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The UAE shooting community is mourning the loss of national team athlete Fatima Mohammed Ali Mubarak Al Shibli, who passed away after a battle with illness.Fatima was one of the country's leading trap shooters and
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Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo found himself at the centre of an online debate after a brief moment before taking a crucial penalty during his side's dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia in the FIFA World Cup
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Cristiano Ronaldo scored the first World Cup knockout-stage goal of his career, Goncalo Ramos netted a stoppage-time header and Portugal got a last-second break on an offside call to beat Croatia 2-1 on Thursday and set up a last-16 clash with Spain.Croatia looked to have equalised at the end, leaving Ronaldo crestfallen on the bench, but the last-gasp effort was ruled offside after a video assistant referee review, prompting the team's supporters in the south end of Toronto Stadium to shower the pitch with debris."It's difficult because it's a game if you don't win, you go home," said Ramos. "But for me, especially, I love those types of moments, I love those types of games, I want to play every game like that, I want to be in the big moment."It was Josko Gvardiol who thought he had equalised for Croatia in the 103rd minute but a review showed the ball had touched Igor Matanovic on the way through, which made Gvardiol offside."We didn't deserve this sort of finish," said Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic. "It's never easy when you concede a goal in the last minutes of the match but we should have resolved this differently."Ronaldo, 41, became the oldest player to score in the knockout stage of a World Cup when he fired home from the spot to draw Portugal level in the 68th minute of a pulsating game before substitute Ramos rose above the Croatia defenders in the fourth minute of stoppage time.The goal for Ronaldo, who was taken out of the game by coach Roberto Martinez in the 81st minute, was his first in a World Cup knockout game.Ivan Perisic had put Croatia in front when he brought down a pass from Josip Stanisic and coolly fired home at the far post in the 53rd minute as the game opened up considerably with incredible back-and-forth action. PORTUGAL DOMINATE FIRST HALF Portugal dominated possession in the first half but struggled to convert their chances on a night when a breeze off Lake Ontario offered reprieve from the sweltering heat that blanketed the city for much of the day.Ronaldo, booed heavily by Croatia supporters every time he touched the ball, failed to get his head on an early Pedro Neto cross and then he and Bruno Fernandes were unable to take advantage of a deep cross from Joao Cancelo. Croatia, World Cup runners-up in 2018 and third in 2022, came roaring out of the restart and had Portugal on the back foot as Mateo Kovacic picked up a loose ball and went through the defenders but his shot hit the side of the net not long before they opened the scoring.Nikola Vlasic thought he had Croatia's second but was ruled offside after poking the ball in before Portugal stormed back down the field where Rafael Leao drilled a shot from outside the area that slammed off the crossbar.Ronaldo nearly scored when he coolly flicked the ball over the goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic and into the net but was ruled offside.The Portugal captain finally got his moment in the 68th minute when he fired a penalty straight down the middle of the goal after Renato Veiga was pulled down in the area by Vlasic. EMOTIONAL RONALDO PUTS ON JOTA SHIRT AFTER THE MATCHPortugal took to the pitch with heavy hearts as the match was played a day before the one-year anniversary of the death of their forward Diogo Jota in a car crash.An image of Jota in his No. 21 shirt was shown on video boards at Toronto Stadium after the playing of Portugal's national anthem. Portuguese supporters then gave a standing ovation in honour of Jota in the 21st minute.After the game an emotional Ronaldo put on Jota's red No. 21 shirt while fighting back tears."We won for us, Diogo and Portugal. Let's Go," Ronaldo posted on his official Instagram account.Portugal's Martinez also spoke about Jota. "Several beautiful symbols of power and energy and what Jota meant for the team," the coach said."He was someone who believed, and we have responsibility for Diogo and we are going to keep doing this."The last Toronto-based game of the global showcase was a marquee all-European clash featuring two ageless wonders going head-to-head and it was Ronaldo who kept his hopes for an elusive World Cup alive while Luka Modric was left to ponder his international future.Ronaldo, who shared a moment on the pitch with Modric after the match, said he hopes the man who has featured in each of Croatia's last 23 matches at the World Cup has more football left in him."I spoke with him. He's a legend of football," Ronaldo said of Modric. "Played so many years together with him at Real Madrid. I wish him all the best and I hope he continues to play."Portugal and Croatia have massive diaspora populations in the Greater Toronto Area and thousands of their supporters braved stifling heat as they danced their way to the stadium for the highly anticipated first World Cup meeting between the two nations.By the time the game kicked off, the temperature had dropped considerably from the day's earlier high of 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) that convinced officials to cancel a watch party outside Toronto City Hall.Portugal will face Spain on Monday in Dallas with the winner moving on to play Belgium or the United States in the quarter-final. Related Story
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Mikel Oyarzabal scored his third and fourth goals of the World Cup and Spain eased into the last 16 with a 3-0 victory over Austria on Thursday afternoon in Inglewood, Calif.Pedro Porro added his first-ever goal for Spain after halftime, a header that, for all intents and purposes, ensured victory against an opponent that rarely threatened.Fullback Marc Cucurella assisted both of Oyarzabal’s goals for La Roja, which outshot Das Team 23-5 overall and led 10-0 in efforts on target.That was more than enough to secure a round of 16 meeting with the winner of Portugal and Croatia, who play later on Thursday in Toronto.Spain have now outscored their opponents 8-0 while continuing their run as one of two teams yet to concede at this World Cup, alongside Mexico.Austria remain in search of their first knockout stage World Cup victory since their third-place finish in 1954. They last advanced beyond the initial group stage in 1982, when there was a second group phase before the semifinals and finals.Spain's 18-year-old star Lamine Yamal played 85 minutes in his longest outing since mid-April following a hamstring tear that ended his club season early.And while he had some frustrating near-misses in attempting to add his second goal of the tournament, it ultimately didn't matter.Spain had an earlier apparent goal waved off for a foul on Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager before taking the lead through Oyarzabal in the 36th minute.Pedri made the run up the middle before playing the ball wide to Cucurella on the left. Cucurella dragged his cross low toward the penalty spot where Oyarzabal met it with a simple low finish.Porro made it 2-0 in the 66th minute on arguably Spain's best attack of the match. This time it was Cucurella in the middle winning a 50-50 ball following an Austrian tackle and playing the ball wide to Alex Baena, who curled in a tempting short cross.Porro may not have scored a national team goal before, but he certainly looked the part, arriving in the box at the right time to guide an easy header across the line.Cucurella connected with Oyarzabal again in the 89th minute and the Real Sociedad forward became the fourth player at the tournament to score multiple goals in multiple games. The others? Argentina's Lionel Messi, France's Kylian Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland. Related Story
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Dan Ndoye of Switzerland celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match against Algeria at BC Place Vancouver on July 02, 2026 in Vancouver, British Columbia. (AFP)
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Mohamed Salah of Egypt participates in the training session yesterday ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match against Australia at SMU in Dallas, Texas.(AFP) Egypt coach Hossam Hassan cast doubt on whether talisman Mohamed Salah will start their World Cup last-32 showdown with Australia on Friday in Texas following a hamstring problem.Salah took part in training with the rest of the squad in Dallas on Thursday, albeit a lighter session in front of the cameras.The 34-year-old former Liverpool superstar was forced off the pitch in the 57th minute of Egypt's final group game, a 1-1 draw with Iran a week ago.The striker placed an icepack under his left thigh, throwing his participation against the Socceroos in doubt."We tried to introduce him to partial training yesterday only," Hassan said on Thursday, the eve of the match at the home of the Dallas Cowboys."He is very much looking forward to making his own contribution tomorrow."On the other hand, I am not going to run any risk unless I am 100 percent sure he is fit and raring to go tomorrow."Not so sure if he will be in the starting line-up."Egypt are looking to make more history for their country in Texas.They earned the first World Cup win in their history by beating New Zealand 3-1 in the group phase.Hassan said he was wary of the height and pace of Tony Popovic's Australia, especially when it comes to set-pieces.Neither Australia nor Egypt have ever won a World Cup knockout match."We are well prepared to deal with everything we will face," said Hassan."We have been working hard for more than two years now with our style and personality."It is more than one player, it is a collective, and we aim to showcase this tomorrow."We aim to bring joy to our people, to Africa and to the Arab world."Powerhouses of African football with a record seven continental titles, Egypt struggled to make a dent on the global stage in three previous World Cups. Related Story
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Harry Kane of England waits for his team mates before the official team group during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match against Congo DR at Atlanta Stadium on July 01, 2026 in
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Team Visma | Lease a Bike's Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard attends the team presentation ceremony ahead of the 113th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, in Barcelona, northeastern Spain, on July 2, 2026.
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Decathlon CMA CGM Team's French rider Paul Seixas cycles through the streets of Barcelona during the team presentation ceremony ahead of the 113th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, in Barcelona, northeastern Spain,
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Former Australia captain Steve Waugh said on Thursday the new European T20 franchise competition would benefit from the presence of top stars and fast-track the growth of cricketers in the region.Waugh is among the owners of the Amsterdam Flames in one of the league's six franchises based in Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.'We have just seen how strong European cricket is. I mean (Ireland) just beaten world champions India 2-0 in a T20 series and that shows potential for cricket in Europe,' Waugh told Indian reporters in a video call after the conclusion of the ETPL player draft.'There are excellent players all throughout Europe, particularly Netherlands, Scotland and Ireland, and they will showcase their skills in this league.'The former batter said: 'We have got some world-class players in Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith and Tim David, and they will be rubbing shoulders with these guys for five or six weeks.''They are going to be fast-tracking their success with their knowledge, their mental application. This will be the best thing for European cricket that has ever happened,' he added. 36 PLAYERS SELECTEDThirty-six players from Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands have been selected across the franchises.India's Ravichandran Ashwin will be captain and mentor of Dublin Guardians, who are co-owned by Indian batting great Rahul Dravid.Ashwin, an off-spinner who ended his career with 537 Test wickets, said the ETPL will be key in spreading the sport globally.'There is an Olympics that's going to happen in a couple of years and if cricket as a game is serious about making it a global affair, I think the teams in this league will play a very crucial part in enabling that,' said Ashwin.'This is a really really exciting prospect. It is about Scottish players, about Dutch and about the Irish players and that is something we were very clear from the first day.'Los Angeles 2028 will see cricket returning to the Olympics for the first time since 1900, with a six-team T20 event in both the men's and women's game.The ETPL's inaugural edition will feature 32 matches from August 26 to September 20.
