Diego Maradona never regretted his “Hand of God”; Not because he thinks he didn’t cheat, but because of the runs against England. Weighing in on his two goals in the quarter-finals of the 1986 World Cup, he wrote in his autobiography, the second of the century’s greatest goals: “I sometimes think I preferred the goal I scored with my hand.” Because, he explained, “it was like stealing an Englishman’s wallet.” The Falklands War was only four years old and both nations were suffering and feeling the scars. Maradona called the victory “revenge”. He said: “We said before the game that

Read more

Read for 2 minutes6 July 2026 05:35 PM IST Much of Egypt’s hopes will be centered on Mohamed Salah when they take on defending champions Argentina in Atlanta in the round of 16. This is expected as well as the Liverpool legend is the most high-profile player in the line-up and is expected to replicate in some sense what Lionel Messi will do for the South American giants. Salah had to deal with a hamstring problem throughout the World Cup campaign and scored just one goal in the tournament – ​​against New Zealand in the group stage – before converting

Read more

Read 4 minutesUpdated: 6 July 2026 06:02 PM IST With less than 24 hours remaining before their Round of 16 match against the United States, Belgium have been granted permission to appeal FIFA’s decision to suspend the one-match suspension previously issued to Folarin Balogun. Balogun was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic. Although some argue that the decision to send him off and not give him a yellow was harsh, the referee watched the replay and made the call. USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino told reporters after the Round of 32 game,

Read more

He skipped the opening ceremony and didn’t watch a single match, not even the co-hosts who go by the acronym USMNT (United States Men’s National Team). But he was there when his national team needed him most – to overturn the red card given to USMNT striker Folarin Balogun for a foul on Tarik Muharemovic in their round-of-16 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. A rare recurrence allows Balogun to feature in his country’s first quarter-final against Belgium on Tuesday. When the US team was panicking about management options and blaming the referee, Trump found a solution with a simple tap

Read more

Read for 5 minutes11 July 2026 06:30 AM IST Ståle Solbakken has already died once. On Saturday, he still coaches Norway against England. The first shock from the defibrillator did nothing. The body, which was already holding its breath, was shocked by over one hundred and fifty joules. It was his second heart attack moments later on March 13, 2001, on the training pitch in Copenhagen. He doesn’t remember any of it. “I don’t remember anything,” he told VG. That day has been completely erased, a blank space where his own death should have been. Club doctor Frank Odgaard immediately

Read more

A familiar group of journalists probed familiar themes to Erling Haaland who gave familiar answers in the pre-match press conference. “Should England fans stay humble?” Recalling his famous remark at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta two seasons ago: “Stay humble, eh!” He replied with a straight face and dry tone: “I think everyone should be humble.” Holland has a dry sense of humor, a dryness exaggerated by an economy of emotion. Even the sarcasm does not bring immediate laughter, as he said: “I think every one of you (journalists) should put pressure on the English boys!” The floor took a second

Read more

Harry Kane didn’t score enough against Norway – it was left to his junior pro Jude Bellingham. But when he came to media, he spoke like a hurricane in 390 words in 124 seconds. Many Japanese looking for videos of English footballers talking on the other side of the world were completely confused. Using Eiken to listen to prompts for Eiken Grade 1 English language tests might not be the easiest idea. Voice teacher Molly Parker said last week that Ken comes from Walthamstow and speaks with a north London, estuary accent which he thought was historically not as difficult

Read more

There is no single explanation for Argentina’s comeback obsession. England’s late goals against DR Congo and Norway can be directly attributed to coach Thomas Tuchel’s tactical changes. Spain, in their ranks, have a player who has played the role of super sub-Michael Merino. Argentina, however, is not one-dimensional. They can rely on pure individual brilliance, such as Julian Alvarez’s 112th-minute strike against Switzerland, or, alternatively, lull opponents into believing they can score a late goal to mount a devastating counter, which resulted in Enzo Fernandez’s injury-time goal against Egypt. Existing in a dimension where solitary football tactics no longer apply,

Read more

Read 3 minutes12 Jul 2026 06:55 PM IST Switzerland’s head coach, Murat Yakin, condemned VAR after their quarter-final match against Argentina. Swiss forward Brielle Embolo, who initially received a yellow card in the game, was later given a second one, resulting in a red card. Embolo’s subsequent absence affected Switzerland’s balance and Yakin said the red card was not needed. “We got punished for a mistake. There was no reason for that red card. I don’t understand it. It was an innocent situation; there was nothing malicious about it. We got punished for a refereeing mistake and our game plan

Read more

Ricardo Rodríguez, Switzerland’s relentless left-winger, hails from Zurich – one of the richest cities in the world.Denis Zakaria, the versatile right-back, was born in Geneva — the world’s center of diplomacy, global politics and a city specializing in luxury watchmaking. Manuel Akanji, the rock at the heart of the Swiss defence, is the son of Neftenbach – a quaint, postcard village once owned by Swiss nobility. Granit Xhaka, the Switzerland captain, hails from Basel – one of the richest metropolitan regions in the world and home to a pharmaceutical behemoth. These are the men taking on the incredible challenge of

Read more