Merino strikes late as Spain beat Belgium to set up France World Cup …

Los Angeles, United States: Super sub Mikel Merino broke Belgian hearts and sent Spain through to a World Cup semi-final against France with a late goal in a gripping 2-1 win on Friday. playerbros.org

The stunning finish at SoFi Stadium sets up a tantalizing showdown between European champions Spain and the tournament favorites France and the red-hot Kylian Mbappe in Dallas on Tuesday.

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But it was heartbreak for Belgium's substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens, sent on late, who spilled a shot into the path of Merino.

The dramatic finale came after Fabian Ruiz had opened the scoring for Spain, before Charles De Ketelaere grabbed one back for Belgium against the run of play before halftime.

Welcoming Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku back to the starting XI, Belgium were rocked by a hamstring injury during the warm-ups to captain Youri Tielemans that hit them hard.

Having already lost Amadou Onana to a ruptured ACL, the Red Devils would have to play a near second-choice midfield against the Spanish possession masters.

Ruiz, brought in for Pedri, wasted no time combining with Rodri to dominate the ball and Barcelona's teen sensation Lamine Yamal curled an early shot just wide of the far post.

But opposing winger Doku was bright for Belgium, cutting in from the left to feed De Ketelaere, the striker fresh from his brace against the United States on Monday.

Still, it was Spain who struck first. On the half-hour mark, Pedro Porro played a sharp one-two with Lamine Yamal before expertly cutting it back from near the byline to Dani Olmo.

Olmo's shot was parried by Thibaut Courtois, but fell to Ruiz, who fired it home.

Suddenly it was all Spain. They pinged passes around the Belgian half as though this World Cup quarter-final was a training exercise, laid on for an A-list crowd featuring Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz and Noel Gallagher.

But Belgium, having fought back astonishingly late from 2-0 down in the round-of-32 to dispatch Senegal, did not panic.

They grabbed one back in the 41st minute. De Bruyne slid a through ball wide to Timothy Castagne. His cross found De Ketelaere, who perfectly timed his run and outmuscled Barcelona youngster Pau Cubarsi to head home.

It was the first goal Spain had conceded this World Cup.

Improbably, Belgium almost grabbed another before half-time. Breaking from a Spain corner, De Ketelaere's pass to a totally clear Doku was barely intercepted by Olmo.

Yamal grew into the game after the break, nearly finding Mikel Oyarzabal with an incisive cross that was well blocked by a charging Courtois.

Belgian coach Rudi Garcia brought on veteran striker Romelu Lukaku, who had scored from the bench in three straight games.

The game opened up. A Belgian cross hit Rodri's arm but the impact was deemed accidental. Oyarzabal had a shot saved from a close, tight angle.

A tearful Courtois was forced off by injury after 70 minutes. He was replaced by Lammens, the 24-year-old Manchester United 'keeper making his World Cup debut in daunting circumstances.

It turned out to be a nightmare.

In the 88th minute, Cubarsi shot low from range, and Lammens should have held onto the ball. Instead substitute Mikel Merino was first to the rebound, smashing it home.

It was the Arsenal midfielder's second straight late winner from the bench, after he scored the crucial goal against Portugal in stoppage time on Monday.

Late on Alexis Saelemaekers rounded Unai, but was unable to find Lukaku in front of an open goal.

As the whistle blow, Courtois came out to embrace a distraught Lammens, while other members of Belgium's ageing "Golden Generation" stood immobile and disbelieving.

For Spain there were embraces and fist pumps, before attention quickly turns to their blockbuster clash with France.

واصل المنتخب الفرنسي مشواره نحو استعادة لقب كأس العالم، بعدما حجز مقعده في الدور نصف النهائي من مونديال 2026، إثر فوزه على المنتخب المغربي بهدفين دون رد، في المباراة التي جمعتهما أمس ضمن منافسات الدور ربع النهائي.
وعانى المنتخب الفرنسي في الشوط الأول بعدما أهدر قائده كيليان مبابي ركلة جزاء في الدقيقة 29، إثر تألق الحارس المغربي ياسين بونو الذي نجح في التصدي لها، ليبقي النتيجة متعادلة دون أهداف.
وفي الشوط الثاني، تمكن مبابي من تعويض إهداره لركلة الجزاء، بعدما افتتح التسجيل في الدقيقة 60، قبل أن يعزز عثمان ديمبلي تقدم “الديوك” بالهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 66، ليؤكد تفوق المنتخب الفرنسي ويحسم بطاقة التأهل إلى المربع الذهبي.
وبهذا الانتصار، ودع المنتخب المغربي “أسود الأطلس” منافسات كأس العالم 2026، بعد مشوار مميز في البطولة، فيما ينتظر المنتخب الفرنسي في الدور نصف النهائي الفائز من المواجهة المرتقبة بين منتخبي إسبانيا وبلجيكا.

London, United Kingdom: Czech ninth seed Linda Noskova reached her first Wimbledon semi-final with a 6-3, 7-5 win against Belgium's Elise Mertens on Wednesday.

Noskova dominated from start to finish in a last-eight clash lasting one hour and 50 minutes in searing temperatures on Court One.

The 21-year-old faces Ukrainian 12th seed Marta Kostyuk in Thursday's semi-finals.

In only her second Grand Slam quarter-final, following her run at the 2024 Australian Open, Noskova sealed a place in the last four of a Grand Slam for the first time.

In the lead up to Wimbledon, Noskova won the Berlin Open, her first grass-court title.

She has taken that impressive form into the All England Club, dispatching former Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the last 16 before brushing aside Mertens.

Having reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, Noskova is now just one win away from her maiden Grand Slam final.

"The feelings are incredible, like never before. This is what I am playing tennis for, these big stages and big matches," she said.

"I was a little bit nervous before the match, I am not going to lie. When I am putting pressure on myself that is usually when I play my best. I really enjoyed this match."

Mertens, 30, had been hoping to make the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time, but the 25th seed bowed out after a strong run featuring a win over second seed Elena Rybakina.

London: Smriti Mandhana's sparkling unbeaten fifty led India to 122-3 against England at lunch on the opening day of the inaugural women's Test at Lord's on Friday.

Mandhana was 56 not out after making a run-a-ball fifty including eight fours and a six, with India sent in to bat.

Harmanpreet Kaur, the India captain, was unbeaten on 14.

After 142 years -- and 150 matches -- of men's Test cricket at the London ground, this four-day fixture represents another landmark in the evolution of a now fast-developing women's game.

This match is also taking place 50 years after the first major women's match at Lord's, a one-day international between England and Australia.

Members of the England team that day gathered on the outfield Friday to ring the five-minute bell signalling the start of play.

In contrast to that 1976 team, England were playing their second match at Lord's in under a week following their defeat by arch-rivals Australia in Sunday's T20 World Cup final -- with India knocked out of the tournament by the eventual champions in a group-stage game at the same ground.

And in a feat women cricketers of the amateur era could scarcely have envisaged, Friday's match meant Mandhana became the youngest women to feature in 300 international games across all formats at the age of 29 years and 357 days.

But before Mandhana got going, opening partner Shafali Verma suffered the disappointment of a duck when well-caught by diving wicketkeeper Amy Jones off Lauren Filer.

Left-hander Mandhana, however, cover-drove Lauren Bell for several fours in classic style and also pulled the fast bowler to the boundary and later slog-swept spinner Sophie Ecclestone for six.

Yastika Bhatia (12) was bowled by a superb Bell delivery that swung in and seamed away.

But Jemimah Rodrigues helped Mandhana put on 64 for the third-wicket before she unluckily dragged on against Issy Wong for 35.

Doha, Qatar: After leading Egypt to the biggest victory in the country’s football history, Mohamed Salah revealed the message he gave his teammates before their dramatic penalty-shootout triumph over Australia: “This is a world stage. Show your footballing quality.”

History-making Egypt will need another performance of that calibre today when they take on reigning champions Argentina and Lionel Messi in a rare Round of 16 meeting between South America’s and Africa’s most decorated football nations at Atlanta Stadium.

The 16-time Copa America champions and seven-time Africa Cup of Nations winners meet at 7pm Qatar time with a quarter-final against Switzerland or Colombia at stake.

The Pharaohs have already rewritten their record books in North America. They secured their first-ever World Cup victory during the group stage, reached the knockout rounds for the first time and now stand one win away from becoming only the fifth African nation to reach the quarter-finals.

“We made history,” Salah said after the Australia victory.

“I spoke with my teammates and told them, ‘This is a world stage. Show your footballing quality.’ I’m very happy we won the match.”

The Liverpool star has inspired Hossam Hassan’s side throughout the tournament, combining leadership with creativity as Egypt emerged from Group G unbeaten before overcoming Australia in a tense shootout after a 1-1 draw.Argentina’s Lionel Messi takes part in a training session.

When asked about the prospect of facing Messi after that victory, Salah embraced the challenge.

“Everybody wants to play against the best players in the world,” he said.

This will also mark the first international meeting between Messi and Salah in national colours.

Hassan’s disciplined side have blended resilience with attacking quality throughout the tournament, refusing to be overawed on football’s biggest stage. Another composed display will be essential against a team chasing history of its own.

Argentina remain on course to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the World Cup, but Lionel Scaloni’s men were reminded in the Round of 32 that reputations alone guarantee nothing.

After cruising through the group stage with three straight wins, the holders were pushed to the limit by African debutants Cape Verde before eventually prevailing 3-2 after extra time. The scare exposed defensive vulnerabilities and ensured Argentina arrive with renewed focus.

Scaloni acknowledged the challenge awaiting his side, while midfielder Leandro Paredes also warned against underestimating the Africans.

“It will be a very difficult match. We are at the elite level of football and all national teams are very good and physical,” Paredes said.

Messi will once again be the focal point. The Argentina captain is enjoying another record-breaking World Cup and shares the Golden Boot lead with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland on seven goals. His influence has once again driven La Albiceleste, who have reached the Round of 16 at every World Cup since 2002.

Despite their rich football traditions, Argentina and Egypt have met only once before, with the South Americans winning a 2008 friendly 2-0.

Egypt’s dream run has already produced several firsts, and another upset would send the Pharaohs into uncharted territory, while Argentina seek to keep alive their second straight title bid.