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Defending European Champions Spain head to the World Cup final in the same position they were when the tournament kicked off on June 11: as favorites to lift the trophy. Spain opened as -164 favorites to beat Argentina in Sunday’s final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, according DK Sports. Lionel Messi and defending-champion Argentina were installed +134 underdogs, shortly after coming from behind to eliminate England by…

England players will have lost belief at Thomas Tuchel’s second-half substitutions in the World Cup semifinal defeat to Argentina, according to former captain Wayne Rooney. Anthony Gordon put England ahead early in the second half but was soon withdrawn by Tuchel, who brought defenders Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn and Nico O’Reilly in the final 20 minutes. His changes backfired as Enzo Fernández equalised in the 85th minute before Lautaro Martínez…

ATLANTA — Argentina sealed a dramatic semifinal fightback against England at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with two goals in the final five minutes to clinch a 2-1 win and book a World Cup final clash with Spain on Sunday. The reigning world champions, who won their third title in Qatar four years ago, looked set to be eliminated with England leading well into the dying stages following a second-half goal from Anthony…

FIFA’s director of refereeing Pierluigi Collina defended the referee in Tuesday’s semifinal between France and Spain following criticism from France coach Didier Deschamps. Following Spain’s 2-0 win in Arlington, Texas, Deschamps questioned whether Salvadoran official Iván Barton was up to the task of refereeing a World Cup semifinal. – France move from Deschamps to Zidane wondering what could have been – Mbappé critical of tactics in loss by ‘sloppy’ France…

A wide array of performers, from actor Tom Cruise to streamer IShowSpeed, will help close out the World Cup, FIFA announced Tuesday. And on Wednesday, football’s governing body said American rapper-singer Post Malone will headline the closing ceremony. The ceremony will take place 90 minutes before Sunday’s final. The show is meant to “celebrate the 48 teams’ unforgettable journey” through 16 host cities across three countries, FIFA said in a…

Harry Kane is now England‘s second most capped player of all time, as he started Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal against Argentina. The England captain has now made 121 appearances for the Three Lions, which moves him just four caps behind goalkeeping legend Peter Shilton for all time England caps. Previously, Kane shared the record with Wayne Rooney for the second most England caps. Now, though, Kane has 121 — pushing…

A Tottenham Hotspur player will be a World Cup winner. no matter who emerges victorious in the final. Spurs have a representative in all three of the teams left in the competition and will be welcoming back a World Cup winner whoever makes it over the line — whether that is Spain, England or Argentina. Spurs right-back Pedro Porro — who scored an excellent goal against France in Tuesday’s semifinal…

FIFA is to stage the World Cup final news conference in front of paying fans with supporters having to pay in excess of $80 (£60) to watch the coaches and players from the two finalists, and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, talk about Sunday’s game in New Jersey. News conferences ahead of major football finals including the World Cup and Champions League are traditionally held the day before the game —…

Nottingham Forest are set to complete the signing of Austria international Xaver Schlager, sources have told ESPN. Schlager joins as a free agent after his contract with RB Leipzig expired at the end of June, with the news first reported by The Athletic. The 28-year-old will sign on a two-year deal with the option of a third year. The signing comes as a coup for Forest — Schlager was Leipzig’s…

Morgan Rogers is set to start for England in Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal against Argentina, sources have told ESPN. The Aston Villa midfielder has only started one other game at the tournament — England’s final Group L match against Panama — but is expected to be given the nod in a surprise call by head coach Thomas Tuchel. Rogers is set to start on the right wing with sources indicating…