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World Cup goalkeeper expresses reluctance to shake Trump’s hand should Spain win tournament
Spain goalkeeper Borja Iglesias has said he would be reluctant to shake US President Donald Trump’s hand should his side beat Argentina in Sunday’s 2026 World Cup final in New York/New Jersey. Speaking to Spanish media on Saturday, the goalkeeper made clear he is not a supporter of the president, though he stopped short of…
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Spain’s coaching culture leads the way, thanks to visionary Johan Cruyff | Philipp Lahm
In a column ahead of the World Cup final, former Germany captain Philipp Lahm argues that Spain’s dominance in football stems from a coaching philosophy rooted in Johan Cruyff’s vision at Barcelona, later refined by disciples such as Pep Guardiola and Unai Emery into an ideology of ball-oriented defending, positional discipline and technical, combination-based play.…
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‘Legend’ or ‘regrets’? A final that will define Lamine Yamal’s World Cup
Lamine Yamal may not have had a sparkling World Cup but victory for Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final would write a very different narrative.
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Bad Bunny concert in Milan abandoned because of hailstorm
A sold-out open-air concert by Puerto Rican music star Bad Bunny in Milan was cut short on Saturday night after a violent hailstorm struck the venue, forcing organisers to evacuate the crowd. The incident, which occurred shortly after the singer began his set, highlights the growing disruption severe weather is causing to major outdoor events,…
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Saka shows Tuchel why he’s too good to leave out
Bukayo Saka’s World Cup hat-trick against France reignited the selection debate and Thomas Tuchel’s decision to leave him out of the semi-final.
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Fifa gives fraud ‘an open door’ with betting, says Council of Europe chief
The Council of Europe’s secretary general, Alain Berset, has launched an unusually sharp public attack on Fifa, accusing it of leaving an “open door to fraud” through its expanded betting partnerships and of letting political pressure undermine the World Cup’s integrity. In an open letter published to coincide with Sunday’s final, Berset called for a…
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Russia launches major ballistic missile attack on Kyiv
Russia launched one of its heaviest ballistic missile and drone attacks of the war on Ukrainian cities, killing at least eight people and wounding dozens, in strikes that hit Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Sumy. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the assault on the capital “one of the most massive ballistic attacks” since Russia’s full-scale invasion began…
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World Cup final data pointers: Spain’s defensive record and Argentina’s attack
The reigning champions may need to continue outperforming their xG to overcome Spain’s superb defensive record The World Cup final will feature the champions of South America and Europe for the first time. Argentina and Spain sit first and second in Fifa’s world ranking of men’s international teams. Opta’s supercomputer rated Luis de la Fuente’s…