2017 Dublin Senior Football Championship, Senior Football Championship, Round 2
The 16 winners of the first round matches play each other. The 8 winners proceed to the quarter-finals while the 8 losers exit the championship.


2017 Dublin Senior Football Championship, Senior Football Championship Tournament
The Dublin Senior 'B' Football Championship has been renamed as the Senior Football Championship Tournament.


2017 Dublin Senior Football Championship, Senior Football Championship Tournament, SFC Tournament Round 1
The 16 losers from the First Round play off in this round. The 8 winners proceed to the SFC Tournament Quarter-Finals while the 8 losers exit the championship. One team is designated home advantage for each tie in a random draw.


2017 Dublin Senior Hurling Championship
The 2017 Dublin Senior Hurling Championship is the 130th staging of the Dublin Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Dublin County Board in 1887. The championship began on 27 April 2017 and ends in October 2017.


2017 Dublin Senior Hurling Championship
Cuala were the defending champions defeating Kilmacud Crokes in the 2016 final.


2017 Dudley Hewitt Cup
The 2017 Dudley Hewitt Cup was the 46th Central Canadian Jr A Ice Hockey Championship for the Canadian Junior Hockey League. The Winner of the 2018 Dudley Hewitt Cup represented the central region in the 2017 Royal Bank Cup in Cobourg, ON.


2017 Dudley Hewitt Cup, Tournament, Round Robin
x = Clinched championship round berth; y = Clinched first overall


2017 Duke Blue Devils football team
The 2017 Duke Blue Devils football team represented Duke University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in the Coastal Division. The team was led by head coach David Cutcliffe, in his tenth year, and played its home games at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. They finished the season 7–6 overall and 3–5 in ACC play to place in a three-way tie for fourth in the Coastal Division. They were invited to the Quick Lane Bowl, where they defeated Northern Illinois.


2017 Duke Blue Devils men's soccer team
The 2017 Duke Blue Devils men's soccer team represents Duke University during the 2017 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The Blue Devils are led by head coach John Kerr, in his tenth season. They play home games at Koskinen Stadium. The team was founded in 1935 and currently plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference.


2017 Duke Blue Devils men's soccer team, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2017 Duke Blue Devils men's soccer team, Roster
Duke named the five captains listed above prior to the season.


2017 Duke Blue Devils men's soccer team, MLS Draft
The following members of the 2017 Duke Blue Devils men's soccer team were selected in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft.


2017 Dumfries and Galloway Council election
The 2017 Dumfries and Galloway Council election took place on 4 May 2017 to elect members of Dumfries and Galloway Council. The election used the twelve wards created as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with each ward electing three or four councillors using the single transferable vote system form of proportional representation, with 43 councillors being elected, a reduction of 4 members and 1 ward since 2012.


2017 Dumfries and Galloway Council election
Following the election the Conservative Party became the largest party, with Labour falling from first place into third place in terms of votes and seats. The SNP also drew with Labour in terms of seats as they both won 11 seats.


2017 Dumfries and Galloway Council election
This election also saw Independent councillors Willie Scobie and Jane Maitland returned, but saw Marion McCutcheon, George Prentice, Tom McAughtrie, Yen Hongmei Jin, Denis Male and Craig Peacock all losing their seats. Elaine Murray, the former MSP for Dumfriesshire was elected to the Council in the Nith ward.


2017 Dumfries and Galloway Council election
Following the election, Ian Carruthers (Annandale South) was elected as the Conservative group leader, Rob Davidson (Abbey) as the SNP group leader and Elaine Murray (Nith) as the Labour group leader. Richard Brodie (Annandale South), is the sole Liberal Democrat councillor.


2017 Dumfries and Galloway Council election
On 23 May, almost three weeks following the election, Labour and the SNP formed a coalition to form a majority council with Elaine Murray as council leader and Rob Davidson as depute leader and civic head. Although the Conservatives were elected the largest party with 16 seats, they remain in opposition.


2017 Dumfries and Galloway Council election, Election result
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 3 May 2012. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.


2017 Dundalk F.C. season
Dundalk entered the 2017 season as the reigning League Champions from 2016, having won the title for the third year in a row, and having come off a successful Europa League run that saw them become the first Irish club to both win points and win a match in the group stage of European competition. 2017 was Stephen Kenny's fifth season at the club as manager. It was Dundalk's ninth consecutive season in the top tier of Irish football, their 82nd in all, and their 91st in the League of Ireland.


2017 Dundalk F.C. season, Season summary
The new season's curtain raiser - the President's Cup - was played on 17 February in Turners Cross between Dundalk and Cork City - the winners of the FAI Cup the previous year. Cork City won on a scoreline of 3-0. The 33 round League programme commenced on 24 February 2017, and was completed on 27 October 2017. Dundalk relinquished their title to Cork City, finishing as runners-up. They subsequently lost the 2017 FAI Cup Final to Cork City in a penalty shoot-out after the match finished 1-1. However, Kenny's side did pick up the club's sixth League Cup, with a 3-0 victory over Shamrock Rovers in the final. They were also runner-up in the Leinster Senior Cup, losing 4-2 to Shelbourne in the final.


2017 Dundalk F.C. season, Season summary
In Europe they were knocked out at the first hurdle, losing to Rosenborg after extra-time in the Champions League second qualifying round. This was a disappointment after the club's exploits in 2016, even with the financial and organisational disparity between the sides.


2017 Dundee City Council election
Elections to Dundee City Council were held on 4 May 2017 on the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. The election used the eight wards created as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with each ward electing three or four Councillors using the single transferable vote system (a form of proportional representation). A total of 29 Councillors were elected.


2017 Dundee City Council election
After the 2012 election a Scottish National Party (SNP) majority administration of 16 was formed. In 2017 the SNP lost 2 seats reducing their numbers to 14, being one seat short of an overall majority. They formed an administration with the support of the Independent Ian Borthwick.


2017 Dundee City Council election, 2017 Results
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 3 May 2012. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.


2017 Dunlop World Challenge
The 2017 Dunlop World Challenge was a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It was the 10th edition of the tournament and part of the 2017 ATP Challenger Tour and the 2017 ITF Women's Circuit. It took place in Toyota, Japan, between 13–19 November 2017 and was the last edition of the tournament.


2017 Dunlop World Challenge, Men's singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2017 Dunlop World Challenge, Women's singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2017 Dunlop World Challenge – Men's Doubles
Matt Reid and John-Patrick Smith were the defending champions but chose not to defend their title.


2017 Dunlop World Challenge – Men's Doubles
Max Purcell and Andrew Whittington won the title after defeating Ruben Gonzales and Christopher Rungkat 6–3, 2–6, [10–8] in the final.


2017 Dunlop World Challenge – Men's Singles
James Duckworth was the defending champion but chose not to defend his title.


2017 Dunlop World Challenge – Men's Singles
Matthew Ebden won the title after defeating Calvin Hemery 7–6(7–3), 6–3 in the final.


2017 Dunlop World Challenge – Women's Doubles
Ksenia Lykina and Akiko Omae were the defending champions, but Omae chose not to participate.


2017 Dunlop World Challenge – Women's Doubles
Lykina partnered alongside Junri Namigata, and successfully defended her title, defeating Nicha Lertpitaksinchai and Peangtarn Plipuech in the final, 3–6, 6–3, [10–4].


2017 Dunlop World Challenge – Women's Singles
Aryna Sabalenka was the defending champion, but chose to participate in Taipei instead.


2017 Dunlop World Challenge – Women's Singles
Mihaela Buzărnescu won the title, defeating Tamara Zidanšek in the final, 6–0, 6–1.


2017 Duquesne Dukes football team
The 2017 Duquesne Dukes football team represented Duquesne University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by 13th-year head coach Jerry Schmitt and played their home games at Arthur J. Rooney Athletic Field. They were a member of the Northeast Conference. They finished the season 7–4, 4–2 in NEC play to finish in a tie for second place.


2017 Durham County Council election
The 2017 Durham County Council election was held on 4 May 2017 as part of the 2017 local elections in the United Kingdom. All 126 councillors were elected from 63 electoral divisions which returned either one, two or three county councillors each by first-past-the-post voting for a four-year term of office.


2017 Durham County Council election
The Statement of Persons Nominated was published on 5 April 2017.


2017 Durham mayoral election
The 2017 Durham mayoral election was held on November 7, 2017 to elect the mayor of Durham, North Carolina. It saw the election of Steve Schewel.


2017 Dutch Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 2017 Dutch Championships took place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and it served as the National Championships for Dutch gymnasts.


2017 Dutch Basketball Supercup
The 2017 Dutch Basketball Supercup was the 7th edition of the Dutch Basketball Supercup. The game was played in the MartiniPlaza in Groningen.


2017 Dutch Basketball Supercup
The game featured Donar, the defending champions of the Dutch Basketball League, and Landstede Basketbal, the runner-up of the 2016–17 NBB Cup. Landstede played in its first Supercup game.


2017 Dutch Darts Masters
The 2017 Dutch Darts Masters was the ninth of twelve PDC European Tour events on the 2017 PDC Pro Tour. The tournament took place at MECC Eventcentre, Maastricht, Netherlands, between 1–3 September 2017. It featured a field of 48 players and £135,000 in prize money, with £25,000 going to the winner.


2017 Dutch Darts Masters
Michael van Gerwen was the defending champion after defeating Daryl Gurney 6–2 in the final of the 2016 tournament, and he retained his title for the 4th consecutive year by defeating Steve Beaton 6–1 in the final.


2017 Dutch Darts Masters
More than half of all seeds (nine out of 16) did lose their first match, thus resulting in the most seeds crashed out in a European Tour Event after the second round (since the adaption of 16 seeds in the second round in 2014).


2017 Dutch Darts Masters, Qualification and format
The top 16 entrants from the PDC ProTour Order of Merit on 30 June automatically qualified for the event and were seeded in the second round.


2017 Dutch Darts Masters, Qualification and format
The remaining 32 places went to players from five qualifying events – 18 from the UK Qualifier (held in Barnsley on 7 July), eight from the West/South European Qualifier (held on 31 August), four from the Host Nation Qualifier (held on 31 August), one from the Nordic & Baltic Qualifier (held on 19 May) and one from the East European Qualifier (held on 25 August).


2017 Dutch National Track Championships
The 2017 Dutch National Track Championships were the Dutch national Championship for track cycling, organized by the KNWU. They took place in Alkmaar, the Netherlands on 20, 27, 28 and 29 December 2017


2017 Dutch Open
The 2017 Dynamic Dutch Open, was the fourth Euro Tour 9-Ball pool event in 2017. The event was won by Russia's Ruslan Chinakhov who defeated Germany's Christoph Reintjes 9–4 in the final.


2017 Dutch Open, Tournament format
The event saw a total of 1199 players compete, in a double-elimination knockout tournament, until the last 32 stage; where the tournament was contested as single elimination.


2017 Dutch Open (darts)
The 2017 Dutch Open was the 45th edition of the Dutch Open. Mark McGeeney won the men's tournament whilst Deta Hedman won the women's. Current BDO World Champion Glen Durrant did not compete in the tournament.


2017 Dutch Open Grand Prix
The 2017 Dutch Open Grand Prix officially Yonex Dutch Open 2017 was a badminton tournament which took place at Topsportcentrum in Almere in the Netherlands on 10 to 15 October 2017 and had a total purse of $65,000.


2017 Dutch Open Grand Prix, Tournament
The 2017 Dutch Open Grand Prix is the fourteenth Grand Prix's badminton tournament of the 2017 BWF Grand Prix Gold and Grand Prix and also part of the Dutch Open championships which has been held since 1932. This tournament organized by the Badminton Nederland, with the sanctioned from the BWF.


2017 Dutch Open Grand Prix, Tournament, Venue
This international tournament will be held at Topsportcentrum Pierre de Coubertinplein 4 in Almere in the Netherlands.


2017 Dutch Open Grand Prix, Tournament, Point distribution
Below is the tables with the point distribution for each phase of the tournament based on the BWF points system for the Grand Prix event.


2017 Dutch Open Grand Prix, Tournament, Prize money
The total prize money for this year tournament is US$65,000. Distribution of prize money will be in accordance with BWF regulations.


2017 Dutch TT
The 2017 Dutch TT was the eighth round of the 2017 MotoGP season. It was held at the TT Circuit Assen in Assen on 25 June 2017. It was won by Valentino Rossi, and remains his most recent victory.


2017 Dutch TT, Championship standings after the race, MotoGP
Below are the standings for the top five riders and constructors after round eight has concluded.


2017 Dutch general election
General elections were held in the Netherlands on Wednesday 15 March 2017 to elect all 150 members of the House of Representatives.


2017 Dutch general election
The incumbent government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte was the first to serve a full term since 2002. The previous elections in 2012 had resulted in a ruling coalition of his People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and the Labour Party (PvdA). Because the second Rutte cabinet lacked a majority in the Senate, it relied on the support of Democrats 66 (D66), the Christian Union (CU) and the Reformed Political Party (SGP).


2017 Dutch general election
The VVD lost seats but remained the largest party, while the PvdA saw a massive loss in vote share and seats, failing to win a single municipality for the first time in the party's history. The Party for Freedom (PVV) made gains to reach second place, with the CDA, D66 and GroenLinks also increasing their number of seats. It was clear that at least four partners would be needed for a coalition with a parliamentary majority. The official election results were certified and published on 21 March. The elected MPs took their seats on 23 March.


2017 Dutch general election, Electoral system and organisation
The House of Representatives (Dutch: Tweede Kamer) is composed of 150 seats elected by proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency, with a  legal threshold of 1 full seat (0.67%), and residuals assigned by the D'Hondt method. The Senate is indirectly elected by the States-Provincial.


2017 Dutch general election, Electoral system and organisation
Electronic voting has been banned since 2007; votes must be cast with a red pencil.


2017 Dutch general election, Electoral system and organisation
Following reports from the General Intelligence and Security Service (Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst, AIVD) that Russian hacking groups Fancy Bear and Cozy Bear had made several attempts to hack into Dutch ministries, including the Ministry of General Affairs, to gain access to secret government documents. Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk announced that votes for the election would therefore be processed by hand, although that decision was later reversed.


2017 Dutch general election, Electoral system and organisation
The election was also seen as an indication of interest in the national political system in the Caribbean Netherlands, after the low turnout seen there in the 2012 election.


2017 Dutch general election, Campaign
The 2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident happened less than a week before the election; it was speculated that this benefited the Prime Minister's party (VVD), as Rutte's response to the incident was well received.


2017 Dutch general election, Opinion polls
Polls showed a precipitous collapse for both the VVD and PvdA following their decision to form a coalition government together after the 2012 elections, with support for the latter splitting among other left-wing or liberal parties. As with other right-wing populist parties, the Party for Freedom (PVV) rose in polls during the European migrant crisis, with the party topping polls from September 2015 through to late February 2017. However, in the relative absence of Geert Wilders during the campaign – notably refusing to participate in both RTL debates – support for the PVV collapsed, and the VVD secured a narrow lead in the final weeks before the election.


2017 Dutch general election, Opinion polls
The seat projections in the graphs below are continuous from September 2012 (the last general election) up to the current date. Each colored line specifies a political party; numbers on the vertical axis represent numbers of seats.


2017 Dutch general election, Opinion polls
These seat estimates are derived from estimates by Peilingwijzer ("polling indicator") by Tom Louwerse, a professor of political science at Leiden University; they are not strictly polling averages, but the results of a model calculating a "trajectory" for each party based on changes in support over time between polls conducted by I&O Research, Ipsos, TNS NIPO, LISS panel, Peil, and De Stemming, and adjusting for the house effects of each individual pollster.


2017 Dutch general election, Results
Preliminary results were published on 15 March, and the official result was announced at 16:00 CET on 21 March.


2017 Dutch general election, Government formation
The election resulted in a House of Representatives where at least four parties would be required to form a coalition with a majority (76 seats). Media sources speculated that incumbent Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the VVD would seek to form a government with the support of the centre-right CDA and liberal D66. CU was thought to be the most likely candidate to be the fourth member of the coalition.


2017 Dutch general election, Government formation
Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport, Edith Schippers, was selected by the VVD to serve as the party's informateur on 16 March and appointed by Speaker of the House Khadija Arib, seeking to determine whether Jesse Klaver of GroenLinks solely desired a left-wing government, or instead simply viewed the VVD as an unlikely coalition partner. Similarly, talks with Emile Roemer of the Socialist Party (SP), who repeatedly stated during the campaign that his party would not govern with the VVD, remained a possibility.


2017 Dutch general election, Government formation
The leaders of D66, CDA, PvdA, VVD, SP, GroenLinks, and CU stated that they would not enter a coalition with the PVV, and Roemer has also said that the SP will not join a coalition with the VVD.


2017 Dutch general election, Government formation
The first proposed coalition was one involving the VVD-CDA-D66 and GroenLinks. This was the preferred coalition of Alexander Pechtold, Lodewijk Asscher and Gert-Jan Segers, while Jesse Klaver continued to argue that the major policy differences between GL and the VVD would make a coalition difficult. Nevertheless, the four parties began more serious negotiations toward a coalition agreement. Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) reported that "labour market reform, investment in law enforcement and additional money for nursing homes" would be areas of agreement between the parties, while "refugee policy, income distribution, climate and medical ethics issues are potential stumbling blocks".


2017 Dutch general election, Government formation
On 15 May, talks on the proposed four-way VVD-CDA-D66-GL coalition failed. It was reported that the main dispute concerned immigration, but GL leader Jesse Klaver cited climate issues and income differences as other issues where the parties disagreed. The end of the talks was reported to be a consensus decision, with no party blaming any others.


2017 Dutch general election, Government formation
Coalition talks were reported to be at an impasse, with the VVD and CDA favouring a coalition with the CU, D66 favouring a coalition with either PvdA or SP, SP being absolutely opposed to a coalition with the VVD, CDA being opposed to a coalition without the VVD, PvdA rejecting any coalition, and all parties with more than five seats rejecting a coalition with the PVV.


2017 Dutch general election, Government formation
D66 said that it would consider a coalition with the CU very difficult due to disagreements on medical-ethical issues such as doctor-assisted suicide, due to the lack of representation of the political left within that coalition, and due to the small majority of one seat in both chambers, which could make for an unstable coalition.


2017 Dutch general election, Government formation
In late June 2017, discussions began again between VVD, D66, CDA and CU under the lead of new informateur Herman Tjeenk Willink. After a three-week summer break, talks resumed on 9 August 2017, and were reported to be close to a conclusion due to representatives of unions and employers’ organizations joining the discussions, which typically happens near the end of such negotiations. In September 2017, a budget deal compromise was reached allowing the coalition talks to continue.


2017 Dutch general election, Government formation
While still 'close to conclusion', it appeared likely that the talks about government formation would exceed the record since World War II of 208 days set in 1977. After 208 days of negotiations, the VVD, D66, CDA and CU agreed to a coalition under a third informateur, Gerrit Zalm, and all members of the House of Representatives of the involved parties approved the agreement on 9 October 2017. On 26 October the new cabinet was formally installed 225 days after the elections, setting a record for the longest cabinet formation in history.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident
In March 2017, the Netherlands and Turkey were involved in a diplomatic incident, triggered by Turkish efforts to hold political rallies on Dutch territory and subsequent travel restrictions placed by Dutch authorities on Turkish officials seeking to promote the campaign for a 'yes' vote in the upcoming Turkish constitutional referendum to Turkish citizens living in the Netherlands. Such foreign campaigning is illegal under Turkish law.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident
The Netherlands barred the aircraft of Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu from landing and expelled Turkish Minister of Family and Social Policies Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya from the country, when both tried to speak at rallies. In response, Turkey expelled the Dutch Ambassador from the country and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called the Dutch "fascists" and "remnants of Nazism" and accused the Netherlands of "massacring" Muslims in Srebrenica during the Bosnian War in 1995. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called Erdoğan's remarks "unacceptable" and a "vile falsification of history" and demanded an apology. Rutte also called for talks to resolve the impasse, adding that Turkey had crossed a diplomatic line.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Background
The Turkish referendum held on 16 April 2017 concerned a series of constitutional amendments that, if approved, would transform the country from a parliamentary democracy into a presidential system, under which President Erdoğan would be able to stand in two more elections, theoretically allowing him to govern as a powerful head of state until 2029. Critics of the proposed changes have expressed their fears of increased authoritarianism, whereas supporters claim the new system would make the Turkish state stronger and safer.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Background
In the 'Yes' campaign's attempt to persuade Europe's Turkish diaspora (many of whom still hold Turkish citizenship and thus are allowed to vote on the referendum) several high-ranking Turkish government officials sought to campaign in European cities with large Turkish populations. This included the Dutch city of Rotterdam, which contains a large portion of the 400,000 people of Turkish origin living in the Netherlands. The Turkish plans to campaign in European cities met a mixed reception in many European states, including the Netherlands.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Background
Overseas election campaigning, even in diplomatic missions, is illegal under Turkish law; yet most political parties in Turkey, including the ruling AKP, have flouted this law.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Background
The Turkish referendum came at a time when the Netherlands, too, was scheduled for its general election, which was held on 15 March 2017.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Escalation
On 3 March 2017, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte got confirmation from the Turkish authorities that a campaign manifestation was planned on Dutch territory, on 11 March. That day he announced on his Facebook page that the Dutch authorities would not cooperate. On 6 March, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs received diplomatic mail requesting the admission of the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu with the intention of attending a campaign meeting. The same day, the Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders replied in a note verbale that such a visit would not be allowed.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Escalation
This led to a series of telephonic contacts between Koenders and Çavuşoğlu, as well as between Rutte and the Turkish prime minister Binali Yıldırım. According to Çavuşoğlu, the Dutch government told him that it objected to a visit because it feared that it would lead to an electoral victory of the anti-Islamic Party for Freedom. The Dutch government has denied that such a motive was ever communicated to Çavuşoğlu.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Escalation
Dutch diplomatic sources have indicated that Çavuşoğlu offered Koenders to postpone a visit to a date after the Dutch elections on 15 March, e.g. to 18 March, but that this option was refused by Koenders who wanted to avoid any suggestion of a connection between the two events, fearing it might give the impression that the Dutch government deliberately escalated the situation. As an alternative for a ministerial visit to a mass gathering, the Dutch authorities offered to allow the visit of Turkish ex-parliamentarians, or Çavuşoğlu visiting some closed session.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Escalation
When no consensus was reached, the Dutch made a final offer on 10 March: Çavuşoğlu would be allowed access to the Turkish embassy in The Hague. This was accepted by the Turks. Then the Dutch demanded that no more than fifty people were invited to the meeting and the session would not be made public beforehand. While Turkey considered this condition, a third one was made in the evening: the names of those invited would have to be disclosed beforehand to the Dutch authorities.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Escalation
On 11 March 03:00, it was added that if Turkey would not accept this offer, landing rights might be refused. Turkey considered this to be an unacceptable infringement on its sovereignty and a deliberate attempt by the Dutch to sabotage the visit. Koenders told the Dutch press that the Netherlands would not facilitate a planned visit by Çavuşoğlu to Rotterdam on 11 March, meaning that he would not meet with Çavuşoğlu in any official capacity and that the Dutch state would not provide support in any way during his planned visit.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Escalation
Koenders cited risks to public order and security for the decision, and further stated that, although the Dutch government did not approve of the planned visit, he would not infringe upon the constitutional right of freedom of assembly. Çavuşoğlu was very dismayed by what he saw as a Dutch ultimatum. He publicly requested "all Turkish citizens in the Netherlands" to come to the Turkish consulate in Rotterdam on 11 March. In an interview with CNN Türk around 09:00 he claimed to have been threatened by the Netherlands and announced "heavy sanctions" if his visit was prevented. Koenders watched the CNN programme; when he heard the remarks by Çavuşoğlu, he said "This is the signal" and immediately phoned Rutte. On 11 March, around 10:00, Rutte denied Çavuşoğlu's government plane the right to land on Dutch soil.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Escalation
Meanwhile, Geert Wilders, the leader of the anti-Islamic Party for Freedom, had on 8 March demonstrated against the visit in front of the Turkish embassy in The Hague, heading a small group of party candidates. Together with member of parliament Sietse Fritsma, he held a banner with the words Blijf Weg! Dit is ons land ("Stay Away! This is our country"). On 11 March, Wilders too became aware of Çavuşoğlu's remarks; on 11:20 he sent a tweet to his many Twitter followers to re-tweet to Rutte: "don't let the Turkish minister into the country; do NOT let him land here". Later that day, Wilders in an interview with Al Jazeera claimed it was pressure from his party that convinced Rutte not to grant landing rights.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Escalation
At the time, the Turkish Minister of Family and Social Policies, Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya, was touring Germany. A visit to the Dutch town of Hengelo, close to the German border, had already been scheduled. On 11 March, the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service received information that Kaya would try to reach Rotterdam by car. She could freely cross the border because of the Schengen Treaty. A crisis centre was established on the twenty-third floor of the Rotterdam World Port Center to coordinate police actions.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Escalation
Earlier, the Turkish consul in Rotterdam had indicated to the Mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutaleb, that there were no plans for such a visit. It now proved impossible to contact the consul, which gave Aboutaleb the conviction that the consul knew of Kaya's attempt. A motorcade was intercepted but the car with the minister managed to drive away. It reached a small yard at the rear of the Turkish consulate. The Dutch police stopped Betül Sayan Kaya's entourage just metres from the Turkish consulate building.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Escalation
About twenty police officers, forming a special forces unit, the Dienst Speciale Interventies, masked and equipped with body armour and automatic weapons, arrested ten members of Kaya's bodyguard, on suspicion of illegally carrying firearms. A German source had indicated they had obtained a German weapons permit. No arms were discovered. Two other men were also arrested, who later proved to be the Deventer Turkish consul and the chargé d'affaires of the Turkish embassy. They in principle enjoyed diplomatic immunity. The twelve arrested men were detained for two hours and their passports were seized.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Escalation
A stand-off ensued for several hours in which the Turkish minister refused to leave the car. Just after midnight, a special heavy tow truck, a lift flatbed, was driven into the yard and prepared to vertically hoist the 3.5 tonne car onto the flatbed, with the minister still in it, to transport her back to Germany. The minister now left the car and demanded entrance to the consulate invoking the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The Dutch police had orders to arrest the minister if necessary. Ultimately, she gave in to the police demands to leave the country.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Escalation
At the time, many news sources assumed that she had been declared persona non grata. She was, loudly protesting, taken to another car, a black armoured Mercedes, by masked Dutch police officers who accompanied her to a police station at Nijmegen near the Dutch–German border. Her passport was seized. She was not allowed to leave the station for one and a half hours, while being reunited with the ten bodyguards. She returned to Germany under German escort. Sporadic rioting occurred among the about a thousand pro-Erdoğan protesters who had come to the Turkish consulate.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Escalation
They were met by Dutch riot police, who arrested twelve people for violent assault and not following police instructions. Kaya's passport was returned on 12 March, 18:00, to the Turkish consul. In April 2017, Kaya's lawyer said they would file a complaint against the Dutch government at court claiming that her expulsion from the Netherlands was illegal because she was not given a written statement of the reasons for the expulsion. However, on 2 May the case was dropped when it transpired that Kaya had never been formally declared persona non grata and that from a judicial point of view she had left the Netherlands voluntarily.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Escalation
The Dutch actions prompted President Erdoğan to characterise the Dutch as "fascists" and "remnants of Nazism" and to accuse the Netherlands of mass murder in Srebrenica, which resulted in a hardening of positions on both sides. Rutte called Erdoğan's remarks "unacceptable" and a "vile falsification of history", and demanded an apology.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Escalation
Rotterdam councillor Turan Yazır, a Dutch-Turkish citizen and supporter of Fethullah Gülen, was granted leave of absence after receiving threats and having his details published by the Daily Sabah newspaper, which also accused him of working with Geert Wilders.


2017 Dutch–Turkish diplomatic incident, Later developments
On February 5, 2018, the Dutch Foreign Ministry announced that it was formally withdrawing its ambassador from Turkey and that it would not accept any new ambassador appointed by the Turkish government. The ministry added that on-going talks aimed at resolving the dispute had come to a halt, and that neither of the parties involved has agreed to normalize diplomatic ties.


2017 Dwars door Vlaanderen
The 2017 Dwars door Vlaanderen is a road cycling one-day race that took place on 22 March. It was the 72nd edition of the Dwars door Vlaanderen, and the first since it was promoted to World Tour level – as the tenth event of the 2017 UCI World Tour.


2017 Dwars door Vlaanderen
The race was won by local rider Yves Lampaert – riding for the Quick-Step Floors team – who soloed away to the victory after making the race-defining split along with teammate Philippe Gilbert, Alexey Lutsenko from the Astana team, and Orica–Scott's Luke Durbridge. Lampaert attacked with 7.5 kilometres (4.7 miles) remaining and ultimately won the race by 39 seconds ahead of Gilbert, who led home Lutsenko and Durbridge in a sprint for second place.


2017 Dwars door Vlaanderen, Teams
As a new event to the UCI World Tour, all UCI WorldTeams were invited to the race, but not obligated to compete in the race. As such, sixteen of the eighteen WorldTeams – all except Team Dimension Data and Team Sky – competed in the race. Nine UCI Professional Continental teams competed, completing the 25-team peloton.


2017 Dwars door Vlaanderen, Route
The race started in Roeselare and followed a 203.4-kilometre (126.4 mi) course to finish in Waregem. It began with a long flat section that took the riders generally east from Roeselare and into Waregem; it then left the town and went south. At Avelgem, the course turned back east again to cross the first climb, the Nieuwe Kwaremont, after 92 kilometres (57 mi). This was followed by the climb of the Kattenberg, then the cobbled flat sectors of the Holleweg and the Haaghoek, then the climbs of the Leberg and the Berendries.


2017 Dwars door Vlaanderen, Route
After the next climb, the Valkenberg, the course turned back west towards the finish, with 70 kilometres (43 mi) remaining. The Eikenberg and the Taaienberg followed soon after, then the combination of the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg. After the final flat cobbled sector, the Varentstraat, the course turned north for the final three climbs: the Vossenhol (Tiegemberg), Holstraat and Nokereberg. From the summit of Nokereberg, there were around 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the finish in Waregem.


2017 E3 Harelbeke
The 2017 Record Bank E3 Harelbeke was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 24 March. It was the 60th edition of the E3 Harelbeke and was the eleventh event of the 2017 UCI World Tour.


2017 E3 Harelbeke
In a three-up sprint finish of Belgian riders, Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing Team) took the race victory ahead of national champion Philippe Gilbert from the Quick-Step Floors team, while the podium placings were completed by AG2R La Mondiale's Oliver Naesen.


2017 E3 Harelbeke, Teams
As E3 Harelbeke was a UCI World Tour event, all eighteen UCI WorldTeams were invited automatically and obliged to enter a team in the race. Seven UCI Professional Continental teams competed, completing the 25-team peloton.


2017 E3 Harelbeke, Route
The 206.1-kilometre (128.1 mi)-long E3 Harelbeke commenced in the centre of Harelbeke and moved east to its most eastern point at Ninove after 67 kilometres (42 miles) before turning west and traveling through the Flemish Ardennes with fifteen climbs. The Tiegemberg, the last climb of the day, was located 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the finish.


2017 EABA Championship
The 4th East Asian Basketball Championship were the qualifying tournament of the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup. It served also as a subzone championship involving the East Asian basketball teams. The tournament was hosted by the city of Nagano in Japan from 3 to 7 June 2017. The Chinese Taipei won their first title after defeating the defending champions, Korea in the Finals, 77–64. Japan beat China to take the bronze medal, 76–58.


2017 EABA Championship
For the first time in the history of the tournament, five teams have qualified for the Asian continental championship due to two extra berths were added from the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge.


2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship
The 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship was the 7th edition of the EAFF E-1 Football Championship, the football championship of East Asia. It was held in Japan in December 2017. Through the agreement between EAFF and ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), the winner of the tournament will qualified for the AFF–EAFF Champions Trophy.


2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship
The winner of the 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, South Korea, qualified for the 2019 AFF–EAFF Champions Trophy to meet the winner of 2018 AFF Championship of Vietnam.


2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, Team allocation
Based on their previous edition's results in 2015, the ten teams were allocated to their particular stage. Each winner of the Preliminary Round progressed to the next stage.


2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, Final tournament
The final competition was held in Japan from 9 to 16 December 2017.


2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, Final ranking
Per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-out are counted as draws.


2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship (women)
The 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship will be the 6th edition of the women's tournament in EAFF E-1 Football Championship, the women's football championship of East Asia. It was held in Japan in 2017.


2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship (women), Team allocation
Based on FIFA Women's world ranking on March 25, 2016, ten teams were allocated to their particular stage. Each winner of the preliminary round progressed to the next stage.


2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship (women), Second preliminary round
The second preliminary round was held from 8–14 November 2016 in Hong Kong.


2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship (women), Final tournament
The final competition was held in Japan from 8 to 15 December 2017.


2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship (women), Final ranking
Per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-out are counted as draws.


2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Final squads
The following is a list of squads for each nation competing in 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Final in Tokyo, Japan. Each nation must submit a squad of 23 players, including 3 goalkeepers.


2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Final squads
Age, caps and goals as of the start of the tournament, 9 December 2017.


2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Final squads (women)
The following is a list of squads for each nation competing in 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Final Women in Chiba, Japan. Each nation must submit a squad of 23 players, including 3 goalkeepers.


2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Final squads (women)
Age, caps and goals as of the start of the tournament, 8 December 2017.


2017 EBSA European Snooker Championship
The 2017 EBSA European Snooker Championship was an amateur snooker tournament that took place from 13 February to 19 March 2017 in Nicosia, Cyprus. It was the 26th edition of the EBSA European Snooker Championships and also doubles as a qualification event for the World Snooker Tour.


2017 EBSA European Snooker Championship
The tournament was won by 28th seed Chris Totten who defeated Estonia's Andres Petrov 7–3 in the final. As a result, Totten was given a two-year card on the professional World Snooker Tour for the 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 seasons.


2017 EBSA European Under-18 Snooker Championship
The 2017 EBSA European Under-18 Snooker Championship was an amateur snooker tournament that took place from 6 March to 8 March 2017 in Nicosia, Cyprus. It was the 2nd edition of the EBSA European Under-18 Snooker Championships.


2017 EBSA European Under-18 Snooker Championship
The tournament was won by the 2016 runner-up and 2016 World Under-18 Snooker Champion Jackson Page who defeated the number 8 seed Amir Nardeia 5–3 in the final.


2017 EBSA European Under-21 Snooker Championship
The 2017 EBSA European Under-21 Snooker Championship was an amateur snooker tournament that is taking place from 8 March to 12 March 2017 in Nicosia, Cyprus. It is the 21st edition of the EBSA European Under-21 Snooker Championships and also doubles as a qualification event for the World Snooker Tour.


2017 ECAC Hockey Men's Ice Hockey Tournament
The 2017 ECAC Hockey Men's Ice Hockey Tournament is the 56th tournament in league history. It was played between March 3 and March 18, 2017. First Round and Quarterfinal games were played at home team campus sites, while the final four games were played at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York. By winning the tournament, the team receives the ECAC's automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.


2017 ECAC Hockey Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Format
The tournament features four rounds of play. The teams that finish above fifth place in the standings receive a bye to the quarterfinal round. In the first round, the fifth and twelfth seeds, the sixth and eleventh seeds, the seventh and tenth seeds and the eighth and ninth seeds played a best-of-three series with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals.


2017 ECAC Hockey Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Format
In the quarterfinals the one seed plays the lowest remaining seed, the second seed plays the second-lowest remaining seed, the third seed plays the third-lowest remaining seed and the fourth seed plays the fourth-lowest remaining seed another best-of-three series with the winners of these the series advancing to the Semifinals. In the semifinals the top remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed while the two remaining teams play against each other. The winners of the semifinals play in the championship game, and no third-place game is played. All series after the quarterfinals are single-elimination games. The tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament.


2017 ECAC Hockey Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Conference Standings
Note: GP = Games Played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; PTS = Points; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against


2017 ECAC Hockey Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Media, Television
ASN had the television rights to semifinals and championship game during the tournament.


2017 ECAC Hockey Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Media, Streaming
Every game during the tournament was streamed through the ECAC Hockey's website.


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final
The 2017 EFL Championship play-off Final was an association football match that was played on 29 May 2017 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Huddersfield Town and Reading. The match determined the third and final team to gain promotion from the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football, to the  Premier League. The top two teams of the 2016–17 EFL Championship season gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the teams placed from third to sixth place in the table partook in play-off semi-finals;  Reading finished in third place while Huddersfield ended the season in fifth position. The winners of these ties competed for the final place for the 2017–18 season in the Premier League. Sheffield Wednesday and Fulham were the losing semi-finalists. Winning the play-off final was estimated to be worth £170 million through sponsorship and television deals to the successful team.


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final
The game, which was refereed by Neil Swarbrick, was played in front of a crowd of 76,682. It ended goalless in regular time and the deadlock was not broken by the end of extra time. A penalty shootout was required to determine the winner for the third time in the history of the second tier play-off final. Although Michael Hefele was the first to miss, Reading's Liam Moore's shot was wayward and Jordan Obita's attempt was saved by Danny Ward. Huddersfield won the final 4–3 on penalties, and their midfielder Aaron Mooy was selected as the man of the match.


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final
The following season, Huddersfield's first back in the top tier of English football since 1972, saw them finish 16th in the Premier League. Reading ended the 2017–18 EFL Championship season in 20th position, three points above the relegation zone.


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Route to the final
Reading F.C. finished the regular 2016–17 season in third place in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system, two places ahead of Huddersfield Town. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places for promotion to the Premier League and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the third promoted team. Reading finished four points behind Brighton & Hove Albion (who were promoted in second place) and nine behind league winners Newcastle United. Huddersfield ended the season four points behind Reading, and were the only club in the top eleven to have a negative goal difference.


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Route to the final
Reading faced Fulham in their play-off semi-final and the first leg was played away at Craven Cottage. The match ended 1–1, with goals from Jordan Obita for Reading and Fulham's Tom Cairney. With ten minutes of the game remaining, Reading's defender Paul McShane  was shown a straight red for a foul on Kevin McDonald. In the second leg, Reading won 1–0 at their home ground, the Madejski Stadium, with a penalty scored by Yann Kermorgant after Fulham's Tomáš Kalas had handled the ball. This gave them a 2–1 aggregate victory and qualification for the play-off final. Ali Al-Habsi, the Reading goalkeeper, made a number of saves to keep a clean sheet and was praised by his manager Jaap Stam: "It was a terrific performance. That's why he's paid to be in goal and be our last line of defence".


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Route to the final
Huddersfield Town went into their first leg match against Sheffield Wednesday having failed to beat them in their last seven encounters. The game ended in a draw at Huddersfield's home ground, the Kirklees Stadium, despite Huddersfield's domination in possession and shots. The second leg finished 1–1 after extra time, as Wednesday scored first through Steven Fletcher only for Tom Lees to score an own goal to equalise for Huddersfield Town. The resulting penalty shoot-out finished 4–3 in Huddersfield's favour with their goalkeeper, Danny Ward saving two Wednesday penalties, from Sam Hutchinson and Fernando Forestieri. Prior to the game, Hudderfield's German manager David Wagner had joked: "everyone knows Germans are able to win penalties".


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Background
Reading's last appearance in the play-off final had been in 2011 when they lost 4–2 to Swansea City. Reading had never won a play-off competition, having previously lost to Bolton Wanderers in the 1995 First Division play-off final and to Walsall in the 2001 Second Division play-off final. Reading had also lost in the second-tier play-off semi-finals in 2003 and 2009. Huddersfield had a extensive history in the play-offs, including four appearances in the finals: promotions from the second tier in 1995 and from the third tier in 2004 and 2012, having lost the previous season.


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Background
Prior to the 2017 final, Huddersfield had played twenty-two matches in league play-offs, winning eight, drawing eight and losing six. During the regular season, both teams had won their home fixtures against one another, with a 1–0 win for Reading in September and a win by the same scoreline in February for Huddersfield. The German-born Elias Kachunga was Huddersfield’s top scorer for the season with 12 goals, while Reading’s Kermorgant was his team's most prolific striker having scored 18 times prior to the semi-finals. Reading had last been in the top flight of English football in 2013 while Huddersfield had last experienced football at the highest domestic tier in the 1971–72 season.


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Background
Reading were without captain Paul McShane who was shown a straight red card in their play-off semi-final first leg game at Fulham. Other than Jordan Obita being named among the substitutes, Reading named the same team as for their previous match. Huddersfield's starting line up was unchanged from their semi-final second leg, including Elias Kachunga who had recovered from a hamstring injury suffered in the second leg of the semi-final.


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Background
The final was refereed by Neil Swarbrick from the Lancashire County Football Association, with assistant referees Jake Collin and Darren Cann, while Stuart Attwell acted as the fourth official. It was widely reported that the game was worth at around £170 million over three years to the winners through sponsorship and television deals. Reading were allocated 38,342 tickets for the final in the eastern half of Wembley Stadium, with Huddersfield being allocated the western half of the ground. Ticket prices ranged from £36 to £98 for adults, with concessions being half price. Huddersfield were considered favourites by the media and bookmakers to win the match, which was broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports. Before the match commenced, a minute's silence was held to commemorate the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing.


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, First half
Kermorgant kicked off for Reading at 3:04 p.m. in front of a crowd of 76,682. In the 4th minute, Huddersfield won a free kick which was taken by Aaron Mooy but the resulting cross was headed wide by Michael Hefele. The Yorkshire club dominated the early stages and in the 11th minute a cross to the far post from Kachunga was struck wide of the post by Izzy Brown from three yards. Two minutes later, Lewis Grabban's shot passed wide of Huddersfield's post.


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, First half
Kachunga was then brought down by Joey van den Berg who received the first yellow card of the game from the referee Neil Swarbrick. Two minutes later Kermorgant was also booked, for a foul on the Huddersfield captain Tommy Smith. Midway through the first half, Kermogant found Chris Gunter, who needed treatment after he was tackled strongly by Chris Löwe. In the 28th minute, Jonathan Hogg fouled Danny Williams and received the third yellow card of the game. Five minutes later Mooy brought down Kermorgant and was awarded a free kick, which John Swift struck wide of the Huddersfield goal from 35 yards. The half ended goalless with Reading dominant in possession but Huddersfield having the better chances to score.


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Second half
Early in the second half, a shot from Löwe from distance was caught by Reading's Al-Habsi. Two minutes later, Swift was put through on goal by George Evans but his shot was saved by the Huddersfield goalkeeper Ward. In the 54th minute, a deep Van den Berg corner was hooked over the bar by Kermogant. Reading had the majority of the second half possession and won a free-kick wide on the left after Kachunga fouled Tyler Blackett. The cross into the box was punched clear by Ward. In the 60th minute Kachunga was booked for dissent.


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Second half
A minute later Hefele was brought down in the area by Van den Berg but Huddersfield's appeals for a penalty were turned down. The first substitution of the game was made in the 64th minute as Reading's Obita came on to replace Van den Berg. Two minutes later, Huddersfield made their first substitution with Collin Quaner coming on for Kachunga. Chances for both sides followed before Grabban was replaced by Garath McCleary in the 74th minute.


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Second half
Smith was then booked for a foul on Williams before a snatched shot by Quaner from a Mooy cross, intended for Nahki Wells, went wide. In the 82nd minute, a shot from Tiago Ilori after a cross by Obita was deflected out by Hefele. With three minutes of normal time remaining, Smith was stretchered off the pitch after a challenge from Kermogant, and was replaced by Martin Cranie. Two minutes into the seven minutes of injury time, Gunter headed over the bar from a McCleary cross. A late shot from Swift went wide and with seconds remaining, a low shot from Wells was well covered by Al-Habsi. The half ended goalless sending the match into extra time.


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Extra time and penalties
Huddersfield kicked off the first period of extra time and within two minutes, a header from Brown header was cleared by the Reading defender Liam Moore. Once again Reading dominated possession but made few chances. After eight minutes, Huddersfield made their final substitution with Kasey Palmer replacing Brown, with Reading's Liam Kelly coming on for Swift two minutes later. Al-Habsi then stopped a Rajiv van La Parra chance before McCleary shot high and wide past the Huddersfield goal. Obita was then booked for what Barry Glendenning of The Guardian referred to as a "rugby tackle" on Quaner.


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Extra time and penalties
In the last action of the first half of extra time, Kelly played McCleary in only for him to shoot wide of the right post;  the half ended 0–0. Reading started the second half of extra time but Huddersfield enjoyed the early possession with missed chances from Hefele and Van La Parra. With three minutes of extra time remaining, Palmer passed to Wells just inside the Reading penalty area but his shot was wide of the left post. A last-minute free kick from Löwe came to nothing and extra time ended goalless, sending the second tier play-off final to a penalty shootout for the third time ever.


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Match, Extra time and penalties
Penalties were taken at the Huddersfield end, with Reading's Kermorgant commencing the shootout. Ward dived the right way but Kermogant's shot was too good. Löwe stepped up to equalise the shootout with a low, hard shot. Williams' strike was down the centre, narrowly missed by Ward's feet, to regain Reading's lead. Next for Huddersfield was Hefele whose  weak strike was saved by Al-Habsi, keeping the score 2–1 to Reading. The third penalty for Reading was taken by Kelly who struck the ball high into Ward's net, while Huddersfield scored their second with a well placed strike from Wells. Moore's spot kick went over the bar and Mooy equalised the shootout at 3–3 after four penalties each. Obita's shot was then saved by Ward, allowing Christopher Schindler to strike the winning penalty, securing Huddersfield's promotion to the Premier League with a 4–3 penalty win.


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Post-match
It was the first time since the play-off format was introduced in 1987 that a final ended goalless. Huddersfield's coach Wagner stated: "we said no limits and now we know what our limits are – the Premier League". He went on to call his players "legends for sure. Everybody will remember what this group of players have done with a small budget. And they deserve it. This football club has written an unbelievable story". Schindler, the winning penalty-taker, said: "I think nobody's feeling 100% confident under this pressure, but you have to do it".


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Post-match
Aaron Mooy was named the man of the match; according to BBC reporter Ian Woodcock, Mooy "has been incredibly influential throughout the season and his energy and guile drove his side forward for 120 minutes". Reading's captain Chris Gunter observed: "nobody knows what to say to each other ... the first thing is to make sure that this manager is in charge for the first game of next season".


2017 EFL Championship play-off Final, Post-match
Huddersfield's first season back in the top tier of English football since 1972 saw them end the Premier League in 16th place, four points ahead of the relegation zone. It was described by Paul Doyle in The Guardian as "the Premier League's greatest survival story", with Wagner in particular noted as "a leader of rare charisma and intelligence". Reading finished the 2017–18 EFL Championship season in 20th position, three points above the relegation places, with Stam leaving the club in March 2018 after a run of one win in eighteen games.


2017 EFL Cup Final
The 2017 EFL Cup Final was the final association football match of the 2016–17 EFL Cup that took place on 26 February 2017 between Manchester United and Southampton at Wembley Stadium in London, England. The final was the first League Cup final contested under the "EFL Cup" name following the renaming of The Football League to the English Football League (EFL).


2017 EFL Cup Final
As winners, Manchester United initially qualified for the third qualifying round of the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League, but entered the group stage of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League instead by virtue of their 2016–17 UEFA Europa League victory, passing the League Cup berth to the highest-placed Premier League team who had not already qualified for Europe, seventh-placed Everton.


2017 EFL Cup Final
The match was Manchester United's ninth final in the League Cup, having won in their last three appearances and four overall, and Southampton's second, having lost their only other League Cup final in 1979. It was the second cup final played between the two sides, following the 1976 FA Cup Final, when Southampton – then of the Second Division – beat First Division Manchester United 1–0.


2017 EFL Cup Final, Route to the final, Manchester United
Manchester United, as a Premier League club involved in the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League, started the competition in the third round where they were drawn away at EFL League One team Northampton Town. At Sixfields Stadium Manchester United won 3–1 with goals from Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera and Marcus Rashford. In the fourth round they were drawn against Manchester rivals Manchester City at home. At Old Trafford, Manchester United won 1–0 due to a goal from Juan Mata. In the quarter-final they drew fellow Premier League team West Ham United at Old Trafford, where they progressed 4–1 due to two goals each from Zlatan Ibrahimović and Anthony Martial despite manager José Mourinho serving a touchline ban.


2017 EFL Cup Final, Route to the final, Manchester United
In the two legged semi-final, they drew fellow Premier League Hull City. Manchester United won the first leg at Old Trafford 2–0 due to goals from Mata and Marouane Fellaini and lost the second leg 2–1 at the KCOM Stadium despite a Paul Pogba goal but progressed to the final 3–2 on aggregate.


2017 EFL Cup Final, Route to the final, Southampton
Southampton, as a Premier League team involved in the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League, started the competition in the third round. They were drawn against fellow Premier League team Crystal Palace at home. At St Mary's Stadium, they won 2–0 with goals from Charlie Austin and Jake Hesketh. In the next round they drew Premier League Sunderland at home. At St Mary's Stadium, they won 1–0 due to a goal from Sofiane Boufal. In the quarter final they were drawn away at Premier League Arsenal. At the Emirates Stadium, Southampton won 2–0 with goals from Jordy Clasie and Ryan Bertrand.


2017 EFL Cup Final, Route to the final, Southampton
In the two-legged semi final, Southampton drew fellow Premier League Liverpool. Southampton won the first leg 1–0 due to a goal from Nathan Redmond and won 1–0 away at Anfield with a goal from Shane Long to progress to the final 2–0 on aggregate. Southampton are the second team to reach a League Cup final without conceding any goals, after Tottenham Hotspur managed the feat in 1982. This would be their first major final since the 2003 FA Cup Final. Southampton fans celebrated reaching the final by painting white stripes on Royal Mail red pillar boxes, mirroring the 2012 Olympic gold post box campaign, though Royal Mail viewed this as vandalism and said that they would restore the pillar boxes to their original colour.


2017 EFL Cup Final, Match, Summary
Manolo Gabbiadini had the ball in the net early in the game after a low cross from the right by Cédric, but the perfectly good goal was controversially disallowed for offside. Zlatan Ibrahimović opened the scoring in the 19th minute, with a free kick to the left of Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster awarded following a foul by Oriol Romeu on Ander Herrera.


2017 EFL Cup Final, Match, Summary
Despite the Saints enjoying a spell of pressure on the United goal, Jesse Lingard doubled the lead in the 38th minute with a low right foot shot to the right corner of the net from just inside the penalty area. Gabbiadini brought Southampton back into the game on the stroke of half-time, converting James Ward-Prowse's cross from the right from three yards out.


2017 EFL Cup Final, Match, Summary
After the break, Gabbiadini equalised for the Saints when he flicked the ball low into the net with his left foot, it was his fifth goal in his first three games, as the Saints continued to dominate possession and chances on goal.


2017 EFL Cup Final, Match, Summary
The Saints continued having chances to take the lead throughout the second half, as Dušan Tadić and Ward-Prowse saw efforts saved by United goalkeeper David de Gea, and Oriol Romeu hit the post with a header from a corner, but with three minutes remaining Ibrahimović scored his second with a close range header after a cross from Ander Herrera on the right.


2017 EFL Cup Final, Match, Details
Assistant referees:Richard West (East Yorkshire)Stuart Burt (Northamptonshire)Fourth official:Kevin Friend (Leicestershire)Fifth official:Matthew Wilkes (West Midlands)


2017 EFL League One play-off Final
The 2017 EFL League One play-off Final was an association football match which was played on 20 May 2017 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Bradford City and Millwall to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from EFL League One to the EFL Championship. The top two teams of the 2016–17 EFL League One season gained automatic promotion to the Championship, while the teams placed from third to sixth place in the table partook in play-off semi-finals; the winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2017–18 season in the Championship.


2017 EFL League One play-off Final
Bradford had won two play-off finals going into the match, while Millwall had won one and lost two, including the previous season's final. Going into the match, Millwall had spent two years in the third tier of English football while Bradford City had not played in the second tier for thirteen seasons. A Wembley crowd of more than 53,000 people watched a goalless first half, but Millwall's Steve Morison scored the game's only goal late in the second half to ensure his club's return to the Championship.


2017 EFL League One play-off Final
After the match had ended, several people invaded the Wembley pitch for the first time since the new stadium had been used. The actions of these individuals were widely condemned and a number of arrests were made. Millwall ended the following season in eighth position in the EFL Championship, while Bradford City finished 11th in League One, eight points below the play-off positions.


2017 EFL League One play-off Final, Route to the final
Bradford City finished the regular 2016–17 season in fifth place in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system, one place ahead of Millwall. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places for promotion to the EFL Championship and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the third promoted team. Bradford City finished seven points behind Bolton Wanderers (who were promoted in second place) and twenty-one behind league winners Sheffield United. Millwall ended the season six points behind Bradford City.


2017 EFL League One play-off Final, Route to the final
Millwall's play-off semi-final opponents were Scunthorpe United, with the first leg being played at home at The Den. Five players were booked but with few chances,  the match ended goalless. The second leg, played three days later at Scunthorpe's ground Glanford Park. The home team took an early lead through Ivan Toney before Steve Morison levelled the match. Morison then set up Lee Gregory who scored Millwall's second on the stroke of half-time. Thirteen minutes into the second half, Morison scored his second and Millwall's third, and despite a consolation goal from Stephen Dawson, the match and the tie ended 3–2.


2017 EFL League One play-off Final, Route to the final
Bradford City faced Fleetwood Town in their play-off semi-final, playing the first leg at home at Valley Parade. The game was dominated by Bradford but they had to wait until 13 minutes remaining to break the deadlock, with Rory McArdle's headed goal from a Tony McMahon cross. The return leg was played at Fleetwood's Highbury Stadium three days later, and ended goalless, meaning Bradford City won the tie 1–0 on aggregate.


2017 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, Background
Millwall had featured in three play-off finals prior to this game. They lost the 2009 Football League One play-off Final 3–2 to Scunthorpe United but triumphed the following season in the 2010 Football League One play-off Final defeating Swindon Town 1–0. Millwall also lost the previous season's final 3–1 to Barnsley. They had played at Wembley in the 2012–13 FA Cup semi-final, losing to Wigan Athletic. Bradford City played in the 1996 Football League Second Division play-off Final at the old Wembley Stadium, beating Notts County 2–0.


2017 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, Background
They had also appeared at Wembley: in 2013 they won the League Two play-off Final 3–0 against Northampton Town but lost 5–0 to Swansea City in the 2013 Football League Cup Final. During the regular 2016–17 season, both fixtures between the clubs had ended in 1–1 draws. Gregory was Millwall's highest scorer with seventeen goals,  while Jordy Hiwula was Bradford's top marksman with nine. Bradford were attempting to restore their Championship status which they had lost 13 years prior, having been relegated from the 2003–04 Football League First Division. Millwall last played in the Championship during the 2014–15 season when they were relegated to League One after finishing in 22nd position.


2017 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, Background
Simon Hooper representing the Wiltshire Football Association was the referee for the match, with assistants Nick Hopton and Neil Davies, and Chris Kavanagh acted as the fourth official. Bradford City were allocated 38,000 tickets for the game, while Millwall received 37,623. Both teams wore their traditional home kit with Bradford in claret and amber while Millwall wore blue and white. The two starting line-ups were unchanged from their respective semi-final second legs, although Bradford's Alex Jones returned to the bench. The match was broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports. Bookmakers predicted a close match with no clear favourite to win.


2017 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, First half
Millwall kicked the game off around 3 p.m. in front of a Wembley crowd of 53,320. Two minutes into the match Gregory was fouled by Romain Vincelot, but Shaun Williams' free kick was blocked. Mark Marshall's cross was then cleared but fell to teammate McMahon whose shot was wide from 20 yards (18 m). Nathaniel Knight-Percival then conceded a corner from which Shaun Hutchinson's deflected header went over Bradford City's crossbar. A minute later, Morison beat McCardle but his header was wide.


2017 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, First half
On 13 minutes, Billy Clarke received the ball from Marshall but his shot was tipped past the Millwall post by their goalkeeper Jordan Archer. Two minutes later, Archer saved once again, this time from a James Meredith shot. In the 31st minute, McCardle's header from a McMahon cross was saved by Archer. Aiden O'Brien was fouled by McMahon in the 39th minute and the resulting free kick was headed across the area by Morison. The ball reached Hutchinson whose shot was blocked by McCardle. Three minutes later, Marshall was fouled and Charlie Wyke's header from the free kick went wide. After one minute of additional time, the goalless half was brought to a close.


2017 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, Second half
With no changes to either team during the break, Bradford got the second half under way. On 50 minutes, Meredith's shot was blocked by Millwall defenders on the six-yard line. Two minutes later, Gregory's header was struck first time by Morison but his shot went wide. O'Brien became the first player to be booked after fouling Marshall on 58 minutes. McMahon's resulting free kick was then headed over from 6 yards (5.5 m) by McArdle. Two minutes later Gregory's pass sent Jed Wallace in on goal but he dragged his shot wide.


2017 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, Second half
In the 65th minute, another McMahon free kick was headed over the Millwall crossbar by McArdle. With 20 minutes of the match remaining, Millwall made the first substitution of the game with Shane Ferguson replacing O'Brien. Four minutes later, Bradford made a double change, with Jones and Timothée Dieng replacing Clarke and Nicky Law. Meredith was shown a yellow card in the 76th minute for a foul on Wallace, before another chance for Morison was blocked by McCardle. Meredith then headed wide of Millwall's goal from a McMahon cross.


2017 EFL League One play-off Final, Match, Second half
With five minutes remaining, Williams intercepted a Marshall pass and crossed the ball. Gregory headed it across goal for Morison to volley the ball into the Bradford City goal from 6 yards (5.5 m), for Millwall to take the lead. Fred Onyedinma then replaced Wallace in the 89th minute and Gregory was substituted off for Calum Butcher soon after. In the last minute of five minutes of additional time, McMahon's shot hit the side netting. The final whistle was blown and the match ended 1–0 to Millwall.


2017 EFL League One play-off Final, Post-match
At the end of the game Millwall fans invaded the pitch confronting Bradford City manager, Stuart McCall, who said: "Wembley have to learn from this. Everyone in the place knew they were coming on. I was close to clocking a couple." The Metropolitan Police made 12 arrests. After the game, supporters of both clubs were seen fighting and throwing traffic cones. A spokesman for the English Football League called the invasion "completely unacceptable". Morison said: "The fans have ruined it for me at the moment. I can't celebrate."


2017 EFL League One play-off Final, Post-match
His manager, Neil Harris said: "The strikers have been the difference for us over the play-offs. Bradford were better than us in the first half but I took a step back and put trust in my players." McCall noted: "We knew it would be tight and that one goal might do it. It's sore to take but congratulations to Millwall. Jordan Archer made a superb save and that is the thin line between failure and success."


2017 EFL League One play-off Final, Post-match
Millwall ended the following season in eighth position in the EFL Championship, three points outside the play-offs. Bradford City's finished 11th in their next season, eight points below the play-off positions.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final
The 2017 EFL League Two play-off Final was an association football match played on 28 May 2017 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Blackpool and Exeter City. The match determined the fourth and final team to gain promotion from EFL League Two, English football's fourth tier, to EFL League One. The top three teams of the 2016–17 EFL League Two season gained automatic promotion to League One, while the teams placed from fourth to seventh in the table took part in play-off semi-finals; the winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2017–18 season in League One. Blackpool finished in seventh place while Exeter ended the season in fifth position. Luton Town and Carlisle United were the losing semi-finalists.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final
The match kicked off around 3 p.m in front of 23,380 spectators and was refereed by Darren England. Three minutes into the game, Potts put Blackpool ahead:  Jack Payne made a long pass to Mark Cullen, who played it to Potts. He ran on and struck the ball first-time into the far corner of the Exeter goal. With five minutes of the half remaining, David Wheeler scored the equaliser with a lob over Sam Slocombe from just inside the Blackpool penalty area to make it 1–1 at half-time. In the 64th minute, Cullen put Blackpool back into the lead.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final
Potts made a run into the Exeter penalty area and crossed the ball: Pym deflected it with his foot only for Cullen to finish it with an outstretched leg. Late pressure from Exeter failed to produce any goals, and despite five minutes of injury time, the match ended 2–1 to Blackpool who were promoted to League One.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final
Blackpool finished their following season in twelfth place in League One. In their next season, Exeter City finished in fourth position in League Two and qualified for the play-offs where they lost 2–1 against Coventry City in the final.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final, Route to the final
Exeter City finished the regular 2016–17 season in fifth place in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system, two places ahead of Blackpool. Both therefore missed out on the three automatic places for promotion to EFL League One and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the fourth promoted team. Exeter City finished fourteen points behind Doncaster Rovers (who were promoted in third place), and sixteen behind Plymouth Argyle (promoted in second) and league winners Portsmouth. Blackpool ended the season two places and one point behind Exeter City.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final, Route to the final
Blackpool's opponents for their play-off semi-final were Luton Town with the first match of the two-legged tie being held at Bloomfield Road in Blackpool on 14 May 2017. Mark Cullen put the home side ahead after 19 minutes with a low shot but Luton replied, first through Dan Potts and then Isaac Vassell, to make it 2–1 at half-time. Two minutes into the second half, Cullen levelled the game with his second goal, a strike from around 25 yards (23 m). He completed his hat-trick midway through the half with a penalty and the match ended 3–2 to Blackpool.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final, Route to the final
The second leg of the semi-final took place at Kenilworth Road in Luton four days later. Nathan Delfouneso opened the scoring for the visitors midway through the first half before Kelvin Mellor's own goal made it 1–1. Scott Cuthbert's header just before half-time made it 2–1 to Luton and twelve minutes after the break, Danny Hylton converted a penalty to increase his side's lead. Armand Gnanduillet's header made it 3–2 with less than 15 minutes remaining, and in the fifth minute of injury time, an own goal from Stuart Moore ensured the match ended 3–3. With an aggregate victory of 6–5, Blackpool progressed to the final.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final, Route to the final
Exeter City faced Carlisle United in their play-off semi-final, the first leg being played at Brunton Park in Carlisle on 14 May 2017. The visitors took the lead on 15 minutes when Joel Grant scored but Exeter's Jordan Moore-Taylor scored an own goal to level the match. Ryan Harley restored Exeter's lead just before half-time and David Wheeler made it 3–1 eleven minutes into the second half. John O'Sullivan's cross floated into the Exeter goal to make it 3–2 midway through the second half and Shaun Miller's header levelled the match which ended 3–3.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final, Route to the final
The second leg of the semi-final was played St James Park in Exeter four days later. Ollie Watkins scored the only goal of the first half to put Exeter ahead on aggregate. With eleven minutes of the game remaining, Watkins scored his and Exeter's second, but Jason Kennedy pulled one back for the visitors two minutes later. O'Sullivan scored in the 90th minute to make it 2–2, but five minutes into injury time, Jack Stacey scored for Exeter to make it 3–2, and Exeter won the tie 6–5 on aggregate.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final, Match, Background
Blackpool had been relegated to League Two the previous season and were thus aiming for an instant return to League One. Exeter City had played in League Two since being relegated at the end of the 2011–12 season. During the regular season, Blackpool were undefeated in the two matches between the clubs, winning 2–0 at Bloomfield Road in August 2016 and drawing 2–2 at St James Park the following February.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final, Match, Background
Blackpool's top scorers during the regular season were Potts with 12 (10 in the league, 1 in the FA Cup and 1 in the League Cup) followed by Vassell with 11 (all in the league). Exeter's leading marksmen were Wheeler who had 17 goals for the season (all in the league), followed by Reid with 14 (13 in the league, 1 in the FA Cup) and Watkins with 13 (all in the league).


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final, Match, Background
Exeter City were allocated 20,000 tickets for the match. Blackpool supporters were allocated the east end of Wembley Stadium while Exeter City fans occupied the west end. Due to an ongoing dispute with Blackpool owner, Owen Oyston and his family, Blackpool Supporters' Trust called on the club to donate its share of its gate receipts to charity so they could attend the match without their money going towards the Oyston family.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final, Match, Background
The referee for the match was Darren England, who was assisted by James Bell and Lee Venamore. The fourth official was David Webb while the reserve assistant referee was Helen Byrne. Hawk-Eye was also in use for the final. Before the match, a minute's silence was held to commemorate the Manchester Arena bombing which had taken place six days prior to the final. Faryl Smith performed the national anthem before kick-off. Sky Sports was the exclusive live broadcaster for the final in the UK.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final, Match, Background
Watkins had been voted the EFL Young Player of the Season at the EFL Awards. Blackpool adopted a 3–5–2 formation while Exeter played as a 4–4–2. Exeter played in luminous yellow shirts, shorts and socks, while Blackpool's kit was tangerine and white shirts, white shorts and tangerine socks.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final, Match, Summary
Exeter kicked off the match around 3 p.m on 28 May 2017 in front of 23,380 spectators. Three minutes into the game, Potts put Blackpool ahead:  Jack Payne made a long pass to Cullen, who played it to Potts. He ran on and struck the ball first-time into the far corner of the Exeter goal. In the 11th minute, Wheeler headed to Watkins whose shot from inside the penalty area was saved by Sam Slocombe. Seven minutes later, Jake Taylor's shot from 8 yards (7.3 m) was blocked by Blackpool's Tom Aldred.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final, Match, Summary
Lloyd James then struck a shot wide of Blackpool's goal from 25 yards (23 m). In the 31st minute, Blackpool were forced to make their first substitution of the match as Aldred was unable to continue with an ankle injury, and he was replaced by Bright Osayi-Samuel. With five minutes of the half remaining, Wheeler scored the equaliser. Woodman played a long ball towards him, which he controlled on the run. As Slocombe came out, Wheeler lobbed him from just inside the area to make it 1–1 at half-time.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final, Match, Summary
Three minutes into the second half, Osayi-Samuel struck a shot wide of the Exeter goal. In the 50th minute, a half-volley from Vassell from a tight angle was saved by the Exeter goalkeeper Christy Pym. In the 57th minute Exeter's Grant was replaced by Reuben Reid before Troy Brown limped off, with Pierce Sweeney coming on as a substitute. In the 59th minute, Cullen received the first yellow card of the game. Pym then caught Mellor's header from a corner. Blackpool made their second substitution of the game in the 62nd minute when Ian Black came on for Payne.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final, Match, Summary
Two minutes later, Cullen put Blackpool back into the lead. Potts made a run into the Exeter penalty area and crossed the ball: Pym deflected it with his foot only for Cullen to finish it with an outstretched leg. In the 71st minute, Exeter made their final personnel change of the afternoon with Lee Holmes replacing Craig Woodman. Danns shot then flew over the Exeter crossbar and with fifteen minutes to go, Cullen was replaced by Jordan Flores. In the 78th minute, Reid's shot from the edge of the Blackpool box went just wide. Late pressure from Exeter failed to produce any goals, and despite five minutes of injury time, the match ended 2–1 to Blackpool who were promoted to League One.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final, Post-match
The Blackpool manager said: "It was a massive team effort ... Exeter, a great footballing team, put us on the back foot." His counterpart Paul Tisdale said: "I'm disappointed, clearly. I'm disappointed that we probably didn't do our best in the last half an hour ... It's a tough environment to play in – the pressure – and the performance doesn't always get the result." Winning the final made Blackpool the most successful team in the history of the play-offs, having won five finals in eight attempts.


2017 EFL League Two play-off Final, Post-match
Blackpool finished their following season in twelfth place in League One. In their next season, Exeter City finished in fourth position in League Two and qualified for the play-offs where they lost 2–1 against Coventry City in the final.


2017 EFL Trophy Final
The 2017 EFL Trophy Final was an association football match that was played on 2 April 2017 at Wembley Stadium, London. It was played between League One teams Coventry City and Oxford United. The match decided the winners of the 2016–17 EFL Trophy, a 64-team knockout tournament comprising clubs from League One and League Two of the English Football League (EFL), as well as 16 Category One academy sides representing Premier League and Championship clubs. It was Coventry's first appearance in the final and the second for Oxford, who were beaten by Barnsley in the previous season's match.


2017 EFL Trophy Final
The game was played on a sunny day in front of a crowd of 74,434, the highest attendance for the final since the opening of the new Wembley Stadium. The referee was Chris Sarginson. Oxford dominated possession in the first half, but lacked sufficient potency in attack. It was Coventry who led at half time, scoring through Gaël Bigirimana after 11 minutes with the first meaningful chance of the game. Ten minutes into the second half, George Thomas made it 2–0 to Coventry with a low volley from the edge of the penalty area. Liam Sercombe pulled a goal back for Oxford 15 minutes before the end, but despite a series of shots on goal in a last-minute attack, they were unable to equalise and Coventry won 2–1 to earn their first major trophy since their victory in the 1987 FA Cup Final.


2017 EFL Trophy Final
The win was a highlight for Coventry's supporters in what was otherwise a disappointing season, as they were relegated to League Two. Oxford were challenging for a play-off place in the league at the time of the final but were unsuccessful, finishing in eighth place. At the end of the season, representatives from League One and League Two clubs voted to continue with the 64-team format for the following two seasons. This decision was supported by Coventry manager Mark Robins but opposed by his opposite number Michael Appleton, who stated a preference for reverting to the format involving just League One and League Two clubs.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Background
The EFL Trophy was inaugurated as the Associate Members' Cup in the 1983–84 season and followed on from the short-lived Football League Group Cup. The competition was renamed to the Football League Trophy in 1992, and to the EFL Trophy in 2016, coinciding with the Football League rebranding to the English Football League (EFL). It is open to all 48 clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two, the third and fourth tiers of the English football league system and, starting with the 2016–17 season, 16 Category One academy teams, representing clubs from the Premier League and Championship.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Background
The tournament originally used a straight knockout format, but was modified in 2016–17 to incorporate an initial group stage, in which a team is awarded three points for a win and zero for a defeat. In the event of a draw, a penalty shoot-out is held at the end of the game with the winner of the shoot-out receiving two points and the loser one. In the 2016–17 season it was referred to by its sponsorship name, the Checkatrade Trophy. The 2016–17 tournament was the 34th edition of the competition.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Background
Coventry City and Oxford United both appeared in the competition as a result of their membership of League One for the 2016–17 season. Coventry were making their first appearance in a League Trophy final while for Oxford it was their second, following a 3–2 defeat to Barnsley in the previous season's match. Both teams had won a major Wembley cup final during the 1980s – Oxford beat Queens Park Rangers in the 1986 Football League Cup Final, and Coventry won the  following season's FA Cup Final against Tottenham Hotspur.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Background
The two sides had won one game each of the head-to-head league meetings that season. At Coventry's Ricoh Arena, in October 2016, Coventry won 2–1 with goals from Ben Stevenson and Marvin Sordell and a late consolation for Oxford by Dan Crowley. The return fixture at the Kassam Stadium a month later was won by Oxford with Kane Hemmings, Jamie Sterry, Chris Maguire and Alex MacDonald all scoring as the match finished 4–1.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Route to the final, Coventry City
Coventry's 2016–17 EFL Trophy campaign commenced in the group stage, competing in Southern Group D along with Wycombe Wanderers, Northampton Town, and a team from the West Ham United academy. West Ham were one of 16 academy teams from Premier League and EFL Championship clubs appearing following the tournament revamp in the summer of 2016. In Coventry's first match, played on 30 August 2016, they hosted the West Ham academy team at the Ricoh Arena.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Route to the final, Coventry City
The game's attendance – 2,091, of whom just 98 were away supporters – set a record for the lowest gate at a Coventry first-team game since they started playing at the stadium in 2005. West Ham took the lead against the run of play after 33 minutes with a Toni Martínez goal, but Coventry quickly equalised with Jordan Turnbull's first goal for the club. They took the lead early in the second half through Rúben Lameiras with a Jordan Willis goal and Turnbull's second sealing the win. The final score was 4–2 as Martínez scored a late consolation goal for the visitors.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Route to the final, Coventry City
Their second group game was at home to Northampton in early August, with an attendance – 2,085 – even lower than that of the West Ham game. Coventry took the lead after just 20 seconds through Dan Agyei but Northampton levelled 70 seconds after that through Marc Richards. Jodi Jones restored City's lead in the seventh minute and Lameiras scored in the second half to seal a 3–1 win.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Route to the final, Coventry City
Both Coventry and Wycombe had already qualified for the last 32 when the teams met at Adams Park in November, but the match was relevant in determining which team would have home advantage in the next round, as group winner. Prioritising their league campaign over the Trophy, Coventry fielded a weakened team with just five starters from the previous league game – the minimum permitted under competition rules. The hosts took a 2–0 lead through Stephen McGinn and Scott Kashket but a brace from Ryan Haynes and a George Thomas tap-in, all in the space of nine-second-half minutes, turned the match around. Jones added another to make it 4–2 to Coventry.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Route to the final, Coventry City
Coventry's first fixture in the knockout phase was against Crawley Town at the Ricoh Arena. The match came amid a poor run of form for City, and the crowd of 1,338 represented the third time the stadium's low attendance record for a first-team game had been broken in the 2016–17 competition. Sordell scored the only goal after 35 minutes, in a game which lacked quality by either side. On 10 January 2017, Coventry played their last-16 game against the Brighton & Hove Albion academy team. With a line-up significantly changed from their regular league team, they played what journalists Alan Poole and Andy Turner of the Coventry Telegraph described as "one of their most rounded displays of the season". Goals from Lameiras, Thomas and Haynes secured a comfortable 3–0 win and passage to the quarter-finals.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Route to the final, Coventry City
The quarter-final match was played later in January, as City travelled to Wales for a match against the academy side of Swansea City. After a lacklustre first half, Swansea won a penalty after the interval when Haynes fouled Oli McBurnie. The Swansea striker took the kick and put his side in front. Coventry then equalised close to the end of normal time through an own goal by Adnan Marić, as he fought for a header with Willis in the penalty area. The game went to a penalty shoot-out, which Coventry won 4–2. Thomas, Burundian international Gaël Bigirimana, Kyel Reid and Lameiras all scored their kicks while goalkeeper Reice Charles-Cook saved penalties by Swansea's Botti Biabi and George Byers.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Route to the final, Coventry City
Coventry's semi-final saw them play Wycombe Wanderers for the second time in the campaign, this time at the Ricoh Arena. A crowd of 11,672 watched the game, which was also televised on Sky Sports. Coventry scored two early goals through Stuart Beavon and Thomas, and looked comfortable at half-time with a 2–0 lead. Wycombe were much stronger in the second half, buoyed by the arrival of striker Adebayo Akinfenwa. He pulled a goal back on 55 minutes and Wycombe dominated the remainder of the match, launching a succession of attacks on the City goal. Coventry hung on for a 2–1 victory that earned them their first match at Wembley Stadium since the 1987 FA Charity Shield match, which followed their triumph in that year's FA Cup.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Route to the final, Oxford United
Oxford were placed in Southern Group C for the group phase, alongside Exeter City and Swindon Town. Like Coventry, they also faced a Premier League academy side, that of Chelsea. Their opener was against Exeter at the Kassam Stadium in late August. Tyler Roberts opened the scoring for Oxford early in the game and Chris Maguire doubled their lead on 35 minutes with a penalty. Goals from Matt Jay and Liam McAlinden drew the Devon side level, but strikes from Ryan Taylor and Alex MacDonald in the final 20 minutes sealed a 4–2 win for United.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Route to the final, Oxford United
For their second match on 4 October 2016, they travelled to local rivals Swindon Town. It was an ill-tempered game with six yellow cards issued, two for Swindon and four for Oxford. There was also a straight red card before half time for MacDonald after he stamped on Swindon's Anton Rodgers. The game finished 0–0, the drawn fixture leading to a penalty shoot-out. Five of the nine penalties taken were saved, three by Swindon keeper Will Henry and only two by Oxford's Simon Eastwood, resulting in a 3–1 shoot-out win and two points for Swindon, with one point for Oxford.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Route to the final, Oxford United
Oxford travelled to Stamford Bridge for their final group game on 8 November, to face the Chelsea academy team. United needed just one point to secure qualification, while their hosts were already eliminated following two defeats, but it was Chelsea who scored first through Josimar Quintero, shortly before half time. The young Chelsea team appeared to be on the verge of their first ever win in the tournament until Kane Hemmings scored an equaliser for Oxford in injury time at the end of the game.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Route to the final, Oxford United
The game therefore went to penalties to decide which team would take two points from the game, and which team just one. With 34 penalties taken, 17 by each side, the shoot-out set the English football record for the most kicks, eclipsing the previous record of 32 which had occurred on two occasions. Chelsea were the eventual winners, by a score of 13–12, as the shoot-out concluded with a goal scored and then a goal saved by Blues keeper Bradley Collins. They, therefore, scored two points to Oxford's one, but the visitors nonetheless progressed through to the second round as runners-up to Swindon.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Route to the final, Oxford United
For their second round match, Oxford travelled to Roots Hall for a match against Southend United. The match remained goalless until close to the end when Maguire scored for Oxford, a free-kick from 27 metres (30 yd) out. The lead was short-lived, as Southend's Anthony Wordsworth equalised immediately. For the third game in a row in the competition, Oxford faced a penalty shoot-out. This time they were successful, scoring all but one of their kicks while Eastwood saved from Southend's Simon Cox and Stephen McLaughlin's penalty went over the bar.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Route to the final, Oxford United
Their reward was a home tie in the last 16, in which they hosted Scunthorpe United. The visitors dominated early and took the lead after ten minutes, Luke Williams scoring a penalty after he had been fouled in the area. Duane Holmes then took a shot when he had only Eastwood to beat, but the Oxford goalkeeper saved it. Oxford turned the game around, Marvin Johnson equalising on 18 minutes in the team's first attack of the game and taking the lead four minutes later. Hemmings was the scorer of this goal and he added two more in the second half, one of them a penalty, to complete his hat-trick as Oxford won the game 4–1.


2017 EFL Trophy Final, Route to the final, Oxford United
The quarter-final, in January 2017, was also played at the Kassam, with Bradford City as their opponents. Weary after a dramatic FA Cup match against Newcastle United during the weekend, United started the game tentatively, relying on two saves by Eastwood to keep the game goalless. They played much better after half-time, following a tactical switch. Midway through the second half, Bradford's Rory McArdle had to leave the pitch to receive treatment for a head injury. Oxford capitalised on the temporary advantage, scoring twice in two minutes through Maguire and Johnson.