Senne Lammens will come back from his FIFA World Cup frustration as a better goalkeeper, Manchester United teammate Tom Heaton has said. Lammens was at fault in Belgium’s 2-1 quarterfinal loss to Spain when he spilt Pau Cubarsi’s 25-yard strike into the path of Mikel Merino, who fired into the roof of the net for an 88th-minute winner. Lammens had come off the bench to replace an injured Thibaut Courtois…
GENEVA — Europe’s top human rights body questioned the integrity of the World Cup and urged FIFA on Sunday to help build a stronger framework for the 2030 edition being played mostly in Spain and Portugal. “The next crisis has already begun. It has two names: money and power,” the head of the 46-nation Council of Europe wrote Sunday in an open letter to its formal working partner FIFA hours…
Former England midfielder Danny Murphy has said Thomas Tuchel should be sacked despite guiding the country to their best World Cup finish in 60 years. England responded to their agonising semifinal defeat against Argentina by beating France 6-4 in Saturday’s third-place playoff, with Bukayo Saka scoring a hat trick after being left unused against the world champions. But Murphy said England’s failure to reach Sunday’s final was down to Tuchel’s…
Goalkeeper Radek Vitek is ready to leave Manchester United in search of regular first-team football. The 22-year-old spent last season on loan with Bristol City, where the former Czechia Under-21 international kept 12 clean sheets in 41 appearances. With Senne Lammens having locked down United’s No. 1 spot since joining last September and Karl Darlow freshly arrived as his No. 2, Vitek has said he must leave Old Trafford to…
Declan Rice has said England must “keep going” to win a major trophy but it’s “a fact” that they are the closest side to the 1966 legends. England finished third at the 2026 World Cup after a 6-4 win over France on Saturday night in the third-place playoff, their best finish since Sir Alf Ramsey and his players lifted the trophy at Wembley 60 years ago. England’s tenure in the…
Bukayo Saka declared himself “fit” and expressed regret that he didn’t play more minutes at the World Cup after his hat trick against France. England won a thrilling third-place playoff 6-4 on Saturday night — Saka struck three goals while Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and Jude Bellingham were also on the scoresheet. Saka’s involvement at this World Cup has been limited. He started only two of seven matches before the…
Thomas Tuchel has said England should be proud of their World Cup run and believes finishing third can help drive them to future tournament glory. England secured their best men’s World Cup finish since 1966 after surviving a France second-half comeback to win a 10-goal thriller 6-4 in Miami on Saturday. Goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and a Bukayo Saka brace put them 4-0 up at halftime before France…
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Bukayo Saka‘s hat trick helped England survive a dramatic second-half comeback to beat France 6-4 in Saturday’s chaotic third-place playoff and secure their best finish at a World Cup since 1966. England were 4-0 up at the break in Miami as a shambolic France side were dismantled through goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and two Saka strikes. Both teams made seven changes following their semifinal…
Kylian Mbappé has equalled Lionel Messi‘s all-time World Cup goalscoring record as he scored his 21st goal in the tournament during France‘s third-place playoff against England on Saturday. France endured a nightmare first half as they trailed 4-0 after the opening 45 minutes. Mbappé’s first-time finish in the 48th minute gave his team faint hope of a stunning comeback. Messi became the highest goalscorer in World Cup history in Argentina‘s…
Hydration breaks first used at the 2026 World Cup did not affect the flow of play and had no impact on results of matches but their future remains to be decided, Arsène Wenger, FIFA global football development chief, said on Saturday. The three-minute breaks midway through each half, which FIFA mandated for every game at this year’s World Cup but are not yet ubiquitous throughout soccer. But they are likely…