The World Cup produces joy for many nations and their fanbases, but for round of 16 opponents England and Mexico, their tournament history is mostly defined by heartbreak. England's history in the competition is filled with missed opportunities and controversial decisions that led to early exists, while Mexico's history is filled with moments of coming up short and agonizing defeats. Few moments capture this shared agony better than the 1986 World Cup, where both sides lost in the quarterfinals, Diego Maradona used his hand to score against England and Mexico was eliminated by West Germany in a penalty shootout. These parallel histories of heartbreak have deepened in subsequent tournaments, building a legacy of frustration that both sides are still trying to escape. Now, these two histories of tournament trauma collide. England and Mexico are set to face each other in the round of 16 at Mexico City Stadium. For England, it is a return to the venue where Maradona's Hand of God goal altered their history forty years ago. For Mexico, playing as tournament co-hosts, it is a chance to break their round of 16 curse on home soil under Aguirre, the same manager who oversaw their 2002 and 2010 exits. With both fanbases conditioned by decades of refereeing controversies and penalty failures, this knockout match ensures that one nation will confront its past ghosts while the other could add the latest installment to its series of World Cup heartbreaks. We revisit these two teams' biggest heartbreaks ahead of Sunday's match. England's 1986 campaign concluded with two contrasting but equally famous goals from Diego Maradona in the quarterfinals. The first became known as the Hand of God after Maradona used his left hand to punch the ball over goalkeeper Peter Shilton, an infraction missed by the match officials. Just four minutes later, Maradona scored again by dribbling from his own half, evading four England defenders, and rounding Shilton to find the net. The 1990 tournament in Italy established England's modern history with penalty shootout trauma, initiating an eighteen-year drought before the team would reach another semifinal. The image of the semifinal against West Germany was Paul Gascoigne crying after receiving a yellow card that disqualified him from the final. England ultimately lost the ensuing shootout, though Gascoigne's emotional reaction drew mixed reviews globally and became the lasting memory of English heartbreak. In 1998, the team faced Argentina in the round of 16, adding another layer to their historic tournament rivalry. David Beckham received a red card early in the second half for a kick at Diego Simeone, forcing England to play with ten men. Despite the disadvantage, England fought into extra time, where officials disallowed a late headed goal by Sol Campbell due to an alleged foul on the goalkeeper. The match proceeded to penalties, resulting in another shootout defeat after misses by Paul Ince and David Batty. In 2010, refereeing decisions altered their path once more during a round of 16 matchup against Germany. England trailed 2-1 when Frank Lampard hit a shot that struck the crossbar and clearly crossed the line. The referee and linesman failed to award the goal, allowing play to continue. The disallowed goal halted England's momentum completely. Instead of entering halftime tied at 2-2, a deflated England team conceded twice more in the second half, resulting in a 4-1 elimination by Germany. Mexico's cycle of heartbreak is defined by a persistent inability to advance past the round of 16. In 1986, playing as tournament hosts, Mexico reached the quarterfinals for the second time, the first coming in 1970, also as hosts. El Tri held eventual finalists West Germany to a scoreless draw through 120 minutes, but their campaign ended when they failed to convert two kicks in the penalty shootout. The 2002 tournament brought a different kind of pain under manager Javier Aguirre. After winning their group, Mexico faced regional rivals the United States in the knockout stage. Expected to advance, Mexico instead suffered a 2-0 defeat, with Aguirre facing criticism for his mid-match tactical changes. Decades later, Aguirre has returned as the national team coach, tasked once again with leading the program past this specific hurdle. In 2006, Mexico faced Argentina in the round of 16 in Leipzig, entering as the fourth-ranked FIFA side in the world under manager Ricardo La Volpe, El Tri took an early lead in the sixth minute when Rafael Marquez converted a flicked-on header at the far post. Argentina equalized just four minutes later when a corner kick deflected off Mexico's Jared Borgetti for an own goal. Mexico pushed Argentina into extra time tied 1-1 when Maxi Rodriguez struck a long-range volley past goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez to eliminate El Tri. The frustration peaked in 2014, giving birth to the national phrase no era penal. Mexico held a lead against the Netherlands late into the match before conceding an equalizer. In stoppage time, Arjen Robben went down in the penalty area following a challenge by Rafael Marquez, drawing a controversial penalty call that allowed the Netherlands to eliminate Mexico, resulting in arguably the biggest heartbreak for El Tri fans to date. Following the controversial victory, the Netherlands sparked a run to a third-place finish, leaving Mexico fans to wonder how far they could have gone instead. Ironically, on June 29, 2026 the exact twelve-year anniversary of that afternoon the Netherlands suffered their own knockout heartbreak on Mexican soil, losing a penalty shootout to Morocco at Monterrey Stadium.

Mike McClure's computer model reveals its surprising picks and NASCAR Chicago props for the eero 400 2026 on Sunday in the second race of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge

A five-set Wimbledon thriller between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina ended in a fiery handshanke and a heated argument after match point. Auger-Aliassime, the third seed, ended Davidovich Fokinas grass-court run with an astonishing 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (8-6) 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-1 victory in four hours and 26 minutes. But the epic fourth-round clash, which produced one of the points of the tournament earlier in the fourth set, ended in bad blood and two tense discussions between the players. Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina argue after the men's singles fourth round match (AP)The dispute related to a medical timeout called by Davidovich Fokina after he appeared to go over his ankle when sliding on the grass, just after he saved two match points towards the end of the fourth set. As Auger-Aliassime served for the match, Davidovich Fokina was left hobbling after appearing to go over his ankle when chasing down a ball behind the baseline. By that point, it was the second time in the match that Davidovich Fokina had gone over his left ankle, having received treatement following a similar slip earlier. Davidovich Fokina got back to his feet and took a medical timeout when the Spaniard had two break points on 15-40. After the timeout, the match resumed - but Canadian Auger-Aliassime immediately double faulted. After what seemed to be a rapid recovery, Davidovich Fokina then produced a comeback to force the deciding fifth set, winning the fourth set on a tiebreak. Auger-Aliassime, however, assumed control in the fifth to book a quarter-final clash with Novak Djokovic.Auger-Aliassime roared after slamming an ace on match before Davidovich Fokina bumped his chest as they shook hands. However, Auger-Aliassime then had words for Auger-Aliassime following the handshake, with Davidovich Fokina gesturing to his ankle. Alejandro Davidovich Fokina received medical attention after slipping and appearing to hurt his ankle (Getty)The argument continued when Davidovich Fokina left Court No 1 to a standing ovation, with Auger-Aliassime reaffirming his disapproval at how the medical timeout unfolded and how it was quickly followed by his opponent returning to play at a high level. A medical timeout is a formal stoppage of play and can only be granted when the physio decides that extra time is required to address a condition. Players are allowed one medical timeout per injury and the final decision on what qualifies rests with medical staff, not the player. Afterwards, Auger-Aliassime refused to go into details of the exchange, but said it was a disgrace that Davidovich Fokina was able to call the physio and receive treatment during his service game before going on to continue the match. I don't want to get into that. If he wants to come in here and talk about it, he can. But he knows my opinion, Auger-Aliassime said. Auger-Aliassime suggested that Davidovich Fokina used the rules to his advantage (Getty)Now what I can say, though, is that I think the rule has to change. I think that obviously as long as the rule is like that, a player will use it to their advantage.I think that it's very simple: if you're hurt while the game's going on of your opponent, in the middle of the game, the opponent is serving, the shot clock is on, basically when you're hurt bad, you're forfeiting every point until you can call the physio. If the physio helps you recover, you play your service game. If you're hurt bad, then you retire, obviously.But to stop in the middle of an opponent's service game and to be able to call the physio, I think that's a disgrace of a rule. I don't see any other sport where you can do that. I mark my words. It's a disgrace of a rule. Speaking immediately after his victory, a relieved Auger-Aliassime said: I've played a few rollercoaster matches in the course of my career but this is at the top of the charts. It was a crazy match!Absolute grass court cinema! This ridiculous point between Alejandro Davidovich Fokina & Felix Auger-Aliassime is the Play of the Day presented by @Barclayspic.twitter.com/XA9dYvz7XQ Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 5, 2026"Great level, high intensity, high focus. He's been on a winning streak on grass. There were only a few points between us and the level kept being high. I'm thrilled to get through because it was a very hard-fought match."More than four hours and that's a lot of work, a lot of milage in the legs but I feel good and Im excited for what comes next."On the point of the match, an enthralling scramble in the fifth game of the fourth set where Davidovich Fokina lept to land a volley, Auger-Aliassime said: I was actually laughing as I was running to the ball, I think thats a first. I was thinking, this is too good. Thats the definition of enjoying the moment, enjoying yourself on the court.

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Mid-Ohio Sports Complex (Lexington, Ohio) Pato OWard finally got to spray the champagne. OWard, who had not finished on the podium (top-three) all season, finally got there and in the biggest of ways as he captured his 10th career INDYCAR victory Sunday afternoon at Mid-Ohio. "I've got plenty [of years] under my belt to understand how things flow," OWard said in his postrace news conference. "The bad luck doesn't last forever, but the good luck also doesn't. "Today was a simple showing of execution." Here are my takeaways: 1. OWard Finally Wins Amid McLaren 1-2 Arrow McLaren celebrated its first 1-2 finish as Christian Lundgaard came in second. Lundgaard has two wins this year and has been the dominant driver on permanent road courses. But a Lundgaard mistake allowed OWard to get by on the outside on Lap 42 of the 90-lap race on the 2.258-mile road course and OWard never relinquished control of the race in a season where he has six top-five finishes in the first 10 events. The McLaren drivers had started the race 1-2, but with Lundgaard on the pole. Team principal Tony Kanaan said he got a text from McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown about the historic 1-2 finish: "It won't be the last." 2. Lundgaard Will Sleep Well An announcement is expected on the future lineup of Arrow McLaren, possibly as early as Monday (Scott Dixon indicated his future could be revealed Monday) and Christian Lundgaard knows he could be on the way out. But that knowledge and having a potential win slip away wont suffocate him. "I'm going to go take a shower, I'm going to sleep and then see what comes," Lundgaard said in his postrace news conference. How will he sleep? "I sleep great," Lundgaard said. "I'm a big sleeper." 3. Siegel Finally Showing Promise Fellow Arrow McLaren driver Nolan Siegel is also expected to need to find a ride, but he is doing that at the best possible time. He would have finished top-10 two weeks ago at Road America but got hit from behind by Josef Newgarden. And he finished 10th at Mid-Ohio. He is 20th in the standings but showing the potential that he was thought to have had when hired by Arrow McLaren during the 2024 season. I've seen all the rumors, you've seen all the rumors. I think you know as much as I do at this point," Siegel told me and another reporter after the race Sunday. "So it is what it is, no matter what. I have half a season left here in the [McLaren] car for sure. And I'm very excited about that half a season. I think we can put some good results in, and I'm going to enjoy driving an INDYCAR whether it's my last eight races or I've got eight more years of it." 4. Dixon A Magnet Scott Dixon seemed to be a magnet as both Alexander Rossi and Marcus Ericsson were penalized two positions for avoidable contact when they hit Dixon during the race. Dixon finished 17th in what overall was a bummer of a day at Ganassi with Alex Palou the only top-10 finisher in fifth. "Everybody was so desperate over the pit sequences, because it was super tough to pass. ... So definitely a bit rough," Dixon," Dixon told me and another reporter after the race. "And through both incidents there, the front wing was broken." Dixon has already announced he is leaving Chip Ganassi Racing after a 25-year run. He said he possibly could confirm Monday his new home. It is expected to be McLaren, so what did he think of McLaren going 1-2? "That team is damn strong right now, and obviously a lot of others, to be honest, too," Dixon said. "This is a track where Alex is normally untouchable as well. As a team, for somewhat of a reason, we missed something this weekend." 4 : What's Next INDYCAR teams have the weekend off (although many will test this week at The Milwaukee Mile) and then race July 19 at Nashville Superspeedway, a 1.33-mile concrete oval. Last year, OWard was leading when he blew a tire and crashed. That crash was one of the reasons that Firestone developed a slightly bigger right front tire for many of the ovals this year. "We've got some unfinished business from last year just with that unlucky, whatever that was," OWard said. "I'm excited to go back there, and we're going to try and repeat but actually finish the race where we were."

SportsLine's Martin Green reveals his England vs. Mexico best bets for their knockout stage match in the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Sunday at

A day after he was selected to his second consecutive all-star game, Joe Ryan again proved himself worthy of the honor.The Twins ace blanked the Yankees for seven frames Sunday, keying Minnesotas 6-1 victory in New York. Ryan allowed just three hits, while walking one and striking out nine.The Yankees didnt have a runner reach second base until there were two outs in the seventh inning, and even that required an infield single and walk. Ryan then struck out Amed Rosario to end the threat, as well as his day.The Yankees lone run came on a groundout in the final frame.New York (49-40) has now lost nine of its last 10 games. The Twins (44-47), meanwhile, are moving in the entirely opposite direction. This weekends series victory was Minnesotas first at Yankee Stadium since 2014 and sixth in its last seven series overall.For me, that means a lot. This is a historic franchise, a winning franhicse, Twins infielder Royce Lewis said of the Yankees in his postgame, on-field television interview with NBC Sports. To come in and beat them on their turf is impressive.The Twins are just four games back of the AL Central lead heading into a pivotal six-game homestand leading into the break. That opens Tuesday night with the first of three games against Cleveland.The Twins offense has re-discovered its stride. Sunday marked Minnesotas third six-plus run output in its last four games. A day after talliying 11 hits, the Twins one upped themselves with 12 in the series rubber match.One of those belonged to Byron Buxton, who reached first on an infield single in the first inning. But Buxton then exited the game after re-aggravating a hip injury while attempting to steal second.Others picked up the slack in his absence. Austin Martin went 2 for 3 with a pair of walks, Lewis had two hits and two RBI and Brooks Lee had a trio of base knocks.Were feeding off each other, Lewis said. Kody Clemens decided to be Barry Bonds this weekend, so we were feeding off that guy. Josh Bell going off. Everyone was doing their thing this weekend. It was fun.Ryans standout showing came after a pair of rocky performances in his past two outings, in which he surrendered four runs in a loss to the Dodgers and was tagged for six runs across just four frames against the Astros.But its hard to keep a good pitcher down for long. Seventy-three of Ryans 106 pitches on Sunday were strikes. Twins writer Aaron Gleeman reported on his Twitter page that Ryan is the first Minnesota pitcher to throw seven-plus shutout innings at Yankee Stadium since Johan Santana did so in 2005.Its going to be seven innings, 10 punchies (with him), Lewis said. Thats the kind of guy that we expect and that we get, because he puts those expectations on himself. Hes that good, and he deserves all the all-star selections.Related Articles Two Twins, two locals named to MLB All-Star teams Twins belt six homers, Byron Buxton returns, in win over Yankees Twins prospect Kaelen Culpepper named to All-Star Futures Game again Meet Seigo Masubuchi, still a Saints star three decades later Twins drop series opener vs. Yankees

The United States men's national team will have its star striker Folarin Balogun available when it takes on Belgium in the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16 at Seattle Stadium on Monday, and the Stars and Stripes have Cristiano Ronaldo to thank for that sort of. Balogun scored but was later sent off with a red card in the USA's World Cup round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a controversial card, resulting in a one-match suspension. But FIFA on Sunday reversed course and cleared Balogun to play for the Americans in their round of 16 match Monday against Belgium. So how is Balogun's situation connected? Here's what to know about Ronaldo's relation to Balogun's red-card reversal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup: The Ronaldo Rule The first high-profile application of the FIFA Disciplinary Code in Chapter 4, Article 27, regarding a player suspension involved Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo received a direct red card during Portugal's final World Cup qualifier in November for elbowing Ireland defender Dara O'Shea in the back. The FIFA Disciplinary Code typically mandates a strict three-match ban for violent conduct, which would have ruled Ronaldo out of the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Instead, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee issued a suspended suspension using Chapter 4, Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code. This allowed Ronaldo to serve his one-match suspension in a pre-World Cup friendly and deferred the remaining two matches under a one-year probationary period. How Balogun Benefited Balogun was initially ruled out of the United States' round of 16 match against Belgium after receiving a red card in the Americans' round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday. A red card, according to Article 10, Section 6 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, states that "If a player or team official is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card[second caution], they will automatically be suspended from their teams subsequent match." However, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee ruled on Sunday that his automatic one-match suspension for receiving a red card would be reversed, citing Chapter 4, Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code on suspension of implementation of disciplinary measures, which notes that the "judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure." Why Other Cases Differ Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo and Argentina center back Nicolas Otamendi both benefited from a FIFA ruling before the start of the 2026 World Cup, but the justification for their suspended punishments was different. While Balogun and Ronaldo benefited from Chapter 4, Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, Caicedo's and Otamendi's punishments were suspended as a result of an amendment made to Article 10, paragraph 2 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Competition Regulation prior to the start of the tournament. The amended language states that "single yellow cards and pending one or two-match suspensions as a consequence of cautions in different matches in the preliminary competition, an indirect red card, or a direct red card for denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity or for serious foul play are not carried over to the final competition." Caicedo was sent off during Argentina's heated World Cup qualifier vs. Argentina match after receiving two yellow cards; Otamendi was shown a straight red card. Additionally, the FIFA Disciplinary Code has been re-written several times over the past decade, with the most drastic overhaul coming in 2019. Chapter 4, Article 27 has only existed as we know it now since 2023.

The Portuguese star has announced that he's playing his last World Cup with Portugal

Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson ContrerasWhen Major League Baseball announced the 2026 All-Stars, the Boston Red Sox were represented by two players: Ranger Surez and Aroldis Chapman.Both are extremely deserving, but Boston has a few other players that certainly are worth as well, like Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray and Ceddanne Rafaela. Specifically, Contreras and Gray should be All-Stars. Contreras is slashing .285/.378/.536 with a .914 OPS, 19 homers and 56 RBIs. Gray has a 2.61 ERA and a 10-1 record in 16 starts. His 10 wins lead the American League.Do you have a take to get off your chest? Do you want to engage in a growing Red Sox community? Comment on our content alongside staff and fans alike!Nick Kurtz, Ben Rice and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. were elected to the All-Star Game already at first base. There's at least some hope for Contreras, though, as Guerrero will not play in the All-Star Game as he wanted more time to rest and recover. Frankly, Contreras has actually had a better season than Guerrero in general. He has played in 84 games and is slashing .265/.346/.346 with four homers and 35 RBIs. There's no reason why he should've been in the game over Contreras in the first place.With him out now, all eyes should be on Contreras. If you're a Red Sox fan, there's still some hope for Contreras, at the very least.More MLB:Red Sox Star Aroldis Chapman Linked to 2 Surprise NL Clubs