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Benjamin Pavard's magnificent strike and a dogged midfield showing were enough for France to beat Ireland in their second European qualifier

Pavard's wonder strike gave France a 1-0 win over a dogged Ireland side to complete a successful week of Euro 2024 qualifying.

Ireland battled their way to a scoreless first half, and mostly kept France away from the goal, with les Blues only putting one shot on target.

But the visitors found a breakthrough shortly after half time, with Pavard sending a shot in off the bar from 20 yards after an Ireland giveaway. Les Blues failed to create much otherwise. Kylian Mbappe had a penalty shout turned down, while Eduardo Camavinga repeatedly won tackles in midfield to fight off the Irish attack.

Two saves from Mike Maignan at the other end sealed the deal, denying what would have been a famous equalisier.

And although it was far from convincing this time, France left Dublin with a duo of wins to open up Euro 2024 qualifying.

GOAL rates France's players from the Aviva Stadium…

Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence

Mike Maignan (8/10):

Made one miraculous diving save late on to deny an Ireland equaliser. Did it again a minute later. Two massive moments from the new No.1.

Benjamin Pavard (8/10):

Scored a banger to give his team the lead. Was the best of the back four defensively.

Ibou Konate (7/10):

A composed performance from a young centre-back.

Dayot Upamecano (7/10):

Handled Evan Ferguson well, tidy in possession.

Theo Hernandez (6/10):

Dangerous going forward, gave up a silly foul or two.

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Eduardo Camavinga (8/10):

Ate up ground, won his tackles, stopped counter-attacks. Was efficient, if unspectacular, in his passing.

Adrien Rabiot (6/10):

Very tidy, very sensible on the ball, almost scored. A puzzling midfielder.

Antoine Griezmann (6/10):

Didn't dictate the game as much as France would have liked.

Getty ImagesAttack

Kylian Mbappe (6/10):

Booed every time he touched the ball by a raucous home crowd. Probably should've had a penalty in the second half. Ireland did well to keep him quiet.

Olivier Giroud (5/10):

Oldest outfield player to ever start a match for France. Rarely on the ball, fouled a few times, ineffective.

Randal Kolo Muani (6/10):

Caused problems with his pace, put in the yards defensively. Wasn't as decisive in the final third as his team needed on the day.

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Moussa Diaby (6/10):

Lively, quick, but failed to break open a tight, physical contest.

Jules Kounde (5/10):

Almost scored a terrific own goal

Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10):

Won a crucial 50-50.

Lilian Thuram (N/A):

No time to make an impact

Didier Deschamps (7/10):

Benched Aurelien Tchaoumeni and Kingsley Coman in favour of Eduardo Camavinga and Olivier Giroud. France were a bit more sturdy against a dogged Ireland team, but didn't create all that much. His team relied on a moment of magic to win it. Hardly a masterclass, but Deschamps will take the win.

ESPNcricinfo previews the opening T20 between South Africa and Australia

The Preview by Firdose Moonda03-Mar-2016Match factsFriday, March 4, 2016
Start time 1800 local (1600GMT)Big pictureWhen this season started, South Africans would not have guessed the most enjoyable part would come at the end. After back-to-back Test series defeats, which would have taken supporters by surprise, the limited-overs’ squads have put smiles on faces with their feisty performances. The T20 side has even raised hope.After winning three of their last four series, Faf du Plessis’ team seems to have ticked all the boxes and thoughts of a trophy will not be too far away. But before South Africans allow themselves to dream of anything like that, they will want to see how their team goes against a side that has often proved to be their nemesis.Although South Africa and Australia have not met at the last two global tournaments and will not meet at this one until at least semi-final stage, South Africans still use Australia as a yardstick. If they can beat their old enemy, South Africa will consider themselves ready to take on the world. If they lose to them, the confidence built up over the last few months will be crushed.Australia know how much influence they can have on this South Africa side and will use that to try and imprint as much doubt into their minds as possible. At the same time, Australia need to create certainties for themselves after falling behind in this format.They have only played eight matches in this format since the last World T20 and are coming off a whitewash at the hands of India but they have beefed their squad up since that defeat. They are in South Africa to show how much stronger they can be and Kingsmead will have a full house as witness.Form guide(last five completed games most recent first)
South Africa WWWWL
Australia LLLLWIn the spotlightIf you believe Russell Domingo and Faf du Plessis, someone should feed Dale Steyn. Both the coach and the captain have described their premier paceman as “hungry,” but the only thing he wants his fill of is wickets. Steyn has spent the last two months watching cricket from the stands, surfing and spending time with his dogs, all while recovering from a shoulder injury. He resumed bowling with his team-mates in the nets two weeks ago, played his first competitive cricket five days ago and will now make his international comeback. Steyn has to get through these matches in order to part of South Africa’s travelling party to the World T20 but all the talk is that Steyn is not just looking to get through, but to make a few breakthroughs as well.At the start of this year, Steven Smith was not even a regular in Australia’s T20 squad. Now, he is their captain. Smith’s rise is complete. He leads Australia in all three formats and has the chance to take them to their first victory in a World T20 – the only global trophy Australia have not won. Smith will have to bring together a squad rejigged at the last moment but, on paper at least, includes hard-hitting batsmen, aggressive bowlers and exciting spinners. Now, it’s to see what their captain can do with that.Team newsDu Plessis has suggested South Africa will play their first-choice team for the series opener which means that even though they will give Quinton de Kock a chance to open the batting with AB de Villiers, it may not be in this match. Steyn is also certain to make a return which could mean no space for Kyle Abbott unless one of the allrounders sits out.South Africa: 1 Hashim Amla, 2 AB de Villiers (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 JP Duminy, 5 David Miller, 6 Rilee Rossouw, 7 Chris Morris, 8 David Wiese, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Imran TahirSydney team-mates Usman Khawaja and Shane Watson are likely to open the batting for Australia which may mean no space for Aaron Finch. The top order will be strengthened by Smith and David Warner followed by Glenn Maxwell. Adam Zampa is struggling with a stomach bug and missed Thursday’s training, which may give Ashton Agar a T20 debut.Australia: 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 David Warner, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 James Faulkner, 7 Mitchell Marsh, 8 Peter Nevill (wk), 9 Andrew Tye/John Hastings, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Ashton Agar/Adam ZampaPitch and conditionsSmith asked South Africa’s groundsmen to prepare pitches that resembled subcontinental strips and that may be exactly what he is getting. The Kingsmead surface is said to be slow and will take turn which could mean a low total. Although locals are talking about the rain, the forecast is clear with the evening game meaning temperatures would have cooled from the mid-30s to the upper 20s by the time the match starts. Humidity will remain high, at close to 90%.Stats and triviaWhile Australia are No.1 in Test and ODI cricket, they lie seventh on the T20. South Africa are in second place.However, Australia have the upper hand over South Africa in the format. They have won nine of the 14 completed matches between the two sides, including their only meeting at a World T20 in 2012 in Colombo.Smith has captained Australia once before in T20s – against England at Cardiff – where he made 90Quotes”It looks like we’re ticking all the boxes as a team. There’s no area in our team where I feel it’s a weakness. I feel every gap has been plugged and that’s very nice to have.”
“We want to win every series that we play, hopefully some guys get some runs and take some wickets and we’ll put on a good fielding display before the World T20 in a week’s time.”

Quinton de Kock will not feature in the two T20s against England after South Africa’s management decided he needed a “period of rest” ahead of the World T20

Firdose Moonda19-Feb-2016Quinton de Kock will not feature in the two T20s against England after South Africa’s management decided he needed a “period of rest” ahead of the World T20, because of the knee niggle he sustained earlier in the summer. He will be available for the three T20s against Australia, starting on March 4.”Quinton has been playing a lot of cricket since the injury to his knee before the third Test match against England,” Mohammed Moosajee, South Africa’s team manager, said. “Even though he was given the all clear by the medical team at the time, we feel it is best to give the knee some rest as he is still slightly symptomatic. We need to keep in mind the upcoming ICC World T20 as well as the short turnaround of matches leading up to the tournament.”De Kock sat out the Wanderers Test after slipping while walking his two dogs the day before the match. He later explained that he had fallen on his shin and did not think much of the incident. It was only after waking up at night in pain and with swelling in his knee that de Kock realised he had done some damage.Dane Vilas was called in as an emergency replacement for that match but De Kock returned for Centurion, in which he scored his maiden Test hundred, and then added two more centuries in the ODIs.Even though his return to form has been prolific, South Africa do not want to run the risk of an injury ahead of the World T20, despite the lack of game time de Kock has had in the shortest format. He did not play the T20s in India either, where AB de Villiers opened the batting and kept wicket, as he will do in this series. De Kock could still return to fill that role and force Hashim Amla out of the side.

West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin is looking to a new generation of players to stand up and lead his side against Australia as they commence life after Shivnarine Chanderpaul in Dominica

Daniel Brettig in Dominica02-Jun-20151:36

‘Dominica pitch always spins’ – Denesh Ramdin

West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin is looking to a new generation of players to stand up and lead his side against Australia as they commence life after Shivnarine Chanderpaul in Dominica.Apart from Ramdin himself, Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo are among the men much will be expected of in a series where a highly ranked but underdone Australia may be vulnerable to pressure applied by the hosts, provided they can post significant first-innings totals.For nearly two decades Chanderpaul was expected to be the bulwark of such tallies, but now Ramdin said others needed to step up, showing the sort of steel associated with the 40-year-old Guyanese before his form tailed off drastically in the recent series against South Africa and England.”It’s very important that the main players stand up, put our hands up and do the bulk of the batting for the team,” Ramdin said. “We know what Marlon is capable of, young Darren Bravo who has been here for six, seven years now, a lot rests on his shoulders. He knows that and I think he’s going to do well in this series.”We’ve got some youngsters who’ve done well in the regional tournament. They have the talent, it’s just about getting some experience at this level now. They’re going to get the opportunity. The opposition is going to come hard at us so I think they’re going to put up their hand and be counted for. The series against England was good, a brilliant experience for some of the guys and that’ll help us going forward.”One reason West Indies may be capable of leaving Chanderpaul behind is the fact they have now assembled a highly experienced support staff, including team manager Richie Richardson, coach Phil Simmons, batting assistant Stuart Williams and bowling assistant Curtly Ambrose. All took part in one way or another on Australia’s tour to the Caribbean in 1995, when Mark taylor’s men ended 15 years of West Indian domination.Another factor in favour of the hosts this week is the two sides’ respective lead-ins. Australia’s Test team have not assembled for a match since January against India in Sydney, as the World Cup victory and holidays swallowed up the intervening period. By contrast West Indies recently fought out a 1-1 home Test series against England, and will be much more familiar with the prevailing slow and turning conditions.”It’s good always going into a series with some cricket behind you,” Ramdin said. “We got that result that we wanted in Barbados to level the series but we know they’re a good team.”We’re in a good frame of mind coming off the last Test match where we had a win against England. A good week in Barbados, preparation, the last three days were fantastic. We did some good things and hopefully we can carry that into the game.”Ramdin had little to say about the composition of the team, but it is apparent that one of the two young men seconded from the WICB President’s XI – Rajindra Chandrika and Shane Dowrich – will debut. There is also the likelihood of twin spin from Veerasammy Permaul and Devendra Bishoo, though it remains to be seen whether the hosts play five bowlers or four. The former scenario would require Ramdin to bat at No. 6.”We have some good spinners, they have some good batters,” Ramdin said. “It’s going to be a keenly good contest. We need to get the right areas and put them under some pressure. Our new ball bowlers need to get early wickets so the lower order will be under some pressure and our spinners can play a part probably day three or day four.”

Controversy over Paris Saint-Germain's equaliser against Newcastle has been dismissed by Luis Enrique, who described the game as a "horror movie".

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Mbappe scored penalty in 98th minuteLivramento punished for controversial handballPSG sit second in the 'group of death'WHAT HAPPENED?

Despite having a multitude of shots on goal, the Parisians had been unable to find a way past Nick Pope in the Newcastle goal. At least until the home side were awarded a penalty in the dying moments of the game, after an Ousmane Dembele cross struck the elbow of Tino Livramento. PSG were perhaps fortunate to be awarded the penalty given the ball first bounced off Livramento's torso – much to the dismay of the Newcastle players and fans alike. Kylian Mbappe emphatically dispatched the spot kick to keep qualification in PSG's hands.

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Alexander Isak had put the Magpies in front against the run of play, with PSG managing a grand total of 31 shots in the game, albeit just seven on target. Irked by claims that his side had been lucky to earn a point from the game, and remain strong favourites for qualification, Luis Enrique hit back at the criticism.

Getty ImagesWHAT ENRIQUE SAID

When quizzed on the penalty call after the game, Luis Enrique said: "This is football, it is not basketball. We are one of the teams that scores the most goals in Europe, there is no doubt. One day the ball doesn't want to go in and this is what happens. It's like the script of a horror movie, but I hope to finish first in the group."

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WHAT NEXT FOR LUIS ENRIQUE AND PSG?

Having secured a point, and snatched a precious two from Newcastle, PSG sit second in Group F. They are set to travel to Borussia Dortmund on the final matchday, with the German club already through to the round of 16. Meanwhile, Newcastle host AC Milan needing a victory, and a favour from Dortmund, to qualify.

The BCCI technical committee has proposed measures to make Ranji Trophy matches more result-oriente

Amol Karhadkar29-Apr-2015The BCCI technical committee has proposed measures to make Ranji Trophy matches more result-oriented. The changes suggested by the Anil Kumble-headed committee include increasing the number of overs per day from 90 to 95 and doing away with the point currently awarded to a side for saving a match.The preliminary suggestions were discussed in the working committee meeting on April 26. The BCCI’s governing body has asked for a final proposal in its next meeting. The technical panel is likely to provide that after meeting again next month.Ranji Trophy points system

Till 2006-07, four points were awarded for a win, five for a bonus win, two for the first-innings lead and none for the team that conceded the lead in a draw
In 2007-08, the system changed to five for a win, six for a bonus win and three for the first-innings lead. A point for the team conceding the lead but saving the match was introduced
In 2012-13, an additional point was introduced for a victory: six points for a win and seven for a ten-wicket or innings win

It is understood that the working committee responded positively to the suggestion of points modification. However, some members were wary about increasing the number of overs. It was pointed out that teams struggle to bowl 90 overs even with half an hour’s extension, so bowling 95 would be impractical.After assessing last season’s Ranji results, which had results in 62 out of 115 games, the technical committee suggested adding five overs to each of the four days’ play to increase the possibility of a result.Kumble and Co have also proposed to do away with the single point for salvaging a draw after conceding the lead. The working committee was briefed that with the existing format, teams are content with the first-innings result in most cases since both teams gain points, with three awarded for gaining the lead.As a result, the side that concedes the lead doesn’t really push for victory, making the second innings redundant on numerous occasions. The technical committee felt by taking away a point for earning a draw, the teams will end up being more aggressive.The other major suggestion was to increase the number of overs to be bowled in a day to 95, without adding additional playing hours. This would not only give 20 more overs to produce results but would also make the game faster. It is observed that the Ranji Trophy sometimes sees too many stoppages, with teams happy to slow down proceedings. The suggestion is drawn from Australian domestic cricket, where 96 overs are bowled in a day in a first-class game.

Jose Mourinho says he was “eliminated” as Roma manager by an ownership group that “knows little about football”.

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Portuguese dumped by Serie A giantsHad enjoyed success in EuropeTaken aim at American owners in ItalyWHAT HAPPENED?

The charismatic Portuguese was relieved of his duties at Stadio Olimpico on January 16. He had delivered Europa Conference League glory to the Italian capital, while also guiding the Giallorossi to the Europa League final in 2023.

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His departure left many supporters disappointed, despite struggles for consistency this season, and Mourinho has pointed the finger of blame for his departure firmly in the direction of The Friedkin Group – who are headed up by American billionaire businessman Dan Friedkin.

WHAT MOURINHO SAID

Discussing the knockout stages of this season’s European competitions, Mourinho has told : “The European competitions are about to begin, in particular the Champions League, perhaps the most important competition on the world calendar. I won’t be there at these final stages, not because I’ve already been eliminated, but because I was ‘eliminated’ by someone who knows little about football. That’s life, full of ups and downs, and I’m growing, despite the unexpected and unfair dismissal. But I will return, with even more enthusiasm and confidence, for these UEFA matches.”

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Mourinho added when asked what advice he would offer to those chasing down continental glory in 2024: “I’ve participated in many matches and have reached the final several times. They are truly special matches, for us coaches, for the fans and, obviously, for the players. I therefore have enough experience and knowledge to know how to move forward, even when we have opponents with a much greater potential than ours. At this stage I always keep in mind, in the first game you always play to win, in the second, you know what you need to go to the next round. Win with one goal, draw or even lose by one or two goals. And knockout matches are managed on this basis.”

Who would make a Dream Team of the two Nations Cup finalists?

BackpagePix.Goalkeeper: Edouard Mendy

Endured a tricky spell against Equatorial Guinea, but beyond that, has done little to dent his reputation as the finest African goalkeeper in the game.

Mendy has kept clean sheets in four matches, although he was breached in both the quarter-final and the semi.

AdvertisementBackpagepixRight-back: Omar Kamal

Squeezing out Bouna Sarr in the toughest decision of the lot, Kamal only made his full Egypt debut in the Pharaohs’ second group game, but has excelled defensively, averaging 3.6 tackles per match.

It’s not bad going for a player who made his name as a winger.

Getty ImagesCentre-back: Kalidou Koulibaly

Like Mendy, had a few nervous moments against Equatorial Guinea, but he remains one of Africa’s finest defenders of his generation and isn’t going to be squeezed out of this dream team by any of Egypt’s options.

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Getty ImagesCentre-back: Abdou Diallo

Left-back: Saliou CissMaking the team ahead of the likes of Ahmed Hegazy or Mohamed Abdelmonem, Diallo has taken to international football seamlessly after being coaxed away from a future with France.

He complements Koulibaly well, offering technical poise and composure, and also opened the scoring as Burkina Faso were defeated in the semi-finals.

A round-up of the Plunket Shield matches that ended on February 18, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2015Dean Brownlie’s triple hundred was the highlight of a high-scoring draw at Pukekura Park, from which Northern Districts picked up six points for their first-innings lead over Central Districts. Brownlie sprinted to 334 from 398 balls, hitting 40 fours and eight sixes, as Northern Districts declared on 556 for 9 after being sent in to bat. Brownlie’s innings was the first triple-century by a Northern Districts player and the fifth in the history of New Zealand’s first-class competition. He scored his first 222 runs on the first day.Brownlie apart, the top order failed as Northern Districts slipped to 165 for 4. Brownlie then added 85 for the fifth wicket with BJ Watling and 217 for the sixth with Mitchell Santner, who made 101 from 171 balls. For Central Districts, left-arm spinners Ajaz Patel and George Worker picked up two wickets each.Greg Hay led Central Districts’ response with a 381-ball 157, assisted by half-centuries from Tom Bruce and Doug Bracewell, but Northern Districts kept chipping away the wickets – Scott Kuggeleijn picking up three – to bowl them out six runs short of the follow-on mark.By the end of the third day, Central Districts were in deep trouble at 17 for 2, still 138 runs away from avoiding innings defeat. The run-out dismissal of Will Young made it 49 for 3, before Hay and Bruce came to their rescue once again, putting on 144 for the fourth wicket in 41 overs. Hay fell for 80 but Bruce carried on batting for a further 13.3 overs before he was out for 94. Kruger van Wyk and Kieran Noema-Barnett then made unbeaten 20s to seal the draw and three points.

Allrounder James Faulkner has been included in Australia’s Test squad for the two-match series against Pakistan in UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2014Allrounder James Faulkner has been included in Australia’s Test squad for the two-match series against Pakistan in UAE. Faulkner is on standby for allrounder Mitchell Marsh, who has a hamstring strain.Marsh was a strong contender to fill the allrounder vacancy created by the injury to Shane Watson but he strained his hamstring while playing for Perth Scorchers in the Champions League T20 in India. Cricket Australia reported Marsh had resumed jogging and batting in the nets but there was uncertainty whether he would be able to bowl at full capacity in the build-up to the first Test, which begins on October 22 in Dubai. The other option for the allrounder’s spot is offspinner Glenn Maxwell.Faulkner’s inclusion was announced after Australia clinched the ODI series with a five-wicket win on Friday. Faulkner was part of the XIs that won the only Twenty international and the first two ODIs, and batted an No. 6 in all three games. He has played only one Test previously, at The Oval in 2013, when Australia lost the Ashes 3-0.Australia will play the third ODI against Pakistan on October 12 in Abu Dhabi, and then travel to Sharjah for a four-day game against Pakistan A from October 15.