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Goals galore for Gattuso’s Italy in World Cup qualifiers, France start with win | The Express Tribune
PARIS:
Gennaro Gattuso enjoyed his start to life as Italy coach on Friday as his team beat Estonia 5-0 to get their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign back on track, while Kylian Mbappe struck as France began their bid with a win against Ukraine.
A World Cup winner as a combative midfielder in 2006, Gattuso was brought in as coach in June to stop Italy’s slide towards a third-consecutive missed World Cup finals.
His tenure started in style as second-half strikes by Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui — who netted twice — Giacomo Raspadori and
Alessandro Bastoni fired Italy to three points and had fans chanting the coach’s name in Bergamo.
Italy are third in Group I after three matches, six points behind leaders Norway who have played one game more, and boast a superior goal difference.
“We played well and it was all down to the way the boys have conducted themselves this week,” said Gattuso.
“We’ve worked hard and there’s been a good atmosphere around the squad.
“When you play as attacking as we did tonight against a better team you expose yourself to risks, but today we were up against a side that had a bit les than us so it was the right thing to do to be so attack-minded.”
Three points separate Italy from second-placed Israel and the group’s play-off spot which is the likelier route for a place in next year’s finals in the USA, Canada and Mexico with only first place offering direct qualification.
Israel prepared for Monday’s meeting with Italy with a win of their own on Friday as they beat Moldova 4-0 in Chisinau.
‘Brilliant’ Olise
In the Polish city of Wroclaw, Michael Olise’s early strike and Mbappe’s 51st goal for Les Bleus handed the 2018 World Cup winners a 2-0 victory over Ukraine as Group D got underway.
“It was an important match because of the limited number of games (to qualify) against a quality team. We could have sealed the deal in the first half because we were in control and created a lot of chances,” Deschamps said.
“We faltered for four or five minutes in the second half, but the main thing is that we got the result.”
Olise started and finished the opening goal on 10 minutes when he released Bradley Barcola down the left flank from deep.
The Bayern Munich man ghosted the length of the pitch to arrive unmarked into the Ukraine box and calmly sweep Barcola’s return ball into the bottom corner.
Olise and half-time substitute Ousmane Dembele nearly doubled the visitors’ lead either side of the break but goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin denied them impressively.
Ukraine responded by coming within inches of levelling the encounter twice inside two minutes after the hour.
Ibrahima Konate first turned a goalbound Artem Dovbyk header off his own goal-line, before new Paris
Saint-Germain signing Illia Zabarnyi struck the woodwork with a headed effort following a set-piece.
But Mbappe made the win safe for France when he raced onto a pinpoint through-ball from his Real Madrid team-mate Aurelien Tchouameni before cutting inside and rifling home on 82 minutes.
Deschamps had praise, in particular, for 23-year-old Olise after he netted his third goal in nine outings for Les Bleus.
“Michael is brilliant in everything he does, his movement, his combinations, his passing quality,” the coach said.
After the first matchday, France sit second in the four-team group behind Iceland, who beat Azerbaijan 5-0 in Reykjavik.
Elsewhere, Denmark and Scotland played out a goalless stalemate in Copenhagen as Group C started, with Greece topping the pool following their 5-1 victory at home to Belarus.
Switzerland opened Group B with a 4-0 win over Kosovo as group mates Sweden and Slovenia played out a 2-2 draw in Ljubljana.
Former World Cup runners-up Croatia struggled to a 1-0 win away to Faroe Islands to stay second in Group L.
Pool leaders Czech Republic beat third-placed Montenegro 2-0 to remain three points ahead of the Croats, although with two games in hand.
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Courtney Cronin
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Kevin Seifert
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Kevin Seifert
ESPN Staff Writer
- Kevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL at ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.
CHICAGO — Hello J.J. McCarthy. And welcome back to the Minnesota Vikings defense.
The team’s new era at quarterback began with a rousing comeback victory over its NFC North rival in a 27-24 win over the Chicago Bears.
And for as much attention as McCarthy’s debut will generate — it was the Vikings’ defense that kept the team in the game while the offense struggled.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams completed his first 10 passes as Chicago took a 10-3 lead in the second quarter, but the Bears’ offense didn’t score again until 2:02 remained in the fourth quarter.
McCarthy accounted for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including passes of 13 yards to Justin Jefferson and 27 yards to Aaron Jones Sr., and his 14-yard scramble in the fourth quarter put the Vikings up by 10 and accounted for the final margin.
Here are the most important things to know from Monday night for both teams:
What to make of the QB performance: If you drew up a reasonable but optimistic projection of how McCarthy’s first NFL start would go, this would be it. He looked frenetic in the first half, changing plays frequently and looking unsettled in the pocket. An interception returned for a touchdown in the third quarter seemed to end the game. But McCarthy, who is now 64-3 in games he has started since his sophomore year in college, settled down in the second half. The takeaway after his first start? McCarthy is a winner.
Trend to watch: The Vikings built the idea of their running game to help McCarthy transition into his role, and it spurred the team during its second-half run. Newcomer Jordan Mason managed only 14 yards in the first half but his hard running broke the Bears after halftime, and he finished with 68 yards on 15 carries. Mason’s emergence coincided with the Vikings’ first two touchdown drives.
Stat to know: The Vikings’ offense needed help in the first half after accumulating only 80 yards and four first downs, and kicker Will Reichard came to the rescue. His 59-yard field goal just before halftime tied a Soldier Field record, a notable achievement given the historically bad weather and field conditions in Chicago, and was the second longest in Vikings history. Minnesota’s record is 61 yards by Greg Joseph, converted indoors at U.S. Bank Stadium in 2022. — Kevin Seifert
Next game: vs. Atlanta Falcons (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday)
For nearly three full quarters, the Ben Johnson era looked as if it would begin by putting the “same old Bears” moniker to bed. Chicago began its season opener at Soldier Field with a touchdown and built a double-digit lead late in the third quarter behind a stout defensive performance.
But missed opportunities by the Bears to distance themselves from the Vikings proved costly. After rattling quarterback J.J. McCarthy in his NFL debut, the Bears’ defense struggled to contain a Vikings offense that scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to wrestle away the lead from the Bears.
Monday night was Chicago’s fourth loss in the past four seasons when entering the fourth quarter with a double-digit lead. That’s twice as many as any other team over that span.
For a team trying to leave the failures of last season in the past, the same issues continue to be a problem.
Turning point: The Bears saw a 17-6 lead they built after Nahshon Wright‘s pick-six waste away during a stretch that began late in the third quarter. Williams was flagged for intentional grounding with Chicago at Minnesota’s 34-yard line. Two plays later, Cairo Santos‘ 50-yard field goal attempt went wide right. The Vikings then scored on back-to-back possessions to take the lead.
Wasted momentum: Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen sent the house on third-and-8 early in the third quarter with the Vikings in field goal range. The seven rushers rattled McCarthy into throwing an interception, which resulted in the first defensive/special teams touchdown of the 2025 season. Wright jumped Justin Jefferson‘s route and ran back a 74-yard pick-six to give Chicago a 17-6 lead. It’s the second straight season opener in which the Bears broke open a game with a pick-six.
What to make of the QB performance: Caleb Williams’ 10 straight completions to start the game was the longest streak by a Bears quarterback to start a season opener since 1978 and the most consecutive completions in his NFL career. But things changed dramatically in the second half. He finished 20 of 34 for 191 yards and scored a rushing TD and passing TD. His passer rating was 84.3 and he was sacked twice.
Troubling trend: The Bears were flagged 12 times and racked up 127 penalty yards. Pre-snap penalties were an issue throughout training camp and a trend the Bears couldn’t buck after four false starts in the first half. Two defensive pass interference calls led to points for Minnesota — a 31-yard field goal and the Vikings go-ahead touchdown. — Courtney Cronin
Next game: at Detroit Lions (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)
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The first week of the 2025 NFL season is nearly in the books and fans were stunned by how the schedule played out between Thursday and Sunday night.
The week started with Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Carter spitting on Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a tough loss in Brazil against the Los Angeles Chargers. Daniel Jones showed Indianapolis Colts fans what he’s made of, putting up 33 points on the Miami Dolphins.
Read below for the rest of the scores from Week 1.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) sprints to the end zone for a touchdown as Dallas Cowboys’ Solomon Thomas (90) gives chase Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
- Philadelphia Eagles 24, Dallas Cowboys 20
Friday, Sept. 5, 2025
- Los Angeles Chargers 27, Kansas City Chiefs 21
Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23, Atlanta Falcons 20
- Cincinnati Bengals 17, Cleveland Browns 16
- Indianapolis Colts 33, Miami Dolphins 8
Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) leaves the field after the Miami Dolphins game on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
- Las Vegas Raiders 20, New England Patriots 13
- Arizona Cardinals 20, New Orleans Saints 13
- Pittsburgh Steelers 34, New York Jets 32
- Jacksonville Jaguars 26, Carolina Panthers 10
- Denver Broncos 20, Tennessee Titans 12
- San Francisco 49ers 17, Seattle Seahawks 13
- Green Bay Packers 27, Detroit Lions 13
- Los Angeles Rams 14, Houston Texans 9
- Buffalo Bills 41, Baltimore Ravens 40
Buffalo Bills kicker Matt Prater (15) is swarmed by teammates after his game-winning field goal against the Baltimore Ravens in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
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Monday, Sept. 8, 2025
- Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears
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Former England star Peter Crouch made an unexpected comeback on Saturday — not as a striker, but as the tallest mascot non-league football has ever seen.
Paying the price for finishing bottom of his fantasy league, Crouch joined Southern League Premier Division South outfit Farnham Town FC for the day and helped lead the team out for their clash against Sholing.
Towering over the rest of the players — let alone the other mascots — Crouch donned Farnham’s colours for his FPL forfeit as podcast co-hosts Christ Stark and fellow former England international Steve Sidwell watched on.
Crouch, 44, was given the “full mascot matchday experience” as he took part in the prematch player meet and greets, a halftime show and dinner with the other mascots.
The 6ft 7in former No. 9 also posed for pictures with a surprised crowd at the 2,200-capacity Memorial Ground in Surrey.
On the pitch, newly-promoted Farnham secured a 2-2 draw to maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign.
Crouch, who starred for both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, scored 145 goals in 599 career league appearances before retiring in 2019. He also netted 22 times in 42 England games, and has since become a well-known pundit.
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