Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2024 i World Soccer

World Soccer Presents As Messi mania swept football, we were there every step of the way to track Leo’s epic journey. Digital format only This special edition showcases some of the biggest rivalries in football from across the globe. A collection of interviews including Kaka, Ronaldo, Cruyff, Sacchi, Xavi, Pele, Klinsmann and Wenger. Digital format only Coinciding with its 60th anniversary, we chronicled the history of the Euros – from 1960 to 2020. The greatest coach of all time or a flawed genius? You decide after reading this dedication to Pep. Digital format only We assess the most famous teams the world has ever seen, and explain what made them so iconic. Digital format only CR7’s incredible journey from young starlet to-all-time top scorer in men’s international football. Celebrating the…

115,000 Planned capacity for the Grand Stade Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco, which will be built in time for the 2030 World Cup and be the world’s biggest football stadium. 955 Days between competitive international appearances for Josip Ilicic, after the Slovenia forward returned from a mental health break at the 2024 European Championship. 109 Argentina goals scored by Lionel Messi, moving him ahead of Iran’s Ali Daei as the second-highest goalscorer in men’s international football behind Cristiano Ronaldo. 85.7km Distance covered by England midfielder Declan Rice at Euro 2024, more than any other player at this summer’s finals in Germany. 2 Father and son combinations to score at a European Championship, after Italy’s Enrico and Federico Chiesa were joined by Sergio and Francisco Conceicao of Portugal. 12 Players that…

What do you do as a football manager when Leeds United no longer require your leadership? The answer, it seems, is to head across the Atlantic and rejuvenate an international team, and send a refreshing wind of change blowing through the Copa America. Their shared background at Elland Road is merely coincidence, but the outstanding work of Marcelo Bielsa with Uruguay and Jesse Marsch with Canada in the international arena may prompt more than a few regrets among the supporters of Leeds. What if? Bielsa has rejuvenated Uruguay to fabulous effect since becoming their coach in May 2023. His team knocked Brazil out of the Copa America in the quarter-finals before narrowly losing 1-0 to Colombia in the semis, playing a brand of exciting football far removed from the dreary…

With Portugal leading Switzerland 5-1 at the last World Cup, a large section of the crowd began to shout for Cristiano Ronaldo. After unconvincing displays in the group stage, Ronaldo had been left out by Fernando Santos for the last-16 clash and the coach was rewarded for his boldness as Goncalo Ramos scored a hat-trick. But that wasn’t what many in the crowd had come to see. They had come for Ronaldo, to bask in the glow of his celebrity. Eventually, with the game long since won, Santos gave in. Ronaldo came on and did very little other than scoring a goal that was manifestly offside. He must have known he was well beyond the last man and you could almost see the hesitation before, showman that he is, he…

“I know about the history of young players at Manchester United and feel it can be the perfect place to reach my potential and achieve my ambitions, together with my new team-mates”Manchester United’s new18-year-old defender Leny Yoro on joining the Old Trafford club from Lille Michael OLISE The attacking midfielder is 22 years old, has played less than 100 top-flight matches, does not have a senior international cap, is yet to play European football and has become Bayern Munich’s fourth-biggest signing ever. Yet in spite of all that, his transfer fee of £45m (potentially increasing to £50m with add-ons) seems like great value given his potential and form at the end of last season. The Frenchman is Bayern’s fifth signing from the Premier League in the last two years (in…

ITALY The defending champions won just half of their qualifiers, leading to being seeded in pot four and a difficult group-stage draw featuring fellow heavyweights Spain. Things didn’t improve at the finals either, as they won just once in Group B, with Luciano Spalletti appearing undecided on both his formation and personnel. Against Croatia in their final group game, a 98th-minute Mattia Zaccagni goal saw Italy progress in a brief moment of elation – at the expense of their opponents – but the Azzurri were completely outplayed by their neighbours Switzerland in the last 16 and went out with a whimper. DENMARK A spirited performance and a thunderstorm delay in Denmark’s knockout game against Germany preceded an unlucky turn of events. Joachim Anderson thought he had scored the opener but…

TUESDAY JULY 9, 8PM SPAIN Simon – Navas (Vivian 58), Nacho, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Fabian; Yamal (Torres 90+3), Olmo (Merino 76), Williams (Zubimendi 90+3); Morata (Oyarzabal 76) ■ Navas, Yamal FRANCE Maignan – Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernandez; Kante (Griezmann 62), Tchouameni, Rabiot; (Camavinga 62), Dembele (Giroud 79), Kolo Muani (Barcola 62), Mbappe ■ Tchouameni, Camavinga GOALS 0-1 Kylian Mbappe clips in a cross from the left and Randal Kolo Muani rises to nod in. 1-1 Lamine Yamal gets on the ball some 25 yards out in the inside-right channel, jinks to create space, then unleashes an unstoppable curler into the top corner. 2-1 A headed clearance falls to Dani Olmo, who cuts out Aurelien Tchouameni with an exquisite touch and thumps a cross-shot home via Jules Kounde’s leg. A STAR…

FRIDAY JUNE 14, 8PM Allianz Arena, Munich Att: 65,052 Ref: Turpin (Fra) GERMANY Neuer – Kimmich, Rudiger, Tah, Mittelstadt; Andrich (Gross 46), Kroos (Can 80); Musiala (Muller 74), Gundogan, Wirtz (Sane 63); Havertz (Fullkrug 63) ■ Andrich, Tah SCOTLAND Gunn – Ralston, Porteous, Hendry, Tierney (McKenna 77), Robertson; McGinn (McLean 67), McTominay, McGregor (Gilmour 67), Christie (Shankland 82); Adams (Hanley 46) ■ Ralston ■ Porteous GOALS 1-0 Florian Wirtz shoots low and hard from the edge of the box. Scotland keeper Angus Gunn gets a hand to it but cannot keep it out. 2-0 Ilkay Gundogan releases Kai Havertz, who squares the ball inside to Jamal Musiala. Cue a shimmy and screamer into the roof of the net. 3-0 Gundogan is poleaxed by a studs-up challenge from Ryan Porteous. Red…

SUNDAY JUNE 16, 2PM Volksparkstadion, Hamburg Att: 48,117 Ref: Soares Dias (Por) POLAND Szczesny – Bednarek, Salamon (Bereszynski 86), Kiwior; Romanczuk (Slisz 55); Frankowski, S. Szymanski (Moder 46), Zielinski (Piotrowski 78), Zalewski; Urbanski (Swiderski 55), Buksa NETHERLANDS Verbruggen – Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Ake (Van de Ven 87); Schouten, Veerman (Wijnaldum 62); Simons (Malen 62), Reijnders, Gakpo (Frimpong 81); Depay (Weghorst 81) ■ Veerman GOALS 1-0 Adam Buksa rises above the Dutch defence to head home Piotr Zielinski’s corner. 1-1 Cody Gakpo’s strike takes a wicked deflection off Bartosz Salamon that wrong-foots Poland keeper Wojciech Szczesny. 1-2 Nathan Ake finds substitute Wout Weghorst, who nips in ahead of Salamon and provides a clinical left-foot finish. WEGHORST’S MATCH-WINNING IMPACT Adam Buksa replaced Poland’s injured talisman Robert Lewandowski and certainly made his…

GOALKEEPER Emiliano MARTINEZ (Argentina) Took the team up a level as soon as he was introduced in 2021. Once more he was the giant, charismatic figure spreading confidence through the side. Only beaten once and, especially in penalty shootouts, appears to fill the goal with his size and personality. Arguably his country’s best-ever goalkeeper. DEFENDERS Ronald ARAUJO (Uruguay) The gifted centre-back is less of a defender and more a force of nature, with speed, power, personality and class on the ball. Held the team together when they were under the cosh against the United States, and his injury against Brazil and subsequent absence demonstrated just how vital he is for the team. Davinson SANCHEZ (Colombia) Centre-back who was often maligned during his time in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur.…

Antigua & Barbuda’s experiences in the second round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers was a perfect example of the obstacles facing smaller nations. For Mikele Leigertwood’s side, the outcome was less than ideal. On the morning of the opening group game at home to Bermuda, attacker Jalmaro Calvin started feeling sick. By the time the game kicked off, head coach Leigertwood himself was also feeling ill. With the local floodlights not deemed good enough for international football, the game kicked off at 3pm. Raheem Deterville put the hosts1-0 up on 26 minutes but the baking Caribbean sun took its toll and Calvin had to be taken off before the break. Leigertwood rapidly deteriorated too and had to be sick before giving a half-time team-talk. The kit man had to…

It had been a long and agonising wait. For generations of supporters spanning the club’s 75-year history, Atletico Bucaramanga had delivered very little. Two second-division titles and a runners-up spot in the1997 league were scant reward for a team considered one of Colombia’s most historic. Yet this summer, their moment finally arrived. Having won the home leg of the Apertura final1-0, Bucaramanga then squandered a two-goal cushion late in the return fixture as opponents Santa Fe forced penalties in the dying minutes. But with the momentum swinging against them, goalkeeper Aldair Quintana stepped up to save two penalty kicks and cement his place in the club’s history. The years of despair and mediocrity had been broken; Atletico Bucaramanga were Colombian champions at last. On the touchline, manager Rafael Dudamel rocked…

The 2026 World Cup qualifiers proved a tough ordeal for Nepal. After being held1-1 by Laos in Kathmandu in the qualifying round, Nepal put on a superb showing to win the away leg1-0 in Vientiane courtesy of a goal from Manish Dangi and qualify for the group stage. Home and away games against Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen would have been a great experience for the squad – particularly the 2-2 draw with Yemen in neutral Saudi Arabia in their final game, their only point of the group – but many of the players left and only one of the home games was played in Nepal. “Many people have left the country because of the economic problems and we have had to come up with nearly a whole…

2024 COPA AMERICA Group A Jun 20 – Atlanta Argentina 2 (Alvarez 49, La. Martinez 88) Canada 0 Argentina: E. Martinez – Molina (Montiel 89), Romero, Li. Martinez, Acuna (Tagliafico 89); Di Maria (Lo Celso 68), De Paul, Paredes (Otamendi 77), Mac Allister; Messi, Alvarez (La. Martinez 76). Canada: Crepeau – Johnston, Bombito, Cornelius, Davies; Buchanan (Shaffelburg 59), Kone (Osorio 85), Eustaquio, Millar (Russell-Rowe 85); David, Larin (Laryea 80). Jun 21 – Arlington Peru 0 Chile 0 Peru: Gallese – Araujo, Zambrano, Callens (Abram 89); Polo (Sonne 84), Pena, Cartagena, Quispe (Grimaldo 71), Advincula (Lopez 35); Lapadula, Flores (Guerrero 71). Chile: Bravo – Isla, Lichnovsky, Diaz, Suazo; Nunez (Echeverria 85), Pulgar; Davila (Bolados 65), Sanchez, Valdes (Osorio 46); Vargas (Brereton Diaz 65). Jun 25 – Kansas City Peru 0 Canada1…

Shakhtar2WerderBremen1 2008-09 UEFA Cup final, Istanbul The former Shakhtar Donetsk and Croatia captain looks back on the Ukrainian club’s finest hour “We knew Werder Bremen had a very good team, with players like Claudio Pizarro, who had scored a lot of goals that season, and Torsten Frings, who was an established Germany international in midfield. They also had a young Mesut Ozil in the side, as well as the Brazilian playmaker Diego – although he missed the final after getting booked in their semi-final. But we had a very good team too. We had players like Fernandinho and Willian, who both went on to do well in the English Premier League – and on that night in Istanbul we had full belief we could win the final. Our coach was…

At the end of a major tournament, it’s always tempting to wonder what might have been, how history might have been written. But for a few twists of fate – a goal-line clearance, a dodgy penalty call, a lucky deflection, a shot inches in another direction – maybe this month’s front cover would have Harry Kane on it, or Kylian Mbappe, or Virgil van Dijk or Toni Kroos, instead of Lamine Yamal. Maybe we’d be reflecting on England’s depth and resourcefulness, France’s dogged knowhow, the Netherlands’ next generation or Germany’s re-emergence as a serious force at the top table. Littered around the digital trash bins of Europe’s finest football writers are all these articles and others, superseded by the stories of Yamal, Nico Williams, Rodri and Spain. And rightfully so…

Summer loving is easy at times. I loved Italia ’90 because it was the first tournament I covered and I got to see Diego Maradona in his prime, sliding a right-footed pass through for Claudio Caniggia to score against Brazil in Turin. I loved Euro ’96 because England played with boldness and intelligence, and Teddy Sheringham and Alan Shearer took the breath away when ripping apart the Netherlands. I loved Japan & Korea 2002 because of the chance to explore two extraordinary countries, the sight of so many fans mingling merrily and because I realised the three Rs I learned at school could not rival Rivaldo, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. And I loved Euro 2024 because, setting aside my desire for England to excel, the best team won. Spain made Euro…

The positive legacy of UEFA Euro 2024 was the hosting. This is not to propose that Germany should stage every major tournament, but it is a fact that a single, easily-accessed nation with a (mostly) reliable internal transport system makes for a far more enjoyable experience for supporters, organisers and media (not that we matter so much). Euro 2024 was mostly a joyous celebration of European fan culture after eight years of logistical stress Not that everything was perfect – far from it. But all the high attendance figures were not, for once, misleading. Euro 2024 was mostly a joyous celebration of European fan culture after eight years of logistical stress: think the vastness of the Russian 2018 World Cup, the crazily-scattered then pandemic-battered Euro 2020 – delayed by a…

Sometimes European Championships are won by the most outstanding teams, and others by the most effective. In Berlin, when referee Francois Letexier blew the final whistle on Euro 2024, no one could dispute that Spain had been not only the superior team in the final but in the tournament overall. Germany was a happy, welcoming host, and ease of international access brought lively, excited capacity crowds. On the other hand, the German reputation for efficiency took a rail system hit and UEFA needs to learn its own lessons from organisational and logistical shortcomings. All this may be leavened by the correct outcome on the pitch, never mind England’s desperate disappointment at becoming the only team to lose two successive Euros finals. They might point to the restrictive injuries being carried…

GOALKEEPER GIORGI MAMARDASHVILI (Georgia) Made more saves (29) than any other keeper in the tournament despite his side going out in the last16, with11 of those coming against the Czech Republic – one short of the record for a single Euros group-stage game. Honourable Mentions: Mert Gunok (Turkey) – his save against Austria will go down as one of the Euros’ finest; Diogo Costa (Portugal) – became the first-ever goalkeeper to save three penalties in one shootout; Jordan Pickford (England) – made some vital saves but his kicking wasn’t at its best; Bart Verbruggen (Netherlands) – solid and an effective distributor. RIGHT-BACK JOSHUA KIMMICH (Germany) His qualities were already well known but he once again flaunted his elite technical ability. When Germany exited in the quarter-finals, only one player (Denmark’s…

PORTUGAL It felt like the biggest question for Portugal was how best to deploy a 39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo. Roberto Martinez’s answer was to play him in all but 24 minutes of their group games – where Portugal enjoyed a standout 3-0 win against Turkey but also a shock 2-0 defeat to Georgia – and for120 minutes in two knockout ties that went to penalties. One was won against Slovenia, but the other lost against heavyweights France. 41-year-old Pepe stood out as Portugal bowed out. Ronaldo, who struggled to affect games, might bow out too. GERMANY The epic quarter-final showdown between Germany and Spain would have been an appropriate final. Tournament football occasionally throws up a heavyweight clash earlier in the knockout rounds and these Euros provided us with such a…

FRIDAY JULY 5, 5PM SPAIN Simon – Carvajal, Le Normand (Nacho 46), Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Fabian (Joselu102); Yamal (Torres 63), Pedri (Olmo 7), Williams (Merino 80); Morata (Oyarzabal 80) ■ Le Normand, Torres, Simon, Carvajal, Rodri, Fabian ■ Carvajal GERMANY Neuer – Kimmich, Rudiger, Tah (Muller 80), Raum (Mittelstadt 57); Can (Andrich 46), Kroos; Sane (Wirtz 46), Gundogan (Fullkrug 57), Musiala; Havertz (Anton 91) ■ Rudiger, Raum, Andrich, Kroos, Mittelstadt, Schlotterbeck, Wirtz, Undav GOALS 1-0 Insufficiently closed down on the right, Lamine Yamal rolls an inviting ball across the penalty box for Dani Olmo to sweep home. 1-1 Maximilian Mittelstadt’s cross is headed back into the danger zone by Joshua Kimmich. Florian Wirtz hits home a controlled half-volley. 2-1 Spain substitute Mikel Merino hangs in the air basketball style to forcefully nod…

SATURDAY JUNE 15, 5PM Olympiastadion, Berlin Att: 68,844 Ref: Oliver (Eng) SPAIN Simon – Carvajal, Le Normand, Nacho, Cucurella; Pedri (Olmo 59), Rodri (Zubimendi 86), Fabian; Yamal (Torres 86), Morata (Oyarzabal 67), Williams (Merino 68) ■ Rodri CROATIA Livakovic – Stanisic, Sutalo, Pongracic, Gvardiol; Brozovic; Majer, Modric (Mario Pasalic 65), Kovacic (Sucic 65), Kramaric (Petkovic 72); Budimir (Perisic 56) GOALS 1-0 Fabian Ruiz plays a defence-splitting through ball, which Spain skipper Alvaro Morata runs on to and finishes coolly with his left foot. 2-0 Fabian Ruiz jinks past two defenders on the edge of the penalty box, before hitting a low shot into the bottom corner. 3-0 Dani Carvajal ghosts in behind the Croatia backline and stabs in a volley from close range following a right-wing cross by Lamine Yamal. SPAIN…

MONDAY JUNE 17, 2PM Allianz Arena, Munich Att: 61,591 Ref: Nyberg (Swe) ROMANIA Nita – Ratiu, Dragusin, Burca, Bancu; M. Marin (Rus 75); Man (Hagi 62), R. Marin, Stanciu (Racovitan 87), Coman (Mihaila 62); Dragus (Puscas 75) ■ R. Marin UKRAINE Lunin – Konoplya (Tymchyk 72), Zabarnyi, Matviyenko, Zinchenko; Shaparenko (Yaremchuk 63), Stepanenko (Brazhko 62); Tsyhankov (Yarmolenko 63), Sudakov (Malinovskyi 83), Mudryk; Dovbyk ■ Konoplya GOALS 1-0 Nicolae Stanciu capitalises on Dennis Man cutting out Andriy Lunin’s stray pass by hitting a stunning 20-yard curler into the top corner. 2-0 A brilliant Romanian break forward culminates in Razvan Marin’s low effort from long range sneaking under Lunin’s hand. 3-0 A well-worked short corner sees Man square the ball for Denis Dragus to tap it into the vacant net from close range.…

GROUP-STAGE EXITS CHILE There were plenty of goals in the first friendlies under Ricardo Gareca, but none in the Copa. They should have put Peru away in the opener, and were very unlucky with the refereeing against Canada in the crunch third match, but this was a big disappointment at the site of the great triumph of 2016. PERU There were no goals and precious little football in the first competitive games under Jorge Fossati. The new back-three system looked reasonably solid, but the team’s fate was effectively decided by an early red card against Canada. They will have to find much more creativity to have any hopes of being back in 2026. MEXICO Lived up to their billing as Mexico’s worst team in living memory, disappointing their mass support…

The football landscape in South Asia has been in flux of late. India have been without a national team coach since June, with Igor Stimac dismissed after a dismal Asian Cup campaign followed by early elimination from 2026 World Cup qualification, while Pakistan have been without a functioning league and federation since 2020. Not only that, but the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) – one of five regional subsidiaries of the Asian Football Confederation alongside West, Central, East and South East – has been unhappy with the Maldives Football Association not coughing up money owed after hosting the 2021 SAFF Championship. That usually biennial competition is for national teams, but now the SAFF needs a cash boost as it is set to launch its first-ever club championship. The SAFF Club…

Following back-to-back review issues of the domestic season and this summer’s international tournaments, World Soccer’s September 2024 edition looks forward, switching attention to the 2024-25 campaign with a special 116-page bumper edition. With detailed analysis and opinion ahead of the 2024-25 European domestic campaign, and a special look at the newly-formatted Asian Champions League Elite, you won’t miss a beat ahead of kick-off. Plus, don’t miss more international football, with a review of the Paris Olympic tournaments and previews of the AFCON 2025 qualifiers and new Nations League campaigns across Europe and CONCACAF. Print £6.99 Digital £4.99 ORDER NOW shop.kelsey.co.uk/WSC24 Or Call: 01959 543 747 You may have missed… SAVE 10% when you spend £25 or more VOUCHERCODE: WSCSHOP24 shop.kelsey.co.uk/WSC24 +44 (0) 1959 543 747 Offers subject to availability. Prices…

“That video, that moment, those words, do not reflect my beliefs or my character. I am truly sorry”Chelsea and Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez apologises after posting a video of his international team-mates singing an offensive song AFRICA AFCON postponed again The next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations will now kick-off in December 2025, with the final on January18, 2026, having originally been planned for next summer. Its place in the calendar will be taken by the 2024 Women’s AFCON, which will now be delayed a year until July 2025. The reschedule comes as little surprise, with the original dates for the men’s competition always set to clash with FIFA’s new Club World Cup, which will take place in the United States next summer. Morocco will host both African…

THE SUMMER OF TOTAL FOOTBALL By Neil FredrikJensen (Pitch Publishing, £18.99) The Summer of Total Football: The1974 World Cup captures the mood of a memorable 24 days in the early 1970s as the balance of footballing power shifted. This was supposed to be Johan Cruyff’s World Cup, and right up until the final he demonstrated why. But West Germany, who were galvanised by their own talisman, Franz Beckenbauer, had other ideas. This was the World Cup of “Total Football”, a style of play that is revered to this day. 50 GREAT WORLD CUP MATCHES By Dominic Hougham (Pitch Publishing, £19.99) 50 Great World Cup Matches…and Why You Should Watch Them is an entertaining guide to the most memorable matches of the last13 tournaments, from West Germany1974 to Qatar 2022, analysing…

“As a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England. It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all”Gareth Southgate announces his departure as England manager EUROPE ENZO BARRENECHEA & SAMUEL ILING-JUNIOR Aston Villa signed the young duo from Juventus for a combined fee of £18.6m. ROSS BARKLEY Villa also signed the Luton man for £5m. MARC GUIU Chelsea paid £5m to activate the young Barcelona striker’s release clause. NIKOLA MILENKOVIC Nottingham Forest captured the Serbia centre-back from Fiorentina for £12m. DAICHI KAMADA Crystal Palace signed the Japan playmaker from Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer. KASPER SCHMEICHEL Celtic snapped up the Denmark goalkeeper as a free agent after he exited Anderlecht. ETHAN MBAPPE Like his…

1 MORE EXPANSION IS COMING As expected, the 24-team format brought more cons than pros, with a group stage that incentivises draws and gives an unfair advantage to teams in Groups E and F. UEFA will need little persuading to increase to 32 teams, especially if it allows them to expand the Nations League in place of the current Euros qualifying process. Georgia, the lowest-ranked team on show in Germany, proved that there is plenty of depth to Europe’s quality. 2 SOMETHING’S GOT TO GIVE The debate around the match calendar and player workloads is not going to go away. Many of the players that looked visibly shattered in Germany will already be off on pre-season tours around the globe ahead of a 2024-25 season that, for some, will culminate…

SCOTLAND Steve Clarke’s side could not match the quality of their travelling Tartan Army support, and departed having shown little across three games. A tournament opener against the hosts was always going to be tough, but the manner of the 5-1 defeat to Germany set alarm bells ringing. A1-1 draw with Switzerland offered some hope, but a late Hungary goal in the all-important final group game confirmed Scotland’s exit emphatically, even though they were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty earlier in the game. HUNGARY As Scotland slumped out, Hungary celebrated. Kevin Csoboth’s goal in the tenth minute of added time sparked wild celebrations as it gave them a chance to progress as one of the best third-placed teams. Those celebrations turned into an anxious three-day wait until the…

SUNDAY JULY 14, 8PM SPAIN Simon – Carvajal, Le Normand (Nacho 83), Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri (Zubimendi 46), Fabian; Yamal (Merino 89), Olmo, Williams; Morata (Oyarzabal 68) ■ Olmo ENGLAND Pickford – Walker, Stones, Guehi, Shaw; Mainoo (Palmer 70), Rice; Saka, Foden (Toney 89), Bellingham; Kane (Watkins 61) ■ Kane, Stones, Watkins GOALS 1-0 Lamine Yamal, cutting inside from the right, rolls the ball across the area to Nico Williams, who steers it home on the run. 1-1 Collecting a Bukayo Saka pass, Jude Bellingham lays the ball back to substitute Cole Palmer who, from 20 yards out, casually yet powerfully guides it into the far bottom corner. 2-1 Spain sub Mikel Oyarzabal, narrowly onside, stretches to prod in an inch-perfect low cross from raiding left-back Marc Cucurella. “It’s been a marvellous…

SATURDAY JUNE 29, 5PM Olympiastadion, Berlin. Att: 68,172 Ref: Marciniak (Pol) SWITZERLAND Sommer – Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Ndoye (Sierro 77), Freuler, Xhaka, Aebischer (Steffen 90+2); Rieder (Stergiou 71), Vargas (Zuber 71); Embolo (Duah 77) ITALY Donnarumma – Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni, Darmian (Cambiaso 75); Cristante (Pellegrini 75), Fagioli (Frattesi 86), Barella (Retegui 64); Chiesa, Scamacca, El Shaarawy (Zaccagni 46) ■ Barella, El Shaarawy, Mancini GOALS 1-0 Ruben Vargas plays a low pass from the left flank into the box in the direction of advancing midfielder Remo Freuler, who sets himself up with a wonderful first touch and adroitly volleys the ball into the bottom corner. 2-0 Italy carelessly give the ball away within seconds of the restart. Switzerland break forward down the left wing, with the ball ending up on…

SUNDAY JUNE 16, 5PM MHPArena, Stuttgart Att: 54,000 Ref: Scharer (Sui) SLOVENIA Oblak – Karnicnik, Drkusic, Bijol, Janza; Stojanovic (Verbic 67), Gnezda Cerin, Elsnik (Gorenc Stankovic 75), Mlakar (Celar 75); Sporar (Brekalo 90+4), Sesko (Kurtic 90+4) ■ Stojanovic, Celar DENMARK Schmeichel – Andersen, Christensen, Vestergaard; Bah, Hjulmand (Delaney 89), Hojbjerg (Norgaard 83), Kristiansen (Maehle 77); Eriksen; Wind (Dolberg 83), Hojlund (Poulsen 83) ■ Hjulmand GOALS 0-1 Jonas Wind flicks on a quick throw-in for Christian Eriksen to chest down and shoot home the opening goal. 1-1 A Slovenia corner skids across the penalty box and Erik Janza’s 20-yard shot is deflected into the goal off Morten Hjulmand. WASTEFUL DENMARK Denmark, thanks largely to the superb Christian Eriksen, had more than enough chances to have won their opening match decisively. They took an…

TUESDAY JUNE 18, 5PM Westfalenstadion, Dortmund Att: 59,127 Ref: Tello (Arg) TURKEY Gunok – Muldur (Celik 85), Akaydin, Bardakci, Kadioglu; Calhanoglu (Ozcan 90+2), Ayhan (Demiral 79); Guler (Yazici 79), Kokcu, Yildiz (Akturkoglu 85); Yilmaz ■ Bardakci, Calhanoglu GEORGIA Mamardashvili – Kakabadze, Kvirkvelia (Zivzivadze 85), Kashia, Dvali, Tsitaishvili (Lochoshvili 74); Chakvetadze (Davitashvili 74), Mekvabishvili (Altunashvili 89), Kochorashvili; Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia ■ Kvirkvelia GOALS 1-0 Mert Muldur thumps in an exquisite volley after Lasha Dvali fails to adequately head clear. 1-1 Giorgi Kochorashvili beats Kenan Yildiz and cuts the ball back for Georges Mikautadze to instinctively finish side-footed at the near post. 2-1 Arda Guler cuts inside and picks out the top corner with a sensational 25-yard strike. 3-1 Giorgi Mamardashvili leaves his goal to go up for a corner and Turkey take advantage,…

1 CHRISTIAN PULISIC USA v Bolivia The United States got off to a flyer, with their captain bending in a superb curling shot just three minutes into the opening game. Sadly for the hosts, it was mostly downhill from there. 2 VINICIUS JUNIOR Paraguay v BRAZIL After Brazil’s quarter-final exit, nobody would say that Jogo Bonito has been revived, but it was briefly on show in the group stage after Vinicius capped a slick passing move with a smart finish. 3 SALOMON RONDON VENEZUELA v Canada This is worth re-watching just to answer the question: bad goalkeeping or great finishing? While Rondon’s looping, half-volleyed 40-yard lob was inch-perfect, the positioning of Canada keeper Maxime Crepeau was curious to say the least. 4 ISMAEL KONE CANADA v Uruguay Kone’s scissor-kick demonstrated…

Some time after the final whistle in the Copa America semi-final between Argentina and Canada at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, long after fans had filtered out having witnessed the Lionel Messi goal the majority had hoped for, a couple of tournament officials were out on the pitch dropping a football from various heights to measure how much it bounced. In parts, the pitch was reactive and lively and the ball bounced as expected. In others, it hit the ground with a dull, lifeless thud. It was a test of the temporary grass pitches used at this tournament, but it was also an apt metaphor for the 2024 Copa America as a whole: at times, it was lively, energetic and entertaining. At others, it left much to be desired,…

With the last OFC Nations Cup in New Zealand in 2020 cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the All Whites had to wait eight years to defend the title that they won in Papua New Guinea in 2016. New Zealand had been due to host the 2020 edition but this year’s Nations Cup was awarded to Vanuatu at the end of 2023. The original plan was to host games at two different venues, Port Vila and Luganville, but subsequent uncertainty over Air Vanuatu’s flight schedules led to the latter being replaced by Fijian capital Suva. As a result, for the first time in its history, the tournament was played in two countries. Vanuatu remained as hosts for Group A, but this was reduced to just three teams at the start…

As the sides from North America’s two most prominent leagues (the United States’ Major League Soccer and Mexico’s LigaMX) get set to face off against each other, this is not just a battle between the individual clubs – it is also one between the leagues themselves. Last year’s edition remains the only title Lionel Messi has won since moving to the United States, and was where much of the buzz around his arrival at Inter Miami was centred. The timing was such that it almost felt like it was set up just for Messi, and no doubt there will be a heavy focus on the Argentine No.10 again this year. First played in 2019, and then again in 2021, with just four teams from each league, the Leagues Cup tournament…

CONCACAF *Advance to next stage *Advance to next stage *Advance to final Final Jun 28: Vespo1-2 Real Rincon Win = 4 points, Draw = 2 points, Loss = 1 point *Deducted 1 point **Deducted 2 points ***Deducted 1 point and enter promotion-relegation play-off ASIA • Top six advance to championship round, bottom six enter relegation round with points obtained during regular season halved and rounded up *Enter promotion-relegation play-off *Enter promotion-relegation play-off AFRICA *Enter promotion-relegation play-off *Enter promotion-relegation play-off *Enter promotion-relegation play-off *Advance to quarter-finals *Advance to quarter-finals Quarter-Finals May17-21: Tsaramandroso1-3 CS-Disciples; FosaJuniors 0-2 Elgeco Plus; Zanak’Ala 3-1 Fanalamanga; 3FB Toliara 3-2 ASA Diana May 24-25: CS-Disciples 2-1 Tsaramandroso (agg 5-2); Elgeco Plus1-1 FosaJuniors (agg 3-1); Fanalamanga1-3 Zanak’Ala (Agg 2-6); ASA Diana 2-3 3FB Toliara (agg 4-6) Semi-Finals Jun12-15: Elgeco…