Sport

Head coach Christian Ilzer is the man who has implemented that philosophy on the pitch, pushing his team to play “dominant, aggressive, attacking football” and looking to win the ball back quickly. When he arrived in 2020, the goal was to bring down a “league giant” in Red Bull Salzburg. “On the one hand it was teamwork, very good coordination …

Pembrokeshire-born Allen was a highly influential figure for Wales before retiring, winning 74 caps and earning a place in Uefa’s team of the tournament at Euro 2016 as Wales reached the semi-finals. He said in the lead-up to Euro 2024 – which Wales ended up missing after a play-off defeat by Poland – that he would “never say no” to …

In a word, Celtic were soft. Many of the goals had their origins in players losing the plot in possession. Daizen Maeda did it; Alastair Johnston did it; Auston Trusty did it. Three different Celtic players did it within seconds of each other in the lead-up to the seventh goal. The “acid test” Rodgers called this. “For us, it’s looking …

Havertz may be flourishing in front of goal now, but his finishing is a world away from when he first arrived in England to sign for Chelsea in 2020. Signed by then Blues boss Frank Lampard, he arrived as an attacking midfielder but during his time at Stamford Bridge he also played as a false nine and as a centre-forward …

Dutchman Wessel Nijman claimed his first Players Championship title after an 8-5 victory over Stephen Bunting on the first of three days of action in Wigan. The 24-year-old is back on the tour after serving a suspension for breaching betting and anti-corruption rules. He was banned for five years in October 2020, but half of the ban was suspended and …

For the first time, there are three English clubs competing in the Women’s Champions League group stages, with Arsenal and Manchester City joining Chelsea. Uefa regulations state clubs from the same national member associations cannot face each other in the group stage, while the two highest seeds must play on alternative evenings. “It makes no sense to me why they …

John McGinn and Scott McKenna will both miss Scotland’s Nations League double header against Croatia and Portugal through injury but goalkeeper Craig Gordon has returned to the group. McGinn, 29, is expected to miss three or four weeks with a hamstring strain picked up in Aston Villa’s victory over Wolves last month and, unusually, is forced to sit out an …

McNally has also overcome health scares to continue his career. He was playing for London Irish when he suffered a minor stroke in October 2017 following a Premiership defeat by Saracens. It was caused by a hole in his heart and he had surgery to correct the condition, known as Patent Foramen Ovale, before returning to action a few months …

It’s been a dozen years since Celtic defied expectation and won a Champions League game of this magnitude. ‘Watt’s the story, Celtic’s glory’ and all of that. That win against Barcelona in Glasgow, secured by a young Tony Watt, was a footballing miracle built on four attempts on goal to Barca’s 18 and on 16% possession to Barca’s 86%, but …

Now, Larne’s European dreams are set to become a reality. It will be a tough test as they balance a first European campaign with a stacked domestic schedule, with their league defence and cup ties also on the cards. First up, it’s a trip to Molde on 3 October. The Norwegians, who lost to Glenavon in 2018, are third in …