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Egypt coach Hossam Hassan made some outrageous statements after the match against Argentina, accusing the organizers of wanting Argentina and Messi to remain in the World Cup for marketing purposes.Speaking at a press conference after
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England blew away India at Trent Bridge on Tuesday to inflict a record T20 defeat on the world champions and take a 2-0 lead in the series with two matches to play.Josh Tongue took 4-28 and Jofra Archer 3-29 as England’s pace attack powered them to a commanding 125-run victory.India, who came into the series off the back of a 2-0 series defeat to Ireland, were bowled out for just 76 in the third T20.The trouble started when Abhishek Sharma was caught for 10 at deep point by Phil Salt off Tongue.Then 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who hit two sixes in a five-ball 13, gloved Archer to Jos Buttler who took four catches and a stumping.India needed Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer to steady the ship but they departed in successive balls to catches from Jacob Bethell.Archer had the promoted Axar Patel caught behind with the final ball of the fifth over and India were reduced to the rubble of 52-5.There was no way back.England had built their total of 201-7 around an innings of 70 from Phil Salt. He played out a maiden from Arshdeep Singh in the first over of the innings before accelerating with three sixes in his 44-ball stay.Prince Yadav impressed in just his third T20 international with 2-30 including the wicket of Buttler for 36 with a beautiful inswinging yorker with his first ball. Harshit Rana removed Bethell and Tom Banton with successive deliveries but Sam Curran’s unbeaten 41 from 24 balls took England to a competitive total. BRIEF SCORESEngland 201 for 7 (Salt 70, Curran 41*, Prince 2-32) beat India 76 (Tongue 4-28, Archer 3-29) by 125 runs
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Egyptian players strongly criticized French referee François Letixet, who officiated the Pharaohs' match against Argentina, asserting that he caused their 2-3 loss and elimination from the World Cup in the round of 16.The referee disallowed
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Alexander Zverev and Flavio Cobolli bid to set up a rematch of their French Open final on Wednesday at Wimbledon, with Taylor Fritz and Britain's new hero Arthur Fery standing in their way.Former Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini faces Marta Kostyuk in the women's last eight looking to continue her return to form.AFP Sport looks at the quarter-final action on the 10th day of the tournament (x denotes seeding):Flavio Cobolli (ITA x9) v Arthur Fery (GBR)Fery leads head-to-head 1-0 ** Cobolli impressed in a straight-sets victory over fifth seed Alex de Minaur in the fourth round, reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals for a second straight year.The Italian is hoping to actually play in a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time, after his last-four opponent, Matteo Arnaldi, withdrew injured in Cobolli's maiden last four appearance at the recent French Open.Cobolli lost the Roland Garros final in five sets to Zverev and could face the German again in the semis in London.He was not anticipating another deep run at the start of the tournament, needing an Italian family to 'give him a house in Wimbledon' after not booking his original accommodation for long enough.Cobolli will be a heavy favourite against British wildcard Fery, the lowest-ranked man to reach the quarter-finals since Nick Kyrgios in 2014.But world number 114 Fery won their one other meeting in this year's Australian Open first round, his only previous match win at a Grand Slam.'I played really well in Australia,' said Fery. 'Felt like I dominated the match. So we'll use that experience for Wednesday.'Taylor Fritz (USA x6) v Alexander Zverev (GER x2)Fritz leads head-to-head 10-5 ** Zverev has followed up winning his maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros by reaching his first-ever Wimbledon quarter-final.But the second seed may not be the favourite against big-serving American Fritz, despite his excellent form.Fritz has won their last seven meetings and boasts a strong grass-court record, playing in the last eight at Wimbledon for the fourth time in five years.He lost in the semis 12 months ago to Carlos Alcaraz and will have high hopes of reaching a second Slam final and first since the 2024 US Open.Marta Kostyuk (UKR x12) v Jasmine Paolini (ITA x13)Paolini leads head-to-head 2-1 ** Paolini plays in her first major quarter-final since reaching the Wimbledon final two years ago, after an accomplished victory over Filipina rising star Alexandra Eala.Paolini had struggled for form this season before arriving in London, and appeared to be slipping towards another early exit when she lost her first set of the tournament 6-0 to world number 195 Robin Montgomery.The popular Italian will face a tough test against Kostyuk, who has translated her strong clay-court form onto grass after reaching the French Open semi-finals.'I'm enjoying playing tennis. Of course, it's easier when you play well,' said Paolini, who was also the runner-up at Roland Garros in 2024.'But I think it's important to try to keep this mindset, even when things are tougher.'Linda Noskova (CZE x9) v Elise Mertens (BEL x25)First meeting ** Czech youngster Noskova has enjoyed an excellent grass-court campaign, matching her best run at a Grand Slam tournament after also winning her second WTA title in Berlin.The 21-year-old is the highest seed left in her half of the draw after shock defeats for Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina.'It's very open. It's a Grand Slam. Everybody wants to have the best result in their career. Everybody wants to win it,' said Noskova.Belgium's Mertens is in her first Slam quarter-final since the 2020 US Open and hopes to match her run to the 2018 Australian Open semis.
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* Gauff beats Pegula to reach Wimbledon semis for first time* Zverev finishes off Lehecka after wobble* Muchova sends Osaka packing after deepest run American Coco Gauff and Germany's Alexander Zverev both broke new ground at Wimbledon on Tuesday but Naomi Osaka's title hopes evaporated on a boiling hot day at the All England Club.Hot weather warnings might have furrowed the brow of men's defending champion Jannik Sinner but he tamed German veteran Jan-Lennard Struff 7-5 7-6(4) 6-3 to reach the semi-finals.Seventh seed Gauff's relationship with grass has been lukewarm since she made her Wimbledon debut as a 15-year-old in 2019 and had never gone past the fourth round.The bond is clearly getting stronger though as she proved with a composed 4-6 6-3 6-3 victory over American number one Jessica Pegula on Centre Court.OSAKA'S BID FOR FIFTH MAJOR HALTEDZverev, whose Wimbledon ceiling had also previously been the fourth round, returned to finish off dangerous Czech Jiri Lehecka to reach his first quarter-final there.The 29-year-old had been three games from victory on Monday evening before being snagged by Wimbledon's curfew and despite allowing Lehecka back into the match on the resumption he completed a 6-4 7-5 3-6 7-6(6) win.He will be back on court on Wednesday to face American Taylor Fritz in a battle of the 140 mph servers.Japan's Osaka's outfits and tennis have sparkled in equal measure at this year's Championships, and her dominant victory over world number one Aryna Sabalenka on Sunday had many predicting she could go on and win a fifth Grand Slam title.The 14th seed ran into inspired Czech Karolina Muchova in the quarter-finals on Tuesday, however, losing 7-6(4) 6-4.On a day of personal bests, Muchova also ensured her deepest Wimbledon run after twice falling in the last eight and she will now stand in the way of Gauff.GAUFF'S GRASS DROUGHT ENDINGMuchova could be joined in the semi-finals by a second Czech on Wednesday when Linda Noskova plays Elise Mertens.Gauff's progress at this year's Wimbledon has been far from smooth, dropping sets in three of her four matches.But she is finding ways to win. Friend and doubles partner Pegula, playing her first ever match on Centre Court, looked the more assured player for a set and a half on Tuesday but Gauff solved the puzzle for an impressive victory."Pretty insane, honestly," was Gauff's immediate reaction to the win. "Considering how I hadn't won a match on grass in two years before this tournament, I'm definitely just really happy with how I played today."Zverev lost 12 of the first 13 points as he resumed at 3-3 in the third set against Lehecka and looked heavy-legged as all his good work on Monday appeared to be unravelling.But he steadied the ship and despite serving a double-fault on match point in the fourth-set tiebreak, he got it done."Who would have thought it's only taken me 12 years to get (to my first Wimbledon quarter-final), but I'm incredibly happy and relieved. But of course I want to play three more matches," he said on a paint-peeling day in London SW19.NO SWEAT FOR SINNERSinner's second-round meltdown in a Parisian heatwave a few weeks ago has raised doubts about the red-haired Italian's ability to operate in extreme temperatures.He never managed to find top gear against Grand Slam quarter-final debutant Struff and things might have got sweaty if he had not saved a set point in the second set.But, ultimately his precision serving eased him through to his 10th Grand Slam semi-final and a possible collision with seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.Djokovic was in action against Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in the day's final singles action. Related Story
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Aaron Rai, who won the Scottish Open in 2020, arrives as a first-time major winner following his breakthrough triumph at the PGA Championship in May. Former Genesis Scottish Open champion Aaron Rai isn't too concerned by the changes made to the course at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick.While the eighth, ninth, 17th and 18th holes will remain the same, the rest of the course effectively will flip, with the first to seventh playing as the 10th to 16th, and 10th to 16th playing as first to seventh."There's not been a huge amount of change to the golf course itself, an extra couple of bunkers, nothing huge in terms of design," Rai told reporters on Tuesday."I think it's likely to impact the flow of the course and how it feels. I think there will be pockets of holes -- pockets of difficult holes that seem to be closer together and then pockets of holes that provide a little bit more opportunity. "So I don't know what the reason is behind the rerouting, but I'm presuming that's part of it just to create that balance and flows within the course, some of which are very challenging and some of which give you a little more opportunity. I think it can be a really good change."Rai, who won the tournament in 2020, arrives as a first-time major winner following his breakthrough triumph at the PGA Championship in May.The 31-year-old Englishman followed that up with top-20 finishes at the Memorial (T19) and U.S. Open (T11) before tying for 30th at the Travelers Championship."It's been great," Rai said when asked to describe life as a major champion. FOUR EVENTS BACK-TO-BACK"It was really nice initially to have a couple of weeks away from tournaments just to try to sit with it a little bit more," he said. "I then played four events back-to-back, which again was really good to try to get into some normal habits and routines around the game."And then last week was the first time I was back in the U.K., so great to see friends, family. Managed to go to Wimbledon over the weekend, which was amazing to experience. So yeah, a pretty busy few weeks since the PGA but yeah, very good overall."With The Open Championship looming on the horizon next week, Rai is excited to return to links-style golf."Such a different style to what we're used to for the rest of the year (on the PGA Tour)," he said. "Personally, I really enjoy the variety, and that's generally because of the conditions that we face in links golf, a lot of different ball flights, a lot of different shapes. So many options around the green."So I think it's a real test of skill and creativity. Those are my biggest draws of links golf, this style of golf." Related Story
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Jon Rahm says: "It's great to play a links golf event before a links golf event." Jon Rahm hopes the local accents are all he struggles with this week when the LIV Golf star tees it up at the Genesis Scottish Open.The tournament, co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, begins on Thursday at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick. Eligible as a DP World Tour member, Rahm is playing in his first non-major PGA Tour event since the 2023 Tour Championship.The 31-year-old Spaniard has enjoyed a lot of success playing links golf, including two wins in the Irish Open (2017, 2019) and a runner-up finish at The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool in 2023."A victory on Scottish soil would be fantastic," Rahm told reporters on Tuesday. "As a European, understanding where it came from, and links golf, (joining) a list of great champions in the Scottish Open would be something that would be really, really exciting."Rahm has two wins and four runner-up finishes on the LIV Golf tour this season. The two-time major winner also tied for second at the PGA Championship in May.Rahm also missed the cut at last month's U.S. Open and finished T55 in his last appearance in the Scottish Open in 2022. He's hoping for a better result as he prepares for The Open Championship next week at Royal Birkdale. 'GREAT TO PLAY A LINKS GOLF EVENT'"It's great to play a links golf event before a links golf event, and playing in the weather and the fescue grass and different than what we are playing year around," he said.Rahm was asked what makes a good links player."I just think you need to have a great understanding of spin, trajectory, control, and how the ball reacts on the fairway and on the greens, right," he said. "You can usually, except a few holes here with some trees, where you can start the ball whatever you want, you hit whatever shot shape you feel like hitting or you can be as aggressive or as passive as you want to be."It all depends on your ability to understand how you can hit the shot, how the elements are going to affect how the ball is going to react once it lands on the fairway, on the green. I know it sounds like a lot but essentially it comes to what I understand as trajectory and spin control, mainly on to the greens." THINGS OUT OF CONTROLA few things are out of Rahm's control, including the future of LIV Golf. He said LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil's search for investors has not included reaching into Rahm's wallet."As far as putting my money into it, they have not asked me to do that yet," he said. "So I don't know if they will or not. It's not something that they have asked me but there has been many different avenues to try to make it different, what we've had till now."For now, Rahm is focused on getting a better feel for the course -- and the language."The lad that drove me from the airport, I was a bit too sleepless on the flight, and he was very kind, and I could not understand 90 percent of what he told me on that hour drive," Rahm said. Related Story
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Afghanistan's paceman Shapoor Zadran prepares to bowl during the 2015 World Cup Pool A match against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground on March 13, 2015. Shapoor Zadran died July 7 after a prolonged illness.
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Tom Brady Gotta Tip My Cap To Messi, Argentina Greatest Comeback Ever?!? Published July 7, 2026 11:58 AM PDT Greatness recognizes greatness ... and Tom Brady was so impressed with Lionel Messi and Argentina's win
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* Argentina trailed 2-0 after Ibrahim and Zico scored for Egypt* Messi squandered a first-half penalty and became the first player to miss two at one World Cup* Argentina face Colombia or Switzerland in Saturday's quarter-final in Kansas City Lionel Messi inspired Argentina to a remarkable World Cup comeback as they came from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2 in a dramatic last-16 game on Tuesday.The holders were 11 minutes from a shock defeat trailing 2-0, but goals from Cristian Romero, Messi and the winner two minutes into stoppage time from Enzo Fernandez kept them in the competition.Egypt had been on the brink of one of the great World Cup upsets after goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico. Messi had squandered an early penalty.The Africans fell apart in the closing stages, however, as Argentina's captain inspired his side in a dramatic turnaround.The 39-year-old, whose record World Cup goal haul is now up to 21, was again central to his country’s hopes and constantly probing for an opportunity but found his efforts stymied by determined defending until near the end of another thrilling match at the tournament.Messi, who was in floods of tears at the end, provided the cross from which Romero headed home to start the comeback.Four minutes later, Messi crashed home the equaliser after substitutes Lautaro Martinez and Gonzalo Montiel had both got touches to keep the ball away from Egyptian defenders.COUNTER-ATTACK WINNERThe winner came from a counter-attack as Lautaro Martinez crossed from the right and Fernandez cushioned a back-post header past goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir, who had done much earlier to keep his team in the game.Egypt felt they deserved a penalty before the breakaway and vociferously complained but to no avail.The North Africans were surprisingly attacking in the early stages, bucking their recent tendency of sitting back and looking for counter-attack opportunities, and they opened the scoring after 15 minutes.Emam Ashour attempted to tease his way past the Argentine defence on the right flank but, seeing no way through, passed back to Marwan Attia, who floated in a long cross that Ibrahim rose to easily head home.The lead should have only lasted four minutes as Haissem Hassan caught overlapping Argentine fullback Nicolas Tagliafico with a late tackle to give away a penalty.But it only served to mark the start of the goalkeeping heroics of Shoubir, whose dive to the left easily stopped a left-footed effort from Messi that was too close to the keeper.Messi became the first player to miss two penalties at a World Cup after also failing from the spot against Austria in the group phase.MIRACULOUS SAVES FROM EGYPT GOALKEEPERShoubir made a reflex stop to deny a point-blank header from Alexis Mac Allister in the 28th minute, and pulled off an even more extraordinary save six minutes from halftime to stop Julian Alvarez’s shot, stretching to turn the ball around the post.In between, Messi crashed a free kick against the post.Egypt had the ball in the net in the 62nd minute but Zico’s finish, after a sweeping move with Hassan’s trickery and Mohamed Salah’s pass, was chalked off after a VAR review found that Attia had fouled Lisandro Martinez in the build-up.But five minutes later, they swept further into the lead in similar circumstances. Salah swept the ball forward on the counter, Hassan took it to the byline, and Zico came storming in to finish the cutback pass.But once Egypt began to sit back, they invited Messi to perform his heroics and paid a heavy price.Argentina advanced to a Saturday quarter-final in Kansas City against the winners of the later game on Tuesday between Colombia and Switzerland in Vancouver. Related Story
