Rob Smyth's Blog, page 104

September 6, 2020

Manchester United 1-1 Chelsea: Women's Super League – as it happened

Leah Galton’s fine equaliser cancelled out Sam Kerr’s first-half goal and gave United an excellent draw against the champions

5.41pm BST

4.30pm BST

The Player of the Match is the United captain Katie Zelem

“I’m over the moon. We put everything we had into the game and it’s a great result for us. We’ve just competed with the champions and showed to everyone else that we’re here to compete - we’re not just settling for being in the league. We want to build on last season; we know we’ve got more to give and I think we showed that today.”

4.28pm BST

Today’s WSL results

4.26pm BST

That was an excellent game. Chelsea had the clearer chances, and deserved to lead at half-time through Sam Kerr’s goal, but United were terrific in the second half and Leah Galton scored a fine equaliser.

4.24pm BST

Peep peep!

4.24pm BST

90+4 min Kirby misses a chance right at the death, mistiming a volley from Harder’s cross.

4.23pm BST

90+3 min Cuthbert almost wins it for Chelsea! Harder, Kirby and England moved the ball smartly from right to left to find Cuthbert just inside the area. Her shot hit McManus and deflected behind for a corner.

4.20pm BST

90+1 min Four minutes of added time.

4.20pm BST

90 min Mjelde’s corner from the right pinballs around the United area. Eventually Cuthbert’s shot is blocked and the rebound dribbles wide.

4.16pm BST

86 min The United captain Katie Zelem was booked a couple of minutes ago for trying to stop Telford from starting a Chelsea counter-attack.

4.16pm BST

85 min Cuthbert hits a thumping half-volley from 20 yards that is blocked by McManus, and Leupolz volleys the rebound into orbit.

4.14pm BST

84 min The United corner bounces around the area before Carter puts it behind for another, this time on the right. Galton swings it under the crossbar and Telford claims confidently.

4.13pm BST

83 min James’ dangerous cross is chested behind for a corner by Mjelde. This has turned into a cracking game.

4.11pm BST

80 min Chelsea respond by bringing on Jess Carter and Pernille Harder for Andersson and Reiten.

4.10pm BST

The tireless Leah Galton has equalised for United! Toone played a lovely first-time pass down the right to Groenen, who surged into the area, looked up and slid a precise low pass towards Galton at the far post. She got in front of Mjelde and tapped the ball into the open net.

4.08pm BST

It should have been 2-0, and now it’s 1-1!

4.08pm BST

78 min Kirby puts Cuthbert clear on the right side of the box. She surprisingly declines the shot and instead tries to return the ball to Kirby, but it’s a poor pass and United clear.

4.07pm BST

77 min Another chance for Cuthbert! England lofts a deflected cross to the far post, where Cuthbert arrives late to slam a half-volley towards goal from five yards. It’s straight at Earps, who does well to hold on.

4.05pm BST

76 min: Good save from Earps! Kirby played a crisp pass infield to Cuthbert, who knocked it past Smith on the run and hit a low shot that was well blocked by the outrushing Earps.

4.05pm BST

75 min Lauren James hasn’t seen much of the ball since coming on. If United are to get anything out of this game, that probably needs to change.

4.03pm BST

73 min There’s a break in play while the United keeper Mary Earps receives treatment. She’s okay to continue.

3.59pm BST

70 min Cuthbert’s low cross from the left almost falls for Kirby at the far post, but Ladd (I think) gets in front of her to clear.

3.56pm BST

66 min Beth England, who wasn’t fit enough to start the game, replaces the goalscorer Sam Kerr.

3.55pm BST

65 min Chelsea are starting to calm the game down after a slightly torrid start to the second half.

3.52pm BST

62 min Chelsea were pretty comfortable in the first half; they’ve been anything but since half-time. You probably haven’t heard this phrase before, but the next goal is absolutely vital.

3.50pm BST

60 min Casey Stoney decides it’s time to introduce the brilliant Lauren James, who wasn’t fit to start the match. She replaces Jane Ross.

3.48pm BST

59 min Groenen’s cross goes behind off Andersson. The corner is headed away by Eriksson, but the ball keeps coming back at Chelsea.

3.47pm BST

58 min And now a change for Chelsea, with Ji replaced by Erin Cuthbert.

3.45pm BST

55 min Bright blocks shots from Galton and then Zelem. Chelsea are hanging on at the moment, with United winning the ball back much more aggressively.

3.43pm BST

53 min: Good save by Telford! Batlle plays a nice short pass to Toone, who gets the ball out of her feet and thrashes a rising drive from 25 yards. Telford leaps to her right to tip it over the bar.

3.43pm BST

53 min A change for United: Hanson is replaced by Jackie Groenen.

3.42pm BST

52 min It’s been a strong start to the second half from United, who are having much more of the ball than they did before half-time.

3.39pm BST

50 min Another half chance for Ladd, who chest-volleys well wide from 20 yards.

3.38pm BST

48 min At the other end, Ladd cuts inside dangerously from the left but sprays her shot out for a throw-in.

3.38pm BST

47 min: Another chance for Kerr! Mjelde charged down the right and curled a superb cross to the near post, where Kerr got in front of McManus and half-volleyed over from close range. It wasn’t the easiest ball to hit first time, especially as she was being challenged from the side by McManus, but a finisher of her class should probably have scored.

3.35pm BST

46 min Peep peep! Chelsea begin the second half.

3.23pm BST

Half-time reading

3.19pm BST

Peep peep! Chelsea deservedly lead through a fine goal from Sam Kerr, who has been very lively and could have scored a hat-trick. United have struggled to penetrate at the other end, though Leah Galton did hit the bar in the last attack of the first half.

3.19pm BST

45+2 min: Galton hits the bar! United almost equalise on the stroke of half-time. Hanson did well to beat Andersson on the right and cross towards the far post, where Galton got in front of Mjelde and looped a header onto the bar. Telford was backpedalling frantically but I don’t think she got a touch on the ball.

3.16pm BST

44 min Galton is found in space on the left side of the area, but her cross flashes past everyone and out for a throw-in. In Galton’s defence, there wasn’t much support - I think she only had Ross in the area to aim for.

3.14pm BST

41 min: Fine save by Earps! Ji lofts a superb angled pass over the United defence towards Kerr, who gets away from Turner and smashes a half-volley towards goal from 12 yards. Earps not only saves the shot but holds onto it. It was another terrific run from Kerr, who has looked so dangerous since giving Chelsea the lead.

3.10pm BST

39 min “I think Ji is such a classy player,” says Redmond Grimes. “She makes Chelsea tick without really getting the accolades other star players do.”

Yes, she’s a classic players’ player.

3.09pm BST

38 min Ingle’s high, hanging cross is headed wide by Kerr. It wasn’t much of a chance.

3.09pm BST

37 min Galton has a bit of time to run at Mjelde. She beats her but takes too long in doing so and is dispossessed by the covering Kirby. Moments later, Galton has a shot blocked by Bright.

3.07pm BST

36 min United are having their best spell of possession in the match, although Chelsea look comfortable enough in defence.

3.06pm BST

34 min “Hiya Rob,” says Adam Kline-Schoder. “United are so close to breaking through on the counter; just a couple of overhit through balls (most notably and surprisingly from Zelem) away from several really good scoring opportunities.”

3.04pm BST

31 min Now Chelsea lose possession in a dangerous area. Toone picks up the loose ball on the left wing and hits a speculative cross shot that is palmed away by the diving Telford.

3.02pm BST

30 min Kerr misses an excellent chance to make it 2-0! Turner’s poor pass towards Zelem was intercepted by Kerr, who surged into the area and dragged a low shot just wide of the far post.

3.01pm BST

29 min: Kerr has a goal disallowed for offside! It was the right decision - she was a couple of yards ahead of the defence as she ran onto Reiten’s cross.

3.00pm BST

27 min Kerr showed great desire to get in front of Smith, who was favourite to intercept Kirby’s cross. That was the hard part; the finish was simple.

2.58pm BST

That was beautifully worked, all the way from back to front. The move started when Eriksson and Ji combined to find Mjelde on the right. She played in the underlapping Kirby, whose precise low cross was finished from close range by Kerr. Lovely, simple football.

2.56pm BST

Chelsea take the lead with an excellent team goal.

2.55pm BST

21 min “Hi Rob,” says Redmond Grimes. “Watching in from Toronto as a lifelong Chelsea fan. We are getting the games here on a major sports network now, how times have changed. Chelsea looks formidable this season; can anyone break the top three?”

The fact Reading were hammered 6-1 by Arsenal doesn’t bode well. Man Utd could do it in time but I can’t see it happening this season.

2.52pm BST

19 min Eriksson’s long ball forward ricochets into the path of Kerr, whose snapshot deflects off McManus and goes just wide of the near post. Earps had it covered. The resuling corner is only half cleared to Reiten, who drives straight at Earps from 16 yards. That was a chance.

2.50pm BST

19 min Nothing much is happening, which suits United more than Chelsea. But they know it will be very hard to keep Chelsea this quiet for the entire 90 minutes.

2.47pm BST

16 min Anyone out there?

2.46pm BST

14 min Casey Stoney will be really happy with this start. United have looked solid defensively and generally kept Chelsea at arm’s length. I can never remember where to put the apostrophe in that phrase.

2.43pm BST

11 min Lots of Chelsea possession, as you’d expect. United look quite lively on the counter-attack though; they haven’t just parked the bus.

2.41pm BST

8 min Andersson plays a give-and-go with Reiten, forcing Smith to concede another corner. Mjedle plays it short, gets it back and puts in a dangerous low cross that is well claimed by Earps.

2.37pm BST

5 min Jane Ross almost gives United the lead out of nothing. She moved away from Leupolz and lofted a spectacular shot from 25 yards that whistled just wide of the near post. Telford dived desperately to her right but I’m not sure she’d have saved it had it been on target.

2.35pm BST

4 min Reiten’s corner is volleyed well wide by the off-balance Eriksson.

2.34pm BST

3 min Zelem concedes the first corner. It’s been a confident start from Chelsea, with all the early action taking place in the United half.

2.31pm BST

1 min Peep peep! Katie Zelem kicks off for United, who are playing from left to right on my television screen. They are in red; Chelsea are in blue.

2.27pm BST

Arsenal 6-1 Reading is the final score at Boreham Wood. Enough of that, because it’s time for the weekend’s big game: Man Utd v Chelsea.

2.21pm BST

Danielle Carter has scored a consolation of sorts against her former club; it’s now Arsenal 6-1 Reading.

2.17pm BST

Surely @ReadingFCWomen shirt printers need a forfeit How do you spell a legend's name wrong? pic.twitter.com/bzRiQPEE6g

2.16pm BST

Jeez, Arsenal are now 6-0 up against Reading. Jill Roord has scored a hat-trick, Vivianne Miedema has two.

1.55pm BST

Some pre-match reading

1.54pm BST

Arsenal are on course for victory in their first game. They lead Reading 3-0 after an hour thanks to goals from Kim Little, Jill Roord and - shock, horror - Vivianne Miedema.

Manchester City, the other main challengers to Chelsea, started with a 2-0 win at Villa yesterday.

1.40pm BST

Chelsea are unchanged from the team that beat Manchester City in the Community Shield last weekend. That means Pernille Harder, who has only been at the club a few days, starts on the bench. Fran Kirby, who endured such a traumatic 2019-20 season, starts a WSL game for the first time in almost a year.

Man Utd (4-2-3-1) Earps; Smith, McManus, M Turner, Batlle; Zelem, Ladd; Hanson, Toone, Galton; Ross.
Substitutes: Ramsey, A Turner, Okvist, Groenen, James.

10.28am BST

Hello. A league season doesn’t truly start until the champions have played their first game. This afternoon, Chelsea begin their title defence with an awkward trip to Manchester United, who were the best of the rest in last season’s WSL. Chelsea were the best of the lot, finishing just ahead of Manchester City and Arsenal on points per game when the season was curtailed because of Covid-19.

Chelsea haven’t been doing any laurel-resting. Emma Hayes has signed four players, including the brilliant Pernille Harder from Wolfsburg for a world-record fee of around £300,000 and the classy Bayern Munich midfielder Melanie Leupolz. All in all, they look pretty darn formidable.

View more on Rob Smyth's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on September 06, 2020 08:30

September 5, 2020

Iceland 0-1 England: Nations League – as it happened

Ten-man England laboured to victory in a game of two very late penalties: Raheem Sterling scored, Birkir Bjarnason missed

9.51pm BST

Some player ratings ...

9.50pm BST

Barney Ronay on Foden ...

7.18pm BST

That’s it for tonight’s blog. I’ll leave you with Dave Hytner’s match report. Thanks for your company - goodnight!

7.02pm BST

Here’s Raheem Sterling

“It was strange and we knew it would be difficult, but there’s no better way to improve your fitness than playing matches. We got through it in the end. We didn’t expect the red card – it happened, and we kept playing our football and trying to create chances. We got the penalty in the end. We shouldn’t have conceded the sloppy penalty after that but we got the luck.”

6.53pm BST

Raheem Sterling’s last-minute penalty gave England a victory they deserved for their possession, if not their penetration, though they needed Birkir Bjarnason to endanger low-flying aircraft with an even later penalty.

It was an odd game, both a good and bad advert for VAR. Good because both penalties were iffy, and Harry Kane had an early goal wrongly disallowed for offside; bad because the existence of VAR is the reason so many referees have lost confidence in their decision-making.

6.50pm BST

Football is a peculiar old pastime.

6.49pm BST

90+3 min Bjarnason tried to curl it into the top-right corner but got too much on it and it went over the top.

6.48pm BST

He’s curled it over the bar!

6.47pm BST

This is absurd. A long ball was lumped forward, straight from the kick-off I think, and Gomez was penalised for holding Gudmundsson just inside the area. That looked pretty soft as well.

6.46pm BST

PENALTY TO ICELAND!!!

6.46pm BST

It wasn’t a great penalty, rolled gently down the middle. Halldorsson dived to his left and couldn’t save it with his feet. We’ve only seen one replay but I’m not sure it was a penalty. Ingason threw himself at Sterling’s shot, John Terry-style, but it looked like his arm was tight to his chest.

6.45pm BST

Sterling scores!

6.44pm BST

INGASON IS SENT OFF!

Alexander-Arnold’s corner cleared everyone and reached Sterling beyond the far post. His shot flew wide off Ingason, and England immediately appealed for handball. The referee gave it and then showed Ingason a second yellow.

6.43pm BST

PENALTY TO ENGLAND!

6.41pm BST

87 min “I really admire Iceland,” says Mary Waltz. “They know who they are. Granted, it doesn’t provide for the most exciting football but they recognise the talent gap between the two squads and they won’t be lured into changing their tactics. Their goal was snagging a point and because of Walker’s boneheaded play they just might get it.”

I think they would have done anyway, to be honest. England haven’t really looked like scoring all night.

6.40pm BST

86 min Alexander-Arnold’s corner is headed clear at the far post.

6.40pm BST

85 min Greenwood’s first contribution is a good one. He receives a crossfield pass, beats Magnusson with a familiar stepover and drives a cross that is put behind for a corner.

6.39pm BST

83 min Iceland have defended brilliantly. I can only remember three England chances in the whole match, and two of those were from workaday crosses.

6.37pm BST

80 min “The plucky English lads might be playing one man down, but remind me: isn’t this a country of 50 million plus battling against one with the population of Sunderland?” says Geoff Wignall. “The extra man seems only fair.”

This is a great way to spice up international football. Brazil v the Faroe Islands would have a whole new lease of life.

6.33pm BST

79 min England are now playing with Sterling on the left, Ings in the centre and Greenwood on the right.

6.33pm BST

78 min Mason Greenwood comes on to make his England debut, replacing Harry Kane.

6.33pm BST

78 min The pattern of the game hasn’t changed since the red card. England are still pushing for a winner; Iceland are happy with 0-0, and anything more would be a bonus.

6.31pm BST

76 min Alexander-Arnold’s wicked corner from the left is flicked on at the near post and sliced clear desperately by an Iceland defender in the six-yard box.

6.31pm BST

76 min Another Iceland substitution. Emil Hallfredsson replaces Traustason.

6.28pm BST

73 min Trent Alexander-Arnold replaces Jadon Sancho, who started brightly but faded in the second half. That means England will play a 4-2-3 formation, with Ings on the left and Sterling on the right.

6.27pm BST

72 min Ward-Prowse has moved to right-back for the time being, which means Declan Rice is a one-man midfield.

6.26pm BST

70 min England are down to ten men. Walker, who was booked in the first half, lunged at Traustason with excess zeal and was given a second yellow card. It’s hard to argue with that decision.

6.25pm BST

69 min “I’m fairly certain Bill McLaren commentated on his son-in-law scoring a try for Scotland,” says Simon Ly. “And as expected of the great man, he did a hugely professional job.”

6.23pm BST

68 min Ings replaces Phil Foden, which suggests a switch to 4-4-2/4-2-4. Foden had a tidy debut, no more or less.

6.22pm BST

67 min Good story department: Danny Ings is about to come on for his second England cap, and his first since 2015.

6.20pm BST

66 min An Iceland change: Arnor Sigurdsson replaces Porsteinsson.

6.19pm BST

64 min Trippier’s inswinging free-kick from the left skims off the head of Arnason and drifts just wide of the far post. That’s the closest England have come since Kane’s disallowed goal in the sixth minute.

6.18pm BST

62 min A muscle-busting overhead kick from Kane hits Ingason in the chin; I don’t think it was going in anyway.

6.17pm BST

62 min Joe Gomez has quietly had an excellent game, dealing expertly with any Iceland counter-attacks.

6.15pm BST

60 min As in the first half, England are slowly having the life sucked out of them by Iceland’s defence. This is turning into a decent test for England, especially as they scored goals by the bucketload in 2019.

6.13pm BST

58 min Rice drives a crossfield pass to Ward-Prowse, who cushions it back to Sancho on the edge of the area. His first-time cross-shot is booted clear by Arnason.

6.10pm BST

55 min Gomez gives away a silly foul, shoving Magnusson over on the left wing. As with all Iceland’s set-pieces so far, it’s cleared by Kane at the near post.

6.08pm BST

54 min “Charles Antaki is right - Scandinavia’ is tricky,” says Bob O’Hara. “Whilst Oulu might think it’s in Scandinavia, I lived in Helsinki for 12 years, and they think they’re not - they talk about Fenno-Scandinavia. Now I live in central Norway, which is so Scandinavian it’s on the Scandinavian peninsular. P.S. if in doubt, talk about the Nordic countries. Although I’m not sure if that includes the Baltic states.”

6.07pm BST

53 min “Ian Wright summarised for games with Shaun Wright-Phillips didn’t he?” writes Mr B.

He was certainly in the studio for some (and also berated Sven for not picking him a few times from memory), though I was thinking more of a lead commentator.

6.05pm BST

51 min England’s tempo has been better since half-time, though they are still struggling to get behind the Iceland defence.

6.02pm BST

47 min Kane slides a good pass down the inside-left channel to Sterling, who is well challenged by Hermannsson. Corner to England. Ward-Prowse’s inswinger bounces past everyone at the near post and is headed away.

6.01pm BST

47 min “Probably not quite what you were after,” says Habib Butt, “but I’m fairly certain David Lloyd has commentated on T20 matches his son Graham has been umpiring.”

6.00pm BST

46 min Peep peep! England begin the second half. No substitutions on either side.

5.54pm BST

“Iceland’s no. 11, Albert Gudmundsson, is the son of Iceland’s top football commentator, Gudmundur Benediktsson, who is currently commentating the game in TV now,” writes Guðmundur Björn Þorbjörnsson. “Repeatedly refers to him by his full name, instead of ‘my beloved baby boy’, for professional reasons. Iceland in a nutshell. How does this work in real countries? Would Jadon Sancho’s dad be barred from doing the commentary on national TV?”

That’s an interesting question. I’m struggling to think of any examples, at least in this country.

5.46pm BST

There’s been plenty of other football today. Read all about it over a half-time cuppa

5.46pm BST

Peep peep! England were bright and relaxed at the start of the game; they ended the half looking impatient and frustrated. In other words, it’s going to plan for Iceland. Aside from Harry Kane’s early goal, which was wrongly disallowed for offside, England have struggled to create chances.

5.41pm BST

42 min Ingason is booked for a foul on Kane.

5.41pm BST

41 min Trippier’s dangerous inswinging cross is miscontrolled by Ward-Prowse, who was just ahead of the ball as it bounced up at him.

5.39pm BST

38 min Apart from wrongly disallowed Kane goal, England have struggled to create chances. Sancho has looked sharp; the rest have been okay. This might be a job for Mason Greenwood.

5.37pm BST

36 min “‘Scandinavia’ is tricky,” says Charles Antaki. “The Swedish, Norwegian and Danish people I know pooh-pooh the idea that Finland is Scandinavian, but when I flew to Oulu in northern Finland, there was a giant sign in Arrivals proclaiming the place to be ‘Capital of Northern Scandinavia’.”

So what about Orkney?

5.35pm BST

35 min England are starting to get frustrated with Iceland’s defensive excellence.

5.34pm BST

34 min Traustason curls the free-kick over the wall and wide of the near post. It was well wide in the end.

5.33pm BST

33 min Gudmundsson is fouled just outside the area by Walker, who is booked. The free-kick is a fair way to the left of centre, but still a shooting opportunity.

5.31pm BST

31 min Iceland have their first chance for a long throw. Magnusson launches it in from the right and Kane heads clear at the near post.

5.28pm BST

29 min Sterling cuts inside from the left and scuffs a low, long-range shot that is easily saved by Halldorsson.

5.27pm BST

27 min “This is not the most important email you’re going to get about the Iceland/England match, but someone has to be the pedant,” says Alasdair Murray. “Regarding the preamble, ‘England start with two matches in Scandinavia’ - Iceland is not in Scandinavia. Not according to Swedes, Danes and Norwegians, anyway...”

Ach, I did it again. Apologies.

5.26pm BST

26 min Phil Foden has been tidy so far, with one or two classy touches. There hasn’t been much space, though, with Iceland defending very deep.

5.22pm BST

23 min Gareth Southgate talked about patience before the game and it’s almost as if he knows what he’s talking about. That’s exactly what England need now, because it’s around this stage of the game that a less mature side would start to get frustrated by the lack of clear chances.

5.21pm BST

21 min Iceland, who are such a threat at set pieces, win their first corner. It’s a harmless one this time, headed away at the near post by Kane.

5.20pm BST

20 min “Nothing came of it but what was Pickford thinking!” says Mary Waltz of that near chance in the 15th minute. “He sorta came out for the ball, he kinda stayed back, so he didn’t get the ball but left the goal unprotected. He is an ulcer-making goalie at times.”

In his defence, he had to come originally to anticipate the ball going past Gomez, and then it’s a split-second decision as to whether you keep going or retreat. I agree with you generally, though, and I’ll be surprised if he’s still England’s keeper come Euro 2021.

5.18pm BST

17 min Sancho beats Magnusson with elegant ease on the right of the area and slides the ball back to Rice, who completely misses his kick at the near post. That was a great chance.

5.15pm BST

15 min An excellent ball in behind by Gudmundsson is crucially intercepted by the stretching Gomez. Bodvarsson picks up the loose ball on the right side of the area, with Pickford out of his goal. He tries to slide it back to Porsteinsson, but it’s slightly overhit and Rice eases Porsteinsson off the ball.

5.12pm BST

12 min Ward-Prowse plays a neat give-and-go with Foden but his cutback is deflected through to the keeper. England look relaxed and confident on the ball. And why not?

5.11pm BST

10 min It’s all England, as we expected. Iceland won’t mind that; they are happy picking their moments to press and counter.

5.08pm BST

6 min: Kane has a goal disallowed for offside! There’s no VAR so the decision is final - and it was the wrong decision. Sterling’s inswinging cross from the left beat everyone in the centre and was slid in from close range by Kane at the far post. Replays suggest he was onside when the cross came in.

5.07pm BST

5 min “Apropos your preamble of Euro 2016 starting the rebirth of the England squad, Southgate has only retained four of England’s XI from that match (Kane, Sterling, Walker, Dier),” says Yuval Weber. “And looking at the substitutes, not sure who beyond J. Henderson and Rashford would be in the team today.”

John Stones? I’m not sure where he’s at with England these days.

5.05pm BST

4 min Lots of England possession in the first few minutes. Kane has a speculative pop from 20 yards; it’s well hit but comfortably saved by Halldorsson.

5.02pm BST

2 min “While most of the Nations League coverage in America has been relegated to cable and the Spanish language stations, this fixture has been promoted to ABC’s national broadcast,” says Mary Waltz. “For football fans on this side of the Atlantic this is a big deal.”

5.01pm BST

1 min Peep peep! Iceland, in blue, kick off from left to right. England are in white.

5.01pm BST

Iceland have made a change in the warm-up, with Albert Gudmundsson replacing Kolbeinn Sigthorsson. The revised teams are:

Iceland (4-4-2) Halldorsson; Hermansson, Ingason, Arnason, H Magnusson; Traustason, B Bjarnason, Palsson, Porsteinsson; Gudmundsson, Bodvarsson.
Substitutes: Kristinsson, Runarsson, Fjoluson, Eyjolfsson, Friojonsson, A Sigurdsson, Anderson, Fridjonsson, Baldursson, Hallfredsson, Skulason.

4.59pm BST

This is another young England side, with only the two full-backs, Walker and Trippier, over the age of 27. English football has come a helluva long way since that French farce four years ago.

4.56pm BST

“Hello Rob,” says Kári Tulinius. “It bugs me a little that sporting authorities can’t handle Icelandic naming conventions. Basically, whether we have patronyms, family names, or both, Icelanders are referred to by our first names. Even the president is simply referred to by his first name, Guðni. Reading a list of Icelandic last names just feels wrong. It would be like Zinedine Zidane, Matt Le Tissier and Sol Campbell were listed as Yazid, Paul and Jeremiah. Yeah, their middle name is part of their name, but it’s not right either.”

What names do they have on their shirts? And is that dictated by Uefa?

4.54pm BST

The players are ready for action. It’s a crisp, sunny evening in Reykjavik. Little brisk.

4.50pm BST

“Bit of a leftfield one here but would Dan Burn have been worth a place in the squad?” says Carl Whinder. “Consistent performer for Brighton last year and can play centre back, left of a back three, left back and left wing back.”

I’m sure he’ll have been discussed, especially as they short on left-backs in this squad. He’s not the only Brighton defender Gareth Southgate will be looking at this season.

4.40pm BST

Gareth Southgate’s pre-match thoughts

“I’ve said to go out and show what they can do - they’ve waited long enough to go and play, and they’re eager to play. There’s a stubborn opponent in front of us so we have to be patient and counter the threats that they have. But as much as anything I want them to enjoy their football and show people what they’ve been missing.

4.37pm BST

Pre-match reading

3.58pm BST

Manchester City’s Phil Foden, 20, makes his England debut in a midfield that also includes James Ward-Prowse. It looks like Kieran Trippier is playing at left-back, with either Eric Dier or Declan Rice in the centre of the defence.

Iceland (4-4-2) Halldorsson; Hermansson, Ingason, Arnason, H Magnusson; Traustason, B Bjarnason, Palsson, Porsteinsson; Sigthorsson, Bodvarsson.
Substitutes: Kristinsson, Runarsson, Fjoluson, Eyjolfsson, Friojonsson, A Sigurdsson, Gudmundsson, Anderson, Fridjonsson, Baldursson, Hallfredsson, Skulason.

3.41pm BST

Hello. Forget all this talk of England seeking revenge against Iceland tonight. They should arrive at Laugardalsvöllur in Reykjavik offering thanks, because that humiliating defeat at Euro 2016 was the catalyst for the rebirth of a national team that had been drifting aimlessly for a decade or more.

We’ll never know where England would be had they beaten Iceland and lost acceptably to France in the quarter-finals of Euro 2016. But I doubt they would have reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, and I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t be the favourites – the favourites! – to win Euro 2021.

View more on Rob Smyth's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on September 05, 2020 11:02

September 4, 2020

Netherlands beat Poland, plus Italy, Scotland and Northern Ireland all draw - as it happened

Gavin Whyte grabbed a late equaliser for 10-man Northern Ireland, while Eran Zahavi’s majestic goal denied Scotland victory at Hampden Park

9.58pm BST

9.54pm BST

That’s it for tonight’s blog. It’s been another night of competitive Nations League action, with a lot of close games and no thundering mismatches. Please join us tomorrow for more of the same, including Iceland v England. Goodnight!

9.43pm BST

Tonight’s final scores

9.43pm BST

In other news

9.42pm BST

A slight surprise in Florence, where Italy have been held. Edin Dzeko gave Bosnia and Herzegovina the lead; Stefano Sensi equalised 10 minutes later.

9.40pm BST

They may have a new manager in Ian Baraclough, but that was a familiar triumph of the human spirit for Northern Ireland. They went behind to a dodgy goal and lost Josh Magennis to an even dodgier red card, all before half-time, but Bailey Peacock-Farrell kept them in the game and the substitute Gavin Whyte pilfered a late equaliser.

9.37pm BST

Peep peep! A frustrating night for Scotland, who struggled to create chances and were denied victory by a storming late equaliser from Eran Zahavi.

9.36pm BST

Peep peep! Steven Bergwijn has given Netherlands victory in their first game since the departure of Ronald Koeman.

9.31pm BST

Romania 1-1 Northern Ireland And now Denis Alibec has hit the bar for Romania! I think Peacock-Farrell got fingertips on that; if so, it was a stunning save.

9.30pm BST

Ten-man Northern Ireland are level! A free-kick was pumped forward and headed towards the far post, where the substitute Gavin Whyte calmly headed past Tatarusanu.

9.30pm BST

Slovakia 1-3 Czech Republic Ivan Schranz gets a consolation goal.

9.28pm BST

Make that Slovakia 0-3 Czech Republic. Michael Krmencik has sealed an excellent victory in Bratislava.

9.27pm BST

The latest scores with a few minutes remaining

9.24pm BST

Scotland 1-1 Israel At the moment Israel look the likelier winners. They haven’t created much apart from the goal but are having their best spell of the match by far.

9.21pm BST

Belarus 0-2 Albania Keidi Bare has doubled Albania’s lead in Minsk.

9.20pm BST

Scotland 1-1 Israel It’s hard to begrudge Israel a draw. Scotland haven’t done enough going forward, and whatever happens in the last 14 minutes, there’s plenty for Steve Clarke to think about before next month’s Euro 2020 playoff.

9.17pm BST

Israel have equalised this time! It’s a brilliant goal from Eran Zahavi. He received a throw-in, played a quick one-two on the edge of the area and thrashed the bouncing ball past David Marshall. That’s a devastating finish.

9.15pm BST

Scotland 1-0 Israel How did that stay out? Eli Dasa, the right-back, curls a sensational cross that somehow evades everyone in the six-yard box.

9.14pm BST

Italy were behind for precisely 10 minutes. Stefano Sensi, the Internazionale midfielder, has brought them level by scoring an association football goal.

9.12pm BST

The latest scores

9.12pm BST

It’s been another night of close games, which is one of the main selling points of the Nations League. This maverick Uefa idea might be a keeper.

9.09pm BST

Norway 1-2 Austria Norway have pulled one back in Oslo. I won’t insult your intelligence by telling you who scored the goal.

9.06pm BST

Edin Dzeko has given Bosnia and Herzegovina a surprise lead in Florence!

9.05pm BST

The Netherlands, who were runners-up in the inaugural Nations League, have finally taken the lead thanks to a tap-in from Spurs’ Steven Bergwijn.

9.03pm BST

Scotland 1-0 Israel The second half has been much the same as the first: lots of Scotland possession, not much penetration. Their attacking has been surprisingly narrow.

9.00pm BST

The latest scores

8.58pm BST

Romania 1-0 Northern Ireland Bailey Peacock-Farrell has kept ten-man Northern Ireland in the game with a terrific diving save from George Puscas’s header.

8.56pm BST

Norway 0-2 Austria A penalty from the brilliant Marcel Sabitzer has put Austria 2-0 up in Oslo.

8.56pm BST

Slovakia 0-2 Czech Republic And now they are 2-0 up thanks to a penalty from Borek Dockal.

8.52pm BST

Slovakia 0-1 Czech Republic Vladimir Coufal has scored early in the second half to give the Czech Republic the lead in Bratislava.

8.49pm BST

Peep peep! The second halves are under way. It’s still goalless in the two League A matches: Italy v Bosnia and Herzegovina and Netherlands v Poland.

8.34pm BST

Peep peep! It’s half time around Europe, and these are the scores:

8.29pm BST

Ryan Christie slams an emphatic penalty into the top left corner. Ofir Marciano had no chance.

8.28pm BST

PENALTY TO SCOTLAND! A corner is headed down by Dykes towards McGinn, who gets to the bouncing ball a split-second before Tibi and is fouled.

8.28pm BST

Scotland 0-0 Israel The first big chance of the match goes to Israel. A right-wing cross is misjudged by McTominay and reaches Dabbur, whose first header is saved by the diving Marshall.

8.25pm BST

Romania 1-0 Northern Ireland: Josh Magennis is sent off! He was booked earlier in the game and has received a second yellow for putting his arm across the face of Alexandru Maxim. It’s an absurd decision, never a yellow card, but Northern Ireland are down to 10 men.

8.20pm BST

Norway 0-1 Austria Michael Gregoritsch has given Austria the lead against Norway in their B1 clash.

8.18pm BST

Scotland 0-0 Israel The new striker Lyndon Dykes hasn’t had much service so far. I haven’t been watching the game closely, as there are 48 other matches to follow, but it does feel like Scotland’s wing-backs haven’t got forward as much as you’d expect given a) the use of a 3-4-2-1 system and b) one of them is the elemental force popularly known as Andy Robertson.

8.14pm BST

The latest scores

8.12pm BST

Northern Ireland fall behind to a tap-in from George Puscas. He looked offside as he knocked Vlad Chiriches’s pass into the net, but the goal has been given. VAR isn’t being used in the Nations League group stages; let’s not go there.

8.09pm BST

Belarus 0-1 Albania A goal! Sokol Cikalleshi has given ever improving Albania the lead in Belarus.

8.07pm BST

Scotland 0-0 Israel Scotland have dominated the first 22 minutes without creating any clear chances. They have been noticeably aggressive without the ball, though not so much with it. Yet.

8.05pm BST

“To be honest, Rob,” says Simon McMahon, “a loss tonight could seriously damage morale ahead of next months play-off, while a win risks breeding complacency. Scotland had better EFFING DRAW!”

8.05pm BST

“Hello Rob,” says Kári Tulinius. “What do you think will be the 56th Uefa member association to round out Group D2? Surely Uefa can’t let this nonsense go on of having one three team group. My bet’s Greenland. I believe the only thing holding it back is the lack of a Uefa-approved stadium. It’s a popular sport there, as this map of football clubs in Greenland shows.”

This is a map of Greenland. Not just any old map, but a labour of love by Riccardo D'Agnese, who managed to get the badges of virtually every club in the country. This is incredible, a true work of art. More of the same to come in due course!

⚽️

: Riccardo D'Agnese pic.twitter.com/2HmtgFQmOj

8.03pm BST

Apologies, we’ve been having a few technical problems. You’ve missed very little: all seven games are still goalless.

7.52pm BST

No goals so far in the 7.45pm kick-offs. Northern Ireland have also made a pretty positive start in Romania.

7.48pm BST

Scotland 0-0 Israel Scotland have made an aggressive start; it’s notable that they are pressing very high up the field.

7.45pm BST

Peep peep! We’re under way at Hampden, and presumably everywhere else.

7.44pm BST

“Evening Rob,” says Aditi Modi. “A tournament with probably the most convoluted format at the end of probably the most convoluted season seems about right, don’t you think?”

Indeed. I was disappointed Uefa didn’t bring back the Intertoto Cup just for this season.

7.42pm BST

Empty stadiums or no, players of various nationalities are belting out their anthem as I type. It’s time for some Nations League action!

7.34pm BST

With the exception of Group D2, all the teams will play six games in the league stage of the competition. Covid-permitting, those matches will be completed by 18 November, so this is the stop of a busy period in international football. The finals will then take place in September or October 2021. It’s not ideal, but well, you know.

7.28pm BST

“Ok, Rob, I’ll come clean,” says Simon McMahon. “I‘ve kind of lost touch with international football, there’s not exactly been much to write home about for Scotland’s men over the past, say, 22 years. I thought tonight was the Euro play-off. And knowing how these things work, Scotland had better EFFING LOSE!”

Look, it’s really not that difficult to understand: if Scotland win tonight, a point against Brazil on Tuesday will ensure a place in the last 16.

7.12pm BST

“Hi Rob, hope you are well,” says Simon McMahon. “I’ve got some thoughts tonight, chief among them being Scotland had better EFFING WIN.”

Proof, if any were needed, that the Nations League MATTERS.

7.10pm BST

Lithuania 0-2 Kazakhstan is the final score in the early kick-off. That’s an excellent win for Kazakhstan, whose next game is at home to Belarus on Tuesday.

7.07pm BST

This is an interesting game for Scotland, who meet Israel again next month in a Euro 2020 playoff semi-final. That game will also be at Hampden, so this is a slightly deluxe dress rehearsal.

6.56pm BST

Pre-match reading

In case you missed it: Lionel Messi is staying at Barcelona, for now.

6.55pm BST

Scotland v Israel team news

Lyndon Dykes, QPR’s Australian-born forward, makes his debut for Scotland. It looks like Scott McTominay will play in a back three.

6.51pm BST

Romania v Northern Ireland team news

Romania (4-3-1-2) Tatarusanu; Hanca, Chiriches, Tosca, Bancu; Stanciu, Cicaldau, Maxim; Hagi; Puscas, Alibec.

6.49pm BST

Netherlands v Poland team news

Netherlands (4-3-3) Cillessen; Hateboer, Veltman, van Dijk, Ake; De Roon, Wijnaldum, de Jong; Bergwijn, Depay, Promes.

6.46pm BST

Italy v Bosnia and Herzegovina team news

Italy (4-3-3) Donnarumma; Florenzi, Bonucci, Acerbi, Biraghi; Pellegrini, Sensi, Barella; Chiesa, Belotti, Insigne.

5.47pm BST

Hot damn, it’s the Nations League Matchday 1 part two! I don’t know about you, but I’m warming to this tournament. Sure, I don’t have a clue how it relates to World Cup qualification, and it doesn’t feel essential to the morale of society right now. But the basic idea - promotion and relegation in international football - is pretty exciting. And the whole thing feels a lot better with groups of four rather than three.

The main advantage of the divisional structure is that it means a lot more competitive matches than, say, the European Championship qualifiers. Almost all of the teams are playing their peers and thus have a realistic chance of getting a result, which surely beats being spanked 12-0 by Belgium. Last night’s opening round of fixtures bear that out - there were ten games, only one with more than a single goal between the sides.

View more on Rob Smyth's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on September 04, 2020 13:54

The Fiver | Leaving Manchester United via an impromptu violin performance

Footballers and self-awareness usually go together as well as novichok and international relations, so The Fiver wasn’t entirely surprised to hear of Alexis Sánchez’s attempt to justify his shambolic spell at Manchester United. But even allowing for the self-serving norms of this particular genre, it was quite surprising to see a man whose transfer redefined the concept of wasting money go through a deconstruction of his time at Old Trafford without mentioning, well, money.

View more on Rob Smyth's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on September 04, 2020 08:00

August 31, 2020

Football transfer rumours: Thiago Alcântara to Manchester United?

Today’s gossip drove a Lionel up in there

The Mill doesn’t do bank holidays. We spend them, same as any other day, with our ear and nose to the ground, even though we’ve been warned multiple times about the long-term damage to our neck muscles. It’s the only way to ensure we don’t miss out on the latest tittle-tattle.

How else would we know, for example, that despite agreeing a fee with Ajax for midfielder Donny van de Beek, Manchester United want to gazump Liverpool and sign Thiago Alcântara from Bayern Munich? Or that – you won’t believe this – United are also keen on Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish?

View more on Rob Smyth's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 31, 2020 02:20

August 30, 2020

How the white football was dismissed as an unwanted fad – podcast

The white ball was widely disliked during trials in 1927 and one manufacturer declared it ‘practically impossible to make’. It would take another 24 years for the Football League to give it the go-ahead

The best stories from the beautiful game that you may never have heard before, written by some of the world’s leading sports journalists, and spanning more than 100 years of sporting history from across the footballing planet.

In this episode: the white ball was widely disliked during trials in 1927 and one manufacturer declared it ‘practically impossible to make’. It would take another 24 years for the Football League to give it the go-ahead.

View more on Rob Smyth's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 30, 2020 21:00

Women's Champions League final: Wolfsburg 1-3 Lyon – as it happened

Saki Kumagai scored a spectacular goal as Lyon won their fifth consecutive Champions League with a hard-fought victory over Wolfsburg

9.40pm BST

Here is Sid Lowe’s report ...

8.58pm BST

The Player of the Match is Delphine Cascarino, who ran Wolfsburg ragged in the first half and played a big part in the first two goals.

8.57pm BST

Gunnarsdottir and Harder, team-mates until recently, embrace at the final whistle. It must be so hard for Wolfsburg, who have now lost to Lyon in each of the last five seasons. There isn’t a huge gap between the teams, but there is a gap, and both teams know it.

8.54pm BST

Full time: Wolfsburg 1-3 Lyon Peeeeeeep peeeeeeep! Lyon have won their seventh Champions League and their fifth in a row. Wolfsburg threatened a second-half comeback but in the end Lyon had more nous and more quality. Eugenie Le Sommer, Saki Kumagai and Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir scored the goals; Kumagai’s, a screamer just before half-time, left Wolfsburg with too much to do in the second half.

8.51pm BST

90+4 min And Melvine Malard replaces Amel Majri.

8.51pm BST

90+3 min Alex Greenwood, who is also leaving Lyon this summer, comes on to replace the superb Eugenie Le Sommer.

8.50pm BST

90+3 min Hendrich’s speculative ball into the area is headed well wide by Engen.

8.49pm BST

90+1 min Another corner to Lyon. Unsurprisingly, that third goal has obliterated Wolfsburg’s morale.

8.48pm BST

90 min Six minutes of added time.

8.47pm BST

Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir, who started the season with Wolfsburg, has finished them off in the Champions League final. A Lyon corner broke to Le Sommer, who smashed a half volley towards goal from the edge of the area. It was going wide of the far post, but Gunnarsdottir – who was running away from goal – reacted smartly to stick out a foot and divert it into the net.

8.46pm BST

GOAL GIVEN!

8.46pm BST

There’s a VAR check for offside. I think it’ll be okay.

8.46pm BST

Lyon are champions of Europe again!

8.44pm BST

86 min Wolfsburg are having all of the ball now. Lyon make a double change, with Jodie Taylor and Shanice van de Sanden replacing Marozsan and the brilliant Delphine Cascarino.

8.42pm BST

85 min Rolfo is back on.

8.42pm BST

84 min Bouhaddi is fine to continue. Rolfo looks a bit groggier and is being walked round the touchline; it will be a blow if she has to go off.

8.41pm BST

83 min Rolfo is also down after being sandwiched between Bouhaddi and Popp.

8.39pm BST

82 min Bouhaddi has stayed down and is receiving treatment.

8.39pm BST

81 min Goessling’s corner is dropped by the stretching Bouhaddi, though the referee had blown for a free-kick.

8.38pm BST

81 min Rolfo runs at Buchanan and wins a corner for Wolfsburg. She has been excellent in the second half.

8.35pm BST

78 min Another Wolfsburg change: Pauline Bremer replaces Blasse.

8.34pm BST

76 min Lyon are keeping Wolfsburg at arm’s length. It’s certainly not comfortable, but for now they have the game under control.

8.30pm BST

72 min Wolfsburg are having a bit of joy down the left. Rolfo turns Bronze and hits a cross that deflects off Gunnarsdottir and bounces through to the keeper Bouhaddi.

8.28pm BST

70 min Janssen’s long throw leads to an appeal for handball against Bronze in the area. There was nothing in it - she chested the ball onto her thigh and then volleyed it clear.

8.26pm BST

67 min A quiet spell in the game. Lots of hustle and bustle, from Wolfsburg in particular, but nothing to show for it.

8.20pm BST

63 min Engen volleys over from distance. Wolfsburg look so much more confident now though.

8.19pm BST

61 min A double change for Wolfsburg. The exciting teenager Lena Oberdorf and Pia-Sophie Wolter replace Huth and Pajor.

8.18pm BST

59 min Wolfsburg, who looked beaten at the start of the second half, have a spring in their step now. This game is old and funny.

8.16pm BST

Out of nothing, Wolfsburg are back in the game! Rolfo moved down the left and clipped a cross towards the near post that was pushed away by the diving Bouhaddi. Pajor screwed a mishit shot across goal and Pajor reacted smartly to head into the net from five yards.

8.15pm BST

Alexandra Popp has scored!

8.12pm BST

55 min Huth’s cross pinballs around the Lyon area, almost falling kindly for Engen. Wolfsburg needed a break there.

8.11pm BST

54 min Wolfsburg have struggled all night to put Lyon under any sustained pressure. There was a five-minute spell after the first goal; that’s about it.

8.08pm BST

50 min Le Sommer shoots over from the edge of the box after another superb run from Cascarino. That was a decent chance.

8.07pm BST

50 min “Wolfsburg have strung together some decent passing combinations,” says Peter Oh, “but Lyon seem to have studied the VW manual and have stepped in at the crucial moments to break up the final ball.”

Yeah, they’re just a bit too powerful, a bit too dynamic. A bit too good.

8.06pm BST

48 min Lyon have picked up where they left off. Karchaoui charges into space down the left and cuts the ball back to Le Sommer, who clips a first-time shot that is pushed round the near post by Abt.

8.03pm BST

46 min Peep peep! Wolfsburg begin the second half.

7.48pm BST

Peep peep! Lyon are well on their way to a fifth consecutive Champions League. They have been a bit better in every department, and it’s hard to see a way back for Wolfsburg. The recalled Eugenie Le Sommer scored the opening goal, following up after her first shot was saved, and Saki Kumagai belted a second just before the break.

7.45pm BST

What a brilliant goal from Saki Kumagai. Wolfsburg struggled to clear Cascarino’s cross, and Lyon kept the ball alive on the edge of the area. Eventually it rolled to Kumagai, 20 yards out, and she whistled a left-foot shot into the bottom corner. Abt had no chance.

7.44pm BST

Lyon go two-up on the stroke of half-time!

7.42pm BST

41 min “True, because of the injury to Hegerburg and suspension to Parris, Le Sommer is playing the central striker role,” says Travis Giblin, “but, to be honest, she would have been playing regardless. She’s terrific, and would have found herself in the attacking midfield if they were at full strength.”

7.40pm BST

40 min Marozsan is booked for a late tackle on Popp.

7.40pm BST

39 min Kathrin-Julia Hendrich replaces Doorsoun-Khajeh.

7.39pm BST

39 min Marozsan hooks a bouncing ball over the bar from the edge of the area.

7.38pm BST

37 min Doorsoun-Khajeh tried to continue but she’s going to have to come off. She’s in tears on the touchline, a really sad sight. I think she twisted her left knee as she challenged Cascarino with her right foot.

7.35pm BST

34 min Cascarino tries to run Doorsoun-Khajeh, who makes an important lunging tackle to concede a corner. Had she got that wrong it would have been a penalty. As it is she has injured herself in making the tackle; there’s a break in play while she receives treatment.

7.31pm BST

31 min Wolfsburg have had much more of the ball since going behind, human nature being what it is, and Harder has had two or three really nice touches.

7.29pm BST

28 min When the corner is half cleared, Popp’s overhead kick goes high over the bar.

7.28pm BST

28 min Huth wins Wolfsburg’s first corner. They were passive at 0-0 but you’d expect that to change now.

7.27pm BST

26 min Le Sommer is only playing because of Ada Hederberg’s injury and Nikita Parris’s suspension. Life, life.

7.27pm BST

Eugenie Le Sommer gives Lyon the lead! They worked the ball superbly down the right, with Cascarino eventually cutting it back towards Le Sommer at the near post. Her shot on the turn was kicked away by Abt, who might have done better, and Le Sommer reacted quickest to crash the rebound into the net.

7.25pm BST

One-nil!

7.23pm BST

22 min Harder gets away from Renard on the left and crosses towards Pajor at the near post. Buchanan heads away but the ball hits Kumagai and loops back towards Pajor, who fresh-airs an attempted volley on the turn. It was a very difficult chance.

7.19pm BST

19 min This looks a bit ominous for Wolfsburg. Lyon have been much the better team so far.

7.19pm BST

18 min: Good save from Abt! Cascarino goes on a brilliant run through the inside-right channel, zipping away from Janssen on the edge of the area and cracking a shot that is punched behind at the near post by Abt.

7.18pm BST

17 min Gunnarsdottir’s imaginative long pass almost puts Marozsan through on goal. Abt slides to collect the ball, spills it and is glad to see it roll towards a green shirt.

7.16pm BST

16 min Lyon continue to dominate, though Wolfsburg will be happy that Abt hasn’t had much to do so far.

7.15pm BST

14 min Huth is booked for a bad tackle on Karchaoui.

7.12pm BST

11 min Another half chance for Renard, who heads onto the roof of the net from Marozsan’s long free-kick. She mistimed her jump and headed the ball up in the air rather than down towards goal. But the threat to Wolfsburg is pretty clear.

7.10pm BST

10 min “Evening Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “I’m rooting for Wolfsburg tonight, after they squeezed past Glasgow City in the quarter finals. Reflected glory is not to be sniffed at, especially for us Scots.”

7.09pm BST

8 min: Chance for Wolfsburg. Blasse’s long throw causes chaos in the Lyon area. Bouhaddi comes for the ball, gets nowhere near it, and eventually Harder smacks the bouncing ball over the bar from the edge of the box. That was a chance, certainly for her.

7.08pm BST

7 min Marozsan drives a deep free-kick from the left towards Renard, who wins the ball emphatically and loops a header just wide of the far post. Abt had it covered, I think.

7.06pm BST

5 min Lyon have started really well, pinning Wolfsburg in their half for most of the first five minutes.

7.02pm BST

2 min Kumagai’s long-range shot is straight at Abt, who holds on comfortably. Lyon have made a fast start.

7.01pm BST

1 min Peep peep! Lyon, in blue, kick off from right to left. Wolfsburg are in bright green.

6.59pm BST

Both teams break from their pre-match huddle and get into position. This is it, the 2020 Champions League final.

6.57pm BST

The players emerge from the tunnel on a cool evening in San Sebastian. It’s dry at the moment, though it might not stay that way.

6.51pm BST

“It’s not often we get the chance to watch a top-class final between two equally likeable teams, both of whom play attractive football and aren’t stained or corrupted by owner murkiness or celeb shenanigans,” says Charles Antaki. “Hard for the neutral to choose a preferred candidate. Only one team has the majestic Wendie Renard, though, so that settles it for me.”

6.39pm BST

England’s Lucy Bronze is playing her last game for Lyon; she’ll leave the club when her contract expires at the end of the month. The great Pernille Harder is also making her final appearance for Wolfsburg. She is reportedly moving to Chelsea this week.

5.44pm BST

Pre-match reading

5.44pm BST

Wolfsburg make two changes, both in defence: Anna Blasse and Lena Goessling replace Kathrin-Julia Hendrich and Joelle Wedemeyer.

Lyon make one change from the semi-final win over PSG, with Eugenie Le Sommer in for the suspended Nikita Parris up front. Amandine Henry is only fit enough for the bench.

5.15pm BST

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Champions League final between Wolfsburg and Lyon in San Sebastian. This is a rare treat – a match that involves the best two teams in Europe, with all the grandeur that brings, yet still offers potential for an upset. Lyon are strongish favourites to win their fifth consecutive Champions League, mainly because they are trying to win their fifth consecutive Champions League. They are as near to omnipotent as dammit.

Another final against Wolfsburg has been on the cards since last November, when the draw for the quarter- and semi-finals kept them apart. And while Wolfsburg rode their luck in beating Barcelona in the semi-finals, their overall record this season is spectacular: 33 games, 31 wins, no defeats, 141 goals.

View more on Rob Smyth's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 30, 2020 12:58

August 28, 2020

The Fiver | Irrelevant at the best of times, which these emphatically are not

It doesn’t take much to discombobulate the Fiver. Usually just saying the word “discombobulate” is enough to get the job done. So imagine the state of our noggin with all the confusion and upheaval caused by Covid. We’re used to not knowing what day it is; now we don’t even know what season it is. 2019-20? 2020-21? 2314/97? And when we looked at the fixtures for this weekend and saw Chelsea v Manchester City and Arsenal v Liverpool, we didn’t know whether it was men’s football, women’s football or another televised festival of esports.

View more on Rob Smyth's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 28, 2020 08:54

Football transfer rumours: Liverpool's Sadio Mané to join Barcelona?

Today’s gossip sees grit in your teeth

Lionel Messi’s decision to desert the sinking ship FC Barcelona will have a number of knock-on effects. The first is that, over the next few weeks, any forward capable of putting one foot in front of the other with vague regularity will be linked with a move to the Camp Nou. Barcelona will want at least one and possibly 472 high-profile signings to replace Messi, and according to reports in Spain they are aiming high by targeting Liverpool’s Sadio Mané.

Barcelona have reportedly noticed that Mané, the best player in arguably the world’s best team, is really, really good at association football. And while it would not be entirely without precedent for a transfer rumour to be pulled from the human fundament, there is a link here: Mané worked with Ronald Koeman during the forward’s brilliant two-year spell at Southampton. And more worryingly for Liverpool fans, reports in Spain claim he would not be averse to getting the band back together. Apparently Shane Long is also keen on the idea.

View more on Rob Smyth's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 28, 2020 00:31

August 16, 2020

England v Pakistan: second Test, day four – as it didn't happen

Pakistan reached 236 all out and looked dangerous against England with the ball before rain stopped play with home side on 7-1

Pakistan finally dismissed for 236 in weather-ruined Test

5.01pm BST

Here’s Vic Marks’ report from a truncated day’s play.

3.59pm BST

To recap. England were 7/1 after five overs when rain stopped play about 50 minutes before the lunch break. To that point, Pakistan added 13 runs to their overnight score, losing their final wicket on 236. Broad finished with 4/56. In reply for the hosts, Rory Burns (0) nicked off fourth ball, courtesy of a Shaheen Afridi outswinger. Mohammad Abbas was unlucky not to get in the book too but Sibley (2) and Crawley (5) made it to what turned out to be the finish line without further loss.

I’m dreadfully sorry this has been such a mess of a weekend. Keep an eye on the site over the next couple of hours to see what Ali Martin has to say when the press pack talk with Jonathan Trott, England’s batting consultant, a little bit later on. Nevertheless, thanks for your company throughout, as always. We will try again tomorrow at the usual time, in the usual place. Until then, bye for now.

3.53pm BST

Forget what I said in the previous post, it’s all over for day four at the Rose Bowl. The ECB media manager has told us that the ground will take up to three hours to be fit for play beause the outfield is extremely wet. So that is that, I’m sorry to say.

3.50pm BST

The rain has (all-but) stopped! So say my colleagues in the press box. It’ll be a big and long clean up, but there’s a chance of some cricket later today. Giddy up.

“Hello again.” And to you, Ian Forth. “Simple question - how did we end up with the current lbw laws? I’m sure there’s a reason, but it’s all but impossible to work out what it is (for me, anyway). Why does the ball need to pitch in line? Why does it need to hit the pad inside the line? Why do you sometimes need to play a shot and sometimes not? What if we reverted to one criterion only - no reasonable doubt that the ball hit the pad first and would have hit the stumps.”

3.47pm BST

“Dear Adam.” Dearest Robert Wilson. “My heart soared when I read ‘ The Oval 1968. Local residents turn up with pitchforks.’ I was very disappointed to find that there had not, in fact, been some Hammer horror film intervention I’d missed. When you think about it, it’s the one thing that cricket truly lacks. The final day arrival of terrified and enraged villagers with torches and scythes. Certainly a way to even the odds when you’re facing grotesques and monsters like Shane Warne and Steve Smith. I’d deffo be up for helping them tie up David Warner before the thunderstorm hit. Wouldn’t have worked on Viv Richards though. ‘Cos nothing did.”

I love how your brain works. What interests me when watching back that 1968 final day is how chilled out everyone seems to be as England take the wickets to win.

3.31pm BST

“Afternoon Mr Collins.” And to you, Damian Clarke. “What a day! I’m twenty miles from The Bowl, and yesterday I salvaged, sealed, and linked three massive old water butts to the drainpipe. Just checked, and they’re already full. Every bucket and tub I possess, plus one old bathtub, full. Yeah, the end of the garden looks like a recycling yard, but I’m set for the inevitable hosepipe ban next week.
After all that effort, all I need is some cricket to listen and chill to. Make it happen, chap.”

Firstly, that’s great work - well done. I have no basis for this other than the screengrab in the tweet I posted before, but I reckon they’ll get on.

3.25pm BST

Current mood, reports Phil Withall. I hear you. Meanwhile, George in Glasgow is gaming a result in the overs we might have left. “What about England scramble to get the deficit down to 199 when play restarts and then declare in order to make Pakistan bat again and force a result on the final day?” Yes! I love a ‘declare 199 behind’ call, feel like I’m banging the drum for it at least once a year. Indeed, last year during the Women’s Test at Taunton, that (sort of) ended up happening.

3.11pm BST

I have a confession to make. I’m the one cricketer - indeed, the one cricket journalist - who has never really mastered the art of reading of rain radars. I asked MJ Knoester to help me out and it looks halfway decent for later today.

It seems a bit slower than predicted. This was just now.
The band is moving northwest. Thirty minutes? pic.twitter.com/HJ2rPRLwgA

3.06pm BST

“Good afternoon, Adam and a belated happy birthday.” Thank you, Ian Forth. “I was musing, faute de mieux, on England and great rain interventions. Here’s a five-for that comes to mind:

1. The Oval 1968. Local residents turn up with pitchforks and Derek Underwood spins a famous victory with 5 wickets in the only hour’s play available on the final evening.
2. Trinidad 1990. The combination of the only black cloud for miles and West Indies’ go-slow secure the hosts a draw.
3. 1992 and Pakistan win the World Cup despite being bowled out for 71 by England in the league phase. Rain intervenes and secures tham a crucial point.
4. Adelaide 2010. The rain holds off just long enough for England to claim the last few wickets on the final morning.
5. Lords 2007. India 9 wickets down and 100 runs short, as Steve Bucknor gives a not out to a plumb appeal from Panesar. Five minutes later the weather means India have the draw and ultimately the series win.”

I’ll throw Hedley Verity into the mix, England bowling Australia out twice in a hurry to win the 1934 Ashes Test at Lord’s, the spinner taking 14 wickets in a day on a sticky. It was also the first Test to be broadcast on radio by the BBC. It’s a wonderful story that Daniel Norcross and I told on episode two of our Calling the Shots audio documentary during lockdown. If the OBO is your thing, this will be too.

2.54pm BST

There are three rain-free games continuing in the Bob Willis Trophy. Follow that, as always, with Tanya Aldred. I see my guy Ian Holland has 6/39 at Arundel. Remind me to write a long feature on him at some stage over the next few weeks.

2.48pm BST

Sky are back at the ground and the news is vaguely positive. Yes, it’s still raining but there are “encouraging signs” according to Ian Ward, with blue sky on the horizon. The scheduled close will be 7pm with the cut-off adjusted to 7:30pm.

2.44pm BST

Afternoon, all. Want the bad news or the bad news? I’m sitting about 40 miles from the Rose Bowl and the rain has been torrential for most of the last hour. In saying that, as I look out the window, it’s back to firm drizzle. Yes, that’s how I’m describing it: firm drizzle. I’ve enjoyed Rob’s find about the shortest Test. Of course, there have been games that never got started - famously, the Melbourne Ashes Test of 1971 - and that resulted in the first one-day international a couple of days later. My point: good can come from bad. Right? Let’s chat, I’m here until it’s done.

2.39pm BST

Well, that’s it from me for today. The forecast is still pretty good from 4-5pm, so it’s not beyond the realms that we’ll get some cricket this evening. Adam Collins will be with you for the rest of the day - you can email him on adam.collins.casual@theguardian.com or tweet @CollinsAdam. Bye!

2.30pm BST

And here’s some glorious footage of the greatest white-ball bowler we’ve ever seen. Imagine trying to hit that yorker; it’s like trying to bench-press gravity.

2.28pm BST

Apropos nowt, here’s Aravinda de Silva capturing the heart of every Kent fan in 1995.

2.17pm BST

I’m trying to recall the last time a Test in England was so badly affected by the weather. The first match that comes to mind is the Lord’s Test against Pakistan in 1987, when only 112.5 overs were bowled across the five days.

We’ve had 96.2 overs so far in this game. Rob Smyth Understands that if it stays like that it will be the shortest ever five-day Test in this country. (There were a few shorter three-day Tests back in the day.) The shortest Test anywhere, excluding the two that were abandoned because of dangerous conditions, was a 72-ball thriller in Kandy in 1993. (When, cricket being cricket, it was sunny and dry on the scheduled rest day.)

2.01pm BST

“You need to do a bit more delving,” says John Starbuck. “The drones as anti-rain devices idea was well-debated in an OBO of about that time and we concluded there were far too many practical difficulties, with some genuine science added in. Someone will have the exact details, I expect, or you could try your own algorithm.”

Sounds like a perfect way to spend my day off tomorrow.

2.00pm BST

“Quick question...” says Pete Salmon. “I know captains can agree to call off a match if no result is possible. Can that happen at any time – for instance if we only get a few overs today? Not that I want that, just be interested to know. And do the umpires have a say? I’m sure that no two captains would replicate the West Germany/Austria Nichtangriffspakt von Gijón in the Test match championship and abandon a game at the start, but I’ve been sure about a lot of things which turned out to be bunkum...”

I think the two captains can only call a game off at the start of the final hour, and that the umpires only have a say when the weather is a factor. I’ve checked the playing conditions and now I need some Paracetamol, but I think that’s right.

1.58pm BST

Weather update It’s still raining.

1.51pm BST

“Your comments in the third over got me wondering - what’s the lowest first innings for which the follow-on was enforced, resulting in victory without needing to bat again?” asks Peter Mabey.

Since the follow-on bar was raised to 200 runs, I think the lowest score is India’s 288 at Chandigarh in 1990. Their dominance in that match is reflected by Venkatapathy Raju’s match figures: 53.5-38-37-8.

1.25pm BST

I’m going to grab some lunch but will be back in half an hour or so. You’re not missing anything - it’s still raining.

1.15pm BST

“On this rain business,” says Digvijay Yadav, “wonder how far along the ECB or CA have come with this.”

Crikey, I hadn’t heard of that. They wouldn’t have the money for it now I guess.

12.57pm BST

Lunch will be taken at 1pm as scheduled. This is a long-haul shower, and I doubt there will be any play before tea. It does look better from 5pm though.

12.56pm BST

“Monsieur Smyth,” says Robert Wilson. “Normally, you’re a solid and redoubtable rain-break scribe, a friend to punchline and digression. You quip and quibble, you dip deftly archivewards and produce rabbits and Aces, you merrily concede the absurdity of such a sport (and writing about it too). Your washed-out OBOs are triumphant protests against inconsequence and ennui. But I feel a certain ragged stress in you in this game, a flaw in the diamond of your sunny burble. Has this match/summer/year broken your butterfly upon a wheel? I say go straight to the comfort blanket. It might help us too. If you felt the need to stick your thumb in your mouth and do a couple of dreamy evocations of Martin McCague or Robin Smith, we’d be here for you.”

The perception on you! I have felt quite tired during this game, which might be related to an inability to remember the last day off. But tomorrow is free and I plan to do absolutely nothing except, erm, watch cricket.

12.34pm BST

“Not related to his dismissal today, but I think Burns won’t be opener come the Ashes,” says Andrew Hurley. “He has had extraordinary luck since he’s in the team (Ashes last year for example) and I’m not convinced by him, at all. I think he’s a chancer.”

I wouldn’t be particularly surprised either way. Experience suggests that at least one of the top three will fall by the wayside in the next 12 months, and you could make a case for any of them. Burns and Sibley have an admirable temperament, but it’s not the greatest time to have an imperfect technique. In many ways Crawley looks the best, though we don’t yet know whether he is as ruthless as the other two, Sibley in particular.

12.17pm BST

The forecast is pretty good from around 4pm, so we might get a 2-3 hours this evening. I’m not sure there will be much play before then, though, unless the weatherman’s been playing golf again.

(NB: Clip contains bad words.)

12.11pm BST

The Bob Willis Trophy

There’s plenty of cricket going on elsewhere, and Tanya is keeping several eyes on it.

12.01pm BST

Ach. It’s going to pour down any minute, too, so I suspect that will be it before lunch.

11.59am BST

5th over: England 7-1 (Sibley 2, Crawley 5) Sibley has two first-innings ducks already this summer. They’re an occupation hazard for an opener, but three in five Tests isn’t a great look and he’ll be relieved to get off the mark with a work to leg for two. That was the least uncomfortable so far, with Sibley able to leave a few deliveries outside off.

11.55am BST

4th over: England 5-1 (Sibley 0, Crawley 5) Crawley is beaten by a jaffa that straightens and flicks the back leg on its way through to Rizwan. After that he starts to walk at Abbas, in an attempt to minimise the LBW threat, and gets a couple more runs with a clip to leg. Good, proactive batting.

“Well I’ll say one thing about this England side, it’s rarely boring watching us play,” weeps Guy Hornsby. “The collapse is ALWAYS on. But you have to bowl well, and I’m not sure I enjoy watching any side bowl more than Pakistan. For the Test cricket purist, they’re leather and willow catnip.”

11.51am BST

3rd over: England 3-1 (Sibley 0, Crawley 3) The lights are on, and bad light might save England from a very unpleasant examination. Crawley softens his hands sufficiently to ensure an edge fall off Afridi short of third slip, and then gets the first runs of the innings with a work to leg for three. His reward is to keep the strike for Mohammad Abbas’s next over.

“Morning Rob,” says Brian Withington. “Having deleted a draft email that riffed on how Pakistan had not scored quite enough to enforce a follow on, I am now officially having second thoughts ...”

11.46am BST

2nd over: England 0-1 (Sibley 0, Crawley 0) Mohammad Abbas’s first ball kicks nastily to hit Sibley in the ribs. Batting looks fiendishly difficult here, particularly in the first 15-20 balls. A majestic over from Abbas includes consecutive deliveries that beat the outside edge and a strangled shout for LBW. IS IT COWARDLY TO PRAY FOR 36 HOURS OF THUNDERSTORMS.

11.42am BST

1st over: England 0-1 (Sibley 0, Crawley 0) A superb first over from Afridi, who has got the ball swinging beautifully back into the right-hander.

11.41am BST

Crawley is not out UltraEdge suggests Crawley got a slight inside edge, so we didn’t even get to ball tracking.

11.40am BST

0.5 overs: England 0-1 (Sibley 0, Crawley 0) England could be rolled for under 50 here. Crawley survives a huge LBW shout first ball; I reckon it was swinging past leg stump - but Azhar Ali has reviewed.

11.38am BST

Rory Burns has gone fourth ball for nought! He was lucky to last that long. Having edged Afridi’s first delivery just short of Shafiq at second slip, he nicked another terrific outswinger three balls later. This one carried nicely to Shafiq, who grabbed it with not inconsiderable glee.

11.34am BST

The players are back on the field. Shaheen Shah Afridi will open the bowling to Rory Burns, and I know whose shoes I’d rather be in.

11.24am BST

All over. Rizwan tries to turn Broad to leg and gets a big leading edge that loops to Crawley in the covers. That was a fine innings from Rizwan, 72 from 139 balls, and he helped Pakistan add 60 for the last two wickets. I say ‘helped’; he scored 48 of them.

11.22am BST

91st over: Pakistan 236-9 (Rizwan 72, Naseem 1) Rizwan continues to wage war on fresh air. He gets hold of one later in the over, slapping Anderson through backward point for four. A single off the last delivery allows him to keep strike. This is becoming a little irksome for England.

11.18am BST

90th over: Pakistan 231-9 (Rizwan 67, Naseem 1) Naseem survives a full over from Broad, aided by the fact most of the deliveries were off target.

“I had expected the game to start at 7.30am to make up for lost time and with the introduction of ‘Breakfast’ at 10.30am,” says Ian Copestake. “But no, you’re right, why change what isn’t broke, eh Pep?”

11.14am BST

89th over: Pakistan 231-9 (Rizwan 67, Naseem 1) Rizwan charges Anderson again. This time he connects with the ball, slicing it high over gully for four. That aside it was a terrific over from Anderson, including two beautiful deliveries that beat the outside edge. Mohammad Abbas must be salivating at the prospect of bowling on this. I think that’s still allowed.

11.09am BST

88th over: Pakistan 225-9 (Rizwan 61, Naseem 1) Stuart Broad will open up at the other end. He’s eyeing another cheap wicket to continue his spectacular form this summer: 25 wickets at 12.88 so far. Since the start of last summer, in fact, he has 73 wickets at 19.87. Rizwan misses another murderous heave before taking a leg bye to give Naseem one ball to survive. He does.

In other news, thanks to Peter Haining for dutifully sending in the TMS link.

11.05am BST

87th over: Pakistan 224-9 (Rizwan 61, Naseem 1) Mohammad Rizwan is here for a good time, not a long time. He charges Anderson’s first ball and misses, and is beaten again two balls later. The pitch has been sweating under the covers and Pakistan want to get bowling as soon as possible.

Rizwan calls Naseem Shah through for a very dodgy single off the penultimate delivery, and he is well short of his ground when Crawley’s throw misses the stumps.

11.01am BST

The start has been delayed. Not by rain, but because they forgot to put sawdust down. Oh, cricket.

10.59am BST

Some people are on the pitch. They think play’s about to start. It is now!

10.44am BST

I think we’re going to start at 11am, you know. It’s probably worth a reminder of the match situation: Pakistan are 223 for nine, a decent score in these conditions, with Mohammad Rizwan unbeaten on 60.

10.19am BST

Alternative liveblog entertainment

10.18am BST

At the risk of sounding ungrateful, it’s a bit late now for it to stop raining. We’ll probably get a result if there are two uninterrupted days, as 196 overs is a lot on this pitch. But it’s going to rain again at some stage - 11:00:04 if I’ve read the forecast correctly - so there’s no almost no chance of a positive result. Thanks for nothing, “higher power”.

10.13am BST

Pre-match reading

10.08am BST

Hello. We’re in serious danger of getting some cricket this morning. Moving images on Sky Sports News suggest a suspiciously dry Ageas Bowl, with no covers on and people scurrying around in anticipation of an 11am start. Time will tell but for the time being, it’s on!

View more on Rob Smyth's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 16, 2020 09:01

← Previous 1 2 … 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 … 204 205 Next →

Rob Smyth's Blog

Rob Smyth's profile
4 followers

Rob Smyth isn't a Goodreads Author (yet), but they do have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from their feed.