5:36 PM ET LUSAIL, Qatar — Lionel Messi has praised Argentina for passing an “acid test” in bouncing back from losing against Saudi Arabia in their opening match to reach the World Cup final. The Sunday showpiece will see Argentina face either France or Morocco after Messi inspired Lionel Scaloni’s side to a 3-0 win
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2:34 PM ET Lionel Messi has become Argentina‘s all-time leading goal scorer at World Cup finals, after scoring a penalty in the first half of Tuesday’s 3-0 victory in the semifinal against Croatia. Messi, 35, overtook Gabriel Batistuta’s previous record of 10 goals, which he scored at the 1994, 1998 and 2002 World Cups. –
5:27 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent LUSAIL, Qatar — Luka Modric could play on until the next European Championships, said Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic following their World Cup exit to Argentina. Croatia were beaten 3-0 at Lusail Stadium on Tuesday, but Dalic suggested afterwards that Saturday’s third-place playoff against either France or Morocco will not be
7:29 PM ET Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has said he does not know when winger Jadon Sancho will return to the first-team squad, with the 22-year-old currently not in the right physical or mental state. Sancho is not with the United squad on a two-match tour of Spain preparing for the return of
1:50 PM ET Arsenal maintained their winning form ahead of the return of the Premier League later this month, beating AC Milan 2-1 in their second of two friendlies in Dubai on Tuesday. Captain Martin Odegaard got the Premier League leaders off to a perfect start with an expertly placed left-footed free kick that found
6:09 AM ET Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Atletico Madrid have made Joao Felix, Matheus Cunha, Felipe and Mario Hermoso available for transfer in the January market as the LaLiga club look to balance their books by moving on between three and five players, sources have told ESPN. Atletico’s finances were hit by their early elimination
9:35 AM ET France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris sent a text message to England striker Harry Kane after his Tottenham Hotspur teammate blazed a late penalty over the crossbar in his side’s 2-1 World Cup quarterfinal defeat on Saturday. Kane’s late miss proved decisive in a game that sent England crashing out of the World Cup,
6:11 AM ET Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Neymar played for Barcelona between 2013 and 2017. Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil forward Neymar has been acquitted of fraud and corruption charges over his 2013 transfer from Santos to Barcelona, a Spanish court ruled on Tuesday. Neymar’s father, the two clubs, former Barca
10:32 AM ET Michael B. Jordan is a part of the ownership group that completed a takeover Bournemouth. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association Bournemouth have been taken over by Black Knight Football Club led by American businessman Bill Foley, with the minority ownership group led by Hollywood actor Michael B. Jordan, the Premier League
2:31 AM ET Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said centre-back Harry Maguire had a really good World Cup and urged him to replicate his England form at the club when the Premier League restarts. Maguire lost his first team spot for United in August but the 29-year-old started every game for England in Qatar,