France clash a 'final before the final', says Spain's De la Fuente

Sat, 11 Jul, 2026

France clash a 'final before the final', says Spain's De la Fuente

Inglewood: Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente said on Friday that the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final with France would be "a final before the final".

He said his side, who beat Belgium 2-1 in Friday's quarter-final thanks to an 88th minute Mikel Merino winner in Los Angeles, were "capable of beating any team", including tournament favourites France and red-hot forward Kylian Mbappe.

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Courtois proud as sun sets on Belgium's Golden Generation

Sat, 11 Jul, 2026

Courtois proud as sun sets on Belgium's Golden Generation

Inglewood: Thibaut Courtois said he was proud of Belgium's fabled 'Golden Generation' on Friday as their final shot at winning a major title ended in a FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final defeat to Spain.

Courtois was forced to watch from the bench as the sun set on the FIFA World Cup careers of veteran teammates such as Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku at the Los Angeles Stadium.

Q-final: Spain 2-1 Belgium

Sat, 11 Jul, 2026

Q-final: Spain 2-1 Belgium

Inglewood: Super-sub Mikel Merino broke Belgian hearts and sent Spain through to a FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final against France with a late goal in a gripping 2-1 win on Friday.

The stunning finish at the Los Angeles Stadium sets up a tantalising showdown between European champions Spain and the tournament favorites France and the red-hot Kylian Mbappe in Dallas on Tuesday.

But it was heartbreak for Belgium's substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens, sent on late, who spilled a shot into the path of Merino.

The dramatic finale came after Fabian Ruiz had opened the scoring for Spain, before Charles De Ketelaere equalised for Belgium against the run of play before halftime.

New Portugal coach Jesus 'will call up' Ronaldo if available

Sat, 11 Jul, 2026

New Portugal coach Jesus 'will call up' Ronaldo if available

Oeiras: Portugal appointed Jorge Jesus as their new national team head coach on Friday and he said he would continue to call on veteran superstar Cristiano Ronaldo if he is available, insisting the forward will "never" be a problem.

The 41-year-old striker was criticised for his FIFA World Cup 2026 performances under predecessor Roberto Martinez as Portugal were eliminated in the last 16 by Spain.

Ronaldo, who said he has appeared at his last FIFA World Cup, has not decided whether he will continue to play for the national team.

Vinicius apologises to Brazilians

Sat, 11 Jul, 2026

Vinicius apologises to Brazilians

Sao Paulo: Vinicius Junior apologised to Brazilian fans on Friday for the "enormous frustration" caused by their FIFA World Cup 2026 elimination by Norway and promised to "fight" to restore the might of the Selecao.

The five-time world champions were knocked out by upstarts Norway in a shock 2-1 Round of 16 rout.

Deschamps hails Mbappe after superstar fires France into semis

Fri, 10 Jul, 2026

Deschamps hails Mbappe after superstar fires France into semis

Foxborough: France head coach Didier Deschamps paid tribute to forward Kylian Mbappe after he scored his eighth goal of the FIFA World Cup 2026 to fire Les Bleus into the semi-finals on Thursday with a 2-0 victory over Morocco.

Mbappe opened the scoring on the hour mark at the Boston Stadium having earlier had a penalty saved. Ousmane Dembele then completed the job as France reached the last four of a FIFA World Cup for the third tournament in a row.