Keir Starmer is planning to announce a bank holiday if England win the World Cup, it is understood, to celebrate the men’s national team finally bringing football home. The prime minister refrained from naming a date, saying he didn’t want to jinx England’s progress towards lifting the famous trophy for the first time since 1966 […]
Continue ReadingDespite undergoing an operation on a fractured arm, Jordan Henderson has not been completely ruled out of appearing for England again at this World Cup. The Brentford midfielder picked up the unusual injury when he landed awkwardly while trying to clear the advertising boards at the edge of the pitch following the 3-2 victory over […]
Continue ReadingReece James remains uncertain for England’s World Cup quarter-final showdown with Norway in Miami this Saturday, as he was once again unable to train with the group on Wednesday. The full-back has been missing since suffering a hamstring injury in England’s second group-stage fixture, a goalless draw against Ghana in Boston. Thomas Tuchel was aware […]
Continue ReadingA Palestinian humanitarian worker who had set up public viewings of World Cup football matches in Gaza was killed in an Israeli missile attack on Tuesday evening, shortly before the match between Egypt and Argentina. Two brothers, aged eight and 10, and another man who was on the street near the impact site were also […]
Continue ReadingDidier Deschamps has made it clear he is untroubled by the decision to assign Argentine match officials to Thursday’s World Cup quarter-final between France and Morocco, even though a potential rematch of the 2022 final against Argentina remains on the cards. “We have to accept it,” he stated. “I have faith in the referees. Our […]
Continue ReadingIt is not hard to see why Egypt would be deeply upset after Tuesday’s 3-2 loss. The African team held a two-goal advantage with just 11 minutes remaining, on the verge of reaching their first ever quarter-final. Then everything unravelled as Argentina produced a stunning late rally to flip the contest and score the decisive […]
Continue ReadingWhen the match ended, the numbers seemed almost surreal. A nation of just 5.5 million inhabitants, returning to the global stage after nearly three decades away, had just overcome the five-time titleholders to secure a maiden quarter-final berth. During Norway’s triumph over Brazil on Sunday, there was barely a sliver separating the nimble footwork of […]
Continue ReadingErling Haaland is set to be the greatest threat to England when they meet Norway in the World Cup quarter-final on Saturday (22:00 BST) – yet the situation might have turned out quite differently. The prolific forward for Manchester City was born in Leeds, and could have been in the national squad had he chosen […]
Continue ReadingFollowing England’s victory over Mexico, Thomas Tuchel voiced his dissatisfaction with the standard of officiating at the World Cup, labelling it inconsistent, unpredictable and below the required level. His remarks felt to me like a form of psychological tactics – overall the officials have been acceptable, getting several calls right, though there have also been […]
Continue Reading“Neymar’s consolation penalty against Norway at the World Cup means his first international goal, scored on his first cap, was in the same stadium (MetLife) as his last international goal on his final cap,” writes Griffin Cant. “Are there any other players who have bookended their international career in a similar way?” More than 77,000 […]
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