinning once more. They need to score another 14 points without reply to win the 2015 Six Nations. Good luck in guessing what’s going to happen here, because England started and finished that half very strongly, but were a flaccid shambles in the middle. Same for France, only vice versa. The Six Nations is offering plenty of bang for your buck today: there have been 173 points scored already! I wonder what the odds are on the final 40 minutes ending 0-0.
6.00pm GMT
Half-time nerve-soother: A delicious Calming Pint, yours to cut out and enjoy. This one’s on the Guardian!
5.56pm GMT
Now that, ladies and gentlemen, was rugby union. Fourteen points required for England. But don’t rule out the French storming right back. That was wonderful bedlam.
5.55pm GMT
Nearly on the halfway line. Just to the right of the posts. No bother! What France would give for Ford.
5.54pm GMT
40 min: Mermoz tugs at Joseph’s arm as the England flyer attempts to gather a high ball. Penalty, and a chance to go for goal just before the half-time whistle.
5.51pm GMT
38 min: I mean, France were very nearly scampering in for a try down the left 30-odd seconds before Youngs crossed. This is rollicking fun! The beauty of sport, distilled, right here.
5.49pm GMT
Ping. Through it goes. England were in tatters a few minutes ago, and now look! A nine-point lead, and dreams are now acceptable.
5.48pm GMT
... Youngs bursts through the centre and between the sticks! Simple as that! What an astonishing game of rugby this is! Magnificent entertainment!
5.46pm GMT
35 min: Fickou charges down Ford’s kick in the middle of the park. A batter forward, and he’s nearly scampering in for a try down the left! But England flinkare immediately on the counter, through Joseph down the left. Burrell barrels on. England set themselves up on the French 22. France fail to release, and England have got penalty advantage. But they take a quick tap, and then ...
5.45pm GMT
33 min: A lot of possession for France in the midfield. They’re flinging it hither and yon in the 1991 style right now. Sixteen phases, until they get fed up and hoick a garryowen upfield.
5.44pm GMT
31 min: Ford, tight on the right touchline, makes no mistake. A peach of a kick. No Plisson he. England lead this surreal, to-and-fro, joyful match once more, and can suddenly start dreaming their dreamy dreams again! Just the 24 points to go. Well, you predict the outcome!
5.41pm GMT
And suddenly England are level! Turnover ball in the middle of the park, and Youngs is tearing off down the right! He offloads to Ford, who cuts inside and is tackled. Haskell recovers, and flicks a lovely pass to the right for Watson, who crosses the line! That came out of nothing, and England, an utter shambles for 15 minutes or so, have hauled themselves level!
5.38pm GMT
29 min: And they do! Plisson’s having a shocker. Yet again, his effort drifts to the left of the target. France would be in a very comfortable position right now if their kicker was on his game.
5.37pm GMT
28 min: Huget takes down a high ball, giving France good territory down the right. The ball’s shuttled inside, where Cole concedes a penalty for going off the tootsies. One step forward, one step back right now for England. They’ll be hoping Plisson’s kicking woes continue from 40 metres.
5.36pm GMT
A magnificent effort, always on target from the moment it left Ford’s boot.
5.35pm GMT
26 min: France collapse a scrum. England will get a kick at goal from near the halfway line.
5.34pm GMT
25 min: Lawes comes clattering into Plisson, whose neck whiplashes in the cartoon style. He’s all right, he’s all right. That’s the main thing. But was that a high tackle? Nope, says the video referee after a lot of faffing around. “So building on last week’s trip of forgetting how to pass, we’ve now added a spectacular ability to not tackle anyone,” writes Tom Fitzhugh. “In the second half, I assume we’ll forget which sport we’re playing altogether and come out of the tunnel carrying tennis rackets.”
5.31pm GMT
24 min: A penalty for England, in their own half. Ford kicks to touch by the French 22, on the left. England back on the attack at last. They set themselves on the 22, in front of the posts, with options either side. But there’s a forward pass. Scrum, France with the put-in. The pressure off. The atmosphere at Twickenham is muted, partly as a result of depression, though a lot of people will be quietly pondering whether someone’s slipped an acid tab into their beer. This opening period has been distinctly trippy.
5.28pm GMT
22 min: England can be thankful that Plisson’s kicking boots are made of lead. He’s just hoicked a simple penalty left of the posts. Relief for the hosts, who are already in all sorts of bother, but can’t be shipping any more points if they’re to retain hopes of winning this tournament.
5.26pm GMT
21 min: France having pushed England back with yet another burst, the hosts collapse a scrum ten metres from their try line. Another penalty.
5.25pm GMT
20 min: Now it’s England’s turn to be all over the shop! Twice within a minute, the thoroughly relieved Nakaitaci nearly breaks clear down the left. England are missing an awful lot of tackles in the midfield. Their Six Nations hopes are hanging by a thread. You’d have to wonder whether they’re already over. This match has been thoroughly surreal so far.
5.23pm GMT
19 min: The extra two points are no problem.
5.23pm GMT
Spedding pings a kick up the right wing and goes barrelling after it. He fetches it, too! With England on the back foot, France shuttle the ball wide left for Nakaitaci, who crosses the tryline! It’s a try. But, hold on, what’s happened here? Nakaitaci very nearly overruns the dead ball line. Ah, the ball goes down just before the line. Phew. But then look at this! Did he drop the ball before grounding? Nope, is the ruling, after a long session in the video booth. But that was very close. I wonder whether he was in the process of dropping the ball, but it didn’t leave his hand in time. Lucky France. Lucky Nakaitaci!
5.18pm GMT
15 min: Plisson can’t stroke the conversion between the sticks, however, from out on the left flank. It’s 27 points now, then. A good couple of minutes for Ireland, there.
5.17pm GMT
Vunipola plays a loose pass, hitting Lawes on the shoulder. The ball’s plucked from the sky by a blue shirt, and suddenly Tillous-Borde, from the halfway line, is scampering down the left wing with nobody whatsoever near him! He runs half the length of the pitch, and there goes England’s fast start! Boum!
5.15pm GMT
13 min: France haven’t stopped panicking, though. Plisson’s kick upfield from deep is charged down brilliantly by Marler. Spedding does well to gather the loose ball in the France 22 and mop up.
5.13pm GMT
Plisson makes no mistake, arrowing his kick from 30-odd yards straight between the sticks.
5.12pm GMT
10 min: Ford refuses to release the ball, amid a melee in the middle of the English half. That’ll be a penalty for France. England can’t afford to offer up cheap point-scoring opportunities like this.
5.11pm GMT
8 min: Room for France down their left. Mermoz very nearly breaks into space down by the 22, then cuts inside to hand the ball to Tillous-Borde. But he’s held up. The ball’s soon turned over, and England look to break upfield at speed. Joseph has plenty of green grass to scoot into, but the move breaks down with a knock-on. Slightly clumsy from England, who had France on the back foot there.
5.08pm GMT
6 min: Ford takes the long penalty kick, in almost complete silence. He scuffs it pretty badly, the ball dying to the right of the posts, never going over. Not the perfect start for England, then, but my goodness they’d have taken this six minutes ago!
5.07pm GMT
5 min: France are all over the shop. A scrum in the middle of the park, and they spin it round like a Catherine Wheel. England with the penalty, and surely they’ll opt to kick this, with every point precious.
5.05pm GMT
3 min: Ford does what he has to do from a tight position on the right. Seven down, 19 to go!
5.04pm GMT
One minute and 29 seconds into the game, and what on earth were France doing? A misplaced forward pass in the middle of the park. Joseph scoots off down the right wing at pace. The ball’s shuttled on to Brown, who offloads to Ford, cutting inside. One last pass, and Youngs bursts over the line. What a start!
5.02pm GMT
As Swing Low, Sweet Chariot pings off the walls of Twickers, France get the match under way. So, 26 points, then. Can England manage it? Vunipola takes the first catch of the game. England look to break up the left, but passes don’t stick to hand. A knock on. Scrum to France. The players heave. The crowd heaves. What an atmosphere!
4.56pm GMT
The teams are out! A cracking atmosphere at Twickenham, on account of everyone in the stands being paggered on refreshing boose. Sobriety out the window! Marvellous. England are playing in their pristine but soon-to-be-muddied white shirts, red rose in full bloom. France will be competing in their famous blue, le coq perched proudly on the chest. Time for the national anthems. Let’s be honest with ourselves, France win that one hands down.
4.00pm GMT
England crave victory today. And they crave it for several reasons. In ascending order: it’s the Six Nations; it’s France; it’s France at Twickenham; it may well lead to the 2015 Six Nations title; it’ll propel them towards the 2015 World Cup, their World Cup, in good heart, whistling a jaunty tune, heels clicking, twirling a cane. Actually, you could put all of that in any order, couldn’t you.
As it’s the final game of the 2015 Six Nations, the maths are simple. Well, simple enough. Wales’s eight-try 61-20 victory in Italy had fired them to the top of the table, with a 16-point advantage over England. But they’ve since been supplanted by Ireland, who tonked the Scots 40-10 at Murrayfield; they hold a 10-point advantage over Wales, and 26 points over England. That means England need to beat France by 26 points to win the Six Nations. If they do that exactly, they’d win the title on tries scored, having already scored 11 to Ireland’s eight. Second place will be secured by a 16-point victory, but they’d need to cross the line twice if 16 is all they can manage, for Wales are up to 13 tries for the tournament.
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