UK News
Coventry City v Derby County: Championship – live | Championship
Key events
53 min: Travis cynically walks into the path of Esse, and it’s a free kick. He’s already been booked, so really wants to watch himself here. You’ve seen referees book folk for less. The bar’s always higher for a second yellow, I guess, even if we all know it shouldn’t be.
52 min: Sakamoto whips a dangerous cross in from the right. Clarke clears yet again, with Simms lurking. Derby counter through Brereton Diaz on the right. He crosses low and hard. Thomas tries to intercept with a slide, but misses the ball. If Banel controls with his first touch, he’s one on one with Rushworth. But his first touch is clunky, and that allows Thomas to spring up and flick clear.
50 min: Sakamoto and Van Ewijk combine well down the right, but when the ball’s cut back for Grimes, the resulting cross goes straight down O’Donnell’s throat. It’s Derby’s fans making the most noise at the moment.
49 min: Sakamoto sprays a right-to-left diagonal in the direction of Esse, but Ward diverts the ball back to O’Donnell with a stooping header. Promising early second-half signs for Coventry, after being on the back foot so much just before the break.
47 min: Coventry are on the front foot immediately. Esse shoots. Blocked. Another wave. Esse crosses. Clarke, who has been excellent tonight, clears.
Coventry get the second half underway. No changes. Yet.
Half-time postbag. “Evening Scott. [Deletes half-written email about how Derby have got little out of the top six this season, probably aren’t yet ready for the play offs, but have maintained appreciable progress for a third year on the trot so that’s OK.] GAME ON!! HAVE THAT, FRANK LAMPARD’S COVENTRY CITY!!!!” – Tom Hopkins
HALF TIME: Coventry City 1-1 Derby County
The whistle goes before Derby can take a corner, and Coventry disappear down the tunnel. Derby have been much the better side. Work for the league leaders to do. Derby’s play-off hopes are real.
45 min +3: They really could! Because Ozoh’s hustle wins possession out on the left. The ball’s shifted to the right for Ward, who crosses to the far post. Morris heads back across goal, but Banel can’t force a header home from six yards. Coventry somehow escape!
45 min +2: Coventry really could do with hearing that whistle all right.
45 min +1: Esse plays a loose backpass straight to Banel, who is suddenly one on one with the keeper! He aims low and hard for the bottom right, but Rushworth makes a crucial stop! Derby should be leading. But what heroics from the Coventry keeper.
45 min: There will be three additional first-half minutes.
43 min: Esse probes down the left and wins a corner off Ward, who he looks to have the beating of. Everyone in sky blue comes up for the set piece … but Eccles hoicks it over everyone’s head and out for a goal kick. The CBS Arena a little bit stunned by the momentum shift. Frank Lampard not looking quite so content now.
41 min: Now Clarke gets back to the day job, stopping Simms as the Coventry striker bustles down the middle of the park. Derby have their tails up, and they counter, Brereton Diaz sending a low cross into the Coventry box. Kitching clears. All of a sudden, Coventry could do with hearing the half-time whistle.
40 min: That was one hell of a cross from Clarke, it really was. And a fine run by the Derby centre-back to get himself into a position to deliver it! Wow.
GOAL! Coventry City 1-1 Derby County (Brereton Diaz 38)
They’ve got some reward now! Clarke channels his inner Beckenbauer to dribble his way down the inside-left channel. He reaches the edge of the box and whips in a stunning cross to the far stick. Brereton Diaz, steaming in from the other side, plants a header across Rushworth and in! A wonderful connection, but the quality of the cross was such that he could hardly miss!
37 min: Derby have enjoyed 58 percent of possession since the Coventry goal. But they’ve not forced Rushworth into any meaningful action.
36 min: There are no recriminations. Simms was within his rights to go for the ball he’d flicked into the Derby box, and he accidentally poked the keeper instead. Thankfully O’Donnell is fine. Hard but fair. We all play on.
35 min: The tempo drops, and for the first time this evening the CBS Arena falls quiet. But suddenly Sakamoto loops a long pass down the right. Simms juggles the ball inside Sanderson and stretches a leg for it. O’Donnell comes off his line to bravely smother, because he takes a clatter from Simms for his trouble.
33 min: A period of Derby possession in Coventry territory. But they don’t apply any serious pressure. On the touchline, Frank Lampard looks calm and content.
31 min: Brereton Diaz cuts in from the right and blooters a shot that’s blocked and deflected to Murkin on the left. Murkin shoots, and his effort flies straight right, back through the Coventry box. Nothing’s working for poor Murkin right now.
30 min: More applause, another tribute, this time to Coventry fan Roy Slade, who recently passed after years of grass-roots involvement in the sport.
29 min: Travis is spun by Eccles near the centre circle, and suddenly there’s a break on. Travis takes one for the team, hanging a leg across his opponent, bringing him down and earning himself a booking.
27 min: Grimes hits the corner long, but Eccles can’t get an effort away from a tight angle on the left. Derby clear their lines … then Onyeka comes back on, and immediately wins the ball back. A huge cheer from the Cov fans for their returning hero.
26 min: There was no ill intent in Ozoh’s challenge. A wee bit mistimed maybe. Happily it looks as though Onyeka will be fine.
25 min: Onyeka strides down the inside-right channel and slips a pass forward for Simms, who shoots from a tight angle. Sanderson blocks out for a corner. But the corner can’t be taken yet, because Onyeka was clattered by Ozoh making the pass, and he’s fallen awkwardly on his shoulder. On comes the trainer.
24 min: Morris steams down the left and wins Derby their first corner of the evening. Coventry may be divisional leaders at scoring from set pieces with 24, but Derby aren’t too shabby either, with a total of 20. But this time Murkin’s delivery hangs easily for Rushworth to pluck from the sky. Not been a great game for poor Murkin so far.
22 min: Onyeka cushions a pass into the road of Eccles, who falling backwards on the edge of the Derby D, threads a shot towards the bottom left. Easy for O’Donnell.
21 min: Watching replays of the goal, I can’t work out whether Onyeka meant it or not. So let’s give him all the credit. Sorry for ever doubting you, Frank.
19 min: Both sets of supporters break into warm applause, in tribute to Paul Pike, a young Birmingham fan who went to a game at Derby last month and sadly never made it back home. A heart-breaking story, a lovely tribute. Rest well, Paul.
17 min: Murkin faffs around 30 yards out, facing his own goal, and allows Sakamoto to race off with the ball down the right. Murkin redeems himself by chasing back, and when Sakamoto chops inside, preparing to shoot, reclaiming possession. Derby have misplaced their early mojo.
16 min: That’s a bit of a blow to Derby, who had started pretty well. But the hosts are completely on top now, and first to everything.
14 min: Whether that was a cross or a shot, O’Donnell will be disappointed with his positioning, and the way he misjudged the flight of the ball. Hats off to Onyeka, though, because his persistence in stripping Murkin of possession and driving immediately forward paid dividend. The CBS Arena erupts!
GOAL! Coventry City 1-0 Derby County (Onyeka 12)
The Coventry captain curls the free kick into the mixer. Sanderson is on point to clear. But Coventry regain possession. Onyeka wins the ball off Murkin, out on the right, and one-twos with Esse. Onyeka enters the box, and sends what looks like a cross swinging out to in … and over O’Donnell, and into the top left! Not 100 percent sure he meant it, but he cares not one jot!
11 min: Eccles is clattered by Sanderson out on the left flank as the pair compete for a corner. Everyone lines up on the edge of the Derby box, waiting for Grimes to deliver.
10 min: Simms makes a run of great insistence down the left. It’s a real power hustle, and he shrugs off Sanderson, but Brereton Diaz tracks back to ensure he doesn’t make it all the way to the Derby box. Everyone is well up for this.
8 min: Esse motors down the left and his shot-cum-cross is smothered by O’Donnell in the Derby goal. This is good bank-holiday entertainment.
7 min: Banel briefly threatens to break into space down the inside-right channel, but Onyeka eases him off the ball. Derby keep pressing, though, and Clark barges his way down the opposite channel, but his shot, half-scuffed, is blocked by Thomas. Derby look lively.
5 min: Brereton Diaz bustles down the right and earns a throw deep in Cov territory. Ward shapes to throw long, but then goes short, and gets the ball back. He whips dangerously to the near post, but Rushworth has read the intent and gathers without fuss. Both teams seem in the mood to attack.
3 min: However Coventry come straight back at Derby. Esse’s shot is blocked by Clarke, who extends a leg bravely at close quarters. Then Murkin gently shoves Sakamoto in the back as the pair contest a high ball. A huge cry for a penalty, though it’s more from the Coventry fans than the players themselves. Fast start by the hosts.
2 min: Van Ewijk looks long for Simms. Clarke intercepts. Then Esse hassles Ward down the left and forces the first corner of the match. Coventry have scored 24 goals from set pieces this season, the division’s best … but this one comes to nothing.
Derby get the ball rolling. The CBS Arena roaring.
The teams are out! Coventry City all in sky blue – hats off to Jimmy Hill – while Derby wear second-choice grey with orange trim. We’ll be off in a minute!
Derby boss John Eustace talks to Sky. “We’re really excited … we’re playing against the best team in the league … we’ve got nothing to lose … we know they’re a top team with top players coached very well … what a great opportunity for us to showcase ourselves and see where it takes us … we’ve kept level headed … believe in our process … our football is improving all the time … we’re looking forward to each challenge and tonight is another one.”
Eustace also delivers some unwelcome news regarding Rhian Brewster. He picked up an injury against Birmingham and that’s required surgery, so he’ll be out for the rest of the season.
Cov manager Frank Lampard speaks to Sky Sports. “Focus on every game … continue with the momentum … the basics … everything we’ve been doing for a period of time now … stay calm … understand that this league is so tough … absolute focus from us … a bit of a rest … train well … be ready … understand now we’re at the crunch end … [Derby] will be a really tough one … we found that out earlier in the season … we know they’re a good team … we have to be at it.”
By way of fair measure, here’s what happened in this fixture last season. Once again, over to our old pal PA Media, Esq.
Jerry Yates excelled as Derby earned their first away win by beating Coventry 2-1. The forward scored the opener after 11 minutes and his strike after the break deflected in off Bobby Thomas. Derby withstood a potential late comeback from their hosts after Coventry pulled one back through Tatsuhiro Sakamoto.
That result led to the surprise sacking of Mark Robins, who had taken Coventry to within a toenail of the club’s second FA Cup final just a few months earlier.
If tonight’s game is even half as good as the reverse fixture, played back in August at Pride Park, we’ll be in for a treat. Here’s what happened, as reported on this very website by that omnipresent scribe, Mr PA Media.
Coventry staged a stunning comeback to beat Derby 5-3 at Pride Park. The visitors, coached by the former Derby manager Frank Lampard, scored three times in the space of eight minutes for a remarkable victory.
The teams traded goals in the first half with Derby twice coming from behind to go in level at the break before their captain, Ebou Adams, put them in front. But after Brandon Thomas-Asante equalised, Ephron Mason-Clark and Victor Torp settled a pulsating match.
Coventry’s first goal was tinged with good fortune as Jacob Widell Zetterström punched Matt Grimes’s low free-kick against Bobby Thomas and the ball bounced into the net in the seventh minute. There was nothing remotely lucky about the equaliser five minutes later. David Ozoh won a free-kick on the left side of the penalty area and Callum Elder bent his shot at pace into the top-right corner.
Haji Wright made no mistake when Coventry won a penalty in the 25th minute, but the home side levelled in first-half added time after Thomas handled a cross and Carlton Morris coolly rolled in the penalty.
Five minutes into the second half Derby were ahead. A long throw dropped to Adams who placed a low shot into the bottom corner from 10 yards, but the game changed again as Coventry scored twice in the space of four minutes. Another long throw in the 72nd minute was headed by Thomas against a post and Thomas-Asante bundled the ball over the line.
Derby were caught cold three minutes later when Milan van Ewijk got in on the right and crossed for Mason-Clark to head in at the back post. Four minutes later Coventry had a fifth with Torp given space just inside the area to fire a low shot in off the left post to seal their first win at Derby in 11 matches.
Coventry make three changes to their starting line-up after the 3-0 win at Swansea a fortnight ago. Romain Esse, Liam Kitching and Josh Eccles come in for Ephron Mason-Clark, who drops to the bench, and Joel Latibeaudiere and Brandon Thomas-Asante, who miss out altogether (the former rested, the latter hamstrung).
Derby also make three changes, following the 1-0 win over Birmingham City two weeks back. David Ozoh, Carlton Morris and Jaydon Banel come in for Patrick Agyemang, who drops to the bench, and the injured pair of Sammie Szmodics and Rhian Brewster.
The teams
Coventry City: Rushworth, van Ewijk, Thomas, Kitching, Dasilva, Grimes, Onyeka, Sakamoto, Eccles, Esse, Simms.
Subs: Wilson, Rudoni, Mason-Clark, Wright, Kesler-Hayden, Bidwell, Markelo, Woolfenden, Overgaard.
Derby County: O’Donnell, Ward, Sanderson, Clarke, Murkin, Banel, Travis, Clark, Brereton Diaz, Morris, Ozoh.
Subs: Forsyth, Batth, Agyemang, Liam Thompson, Fraulo, Gordon, Allen, Smith, Price.
Referee: Tom Nield (West Yorkshire).
Preamble
Today’s earlier results in the Championship didn’t go too badly for Coventry City. Millwall won 2-1 at Middlesbrough, while Hull City were held 1-1 at Oxford United, and so …
… Frank Lampard’s side have the opportunity to extend a lead that stood this morning at nine points to an extremely comfortable 11. They’d then require just eight points from their remaining six fixtures to guarantee Premier League membership next season.
But this is no gimme. Derby blow hot and cold – they’ve won six and lost four of their previous ten in the Championship – but four of those victories have come in the last five. A campaign that started with the Rams flapping around the lower reaches has picked up some serious momentum, and a play-off finish is now very much within reach. So both of these famous midlands clubs have plenty to play for tonight. Kick-off is at 8pm BST. It’s on!
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
Source link
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.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
Source link
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoHSBC UK & Visa test AI shopping with live payments
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoValarian lands USD $50 million backing for sovereign AI
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoMouser warns against viral hacks to cool overheating phones
-
Oxford News4 weeks agoNew romantasy bookshop attracts queues of customers
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoSNP & Palantir launch AI tools for SAP transformations
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoKane tops England influencer rankings after Mexico win
-
Traffic & Transport4 weeks ago‘I felt my spine and body split’: the woman who was hit by a child on a Lime bike – and denied compensation | Ebikes
-
Oxford News4 weeks agoDWP now checking bank accounts for Universal Credit and Pension Credit