That's a wrap
That’ll do folks.
Thanks so much for joining us along the way.
A reminder that Spain v Belgium is the big match tonight at 8pm. Don’t miss our live blog kicking off at 7.
Til next time, tarra!
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Ben Kippin has a head scratcher for you:
Hey Daniel, what do you make of the assertion that Norway have been getting used to the Miami heat this whole time, while England have been getting off lightly? Home away from home comforts for the Vikings, or does the triumph at the Azteca mean that the Three Lions can conquer anything?
Not sure, to be honest. What I do know is that if England lose, we won’t hear the end of it.
And here’s Philip Björkman, who is, as he puts it, “a first time caller, long time listener”:
All things withstanding, this has been a World Cup for the ages. Not for the sake of it being anything remotely special in terms of what has been on show as for actual athleticism, but rather for everything that has been done to shift the narrative elsewhere. One can’t help to feel vibes of Mourinho emanating through the upper Echelon’s of FIFA, where so much of the heat has been Moonraker-lazer focused onto the duo of Giannonald to make us briefly forget about the transmutation of the game to a state where not even Sean Dyche can bothered to call it nonsense anymore.
Even so! However much it stinks, there is no denying that the transformation of football from a game to a game show must be counted as a success if all the top four seeded nations DO make it to the semi-finals. I agree with Collina that there probably isn’t an ongoing conspiracy at large here, but with the facts at hand, who can blame those who disagree?
Here’s Peter Oh:
Hi Daniel, Jeremy Boyce’s message got me thinking. ‘It’s Coming Home’ definitely sounds better than ‘It’s Getting Deported Back To England’.
I mentioned earlier that there were some transfers confirmed that wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. Well, here one that should.
England defender Niamh Charles has joined Women’s Super League champions Manchester City on a three-year deal.
The 27-year-old makes the move after a six-year spell at Chelsea, where she lifted 12 domestic trophies, and becomes Andree Jeglertz’s second signing of the summer after England forward Beth Mead.
Charles has also won 34 caps for England and was part of the Lionesses’ triumph at the 2025 Euros, where she scored a penalty in their shootout against Spain in the Switzerland final.
“I’m really happy to be here and I can’t wait to get started,” said Charles.
“I’ve seen from the outside and obviously played against City over the past few years, they’ve had great success this year and I think what they’re building as a team, the players and the staff, it’s something I wanted to be a part of.
“It suits me and fits me, the culture we’re building and the style of play. I just think it’s the perfect fit and hopefully we can have some good times together.”
We’ve got an email!
Thanks for checking in, Jeremy Boyce. Good to hear from you:
Hi Daniel
Should be a good game tonight, but not even I can see how free-scoring Belgium will find a way past this Spanish defence where so many others have failed. The mouthwatering prospect of a France - Spain, Irresistible Force v Immovable object, semi final has got my juices going
Meanwhile, in the other half of the draw, can plucky England find their way to an eventual semi-final v Me$$i/Infantino/Donald ? Would they be allowed to win, even if they were 4 - 0 up ? Wouldn’t Don get on the blower to GiGi right away and the match be awarded to Me$$i ? Need to keep those soccerball dollars close to home, Miami, Mar a Lago. Bellingham, Kane etc. carted away by ICE operatives for their deportation flight home.
Sorry, I think the heat got to me there. Anyway, stranger things have happened. It’s a funny old game football
I’ve talked myself into wanting Belgium to win tonight.
Not because I have anything against Spain (I’m South African and frankly I don’t really care who wins the World Cup now).
But I’d like the Belgians to go far because I still have a crush on their golden generation.
And with a few of them in the mix. De Bruyne, Cortois, Witsel, Lukaku and Meunier are all over 33. Would be nice for them if they had a proper shot at reaching the final.
Now I don’t think they will win, but that’s a different story.
There have been a few transfers confirmed today.
None should compel you to tap your mate on their shoulder and have you shove your phone in their face.
Still, here they are:
In the Women’s Super League, Ebony Salmon has gone to West Ham from Aston Villa on a free.
Queens Park Rangers have signed former Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles on loan following his move to Manchester City.
While further down the pyramid, Ossama Ashley has moved from Salford City to Rotherham United, Isaac Hayden has gone to Leyton Orient from QPR and Kyle Joseph is now a Middlesbrough player, shifting over from Hull.
ICYMI – here are a few of my favourite pieces from the day:
The second men’s semi-final at Wimbledon is underway.
Novak Djokovic, chasing a record 25th grand slam, is up against the number one seed Jannik Sinner.
What have you made of the way technology has been used at this World Cup?
Sure, it’s trite, but it’s a Friday afternoon and it’s cooking in my flat.
From Reuters: “Criticism of technology has ranged from charges of over-reach and inconsistency of application, to full-blown conspiracy theories that VAR was being used to determine the outcome of matches in favour of certain teams or players.”
Egypt’s coach, Hossam Hassan, raised all three issues after his team succumbed to an Argentina fightback and blew a 2-0 lead.
However, FIFA referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina said in an interview on Wednesday that he was happy with how things were going and in particular defended the decision to disallow the Egypt goal for a foul in the lead-up.
For what it’s worth, I believe that there have been some inconsistencies but I don’t think there’s a conspiracy at play.
Not exactly groundbreaking, I admit.
If you’re of the opinion that something fishy is at play, please, take off your tinfoil hat and write in! I’d love to hear your whackiest takes.
To get things going for this final two-hour stretch, I think it’s worth visiting a piece from the always brilliant Sid Lowe.
Are Spain the baddies? They’ve been hard to love this tournament. At least from my perspective. There have been more chaotic, more energetic, more fun teams, but none of them have been as disciplined and controlled as the Spaniards.
Ominous, I’d say. It’s glib to call the European champions ‘dark horses’ but they sort of are, if you feel me.
I really wouldn’t be shocked at all if they don’t concede a goal all the way to lifting the trophy.
Thank you David.
What a shift from him as he leaves the pitch to a standing ovation.
My number is up on the board so I’ll head on out and put in a shift to the close. Energy gel consumed, message from the gaffer received, tiny shin pads in place.
Let’s do this!
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Time for me to hand over to Daniel Gallan, who is raring to go after a series of pitchside shuttle runs. A warm embrace as I hand over and slump to the bench with an ice pack.
All over for Arthur Fery I’m afraid. Zverev different class. Full updates here.
With 41 of the 48 teams eliminated, how do the bookmakers rate the final seven? France, already through to the last four, are clear favourites.
6/4 France
9/2 Argentina, Spain, England
16/1 Norway
33/1 Belgium, Switzerland
Some weekends are better than others. Check out this lot and details of our coverage.
Kári Tulinius emails. It was an open goal and he’s taken it. “Portugal have hired Jesus? Makes sense, he’s the one guy who’s a bigger celebrity than Cristiano Ronaldo.”
A reminder of how some of our writers are calling the World Cup quarter-finals. All seven tipped France to go through so a good start. Is anyone picking Norway to knock England out?
Today’s Football Daily has dropped. Plenty of stuff on that fella leading the Golden Boot race (he’s in pole position due to having more assists than Messi).
Jorge Jesus named new Portugal manager
Jorge Jesus has been appointed as the new manager of Portugal. Good or bad news for Cristiano Ronaldo? Very much the former. Jesus’s last job was at Ronaldo’s Saudi side, Al-Nassr, which he says he only took to try and win CR7 another title.
Jesus is only 30 years older than Ronaldo although that means he’s 71. He succeeds Spaniard Roberto Martinez, who stepped down after Portugal’s World Cup exit.
“Today we start down a new path. Welcome to the national team Mr. Jorge Jesus,” the Portugal federation said in a statement.
I can vouch for this having watched Erling Haaland shopping for cowboy hats in Dallas on YouTube last night. Lots of forwarded content via my kids.
Back to England’s opponents on Saturday. Has anyone watched the Netflix documentary, Norway: The Dark Horse? It’s very… Norwegian. Understated (not much Erling Haaland), lots of fairness, frank honesty and solidarity. An appropriately solid watch (in two-parts), there’s some excellent detail and reaction to Ståle Solbakken’s cardiac arrest as a player and, I won’t spoil it, what a fascinating way of revealing a 26-man World Cup squad.
Here’s Andy Hunter’s full story on Michael Edwards quitting as chief executive of football for Liverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group.
“Edwards’ exit is not expected to affect Liverpool’s summer transfer operations. Liverpool’s transfer business is conducted by Richard Hughes, the sporting director, and plans for this window are well established.”
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Fery has lost the first set to Zverev. He’s held his serve at the start of the second.
I took my kids to Oslo a couple of summers ago. Absolutely lovely place.
I presumed Erling Haaland’s face would be everywhere but not so. On the daily trip to the local supermarket (one of the great joys of being abroad), the two milk offerings featured Martin Ødegaard advertising 3.5% helmelk (whole milk), with 400m hurdler Karsten Warholm on the 1.5% lettmelk (semi-skimmed). I went with Martin.
Aren’t we missing a trick here in the UK? Harry Kane whole milk? David Hemery semi-skimmed?
ICYMI – here’s Lars Sivertsen on the story behind Bjørge Lillelien’s famous rant after Norway shocked England in 1981. Great photo montage, especially Kevin Keegan.
Edwards quits Liverpool role
Michael Edwards has quit his role as chief executive of football for Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group. The hugely influential Edwards informed FSG in autumn 2025 of his intentions to step down once he felt plans for Liverpool’s future were in place.
FSG confirmed the executive’s exit on Friday, having wanted him to stay. Edwards’s decision is linked to FSG abandoning their plans to add a second club to their football portfolio.
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Today’s Football Daily will be with you shortly. But if you haven’t signed up yet, details here.
Thanks Martin. I’m just chuckling at Barney’s description of Thomas Tuchel’s look.
“His World Cup touchline optics have been meta-analysed across the internet, from high-end sports casual in Dallas – black shirt and slacks, white trainers, Nosferatu on a golf weekend – to a kind of shoplifter chic in New England; hood, cap and very expensive skinny jeans.”
Shoplifter chic :)
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I am now handing you back over to David Tindall. I will see you soon …
I was really puzzled as to why this Belgium fan appears to insist on dressing up as French comic character Obelix when TINTIN IS RIGHT THERE!
But it turns out “Obelgix” – real name Nicolas Dardenne – did it first in 2015 when his nation were playing France as a joke, and it stuck. This was him outside the stadium for the round of 16 victory over the US. I hope he has managed to pick up a ticket for today.
Andrew Beasley has run a tactical rule over tomorrow’s Norway v England quarter-final tie.
There is the small matter of the men’s semi-finals at Wimbledon happening today with Arthur Fery v Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner v Novak Djokovic. They are about to start thwacking the balls in SW19. Daniel Harris is on live blog duty for that over here …
In non-World Cup news, Hearts have announced that Australia midfielder Cameron Devlin will not be extending his five-year stay at the club after the two parties failed to agree a new contract.
New Hearts boss Wouter Vrancken had planned to speak with the Australian earlier this week after his involvement in the World Cup came to an end. However, Hearts revealed today that the player has not given them a definitive answer before their stated deadline. That is via PA.
Pablo Iglesias Maurer is in Kansas City
No team in the World Cup have provided fans with a broader spectrum of emotions than the defending champions. Things started brightly – Argentina barrelled through the group stage without breaking a sweat and Messi, at 39, is in the midst of his greatest World Cup. In the opening match, a hat-trick handed the captain the tournament joint-goalscoring record, one he continues to add to.
Every one of Messi’s appearances has been dotted with brilliance but Argentina have faltered in recent matches. The scare against Egypt was nothing compared with their last-32 encounter with Cape Verde in Miami, where only stoppage-time heroics averted what would have been arguably the greatest upset in the history of professional sport. These recent performances have raised fresh questions about this Argentina side.
Read more from Pablo Iglesias Maurer here: Argentina continue to show ‘heart’ but flaws are apparent before Swizerland clash
Barney Ronay offers his views on Thomas Tuchel ahead of England’s clash with Norway on Saturday, suggesting along the way that his touchline outfit makes him look like “Nosferatu on a golf weekend”.
Arsenal hail signing of ‘winner’ Ona Batlle after Barcelona summer exodus
Arsenal have confirmed the signing of the Spain full-back Ona Batlle on a free after her departure from Barcelona, continuing the London club’s busy start to the transfer window.
The 27-year-old is their fourth signing, after Georgia Stanway, Selina Cerci and Geraldine Reuteler, who arrived from Bundesliga teams on free transfers, and the club are understood to have been determined to complete lots of their business early.
Barcelona said at the end of May that Batlle would be leaving at the end of her contract. She is one of four members of the Spain squad to leave the Champions League winners on frees this summer. Batlle, Alexia Putellas, whose signing by London City Lionesses was confirmed on Wednesday, Mapi León, who is also expected to join London City, and Salma Paralluelo, whose next club is unknown, were in the Spain starting team that comprehensively beat England 4-0 in Mallorca in June.
You can read more on this story from Tom Garry here: Arsenal hail signing of ‘winner’ Ona Batlle after Barcelona summer exodus
Good afternoon/evening/morning. Spain v Belgium tonight, eh? Not sure either of those sides returning home after the quarter-finals will get quite the rapturous welcome back that Egypt have enjoyed following their round of 16 exit. Some great pictures of their homecoming are on the wires …
With that I’ll hand over to Martin Belam for the next couple of hours.
I’ll be back around 4.
Over to you, Martin!
Some developing news around the death of Nobby Stiles:
England World Cup winner Nobby Stiles died with a traumatic brain injury, a court heard as a coroner ruled an inquest into his death must be held.
Stiles, 78, a former Manchester United footballer and 1966 World Cup winner, died with the injury, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which has been associated with head traumas, claimed to be from repeatedly heading a football.
Chris Morris, area coroner for Greater Manchester South, told Stockport Coroner’s Court that a brain expert had examined samples and medical records and due to the injury a full inquest would be required.
Norbert “Nobby” Stiles, born in Manchester in 1942, was a tough-tackling defensive midfielder, capped 28 times by England and played nearly 400 times for Man Utd.
He died in October 2020 after a long illness but his family has since campaigned for football authorities to do more to help ex-players cope with injuries they claim were caused during their playing days.
Mr Morris said “for reasons not entirely clear to me” Stiles’s death was not at the time reported to the coroner’s office for investigation, which had only begun after information provided by the ex-footballer’s family.
I LOVE this from the Icelandic public broadcaster.
With thanks to Kári Tulinius who shared it with me, here are the 48 World Cup team badges ranked.
As Kári says, “Annoyingly, they’re mostly fairly sensible, with the beautiful Dutch badge taking top spot, and I’ve found myself quibbling only around the edges, e.g. Mexico should be in the top five, and I don’t think DR Congo should be at the very bottom. I have faith, however, that Guardian readers will find something to complain about as they scroll down the list".”
Personally, I think they’ve done Congo dirty here.
Matthew Lysaght has written in:
Sir, You can definitely bag a Brace, and a Hat-trick. You can also “help yourself to”, “nab”, and “notch” both but can only “plunder” a hat-trick or higher.
Oooh, can you ‘nab’ or ‘help yourself’ to a brace though? I’m with you on the ‘notch’ though and agree that a ‘plunder’ is only for three and up.
Folks, I’ve had a shocker.
The aformentioned Maradonna v Belgium pic was in fact from four years earlier, and not the World Cup where Belgium beat Spain on penalties.
I’ve changed that, with thanks to Rory on email.
Sorry for the goober.
Have we spoken about the Norwegian man who is refusing to row?
It’s all anyone on my various WhatsApp group chats can talk about.
I’m obsessed! Who is this buzzkill? Why was he interviewed?
Do you have strong views on this? Have you ever dug your heels in and refused to join in on a bit of fun because of ‘historical accuracy’?
As you can imagine, Belgium and Spain have played each other quite a bit.
22 times in fact. Is that a lot? Anyway…
Spain have bossed it since 1921, winning 12 and drawing five and losing five.
Their most recent meeting came in 2016 when David Silva bagged a brace (is there another way to score two goals, can you bag anything else in football other than a brace?).
Belgium’s last victory in this fixture was back in 1986, incidentally in the World Cup quarterfinals. After things were locked at 1-1, thanks to a Spanish equaliser in the 84th minute at the Estadio Cuauhtémoc, it was the Belgium who progressed after a penalty shootout.
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Thanks David.
Hi everyone. Glad to be here. Sing out with any bits.
Oh, could do with some advice/tips if you’ve got any.
We’re hosting tonight and tomorrow (madness, right?). What’s been your strategy for WC watch parties? Kick-off times have been a spanner in the works, especially with little kids.
Any brilliant insight? Would love to hear it.
Time now to hand the blog to Daniel Gallan. Nine hours to go until Spain v Belgium.
I remember watching Crystal Palace beat Liverpool at Anfield a couple of seasons ago with Olise and Eze in the team. They combined for the winner and there was a real feeling that here were two players whose careers would surely take off further. So imagine how you felt as a Dortmund fan when Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham were on the books. Here’s Andy Brassell as the two former teammates and friends prepare to lock horns again in England’s clash with Norway.
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Air miles. I wanted to know this and, thankfully, Andrew Beasley has crunched the numbers. Another reason why the France v Argentina final is considered the most likely of the possible permutations perhaps? In addition, I have a mate who does analysis in the Championship and he’s noted the effects on teams after they’ve played in the heat of Miami. So great news for England then: they’ve flown the furthest of the eight quarter-finalists and would likely play Argentina (or Switzerland) on the back of a gruelling last-eight clash in Miami. We shall see.
What do Tunisia, Portugal, South Korea, Czechia, Scotland, Uruguay, Croatia, Ghana, Germany, the Netherlands and Ecuador all have in common? The answer is here:
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Patrick O’Brien emails in. “Sorry to be that person but you can’t say that if said player had scored their penalties then their overall tally would be higher. For example, if - a big if admittedly - Messi scored that penalty against Egypt the rest of the game would’ve played out in a different way such that he wouldn’t have scored the goal that he did. In fact, you can imagine a game where a player misses a penalty and then scores two in open play, but if they score the penalty they may not score again meaning their overall tally would be lower. Just sayin’.”
Can I shock you. I like whine. Patridgeisms aside, I actually fully agree, Patrick. Another angle is that players might have an extra 5% edge as they try and atone for their misses. It’s interesting to note that Messi (twice) and Mbappe both went on to score later in the games in which they fluffed their spot-kicks. Okay, they might have done anyway but I guess we’re saying it isn’t clear-cut.
Some transfer news. Pierce Charles has joined Manchester City on a five-year deal from Sheffield Wednesday, the 20-year-old goalkeeper being loaned immediately to Queens Park Rangers for all of next season. Charles, who has 12 Northern Ireland caps, is returning to City having been an academy product before leaving to join Wednesday in October 2022.
Charles, who is Manchester-born, said: “To be back at Manchester City is a very special and proud moment both for me and my family. I know first-hand what a special club City is and I am so excited about looking to the future. City take the development of young players very seriously so I know that my loan to QPR will only help me grow and improve as a player too. I’ll now give everything I can for a successful season in the Championship before hopefully returning to Manchester a better goalkeeper.”
Hugo Viana, City’s director of football, said: “Pierce is someone whose progress we have been following closely, and we are delighted to welcome him back to Manchester City. Pierce has already learned a lot during his time at Sheffield Wednesday but is still very young and hungry to now further progress and develop.
“He also knows the club and is very much aligned with the values we all share. We are very happy to have secured Pierce’s signing and are excited to now help in his future career development.”
Kick back with a refreshing drink, settle yourself into a deckchair and have a listen to the latest Football Weekly podcast. Works just as well for those stuck in traffic. Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, John Brewin and Philippe Auclair to discuss France’s win over Morocco and much more.
The World Cup goes way beyond the action on the pitch. Which is just as well if you stayed up to watch Colombia v Switzerland. Here’s Donald McRae chatting to London hair stylist Jayèma on working with England stars, a new look for Raphinha and forging a friendship with Lamine Yamal’s family.
Jayèma smiles when I say the England team, with their mix of ethnicities and hairstyles, are an uplifting antidote to racism and the politics of division. “Exactly. Football is meant to bring us together and give unity.”
Match-fixing has increased at an “extraordinary” rate across the world, a select committee of the House of Lords has been told.
Moses Swaibu, a former Crystal Palace academy player who was jailed for his part in a match-fixing scandal while at Bromley in 2013 and has since devoted himself to combatting the issue, claimed authorities have failed to keep pace with the rise of prediction markets and new technologies. Full report here:
Talking of photos, here’s one of Jürgen Klopp and Kylian Mbappe sharing a laugh over…
a) The Harry Kane high-pitched ‘incredible support’ interview
b) That Norwegian creator (Julie Amini) who impersonates Erling Haaland
c) The USA’s performance against Belgium
d) Messi being shit at penalties
We all love a good photo so sign up to this!
The Golden Boot. According to some quick research, I think this is the first time in World Cup history that two players in the same tournament have hit the eight-goal mark.
And if Messi and Mbappe could take penalties, they’d have 19 between them rather than eight each! Standings here:
Girl dies in France celebrating World Cup win
A 17-year-old girl fell off a truck and died while celebrating France’s World Cup quarter final win over Morocco, emergency services said Friday.
Celebrations erupted across France after the 2-0 win in the United States with hundreds dancing in the streets of Paris, watched by thousands of police on security duties.
The teenager was on a truck at Aulnoye-Aymeries, near the northern city of Maubeuge, when she “fell and was run over” by the vehicle and was declared dead at the scene, according to emergency services.
The driver of the truck has been detained, while another teenager who witnessed the fall was taken to hospital suffering from shock, authorities said.
(AFP)
More from the unrest in London where a police officer was hurt and several people arrested after France’s win over Morocco. (Per PA Media)
Footage on social media appears to show flares being set off and missiles being thrown at officers in the middle of a London street. The Metropolitan police said four people were arrested for violent disorder and one officer had been taken to hospital with a head injury after being hit by a glass bottle.
In a statement the force said: “Officers were initially called after a group of people congregated in the road and blocked traffic. The incident then escalated with the group throwing bottles and setting off fireworks. As a result, further officers were deployed to the area. One officer was taken to hospital for head injuries; it is believed he had been hit by a glass bottle.
“No other injuries were reported. Officers remained in the area and made four arrests for violent disorder, with the group dispersing and the road reopened from around 1am. We will not tolerate such disorder on our streets, or attacks on our officers. A police presence will remain in the area overnight and we will be reviewing CCTV and video footage circulating on social media to ensure all those responsible are brought to justice.”
Councillor Paul Swaddle, leader of Westminster city council, said: “I am deeply disturbed by scenes of crowd disorder on the Edgware Road circulating on social media after last night’s World Cup results. It is completely unacceptable that Metropolitan police officers appear to have been turned on by some groups and one officer injured as they were reportedly pelted with bottles. I condemn this behaviour and appeal to all fans to be respectful throughout the tournament.”
Meanwhile, the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) said 223 incidents related to the England-Mexico match in the early hours of Monday morning had been recorded in England and Wales. The UKFPU said there had been six hate crime incidents, 32 incidents of domestic abuse and made 42 arrests linked to England’s dramatic victory at the Azteca stadium, for which pubs were allowed to keep serving until 5am.
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Rudi Garcia has claimed that Belgium have got “millions and millions” of new supporters after Donald Trump lobbied Fifa to overturn Folarin Balogun’s red card ahead of their victory against the US. Hmm. Perhaps for that particular match but I’m not sure it extends beyond it. Regardless, here’s Sid Lowe again, this time with quotes from the Belgian boss and the mood inside their camp.
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Who can stop France? There’s a fairly obvious answer to that – Spain. Ahead of the quarter-final against Belgium later today, here’s Sid Lowe on that superb Spanish defence which hasn’t conceded a goal yet in this World Cup. Whether it could repel the French in a potential semi-final remains to be seen. And, of course, Belgium will be doing their best to stop what has looked an inevitable semi-final for quite a while.
Here’s Raphaël Jucobin on the stylistic difference between France’s 2022 and 2026 teams.
“In the space of just a single tournament cycle, Didier Deschamps has embraced a vastly different style, one based on a freeform attacking line. As a one-two punch from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé sent the team into this year’s semi-final, the 57-year-old’s tactical reinvention was once again vindicated.”
Quotes here from both managers – Didier Deschamps and Mohamed Ouahbi – after France’s victory. Plenty of praise from the Morocco boss.
Mbappé should be fit for semi-final
Kylian Mbappé: Despite scoring the opener against Morocco and playing a big role in the second, there was some concern when Mbappé was taken off with 13 minutes remaining.
The striker felt some “discomfort” in his ankle and was initially seen nursing it with an ice pack. However, fears were allayed at full-time when he jogged onto the pitch before bouncing up and down in front of the celebrating French fans. He’s not expected to be a doubt for the semi-final.
'Violent disorder' in London after French win
Police battled football fans in central London early on Friday after France beat Morocco in their World Cup quarter-final. Per AFP:
One police officer was injured and four people were arrested following the “violent disorder”, London police said.
Images shared on social media showed dozens of people stood in Edgware Road, near Hyde Park, and some throwing bottles and other objects at police. Police said the trouble started after people blocked traffic in the road.
“The incident then escalated with the group throwing bottles and setting off fireworks,” a spokesman said. “One officer was taken to hospital for head injuries, it is believed he had been hit by a glass bottle.”
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First up, here’s Jonathan Wilson’s match report from Boston.
“What is a defence supposed to do? Perhaps France have gone too early. Perhaps they will not be able to sustain this form. But if they do, it is going to take something remarkable to prevent them winning their third World Cup in 28 years.”
Preamble
Good morning/afternoon/evening! We have our first World Cup semi-finalist and, to no surprise, it’s Didier Deschamps’ France. What looked a tough quarter-final turned into a fairly routine 2-0 win over Morocco and the tournament favourites look hard to stop.
France play the winner of Spain v Belgium which is today’s game before the other side of the draw takes centre stage on the weekend: England v Norway and Argentina v Switzerland. Build-up to those games and all your other World Cup news is on its way right here!
