Lionel Messi had the chance to draw Argentina level before half-time when he stepped up to take a penalty. But his left-footed effort was brilliantly saved by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, and silence descended over the Atlanta Stadium. For Messi, though, the bigger battle was internal. It was the second penalty he had missed for…
And breathe. England and Norway will face each other in the Quarter-finals (AP Photos) It’s been four weeks into the 2026 World Cup, four weeks of football fans all over the world being treated to an international match-up every single day — in fact, often three or four a day. Now, the knockout stages are…
Argentina’s dramatic comeback against Egypt sparked emotional scenes both on and off the pitch, with a tearful Lionel Messi, jubilant teammates and euphoric fans in Buenos Aires celebrating one of the greatest escapes of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.After overturning a two-goal deficit in the final 13 minutes to defeat Egypt 3-2 in their Round…
Four scored. Four missed. That’s Lionel Messi‘s record from the penalty spot across six World Cups. And after Tuesday’s miss against Egypt in the Round of 16 in Atlanta, that statistic carries a new weight. Messi is now the first player in World Cup history to miss two non-shootout penalties in the same edition of…
England pace spearhead Jofra Archer believes bowling in English conditions is a welcome return to “normal cricket” after the batting-friendly surfaces and shorter boundaries of the Indian Premier League (IPL), issuing a subtle warning to India’s young batting unit following their crushing defeat in the third T20I.Archer’s comments came after England dismantled India by 125…
Gautam Gambhir and Harshit Rana (Agency Image) Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik questioned the Gautam Gambhir-led team management after pacer Harshit Rana was promoted ahead of Shivam Dube during India’s disastrous batting collapse in the third T20I against England at Trent Bridge. India’s chase of 202 unravelled rapidly after Axar Patel was dismissed off the…
Egypt forward Mostafa Ziko made an explosive claim after Egypt’s heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16, alleging that the tournament was “directed” towards the defending champions after a night of massive refereeing controversy. Mostafa Ziko expressed dissatisfaction with the refereeing standards in the match against Argentina. (Darryl Dyck/The…
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Video grab) Diplomacy took a footballing turn as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre exchanged light-hearted barbs ahead of their countries’ FIFA World Cup quarterfinal clash, with the two leaders posing in their national team jerseys during…
AB de Villiers at The Times of India’s Bombay Sport Exchange podcast In an exclusive conversation with Bombay Sport Exchange, de Villiers shares his candid views on why Test cricket faces its biggest challenge yet, the immense expectations surrounding teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, his emotional retirement from international cricket, and the conversation with Virat Kohli…
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (7) (AP Photo) The FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals are set to begin this week, but ticket prices for one of the biggest knockout matches have dropped significantly following the elimination of co-host United States and Portugal. According to secondary marketplace TickPick, the get-in price for Friday’s quarterfinal between Spain and Belgium…
