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Deschamps to return for France training Saturday after mother's death disrupted World Cup campaign
Assistant coach Guy Stephan confirmed Didier Deschamps will rejoin the France squad on Saturday, a day after overseeing a 4-1 win over Norway in which Ousmane Dembele scored a hat-trick from just 0.29 xG — the lowest for any hat-trick scorer in World Cup history.
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Ugarte stretchered off with knee injury as Uruguay face Spain at World Cup
Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte was taken off on a stretcher during Uruguay's World Cup clash with Spain after an accidental collision with team-mate Mathias Olivera left him in visible distress.
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Letexier confirmed as referee for Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia at World Cup 2026
Frenchman François Letexier, who refereed the Euro 2024 final between Spain and England, will take charge of the Group H clash between Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia at Houston's NRG Stadium, with both sides still harbouring hopes of progression.
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Scaloni rests Messi for Jordan clash despite golden boot race at World Cup 2026
Lionel Messi will start on the bench when Argentina face Jordan in their World Cup 2026 group stage finale, coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed. The 39-year-old leads the golden boot standings with five goals from two games and holds the all-time tournament scoring record with 18 goals.
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Scaloni rests Messi for Argentina's final group game as World Cup record stands at 18
Lionel Messi will not start Argentina's Group J finale against Jordan on Saturday, coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed. The decision comes after Messi scored five goals in two matches, breaking the all-time FIFA World Cup goals record with 18.
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Tuchel admits England's left flank is failing and demands more from Gordon and Rashford
Thomas Tuchel has publicly criticised the performances of Anthony Gordon, Marcus Rashford, and both left-backs after England were held to a goalless draw by Ghana, warning the entire left-side unit must improve ahead of their must-win Group clash with Panama.
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Ismael Elfath named referee for Uruguay vs Spain Group H decider at World Cup 2026
American official Ismael Elfath will take charge of the Uruguay vs Spain Group H decider at World Cup 2026, with the winners set to avoid Argentina in the round of 32. The Morocco-born MLS referee has already officiated the Netherlands vs Japan draw in Group F.
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Reece James ruled out of England's Panama clash with hamstring injury, leaving Tuchel short of right-back options
Reece James will miss England's Group L finale against Panama on Saturday after suffering a hamstring injury, and is a doubt for their last-32 tie. Thomas Tuchel must now choose from a limited pool of right-back alternatives, with Djed Spence the most likely candidate.
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Messi once tipped Mason Mount for world's best — now he's missing England's World Cup squad
Lionel Messi singled out Mason Mount as a future world-beater in 2020, but the Manchester United midfielder has been left out of Thomas Tuchel's 26-man England squad for the 2026 World Cup after a career derailed by injuries.
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FIFA microphone blunder lets TV viewers hear referee Taylor's VAR calls live
A technical error by FIFA during Senegal's 5-0 win over Iraq at the 2026 World Cup broadcast Premier League referee Anthony Taylor's live VAR dialogue to television viewers, exposing the full decision-making process behind a red card for Iraqi defender Rebin Sulaka.
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Senegal's record 5-0 demolition of 10-man Iraq leaves Scotland on the brink of World Cup exit
Senegal crushed Iraq 5-0 in Toronto to record the biggest winning margin by an African side at a World Cup, climbing to fifth among third-placed teams and pushing Scotland out of the top eight with their knockout-stage hopes now dependent on other results.
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Reece James ruled out indefinitely as England face Panama with Group L top spot at stake
Reece James has been sidelined with a hamstring injury ahead of England's World Cup group stage finale against Panama at New York/New Jersey Stadium on Saturday, forcing Thomas Tuchel to reshuffle his defensive options.
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John Terry calls Ronaldo a liar after he praised Piers Morgan's abs
Former Chelsea captain John Terry delivered a tongue-in-cheek jab at Cristiano Ronaldo after the 41-year-old complimented Piers Morgan's physique during a TV appearance. The quip came as Ronaldo bounced back from a poor World Cup opener with a brace in Portugal's 5-0 win.
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Elphick and Cooper terminate Bournemouth deals to join Iraola's Liverpool coaching staff
Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper have agreed to terminate their Bournemouth contracts and are set to sign with Liverpool this weekend, reuniting with new Reds head coach Andoni Iraola.
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Reece James faces race to recover from hamstring injury in time for England's World Cup last-32 tie
Reece James will miss England's final group-stage match against Panama in New York and is a doubt for their last-32 knockout tie after picking up a hamstring problem at the 2026 World Cup.
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Guy Stephan steps up as Deschamps mourns to guide France past Norway at World Cup 2026
Didier Deschamps returned to France this week to attend his mother's funeral, leaving long-time assistant Guy Stephan in temporary charge of Les Bleus. Stephan oversaw a commanding first-half performance, with Ousmane Dembélé scoring a hat-trick in a 3-1 lead over Norway in Boston.
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Dembélé's first-half hat-trick puts France in command against Norway at World Cup 2026
Ousmane Dembélé scored three goals inside 32 minutes as France dominated Norway at Boston Stadium, making him the first player to net a first-half World Cup hat-trick since Oleg Salenko's five-goal haul for Russia in 1994.
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Scotland cling to World Cup 2026 last chance as miracle permutations mount
Scotland finished third in Group C with three points and a -3 goal difference, leaving their round-of-32 hopes dependent on results across six other groups. Captain John McGinn admitted the side need a 'miracle' to survive.
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Panama players come to blows in training two days before England World Cup clash
Panama's preparations for their World Cup Group L finale against England at MetLife Stadium were disrupted on Friday when Cecilio Waterman and Jose Luis Rodriguez clashed during an open training session, with team-mates stepping in to separate them.
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Newcastle fear City will pursue £100m Tonali after sealing £116m Anderson deal
Manchester City are closing in on a £116m move for Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, and Newcastle believe Sandro Tonali will be next on Pep Guardiola's shopping list, with Tottenham already having a £75m bid rejected for the Italian midfielder.
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