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- 👋 Welcome back to UE Olot in Catalunya, where Saints play their third pre-season friendly and the toughest one yet.
- 🇫🇷 They play their second French opposition with Montpellier, after the sad news of Bordeaux folding following Wednesday's match.
- 🪨 Bednarek is expected to play his first minutes of the summer, with Edwards also returning from injury.
- 🤝 The match kicks off at 10am UK time and is the final act of the Spain trip before heading home on Sunday morning.
THANK YOU 👍
That's a wrap from me on the blog today. Another good outing for Saints in pre-season. That's now 13 goals from three games, not bad going.
Still things to be worked out but you can see the growth with each game. Check back into the Saints tab later today for more from Martin.
Great to interview Sam Edozie and Joe Aribo after that game but I couldn’t resist stirring after Sam said he can take anyone in the squad on COD Warzone. Joe reckons he’s a total liar. They’ve had the PlayStation out here and Joe says he’s been getting all the kills.
MATCH REPORT 🗞️
Saints round off pre-season training camp with win over Montpellier
MY THOUGHTS 🎤
My quick summary from a 3-1 win. #SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/R4Jb1JYnWS
— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) July 27, 2024
Enjoyed that. Your thoughts?#SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/8wZ5PGBNqA
— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) July 27, 2024
An entertaining contest comes to an end. No handbags at full-time thankfully but certainly good practice for real-game scenarios. Some very good stuff and more to work on.
FULL TIME
Saints 3 Montpellier 1
Montpellier are an embarrassment. They've just been given an open goal and tried to dribble it in, but been tackled. Now they're crying their eyes out because they've been bantered. Wow, this is staggering stuff for a pre-season friendly.
Saints 3 Montpellier 1
Close! Amo-Ameyaw with a great ball to let O'Brien-Whitmarsh in behind and it looks as if he half-shoots and half-crosses across the keeper.
Alcaraz tries to keep it in but it's so close and therefore a tight angle, meaning he hits the side netting. Amo doing well.
Saints 3 Montpellier 1
Embarrassing stuff from a Montpellier player going down holding his face because he didn't get given a throw-in.
Harwood-Bellis telling Amo-Ameyaw to just leave him and give no sympathy. Referee has caved and given a free-kick for something.
The penalty#SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/2OkqZYHT5y
— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) July 27, 2024
Saints 3 Montpellier 1
Mara misses Southampton's second penalty of the match. Taps it straight into the goalkeeper after Amo-Ameyaw was fouled. So poor...
Saints 3 Montpellier 1
A really brilliant passage of play from back to front to back to front again ends with an Amo-Ameyaw shot from range into the keeper.
Saints 3 Montpellier 1
Booking for Montpellier's number 15 and it's been coming. Harwood-Bellis not happy and it kicks off a bit. One of the Montpellier staff shouts "it's football."
Saints 3 Montpellier 1
Bree, Manning, Charles, O'Brien-Whitmarsh, Alcaraz and Robinson coming on for the remaining outfield players. We've played about 63 minutes.
Saints 3 Montpellier 1
Edozie claiming loads of credit for racing back to stop another dangerous counter-attack, after an Amo-Ameyaw cross was cut out in the box.
Excellent work-rate. Aribo impressing on the ball too, showing his strength and dominating the opposition.
Saints 3 Montpellier 1
GOAL! Sugawara with a brilliant crossed free-kick and Harwood-Bellis is there to head it home. Saints restore their two-goal lead immediately.
Saints 2 Montpellier 1
Khazri steps up and scores the free-kick. Curling shot into McCarthy's top left. Game is back on here, they have been very decent opposition.
Saints 2 Montpellier 0
Downes picks up a booking - his second in two pre-season games - for stopping a dangerous counter on the edge of the Saints box.
Staff are convinced he got the ball, a little trip I think. Counter comes from Edozie shot blocked and there's too much space in behind.
❤️🤍 pic.twitter.com/cviE5bHaPC
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) July 27, 2024
Saints 2 Montpellier 0
Some substitutes as we get going again.
On: Harwood-Bellis, Wood, Mara and Amo-Ameyaw.
Off: Bednarek, Edwards, Kamaldeen and Dibling.
POTENTIAL STARTERS? 3️⃣
Staff are loving the midfield three up here in their debrief and it's easy to see why. Downes is everywhere.
Smallbone linking the play and Aribo has been really impressive too, opening spaces and covering ground. They'll all be big this year.
Who has been your man of the match so far? 🤔
What a move 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/eqjS9Vu32b
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) July 27, 2024
OUR VIEW 🔎
HT: Saints 2-0 Montpellier
— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) July 27, 2024
They’ll feel unlucky to be two down and really should have scored but for McCarthy, the defenders and misses.
Kamaldeen with a jammy goal but Dibling with a lovely finish. Entertaining half, plenty to work on still. Their wingers a problem.#SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/fZwgh1IQBa
HALF TIME
Saints 2 Montpellier 0
GOAL! Great touch and finish from Dibling, who has been acclimatising to a new position on the pitch.
Edwards with a ridiculous ball over to him. Back to front in no time at all. 2-0. Montpellier will feel very unlucky.
Saints 1 Montpellier 0
Great ball over the top of Ronnie's head and Montpellier have an effort from very close-range, but it's into McCarthy and he can gather. Somehow still 1-0.
Saints 1 Montpellier 0
Sugawara and Taylor are both seemingly excellent signings in the respective full-back positions. Solid as you like with a bit going forward.
Saints 1 Montpellier 0
Edozie now fires one narrowly wide of the post - it looks like a shot but doubles up as a low cross, but nobody is there to tap it in.
Saints 1 Montpellier 0
Good work from Kamaldeen and Edozie has another crack at an open goal but air-shots. He should have two.
Saints remain ahead 1-0 after 36 minutes but unbelievable there has only been one goal in this one so far.
Saints 1 Montpellier 0
A period with not too much to report before Montpellier crash an effort off the Saints near-post. Very nearly 1-1 and they will feel extremely unlucky it was not already.
Saints 1 Montpellier 0
Into the first drinks break here after about 26 minutes into the half. Players heading over to the dugout where Calderwood and co await.
Edwards reads the game really well, constantly scanning space behind him and meeting long balls with ease. Great attribute for a 21-year-old to have.
Saints 1 Montpellier 0
Big chance for the second. Smallbone cooking his man down the left and played a ball in for Aribo, whose shot hit the keeper.
Smallbone has been getting a kick or two and his teammates are looking out for him. Downes took someone out on Wednesday in the same fashion. Like it.
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) July 27, 2024
Saints 1 Montpellier 0
Not news but Downes is so good. He's been absolutely everywhere in the first 15 mins, chopping tackles, squeezing space and winning fouls.
Saints 1 Montpellier 0
Bednarek with the cross-field passes again. Baller. It's a great switch to Smallbone but the midfielder fires wide of the target with the shot.
Saints 1 Montpellier 0
McCarthy has now made a ridiculous save at the near-post to again turn it around for a corner. Looks like a ricochet in there too and he's still turned it away safely. Pre-season really is chaos, isn't it?
Saints 1 Montpellier 0
McCarthy has nearly spilled a simple one in but he somehow recovers to scoop it around the post at the very last second. Agonisingly close...
Saints 1 Montpellier 0
Edozie has a chance to make it 2-0 already with goal gaping but can't get a solid connection on the stretch, and his shot is sidewards.
Saints 1 Montpellier 0
GOAL! Kamaldeen opens the scoring... but only just. He sees a poor penalty saved by the keeper but is fortunate to tuck in the rebound.
Edozie had won the spot-kick for a foul inside the box and Saints are ahead after just three minutes of this friendly contest.
Saints 0 Montpellier 0
We're off! Both teams in a 4-3-3 with one midfield six. Looking forward to this.
🤝#SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/XWG1rXGxoZ
— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) July 27, 2024
Downes leads the team out. Be under way shortly.
Five minutes to kick-off here. It's 28 degrees and only getting hotter. Updates coming soon.
NEW SIGNING INTERVIEW 🎤
Was great to meet new Saints defender Wood yesterday, who talked us through Martin's faith in him to bid again, his mentality and winning five-a-sides.
💬 "The season I had at Swansea was by far the best year of my life in terms of progress as a person and player, so it was a no-brainer."
Starters are out… 💪
— Alfie House (@AlfieHouseEcho) July 27, 2024
What are you keen to see today?#SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/oUHhfENJW2
INDIVIDUAL WORK CONTINUING 🏃♂️
Stephens, Larios, Walker-Peters, Boot and Onuachu - all I expect to not be involved - are doing some runs with the physio separately before the warm-ups.
HOW THEY SET UP 🧠
Bednarek is in from the start alongside Edwards, we're excited by that. Dibling playing false nine.
Martin still hoping to teach him more regarding positional discipline. Team will look very different by the end but strong starters for a tough test.
STARTING XI 👇
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