The Guardian

Watching England lose is one thing. Watching them lose surrounded by millions celebrating Argentina’s march to another World Cup final, is completely different Look, most people were awfully good about it. Our waiter at a restaurant near Plaza de Mayo shook our hands warmly and said nice things about Jude Bellingham. On the metro ride back from the fan zone there was no massive gloating either, j…

Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning , John Brewin , Jonathan Wilson and Nicky Bandini as England lose 2-1 to Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals Continue reading...

Declan Meredith to start again at flyhalf against Italy in Perth Fraser McReight dropped to the bench in favour of Carlo Tizzano Outgoing Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt is rolling the dice at the exit door, sticking with Declan Meredith at flyhalf and dropping Fraser McReight to the bench in favour of hometown hero Carlo Tizzano. The Wallabies will be aiming to snap a six-game losing streak when the…

⚽ All the latest in the aftermath from dramatic day in Atlanta ⚽ England 1-2 Argentina | Player guide | Golden Boot | Mail us And then there were two. Whether you’ve been celebrating Argentina’s come-from-behind triumph or commiserating England’s World Cup exit with a heavy heart, the focus will soon turn toward the final between the reigning champions and Spain. But before we reach that point, t…

️Updates from the first-round action at Royal Birkdale ️ Ewan Murray’s preview | Sport in Focus | Mail Scott Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the 154th Open Championship. Who will prevail at Royal Birkdale? The reigning champion and world number one Scottie Scheffler? Rory McIlroy, long overdue a major title that isn’t the Masters? Local hero Tommy Fleetwood? Justin Rose, who wowe…

While England shrank away in Atlanta, Argentina’s No 10 was not finished making his mark on the biggest stage To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. Well, not to this lot anyway. On a day of ceaseless rolling noise under Atlanta’s vast refrigerated dome, England reached the end of the road, the end of their own capacities at this World Cup, the end of the gears within this team. Mainly th…

England head coach made changes that would have led to Southgate and Eriksson being hammered Lionel Messi has seen buses reverse into position before. England did not confront the greatest player of all time with anything new when they dropped back with a place in the World Cup final within reach. The negativity was lamentable and it was no surprise when punishment arrived in the form of a clinic…

Lionel Messi was at his effervescent best while Harry Kane struggled to make an impact Jordan Pickford Had little chance with either goal. Pulled off a sensational save from González but that will be forgotten now. 7 Continue reading...

Who is winning the battle to be top scorer at the World Cup? Live and updated throughout the tournament All-time World Cup goalscorers The Golden Boot is awarded to the World Cup’s top goalscorer, with assists used as a tie-breaker if two or more players finish level. The 2026 tournament has three former Golden Boot winners taking part: Kylian Mbappé of France (eight goals in 2022), England’s Har…

Slovenian’s dominance has drawn admiration and criticism, with some fearing the race is losing its competitive edge Riding the Tour de France in 40C heat is hard enough without having to race against Tadej Pogacar and UAE Team Emirates XRG every day. As the peloton takes a breather, lounges in the shade and rehydrates on the Tour’s first rest day, most team managers are pondering what genuine opp…

If Steve Borthwick is to emulate Thomas Tuchel he must fully embrace the attacking talent which tore Fiji apart Next year Steve Borthwick would love to be where Thomas Tuchel is now. A World Cup semi‑final in prospect, an entire nation transfixed and a team with another gear in it. Swap Atlanta for Sydney and Jude Bellingham for Henry Pollock and the same essentials will be required: big-match pl…

After being ensconced at SW19 since the start of the tournament, our photographer Tom Jenkins has picked out some of his favourite images from the thousands he has taken during this year’s Wimbledon Championships The tournament concluded with Linda Noskova fending off a fightback by Karolina Muchova to win her first grand slam title and Jannik Sinner defeating Alexander Zverev to retain his Wimbl…

France’s captain has played with a sense of unfinished business but he will be 31 when the next World Cup begins It was only last month that Kylian Mbappé suggested all roads may lead to Florida. He was in sufficiently mischievous mood to reveal David Beckham had been chewing his ear off about a move to Major League Soccer, dangling the prospect of a reunion with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami. “We …

Luis de la Fuente’s final-bound team have been fuelled by togetherness and a commitment to each other that goes back a long way On the way out of the dressing room in Arlington, Luis de la Fuente gathered his “family” and delivered one last message before the World Cup semi-final against France . He had long known what he was going to say, if not exactly how – it’s what he has been saying for 50 …

Broadcasters expect to have time to analyse the game Channels planning for break to last 25 to 30 minutes ITV and BBC are planning to screen Fifa’s controversial half-time show in full from Sunday’s final at the New York New Jersey Stadium, but remain in the dark over how long it will last. The Guardian revealed last month that there were concerns among broadcasters at the length of the half-time…