play down

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has played down criticism from the new Mauritian prime minister and the incoming Trump administration of a deal to cede control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Amorim is acutely aware of this which is why he is playing down the expectations that rose so dramatically in the wake of Sporting’s defeat of Manchester City last week.

Wille plays down the impact of her speech all those years ago, saying it was "just a little step along the way" to progressing women's football.

But he played down the idea of an organised supply chain, insisting the smuggling system was more like a haphazard series of stepping stones, with each stage controlled by separate gangs.

In times when their games got a little bit ropey they stepped up, whether it be with a big tackle or calming the play down and winning fouls.