The Guardian

Give Lionel Messi half an hour and he will sprinkle some magic to remember for ever. Most of the crowd under this vast roof had been afflicted with their own strain of Messidependencia for two-thirds of this game, whose low stakes had been reflected in both tempo and ambience. Everything before their idol’s arrival felt almost self-consciously like a prelude, played out in the certainty that a cr…

From Algeria to Uzbekistan, we assess the standing of the 48 nations after the group stage of the tournament It took a little over an hour for Kylian Mbappé to find his groove. Irked by a poor refereeing decision, he scored twice in France’s opener . Ably supported by a stunning cast, Mbappé will already have his sights on winning the competition. Michael Olise has shown his class throughout , wh…

Future of England’s managing director looks perilous given he’s more expendable than Stokes or McCullum In the 00s, when the internet was the place you went to watch babies bite their big brother’s finger, find out what Ashton Kutcher had for breakfast or follow the Test on your holiday with those two blokes who did the Guardian’s over-by-over , someone made a gif of Rob Key, the memory of which …

The ghosts of 2014 and Jürgen Klopp dominate the debate, leaving Julian Nagelsmann’s side caught between two eras “No, please, stop with this nonsense,” snapped Julian Nagelsmann. Germany had just lost 2-1 to Ecuador in their final group game and the television interviewer was suggesting that with Germany already qualified, perhaps the Ecuadoreans had simply wanted it more. “They didn’t want it m…

⚽ All the latest news from as we reach the knockouts ⚽ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail us Group L saw three teams go through. So did Group K. Continue reading...

Two eye-catching last-32 ties offer hope of a winner from outside the traditional powers – Brazil and the Netherlands could be gone The World Cup exists in a state of perpetual flux. It goes to new territories. It gets bigger. It experiments with second group phases and replaces playoffs for sides level on points with goal difference then head-to-head. And still one of the same eight countries fr…

Here’s how to follow along with our coverage – the finest writing and up-to-the-minute reports Continue reading...

Los Angeles date offers Bayern Munich player the chance to heal a wound which opened at this same stadium last March The decoy days are over – apparently. Alphonso Davies made his first media appearance of this World Cup in Los Angeles on Saturday lunchtime and promised the opening last-32 game of the tournament would be the stage for his long-awaited return. For Canada, who face fellow knockout …

While wonderful and typical theatre, it was plainly ridiculous. “I’m back!” roared Cristiano Ronaldo, as if playing a key part in Portugal’s dismissal of Uzbekistan was in any way significant. Ronaldo toiled against DR Congo and was comfortably kept quiet here by Colombia. The stars have turned up at this World Cup. Ronaldo, though, still has a way to go if seeking to prove his omnipresence at th…

Ennis stops Zayas in seventh to unify 154lb titles Boots survives toughest test to stay unbeaten Zayas suffers first defeat after dramatic contest Jaron “Boots” Ennis survived the toughest fight of his professional career before stopping Xander Zayas in the seventh round on Saturday night to unify the WBA and WBO super-welterweight titles at Barclays Center. The previously unbeaten Ennis knocked …

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning , Mark Langdon, Osasu Obayiuwana and Jacob Steinberg as England top their group with a somewhat unconvincing 2-0 victory against Panama Continue reading...

Before a ball was kicked, the nicknames for this match were rampant. A biscotto was one – an Italian classic implying something that has to be baked twice; one cooperating with the other. Or maybe you preferred the “Disgrace of Kansas City”, recalling the “Disgrace of Gijón”, a callback to the 1982 World Cup where West Germany settled for a 1-0 win over Austria in a result that qualified both tea…

England are not going to win the World Cup playing like this. They will not get very far in the knockout rounds unless they can sharpen up. But at least they have made it into them, the dream still alive, after they secured top spot in Group L on a slow-burn occasion when the result meant everything. Thomas Tuchel needed to restore momentum after the bore draw against Ghana in game two, to rekind…

Group B: England, 164-1, bt New Zealand, 163-6, by nine wkts Opener scores unbeaten 89 to oust defending champions New Zealand’s World Cup title defence came to a soggy end at the Oval on Saturday night, as England danced home by nine wickets in a one-sided hammering thanks to a 128-run partnership between Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Sophia Dunkley. The crowd of 21,018 was a record for a Women’s T20 Wo…

Sunderland want to keep former Leverkusen player Como have eye on Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah Chelsea are interested in signing Sunderland’s Granit Xhaka, who was a key player for Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen. Xhaka, who has two years on his deal, joined Sunderland last summer and played a major role in them qualifying for the Europa League after their promotion to the Premier League. Con…