Merino’s last-gasp winner sinks Portugal and Ronaldo as Spain advance at World Cup 2026

The decisive moment arrived via a lanky, somewhat awkward figure surging through the centre‑forward channel—though not the one the storyline had called for. Deep in added time, Mikel Merino latched onto Ferran Torres’s pass, and with a composure that belied an otherwise chaotic contest, slotted the winner beyond Diogo Costa. His celebration mirrored the one […]

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Kylian Mbappe denounces Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla’s racist comments ahead of 2026 World Cup

French striker Kylian Mbappe has labeled a Paraguayan lawmaker as “disgraceful” and unfit for office after she posted racist remarks targeting his background and schooling. Celeste Amarilla, a member of Paraguay’s Authentic Radical Liberal Party, shared her comments on the social media platform X following her nation’s loss to France in the World Cup round […]

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Tuchel slams World Cup refereeing as ‘substandard’ but insists England believe they can win it all | World Cup 2026

Thomas Tuchel described the officiating at the World Cup as inconsistent and unpredictable, while also expressing his belief that England have what it takes to lift the trophy after their thrilling 3-2 win over Mexico. Tuchel was visibly irritated after his team managed to cling on with ten men at the Azteca stadium on Sunday […]

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‘Everyone’s energized’: John Stones on the mindset driving England’s World Cup 2026 ambition | World Cup 2026

John Stones must have anticipated the inevitable inquiry. After Mexico were overcome in one of England’s most memorable displays, attention shifted in part to the quarter‑final meeting with Norway in Miami on Saturday and a certain ponytailed striker. Stones knows Erling Haaland well, having spent the previous four seasons as his teammate at Manchester City, […]

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Donald Trump: Folarin Balogun ban would have been a ‘huge blemish’ on World Cup

President Donald Trump has stated that he personally urged football’s global governing body to reconsider the one-game suspension handed to American forward Folarin Balogun during the World Cup. Trump remarked that the organization reached the “correct conclusion” by lifting the sanction, noting that enforcing it would have cast a “major shadow” over the competition. Balogun, […]

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