MIAMI STADIUM For England fans, this is always the year. Whether it's a World Cup or a European Championship, they believe in their heart of hearts that their country, the one that invented this sport and then exported it to all the rest, will finally, eventually take its rightful place as champions. Over the last almost 60 years, it just hasnt happened. But the Three Lions have been getting closer. They were the losing finalists at the last two Euros. And with Saturdays 2-1 extra-time win over Erling Haaland and Norway, England is back in the World Cup semifinals for the second time in three editions. This time, it doesnt feel like an outlier. Watching England survive the crucible of Mexico City in last weekends thrilling 3-2 victory over World Cup co-host Mexico, it was impossible not to notice the mental fortitude of Thomas Tuchels team. And it was the same again on Saturday in South Florida, where Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and the rest of Tuchels stars won another match that was less of a soccer game than a street fight. That hasnt always been the case for England, who over the last 30-plus years has often performed beneath its talent level. That might be good enough to survive group play consistently or win an early knockout game. Against teams that it isn't naturally superior to? No chance. Theres a reason England has been eliminated in the World Cup quarterfinals more than any other national team in history. This version of England is different. "The effort, the team spirit, the belief to overcome adversity, to dig in and find ways to win is on the absolutely highest level," Tuchel said afterward. Hes right. And thats why England is, realistically, a bona fide World Cup contender at long last. Theres a visceral toughness to this team that, for all their ability, their pampered, high-maintenance predecessors lacked. Call it a willingness to fight for every teammate even the ones who might represent a hated Premier League rival. That matters more than mostthink. Argentina isn't the reigning World Cup champ because it had better players, man for man, thanFrance. Man for man, it didn't. The Albiceleste won because, time and again, they simply refused to be beaten. That sort of mental strength is rare. Add it to a selfless group that boasts legitimate all-world players like Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, and damned if Tuchels side doesnt stand their best chance in at least half a century this time around. Facing Switzerland on Wednesday in Atlanta wouldve been easier, to be sure. But beating the best to be the best is a rite of passage, a requirement. And the defending champs Argentina scored twice in extra time in Saturdays nightcap to set up the semifinal everyone who isnt English wants to see are a fitting roadblock to have to somehow overcome. Should England clear that hurdle, it surely wont fear whoever emerges between France and Spain on the stronger side of the bracket. Especially if, as Tuchel believes, England still has another gear to hit. In his post-match sideline interviews, the German manager raised eyebrows when he said he loved the result if not the performance against Norway. Asked about the exchange, it seemed to catch Bellingham off-guard. An hour later, during his post-game press conference in the bowels of the arena that the NFL's Miami Dolphins call home, Tuchel, whose previous experience has been at Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain, provided some additional context. "I'm proud and I'm happy," Tuchel said. "But I'm also a football coach and I also have demands." He continued: "I think we can play faster and play more clinical. There were unforced errors and technical mistakes in our game so a lot of things to do better." If England can clean up those errors and maintain the mentality that has already taken them to the final four for just the fourth time ever, theyll be as hard an out as the other three nations Argentina, France and Spain still standing. England's fans have been waiting for a chance like this for decades. Now, after surviving their two toughest tests to date, those supporters could be a mere 90 minutes from seeing their team in its first World Cup final since 1966. "They spend well-earned money to come over and support us," keeper Jordan Pickford said of Englands long-suffering diehards. "All we want to do," he added, "Is pay them back."

McGregor and Pimblett headlined UFC 329 for completely different reasons

UFC 329 had some brilliant bright spots. But it ended in a letdown for the MMA history books after Conor McGregor succumbed to a leg injury almost immediately in his rematch with Max Holloway in the main event.What a mess. What a disastrous attempt at a comeback. What a way to end the night. Here are all the key takeaways you need to know about after Saturday's UFC event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas:1. What the hell did I just watch? Sorry. I should be more articulate than that. Finding the right words even in tricky moments is kind of my whole job description. But come on. After all the build-up, all the hype and delusions of grandeur, all the claims about sleeping in the gym and abstaining from the marital bed and every other fight sports movie cliche anybody could dream up, it ends like that? With Conor McGregor shattering like cheap glass the instant he attempts a single strike? It's an abomination, I tell you. A sick, sad joke.Or maybe it's not. Maybe it's all very fitting. For years now McGregor's life and career have felt like a living parable on the dark side of fame. It's as if he got bored with the usual methods of squandering the love of the people and went hunting for new ways to lose fans and alienate people. Getting booed out of the same building that cheered him just a few minutes earlier, all because he wasn't up to the task of giving them anything at all for their money even after months of promises and predictions, yep, that feels like a new low point. That one's going to be hard to forget and harder to come back from.Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway did not play out as expected. (Esther Lin, Uncrowned)Esther Lin2. Max Holloway just made the easiest money in MMA history. He didn't have to cut weight. He didn't have to coach TUF or campaign for a "red panty night." Turns out he didn't even need to train except for the purposes of looking credible with his shirt off. All Holloway had to do was show up, wait for McGregor to topple like a Jenga tower, then collect his check.Can't hate on the man for that. After all his years in this game, maybe he deserves a gimme. But please, spare me with that trilogy talk. Telling a crowd that just paid so much for tickets that they pushed the UFC to a record live gate (for a record nothing fight) that you plan to do it again in order to get that money? Yeesh. It's like giving a restaurant full of people food poisoning and then apologizing by telling them they're welcome to come back and pay full price another day. Read the room, big dog.3. Paddy Pimblett really, really, really needed that. And by that I mean not just a win, but a win over a name opponent and in a fashion that makes people go, well maybe he is a top lightweight after all. Benoit Saint Denis sure did his part to help. I can't understand how someone could see Pimblett's striking game in that Justin Gaethje fight back in January and then decide that the thing to do is shoot on him right away.One thing we know Pimblett can do well is snatch a choke, especially early in a fight before things get too sweaty and slippery. If you give him that one opening, he doesn't need another. Now booking him into a grudge match with put-up-or-shut-up vibes against Ilia Topuria feels like the easiest matchmaking decision of all time.Paddy Pimblett had one hell of a night at UFC 329. (Esther Lin, Uncrowned)Esther Lin4. I'm still not sure what the ceiling is for Gable Steveson, but it seems like it might be way up there. The problem is what to do with him now. His win over the totally unheralded and unknown Elisha Ellison brought his pro record to just 4-0. He still hasn't been out of the first round or even into the final minute of the first round. Every opponent he's faced was a nobody, chosen for his sheer squash match potential.And yet he does look good in there. He's fast and athletic. He's got a rapidly widening striking skillset to add to the wrestling skills he showed up with. He's also a heavyweight, and at a time when having a little bit of coordination and a quick double-leg almost makes you instant contender material.We still haven't seen enough against anybody good or experienced enough to know for sure how far Steveson can go. And the UFC can't keep setting him up in fights where he's a 20-1 favorite forever. He's going to have to face someone with a Wikipedia page soon, even if his record is still that of a novice fighter. At heavyweight, it won't be long until you simply run out of warm bodies.Gable Steveson and Jon Jones passed their first big test. (Esther Lin, Uncrowned)Esther Lin5. Robert Whittaker looked like a middleweight fighting a light heavyweight. Which is, of course, basically what he was. Just standing next to Nikita Krylov, it looked wrong. And there were definitely moments in the first round where the former 185-pound champ got pushed around a little bit. But then he settled into the fight and reminded us all that he's still quite good at this fighting stuff. He's also still quick enough to make a 205-pounder like Krylov look clumsy and ponderous, which turns out to be a good way to get a fight-ending crack on the jaw.Whittaker can beat some of these light heavyweights. We know that now. But this fight did show us that weight classes are probably there for a reason. There might be some limitations on how far he can go in this new division, but at least for now it's fun to watch. Plus it's got to feel good to be on the happy end of a jaw-crunching finish this time.

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It wasn't as decisive as England would have liked, but the Three Lions clinched a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals with a scrappy 2-1 win over Norway in extra time on Saturday at Miami Stadium. England coach Thomas Tuchel was satisfied with the result why wouldn't he be? He's the first coach to lead England to a World Cup semifinals since 2018, and just fourth all-time. But Tuchel isn't satisfied with the way his team played against Norway, even if he got the result he wanted. "I didnt talk about suffering. No, I never talked about suffering," Tuchel said after the match. "The result is fantastic, were in the last four, but, not a performance." Tuchel made it clear that effort wasn't the issue for his England squad. Rather, it was the team's organization on the pitch. "In every sense. The commitment is there, but it made life very difficult for us in the way we played, how we played, sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough," Tuchel said. "We were lucky today." Star Jude Bellingham seemed a bit taken aback at his coach's comments. "Maybe he doesn't know what it's like to play in those conditions," Bellingham said. "It's not an easy team to play against," he added. "I think we've tried to create a positive environment, and we should continue that going into the final four. I can't speak highly enough of the lads. You're not going to win every game popping the ball and making a thousand passes. Sometimes you have to win dirty." The issues in the past with England have been the perception that the players don't want it bad enough. Tuchel doesn't see that within his team, and not even in the performance against Norway. "It's a pure mentality thing, there was no mentality problem. You could bottle it up and sell it," Tuchel said. "Its the quality of our games. Its nothing to do with mentality, its about quality, we need to play better." When asked about Bellingham specifically, who scored both of England's goals against Norway, Tuchel praised the midfielder's heroics. "Enough said. He does it every single match. World Class," Tuchel said. England now move onto the semifinals to face the winner of Argentina vs. Switzerland on Wednesday at Atlanta Stadium.

The historic price tag smashes the previous NFL record set just three years ago

Switzerland's well-earned reward for acting is ejection from game and elimination from World Cup originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.The tears were real. Switzerland striker Breel Embolo no longer was acting by then. He covered his face in horror, aware everything hed dreamed about at the start of the day, at the start of the 2026 World Cup, had been demolished in an instant.First, referee Joao Pedro Silva Pinheiro held a yellow card toward the Kansas City sky; then he showed considerable dexterity by pulling a red card from his pocket and signaling to Embolo he no longer would be involved in Saturday's quarterfinal game against Argentina.Embolos offense: simulation.2026 WORLD CUP HQ:Latest World Cup news|Full World Cup schedule|Buy World Cup ticketsIt was not a universally popular decision. Anything favoring Argentina against an underdog at this point in the 2026 World Cup is going to generate controversy.Pinheiro got it right, though, after hed gotten it wrong.It was no surprise 11 members of this Argentina team eventually were able to produce a 3-1 victory over 10 members of this Switzerland team, even if they needed an extra 30 minutes to get there. The Argentines advanced to the World Cup semifinals and a game Wednesday against England, a nation that surely appreciates great theater.It was a fine piece of acting by Embolo at the time, in the 69th minute, his sudden crash toward the turf tricking Pinheiro into assigning a yellow card to Argentinas Leandro Paredes. Kevin Costner, Cuba Gooding, Wesley Snipes guys whove convincingly portrayed athletes in major motion pictures might have been impressed by Embolos theatrics. The video assistant referees turned out to be the toughest critics.MORE:Soccer world reacts to controversial red card that helped Argentina beat SwitzerlandThe crew in the replay booth noticed there hadnt been any particular reason for Embolo to go airborne; hed not been contacted by Paredes. In the sporting parlance, he had flopped."In my opinion, thats a harmless foul, if it even was a foul," Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin said in his postgame press conference. "I know they will protect their referee, but this rule destroyed our game today, and it was incredibly painful. To be eliminated in that way hurts a lot."There was no reason to award that yellow card. I dont understand it. It was a harmless situation. I dont understand that the decision was made and it was our player sent off the pitch."The play was eligible for VAR review because of the mistaken identity protocol introduced for this World Cup. It rarely has been employed in this tournament, but we did see one in the opening game for the United States against Paraguay, when the referee watched the tape and reassigned a yellow card that had been shown to USMNT defender Tim Ream to opposing midfielder Miguel Almiron. It was relatively early, so Almiron was in no danger of being ejected.Against Argentina, though, Embolo had been carded just before halftime for a harsh tackle, coincidentally against Paredes. So when he inexplicably chose to take flight in the 72nd minute, he was taking an extravagant risk (two yellow cards leads to ejection) for a meager reward. He wasn't anywhere near drawing a penalty. He wasnt in a position that would have generated a dangerous free kick for Switzerland. He was 30 yards up the right sideline and moving away from goal when his moment arrived. And it was more than just the aeronautics; he rolled three times on the ground after landing and groaned as if in agonizing pain.After a VAR review, Embolo is sent off with his second yellow for simulation pic.twitter.com/1ljSIAtVRj FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 12, 2026All of this happened just 2 minutes after Switzerland had tied the game on winger Dan Ndoye's beautiful strike.The Fox television crew were sympathetic to Embolo, arguing it was too harsh to reverse the yellow given the awareness it would end his night and quite possibly his World Cup. Former USMNT star Landon Donovan advocated for this, and even former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, serving as rules analyst, took this position.One must admit there was a sinister sort of poetry in Argentina receiving another favorable ruling there at the home of the Kansas City Chiefs, the team NFL fans claimed for years were the beneficiaries of game official gift-giving.Already in this World Cup, superstar Lionel Messi escaped any punishment whatsoever after scraping his cleats against the right calf of Algeria defender Aissa Mandi during the first half of their group game. It might have been worthy of a red card dismissal; Messi didnt even see yellow.In Argentinas most recent game, Egypt had a goal rescinded because the VAR detected a foul at the very beginning of the build toward that score roughly 100 yards away from goal. Its within the purview of the replay system to punish such offenses, but who had seen such a thing before this week?After review, Egypt is called for a foul and the goal is disallowed. pic.twitter.com/9KJiFgVjMI FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 7, 2026There are two reasons the Embolo red card made sense, though.The first is the sport needs to do as much as possible to eliminate this sort of behavior. Some will contend thats an American viewpoint, but clearly its not. How do we know? Just remember what they call it: simulation. Please. Wed never use that word. Even hockey calls it embellishment. Wed obviously prefer the simplest label: diving. Those in charge at FIFA conceived the rule because its bad for the game.The second is it would have been worthy of a yellow if Pinheiro had noticed initially what really occurred. Embolo made it look awful. He didnt just go down; if he had, thered have been no yellow for Paredes and thus no reason to review.MORE:Why Switzerland's Breel Embolo was sent off vs. ArgentinaThe World Cup referees were tasked with attempting to remove any sort of fakery from the tournament. There have been myriad occasions when players have gone down after minor collisions with opponents and refs either ignored their pleas for foul calls or admonished them to get off the ground. Embolo ought to have understood this before Switzerlands first game, but certainly after hed been playing in this event for a month.In television, one might get an Emmy for a performance such as Embolos. On television, playing the worlds most popular sport in the biggest sporting event on the planet, it produced a far less desirable award.

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