Much-maligned veteran striker Mitch Duke wasn't in Australia's initial squad against Japan and Saudi Arabia, but he made the most of his late reprieve.
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Socceroo silences ‘keyboard warriors’ with heroics
Heimir Hallgrimsson says Republic of Ireland must raise standards in World Cup qualifiers after flat Luxembourg display
HEIMIR HALLGRÍMSSON has warned his players there can be no more sloppy seconds.
Ireland impressed on Friday against Senegal but were dire against Luxembourg, despite hitting the woodwork twice.
His side will begin their World Cup campaign with a similar double-header, hosting Hungary before travelling to Armenia.
And Hallgrímsson said: “Let’s be honest, we’re not happy with this performance.
“It’s good to keep a clean sheet but we all felt that in the first half we were sloppy, the game was boring in the first half.
“All the good things we did against Senegal were missing, all the quick movement, the press, the ball speed – so sloppy.
“We were so different from all the things we want to represent. We lost duels, we lost ball, our rotations were slow, our pressing was more individual than collective.
“It was not tactical, I think it was just focus. We were not doing the things we did four days ago.
“We changed in the second half, we had more tempo, and won more duels.
“But it was not good enough. We always like answers to questions and this one is a negative one, so we at least know that.
We can take a lot of things into account, mostly psychological and mental, we know it’s the end of the season and going in the off-season the players are probably thinking ‘I don’t want to get injured’.
“But there is no excuse. We made Luxembourg look like a really good team. They are a good team but we made them look even better.
“We go in September and play the higher ranked team first, like we did now, and then the lower ranked team away.
“So this is definitely something that we can learn from. We must play the same way against everyone.
“Whether it’s a friendly at the end of season or a group stage game, we need to play the same way all the time.
“I think this game will just teach us a lesson.
“We had some chances but still even if we won the game we wouldn’t be happy with the performance. We must look at the performance first.”
Evan Ferguson endured a tough outing upfront but Hallgrímsson had some sympathy for him.
He said: “We are the ones giving him playing time so he should be happy to get games.
“We all know what he can do and hopefully he starts the new season well. That would be a big plus for us. It’s difficult to demand something from someone who hasn’t had game time.
“He’s been really sharp in training but he was probably tired at the end. We wanted him to play 90 minutes but we didn’t want him to get injured.”
There was one positive with Max O’Leary keeping a clean sheet on his debut, six years after he was first called into the squad.
He said: “He has always shown up and supported the keeper who has been no 1 who has been Caoimhín Kelleher since I came in and Gavin Bazunu before.
“He’s just a fantastic team player but also a good goalkeeper and the fans got to see that.”
Giants make Matt Chapman IL move after hand injury
The San Francisco Giants have placed infielder Matt Chapman on the 10-day injured list, per the team’s social media. This is due to hand inflammation. Chapman hurt his hand while sliding to first base during a recent game against the Atlanta Braves. He was trying to avoid a pick off throw to first, and ended […]
The post Giants make Matt Chapman IL move after hand injury appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Spurs rumors: ESPN makes eye-opening suggestion for No. 2 pick in mock draft
The San Antonio Spurs have done quite well in the last two NBA Drafts. San Antonio picked Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick in 2023 and Stephon Castle at No. 4 in 2024. The Spurs have a chance to make another effective selection with the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Many […]
The post Spurs rumors: ESPN makes eye-opening suggestion for No. 2 pick in mock draft appeared first on ClutchPoints.
How Donald Trump helped Coco Gauff win French Open
Coco Gauff’s historic French Open win wasn’t just about forehands and footwork. According to the 21-year-old star, a wave of emotion and patriotism helped fuel her to become the first American since Serena Williams to hoist the trophy in Paris. And in a moment that left many stunned, she credited her inspiration to a moment […]
The post How Donald Trump helped Coco Gauff win French Open appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Why Mercury’s Nate Tibbetts shot down Coach of the Year chatter with NSFW mic drop
PHOENIX– Days after ESPN released their favorites for the Coach of the Year, Phoenix Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts had no time for the chatter. “A lot of people weren’t happy when I came to the league last year… We haven’t done s**t. I haven’t done anything… It is what it is.” Mercury coach Nate […]
The post Why Mercury’s Nate Tibbetts shot down Coach of the Year chatter with NSFW mic drop appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Magic rumors: 2 players Orlando is looking to trade for upgrade
The Orlando Magic are reportedly preparing to package Cole Anthony, Jonathan Isaac, and one of their first-round picks in pursuit of a roster upgrade, as the franchise shifts into “win-now” mode ahead of the 2025-26 season. NBA insider Kevin O’Connor revealed on The Kevin O’Connor Show with Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix that the Magic are […]
The post Magic rumors: 2 players Orlando is looking to trade for upgrade appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Joy for Wynne Evans as he gets engaged after months of hell following Strictly drama
STRICTLY star Wynne Evans is to marry his girlfriend after proposing on holiday in Morocco, The Sun can reveal.
The opera singer, 53, got down on one knee in Marrakesh on Saturday to propose to Liz Brookes who has loyally stood by him following his axing by the BBC.
The happy couple are expected to wed next year.
Wynne shared snaps of the happy occasion and told fans: “Big news… I got engaged!
“This weekend in Morocco, somewhere between the couscous, the camels, and me limping around the souks like a man with no spatial awareness, I proposed to Liz — and she said yes! (No take-backs, I’ve checked.)
“She’s clever, she’s kind, she’s got excellent taste in men. Absolutely no idea how I pulled that off, but here we are!
“Feeling very lucky, very happy, and just a tiny bit smug.”
A source told The Sun: “It has been a tumultuous six months for Wynne but Liz has been his absolute rock throughout.
“Finally some wonderful news for Wynne and his inner circle to celibate and everyone is chuffed for them both.
“He secretly bought an engagement ring and squirrelled it away for their holiday, and then popped the question over champagne.
“Liz has been incredible over the past few months, supporting him through thick and thin, and had his back throughout, but obviously Wynne is telling everyone she’s a lucky girl!” Liz, 50, who runs her own successful events company in Cardiff, met the star at one of her do’s in Wales.
He asked her out for a coffee the next day, and they have been together for the past 18 months.
News of the engagement comes after the BBC confirmed it would not be renewing the Go Compare frontman’s rolling contract.
It followed a protracted internal investigation into claims he used an inappropriate sexual term at the official photocall of the Strictly tour in January.
B&M has slashed the price of a GIANT bar of Dairy Milk to just £1
B&M has slashed the price of massive Dairy Milk chocolate bars to just £1.
The budget retailer has reduced the price of the Cadbury fan favourite by a whopping 66 per cent.
Shoppers will be able to bag a bargain at the budget retailer, taking home the 850g chocolate bar for £2 less than usual.
The chocolate bars of plain Dairy Milk were once selling in B&M stores for £3.
Now shoppers will be able to get their hands on the massive chocolate block at a discounted price.
The bargain is subject to availability with stores that don’t usually stock the product not selling it at the discounted rate.
Cadbury is a fan favourite in the UK and is the second largest confectionary brand in the world.
The firm makes dozens of flavours of chocolate bars which are sold in stores across the UK.
Discounts and offers are often available for the bigger bars with smaller bars sometimes included in meal deals for a discounted rate.
The plain Dairy Milk chocolate bar offers no bells and whistles, just a large block of quality milk chocolate.
B&M are now offering nearly a kilogram of the British classic for just £1.
The massive discount offered by B&M will net punters a huge block of chocolate for next to nothing.
Typically 850g of Cadburys chocolate would set back shoppers anywhere between £3 and £5.
The offer can be snapped up at any B&M store as long as they have the snack in stock.
The budget retailer is known for its impressive deals and offers, regularly reducing fan favourite items by huge amounts.
The current B&M discount works out at £1.17 per kilogram of chocolate.
The offer is currently active but no indication of when it will end has been given.
It could finish any moment so sweet tooth shoppers better be quick.
B&M often slashes the price of big name brands, with some items getting even cheaper if the B&M app is used.
The B&M app lets shoppers scan items while they are shopping to discover discounts and offers not listed on shelves.
How to save money on chocolate
We all love a bit of chocolate from now and then, but you don't have to break the bank buying your favourite bar.
Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how to cut costs…
Go own brand – if you’re not too fussed about flavour and just want to supplant your chocolate cravings, you’ll save by going for the supermarket’s own brand bars.
Shop around – if you’ve spotted your favourite variety at the supermarket, make sure you check if it’s cheaper elsewhere.
Websites like Trolley.co.uk let you compare prices on products across all the major chains to see if you’re getting the best deal.
Look out for yellow stickers – supermarket staff put yellow, and sometimes orange and red, stickers on to products to show they’ve been reduced.
They usually do this if the product is coming to the end of its best-before date or the packaging is slightly damaged.
Buy bigger bars – most of the time, but not always, chocolate is cheaper per 100g the larger the bar.
So if you’ve got the appetite, and you were going to buy a hefty amount of chocolate anyway, you might as well go bigger.
‘I might get on before Ivan Toney’ jokes ITV commentator Lee Dixon as Saudi star cuts frustrated figure on England bench
IVAN TONEY looked glum as he watched on from the bench as England lost to Senegal.
The striker was recalled to the squad by Thomas Tuchel but played for just eight minutes including stoppage time across matches against Andorra and Senegal.
And he looked stunned as he sat on the substitutes’ bench in the 70th minute as Noni Madueke prepared to come on.
ITV commentator Lee Dixon joked: “I might get on before Toney.”
England trailed 2-1 at the time and Tuchel had already brought on Morgan Rogers and Morgan Gibbs-White ahead of Toney.
The Al-Ahli striker had to wait until the 88th minute to try and impact the match, as fellow subs Madueke and Jude Bellingham had failed to do so.
Bellingham did find the net from close range but the goal was disallowed because a handball from Levi Colwill in the build-up, with Senegal going on to win 3-1.
Tuchel was asked after the match about his decision to leave Toney on the bench until the final few minutes.
He said: “First of all it was more than three minutes.”
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Ian Wright and Roy Keane showed sympathy after the match, suggesting he ought to have been brought on earlier.
Wright told ITV: “He’s seen him all week and didn’t look to put him on until late. I don’t know what he has seen in training that he may not like up to this point.
“I was very surprised not to see him come on… I would be disappointed if I was him.”
And Keane added: “If you’re Toney and you’re getting three, four, five minutes, you’re fuming.”