Belgium were held to a scoreless draw by Iran in a frustrating encounter Sunday that saw the Red Devils reduced to 10 men and facing the possibility of group-stage elimination for a second straight World Cup. A star-studded, though ageing, lineup, including Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, was, if anything, fortunate to leave Los Angeles with a point,…
Cody Gakpo faced flak from Liverpool fans as their Premier League title defence imploded but at the World Cup he is proving to be the man for the big occasion with his country. The forward set up Brian Brobbey for the opening goal and grabbed two himself in the second half as the Netherlands dismantled Sweden 5-1 in Houston…
On Saturday, Germany secured a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory over Côte d’Ivoire, punching their ticket to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time since lifting the trophy in 2014. Substitute Deniz Undav was the hero with a brace, netting the decisive goal four minutes into stoppage time—a strike that sparked euphoric roars from the 43,000-strong Toronto crowd,…
Curacao goalkeeper Eloy Room produced a heroic display on Saturday to secure a goalless draw against Ecuador, earning the tiny Caribbean island their first point in World Cup history. Ecuador, who finished second in South America’s qualifying campaign, dominated proceedings in Kansas City with 28 shots—15 on target—but Room stood immovable, producing a remarkable 15 saves, the most on…
A French appeals court confirmed on Friday that Moroccan football star Achraf Hakimi will face trial over the alleged rape of a woman in 2023 – an accusation the Paris Saint-Germain right-back strongly denies. In February 2023, a woman, then aged 24, told police in the Val-de-Marne region, south-east of Paris, that Hakimi had raped her. The PSG defender,…
Super substitutes Johan Manzambi and Ruben Vargas fired Switzerland to a 4-1 victory over 10-man Bosnia-Herzegovina after a late flurry of goals in Los Angeles on Thursday. The result leaves the Swiss with a strong chance of reaching the knockout stages as one of the top two sides in Group B. They had been controlling a largely tepid stalemate…
