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10-man Botafogo Wins its First Copa Libertadores Title

Players of Botafogo celebrate with the trophy after winning the CONMEBOL Libertadores final match between Atletico Mineiro and Botafogo, at the Estadio Mas Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 30 November 2024. EPA/Antonio Lacerda
Players of Botafogo celebrate with the trophy after winning the CONMEBOL Libertadores final match between Atletico Mineiro and Botafogo, at the Estadio Mas Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 30 November 2024. EPA/Antonio Lacerda
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10-man Botafogo Wins its First Copa Libertadores Title

Players of Botafogo celebrate with the trophy after winning the CONMEBOL Libertadores final match between Atletico Mineiro and Botafogo, at the Estadio Mas Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 30 November 2024. EPA/Antonio Lacerda
Players of Botafogo celebrate with the trophy after winning the CONMEBOL Libertadores final match between Atletico Mineiro and Botafogo, at the Estadio Mas Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 30 November 2024. EPA/Antonio Lacerda

Botafogo overcame playing with 10 men to win its first Copa Libertadores title after beating fellow Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro 3-1 in the final at Monumental de Nunez Stadium on Saturday, The Associated Press reported.
After just 30 seconds, midfielder Gregore, one of Botafogo's best players, hit the head of Fausto Vera with his foot and was given a straight red card.
“It was so hard to have one less so early in a final. It was an unfortunate move,” Botafogo defender Alexander Barboza said. “But Gregore deserves this title as much as we do. We made history and that won’t ever be erased.”
Winger Luiz Henrique scored first in the 35th minute from close range, and was fouled for the penalty shot converted by Alex Telles in the 44th.
Eduardo Vargas headed Mineiro's only goal in the 46th while Junior Santos, the top scorer in the Copa Libertadores with 10 goals, capped Botafogo's historic night with the third in injury time.
Brazil was assured of a sixth consecutive Copa Libertadores title and its 24th in history, just one less than Argentina.
It was also the third straight title for Rio de Janeiro clubs, after Fluminense in 2023 and Flamengo in 2022.
Botafogo, the last of the four big Rio clubs to win the Copa Libertadores, earned prize money of $23 million and a spot in the Club World Cup in the United States next year.
Despite sensationally losing Gregore, Botafogo reset and Luiz Henrique scored the opener. Henrique surged on the right flank and crossed to Marlon Freitas, who took a shot that was deflected. Henrique was in the right place to strike through the legs of goalkeeper Ederson.
Henrique and Ederson met again near the end of the first half when the striker surprised the keeper on the edge of the box. A penalty was given after a video review and left back Telles calmly slotted the ball home.
Mineiro came back with a more aggressive formation in the second half and was rewarded when veteran Hulk took a corner kick and Vargas, who replaced midfielder Gustavo Scarpa during the break, didn’t even need to jump to score with his head.
Mineiro had more chances to equalize through Deyverson in the 53rd, Hulk in the 56th, and Vargas in the 86th and 88th, all from close range.
But it was Botafogo’s Júnior Santos, who was sidelined by injury during the Copa, who scored the last goal.
“We just failed at getting some advantage at having one more player than them,” tearful Mineiro defender Rodrigo Battaglia said. “It was a very hard day for all of us.”
Botafogo coach Arthur Jorge joined Portuguese compatriots Jorge Jesus (Flamengo, 2019) and Abel Ferreira (Palmeiras, 2020 and 2021) as European coaches with a Copa Libertadores title.
Mineiro's Gabriel Milito missed the chance to be the first Argentine to win the tournament with a Brazilian club.
Botafogo also gave American owner John Textor his biggest trophy yet. Textor has been subject to criticism after unproven allegations about match-fixing when Botafogo squandered a 13-point lead last year and missed out on the league title.
“I grew up in Florida, which has a great connection with South American nations. For me, this is bigger than everything in Europe,” Textor said after the game.
He added the players he signed for Botafogo were free to choose their own path.
“What we do is to bring players, ask them to win trophies and then we honor their path. No multi-club (network) does that, an owner that leaves the decision to the player,” Textor said.
Next week, his team could win its first Brazilian title since 1995.
“I saw this was a hungry group of players since I joined,” said Telles, who joined Botafogo in mid-year. “No one was speaking about what happened last year, it hurt us all. We knew we had a burden to carry, to give something back to our fans. Now we did it.”
Botafogo was relegated from the league in 2020 but has risen to prominence again with Textor’s investment. He was part of a wave of foreign owners who came into Brazilian soccer after a 2021 law change paved the way for private investors.
Mineiro also has wealthy owner in Brazilian billionaire Rubens Menin, a construction mogul.

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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
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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.

Sports

Caleb Yirenki's Late Goal Gives Ghana a 1-0 Victory over Panama in the World Cup

Semenyo celebrates Ghana's sole goal in the match (Reuters)
Semenyo celebrates Ghana's sole goal in the match (Reuters)
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Caleb Yirenki's Late Goal Gives Ghana a 1-0 Victory over Panama in the World Cup

Semenyo celebrates Ghana's sole goal in the match (Reuters)
Semenyo celebrates Ghana's sole goal in the match (Reuters)

It was a play Ghana has been practicing throughout its World Cup preparation.

And after a night of missed chances, it worked.

Caleb Yirenkyi tapped in a cross from Brandon Thomas-Asante in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, and Ghana beat Panama 1-0 on Wednesday night in the teams’ World Cup opener.

Thomas-Asante got loose on the left side and fired the ball across the goal mouth. Yirenkyi knocked it in, sending his teammates streaming onto the field to embrace both players.

“Get the ball to the wings, and then put it in the box, and we get runs — people in the box to finish,” said the 20-year-old Yirenkyi, who scored his first international goal earlier this month in a friendly against Wales. “I tried (to) just play forward and run forward, and then hope to see what comes in, and yeah, I got the ball in the box and finished.”

Ghana played without midfielder Thomas Partey, who was denied entry into Canada while he awaits trial on rape charges in England, The Associated Press said.

The late goal denied Panama its first World Cup point.

The only shot on goal in the first half came two minutes in, when Panama forward Cecilio Waterman latched onto a low cross from Amir Murillo and clipped a ball from the center of the box toward the net. Lawrence Ati-Zigi dove to his right and palmed the ball away.

The goalkeeper left the game at halftime after a couple of hard collisions. He was replaced by Benjamin Asare. Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz said Ati-Zigi would be evaluated further on Thursday.

The result puts Ghana at the top of Group L with England, which beat Croatia 4-2 earlier in the day.

After the first hour, when chances came at a premium at rainy BMO Field, the match opened up and both teams started smashing shots toward the net.

In the 65th minute, Thomas-Asante broke through Panama’s back line and played a ball along the 6-yard box toward Jordan Ayew, but Jiovany Ramos ran up from behind with a tackle to prevent the tap-in.

“Panama, they had a great first half. They kept the ball really well and we struggled with the press,” said Antoine Semenyo, who started the scoring play with a pass to Thomas-Asante. But “slowly into the second half we had that energy to go up and press and cause problems, and that led to the winner.”