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England defender Nico O’Reilly is backing himself to come through the “once-in-a-lifetime” task of marking Lionel Messi and turning his dream of winning the World Cup into reality. O’Reilly has been Thomas Tuchel’s first-choice left-back in the tournament, but his challenge is about to get much harder in Wednesday’s semifinal against Argentina. Messi, 39, is going out in style at his sixth World Cup as his eight goals have fired…

A referee who was dropped from FIFA’s list of officials for this summer’s World Cup has died, the Dutch federation (KNVB) has announced. Rob Dieperink had been selected as a VAR for the tournament in North America but FIFA announced in May it had removed him from the list. The 38-year-old had been arrested by the Metropolitan Police in April, The Athletic reported, but the case was closed without charges…

Captain Harry Kane has dismissed the idea of division in the England squad, insisting there is “complete togetherness” ahead of the World Cup semifinal with Argentina. England booked their place in the last four by grinding out a 2-1 extra-time win over Norway in the extreme Miami heat, with Jude Bellingham hitting back at Thomas Tuchel’s post-match assessment that they had not played well. The Real Madrid star scored twice…

ARLINGTON, Texas — France head coach Didier Deschamps playfully deflected questions about his team’s World Cup favorite status on Monday, choosing instead to praise semifinal opponent Spain and project a “spectacular game” on Tuesday. “They can attack and defend very well,” Deschamps said of Spain. “They only conceded one goal. Luis and myself, we know how to defend well, but with the quality of the two teams offensively we could…

ATLANTA — American referee Ismail Elfath has been appointed to take charge of Wednesday’s FIFA World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Elfath, 44, has already officiated three games at the tournament — Japan vs. Netherlands, Uruguay vs. Spain and Brazil vs. Norway — and has issued six yellow cards and one red, to Uruguay’s Agustín Canobbio. The appointment of Elfath, who will be assisted by fellow…

ARLINGTON, Texas — Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente said he knows France are a much better team than the one they defeated in the Euro 2024 semifinals two years ago. Spain play France in the FIFA World Cup semifinals at AT&T Stadium on Tuesday, with Spain looking to advance to just a second World Cup final in the nation’s history. “France are much better now than what they…

England are increasingly optimistic Declan Rice will be fit to start Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal against Argentina, sources have told ESPN. The Arsenal midfielder played only 45 minutes of Saturday’s quarterfinal win over Norway after suffering with illness in the build-up. Rice missed two training sessions before England’s victory due to the sickness bug. He has also been struggling with hamstring and back pain during the tournament. Tuchel said after…

Jules Koundé said Monday that Spain winger Lamine Yamal‘s comments that France should fear the defending Euro champions ahead of their World Cup semifinal weren’t a sign of disrespect. Spain play Koundé’s France side in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday, and after La Roja beat Belgium in the quarterfinals last Friday, Yamal said that France should fear them in their semifinal showdown. “No, in no moment have we felt a lack…

Erling Haaland and his Norway teammates were welcomed home by tens of thousands of ecstatic supporters in Oslo following their historic World Cup achievements in North America. Norway reached the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in the country’s history this summer, beating five-time winners Brazil in the round of 16 before being knocked out by England. Star striker Haaland saw his global fame reach new heights as he…

Jordan Pickford has said he’s confident England will be streetwise enough to keep their cool in Wednesday’s intense World Cup semifinal clash with Argentina and their captain Lionel Messi. Thomas Tuchel’s side have the chance to become the nation’s first men’s team to reach the final since Sir Alf Ramsey’s heroes lifted the trophy in 1966. World champions Argentina stand in their way and the eyes of the nation will…