The Guardian

Erling Haaland’s second consecutive two-goal match led Norway into the last 32 of the World Cup with a 3-2 victory against ⁠Senegal at New York New Jersey Stadium on Monday. Norway and France each have six points from two matches heading into their Group I finale on Friday ⁠in Boston. France ⁠lead on ​goal difference, meaning they need just a draw to take first place in the group. Continue readin…

Could France do it on a hot, humid, waterlogged and lightning-threatened night in Pennsylvania? The answer was pretty straightforward. Despite an interruption of over two hours after a chain of severe thunderstorms disrupted play at Philadelphia Stadium, France brushed past the physical challenge of Iraq, and furthered Kylian Mbappé’s personal duel with Lionel Messi in the process. The France cap…

⚽️ Kick-off time: 8pm local/1pm AEST/4am BST/11pm EDT ⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail Martin While acknowledging that the moment was “special” , Messi didn’t let himself get too excited. Like I’ve said other times, I enjoy playing, having a good time on the pitch. It had to be Lionel Messi, it had to be on this day and perhaps it even needed to be in Dallas too. History was cr…

Win over Ghana could secure top spot in the group ‘We dropped too deep,’ Tuchel says of Croatia opener Thomas Tuchel believes England were given a wake-up call by Croatia and must focus on improving their defensive structure as the World Cup progresses. England will qualify for the knockout stages from Group L with a game to spare if they beat Ghana in Boston on Tuesday night, and will top the gr…

Vinyl has baffled youngsters at the team’s hotel but spells of opening victory against Croatia showed side in the groove Inside the foyer of the England team hotel in Kansas City, along with the TV screens that show the World Cup matches, there is an anachronism. It is a record player and it is worth reporting there were younger members of the squad who looked genuinely baffled by it. What were t…

Northampton wing scores two tries in four minutes England name Nations Championship squad on Monday Northampton’s matchwinner George Hendy has been hailed as a player of international class after helping his side win their second English domestic title in three seasons. The uncapped Hendy struck twice inside four minutes in the second half to stake a late claim for a place in England’s Nations Ch…

Argentina forward wants to ‘fulfil dream’ by departing Barcelona, Real Madrid and PSG linked with 26-year-old Julián Alvarez has said he wants to ⁠leave Atlético Madrid to “fulfil his dream” following reported interest from Barcelona, Real Madrid ⁠and Paris Saint-⁠Germain. “I ​spoke with people at the club [Atlético], with those I had to speak with, ⁠and the best thing for everyone is a transfer …

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now! Anyone brave enough to predict the Geopolitics World Cup knockout bracket before the tournament would have clocked that Argentina could meet Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay in the last 32 and thought: “Cor, that’ll be fun”. But nothing seems to be very fun for the two-time winners at the moment. After narrowly avoiding defeat by Saudi Arabia in their o…

Draper defeats Marcos Giron 6-4, 7-6 (5) in first round Murray in player box alongside fellow coach Trotman An amusing question at the beginning of this new, hopeful chapter in Jack Draper’s career was tendered to the 24-year-old without hesitation before his return to competition in Eastbourne this week. In the heat of a dispiriting, stressful battle on court, when things are going badly and he …

Champions expected to make an approach for forward Fee could be around £100m for Villa’s England player Arsenal are expected to make an approach to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa after making the England forward their primary transfer target this summer. The Premier League champions want to strengthen Mikel Arteta’s squad and are hopeful of bringing Rogers to north London, although he could …

Argentina’s Lionel Messi (left) is now two goals clear of Miroslav Klose in the all-time World Cup goal standings. It had to be Lionel Messi, it had to be on this day and perhaps it even needed to be in Dallas too. History was made in the way he knows best, a clinical left-footed flourish setting him out on his own as the World Cup’s highest goalscorer of all time. Another followed with the game’…

French media outlet distanced itself from criticism of Doku’s plan to fly back from World Cup for birth of first child The French media outlet L’Équipe has apologised to the Belgian footballer Jérémy Doku after he was criticised by one of its pundits for saying he would duck out of the World Cup to be present at the birth of his first child. News of the apology came as the Belgian football federa…

Carlos Queiroz’s squad hope to repeat the form that almost made Ghana the first African team to reach the semi-finals Antoine Semenyo was only 10 years old when Ghana came within a Luis Suárez handball of becoming the first African team ever to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. The Manchester City forward can still vividly recall the emotions that night as he watched with his family in Bexl…

Pet in a replica shirt is unofficial mascot of the World Cup Merlin’s owner, Karla Gómez, says it was ‘an honour’ Merlin, the pet duck in a mini Mexico shirt who has ⁠become a viral sensation and an unofficial mascot of the World Cup, met Mexico’s president on Monday. The duck waddled on ⁠to the stage ⁠at the ​start of Claudia Sheinbaum’s regular morning press conference, took a seat where minist…

Head coach wants players to use energy in the right spaces and is also getting the best out of an in-form Harry Kane It didn’t take long for one wag in the travelling England caravan to come up with a deeply inappropriate nickname for that jazzed-up high-energy start to the second-half performance in Dallas last Wednesday. That name was: Packetball. The word packet is, the Urban Dictionary confir…