England striker Ollie Watkins has defended Jérémy Doku over his decision to be present at the birth of his first child and leave Belgium’s World Cup base. Doku’s wife Shireen is due to give birth to the couple’s first son in early July, when Belgium could possibly play in the knockout stages of the World Cup. His decision to leave the United States, Mexico and Canada has been greeted with…
Marcus Rashford has called for unrelenting intensity that Ghana “can’t live with” as England look to book their place in the World Cup knockout stages with a game to spare. Thomas Tuchel’s men opened Group L with a thrilling 4-2 victory against Croatia in Dallas, where Harry Kane’s brace in a helter-skelter opening period was followed by a statement second-half display. Jude Bellingham scored moments after the restart as England…
Mohamed Salah has spoken of his pride at the chance “to make the people happy in Egypt” after his team beat New Zealand 3-1 to claim the nation’s first ever World Cup win. Egypt were a goal down at halftime but turned the match on its head in the second half, with Salah contributing a goal and an assist. “Well, it’s a great feeling for all of us,” he said…
Kylian Mbappé is hot on the heels of the player he calls “the best,” Lionel Messi, to become the top scorer in men’s World Cup history. Messi, 38, scored a hat trick against Algeria in Argentina‘s opener, a 3-0 win, to equal Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 World Cup goals. Mbappé, a former teammate of Messi at Paris Saint-Germain, has 14 goals after scoring twice for France in a 3-1…
Iran left a handwritten note in their dressing room at SoFi Stadium after their 0-0 draw with Belgium on Sunday, thanking the people of Los Angeles for their hospitality. The message, which was left after Iran played both of their first two World Cup games in Los Angeles, added that the team will leave the city “with dignity.” The news comes three days after Iran’s football federation said it was…
Djed Spence revealed it is not just him in the firing line of England boss Thomas Tuchel after clips of him getting told off in training went viral. The Tottenham full-back was in Tuchel’s bad books when he made a slow start to an open training session on Saturday. Tuchel was heard shouting “Djed, Djed, Djed wake up! Wake up!” after the player hesitated during a passing drill. But Spence…
Neymar completed his first full training session with Brazil on Sunday. The Santos forward is expected to feature in Wednesday’s Group C encounter against Scotland in Miami Gardens, Florida. Neymar missed Brazil’s first two games of the World Cup, including Friday’s 3-0 win over Haiti, with a right calf injury. The Santos star took to social media to express his delight at training with the rest of the group for…
Cape Verde coach Bubista said he was “upset” after a Uruguay player broke off from helping treat one of his players for cramp to join the attack that led to the South Americans’ equaliser. Cape Verde held a 1-0 lead heading towards half-time after a stunning free-kick from Kevin Pina, but entered the break behind. Uruguay’s first goal came in unusual circumstances as Federico Viñas, who had been holding up…
ARLINGTON, Texas — Argentina national team manager Lionel Scaloni said the newly implemented hydration breaks at the FIFA World Cup make for a fragmented match, sometimes giving the weaker side an advantage for the second part of the half. “There are no easy games, especially in the group stage,” Scaloni told reporters Sunday. “Historically, but now also with the 48-team format, the group stage has always been hard. Now with…
Cape Verde‘s magical start to its first World Cup isn’t over. It might just be getting started. The tiny island nation that stunned tournament favorite Spain last week did it again against Uruguay on Sunday, coming from behind for a 2-2 draw. Kevin Pina scored on a free kick for Cape Verde’s first-ever goal in the World Cup, and Hélio Varela scored the equalizer for what has become one of…