The Guardian

There was more insight at the World Cup training base than usual with intensity on the rise under Thomas Tuchel The tall hooded figure kept barking instructions under a hot Missouri sun. Thomas Tuchel was looking for perfection as preparations for Ghana geared up. England’s head coach watched from a distance at first but it was not long before he was making sure the training drill was up his stan…

‘What we think is exceptional, they consider normal’ Coach says Lamine Yamal fit to start against Saudi Arabia Luis de la Fuente urged people not to compare Lamine Yamal to Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona or “anyone”, but did compare him to Salvador Dalí and Michelangelo – “geniuses” for whom the exceptional comes naturally. On the eve of their second World Cup game, against Saudi Arabia in Atlanta,…

For the first time in more than a decade, Germany will play in the World Cup knockout stages. Their 2-1 victory at the death over Côte d’Ivoire in a lively tie here on Saturday saw to that. Franck Kessié’s 30th-minute goal for Les Éléphants was cancelled out by Deniz Undav’s 68th-minute equaliser and 94th-minute winner for Die Mannschaft. The victory put the four-time world champions on six point…

⚽️ World Cup kick-off: 8pm EDT/1am BST/10am AEST ⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail Alex Hello folks! Alexander Abnos here, and I’m thrilled to be able to follow this match along with all of you. Curaçao enters the game on the back of a 7-1 drubbing by Germany. The lopsided scoreline was perhaps expected, what with Germany’s status as a world power and Curaçao being the smallest …

Gary Lineker in familiar territory as he kicked off his ITV appearance with a light-hearted cameo as a presenter Gary Lineker was back in familiar territory on Saturday night as he returned to free-to-air TV and even kicked off his ITV appearance with a brief cameo as a presenter. Lineker, who presented BBC’s Match of the Day for 26 years until he departed the corporation last May, was revealed o…

Second Test D4: NZ 391 & 362; England 291 & 182-5 Stokes hits 95 for Durham while England struggle Josh Tongue admitted England have missed the influence of Ben Stokes after a day in which they crumbled to the brink of defeat in the second Test against New Zealand at the Oval. While they were doing so the team’s full-time captain, forced out of international duty for disciplinary reasons, was 275…

Saints, led by Fin Smith and Henry Pollock, showed why they are the masters of divine rugby in final win over Exeter There is no such thing as the “right” winner. The only winner is the one with the most points come the final whistle. All the same, nobody who has watched the entirety of this edition of the Prem could possibly begrudge Northampton this latest gong. They have been by some distance …

Head coach seems to have led a charmed life since finishing his playing career but England are currently shambolic off the field as well as on it At the end of the fourth day’s play here the abiding question wasn’t whether England could complete a record-breaking fourth innings chase or even if they could bat the match out to secure the draw. It was why everyone is still watching an England team …

Group 2: England, 200-5, bt Scotland, 162-7, by 38 runs Three wins out of three for hosts who top Group 2 England’s grudge match against Scotland at Headingley ended in a convincing win for the World Cup hosts by 38 runs, to ensure they maintained their position atop Group B. England were without their captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, who is missing this match and Wednesday’s game against West Indies af…

Hunt overhauls rival to seal victory in 11.01 seconds Romell Glave celebrates first British 100m title For all that Britain possesses its fair share of truly world-class athletes, it is a rarity for two of them to line up in the same event. It is why the women’s sprints should be savoured. Over the past couple of years, bragging rights between Amy Hunt and Dina Asher-Smith have repeatedly swung b…

Belgian’s decision sparked criticism in some quarters Norwegian defender followed son’s birth on video link Family life is intruding on the World Cup for some players in the shape of new arrivals, with Norway’s Leo Østigård following the birth of his first child by video link and Jérémy Doku contemplating leaving the Belgium squad to be with his wife when she gives birth, potentially ⁠missing a k…

It turns out Sweden do not have a monopoly on old fashioned centre-forward play. They were schooled in it here by Brian Brobbey, who was brought in by Ronald Koeman to give their attack a focal point and swiftly made his under-pressure manager resemble a genius. Brobbey scored twice in the opening 17 minutes to pave the way for a crushing win, proving impossible to handle with a cocktail of stren…

Unusually in the France side, he plays with a sense of freedom and has not yet submitted fully to Deschamps’s tactical yoke Michael Olisé is probably the best creative player in the world at the moment. He racked up 26 assists for Bayern Munich last season. It was his shift into a more central role that transformed France’s game against Senegal from drab slog to impressive victory. The confidence…

Stunning Barcelona triumph has kickstarted veteran’s push to win a record eighth drivers’ championship but Kimi Antonelli still stands in way When the soaring emotions began to settle one question remained. After his life‑affirming maiden win for Ferrari in Barcelona, is Lewis Hamilton in contention for the Formula One drivers’ championship? Typically, in a sport where there are innumerable compe…

All the latest from around the grounds Mail Tanya or comment below with your thoughts “Vasconinconsolable?” ask Tim Maitland.”You’d think that Ricardo Vasconsalos had just made a king pair judging from the utterly defeated funeral march that took him off the pitch after losing his wicket for a career best 187. ”Despite making two centuries in April, it’s not as if he’d been in sparkling form sinc…