Archive August 5, 2023

Despite Zander Fagerson’s red card, Scotland defeated France with a stunning fightback from 18 points down.

In response to Fagerson’s dismissal, the Scots roared back with tries from Pierre Schoeman and Darcy Graham, as well as substitute Dave Cherry.

The hosts managed to hold on for a fantastic victory thanks to Captain Finn Russell’s 10 point kick.

The third of Scotland’s four World Cup warm-up games will take place in St. Etienne the following Saturday.

With captain Jamie Ritchie being the only notable absentee due to injury, Gregor Townsend decided to travel as strongly as he could for the World Cup hosts’ visit after defeating Italy last weekend with a shadow side.

Russell led Scotland for the first time in his 70th cap and scored an early penalty to put his team on the field.

Half of Antoine Dupont, France’s superstar scrum, was absent, but his stand-in Couilloud completed a stunning counterattack from deep within French territory, slicing open the Scotland defense for the opening try of the game.

Les Bleus still carried threats around the field even without a lot of their star names. Bielle-Biarrey descended from his wing as the Scots struggled to slow down the French ball’s speed in order to spread the extra man wide and slam into the corner.

At 14-3, the home team’s task was already beginning to look difficult, and at the halfway point, Ben White was seen limping away with a wound.

Townsend will be hoping that White’s World Cup hopes are not dashed because he has quickly integrated himself into the team this year.

Scotland was having trouble making any kind of attack impression. The Scots’ meager possession was always slow, and the ball carriers were not making yardage. Add a few careless line-outs, and the France defense was left to enjoy what was essentially an enjoyable afternoon.

While a warm-up is by its nature not the highest of stakes, the visitors stretched their lead when Woki came over from close range, and there was concern that the Scots were on the verge of suffering the psychological toll of an embarrassing home loss.

To no one’s surprise, Graham, their tiny try machine on the wing, provided the quick solution they needed to stop the tide.

Graham did brilliantly to dive in ahead of Ethan Dumortier to get fingertips to the ball and touch down after Russell delivered a lovely kick over the defense into the dead-ball area.

Scotland was making progress for the first time, and Schoeman, his front-row partner, used his considerable strength to will himself over the line even though Fagerson’s yellow card for a risky clearout at the ruck somewhat dampened their momentum.

The excitement in Murrayfield was fleeting, though, as the television match official reviewed Fagerson’s yellow card and changed it to red using the new “Bunker” system.

Before Fagerson appears before the disciplinary panel, the Scotland coaching staff will experience some sleepless nights due to the lack of options at tighthead.

Blair Kinghorn blasted his way past Brice Dulin to go over, but Graham earlier in the move ruled out the try for a knock-on. Despite being down one man, the Scots had fought the French and appeared to have taken the lead.

A rolling maul powered over the line allowed Cherry to dot down and put Scotland in the lead for the first time since the opening minutes, replacing the French’s initial passivity.

Scotland had a four-to-four advantage thanks to Russell’s flawless off-the-field kick throughout the entire day. When the French realized they were losing the game, they launched a late assault, which Scotland repelled valiantly until Rory Darge’s brilliant turnover to seal the victory.

22 unanswered points helped the Scots win, which should give them a huge boost of confidence as they enter their competitive World Cup pool.

The Scots will depart for home early if they can replicate the first-half performance from the tournament itself. Any team will have a handful if they replicate the second.

Kinghorn, Graham, Jones, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe, Russell (captain), Gray, Gilchrist, M. Fagerson, Watson, and Dempsey are from Scotland.

Manchester United and Adidas have agreed to a 10-year extension that will cost at least £900 million.

The Glazer family, American owners, is still debating selling United.

According to United’s CEO Richard Arnold, the partnership between Manchester United and Adidas is among the most well-known in the world of sports.

“Our partnership, which has its roots in the 1980s, has undergone a decade of innovation with some of the most cutting-edge sportswear designs and technology.”

Adidas had previously provided United’s uniforms from 1980 to 1992, and the two parties’ most recent collaboration started at the beginning of the 2015–16 season.

The new agreement, according to United, “has a minimum cash guarantee of £900m, subject to certain adjustments.”

The original contract between United and Adidas links a portion of the yearly payments to the team’s Champions League participation, according to United, which released its most recent annual report.

The three-time champions, who were not selected for 2022–2023, will return to Europe’s top club competition this year.

The Champions League’s annual payments would be cut by 30% under the new agreement if it wasn’t played in two consecutive seasons.

Since its reintroduction in 2018, the club claimed that the new agreement will focus more on the women’s team.

“Adidas and Manchester United are two of the most significant brands in international football, so it is only natural for us to continue our co-operation,” said Bjorn Gulden, the chief executive of Adidas.

Jamaica won their first-ever Fifa Women’s World Cup match as Allyson Swaby’s goal gave them victory over Panama in Perth.

France and Jamaica are joint top of Group F and now face final decisive group matches against Panama and Brazil respectively on Wednesday, 2 August.

Lorne Donaldson’s side, who were without captain Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw after she was sent off in the dying seconds of their goalless draw against France, have shown significant progress since 2019, when they lost all three matches on their only previous tournament appearance.

Atlanta Primus was particularly lively in the first half as Jamaica looked to dominant proceedings, having two shots blocked and firing high over the bar from distance.

Jamaica went even closer when Vyan Sampson struck from the edge of the area looking to curl into the top corner before Panama goalkeeper Yenith Bailey sprung to her right and palmed it behind.

Drew Spence’s curling free-kick just before half-time was also pushed onto the bar by Bailey as Jamaica looked to break the deadlock.

After Swaby finally found a way through, they were then denied a penalty in stoppage time at the end of the second half after the video assistant referee ruled Wendy Natis did not handball to block Drew Spence’s shot.

Meanwhile, debutants Panama are still searching for their first goal in the competition.

Panama captain Marta Cox created her side’s best chances of the match but saw a shot blocked before shooting wide from 12 yards out after seizing on a loose defensive clearance.

Ignacio Quintana’s side piled on the pressure in added time, with Emily Cedeno having a shot blocked following a delivery into the box from Cox, but could not find an equaliser.

Keira Walsh, an English midfielder, claims that under Sarina Wiegman as manager, she feels more accountable on the field.

She helped Barcelona keep their league title by winning the Women’s Champions League in her first season there.

Sarina has been pressuring me to take responsibility, Walsh said.

“Perhaps it’s just a little more coaching and picture-solving on the field.” She wants me to get better at it, even though I wouldn’t say I’m the loudest so it comes naturally to me.

She places more pressure on us on the field and encourages the more seasoned players to coach a little. She is more than happy for us to assist and find solutions if we experience things that she is unable to.

It’s nice to have that responsibility and to be pushed in that direction. She is always willing to let others choose for themselves. ” “

At Manchester City, I was accustomed to it.

Widespread praise has been given to Walsh’s success, but opponents are now aware of her advantages and frequently change their strategies to eliminate her.

She says she experienced this in the Euros when England beat Sweden in the semi-finals, before victory against Germany in the final at Wembley.

Walsh played the full 90 minutes in the Lionesses’ 1-0 victory over Haiti in their opening Women’s World Cup match on Saturday and the midfielder often had two players marking her.

Walsh continued, “I was accustomed to it in Manchester City, and it frequently occurred in the Women’s Super League [WSL].

“I don’t always believe it’s just me,” Since teams now play through midfield, I believe many teams are attempting to stop holding middlemen in general.

Wout van Aert of Jumbo-Visma has left the Tour de France to go back to his wife’s house where she will soon offer delivery.

He also played a significant role in Jonas Vingegaard’s success, who, after taking the lead for more than seven hours, is aiming for his second consecutive Tour victory.

Van Aert stated,” We have decided that my area is now at home after consulting with the group.”

When my wife said she needed me, I always assumed I would return back. The moment has arrived.

Van Aert, who has won nine Tour stages during his career, was favourite to win the second stage but finished second after Frenchman Victor Lafay produced a brilliantly timed attack with 900m to go.

And he came second on stage 15, which also saw a spectator taking a selfie cause a crash involving 20 riders.