Aside from the Messi incident, the referees have made their uncompromising statement.

Neymar, an outspoken supporter of former President Jair Bolsonaro, has been recovering from a calf injury for a month and has yet to play at the World Cup.

"I can't wait to get back dancing with the ball again and to write a new story with Ignazio Cipriani (the Italian-American owner of Ravenna) and his entire family," Gazzetta quoted Ronaldinho as saying.

Substitute Deniz Undav scored twice, including the crucial goal four minutes into injury time, triggering a massive roar from the overwhelmingly pro-German crowd of 43,000 in Toronto.

Cody Gakpo and Brian Brobbey both scored twice as the rampant Netherlands thrashed Sweden 5-1 in a World Cup warning on Saturday in Houston.

For decades, football has been increasingly defined by numbers. Possession, shots, expected goals (xG), completed passes and touches inside the opposition box have become the modern language of football analysis.

Brazil shrugged off their World Cup opener disappointment with a 3-0 win over Haiti in their second Group C outing at the Philadelphia Stadium yesterday, but it was still not the resounding performance expected from a side chasing a record-extending sixth world title.

Shorna Akter played a brilliant late cameo before spinners Nahida Akter and Shanjida Akter Meghla claimed three wickets apiece as Bangladesh secured a crucial 23-run victory over Pakistan in their third Group A match of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup at The Rose Bowl in Southampton on Saturday.

Dalot also revealed that the players were deliberately shielding themselves from the backlash on social media.

Renard faces an immediate test against a Japan side he regards as Asia's best.

The 62 shots combined were the most without a goal in any two-match span in the World Cup on record in data collected since 1966.

As the weekend’s action across Canada, Mexico and the United States begins to give the group standings some shape, so the calculators will come out to start determining what the minimum requirement will be to advance to the last 32.

Morocco have a natural scorer leading their attack in Ismael Saibari, who lashed home from an angle after 71 seconds against Scotland – the quickest strike of this year’s World Cup.

At this rate, the 2026 edition is on a direct trajectory to shatter the all-time World Cup record of 12 defensive mishaps, set during the 2018 tournament in Russia.

In the third minute of first-half stoppage time, Almiron was sent off after covering his mouth while speaking to Turkey defender Mert Muldur during a confrontation. The dismissal was issued under one of the new FIFA regulations introduced for the 2026 World Cup.

History will be made in another of Saturday's games as Japan face Tunisia in Monterrey, Mexico for the 1,000th game at a World Cup.

The 25-year-old believes playing county cricket in England, particularly with the Duke ball in seam- and swing-friendly conditions, will be a valuable learning experience.

Matias Galarza and Ismael Saibari registered the quickest goals of these global finals. The Paraguay midfielder scored after merely 64 seconds against Turkey, while the Morocco forward was on target after 69 against Scotland.

Bangladesh will draw confidence from their recent success against Pakistan in white-ball cricket when they face their South Asian rivals in a crucial Women's T20 World Cup on Saturday.

Abdus Sadeque, a pioneering figure in Bangladesh hockey, passed away on Sunday morning at a hospital in Dhaka.