The Independent
·3 de julio de 2026
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Yahoo sportsThe Independent
·3 de julio de 2026
Egypt made history by dramatically beating Australia 4-2 on penalties to advance to the World Cup last 16 after a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes of play.
Hossam Abdelmaguid tucked away the winning penalty after Australia missed two, with the Socceroos’ ‘penalty specialist’ goalkeeper Mat Ryan brought on at the end of extra time unable to stop any of the Pharoahs’ four spot-kicks – including Mohamed Salah’s audacious Panenka.
Emam Ashour opened the scoring for Egypt after 13 minutes, heading home Karim Hafez’s cross, but Australia equalised 10 minutes into the second half as Aiden O'Neill’s free-kick was headed into his own net by Mohamed Hany for his second own goal of the tournament.
It was Egypt’s first-ever win in a World Cup knockout game and sets up a last-16 meeting with Argentina in Atlanta on Tuesday, providing Lionel Messi’s side don’t endure one of the greatest World Cup shocks of all time against Cape Verde in their last-32 clash later this evening.
The race for the golden boot at the World Cup is hurtling towards an epic contest during the knockout stage as Kylian Mbappe reined in Lionel Messi at the top of the standings with Vinicius Jr and Erling Haalandalso very much in the race.
The stars continue to dominate at this tournament, none more so than Messi after backing up a hat-trick against Algeria with a double against Austria to highlight one of his greatest traits after a penalty miss. Another arrived off the bench against Jordan – inevitably.
Not to be outdone, Mbappe has been in excellent scoring touch and a brace against Sweden propelled France to a 3-0 victory and a spot in the last-16 as he once again thrives on the biggest stage. It also sends him above Messi in the standings though they are level on goals scored.
Chris Wilson4 July 2026 00:00
The last-16 of the 2026 World Cup looms large this weekend.
Argentina face Cape Verde tonight as the round-of-32 wraps up, along with Australia vs Egypt and Colombia vs Ghana.
Among the thrilling ties already teed up for the next round are England’s trip to the Azteca to face Mexico, Spain taking on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and hosts USA against Belgium.
The top two sides in each group qualified for knockouts along with the eight best third-place teams. Uruguay and Scotland were among the 16 nations eliminated, while tournament contenders including Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil, England and Germany all topped their groups.
The final round-of-32 games take place tonight before the next stage of the World Cup begins
Chris Wilson3 July 2026 23:30
The last-32 of the 2026 World Cup is delivering bucketloads of drama for fans to watch live on television.
Every single game in the competition is available to watch on free-to-air TV for UK viewers.
Of course, you do have to factor in the time difference, with the kinder kick-off times including slots at 6pm BST and 8pm BST, while there are games throughout the night for UK viewers.
The last-32 matches are all free-to-air on the BBC and ITV
Chris Wilson3 July 2026 23:15
The biggest tournament in football is finally here.
Over six weeks, 48 nations will battle it out across the United States, Canada and Mexico, producing unforgettable moments, dramatic upsets, tactical masterclasses and plenty of controversy along the way.
But with matches taking place across multiple time zones and headlines arriving around the clock, keeping up with everything that matters will be a challenge.
That's where our World Cup Insider newsletter comes in.
Landing in your inbox every morning throughout the tournament, World Cup Insider is your essential guide to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Designed to cut through the noise, it brings together the key stories, standout moments and expert analysis you need to stay on top of the action.

The World Cup is back on a bigger scale than ever – and World Cup Insider is your daily guide to the biggest stories, results and analysis as they happen across North America
Chris Wilson3 July 2026 23:00
England have overcome several World Cup obstacles already this summer – yet Thomas Tuchel is fully aware of the seismic challenge that awaits at the cauldron that is the Azteca Stadium in the last-16.
The co-hosts have been whipped up into a piping-hot frenzy over the last three weeks, unleashed most impressively in their last-32 victory against Ecuador. Following a weather delay, the rampant Julian Quinonez and Raul Jimenez landed a pair of haymakers to leave their South American opponents dazed.
Yet England’s most daunting task on Sunday night could well be the conditions, with altitude set to be a great leveller with Mexico City’s iconic Azteca situated 7,220ft (2,240m) above sea level.
Situated 7,220ft above sea level, the iconic Azteca’s standing means England players will breathe more heavily to increase oxygen uptake. But with less oxygen, their physical performance will be impeded
Chris Wilson3 July 2026 22:50
Some of the biggest news from this evening so far...
The kick-off time of England’s last-16 clash with Mexico at the World Cup 2026 may be brought forward by six hours in order to avoid potential storms in Mexico City, according to reports.
Media in Mexico, citing sources with knowledge of the matter, have suggested the game, which is scheduled to kick off at 1am BST on Monday morning (6pm local time on Sunday) will now start at 7pm BST (12pm local) instead. The BBC are also reporting that they understand the game has been brought forward.
That is because of a significant risk of storms in the area when the match is currently scheduled and Mexico already saw their last-32 match against Ecuador earlier this week delayed due to rain.
The game is currently scheduled to kick off at 1am BST on Monday morning but that looks likely to now be 7pm BST on Sunday evening instead
Chris Wilson3 July 2026 22:40
Just two more games left in the round of the 32 then.
Argentina take on cape Verde tonight, with kick-off at 11pm BST (you can follow that game here).
And Colombia take on Ghana early into next morning in the fina game, with kick-off at 2.30am in Kansas City in that one.
(Reuters)
Chris Wilson3 July 2026 22:30
“It's history. I told the boys before the game that this is the biggest stage you can play on. Enjoy it and don't let the pressure get to you,” says Mo Salah after that historic win.
“I'm glad that we managed to in the game, bad luck for them. I'm happy that we wrote history today.”
On the panenka, he adds: “If somebody was going to do it, it would be me! I am more experienced than others and I wanted to give them confidence. I decided last minute, I had to do it,” he added.
(Getty)
Chris Wilson3 July 2026 22:12







































