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Carlo Ancelotti: "It is a gift to be here"
South American World Cup qualifiers: Carlo Ancelotti’s first match in charge of Brazil ended scoreless as his new team were held by Ecuador at the Estadio Monumental. The stalemate means Ecuador stay second in the South American World Cup qualifying table, 10 points behind the already-qualified Argentina. Brazil are fourth, a further two points back and seven points above the play-off spot with just three games remaining.
“I was on the bench for more than 1,800 matches and this one was special,” said Ancelotti after the game. “I think I can make an assessment of this first period; I was happy with the reception. I feel delighted to work with the CBF [Brazilian Football Confederation] and, for me, it is a gift to be here. It was a very good match defensively.
“I saw the team playing better with the ball, with a slightly more fluid game. It was a good draw and we left satisfied, with confidence for the next game. We have very good quality players. There is not much time to work, but there is the possibility of improvement because we have quality. I am sure that we will improve in attack. Today we were missing an important player in Raphinha [who was suspended]. We have to play a game with more rhythm, mobility and intensity. I believe we will do that at our home ground.”
Elsewhere in South America, Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay lost 2-0 away to Paraguay and drop one place and one point below Brazil in the table. Paraguay are third and level on points with Ecuador. Brazil host Paraguay on Wednesday.
Republic of Ireland v Senegal: Pape Matar Sarr, Idrissa Gueye, Ismaila Sarr and Nicolas Jackson will be among the familiar faces at the Aviva Stadium tonight when Senegal become the first African side to play the Republic of Ireland at the ground. The match is Ireland’s final home game before they start their World Cup qualifying campiagn against Hungary in September and Ireland’s Icelandic coach Heimir Halgrimsson is hoping to use this friendly and next week’s match against Luxembourg to build on recent back-to-back successes against Bulgaria in the Nations League. The Lions of Taranga are on a run of 22 games unbeaten and will follow up tonight’s fixture with a friendly against England at the City Ground on Tuesday.
“They are a massive team, first goal is important and that’s another aspect of the game when we play them, and individual qualities, similar to Portugal, all players can hurt you so one-v-ones will be massively important,” said Halgrimsson when asked for his thoughts on tonight’s opponents.
“Everything happens a little bit quicker, when we need to defend and that’s a good step, if we are ready for that, it’s a good preparation for Hungary and Portugal. The preparation is mixed with what is going to happen in September. We started the camp by talking about what is coming up, and why it is important to play games like Senegal and what can we take from these games to transfer to the games in September. It is important that we have more than 11 players ready to play and knowing everything about how we want to play.”
Gabriel agrees new long-term deal with Arsenal
Arsenal’s Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes has committed his future to the club by agreeing a new long-term contract. The 27-year-old had two years to run on his current deal and his contract extension will be viewed a major boost for the Gunners ahead of what is due to be a pivotal summer in the transfer market. Gabriel played 42 matches for Arsenal last season before a hamstring tear sustained in his side’s 2-1 win over Fulham on April 1 required surgery and brought his campaign to a premature end.
Arsenal announced earlier this week that midfielder Jorginho and defender Kieran Tierney will officially leave the club when their deals expire at the end of the month.
Jorginho is due to sign for the Brazilian side Flamengo, while Tierney is returning to Celtic, his boyhood club. The contract of midfielder Thomas Partey is also due to expire but talks over an extension are ongoing.
Scotland v Iceland: Hampden Park is the venue for Scotland’s first match since being relegated to the second tier of the Nations League after losing 3-0 against Greece in March. In yesterday’s pre-match press conference, much of the talk centred around the Italian adventures of Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour and Lewis Ferguson, who between them bagged two Serie A winners’ medals and hoisted the Coppa Italia. Ewan Murray reports …
The Rumour Mill: Yara El-Shaboury is here with your daily dose of tittle-tattle and tell-all that includes talk of a potential Arsenal move for Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, the latest news of the chase to secure the services of Sporting striker Viktor Gyökeres, and much, much more.
World Cup qualifying: Wales host Liechtenstein at the Cardiff City Stadium tonight, with Craig Bellamy’s side second in Group J behind North Macedonia on goal difference having played two games. It’s worth noting that Belgium are also in Group J but have yet to play to a game; Rudi Garcia’s side travel to North Macedonia this evening before hosting Wales in a crunch match on Monday.
Bellamy took as many of his players as were available on a nine-day training camp split between Cardiff and Alicante last month to keep those from the English Football League ticking over after their season had ended and has said he will not be taking his team’s game against the minnows of Liechtenstein in any way lightly.
“I honestly believe if you disrespect the game, it will catch you out,” he told reporters. “The same messages have been fed to the players as well. We have to be us. Fight for every ball. Recovery runs. Reactions. We have to be consistent no matter who we’re playing against. The top teams are the ones that are consistent.”
On the flip side, it could be argued that the bottom sides are also consistent – Liechtenstein have only won one of their past 46 games and despite what Bellamy says, anything other than an emphatic win for Wales tonight would constitute a seismic shock. There, I’ve jinxed them.
Women’s Euro 2025: A glitzy, celeb-speckled Euro squad launch helped the feelgood factor around England’s Lionesses a month ahead of this summer’s Euros but there are still questions over squad harmony, strength in depth and player welfare. Words: Suzanne Wrack.
Spain 5-4 France
Nations League semi-final: Down 5-1 after 67 minutes at the Stuttgart Arena, France scored three goals to reduce their deficit but it was Spain who advanced to Sunday’s final against Portugal. Sid Lowe reports …
Preamble
The season may be over but the Big Wheel O’Football keeps on turning. And how! Last night, Spain and France served up a delightful goalfest that wasn’t nearly as tight as the 5-4 scoreline suggests in their Nations League semi-final, with Lamine Yamal putting on another masterclass as he and his chums survived a late French comeback to book their place against Portugal in Sunday’s all-Iberian final.
There’s plenty more international action to look forward to over the coming weekend, with all four of the home nations and the Republic of Ireland due to play assorted World Cup qualifiers and friendlies. We’re here to bring you build-up to those games, transfer news and any other stories of note that break throughout the day, so don’t dare touch that dial please stay tuned, but only if you want to.
