United States men’s national team captain Tim Ream said he and his teammates were in “shock” following their poor performance in exiting the 2026 World Cup at the hands of Belgium. The U.S. was riding a wave of optimism heading into the round of 16 matchup after eye-catching performances in the group stage and an impressive win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32, despite playing with 10 men for…
Spain stars Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro trained separately from their teammates on Thursday during the team’s first training session in New Jersey but are expected to be fit for Sunday’s World Cup final vs. Argentina at MetLife Stadium. The right-back and right-winger, who played 84 and 90 minutes respectively in Spain’s semifinal victory over France on Tuesday, finished the match heavily fatigued and dealing with some physical issues. The…
England boss Thomas Tuchel says the DNA of English football needs changing if his side are to win major tournaments — and insists he is “100%” committed to staying in the job. It was the same old story for England as their World Cup bid ended in semifinal heartbreak to Argentina. They were on the cusp of a first final since 1966 when Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute goal put them ahead…
Aston Villa have reached an agreement to sign Wolves midfielder João Gomes on a permanent deal, sources have told ESPN. The two clubs have agreed a fee of around €40 million (£34m) for the Brazilian player. Gomes, who was with Wolves in their pre-season camp in the Algarve, Portugal, will travel back to England to undergo a medical later this week before signing a contract with Villa. The Brazilian, who…
Zlatan Ibrahimović has told England‘s players to “look in the mirror” and ask “how good you really are” after the Three Lions suffered their latest failure to reach a World Cup final with defeat to Argentina. England have now lost three World Cup semifinals — 1990, 2018 and 2026 — since last reaching the final in 1966, when they beat West Germany to become world champions for the only time.…
England midfielder Jude Bellingham slapped the back of Argentina player Valentín Barco’s head after their World Cup semifinal defeat in Atlanta. Barco was an unused substitute but had run onto the field in celebration following Enzo Fernández‘s equaliser, pumping his fists as he ran along the 18-yard line and earning a shove on his way from England defender John Stones. Bellingham approached Barco after the match had ended as the…
Gary Neville said Thomas Tuchel should have made the “bold decision” to substitute Harry Kane as England surrendered a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 to Argentina in the World Cup semifinal on Wednesday. England looked on course for a place in Sunday’s final after Anthony Gordon put them ahead, but Argentina struck twice late on to book a meeting with Spain. Tuchel’s substitutions came under scrutiny after England finished the…
Argentina have been criticised as “inappropriate” by a minister for a banner about the Falkland Islands after beating England at the World Cup. Some of Argentina’s players held a banner which translated as “The Falkland Islands are Argentinian” after their 2-1 semifinal win on Wednesday night. The Falkland Islands are a UK overseas territory, with islanders voting overwhelmingly to remain so in 2013. In April 1982 Argentinian forces invaded the…
Argentina‘s Cristian Romero believes Gary Neville was “so stupid” to criticise him and his fellow centre-back Lisandro Martínez. The former England right-back and TV pundit labelled Tottenham’s Romero and Manchester United‘s Martínez as “the best, worst centre-half pairing in the world” ahead of Argentina’s 2-1 win over England in Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal. “The only thing I hope for when I retire is not to be so stupid,” Romero told…
Lionel Messi dedicated Argentina‘s World Cup semifinal win over England to the late Diego Maradona. The defending champions came from behind to beat England, 2-1, on Wednesday in Atlanta and set up a final showdown with Spain on Sunday. Consistently compared to Argentina icon and 1986 World Cup winner Maradona throughout his famous career, Messi, 39, who set up both of Argentina’s goals against England, said after the game: “Diego…