Barcelona finished on top of Champions League Group H despite slipping to a shock 3-2 defeat to Royal Antwerp in a dramatic contest at the Bosuilstadion.

After the first half had seen Arthur Vermeeren’s early effort for the hosts cancelled out by Ferran Torres, former Tottenham striker Vincent Janssen restored the lead for Mark van Bommel’s Antwerp 11 minutes after the break.

Barcelona then hit back via Marc Guiu in stoppage time, only for George Ilenikhena to reply moments later to wrap up a historic win for the Belgians, who had lost each of their previous five games in what was their debut Champions League group campaign.

Barca had gone into the match with qualification for the last 16 secure, and retained top spot ahead of Porto – who beat Shakhtar Donetsk 5-3 – thanks to a superior head to head record.

It was the second time in four days that Xavi’s men were beaten, following Sunday’s 4-2 LaLiga loss at home to Girona.

With a starting XI showing seven changes from that game, Barcelona found themselves a goal down in the second minute when a mistake at the back was punished by 18-year-old midfielder Vermeeren.

Receiving a pass from goalkeeper Inaki Pena in the Barca box, Oriel Romeu inadvertently diverted the ball to Vermeeren, who fired into the net.

Janssen then saw his shot on the turn comfortably dealt with by Pena, and sent a further effort off target.

Having struggled for rhythm, Barca were then back on level terms in the 35th minute via a counter-attack that ended with Lamine Yamal playing a fine pass and Torres sweeping the ball past Jean Butez.

Antwerp had the ball in the net again five minutes into the second half but Janssen’s finish was disallowed for handball, and Yamal struck the bar at the other end moments later.

A dramatic few minutes then continued with Barca’s Sergi Roberto being shown a red card for a challenge on Mandela Keita before the decision was overturned via VAR, before Antwerp did regain the lead.

Romeu was again guilty of sloppiness, being dispossessed near his box by Alhassan Yusuf, and he laid the ball to Janssen, who struck into the corner of the net.

Xavi responded with a triple substitution on the hour as Ilkay Gundogan, replacing Romeu, Joao Cancelo and Pedri came on.

Further Antwerp pressure saw Chidera Ejuke put a shot from distance over and Soumaila Coulibaly head wide, either side of a Pedri attempt being blocked.

Barca pushed to hit back late on and equalised in the first minute of stoppage time when Guiu, who had come on for Robert Lewandowski, headed in a Gundogan free-kick.

But one of Antwerp’s substitutes then had the final say as Ilenikhena – Guiu’s fellow 17-year-old – beat Pena a minute later to seal a famous result.

Federico Chiesa is "unstoppable" in one-on-one situations and would be a fantastic signing for any of Europe's top clubs, believes his former Juventus and Italy team-mate Giorgio Chiellini. 

Chiesa has been linked with a move to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in recent months, having impressed for Massimiliano Allegri's much-improved Juventus side this season. 

The Italy international only made six league starts for the Bianconeri in 2022-23, having battled back from an anterior cruciate ligament injury which caused him to miss most of 2022.

He has been back to something approaching his best this term, scoring four goals and adding one assist in 14 league games to help Juventus stay within two points of Inter at the Serie A summit.

Chiellini – who called time on his own glittering career at the age of 39 this week – believes the Azzurri forward could be a difference-maker for any of the continent's elite teams.

Speaking exclusively to Stats Perform, the former defender said: "Chiesa is a player that could play in every big team in Europe. He could face you 10 times and beat you nine of 10 times! 

"He can go right and left, his pace is amazing. He's fantastic for that type of job. 

"He's not the type of player that links the team, like a number 10, not a player that likes to have the ball and connect passes with team-mates, but one against one, he's unstoppable. 

"We have to use that in the space, one against one, starting from the edge and trying to shoot or cross into good positions. 

"That's the player that Chiesa is and that makes the difference. He would be good for Bayern, he would be good for Juventus and also many other teams all over Europe because these skills are unique and he's very good at that. 

"He's maybe not able to do other things but in those skills, he's very, very, very good."

Leicester fought back to beat Millwall 3-2 and regain top spot in the Championship.

Enzo Maresca’s side netted three second-half goals to put them back in control after Tom Bradshaw had opened the scoring for the visitors.

Jannik Vestergaard’s header levelled the scores after 48 minutes before Patson Daka scored for the second game running. The Zambia striker put the ball over the line from close range in the 52nd minute.

Ricardo Pereira scored Leicester’s third from the edge of the penalty area with a shot that took a deflection off team-mate Wilfred Ndidi and wrong-footed Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic.

Millwall scored a second goal in stoppage time when substitute Kevin Nisbet forced the ball home from a corner.

Leicester lost top spot to Ipswich on Tuesday night, but they now lead them by a point.

Jamie Vardy missed the game with a knee injury and Kelechi Iheanacho was ill, so Daka got another chance after scoring against Plymouth on Saturday.

Millwall have now only won one of the last 11 games, but they took the game to Leicester and opened the scoring when Murray Wallace shook off Abdul Fatawu and crossed for Bradshaw to glance a header into the top corner.

Leicester looked to have won a penalty after 38 minutes when Fatawu went down under a challenge from Wes Harding, who was already on a yellow card. But all appeals were waved away by referee Keith Stroud, with defender Conor Coady booked for his protests.

Leicester began the second half strongly and equalised when Vestergaard connected with a Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall cross and saw his header loop over the line.

They scored a second through Daka. Harry Winks started the move, found Ndidi on the left, and his cross was met by Daka who chested the ball in from two yards.

Leicester were fully in control by the hour mark, and Stephy Mavididi almost made it three when he connected with a Fatawu cross, but headed into the side-netting.

Leicester confirmed their third win in a row when Pereira’s shot found its way in, but Millwall’s second goal came too late to trouble the Foxes.

Gustaf Lagerbielke was the unlikely hero as Celtic finally ended their long wait for a Champions League win amid late drama in their dead rubber against Feyenoord at Parkhead.

Luis Palma’s 33rd-minute penalty put the home side on track after the impressive Liam Scales had been brought down, but the Dutch champions levelled through Yankuba Minteh in the 82nd minute.

However, substitute Lagerbielke headed home his first Celtic goal in stoppage time on his first appearance since September to earn a 2-1 victory. The Sweden centre-back nodded in from close range following Matt O’Riley’s exquisite cross as Celtic maintained pressure following a corner.

It was Celtic’s first Champions League group stage win in 16 matches since they beat Anderlecht six years ago during Brendan Rodgers’ first spell in charge and their first at home since defeating Ajax in October 2013.

The dramatic finale livened up a previously flat home support and ensured Group E bottom side Celtic doubled last year’s two-point tally.

Stephen Welsh was in the Celtic line-up for the first time since he suffered an ankle injury four months ago, while Kyogo Furuhashi started after two substitute appearances.

Mikey Johnston and Tomoki Iwata were handed their third starts in a row, but the Japanese midfielder only lasted 19 minutes before injury forced him off for Paulo Bernardo.

Feyenoord could not finish above third place and they made five changes. Their supporters were out in full force with several pockets of away fans evident in home sections.

With the vocal Green Brigade group still banned by Celtic and nothing at stake, the visitors from Rotterdam highlighted the lack of atmosphere among their hosts with chants including ‘Shall we sing a song for you?’

Both sides got in behind in the opening quarter. Furuhashi was denied by a good stop from Justin Biljow after being played through by Scales. Santiago Jimenez was then flagged offside after rounding Joe Hart and netting, before the goalkeeper produced a diving save after the Mexico striker burst on to a long ball.

Celtic got the breakthrough when Ramiz Zerrouki pulled down Scales as Feyenoord defended a corner. The visitors protested vehemently, but French referee Benoit Batien had not needed VAR to spot the offence and replays backed his decision. Palma kept his cool to convert after the furore.

Celtic survived several scares before the break. Hart made another excellent save just before Callum McGregor cleared off the line, and Lutsharel Geertruida hit a post from close range after Feyenoord cut the Hoops defence open.

Palma had an excellent opportunity to double his tally early in the second half after Alistair Johnston’s low cross found its way to the back post, but Biljow saved with his foot.

Hart made another two decent stops before Celtic got greater control on proceedings.

Rodgers brought on summer signing Lagerbielke for Welsh and 17-year-old left-back Mitchel Frame made his debut on the wing after Palma suffered a facial knock and went off in the 75th minute.

The visitors levelled when the ball broke for Minteh in the left channel and the substitute had time and space to fire home from 10 yards.

Two Hart saves and a Scales block prevented Celtic from falling behind before McGregor struck the crossbar from 30 yards.

It looked like another late hard luck story for Celtic until Lagerbielke’s winner sparked jubilation with several supporters running on to the pitch to celebrate. One sparked an angry response from Rodgers as the manager ran up the touchline to berate the fan as he was led away by stewards.

A Hart save and a Johnston block maintained Celtic’s lead before another goalmouth scramble preceded the final whistle.

Substitute Ozan Tufan’s winner eight minutes from time completed a memorable turnaround to earn Hull a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough.

Boro had led at half-time courtesy of Emmanuel Latte Lath’s seventh goal of the season in the sixth minute.

But Middlesbrough, who have now lost four of their last five matches, failed to capitalise further on a poor Tigers first half.

And Hull, making the most of vital substitutions by head coach Liam Rosenior, responded fittingly to win it when Liam Delap’s goal with 21 minutes to go was followed by Tufan’s fifth of the campaign.

The win lifted Hull back to level on points with sixth-placed Sunderland, with Middlesbrough now six points further back in 13th.

The return of Isaiah Jones initially injected fresh life into Middlesbrough after the weekend’s disappointment of losing at home to Ipswich.

And he was involved in the opening goal to put Hull on the back foot after back-to-back defeats themselves.

After Sam Greenwood and Lukas Engel’s link up play down the left, Jones’ effort was blocked and the opportunity fell to Latte Lath to finish low and beyond Ryan Allsop.

A few minutes later Allsop was equal to another effort from Latte Lath before the Tigers recorded their only shot on target of the opening period. Aaron Connolly’s effort curled into the arms of Seny Dieng from distance.

Jones, who missed the defeat to Ipswich through injury, should have scored the second soon after. He was played in behind full-back Lewie Coyle but when faced with just Allsop to beat he failed to find the target from 12 yards out.

Middlesbrough controlled possession for much of the first half and Jones’ pace and direct running was a huge factor.

But Hull, in need of a lift after losing talismanic winger Jaden Philogene to a knee injury, were still in it when the game restarted.

Tyler Morton curled an effort high and wide from distance to raise a few more concerns among the Teesside crowd.

And after Greenwood went close to increasing the lead with a curling 30-yard free-kick that flew away from the right-hand post, Hull got their rewards.

Jacob Greaves flicked on a corner at the near post and Delap was left unmarked to nod in the equaliser to end a run of four games without a goal.

That sparked Middlesbrough briefly back to life. Allsop had to hold a header from Matt Crooks moments after Greenwood had been denied in a crowded area.

But Hull, who brought five subs on in the space of 16 minutes starting before the equaliser, showed greater desire to get the win and three players from the bench combined to win it.

Ruben Vinagre got beyond Anfernee Dijksteel to drill a low cross which Dan Barlaser made a mess of in the box, and Greg Docherty rolled back for Tufan to hit first time beyond Dieng in the 82nd minute.

There was still time for Middlesbrough to almost grab a point, but Rav van den Berg shot wide inside a crowded box before the final whistle was blown.

Former ballboy Micah Hamilton and fellow youngster Oscar Bobb struck as a much-changed Manchester City ended the Champions League group stage with a 3-2 win at Red Star Belgrade.

Kalvin Phillips also joined the two 20-year-olds on the scoresheet with a late penalty after manager Pep Guardiola rotated his squad for the Group G dead rubber at the Rajko Mitic Stadium.

Manchester-born academy product Hamilton marked his debut with a superb strike in the 19th minute before Norwegian Bobb, filling in for compatriot Erling Haaland up front, added the second after 62 minutes.

Hwang In-beom pulled one back but Phillips gave City breathing space with his first goal for the club after a foul on Hamilton before Aleksandar Katai headed a late home consolation.

The result meant holders City, who had already secured top spot, finished the group phase with a maximum haul of 18 points while winless Red Star ended bottom.

With City facing Crystal Palace before travelling to Saudi Arabia for the Club World Cup next week, Guardiola not only gave chances to Hamilton and Bobb but brought in fringe players such as Stefan Ortega and Phillips.

In all he made nine changes and, initially, intensity was lacking as Red Star carved out the first opportunity with Osman Bukari’s shot being blocked by John Stones.

Yet City still controlled most of the possession and Hamilton took full advantage of their first serious attack.

Jack Grealish picked out Matheus Nunes and the Portuguese prodded on for Hamilton, cutting inside from the right, to take up the attack.

Hamilton raced into the area and beat Red Star captain Aleksandar Dragovic on the outside before lashing a shot into the top corner from a tight angle.

The hosts responded with Kosta Nedeljkovic turning inside the box and curling narrowly over but City threatened again as Bobb had an effort blocked.

Hamilton almost created another goal for Bobb when he fired in a dangerous low ball from the right but the latter could not make contact at the far post. Phillips, making a rare start, then shot wide.

Hamilton went close again early in the second half when he curled a low effort just wide but City needed Ortega to keep them level.

The German first produced a good reaction save to keep out a Cherif Ndiaye volley at close range and then pushed away a firm strike from distance from Guelor Kanga.

Bobb then took centre stage as he doubled City’s lead just after the hour. He picked up possession from Rico Lewis and opted against the return pass, instead wrong-footing the defenders with a weaving run and sliding a low finish inside the far post.

Red Star rallied and, after Jovan Mijatovic hit the post, Hwang beat Ortega with a low strike to reduce the deficit after linking up with Bukari.

Yet Phillips made no mistake from the spot five minutes from time after Hamilton was brought down by Nasser Djiga and that proved decisive as Katai headed a second Red Star goal in stoppage time.

Liverpool youngster Harvey Elliott wants to shed his ‘super-sub’ tag as quickly as possible but knows he will have to be patient as he tries to break into an established midfield.

The 20-year-old came off the bench to score a stoppage-time winner at Crystal Palace at the weekend – not the first time he has made an impact with an energetic substitute appearance.

However, the summer overhaul which brought in World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister, Hungary captain Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch after a season at Bayern Munich means most of Elliott’s starts have been restricted to minor competitions like the Europa League.

He will get another chance in the dead rubber against Union Saint-Gilloise in Brussels and accepts the more pitch time he gets the more he can build towards his goal of becoming a regular starter.

“I don’t really want to be known as a super-sub,” said Elliott, who was looking like becoming an established starter for manager Jurgen Klopp until an horrific dislocation fracture of his ankle in September 2021 which sidelined him for four months.

“It’s a great headline but at the same time I want to be in the team.

“It’s time for myself to establish myself in that position again and hopefully get a good run of games but, at the same time, I need to be patient as well and maybe be the super-sub as well.”

Klopp had some sympathy for the youngster but absolutely no doubt in his talent.

“What we forget sometimes is that Harvey is still super young but has played an incredible amount of games already and before his serious injury he was the best player we had available,” Klopp said.

“It took him a while to get back up to speed again but with his skill-set he should be super influential but a player like him needs the finishes as well, the shot and the last pass, and the last game was a sign of how good this boy can be.”

Although only 20, Elliott is considered one of the senior players in the squad in Belgium as more than half are aged 21 and under, with the average age of the travelling party just short of 22.

With Liverpool already qualified as group winners, Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have all been left at home with Manchester United on Sunday in mind.

Also missing is Mac Allister, whose knee injury sustained against Sheffield United last week is causing slightly more issues than expected, while centre-back Joel Matip underwent surgery on Thursday on his ACL injury which is likely to rule him out for the rest of the season.

“They (medical staff) have explained it to me every single day why he is not ready yet and it’s a bit more tricky than we thought,” added Klopp.

“The stud went through the muscle pretty much to the bone so now we have to wait until the bone is healed and until Macca can deal with the pain. We have to make sure there is no infection and nothing happens.

“I’ve never had this injury with one of my players before but now we have it and I hope it will not take that long to heal.

“I would like to say it is day by day but then it looks like he could be ready for the next game but they say he will not be ready for that. I hope the next three or four days he makes big steps and we will see.”

Rangers suffered another selection blow ahead of two crucial matches after Todd Cantwell was ruled out of the trip to Spain.

The former Norwich midfielder will not feature in the Europa League decider against Real Betis on Thursday because of personal reasons.

Manager Philippe Clement was already missing Ryan Jack, Tom Lawrence and Nico Raskin from his midfield through injury as Rangers chase the win they need to guarantee progress.

Clement experienced other bad news this week. Ecuador midfielder Jose Cifuentes lost his appeal against the red card he received against Dundee on Saturday, which rules him out of Sunday’s Viaplay Cup final against Aberdeen through suspension.

And striker Danilo has been ruled out for several months with the knee injury he suffered in last Wednesday’s win over Hearts.

Clement said: “Todd is not here because of personal circumstances, and he wants to keep it personal, so we respect that. It’s nothing between the club and him, or me and him, it’s just family-wise.

“There’s a really big chance (he will be available for Sunday) but it’s not guaranteed.

“I hoped Ryan would be back but it’s not the case. Danilo will be out for several months, but I don’t want to pinpoint on an exact number of months for now until is all clear.

“I was surprised with the Cifuentes decision. None of the Dundee players reacted at the time. They just continued to attack as it was a duel with a contact. It is disappointing to lose the player for two games. But I don’t have any power in that so we will focus on the guys who are available.”

Clement is also without midfielder Kieran Dowell and defenders Leon Balogun and Ridvan Yilmaz, who are not in the club’s European squad.

“It’s quite a list of players injured and not on the European list. But it’s about the guys who are here,” he said. “They are here with ambition and to prove themselves as a team.

Rangers will go through to the knockout stages regardless of the result in Seville if Sparta Prague fail to beat Aris Limassol in Cyprus. But victory for the Czechs would leave Rangers needing to beat Betis to finish in the top two, a result which would seal top spot in Group C.

The Ibrox club are assured of European football beyond Christmas with third place sealing entry to the Conference League knockout stages.

Betis are unbeaten at home in LaLiga this season and have won both of their Group C games on home territory.

Clement said: “We have a lot of respect for them but we come here with ambition. Rangers have nothing to lose. We are in Europe next year but we want to make the next step. This may be the biggest challenge until now and we go all out for it.

“Real Betis is a different style than what we have faced. Real Madrid didn’t win here which shows how big a test it is but I feel something special in the group. I can see a really good dynamic growing in the dressing room. Everyone stays confident even after going behind.

“I see several players becoming better and better, we need to continue that story against a really good opponent.”

Meanwhile, Alex Rae has been confirmed as first-team coach on an ongoing basis after returning to Ibrox when Steven Davis took caretaker charge and staying on under Clement and assistant Stephan van der Heyden.

The former Gers midfielder told the club’s official website: “Everyone knows how much this club means to me and I am determined to help the gaffer and Stephan bring silverware back to Rangers.

“We are still in four competitions and we have a lot to look forward to this season.”

Aberdeen top goalscorer Bojan Miovski remains at the centre of a fitness concern ahead of the Viaplay Cup final on Sunday.

Manager Barry Robson has not ruled the striker out of Thursday’s Europa Conference League game against Eintracht Frankfurt at Pittodrie. He played 77 minutes of Saturday’s 2-1 win over Hearts, scoring his 12th goal of the season.

But with no chance of qualifying for the knockout stages and silverware at stake against Rangers on Sunday, it appears inconceivable that the North Macedonia international would be risked against the German outfit.

Robson said: “We are still waiting on Bojan. We will see how he is in the morning when he gets up. Hopefully nothing too serious but we will make a decision on him on Thursday.

“It’s a hamstring issue. We will try to give him every opportunity. It’s not a serious injury. It’s not going to hold him back long term. It’s hours and days rather than weeks so we will see how he is in the morning.”

Robson made eight changes for the recent draw with HJK Helsinki and he looks set to shuffle his pack for the final European tie.

“We have a group of players who I believe in,” he said. “We need to make sure we use as many players as we can in a squad.

“In Helsinki, we took some players in and they performed really well. We just have to make sure as a squad we perform well over the next two games.

“As staff and manager that’s what we are trying to do, to make everyone as fresh as we can for the two games.”

While Robson is planning ahead for Sunday, he is keen to ensure his players are not thinking of Hampden.

“Listen, it’s not in my mind,” he said. “You are playing against Eintracht Frankfurt, one of the great sides in European football. So me and the players have to fully focus on that.

“We are not naive enough to think we don’t have to perform, because this is a big game, against some top players, so we have to be at our best.”

Midfielder Dante Polvara is eager to make the most of the chance to face the 2021 Europa League winners.

“It’s a chance to play for the club and for a lot of people to show what they can do,” he said.

“I will be just as excited for Thursday as I will be for Sunday. Of course Sunday holds other weight with us not being able to advance on Thursday but it’s going to be a privelege to play here and play against Frankfurt.

“You always want to impress no matter the occasion and even more so playing in a European game. It is a huge privilege and going toe to toe with the really big boys is an honour and something I am really excited for.

“And I am sure individually a lot of boys will be looking forward to showing what they can bring to the table.”

Jamaica’s preferred rum, Wray & Nephew, is partnering with the Kingston & St. Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) as sponsors of their upcoming KSAFA Major League and Championship seasons.

The pair announced the union at a press conference on Tuesday at the Wray & Nephew headquarters in Kingston.

The KSAFA Wray & Nephew Major League will consist of twelve teams divided into two zones of six.

At the end of the preliminary round, the top four teams from each zone will advance to the quarterfinal knockout round. The two finalists in the Major League will advance to next season’s KSAFA Championship.

The teams participating in the KSAFA Wray & Nephew Major League are Allman Woodward FC, August Town FC, Bull Bay FC, Cooreville Gardens FC, Duhaney Park FC, Maxfield Park FC, New Kingston FC, Pembroke Hall FC, Police Nation FC, Red Hills FC, Rockfort FC and Seaview Gardens FC.

The KSAFA Wray & Nephew Championship will also feature 12 teams but in a league format where all teams will play each other home and away.

At the end of the preliminary round, the top four teams will advance to the semi-final knockout round. The winner of the KSAFA Wray & Nephew Championship will be allowed to participate in the JFF Tier two competition should they wish to do so for a chance to earn promotion to the Jamaica Premier League.

The teams participating in the KSAFA Wray & Nephew Championship are Barbican FC, Boys Town FC, Browns Town FC, Central Kingston, Constant Spring FC, Liguanea United, JDF FC, Mavarley Hughenden, Olympic Gardens FC, Real Mona FC, Santos FC and Shortwood FC.

“I want to thank Wray & Nephew for coming on board. The sponsorship this year is quite a step up to what we had last year, truth be told. For the first time in the history of KSAFA, the winner of the Championship will receive $1 million,” says KSAFA President Mark Bennett.

“This sponsorship is a significant moment in our history. We no longer view sponsorship as support or a social investment, really; it is that and more! It speaks to the confidence the organization has in KSAFA,” he added.

“Today, Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum charts a new course with the Kingston & St. Andrew Football Association,” said J Wray & Nephew Public Relations and Communications Manager Dominic Bell.

“This partnership is another signal of our consistent support of sports and wider culture throughout the island. Football is one of Jamaica’s most beloved pastimes and is one of the most popular sports at the professional level. It has an organic relationship with our communities and the KSAFA leagues are a testament to this,” Bell added.

Action in both competitions gets underway this weekend.

 

Liverpool have travelled to Belgium with just 12 recognised first-team senior players for their Europa League dead rubber against Union Saint-Gilloise.

With Manchester United visiting Anfield on Sunday manager Jurgen Klopp has left behind Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah from the team which beat Crystal Palace last weekend.

However, he has retained the likes of Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch, while 20-year-old Jarell Quansah, who has already made 12 appearances this season, and winger Ben Doak, who has also featured in the Europa League and Premier League, are likely to get starts – as will second-choice goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

It means there are 10 youngsters, all aged between 18 and 21, who have travelled with a chance of action in Brussels as all of them bar Lewis Koumas, son of former West Brom, Tranmere and Wigan midfielder Jason, have made at least one first-team appearance.

Included in that number is 19-year-old Kaide Gordon, who played four times in 2020-21 but has missed most of the last 18 months through injury.

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes said Lauren James’ mental health has been affected by the latest racist abuse she has received on social media.

James was booked in Chelsea’s 4-1 Women’s Super League defeat at Arsenal on Sunday after appearing to stamp on Lia Walti and was withdrawn by Hayes soon after.

Chelsea have condemned the online abuse, while Hayes compared the treatment of James to that received by David Beckham after his red card during the 1998 World Cup.

James was sent off in the World Cup last summer for stamping in England’s last-16 penalty shoot-out win against Nigeria and was handed a two-game ban.

Hayes, whose side face Hacken in a Champions League group game at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, said: “She’s not in a great place if I’m honest.

“I think when it starts from broadcasting and the way they speak about things, maybe they need to reflect on labelling players.

“She’s a young player. She made an error in the summer. Of course she has to keep learning those things.

“Of course every opponent tries everything possible to get Lauren red-carded. That’s been clear in every game we’ve played and she has to learn to handle that.

“When she gets antagonised in a certain way, managing emotions comes with maturity and that isn’t there yet with her.

“It reminds me very much of David Beckham in many ways when he got red-carded in the World Cup.

“I think the treatment of Lauren is sometimes very similar and I think we have to realise for a young person, in a day and age when social media is unbelievably vitriolic, some of the nasty language and labelling and name-calling goes over the edge.

“And if you add racism to that for her, you can understand why her mental health is not in a very good place this week.”

Hayes said other Women’s Super League players who had “had their own challenging moments” have not received the same criticism as James.

“I think it’s disgusting the amount of abuse she’s received from the public, from the media, you’re talking about a young player here, who no question is always working to learn in the background,” Hayes added.

“Some of the language I’ve seen used to vilify her certainly I think is unacceptable.

“I don’t see the same level of abuse attributed to other players in the league who might have had their own challenging moments.

“It’s fair to say that if I’m in her position I’d be thinking there is racial profiling going on.”

Chelsea, bidding to bounce back from Sunday’s first defeat of the season in all competitions, are still without injured pair Millie Bright and Jelena Cankovic, but Melanie Leupolz will return to the bench.

Swedish side Hacken are top of Group D after victories over Paris and Real Madrid in their first two matches.

West Ham are still being affected by the sickness bug that contributed to their 5-0 rout by Fulham on Sunday.

David Moyes has revealed that some players are struggling with illness as the Hammers look to finish top of Group A of the Europa League by securing at least a draw against SC Freiburg on Thursday night.

The London Stadium clash is the first of four matches in three competitions over 10 days for West Ham, who have already qualified for the knockout phase but are hoping to progress as top seeds and thereby avoid the burden of a play-off over two legs.

“We’ve had a few people with a bit of illness. We’ve still got a few lingering with it in the last day or two, but we think we’re OK,” Moyes said.

“I don’t think it’s anything that will keep people out for weeks or anything like that, there has just been a bit of sickness and all sorts going on. It’s just been keeping us under the weather a little bit.”

West Ham leaked five goals at Craven Cottage, ending a six-match unbeaten run which had lifted them to ninth in the Premier League as well as offering sight of direct entry into the Europa League’s round of 16.

“I obviously didn’t enjoy the weekend’s game. Whatever happened before that doesn’t make it any easier,” said Moyes, who gave his players two days off at the start of the week in anticipation of the hectic period coming up.

“We’ve had a really gruelling schedule and the trips we’ve had caught up with us a little bit.

“Hopefully we can correct that and get back to our normal way which is winning and playing better than we did do.

“We had a little bit of illness that didn’t help with the chopping and changing. Hopefully we can get back to normality.”

West Ham are the current Europa Conference League champions after toppling Fiorentina 2-1 in the final in June and Moyes sees the competition as an important stage for his team.

“The last few years we’ve had some really good nights at London Stadium. I think back to Seville and Alkmaar,” he said.

“Some of the games have been special, special nights for us. But we’re not quite at that stage yet, it’s still the group.

“We’ve won the group for the last two years and winning it three years in a row would be really tough because Freiburg are a good team.

“We’re in Europe after Christmas and that’s the most important thing, whether we’re first or second. We’ll try to be first, but that’s the big thing for us.

“The Premier League will always be first and foremost for me, but the cup competitions are something that we take as seriously as we can.”

Beyond encouraging excellence on the football field, Digicel has stepped up its support for the 2023 schoolboy football season through donation of two $100,000 scholarships to Manning Cup players from non-traditional high schools. Kingston Technical High's Nickoy Walters, and Kishawn Valentine from Haile Selassie High, emerged winners of the Digicel scholarships. The money will go a far way toward paying for their tuition and other school expenses.

The boys came out on top of a field of fellow high school footballers who were tasked with writing a compelling essay to Digicel justifying their eligibility for the sponsorship. They were urged by their coaches to enter competition and write about the significance of balancing sports and academics.

Walters and Valentine expressed their gratitude for the scholarships, knowing that it will fill a big financial gap. Walters expressed, “It means a lot to me. I needed the help to better my education because things are very expensive, and I can’t afford it right now and I appreciate it a lot. I just want to thank Digicel.” He added, “I am in Sixth Form right now studying Business, and I want to major in Accounts. Digicel is one of the best companies right now, and I appreciate it a lot.”

An equally appreciative Valentine who looks forward to studying overseas, conveyed the profound impact of the scholarship on his future: “I feel really good. It means a lot and words cannot explain. I want this to help me get a better education overseas.”
Acknowledging the difficulty in choosing recipients due to impressive efforts from all applicants, Head of Communications and Corporate Affairs for Digicel, Elon Parkinson expressed his satisfaction with the selection of Walters and Valentine. He extended well-wishes for their academic pursuits, while emphasising that the scholarship sets up the boys for achieving excellence later in life. Parkinson praised the coaches' efforts in emphasising the holistic development of the student-athletes.

 “Here we have two students from non-traditional high schools who were tasked with writing an award-winning essay to Digicel as to why they deserve this $100,000 sponsorship. These two boys came out on top. We are elated with the efforts from the coaches to rally their boys, which further demonstrates the ISSA Digicel Schoolboy Football competition is not all about talent on the field,” Parkinson concluded.

 

Jonny Evans was left to reflect on what might have been for Erik ten Hag’s stumbling Manchester United at the end of a miserable European campaign, with a “massive day” against rivals Liverpool now looming large.

Boos echoed around Old Trafford for a second straight match as Saturday’s 3-0 Premier League humbling at the hands of Bournemouth was followed by a meek 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich.

Tuesday’s lifeless defeat confirmed United’s place at the bottom of a Champions League group many expected them to progress from, meaning they also missed out on a Europa League spot.

The manner of the Red Devils’ European exit increases the spotlight on underfire boss Ten Hag and leaves the side kicking themselves over the mistakes that cost them dearly in Group A.

“You expect to get out of every group being Man United,” deflated defender Evans said after the match.

“I think we made it difficult for ourselves and to go into the last game needing to win and a result to go your way in the other side, the probability of that’s very small.

“Obviously tonight playing against a good Bayern side and once they got the goal it was it was difficult then.”

A paltry four points from five Group A games meant United needed to beat Bayern and hope there was a draw between Copenhagen and Galatasaray to progress in the Champions League.

Asked if it was any consolation that the Danes’ 1-0 victory meant United would only have been able to reach the Europa League had they won anyway, Evans told beIN SPORTS: “I suppose because, I mean, if the result had gone the other way you can kick yourself.

“But, you know, on the flip side of that, I felt like we give absolutely everything tonight. It wasn’t a case of, you know, we could look back…

“Not many chances for either side. They got their one chance and took it.

“It was a very even game but probably whoever got the first goal (was key) and they got it and that’s the way it went.”

United managed the game well in the early stages, restricting Bayern to half-chances in an opening period that ended with Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw picking up injuries.

Evans came on as part of the enforced defensive reshuffle and did a solid enough job, but there was barely anything in terms of threat at the other end.

United managed just one shot on target in what was a must-win match, having blown leads in the 4-3 defeat at Copenhagen and 3-3 draw away to Galatasaray.

Asked if United could have done more in the previous games to avoid facing such a predicament in the group finale, Evans said: “Of course.

“There’s six games. To be able to get down to the last game, we’re sitting bottom of the group going into the match.

“The two away games, especially Copenhagen and Galatasaray, were big moments in the group where we felt like we probably slipped up a little bit and made it more difficult for ourselves tonight.”

United players looked drained as they left Old Trafford, where no players stopped to speak to non-rights holders in the mixed zone and face questions about their 12th loss in all competitions of the campaign.

Some took a shortcut to avoid walking through the interview area. Even in-house broadcaster MUTV did not get to speak to a player.

United fans will be hoping their players instead do their talking on the pitch against bitter foes Liverpool this Sunday as they return to Anfield for the first time since March’s 7-0 annihilation.

Skipper Bruno Fernandes is suspended for a match that Ten Hag’s side head into without a string of injured players, increasing the incline on what already looked to be an uphill battle.

“Massive day for the club, you know, away at Anfield,” homegrown defender Evans said.

“We’ve got a couple of days now between the game and you’ve got to dust ourselves down. We’ve got a big match, a huge match.

“I’m sure in the next day or two once the feeling of this match sort of passes by, we’ll only be excited leading up to that game.”

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