Ezri Konsa: I couldn’t watch deadline day as financial rules have ‘killed’ Villa
Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa could not watch any of Monday’s transfer deadline day action as he believes financial rules have “killed” his club.
England Sport News
England edge France 6-4 in chaotic World Cup bronze match
MIAMI: England beat France 6-4 in a chaotic World Cup third-place playoff on Saturday as Kylian Mbappe became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. Both teams had higher aspirations at the 2026 tournament but suffered painful semifinal exits — France were outplayed by Spain while England suffered a late collapse against Argentina. Both coaches made multiple changes for the match in the oppressive heat of Miami, with a host of stars on the bench at the start. England boss Thomas Tuchel left out Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham from his starting line-up while Deschamps, stepping down after 14 years at the helm, omitted Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele. Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice put England ahead with a goal from distance in the third minute and Ezri Konsa headed home to make it 2-0. Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise were a threat as France searched for a way back into the game but they found England’s second-choice goalkeeper Dean Henderson in top form. The game threatened to become embarrassing for France when Bukayo Saka made it 3-0 after a swift break. And it was 4-0 in first-half stoppage time when Saka scored his second goal of the game, celebrated with a fist pump by Tuchel. France coach Didier Deschamps told French TV channel M6 that the first-half display had been “catastrophic,” urging his men to show pride. He made four changes, bringing on Dembele, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Digne and Barcola and was rewarded almost instantly when Mbappe scored his ninth goal of the tournament to move clear of Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot standings. The game had now totally changed complexion and Barcola pulled another goal back, with Deschamps clenching his fist on the bench. Mbappe then netted his
France, England prepare for gloomy World Cup send-off
MIAMI: France and England will bid a gloomy farewell to the World Cup on Saturday when they face each other in the dreaded third-place play-off in Miami. Both teams head to Florida still raw from semifinal defeats that have left both footballing nations licking wounds, which, in the eyes of many, were largely self-inflicted. France, the tournament’s outstanding team en route to the last four, were anonymous in the face of a tactical masterclass by Spain on Tuesday and slumped to a 2-0 defeat. England added another chapter to their long history of World Cup heartache on Wednesday when they surrendered the initiative and a lead to lose 2-1 to Argentina in Atlanta. France and England must now attempt to summon the remnants of their competitive will and physical reserves for a game that is widely disliked throughout football. “None of our players and none of the French players want to play this match,” England manager Thomas Tuchel said after his team’s agonizing semifinal defeat. “They want to play the final. We gave everything to achieve that. Everyone plays to win the World Cup, but that’s how it is. “We have one less day of recovery than France, but we will do it with professionalism.”
Revamped England bowl in 2nd ODI against India
CARDIFF: England captain Harry Brook won the toss and elected to field in the second one-day international against India in Cardiff as the hosts bolstered their pace attack in a bid to level the three-match series. Spin-bowling all-rounder Liam Dawson, despite making an ODI best 68 during India’s six-wicket win in the first of a three-match series at Edgbaston on Tuesday, was dropped as was paceman Josh Tongue. Their places were taken by the seam-bowling duo of Gus Atkinson and Saqib Mahmood, with England on a run of 14 defeats in their last 20 ODIs. India, top of the ODI rankings, made one enforced change with Ishan Kishan replacing unwell wicket-keeper KL Rahul.
Harry Kane ‘gutted’ after England crash out of World Cup
ATLANTA: Harry Kane said he was “gutted” for England and their fans after his team were beaten 2-1 by defending champions Argentina in the World Cup semifinals on Wednesday. Anthony Gordon’s strike had put the Three Lions on the cusp of a first men’s World Cup final since they lifted the 1966 trophy but Lionel Messi inspired a dramatic turnaround in Atlanta. He set up Enzo Fernandez, who blasted home from outside the area, and provided an inch-perfect cross for Lautaro Martinez’s winner in stoppage time. “Gutted for the boys, gutted for everyone — the team, the staff, the fans,” England captain Kane told the BBC. “We played a good game, the large majority of it.
Argentina beat England 2-1 to reach World Cup final
ATLANTA: Reigning champions Argentina came from behind to beat England 2-1 on Wednesday and reach their second World Cup final in a row, where they will face Spain. Anthony Gordon put England ahead in the 55th minute but Enzo Fernandez equalized 30 minutes later and Lautaro Martinez headed in the winner in stoppage time from Lionel Messi’s cross. Argentina will have a chance to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups after Messi, 39, once again dragged his team to victory. The South Americans will face a Spain team in the final who beat France 2-0 in Tuesday’s semifinal.
Local ‘hero’: Bellingham’s hometown buzzing ahead of semifinal clash
STOURBRIDGE, UK: As England gears up for the World Cup semifinal Wednesday, there will be one name on everyone’s lips: Jude Bellingham, the star midfielder who powered the Three Lions through to the marquee clash against Argentina. In packed stadiums in North America and pubs back home, people belt out the Beatles’ “Hey Jude” and don t-shirts with slogans like “Bend it like Bellingham” — a play on the iconic 2000s film “Bend it like Beckham.” But nowhere is the 23-year-old midfielder more feted than his hometown of Stourbridge, a quiet market town in central England, west of Birmingham. Wheeling his bike past the town’s shopping center, retiree Keith Hall blows a kiss toward a superhero comic-style mural of Bellingham. “He’s a local lad,” Hall told AFP, adding Bellingham “keeps in touch with his roots” despite now playing for Real Madrid. Bellingham launched his football career playing for the Stourbridge Juniors, before joining Birmingham City’s youth side and becoming the club’s youngest first-team player. “It doesn’t surprise me that he’s become an international sensation because he’s the coolest man currently living,” gushed grocery store worker Sam Holden, 21. “Harry Kane obviously can kind of save us in our time of need, but Jude Bellingham can just take us to the heights that England absolutely are capable of reaching.” A regional railway company is offering passengers named “Jude” free travel in Stourbridge this week. “We look forward to inviting Judes from across the region for a free ride on the Stourbridge Shuttle,” said Jonny Wiseman from the West Midlands Railway. The fever has spread beyond the area, known as Black Country, with a railway station in southeast London briefly renamed to “Jude Bellingham”
Messi is a win away from photo reunion with Lamine Yamal 19 years in the making
DUBAI: Lionel Messi is one victory away from one of the most remarkable reunions in World Cup history.
Argentina and England collide with World Cup final spot at stake
ATLANTA: Lionel Messi’s Argentina clash with England in a marquee World Cup semifinal on Wednesday, with Spain lying in wait after shattering French hopes of a third triumph. The fixture between two of the big beasts of global football is mouthwatering enough but is given added spice by long-standing political tensions. Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina are seeking to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups, which would be a staggering send-off for the incomparable Messi. The 39-year-old, joint top of the Golden Boot standings with eight goals, inspired his team to victory in Qatar in 2022 in what was expected to be his final hurrah on football’s biggest stage. But he is back for more and has played a pivotal role in dragging his team to the semifinals, scoring in hard-fought 3-2 victories against Cape Verde and Egypt. Three-time champions Argentina will be taking on a different class of opponent in Atlanta compared with teams they have faced so far, even if England have only sparkled intermittently. Thomas Tuchel’s men have relied on the brilliance of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, who have scored 12 of England’s 13 goals. The sides will meet for the first time in a competitive match since the 2002 World Cup. Tuchel said he did not feel extra pressure despite the historic nature of the fixture as England target a first World Cup final since they won the tournament in 1966. “I don’t feel a burden,” he said.