Panama in action against Martinique
Concacaf
Trinidad and Tobago, Panama and Guatemala all emerged with home victories to kick start League A of the 2023-24 Concacaf Nations League on Thursday.
The day started with Trinidad and Tobago edging Curacao 1-0 at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain.
Curacao created majority of the scoring chances in the first half but overall, the finishing of the two sides was off target, leaving things scoreless going into intermission.
Trinidad and Tobago started to take control in the second half, creeping closer to goal, including a Reon Moore shot that flashed just wide in the 74th minute.
The decisive score came in the 87th and it was from 19-year-old debutante Nathaniel James, who took a nodded down header from Ryan Telfer and cranked a shot into net for his first Soca Warriors goal.
There was still work to do, though, to secure the three points and goalkeeper Denzil Smith made sure of it, making a one-on-one save against Curacao’s Jearl Margaritha in the 90th to nail down the win.
Panama started with a 3-0 win over Martinique at the Estadio Universidad Latina in Penonome.
It was an ideal start for the Canaleros, as Jose Fajardo made it 1-0 in the 9th when he finished off an inch-perfect pass from 2023 Gold Cup Best Player Award winner Adalberto Carrasquilla.
Panama remained on the front foot but would have to wait until the early stages of the second half to extend their advantage to 2-0. Ismael Diaz struck in the 47th thanks to a cross from the right wing from Eduardo Guerrero, allowing Diaz to nod home a header.
Martinique looked to pull a goal back and almost did so in the 86th when a superb backheeled pass set up Mickael Biron with a golden opportunity, but the shot-stopping ability of Panama's goalkeeper Cesar Samudio proved pivotal.
Cecilio Waterman then put the finishing touch on the Panama win with a strike in the final seconds of stoppage time.
Rounding out the day was an all-Central American contest between Guatemala and El Salvador at the Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores in Guatemala City, Guatemala, where the home side secured a 2-0 triumph.
It was all Guatemala at the start and after Nathaniel Mendez fired over the crossbar in the 7th, Carlos Mejia opened the scoring in the 15th by heading in a chip from Alejandro Galindo, making it 1-0 to Guatemala.
Mendez was then clipped in the El Salvador area in the 28th, leading to a penalty for the hosts, but Rubio Rubin’s effort was swallowed up by El Salvador's custodian Tomas Romero.
The spot kick save sparked the El Salvador attack and they nearly evened things up when Amando Moreno went just wide in 44th with an effort.
Guatemala reasserted their authority to start the second half and Mejia was a whisker away from a second but was unable to connect on a cross with the goal gaping wide open for him.
Guatemala kept pressing and the big insurance goal came in the 78th on a hammered left-footed shot from substitute Pedro Altan, doubling the lead and wrapping up the three points.
Giroud leaving Milan to join MLS at end of season
Olivier Giroud announced he will be leaving Milan to join the MLS at the end of the season when his contract expires.
The Frenchman joined the club in July 2021 from Chelsea, winning the Serie A title in his first season.
Giroud has scored 48 goals in 130 games in all competitions for Milan, netting 16 of those this season to help them to a second-place finish.
In an emotional interview with the club’s media channels, Giroud said: "I'm here to tell you that the next two games will be my last for Milan. My career will continue in MLS.
"I'm very proud of everything I've done here at Milan across three seasons. It's the right time to announce it. I'm a bit emotional. My story with Milan ends this season, but Milan will forever remain in my heart."
Though Giroud did not confirm which team he would be joining in the MLS, previous reports suggested he could be moving to LAFC to link up with his France international team-mate, Hugo Lloris.
Giroud leaving Milan at end of season to join MLS
Olivier Giroud announced he will be leaving Milan to join the MLS at the end of the season when his contract expires.
The Frenchman joined the club in July 2021 from Chelsea, winning the Serie A title in his first season.
Giroud has scored 48 goals in 130 games in all competitions for Milan, netting 16 of those this season to help them to a second-place finish.
In an emotional interview with the club’s media channels, Giroud said: "I'm here to tell you that the next two games will be my last for Milan. My career will continue in MLS.
"I'm very proud of everything I've done here at Milan across three seasons. It's the right time to announce it. I'm a bit emotional. My story with Milan ends this season, but Milan will forever remain in my heart."
Though Giroud did not confirm which team he would be joining in the MLS, previous reports suggested he could be moving to LAFC to link up with his France international team-mate, Hugo Lloris.
Beckham: Man Utd's problems have lasted 'too long'
David Beckham believes Manchester United’s issues have lasted "too long" since Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
The Red Devils have won just four major trophies since Ferguson’s departure, with their most recent – an EFL Cup win last season – ending a six-year wait for silverware.
United have not won a Premier League title since the Scot’s final season in charge, with six managers failing to reclaim the top-flight crown since then.
This season, Erik ten Hag’s side are at risk of recording their lowest league finish and points tally, as they sit eighth on 54 points with two games remaining.
Beckham, who won 13 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League, told The Athletic: "I think it has been a difficult time over the last five or ten years, but it was always going to be when the boss left the club.
"It wasn’t just that, we lost players like Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane and Gary Neville, all of these players that had been at United for so long; you lose part of that, and you lose part of the club.
"So it was always going to be a difficult time. But we’d like it to change pretty quickly because I think it’s gone on for too long now."
United have lost 19 games in all competitions this season, their most since 1977-78 (also 19), with nine of those coming at Old Trafford – their joint-most at home in a season and the first time it has happened in the Premier League.
Their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday marked the first time they had conceded in 10 successive games in all competitions since October 2021, while the 82 goals they have let in this season is their most since 1970-71 (also 82).
Beckham was speaking at the premiere of 99, the Amazon Prime documentary covering United’s iconic treble-winning season 25 years ago.
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