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…
Harry Kane scored twice in the first half as England eventually saw off Croatia 4-2 to launch their World Cup title assault in Texas on Wednesday. Jude Bellingham, immediately after half-time, and substitute Marcus Rashford with five minutes to go ensured a winning start for Thomas Tuchel’s side after Croatia had fought back to level at 2-2. The prolific…
Erling Haaland struck his first World Cup goals as Norway beat Iraq 4-1 on Tuesday in their first game at a major tournament in 26 years. The Manchester City striker turned in from close range to give Norway the lead on 29 minutes in Boston, but Aymen Hussein’s header brought Iraq level. Haaland pounced on an error at the…
Argentine forward Lionel Messi opened his record-breaking sixth World Cup with a hat-trick to become the tournament’s joint all-time top scorer on Tuesday as holders Argentina launched their bid for back-to-back titles with a dazzling 3-0 rout of Algeria. Messi delivered an electrifying individual display on a magical night at Kansas City’s 69,045-capacity Arrowhead Stadium to join Miroslav Klose…
