Austria 1 0 Northern Ireland Marko Arnautovic on target for hosts by @SPORT TV - Post Details

Austria 1 0 Northern Ireland Marko Arnautovic on target for hosts

Austria 1-0 Northern Ireland: Marko Arnautovic on target for hosts. Northern Ireland's Nations League worries deepened as Austria's Marko Arnautovic condemned them to a 1-0 defeat in Vienna. The West Ham striker scored the only goal in the 71st minute to leave Michael O'Neill's men without a point from their opening two matches in League B's Group 3. With the risk of relegation growing, they now need to win Monday's match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo to keep their fate in their own hands. Arnautovic, a constant thorn in the Northern Ireland defence, sprung the offside trap to get on to Peter Zulj's pass before slotting the ball past Bailey Peacock-Farrell to settle a close contest. Following Kyle Lafferty's shock decision to withdraw himself from the squad at the last minute, Josh Magennis was the man to start up front for Northern Ireland, but the Bolton man's first major contribution was in defence. His somewhat awkward touch did the job in diverting Marcel Sabitzer's shot over the crossbar as he fired through the crowd when Northern Ireland could only half-clear an early corner. Bailey Peacock-Farrell - involved in the mix-up which gifted Bosnia and Herzegovina a crucial second goal in Belfast last month - then committed a major mental error when he picked up Jonny Evans' back-pass to give away an indirect free-kick, and the Leeds stopper was grateful to see Arnautovic fire into the wall. Northern Ireland did not get a sniff of goal until after the half-hour mark when Ollie Norwood's raking ball found the run of Shane Ferguson, but the Millwall man - making his first start in almost two years - got his angles all wrong to head high and wide. ARNAUTOVIC GOALThe West Ham man gives Austria the lead against Northern Ireland.Watch the UEFA Nations League live on Sky Sports: https://t.co/66OYEzAptk pic.twitter.com/4MFb9eT6q7 All the chances that had been missing in the first half seemed to arrive at one when the second half began. First, Austria could only half-clear Stuart Dallas' long throw and Paddy McNair tried to curl the rebound home, but it was an easy enough save for Heinz Lindner. The hosts then went straight to the other end where a mis-hit clearance fell kindly for Arnautovic, who bundled his way past Dallas before hitting a low shot which Peacock-Farrell diverted wide. The Leeds man then denied Sabitzer after his turn and shot, while Steven Davis dragged his shot wide after being played through on goal by Dallas. Arnautovic wanted a penalty when he tried to cut in from the right and tumbled over Jamal Lewis in the 65th minute, but the referee showed no interest. He would soon have his goal regardless, providing the one real moment of class in the match. And it was almost 2-0 when Stefan Lainer turned Valentino Lazaro's corner into the side-netting. O'Neill went into all-out attack mode as Rotherham striker Kyle Vassell came on to make his debut, swiftly followed by Will Grigg, and the Wigan man was inches away from an equaliser when he twisted to head McNair's 84th-minute corner on to the far post. But that was as close as they would come, and the match ended with Arnautovic missing a fine chance to make it 2-0 as he fired wide from a tight angle.

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Chelsea's flops return to the training ground after humiliating 6 0 defeat vs Manchester City
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Chelsea's flops return to the training ground after humiliating 6-0 defeat vs Manchester City. Chelsea's players looked downbeat as they pulled into the club's Cobham training base on Monday morning. Eden Hazard, David Luiz and N'Golo Kante were among those seen driving into the facility as they swiftly returned to the training pitch.  That trio were all involved on Sunday afternoon as Chelsea were demolished 6-0 by reigning champions Manchester City in the Premier League. Their under-pressure manager Maurizio Sarri must now rouse his players for Thursday's Europa League knockout tie with Swedish side Malmo. Things then get even tougher as they face a rejuvenated Manchester United in the FA Cup next Monday.  Sarri remained coy over his future on Sunday and, when asked if he was expecting a call from Abramovich, pointed towards the power structure at Chelsea. ‘You have to ask the club,’ Sarri said amid growing calls for his removal after a fourth defeat in eight games. ‘I’m worried about my team. I’m worried about the performance. My job is always at risk. ‘If the president calls, I’ll be happy, seeing as I never hear from him. ‘To be honest, I don’t know what to expect. I didn’t see my football. At the beginning of the season it worked. Now we need to understand the reasons why it isn’t working. It is not easy.’  Former Chelsea captain Frank Lampard is the bookmakers' favourite to become the next permanent boss if Sarri is shown the door.  Lampard has impressed so far this season with Derby County in the Championship in what is his first job as a manager since ending his illustrious playing career.   Lampard has been installed as 2/1 favourite with a few firms, edging out three-time Champions League winner Zinedine Zidane, who is yet to return to management since leaving Real Madrid. Jose Mourinho, sacked by Manchester United in December, is out at 12/1 for a return to Chelsea for a third spell.



Benfica 10 0 Nacional Benfica secure biggest Primeira Liga win in 55 years
Benfica 10 0 Nacional Benfica secure biggest Primeira Liga win in 55 years

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England’s ‘Barmy Army’ sing YMCA, It’s Raining Men and A Little Respect at Shannon
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France lock Sebastien Vahaamahina admits he didn't realise he was captain during Wales defeat
France lock Sebastien Vahaamahina admits he didn't realise he was captain during Wales defeat

France lock Sebastien Vahaamahina admits he didn't realise he was captain during Wales defeat. Sebastien Vahaamahina did not even know he was captain when France slipped to Friday's rudderless 24-19 Guinness Six Nations loss to Wales in Paris. The 27-year-old Clermont lock has made the startling admission that referee Wayne Barnes had to tell him he was skipper late in the second half, once hooker Guilhem Guirado had been replaced. Vahaamahina's madcap wide pass over the top was picked off by George North, who raced in for his second try, completing Wales' record Six Nations comeback. Warren Gatland's men turned a 16-0 half-time deficit on its head to tiptoe out of Paris with the win, and now Vahaamahina's latest revelation only serves to deepen the disorganisation among Jacques Brunel's men. 'I did not even know I was captain,' Vahaamahina told Midi Olympique. It was the referee, Wayne Barnes, who came to see me on a penalty to ask me my choice. 'I told him to address the captain; he said it was me. The staff did not warn me.' France will move on to face England at Twickenham on Sunday, desperate to whip themselves into some kind of shape. Louis Picamoles and Yoann Huget crossed for tries to put Les Bleus in almost total control at 16-0 at half-time in Paris on Friday. But all poise deserted the French after the turnaround, with North crossing twice and Tomos Williams bagging a try. Former Italy boss Brunel previewed France's Six Nations tournament by insisting it was time his men left a litany of 'near misses' behind them. France lost 15-13 to Ireland in last season's Six Nations opener, thanks to Johnny Sexton's monster drop-goal in Paris. Scotland and Wales then also pipped France by one score in a lacklustre tournament. France lost all three Tests in New Zealand last summer, then suffered further one-score defeats to South Africa and Fiji in the autumn. Vahaamahina's revelation he had not been informed he was captain will only heighten the notion of a disorganised France squad in almost total disarray.



Captain Jason Holder to miss West Ind ies' final Test against England after ICC suspension
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Captain Jason Holder to miss West Indies' final Test against England after ICC suspension. West Indies will miss their captain Jason Holder for their final Test against England after he was suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for his side's slow over rate in the win in Antigua. The hosts claimed a 10-wicket victory in that match to seal the series win, with Holder claiming seven wickets in England's two innings, and contributing 22 runs.  The first Test in Barbados was an equally convincing triumph by 381 runs inside four days, with Holder scoring an unbeaten 202 with the bat and taking two wickets. Holder has been in fine form for both games, and is the leading run-scorer with 229 at an average of 114.50 as West Indies secured a first series win over England since 2009. This is the second time Holder has been banned for slow over rate, having faced similar punishment and missing the second Test against New Zealand in 2017.  Opening batsman and vice-captain Kraigg Brathwaite is most likely to step in as Holder's replacement for the match, which starts on Saturday in St Lucia.



Australia close in on second Test victory over Sri Lanka
Australia close in on second Test victory over Sri Lanka

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Millwall chief defends club after r acist chants were heard during FA Cup win over Everton
Millwall chief defends club after r acist chants were heard during FA Cup win over Everton

Millwall chief defends club after racist chants were heard during FA Cup win over Everton. Millwall chief executive Steve Kavanagh has launched a passionate defence of the Championship side after a section of the club's fans were filmed singing racist chants during their FA Cup win over Everton. In a match that was marred by a mass brawl between both sets of supporters before kick-off on Saturday, a part of the home support were heard chanting, 'I'd rather be a P*** than a Scouse'. Kavanagh insisted that racism in football wasn't exclusive to just Millwall and that the problem needed addressing nationwide. 'If a person has gone and bought a top that says Millwall, does that make me responsible for that person? Or is society responsible for them?' he told BBC Radio 5 Live. 'This isn't just a Millwall thing, this happens across society. You try and tell me there hasn't been this sort of chant at another club this season in this country - I won't believe you.  Despite one Everton fan being left with a large scar down his face from a knife attack before the FA Cup tie, Kavanagh insisted that Millwall is a 'safe place to come' and that racist chanting wasn't accepted at the club.   'We're being damaged by 30-40 people. We haven't won this. No one has won. But this isn't just a Millwall problem. 'As Millwall Football Club, we can't be responsible for educating the whole of south east London. 'We need the authorities, the FA, Kick It Out, ourselves and other clubs, we need to all come together and find a way of actually using football's place in society to educate people. 'It has been swept under the carpet by football, I agree with that, but I can assure you it hasn't been swept under the carpet by Millwall.'



Sir Alastair Cook critical of England's preparations in the West Ind ies
Sir Alastair Cook critical of England's preparations in the West Ind ies

Sir Alastair Cook critical of England's preparations in the West Indies. Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook has questioned the team's preparations for their West Indies tour, after the visitors crashed to a humiliating 381-run defeat in the first test in Barbados on Saturday. England came into the contest having drawn their two warm-up games in the Caribbean against a Cricket West Indies President's XI team earlier this month but Cook said the two-day matches had not fully sharpened the instincts of Joe Root's side. 'Fail to prepare and you prepare to fail. That has become a cliche in sport but overuse does not erode its essential truth. Look at England over four days in Bridgetown,' Cook wrote in his column for the Sunday Times. 'They didn't have their fighting edge, and that is not surprising when you consider their pre-test schedule.' West Indies, underdogs in the three-match series, bowled out England for 246 in the second innings after dismissing them for 77 in the first to seal the match. 'I know what it's like at the start of a tour. Physically, you might feel a bit tired by the end of the first week after the fitness training and nets, but mentally you're relaxed,' Cook added. 'It's imperative that you then undergo proper competition... England did not get that. However hard they tried in the two warm-up games, those fixtures added up to less of an experience than four-day first-class cricket would have offered. 'At the bare minimum, they should have had a two-day game in which 15 players were used... followed by a four-day match featuring the probable test XI.' Cook, who retired in September as England's most prolific batsman, said the tourists would be hurting ahead of the second test which begins in Antigua on Thursday. 'If they weren't match hardened before, they will be now. This side has a history of bouncing back.'