Player ratings

  1. Big Rom to the rescue! Lukaku helps Belgium earn Egypt draw

    Romelu Lukaku came off the bench to help Belgium avoid defeat in their World Cup opener, with the veteran striker playing a pivotal role in Mohamed Hany putting through his own net to earn the Red Devils a 1-1 draw with Egypt in Seattle. Rudi Garcia's men went into the Group G opener unbeaten in all competitions since March of last year but they looked set to slump to a shock defeat after Emam Ashour's terrific 19th-minute strike from outside the area.

  2. Not even Yamal can save Spain from shock Cape Verde draw

    Cape Verde pulled off the biggest shock of the 2026 World Cup so far by holding Spain to a 0-0 draw in Atalanta on Monday. The tournament debutants weren't given any chance whatsoever against the reigning European champions but 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha achieved instant cult status throughout the footballing world by making one save after another to keep La Roja at bay.

  3. Musiala & Wirtz pull strings as rampant Germany crush Curacao

    Germany made an early statement at the 2026 World Cup as they ran out 7-1 winners over tournament debutants Curacao. A brace from Kai Havertz and goals from Felix Nmecha, Nico Schlotterbeck, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown and Deniz Undav ensured a relatively straightforward introduction to Group E for Die Mannschaft, though they were given something of a shock when Curacao found the net midway through the first half.

  4. McGinn leads Scotland to massive win on World Cup return

    Scotland waited 28 years for this. Haiti waited five decades. In a match between two sides desperate to make their World Cup return count, John McGinn provided the moment that mattered, turning a lucky bounce into the lone goal as the Tartan Army escaped Boston Stadium with a 1-0 win, Scotland’s first victory at the tournament since Italia ’90.

  5. Vini dazzles but Brazil show frailties in Morocco draw

    EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Vinicius Jr scored a wonderful goal to give life to an otherwise languid Brazil performance as the Selecao settled for a 1-1 draw with Morocco to open their World Cup campaign. Brazil started slowly and conceded first, but a moment of magic from their main man restored parity before the break. Both sides, it seems, will take the point with more manageable opposition to come.

  6. Larin bails out dire David to earn Canada first World Cup point

    Cyle Larin came off the bench to spare Jonathan David's blushes by earning Canada a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina in their 2026 World Cup opener on Friday. The Canucks were the better side for the majority of the match but looked set to slump to a seventh consecutive finals defeat after Lovo Jukic headed in a near-post flick from Sead Kolasinac midway through the first half.

  7. Lift off for Mexico! Quinones & Jimenez ensure perfect start

    Mexico made the perfect start to their 2026 World Cup campaign as the co-hosts ran out 2-0 winners over South Africa in the opening game of the tournament on Thursday. Goals from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez ensured a routine victory for the Group A favourites in a game that featured three red cards in the second half.

  8. Rashford, beware! Electric Gordon stakes World Cup claim

    England completed their World Cup preparations with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Costa Rica in their rain-delayed final warm-up friendly on Wednesday. It was a bruising encounter against a physical opponent, but Thomas Tuchel's men kept their cool to dominate in the sweltering Orlando heat courtesy of goals from Declan Rice, Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins.

  1. James & Stanway shine but Lionesses set for WWC play-offs

    England will have to navigate the play-offs in order to reach the 2027 Women's World Cup, with Tuesday night's 3-0 win over Ukraine not enough to secure top spot in their qualifying group. The Lionesses went into the game knowing they needed a favour from Iceland against Spain, after La Roja thumped Sarina Wiegman's side on Friday, and they didn't get it, rendering their own victory meaningless in the chase for the sole automatic berth available.

  2. Hat-trick hero Olise puts on a show in final France warm-up

    Michael Olise scored three and France overcame a brief scare from Northern Ireland to wrap up their pre-World Cup friendlies with a comfortable 3-1 win. The Bayern Munich star was effective throughout and good value for his hat-trick as Les Bleus saw off the visitors without really getting out of second gear. It's hard to imagine a better result before France move to the U.S.

  3. Wrap Kane in cotton wool! England toil in win over NZ

    England have another warm-up game before kicking off their World Cup campaign against Croatia on June 17, but Harry Kane should clearly play no part at all in Wednesday's friendly against Costa Rice. The Three Lions captain is simply too important to Thomas Tuchel's team, as he underlined for the umpteenth time by scoring the only goal in Saturday's dreadfully dull 1-0 win over New Zealand.

  4. Sorry, Cristiano - Bruno is Portugal's most important player!

    Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes showed why he's Portugal's most important player going into this summer's World Cup in North America by starring in a 2-1 friendly win over Chile in Lisbon on Saturday evening that featured a stupid red card for winger Rafael Leao and a worryingly ineffective display from Seleccao skipper Cristiano Ronaldo.

  5. Lionesses humbled by Spain in heaviest defeat of Wiegman era

    England are on the brink of having to navigate the play-off route in Women's World Cup qualifying after a 4-0 defeat to Spain, the Lionesses' worst result under Sarina Wiegman, put La Roja in pole position for the group's one automatic berth instead. England flew to Mallorca knowing that a draw would be enough to secure their spot at the tournament in Brazil next summer but goals from Patri Guijarro, Alexia Putellas and Claudia Pina saw them leapfrogged in the table by their hosts, with one game to go.

  6. Cherki delivers but France fall short in Ivory Coast loss

    Rayan Cherki scored a memorable goal, but a much-changed France side couldn't hold onto the lead as they dropped their first World Cup warmup game to the Ivory Coast, 2-1. Manager Didier Deschamps made plenty of changes, yet still named a strong side. Despite some bright moments, Les Bleus weren't able to piece together a complete performance - and were made to pay.

  7. Greenwood & Shaw fire rampant Man City to FA Cup glory

    Khadija Shaw and Alex Greenwood starred as new Women's Super League champions Manchester City did the double on Sunday, thanks to a 4-0 win over Brighton in the FA Cup final. It took Andree Jeglertz's side some time to get going in the capital but once they did, they wasted little time, with two goals in the latter stages of the first half putting City into a commanding position that they never let slip.

  8. From hero to zero! Gabriel & Arsenal suffer UCL heartbreak

    Arsenal suffered penalty shootout heartbreak at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, as Gabriel Magalhaes skied the all-important spot-kick to hand the holders a second-consecutive European crown in Budapest. Kai Havertz had given the Gunners an early lead before Ousmane Dembele's second-half equaliser, and a staunch Arsenal defence took the showpiece to extra-time.

  9. England reject Wharton stars as Palace win Conference League

    Adam Wharton was the star of the show as Oliver Glasner gave Crystal Palace fans the perfect parting gift by leading the Londoners to a fully deserved 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano in the final of the Conference League on Wednesday night. Right from the first whistle, Wharton had the look of a man determined to make a mockery of Thomas Tuchel's decision to leave him out of the England squad for this summer's World Cup in North America.

  10. Spurs are staying up! Palhinha powers Tottenham to safety

    Tottenham ensured that they avoided relegation from the Premier League as they edged out Everton 1-0 on a nervy Sunday in north London. Joao Palhinha proved to be the hero as he netted the only goal of the game shortly before half-time, with Spurs then able to see the game out and condemn West Ham to the Championship despite their own victory over Leeds United across the capital.

  11. Salah bows out with sublime assist to seal top-five finish

    A teary-eyed Mohamed Salah bid an emotional farewell to Anfield after taking outright possession of Liverpool's Premier League assist record in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Brentford at Anfield. Despite speculation around whether Arne Slot would drop 'The Egyptian King' after copping more indirect criticism from Salah after last week's loss at Aston Villa, the 33-year-old started in the right wing role he's made his own since first arriving from Roma in 2017.