Jesse Marsch's first game in charge of Canada ended in disappointment as the clinical Netherlands scored four second-half goals to win 4-0 on Thursday.

Both sides had good chances in a fairly even first half - Georginio Wijnaldum saw an effort cleared off the line, while Cyle Larin squandered a brilliant chance, sending it wide.

The Netherlands came out of the blocks quickly in the second half though, with Memphis Depay poking in five minutes after the restart before Jeremie Frimpong doubled their lead with a lovely curling effort.

Wout Weghorst made an instant impact off the bench as he latched onto Dayne St. Clair's spill, and fellow substitute Virgil van Dijk headed in late on to ensure an emphatic victory for the hosts.

The Netherlands' final friendly before Euro 2024 is against Iceland on Monday, while Canada travel to France for another warm-up before the start of the Copa America. 

Data Debrief: Netherlands too strong in Rotterdam

Just five players have reached 25 goal involvements under a single manager for the Netherlands since 1978, with Depay's goal today moving him to 25 under Ronald Koeman.

In the first half, Oranje managed an xG of just 0.83 from their nine shots but improved on that after the break. Canada had no answers as the Netherlands hit four, creating an xG of 2.08 from their 11 efforts, eight of which were on target.

Gibraltar ended their longest-ever losing run following a 0-0 draw with Wales, a team ranked 174 places above them in the FIFA rankings.

Julio Cesar Ribas' side had not won since seeing off Andorra 1-0 back in November 2022.

Since then, they had lost all 13 of their matches by an aggregate score of 0-50. 

Yet Gibraltar proved rock solid against a youthful Wales team on Thursday, with Josh Sheehan's inswining corner coming back off the crossbar in the visitors' best opportunity.

Indeed, Wales failed to truly trouble Gibraltar goalkeeper Jaylan Hankins otherwise, despite registering 16 shots and having an xG of 1.13. 

Wales did, though, equal their longest unbeaten run in Robert Page's tenure in all competitions (W4 D5), the last time they managed that was between September 2021 and March 2022 (nine games – W4 D5).

Data Debrief: Page gives the kids a chance but away woes rumble on

Away from home in all competitions, Wales have won just three of their 14 games under Page (D5 L6), while in that time they have only scored 3+ goals once before, against Belarus in September 2021. 

Charlie Crew's 78th-minute introduction, meanwhile, saw him equal the record as the youngest player to play for Wales since Leeds United team-mate Ethan Ampadu against the Republic of Ireland in September at 17 years and 357 days old. 

Marcelo Bielsa questioned Mexico's approach after Darwin Nunez scored a hat-trick in Uruguay's comprehensive 4-0 friendly win over El Tri in Denver.

Uruguay warmed up for their Copa America campaign with their seventh win in 12 games under Bielsa (three draws, two defeats), thrashing a much-changed Mexico side.

With Mexico set to face Brazil in their final pre-tournament friendly on Saturday, head coach Jaime Lozano benched the likes of Santiago Gimenez and Alexis Vega and saw his team torn to shreds.

Uruguay raced into a 3-0 lead by half-time as Nunez netted twice and Facundo Pellistri converted Brian Rodriguez's cross, then the Liverpool man made it a treble by finishing into an empty net shortly after the interval.

After the win, former Leeds United boss Bielsa suggested Mexico took the game lightly, saying: "I think a team that is preparing should have taken today's game with maximum power, knowing that they have to play Brazil."

However, Bielsa expects far more from El Tri at the Copa America, where they have been drawn in Group B alongside Ecuador, Venezuela and Jamaica. 

"It was a deceptive result, in the first half Mexico could have scored and it would have been different," he said.

"Don't lose sight of the fact that today there were many important players out of the team, too many. 

"Keeping the stars they had on the field today and adding the players that came on, Mexico will be a very difficult opponent."

Uruguay begin their Copa America campaign against Panama on June 23, taking on Bolivia four days later and rounding off Group C against the host nation, the United States.

Kylian Mbappe put the furore over his move to Real Madrid to one side as France's "fantastic leader" dominated in Wednesday's 3-0 friendly victory over Luxembourg.

Didier Deschamps lauded the leadership qualities of star striker Mbappe, who celebrated confirmation of his switch to the Spanish capital with a goal and two assists at Stade Saint-Symphorien in Metz.

Mbappe dazzled down the left flank to find space and tee up Randal Kolo Muani's first-half opener before paving the way for Jonathan Clauss' finish after the break.

The France forward was not done there, however, rounding off a fine individual performance with a late goal after an assist from former Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Bradley Barcola.

Just 12 days before Les Bleus' Euro 2024 opener against Austria, France head coach Deschamps was delighted with Mbappe's resounding international return.

Deschamps told French channel TF1: "He's a fantastic leader. His head and body weren't used to playing so little. He lacked a bit of juice.

"But he got it in his head that he was going to do everything to make up for his PSG frustration. It was a good example during the week."

France have a final warm-up friendly to come against Canada on Sunday before heading to the Euros, with Netherlands and Poland also in their challenging group.

Deschamps says this dominance over Luxembourg was a positive sign, though there remains room for improvement.

"It's a good rehearsal for the work we've done," he added.

"We're not going to get excited but there are some interesting things. I'm going to correct some positioning.

"But in the offensive animation, we had a lot of variety."

Olivier Giroud also became France's oldest player in history in the victory, coming on as a second-half substitute aged 37 years and 249 days.

Mikel Oyarzabal staked his claim for a place in Spain's final Euro 2024 squad after his hat-trick in Wednesday's 5-0 friendly victory over Andorra.

Real Betis forward Ayose Perez marked his international debut with a 24th-minute opener in Badajoz, capitalising on Pau Cubarsi's headed assist to edge the hosts ahead.

Perez added further credit to his European Championship hopes with a smart assist after the break, teeing up a tap-in for Oyarzabal, who then added his second of the game after 66 minutes.

Oyarzabal completed his treble just seven minutes later before Ferran Torres netted a fifth as Spain, who face Northern Ireland in their final warm-up on Saturday, eased to victory just 10 days before their Euros opener against Croatia.

Data Debrief: Treble heroics from Oyarzabal

Oyarzabal is the second player to score a hat-trick for Spain under Luis de la Fuente, after Alvaro Morata against Georgia in September 2023.

The Real Sociedad man accounted for 2.61 of La Roja's 3.89 expected goals (xG), while Andorra mustered just 0.08 xG in response as David Raya went largely untested.

Kylian Mbappe assisted two goals and scored the other as France eased to a 3-0 victory over Luxembourg in Wednesday's international friendly at Stade Saint-Symphorien in Metz.

In a game in which Olivier Giroud came on to become Les Blues' oldest-ever player aged 37 years and 249 days, new Real Madrid superstar Mbappe stole the show as France kicked off their preparations for Euro 2024 in a serene manner.

The former Paris Saint-Germain forward crossed for Randal Kolo Muani to head home the opener two minutes before half-time after a jinking run down the left, before fizzing in a delivery for Jonathan Clauss to settle himself and flash home a second in the 70th minute.

Mbappe was not finished there as he was teed up by former club-mate Bradley Barcola to slide in the third of the game for France, who did have one moment of concern as Dayot Upamecano departed with a knock.

Data Debrief: Mbappe overtakes two fellow greats

Mbappe has now assisted 28 goals for France, which is two more than Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry. Indeed, over the past 50 years, only Antoine Griezmann (30) has provided more.

While the victory was straightforward enough for Didier Deschamps' men, who face Canada in their final pre-Euro 2024 friendly, their expected goals return (xG) of 1.46 - compared to 0.13 for Luxembourg - was lower than many would have anticipated.

Kevin De Bruyne marked his 100th appearance for Belgium with a goal in Wednesday's 2-0 friendly victory over Montenegro at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.

The Manchester City midfielder was handed a start in the hosts' penultimate warm-up game ahead of Euro 2024 and found the net from distance just before half-time.

Matija Sarkic's weak backpass landed at the feet of De Bruyne and he made no mistake guiding it into the empty net from more than 30 yards out.

Milos Brnovic's second yellow card late on dented Montenegro's hopes of snatching a draw, before Leandro Trossard sealed the victory for Belgium from the penalty spot in added time after fellow substitute Jeremy Doku was felled in the box.

Data Debrief: Profligate Belgium extend unbeaten streak

Belgium were expected to ease to victory, even without record goalscorer Romelu Lukaku included in their squad, but it did not quite turn out that way.

Domenico Tedesco's men registered an expected goals (xG) return of 2.81, compared to 0.62 for their opponents, although their dominance did not truly show in the scoreline.

The Red Devils will know they will need to be more ruthless come their Euro 2024 opener against Slovakia in 12 days' time, yet ultimately they are now unbeaten in 14 matches.

Erling Haaland netted the 22nd hat-trick of his career for club and country as Norway eased to a 3-0 win over Kosovo in Wednesday's international friendly at Ullevaal Stadion.

The Manchester City striker, who was crowned the Premier League's top scorer in 2023-24 for the second season running, took just 15 minutes to get off the mark in Oslo.

Haaland headed home David Moller Wolfe's cross inside the six-yard box, before doubling his tally in the 70th minute with a clipped finish after being played through on goal.

The third and final goal arrived three minutes later as the prolific striker exchanged passes with Aron Donnum and fired home after Kosovo made a mess of cutting out the danger.

Haaland now has 30 goals in just 32 appearances for Norway, who face Denmark in their next friendly on Saturday.

Euro 2024-bound Denmark were themselves in friendly action on Wednesday as they earned a late 2-1 win over Sweden thanks to a late Christian Eriksen strike.

Eriksen netted via a dripping shot in the 86th minute at Parken Stadium after Alexander Isak had earlier cancelled out Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's opener.

Troy Parrott proved the last-gasp hero as Ireland stole a 2-1 friendly victory over Hungary, who suffered a blow less than two weeks before their Euro 2024 campaign starts.

Adam Idah opened the scoring in the first half at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, only for Adam Lang to level for the visitors four minutes later.

Yet Marco Rossi's team, who face Switzerland in their Euros opener on June 15, fell to late defeat as Parrott delivered a 92nd-minute winner for the home side.

That late strike ended Hungary’s 14-match unbeaten run (W9 D5) since losing 2-0 to Italy in a Nations League match back in September 2022.

Rossi may not be too concerned as that run was their longest undefeated streak since an 18-match streak between September 1954 and November 1955.

Hungary will also take comfort from the dominance of Dominik Szoboszlai, who created six chances in this match, the most of any player on the pitch and the same amount as all of his team-mates combined.

Switzerland, who join Hungary, Scotland and hosts Germany at the upcoming European Championship, were victorious on Tuesday after a 4-0 success against lowly Estonia.

Steven Zuber, Xherdan Shaqiri, Zeki Amdouni and Nico Elvedi were all on target at Swissporarena in Lucerne as Murat Yakin's men eased to a convincing warm-up win.

Switzerland continue their preparations for the Euros with their next friendly against Austria, who battled to a 2-1 victory over Serbia in Vienna.

Christoph Baumgartner scored one and assisted another for Patrick Wimmer before Strahinja Pavlovic pulled one back for Dragan Stojkovic's side.

Serbia open their Euro 2024 campaign against England on June 16 before meeting Slovenia, who were triumphant earlier in a day littered by international action.

Armenia's Varazdat Haroyan levelled after Jan Mlakar's early opener for Slovenia before veteran Josip Ilicic snatched a 2-1 victory for England's group opponents.

In the least entertaining game of the midweek action, Romania and Bulgaria shared a goalless draw in Bucharest.

Portugal ramped up their Euro 2024 preparations as Bruno Fernandes was twice on target to stave off a late Finland fightback in Tuesday's 4-2 friendly victory.

Roberto Martinez's side were on course for a routine win in their first of three warm-up matches as captain Ruben Dias and Diogo Jota – the latter from the penalty spot – scored in the first half on Tuesday.

Fernandes furthered the hosts' lead after the break at Jose Alvalade Stadium, only for Finland to threaten a comeback just two weeks before Portugal's Euros opener against Czech Republic.

Former Norwich City forward Teemu Pukki twice fired past Jose Sa late on, though his efforts were not enough to salvage an unlikely draw after Fernandes made sure of victory six minutes from time.

Data Debrief: Dominant Portugal avoid late scare

Although Pukki's two strikes within five minutes offered Portugal a little to think about, Martinez's hosts were good value for their win – accumulating 3.05 expected goals to Finland's 0.96

Alongside Fernandes' heroics, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Vitinha was the star of the show in midfield, creating a game-leading five chances, three more than the entire Finland team managed all game.

A reset of the culture as well as objectives of the Jamaica Senior Women’s National Team or “Reggae Girlz” is of paramount importance to returning Head coach Hubert Busby Jr.

Busby Jr was rehired last week after previously serving in the role in 2021 and won’t have a lot of time to settle back into the role as his first assignment will be to navigate a pair of international friendlies with global football powerhouses Brazil on June 1 and 4.

The two teams last met at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup where a 0-0 draw secured the Reggae Girlz spot as the first Caribbean nation to ever advance from the group stage at a World Cup.

The squad for these two friendlies can be looked at as a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, 18 of the members of the squad were in that history-making World Cup squad but, on the other hand, they haven’t played together since that tournament which was nine months ago.

“I think coming back in with two weeks to go, there is a lot of work to do in a short period of time and the idea that the core of this particular group hasn’t been together in nine months so there’s a lot of work that we’re doing now behind the scenes to get up to speed in terms of watching Brazil and getting the players organized,” he said in an interview with JFFLive on Wednesday.

Busby Jr then went into detail on two of his major objectives in his second stint as Head coach of the Reggae Girlz.

“More importantly, I think, some of the objectives for us is to reset the culture, reset the objectives in terms of what we’re looking to do and understand, I know it’s the most used cliché in sports, but whatever we do, we really have to stick to a process of how we look to get back to the next World Cup in 2027,” explained Busby Jr.

“This is just the first part in utilizing each and every window, making sure that, regardless of the results, we are hitting our targets of what we want to accomplish heading into the World Cup Qualifiers,” he added.

Brazil will be using these friendlies as preparation for the Olympic Games where they won consecutive silver medals at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.

These two friendlies will also be the last home international appearances for perhaps the greatest female footballer ever, Marta, who has announced that she will retire after the Paris Games.

“This is going to be a little bit of a send-off match for them. It will also be Marta’s last game in Brazil in front of her home crowd before she retires and there’s a little bit of a revenge factor from what happened at the World Cup so we’ve got to manage all of that,” Busby Jr said.

“We’re going to have these three training sessions and prepare the team for these matches,” he ended.

 

Bayern Munich may always have an "attraction" to coaches but Carsten Ramelow does not expect Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann to return to the Bundesliga giants.

Nagelsmann was dismissed from his role as Bayern coach back in March 2023, as his former side were trying to make ground on Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga title race.

Thomas Tuchel was swiftly appointed as his replacement, leading the club to an 11th straight top-flight title last term, but the former Chelsea boss has failed to live up to expectations this season, and will leave at the end of the campaign.

Xabi Alonso rebuffed Bayern's interest to stay at Bayer Leverkusen, and it remains to be seen who the Bundesliga giants will go for as Tuchel's replacement.

Nagelsmann is preparing to lead Germany at Euro 2024, which they will host from June 14, and former international Ramelow cannot see him being enticed back to his old club.

"Quite honestly, it's hard for me to imagine that," Ramelow told Stats Perform when asked about Nagelsmann reuniting with Bayern. 

"I would be surprised. First, he was sacked at Bayern, then he got the chance to coach Germany and now he should return. 

"I think he will stay as Germany head coach. I also think that Bayern has different ideas, so let's be surprised by what they do over the next months."

Nagelsmann oversaw back-to-back friendly victories over France and Netherlands as Germany impressed in the March internationals.

Meanwhile, Tuchel's Bayern are almost out of the running for the Bundesliga title but will hope to reach the Champions League semi-final when Arsenal return to Germany for their finely poised last-eight tie.

Ramelow acknowledged that Bayern remain an attractive proposition for any coach, however.

"I mean everything is possible, sure," he added. "But I think that Nagelsmann has his own ideas and you don't take over as a national team's head coach only for a few months.

"Even though Bayern always has its attraction. But he coached them already and they had their reasons to sack him, so, I would be surprised."

Germany start their Euro 2024 campaign against Scotland at Allianz Arena on June 14, after friendlies against Ukraine and Greece to warm up for the tournament.

Toni Kroos' comeback from international retirement started with two impressive results but Carsten Ramelow remains "sceptical" over Germany's Euro 2024 hopes.

Real Madrid midfielder Kroos reversed his decision to retire from Julian Nagelsmann's national team, returning in March before back-to-back victories over France and Netherlands.

In doing so, the 34-year-old – who had not played on the international stage for three years prior – equalled Jurgen Klinsmann's 108-match tally, with only seven players now having more appearances for Germany.

Kroos was an integral figure in Nagelsmann's midfield as the Euro 2024 hosts swept aside France 2-0 in a Lyon friendly before overcoming Netherlands 2-1 in a Frankfurt meeting.

Yet former Germany midfielder Ramelow remains unsure whether Nagelsmann's side will hit similar heights when it comes to hosting the European Championships in June.

"I don't know what happened with the team in the March games but the results were good," former Bayer Leverkusen player Ramelow told Stats Perform.

"In Germany, you now tend to say we will win the Euros… We also play at home, so we are European Champions already – that's always interesting how the media sees this.

"The positive things were the recent results and the performances of the national team. They have improved drastically, also the overall mentality.

"Whether it was the impact of Toni Kroos, we will see. He is a player that has held a very high level over the years with Real Madrid, no doubt.

"He can definitely help the team, but whether that is something for the future remains to be seen. I am still sceptical because we had many years where nothing worked and two games where they played well."

Ramelow was at least pleased to see Germany find basics such as "passion, heart and commitment" in the friendly victories, though insists time will tell on their success and Kroos' performances.

"[The results] also created euphoria, which is good," the versatile 46-cap Germany defender added. "But in the end, we have to wait for the tournament to start.

"Then we will see if all of that still works between Toni Kroos and the rest of the team. I think it's too early to claim we are back on track and will play a successful tournament.

"Regarding Toni Kroos, I also have to say I was a bit surprised about his comeback, because they attempted to start all over again."

Germany start their Euro 2024 campaign against Scotland on June 14, though Kroos and his team will face Ukraine and Greece in friendlies before that tournament opener at the Allianz Arena.

Lucas Paqueta scored a last-gasp penalty as Brazil twice came from behind to draw 3-3 with Spain in a thrilling friendly at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Paqueta converted with one of the last kicks of the game, less than 10 minutes after Rodri thought he had grabbed the winner for Spain in their first meeting with Brazil for 11 years.

Rodri had opened the scoring from the spot before Dani Olmo's strike doubled Spain's advantage.

Rodrygo issued an immediate response to halve the deficit and Brazil wonderboy Endrick scored for the second game running to level the score, paving the way for the late drama.

Having missed an early opportunity when he failed to test Brazil goalkeeper Bento, Lamine Yamal was at the heart of Spain's opener when, in the 11th minute, he was brought down by Joao Gomez in the box, with referee Antonio Nobre pointing to the spot – Rodri calmly slotting the resulting penalty down the middle.

Brazil went close at the other end when Real Madrid stars Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior combined, with the latter firing straight at Unai Simon, but Spain made it 2-0 when Olmo lashed in following superb skill to bamboozle two defenders.

Brazil responded quickly, though, punishing an error from Simon when Spain’s goalkeeper gifted the ball straight to Rodrygo, who finished coolly.

The half-time break and the four changes made by head coach Dorival Junior had the desired impact for Brazil, as Endrick – fresh from his historic winner against England – volleyed home an equaliser following a corner.

Olmo was denied a second when Bento pulled off an excellent save, but Spain did eventually get their chance to win it when Dani Carvajal was bundled over by Beraldo.

Once again, Rodri was on target, but in the dying embers, Carvajal’s clumsy tackle on Galeno handed Paqueta the chance to grab a draw, with the West Ham midfielder making no mistake.

Endrick shows the Bernabeu what he can do

After becoming Brazil’s youngest scorer since Ronaldo when he grabbed the winner at Wembley on Saturday, Endrick – who will be joining Madrid ahead of next season – will hope his goal this time out is the first of many at his soon-to-be stomping ground.

The 17-year-old levelled the scores five minutes into the second half with just his fourth shot for Brazil.

Head coach Dorival Junior will be disappointed that Brazil could not build on Saturday's 1-0 win against England with another victory but will see the positives as his side prepare to try and win a 10th Copa America title this summer.

The draw also keeps up Brazil’s excellent record against European nations in friendlies having not lost such a match since August 2013 against Switzerland.

Spain slip up... again

Spain failed to score in Friday's surprise friendly defeat to Colombia despite having 13 shots, but they had no such problem this time in a dominant first-half display.

Barcelona prodigy Yamal impressed, winning the penalty and being involved in much of Spain's positive play, while Olmo showed his individual quality too.

But from a position of comfort, Simon's mistake gifted Brazil a route back into the contest, head coach Luis de la Fuente will only have been further frustrated by Carvajal's clumsiness right at the end, as their search for a first win of 2024 rumbles on.

France got back to winning ways as they came from behind to beat Chile 3-2 at Stade Velodrome.

Les Bleus endured a poor start for the second time in as many games, falling behind after just six minutes in Marseille through Marcelino Nunez's finish.

However, they turned the contest on its head before half-time with Youssouf Fofana equalising and Randal Kolo Muani heading them in front.

Olivier Giroud ultimately got the winner for Didier Deschamps' side who, despite Dario Osorio's late strike, completed their Euro 2024 preparations with a ninth victory in 12 games since their 2022 World Cup final defeat to Argentina.

France, who conceded after just seven seconds against Germany on Saturday, were punished for another slow start as a neat one-two down the right flank enabled Mauricio Isla to pull the ball back for Nunez to drive home.

Despite losing Jonathan Clauss and Eduardo Camavinga to injury during the first half, Les Bleus responded well and levelled in the 19th minute when Kylian Mbappe teed up Fofana, who found the net from 20 yards via a slight Igor Lichnovsky deflection.

Mbappe went close himself before the hosts turned matters around when Kolo Muani rose to head home Theo Hernandez’s deep cross.

However, France survived scares either side of the break with Eduardo Vargas twice failing to hit the target from inside the six-yard box, heading against the post with his second attempt.

The hosts capitalised on their good fortune to go 3-1 up in the 72nd minute. Kolo Muani turned provider with a wonderful jinking run into the area from the right wing, before pulling the ball back for Giroud to sweep in his record-extending 57th international goal.

Chile threatened a dramatic fightback when Osorio drilled home eight minutes from time, and it took William Saliba's superb last-ditch sliding challenge to deny Ben Brereton Diaz an equaliser right at the death.

Mbappe moves level with Henry to lead France revival 

Deschamps' team had not suffered successive defeats since June 2015, though it looked a possibility when they fell behind in the sixth minute.

But the revival began when Mbappe set up Fofana, who continued his fine scoring streak with his third international goal in four appearances.

Although Mbappe did not find the net himself, he still managed to achieve yet another milestone courtesy of his 27th assist for Les Blues, moving him joint-second with Thierry Henry on France's all-time list, he now has Antoine Griezmann's record of 30 in sight.

The skipper could well surpass that at Euro 2024, where France will be among the favourites when they launch their quest for a third title against Austria in Group D on June 17.

Chile's rapid start proves academic on Sanchez's record-breaking night

Having begun Ricardo Gareca's reign with a morale-boosting 3-0 victory over the in-form Albania, Chile built on that momentum with their fast start this time around.

Nunez's strike after just five minutes and 12 seconds was their quickest goal since Alexis Sanchez found the net one second earlier against Germany in the 2017 Confederations Cup.

Speaking of Sanchez, the Inter forward enjoyed a momentous night, as he surpassed Gary Medel to become Chile's most-capped player.

One of three players to feature in his nation's last meeting with France in August 2011 – along with Claudio Bravo and Mauricio Isla – it was quite fitting that his landmark 162nd appearance came at the home of Marseille, for whom he scored 18 goals in 44 games last season.

Chile now switch focus to their forthcoming Copa America campaign, which begins against Gareca's former employers Peru on June 22.

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