Category: Sport

When Morocco surprisingly lost on penalties to Benin in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, falling short of a quarter-final spot, it was tempting to wonder whether Hervé Renard had lost his sheen. The Frenchman had nothing to prove at that level but this time his sureness of touch had deserted him and, fulfilling a […]

If the next evolutionary phase of Gareth Southgate’s football is truly upon us then it is Jude Bellingham who is making it possible. At Euro 2020 England lined up with two deep midfielders, Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips, sitting and protecting the defence. In Qatar, it is different. Rice is still there, giving others the […]

It was barely past 9am and Argentinians everywhere were emerging from being glued to their TV screens, squinting into the bright morning sun, many wondering out loud if they had just woken up from a nightmare. In fact, it was their dream of winning the World Cup that had just been given a merciless reality […]

Alex Murphy has found a community through football. His weekends are spent cheering on Ipswich Town, where he holds a season ticket, the Arsenal women’s team near his north London address, or playing five-a-side with his teams: Saka Potatoes and Olympique Mayonnaise. He has watched every World Cup since 2002 and enjoys the inclusivity of […]

A spirited 76ers team playing without Joel Embiid and James Harden spoiled Ben Simmons’ return to Philadelphia with a 115-106 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night. Simmons, who has been improving since an awful start to his Nets career, had 11 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds to the tune of steady boos. […]

For 18 minutes, the Socceroos dared to dream. For 18 minutes they had scored from open play at a World Cup for the first time since Brazil 2014, when Tim Cahill conjured that exquisite volley against the Netherlands. For 18 minutes they led a match at the finals, something not achieved since that same fixture […]

With 44 minutes gone at the vast, craning, wildly over-engineered Al Janoub Stadium, Kylian Mbappé did something extraordinary, perhaps even unique in modern World Cup history. Basically, he missed an open goal from six yards out. No great shakes. It happens. Ball, bounce, angles, collisions. This is still a kind of physical chaos. Mbappé’s miss […]