MANCHESTER, United Kingdom: England’s quest to win a major championship since 1966 began early this Friday morning as the Three Lions squad began their Euro 2024 qualification campaign against the defending champions, Italy.

After taking time out to consider his future following a World Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of France in December, Gareth Southgate will remain as England boss and try for a fourth time at glory.

Southgate is already seeing a transformation that is changing his country’s fortunes on the international stage.

But after reaching the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals in the last three major tournaments, as well as ending a 58-year drought in Germany next year will be seen as a disappointment.

Southgate may have sounded a warning this week about the lack of regular England players in the Premier League (EPL) but he admitted it was a long-term concern with the talent at his disposal.

Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham are proving they are two young talents in football in Qatar.

Harry Kane’s goals for his country will make him England’s record holder while Marcus Rashford’s potential has finally been realized under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.

Injury to Rashford means he will miss this week’s openers against Italy and Ukraine but Southgate has no shortage of substitutes with Manchester City pair Phil Foden and Jack Grealish expected to battle it out for places.

Of all the successes under Southgate, the win over Germany in the last 16 of Euro 2020 remains the only knockout stage win against a major nation in international football.

“This is a game we have to show we can win,” Southgate said of the clash with Italy in the atmosphere at the Estadio Diego Armanda Maradona near Naples.

“That’s the next level for us as a team.”

PARIS: Kylian Mbappe headed to Munich after breaking Paris Saint-Germain’s record and determined to lead the French giants past Bayern to the quarter-finals of the European Champions League.

PSG trailed 1-0 after losing in the first leg of the last 16, where the injured Mbappe was only briefly included in the match last month.

But the 24-year-old France star made the most of the short spell by scoring but having it ruled out for offside, signaling that he can turn their fortunes around in Munich.

Since that defeat, the Ligue 1 leaders have bounced back to record three domestic wins, scoring 11 goals in total.

Mbappe hit five of them, including one in Saturday’s 4-2 win over Nantes which saw him surpass Edinson Cavani’s record as PSG’s top scorer – five years after he joined the club from Monaco in 2017.

Mbappe, who last December became the first player to score a hat-trick in the World Cup final since Geoff Hurst in 1966, has now collected 201 goals in 247 games for PSG.

“All players play to make a name in the history of football, so that they will be remembered. I think with this record people will remember me here,” said Mbappe.

Mbappe scored 30 goals in 30 games for the club this season and is arguably the best player in the world at the moment, although he was pipped by teammate Lionel Messi for the FIFA Player of the Year award.

Messi, with 18 goals for PSG this season, has played the mastermind behind Mbappe’s finishing moves in Cristhope Galtier’s squad – which is missing Neymar ahead of the trip to Munich with an ankle injury.

The Brazilian forward will be out until the end of the season following surgery on his ankle days away.

Should they be eliminated again in the first round of the Champions League knockout stages, it would be PSG’s fifth in seven seasons.

They lost to Bayern in Lisbon in the 2020 final, but Mbappe’s best performance came the following year in Munich.

Mbappe exploded twice in the first quarter-final to win 3-2 at the Allianz Arena.

LONDON: Gabriel Martinelli performed brilliantly as Arsenal created a five-point gap at the top of the English Premier League (EPL) with a 4-0 win over Everton early this morning.

Bukayo Saka broke Everton’s stubborn barrier late in the first half before Brazilian striker Martinelli doubled Arsenal’s lead at the Emirates Stadium.

Martin Odegaard scored the third and Martinelli completed Arsenal’s biggest win since October in what could be another sign of a resurgent title chase.

It is important for Mikel Arteta’s side to win this match to create a gap over second-placed Manchester City as the title race draws to a close.

With 13 games to go, victory keeps Arsenal in pole position to win the title for the first time since Arsene Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ in 2003-04.

“After we scored the first goal, the game opened up. We needed a moment of magic and Bukayo gave it. After that we played better and deserved to win this game,” said Arteta.

“It’s an indication we’re already here and we want to continue.”

After a three-match winless run that saw them relegated after City’s 3-1 win at the Emirates, Arsenal have bounced back nicely.

A run of three wins since defeat at the hands of City has given the Gunners 60 points, their joint-highest tally after 25 EPL games compared to the 2003-04 and 2007-08 campaigns.

“I’m happy to see the team play the way we want. This league gives a different story,” said Arteta.

“We already proved something big after what happened at Goodison. I’m happy with the maturity and quality we showed.”

Sean Dyche started his Everton career by scoring in a shock 1-0 win over Arsenal at Goodison Park on 4 February.