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Guardiola Delights In Manchester City ‘Building History’ in Champions League

Pep Guardiola celebrates with Phil Foden after the England player scored for Manchester City to secure passage into the Champions League semi-finals. Photograph: PA Wire/DPA/PA
Pep Guardiola celebrates with Phil Foden after the England player scored for Manchester City to secure passage into the Champions League semi-finals. Photograph: PA Wire/DPA/PA
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Guardiola Delights In Manchester City ‘Building History’ in Champions League

Pep Guardiola celebrates with Phil Foden after the England player scored for Manchester City to secure passage into the Champions League semi-finals. Photograph: PA Wire/DPA/PA
Pep Guardiola celebrates with Phil Foden after the England player scored for Manchester City to secure passage into the Champions League semi-finals. Photograph: PA Wire/DPA/PA

Pep Guardiola praised Phil Foden and expressed his belief that Manchester City are “building history” after they knocked out Borussia Dortmund to reach the Champions League semi‑finals for only a second time.

City remain on course for a historic quadruple after Foden’s 75th-minute strike confirmed their passage – 4-2 on aggregate – and followed the England forward’s late goal in the 2-1 first-leg win at the Etihad Stadium last week.

The manager said: “He’s always creating something – two important goals and he has helped us in the semi-final – in this quarter-final he was the most important player. It is the second time in the semi-finals so it is not history in the club, but we start to build it.

“We were brilliant except the first minutes where they were good. I’m incredibly happy to be in the semi‑finals, to be one of the best four teams in Europe, to be against big, strong teams and we will try to be good. We break this bridge from quarter-finals to semi-finals.”

The last comment referred to City being eliminated at the last-eight stage for the past three seasons under Guardiola, his team having failed to progress beyond in the last 16 in his first term in charge. Yet after Jude Bellingham’s 15th-minute opener had Dortmund going through on away goals City responded via a second‑half Riyad Mahrez penalty and Foden’s shot from outside the penalty area that struck the post before going over the line.

City next meet Paris Saint‑Germain after the French club defeated Bayern Munich on Tuesday. “@KMbappe are you ready,” Foden tweeted to the France striker afterwards.

“The semi-final of the Champions League – we cannot expect anything but tough,” Guardiola said.

Of a potential quadruple the City manager said: “We need three wins for the Premier League, we are in the semi-finals of the Champions League, semi-finals of the FA Cup and the final of Carabao Cup. We don’t talk about winning all four – we take one game at a time.”

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Sports

Mexico Edge South Korea to Win Group A

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group A - Mexico v South Korea - Estadio Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico - June 18, 2026 Mexico's Israel Reyes and teammates celebrate after the match REUTERS/Paul Childs
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group A - Mexico v South Korea - Estadio Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico - June 18, 2026 Mexico's Israel Reyes and teammates celebrate after the match REUTERS/Paul Childs
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Mexico Edge South Korea to Win Group A

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group A - Mexico v South Korea - Estadio Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico - June 18, 2026 Mexico's Israel Reyes and teammates celebrate after the match REUTERS/Paul Childs
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group A - Mexico v South Korea - Estadio Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico - June 18, 2026 Mexico's Israel Reyes and teammates celebrate after the match REUTERS/Paul Childs

Mexico booked their place in the World Cup knockout stage as Group A winners and secured home advantage for the Round of 32 after Luis Romo's second-half strike earned the tournament co-hosts a 1-0 win over South Korea on Thursday.

The victory moved Javier Aguirre's side onto six points from two matches and ensured their first knockout game would be played in Mexico City on June 30.

They are the first team to qualify for the knockout stage, Reuters reported.

Romo broke the deadlock three minutes after the restart, capitalizing on a costly mistake by goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu. The South Korea keeper spilled a cross after colliding with a teammate, allowing the Mexico midfielder a simple finish into an unguarded net from the center of the box.

"It was a very close game; we didn't give up a single centimetre and fought for every ball as if it were our last," Aguirre told Mexican broadcaster ⁠TV Azteca.

"It was ⁠a game where whoever made a mistake would lose, and it was them... It was a game to forget, but the result is one to remember."

The goal transformed the mood inside Guadalajara Stadium after an uninspiring first half that ended with sections of the home crowd booing the hosts off the pitch.

Mexico had started brightly but struggled to turn early possession into clear chances, with South Korea growing into the game.

Captain Edson Alvarez, deployed in central defense after Cesar Montes' suspension, produced ⁠a spectacular overhead clearance off the goal line to deny Son Heung-min, although the South Korea captain was later flagged offside.

The Asian side finished the half stronger, controlling possession and unsettling a Mexico side that looked increasingly frustrated as the interval approached.

Romo's goal moments after the restart lifted both Mexico and the crowd, with supporters breaking into renditions of Mexican folk song "Cielito Lindo" ("Lovely Sweetheart") as Aguirre's side seized control of a match that had threatened to drift away from them.

Mexico nearly doubled their advantage midway through the second half when Raul Jimenez controlled a pass from Julian Quinones before firing a half-volley from close range, only for Kim to produce an outstanding save.

The South Korea goalkeeper made another excellent stop to deny substitute Obed ⁠Vargas, diving low to ⁠push away a powerful long-range effort.

South Korea threw numbers forward in search of an equalizer and came agonizingly close in the closing stages, but goalkeeper Raul Rangel preserved Mexico's lead with a remarkable double save from point-blank range.

Rangel first blocked a close-range effort with his foot before scrambling across his line to keep out the rebound.

Mexico withstood wave after wave of South Korean pressure in a tense finish to secure their second straight win and become the first team to qualify for the knockout stage, where they will face a third-placed team.

Aguirre's side will close out the group phase against Czech Republic, while South Korea can still secure progression when they face South Africa on Wednesday.

"We were patient, not passive. It's not easy, we're seeing some very close matches," Aguirre added.

"We'll see how the last match plays out and wait for our opponent. I'm leaving happy because it means we're not leaving home, our beloved Mexico."

Sports

Mexico, Korea Eye World Cup Knockout Berths

The build-up to co-hosts Mexico's clash with South Korea has seen shrouded with intrigue, with a mystery drone spotted over Korea's training ground. CARL DE SOUZA / AFP
The build-up to co-hosts Mexico's clash with South Korea has seen shrouded with intrigue, with a mystery drone spotted over Korea's training ground. CARL DE SOUZA / AFP
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Mexico, Korea Eye World Cup Knockout Berths

The build-up to co-hosts Mexico's clash with South Korea has seen shrouded with intrigue, with a mystery drone spotted over Korea's training ground. CARL DE SOUZA / AFP
The build-up to co-hosts Mexico's clash with South Korea has seen shrouded with intrigue, with a mystery drone spotted over Korea's training ground. CARL DE SOUZA / AFP

Mexico and South Korea will aim to punch their ticket to the World Cup knockout rounds on Thursday when they meet in Guadalajara knowing a win would guarantee a last 32 berth.

The Group A rivals head into the fixture at the Estadio Akron fresh from respective victories over South Africa and the Czech Republic in their opening games last week, said AFP.

The expanded 48-team format for this year's World Cup -- and the fact that the eight best-ranked third-placed teams will advance from the group stage -- means that a win for either Mexico or South Korea would see them advance.

Co-hosts Mexico eased past a poor South Africa in their opening game last week but are bracing for a significantly tougher test against a South Korean side studded with quality.

"We have to be very wary of the opponents' attacking transitions," Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said.

"When we are attacking, we can't let our guard down; if there are two Koreans up front, there need to be three Mexicans."

The build-up to Thursday's game has seen shrouded with intrigue, with a mystery drone spotted over South Korea's training ground on Tuesday.

Yonhap news agency reported that a South Korea team security officer spotted the device, and a Mexican military drone-interdiction specialist stationed at the training camp brought it down by emitting radio signals.

Two men who were suspected to be the drone operators retrieved the crashed device and fled the scene in an incident which South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo described as "unfortunate" but insisted "did not impact us significantly."

Hostile atmosphere

Hong meanwhile is preparing his team for an intimidating atmosphere against the hosts on Thursday.

"We fully understand that it's going to be a match with the home team, and we know that that's going to give benefits to the home team," Hong said.

"But my players have experienced such matches before, so it will be different tomorrow, and we need to control the rhythm and the flow of the match."

In other games on Thursday, Switzerland will look to bounce back from their disappointing opening Group B draw with Qatar when they take on Bosnia-Herzegovina, while co-hosts Canada face the Qataris in Vancouver.

Bosnia coach Sergej Barbarez is eyeing another upset, urging his team to summon the spirit of their qualifying campaign, when they knocked out Italy during the playoffs.

Barbarez brushed off suggestions that Switzerland would expect to beat a team ranked 44 places below them by FIFA.

"Everyone has the right to their own opinion and show their confidence," the coach said.

"When we were playing against Italy in the playoffs, we had a similar sort of sentiment publicly, but we stayed focused on ourselves," he added.

Thursday's games kick off the second round of group fixtures.

On Wednesday, England lit up the tournament with a roller coaster 4-2 win over Croatia in Group L which included two goals from captain Harry Kane and one from Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham.

But while England got off the mark in style, there was disappointment for Portugal, who were held to a surprise 1-1 draw by the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The result once again renewed scrutiny of Portugal coach Roberto Martinez's support for Cristiano Ronaldo, the 41-year-old icon who is playing in his sixth World Cup.

The veteran striker gave an ineffective performance, managing just 25 touches in the whole match, but Martinez defended the decision not to replace him.

"It makes no sense to take off the best goal scorer in world football in a game that you need goals," Martinez said.

Ronaldo has now failed to score in 10 consecutive matches in major tournaments and his country's press turned against him on Thursday.

Sports newspaper A Bola said that Ronaldo appeared "crushed by the pressure" and had become "himself a problem", while Publico said the team "remains hostage to its faith in Ronaldo".

Sports

Bosnia Ready to Shed Underdog Reputation, Face Switzerland as Equals

Bosnia-Herzegovina's defender Nikola Katic (R) gives a press conference in Los Angeles, California on June 17, 2026, on the eve of the 2026 World Cup football match between Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)
Bosnia-Herzegovina's defender Nikola Katic (R) gives a press conference in Los Angeles, California on June 17, 2026, on the eve of the 2026 World Cup football match between Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)
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Bosnia Ready to Shed Underdog Reputation, Face Switzerland as Equals

Bosnia-Herzegovina's defender Nikola Katic (R) gives a press conference in Los Angeles, California on June 17, 2026, on the eve of the 2026 World Cup football match between Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)
Bosnia-Herzegovina's defender Nikola Katic (R) gives a press conference in Los Angeles, California on June 17, 2026, on the eve of the 2026 World Cup football match between Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)

Bosnia and Herzegovina ‌are fighting to dispel the notion that they are underdogs at the World Cup, key player Nikola Katic told reporters on the eve of their match with Switzerland.

Despite dispatching four-times world champions Italy and favored side Wales in the qualification playoffs, then battling co-hosts Canada to a 1-1 draw in their opening match, Bosnia are still underestimated, Katic said on Wednesday.

"After that (defeating Italy) we didn't get the respect we deserved, because it was more bad-Italy than good-Bosnia" in post-match commentary, said central defender Katic.

Bosnia manager Sergej Barbarez said his team won't be seeking a draw against ‌the Swiss, despite ‌their emphasis on compact defending and quick counter-attacks, Reuters said.

"Tomorrow ‌we ⁠are coming to ⁠play for the three points," said Barbarez, who was a top player for his country and in the Bundesliga in the 1990s and 2000s.

He became national team manager in 2024 and overhauled the squad, with more than a dozen new players being brought in since, allowing the side to have seasoned talent and leadership while enjoying the resilience of young players.

Barbarez ⁠said his team's opening Group B draw with ‌Canada gave confidence to the squad because ‌facing a host nation in the first match can be an emotional challenge ‌for young players.

"Of course there was a certain anxiety, but I ‌would say it was more of an excitement," said Barbarez.

The draw against Canada showed Bosnia-Herzegovina to be a tough side who are not intimidated by a fast-attacking team.

Barbarez and Katic said they will focus on their style of play ‌on Thursday rather than worrying about what opponents Switzerland will throw at them.

Bosnia's 40-year-old captain, Edin Dzeko, will ⁠be a ⁠towering presence in front of goal, with the country's all-time-leading scorer expected to be playing at his last World Cup.

With a robust defensive shell looking to force quick breaks, Dzeko's scoring precision will be vital to his side's hopes of success on Thursday.

Katic paid tribute to Dzeko, saying there were not enough words to explain how important his presence is on the field, in training and off the pitch.

Barbarez declined to say whether he would put Dzeko in the starting 11.

Reporters repeatedly raised the win over Italy, which Barbarez and Katic enjoyed recalling. Bosnia won 4-1 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time.

"It is one of the games that will stay in our memories for always," said Barbarez.