Messi tops Klose; Scotland sent packing
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- Messi broke Miroslav Klose's all-time World Cup scoring record with his 17th and 18th tournament goals in Argentina's 2-0 win over Austria at Dallas Stadium, becoming the first player in over half a century to score in six consecutive World Cup matches.link ›
- Scotland are all but out, with Steve Clarke saying "for sure I think we're going home" after a 3-0 loss to Brazil left them third in Group C with three points and a minus-three goal difference — Opta pegged their advancement odds at 42%.link ›
- Mohamed Salah scored once and added an assist as Egypt beat New Zealand 3-1 in Vancouver for their first-ever World Cup victory in eight tournament appearances, moving atop Group G and within reach of a first knockout-stage qualification.link ›
- Romelu Lukaku registered zero shots and 0.03 xG before a 73rd-minute substitution in Belgium's 0-0 draw with Iran at SoFi Stadium, with Kevin De Bruyne hauled off in the 87th visibly spent — a golden generation running on fumes.link ›
- Cape Verde held two-time champions Uruguay to a 2-2 draw in Miami, another chapter in what the BBC called a "gripping debut World Cup campaign" for the island nation.link ›
- Oleksandr Usyk announced Friday he is vacating his WBA, IBF, and WBC heavyweight belts — but not retiring — with sporting director Sergey Lapin explicitly pointing to Anthony Joshua as the beneficiary of his "last dance" exit on American soil.link ›
- Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, was hit with a four-year doping ban after refusing a sample at her home on December 3, 2025; she's barred from all ITF, WTA, ATP, Grand Slam, and national events until June 21, 2030.link ›
Lionel Messi made the World Cup his own again, breaking Miroslav Klose's all-time scoring record with goals 17 and 18 — four of them penalties — in Argentina's 2-0 win over Austria at Dallas Stadium, a result that books the defending champions into the knockouts with a Group J game to spare. The tournament's broader story is the carnage at the bottom of the bracket: Steve Clarke conceded Scotland are "going home" after a 3-0 loss to Brazil — Vinicius Jr. twice, Matheus Cunha once — dropped them to third with a 42% lifeline. Mohamed Salah powered Egypt to their first-ever World Cup victory, a 3-1 win over New Zealand in Vancouver that puts them atop Group G. And Romelu Lukaku's 0.03 xG in Belgium's 0-0 with Iran at SoFi Stadium wrote the obituary for a golden generation that ran out of road.
The stories behind this week
'Think we're going home' - Clarke & McGinn rue Scotland mistakesScotland needed only a draw to almost certainly reach the last 32, but three defensive errors against Brazil leave them relying on other groups' results and a 42% statistical lifeline. A nation that hadn't been at a World Cup in 28 years now faces elimination before the knockout stage, with Clarke publicly conceding the campaign is likely over.
Salah powers Egypt to first World Cup win as BelgiumEgypt's win puts them atop Group G with first-ever knockout qualification within reach, while Belgium must beat New Zealand to stay alive — but Lukaku's 0.03 xG and De Bruyne's visible fatigue suggest this golden generation's last shot at glory has already slipped away.
Vondrousova banned four years for refusing doping testThe four-year suspension strips Vondrousova of competition eligibility across all major tennis circuits through June 2030, effectively ending the prime years of the 26-year-old's career. Her appeal pathway to the Court of Arbitration for Sport remains open, and the case sets a precedent that mental-health and safety concerns alone may not excuse a refusal, even when the player has no prior positive tests.
Usyk Vacates WBA, IBF, WBC Belts for 'Last Dance'Usyk's vacate opens the heavyweight division to a new title fight, with his own team explicitly pointing to Anthony Joshua as the beneficiary — while the 39-year-old three-time undisputed champion secures his preferred exit on American soil rather than as a belt-holder.
Cape Verde Hold Uruguay to 2-2 in World Cup DebutA draw against two-time champions Uruguay in their World Cup debut reinforces Cape Verde's status as a tournament surprise, with the point earned against one of the competition's most decorated sides.
Scorecard: England vs New Zealand, third TestEngland's five-pronged attack — including Archer, Atkinson, Tongue, Bashir and Stokes — failed to separate either opener across 29 overs, a flat start that puts the onus on the second new ball and could force captain Stokes into bowling changes before tea. With the series potentially on the line in this third Test, a wicketless morning session hands New Zealand the kind of platform that historically produces fourth-innings chases under 200.
NFL Rejects Sorsby's 2026 Supplemental Draft BidSorsby is locked out of an NFL roster for the 2026 season with no path other than another professional league, and his attorney is set to file a formal challenge with the NFLPA claiming the denial violates the CBA — turning a gambling-integrity case into a labor dispute with the league over how supplemental applicants are vetted.
Messi breaks World Cup scoring record vs AustriaArgentina's 2-0 win books their knockout-stage place as defending champions, while Messi's 18-goal haul sets a benchmark that had stood since Klose's 2014 retirement. The victory comes at a cost: goalkeeper Romero's 57th-minute knee injury forced an Otamendi substitution, leaving a live question over Argentina's defensive depth before the business end of the tournament.
Why it matters: Messi now owns the only World Cup scoring record with no realistic challenger in sight, and with Argentina into the knockouts a match early, the tournament's competitive center of gravity shifts to whether a 38-year-old can carry a defense missing the injured Romero.
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