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De la Fuente thrilled with Spain's depth

Tue, 07 Jul, 2026

De la Fuente thrilled with Spain's depth

Arlington: Luis de la Fuente hailed Spain's depth after his side edged Portugal 1-0 in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 tie on Monday.

Substitutes Ferran Torres and Mikel Merino came on to great effect, with the latter slotting home the former's pass in the first minute of added time to settle the tight affair at the Dallas Stadium.

Belgium did not need extra motivation, says Garcia

Tue, 07 Jul, 2026

Belgium did not need extra motivation, says Garcia

Seattle: Rudi Garcia said Belgium had only focused on themselves heading into their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 tie against the United States on Monday.

The buildup to the match had been overshadowed by US striker Folarin Balogun's red card issue but head coach Garcia said he had not needed that to stir his players up, with Belgium cruising to a 4-1 win to set up a quarter-final against Spain.

Bellingham tells England to believe

Tue, 07 Jul, 2026

Bellingham tells England to believe

Mexico City: Jude Bellingham told his England teammates they can be world champions after leading by example in a 3-2 win over Mexico that will go down as one of the Three Lions' best ever FIFA World Cup triumphs.

The odds were stacked against Thomas Tuchel's men as they entered the lion's den of the Mexico City Stadium, where Mexico had only lost twice in 89 previous matches and never in 10 outings at the FIFA World Cup.
 On top of facing down a passionate 80,000 crowd, England also had to cope with playing at high altitude and over 45 minutes a man down after Jarell Quansah's red card.

But by that point, Bellingham's first half double, scored just 98 seconds apart, had given the visitors something to hold on to. The Real Madrid midfielder stooped to silence the home crowd to open the scoring.

Bellingham then charged forward to convert Harry Kane's cross for his fourth goal of the tournament.

Norway dance to Haaland's beat in surreal run

Tue, 07 Jul, 2026

Norway dance to Haaland's beat in surreal run

East Rutherford: Erling Haaland led Norway's now-famous "Viking Row" celebrations by banging the drum in front of their massed supporters after the win over Brazil - and the team is dancing to his beat after reaching a first-ever FIFA World Cup quarter-final.

In Norway's first FIFA World Cup appearance since 1998, head coach Stale Solbakken - a midfielder in that squad - has guided his country on a historic run, inspired in large part by the man he calls the "world's best goalscorer".

Born just weeks after Norway's last major tournament appearance ended at Euro 2000, Haaland is now driving his country towards unprecedented heights on the biggest stage.

Pochettino: It wasn't our day

Tue, 07 Jul, 2026

Pochettino: It wasn't our day

Seattle: United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino said he was disappointed and frustrated by the backlash over Folarin Balogun's ban but insisted it was no excuse for his side's FIFA World Cup 2026 exit at the hands of Belgium on Monday.

Striker Balogun was cleared by FIFA to play in the co-hosts' pivotal Round-of-16 clash despite having earned a red card in the previous game.

Ronaldo 'won't make rash decisions'

Tue, 07 Jul, 2026

Ronaldo 'won't make rash decisions'

Arlington: Cristiano Ronaldo said that he won't rush into a decision about his future following Portugal's exit to Spain in his last FIFA World Cup match on Monday.

The 41-year-old Portugal great said on the eve of the last-16 encounter, which his team lost 1-0, that this was his final FIFA World Cup.

R16: USA 1-4 Belgium

Tue, 07 Jul, 2026

R16: USA 1-4 Belgium

Seattle: Belgium brought the United States' FIFA World Cup 2026 party to a shattering halt on Monday, thrashing the tournament co-hosts 4-1 to set up a quarter-final showdown with Spain.

Charles De Ketelaere scored twice, Hans Vanaken punished a goalkeeping howler, and substitute Romelu Lukaku added a fourth to settle a last-16 clash that had been overshadowed by the pre-match uproar surrounding US striker Folarin Balogun.

https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/fifa_world_cup.html/photo/r16-usa-v-belgium

R16: Portugal 0-1 Spain

Tue, 07 Jul, 2026

R16: Portugal 0-1 Spain

Arlington: Substitute Mikel Merino scored a late winner to put Spain in the quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Portugal and end Cristiano Ronaldo's FIFA World Cup career on Monday.

The European champions will face Belgium - who defeated the United States 4-1 later on Monday - in the quarter-finals.

In front of an expectant crowd of 70,649 at the air-conditioned Dallas Stadium, a match that on paper promised so much failed to really deliver.

Extra time looked certain, before fellow substitute Ferran Torres slipped in Merino to settle the contest in the first minute of injury time.

It meant a sour final FIFA World Cup match for the 41-year-old Ronaldo, having confirmed on the eve of the encounter that this would be his last dance on football's biggest stage.

https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/fifa_world_cup.html/photo/r16-portugal-v-spain

Preview - R16: Switzerland v Colombia

Mon, 06 Jul, 2026

Preview - R16: Switzerland v Colombia

Vancouver: Switzerland and Colombia will face off in the concluding FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 tie on Tuesday with both teams equally confident of their chances.

Both enjoyed relatively serene passages in the previous round, with Switzerland defeating Algeria 2-0 and Colombia easing past Ghana 1-0.

Preview - R16: Argentina v Egypt

Mon, 06 Jul, 2026

Preview - R16: Argentina v Egypt

Atlanta: Egypt will look to extend their historic FIFA World Cup 2026 run when they face reigning champions Argentina in their Round of 16 clash on Tuesday.

The meeting brings together two of the most decorated nations in their respective continents, with 16-time Copa America winners Argentina standing between seven-time CAF Africa Cup of Nations champions Egypt and a place in the quarter-finals.