Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Third-Place Playoff - Croatia v Morocco - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 17, 2022 Morocco fans react inside the stadium. Reuters
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Third-Place Playoff - Croatia v Morocco - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 17, 2022 Morocco fans react inside the stadium. Reuters
Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 in the World Cup third-place playoff on Saturday to secure a top three finish in the tournament as Morocco, the first World Cup semi-finalists in history, came in fourth.
Runners-up in 2018, Croatia also came third in the 1998 World Cup, beating the Netherlands 2-1.
Josko Gvardiol put Croatia in front after a well-designed set-piece play. Lovro Majer lobbed a free-kick to Ivan Perisic, who peeled away from his marker to head the ball to the middle of the box where Gvardiol was perfectly positioned to nod the ball into the net with a brilliant diving header.
But it only took two minutes for Morocco to find the equalizer, also from a free-kick, as Croatia’s Majer tried to clear the ball but miscalculated his header and missed badly, setting up Morocco’s Achraf Dari, who was alone in the six-yard-box to send home a close-range header.
Croatia scored the winner three minutes from the break when Mislav Orsic netted a dipping, curled shot from just inside the area that went in off the post. They held their lead through an absorbing yet goalless second half.
The "Lions of the Atlas" were the first Arab or African team ever to reach a semi-final in 92 years of football's top tournament.
Morocco had a string of victories, including over Belgium, Spain and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal.
But France ended Morocco's World Cup dream as goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani gave the holders a 2-0 win in their semi-final clash to set up a showdown on Sunday with Lionel Messi's Argentina.
Mexico's Julian Quinones celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup Group A soccer match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP)
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Co-Hosts Mexico Kick Off World Cup with Dramatic Victory
Mexico's Julian Quinones celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup Group A soccer match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP)
Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 in a drama-filled opening match of the World Cup at the Estadio Azteca Thursday, kicking off the biggest ever edition of the global football extravaganza.
Julian Quinones scored the opening goal of the tournament after nine minutes and 35-year-old striker Raul Jimenez headed in Mexico's second goal at the Azteca, which became the first stadium in the world to host games at three World Cups.
Three players were sent off -- two from South Africa and one from Mexico -- in front of a capacity crowd of 80,000 spectators.
South Africa had Sphephelo Sithole dismissed for denying a goalscoring opportunity before Themba Zwane was shown a red card for a slap. Mexico's Cesar Montes was sent off late in the game, for a foul.
Mexico coach Javier Aguirre revealed his players had overcome severe first-day nerves.
"When you're starting out the World Cup, of course your legs will shake," Aguirre said. "Never in 25 years had anyone had any cramps but three of them had cramps today.
"We were in awe when we saw the stadium and they got a little bit of stage fright. But we never suffered."
Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group A - Mexico v South Africa - Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico - June 11, 2026 Shakira performs during the opening ceremony before the match. (Reuters)
- Sprawling tournament -
Mexico's victory launched a 48-team tournament also hosted by the United States and Canada that will last nearly six weeks, culminating in the final in New Jersey on July 19.
Before kickoff, Colombian superstar Shakira and Nigerian singer Burna Boy performed "Dai Dai", the official song of the tournament and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli rounded off the opening ceremony.
There was a festive atmosphere inside the stadium, but outside dozens of protesters clashed with police.
Groups of teachers, relatives of Mexicans who have gone missing, and student activists gathered outside the stadium.
Some protesters broke through barriers and traded blows with police officers guarding the stadium's perimeter moments after Mexico scored their opening goal.
Tens of thousands of fans crammed into a fan zone in central Mexico City to watch the game, which was also enthusiastically followed by a large crowd of fans from California's Mexican community on giant screens at the Coliseum in Los Angeles.
- Korean joy -
South Korea got their World Cup campaign off to a winning start by beating the Czech Republic 2-1 in the opening day's second game.
Until the 80th-minute mark, it seemed that the Czechs would punish the Koreans' wastefulness in front of goal, but substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu notched the decisive goal in a Guadalajara stadium that was far from full.
South Korea face Mexico in Guadalajara on June 18 in their next Group A fixture while the Czechs play the South Africans in Atlanta on the same day.
The start of the action on the pitch will have come as a welcome relief to football's world governing body FIFA, which has faced stinging criticism over the eye-watering cost of tickets.
In addition, Donald Trump's immigration crackdown has seen a top referee, Iranian team officials and fans refused entry to the United States.
On the eve of the tournament, FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended the organization and brushed off criticism over visa issues.
Infantino insisted that tickets -- which in some cases have topped $30,000 -- had been priced appropriately.
"Our average price which is below 500 dollars is again the lowest of the American sports on average," he said.
South Korea's Oh Hyeon-gyu, left, reacts after scoring his team's second goal during the World Cup Group A match between South Korea and Czechia in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP)
On Thursday, European football's governing body UEFA announced that Somali referee Omar Artan, who was refused entry to the US and barred from the World Cup, had been selected to referee its European Super Cup, between Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa in August.
US authorities have alleged Artan was "associated with suspected members of terrorist organizations".
Senegal and Ivory Coast said members of their official supporters' groups had also been denied US visas.
- Iran squad appear -
Infantino portrayed Iran's participation at the World Cup in the midst of its military conflict with the US as a victory for his organization, saying: "I don't know who else would have been able to ensure in these circumstances -- which we could not influence -- Iran could come and play."
Four days after they arrived at their base camp in Mexico, the Iran players finally took to the training pitch in front of journalists Thursday.
Meanwhile, the World Cup squad from the Ebola-hit Democratic Republic of Congo was allowed to enter the United States.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who plays in England for West Ham, said after coming through immigration at Houston airport after a flight from Paris that the team had faced "no problems".
US authorities had insisted the squad serve a 21-day quarantine period before entering US soil.
Serena Williams' Comeback at Queen's Club is Over after Injury to Doubles Partnerhttps://english.aawsat.com/sports/5282981-serena-williams-comeback-queens-club-over-after-injury-doubles-partner
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 10, 2026 Serena Williams of the US during practice REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo
Serena Williams' Comeback at Queen's Club is Over after Injury to Doubles Partner
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Queen's Club Championships - Queen's Club, London, Britain - June 10, 2026 Serena Williams of the US during practice REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo
Serena Williams' much-hyped comeback to professional tennis at the Queen's Club lasted just one match.
The 44-year-old Williams' doubles partner, 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, was forced to withdraw from the draw on Thursday because of a knee injury she sustained in a singles match against Karolina Pliskova in the last 32 on Wednesday.
In her first professional match since the 2022 US Open, Williams teamed up with Mboko to beat third-seeded duo Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (2), 6-2 at the grass-court event on Tuesday. They were scheduled to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals.
Williams is set to play doubles at the Berlin Open in Germany next week. Her partner has yet to be announced, The Associated Press reported.
Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles — including seven at Wimbledon — before stepping away from the game, saying at the time she was “evolving” away from tennis rather than "retiring."
Wolves Fire Coach after Relegation from Premier Leaguehttps://english.aawsat.com/sports/5282977-wolves-fire-coach-after-relegation-premier-league
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Burnley v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Turf Moor, Burnley, Britain - May 24, 2026 Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Rob Edwards applauds fans after the match Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes
Wolves Fire Coach after Relegation from Premier League
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Burnley v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Turf Moor, Burnley, Britain - May 24, 2026 Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Rob Edwards applauds fans after the match Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes
Wolverhampton fired manager Rob Edwards on Thursday following the team's relegation from the Premier League.
Edwards was in charge for only seven months, having been hired in November when Wolves was winless and in last place.
He couldn't keep them up but, as a local-born former player, he was widely viewed as a coach the club was looking to build its future around.
Instead, Edwards was dumped a few weeks after he said Wolves were “not good enough” and “this place is in a mess.” He lost 16 of his 30 matches in charge of the team, which finished bottom of the league on 20 points.
“Following a comprehensive review at the conclusion of the season, the club has determined that a change in leadership is necessary as Wolves enters the next stage of its development,” The Associated Press quoted Wolves as saying in a statement.
“While the club recognizes the significant challenges faced by Edwards and his staff during their tenure, and acknowledges the commitment and professionalism they demonstrated throughout, it ultimately concluded that a different sporting direction would provide the strongest platform for future success.”
Wolves has already signed former England right back Kieran Trippier and Mexico striker Raul Jimenez as the club prepares for life back in the second-tier Championship.
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