The Guardian

The nation of more than 170 million people – and its diaspora – have long supported the South American giants When Shahidul Partha was growing up in Kulkandi, Bangladesh in the early 2000s, many of the villagers watched World Cup matches on his family’s property. Upwards of 80 people piled into his front yard to watch the action on a 14in black-and-white TV, run by battery and one of the only set…

The former Tottenham coach experienced three body blows early in his tenure with the US, each contributing to the solid World Cup to come Tears welled in Mauricio Pochettino’s eyes. His US team had just lost the 2025 Gold Cup final in a hard-fought match to determine the regional crown. To make matters worse they had been beaten by Mexico, their arch-rivals. Were they tears of sadness, of frustra…

⚽ All the latest news from day 15 of the tournament ⚽ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail Taha Mexico are having a lovely time: three games, three wins, six goals scored, none conceded. Oh, and Guillermo Ochoa – part of their 2006 World Cup squad – got to play, too. What an intro. Continue reading...

Some, like Luca Zidane, have been bamboozled and an academic paper bears out Joe Hart’s opinion about its movement Poor old Luca Zidane. The Algeria goalkeeper has had a turbulent time. In two matches he has conceded five goals, and a pair of them – first from Lionel Messi, then, more embarrassing, from Jordan’s Nizar al-Rashdan – have gone through his fingers. No doubt he has received messages o…

The irony of the superstar-heavy narrative is the way it embellishes rather than diminishes importance of the collective “Cristiano Ronaldo’s record-equalling sixth World Cup got off to a disappointing start,” began the Reuters match report of Portugal’s 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of the Congo last week. And yes, OK: everyone knows how this game works and why everyone plays it. On o…

There are ways of leaving a tournament. You can go out with a sheen of glory, having gone to-to-toe with a great opponent. You can be unlucky and go home raging at referees and the fates. You can self-immolate in a blaze of red cards or own goals or spectacular errors. Or you can slink away without leaving a trace – and that was the path followed by Czechia. Nobody in 20 years will remember they …

South ​Africa celebrated a first World Cup knockout berth with jubilant scenes on Wednesday after Thapelo Maseko’s second-half strike secured a 1-0 victory over South ⁠Korea, who still have a chance of advancing as one of the eight best third-placed teams . Maseko fired into the bottom corner in the 63rd minute to put ⁠South Africa – who will face co-hosts Canada in Los Angeles on 28 June – on fo…

Striker scored a hat-trick against Saturday’s opponents at 2018 World Cup and he is scenting another Golden Boot opportunity The record books show that when Harry Kane last faced Panama, he scored a hat-trick and England won 6-1 . It was the 2018 World Cup and the goals gave him an unassailable grip on the Golden Boot. It was the second group game and victory ensured England’s safe passage into t…

Scotland will now play the waiting game. The trouble is, as they hang around to discover whether a place in the last 32 can be secured as among the leading eight third placed teams in this World Cup, it is legitimate to question the point of it all. Scotland’s on field contribution to this tournament has been pitiful. Defeat to Brazil can and should happen. The ragged nature of Scotland’s output …

Forward pleaded guilty to judiciary for comment in reserve-grade game Former Tigers and Panthers player yet to make NRL debut for third club Newcastle forward Asu Kepaoa has been hit with a six-match ban for using a homophonic slur in a round-of-16 NSW Cup match. The 26-year-old fronted the NSWRL judiciary on Wednesday when he pleaded guilty to making the slur in the Knights’ reserve-grade defeat…

Group 2: England 186-7 beat West Indies 148-5 by 38 runs Wyatt-Hodge scores 65 off 42 balls; Knight adds 43 England propelled themselves into the semi-finals of their home T20 World Cup with a 38-run win against West Indies on Wednesday evening at Lord’s. A half-century from Danni Wyatt-Hodge and a laboured 43 from Heather Knight helped England put 186 on the board, although the hosts’ effort was…

Revenue share is 14.4%; players want 16% Players to limit time they give to the media The top men’s and women’s tennis players have decided to continue their protests for a greater percentage of grand slam tournament revenues at Wimbledon. A month after the top players chose to limit their pre-tournament media duties at the French Open to 15 minutes, the players will extend the protest until the …

IOC sets up £106m fund to pay grant to every athlete Milano-Cortina competitors will be first to be paid The International Olympic Committee has broken with 130 years of tradition by deciding to pay athletes to compete at the Olympic Games. The IOC revealed on Wednesday it had set up a $140m (£106m) fund that would pay a “fit for the future” grant of $10,000 to every athlete who competes in a Sum…

So much has happened over the first two Tests it is easy to forget the result of this series could have a big effect on the future of English cricket “This week there’s probably a lot more riding on it than it normally would be, going into the final game of a three-match series being 1-1,” Ben Stokes said yesterday on Wednesday. He was facing the media for the first time since the first Test conc…

Brazil legend last played professionally in 2015 ‘I cannot wait to dance with the ball,’ he said The Brazil great Ronaldinho has signed with the Italian Serie C club Ravenna at age 46, more than a decade after retiring. “I cannot wait to dance with the ball,” he said. “Football has always been joyful for me, and I’m excited to bring that spirit to Ravenna. Let the magic begin!” The club is run by…