Kenny McLean scored a dramatic 89th-minute winner for Scotland in Norway as the visitors turned their Euro 2024 qualifier on its head with two goals in as many minutes.

Scotland were trailing to Erling Haaland’s 61st-minute penalty and had barely posed a threat before Lyndon Dykes capitalised on some hesitancy in the Norwegian defence to nudge the ball home after John McGinn’s attempted through ball had been intercepted.

The Group A leaders soon ensured they continued their perfect start to the campaign when Dykes laid McGinn’s pass back to substitute McLean, who curled a low shot just inside the far post.

The visitors wore black armbands in memory of Gordon McQueen, who scored his fifth and final international goal in a 4-0 win in the same stadium in 1979 on the previous occasion the teams met in a European Championship qualifier.

And they provided a fitting tribute to the 30-times capped centre-back with a sensational comeback victory.

Jack Hendry was handed possibly the most difficult task in world football at the moment when he was drafted in to play at the heart of a back three tasked with stopping Haaland.

The Club Brugge defender was the only change to the team that beat Spain in March after Grant Hanley dropped out with a serious Achilles injury.

The best chance of the first half fell to Norway forward Alexander Sorloth, who sent a free header from eight yards straight at Angus Gunn.

Scotland struggled to retain possession in the opening 20 minutes before settling down somewhat.

Andy Robertson produced two good runs and crosses but they did not lead to anything and McGinn was closed down quickly after getting a sight of goal following Ryan Christie’s cross.

Steve Clarke’s side were employing a flat back five out of possession and trying to keep a high line. The only time Haaland got the ball in a decent position in the first half, Callum McGregor quickly tracked back to make a penalty-box tackle.

The striker might have had a far better chance if he had not been hauled down by Hendry while beginning a chase for a ball over the top.

Hendry was the last defender but only received a yellow card given the foul was on the halfway line.

The Slovenian referee was a lot harsher in handing bookings to McGinn and Kieran Tierney either side of half-time.

Ola Solbakken and McGinn saw decent long-range shots saved early in the second half before Hendry got away with some penalty-box grappling with Haaland, although the striker did not appeal unlike some of his team-mates.

However, he did not have long to wait for a spot-kick. Ryan Porteous grabbed the striker’s shirt as he looked set to attack Sorloth’s cross and the referee immediately pointed to the spot when Haaland went down.

Porteous in return received a yellow card which rules him out of Tuesday’s visit of Georgia.

Gunn dived the right way and came close but was beaten by the power of the strike from Haaland, who had only scored once in his previous eight club matches but took his tally for the season for club and country to 59.

Scotland soon lost Tierney to injury with Liam Cooper entering the fray and they were making no inroads into Norway’s lead before Clarke made a triple switch in the 79th minute and moved to a back four. McLean, Stuart Armstrong and Billy Gilmour came on.

Haaland went off in the 84th minute and Scotland soon stunned the hosts and delighted their travelling fans with their late double whammy.

Matt Doherty has leapt to the defence of Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny after their Euro 2024 qualifying defeat in Greece thrust him into the firing line once again.

A 2-1 reverse at the OPAP Arena in Athens left Ireland without a point from their opening two fixtures and knowing their chances of escaping a group, which also includes World Cup runners-up France and traditional European superpower the Netherlands, have receded dramatically.

Kenny once again finds himself under intense pressure as a result, but asked if he was still the right man for the job, Doherty said: “Of course. We are prepared unbelievably well, they do everything for us.

“I was just saying behind the scenes, the staff, the manager, (assistant managers) Keith (Andrews), Sheasy (John O’Shea), Deano (goalkeeping coach Dean Kiely), for me they are absolutely the right people.

“I don’t even know if there is speculation, is there?”

When informed that there was, he added: “For me, that shouldn’t be the case. The are absolutely the right people for the job. Nobody can prepare us as well as they have and will continue to do.”

Kenny and his players had spent nine days in Turkey preparing for a game which was always going to be key to their qualification hopes, although all the work they did was blown out of the water in Athens by collective and individual under-performance and costly mistakes.

Doherty said: “Zero excuses. Everything was laid out for us, the way to beat them and we just didn’t play well.”

The former Tottenham and Atletico Madrid full-back’s night ended in particularly-disappointing fashion when he was sent off in stoppage time for a push on Liverpool’s Kostas Tsimikas amid a bad-tempered scuffle.

He said: “I don’t really know what happened. I thought I walked into him with my chest. I don’t known if it was a red card.”

Doherty will be suspended for Monday night’s clash with Gibraltar in Dublin as a result, but in the longer term, is seeking a new club after leaving Atletico Madrid as a free agent after a difficult spell in Spain during the second half of last season.

He said: “I really enjoyed it, great set of lads, good changing room, a different experience completely.

“Obviously I didn’t play anywhere near the number of games I wanted to, but the experience – it was worth the six months.

“My family is in England and I’d like to go back to my family, but I am not opposed to any kind of challenge wherever that is.”

“Let’s play football!” was the message from former Reggae Boyz coach Rene Simoes as he announced that he will be in the island on July 16 at the Porus Football Festival in Manchester.

Simoes, who famously led the Reggae Boyz to their first, and only so far, FIFA World Cup berth at the 1998 showcase in France.

Simoes says he will be joined in Manchester by some members of that famous team.

“Dear Jamaicans, I have an invitation for all of you. Sunday, July 16, I will be in the Porus community in Manchester for the Porus Festival. I’ll be there and I want to play too,” said the 70-year old Brazilian in a video message on social media on Friday.

“Many of my former players from the national team in 1998 will be there too. Let’s play football! Let’s make it a beautiful celebration for the 25^th anniversary of our qualification to the 1998 World Cup in France. See you there. Maximum respect,” he added.

Simoes had two spells as head coach of the Jamaica national team. He was the Reggae Boyz head man from 1994-2000 in his first spell then returned to lead the team in 2008.

St. Kitts & Nevis, Martinique and Guadeloupe all advanced as action got underway in Concacaf Gold Cup qualifying at the DRV PNK stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Friday.

In the first match of the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup Prelims, Guadeloupe defeated Antigua and Barbuda 5-0 to move within one game of reaching the Gold Cup group stage for the fifth time in their history. 

Joshua Parker had the first good chance of the game for Antigua and Barbuda in the 11th minute but was unable to keep his shot on target. After that, the first half was largely controlled by Guadeloupe. Thierry Ambrose had two thunderous shots, but both were parried away by Antigua GK Nicholas Townsend. 

The breakthrough came in the 28th minute when Steven Solvet directed a corner kick into the back of the net with a towering header. It was Les Gwada Boys’ first goal against Antigua and Barbuda since 2010, after being shut out twice during the recent Nations League B tournament.

Just seconds before halftime, Andreaw Gravillon curled a free kick around the Antigua and Barbuda wall and off the post. The ball fell right to Jordan Tell, who tapped in to double the lead to 2-0 heading into the break.

It was more of the same after halftime. Tell had another close-range effort in the 55th minute but this time Townsend made a fantastic save to keep the Benna Boys in the game. It must be said that Townsend was nothing short of exceptional this afternoon.

Mohammed Hakeem had a breakaway with a chance to pull one back for Antigua in the 63rd minute but placed his shot just a few feet wide of the near post. However, the game was put to bed soon after in the 66th minute when Steven Davidas’ nifty chip beat Townsend and made it 3-0.

Luther Archimede would add a fourth, his first international goal, in the 70th minute. Guadeloupe would see out the rest of the game for a clean sheet, and Matthias Phaeton blasted home the fifth and final goal in the 93rd minute.

Les Gwada Boys will face the winner of Guyana-Grenada on Tuesday in the second preliminary round.

The day’s second game saw Martinique move one step closer to returning to the Gold Cup group stage with a hard fought 3-1 victory over Saint Lucia.

Saint Lucia came out aggressively and threatened twice in the opening six minutes with two long balls. Andrus Remy was just barely offside on the first and Dominic Alfred-Poleon’s attempt was blocked moments after. The tone was immediately set: this would not be a League A team easily overpowering a League C one.

Martinique would draw first blood in the 18th minute. Karl Fabien received the ball just inside the penalty area and coolly finished past Saint Lucia GK Vino Barclett into the side netting by the far post.

Martinique’s Kevin Fortune had an excellent chance to make it 2-0 in the 25th minute after a lovely give-and-go with Anthony Brighton Labeau, but his first touch was just a hair too strong and he wound up putting the ball over the top of the net.

But Saint Lucia were not going to go away quietly. A looping corner kick saw the ball fall to Reeco Hackett-Fairchild, and he took his chance expertly. A blast passed out-of-position Martinique GK Yannis Clementia knotted the game all up at 1-1 in the 40th minute.

Martinique nearly re-took the lead in the 56th minute when Labeau poked a ball towards goal from close range, but Barclett made a sensational diving stop to keep things even. 

Labeau would get his goal though, on a flexible finish in the 74th minute. Enrick Reuperne’s cross was just slightly behind, but Labeau was able to stretch back and get solid contact on the ball to give Martinique a 2-1 lead.

Despite a spirited effort from Saint Lucia to equalize, Patrick Burner would seal the deal for Martinique on the other end with a third goal in the 85th minute. 

Martinique will play the winner of Puerto Rico and Suriname on Tuesday for a spot in Group C alongside Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama.

In the final match of the day in the 2023 Gold Cup Prelims, Saint Kitts and Nevis got two saves from GK Julani Archibald to eliminate Curacao 3-2 in a hectic penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in regulation.

The Sugar Boyz found themselves with a very early breakaway, with Jacob Hazel getting the ball behind the defense in just the third minute of play, but Curacao’s Leandro Bacuna was able to track back and run him down before Hazel could fire off a shot.

But it was Curaçao who struck first. Jurgen Locadia let loose a low strike from the top of the penalty area in the 22nd minute that just barely made it past Archibald, brushing off his fingertips but not hard enough to change trajectory. It was Locadia’s first international goal and gave Curacao a 1-0 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Sugar Boyz again came right out of the gates with a good chance. Omari Sterling-James had a very solid effort from long range in the 49th minute that Curacao GK Eloy Room was forced to parry away.

The game settled into a pattern reminiscent of the first half, with Curacao largely in control but unable to break through with any truly excellent chances. Archibald deserves plaudits for his safe hands; he caught several balls that would have been quite dangerous had he allowed a rebound.

The moment of the evening came in the 83rd minute. Tiquanny Williams cut the ball back towards the penalty spot and Tyquan Terrell rocketed it straight into the top corner of the net for a dramatic late equalizer.

At 1-1 after the 90 minutes were up, the game proceeded to a penalty shootout. Archibald saved the first kick, and Room responded with an even finer save. The two sides exchanged goals for several frames before Archibald produced another quality save in the fourth round. Terrell hit his penalty, and Leandro Bacuna put Curacao’s fifth over the bar, sending Saint Kitts and Nevis into hysteria.

Saint Kitts and Nevis will now get ready to face the winner of French Guiana and Sint Maarten for a place in the Gold Cup group stage.

David Brooks accepts that “people will be starting to doubt us” following Wales’ humiliating 4-2 Euro 2024 qualifying defeat against Armenia.

Wales would have gone top of Pool D had they beaten a team 71 places below them in the world rankings.

And life will not get any easier in terms of the battle for automatic qualification as Wales face an appointment with group leaders Turkey in Samsun on Monday.

“If we win that, we go back into a position of power,” Brooks said. “We all know that, and that is what we are going to be trying to do.

“We all know what we want to achieve – we want to get to the major tournaments. We have two days to kind of get over it and get back to work.

“I think people will be starting to doubt us, but we have got to go and try and put in a performance to prove all those people wrong.

“We all want to get to a major tournament, so nothing has changed.”

Wales’ first European Championship qualifying defeat at home since 2011 dropped them to third in the group as Turkey won 3-2 in Latvia.

Lucas Zelarayan and Grant-Leon Ranos both scored twice as Armenia secured one of the greatest victories in their football history.

And Welsh misery was completed by the dismissal of Kieffer Moore, who was adjudged to have committed foul play by Bulgarian referee Georgi Kabakov after tangling with goalkeeper Ognjen Chancharevich. He will miss the Turkey clash.

Brooks added: “Four goals at home isn’t good enough, I think we all know that, and we will be getting together and trying to figure out how to put that right in two days’ time.

“Bigger teams than us have done that to us, and we’ve caused upset results. It happens near enough every week in the Premier League, and we all knew that going into the game. They took their chances well.

“I’ve spoken to Kieffer. I don’t think he thinks he’s done a lot. They were kind of making a meal out of everything.

“Kieffer is a big part of what we want to do, so he is going to be a big miss for Turkey.”

Brooks’ return to the international arena was a highlight of an often chaotic night at Cardiff City Stadium.

He was diagnosed with stage-two Hodgkin lymphoma while on international duty in October 2021, and Brooks received a standing ovation when he went on as a second-half substitute.

“It was special,” he said. “It has been a long two years to finally put that Wales shirt back on.

“To get the reception that I did, especially when I came on – I could hear every single one of them (fans) – and I just want to say thank you.”

Gareth Southgate wants England to retain a relentless winning mentality akin to treble winners Manchester City as the road to Euro 2024 continues.

Monday’s Group C encounter against North Macedonia marks the halfway point of qualification for next summer’s tournament in Germany.

England already look all but assured of reaching the Euros having won at reigning champions Italy and beaten Ukraine in March before swatting aside Malta 4-0 on Friday night.

Southgate’s opposite number Michele Marcolini said the minnows, ranked 172nd in the world, could not get anywhere near the visitors as they had an “amazing attitude on the pitch from the first minute”.

That is the product of the impressive mindset cultivated by England, who are also expected to beat 65th-placed North Macedonia as this mammoth season finally comes to a close on Monday.

Put to Southgate that progress to date will count for nothing if complacency seeps in at Old Trafford, the England boss said: “Correct, yeah. That’s what we have to be.

“We’ve just watched the team win three trophies. Why? Because pretty much every game I saw them play the mentality was spot on.

“That helps when you’ve got competition for places like we have because also you know that you can’t afford a dip. You’ve got to produce.

“So sometimes you can say things as a coach but the fact that there’s somebody sitting ready to take your place that’s a good player also has an impact.

“But we have good professionals. Everybody, of course, is excited by our younger players, but our senior players have a big impact on the way they train.

“The way they embrace the younger ones coming in and the way they demand in the dressing room, the mentality that they start to set, so it all plays a part.”

Southgate utilised an experienced core in Malta, while giving Marc Guehi and James Maddison starts on a night when Trent Alexander-Arnold played in midfield.

That experiment worked brilliantly as the Liverpool right-back put in a man-of-the-match display, scoring a fine effort and playing a part in England’s two other first-half goals.

Southgate admits England’s performance in Malta has slightly altered his thinking ahead of facing North Macedonia, but suggested it was down to other aspects than Alexander Arnold’s display.

“Yep (the performance made me think differently) but not the obvious that you might think!” he said with a smile.

“We always have in mind what happens (next). Of course, there’s still training over the next couple of days also to take into account.

“But what we saw tonight probably confirmed a couple of things, but also, you know, left one or two things open.

“You’ve always got a plan but normally we’re on plan E, F or G by the time we get to matchday because of the players we’ve lost or things that have happened.

“So, you always have to be flexible but pleased to get the players off that we got off and nice to give some minutes to some others as well.”

Harry Kane – who scored England’s third – Luke Shaw, Jordan Henderson and Maddison were withdrawn in the second half after Bukayo Saka was taken off at the break.

The 21-year-old forward had looked in discomfort after a tackle just before half-time, but Southgate moved to allay any injury concerns.

“He is good,” the England boss said. “We just thought there’s no point in taking any chances with the scoreline as it was.”

In truth, Friday’s straightforward match in Malta will not live long in the memory but it will be forever etched in Eberechi Eze’s memory.

Denied a place in England’s provisional Euro 2020 squad by a cruelly timed Achilles injury, the Crystal Palace midfielder finally made his debut as a 70th-minute substitute at the Ta’ Qali National Stadium.

“For Eze, nice to dip his toes,” Southgate said. “He’s only had a few days training with us so he’s still getting used to everything.

“It’s, of course, a big step coming into a senior camp for the first time, even though he’s been with the Under-21s.

“He’s, I think, had his eyes opened to the level, the quality of the players, the intensity every day so a brilliant experience for him.

“He’s fabulous boy, I have to say. He really gives a lot of energy every day, which is brilliant.”

Michael O’Neill has said trying to qualify for Euro 2024 is no longer his primary concern as Northern Ireland’s injury crisis shows no sign of abating.

Craig Cathcart was a late withdrawal ahead of Friday’s 1-0 defeat to Denmark in Copenhagen, taking the number of senior players missing through injury into double figures.

A youthful line-up that included teenagers Conor Bradley, Shea Charles and Isaac Price handled the intimidating atmosphere of the Parken Stadium admirably and thought they had a stoppage-time equaliser to cancel out Jonas Wind’s goal, only for debutant Callum Marshall’s strike to be ruled offside by VAR.

Defeat leaves Northern Ireland with one win from their opening three qualifiers, albeit still only three points off top spot with Denmark, Finland, Slovenia and Kazakhstan all on six points.

When O’Neill, the man who guided Northern Ireland to Euro 2016, returned to the job in December, there was real hope that they could capitalise on what was seen as a favourable draw in Group H.

But asked if Friday’s defeat put pressure on Northern Ireland to beat Kazakhstan at Windsor Park on Monday, O’Neill said: “We had six under-21s on the pitch. We’re not thinking about qualification. We’re thinking about putting points on the board. We have 10 senior players out injured.

“We’re not in that place that the teams we’re playing against, the likes of Denmark, are. We’re building a team here that’s dealing with a difficult situation with the number of senior players we’ve lost.

“We’re not in there before the game talking about qualification, we’re talking about a level of performance, to give a really good account of ourselves, which we did. Obviously if we can take points which we nearly did we’d be delighted but we’re not talking in that vein at the moment.”

With the likes of Steven Davis, Stuart Dallas, Corry Evans and Shane Ferguson all out with long-term injuries, O’Neill was already relying on young players during March’s fixtures and was made to do so again for a trip away to the top seeds in the group.

Cathcart could return in time for Monday’s fixture, but a huge amount of vital experience is missing from O’Neill’s ranks.

“You know the players who are missing and you know the players we’re asking to play at this moment in time,” he said.

“They’re not first-team players at their respective clubs on a regular basis and we’re playing against established international players who play at top clubs in Europe.

“We have to be realistic with the level we can compete at on a consistent basis.

“But the experience the players will have from nights like this, this is a brilliant place to play football, a brilliant stadium, brilliant home support, a fantastic pitch, and they will be better at the start of what is an international journey for a lot of these players.

“A number of these players will have long and distinguished international careers, it’s nights like these they will really benefit from.”

Northern Ireland left Copenhagen still frustrated by the disallowed goal, with VAR having taken five minutes to decide Jonny Evans’ heel was offside before he headed the ball on for Marshall to finish, but there was pride in a battling display.

One mistake proved the difference, with Wind pouncing when Ciaron Brown failed to deal with Joakim Maehle’s cross into the box.

“It’s disappointing to lose to a goal of that nature,” O’Neill added. “But we have to look at so much that was positive in our performance. We lost Craig Cathcart overnight with a back injury and I think what we got from our lads was terrific and as a manager you can’t really ask for much more.”

Josh Cullen has admitted the Republic of Ireland have no-one to blame but themselves after defeat in Greece ripped apart their Euro 2024 qualification hopes.

Stephen Kenny’s men headed for Athens in bullish mood after a creditable performance as they went down 1-0 to World Cup runners-up France in their opening Group B fixture in March.

With the Netherlands also waiting in the wings, they knew victory over Gus Poyet’s men – or certainly something more than the 2-1 defeat they ultimately suffered at the OPAP Arena – would be required if they were to prosper, but in the event, they were outplayed for long periods and emerged with what they deserved.

Burnley midfielder Cullen said: “We are very disappointed. We’ve got to be better than that, it’s as simple as that.

“We have to take account as players. We need to look at ourselves, there is no excuses we can make.”

Ireland survived an early blitz, largely thanks to keeper Gavin Bazunu, but succumbed after a VAR intervention prompted Austrian referee Harald Lechner to award a penalty after Callum O’Dowda had blocked George Baldock’s cross with his arm.

They dragged themselves back into it before the break courtesy of defender Nathan Collins’ finish after Evan Ferguson had flicked on Will Smallbone’s corner, but were undone again four minutes after the restart when the excellent Tasos Bakasetas played in Giorgos Masouras to beat Bazunu.

Cullen said: “When you come away in big matches like this, the last thing you want to do is make mistakes that end in goals. We have been doing that too much recently.

“It’s a disappointing night and we need to reflect and go again on Monday.”

It was the manner of the defeat as much as the fact of it that was concerning as Ireland, who face Gibraltar in Dublin on Monday evening, found themselves on the back foot for much of a contest dominated by a slick Greek outfit which sit three places below them in FIFA’s ranking table.

They were never able to get to grips with Trabzonspor schemer Bakasetas or Masouras in midfield and starved of meaningful possession, struggled to create much of note until a late flurry as the hosts sat back on their lead.

Kenny and his players must now put their disappointment behind them and prepare for a game in which even a comprehensive victory over a side beaten 3-0 at home by France on Friday evening would do little to improve their parlous position in the group.

However, asked how he saw the situation, Cullen said: “Monday. We aren’t looking any further than that. We have to prepare for that and make sure we get a result.”

Kenny will be forced to make at least one change with wing-back Matt Doherty suspended after his stoppage-time red card in Athens for a push on Kostas Tsimikas amid a melee as tempers frayed.

Callum Wilson hailed England’s clinical nature after they breezed past Malta.

The Newcastle striker came off the bench to score a penalty and wrap up a 4-0 Euro 2024 qualifying win on Friday.

Ferdinando Apap’s own goal, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s stunner and Harry Kane’s spot-kick put England in control before the break.

It tightened their grip on top spot in Group C ahead of Monday’s clash with North Macedonia in Manchester.

Wilson said: “We were very clinical and ruthless in the first half and it kind of put the game to bed and then it gives players like myself an opportunity to get on the pitch.

“We’ve not played as a team in a while and the Premier League ended about two-and-a-half weeks ago and we blew away the cobwebs during the week and put in a great performance against Malta.

“Any time you have away from the football field you’re going to have a bit of rust when you come back to it but we managed to keep in shape and come back.

“The intensity of training is always high and the standard is really high.”

The 31-year-old replaced Kane after an hour and won the penalty when his cross hit Steve Borg’s hand to add a fourth with seven minutes left, just his second goal and first since scoring on his debut against the USA in November 2018.

“I managed to get in the position and I see Phil Foden in the box and when it was blocked I was one of the first people to call for it,” he told the BBC.

“It was about a minute after the referee blew the whistle and we weren’t sure what was going on as we didn’t know if we had VAR. I was happy to step up and take it and put it away.

“It has been a wait. It’s always an honour to play for your country and then to score it tops it all off really.

“It makes all of the hard work that you’ve put in to get yourself here worthwhile. Probably the only downside is that I didn’t score more. I had a couple of chances but it was a great team performance.”

Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny is refusing to give up on Euro 2024 qualification despite seeing his side slip to a damaging defeat in Greece.

Kenny admitted Ireland have given themselves “a mountain to climb” if they are to get out of Group B after losing both of their opening fixtures following Friday night’s 2-1 reverse in Athens, but he remains defiant ahead of Gibraltar’s visit to the Aviva Stadium on Monday evening.

Asked if the task is now near-impossible, he said: “It’s only the second game. We’ve given ourselves a mountain to climb.

“At the moment we’ve just got to get ourselves ready for Monday, a home game, nearly a full stadium, we have to give them a victory and that’s what we’ve got to focus on.”

Ireland fell behind to Tasos Bakasetas’ 15th-minute penalty, awarded for handball by Callum O’Dowda after a VAR review, but levelled before the break when Nathan Collins fired home from Evan Ferguson’s flick-on, again following a check.

But they were caught again within four minutes of the restart when Giorgos Masouras struck, and the visitors’ misery was complete in stoppage time when Matt Doherty was sent off for pushing Liverpool defender Kostas Tsimikas during an ugly scuffle.

Kenny said: “We didn’t play as well as we would have wanted. Greece were the much better side in the first half overall. They had more control than we would have wanted, they played well.

“That can happen away from home for international teams, but you’ve got to defend better than we did, see it out and that’s what hurt us in the end.

“It was just a really poor second goal to give away. I can’t believe we gave it away to be honest. That’s hurt us. We were still in the game and could have drawn the game – but it might have flattered us.

“I’m very disappointed with the sending off, it seemed very harsh, Matt got involved to get people out, but he didn’t touch his face, he touched his chest. There was too much made of it with the player going down, but there was no facial contact.”

While Ireland will have to lick their wounds and prepare for Gibraltar, Gus Poyet and his players head for France and a game the Uruguayan sees as a free-hit.

He said: “I think we both knew – we were depending a lot on France and the Netherlands – but between the two, maybe one of the two, [Ireland] and us, one maybe will have a chance to go out fighting.

“To be able to be there, we needed to beat each other. If not, then you have no chance because then you depend on them as well.

“Obviously you need to also do well against the Netherlands, but especially this game, you must win it. If you think you’re going to win the other ones, then you are not realistic, so that was, for me, a must-win game for both teams.

“Obviously we were lucky enough to win it and that gives us a platform now, depending on what happens on Monday. In September, we are going to be second because we are there.

“It gives us then the feeling to go to France in a different way because now we have got six points. It’s a different game with six points than one and if you don’t get something, you’re out, so it was very, very important.”

Rob Page suggested Wales’ Euro 2024 qualifying defeat to Armenia was a necessary “slap” as he surveyed the wreckage of one of the most humiliating losses in the nation’s football history.

Armenia ran out shock 4-2 winners in Cardiff, despite being ranked 97th in the world and 71 places lower than Wales.

Page’s side – who took four points from their March games away to Croatia and at home to Latvia – would have topped Group D with victory in Cardiff.

Instead a first European Championship qualifying defeat at home since 2011 dropped them to third in the group as Turkey won 3-2 in Latvia. Wales’ next qualifier is away to Turkey in Samsun on Monday.

“They fell well short of the standards they have set before,” said Page. “I didn’t see that coming. It has really shocked me.

“Everything happens for a reason, perhaps it’s the slap we need, a little bit of a reality check.

“Everybody is starry-eyed and getting carried away. Yes, we had a great start in March but there are no bad teams now anymore.

“Look at what Turkey had to do in the 96th minute against Latvia.”

Daniel James’ sixth international goal fired Wales into an early lead, but Armenia exploited some dreadful home defending to lead by the half-hour mark through Lucas Zelarayan and Grant-Leon Ranos.

Armenia extended their lead through Ranos before Harry Wilson reduced the deficit with 18 minutes to play.

Ranos hit the post before Zelarayan’s second killed off Wales and home misery was completed 12 minutes from time when Kieffer Moore was sent off for a kick on goalkeeper Ognjen Chancharevich.

Page confirmed that Wales would not appeal Moore’s red card and the Bournemouth striker will now miss the Turkey game.

“I felt such in a positive place before the game, full of confidence and I didn’t see that coming,” Page said.

“That’s really shocked me as much as anyone else.

“The fundamentals of what we stand for, what we represent, the hard work…we were too expansive and that’s not what we’re all about.

“We’re hard-working and we pride ourselves in doing the not-so-pretty side of it.

“They taught us a lesson in that, how to do the not-so-pretty side of the game.”

Victory was especially sweet for Armenia manager Oleksandr Petrakov, who was in charge of Ukraine for their World Cup play-off final defeat in Cardiff exactly 12 months ago.

Petrakov said: “We have a game in Latvia in three days so if we go on celebrating, this victory will not mean anything.

“It’s more or less the same Wales team apart from Gareth Bale so I can not under-estimate the valuation of my team.

“My only objective as Armenia coach is to is to qualify for a major tournament.”

Michael O’Neill said his Northern Ireland players were “angry and upset” after teenage debutant Callum Marshall saw a stoppage-time equaliser ruled out by VAR for a marginal decision in Friday’s 1-0 Euro 2024 qualifying defeat to Denmark.

Marshall had only been on the pitch for a few minutes when the West Ham youngster flicked on Jonny Evans’ header to find the corner of the net, cancelling out Jonas Wind’s 47th-minute strike and sparking huge celebrations amongst the 1,700 travelling fans.

But hearts sank as referee Daniel Stefanski signalled a VAR check that would last a full five minutes, with Tomasz Kwiatkowski taking an age to review the footage before determining that Evans had been fractionally offside when the free-kick was sent into the box.

“I thought it was all about ‘clear and obvious’ and the different terminology that we have in different situations,” O’Neil said. “If it takes that long to disallow a goal why would they disallow it in that situation? I don’t know whose call that is.

“The referee obviously doesn’t go to the monitor to look at it so whoever is looking at it has to take that decision. But I’m baffled that it took so long, and clearly the margin was so minimal. For me it’s not how the technology should be used.”

Jordan Thompson had sent in a free-kick from 40 yards out on the right, with Evans heading it goalwards and Marshall’s flick beating Kasper Schmeichel.

“By the time Jonny heads it Jonny is clearly onside so we’re looking pre-the delivery of the ball,” O’Neill said. “Did he gain any advantage? The referee said to me something about 30 centimetres. I don’t know where he gets that from.

“I’m not really sure where we gain an advantage. We won’t get a satisfactory explanation, I know that, so it’s done and we have to move on.”

Asked if he wanted his players to use a sense of injustice as fuel going forward, O’Neill added: “I don’t think we need it. We don’t need that to turn around our team to be ready to play on Monday night (at home to Kazakhstan).

“We’ll be playing in front of a vociferous crowd who will be proud of how we played tonight. We’re angry and we’re upset but we don’t need that.”

O’Neill was seen with a consoling arm around Marshall’s shoulder as the players went to applaud the travelling support.

“We’ve put him on because he’s got a lot of potential,” he said. “He’s come on, scored a goal and he’s had the fairytale start to his international career taken away from him.

“I put my arm around him and told him there’ll be plenty more goals. He’s a young player with massive potential but it’s heartbreaking to have that taken away from you in that type of scenario.”

For all the frustration at the end, O’Neill was proud of the way his young Northern Ireland side had handled the toughest fixture in Group H.

An injury to Craig Cathcart took the number of senior players missing to 10, with O’Neill forced to rely on inexperienced players including four teenagers.

“It was a tough game but we did very well in the first half to contain them and we managed the game well,” he said.

“I felt the second half with the goal got a bit ragged and we should have done better out of possession but our reaction to going a goal down was excellent. At that point you have to stay in the game, it would be easy here to concede again but we didn’t do that.

“We knew we could get a bit of play in the last 15-20 minutes and on the basis of the last 15 minutes we deserved to get something from the game and we feel pretty aggrieved that we didn’t.”

Gareth Southgate praised Trent Alexander-Arnold for buying into England’s midfield experiment and showing what he was capable of in the comfortable win away to Malta.

The 24-year-old may be an established star at Liverpool but he has often flattered to deceive with the national team, with intense competition at right-back restricting opportunities.

Alexander-Arnold struggled in a midfield against Andorra when Southgate tried him there in September 2021, but things worked far better in Malta as he won just his 19th cap on Friday evening.

The England star had a hand in all three first-half goals, including curling home superbly either side of Ferdinando Apap’s own goal and a Harry Kane penalty.

Substitute Callum Wilson completed a 4-0 win with a spot-kick of his own but this was Alexander-Arnold’s night as Southgate’s side continued their winning start to Euro 2024 qualification.

“Inevitably a lot of what happens is going to be a little bit dependent on his club,” the England boss said.

“The fact that he’s been playing partly in there with the ball, albeit a bit deeper, I think has helped his transition tonight.

“What was pleasing tonight, he’s getting used to receiving in tight areas with his back to goal, with players behind him.

“Whereas he’s used to receiving on the touchline, with the play in front of him, and he was very comfortable doing that.

“Look, I’ve got no questions in my head he can do it. It’s just learning some nuances of the role, without the ball especially very different for him.

“But he’s very keen to do it. He’s enjoyed the sort of project, if you like.

“We talked about it about four weeks ago on the phone, and I think he’s been excited by it and, yeah, he showed exactly what we think he could be capable of. He gives us something different to our other midfield players.”

This was a far more simple night for England compared to their last trip to Malta, when a drab, goalless first half against the limited hosts saw the travelling support turn on the team.

Southgate’s side have come a long way in the six intervening years and there was never any danger of their 100 per cent Euro 2024 qualification record slipping in their third Group C match.

“Of course we know we have the quality to win the games, but it’s about your mentality then and I thought that was excellent right from the start,” Southgate said.

“We tried to balance looking at a few things with some experienced players that give you leadership on the pitch and set the tone. That’s how they’ve trained all week.

“In particular when we lost the ball, the reaction to winning it back was a sign that the team were in a good place mentally.

“Then of course some really good quality for the first couple of goals, especially, so yeah, we’ve made it look fairly straightforward.

“That, as we know from last time, here isn’t always the case!

“We’ve been able to look at a few things, we’ve been able to get players on, we’ve been able to get some players off, so very pleased with the night.”

England now turn their attention to Monday’s home game North Macedonia after preventing Malta – ranked 172nd in the world – from having a shot in their box, never mind an attempt on goal.

Head coach Michele Marcolini said: “I think that we don’t shoot on goal because England for 90 minutes pressed very high and didn’t give us the chance to play easy. Never, never.

“To be honest, the difference physically was clear. To build the action easily, we cannot, to be honest.

“We are sorry about that but at the end we have to be honest and say that this kind of match for us with this kind of behaviour from the opponent it’s very tough.

“When you play with this difference between the teams, you have to hope that the opponent comes here a little bit calmer or they take the match easily.

“But this didn’t happen today because England has an amazing attitude on the pitch from the first minute until the end.”

Jacob Ramsey says the current crop of England Under-21s are better equipped to win the European Championship than some of the previous stars.

Lee Carsley’s side are in Georgia for Euro 2023 and kick off their campaign against Czech Republic next Thursday.

A host of players who went on to become established England internationals have come through the youth system over the years, but did not perform on the biggest stage, with five of the last six European Championships ending in a group-stage exit.

Ramsey, who had a fine Premier League campaign for Aston Villa, says Carsley’s group have a different mentality.

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“One thing that I will say about this group – when we’ve looked at previous groups before, and previous camps, there’s probably a different mentality,” he said.

“I think, before, people have put us down as big favourites and that we’ve gone there to win it. But in this group we’ve got a bit of a humble side. I think everyone knows how well we can play together, and we probably are one of the favourites.

“But we will go into this tournament respecting every team. For my personal opinion in this group, I feel like we’ve got the right balance and, hopefully, when we go out there we will show that.”

It helps that Carsley has been able to select a side that is packed with Premier League experience, with the likes of Ramsey, Morgan Gibbs-White, Emile Smith Rowe, Anthony Gordon, Oliver Skipp and Harvey Elliott all regulars in the top flight.

“Obviously, going into a major tournament for the 21s, it is a big thing,” Ramsey added.

“But I think if you look at the clubs that the lads are playing for – Liverpool, Man City, even the lower end of the table with Forest and stuff, they are playing for a bigger prize than this tournament.

“But, I think that nearly everyone in this squad has Premier League experience, there’s no pressure like playing in the Premier League in front of 60,000 at Old Trafford, at the Emirates, at the Etihad, so hopefully we can bring that experience and help the boys who haven’t played as much or bring it into this tournament and gel together.”

The 22-year-old ended the season in fine form for Villa under Unai Emery as they qualified for the Europa Conference League.

He scored six goals and produced seven assists as Emery moved him further up the field following Steven Gerrard’s exit and has loved life under the Spaniard.

“I feel like I’ve probably had my best season so far, to date,” he said. “I feel like I’ve left Villa, and the season, strongly. I feel like I’ve put up some good numbers and good performances.

“I’m enjoying it. I enjoy working with him and his coaching staff. The players are loving it, the style of play, the details and intensity of the training.

“It’s really good. I don’t think one player at Villa at the moment could not say they are enjoying it. Whether you’re playing or not playing I think there’s a good vibe around the camp, so I’m enjoying it.

“I think if you compare my role under the previous manager, and my role now, I’m playing a little higher up, so I’m one of the players who he’s demanding to get assists, get goals and creating chances.

“Whereas before I was playing in the middle, playing as a number eight, so I was more box-to-box, whereas now he’s putting a lot of pressure on me to create chances for Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey – players like that.

“When he’s come in he’s put a lot of pressure on me, which is always good to have him demanding me to go and get in the box, scoring goals, get assistance and creating chances.”

Olivier Giroud and Kylian Mbappe scored for France in their 3-0 victory over Gibraltar in European Championship qualifying.

Giroud netted after only three minutes but a penalty from Mbappe just before half-time was the only other chance that the World Cup finalists converted before a late own goal from Aymen Mouelhi as France maintained their 100 per cent record in Group B.

In Group C, Ukraine fought back from 2-0 down to beat North Macedonia 3-2 and claim their first victory.

Enis Bardhi put the hosts ahead from the penalty spot and Elif Elmas doubled their advantage before the break.

But Illya Zabarnyi and Yukhym Konoplya scored within five minutes of each other to draw Ukraine level and Visar Musliu was then shown a second yellow card for North Macedonia before Viktor Tsygankov grabbed the winner seven minutes from time.

There was also late drama in Group D, where Turkey won their second game with a 3-2 victory over Latvia.

After goals from Abdulkerim Bardakci and Cengiz Under for Turkey either side of Eduards Emsis’ strike, Latvia looked to have secured a point when Kristers Tobers scored deep into injury time.

But Turkey went down the other end and Irfan Can Kahveci netted the winner a minute later.

Four teams are on six points in Group H, with Finland and Kazakhstan joining Denmark and Slovenia.

Teemu Pukki set up goals for Joel Pohjanpalo and Oliver Antman in Finland’s 2-0 win over Slovenia, while Kazakhstan defeated San Marino 3-0.

Switzerland made it three wins from three with a 2-1 victory over Andorra in Group I.

Remo Freuler and Zeki Amdouni put the Swiss two up before half-time but Marcio Vieira pulled one back for Andorra in the 67th minute.

Two late goals helped Israel to a 2-1 victory over Belarus, their first win of the campaign.

Belarus looked to be heading for the three points through Max Ebong’s 16th-minute opener but Shonn Weissman equalised with a penalty five minutes from time and teenager Oscar Gloukh netted an injury-time winner.

Also in Group I, Kosovo secured their third draw, holding Romania to a goalless stalemate in Pristina.