List of All Articles with Tag 'al'

Beleaguered Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny declined to discuss his future after a deeply damaging 2-0 home defeat by Greece finally ended hopes of automatic qualification for Euro 2024. Ireland were decidedly second-best at the Aviva Stadium and will head for Gibraltar on Monday evening having taken just three points from their first six qualifiers. However, asked about his tenure, Kenny said: “I’m not going to use this to speak about that. “Ultimately of course we’re disappointed. We knew it was a group of death, tough games. “France, Holland, really tough. We had epic games against both of them. “You shouldn’t be losing at home to Greece. They are a good team, better than people think they are, technically very good with good qualities. “We needed to win tonight, I know that.” Kenny had gone into the game under pressure, but with the Football Association of Ireland having indicated he would remain in charge until the end of the campaign whatever happened. Asked this week if the results in these two fixtures could change the association’s stance, chief executive Jonathan Hill said: “No, I don’t think so. “We’re committed to that process of reviewing the whole of the qualification process in November.” Whether that is still the case after a dark night at the Aviva Stadium remains to be seen. The brutal truth is that Kenny’s 27 competitive matches at the helm have yielded just five victories – against Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Scotland, Armenia and Gibraltar – with only a 3-0 Nations League success against the Scots in June 2022 backing the manager’s claims of progress. He had made qualification for next summer’s finals – they still have a notional, but unlikely chance of securing a play-off spot – his goal when he was first appointed, and Ireland’s abject failure to even establish themselves in the race is a damning indictment. Greece, who had set out on the campaign knowing they and the Republic would realistically be competing for third place and a possible challenge to big two France and the Netherlands, were far superior in Dublin as they backed up their June win in Athens with an even more impressive display. First-half goals from Giorgos Giakoumakis and Giorgos Masouras did the damage, but did not fully reflect the comfort with which they banked the three points which took them to 12 from their opening six games, nine more than Kenny’s men. I think we're going to be in a better position to qualify Gus Poyet The Ireland boss said: “It is definitely a game that we would have wanted to win and it’s a disappointing result to lose at home to Greece.” Opposite number Gus Poyet, who reacted angrily to accusations that he had used Irish spies to plot victory in the reverse fixture, was delighted with his team’s efforts in Dublin, which left them three points ahead of Monday’s opponents the Netherlands having played a game more. He said: “I think we’re learning, I think we’re growing up. “I think the players are understanding that to qualify for the Euros and then to perform in the Euros, we still need a little bit more, and I think Monday is going to be massive. “There are plenty of things that we need to do well on Monday and depending on that, how much we grow up as a team, I think we’re going to be in a better position to qualify. “But I have to say, we have put ourselves there with our victories, with our work somehow, and if you’d asked me before we started when I was in Frankfurt for the draw and you said to me that we would be here now with this chance to qualify, I would have taken it.” Read More Ben Davies: Wales go into Croatia clash believing anything’s possible Matty Jones says late Wales Under-21s draw in Czech Republic ‘feels like a win’ Stephen Kenny under pressure as Ireland’s qualification hopes come to end England and Australia observe silence for those killed in Israel and Gaza Simon Raiwalui ‘in no doubt’ grieving Sam Matavesi will be ready to face England Shubman Gill could return to top of India order against Pakistan

It's getting to that time of the year when the first NFL coach might lose his job. Who is most likely to be sent to the unemployment line (or more likely the broadcast booth)?

The BBC said Friday that a group of its journalists covering Israel's war with Hamas were held at gunpoint and assaulted by Israeli police in Tel Aviv.

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Ben Davies has urged Wales to summon up the spirit of reaching the World Cup to beat Croatia and keep their European Championship qualification hopes alive. Turkey’s shock win in Croatia on Thursday night damaged Welsh prospects of claiming a top-two place in Group D. Wales must now realistically beat top seeds Croatia in Cardiff on Sunday and finish with wins over Armenia and Turkey next month to qualify for Euro 2024. By doing so, Wales would qualify for a third successive major tournament – two European Championships either side of the 2022 World Cup. “We know the situation we’re in and it’s definitely going to be challenging,” said Tottenham defender Davies, who will be wearing the Wales armband in the absence of injured captain Aaron Ramsey. “We’ve shown in the past at Cardiff that against good teams we can win games. It’s the same mentality again that we go into it believing anything’s possible. “The two World Cup qualifiers (play-offs against Austria and Ukraine) were big pressure moments for this team. We've shown in the past at Cardiff that against good teams we can win games Ben Davies “Arguably people would say they were better sides than us, but we showed that we’re more than capable of making our home in Cardiff a fortress and making it difficult for the opposition. “We’ve played some of the best teams in Europe there – like Belgium and the Netherlands – and we’ve put good performances in. Playing at home gives us that something special.” Wales have not beaten Croatia in seven games between the two nations. There have been three 1-1 draws, including the March meeting in Split when Nathan Broadhead equalised with virtually the last kick of the match to get Wales’ Euro campaign off to a promising start. Davies said: “They’re a great footballing nation that have had great results over the last 10, 15, 20 years. “They’re a team stacked with quality players playing at the highest level. We know it’s going to be a hard game, but we believe it’s one we can get something out of. “It’s a huge opportunity playing at home. If we can get three points, then it will put us in a better situation going into next month.” Wales warmed up for their Croatia task by sweeping aside friendly opponents Gibraltar 4-0 in Wrexham on Wednesday. It was Wales’ third consecutive clean sheet following shut-outs against South Korea and Latvia last month, the first time the Dragons have achieved that for nearly three years. Number one goalkeeper Danny Ward said: “We got back to what we do best in the last camp, being defensively sound. “That was vital after the summer we had (4-2 and 2-0 defeats to Armenia and Turkey) and we’ve taken that into this camp.” Ward has yet to play for Leicester this season after losing his first-team place at the Sky Bet Championship club, but the 30-year-old insists that is not an issue while he is on Wales duty. He said: “It’s different for a goalkeeper as opposed to an outfield player. “It’s not so much about rhythm, more about bearings, knowing where you are on the pitch, distances, getting up to speed if you like. “That normally doesn’t take too long for our position thankfully.” Read More Matty Jones says late Wales Under-21s draw in Czech Republic ‘feels like a win’ Stephen Kenny under pressure as Ireland’s qualification hopes come to end England and Australia observe silence for those killed in Israel and Gaza Simon Raiwalui ‘in no doubt’ grieving Sam Matavesi will be ready to face England Shubman Gill could return to top of India order against Pakistan Sam Tomkins says Grand Final farewell will only be a fairytale if Catalans win

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