Cup

Match of the Day pundits Nedum Onuoha, Stephen Warnock, and Rory Smith look at the impact Harry Kane and Trent Alexander-Arnold had on the Champions League quarter-final first leg between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

MATCH REPORT: Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich

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Scotland supporters will be hoping that the prices for their games against Haiti and Morocco will come down.

But the final group game against Brazil is likely to be in high demand.

Like England, Scotland are expected to have a high number of travelling fans who will look to secure tickets late.

For now, the price of the 2,937 tickets listed is broadly in line with the England matches.

The cheapest resale ticket is for the first match against Haiti in Boston. A $400 (£304) ticket is listed for a total resale cost of $690 (£524).

Again, the category four tickets are hugely inflated. Only one is available, with an asking price of $2,875 ($2,185) from an original price of $70 (£53).

Morocco is slightly more expensive, with a category two ticket priced at $805 (£612) from a face value of $430 (£327).

The resale prices for the Brazil fixture in Miami are eye-watering.

The cheapest available is in category three and has an asking price of $1,150 (£874), when it cost just $310 (£236) at the ballot stage.

For category one, the lowest listed is at $2,253 (£1,713) from a face value of $700 (£532).

The price of one ticket goes as high as £143,750 (£109,250).

Mauricio Pochettino said last month that he plans to take the U.S. national team to the semifinals of this summer’s World Cup. If that’s the case, he’d better buy tickets because there’s no way the Americans are getting to that game on the field.

In its two March friendlies, the U.S. was blitzed by Belgium 5-2 and Portugal 2-0. By way of comparison, Mexico played the same two teams, in reverse order, to draws.

But wait, it gets worse. Because from the smoldering ruins of that mess, Pochettino has less than two months to choose a roster for the World Cup, a tournament U.S. Soccer has been pointing to for eight years.

Yet the March friendlies raised more questions than they answered — and it’s too late to start over.

“Right now, it’s just not enough,” DaMarcus Beasley, a four-time World Cup player, told TNT Sports. “We want to see these players compet[ing] and creating chances and being hard to play against every single match. Right now, it’s not happening.”

Pochettino ran the March training camp like an audition rather than settling on a starting 11 and trying to win games. He experimented with Tim Weah at outside back, where he has played for his club teams, and tried unsuccessfully to shake Christian Pulisic out of a career-long scoreless streak by playing him as a striker.

But he seems unable to solve some of the core issues plaguing the team. The U.S., which hasn’t posted a clean sheet since September, has become an error-prone mess on defense, with Pochettino’s wide, attack-minded approach revealing a structural fragility that has left the Americans’ thin back line exposed.

Consider the two goals in the Portugal loss. The first came after a turnover at midfield that led to a lightning-quick counterattack and the second on a poorly defended corner in which the Americans kept seven players in the six-yard box, leaving João Félix all alone at the top of the penalty area.

Behind the defense, no one has stepped up to seize the starting job in goal. Matt Turner, so spectacular four years ago in Qatar, gave up as many goals as he made saves against Belgium. And while Matt Freese was markedly better against Portugal, that was just his 14th international start.

Those are just the lowlights of the myriad issues facing Pochettino’s team.

Pulisic, the talisman who was supposed to carry the U.S., has gone cold. He hasn’t scored for the U.S. since November 2024 and hasn’t scored for his club team, AC Milan, this year. So Pochettino used him as a No. 9 against Portugal, a role Pulisic has made clear he does not like.

Christian Pulisic, left, controls the ball during an international friendly against Portugal on March 31.

(Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)

It didn’t work, with Pulisic extending his goal-less streak to 15 games for club and country.

Tyler Adams, the captain in Qatar, has been saddled by injury and hasn’t played for the national team since September; right back Sergiño Dest, who started all four games in Qatar, is also hurt; center back Tim Ream, at 38, suddenly looks his age; and Gio Reyna, who has been unable to win a starting job on three teams in two countries since Qatar, nonetheless keeps getting called to the national team with little affect.

In the middle of it all is Pochettino, the highest-paid coach in U.S. Soccer history, who, despite a stellar resume as a club coach, has failed to find a consistent winning formula on the international level. In its 18 months under Pochettino, the national team has gone 11-2-1 against teams outside the FIFA top 25 and just 2-7-1 against teams ranked 25th or higher, according to ESPN. It has also lost eight consecutive games to European rivals.

Guess which kinds of teams the U.S. will have to beat to get to the semifinals of the World Cup?

It wasn’t supposed to be this way, of course. After failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the U.S. team was ripped down to its foundation and built anew. Interim manager Dave Sarachan was tasked with reconstructing a roster that had grown old and stagnant, and in his 12 months in charge he gave a record 23 players — including nine who made the team for the last World Cup — their international debuts. With an average age of 25, the squad in Qatar was the second-youngest World Cup team in U.S. history.

But Qatar was just a trial run. The real goal was to have a mature, experienced team ready for this summer when the World Cup would be played at home. A deep run could fuel the kind of transformation the 1994 tournament in the U.S. achieved.

Instead, the U.S. team has regressed.

“It feels like four years have gone down the drain,” said ESPN’s Herculez Gomez, another former World Cup player.

Fortunately, the U.S. was drawn into a soft group for the World Cup. And because the tournament’s expansion to 48 teams means just 16 countries will be eliminated in the first round, even a poorly built American team should advance.

But the semifinals? Not this team and not in this tournament. To do that the U.S. would have to be better than at least four teams on a list that includes England, France, Spain, Argentina, Germany, Morocco, Brazil and the Netherlands. We already know it’s not better than Belgium or Portugal.

It might not even win its group now that Turkey, a top 25 team which beat the U.S. 2-1 last June, has qualified. And a stumble early in the tournament would make the kind of deep run Pochettino promised that much more difficult.

“We are so close to the World Cup,” Pochettino said after the Portugal loss. “But I think we are intelligent enough to know what we need to do.”

Buy tickets was not supposed to be the answer.

⚽ You have read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and shines a spotlight on unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week’s episode of the “Corner of the Galaxy” podcast.

A workers’ union at the World Cup venue has asked FIFA to keep ICE agents away from the venue to alleviate their fears.

A union representing about 2,000 food service workers at the Los Angeles Stadium has asked FIFA to keep United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) away from World Cup operations in the city and warned ⁠workers could strike if their concerns are not addressed.

Unite Here Local 11, which represents cooks, servers and bartenders at the Inglewood venue, said on Monday that the workers ⁠remain without a labour contract as the World Cup approaches.

The union laid out three main demands to FIFA and stadium owner Kroenke Sports & Entertainment: A public commitment that ICE and Border Patrol will play no role in the tournament, protections ‌for union jobs and working conditions, and support for affordable housing for hospitality workers.

Acting director of ICE, Todd Lyons, has said ICE would play a “key part” in the World Cup, a prospect the union said threatened worker and guest safety in Los Angeles.

Local 11 said it also wanted assurances that artificial ⁠intelligence and automation would not be used during the tournament to eliminate union jobs.

The union linked its labour demands to broader concerns over housing costs in the Los Angeles area, particularly ⁠in Inglewood, and called for support for a workforce housing fund, restrictions on short-term rentals and tax measures aimed ⁠at funding affordable housing and immigrant family protections.

“FIFA ⁠and its corporate sponsors will pocket billions from Los Angeles while refusing to even acknowledge the cooks, servers, and stand attendants who make this event possible,” Kurt Petersen, co-president of Local 11, ‌said in a statement.

The union said it had repeatedly sought meetings with FIFA since Los Angeles was chosen as a host city, but had been ignored. ‌

The venue is known as the SoFi Stadium, but has been rebranded to the Los Angeles Stadium for the World Cup due to sponsor clashes.

Los ‌Angeles is set to host eight World Cup matches at the stadium, the first being the US against Paraguay on June 12.

To continue their upward trajectory, Bemand, who has signed a new deal to stay with Ireland until the conclusion of the 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup, has freshened up his squad and opted for a change of captain.

There are nine uncapped players in the 36-strong panel while winger Amee-Leigh Costigan, who captained the side throughout last year’s championship, and former co-captain Edel McMahon, are out.

The armband has been passed to returning back row Erin King, who Bemand believes is the ideal candidate to lead the green wave into a new cycle.

He said: “Erin embodies the Ireland player of the future of how she attacks training and how she is – honest, driven and a resilient player.”

The 22-year-old recently returned from the serious knee injury which forced her to miss last year’s World Cup and is relishing her new role.

King believes Ireland must target being competitive in both games against the top two and it is not an unrealistic goal.

They were well in the game at half-time in Cork last year when they trailed 7-5, only for England to blow them away in the second half to win 49-5.

At the World Cup in the summer, Ireland led 13-0 at the break before France came back with 18 unanswered points to progress to the last four.

“We know we are bridging the gap to the top two teams – France and England. They’ve been professional for a lot longer than us but the last few years of our professionalism is paying off now,” she said.

“Last year we held it to England for a good while so it would be great if we could compete for the full 80 [minutes] against them and get to get one up on France, we can definitely compete with them.

“With the squad we have, we can do things we’ve never done before. We just want to get going.”

Iraq’s head coach Graham Arnold couldn’t help but pause, smile and wave to the hundreds of Iraqi football fans gathered at Sydney airport to welcome back the Australian after he guided the Arab team to their first FIFA World Cup in 40 years.

Arnold was given a rapturous welcome as the jubilant Iraqis sang, danced to the beat of drums and tambourines, held aloft placards proclaiming their love for the coach and chanted his name as the 62-year-old walked out of the airport on Sunday night.

Fans waved Iraqi and Australian flags as they chanted “Arnie, Arnie, Arnie, oi, oi, oi” while Arnold spoke to local media following his return from Mexico, where his team won the intercontinental playoff final against Bolivia on Tuesday.

The 2-1 victory came during a tumultuous time in Iraq, engulfed in the Middle East conflict that left several players stranded in various parts of the region and threatened to sabotage their campaign for the playoff tournament.

However, Iraq overcame a logistical nightmare and strong South American opposition to mark their return to the global showpiece event for the first time since 1986.

The Lions of Mesopotamia also returned home to a hero’s welcome. Thousands of fans lined the streets in central Baghdad as the players, sitting atop a double-decker bus, celebrated with their compatriots on Saturday.

Arnold was not part of those celebrations but the Iraqi community in Australia ensured the coach didn’t feel left out.

“Crazy, crazy. I didn’t expect this here in Australia. Obviously in Iraq. But it’s incredible,” Arnold told Australian broadcaster SBS as he stood in front of the fans in the terminal.

“First, I want to apologise to everyone in Iraq that I couldn’t go back there to celebrate due to the airspace shutdown.

“Seeing this here is amazing. Thank you very much.

“I’m just very, very proud of the players and what they did, making many Iraqis happy is very important and that was the main thing.”

Reports in Australian media said local Iraqi football fans found out about Arnold’s return flight from Iraq’s Football Association (IFA) and decided to greet him at the airport.

Fans could be seen chanting “One, one, one, Arnold number one” as the coach took in the scenes around him.

Arnold, who formerly coached Australia, took charge of the Iraqi team in May and led them to three wins, three draws and two losses in their World Cup qualification campaign.

The results took Iraq to the fifth and final round of the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) qualification competition, where they beat the United Arab Emirates 3-2 on aggregate in November and secured a place in the FIFA playoff tournament.

Earlier in March, the former Australian international player urged FIFA to postpone Iraq’s playoff final fixture or find a way to ensure the players reached Mexico well ahead of the match as they grappled with the consequences of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

His plea was heard as FIFA arranged a charter flight for the Iraqi squad and support staff, who reached Mexico just over a week ahead of the March 31 final.

Following their win, Arnold was effusive in his praise of the Iraqi players who participated in the match while the war raged on.

“Everything that is going on in the Middle East made it a little bit harder,” Arnold ⁠⁠said after the play-off final.

“I banned social media since the day we got here,” he added. “I did not want them to think of what is going ⁠⁠on in the Middle East because they had to focus ⁠⁠on the job we had here.”

Arnold said qualifying for the World Cup was a major privilege for the players. “Iraq has nothing to lose.”

Iraq will be placed in one of the toughest groups at the World Cup. Their opponents in Group I will be France, Norway and Senegal.

The Middle East team will face Norway in their opening game on June 16 in Boston. Their second fixture will be against 2018 champions France on June 22 in Philadelphia and their final group game against Senegal is four days later in Toronto, Canada.

Before they head to north London, those present in east London will remember this experience for a long time.

Leeds sold out their entire 9,000 allocation, taking up all the space behind one of the goals and contributing to a fantastic atmosphere.

For most of the game, the Whites looked in complete control. Japan’s Ao Tanaka gave them a first-half lead, with England striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin doubling their advantage with a 75th-minute penalty that looked to have killed the game off.

But in the 11 minutes of injury time, Mateus Fernandes and Axel Disasi scored to take the tie into extra-time.

Taty Castellanos and Pablo both had goals ruled out for offside by the video assistant referee (VAR) in a breathless extra-time period, where Leeds also had two shots cleared off the line.

There was added drama as Areola suffered a leg injury at the end of injury time, meaning Herrick – who was on loan at fifth-tier Boreham Wood as recently as January – was handed a first Hammers appearance in the 120th minute and just before the shootout.

He saved from Piroe, but Perri ensured he would be the goalkeeping hero with his two saves.

“This is the magic of the cup, anything can happen and today was a crazy and memorable game. Happy that we won the match and we are into the semi-finals now,” said Perri.

“For this fanbase it shows the magic of them, the love they have for this team. It is a pleasure to play for this team.”

Leeds United will play Chelsea at Wembley after reaching the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 39 years.

Daniel Farke’s side beat Premier League relegation rivals West Ham 4-2 on penalties to progress after a thrilling 2-2 draw on Sunday.

Last year’s beaten finalists Manchester City will take on Championship side Southampton in the other semi-final.

The Saints, whose only FA Cup triumph was back in 1976, stunned Premier League leaders Arsenal on Saturday to set up the encounter with seven-time winners City.

Leeds last reached the FA Cup last four in 1987, when they were beaten 3-2 by eventual winners Coventry City at Hillsborough, and lifted the trophy for the only time in 1972.

Their meeting with eight-time winners Chelsea will also stir up memories of the 1970 showpiece between the sides, in which the Blues triumphed after a replay at Old Trafford – the first FA Cup final at that time to require one since 1912.

This year’s ties will be played at Wembley on the weekend of 25-26 April.

FA Cup semi-final ties:

Manchester City v Southampton

Chelsea v Leeds United

Leinster thought they had made the perfect start to the second half when Josh van der Flier crossed, but, after a television match official [TMO] review, the try was chalked off for a knock on.

They continued to pile the pressure on in the early stages of the second half as they looked to extend their advantage, but failed to add to their tally and were caught out on 53 minutes when Edinburgh went ahead for the first time.

The ball bounced favourably for Darcy Graham after Thompson’s charged down kick and he gleefully took full advantage, chipping the ball over Keenan before touching down ahead of Gibson-Park.

Leinster responded well as van der Flier made amends for his failure to ground the ball 15 minutes earlier as he scored following a tap and go from Sheehan.

Two tries in quick succession from Thomas Clarkson and Ioane finally gave the hosts the breathing space their attacking display deserved.

Ioane set up Clarkson to power over on 63 minutes before the New Zealand international sold a dummy to Graham, skipped down the left-hand side and scored two minutes later to seal the victory for the four-time European Cup winners.

Leinster: Keenan; T O’Brien, Ioane, Osborne, J O’Brien; Byrne, Gibson-Park; Porter, Sheehan, Furlong; J McCarthy, Baird; Conan, Van der Flier, Doris (capt).

Replacements: G McCarthy, Usanov, Clarkson, Deeny, Deegan, McGrath, Frawley, Henshaw.

Edinburgh: Schoeman, Ashman, Rae, Sykes, Gilchrist, McConnell, Richardson, Muncaster; Shiel, Thompson, Satala, Lang, Currie, Graham, O’Conor.

Replacements: Blyth-Lafferty, Venter, Hill, Young, Douglas, Vellacott, Tuipulotu, Brown.

The quarter-final line-up for this season’s Champions Cup is complete.

A record seven English clubs made it through to the knockout phase but they have whittled down to three, with Saracens, Bristol Bears, Harlequins and Leicester Tigers all exiting the tournament in the last 16.

Northampton Saints, Bath and Sale Sharks – who were the only side to win away from home in the first knockout round – remain.

France also have three teams in the last eight, while Glasgow Warriors and Leinster are the sole representatives from Scotland and Ireland respectively.

The four quarter-finals will be played across 10-12 April.

Prem rivals Bath and Northampton meet in the first tie on Friday, while defending champions Bordeaux Begles will host six-time winners Toulouse in an all-French contest two days later.

The semi-finals are scheduled for the first weekend in May, with the final in Bilbao taking place on Saturday, 23 May.

Only three sides – Glasgow, Leinster and Bordeaux – have won all five of their matches so far in this season’s competition.

French clubs have won each of the past five editions of the competition, with Exeter Chiefs’ win in 2020 the most recent success by a team not from France.

The Gunners have not won the Premier League for 22 years and have finished in second place for three successive seasons.

The Carabao Cup final was Arsenal’s first chance to win a major trophy for six years.

And after losing to City and now being knocked out of the FA Cup by a lower league team for the first time since 2021-22 – a third round loss to Nottingham Forest – the Gunners need to ensure these defeats do not turn into a slump in form.

“They have to not let the season run away from them,” former Arsenal and Southampton forward Theo Walcott told BBC Sport.

“Everything they have built this season, don’t let it affect them. They have been in this situation before and they don’t want to relive that.”

Mikel Arteta has consistently spoken about everyone at the club’s desire to win but with the end of the season approaching, games running out, and a £250m spend in the summer, the pressure is at an all-time high.

Walcott said he noticed a “nervous energy” on the touchline at St Mary’s that has been seen before in recent years.

“Visually watching Mikel on the sidelines, it was elements of previous years where that energy reflected into the team,” he said.

“It was very tense. Not just Mikel but a lot of the staff were out there at times. It was like too many cooks in the kitchen, too many messages.”

It was a poor Arsenal performance by the high standards they have set throughout the season.

And despite dominating possession, having 23 shots and levelling the game in the 68th minute, the Gunners never really looked like they would go onto win.

“I love my players. What they have done for nine months. I’m not going to criticise them because we lost a game here in the manner that they tried,” Arteta said.

“And the way they are putting their bodies through everything. Some of them probably didn’t even have to be here. I’m not going to do that. I’m going to defend them more than ever.

“Someone has to take responsibility. That’s me and we have the most beautiful period of the season ahead of us.

“In the season, you always have moments. Normally two or three. This is the first moment that we have.

“So stand up, make yourself comfortable and deliver like we’ve been doing all season.”

The Gunners boss was then asked how he can prevent this form rolling into the rest of the season and derailing their Champions League and Premier League campaigns.

“Giving them [the players] clarity, giving more conviction, trusting our players, believing in what we are doing,” Arteta said.

“And continue to do that with the tweaks that every game demands.

“But especially maintaining the speed, the attitude and the energy at the highest possible level. Because that’s critical to perform at the level that we need to win matches.”

Ross Stewart capitalises on a “misjudgement” by Ben White to give Southampton a shock lead against Premier League leaders Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

FOLLOW LIVE: FA Cup quarter-final – Southampton v Arsenal

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Erling Haaland treble and goal by Antoine Semenyo gives City 4-0 win, as Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah misses a penalty.

Erling Haaland hit a hat-trick as Manchester City thrashed Liverpool 4-0 to reach the FA Cup semifinals and increase the pressure on Reds boss Arne Slot.

Haaland netted twice late in the first half of the quarterfinal at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday and completed his treble after the interval following an Antoine Semenyo strike.

With Liverpool trailing by four, Mohamed Salah had a penalty saved by City goalkeeper James Trafford to compound a miserable afternoon for the under-fire Slot.

Liverpool’s tame surrender was a bitter blow to Slot, who had to endure chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” from gloating City fans.

They head to Paris Saint-Germain for the Champions League quarterfinal first leg on Wednesday with Slot desperately needing a victory over the holders to keep the critics at bay.

Slot’s team, who have just two wins in their last seven matches in all competitions, are fifth in the Premier League and far from certain to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

It is a remarkable decline for Slot, who just 12 months ago was on the brink of leading Liverpool to their record-equalling 20th English title.

City’s ruthless performance took them into the FA Cup semifinals for an eighth successive season.

Liverpool made a bright start but Hugo Ekitike fired just wide from the edge of the area before Salah wasted a golden opportunity in the 14th minute, dragging his shot wide from just six yards out.

Ekitike lashed wastefully wide with a snap-shot from nine metres [10 yards] out as Liverpool paid the price for failing to make the pressure count.

Fresh from scoring twice in City’s recent League Cup final victory over Arsenal, Nico O’Reilly was key to City’s 39th-minute opener.

Matheus Nunes picked out O’Reilly in the Liverpool area and as he twisted away from Virgil van Dijk, the defender’s clumsy trip conceded a penalty that Haaland converted in clinical fashion.

Haaland had scored just once in his previous six games in all competitions. But the prolific Norway striker is never far from a hot streak and he doubled City’s advantage on the stroke of half-time.

Rayan Cherki found Semenyo’s run and he lofted a pin-point cross towards Haaland, who made a perfectly-timed run in front of Ibrahima Konate to glance a superb header past Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Liverpool were in disarray and Semenyo landed the knockout blow five minutes after the interval.

Cherki’s pass sent Semenyo sprinting in behind the flat-footed Van Dijk to clip a deft finish over Mamardashvili.

Haaland completed the 28th treble of his career in the 57th minute, drilling home via the underside of the bar after O’Reilly teed him up 11 metres [12 yards] from goal.

On a prolonged farewell tour after announcing he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, Salah produced the latest in a long line of lacklustre performances.

The Egyptian’s struggles were encapsulated by his second-half penalty miss after Nunes fouled Ekitike.

Haaland, meanwhile, praised his teammates for recovering from a difficult opening period to take charge of the game.

“Honestly, in the first half, we struggled a bit, but after 30 minutes, we kept going, and in the end, it was an amazing game at home,” Haaland told broadcaster TNT Sport.

“Another Wembley trip for us, it’s amazing and important.”

Asked if it was City’s best performance this season, he replied: “I think so. Between 30 and 60 minutes, it was one of the better ones.”

Later on Saturday, Chelsea host third tier strugglers Port Vale and Premier League leaders Arsenal visit Championship side Southampton.

West Ham meet Leeds at the London Stadium in the last quarterfinal on Sunday.

Exeter Chiefs: Woodburn; Brown-Bampoe, Slade, Rigg, Feyi-Waboso; Skinner, Varney; Sio, Yeandle, Roots; Jenkins, Zambonin; Hooper, Vintcent, Fisilau.

Replacements: Dweba, Burger, Tchumbadze, Tuima, Worley-Brady, Cairns, Haydon-Wood, Ridl.

Munster: O’Connor; Abrahams, Farrell, Nankivell, Kilgallen; Crowley, Casey; Loughman, Barron, Ryan; Edogbo, Beirne; O’Donoghue, Kendellen, Coombes.

Replacements: Scannell, Milne, Ala’alatoa, Ahern, Quinn, O’Donovan, O’Brien, Hodnett.

Referee: Jeremy Rozier (France)

That led to O’Brien – who was close to a Wales call-up for 2026 Six Nations – getting his big shot in between experienced scrum-half Richie Rees and stalwart centre Ashley Smith.

“It was my first season being in the senior environment,” said O’Brien, who finished with former South Africa fly-half Morne Steyn as his opposite number.

“I was a young kid and I suppose it gave me confidence because it was a great experience. I’d only really played for Cross Keys before that so to have a start out at Stade Francais and get a win out there was massive.”

Stade, who are third in the Top 14, have rotated their squad for the fixture against Dragons but boast formidable depth and will expect to earn a home quarter-final against either Zebre or Pau.

However, Dragons have been a tougher nut to crack this season and go into the fixture fresh from spirited showings against Stormers and Lions in South Africa.

“They’re a very good team and are going really well in the Top 14 but it’s an exciting challenge we are all looking forward to,” said O’Brien, who passed 500 points for the club last weekend.

“They are very dangerous and a good attacking outfit but it’s an exciting opportunity in the knockout stage and we are ready to get after it.”

Follow the build-up, analysis and live text commentary as City host Liverpool for FA Cup showdown at the Etihad Stadium.

In a busy opening period, neither side could really establish an early foothold on the game.

Cliftonville went close midway through the half when Jonny Addis’ low free-kick from just outside the penalty area brushed the outside of the side netting on its way past.

As the Reds began to gain some form of dominance, Rory Hale’s inch-perfect through ball sent Brian Healy clear of the Dungannon rearguard but Danny Wallace recovered superbly to poke the ball behind for a corner at full stretch.

Dungannon posed little threat to the Cliftonville goal in the opening 45 minutes with Gael Bigirimana’s long-range shot straight at Reds keeper PJ Morrison.

The Swifts first clear-cut opening of the game came just after the hour mark when Dillon’s pinpoint ball from midfield sent full-back Shea Gordon clear behind the Cliftonville defence, but his shot lacked conviction and Morrison was able to save with his outstretched foot.

At the other end, Rory Hale created half a yard of space before finding Liam McStravick with a pass, but the attacker’s tame shot was always straight at Declan Dunne.

Dungannon spurned another big opening late on as Gordon once again got himself into an advanced position and when his initial shocked was saved by Morrison, the ball bounced up but substitute Andrew Mitchell could only loop his header onto the top of the net.

Rodney McAree’s side enjoyed their best spell at the start of extra-time and were rewarded on 98 minutes when Mitchell cut the ball back from the right-hand side of the penalty area into the path of the in-rushing Kealan Dillon, who smashed a shot high into the net past Morrison.

Cliftonville had penalty appeals waved away in the second period of extra time after referee Morrison adjudged that Cahal McGinty had blocked Keevan Hawthorne’s low cross with his body rather than a hand.

But there was one final twist in stoppage time at the end of extra time as Hawthorne’s corner was bundled home at the near post via a combination of Joe Sheridan and defender Danny Wallace with what proved the last action of the game.

In the penalty shootout, Dungannon scored all four of their penalties while Sheridan saw his effort saved and Wilson dragged his effort wide of the post.

Northampton: Furbank (capt); Freeman, Litchfield, Dingwall, Ramm; Belleau, McParland; Fischetti, Wright, Green, Lockett, Van der Mescht, Kemeny, Pollock, Chick.

Replacements: Langdon, West, Kundiona, Prowse, Munga, Pearson, Weimann, Hutchinson.

Castres: Chabouni; Ambadiang, Botitu, Goodhue, Karawalevu; Herve, Fernandez; Walcker, Durand-Pradere, Corato, Ducat, Vanverberghe, Delaporte (capt), Ardron, Papalii.

Replacements: Colonna, Guerois-Galisson, Azar, Maravat, Cope, Ramototabua, Arata, Palis.

Yellow cards: Ambadiang (15), Ducat (18), Ramototabua (69)

The Azzurri’s failure to reach a third consecutive World Cup continues to send shockwaves through Italian football.

Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso has left his role “by mutual consent”, three days after the national team failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.

The Italian football federation announced the news in a statement on Friday, thanking Gattuso “for the dedication and passion” during his nine months in charge.

Italy’s chances of reaching this year’s tournament in North America ended on Tuesday after a penalty shootout loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a qualifying playoff.

“With a heavy ‌heart, having failed to achieve the goal we had set ourselves, I consider my time in charge of the national team to be over,” Gattuso said in a statement.

“The Azzurri shirt is the most precious asset in football, which is why it is right to facilitate future technical assessments with immediate effect.

“It has been an honour to lead the ⁠national team, and to do so with a group ⁠of lads who have shown commitment and loyalty to the shirt.”

Gattuso was appointed in June on a one-year contract, replacing Luciano Spalletti who was sacked following Italy’s 3-0 defeat by Norway ⁠in their opening group game, although he remained in place for the 2-0 win over Moldova the next ⁠day.

Italy won their next five group games under ⁠Gattuso, but given Norway’s far superior goal difference, they were resigned to another World Cup playoff before the final group game, which Norway won 4-1 at the San Siro.

Italy had lost at ‌the playoff stage for the last two World Cups to Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively, but looked on course to make it this time after a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland ‌in ‌the semifinal, before it all fell apart in Bosnia.

Gattuso’s 10-man team let slip a 1-0 lead and crumbled in the penalty shootout.

His departure comes a day after Italy’s football federation president Gabriele Gravina resigned, along with Gianluigi Buffon, who was the national team’s delegation chief.

Uncapped striker Cora Chambers has been included in new Northern Ireland boss Michael McArdle’s first squad for their April World Cup qualifying double-header against Malta.

The 22-year-old was involved in Kenny Shiels’ full-time panel ahead of Euro 2022, but did not go to the tournament and has not been involved with the senior side since.

The Linfield forward netted 20 league goals for the Blues last year and has scored 39 goals in 47 appearances since making the move to the club from Sion Swifts in 2024.

She is included in one of two changes from the squad which lost both games in Kris Lindsay’s interim spell as manager against Switzerland and Turkey.

Hearts midfield Joely Andrews also returns to the 23-strong squad after missing last month’s games through injury.

Experienced defender Sarah McFadden drops to the standby list while Glentoran midfielder Mia Moore, who made her first start in the defeat against Turkey, will instead be part of the under-19 squad competing in Euro qualifiers this month.

McArdle, who was the Scottish FA’s head of elite women’s football and former interim head coach of Scotland, was appointed as Tanya Oxtoby’s permanent successor in March.

His first game as NI manager will take place at Mourneview Park against Malta on Tuesday, 14 April.

His side will then travel to Malta for the second of April’s double-header on Saturday, 18 April as they look to pick up their first win in qualifying.