Scott Murray's Blog, page 74
September 11, 2021
Crystal Palace 3-0 Tottenham: Premier League – as it happened
Early pacesetters Tottenham were reduced to 10 men and well beaten after a dream debut for substitute Odsonne Édouard
5 min: Emerson makes good down the right. Corner. Winks takes. No good.
4 min: Moura advances at pace down the middle. He threads a pass left for Reguilon, whose subsequent cross is useless.
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September 8, 2021
Wales 0-0 Estonia, Northern Ireland 0-0 Switzerland: World Cup qualifying – as it happened
No goals in Cardiff or Belfast on a frustrating but not disastrous night for Wales and Northern Ireland
Nearly a super start for Wales. With less than a minute gone, Chris Gunter speeds off down the right wing in absolute acres and crosses low for Harry Wilson, who slaps a first-time shot wide right. Wilson may have been flagged offside had that hit the net, but what a move.
Peep peep! That’s the sound of referees across the continent blowing their whistles to get the evening’s play underway. Here we go, then.
Continue reading...The Fiver | Something different and vaguely interesting: Scotland did a win!
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The Fiver was mildly surprised this morning to discover that England (est.1872) only played Poland (est.1921) for the first time in 1966 (est. 1 Jan, 1966). Since then, of course, the two countries have met every other week, it feels like, so those were more innocent times. Gareth Southgate’s team travel to Warsaw tonight to face … you know what, we can’t summon the energy to do this again. The Poles haven’t beaten England for 48 years, despite having four shies at teams managed by Graham Taylor for goodness sake, and even if they manage it tonight England will still be top of the Group I table so good luck to them but we’re out.
Continue reading...September 6, 2021
Europe win 2021 Solheim Cup: singles matches – as it happened
Europe retained the Solheim Cup after a dramatic to-and-fro singles session in Ohio
Maguire walks in her eagle putt on 2. Such a cool customer. What a talent she is. Europe go one up. And they’ve been handed an early advantage back on 1, where Nelly yips one from short range to gift the hole to Hall. The Olympic champ hasn’t been able to locate her A-game this week; can she dig something out before it’s too late?
Thompson v Nordqvist 1UP (3)
Ewing A/S Sagstrom (3)
Kupcho v Maguire 1UP (2)
N Korda v Hall 1UP (1)
Harigae v Boutier
USA 7-9 Europe
September 5, 2021
2021 Solheim Cup day two: USA 7-9 Europe – as it happened
Team USA came back at Europe on day two, only for Mel Reid to restore a little distance between the teams at the end of play
Europe are this close to doubling their lead in the last match of the morning, but Nordqvist hits her ten-foot birdie effort a smidgen too hard. The ball, dead on line, crashes into the back lip, considers dropping, but horseshoes instead and pops out to the left. The new British Open champion looks shocked; that’d drop more often than not, but here we are.
Kang/Ernst v Hall/Sagstrom 1UP (5)
Thompson/Altomare v Hull/Pedersen 1UP (4)
N Korda/Ewing v Reid/Maguire 2UP (3)
Salas/Kupcho v Nordqvist/Castren 1UP (2)
USA 2½-5½ Europe
September 4, 2021
2021 Solheim Cup day one: USA 2½-5½ Europe – as it happened
Europe took a three-point lead after a dramatic and controversial first day
Here comes match three. Ireland’s in-form Leona Maguire, who shot a joint-low major round of 61 at the Evian earlier this summer, batters a huge drive down the opening hole. Nelly Korda, the world number one and Olympic gold medallist, follows suit. Maguire is paired with Mel Reid, while Nelly is naturally teamed with sister Jessica. There could be fireworks here.
Hall’s splash out of the bunker front left of 1 is not all that. An open door for USA. Ewing can’t steer in her 20-foot birdie putt, but she’s close enough for it to be conceded. Boutier can’t make the 15-footer she’s left with, and the first blow of the 2021 Solheim Cup is made by USA!
Continue reading...September 2, 2021
Hungary 0-4 England: World Cup qualifier – as it happened
England brushed Hungary aside in Budapest
2 min: So a mere 53 days after losing the Euro 2020 final, England are playing football again. Kleinheisler barges down the middle, only for Phillips to stop him unceremoniously. The home crowd bay for a free kick, but they’re not getting one.
And we’re off! The home side get the ball rolling, but only after England take the knee. The home fans boo loudly, shamefully, disgracefully. Black lives matter. There’s no room for racism.
Continue reading...The Fiver | Crowbarring in these hot-topic pop-culture references for the kids
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As a supporter of Liechtenstein and Basingstoke Town, the Fiver cannot possibly understand the scope and scale of what fans of Ireland and Manchester United went through last night. But United’s new Portuguese signing CR(TBC) certainly put them through the emotional wringer, we can at least appreciate that. He missed a penalty. He reduced Bruno Fernandes to … well, He reduced Bruno Fernandes. He scored a wonderful last-minute equaliser. He scored an even better injury-time winner. He grabbed all the headlines for himself, for better or worse, as is His wont. Bah for Ireland! Yay for United! But also bah for United! Let’s see how this plays out: at least we already know the Republic’s World Cup hopes are banjaxed; it’ll take at least another five or six weeks to gauge whether His inevitable 36-goal haul at Old Trafford this season will be worth all the tactical disruption and sensationalist fuss.
August 15, 2021
Gerd Müller was world class but his brilliant legacy is too often forgotten | Scott Murray
At first glance the Bayern Munich and West Germany striker’s work was underwhelming – until you realise he was doing it every week, season after season
Comparisons are odious and nearly always absurdly reductive but here we go anyway. In 2012 Lionel Messi set a new record for goals scored in a calendar year. Let’s not try too hard to be iconoclastic: his tally of 91 for Barcelona and Argentina in 2012 was one of football’s monumental achievements, a jaw-dropping effort over the long haul, even if the only silverware it earned him that year was the Copa del Rey. Poor Leo did not get too much bang for his buck there.
Related: ‘The greatest striker’: Gerd Müller, legendary German forward, dies aged 75
Related: Gerd Müller – a life in pictures
Continue reading...August 13, 2021
The Joy of Six: Leeds United v Manchester United matches
Before the renewal of an old rivalry on Saturday, a look at classics from a 1930 Elland Road rout to Cantona rubbing noses in it
Eric Cantona had a mixed time on his returns to Elland Road. He won two and lost two; he scored a penalty and missed a penalty. That miss, a genuinely shocking moment after he’d scored 15 out of 15 in competitive games at United, came during the first half of what turned out to be his last game at Elland Road. It was never likely to be his last word.
7/9/1996. 4-0 against Leeds at Elland Road. Eric Cantona salutes Leeds fans @90sUtd #MUFC pic.twitter.com/GndYvQG0cy
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