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Saudi Arabia Beat Puerto Rico 3-0 after Weather Delay

Soccer Football - International Friendly - Puerto Rico v Saudi Arabia - Q2 Stadium, Austin, Texas, US - June 5, 2026 Saudi Arabia's Salem Al-Dawsari in action IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Dustin Safranek
Soccer Football - International Friendly - Puerto Rico v Saudi Arabia - Q2 Stadium, Austin, Texas, US - June 5, 2026 Saudi Arabia's Salem Al-Dawsari in action IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Dustin Safranek
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Saudi Arabia Beat Puerto Rico 3-0 after Weather Delay

Soccer Football - International Friendly - Puerto Rico v Saudi Arabia - Q2 Stadium, Austin, Texas, US - June 5, 2026 Saudi Arabia's Salem Al-Dawsari in action IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Dustin Safranek
Soccer Football - International Friendly - Puerto Rico v Saudi Arabia - Q2 Stadium, Austin, Texas, US - June 5, 2026 Saudi Arabia's Salem Al-Dawsari in action IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Dustin Safranek

Saudi Arabia secured a 3-0 friendly win over Puerto Rico on Saturday in a match disrupted for nearly two hours by severe weather, earning their first victory under new coach Georgios Donis ahead of the World Cup in North America.

The game was halted in the 21st minute as thunderstorms and lightning forced players off ⁠the pitch and ⁠spectators to seek shelter, in accordance with US safety protocols that suspend play when storms are detected within an 8-mile radius.

Repeated lightning strikes led to multiple resets of ⁠the mandatory 30-minute delay before play eventually resumed, Reuters reported.

Soccer Football - International Friendly - Puerto Rico v Saudi Arabia - Q2 Stadium, Austin, Texas, US - June 5, 2026 Saudi Arabia fans in the stands during the match IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Dustin Safranek

Saudi Arabia took the lead just before halftime when Sultan Mandash capitalized on a defensive lapse inside the penalty area, before Abdullah Al Hamdan doubled the advantage in the 50th minute with a composed finish over the advancing goalkeeper after winning possession high ⁠up ⁠the pitch.

Captain Salem Al Dawsari wrapped up the scoring in the 88th minute with a fine solo run, giving Saudi Arabia a confidence-boosting win after their 2-1 loss to Ecuador.

They will face Senegal on June 9 in their final warm-up before opening their World Cup campaign in Group H alongside Spain, Uruguay and Cape Verde.

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Sports

Yamal, Porro Train Apart but Spain Expect Both Fit for World Cup Final

EAST HANOVER, NEW JERSEY - JULY 16: Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro #12 of Spain train separately from the team during the training session at Melanie Lane Training Grounds on July 16, 2026 in East Hanover, New Jersey. Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images/AFP
EAST HANOVER, NEW JERSEY - JULY 16: Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro #12 of Spain train separately from the team during the training session at Melanie Lane Training Grounds on July 16, 2026 in East Hanover, New Jersey. Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images/AFP
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Yamal, Porro Train Apart but Spain Expect Both Fit for World Cup Final

EAST HANOVER, NEW JERSEY - JULY 16: Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro #12 of Spain train separately from the team during the training session at Melanie Lane Training Grounds on July 16, 2026 in East Hanover, New Jersey. Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images/AFP
EAST HANOVER, NEW JERSEY - JULY 16: Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro #12 of Spain train separately from the team during the training session at Melanie Lane Training Grounds on July 16, 2026 in East Hanover, New Jersey. Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images/AFP

Spain's Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro trained separately from the rest of the squad on Thursday as they began preparations in New Jersey for Sunday's World Cup final against Argentina.

The pair lay on the pitch at one of Red Bull New York's training facilities during the opening session for Luis de la Fuente's side.

The Spanish football federation (RFEF) told Reuters that both players are expected to ⁠be available for ⁠Sunday's match and that their separate work was a precautionary measure as part of workload management.

De la Fuente said after Spain's semi-final win over France that Porro had been carrying a knock. Reuters understands the full back ⁠has suffered a hamstring strain, although the problem is not considered serious.

Yamal's situation appears less concerning. De la Fuente said after the France match that the teenager had "nothing", but the physical effects of his duel with Lucas Digne and Theo Hernandez were visible the following day, with the forward nursing aches and bruises from a demanding match.

Spain's priority is to ⁠ensure ⁠Yamal, Porro and the rest of the squad are as fresh as possible for the final.

For the rest of the squad, the 15 minutes of training open to the media passed without incident, with the players relaxed and upbeat despite humid conditions and temperatures of around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).

Spain have three days to adjust to the heat and humidity before playing only their second outdoor match of the tournament.

Sports

Fiorentina Sign Bournemouth's Jimenez on Loan

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v AFC Bournemouth - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - April 11, 2026 AFC Bournemouth's Alex Jimenez in action with Arsenal's Leandro Trossard REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v AFC Bournemouth - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - April 11, 2026 AFC Bournemouth's Alex Jimenez in action with Arsenal's Leandro Trossard REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
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Fiorentina Sign Bournemouth's Jimenez on Loan

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v AFC Bournemouth - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - April 11, 2026 AFC Bournemouth's Alex Jimenez in action with Arsenal's Leandro Trossard REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v AFC Bournemouth - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - April 11, 2026 AFC Bournemouth's Alex Jimenez in action with Arsenal's Leandro Trossard REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

Fiorentina have signed 21-year-old Spanish right back Alex Jimenez from Bournemouth on a season-long loan with an option to make the move permanent, the Serie A club said on Thursday.

Jimenez made 32 appearances across all competitions for Bournemouth last season, but the Spaniard was dropped in May as the Premier League club omitted him from their squad while ⁠investigating social media ⁠posts linked to the player.

According to Reuters, Bournemouth did not provide further details and Jimenez did not respond to requests for comment made to his representatives at the time.

Fiorentina did not disclose the ⁠financial terms of the deal, although Italian and British media reported the option to buy is worth about 20 million euros ($22.88 million).

"ACF Fiorentina announces that it has acquired, on a loan basis with an option to buy, the sporting rights of player Alejandro Jimenez Sanchez from AFC Bournemouth," the Italian club ⁠said ⁠in a statement.

Jimenez joined Bournemouth permanently from AC Milan in February after an initial loan spell and made 31 Premier League appearances last season, scoring one goal.

A product of Real Madrid's academy, Jimenez moved to Milan in 2023 before joining Bournemouth, where he established himself as a regular in the first team.

Sports

Nike Out of World Cup Contention as Adidas-outfitted Teams Head to Final

Shoppers walk by an Adidas sportswear store promoting the FIFA World Cup event at an outdoor shopping mall, in Beijing, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers walk by an Adidas sportswear store promoting the FIFA World Cup event at an outdoor shopping mall, in Beijing, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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Nike Out of World Cup Contention as Adidas-outfitted Teams Head to Final

Shoppers walk by an Adidas sportswear store promoting the FIFA World Cup event at an outdoor shopping mall, in Beijing, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers walk by an Adidas sportswear store promoting the FIFA World Cup event at an outdoor shopping mall, in Beijing, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

Nike's swoosh will be notably absent from the World Cup final. Argentina's semi-final win over England on Wednesday crushed the sportswear giant's hopes of sponsoring a team on the tournament's biggest stage on Sunday.

Amid a fierce brand battle on and off the pitch, the outcome represents an assured visibility boost for rival Adidas , which outfits both finalists: Argentina and Spain, Reuters reported.

Adidas had sponsored a total of 14 national teams in the tournament. None of Nike's 12 teams, including semi-finalists England and France, managed to secure a spot in the final match. Both companies have invested heavily in the soccer tournament, but Nike has been relying on it for sales and visibility as it tries to right its ship amid years of steadily shrinking market share. Even a World Cup lift was unlikely to shift Nike's trajectory. The sportswear company last month signaled that CEO Elliott Hill's turnaround strategy faced significant obstacles, as persistent weakness in China and a cautious outlook overshadowed a modest fourth-quarter revenue beat. The company's shares have lost nearly a third of their value this year as investors grow impatient with Hill's progress.

"There are more important issues, such as footwear innovation, inventory control, and stabilizing sales and margins in China," said Morningstar analyst David Swartz. "Adidas got more publicity, but that’s just the way it goes."

A Nike spokesperson said the company always wants its athletes and federation partners to go as far as possible, but that "our vision for football has never been tied to a single moment."

Adidas called the World Cup final a "proud moment" for the company, while declining to share sales projections.