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Morocco beat Netherlands in dramatic World Cup shootout to reach last 16

Morocco defeated the Netherlands in a penalty shootout to advance to the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup after a thrilling battle in Monterrey finished 1-1 following extra time.Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made the crucial save to block the Netherlands’ fourth penalty from Crysencio Summerville, before striker Ismael Saibari stepped up to blast home the winning spot-kick that sealed a 3-2 shootout win on Monday.The victory sends Morocco into a last-16 clash with Canada in Houston on Saturday.An enthralling match had gone to extra time after Issa Diop had glanced in a dramatic equaliser for Morocco in the first minute of stoppage time as the Netherlands had closed in on victory.The Dutch had taken the lead midway through the second half with a goal from Cody Gakpo, playing just days after his partner had confirmed the death of the couple’s unborn son.Liverpool forward Gakpo sank to the turf and appeared overcome with emotion as his teammates surrounded him in a prolonged group embrace.But Morocco forced extra time when an unmarked Diop headed home from substitute Chemsdine Talbi’s cross in injury time.Morocco had created the better chances in the fractious encounter, which saw players from both sides flying into tackles to test the patience of Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio.The Atlas Lions almost took the lead on 20 minutes when Neil El Aynaoui glanced an Achraf Hakimi corner goal-wards only to be denied by a superb reflex save from Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.Verbruggen was pressed into action moments later, this time doing well to tip a vicious strike from Hakimi over the bar.The fierce nature of the contest was on full display midway through the half, when Saibari was lucky to escape sanction after elbowing Jan Paul van Hecke in the face.The Dutch continued to enjoy plenty of possession but were unable to convert it into goalscoring chances.Their best effort came on 44 minutes, when Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven uncorked a ferocious shot from the edge of the area that was tipped over by Bounou.Van Hecke continued to find himself in the thick of the action, and after bloodying his head in a collision in the penalty area, made his presence felt with a crunching tackle that upended El Aynaoui just before half-time.As the half ended, Saibari just failed to connect with a cross that flashed across the Dutch goal before going behind.The drama continued into an end-to-end second half, but appeared to have tilted in the Netherlands’ favour when coach Ronald Koeman brought on forward Wout Weghorst in a flurry of substitutions after the hydration break.Weghorst made an immediate impact, flicking on a long ball to send Summerville bearing in on goal. Summerville crossed to Gakpo, who hurled himself at the ball to score.The Netherlands, superbly marshalled by Gakpo’s Liverpool teammate Virgil van Dijk, appeared to be heading for victory, but Diop’s late header sent it to extra time.Morocco looked to have made the breakthrough when Soufiane Rahimi went through on goal in the 96th minute, only to be denied by a jaw-dropping save from Verbruggen.The Netherlands held on for penalties, but despite Morocco missing their first when El Aynaoui hit the bar, the North Africans recovered to win.

30-06-2026 09:01

Morocco beat Netherlands in dramatic World Cup shootout to reach last 16

Morocco defeated the Netherlands in a penalty shootout to advance to the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup after a thrilling battle in Monterrey finished 1-1 following extra time.Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made the crucial save to block the Netherlands’ fourth penalty from Crysencio Summerville, before striker Ismael Saibari stepped up to blast home the winning spot-kick that sealed a 3-2 shootout win on Monday.The victory sends Morocco into a last-16 clash with Canada in Houston on Saturday.An enthralling match had gone to extra time after Issa Diop had glanced in a dramatic equaliser for Morocco in the first minute of stoppage time as the Netherlands had closed in on victory.The Dutch had taken the lead midway through the second half with a goal from Cody Gakpo, playing just days after his partner had confirmed the death of the couple’s unborn son.Liverpool forward Gakpo sank to the turf and appeared overcome with emotion as his teammates surrounded him in a prolonged group embrace.But Morocco forced extra time when an unmarked Diop headed home from substitute Chemsdine Talbi’s cross in injury time.Morocco had created the better chances in the fractious encounter, which saw players from both sides flying into tackles to test the patience of Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio.The Atlas Lions almost took the lead on 20 minutes when Neil El Aynaoui glanced an Achraf Hakimi corner goal-wards only to be denied by a superb reflex save from Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.Verbruggen was pressed into action moments later, this time doing well to tip a vicious strike from Hakimi over the bar.The fierce nature of the contest was on full display midway through the half, when Saibari was lucky to escape sanction after elbowing Jan Paul van Hecke in the face.The Dutch continued to enjoy plenty of possession but were unable to convert it into goalscoring chances.Their best effort came on 44 minutes, when Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven uncorked a ferocious shot from the edge of the area that was tipped over by Bounou.Van Hecke continued to find himself in the thick of the action, and after bloodying his head in a collision in the penalty area, made his presence felt with a crunching tackle that upended El Aynaoui just before half-time.As the half ended, Saibari just failed to connect with a cross that flashed across the Dutch goal before going behind.The drama continued into an end-to-end second half, but appeared to have tilted in the Netherlands’ favour when coach Ronald Koeman brought on forward Wout Weghorst in a flurry of substitutions after the hydration break.Weghorst made an immediate impact, flicking on a long ball to send Summerville bearing in on goal. Summerville crossed to Gakpo, who hurled himself at the ball to score.The Netherlands, superbly marshalled by Gakpo’s Liverpool teammate Virgil van Dijk, appeared to be heading for victory, but Diop’s late header sent it to extra time.Morocco looked to have made the breakthrough when Soufiane Rahimi went through on goal in the 96th minute, only to be denied by a jaw-dropping save from Verbruggen.The Netherlands held on for penalties, but despite Morocco missing their first when El Aynaoui hit the bar, the North Africans recovered to win.

30-06-2026 09:01

Germany dumped out by Paraguay in seismic World Cup shock

It marks the first time that Germany have ever lost a penalty shootout at a World Cup.Julio Enciso headed Paraguay into a shock lead before half-time, but Kai Havertz levelled for Germany on 54 minutes with his third goal of the tournament.Jonathan Tah saw a goal disallowed after a VAR review in extra time, before Paraguay held on to shock Germany in a wild, nerve-jangling shootout as the momentum swung back and forth.Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill saved from Havertz and Nick Woltemade, but his teammates blew two chances to win it before Jose Canale blasted in the winning spot-kick after Tah had blazed his effort over the bar.It marked another premature exit for Germany who were playing in their first knockout-stage appearance since winning the 2014 World Cup.Paraguay celebrated arguably their greatest win at the tournament, but they face the daunting prospect of running into an in-form France next should Les Bleus beat Sweden.Gill described the victory as "an immense thrill"."We managed to hold on. We opened the scoring, they equalized, but then we managed to keep it up. Obviously, we analyzed every player and every detail of the penalty takers," he said."Thank God I was able to save two penalties. This is a privilege; we eliminated a champion. This is dedicated to all Paraguayans."Julian Nagelsmann handed Deniz Undav his first start of the tournament, after the Stuttgart striker scored three times in the opening two games as a substitute.He came in for Jamal Musiala as Nathaniel Brown returned at left-back, having missed the Ecuador loss as a precaution due to a minor injury.Miguel Almiron was recalled by Paraguay following a one-match ban after becoming the first player to be sent off for covering his mouth during an on-field confrontation under new FIFA rules.Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro had urged his players to grasp the opportunity of a lifetime, and they came close to scoring barely a minute into the game.Junior Alonso found space at the back post from a corner but was unable to beat Manuel Neuer.Germany's 7-1 win over Curacao in their opener offered a glimpse of their attacking firepower, but it papered over what has otherwise been an often blunt forward line.Undav floated an effort wide as Germany struggled to break down a compact Paraguay defence, and they paid the price when they lost their shape before half-time, allowing Enciso to head home.Paraguay recycled possession after Neuer punched clear a corner, working it out wide on the right for Matias Galarza to fizz in a cross that picked out a completely unmarked Enciso.Remarkably, it was Paraguay's first goal in the World Cup knockout stage, having failed to score in their previous five matches, including a 1-0 defeat by Germany in the last 16 in 2002.Germany brought Leon Goretzka on at the break but almost conceded again when an under-hit backpass from Joshua Kimmich forced Neuer to race out and stop Enciso.However, they at last breached Paraguay's dogged rearguard when Florian Wirtz cut in from the left and delivered a cross that Havertz glanced into the far corner to ease Germany's nerves.Paraguay lost Enciso to injury, and with it their main outlet.But Gill reacted sharply to claw away Havertz's header from another Wirtz cross and Paraguay bravely clung on to send the match into extra time.Tah thought he had put Germany in front with a powerful back-post header from Nathaniel Brown's looping corner, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review for a foul by Waldemar Anton on the goalkeeper.Anton headed straight at Gill from another corner, but Paraguay withstood Germany's set-piece barrage and then kept their cool to spring a monumental World Cup upset.

30-06-2026 08:56

Martinelli scores last-gasp winner as Brazil beat Japan to reach World Cup last 16

Gabriel Martinelli scored a dramatic 95th-minute winner as Brazil came from behind to beat Japan and set up a World Cup last-16 tie against Norway or Ivory Coast.With just seconds left, Brazil won possession back on the edge of the Japan box and Bruno Guimaraes slipped the ball into Martinelli, who took a touch before slotting in off the post.It was a heartbreaking end for Japan, who had more than matched Brazil in the first half and battled valiantly in the second, but Carlo Ancelotti's side kept pushing and got their reward in final moments.Japan were comfortable in the first half and Kaishu Sano pounced on Danilo's loose pass to drive past Casemiro and drill the ball into the bottom corner to give his side the lead.Brazil struggled to respond before half-time but looked a different side after the break with Casemiro rising to power home Gabriel's back-post cross 10 minutes after the restart.The goal had been coming and the five-time World Cup winners nearly took the lead in stunning fashion three minutes later.Vinicius Jr received the ball 10 yards inside the Japan half, nutmegged his marker, drove into the box, jinked past another defender and stabbed his shot towards the far corner - only for Japan keeper Zion Suzuki to tip it on to the post.Japan regrouped from there and while Brazil continued to push forward, chances were limited.That is until Ao Tanaka lost the ball on the corner of his own box and was ruthlessly punished by Martinelli and Brazil.

29-06-2026 23:04

New Zealand thrash England to deny Stokes a fairytale finish

An injury-hit New Zealand overwhelmed England by 160 runs in the third Test at Trent Bridge on Monday as Ben Stokes's last match in international cricket ended with a thumping defeat.Victory meant New Zealand won a three-match campaign 2-1 -- just their fourth series success in England in 20 attempts and only the second time they had triumphed after being 1-0 down following their 1999 success in England.This was also England's seventh defeat in nine Tests and a first series loss at home in three or more Tests since 2012.The Test was upstaged by England captain Stokes dramatically announcing his retirement from international duty on Sunday.The 35-year-old all-rounder said he felt "burnt out" after four years as England skipper, although Stokes added he would continue to play for county side Durham.His decision came after he had returned to England action after being omitted from a crushing 253-run defeat in the second Test, having broken a midnight curfew following the hosts' win in the series opener."It would have been great to go out with a series win, that's in a perfect world," Stokes told the BBC. "But I'm very happy with what I've managed to achieve as a player and a captain."There's quite a few emotions knowing you're not going to be doing this anymore."New Zealand's win was just reward for their professional application, the Black Caps outplaying England in all departments in Nottingham.Their approach was summed up by Daryl Mitchell, named player of the match, for a gutsy second-innings 100 not out where he was repeatedly struck painful blows by England's pace attack."This is very special for our group," said Mitchell. "We came over with the goal of winning the series. It's really cool."Stokes opened England's run-chase even though he is normally a middle-order batsman, with the hosts set a stiff target of 373 to win.He blazed his way to 30 off 20 balls, including two sixes, before he holed out, with his exit meaning he had no on-field role on Monday, his last day in international cricket.England had dramatically chased down a target of 299 to beat New Zealand at Trent Bridge four years ago, right at the start of the team's aggressive 'Bazball' era under Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum with Jonny Bairstow scoring a blistering century.But the current New Zealand attack held their nerve, with England losing three more wickets before Sunday's close to be in dire straits at 103-4.And they were in even worse trouble at 116-6 after losing two wickets in five balls early in Monday's play.Nathan Smith had Emilio Gay caught behind for 10 and then Joe Root, one of England's greatest batsmen, was superbly run out for 18 by Henry Nicholls's brilliant direct hit from backward point.New Zealand lost a bowler just 35 minutes into Monday's play when Will O'Rourke suffered a hamstring injury.Gus Atkinson, also back after breaking curfew alongside Stokes, and Jamie Smith kept New Zealand at bay with a stand of 75 before Atkinson was lbw for 19 to left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner.Jamie Smith went to a fifty when he punched Santner for four after lunch.But another excellent direct hit run-out did for tailender Josh Tongue, with Santner on target this time, before Jamie Smith (60) was caught in the deep by Nathan Smith to seal a well-deserved success for the Black Caps."We put a lot of work in on our fielding, the two run-outs today showed guys are engaged and showing everything they've got," said Mitchell.This match was a triumph for several New Zealand players, with captain Tom Latham (151) and Devon Conway (157) sharing an opening stand of 317 in a first-innings total of 438.New Zealand came into this match without injured paceman Matt Henry, their 11-wicket hero at the Oval, and in-form towering quick Kyle Jamieson, rested as a fitness precaution.And in Nottingham, Blair Tickner could only manage three overs before pulling out with concussion suffered when hit by a Jofra Archer bouncer when batting.

29-06-2026 19:27

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Egypt Secure Historic First World Cup Win, Move Closer to Round of 32

Egypt secured the first World Cup win in its history, coming from behind to defeat New Zealand 3-1 in Vancouver and move to the top of Group G with four points.After conceding early, Egypt responded through Mostafa Abdel Raouf, Mohamed Salah and Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet, putting the Pharaohs on the brink of qualification for the Round of 32.Elsewhere in the group, Iran and Belgium played out a goalless draw, leaving both sides on two points.In Group H, tournament debutants Cape Verde continued their impressive run by holding two-time champions Uruguay to a 2-2 draw. The result leaves both teams on two points behind group leaders Spain, who strengthened their position with a 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia.

22-06-2026 11:07

FIFA Boss Infantino Faces Questions on Eve of World Cup

Infantino is likely to face tough questions about sky-high ticket prices and an immigration crackdown that has seen a top referee, fans and team officials barred from co-hosts the United States.The head of world football's governing body will give a rare press conference in Mexico City, where co-hosts Mexico play South Africa on Thursday in the opening match at the Estadio Azteca.The 2026 men's World Cup has been expanded to 48 teams and is the biggest and most ambitious in the event's history, with matches also taking place in Canada.But the refusal of US immigration authorities to allow Somali referee Omar Artan, one of Africa's leading match officials, into the country underlined fears that Donald Trump's immigration policy could leave deep scars on the football extravaganza.Artan said the "biggest dream of my life" had been ripped away after he was turned back at the US border."I am very, very disappointed," Artan told The New York Times."I'm just simply a referee who's trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup."Artan, who was named the 2025 men's referee of the year by the Confederation of African Football, would have been the first Somali to officiate at a World Cup.He said he was subjected to an 11-hour interview with border officials at Miami International Airport and then detained for several further hours in a holding cell before being put on a flight back to Turkey."I had the right papers and everything. I had the right visa," he added -- an assertion confirmed to AFP by a Somali government advisor.A US State Department official alleged to AFP that the referee was "associated with suspected members of terrorist organizations", therefore "making the traveler ineligible for admission to the United States".Artan returned to a hero's welcome in Mogadishu and vowed to take part in the next tournament in 2030."I will be at the next World Cup and will continue to make Somalia proud... Despite what has happened to me, I am not discouraged," Artan told more than 100 supporters and journalists at Mogadishu's main airport.Meanwhile, concerns were rising that the curtainraiser in Mexico City could be disrupted by social unrest.Protesters Tuesday blocked an avenue leading to the Estadio Azteca although lines of police prevented the demonstrators from reaching the stadium.Thousands took part in the demonstration following a week of action that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has called a "provocation."Sheinbaum has said that the opening match was "guaranteed," though the left-leaning leader again ruled out using police to repress the demonstrations.On the pitch, Argentina's superstar Lionel Messi scored moments after coming off the bench on Tuesday to dispel any injury doubts and help the holders win their final warm-up game.The 38-year-old Messi had not featured for Argentina in the build-up to their title defence after injuring a hamstring playing for Inter Miami in late May.He was introduced as a substitute with 20 minutes left to huge acclaim from a capacity 88,000 crowd against Iceland in Auburn, Alabama, and his clever through ball played in Lautaro Martinez, who was fouled in the box.Messi, who drove Argentina to their third World Cup crown in Qatar four years ago and is set to feature in his sixth World Cup, lashed in the penalty to help the reigning champions ease to a 3-0 win.Argentina's first match is on June 16, against Algeria in Kansas City.Along with Spain, France and England, Argentina are among the favourites to win the title.Messi is set to feature in his sixth World Cup.

10-06-2026 16:46

With no team in World Cup, China fans rally around a red card-happy referee

With its national team failing to qualify again for the World Cup, China's football fans have adopted a referee as the country's star representative at the tournament, which begins on Thursday.Ma Ning, 46, has sparked viral memes and attracted sponsorships from major Chinese brands, including tech company Lenovo and electronics giant Hisense.Ma is known for his stern style. At a 2015 match in Shanghai, he dished out nine yellow cards and three red ones – a milestone in his refereeing career that earned him the nickname "card master".This will be his second World Cup appearance since his debut in Qatar four years ago, when he served as a fourth official who assisted the referee off pitch.Topics related to Ma have generated millions of views on RedNote and other Chinese social media platforms, with some users rooting for him, and others lamenting about the state of sport in China."We have Ma Ning, who do you have?" one RedNote user wrote."Other countries get to watch their own teams play, while we'll watch our referee issue cards," another declared.Ma is now in Miami for a 10-day officials' camp, where he is joined by two other Chinese representatives, assistant referee Zhou Fei and video assistant referee Fu Ming.Both Zhou's and Fu's roles involve supporting the main referees from the sidelines.Ma has been certified as a referee by FIFA, the global governing body for football, since 2011. He also lectures at the Nanjing Sport Institute.To document his upcoming World Cup journey, he started an account on RedNote, China's Instagram-like platform, two weeks ago, and has readily gained 197,000 followers.His first post on the platform showed him fishing out a little red book from the front pocket of his referee tee, a reference to the platform's Chinese name and how he's known for handing out red cards, which expel a player from a match for severe violations.A subsequent post was a video clip showing him packing his suitcase and working out in the gym in preparation for his World Cup duties. The clip, featuring dramatic music, includes a Lenovo tablet among other products."I take up this appointment with confidence and composure. World Cup, here we come," he wrote in the caption.China has failed to qualify for the World Cup since its first appearance at the tournament in 2002, when it was eliminated in the group stage without scoring a single point.Over the last two decades, Chinese football has been plagued with a funding crisis and widespread corruption which have resulted in lifetime bans for some players, referees and club officials.

10-06-2026 12:00

Iran's football team granted visas to enter US for World Cup, officials say

Iran's football team has been granted visas to enter the US ahead of the the World Cup next week, US officials have confirmed.The approval comes just 10 days before the team's opening fixture against New Zealand, due to be held in Los Angeles on 15 June."The visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup, including for athletes and necessary support staff, have been issued," officials said.They added that the US would not allow the Iranian team to "abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretenses".The Iranian football federation is yet to publicly comment on the visa approvals.The FIFA World Cup 2026 is set to kick off on 11 June, and will be hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.It will be the first iteration of the competition to see a host nation receive the team of a country it is at war with.In late May, Iran moved its training base to Mexico from Tucson, Arizona, which Mehdi Taj, president of Iran's soccer federation, said was due to visa problems.As recently as Friday, Fars news agency reported that some members of the Iran team's technical and administrative staff had not received a visa to enter the US.Earlier this week, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, told lawmakers Iran's football delegation would not be allowed to include individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards - a powerful branch of the Iranian armed forces.Several players in the Iranian squad have completed mandatory military service with the group.

06-06-2026 13:17

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