Kostas Mitroglou started the game but was subbed as Greece drew 0-0 in a fairly eventful game against Portugal yesterday. Karagounis came on as a second half sub. Details: http://www1.skysports.com/football/live/match/309739/teams
Cauley Woodrow played the full game for England U20s in today's third place play-off in the Toulon tournament. However, Ricardo Horta scored the only goal for Portugal in a 1-0 win. Match details: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...-tournament-place-play-off.html#ixzz33QEfXXRm He doesn't look too downhearted though, after 5 games and 2 goals: please log in to view this image
In Under-19 action, Jordan Evans was at left-back for Wales as they slipped to a late 3-2 defeat by Portugal on Friday. The Dragons recovered from 2-0 down to draw level courtesy of an own goal by Andre Silva and Tom O’Sullivan’s strike, but Luis Rafael was on hand to grab the points in the dying stages of the game. Having established himself at LB in the U21 side, the young man is now building on that experience. Could be he'll get the nod for the senior side in that troublesome position. Personally I still feel we need someone more seasoned, with Jordan being more than adequate back-up. The really important thing though is to fill the position in the first team with a player who is a natural LB and not a stop gap like Richardson or Amorebieta.
Bryan Ruiz nabbed a goal to put Costa Rica ahead but they went down 1-3 to Japan yesterday. Match details: http://www.goal.com/en-za/match/costa-rica-vs-japan/1660446/report
Debut Day for our young stars: "George Williams and Liam Donnelly made their international debuts for Wales and Northern Ireland respectively on Wednesday. Williams was a 70th-minute substitute in a 2-0 defeat to the Netherlands in Amsterdam, while Donnelly also stepped off the bench in the dying moments as Northern Ireland went down by the same scoreline to Chile in a friendly in Valparaiso. With Wales trailing 1-0 to Arjen Robben's goal, Williams was introduced into the action – and he almost made a dream start to international football. The winger skipped past three Dutch defenders and only a last-ditch tackle from Ron Vlaar stopped the youngster from letting fly. Holland doubled their lead soon after, though – Robben crossing for substitute Jeremain Lens to score from close range. “Young George is a very good player," said Wales manager Chris Coleman. "He's one of those young players that is fearless, so he's prepared to run at the opposition. He's confident and he's earned his performance tonight." Donnelly came on in the 89th minute for Northern Ireland to make his international bow. The centre-back’s side had held their own for 79 minutes but saw their resistance broken by substitutes Eduardo Vargas and Mauricio Pinilla before Donnelly made his debut late on." And also - At Under-21 level, Marcello Trotta was on target as Italy defeated Montenegro 4-0 in a friendly. The 21-year-old striker, who spent the majority of the 2013/14 season on loan at Brentford, came on as an substitute in the 28th minute and later grabbed the fourth goal in injury time."
"Ashkan Dejagah played 80 minutes as Iran concluded their World Cup warm-ups with a 2-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago on Sunday. The Fulham winger was in good form, too, with the opening goal arriving following his corner kick just before half-time when Ehsan Haji Safi converted, before Charlton Athleticâs Reza Ghoochannejhad doubled the lead five minutes after the restart. Dejagah then won a penalty when he was felled in the box, but Javad Nekounamâs spot-kick was saved by goalkeeper Jan Michael Williams. Iranâs World Cup campaign kicks off next Monday when they face Nigeria. Kostas Mitroglou and Giorgos Karagounis both came on as second half substitutes as Greece defeated Bolivia 2-1 in their final preparation game on Saturday. Panagiotis Kone put the Greeks in front midway through the first half, before Konstantinos Katsouranis headed in a second in the 54th minute. Karagounis then entered the action five minutes later, replacing goal scorer Kone, with Mitroglou introduced not long after. Bolivia pulled a goal back through Rudy Cardozo with 20 minutes remaining, but were unable to force an equaliser. Greece commence their World Cup campaign when they meet Colombia in Belo Horizonte on Saturday. Costa Rica and the Republic of Ireland played out a 1-1 draw in Philadelphia, with captain Bryan Ruiz playing 74 minutes. Kevin Doyle gave his side the lead when he steered Marc Wilsonâs cross into the back of the net on 19 minutes. The striker was then left with a bloodied head following an altercation with Geancarlo Gonzalez just before half-time â an incident which saw the Costa Rica defender dismissed. Los Ticos recovered from the setback well, though, and equalised after Marco Urena was taken out in the area by Millwall goalkeeper David Forde. Celso Borges stepped up and converted from 12 yards to bring his side level. Martin OâNeillâs men could have restored their goal advantage within minutes when they were awarded a penalty of their own, but Robbie Keaneâs kick was palmed away by substitute goalkeeper Patrick Pemberton. Ruiz and his teammates kick off their World Cup campaign against Uruguay on Saturday, in the game immediately preceding Englandâs clash with Italy."
