Spain winger Lamine Yamal has described the World Cup semifinal against France as “the most important match” in his career. A Euro 2024 champion, Yamal, who turned 19 on Monday, is looking forward to Tuesday’s big game in Arlington, Texas. “Without a doubt, this is the most important match I’m going to play,” the Barcelona star said. “We’re all very excited, especially me. I’m certain it’s going to be a…
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has said that his decision to join Chelsea over Liverpool was “about timings.” The Spaniard, who spent five seasons as a Liverpool player between 2004 and 2009, was appointed as Chelsea boss in May and took charge of his first training session at the club last week. In an interview with BBC Sport, Alonso was asked why he joined Chelsea over Liverpool, who sacked head coach…
United States forward Folarin Balogun has signed with LeBron James’ agency Klutch Sports following a breakout World Cup that elevated his profile on and off the pitch. Klutch, founded by James’ longtime business partner Rich Paul, announced on Monday that Balogun had joined its roster. The agency represents James, Anthony Davis, Jalen Hurts and A’ja Wilson, among a host of elite athletes. Balogun emerged as one of the United States’…
England defender Nico O’Reilly is backing himself to come through the “once-in-a-lifetime” task of marking Lionel Messi and turning his dream of winning the World Cup into reality. O’Reilly has been Thomas Tuchel’s first-choice left-back in the tournament, but his challenge is about to get much harder in Wednesday’s semifinal against Argentina. Messi, 39, is going out in style at his sixth World Cup as his eight goals have fired…
A referee who was dropped from FIFA’s list of officials for this summer’s World Cup has died, the Dutch federation (KNVB) has announced. Rob Dieperink had been selected as a VAR for the tournament in North America but FIFA announced in May it had removed him from the list. The 38-year-old had been arrested by the Metropolitan Police in April, The Athletic reported, but the case was closed without charges…
Captain Harry Kane has dismissed the idea of division in the England squad, insisting there is “complete togetherness” ahead of the World Cup semifinal with Argentina. England booked their place in the last four by grinding out a 2-1 extra-time win over Norway in the extreme Miami heat, with Jude Bellingham hitting back at Thomas Tuchel’s post-match assessment that they had not played well. The Real Madrid star scored twice…
ARLINGTON, Texas — France head coach Didier Deschamps playfully deflected questions about his team’s World Cup favorite status on Monday, choosing instead to praise semifinal opponent Spain and project a “spectacular game” on Tuesday. “They can attack and defend very well,” Deschamps said of Spain. “They only conceded one goal. Luis and myself, we know how to defend well, but with the quality of the two teams offensively we could…
ATLANTA — American referee Ismail Elfath has been appointed to take charge of Wednesday’s FIFA World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Elfath, 44, has already officiated three games at the tournament — Japan vs. Netherlands, Uruguay vs. Spain and Brazil vs. Norway — and has issued six yellow cards and one red, to Uruguay’s Agustín Canobbio. The appointment of Elfath, who will be assisted by fellow…
ARLINGTON, Texas — Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente said he knows France are a much better team than the one they defeated in the Euro 2024 semifinals two years ago. Spain play France in the FIFA World Cup semifinals at AT&T Stadium on Tuesday, with Spain looking to advance to just a second World Cup final in the nation’s history. “France are much better now than what they…
England are increasingly optimistic Declan Rice will be fit to start Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal against Argentina, sources have told ESPN. The Arsenal midfielder played only 45 minutes of Saturday’s quarterfinal win over Norway after suffering with illness in the build-up. Rice missed two training sessions before England’s victory due to the sickness bug. He has also been struggling with hamstring and back pain during the tournament. Tuchel said after…