International Soccer results
11th September 14, 2018, England Vs Switzerland
England faced a hard-fought Swiss team on Tuesday night. The opener came in the 54thminute when Marcus Rashford hit the net to give the “three Lions” a 1-0 lead. From the start England dominated possession, to close the game out 1-0 in England’s favor.
More concerning for Manchester United fans was the sight of Luke Shaw getting a heavy tackle with considerable force after a collision with a Swiss player. Jose Mourinho was in the stadium and saw the left-back sustain the injury that is set to keep the Manchester United star out of action for at least the next game.
For Manchester City, it might have come as a slight concern that Kyle Walker was left out of the starting team, with Gareth Southgate favoring Joe Gomez in the right back position of his three-man defense.
Walker was there for the game against Switzerland, while Fabian Delph was also featured after sitting on the bench at the national stadium last time out
Poland Vs Ireland
Aiden O’Brien’s debut goal helped Ireland put their off-field sadness behind them despite a late Poland equalizer in a 1-1 draw in Tuesday’s international friendly in Wroclaw, Poland.
After a week of discussion over a reported bust-up with assistant manager Roy Keane, Ireland’s grit and determination excelled through before Mateusz Klich’s 87th-minute finish.
His strike canceled out makeshift forward O’Brien’s debut goal when the Millwall winger, playing up front, headed in Callum O’Dowda’s cross eight minutes after the break.
Ireland manager Martin O’Neill decided to change Ireland’s formation to a back five after gifting four goals to Wales last Thursday evening. Ireland looked like they would hold out for a first clean sheet until Poland’s striker Klich hit the net late in the match.
Ireland looked very strong with their new formation which was 3-5-2, controlling possession early but playing little of the game in the Poland half.
12th September 2018, USA Vs Mexico
New York Red Bulls midfielder Adams burst into the penalty area to tuck away a cross from English-born defender Antonee Robinson in the 71st minute to settle a hard-fought encounter at Nissan Stadium.
The 19-year-old’s winner came after tempers had flared during the second half of the latest meeting between the two North American football rivals.
Mexico’s Angel Zaldivar had been shown a red card in the 66th minute for a brutal challenge on Wil Trapp that saw the USA midfielder lucky to escape serious injury.
Zaldivar’s wild tackle had come just moments after several players joined a scuffle triggered by a confrontation between the USA’s France-based defender Matt Miazga and Diego Lainez.
Lainez had been Mexico’s best player during a dominant first-half display which saw the visitors carve out the most promising openings without being able to convert their pressure into goals.
USA forward Gyasi Zardes had headed over from Weston McKennie’s cross early in the first half but Mexico was in control for long periods afterward.
Their best chance came when Roberto Alvarado headed a pass towards the goal at the 16th minute, only to see goalkeeper Zack Steffen tip over.
The complexion of the game changed however when USA coach Dave Sarachan replaced Eric Lichaj with the left-footed Robinson, who is currently on loan at Wigan from Everton, early in the second half.
Robinson’s introduction gave the USA greater width down the flank and when Zaldivar was dismissed midway through the half, the hosts seized their chance to stretch Mexico further.
Robinson galloped down the left wing into space and calmly picked out Adams, who had sprinted 40 yards to join the attack.
The youngster cleverly picked his spot and placed his finish beyond the wrong-footed Hugo Gonzalez.
The victory comes as a morale-boosting win for Sarachan’s side, whose starting line-up averaged just 11.2 caps per player.
Sarachan, who has served as interim USA coach for nearly a year following the departure of Bruce Arena after last year’s failure to qualify for the World Cup, made six changes from the team outclassed by Brazil last Friday.
The defeat was Mexico’s fourth consecutive loss following defeats by Sweden and Brazil at the World Cup, and a 4-1 drubbing by Uruguay last Friday.
Brazil Vs El Salvador
Brazil ran out with a new-look side, with coach Tite giving debuts to goalkeeper Neto and full-back Eder Militao, as well as first, starts to Richarlison at center-forward and Arthur in midfield.
The new players looked completely at home against a team ranked 72nd in the world and Brazil took just three minutes to open the scoring when Neymar slotted home a penalty after Richarlison had been brought down in the box.
Richarlison got his name on the scoresheet 13 minutes later when he curled a spectacular shot into the top corner from 15 meters out and on the half-hour mark, Brazil made it 3-0, Phillipe Coutinho firing home from the edge of the box after Neymar laid the ball into his path.
Both sides made changes at half-time but the five-times world champions took just five more minutes to get a fourth goal, with Richarlison scoring his second when he pounced onto a loose ball to rifle home a low shot from inside the box.
Marquinhos got Brazil a fifth in the final minute when he headed home a corner from Neymar. Tite’s side’s next games will be friendlies in Saudi Arabia against the host nation on October 12 and then Argentina four days later.
Columbia Vs Argentina
Argentina and Colombia drew 0-0 in a friendly in New Jersey on Tuesday in a game that did little to cheer fans of either side hoping for a boost after disappointing World Cup showings.
Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina made a fine diving save to tip an Exequiel Palacios shot over the bar after six minutes while his Argentine counterpart Franco Armani was the busier of the two in the second half, but neither side looked like breaking the deadlock.
Both sides used stand-in coaches for the game, with Jose Pekerman resigning as Colombia boss last week and Argentina still to replace Jorge Sampaoli, who left his post after the World Cup.
Argentina, who were without Lionel Messi, fielded a young side and they were unable to make much headway against their more experienced opponents.
