Cristiano Ronaldo is standing on the edge of the D. The Croatian goalkeeper stands still on the goal line at the other end. It’s a wild-west face off of the football variety. Here one shoots, the other saves. The ball fits between them. The next few seconds will decide the fate of the world famous footballer. In the 67th minute of this World Cup knockout round, Ronaldo’s Portugal are trailing by a goal and the clock could very well be running out for Ronaldo. Should he kick to the goalkeeper’s right or left? Pause the frame and check the statistics

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Read for 2 minutes4 Jul 2026 07:01 AM IST Defending champions Argentina booked their place in the round of 16 after surviving a major scare against Cape Verde with a 3-2 extra-time thriller in Miami on Saturday. Argentina needed an extra-time own goal to overcome a Cape Verde team with incredible resilience. The African, playing in his first World Cup, went down twice to silence the Argentina fans. A goal and assist on Messi’s corner kick saved the mighty Argentina, who scored the game-winner midway through extra time. Messi’s goal was the 20th of his World Cup career, extending his

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Read 3 minutes3 Jul 2026 06:55 PM IST Harry Kane is the highest scorer for England with 84 goals. However, his cabinet lacked the silverware that would have complemented his personal brilliance. Former England defender Jamie Carragher opined that if Kane had better teammates like Sir Bobby Charlton, Kane would have eclipsed Charlton’s greatness. “For us, Kane in 2026 is exactly what Charlton was to the nation 60 years ago – giving supporters the belief that we could finally win a major competition. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have Bobby Moore, Gordon Banks or Alan Ball with him to make those dreams

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Argentina vs Cape Verde LIVE, FIFA World Cup 2026: Lionel Messi has scored six goals for Argentina in the World Cup so far. (AP Photo) Live Updates of Argentina vs Cape Verde World Cup 2026 Match: In a David vs. Goliath battle at the FIFA World Cup, defending champions Argentina will face Cape Verde, the smallest nation to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, in a Round of 32 clash in Miami. Aside from Algeria, Austria and Jordan, Argentina have beaten all their opponents so far. Lionel Messi has scored six of the team’s eight goals. Meanwhile, Cape Verde have

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Read 3 minutesUpdated: 3 July 2026 10:05 PM IST Cristiano Ronaldo superfan, IShowSpeed, got emotional after Ronaldo scored a penalty against Croatia in the Round of 32 game on Friday. The penalty was crucial for Portugal as they fell behind in the game after Ivan Perisic scored the opener for Croatia. Ronaldo’s penalty leveled the scores and then Goncalo Ramos scored the second goal in stoppage time to give Portugal a 2–1 win. The American social media influencer was outside Toronto’s stadium as Ronaldo’s penalty went into the net, doing a signature backflip and then continuing Ronaldo’s siuuu celebration. He

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Read for 5 minutes3 Jul 2026 08:53 PM IST The day after defeating South Africa in the round of 32, Canada manager Jesse Marsh While his players were on a flight to Houston for a game against Morocco, he quickly changed plans and traveled to Monterrey. Marsh wanted to watch his team’s potential round-of-16 opponents, the Netherlands and Morocco. He returned to the hotel in a panic: “Preparing for Morocco is like a terrible, terrible dream,” he later told the media. “It’s like, I don’t want to see them play. They’re too good.” Not that Morocco have yet reached the

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Read 3 minutesUpdated: 3 July 2026 03:43 PM IST The FIFA World Cup 2026 has been a true goalfest, with one of the most exciting Golden Boot races across the Americas. All the expected names have arrived for their respective teams as the battle for the world title heats up. The list of leading goalscorers includes two legends of contemporary football – Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. Argentina great Messi averages two goals per game in this edition, with six goals to his name in the three matches he has played so far. Messi opened his campaign with a sensational

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He became the face of Portugal’s misery for Diogo Jota. For Luka Modric, the consoler. For broadcasters, the only agenda. For his nation, a hero they were beginning to fall in love with. Full time in Toronto, Cristiano Ronaldo wore many hats. He was the savior of Portugal. A narrative-defier. Record breaker. His penalty revived Portugal and his performance marked another age milestone. Oldest ever to score in World Cup knock-out and win man of the match award. The Ronaldo football once knew was no longer visible. He could have been. In the ninth minute, Pedro Neto sent in an

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Read for 5 minutesKolkata3 July 2026 01:10 PM IST There is nothing remarkable about Mikel Oyarzabal. In a Spanish squad full of colorful characters like Marc Cuquerella and Lamine Yamal, the Real Sociedad man’s personality doesn’t scream from the rooftops. Despite scoring a brace against Austria and firmly entrenching himself in the race for the World Cup Golden Boot, there has been more buzz about Cucurella’s excellent assists than his quiet performances. But that’s perfect for a 29-year-old. Because the last time he was in the spotlight, he was savaged by critics after Spain’s 0-0 draw against Cape Verde a

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Read for 5 minutesNew YorkUpdated: July 3, 2026 08:46 AM IST At his happiest moments, Cristiano Ronaldo did not forget his two old friends, Luka Modric and the late Diogo Jota. After 20 minutes of stoppage time, full of drama, drained of every tinge of emotion, Portugal beat Croatia 2-1 to reach the round of 16, with Ronaldo wrapping Modric in a deep hug. He whispered something in his ear, held a brotherly face and wiped away a drop of Modric’s tear. In that poignant moment of fraternity, the relevance of the result faded. Shortly afterwards he went to the

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