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Saka hat-trick seals 6-4 England win over France in epic World Cup third-place playoff
Category
Sports
Published
Saturday, July 18, 2026 at 11:05 PM
Publisher
The Guardian Sport
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The Guardian Sport 11 hours ago

Saka hat-trick seals 6-4 England win over France in epic World Cup third-place playoff

Quick Summary

Where to start with this rollercoaster of a match? Thomas Tuchel had promised a reaction but he could not have imagined the manner of the response from England, albeit against a France team firmly on their sunloungers during an incredible first half in which they conceded four times. Yet with Kylian Mbappé on the hunt for his second successive Golden Boot in Didier Deschamps’ last match in charge of Les Bleus , even that lead courtesy of goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa two from Bukayo Saka almost wasn’t enough. Mbappé began the comeback straight after half-time before adding his second after Bradley Barcola’s strike. Continue reading...

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The Guardian Sport 2 hours ago

World Cup 2026: Spain v Argentina final buildup; England win 10-goal thriller – live
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Spain v Argentina in the World Cup final: the referee, the stats and the omens
Spain v Argentina in the World Cup final: the referee, the stats and the omens

As the top two in the Fifa rankings prepare to meet in New Jersey on Sunday we look at the pointers that may help decide the game Slavko Vincic becomes the first Slovene to referee a World Cup final. He oversaw the 2024 Champions League final at Wembley (Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0) as well as Spain’s 2-1 win over France at the 2024 Euros semi-final. The 46-year-old’s first World Cup match was Argentina’s opening loss to Saudi Arabia in 2022. At this tournament, Vincic showed Ecuador’s Piero Hincapié a red card for covering his mouth in the 95th minute against Mexico. He has averaged 2.33 yellow cards per game. Continue reading...

The Guardian Sport 3 hours ago
Masters of time and space, Spain’s dominance comes from deep-rooted principles | Emma Hayes
Masters of time and space, Spain’s dominance comes from deep-rooted principles | Emma Hayes

Spain’s brilliance isn’t just about Rodri or Lamine Yamal – it’s all about the collective culture developed over many years We talk about individuals too much in English football. Football is about the collective. Spain’s semi-final dominance over France was not built on individual brilliance but on a shared understanding of space, timing and their core principles. That is why they are the most exceptional team in the world and why I think they will win the World Cup on Sunday. It is not about Rodri, Lamine Yamal or Pedri. It’s about the whole midfield, the collective. Spain will find positional and numerical superiority in whichever way they can, because doing so has been deeply ingrained from very early ages and they are the masters of time and space on a football pitch. Against France they were rewarded for that culture by generating so many moments of four-versus-two numerical superiority in key spaces. Continue reading...

The Guardian Sport 3 hours ago
World Cup final data pointers: Spain’s defensive record and Argentina’s attack
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 side as favourites to win the tournament, with their opponents on Sunday deemed fourth likeliest. Both systems had England and France in their top four, suggesting the semi-finals featured the correct teams. But do the statistics from the World Cup indicate we have the best pair for the final? Continue reading...

The Guardian Sport 3 hours ago

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