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      Wales boss Robert Page still smarting from humiliating 4-2 home Euro 2024 loss to Armenia

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      ROBERT PAGE is still haunted by Wales’ humiliating Euro 2024 qualifying defeat to Armenia in June.The 4-2 summer home Cardiff loss has turned the heat up on Page’s future as the Dragons now face a huge mountain to climb to qualify for the finals in Germany.
      Wales boss Robert Page is under-pressure ahead of must-win Euro 2024 qualifierCredit: AFP
      Ethan Ampadu and Chris Mepham were left shell-shocked by ArmeniaCredit: Rex
      Page knows only a win in the Group D clash with Latvia in Riga on September 11 in Riga will erase those painful memories and keep their Euro dream alive.
      Page said: “It has been a long couple of months. You can’t address and deal with the things that weren’t right.
      “All the players went off on holiday and I had staff meetings and we went through the clips of the game and identified areas we need to address.
      “Armenia wasn’t acceptable and we deserve all the criticism in the world. I take full responsibility.
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      “We don’t want results like we had against Armenia and that’s the one that has haunted me. 
      “It is probably the first test I’ve had. Ever since taking over everything has been rosy.
      “We’ve had success, promotions, qualifications, and this is the first time that I’ve felt time dragging. 
      “I can’t wait and I’ll be putting a positive slant on things when they come into camp because there has been nothing but positivity over the last few years. 
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      “We’ve just had a bad month. The Armenia game is the one that will haunt us. We’ll address it on Sunday night when we meet up.”
      Page received a vote of confidence from Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney despite the shocking result but a section of fans want the 48-year-old out.
      The ex-Watford and Sheffield United centre-back added: “That was nice to hear.
      “But when I took on the job we knew it wasn’t going to happen overnight and we had to manage expectations. 
      “We’ve lost arguably one of the world’s best players in Gareth Bale and some big characters in Chris Gunter and Joe Allen – all significant losses. 
       “I’ve been in football long enough to know how nasty it can get out there on social media. I played until I was 35, so I understand what goes on.
      “I understand the frustration of the supporters but there was nobody more disappointed than me after the Armenia game. 
      “I don’t look at social media and I don’t read any articles from ex-players because it will inevitably cloud your judgement. 
      “When I went into the job at Port Vale after Micky Adams left, I won the first three or four games.
      “Fans were coming on to me and saying that it was the best football we’ve played. They were thanking me but I lost the next two games and it was all ‘get him out’.
      “Inevitably then you are going to be influenced by negativity, and I don’t need that in my life. I just want to remain focused on the job ahead of me and that is getting three points against Latvia. 
      “We’re probably back to where John Toshack was, trying to find the next group coming through, developing and evolving.
      “The remit is to get the next batch of kids through. It is a progression, we are evolving and we need to get caps for these players.
      “I’m going to stick by what I believe in and that’s getting the young players involved. We will give it our best shot. I need to pick a team to go and get us three points in Latvia and we are back on track. ”
      Wales have won just one match – the 1-0 home win over Latvia in March – in their last 12 internationals including a dismal show at last year’s World Cup.
      That has increased the pressure ahead of Thursday’s friendly against South Korea at the Cardiff City Stadium.
      Page said: “There is pressure in every game you play.
      “The reason we are under pressure is because of the expectations we have put on ourselves over the last couple of years and the standards we’ve set.
      “The games we’ve won and the competitions we’ve gone into – getting into the Euros, getting promotion into the Nations League A division and then the World Cup.
      “The one win in 12 is correct as a stat on paper but it frustrates me. 
      “Two games were against Belgium, Netherlands, Poland and we played USA, England and Iran at the World Cup. We have to have common sense looking at the fixtures.
      “We’ve got to appreciate that we’ve Wales. We have had some significant players retire.
      “If we are going to win games we have to manage expectations and defend like we did against Croatia and attack like we did against Latvia.
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      “I want to see a reaction. I want to see us defend. That’s our identity and our foundations.” More

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      England blow as Man City coach hints Jack Grealish will MISS Ukraine and Scotland games through injury

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      MANCHESTER CITY star Jack Grealish may miss England’s upcoming matches against Ukraine and Scotland.Grealish did not feature in City’s 5-1 Premier League victory over Fulham at the Etihad due to a thigh injury.
      Manchester City star Jack Grealish suffered a thigh injuryCredit: Getty
      Man City stand-in boss Juanma Lillo claimed Grealish may miss England’s next matchesCredit: Rex
      And the Citizens’ stand-in manager Juanma Lillo, who’s filling in for Pep Guardiola as the head coach continues to recover from minor back surgery, dealt England boss Gareth Southgate a further blow.
      Lillo admitted during his post-match press conference that it is “going to be difficult” for Grealish to be fit in time for the Three Lions’ next matches.
      Southgate’s men take on Ukraine next Saturday in a Euro 2024 qualifier in Poland.
      England will the square off against Scotland in an international friendly at Hampden Park three days later.
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      However, Southgate might have to make an adjustment to his attack with Grealish posing as a doubt.
      This also poses as a blow for City, who are currently dealing with a minor injury crisis themselves.
      The Treble winners’ captain Kevin de Bruyne has been sidelined with a hamstring injury and could be out for the rest of the year.
      John Stones is also shelved due to a hip injury he suffered before the start of the campaign.
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      And Stones is expected to be unavailable until after the international break.
      The same goes for City manager Guardiola, who looks set to return to the dugout on September 16.
      That is when the reigning Premier League champions travel to West Ham. More

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      Newcastle star switches international allegiance as he’s called up for Scotland despite playing for England U19s

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      ELLIOT ANDERSON has switched his international allegiance away from England.The Newcastle youngster played for the England U19s side in 2021.
      Elliot Anderson has switched his national allegiance to ScotlandCredit: Rex
      Scotland boss Steve Clarke said Anderson’s decision came after ‘good’ talksCredit: Getty
      Anderson, 20, had previously featured for Scotland’s youth teams before his brief stint with England.
      However, he changed back to Scotland and played for the nation’s U21s side.
      The Magpies ace has now made his final decision over his future allegiance after being called up to the senior side.
      Anderson will be in the Scotland squad for the Euro 2024 qualifier in Cyprus next month.
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      He will also be available for a friendly match against England at Hampden Park.
      Scotland coach Steve Clarke insisted that the decision came after he held “good discussions,” which led to his choice being made.
      Clarke said: “He had a little think about choosing between Scotland and England.
      “Elliot has been through the under-age groups with Scotland, he is one we have had an eye on.
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      “We had some good discussions with the boy and his family and he has chosen to come with us, which is good for us now and certainly good for us in the future.”
      Scotland are in a good position to qualify for Euro 2024 as they currently sit top of Group A.
      Clarke’s side have won four out of four matches, including a 2-0 win over Spain and a 2-1 victory over Norway.
      They are currently eight points clear at the top ahead of Norway and Georgia. More

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      SunSport assesses where it has all gone wrong for the Dragons and Robert Page in Euro 2024 qualifiers

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      WALES’ disastrous back-to-back Euro 2024 defeats have all but ended their hopes of automatic qualification for Germany.Successive June losses to Armenia (2-4) and Turkey (2-0) has left the dismal Dragons fourth in Group D with furious fans now calling for under-fire boss Robert Page to be sacked.
      Wales midfielder Joe Morrell was sent off in Monday’s 2-0 qualifying defeat to TurkeyCredit: Viaplay
      The Dragons lost twice this month, starting with the shambolic 4-2 defeat to Armenia in Cardiff last FridayCredit: Rex
      At the halfway stage of qualification, Wales are five points behind leaders Turkey with Armenia and Croatia also above them despite the World Cup semi-finalists playing two matches less.
      Here, SunSport’s Phil Cadden assesses where it has all gone wrong for Wales and Page…
      RESULTS
      Wales had a positive start to this Euros campaign with four points in March but that only papered over widening cracks.
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      The Dragons have won just once – a 1-0 home victory over Latvia – in their last 12 matches.
      That Cardiff win was also their only clean sheet in this alarming slump.
      Since a 4-0 hammering to Denmark at Euro 2020 two summers ago, Wales have won just six of their subsequent 24, the other wins coming against Belarus twice, Estonia, Austria and Ukraine. 
      To Page’s credit, he took over in difficult circumstances following Ryan Giggs’ arrest in 2020 and guided Wales to last November’s World Cup – a first global appearance since 1958.
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      Another factor for some of the recent woeful run has been fixtures against superior opposition after being promoted to League A of the Nations League.
      But, in truth, results and performances have been on the slide for some time and without the retired superstar Gareth Bale and Joe Allen there are major concerns over the quality and strength in depth of the team.
      TACTICS
      Page’s flops picked up just one point and scored once – a Bale penalty versus USA – in three group matches in Qatar.
      The 48-year-old made changes as Nick Davies and Eric Ramsay replaced Tony Strudwick and Kit Symons on the coaching staff while Aaron Ramsey replaced Bale as captain.
      But little has changed.
      The shambolic 4-2 defeat to Armenia exposed Welsh weaknesses of defensive vulnerability and being overrun in midfield. 
      In Wales’ success under Chris Coleman, Giggs and Page’s early tenure, they played with a five-man defence and were difficult to beat through graft and team spirit plus Bale’s brilliance. 
      Page’s side must be better defensively to compete with Europe’s elite, they lack leaders and the age-old issue of not enough players playing in the Premier League.
      While Brennan Johnson has impressed in the top-flight, he doesn’t have the X-factor all-time record goal scorer and cap-holder Bale had.
      DISCIPLINE
      Three red cards in Wales’ last six internationals points to ill-discipline. Wayne Hennessey was dismissed against Iran for a karate-kick on Mehdi Taremi.
      Kieffer Moore was red carded after he kicked out at Armenia goalkeeper Ognjen Chancharevich,
      And then Joe Morrell was sent off for an ugly studs-up challenge on Turkey’s Ferdi Kadioglu.
      All three red cards were naive and poor decision-making.
      QUALIFICATION
      Page is spinning the line Wales must win all of their four remaining matches – Latvia away, Croatia home, Armenia away, Turkey home, to secure a top-two finish.
      But that seems impossible based on their rank form. 
      The Dragons have not put four victories together since Giggs’ side in September 2020.
      Wales started that run with wins over Azerbaijan and Hungary in November 2019 to reach Euro 2020.
      Then success followed in the Nations League over Finland and Bulgaria 11 months later behind closed doors during Covid.
      Remarkably, Wales could still qualify for Germany via a play-off courtesy of their previous Nations League record.
      A home semi against Estonia next March is a possibility.
      However, Wales aren’t winning enough matches to generate confidence.
      PAGE’S FUTURE
      The Football Association of Wales rewarded Page with a four-year deal last September after booking their World Cup place.
      But Dragons fans have had enough and hammered chief executive Noel Mooney with ‘Page Out’ posts in reply to his tweet from the stands in Samsun on Monday night.
      Coleman and Giggs also received criticism after poor results but former FAW chief Jonathan Ford stood firm.
      Now Mooney as well as the FAW board and council members have a big decision to make.
      Stick with Page or make a change ahead of the autumn?
      Ex-Wales defender Danny Gabbidon reckons Page should be given the chance to finish off the campaign.
      Coleman’s former-assistant Osian Roberts was asked after the Turkey defeat if he would consider a return should a vacancy arise and he said: “Who knows. In the future, you can never tell.”
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      SunSport understands the ex-Crystal Palace No2 plans to follow Patrick Vieira in his next managerial post, with Leeds keen on the France World Cup winner.
      Ex-Wales skipper Ashley Williams could also be a short-term option if the FAW axe Page. More

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      Bizarre refereeing decision leaves England fans baffled as Uefa accused of acting like ‘a charity’

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      ENGLAND fans were left utterly confused following their side’s 7-0 win over North Macedonia on Monday evening.Gareth Southgate’s men raced into a 3-0 half-time lead at Old Trafford thanks to goals from Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford.
      England fans were confused about a decision at the end of their comfortable winCredit: Channel 4
      Bukayo Saka bagged his first England hat-trick at Old Trafford on Monday eveningCredit: Getty
      After the break, two more from Saka completed the Arsenal man’s hat-trick.
      Kane helped himself to a second from the penalty spot and Kalvin Phillips also got his name on the scoresheet.
      As well as the stoppages for the four goals and spot kick, there were also 10 substitutions made in the second period.
      Yet despite all of those breaks in play, referee Istvan Kovacs did not play ANY added time at the end of the 90 minutes.
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      It left Three Lions supporters baffled as they took to social media to comment on the rather bizarre decision.
      One said: “I think we can all agree the biggest takeaway from England 7-0 North Macedonia was 0 minutes being added on after four goals, a penalty and ten substitutions.
      “You’re not a charity, Uefa.”
      Another added: “I actually rang in the radio once to ask about this, why do they only add on the exact minutes if the game is tight? What if I had a bet on 8-0?
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      “It’s mental how some rules are just ignored.”
      A third replied: “They genuinely make it up. A game with one goal in it and you’re guaranteed 4 minutes or more added on.”
      While a fourth jokingly responded: “I’m gonna be fuming If it goes down to goal difference.”
      England’s win over North Macedonia maintains their 100 per cent record in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. More

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      Spain fans boo OWN PLAYER during Nations League parade as they leave team-mates astonished with inflammatory chant

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      SPAIN fans booed Barcelona wonderkid Gavi during his victory speech after winning the Nations League.A tense final saw Spain beat Croatia 5-4 on penalties after the match ended 0-0 at the end of extra-time.
      Gavi was booed by his own fans despite winning the Nations LeagueCredit: Reuters
      Gavi started in the final against CroatiaCredit: EPA
      It is Spain’s first trophy since winning Euro 2012Credit: Getty
      Gavi started the game in a number 10 role but was taken off before extra-time, so did not take a penalty.
      After the game Spain’s players enjoyed a victory parade and midfielder Fabian Ruiz pushed Gavi forward to speak to the crowd.
      The 18-year-old began to address the fans before a small section of them quickly interrupted him by booing and chanting: “Barca b****, Barca b****.”
      Gavi was taken aback by the reaction, with Spain captain and his Barcelona team-mate Jordi Alba also looking shocked.
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      Despite the backlash Gavi continued to speak to the fans and thanked them for their support.
      He said: “Good afternoon, everyone. I’m going to be brief.
      “I wanted to thank all the Spaniards and all the fans who have supported us in these two games, which would not have been possible without them and we will be eternally grateful. Long live Spain.”
      Gavi is one of the most highly-rated youngsters in the world and that is reflected by his market value of £150million – which places him in the top ten most valuable players.
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      He already has 21 caps for Spain and his performances for club and country have seen him attract significant transfer interest.
      Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool have all expressed an interest in signing Gavi, who could be available on a free transfer if Barcelona are unable to register him as a first-team player.
      Gavi recently signed a new long-term contract which includes a £870million release clause.
      But cash-strapped Barcelona have been unable to register the youngster due to their financial woes.
      Despite that Gavi has reiterated his desire to stay at the club, revealing it is his dream to play for Barca.
      He said: “I want all of you to be calm on my future… I’m very calm.
      “Since I was little I’ve wanted to stay at Barca. It’s my dream club, I always say it.
      “Don’t worry, let everyone be calm.” More

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      Erling Haaland could slump to THIRD in Ballon d’Or as fans call for Man City team-mate to beat Messi to gong

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      MANCHESTER CITY superstar Erling Haaland could drop to third in the Ballon d’Or rankings despite his record-breaking exploits.Haaland led City to a Treble as he became the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer in a single campaign and topped the Champions League charts, while also dominating the FA Cup.
      Manchester City star Erling Haaland could finish third in the Ballon d’or rankingsCredit: Getty
      Fans prefer Haaland’s Manchester City team-mate Rodri for the Ballon d’Or awardCredit: Rex
      Lionel Messi could also win the award after leading Argentina to the World CupCredit: Getty
      However, fans believe one of the star striker’s City team-mates deserves the Ballon d’Or more than Pep Guardiola’s goal machine.
      And that is none other than Rodri, who added the Nations League to his trophy case on Sunday.
      The midfielder helped Spain beat Croatia on penalties after a goalless draw in the final at De Kuip.
      The 26-year-old put together another man-of-the-match performance in a final shortly after scoring City’s winner against Inter Milan to seal the club’s first ever Champions League trophy.
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      And Rodri’s exploits could see him cut some of Haaland’s votes for the 2023 Ballon d’Or.
      The Norway international poses as a favourite, while Lionel Messi is hoping for an eighth award after leading Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar.
      But Rodri’s success could slump Haaland to third place following mass praise from the fans.
      One fan tweeted: “Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, Nations League. MOTM awards in multiple finals. Rodri has completed football this season.”
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      Another commented: “All timer season by a DM. Rodri deserves to be on that Ballon d’Or podium.”
      A third posted: “If Jorginho made top 3 in the Ballon D’or in 2021, then Rodri should be winning the Ballon D’or for winning the treble and winning the Nations League… Uncomfortable conversations.”
      This fan wrote: “Rodri is a better contender for the Ballon D’or than Messi.”
      And that one stated: “It has been a good 2022/2023-season for Rodri. A Ballon d’Or worthy season.” More

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      Man City flop makes history as he becomes first man to win all THREE international trophies available

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      A FORMER Manchester City man has become the first player to win all three international trophies available.Spain wrapped up the Uefa Nations League title against Croatia on Sunday evening.
      Spain were crowned Nations League champions in SundayCredit: Getty
      A tense 0-0 draw was followed by a penalty shootout, with La Roja prevailing 5-4 thanks to two saves from Unai Simon.
      That ended Spain’s 11-year trophy drought stretching back to Euro 2012.
      And it also secured an incredible treble for the man who started at right-back against the Croats.
      Jesus Navas was part of the Spain squad that won the World Cup in 2010.
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      He made three appearances in South Africa, including playing extra-time in the final victory over Holland when Andres Iniesta scored the only goal.
      Two years later, the Sevilla legend was a frequent substitute as Spain defended their European Championships crown – with Navas even scoring the winner against Croatia in their final group game.
      He was axed for the World Cup in 2014 and then went almost six years without playing for Spain before returning as a 33-year-old for the Euro 2020 qualifiers.
      And three years on from his most-recent cap, now aged 37, new boss Luis de la Fuente called up Navas for the Nations League finals.
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      The veteran started at right-back in the semi-final win over Italy and kept his place for the final.
      Despite all his success for Sevilla and Spain, though, Navas did not hit the same heights with his performances at the Etihad.
      He managed eight goals in 183 City appearances between 2013 and 2017, winning the Premier League in his first season and two League Cups.
      But he returned to Sevilla after four seasons in Manchester where he has remained a constant for the Europa League champions.
      For two current Manchester City stars, meanwhile, the Nations League secured the fourth leg of a superb Quadruple in 2022-23.
      Aymeric Laporte and Rodri added the international gong to their Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League winners’ medals.
      Jesus Navas was all smiles after his third international trophyCredit: Getty
      Navas was part of the Euro 2012 victorious sideCredit: PA:Empics Sport More