The Guardian

They were held up by an electric storm but, after it had cleared, Mexico simply kept the lightning bolts coming. El Tri have broken a hex that had gnawed at the nation’s football psyche for years, winning a World Cup knockout game for the first time since 1986, and the head turner will be the manner in which it happened. Javier Aguirre’s players cut Ecuador apart in a stunning first-half performa…

Former DRC defender Gabriel Zakuani is better placed than most to have a view on Wednesday’s game, and feels it won’t be as straightforward as some think It took Gabriel Zakuani less than five seconds to turn down an offer to co-commentate on the showdown between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and England in the last 32 of the World Cup. The former Peterborough and Leyton Orient defender an…

Despite the chances of victory in normal time being 73.9%, Sébastien Desabre has changed his approach for stronger teams such as England England head into their match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) expecting to win. Opta rates their chances of victory in normal time at 73.9%. Yet the tactics deployed by the DRC manager, Sébastien Desabre, will make it harder than this probabil…

The shadow of Iceland 2016 is all the warning England should need not to take for granted a winnable-looking first knockout game of the tournament It was the 10th anniversary last Saturday of the Iceland debacle . Kolbeinn Sigthórsson’s winner sliding underneath Joe Hart’s dive, Wayne Rooney chugging away in midfield, Harry Kane taking corners, and Roy Hodgson being forced to conduct a sullen far…

Williams’s comeback at Wimbledon elicits disbelief and reverence among fans during her defeat by Maya Joint The shapes and the silhouettes are the same. The movements are effortlessly familiar. The way she gathers the ball before she serves: not so much bouncing it as toying with it, batting it around her ankles, as if considering what an appropriate punishment might be. All this is as it ever wa…

The US have never had a match go to penalty kicks in their World Cup history. If it happens in 2026, Mauricio Pochettino says they have a plan Who would the US need to beat to win the World Cup? There is perhaps nothing more polarizing in the game of football than a penalty shootout. But however you feel about them, you can’t deny the drama involved, which was on full display in Monday’s last-32 …

When people form memories of the World Cup, it’s matches like this that do it. France once again won comprehensively, and against decent opposition, but the quality of their attacking play, and the sheer beauty of their goals, were difficult to fully appreciate in the moment. It’s the sort of thing that only comes into true focus upon reflection. Kylian Mbappé drew alongside Lionel Messi in the r…

Thomas blasts commissioner for silence on player safety Mercury star was suspended for hit to Clark’s throat Play was ‘complete accident’ and ‘unfortunate’, she says Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas said she has received death threats and been called racial slurs in the aftermath of her one-game suspension after she made contact with her fist to Caitlin Clark’s throat in last week’s matchup …

‘We fell short. Responsibility rests with me’ he says Netherlands players subject to online racist abuse Ronald Koeman has resigned as Netherlands head coach in the wake of their World Cup last-32 defeat to Morocco on Monday. “Last night I took the decision to end my stint as head coach of the Dutch national team,” Koeman said in a statement on Instagram. “We all shared the dream of making histor…

Williams beaten 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-3 on Centre Court Joint fought off second-set rally to close out match Serena Williams walked up to the baseline down match point fully conscious of the fact that losing another point would be no tragedy. Four years since her last singles appearance as a professional tennis player, she had been competitive against a talented young player and she had fought hard for…

Men’s team relegated to National League in 2024 Club hope women’s football will return in future Forest Green Rovers have disbanded their women’s team for the 2026-27 season so that they can “concentrate their resources” on trying to return their men’s team to the English Football League. The Gloucestershire club’s women’s side finished second in their regional division of the fifth tier of the E…

Grace Riglar fights back tears giving evidence Cusack called Sheffield United omission a ‘personal attack’ The girlfriend of the late Sheffield United player Maddy Cusack has told an inquest that Cusack’s former manager Jonathan Morgan called her a “psycho” and that her eating habits changed after he allegedly made a comment referencing her weight. Grace Riglar, who played for Sheffield United fo…

Uefa fines Newcastle £5.2m for first breach of squad cost rules Chelsea and Villa hit with penalties for second year in a row Newcastle have been fined €6m (£5.2m) by Uefa for breaching its financial sustainability regulations, while Aston Villa and Chelsea have also been given fines for overspending for the second successive year. Following detailed submissions to Uefa’s club financial control b…

Last year’s quarter-finalist beaten in first round Queen’s champion, Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, also out Of the 18 Americans who began the men’s singles – the most of any nation – perhaps the most excitement surrounded Ben Shelton. A quarter-finalist at Wimbledon last year, the left-hander won his first grass-court title in Stuttgart earlier in June and, with one of the best serves in the game, seems…

Wildcard entry defeats Romanian opponent 6-4, 6-4 Katie Boulter beaten 6-4, 6-2 by qualifier Tyra Grant At 12.30pm on the second day of the 2026 championships Katie Swan ended Britain’s wait for a first ­singles victory as she marked her long-awaited return to the All England Club with a battling straight-sets win over Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu. After a dismal opening day on which the 10 home …