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Chelsea cruised to an emphatic 6-0 win over Roma in the Champions League on Wednesday. An own goal set the Blues on their way to victory before Johanna Rytting Kaneryd teed up Wieke Kaptein and added a goal of her own to put the hosts in control at the break. Substitutes Sjoeke Nusken and Maika Hamano extended Chelsea's lead in the second half before Lucy Bronze wrapped up the win in some style late on.

Roma started the game in positive fashion, but went behind in unfortunate circumstances when Sandy Baltimore fired in a cross from the left which beat Sam Kerr but not defender Valentina Bergamaschi, who thumped a header past her own goalkeeper with only 13 minutes on the clock.

Chelsea promptly took control and added a second through Kaptein. A well-worked move saw Keira Walsh ping a glorious diagonal ball through to Rytting Kaneryd to head back across goal for Kaptein to drill home for 2-0.

Rytting Kaneryd was involved again just before half-time as Chelsea put the game out of Roma’s reach. Veerle Burman got the Blues going with an incisive pass through to Niamh Charles to run onto and deliver into the box. Kerr saw her shot from close range parried only as far as Rytting Kaneryd, who fired high into the net at the far post.

With Chelsea 3-0 up at the break, manager Sonia Bompastor made three changes by sending on Lexi Potter, Nusken, and Hamano and saw the Blues win a penalty in the opening minutes of the second period. Substitute Nusken won the kick and promptly despatched the penalty to extend Chelsea's lead and make it 4-0.

Yet Chelsea remained hungry for goals and simply kept on attacking. Hamano added Chelsea's fifth after good work from fellow substitute Guro Reiten before Bronze sealed the victory with an outrageous effort in the dying minutes.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Stamford Bridge…

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Livia Peng (7/10):

Didn't have much to do in truth, but did put in a crucial challenge to deny Pandini in the first half and made a late block to preserve her clean sheet.

Lucy Bronze (8/10):

Showed her experience up against Pandini and Pilgrim, who got very little out of the right-back. Grabbed Chelsea's sixth of the night with a brilliant effort that may well have been a cross but certainly thrilled the home fans.

Millie Bright (7/10):

Solid at the back and played some dangerous balls forward.

Veerle Burman (8/10):

A really impressive showing. Very strong defensively and played a brilliant pass through to Charles to send Chelsea away for the third goal.

Niamh Charles (8/10):

Another player who enjoyed herself against Roma. Had a fine battle with former team-mate Babajide and grabbed an assist for the third.

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Catarina Macario (6/10):

Lost a few balls early on but also produced some incisive passes and put in a great cross in for Kerr who somehow managed to miss from close range. One of three changes at half-time with Chelsea already 3-0 up.

Keira Walsh (7/10):

Set up the second goal with a wonderful diagonal ball that opened Roma up. Another player given a breather with the game won at the break.

Wieke Kaptein (8/10):

Fired home Chelsea's second of the night with fine finish and might have scored a second but put an effort just over the bar.

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Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (8/10):

Teed up Chelsea's second goal in fine style with a header back across goal. Also bagged the third with an emphatic finish from close range.

Sam Kerr (7/10):

Missed a couple of good chances but was heavily involved in everything. Lovely dummy to allow Kaptein to score Chelsea's second. 

Sandy Baltimore (7/10):

Great ball in from the left which Bergamaschi headed home to gift Chelsea the lead. Caused problems down the left throughout the first half before being replaced at the break.

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Subs & Manager

Lexi Potter (7/10):

A really positive showing after coming on in the second half. Could have scored but was denied a first Chelsea goal by goalkeeper Lukasova.

Sjoeke Nusken (8/10):

Came on at the start of the second half and made a real impact. Won a penalty with her first involvement and made no mistake from the spot. Might have had a second but blazed over.

Maika Hamano(7/10):

Finished off Roma with a easy finish after good work from Reiten.

Oriane Jean-François (7/10):

Had a shot blocked with her first touch and put in some good challenges. 

Guro Reiten (7/10):

Replaced Kerr for the final stages and unselfishly set up Hermano for Chelsea's fifth.

Sonia Bompastor (8/10):

A fairly perfect evening for the Chelsea boss, who saw her team completely outclass Roma. Was able to rest players with her team already 3-0 up at the break and saw her substitutes impress in the second half. Will also be pleased to see Kerr get 70 minutes under the belt.

Shohei Ohtani is on a heater. The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar homered in his fourth consecutive game on Tuesday night, blasting an opposite-field job in the ninth inning that proved purely cosmetic as the home team fell to the Minnesota Twins, 10-7.

It was Ohtani's 36th homer of the season and tied him with Eugenio Suarez for the National League lead. And it was one of the more impressive as he simply reached out and poked a 100-mph Jhoan Duran fastball the other way with remarkable ease.

This is the first time in his already-storied career that Ohtani has homered in four straight games, which puts him halfway to tying the Major League Baseball record of eight—a mark shared by three players.

Because baseball happens and Ohtani is immensely popular, his dinger was secured expertly in the air by a Dodgers fan wearing a No. 17 jersey. And that fan was extremely fired up. Perhaps a bit shocked too.

That's awesome. One minute you're sitting there coming to grips with your beloved Dodgers dropping another game due to shaky bullpen work, thinking about the traffic there will be to navigate after the game and the next you're in a highlight with one of your favorite players.

People will tell you not to bring your baseball glove to a game once you get to a certain age but this is a perfect example of the upside of such a decision. No way that Ohtani homer was being caught with just bare hands.

After leaving Tuesday's game early, Juan Soto will be held out of the New York Mets' lineup for Wednesday's matchup against the San Diego Padres. On Tuesday, Soto fouled a pitch off his foot in the third inning and was immediately in visible pain. He finished his at-bat, but was limping and would be replaced at right field in the bottom half of the inning.

X-rays on Soto's injury came back negative. He was diagnosed with a left foot contusion, and is expected to be playing for the Mets again in the coming days, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Soto will not play Wednesday, and the Mets are off Thursday, meaning that he could at the earliest return for Friday's game versus the San Francisco Giants.

"I think it’s going to be good,” said Soto, via DiComo. “We’ve just got to get the swelling down. Whenever the swelling is down, I think we’re going to be fine.”

With Soto out, Jeff McNeil will play right field for the Mets in their final game of the series at Petco Park. The Mets are looking for their first win of the series, and to keep their narrow lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East.

New Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl has a huge job ahead of him after the club officially confirmed his Ibrox appointment on Monday.

The German boss arrives just days before a trip to Brann in the Europa League, and is taking over a team that won five of their 17 matches under the previous manager.

Russell Martin was unable to get a tune out of the squad that was built by the 49ers during the summer transfer window, as evidenced by his statistics in the graphic above.

The Martin signings most at risk under Rohl

The first thing that Rohl needs to do as the new head coach of Rangers is assess the squad to get a rough idea about what his preferred XI and usual set of substitutes will be.

As shown in the graphic above, Martin made plenty of additions to the team during the summer transfer window, but not all of them hit the ground running, as evidenced by the results.

Youssef Chermiti, who has not scored a competitive club goal since he left Sporting in 2023, may be at risk, as he has failed to deliver a goal or an assist for the Gers. Max Aarons, on loan from Bournemouth, may also be at risk as he has fallen down the pecking order in both full-back positions.

Joe Rothwell, per Sofascore, has lost 53% of his duels in midfield in the Scottish Premiership this season, and he could be at risk if the manager wants more robustness in the middle of the park.

One of the summer signings that Rohl must bin when the next window opens, though, is central defender Nasser Djiga, who should be sent back to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Why Danny Rohl should let go of Nasser Djiga

Martin swooped to sign the centre-back on loan from the Premier League side in the summer, but he has failed to prove his worth in the opening three months of the campaign.

Djiga’s worst moment so far, which was described as “disastrous” by Heart & Hand’s David Edgar, was when he inexplicably left the ball to allow Romeo Vermant to score for Club Brugge in the Champions League play-off.

There have been other contenders, though, as he was sent off against Dundee for a last-man foul in August, and Michael Stewart claimed that he “has not helped his team out” after the defender stayed on the floor calling for a foul in the build-up to Alloa Athletic’s first goal in the League Cup.

This shows that the centre-back has failed to perform on multiple occasions across multiple competitions for the Gers since his move to the club on loan.

A loan player for a club the size of Rangers should either be a player who fills a gap, which you could argue Max Aarons does as a back-up full-back, or has the quality to make an immediate impact on the pitch.

Djiga, unfortunately, does not hit either of those criteria at the moment. Whilst you could say that he fills a gap as a back-up centre-back, it is at the expense of Emmanuel Fernandez, who has not made a matchday squad since August.

Dundee United

0

Falkirk

90

Sturm Graz

0

Livingston

0

Genk

0

Hibernian

0

Hearts

45

Celtic

90

Club Brugge

90

Club Brugge

90

As you can see in the table above, Djiga has largely been an unused substitute across all competitions for Rangers since he was hauled off at half-time against Hearts.

The Gers reportedly paid a fee of £3.5m to sign Fernandez from Peterborough United in the summer, and sporting director Kevin Thelwell claimed that he “can have a big future” at Ibrox.

It does not seem prudent to spend £3.5m on a promising young centre-back only to exclude him from matchday squads in favour of a loanee defender, with no option to buy, who has made several costly mistakes this season.

Not just Gassama: Rohl can ignite Rangers star who looked lost under Martin

Danny Rohl could ignite this Rangers star’s career after his struggles under Russell Martin.

ByDan Emery Oct 21, 2025

Therefore, Rohl should axe Djiga from the squad, if there is an early release clause in the loan deal or if Wolves are willing to take him back, in January and should look to afford Fernandez more chances to prove that he was worth the £3.5m investment in the summer.

Jules Kounde was the unlikely hero for Barcelona on Tuesday in the Champions League. Eintracht Frankfurt silenced the Camp Nou by taking a shock lead in the first half through Ansgar Knauff. but were pegged back after the break. Marcus Rashford was the catalyst for the hosts, coming off the bench and teeing up Kounde to level matters minutes after the break, and the French full-back then sealed the 2-1 win with his second of the game from a Lamine Yamal cross.

Barcelona have made a habit of conceding first this season and did so again at Camp Nou midway through the first half. Nathaniel Brown clipped a superb ball over Barca’s backline to find Knauff running through on goal, and the winger managed to fend off Alejandro Balde and fire past Joan Garcia to hand Eintracht a shock lead.

Hansi Flick's side enjoyed plenty of possession after the goal, but struggled to create clear-cut chances, meaning it was no surprise to see the German coach tweak his side at the half-time break. The ineffective Fermin Lopez was replaced by Rashford as Flick sought more cutting edge and threat in attack.

The England international made an instant impact after being played through by Pedri down the left. Rashford could have gone for goal himself, but cut the ball back to Raphinha, who could only blaze wildly over the crossbar. Minutes later and Rashford's impact really was felt by the visitors, as the Manchester United loanee's deep cross from the left was headed home by Kounde to make it 1-1.

Kounde may have been an unlikely goal-scorer for Barcelona, but the France international was celebrating again just three minutes later. This time it was Yamal who swung in a cross from deep for Kounde to head Barcelona in front. The goals seemed to drain the belief out of Eintracht as Barca went on to dominate proceedings and secure the win that keeps alive their hopes of automatic qualification from the league phase.

GOAL rates Barcelona's players from Camp Nou…

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Joan Garcia (7/10):

Couldn't do too much about the goal but dealt confidently with everything else thrown at him.

Jules Kounde (8/10):

Still looks miles below his best form but popped up with two crucial headers to seal the win. He also becomes the first Barca player to score two headers in a Champions League match.

Pau Cubarsi (7/10):

Looks far happier with Martin alongside him. Put in a super challenge to deny Eintracht midway through the second half.

Gerard Martin (6/10):

Stretched out a leg but couldn’t block the pass to Knauff for the opening goal. Had a great effort in the first half which flew just over.

Alejandro Balde (6/10):

Chased back desperately with Knauff but could not prevent him opening the scoring.

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Eric Garcia (6/10):

Should have closed down Brown quicker for the opener, but otherwise put in another solid shift. Much better in the second half.

Pedri (8/10):

The classiest operator on the pitch by some distance and helped Barcelona take control of the game after half-time.

Fermin Lopez (5/10):

Looked lost on his return to the team. Struggled to connect with his team-mates and his usual goal threat was missing. No surprise to see him hooked at half-time.

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Lamine Yamal (7/10):

Looked isolated in the first half and lost the ball in the build-up to Frankfurt's goal. He was better after the break and grabbed an assist for Kounde to make it 2-1, but picked up a booking which rules him out of Barca's next Champions League game.

Robert Lewandowski (5/10):

Scored an early goal which was ruled out for offside but otherwise offered very little. Taken off for Ferran just after the hour.

Raphinha (6/10):

Back in the starting XI but never really got going and was hooked early in the second half.

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AFPSubs & Manager

Marcus Rashford (8/10):

Made the difference off the bench at half-time. Was really lively throughout and bagged an assist for Kounde. Could have scored himself but saw an effort deflected over the bar.

Ferran Torres (7/10):

Added more energy and invention to the attack. 

Frenkie de Jong (6/10):

Came on to firm things up and help Barcelona see out an important win. Not afraid to attack the box.

Andreas Christensen (N/A):

Late sub for Yamal.

Roony Bardghji (N/A):

Another late sub.

Hansi Flick (7/10):

Made changes to his team and they simply didn't pay off as Barca struggled in the first half. Made the right decision to send on Rashford at half-time which helped spark the comeback.

Rahane says he had a conversation with Kohli after running him out in Adelaide

Sidharth Monga25-Dec-2020One bad hour. Two good days. Back yourselves to keep doing the same things that brought you those two good days, and avoid that bad hour. That is the import from India’s stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane, who picked an XI with five bowlers for the second Test before attending the pre-match press conference.It is a rare opportunity to captain India – only 33 men have done so in Tests – but Rahane’s position is not exactly enviable with India coming off their 36 all out nightmare and missing three of their frontline players. On top of that, Rahane still holds responsible for not batting Australia out of the game when he ran Virat Kohli out in the first innings and followed it up with a disappointing lbw dismissal.”It was really tough,” Rahane said of the run-out, which became part of India’s fall of 17 wickets for 92 runs. They had been 188 for 3 before that. “Obviously we were going really well, the partnership was really good, and I could actually see that momentum go towards Australia after that run-out. After the end of the day, I went and said sorry to him [Kohli]. He was okay about it because we understood that the situation we were in, we were going really well at that point, but such things happen in cricket. You have got to respect that and move on from there.”Related

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Rahane said Kohli addressed the team before leaving for India for the birth of his first child. “Virat spoke to all of us. We had our team dinner in Adelaide so he spoke to all of us about being positive, playing to our strength and just play as a team and as a unit. That is what we have been doing all these years. It is all about that, all about staying in the moment, playing for each other and enjoy each other’s success and help each other out in the field.”Rahane said while Kohli’s presence was important he won’t be sliding into the captain’s messengers for tips while he is in India. “He spoke to all the boys. He said just be yourselves and back yourselves and play as a team. I don’t want to disturb him now because obviously this time is really special,” Rahane said.This is not the first time Rahane has filled in for Kohli at a crucial time. The last time he did so the opposition was the same, and India were playing the series decider in Dharamsala in 2016-17. Rahane earned plaudits for his captaincy in the match, which started with an aggressive selection of Kuldeep Yadav as the third spinner, continued with field sets and bowling changes, and culminated in an attacking innings to kill a potentially tricky chase.”I felt [I learnt] backing your instinct, remaining calm under pressure, backing your own strengths and methods, which I really focus on,” Rahane said. “I really learnt a lot during that Test.”Rahane reiterated that neither the openers nor he himself needed to take any pressure for the second Test even though their roles were crucial. “We have got to back our basics, back our plans,” Rahane said. “We just had one bad hour so it is all about staying positive, backing your own ability and batting in partnerships. As a batting unit, that matters a lot: communication and batting in partnerships. We are focussing on that.”It is a proud moment for me to lead India. It is a great opportunity and responsibility. I don’t want to take any pressure. What I want to do is back my team-mates, back my team. And as a team we want to do well. The focus is not on me but on the team.”The openers’ role is crucial anywhere. I don’t want to put any pressure on our openers. Just want to give them freedom to play their game. But having said that openers’ role is very crucial. When you have that foundation, it becomes easier for the coming batsman.”

Uncertainty surrounds Angelo Mathews’ prospects of succeeding Mahela Jayawardene as Sri Lanka captain in all three formats

Andrew Fernando25-Jan-2013Two weeks ago, Angelo Mathews may have thought that Saturday’s Twenty20 international at the Sydney Cricket Ground would effectively be his first match as Sri Lanka’s captain in all formats. He might have dreamed of building his team in the coming years and made mental notes about how each young talent should be fostered. Perhaps he even looked forward to the Bangladesh tour in March as an opportunity to find his feet at the helm and begin shaping a side consistent with his ideals, attitude and identity. He will likely have to wait. The top brass at home have all but confirmed Mathews will not be entrusted with the Test captaincy.So embroiled is Sri Lanka’s politics in its cricket that before the selection panel who will choose the new captain has even been appointed, the sports minister has already declared that Sri Lanka will have a separate captain for Tests. As the minister appoints the selectors and authorises each team they name, there is little cause to doubt him on that. There is a chance too, that Sanath Jayasuriya, who is also part of Sri Lanka’s government, will be a selector, and perhaps their chairman.Through all this the minister has also voiced his discontent with players who “hug all three formats of the game” and called for three distinct teams for each format. Mahela Jayawardene’s souring relationship with SLC was played out in the papers in last month’s leaked letter saga, and his Test place now seems less secure than his form and record warrants. He had quit the captaincy with the intention of mentoring his long-term replacement but neither the man he expected to take the reins nor Jayawardene himself may be positioned in the way he had imagined in the months to come.It is amid all this uncertainty that Mathews must now pursue his first victory as captain. The two Twenty20s are almost a post-script at the end of a long tour but there is still plenty on the line for Sri Lanka, not just in terms of results but also in how Mathews comes off as a leader.A 2-0 victory would give Sri Lanka some consolation after a difficult tour. They were woeful in the Tests and failed to close out the one-day series and will be desperate to leave Australia with at least one trophy of their own. The bowlers in particular have played some excellent cricket in the past two weeks, and they will feel a shared ODI series was not a just reward for their efforts. Sri Lanka will be playing to keep the No. 1 ranking they earned at the World Twenty20 as well, and need at least a drawn series to hold on to it.For Mathews, the Twenty20s are about showcasing his capacity for leadership. His nerveless navigation of difficult ODI chases has made his stoicism plain but there is still immaturity about his game and, increasingly, the air of unfulfilled promise. It is perhaps why, two years after he was initially considered for the captaincy, there is still widespread hesitance about the prospect of him taking the reins. There is no doubt that he has the unequivocal support of the side’s seniors and the respect of the younger group as well, but his own game has not progressed rapidly enough to announce his readiness for the added burden. Each time he walks to the crease in Tests, he also drags an ever-worsening conversion rate behind him.Tactically, he is also something of a mystery. Rarely in his 20 months as vice-captain has he been seen weighing in on on-field decisions, and although he led his Sri Lanka Premier League squad to the final of that competition, he was blessed with one of the best attacks in the tournament who struck form early in their campaign. He does, however, deserve credit for coaxing good cricket out of them.A 2-0 victory in the Twenty20s is unlikely to be enough to change the minds of the men who call the shots in Sri Lanka’s cricket, but for Mathews it would be a decent start as he builds a case for the Test captaincy. He won Sri Lankan hearts as a youngster with a single innings at the MCG in 2010, but if he is to earn respect as a leader, it must come through consistency over time, with positive results for the team, as well as with the bat.

ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the first day between Australia and South Africa in Adelaide

Firdose Moonda at Adelaide Oval22-Nov-2012Wicket of the day
With Australia coasting in the first 10 overs, it needed something unusual to end a threatening-looking opening stand. Jacques Kallis brought that. His perfect yorker was so good it wasn’t clear whether it hit Ed Cowan on the toe or if he only managed to send it back to Kallis to catch in his follow through. As he did, Kallis appealed and Billy Bowden gave it out, although there was confusion about the method of dismissal. The stadium announcer initially said lbw but later changed it to caught and bowled. Cricket Tasmania inadvertently may have explained it best when they tweeted that Warner had been “caught lbw”.Celebration of the day
David Warner was under the media microscope coming into this match. He was the player they were calling for to be dropped unless he performed but he silenced them with an aggressive and entertaining knock. His drive to bring up his hundred had barely reached the boundary when Warner stood, arms raised, bat in hand and saluted the members’ stand. He did not turn or move in any other direction for a good 30 seconds and he soaked it all in and then gestured to other parts of the ground.Introduction of the day
Faf du Plessis would probably have preferred his first act in Test cricket to be with the bat but after lunch, as Graeme Smith needed to change Imran Tahir and Morne Morkel’s ends he was asked to bowl an over. With South Africa conceding heavily, du Plessis would only have been required to bowl six reasonable deliveries but he started with a shocker. He sent down a high full toss which Warner was only too happy to deposit over square leg. The ball was lost in the construction site and had to be replaced. Welcome to the whites, du Plessis.Injury of the day
Which one? Vernon Philander woke up with a stiff lower back so Rory Kleinveldt had to play in his place. Jacques Kallis trudged off after three and a half overs with a suspected hamstring problem but the issue that brought the most despondence was the sight of Dale Steyn flexing his left leg midway through his 15th over. Having suffered almost no serious injuries in the past, Steyn is one of the fittest members of the squad and it’s unusual to see him give up. But, he did. After stretching a bit, Steyn took his hat back from Bowden, Kleinveldt handed his over and Steyn had to walk off. Hearts sank.Burst of the day
Although Warner’s speedy run-scoring is the most talked-about, Michael Clarke was not far behind. He went from 132 to 152 in the space of an over after hitting Morne Morkel for five fours. Some were carved out, others crisp, all class. It was the exclamation mark on the end of an entirely dominant performance by the Australian captain.Bullying of the day
Worse than being completely outplayed, South Africa were bullied by the Australian batsmen and the chief tormentors were Clarke and Michael Hussey. Again. In back-to-back deliveries they emphasised how authoritative their display was. Clarke reached his fourth double hundred of the year – the first batsman to achieve that feat – with a nudge behind square and was greeted with a standing ovation. The 16,000 people had barely sat down when they rose again to applaud Hussey’s century which came with a slog swept six.

The USWNT blew past Italy in the opening match of a pair of friendlies. Will Hayes give opportunities to newer faces in Monday's rematch?

Three days after a comprehensive 3-0 win over Italy, the U.S. women’s national team are back in action – against the same opponent. This time, the two sides meet at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., after opening the two-game set in Orlando.

Emma Hayes’ squad knows better than to expect a repeat performance on Monday. Both the manager and her players have emphasized that this final match of the year is about continuing to build depth, rotate the squad, and give newer faces another chance to settle in.

“I think first and foremost, the depth of this team is growing so much, and I think that is the most important thing with the U.S. national team,” Lindsey Heaps told reporters Saturday, via CBS. “It’s the most competitive environment I’ve ever been a part of… To have that depth, to have these new young players coming through and absolutely killing it, with the balance of experienced players and new players, it’s really important.”

On Friday, Hayes leaned on a more veteran group, with Naomi Girma wearing the armband. It’s likely that younger players will feature more prominently on Monday.

“It’s the same as I’ve always said: we’re building toward something, and we have to build cap accumulation across the squad,” Hayes said after the win. “There are a lot of players who lack experience – someone like Cori Dyke, that was her fifth game tonight. It’s going to take us a little bit of time. We’re not there yet, but we have to experiment with players to give them the right experiences… My goal is always to create successive, competitive teams, not just one team you rebuild every four years.”

Regardless of who starts, Friday’s message will likely remain the same: start fast, stay aggressive, and close out the 2025 FIFA break window on the front foot. From Cat Macario’s brace to Olivia Moultrie’s lightning-quick opener, Girma’s defensive command and Claudia Dickey’s poise in goal, there’s plenty to watch for as Hayes enters her 30th match in charge.

GOAL looks at five keys for the USWNT’s second meeting with Italy.

ImagnLavelle's leadership

Rose Lavelle arrived in Florida fresh off winning the 2025 NWSL Championship, earning MVP honors, and speaking in front of New Yorkers during Gotham FC’s celebratory parade.

She had every reason to be tired, but on Friday she showed none of it. Despite the long season and quick turnaround from club duties, Lavelle was sharp as ever in the first meeting with Italy – driving the midfield, linking play, and playing a part in nearly every major attacking moment.

Just 67 seconds into the game, Lavelle combined on a give-and-go with Alyssa Thompson, received the return ball, and squared it across the box for Olivia Moultrie to finish. It marked Lavelle’s 27th international assist and her third of the year. She has now contributed to a goal in five of her last six USWNT appearances.

Whether she starts on Monday is unclear, given her recent workload and the depth in midfield, but her leadership remains crucial. After Friday’s win, Lavelle said this window has allowed the U.S. to “tap into our depth.”

“It can be tough when you have injuries and a lot of rotation, but I think it allowed us to tap into our depth and gave a lot of players experience in really good, hard games,” Lavelle said. “That’s only going to help us moving forward. We’ve had some performances we felt we could do better in, but facing adversity early on sets you up for the long run.”

AdvertisementGetty Images'Come out fast'

Friday’s victory marked the fourth straight match in which the USWNT scored within the opening 10 minutes. Hayes’ emphasis on starting on the front foot is clearly sinking in. Setting the tempo of a game isn’t easy, but the U.S. have been doing exactly that.

Defensively, they’re composed on the ball and communicate well – and that will only improve with the return of Naomi Girma. In midfield, the blend of younger players and seasoned contributors provides both built-in chemistry and space for new connections to form in real time. And offensively, Cat Macario is leading the charge. She credits her recent surge to “Emma knowing her really well,” and while that familiarity certainly helps, Macario’s long road back from injury now feels firmly in the past. She’s flying for both Chelsea and the USWNT.

After the first meeting with Italy, Hayes spoke about the team’s mindset. “Starting fast is one thing, but we’ve often started fast and conceded just as quickly,” she said. “So a clean sheet means as much to us this evening as the result and the performance.

“I’ve said it many times: they are so coachable, these players – malleable.”

Scoring early has become something of a USWNT trademark lately, and Rose Lavelle set the tone back in October when she scored just 33 seconds into the match against Portugal.

ImagnMacario's got her mojo back

With her brace against Italy, Macario made one thing clear: she’s the focal point of the USWNT attack. The Chelsea star now has seven goals in 2025 and a team-high 15 in 28 international appearances.

Her versatility in front of goal is just as striking. She can certainly hammer a shot, but her ability to take players on, create space, and use her body to dominate the box has added an entirely new layer to her game.

“I’m very proud and happy at the fact that this was the first year in nearly three years I’ve been available for nearly every game, every training,” Macario said after the USWNT's win. “For me, personally, that’s a big win.”

Macario had several chances to score against Italy, and her brace was her fifth-ever and her second straight in as many matches.

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Getty ImagesHayes' 30th game in charge

It's been quite the year for  Emma Hayes, who will now be entering her 30th match as head coach of the USWNT. Her impact has been legendary, leading the USWNT to an Olympic gold medal in 2024, just in her 10th match as head coach.  As the 10th full-time head coach in USWNT history, Hayes has been focused on maintainig the elite standard of this team and program, but also changing and evolving it.

Ahead of Monday's meeting against Italy, Sam Coffey and Heaps spoke to the media and could hardly hold back when asked about Hayes' impact on the team. 

"There is not enough words to describe this woman, like she's a legend," Coffey said. "It's such a privilege to be coached by her, and we just love it. Like, she is so fun to play for."

Heaps believed Hayes' poise is what makes her successful as a manager. 

"Credit to her experience that she's had at Chelsea and all the big games that she's played in and everything," Heaps said. "I think she's so calm and poised. And I think it's one of the nicest things as a player, when you're on the field, and maybe something is not going right, and someone or something is going wrong, but you look on the side, and you see calmness, that is a really nice thing to have…That's a form of confidence as well, and gives us confidence."

Coffey shared an example of how Hayes finds ways to keep morale high, even when things don't go to plan. 

"Even when after we lost to Portugal in a really uncharacteristic performance and loss for us, like I remember coming back into the meal room after the game and she was just expressing how much she, like, loved us. She's like, 'I love you guys,'" Coffey said.