Roberto Martinez strongly hinted on Tuesday that the World Cup would be his final tournament as Portugal‘s head coach. “It’s not news. We’ve talked about this many times in Portugal”, Martinez said about the reports of his departure after the World Cup. “Maybe it’s new elsewhere, but in Portugal we’ve discussed it a lot already. The focus remains continuing the work we’ve done over the last three and a half…
KANSAS CITY, Kansas — Lionel Messi made history Tuesday night when tying the record for most World Cup goals at 16 with Miroslav Kolse after scoring a hat trick staking Argentina to a 3-0 lead over Algeria before coming off late in the second half. The hat trick was Messi’s 11th of his international career, but first at the World Cup, and he is now the oldest player to score…
Thomas Tuchel is not yet ready to sing the national anthem yet but has said he considers England home as he prepares to lead the nation into this summer’s World Cup. All eyes will be on the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium on Wednesday as the back-to-back European Championship runners-up look to go one step further and match Sir Alf Ramsey’s heroes of 1966. England’s eagerly anticipated Group L opener against…
ARLINGTON, Texas — Harry Kane says this is one of the best opportunities England will have to win the World Cup, and the key to a successful campaign is ensuring the players stay free in the mind. Kane, 32, is embarking on his sixth major tournament as an England player, and will equal David Beckham’s tally of 115 caps when he leads the team out in their World Cup opener…
England will hold a behind-closed doors friendly in Kansas City on Thursday, head coach Thomas Tuchel has confirmed. Sources told ESPN that the opponents are not yet finalised, but conversations are taking place with MLS side Sporting Kansas City. England followed the same plan last week, facing off against Miami FC in their West Palm Beach base the day after beating Costa Rica in Orlando. They won 6-0. The Three…
Lionel Messi added another record to his illustrious career on Tuesday, becoming the first player to take the pitch in six different men’s World Cups. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner made history with his appearance in Argentina‘s opening game of the tournament against Algeria in Kansas City, Missouri. In his 200th match with his national team, Messi broke the record previously held by five other men: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Antonio…
More than one million fans attended the opening 16 games at the World Cup hosted in Canada, the United States and Mexico, according to FIFA. Concerns over the pricing of tickets in the run-up to the finals appeared to be borne out by swathes of empty seats at the match between South Korea and the Czechia in Guadalajara last Thursday, and Saturday’s match between Qatar and Switzerland in Santa Clara,…
Kylian Mbappé has played down any notions of seeking revenge following his goals in France‘s World Cup opener against Senegal. The forward scored twice in New Jersey, the second of which was a stunning strike from outside the box, to lead Les Bleus to a dominant 3-1 win in a potentially tricky first game. It took him past Olivier Giroud as France’s all-time leading scorer with 58 goals. France came…
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Erling Haaland took just 29 minutes to score his first ever World Cup goal on his tournament debut against Iraq on Tuesday. By the end, he had scored twice in a convincing 4-1 victory and delivered on his tag as one of this tournament’s biggest stars. Haaland, 25, has been one of the world’s most prolific strikers since he burst onto the scene in 2019, but he…
Iran forward Mehdi Torabi has received a new visa and will be able to participate in the remainder of the FIFA World Cup, spokespersons from the U.S. State Department and the Iran Football Federation told ESPN. Torabi, 31, was an unused substitute for Iran in Monday’s 2-2 draw against New Zealand. But after the match, it emerged that his visa had expired because he had been given a single-entry visa,…