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ARLINGTON, Texas — Kylian Mbappé seemed to question Didier Deschamps’ approach and tactics after France‘s 2-0 defeat to Spain in the FIFA World Cup semifinal on Tuesday. The result ended France’s quest to reach a third-straight World Cup final, with Mbappé held scoreless and finishing the tournament with eight goals — tied with Argentina‘s Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot lead. Spain midfield general Rodri was dynamic throughout the match…

ARLINGTON, Texas — France head coach Didier Deschamps said his team wasn’t technically sound enough in his team’s 2-0 loss to Spain in the FIFA World Cup semifinals. “To have any hope, we needed to be at our best,” he said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t.” Spain took the lead on an early penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal, then found an insurance goal from Pedro Porro, assisted by Dani Olmo, in the 58th…

Argentina will draw inspiration from the peerless Diego Maradona as a new generation of stars attempt to get the better of England once again. Maradona scored both of Argentina’s goals in a famous 2-1 win over England in the quarterfinals of the 1986 World Cup, with his second a stunning solo effort from his own half that was later voted the FIFA World Cup’s “Goal of the Century.” His first…

In the end, the third time was not a charm for France. Spain beat France 2-0 in their FIFA World Cup semifinal in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday to make it three wins in a row against their European heavyweight rival having beaten Les Bleus in the 2024 European Championship semifinals and the UEFA Nations League semifinals in 2025. A first-half penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and an early second-half strike by…

Massimiliano Allegri is not looking for redemption at Napoli despite still being troubled by the end of his second spell in charge of AC Milan. Allegri was fired by Milan in May after what the club’s owners deemed “an unequivocal failure” of a season. The 58-year-old was hired by Napoli at the start of July on a three-year contract. Allegri’s Milan spent much of last season in the top two…

Manchester United have announced the signing of midfielder Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa. Tielemans, who spent three years at Villa Park, was a key part of the team which won the Europa League last season but has made the move to Old Trafford after sources told ESPN that United triggered the £35 million ($47m) release clause in his contract. – Inside Man United’s summer rebuild, as Santos and Tielemans bolster…

Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister said playing in the Premier League with Liverpool may be helpful when facing England in their World Cup semifinal meeting on Wednesday in Atlanta. La Albiceleste qualified to the semifinal after defeating Switzerland 3-1 in the World Cup quarterfinal with goals from Julián Álvarez, Lautaro Martínez and Mac Allister. “We all want to play this game, we all want to reach the World Cup final.…

United States striker Folarin Balogun has said he knew that the suspension of his red card would “cause a lot of controversy” during the World Cup and that he recognised the impact it had on his teammates. The Monaco forward was shown a straight red card during the United States’ round-of-32 meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina, but FIFA’s disciplinary committee then suspended the one-match ban for a year, allowing Balogun…

Harry Kane says a World Cup semifinal against historic rivals Argentina is “as big as it gets” but stressed England cannot be drawn into the emotional baggage surrounding the fixture. A rivalry that elicits memories of Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ in 1986 and David Beckham’s red card 12 years later will resume for the first time since 2005, with a place in Sunday’s showpiece on the line. Back-to-back European…

No further officers from the UK are being sent to Atlanta for the World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina on Wednesday, with the local force deploying additional personnel for the crunch match. England supporters at the finals in North America have been consistently praised by the UK’s football policing lead, Chief Constable Mark Roberts of Cheshire Police, for their “exemplary” behaviour, but a match against Argentina clearly presents a…