Doohan cuts holiday short for Scotland
Free agent goalkeeper Ross Doohan, 27, cut short his holiday to join up with the Scotland squad for Monday's friendly with Liechtenstein. (Scotsman - subscription required), externalLiechtenstein head coach Konrad Funfstuck wishes he "had those kind of problems" as he laughed off Scotland's goalkeeping crisis. (Sun), externalLewis Ferguson insists there will be no panic from Scotland as they take on Liechtenstein in Vaduz three days on from losing at home to Iceland. (Herald - subscription required), externalRead Monday's Scottish gossip
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BBC News
27 minutes ago
- BBC News
'My jaw hit the floor' - McGovern tells of first Scotland start
As season's go, Kathleen McGovern has had a good goals in Hibernian's SWPL-title-winning campaign earned her a much-deserved first Scotland call-up for the final two Nations League may have missed the initial phone call, twice, but that didn't detract head coach Melissa Andreatta from starting the 22-year-old at Hampden in her first game in an "exciting" first week in camp, McGovern, ended it with a "dream" debut at the national stadium."I was really taken back," the forward told Hibs' club media. "I didn't even expect to really play."I didn't believe it when people were telling me that it looked like I was going to start. The team came out and I felt my jaw hit the floor a bit. I was like, this is reality, I'm starting at Hampden."I just had to try and control my emotions. I was excited and I couldn't even get to sleep. I just couldn't wait for the game to come, knowing that my family were there at the game, and to start at the national stadium. It's been a dream of mine since I was young."To make my debut at Hampden was special, because it was in front of the fans, and I was trying to give a good account of myself to show why I deserved to be there. It was just amazing."If that wasn't good enough, the striker started again four days later in Tilburg and netted her first Scotland goal on just her second appearance."I actually still don't think I had processed my debut," she added."I knew the second game was going to be a lot harder as the chances would come few and far between. I just tried to get myself in the right areas."I just remember peeling off the defender, just trying to get in front of her and obviously Emma [Lawton] played in a great pass. I just knew that I had to get contact on it."It felt silent in the stadium because it was all Netherlands fans. There was no noise at all. Then I looked at the lineswoman and obviously saw that her flag was down. I thought, 'Wow, I've just scored.'"That was really nice, just to celebrate with the girls on the pitch. To walk away with the draw, when we actually could have won the game, was just excellent. It showed how far we had come in the camp."To score my first goal. It really topped off a great season at club and national team level, as well. I was just grateful for the opportunity. I learned a lot and hopefully it was the first of many."
The Sun
43 minutes ago
- The Sun
Erik ten Hag tried to STOP Man Utd signing Antony but club ‘pushed £86million transfer through at all costs'
ERIK TEN HAG tried to block Manchester United from signing mega-money flop Antony, according to a sensational claim. Antony, 25, joined the Red Devils in 2022 for £85.5million in Ten Hag 's first summer at the club to follow the manager directly from Ajax. 2 The Old Trafford outfit originally did not want to pay as much for the star. However, according to widespread reports, Man Utd only pushed ahead with the deal after being encouraged by Ten Hag to complete it when he lost his first two games in charge. Then Man Utd chief John Murtough submitted three bids to take Antony from the Dutch giants, which was eventually accepted. And after a bright start, Antony failed to live up to his billing and quickly became a scapegoat for Ten Hag's failings as a Man Utd boss. The Brazilian eventually lost his place in the starting XI in his second season before he was sent out on loan to Real Betis halfway through his third season with Man Utd. Ten Hag now manages Bayer Leverkusen and has been linked with the winger once again. But in a stunning claim from Kees Vos, co-founder of Sports Entertainment Group (SEG) who are Ten Hag's agency, he says Ten Hag actually tried to BLOCK the move, with Man Utd being the ones wanting to "push it through at all costs". Writing in the book, Liverpool and the Dutch, Vos claims: "Ten Hag and Vos were not in favour of this and wanted to stop the transfer. "But the club wanted to push through at all costs, because Arsenal was also interested in Antony. "The risk of a stronger competitor would be great. Ultimately, Manchester United paid almost 100 million euros for Antony. 'With you, I started to smile again' - Tearful Antony announces Real Betis exit "Although Ten Hag did not support this transfer, it stuck with him throughout his entire time in Manchester that he took over the attacker from Ajax for this ill-fated amount, who was never able to fulfil his promise." Overall, Antony scored just 12 goals and added five assists in 96 games for the Red Devils and was often ridiculed for his flagrant skills which often yielded no end product. His loan at La Liga club Betis reminded people of skills as he contributed to 14 goals in 26 games. Man Utd chiefs are reportedly willing to take a hit worth more than half of what they originally paid in order to get him off the books, with a figure of around £40m being reported. SunSport have also revealed how Ten Hag's Bayer are considering a move for Jack Grealish after he was told his Manchester City career is over.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Alcaraz's ridiculous victory over Sinner sets tone for next decade of rivalry at top of tennis
Five hours into the madness, when their legs should have been fading and sanity departing, the miraculous French Open final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner ascended to even greater heights. So much had already happened. For a long time, Alcaraz had been dominated with the same ruthless efficiency Sinner reserved for the rest of the field and he soon stared into the abyss, trailing triple championship point at 3-5, 0-40 in the fourth set. That moment would instead mark the beginning of Alcaraz's unprecedented, preposterous comeback as he completely turned the match around. He soon closed in on victory, leading by a break in the fifth set against a weary opponent. With his back to the wall, time running out, Sinner produced a transcendent return game as Alcaraz served for the title at 5-4 to draw level again. In their delirium, desperation meeting sheer ambition, the moment elicited the best of both players. Having invested so much time and effort into their pursuit of this title, they simply had no choice but to abjure all thoughts from their minds and swing as freely as possible. The frenzied final games of the 2025 French Open final will go down as one of the greatest stretches of play in the history of grand slam championship matches. In the end, the suffocating pressure imposed by Sinner inspired Alcaraz to elevate his own level to wondrous heights. Despite how rapidly he has built an all-time great career, Alcaraz has had his own struggles on the court. His game is so complete and he has so many more options at his disposal than any adversary, but this can also play tricks on his mind. At its worst, he plays disordered and chaotic tennis. He goes for overzealous, low percentage shots and his impulsiveness takes over. Occasionally, he hits himself off the court. Just as he can bulldoze any opponent on any day, he is also capable of taking a straight sets loss to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round of the US Open, as he did last year. In tennis, however, success means rising up in the most important moments. Beyond Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, nobody thrives under those circumstances like Alcaraz. His ability to find order after his game was in total disarray seconds earlier is remarkable. Alcaraz knows his quality and he believes his potential is boundless. He tackles those tough moments with the full belief that he can always find a path to victory regardless of the obstacle before him. Down triple championship point Alcaraz was still reassuring his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero: 'He was love-40 in the fourth, 5-3, and he looks at me and still make me like this [shaking] the racket, saying: 'I'm still here,' said Ferrero. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion Even though still at the start of his career, Alcaraz is starting to have a record for winning tight matches than few other players in the game's history can rival. He trailed Alexander Zverev by two sets to one before turning the match around in last year's final. He improbably found a path to victory in his breathless 2023 Wimbledon win against Djokovic. This comeback victory over Sinner had been preceded by another win from match point down in their 2022 US Open quarter-final before Alcaraz won the title. He is now the second player in history, after Djokovic, to win multiple major titles from match point down and he is a perfect 5-0 in major finals. He is only 22. By defending his French Open title, Alcaraz is the third youngest men's player to win five grand slam titles. It has been obvious for years that Alcaraz has set himself on a path to becoming one of the greats but only time will determine if he has the longevity to come at all close to the generation that preceded him. As Alcaraz and Sinner pushed each other to the limits of their powers, the spectacle on Sunday night underlined the important role they will each play in their rival's career. This was the first grand slam final between Alcaraz, a five-time champion, and Sinner, a three-time champion, who have now equally split the last six major titles between them. There has been so much hype around this rivalry for years and both players felt the significance of the match-up. Still, after decades of dominance by Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer, and the many classics they played between them, the standard they set for greatness is so tough to reach. It was reasonable to accept that the new generation might not be able to immediately live up to those high standards. Instead, in a tournament that began with Nadal's elaborate farewell ceremony and saw an emotional Djokovic admit he is unsure about whether he will return to Paris next year, Alcaraz and Sinner used the occasion to play one of the greatest grand slam finals of all time, affirming their status as leaders in this new era of men's tennis to the world and setting the tone for what could be a decade at the top of the sport. These matches will make them better, the minuscule margins between them inspiring them to constantly improve and work on their games. Even as they tussle across borders and surfaces, their combined greatness will also help them to stay more than a step ahead of the rest.
