分类： sports

The 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage delivered one of the most dramatic and debated finishes in tournament history on Wednesday, as a last-gasp VAR ruling eliminated Croatia in cruel fashion and sent Portugal through to the quarter-finals. What unfolded over 90-plus minutes at Toronto Stadium packed in every element of high-stakes football: last-minute goals, offside disputes, generational career milestones and a technology-driven controversy that has reignited debate over the role of VAR in the modern game.

Portugal entered the match as marginal favorites, but the first half was largely underwhelming until Croatia broke the deadlock early in the second half through veteran winger Ivan Perisic. What followed was a chaotic second half that shifted momentum repeatedly. Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, appearing in his sixth World Cup, had a stunning equalizer ruled out by a tight offside call before converting a controversial penalty to level the score at 1-1. The strike marked Ronaldo’s first ever knockout-stage goal at a World Cup, a milestone that added extra narrative to a night already thick with subplots.

Ronaldo was substituted in the 81st minute, leaving a dejected figure on the bench, but his evening was far from over. Portugal substitute Goncalo Ramos netted a go-ahead goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time, putting Portugal up 2-1 and prompting Ronaldo to sprint onto the pitch to celebrate with his teammates. With seconds remaining, and extra time seeming inevitable, Croatia thought they had forced an additional 30 minutes when defender Josko Gvardiol tapped home from close range in the 13th minute of stoppage time. Croatian players erupted in wild celebration, while Ronaldo sat stunned on the Portuguese bench.

That celebration was cut short when VAR intervened. Premier League official Jarred Gillett, the video assistant referee for the match, called for a full offside check, centered on whether Croatian forward Igor Matanovic had made contact with the ball in the build-up to Gvardiol’s finish. If Matanovic had touched the ball, he was in an offside position and the goal would be ruled out; if no contact was made, the goal would stand. Referee Espen Eskas reviewed multiple replay angles, which looked visually inconclusive, but a Snickometer-style ball-tracking technology, adapted from cricket and integrated with a microchip in the official Adidas Trionda match ball, detected a faint touch. The goal was disallowed, drawing immediate fury from the Croatian camp and fans in attendance.

Angry Croatian supporters threw plastic bottles onto the pitch in protest, as the final whistle blew moments later, ending the Balkan nation’s World Cup campaign. The result also brings a close to what is almost certainly the final World Cup appearance for Croatian legend Luka Modric, the 40-year-old Real Madrid midfielder who made his tournament debut in 2006. Modric, who hit the 200-cap milestone for his country earlier in the tournament, was consoled by his former Real Madrid teammate Ronaldo after the final whistle, ending an era for one of the game’s most decorated midfielders.

Post-match reactions highlighted the deep divide over the controversial call. Croatian manager Zlatko Dalic launched a scathing attack on officiating and the impact of VAR on the sport. “I will not comment much about it but I will say the refereeing was very bad,” Dalic told reporters. “No fouls, no set-pieces on our side which should have been but that’s no reason to talk about the defeat. It was very bad refereeing. You were able to see to what extent emotions had been killed, and altogether all these decisions take you back and actually take the joy out of football. VAR kills emotions, it kills everything within you. We have gone too far with VAR.”

Portuguese manager Roberto Martinez defended the call, pointing to the precision of the in-ball sensor technology. “It’s a shame one of the two teams had to lose,” Martinez said. “But there is no bad decision or lucky decision. It was a clear moment. The balls now have a chip and the sensor shows the ball was touched.”

Pundits and former players were split on the ruling. Former England defender Matt Upson, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Live, said he remained unconvinced of a touch after reviewing multiple angles. “From what I can see, I don’t see any change in direction of the ball. What the telling thing is, is the spin on the ball doesn’t change and it looks like Matanovic has touched that ball but it’s interesting that they’re saying beyond any reasonable doubt he has. I can’t quite see that,” Upson said. Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann, however, backed the decision, saying the Snickometer technology “100% proves that he touched it with the flick-on.”

For Ronaldo, the result keeps his World Cup dream alive, just days after his sister labeled the tournament his “last dance”. The Portuguese captain had played every minute of his side’s tournament up to the knockout clash, and his substitution has reignited debate over whether he should retain his starting spot for the quarter-finals. Former England forward Theo Walcott backed Martinez’s call to withdraw Ronaldo, saying: “I think it was the right decision in the end, it really was.”

Tributes poured in for Modric after the match, with former Brazil midfielder Lucas Leiva calling the result a harsh end to an iconic career. “It is very harsh for Croatia to go out like this, for Luka Modric, probably his last game in the World Cup,” Leiva told BBC Sport. “A legend of the game. I think he has shown for 20-odd years how good he is. You feel sad for him, but he has had a great career. He took Croatia to the highest level in the World Cup. A great player.”

INGLEWOOD, California — Unai Simón, Spain’s standout starting goalkeeper, has cemented his place in World Cup history after breaking one of the tournament’s most enduring records, posting the longest consecutive shutout streak across men’s World Cup competition. The historic milestone came during Spain’s dominant 3-0 Group Stage victory over Austria on Thursday, which marked Simón’s fourth consecutive clean sheet at the ongoing tournament.

Across the last two editions of the World Cup, Simón has not conceded a single goal across 519 consecutive minutes of play. That two-game streak surpasses the 517-minute record set 36 years ago by iconic Italian goalkeeper Walter Zenga, who notched five straight shutouts while Italy hosted the 1990 World Cup. The 29-year-old, a lifelong starter for Spain’s Athletic Bilbao, has long flown under the radar compared to other global soccer stars — even within his own national squad — but his elite command of Spain’s backline, paired with the team’s standout defensive organization, has pushed him into the record books.

Heading into the knockout round, Spain has yet to allow a single goal at this tournament, and Simón has only been called on to make four total saves through four matches. Against Austria, he did not need to make a single stop, as none of the Austrian side’s five shot attempts found their way on target.

Spain head coach Luis De La Fuente, who has stood by Simón as his starter through years of calls to promote higher-profile backup goalkeepers, expressed nothing but pride for his goalkeeper after the record-breaking win. “I feel proud of him,” De La Fuente said. “I feel like he is a member of my family. I’m very happy for him.”

Simón has served as Spain’s first-choice goalkeeper for the majority of the past five years, holding onto his starting spot despite fierce competition from two of the most successful keepers in top European club soccer: David Raya, who just claimed a Premier League title with Arsenal, and Joan Garcia, Barcelona’s breakout young starter. Unlike his two backups, Simón has spent his entire club career at the less prominent Athletic Bilbao, who only qualified for the Champions League for the first time in his tenure last season.

Simón’s long-running trust with De La Fuente dates back nearly a decade, a bond that has been central to his continued place as the national team’s starter. The pair first worked together in 2015, when a then 18-year-old Simón helped De La Fuente’s Spanish squad win the European Under-19 Championship in Greece. They continued working together through Spain’s youth national team program, before reuniting in early 2023 when De La Fuente took over the senior men’s squad, kicking off one of the most successful runs in Spanish soccer history.

Under De La Fuente’s leadership, Spain has dropped just one loss across 37 competitive matches, going unbeaten in 35 consecutive outings — a run that includes a penalty shootout defeat to Portugal in the 2025 Nations League. With Simón in goal, Spain claimed the 2023 Nations League title and the 2024 European Championship, and have now advanced to a World Cup knockout round for the first time in 16 years.

Simón’s record-breaking shutout streak traces back to the 2022 Qatar World Cup, where Spain conceded just three goals in four matches before bowing out in an early upset. The streak began during Spain’s 2-1 group stage loss to Japan, and continued through a regulation scoreless draw with Morocco in the round of 16 — a match Spain ultimately lost on penalties, with Morocco converting three of four spot kicks against Simón.

At this year’s tournament co-hosted in North America, no side has managed to put the ball in the back of the net past Simón. Among Spain’s four group stage opponents, only Uruguay managed to register more than one shot on target. De La Fuente was quick to emphasize that Simón’s historic milestone is a testament to the entire team’s defensive effort, not just individual brilliance. “(Simón) played a very big role in the victory, but it’s not just about individuals,” De La Fuente said after beating Austria. “It’s about the whole group coming together for that defensive effort.”

Early in the second half against Austria, Simón also surpassed another iconic record: the consecutive World Cup shutout streak set by Spanish legend Iker Casillas across the 2010 and 2014 tournaments. His consistent elite performance has been more than enough to fend off his two high-profile challengers as Spain advances to the round of 16.

Raya, who has won three consecutive Premier League Golden Glove awards for leading the league in clean sheets, backstopped Arsenal to their first top-flight title since 2004 and a Champions League final appearance this season — yet he remains confined to a backup role for La Roja. Garcia, meanwhile, has emerged as one of the most promising young goalkeeping talents in world soccer after taking over Barcelona’s starting job last season, but he is also expected to remain on the sidelines for the duration of the tournament.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Eighteen-year-old Spanish winger Lamine Yamal is steadily regaining his match sharpness at his maiden World Cup, turning in a dynamic attacking performance even as he walked away without a goal in Spain’s commanding 3-0 knockout round win over Austria.

The young superstar, one of the most anticipated emerging talents in global football, has spent the past two months working to rebuild full fitness after pulling his hamstring during a Barcelona La Liga fixture — an injury that left him fearing he would be forced to miss the entire tournament entirely.

Despite his recent recovery, Yamal put on an unforgettable attacking display for the sellout crowd of 72,492 spectators at SoFi Stadium on Thursday. The match, which ended with Spain advancing to the next round without conceding a single goal through their first four tournament matches, earned Yamal the Player of the Match honors, a silver trophy he clutched proudly after the final whistle. He finished the game with six total shots, constantly testing Austria’s backline and creating space for his teammates with his relentless movement.

“I didn’t get on the scoresheet today, but I’m over the moon that we’re through to the next round,” Yamal told reporters after the match.

The sold-out crowd leaned heavily in support of La Roja, and counted A-list celebrities Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem among its attendees. Yamal’s 3-year-old half-brother Keyne was also in attendance, wrapped in the Spanish flag celebrating the team’s third goal as the stadium erupted.

“It means the world to me to see my mom and my little brother living the life we always dreamed of together,” Yamal said. “My brother is like my son; I adore him more than anything.”

Across Spain’s three group stage matches, Yamal only logged 141 minutes of playing time, notching one goal as global headlines focused on veteran superstars like Lionel Messi, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe. But the teen says he is steadily getting back to his best form ahead of the tournament’s knockout stages.

“Little by little, I’m starting to feel like myself again — I can make the runs, pull off the dribbles, and take on defenders just like I usually do,” Yamal explained. “I’m at 100% fitness now, whatever the coach needs from me I’m ready. I just need to keep resting and taking care of my body to stay sharp.”

This knockout clash marked Yamal’s longest appearance of the tournament, with the winger playing 85 minutes before being substituted off. He came inches away from scoring on multiple occasions, each time denied by impressive Austrian defending.

His closest chance came just before he came off the pitch: a left-footed strike cleared off the goal line by Austrian captain David Alaba, keeping Yamal off the scoresheet. In first-half stoppage time, after Alex Baena’s 25-yard free kick hit the post and the Austrian defense failed to clear the loose ball, Yamal latched onto the chance at the back post only for goalkeeper Alexander Schlager to block his close-range effort. Early in the first half, Yamal found himself unmarked in front of goal only to send his shot sailing over the crossbar, and he even opened the game with a long solo run that ended with a shot straight into Schlager’s arms.

Austria manager Ralf Rangnick acknowledged Yamal’s elite ability, while praising his side’s defensive organization to keep the teen from finding the back of the net. “Lamine Yamal is an incredible talent, one of the best we’ve ever seen at his age, and we knew what we were up against today,” Rangnick said. “But I think we defended him really well, and we managed to stop him from scoring.”

With the win, Spain advances to the next round of the World Cup, where they will face higher stakes as they chase the tournament title — and Yamal says he is ready to step up when his team needs him.

As the world’s attention fixated on teen sensation Lamine Yamal ahead of Spain’s 2026 FIFA World Cup round-of-32 clash against Austria at Los Angeles Stadium, it was an unsung veteran of the squad who stole the show to secure the European champions’ place in the last 16. While fans packed the stands with Yamal’s name on the back of their match shirts, and cameras followed the 18-year-old Barcelona star everywhere from his team bus arrival to pre-match warmups, it was 29-year-old Mikel Oyarzabal who delivered a masterclass in finishing, scoring two unanswered goals to anchor a comfortable 3-0 victory over Austria.

This result marks Spain’s first knockout stage win at a men’s World Cup in 16 years, a milestone that cements La Roja’s status as one of the tournament’s leading title contenders. For Oyarzabal, the moment is the culmination of a long, hard-fought road back to top-level competition. A product of Real Sociedad’s youth academy who has never played for another top-flight club, the striker missed the 2022 Qatar World Cup after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Four years on, he has entered the peak of his career, bringing blistering scoring form to his long-awaited World Cup debut.

Going into the Austria clash, Oyarzabal had already notched 12 goals in 12 international appearances, and his double on Thursday extended that incredible run to 17 goals in his last 16 starts for Spain, bringing his total tournament tally to four. Since the start of 2025, only Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland has scored more international goals among all European players than Oyarzabal. He also made history with his performance, becoming the first Spanish player to net twice in a World Cup knockout match since Emilio Butragueno did so against Denmark in the 1986 tournament’s round of 16.

Many football pundits have highlighted that Oyarzabal’s understated profile allows him to exploit the space created by defenders’ focus on Yamal. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, prominent Spanish football analyst Guillem Balague called Oyarzabal the side’s “invisible match-winner”, noting that the striker has a historic track record of scoring in major finals. “He is one of the most intelligent players we have, and our most decisive player at this tournament, no doubt,” Balague added. Former Spain defender Cesar Azpilicueta echoed that sentiment, telling BBC One that Oyarzabal has solved longstanding questions about La Roja’s centre-forward position, after transitioning from a wide right role to a central starting spot. Former Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger also pointed to the dynamic between Yamal and Oyarzabal: “When you have someone in your team like Lamine Yamal who attracts so much attention, you know you will get more space. Oyarzabal uses that space, gets the ball, and scores goals.”

Off the pitch, Oyarzabal credits his innate goalscoring instinct to his early childhood playing hockey, a sport that taught him to shake off missed chances and keep hunting for more. “I always had this voice in my head, ‘It doesn’t matter if you missed one – there will be more,’” he explained. “I could smell goals, and that voice was always in my head.” Playing as a central striker fits that mentality perfectly, he added: “If you play higher up the pitch, and especially if you’re a striker like myself, it all comes down to a few moments. We often have to smell where the ball might drop or where you have to stand to have a chance at goal.”

This victory extends Spain’s incredible unbeaten run to 34 matches, just one game short of the national team’s all-time record. La Roja got off to a slow start in the tournament with an unexpected goalless draw against first-time qualifiers Cape Verde, but have grown in strength with each match, now scoring eight goals across four games without conceding a single goal. They will next face a tough last-16 test against either Portugal or Croatia, and pundits warn that the side has not even hit top gear yet. Former England striker Dion Dublin told BBC Radio 5 Live: “They were comfortable playing in third or fourth gear against Austria because they knew the opposition didn’t have anything to offer. When they are playing against France or Portugal, whoever it may be, they will just up their game again. I think they have a lot more to offer which is a frightening thing for the rest of the teams in the competition.”

At a sold-out, pro-Spanish crowd packed SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, Mikel Oyarzabal delivered a two-goal masterclass that powered Spain to a convincing 3-0 victory over Austria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout stage on Thursday. The result marked Spain’s first knockout win at the men’s World Cup since they lifted the trophy in South Africa 16 years prior, ending a years-long drought of early tournament exits that had followed their 2010 championship run.

Coming into the match, questions still hung over Spain’s star-studded squad despite an unbeaten group stage run, with critics doubting whether the side could convert their consistent regular-season form into deep tournament success. Those doubts were quickly silenced as La Roja put on one of the most dominant performances of this World Cup, controlling possession for nearly the entire 90 minutes and showcasing the dynamic offensive creativity their roster has long been praised for. Most notably, Spain extended their unprecedented clean sheet streak at this tournament, with goalkeeper Unai Simón not required to make a single save to secure his fourth consecutive shutout — Austria, for their full 90 minutes of play, failed to register a single shot on target.

The decisive breakthrough came 36 minutes into the match, after a cautious opening stretch and a first-half hydration break. Oyarzabal, captain of Real Sociedad, found himself unmarked inside the Austrian penalty area and fired a first-time finish off a perfectly weighted pass from left-back Marc Cucurella, who would go on to assist both of the winger’s goals, highlighting a lethal attacking connection down Spain’s left flank. Oyarzabal had previously notched just one goal at the tournament, doubling his total with the opening strike.

Spain maintained relentless pressure after halftime, and the side doubled their lead in the second half through Tottenham Hotspur defender Pedro Porro, who scored his first ever senior international goal. After a cutting run from Álex Baena down the left wing, the attacker lifted a cross to an unmarked Porro, who powered home an emphatic header to extend Spain’s advantage.

Oyarzabal put the final nail in the coffin in the 89th minute, once again meeting a precise Cucurella pass to slot home his second of the night and Spain’s third. The result capped a near-flawless performance for Spain, with 18-year-old Barcelona phenom Lamine Yamal turning in another standout showing: the teenager recorded four of Spain’s 10 total shots on target, played his longest minutes of the tournament to date, and came inches from scoring late in the match when Austria defender David Alaba deflected his powerful goal-bound effort off the line, drawing gasps from the capacity sellout crowd.

For Austria, the result brings an end to their first World Cup knockout stage appearance since 1998, with the side having qualified for this round after a dramatic injury-time draw against Algeria in the group stage. goalkeeper Alexander Schlager put in a heroic individual performance, recording six spectacular saves to keep the scoreline from growing even larger, but his efforts were not enough to stop Spain’s red-hot attack. Austria has still not won a World Cup knockout match since 1954.

Following the win, Oyarzabal emphasized the team’s focus on the challenge ahead: “I’m happy to have helped the team for us to go through another round. Now just rest and get ready for the next one. It was a complicated match. We knew that it was going to be difficult against a very physical team, but we had a very good day and played a good match.”

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente echoed that sentiment, praising his side’s performance while warning against complacency: “The great teams step up when it’s needed. We played a great match. We came close to perfection, but we must keep improving. There is always room for improvement, because every upcoming match will be very difficult.”

Spain will next face the winner of the round of 16 match between Portugal and Croatia in Dallas next Monday, as they continue their push for a first World Cup title in 16 years. The win extends Spain’s extraordinary unbeaten run in competitive matches to 35 straight games dating back to March 2023, a stretch that has included winning the 2023 UEFA Nations League and 2024 European Championship, with only a penalty shootout defeat to Portugal in the 2025 Nations League final breaking their perfect run over the past three years. After three consecutive disappointing World Cup campaigns — two early knockout exits and one group stage elimination — La Roja have firmly reestablished themselves as genuine title contenders in this year’s tournament.

As a record-breaking heat wave swept across Western Europe last month, turning vast swathes of grass across London brown and pushing regional water suppliers to issue urgent calls for steep cuts to outdoor water use, one unexpected patch of lush greenery has stood out: the 18 competition grass courts of the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam tennis tournament played on a natural grass surface. For the hundreds of thousands of spectators and top-ranked players competing this year, the perfectly manicured lawns have looked as immaculate as ever, a level of consistency most competitors never think to question.

“I have not once ever considered the watering of the grass,” American top player Madison Keys told reporters after securing her place in the tournament’s third round, echoing the unspoken assumption shared by most athletes and fans. That assumption is no accident: it is the product of decades of targeted research, daily data-driven adjustment, and relentless work from a 31-person team of groundskeepers led by Neil Stubley, head of courts and horticulture at the All England Club.

Stubley, who monitors shifting weather conditions across the city across nearly 25 separate weather applications, checking updates every few minutes to adapt to changing conditions, credits his team’s success in withstanding rising summer temperatures to a 40-year-long research project testing grass species for tennis courts. The goal? Identify strains that offer the ideal balance of heat and drought tolerance, hard-wearing durability against constant play, and the smooth, consistent bounce players demand.

Since 2001, all 18 competition courts and 20 practice courts at the All England Club have been planted with specially selected perennial ryegrass, a species chosen for its proven performance in the face of rising heat. To keep soil conditions consistent across every court, technicians have installed specialized monitoring tubes on Centre Court and four other major show courts, allowing probes to measure real-time soil moisture levels – a measurement that directly impacts court hardness, percentage of living grass cover, and the consistency of ball bounce, the most critical factor for professional competition.

These monitoring tools proved particularly valuable during the record-breaking heat peak last week, when Britain smashed three consecutive all-time June temperature records. UK’s national weather service the Met Office confirmed that this June was the warmest ever recorded in England, with overnight temperatures also remaining far above seasonal averages, amplifying heat stress on vegetation. While the early-June heat wave broke over the country last weekend, bringing current temperatures down to a mild maximum of 26 degrees Celsius, forecasts predict a return of hotter, drier conditions for the tournament’s middle weekend and closing week. Notably, there has been no rain at all during the 2024 tournament, and no precipitation is expected in the coming days – a dry pattern that follows an unusually parched spring, with April recording just 20% of London’s average rainfall, according to regional supplier Thames Water.

Unlike most residential and commercial properties across the capital, the All England Club does not have an independent private water source, but organizers have prioritized water conservation alongside the need for immaculate playing conditions. “Every time we do a project, part of the remit is how can we conserve things, whether that be energy, whether that be water,” Stubley explained in an interview. The club has repeatedly tested new water systems, from recapturing drainage water for reuse to exploring access to groundwater from boreholes and nearby lakes, though plans often shift alongside changing environmental regulations that govern water use across the UK. Stubley noted that drought and more frequent extreme heat waves are an inevitable consequence of a changing climate, and the club continues adapting its practices to meet this new reality.

Extreme heat has become a growing challenge for all four Grand Slam tournaments in recent years, from the sustained extreme temperatures at the Australian Open to an unexpected heat wave that disrupted this year’s French Open, and stifling humidity at the U.S. Open. But what makes Wimbledon unique is its dependence on a living playing surface: the other three majors are played on hard courts or red clay, which are far less vulnerable to heat and drought stress than natural grass.

To ensure consistency across every playing surface, the All England Club partners with the independent Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) based in Yorkshire, which conducts regular third-party verification of court conditions. Technicians from STRI measure moisture and hardness across all courts, and even count individual grass blades on high-traffic baselines to track how quickly the grass wears down from constant play. Every day, the team receives this granular data, allowing them to adjust irrigation for each court, which has its own unique microclimate. If readings show Court 14 is firmer than Centre Court, for example, the team can increase water to the smaller court to maintain consistent playing conditions across the entire venue.

Heat and drought are not the only threats to Wimbledon’s iconic lawns. Top players like defending champion Jannik Sinner and seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic often slide across the baseline to reach wide shots, and the textured pimples on the soles of modern grass-court tennis shoes act surprisingly like a cheese grater, shredding grass leaves as players slide. While the service boxes typically turn brown later in tournaments from heavy foot traffic during serves, this sliding damage is more spread out across the baseline. Stubley noted that different players bring different playing styles that impact the courts differently, and the team simply adjusts its maintenance to account for the unique wear each year brings.

As the tournament progresses into its second week, Stubley and his team will continue their daily routine of monitoring, adjusting, and maintaining the lawns, ensuring the iconic green courts continue to live up to the high expectations of players, fans, and broadcasters around the world.