French attacking midfielder for Lyon, rising star of Ligue 1
Spain masterclasss sinks France 2-0 in Dallas, with Lamine Yamal scoring the opener and Pedro Porro adding a second. Didier Deschamps is stepping down after the tournament; France will play for third place while Spain awaits the final.
Mbappé and Messi have pushed into a tie for the Golden Boot after Mbappé’s eighth goal against Morocco. Messi leads the race with 8 goals, while Haaland and Kane trail as Spain and France prepare for a semifinal clash. Yamal continues for Spain amid injuries to Williams.
England has opened its World Cup campaign with a 4-2 win over Croatia in Arlington, Texas. Harry Kane has scored twice in the first half, Jude Bellingham has put England ahead just after half-time and Marcus Rashford has sealed the win late on. Elsewhere Portugal were held 1-1 by DR Congo and Ghana beat Panama 1-0.
France has sealed top spot in Group I after a 4-1 win over Norway, with Ousmane Dembélé’s hat-trick and Mbappé’s goals highlighting a potent attack. Deschamps has returned to France for family reasons, and Norway rested most starters as they fight to reach the knockout stage.
France has advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals after Mbappé converted a 70th-minute penalty to beat Paraguay 1-0 in Philadelphia. He is now seven goals in the tournament, tying Lionel Messi for the top-scorer title with Mbappé one behind Messi’s overall World Cup record. France will face Morocco in Foxborough in the next round.
Spain defeats Belgium 2-1 in a dramatic quarter-final, with Pedro Porro and Dani Olmo’s goals giving them the lead, and Mikel Merino sealing victory after coming on as a substitute. Belgium’s Senne Lammens errors seal their fate as Spain advance to face France in the semi-finals.