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  • Kane rues lack of luck as England fall to Belgium

    Kane rues lack of luck as England fall to Belgium

    England forward Harry Kane declared England were “dominant” in their 2-0 loss to Belgium in the Nations League on Sunday. 

    First-half goals from Youri Tielemans and Dries Mertens ultimately decided the match with the Three Lions going on to enjoy more possession in the second 45 minutes but failing to make the most of it. 

    The defeat means Gareth Southgate’s side won’t be playing at the Nations League finals next year with either Belgium or Denmark set to top their group. 

    Kane, who was playing his 50th match for England, believes his side played well despite the result and should be backing themselves to succeed in the future. 

    “We were dominant. We were unlucky to concede the two goals,” Kane told Sky Sports post-match.

    “A deflection and I don’t think the second was a free-kick. A lot of positives to take but it will give us confidence. If we play like this going forward, we will win the majority of games for sure.

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    “Jack Grealish is a fantastic player. You can see his qualities on the ball. I am sure he will get plenty of opportunities in an England shirt.

    “We haven’t won a major trophy for a long time and that gives us a major carrot. With the squad we have and the players we have, we have to have full belief.”

    Belgium manager Roberto Martinez, who was also marking his 50th game in charge of the national team, gave credit to the Three Lions after the match but stressed his side were always in control.

    “It was a really good game of football, two strong teams who know each other very well and played each other four times since the 2018 World Cup,” Martinez said.

    “We got the early lead then we had to suffer and see the press and risk that England took. We could not utilise that in our advantage and we defended really well and showed a good focus that pleases me a lot. We used to see a lot of good things on the ball, being pretty but it was a good all round performance.

    “You need to give credit to England, they did very well in the second half and pushed us high up. We can use the opportunity of counter attacking but we gave he ball away cheaply. We were always in control at 2-0, sometimes it can be dangerous, you feel comfortable but we defended Thibaut Courtois’ goal very well.

    “We want to work towards the third win in Leuven on Wednesday. Denmark are a very good side, the key is being good in what you do and we are looking forward to that game.

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  • England U21 boss Boothroyd says Bayern wonderkid Musiala could still choose Germany

    England U21 boss Boothroyd says Bayern wonderkid Musiala could still choose Germany

    England Under-21 manager Aidy Boothroyd admits the future of Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala is still undecided amid an ongoing battle with Germany over his international future.

    For now, the 17-year-old attacking midfielder has chosen to be with the Three Lions after his maiden call-up to the U21 side as the DFB have backed down in their pursuit.

    Despite having played for Germany at the U16 level, Maikel Schonwitz, head of youth coaches at the DFB, confirmed to Sport1 that Musiala recently rejected them.

    Musiala, who was born in Stuttgart and grew up in England, has a German mother and Nigerian father, making him also eligible for the Super Eagles. Boothroyd said it’s up to the teenager to decide his own international future.

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    “Nothing is written in stone and we are just doing what we would do with any other player at this moment in time,” Boothroyd said. “He is a good player who deserves to be stretched and that’s why he is in the U21 team.

    “After that, it is completely down to him. He has to get past the competition in terms of the players ahead of him [to reach senior level]. He needs to push himself further to grow to get into his club team in Germany. It won’t be an issue that he plays in that country so we want to create an environment that he flourishes in.

    “If he joins us, then great, but we can’t do too much about it.”

    Musiala’s breakthrough at Bayern has vindicated his decision to leave Chelsea as he became the European champions’ youngest Bundesliga goalscorer and appearance-maker in recent months. Boothroyd has quickly been impressed by the youngster’s first few training sessions.

    “He is a very, very talented player,” he added. “He has got very good feet, he can play off the left or right. Tactically, I have been really impressed at how quickly he takes things on. He has looked the part.

    “Watching him playing for his club, the younger teams and you get a clear idea of him. But having looked at him up close, he is probably not finished growing so there’s a lot to come from him physically but technically and tactically I have been really impressed.”

    The youngster has co-captained England at U17 level with Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham. The Bayern midfielder was looking forward to linking up with his close friend and fellow Bundesliga star before he got promoted to Gareth Southgate’s senior squad.

    “It has to be said that Jamal was really excited to get into the U21s but he had his best mate going out of the group in less than two days after Jude went into the senior players so some of the other players got around him and helped him to settle.

    “Without putting pressure on either of the guys, they are both in a system that allows players to grow if you do well which means you get opportunities, like Jude shows. That’s whether he comes back to us or not and he won’t be the last player to get into that senior area.

    “We are pleased for him and excited about what he can do in the future.”

    In Bellingham’s absence, Boothroyd said his former Blues teammate Callum Hudson-Odoi is helping him adapt to the group: “Callum, I have to say, is a very friendly character so like the other boys he has taken Jamal under his wing to help him relax and play his football.”

  • England call up Borussia Dortmund midfielder

    England call up Borussia Dortmund midfielder

    The 17-year-old midfielder was originally included in the U21 squad, but will now link up with the senior team ahead of the games against Republic of Ireland, Belgium and Iceland.

    Bellingham has impressed since making a summer switch from Birmingham City to Dortmund, featuring in 10 matches, scoring once.

    It caps an incredible rise for Bellingham, who only finished his first full campaign of senior football last season.

    During his debut season with Birmingham, Bellingham became a lynchpin of his boyhood club’s midfield and featured 44 times, scoring four goals.

    Despite being without Ward-Prowse and Alexander-Arnold, England manager Gareth Southgate is hopeful he will be able to call upon Marcus Rashford.

    The striker is scheduled to report for duty on Thursday to allow for further assessment on an injury sustained in Manchester United’s 3-1 victory over Everton last Saturday.

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    The majority of the squad arrived at St. George’s Park on Monday with Ben Chilwell, Eric Dier, Harry Kane, Kyle Walker, Joe Gomez, Jordan Henderson and Raheem Sterling due to report on Tuesday.

    England face Republic of Ireland at Wembley on Thursday before travelling to Belgium on Sunday and welcoming Iceland on Wednesday to complete UEFA Nations League Group A2.

    Sky Sports News reported on Monday England may have to forfeit their final Nations League group game against Iceland, with UEFA expected to sanction Denmark’s fixture with the Icelanders on Sunday.

    Currently, the UK Government will not allow any of Iceland’s players into the country to play the game if they have been in Denmark – where a new strain of coronavirus has been linked to the country’s mink farms.

    Elsewhere, England U21 manager Aidy Boothroyd has added Everton duo Ben Godfrey and Tom Davies to his squad, but will be without Norwich defender Max Aarons for the matches against Andorra on Friday and Albania on Tuesday.

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  • Rashford picked out as England’s best player

    Rashford picked out as England’s best player

    Marcus Rashford has been picked out as England’s best player by international colleague Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with the in-form Everton striker admitting to being a big fan of the Manchester United forward and Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski.

    Inspiration can be found across Europe for those looking to forge their own successful career in the final third of the field.

    Calvert-Lewin falls into that category, with the 23-year-old unlocking the potential in his game that has been apparent for several seasons.

    He has become a regular source of goals for his club in the Premier League, with an impressive return of 11 efforts through nine games in 2020-21 earning him a senior England call-up.

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    The Toffees star has already found the target for his country and forms part of an exciting attacking unit with the Three Lions that boasts the considerable talent of key men such as Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho.

    Asked to make his selection as the cream of England’s crop, Calvert-Lewin told FIFA’s official website: “For me, Marcus Rashford. I’d seen a lot of him and he’s an unbelievable player, but I’d never played with him and he was even better than I thought.

    “He’s got everything: pace, power, skill. He’s so sharp, clinical in front of goal. He can finish, he can head.

    “As a centre-forward, playing alongside someone like that fills you with the utmost confidence you can beat whoever you play against. I’ve got no doubt he’s going to be a top, top player for many years.”

    When spreading the net a little wider, Calvert-Lewin named a prolific presence at Bayern Munich as his pick as the finest player on the planet.

    He added: “Robert Lewandowski. He scores so many goals.

    “As a young centre-forward, if I’m to look along the line of top centre-forwards, I would look at Robert Lewandowski and study his game and see what positions he gets in, because I feel he’s got similar attributes to what I have.”

    Calvert-Lewin’s claims to joining the global elite should be aided by the added quality being brought in alongside him at club level, with Colombian playmaker James Rodriguez one of those to have joined the ranks at Goodison Park.

    “It’s only right that a club of Everton’s size, with where we want to go, attract that calibre of player,” said Calvert-Lewin.

    “For me personally, I was just really excited because I was aware of what he was capable of. I’d seen the great goals he’d scored and the big teams he’d played for.

    “He’s a top, top player and for me, as a centre-forward, I knew chance creation would be there and it would be down to me to put the ball in the back of the net. It has been and I’m really enjoying playing with him.

    “He’s a different level. He dictates games. He takes players out of games by taking touches. The way he manipulates the ball, he’s very hard to get it off – I don’t think I’ve seen him get tackled, even in training.”

  • Women’s FA Cup suspended during four-week lockdown

    Women’s FA Cup suspended during four-week lockdown

    The Women’s FA Cup has been suspended during the four-week national lockdown in England, despite the men’s competition being given approval to continue as planned.

    The FA confirmed on Tuesday that the 10 non-elite teams competing in the first round of the men’s FA Cup will be able to compete from November 6-9.

    The women’s first round – not classed as elite according to government guidelines – was originally scheduled for November 15, but the earliest return date possible for the competition will be December 2, when lockdown restrictions are due to be eased.

    Clubs below the Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship will be unable to train or play matches for the duration of the lockdown, with all 24 women’s sides in the FA Cup first round from the fourth tier or below.

    All adult and children’s grassroots football has been put on halt in England during the lockdown, which came into effect on Thursday. Elite sport will continue behind closed doors.

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    Manchester City beat Everton 3-1 in extra-time to win the 50th Women’s FA Cup final behind closed doors at Wembley on Sunday.

    The competition was originally scheduled to finish in May but was delayed for over six months at the quarter-final stage because of the pandemic.

    Women’s FA Cup first-round draw

    FC United of Manchester Women vs Fleetwood Town Wrens LFC or Liverpool Feds LFC
    Chester-Le-Street Town Ladies FC vs Brighouse Town Women FC
    Newcastle United Women FC vs Barnsley Women’s FC
    Wolverhampton Wanderers WFC vs Stourbridge FC Ladies
    Lincoln City Women FC vs Solihull Moors Women FC
    Wem Town Ladies FC vs Boldmere St Michaels Women FC
    Harlow Town Ladies FC vs Ipswich Town LFC
    Kent Football Utd LFC or AFC Wimbledon Ladies vs Luton Town Ladies FC/ Enfield Town LFC
    Billericay Town LFC vs Maidenhead United LFC
    Eastbourne Town LFC or Leyton Orient WFC vs Actonians LFC
    AFC Bournemouth Women vs Southampton FC Women
    Exeter City Women FC vs Cheltenham Town LFC

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  • Earthquake with over 3.3 magnitude hits Southern England

    An earthquake measuring 3.3 magnitude on the Richter scale has struck southern England. 

    ?Earthquake with 3.3 magnitude hits Southern England?

    According to the British Geological Survey (BGS) quake maps, the epicentre was in 3km northwest of Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, and recorded at a depth of 10km. The tremor caused houses to shake as far away as London, Milton Keynes, Aylesbury, and High Wycombe. 

    Residents reported feeling the tremors at 9.45am in parts of London.

    One person on the EMSC site wrote: “It felt horrible. The whole house was shaking as if something huge and very heavy hit the roof or my neighbours house (they’re end of terrace). I never suspected we’d have it in here.”

    Another person wrote: “I felt it very clearly. The first wave shook the house a bit and then some little vibrations during 5 seconds.. but my wife, at home with me, did not feel anything.. Nice experience!”

    The British Geological Survey confirmed it is investigating reports of an earthquake which they described as a ‘large explosion’.

    Its tweet said: “Reports include ‘like a convey of HGVs driving past my front door at great speed’, ‘the house had one dramatic shake’, ‘felt like whole house was shaking’ & ‘it was like a large explosion’.”

    The size of the tremor was initially thought to be larger but has since been downgraded to 3.3 magnitude from initial reports it was a 3.9. 

  • BREAKING: Foden and Greenwood dropped from England team over Covid breach

    England's Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood in alleged coronavirus rule breach | Football News | Sky Sports

    Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood have been sent home from England duty after breaching coronavirus rules, manager Gareth Southgate said on Monday.

    Southgate revealed Manchester City midfielder Foden and Manchester United forward Greenwood would not be travelling from Iceland to Denmark for Tuesday’s Nations League match.

    Although Southgate refused to comment on the nature of the virus protocol breach, widespread media reports said the England pair met two local girls during their time in Iceland.

    Foden, 20, and Greenwood, 18, had made their senior England debuts in Saturday’s 1-0 win against Iceland.

    “Unfortunately this morning it was brought to my attention that the two boys have broken the Covid guidelines in terms of our secure bubble,” Southgate told reporters.

    “We had to decide they couldn’t have interaction with the rest of the team and wouldn’t be able to train. Given the procedures we have to follow now, they will have to travel back to England separately.”