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Portugal defender Rúben Dias on Friday branded criticism of teammate Cristiano Ronaldo “insignificant” and claimed it has not affected the team’s focus. TV pundits and media castigated Ronaldo, 41, for his performance in Portugal’s 1-1 draw with Congo DR in their World Cup opener. Some critics have argued that Ronaldo should not be starting. “It’s not an issue for us,” Dias said when asked about Ronaldo’s criticism. “It’s insignificant —…

Former RB Leipzig coach Ole Werner is unhappy he wasn’t given the chance to say goodbye to staff after his surprise dismissal from the club. Leipzig fired Werner and his assistant coaches Tom Cichon and Patrick Kohlmann on Wednesday after what many would consider a successful debut season — third place in the Bundesliga for Champions League. “Ole did a great job, he led us to the Champions League, but…

Barcelona midfielder Gavi says the Spain squad were shocked to find out that defender Marc Cucurella had signed for Real Madrid. Former Barça academy graduate Cucurella joined Madrid from Chelsea in a deal worth an initial €55 million earlier this week. Cucurella, 27, is currently at the World Cup with Spain but had not given anything away to his international teammates. “We only found out in training the day before,…

New Liverpool signing Víctor Muñoz will have to wait to take part in the World Cup after Spain confirmed he has suffered a setback in his return from injury. Muñoz, 22, came into the finals with a calf problem but had returned to group training ahead of Sunday’s Group H fixture against Saudi Arabia. However, the Royal Spanish Football Federation [RFEF] have revealed he has been hit by a further…

Harry Kane has said he hopes ‘Wonderwall’ can become the soundtrack of the summer as England plot their way to World Cup glory. Thomas Tuchel’s side got off to a great start with an impressive 4-2 win over Croatia in their opening Group L game in Dallas on Wednesday, where Kane scored twice to equal Gary Lineker’s record of 10 World Cup goals. England’s victorious players celebrated in front of…

A French appeals court confirmed on Friday that Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco star player Achraf Hakimi will stand trial in a rape case. The defender, who is currently playing with Morocco at the World Cup after winning the Champions League for a second straight year with PSG, had appealed a February decision by an investigative judge. That ruling followed recommendations from public prosecutors that Hakimi should face trial. The decision…