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Coventry chase promotion, Norwich v Ipswich, and more: football news – live | Football
Key events
League One: It’s all going on at Home Park, Jayden Wareham had restored Exeter’s lead in the 87th minute but just 180 sconds later Malachi Boateng bundled in from close range from a scrappy set-pice. Lovely stuff.
Championship: Coventry are still struggling to find a breakthrough against Sheffield Wednesday. A couple of big chances in succession as Josh Eccles heads narrowly wide and Ellis Simms could not convert as he came on to a low cross swept in from the right.
League Two: Louis Watson has pulled one back for Crawley a Bristol Rovers to make it 2-1. The Sussex side have around 10 minutes to find an equaliser.
League Two: It did not take long for Bromley to take advantage of MK Dons going down to 10 men. Marcus Ifil has pulled one back and halved Dons’ lead, it’s 2-1 in MK.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-2 Bournemouth (Scott 75)
The Cherries are back in front with 15 minutes to go at the Emirates. Barry Glendenning has full coverage of that one here:
League One: Promoted Lincoln were 2-0 up against Leyton Orient but Dominic Ballard has pulled one back for the Os.
Elsewhere, Lorent Tolaj has equalised for Plymouth in their local derby clash with Exeter.
League Two: MK Dons are 2-0 up against Bromley, a scoreline that would deny the Ravens promotions, but the league leaders have a lifeline with Jon Mellish earning a red card for a second bookable offence.
I’ll leave you in the very capable hands of Tom Bassam while I grab a bite to eat.
Premier League: Raya playing with fire, taking a risk passing out to Zubimendi with Bournemouth’s strikers nearly on top of him. Not the first time he has done that today, either. Howls from the Emirates crowd. The home side have only had one shot on target so far – the penalty converted by Gyokeres.
A nervy final 25 minutes ahead for the league leaders, looking for a winner.
National League: York are a goal to the good against Tamworth and set to stay top of the table as things stand. Automatic promotion rivals Rochdale play Wealdstone this evening. Only the champion goes up, it is likely to go all the way to the wire.
Boreham Wood’s Matt Rush has scored a couple within five minutes for them against Hartlepool. They are certain to be in the play-offs.
Premier League: Arteta rings in the changes. Eze, Trossard and Dowman are off the bench and on the pitch. Cometh the hour, cometh the man child? The highly-tipped teenager could make his most important impact to date.
Meanwhile, 55 minutes in at top versus bottom in the Championship, Coventry are yet to break the deadlock against Sheffield Wednesday, though they nearly sprung the offside trap moments ago for a simple finish.
League One: Deadlock broken in the Devon derby as Reece Cole puts Exeter ahead away to playoff-pursuing Plymouth. That goal could be crucial in keeping them up. Their fans are unsurprisingly going loco, bragging rights potentially in the offing too.
At the other end, Cardiff go a goal up at Bolton with a header from Osmari Kellyman, taking them ten points clear in second place as things stand.
Two minutes later, Chris Willock adds a second!
Premier League: The players are back out at the Emirates. Big half ahead for Mikel Arteta’s side, who flattered to deceive for much of that first half. Going a goal down seemed to spur them into action, mind.
No changes from either manager at half-time.
Some half-time reading for you: Barney Ronay’s bid to turn £10 into £1,000 at the bookies
“I knew Arsenal were going to lose because I stare at sport all the time and I can see when something is crap. I’m the crap whisperer.
They duly lost. And this was my high point. Ten pounds had become £120. Yes, somehow only that tiny amount after all this winning and omniscience. But still a vast return in five days! I’ve got the key. I’ve got the secret. I am invincible. I … cannot lose.”
Lunchtime half-time scores
How things stand in the 12.30pm kick-offs.
Premier League
Championship
League One
League Two
Championship: George Hirst doubles Ipswich’s lead at Carrow Road in first-half stoppage time. Firmly in control of the East Anglia derby, they have two more games in hand over promotion rivals Middlesbrough and Millwall. They will be favourites to go up to the Premier League – if they can hang on.
The Guardian has kicked off a new chapter in puzzles with the launch of its first daily football game, On the ball. It is now live in the app for both iOS and Android … so what are you waiting for?
GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Bournemouth (Gyökeres 35 pen)
Arsenal are level: Viktor Gyökeres scores his 18th goal of the season, lashing the ball beyond Petrovic. He went the right way, but there was too much pace and precision on it.
However, the decision to award the penalty will be dissected at half-time and beyond. The ball was hit against Ryan Christie’s out-stretched hand at point-blank range and Michael Oliver awarded it. Many referees would not have given that one.
Premier League: Arsenal are playing like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Their opponents are more fluid and pressing them back into their own half.
At Coventry, the Championship leaders nearly fashion a messy opening from a corner but the Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper falls on the ball.
League Two: MK Dons have made it 2-0 against leaders Bromley with a Ben Wiles goal. The south Londoners may have to wait another match or two to confirm their promotion.
GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Bournemouth (Kroupi Jr 17)
The leaders are behind at the Emirates. Arsenal’s defence was caught asleep and failed to play Truffert offside as he surged down the left, his cross pinged off Saliba’s boot and sat up perfectly for Eli Junior Kroupi to put away at the back post.
Championship: Ipswich go ahead at Norwich, thanks to a Jaden Philogene penalty, sending the goalie the wrong way.
Pretty stonewall, as Ben Slimane nearly inadvertently takes off Taylor’s head with a wild swing at the ball, going for a clearance from a free kick.
The table as things stand:
Championship: Dear me, bottom-of-the-table Sheffield Wednesday (one league win all season) nearly take a shock lead at Coventry through an absolute howler.
Goalkeeper Carl Rushworth slipped as he kicked the ball and got the ball caught under his feet. Jerry Yates nearly picked his pocket for the most straightforward goal, but somehow Rushworth recovered and got away with it.
League Two: Second-placed MK Dons are a goal up inside 34 seconds. Nathaniel Mendez-Laing charges through and slips the ball low into the net. No time wasted, just what Paul Warne would have wanted.
Their opponents, league leaders Bromley have a slim chance of securing promotion if results go their ways, but they are already on the back foot here.
Lunchtime games kick off
The whistle blows for the lunchtime games. Plenty of important matches, we’ll keep the focus on Arsenal, Coventry, the East Anglian and Devon derbies and the League Two table-top clash.
Whether at the match or watching on the telly, feel free to send me your thoughts, hopes or fears here.
How De Zerbi is aiming to keep Spurs up
After West Ham’s thumping of Wolves last night, the heat has been turned up even higher on Spurs, in the relegation zone for the first time since August 2015. How will they stay in the Premier League, then? The new manager has a cunning plan.
“I want to keep the ball,” De Zerbi said. “I want to see again the Tottenham I watched with Postecoglou because, in my second season in Brighton, there was Postecoglou here with a lot of these players and it was one of the best teams in terms of quality of play. With Pedro Porro, with [Destiny] Udogie, with [Micky] van de Ven, with [Cristian] Romero, and I would like to see it again.”
Some Spurs fans may have their heads in their hands reading that, but they and you can read more about his masterplan here:
Expat Coventry fan Dan from Perth (Australia, not Scotland) writes in: “Have just been reflecting on the 2016/17 Checkatrade final when, all alone at a casino’s sports bar, with a moon-bound spaceship’s range of screens showing all manner of local footy varietals to no one in particular, I still had to beg the bemused manager (who knew not of this competition or my team) to allocate the tiniest box in the corner so I could experience Wembley and the first real bright spot in my Cov supporting adult life (being 19 when we were relegated to the championship and then on down that slippery slide).
“Fast forward and I’ll be in front of another small screen in my study streaming the match with a significant plus one – my eight-year-old who, while not actually yet a fan (and who may, in fact, not be paying attention at all while making loom bracelets) has been here for the entire journey back.
“Can’t believe we’re finally maybe going back up; fingers crossed today is the day.”
Today’s key fixtures
My pick of the matches this fine Saturday afternoon (3pm BST unless stated). Plenty of lunchtime action and some matches pitting promotion and relegation rivals against one another in League Two:
Premier League
Championship
-
Coventry City (1st) v Sheffield Wednesday (24th) – 12.30pm
-
Norwich City (9th) v Ipswich Town (3rd) – 12.30pm
-
Middlesbrough (4th) v Portsmouth (21st)
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Southampton (6th) v Derby (8th)
League One
-
Plymouth Argyle (7th) v Exeter City (21st) – 12.30pm
-
Cardiff City (2nd) v Bolton Wanderers (4th) – 12.30pm
-
Bradford City (3rd) v Stevenage (6th)
League Two
-
MK Dons (2nd) v Bromley (1st) – 12.30pm
-
Cambridge United (3rd) v Notts County (4th)
-
Newport County (22nd) v Harrogate Town (24th)
Scottish Premiership
Arsenal v Bournemouth team news
Seven games left for Arsenal, who are nine points up on Manchester City with a game in hand.
Piece of cake, right? Ha ha ha. More like seven chances to slip up, especially if their recent domestic form is anything to go by. After Carabao Cup final defeat and a surprise loss to Southampton in the FA Cup, Mikel Arteta will be keen to canter away to their first title in 22 years with minimal fuss and put the lid on talk of bottling it.
Three changes from the XI which beat Sporting, with Lewis-Skelly, Havertz and Martinelli coming in. Barry Glendenning has all the latest updates for us here.
Taking three points against Bournemouth will be no easy feat. They are unbeaten in 11 matches and only the top three Premier League sides have lost fewer matches than Andoni Iraola’s team. However, hampered by being draw specialists – fifteen in the Prem this year! – they are only 13th in the table.
Arsenal XI: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly, Zubimendi, Rice, Havertz, Madueke, Gyokeres, Martinelli
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, Hincapie, Jesus, Eze, Norgaard, Trossard, Dowman, Salmon
Bournemouth XI: Petrovic, Jimenez, Hill, Truffert, Senesi, Scott, Christie, Rayan, Tavernier, Kroupi Jr, Evanilson
Subs: Mandas, Adams, Brooks, Gannon-Doak, Smith, Diakite, Adli, Unal, Toth
Preamble
To paraphrase the Titanic old lady, it feels like it’s been 84 years but after a 19-day intermission, the Premier League was back with a bang last night.
We’ll have all the reaction to West Ham’s 4-0 win over Wolves, lifting themselves out of the relegation zone and putting Tottenham Hotspur into the bottom three. Your move, Roberto De Zerbi.
At the other end of the table, Arsenal are at home to Bournemouth in today’s first kick-off (12.30pm BST), while Liverpool host Fulham this evening, last season’s winners seeking to get over their Champions League stinker and qualify for the continent’s premier club competition again.
In the Championship, leaders Coventry City could effectively ensure promotion today if they beat abject Sheffield Wednesday, in a lunchtime kick-off, and rivals Middlesbrough drop points at home to Portsmouth. After 25 years away from the top division, it is surely only a matter of time for Frank Lampard’s side, given their vastly superior goal difference.
The other choice fixture is the East Anglian derby, as Norwich City could dent Ipswich’s promotion push. Spicy.
In League One, second-placed Cardiff City could take a big step towards promotion if they can see off Bolton Wanderers. And in League Two, first plays second, with Bromley v MK Dons. The south Londoners (just about, even if it feels like Kent) could secure promotion today, and just need a win.
At the top of the Scottish Premiership, it’s all to play for. Hearts face Motherwell and if they lose, Celtic would be on the same number of points if they beat St Mirren.
As ever, please do get in touch with comments, tangents and matchday musings.
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
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Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
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