Global Pulse

分类： sports

  • Lamine Yamal condemns racist abuse aimed at Egypt

    Lamine Yamal condemns racist abuse aimed at Egypt

    An international friendly football match between Spain and Egypt in Barcelona has sparked widespread backlash after a section of fans directed Islamophobic and xenophobic chants at the Egyptian national team, drawing sharp condemnation from Spanish star winger Lamine Yamal, the country’s football governing body and head coach. The 0-0 draw, played on Tuesday at Espanyol’s RCDE Stadium, was originally scheduled to take place in Qatar but was relocated to Barcelona amid ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

    During the first half of the match, Spanish law enforcement confirmed that offensive, discriminatory chants targeting the Egyptian delegation were audible from the stands. Stadium officials attempted to intervene twice during the game: first at halftime, an on-screen warning was broadcast to spectators calling for an end to xenophobic language and chanting, with a second reminder displayed early in the second half. The intervention was met with boos and whistles from some fans in the crowd. Currently, Catalan law enforcement has launched a formal investigation into the recorded Islamophobic and xenophobic incidents.

    Eighteen-year-old Lamine Yamal, Spain’s breakout star who finished runner-up in the 2025 Ballon d’Or and was a key part of Spain’s 2024 European Championship winning squad, spoke out about the incident on his personal Instagram. As a practising Muslim, Yamal emphasized that even though the chants were aimed at the opposing Egyptian side rather than himself personally, the abuse remained unacceptable. “Using a religion as a taunt on the field makes you ignorant and racist,” Yamal wrote. “Football is for enjoying and cheering, not for disrespecting people for who they are or what they believe.”

    The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) echoed Yamal’s criticism in an official social media statement, releasing a firm rebuke of the discriminatory behavior. “The RFEF stands against racism in football and condemns any act of violence inside stadiums,” the federation said. Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente went a step further, calling the offensive chants “intolerable” and arguing that bad actors have exploited football platforms to spread hate. “Violent people use football to carve out a space for themselves. They must be removed from society, identified, and kept as far away as possible,” De la Fuente added.

    Beyond the off-pitch controversy, the match itself delivered a 0-0 stalemate that carried implications for Spain’s global ranking. De la Fuente made 10 changes to his starting lineup from Spain’s previous 3-0 friendly win over Serbia, with Yamal the only player retained in the starting XI. Egypt were missing star forward Mohamed Salah, who missed the fixture through injury. As co-hosts of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, Spain dropped out of the top spot in the men’s global FIFA rankings following the drawn result.

  • Devastated Italians reckon with ‘third apocalypse’ of World Cup failure

    Devastated Italians reckon with ‘third apocalypse’ of World Cup failure

    On a crisp spring morning in central Rome, 65-year-old Tommaso Silvestri leaned against a brick wall beside a neighborhood newsstand, his eyes drifting across bold, gloomy front pages dominated by headlines labeling Italy’s latest international football exit an “apocalypse,” “scandal,” and “disaster.”

    “We’ve made a real mess of it,” Silvestri told reporters, shaking his head in quiet disappointment. “We had players who couldn’t even find the target. The golden days of Italian football are well and truly gone.”

    The heartbreak unfolded Tuesday night in Zenica, where four-time World Cup champions Italy fell to a devastating 4-1 penalty shootout defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina, sealing the nation’s third consecutive elimination from World Cup qualification. The match turned against the Azzurri before halftime, when defender Alessandro Bastoni was sent off with a red card, reducing Italy to 10 men for the rest of regulation. A late equalizer from Moise Kean briefly sent Italian fans into a frenzy of hope, forcing the contest to penalties — only for Pio Esposito to miss the team’s opening spot kick, setting the stage for elimination.

    Italy’s run of international disappointment stretches back nearly two decades, dating to the team’s iconic 2006 World Cup title. Outside of a shock, beloved European Championship victory over England at Wembley in 2021, the Azzurri have consistently underperformed in major global tournaments, leaving long-time fans disheartened.

    “We are what our results say we are,” Silvestri said. “When you shoot and can’t even hit the goal, you’re not going to go far. When it comes to taking the game home, Italy just doesn’t get there anymore.”

    The defeat sparked immediate, fierce reaction across Italian political and civic circles. Senate president Ignazio La Russa, a senior leader of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy party, lamented the outcome in a public post on X.

    “Everything has a limit,” La Russa wrote. “We’re not going to the World Cup. We supported them, we hoped, we even railed against a couple of questionable refereeing decisions… but deep down we feared it. In fact, we knew it.”

    Prominent anti-mafia author Roberto Saviano, best known for *Gomorrah*, went further, pointing to deep-rooted systemic failures across every layer of Italian football, from top-level club governance to grassroots youth development.

    “Clubs are corrupt and at the mercy of criminal organisations. True laundering vaults,” Saviano wrote in an Instagram post. “No investment in young players, no care for second-generation talent. It’s easier to buy foreign players than to develop new athletes.”

    Across Rome, a city steeped in decades of Azzurri triumph, long-time supporters expressed deep anger and disillusionment. Seventy-one-year-old Giovanni Colli, sipping espresso at a sidewalk café near the Pantheon, told reporters he felt “betrayed” by the result.

    “Not going to the World Cup three times in a row, how on earth did it happen?” Colli said. “What a huge disappointment. Everyone should resign. Give the young players a chance.”

    The grief of the moment was captured by Azzurri head coach Rino Gattuso, a 2006 World Cup-winning midfielder who only took the national team job last June. A teary-eyed Gattuso struggled to hold back his emotions as he addressed reporters after the match, before retreating to the dressing room.

    “We don’t deserve this, it’s not fair. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it happen,” Gattuso said, his voice breaking. Despite the crushing defeat, he added that he remained proud of his team’s effort: “I’m proud of my boys and what they gave on the pitch.”

    Gattuso acknowledged the team’s missed opportunities, a recurring theme of the night. “When you have chances and don’t take them, football punishes you,” he said. “This hurts. We gave everything we could. It’s a real shock.”

    Elisabetta Esposito, a veteran sport journalist with leading Italian outlet *La Gazzetta dello Sport*, told the BBC that the defeat exposes a broader, long-running crisis in Italian football that will not be fixed with quick fixes. Esposito noted that loyalty to top domestic clubs increasingly overshadows national team pride, a shift that has eroded public support for the Azzurri.

    “The risk is that this third consecutive failure to qualify will deepen young people’s disengagement from the Azzurri,” Esposito said. “The disappointment is profound, but the country is not only disappointed but almost disillusioned. It’s as if a new generation no longer knows what it means to cheer for their country.”

    From a technical perspective, Esposito added, every part of the game broke down for Italy. The team lacked consistent chemistry built through long-term work together, and rushed, short-sighted decisions focused on immediate wins will not fix the underlying issues. “Rebuilding will require a long-term strategy,” she emphasized.

    Even casual observers across Italy acknowledged the weight of the moment. Walking her dog through a busy central Rome street, 56-year-old Teresa expressed surprise when told of the result, echoing the national sense of gloom. “Oh, we are not going to the World Cup? I don’t know much about football, but that’s a bit of disaster, isn’t it?”

  • Fun taken to new heights at ice-climbing center

    Fun taken to new heights at ice-climbing center

    Against the backdrop of a booming winter sports culture ignited by the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, a landmark new recreational facility has opened its doors in southwest China, bringing the high-adrenaline experience of ice climbing from remote mountain icefalls directly to urban enthusiasts.

    China’s first city-based indoor ice climbing venue, dubbed Ice Panda, welcomed its first official visitors in January 2026 after a three-month trial operation period, located within the Futian Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) commercial complex in Chengdu Future Science and Technology City, Sichuan province. Spanning 1,600 square meters, the purpose-built center centers around a 12.5-meter professionally engineered main ice wall, designed to accommodate climbers of every skill level with three distinct gradient options: a 60-degree gentle incline for new learners, a 79-degree steep slope for intermediate practitioners, and a challenging 90-degree vertical wall for seasoned athletes.

    For first-time participants, the center offers a 498 yuan ($72) one-hour beginner package that includes full professional gear rental, while experienced climbers can access the venue for 198 yuan per hour without equipment. Since its soft launch, the facility has drawn a steady stream of visitors ranging from young urban professionals seeking a novel stress-relief activity to dedicated climbing enthusiasts traveling from neighboring cities.

    Zhang Wei, a 28-year-old software engineer based in Chengdu and one of the center’s early visitors, described his experience as a transformative break from daily work pressure. “It’s so cool to go ice climbing right in the city,” he said. “The intense focus it demands, the cold air hitting your face, the sound of your tools biting deep into the ice… it completely clears your mind of all the daily stress that builds up at work.”

    A veteran climber who only gave his surname as Li traveled all the way from Chongqing, about 300 kilometers from Chengdu, to test the new venue. He noted that the facility solves a long-standing inconvenience for domestic ice climbing lovers. “The texture of the real ice immediately got me into the zone,” Li said. “In the past, I had to wait for winter and drive hours to reach the natural icefalls in western Sichuan. Now, with this indoor facility, I can come practice anytime, all year round.”

    For first-time climbers like Ye, a local resident who tried ice climbing for the first time at Ice Panda, the venue’s convenience is its biggest draw. Located within a major urban TOD complex, the center is easily accessible via public subway, and offers on-site full equipment rental, eliminating the barrier of entry for beginners who do not own their own expensive gear.

    To ensure the venue meets the needs of both new learners and professional practitioners, Ice Panda’s management team spent months collecting feedback from visitors and elite climbers during the trial operation phase to refine the facility’s design. A key priority was replicating the texture and challenge of natural outdoor glacial ice, while maintaining high safety standards.

    “For example, we embedded a fiber mesh into the ice to simulate the texture of glacial ice formed when snowmelt mixes with grass and twigs,” explained Li Changbin, general manager of Ice Panda. He added that the special construction method not only creates a more authentic climbing experience, but also boosts the ice wall’s structural integrity and its ability to hold climbing tools securely.

    Beyond offering a recreational activity for visitors, Ice Panda positions itself as a comprehensive hub for growing ice climbing culture across China. During its trial run, the facility already partnered with leading outdoor sport brands to host enthusiast exchange events, and collaborated with top professional climbers to offer public introductory training classes. A full lineup of brand collaborations and community activities is already scheduled for the coming months, as the team works toward its long-term goal.

    “Our goal is to transform ice climbing from a niche extreme sport into a fashionable, accessible and healthy lifestyle for the general public,” Li Changbin said.

    Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, serves as the main gateway to the abundant natural icefall resources in the mountainous regions of western Sichuan. In the years following the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, public interest in winter sports including ice climbing has surged across the city. Local climbing coach Huang Siyuan noted that the new indoor center fills a critical gap in the local ecosystem, giving beginners a low-risk space to build foundational skills before they advance to outdoor natural icefalls.

    Local authorities noted that the launch of Ice Panda aligns with Chengdu Future Science and Technology City’s broader development strategy for the Futian TOD, which aims to integrate culture, commerce, sports, tourism and other business formats to create a new regional consumption landmark that meets the diverse lifestyle needs of both local residents and out-of-town visitors.

  • NFL says will not scrap diversity measure despite Republican pressure

    NFL says will not scrap diversity measure despite Republican pressure

    The National Football League will maintain its longstanding pro-diversity hiring policy, the Rooney Rule, despite escalating legal and political pressure from conservative Republicans led by Florida’s Republican attorney general, league commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed Tuesday at the NFL’s annual owners meeting. The Rooney Rule, a landmark policy first introduced in 2003 to address the persistent underrepresentation of people of color in top-tier coaching and front office roles, requires every NFL franchise to interview at least one minority candidate for open senior positions. Crucially, the rule does not mandate that teams hire a specific candidate based on race or ethnicity, only that they expand their candidate search to include qualified minority applicants. The policy has become the latest target of a nationwide conservative crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, a movement spearheaded by former and current President Donald Trump, who has prioritized rolling back decades of anti-discrimination measures across U.S. public and private sectors. Last week, Trump signed an executive order barring federal contractors from implementing any workforce policies designed to counteract systemic racism or sexism. That same week, Florida’s top prosecutor James Uthmeier, a close Trump ally, sent a formal letter to the NFL declaring the Rooney Rule an “illegal” affirmative action policy, arguing that “NFL fans in Florida don’t care what color their coach’s skin is.” But Goodell pushed back firmly on these claims, emphasizing that the league’s core commitment to diversity remains unshaken despite shifting political and legal landscapes. “One thing that doesn’t change is our values. And we believe that diversity has been a benefit to the National Football League,” Goodell told reporters at the meeting. He added that the league has closely reviewed evolving state and federal laws, and remains confident that the Rooney Rule is fully consistent with all current legal requirements. Pushing back on claims of racial preference, Goodell reiterated that the policy “is not a hiring mandate.” Instead, he framed it as a mechanism to expand talent pools, noting that the framework has been adopted by industries far beyond professional football, and across countries around the world, as a tool to source stronger, more diverse candidates. “The rule gives us an opportunity to hire the best talent, ultimately, and the clubs make those decisions individually,” Goodell explained. While the NFL is defending the policy, pro-diversity advocacy groups have long pointed out that the Rooney Rule’s real-world impact has remained limited, even after it was expanded to cover general manager and coordinator positions in addition to head coaching roles. Currently, just five of the NFL’s 32 teams have a minority head coach, with three of those identifying as Black, despite African-American players making up roughly 70 percent of the league’s entire player pool. The standoff over the Rooney Rule comes as hundreds of DEI programs across corporate, academic and non-profit sectors face growing legal and political scrutiny at both the state and federal levels, in the most significant rollback of anti-discrimination hiring measures in a generation.

  • DR Congo fans dance in the rain after sealing World Cup spot

    DR Congo fans dance in the rain after sealing World Cup spot

    After more than half a century of waiting, the Democratic Republic of Congo has secured its spot at the men’s FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1974, sparking wild, rain-soaked celebrations across the capital Kinshasa that stretched long into Tuesday night.

    The Leopards, as the national team is nicknamed, claimed their historic place in the 2026 World Cup with a dramatic 1-0 extra-time victory over Jamaica in the intercontinental playoff held in Guadalajara, Mexico. Burnley Premier League defender Axel Tuanzebe scored the all-important winning goal that sealed the result, cementing his status as a national hero overnight.

    This summer’s World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will see DR Congo drawn into Group K alongside Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan. It marks only the second time the Central African nation has ever qualified for the global tournament; its first appearance came in 1974, when the country competed under the name Zaire and exited the group stage after losses to Scotland, Yugoslavia and Brazil.

    By the evening of the playoff match, hundreds of supporters had already gathered in Kinshasa’s central public square to watch the game together, many having donned the team’s iconic sky-blue jerseys from the early hours of the day. Even when heavy rain began pouring down heavily throughout the 120 minutes of tense play, fans refused to leave, waiting patiently for the final whistle. The moment the referee blew the final horn, the packed square erupted into roars of celebration, with fans dancing and cheering in the downpour.

    Across the entire city of 17 million, the final result was met with a thunderous chorus of celebration: drivers honked their car horns nonstop, residents banged on pots and pans from their windows, and fans blew whistles into the late hours of the night. Many fans draped themselves in the DRC national flag, even as the fabric became soaked through by the persistent rain, declaring an unofficial national holiday the next day and vowing to celebrate straight through to dawn.

    What makes this moment even more meaningful is that it comes as a rare unifying joy for a country that has been marked by decades of regional conflict and the recent resurgence of the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group. For supporters from even conflict-affected regions of the country, the victory offers a much-needed break from instability and a moment of shared national pride. Standing in the pouring rain in Kinshasa, Merou, a fan from the eastern DRC city of Goma, which was seized by M23 in early 2025, called the qualification truly exceptional.

    “We are very proud of the Leopards today for this feat,” he said. “This victory will unify the Congo. We hope the whole country will benefit from it.”

    Another supporter, Maclain, echoed that sentiment, noting the country had earned this moment of collective happiness after years of violence and division. “We deserve a moment of happiness, away from the gunfire. We need to come together too,” he said.

    The qualification run itself was already a dramatic underdog story: the Leopards defied all expectations to eliminate African football powerhouses Nigeria and Cameroon earlier in the qualification process, before beating Jamaica to seal their historic spot at the World Cup.

  • Chang Ung, North Korean ex-IOC member who brokered Olympic joint marches with South, dies

    Chang Ung, North Korean ex-IOC member who brokered Olympic joint marches with South, dies

    The International Olympic Committee confirmed Wednesday the passing of Chang Ung, North Korea’s first and only member of the global Olympic governing body, who spent decades advancing cross-border sports exchange between the divided Korean Peninsula. He was 87 years old.

    The IOC announced that Chang died on Sunday, releasing a statement expressing “extreme sadness” at the loss of the longtime sports diplomat. To honor his legacy, the Olympic flag will fly at half-mast for three days at Olympic House, the IOC’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. No cause of death was included in the IOC announcement, and as of Wednesday, North Korea’s state-run media outlets had not publicly acknowledged his passing.

    Born in 1938, Chang began his career as an athlete, captaining North Korea’s national basketball team before transitioning to sports administration after retirement. Over decades of service, he rose through the ranks of North Korea’s athletic establishment, holding senior positions including vice sports minister, vice chairman of North Korea’s National Olympic Committee, and vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia. He was elected to the IOC in 1996, becoming North Korea’s sole representative to the organization for the entirety of his tenure.

    For nearly three decades, Chang led the vast majority of negotiations between North and South Korea aimed at expanding sports cooperation, a diplomatic track that often faced obstacles amid broader political tensions between the two rivals. His most high-profile achievement came at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, where athletes from both Koreas marched together during the opening and closing ceremonies under a single unification flag depicting the Korean Peninsula. This marked the first unified public appearance by the two Koreas’ athletic delegations since the peninsula was divided into two separate states in 1945.

    Joint marches became a recurring feature of subsequent Olympic Games and major international sporting events, including the 2018 Winter Olympics hosted by Pyeongchang, South Korea. After watching the opening ceremony joint parade in Pyeongchang, Chang told reporters he was “deeply moved” by the moment. Beyond ceremonial parades, Chang’s early dialogue with South Korean counterparts laid the groundwork for the two Koreas to field their first unified men’s and women’s teams at the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships in Chiba, Japan. At the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, the nations competed together for the first time at an Olympic Games, launching a combined women’s ice hockey team.

    In recent years, however, inter-Korean sports ties have stalled alongside a broader collapse in political relations. No cross-border exchange programs of any kind, including sports initiatives, have taken place for years. After the collapse of 2019 nuclear diplomacy between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and then-U.S. President Donald Trump, North Korea has pulled back from talks with both the U.S. and South Korea, with Kim branding Seoul a permanent enemy and ruling out future unification talks.

    IOC President Kirsty Coventry highlighted Chang’s outsized contributions to the Olympic movement in her tribute, noting his work to advance access to sports, cross-cultural dialogue, and the positive role of athletics in civil society. “His efforts to promote cooperation on the Korean Peninsula demonstrated the power of sport to build bridges and inspire hope,” Coventry said.

    During his IOC tenure, Chang served on multiple key committees, including the Sport for All Commission and the International Olympic Truce Foundation. Most recently, North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency mentioned Chang in 2023, when he received the Olympic Order — the IOC’s highest honor, awarded to individuals who make extraordinary contributions to the global Olympic movement — during an IOC session in Mumbai, India. Then serving as an honorary IOC member, Chang participated in the awarding ceremony via video link.

  • Lionel Messi shines in what could be his last Argentina home game, a 5-0 farewell friendly win

    Lionel Messi shines in what could be his last Argentina home game, a 5-0 farewell friendly win

    BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Ahead of the 2026 men’s FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, Lionel Messi delivered a performance for the history books on Tuesday night, turning what is widely expected to be his final home appearance for Argentina’s national side into a masterclass in a lopsided 5-0 friendly win over Zambia.

    The 38-year-old Argentine icon, who led his nation to a third World Cup title in Qatar 2022, got the match off to a blistering start, setting up Manchester City striker Julián Álvarez for an early opener in just the fourth minute at Buenos Aires’ iconic La Bombonera stadium. Before halftime, Messi added a goal of his own in the 43rd minute, capping a first-half dominant display that sent the sold-out crowd into a frenzy. The entire stadium rose to its feet in a prolonged standing ovation for Messi, with fans chanting and cheering to urge their star to lead Argentina to another world title this summer.

    Two more goals from defenders Nicolás Otamendi and Valentín Barco rounded out the 5-0 scoreline for the defending champions. The commanding win comes as a much-needed confidence boost for Argentina, which left fans and analysts with lingering concerns after a flat, underwhelming 2-1 win over Mauritania last Friday. Ahead of the Zambia friendly, head coach Lionel Scaloni issued a clear warning: a repeat of lackluster performances would lead to major changes to his 26-man World Cup squad, which must be finalized and submitted by May 30.

    For this critical pre-tournament home test, Scaloni opted to field a starting lineup largely mirroring the side that claimed the 2022 World Cup trophy with a dramatic final win over France. The most notable absence was midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, who was sidelined as he continues to recover from a muscle injury, following a poor showing against Mauritania last week.

    Argentina, a three-time World Cup winner with titles in 1978, 1986, and 2022, will kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign in Group J on June 16 against Algeria. They will then face off against Austria on June 22 before wrapping up group stage play against Jordan on June 27.

  • Italy again miss out on World Cup as Bosnia, Turkey, Czechs and Sweden qualify

    Italy again miss out on World Cup as Bosnia, Turkey, Czechs and Sweden qualify

    For the third consecutive FIFA World Cup cycle, four-time champions Italy have failed to secure a spot at the global tournament, suffering a crushing penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final UEFA play-off. Tuesday’s results also locked in three other qualifiers — Turkey, Sweden, and the Czech Republic — for the 48-team 2026 finals co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, bringing an end to a dramatic final night of European qualifying.

    Four-time World Cup winners Italy, who have not lifted the global trophy since 2006 and have not progressed past the group stage of any tournament they qualified for since 2006, now face another extended spell on the tournament sidelines. They already missed out on the 2018 and 2022 editions, falling to play-off defeats against Sweden and North Macedonia respectively, and their 2014 group stage exit remains their last appearance at the finals.

    The night unfolded in chaotic fashion for Italy’s Azzurri: Moise Kean put Gennaro Gattuso’s side ahead in the 15th minute, but a first-half red card for defender Alessandro Bastoni left Italy down to 10 men for more than an hour of play. Bosnia capitalized on their numerical advantage late, with Haris Tabakovic netting the equalizer in the 79th minute to force the match into extra time. With no additional goals scored through the additional 30 minutes, the tie was decided from the penalty spot.

    In one of the most lopsided penalty shootouts in recent European qualifying history, Bosnia converted all four of their spot kicks to win 4-1. Only Sandro Tonali found the net for Italy: Francesco Pio Esposito dragged his opening penalty over the crossbar, while Bryan Cristante saw his effort smash off the woodwork, confirming Italy’s early exit. A devastated Gattuso said post-match, “I don’t think the boys deserved to suffer such a blow. It’s difficult to digest.”

    For Bosnia, ranked 66th in the global FIFA rankings, the result marks just their second ever World Cup appearance, following their debut in 2014. They finished second in Group H behind Austria before beating Wales in a penalty shootout in the play-off semi-finals, and will now face Canada, Qatar and Switzerland in Group B this summer.

    Elsewhere on Tuesday, Turkey ended Kosovo’s fairy-tale run to qualifying with a 1-0 away win in Pristina, booking their first spot at the World Cup in 24 years. A 53rd-minute strike from Kerem Akturkoglu proved the difference for Vincenzo Montella’s side, eliminating a Kosovo side that had only earned FIFA membership a decade prior and was targeting its first ever major global tournament appearance.

    Ranked 22nd in the world, Turkey will make just their third ever World Cup appearance, having previously qualified in 1954 and reached the semi-finals on home soil of the 2002 Korea-Japan edition. “We achieved our dreams. The World Cup is the pinnacle in this profession,” Montella told reporters after the win. Turkey will join co-hosts the United States, Paraguay and Australia in Group D.

    Sweden booked their place in the most dramatic fashion of all, with Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres scoring an 88th-minute winner to secure a 3-2 home win over Poland in Stockholm. The side, now managed by English coach Graham Potter, finished bottom of their qualifying group without a single win, and only earned a play-off spot thanks to strong results in the UEFA Nations League.

    After beating Ukraine 3-1 in the semi-final last week, Sweden twice surrendered the lead against Poland: Manchester United’s Anthony Elanga opened the scoring in the 20th minute before Nicola Zalewski equalized, and Gustaf Lagerbielke restored Sweden’s lead before half time, only for Karol Swiderski to level the scores again early in the second half. Gyokeres eventually forced the ball over the line in a late goalmouth scramble to send Sweden through. They will face the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia in Group F.

    The Czech Republic rounded out the night of qualifying with a penalty shootout win over Denmark in Prague, securing their first World Cup appearance since 2006. The match ended 2-2 after extra time: Pavel Sulc opened the scoring for the hosts before Joachim Andersen equalized for the Danes, Ladislav Krejci put the Czechs back ahead in extra time, and Kasper Hojlund levelled the match again to force penalties. The Czechs followed their semi-final penalty win over Ireland with another shootout success, winning 3-1 as Denmark converted just one of their four penalties, with Rasmus Hojlund, Anders Dreyer and Mathias Jensen all missing from the spot. The Czech Republic will face South Africa, South Korea and co-host Mexico in Group A.

  • Italy’s World Cup nightmare continues after shoot-out defeat to Bosnia

    Italy’s World Cup nightmare continues after shoot-out defeat to Bosnia

    Four-time World Cup champion Italy has etched a deeply unwanted place in global soccer history, becoming the first former tournament winner to miss out on three straight World Cup finals after a devastating penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in Tuesday’s qualification play-off final. The shocking 4-1 result on penalties in Zenica ended Italy’s hopes of reaching this summer’s 26-team tournament co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico, and extended one of the most painful droughts in international soccer.

    The match began with a fast start that seemed to point toward an Italian victory. Italian striker Moise Kean got his side on the board in the 15th minute, capitalizing on a catastrophic error from Bosnia goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj. Under intense pressure from Mateo Retegui, Vasilj played a direct pass straight to Italy’s Nicolo Barella, who quickly slipped a through ball to Kean. The Juventus forward curled a clinical finish past Vasilj from the edge of the 18-yard box, notching his eighth international goal in just six appearances to put Italy ahead.

    Bosnia refused to fold, however, and began to pile consistent pressure on the Italian defense, amplified by a game-changing red card four minutes before halftime. Italy defender Alessandro Bastoni was ejected for a crude, late chop on Bosnia’s Amar Memic, leaving the Azzurri down to 10 men for more than an hour of play. The home crowd erupted, sensing an opening that the Bosnian side fully exploited for the rest of regulation.

    Down a man, Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso adjusted his formation to absorb relentless Bosnian pressure, but the equalizer finally arrived in the 79th minute. After Edin Dzeko’s header was parried off the goal line by Italy keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, substitute Haris Tabakovic poked the loose ball into the net to level the score, sending the tie to extra time. The additional 30 minutes were just as tense: Italian players were furious that a second red card was not issued to Tarik Muharemovic for a foul on a breaking Marco Palestra, but Donnarumma’s two outstanding saves on headers from Dzeko and Ermedin Demirovic kept the score level to force penalties.

    The penalty shootout turned into a disaster for Italy from the very first kick. Pio Esposito hammered his opening effort well over the crossbar, and when Bryan Cristante’s subsequent strike clattered off the bar, Italy was already on the brink. Esmir Bajraktarevic converted the decisive spot-kick, squeezing his shot under Donnarumma to seal the historic win for Bosnia, sparking wild pitch invasions from thousands of elated home fans.

    For Bosnia, the result books their spot in Group B of this summer’s World Cup, paired with co-host Canada, Switzerland and Qatar. This marks just the second time the Balkan nation has qualified for the World Cup finals, with their only previous appearance coming back in 2014. “They’re guys with character. We have guys we’re proud of,” Bosnia coach Sergej Barbarez said after the match, joking that his goal was to qualify for a major tournament every two years.

    For Italy, the defeat extends a stunning streak of failure that began eight years ago. It marks the third consecutive World Cup the Azzurri have missed, following play-off eliminations at the hands of Sweden in 2018 and North Macedonia in 2022. They are the first ever World Cup winner to miss three straight editions of the tournament, a record that will stand as a dark mark on one of European soccer’s most successful programs.

    In the aftermath of the defeat, a visibly emotional Gattuso said he could not fault his team’s effort. “I don’t think the boys deserved to suffer such a blow, for the performance, the effort and the heart that they showed tonight… I’m proud of the boys,” he told reporters. “It’s difficult to digest.” When asked about his own future as head coach, Gattuso said that discussion was not important in the moment. Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina later clarified that federation officials had asked Gattuso to stay on, and that the coach would not resign.

    The defeat also added an extra layer of embarrassment for Italian soccer, after footage emerged of multiple Italian players celebrating Bosnia’s semi-final penalty win over Wales just days earlier. That decision looks even more ill-advised after Bosnia’s focused, physical performance earned them a spot at the finals at Italy’s expense.

  • Woods ‘stepping away’ to focus on health after DUI arrest

    Woods ‘stepping away’ to focus on health after DUI arrest

    Golfing icon Tiger Woods has confirmed he will step away from professional competition to seek treatment and focus on his personal health, just days after his arrest on misdemeanor driving under the influence charges stemming from a car crash near his Florida residence. The 15-time major championship winner collided with a trailer pulled by a pickup truck last Friday, close to his Jupiter Island home, in an incident that left his sport utility vehicle overturned on its side. Remarkably, neither Woods nor the pickup truck driver suffered any physical injuries in the crash.

    Law enforcement officers responding to the scene assessed Woods as impaired behind the wheel. Officers documented in their official accident report that Woods displayed multiple visible signs of impairment: he was sweating heavily, moved slowly and lethargically, had bloodshot, glassy eyes, and stumbled while walking, favoring his right side. Authorities also found two hydrocodone pills, a prescription opioid painkiller commonly used to manage chronic pain, in Woods’ possession. A breathalyzer test conducted at the scene detected no alcohol in his system, and Woods refused to complete a required urine test, leading to an additional charge of refusing a lawful chemical test.

    Woods has entered a not guilty plea to all charges, telling investigators that his attention was distracted by adjusting his car radio and checking his mobile phone, which caused him to miss that traffic ahead had slowed down. He has waived his scheduled arraignment and formally requested a jury trial to resolve the case. He was released from Martin County Jail shortly after posting bond the same night as his arrest.

    In a public statement released Tuesday, the 50-year-old golfer acknowledged the gravity of his current situation. “I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,” Woods said. “I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery.”

    Woods’ long history of debilitating sports injuries and major medical procedures is well-documented. The golf star survived a catastrophic 2021 single-car crash in Southern California that left him with multiple compound fractures in his right leg and a shattered ankle that required emergency surgery. He has since undergone seven separate back surgeries and more than 20 procedures on his injured leg, he told responding officers last week. Most recently, he underwent back surgery in October 2024 and suffered a ruptured left Achilles tendon in March 2025. He has not competed in a top-tier professional golf tournament since the 2024 British Open, though he did participate in a TGL indoor simulator golf event last week and had publicly discussed a potential return to competition at the upcoming Masters tournament. He previously made a widely celebrated return to the Masters in 2022, finishing 47th despite severe difficulty walking the full 72 holes at Augusta National.

    Woods is still scheduled to attend the traditional Champions Dinner at Augusta National next week, ahead of the 90th running of the Masters tournament. In closing his statement, Woods emphasized his commitment to long-term recovery, saying he is taking the necessary time to rebuild his health for both his personal and professional life. “I’m committed to taking the time needed to return in a healthier, stronger, and more focused place, both personally and professionally,” he wrote. “I appreciate your understanding and support, and ask for privacy for my family, loved ones and myself at this time.”