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Futbol

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin praised his side's response against Motherwell as they came from behind to win for the first time this season, securing their place in the Scottish Premiership's top six in the process. The visitors made a dream start, breaking the deadlock after just five minutes when Callum Slattery powered a header into the net. But the Dons were soon back level after Alfie Dorrington's shot found its way past Motherwell goalkeeper Ellery Balcombe, taking a deflection off Andy Halliday on its way. The host's second goal was a thing of beauty, Leighton Clarkson curling in a sumptuous 20 yarder as the interval approached. "It was a really good collective team effort today," Thelin told BBC Scotland. "We start the game really well and they score more or less the first time they arrive in our box. "Sometimes teams can react in another way, but it was nice to see the reaction that the team gave. The response was really good." Aberdeen extended their advantage on 76 minutes when Kevin Nisbet headed in from an Alexander Jensen cross. Nisbet got his second and Aberdeen's fourth with a rasping added-time strike from 30 yards that crashed off the underside of the crossbar and into the net. With Aberdeen chasing European qualification – as well as looking to cement their top-six spot – and Motherwell aiming to keep up their push for a place in the top half of the table, there was plenty at stake for both sides at a sell-out Pittodrie. Prior to Slattery's early goal, the Dons had started well with Topi Keskinen fizzing a close-range shot just wide. Keskinen had another chance when he found himself one-on-one with Balcombe, who did really well to block his shot. Balcombe was a very busy man in a first half Aberdeen dominated, producing further good stops to deny Nisbet and Jeppe Okkels. Motherwell were better in the second half and they went close when Tom Sparrow bore down on goal before pulling his low shot wide when at the very least he should have hit the target. At the other end, Pape Habib Gueye had a header gathered by Balcombe and Shayden Morris sent a powerful low shot just wide as Aberdeen went on to secure a comprehensive and important victory. Aberdeen were hoping to progress following the arrival of Thelin last summer. Securing their place in the top six is a significant first step – albeit it has been a bit of rollercoaster ride to achieve it. Last season, Aberdeen finished seventh – at the end of a disappointing campaign - so avoiding spending the remainder of this one battling in the bottom half is an undoubted step in the right direction. However, a place in the top six is the minimum that is expected by the Dons and their fans. Having ticked off that objective – the next one is to secure European football. If they can do that, then Thelin, and the Pittodrie powerbrokers, will rightly be satisfied with the work done over the course of the season. However, getting a consistency of performance and results – two things that have been lacking in recent months – between now and the end of the season, will be the key to determining if the Red Army can look out their passports next term. It is inevitable Motherwell are going to experience a few bumps in the road as recently appointed German boss Michael Wimmer continues to find his feet in Scottish football. What happened at Pittodrie is a case in point and undoubtedly a result that puts a dent in their chances of finding themselves in the top half of the table when the league splits in two in a few weeks time. In football, there is often a tendency to simply focus on the here and now, but the bigger picture is more important for the Steelmen. Wimmer is still getting used to life, and football, in this country and the early signs have been encouraging. He appears to be adapting relatively well and the Well players, and fans, look to be buying in to what he is trying to do. Who knows how things will play out, but however it goes between now and the season's end, you get a sense that there is plenty to be optimistic about in the medium term for the Fir Park side. Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin: "I like the way the team is growing. We need the squad to be good through the season. We need to use the whole squad the whole way. "Nothing has changed, but it is good to be top six. We can only take it game by game." Motherwell manager Michael Wimmer: "What I'm not satisfied with, and what is not okay for me, is the last 15 minutes. We gave up and I don't like that. "It doesn't matter what the result is, we have to fight for 90 minutes. We will speak about this. Aberdeen are a brilliant team, I like how they play football, but in the last 15 minutes, we gave up. "The reaction from a couple of players was not okay. I hope we learn from this."

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Futbol

Who Starts For England In Tuchel's First Game? Your Team Revealed

It's the question everyone is asking. Who will start for England against Albania on Friday in Thomas Tuchel's first game as Three Lions boss. We asked BBC Sport readers who they would select when the squad was announced on Thursday and the results are below. Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer did make the initial line-up but has been replaced after his withdrawal. Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham was the most picked player, being chosen by 92% of people, with Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane the next most selected. Agree or disagree? You can still pick your team below.

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Worldnews

Israel Expands Ground Assault On Gaza, Seeks To Seize Extensive Territory

New offensive comes as Israel’s attacks kill 21 Palestinians and its blockade forces all bakeries to shut down. Israel’s defence minister has announced a major expansion of the Israeli ground assault on Gaza, promising to seize large areas of the Palestinian enclave and incorporate them into so-called “security” zones. The announcement on Wednesday came as Israel’s military killed 21 Palestinians in attacks across Gaza and its total blockade of the Strip continued for a 31st day, forcing all bakeries there to shut down. In a statement, Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli troops would move to clear areas “of terrorists and infrastructure, and capture extensive territory that will be added to the State of Israel’s security areas”. He also called on Palestinians in Gaza to eliminate Hamas and free the remaining Israeli captives held in the territory, to end the war. Katz, however, did not make clear how much land Israel intends to seize. The Israeli military has already set up a significant buffer zone within Gaza, expanding an area that existed around the edges of the enclave before the war, and adding a large area in the so-called Netzarim Corridor through the middle of the territory. Its renewed assault comes as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign aimed at forcing Hamas to renegotiate the ceasefire deal agreed upon in January. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants Hamas to release the 59 Israeli captives remaining in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails as well as humanitarian aid for Gaza, but without committing to ending the war and withdrawing troops from the enclave. Hamas, however, has insisted on a return to the previously agreed deal and has offered to free all the captives at once in return for a permanent ceasefire. Israel responded by resuming its bombardment of Gaza and has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since March 18. On Monday, the Israeli military ordered all residents of Rafah in southern Gaza to flee and on Tuesday, it expanded the forced displacement notices to Beit Hanoon, Beit Lahiya and nearby areas in the north of the enclave. According to The Times of Israel, the military has deployed its 36th Division to Gaza for the expanded offensive, and the soldiers entered the Strip early on Wednesday morning. Dozens of Palestinian families in the Khirbet al-Adas area of Rafah told Al Jazeera they have been trapped by the Israeli onslaught and have issued a distress call, appealing for international help to evacuate them to safety. Palestinian medics said the 21 victims of assaults on Wednesday included 12 people who were killed when Israeli forces targeted a building in southern Khan Younis. Two more were killed in nearby Rafah, one in the so-called “safe zone” of al-Mawasi and two others in the central Nuseirat refugee camp. Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said people in Rafah were fleeing with what little they could gather of their personal belongings. A year ago, the city, located on the Gaza border with Egypt, housed some 1.4 million people, including more than a million who had been displaced by Israeli attacks elsewhere in the enclave. But Israel invaded the city in May, forcing nearly all of its population out. According to United Nations estimates, only 50,000 remained there by July. Residents only started to come back after the Israeli military withdrew partially following the ceasefire in January. “And now people are on the move again. Knowing full well that nowhere is safe in Gaza,” Abu Azzoum said. He noted media reports in the United States and Israel that said the Israeli military is aiming to capture about 25 percent of Gaza’s territory as part of its pressure campaign against Hamas. “Many Palestinians believe this is only the beginning of the plan to carry out mass displacement of the population of the entire Gaza Strip into Egypt. This is something we’ve heard repeatedly from the Israeli prime minister and has been supported by the US,” he said. “The scope of these operations are concentrated in Rafah, the eastern part of Khan Younis and the central areas, as well as all border towns and villages located in northern Gaza,” he added. The UN humanitarian agency (OCHA), meanwhile, said in a post on X that “tens of thousands of civilians are fleeing Rafah under gunfire”. One elderly man told the agency that Israeli forces shot at him and other civilians as they fled. “Some were injured and screaming but I couldn’t look back out of fear,” he recounted in the video. “I had nothing with me,” another woman said. “We left and climbed the sand dunes. We walked on. When I escaped, the [Israeli] tanks burned tents along the road.” ⚠️⚠️⚠️ Tens of thousands of civilians are fleeing Rafah under gunfire.#Gaza continues to be one of the most dangerous places in the world. The entry of aid has been blocked for nearly a month. Humanitarians must be allowed to deliver assistance. pic.twitter.com/IqAJNboVsp — UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) April 1, 2025 The renewed offensive has drawn criticism from within Israel, too. The families of Israeli captives said they were “horrified to wake up” to the defence minister’s announcement. “Has it been decided to sacrifice the hostages for the sake of ‘territorial gains’?” the group said in a statement. “Instead of securing the release of the hostages through a deal and ending the war, the Israeli government is sending more soldiers into Gaza to fight in the same areas where battles have already taken place repeatedly,” it said. “The responsibility for the release of the 59 hostages held by Hamas lies with the Israeli government. Our grave concern is that this mission has been pushed to the bottom of its priorities and has become merely a secondary objective.” Israel’s assault also comes as all bakeries in Gaza closed down, citing shortages of flour and cooking gas, one month on from the Israeli blockade. These include 25 bakeries run by the World Food Programme. Hamas, in a statement on Wednesday, said the hunger crisis in Gaza has reached a “famine phase”. Israel bears full responsibility for the “catastrophic human consequences increasing by the hour”, the group added, noting that no food, water, fuel or medicine has entered the Strip since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2. The UN has also appealed for an end to the siege and a return to the ceasefire. Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the body, also dismissed Israeli claims there was enough food in Gaza as “ridiculous”. “We are at the tail end of our supplies that came in through the humanitarian route … You know, the WFP doesn’t close its bakeries for fun.” “[During the ceasefire,] we saw humanitarian aid flood Gaza. We saw markets come back to life. We saw prices going down. We saw hostages released. We saw Palestinian detainees released. We need to go back to that,” Dujarric said. Follow Al Jazeera English:...