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Euro 2024: Scotland battle to earn a point

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Scotland 1 - 1 Switzerland Scotland entered this match with one aim: to avoid being sent home with regrets.  A loss in Cologne would have left them needing unlikely help from other groups, even if they managed to beat Hungary in Stuttgart on Sunday. Now, Scotland know a win against Hungary would bring them to a four-point total, likely enough to secure a coveted spot in the tournament knockout stages for the first time. The Scots bounced back admirably from their 5-1 thrashing by Germany. However, as the dust settles on this thrilling encounter, they may felt they deserved more. Just 102 seconds in, John McGinn won Scotland a corner, showing more attacking intent than in their painful loss in Munich on Friday. Scott McTominay took the set-piece, but it was deflected by a defender. Euro 2024 news and stories  Scotland's breakthrough came from a Swiss corner. The Swiss hesitated after taking it short, allowing Scotland to counter. Billy Gilmour, back in the starting lineup, calml

Premier League: Palace stun Liverpool again

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 Liverpool 0 - 1 Crystal Palace  Crystal Palace have done it against Liverpool again.  Older fans of the London club would have been taken back to the 1990 FA Cup semi-final. Younger fans would have been remembering that stunning comeback from 3-0 down in 2014 that wrecked their title chances. What is it about Palace and destroying Liverpool's trophy dreams? The reaction to the final whistle suggested that this was a hugely damaging week for Liverpool. Jürgen Klopp congratulated his opponent on a Crystal Palace victory that has reverberated at both ends of the table before puffing out his cheeks and shaking his head in despair.  At the end of the match, Andy Robertson looked like he was in a trance. The home fans filed out of Anfield in total silence. In a title race with the tightest margins, Liverpool have blinked first.  Arsenal, would of course, blink later on in the day. This ultimately makes it advantage for Manchester City. It's starting to look like the pressure is

Friendly: England triumph over old rivals

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 Scotland 1 - 3 England In a raucous Hampden Park friendly, England continued their modern-day superiority over Scotland.  Scots last won this fixture in 1999, but hopes of a 42nd win appeared ominously faint as Phil Foden's opener silenced the stadium before Jude Bellingham added a second. A shaken Scotland eventually awoke the home crowd as Harry Maguire sent Andy Robertson's cross screeching beyond Aaron Ramsdale. A mesmerizing Bellingham assist enabled Harry Kane to score England's third as a result of England's classy play and intricate movement. Top of their European Championship qualifying group with five wins from five and facing an England team held by Ukraine on Saturday , Steve Clarke spoke before the match about the desire to see how much his team had narrowed the gap between themselves and England. An almost ruthless first half from Gareth Southgate's team offered a sobering reply. After a slick, composed and controlled performance, the visitors des

Premier League: West Ham hold Liverpool to a draw

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West Ham United 2 - 2 Liverpool  Liverpool's title hopes were dented again after Michail Antonio scored to rescue a point for West Ham at the London Stadium. Jarrod Bowen opened the scoring just before the break when he rose highest to meet Mohammed Kudus' cross. At this point, Liverpool were showing little evidence that their Merseyside derby loss in midweek had done much in the way of spurring them on. Klopp's side were much improved in the second half and Andy Robertson equalised when he scored from Luis Diaz's low pass into the penalty area. Liverpool were then rewarded again for their pressure when Cody Gakpo's effort from a corner deflected off Angelo Ogbonna, Tomas Soucek and Alphonse Areola before finding the back of the net. Antonio's fine header put the Hammers back on level terms two minutes before Liverpool brought on Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian couldn't win the game for Liverpool and appeared to have fallen out with the manager.  You can w

World Cup qualifying: Scotland 3 - 2 Israel

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A later winner from Scott McTominay sparked incredible scenes at Hampden Park to keep Scotland on course for the World Cup qualifying play-offs. The Manchester United midfielder bundled in his first goal for his national team after Eran Zahavi's free-kick and a Munas Dabbur finish twice had the visitors ahead in a thrilling contest. You can watch the highlights in the video below. What did Steve Clarke say? The Scotland manager told media outlets: "I told them at half-time - if you do want to lose the game, you're doing it in the perfect fashion. "The talk at half-time was really just - we have to play it our way. We have to play with more tempo, a little bit more ambition, control the game better and we did that from the start of the second half more or less to the 96th minute. We got our reward." The Hampden roar The scenes in the ground after the winning goal were incredible and many Scotland fans celebrated like they had won the World Cup. Who can blame th

Euro 2024: Scotland knocked out after heartbreaking defeat

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Scotland 0 - 1 Hungary Scotland had needed a win to secure a spot in the knockout stage of a major tournament for the first time. Hungary kept their hopes alive with a win. The match had seemed destined to end in a frustrating, goalless draw until Hungary scored a 100th-minute winner. Frankly, neither team looked deserving of a place in the last 16 based on their performances. Scotland struggled to make an impact. Hungary's attacks usually fizzled out 25 yards from goal until stoppage time, when the game took on a frenetic pace.  Steve Clarke and the Tartan Army would have been left gutted by the outcome, but the harsh truth is that over the three games, they fell short of the required standard. Scotland had vowed to have learned from their Euros experience three years ago. They fell just short again. There are now bigger, more longer-term questions and problems that need solving by the Scottish FA. A closer look at what happened in Stuggart Despite the nerve-wracking tens

Premier League reaction: City and Liverpool title race goes to the last minute

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Let's explore a dramatic final day in the Premier League title race This video from ESPN UK explores everything that went on across the league.  ESPN UK - YouTube Manchester City 3 - 2 Aston Villa  Manchester City staged a late comeback with three goals in five minutes to beat Aston Villa and win the Premier League. Pep Guardiola's side needed a win to secure their fourth title in five seasons, but were facing the prospect of ending the season empty-handed as goals either side of the interval from Matty Cash and Philippe Coutinho put Villa 2-0 ahead and in control. It looked as if Villa manager Steven Gerrard might help his former club Liverpool secure the title, until City turned the game on its head in an atmosphere bordering on hysteria. Ilkay Gundogan gave City hope with a far-post header in the 76th minute. Etihad Stadium was a wall of noise when Rodri drove a low finish past Villa keeper Robin Olsen two minutes later. The highlights of the match can be found in the vide

International Friendly: Scotland eventually triumph against Gibraltar

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Gibraltar 0 - 2 Scotland With the squad enduring a seven-game winless streak and grappling with injuries, it took Scotland until the 58th minute to break the deadlock against the world’s 203rd ranked team. Ryan Christie finally opened the scoring, lashing the ball home just before the hour mark in frustration. Che Adams added a decisive second goal late on, securing a much-needed, if uninspiring, win in Portugal. The 2,000 travelling Scotland fans shouldn’t have had to wait so long for their team to score, given the volume of chances created against their lowly opponents. Grant Hanley and James Forrest, in particular, squandered golden opportunities, while Christie and Kenny McLean also could have done better inside the box. Iconic Euros Moments: Throwback to England v Scotland (1996)  ECQ: Scotland shock Spain ECQ: Spain and Scotland qualify for Euro 2024 By half-time, Scotland had registered 20 shots, most from inside the penalty area, but hit the target only twice. Gibraltar, me

Euro 2024 preview: Can Scotland do more than just boogie

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"Yes sir, I can boogie..." Can Scotland achieve what they've never done before by advancing from the group stage in a major tournament? After successfully qualifying from a challenging group that included Spain and Norway, hopes were high for such an achievement. However, Steve Clarke’s team then endured a run of seven games without a win (before a hard-fought victory against Gibraltar). While defeats to France, England, the Netherlands, and Spain were expected, losing to Northern Ireland was more concerning. For the first time in a while, the team appeared deflated. This dip in confidence might not be entirely detrimental. Overconfident Scots often struggle. In 1978, the team left for the World Cup amid great fanfare but failed to deliver. Clarke has assembled a capable side that should believe they can finish above Hungary and Switzerland, though they still lag behind the group’s standout team, Germany, in terms of overall ability. ECQ: Scotland shock Spain (eur