Lamine Yamal needed just 10 minutes of his first start at a World Cup to get his first goal on soccer’s biggest stage. The 18-year-old forward slid in at the far post to opening the scoring for Spain in their 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday. – How teams can qualify for knockout round Yamal missed the end of Barcelona‘s season with a hamstring injury and was…
Aaron Hickey, Scott McKenna and Lewis Ferguson missed group training ahead of Scotland‘s final World Cup Group C fixture against Brazil on Wednesday. However, it is understood all three were doing individual work at the Scots’ base in Charlotte, North Carolina. Right-back Hickey came off in the 1-0 win over Haiti and was absent for the 1-0 defeat by Morocco on Friday at the Boston stadium. Centre-back McKenna has been…
William Saliba has said he has been playing through pain for several months but the Arsenal defender has been inspired to keep pushing by the opportunity to make history. Saliba helped Arsenal win the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years this season before they fell narrowly short in their bid to win the Champions League for the first time in their history, losing the final on…
Belgium winger Jérémy Doku has faced criticism after he said he plans to leave Belgium’s World Cup base camp when his wife is due to give birth. The 24-year-old’s wife Shireen has a due date during early July, which could coincide with Belgium’s round-of-32 or round-of-16 matches, should they make it that far in the tournament. “No one wants to miss a birth,” Doku told reporters on June 15. “Moreover,…
Marcelo Bielsa has become the latest figure at the World Cup to criticise hydration breaks, arguing that the rule “adds nothing and takes away a lot.” The Uruguay manager was speaking at a news conference ahead of his team’s second group game against Cape Verde on Sunday. “With the new rules there are lots of goals — so be it,” he said. “According to the general consensus, playing four periods…
MONTERREY, Mexico — On the evening the FIFA World Cup staged its milestone 1,000th game, history was also made by Japan in that very match at Estadio Monterrey. With a resounding 4-0 win over Tunisia, Japan surpassed their previous record winning margin at the tournament of two goals — while it was also the biggest victory an Asian nation had ever recorded. The result took the Samurai Blue a big…
Heroic goalkeeper Eloy Room joked he deserves a statue in Curaçao after his performance earned a first World Cup point as the minnows held Ecuador to a 0-0 draw in Kansas City. Room made 15 saves — the most by any goalkeeper in 90 minutes of a World Cup match since records began in 1966 — as he acted as a one-man barrier, with Dick Advocaat’s brave side bouncing back…
England defender Reece James says the constant talk around his injury problems is “so boring now”. James’ career has been plagued by injuries, which saw him suffer heartbreak when ruled out of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a disappointment that was compounded by also missing England’s run to the Euro 2024 final. Another injury with Chelsea disrupted the second half of his season before returning for the final few…
Japan have previous at a World Cup when it comes to decisions decided by mere millimeters. The Samurai Blue were denied a goal against Tunisia on Sunday at Monterrey Stadium in the 1,000th World Cup match by the tiniest of margins thanks to goal-line technology, but fans might remember a similar story when VAR got involved four years ago. With Japan 1-0 up at the time, Tunisia goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen…
Declan Rice senses he will get an assist every time he takes a set piece as England attempt to tap into the Arsenal midfielder’s dead-ball expertise at the World Cup. Mikel Arteta’s men scored 25 goals from set plays on their way to lifting a first Premier League title since 2004, with that prowess also helping them reach a second Champions League final. – How can teams qualify for knockout…