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FOOTBALL

Switzerland lose to England in Euro qualifier

Switzerland lost its first qualification match for the 2016 European football championships in Basel on Monday night against England, who won 2-0.

The Swiss team under new coach Vladimir Petkovic had several golden opportunities but could not translate them into goals.

Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck, meanwhile, scored both of England's goals, the first in the 58th minute and the second in the 94th minute.

"They (Switzerland) got better as the game went on but luckily we didn't deteriorate too much," England manager Roy Hodgson said after the game ended.

"We can do better," said Hodgson, a former coach of Switzerland.

England had been criticized for a lacklustre display in their 1-0 friendly victory over Norway last week, but with a new midfield diamond introduced by Hodgson, they put on an improved showing at St Jakob-Park.

Welbeck was deputising for the injured Daniel Sturridge and he rose to the occasion, touching home a cross from Raheem Sterling for his first goal and then sealing victory in stoppage time.

"I thought the way we approached the game from the first minute was exactly what we wanted, and we got our reward," Hodgson told ITV.

"We pressurised the ball well, but you need that first goal to get people to come out and attack you.

"From then I thought we looked dangerous and we had several chances to aggravate the scoreline before Danny Welbeck's second."

It was Switzerland's first competitive home defeat since a 3-1 loss to England in October 2010 and meant that new coach Petkovic began his tenure in losing fashion.

However, with the top two teams in the group guaranteed to qualify for the tournament in France, it is likely to prove a flesh wound for a side ranked ninth in the world after their run to the last 16 at the World Cup.

"We started the second half much better, with much more movement and speed, but we committed two major errors and conceded a goal," said Petkovic.

"It's a good lesson and we'll try to make up for it in the next game."

Facing the team he coached for almost four years, Hodgson used a diamond shape that saw Sterling line up behind Welbeck and Wayne Rooney, with Jordan Henderson, Jack Wilshere and Fabian Delph in midfield.

Delph was making his full debut and began brightly, but he was also booked after sliding in on Valon Behrami and Stephan Lichtsteiner in quick succession.

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

https://twitter.com/GravesenFumado/status/1764242481984491822

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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