Sports
Dortmund, Inter, Monterrey, Fluminense Through To CWC Last 16
Inter Milan overcame River Plate 2-0 in a heated clash, while Monterrey thumped Urawa Reds 4-0 to enter the knockouts.
Mexican club Monterrey have booked a spot in the knockout rounds of the Club World Cup with a thumping 4-0 win over Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds at the Rose Bowl.
Three goals in eight first-half minutes sent the side on their way to victory on Wednesday, as they claimed second place in Group E behind Inter Milan, whose 2-0 victory over River Plate eased some nerves for the European giants.
Stunning long-range strikes from Nelson Deossa and Jesus Corona came either side of German Berterame’s cool finish to set up Monterrey a last 16 meeting with Borussia Dortmund.
Deossa put Monterrey in front on the half-hour mark with a swerving long-range shot and Berterame doubled the advantage four minutes later.
Corona added the third with the pick of the goals from distance in the 38th minute before Berterame scored the fourth in second-half stoppage time.
“I’m really very happy we’re in the next stage,” said Monterrey coach Domenec Torrent.
“We’re very happy because we have a clean sheet , it’s not easy in this group especially with the group that we had.”
Meanwhile, Inter Milan kept their cool to beat nine-man and eliminate River Plate, booking a knockout tie against Fluminense.
The Champions League runners-up faced a tough battle in Seattle against an aggressive River Plate side, who had Lucas Martinez and Gonzalo Montiel sent off in front of 45,000 fans at Lumen Field.
Francesco Esposito scored his first Inter goal to put the Italians ahead and Alessandro Bastoni made the game safe later on for Christian Chivu’s side.
“In the first half we were surprised by their intensity, aggression and pressure,” said Chivu.
“Then in the second half we raised our level of intensity… We’re strong, confident and have players who can play such a game.”
With Monterrey ahead against Urawa, River needed a winner to progress, but their job got harder when Martinez was sent off after 66 minutes for hacking down veteran Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Six minutes later teenage striker Esposito steered home the opener to leave River on the brink.
Bastoni ensured Inter’s progress as he drilled home, before River’s Gonzalo Montiel picked up a second yellow and was dismissed.
There were ugly scenes at the end as River fans threw objects at Inter players leaving the pitch.
Both Argentinian teams at the tournament, River and their rivals Boca Juniors, have been eliminated despite their fans creating vibrant atmospheres.
“It’s a shame for all the people who came en masse to watch the team that we couldn’t give them the chance to keep going,” said disappointed River coach Marcelo Gallardo.
Also in Group F, Fluminense could only draw 0-0 against South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, but it was enough to claim second place behind Dortmund, who defeated Ulsan HD 1-0 to claim top spot in Group F.
Sundowns’ exit means none of the four African clubs who came to the tournament will feature in the last 16, but their performances mean they can go home with their heads held high.
“We leave and go home with our heads up because we are much stronger than we were when we came here,” said the South African champions’ coach, Miguel Cardoso.
On Thursday, Manchester City face Juventus in a battle for top spot in Group G, while Spanish giants Real Madrid face RB Salzburg as they bid to progress from Group H.
Aljazeera.com
Sports
World Cup 2026: Messi Pinpoints What Argentina Did Wrong Against Cape Verde
Argentina captain, Lionel Messi, has pinpointed what his team did wrong against Cape Verde during both sides’ World Cup Round of 32 encounter.
The match ended 1-1 after 90 minutes at the Miami Stadium, but Argentina went on to win 3-2 in extra time.
Diney Borges’ own goal ensured Lionel Scaloni’s side eliminated the Blue Sharks from the competition.
Speaking at his post-match interview after the game, Messi admitted that Argentina couldn’t press Cape Verde properly during the encounter.
According to him, Scaloni’s side was also disjointed against the African side, and their lines were far apart.
“I think we couldn’t press them well, our lines were kind of far apart at times,” Messi said via FIFA’s website.
“When we wanted to jump from the defensive pivot, it was too far a distance for the center-backs, and we ended up a bit disjointed.
“They always had an extra man because we couldn’t match up, and that’s why they kept the ball and made us run, because we couldn’t press them properly.”
Sports
‘We Dignify Our Country’ — Bubista Hails Cape Verde’s Historic World Cup Run
Cape Verde head coach Bubista has said they can be proud of their historic run at the FIFA World Cup 2026, Completesports.com reports.
The Blue Stars bowed out of the competition following a 3-2 defeat to defending champions Argentina in Miami.
Blue Stars Put Up Brave Fight
Argentina took the lead twice in the keenly contested encounter and the West Africans answered both times, but with ten minutes to play in extra time a Lionel Messi corner led to an own goal from Diney Borges that sent La Albiceste into the Round of 16.
Messi opened the scoring shortly after the first hydration break, calmly lifting the ball over the advancing Vozinha after bringing down Lisandro Martinez’s precise pass over the top.
Cape Verde equalised in the 59th minute through Deroy Duarte.
Vozinha made several key saves, including blocking Messi from point blank range to send the game to extra time
It took the Albiceleste just two minutes of extra time to retake the lead. Lisandro Martinez collected a loose ball from a corner kick and lashed over Vozinha at the near post.
Cape Verde refused to surrender. Left-back Sidny Lopes Cabral produced one of the goals of the tournament, curling a sensational effort into the top corner from the edge of the box to draw Bubista’s side level for the second time in the contest.
Messi’s corner however caused an own goal that saw Argentina through to the last 16.
Bubista Thumbs Up Players
Bubista said Cape Verde, who were making their maiden World Cup appearance, had dignified themselves with their performances in the competition.
“We dignify what our country is. We drew twice against the world champions, we took it to extra time… More than anything, it’s being proud of our players who were dignified in the World Cup. We showed our identity,” Bubista was quoted by FIFA.com.
Sports
World Cup 2026: Ghana’s Performance Was Below Average —Gyan
Former Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan has delivered a candid assessment of Ghana’s performance following the team’s 1-0 defeat to Colombia, describing the display as below the expected standard and insisting the South Americans fully deserved their victory.
Ghana’s hopes of advancing at the FIFA World Cup came to an end after Colombia capitalised on a first-half opportunity to secure the only goal of the match, sending the Black Stars out of the tournament.
Reacting to the outcome, Ghana’s all-time leading scorer said the Black Stars lacked the intensity and attacking determination required in a match of such importance.
“Today’s performance was below average, no sense of urgency,” Gyan was quoted by Ghana sport platform Joy Online.
Gyan expressed concern about Ghana’s inability to commit enough players forward, particularly after falling behind, noting that the Black Stars struggled to pose sustained attacking threats inside the Colombian penalty area.
“We (Ghana) did not have men in the box.”
Also Read:World Cup 2026: Semenyo Calls On Black Stars To Be More Aggressive With Referees After England Penalty Row
He contrasted Ghana’s approach with that of Colombia, saying the South Americans maintained their attacking intent even after taking the lead instead of merely defending their advantage.
“Colombia were ahead but kept fighting to score more.”
Summing up the contest, the former Sunderland and Al Ain striker conceded that Colombia were the better side on the day.
“To summarise everything, Colombia deserved the win.”
Gyan’s comments add to the growing post-match analysis following Ghana’s exit from the tournament, with several players and football analysts pointing to the team’s struggles in the attacking third despite signs of improvement in defensive organisation under newly appointed head coach Carlos Queiroz.
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