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.

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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.

Ancelotti promises Brazil will bounce back

Mon, 06 Jul, 2026

Ancelotti promises Brazil will bounce back

East Rutherford: Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti said Sunday's painful FIFA World Cup 2026 last-16 exit at the hands of Norway should be used as "fuel" for the future as he insisted their disappointing tournament is "the start of a new cycle".

Erling Haaland scored two late goals for Norway in a match which hinged on an early penalty by Brazil's Bruno Guimaraes which was saved. Neymar's successful spot-kick in injury time was scant consolation.