List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

England have a precious first win in this World Cup but that very description is why they did not look like eventual winners of the tournament itself. That isn’t to say it will remain like this, but Sarina Wiegman has a lot of problems to solve, and a lot of work to do. Haiti at least more than set the tone for the latter. In something that has already developed into a bit of a pattern in these first few games, the supposed minnow deserved more than the 1-0 defeat they suffered through Georgia Stanway’s mercifully reordered penalty. Haiti’s brilliant young star, Melchie Dumornay, may well end up deserving a series of individual awards. She was by far the player of the match here, running the game. Haiti often gave England a runaround. The entire result ended up depending on Mary Earps standing her ground in a crucial final chance for Haiti. FOLLOW LIVE: England vs Haiti: Women’s World Cup latest scores and reaction after Lionesses secure victory The caveats to all of this shouldn’t be discounted, of course. The favourites have essentially been treating these group stages as a warm-up, even if they will not publicly say that. It could be seen in Wiegman’s line-up, which still had an element of testing a few positions and the manager not fully revealing her hand. On the other side, and this has played into that pattern, there’s been a will from some of the lower-ranked teams to seize the moment; to put it up the big nations. Haiti more than did that. This is a team and country that have gone through a tumultuous time, both in the political landscape of the nation and some of the controversies around the federation. It made it all the more impressive that the Haitian side did not look like one just making up the numbers. They instead looked like what they are: a side made up of a fair few players in the French league, not least Dumornay. They should now fancy their chances of getting through this group. England will have to really sharpen up to ensure they finish first, as expected. This was nothing like what was expected. And if it was a warm-up, it was furnace-hot. Really, it was a proper contest. The warning came as early as the first minute when England’s rustiness and Haiti’s readiness came together strikingly early. Millie Bright looked very much like she had barely played since March, as she passed an easy ball out of the back straight to Nerilia Mondesir. The danger came about 10 minutes later. Mondesir was again put through only to screw the ball wide, but the true threat here was the sensational Dumornay who put her through with a reverse pass. The entire Women’s World Cup was about to take note. Everyone could instantly see why Lyon secured her signing in January. Dumornay’s value has shot up. She was the best player on the pitch here, combining an energy and intelligence that ensured something looked like it was going to happen every time she was on the ball. This also reflected an issue with the game as a whole. England could get on the ball a lot themselves, with up to 71 per cent possession, but Haiti didn’t really allow them to control it. The personnel issues perhaps didn’t help. While Stanway and Keira Walsh attempted to set a pace in the middle, the latter was frequently marked, in a tactical move that looks like it’s going to be a challenge for the entire campaign, however long that is. It played its part in ensuring the midfield had nowhere to really move the ball with the wide players too isolated and Ella Toone regularly manoeuvred out of the game. England, not for the first time, had little recourse but to go more direct. This admittedly was the source of the essential game-breaking moment. With another ball in the air, Louis Batcheba inexplicably lifted both hands as if reaching for a line-out. Wrong sport, despite the setting, right decision. A penalty given, before another correct decision followed. Stanway struck her first penalty well but Kerly Theus did superbly to leap and force it wide. The issue was the advantage of having also stepped off her line. A retake was ordered and Stanway displayed supreme composure. The question in a moment of significant tension was whether she would go the same way. She instead went low, drilling the ball into the bottom corner. England were away, but not by much. If the expectation was that such a goal would finally kill Haiti’s enthusiasm, there wasn’t a bit of it. The back-and-forth over the penalty instead reflected how complicated the game continued to be for England. At only 1-0, there was always that unsettling feeling that one unfortunate – or, if Dumornay was involved, inspired – moment could change it all. The tension was visible in every break, every rushed clearance. It was never more acute than in the single most dramatic moment in open play, when Roseline Eloissaint suddenly broke through with less than 10 minutes remaining. She slightly snatched at her shot, though, allowing Earps to make a superb save that could yet be one of the most significant of England’s World Cup. The break was all the more concerning for Wiegman’s side, since it had come out of a period when Haiti tired. That was inevitable, but you couldn’t quite say that about another England goal. Wiegman did naturally change things a lot by bringing on Lauren James and Rachel Daly but it didn’t really change the mood of the game. That only came with the final whistle, and it was one of massive relief. Read More Sarina Wiegman admits unconvincing England lacked cutting edge in World Cup opener England underestimated Haiti in World Cup opener and revealed their Achilles heel Mary Earps is an England superstar – even if fans can’t buy her shirt Lucy Bronze: England’s legendary right-back in profile Alessia Russo: England’s attacking talent in profile Rachel Daly: England’s versatile goalscorer in profile

Tadej Pogačar has pipped defending champion Jonas Vingegaard to win the Tour de France penultimate stage but it won’t be enough to stop his great rival winning the race

Lewis Hamilton has taken his first pole position since 2021 at the Hungarian Grand Prix

A viral clip has appeared to show Kylian Mbappe turning down speculation that he is about to join Arsenal but not all is as it seems. Rumours have been circulating that Mbappe, arguably the best footballer in the world, is preparing to leave his current club Paris Saint Germain after he was left out of the French champions' squad for their pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea. The 24-year-old French superstar has only one year left on his contract with PSG and if rumours are true, is widely believed to be preferring a move to Real Madrid. On the matter PSG's president Nasser El-Khelaifi has said: "We don't want to lose the best player in the world for free. We can't do that. This is a French club. "He said he would never leave for free. If he changes his mind today, it's not my fault. We don't want to lose the best player in the world for free, that's very clear." Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Given Mbappe's overwhelming talent it shouldn't come as a surprise that many top teams in England are being linked with the star despite there being no credible reports that any Premier League side can actually afford to sign him. Arsenal fans have been the most vocal about the player coming to the Emirates with the line 'Mpabbe to Arsenal' trending on Twitter for several days. Now a clip, that has been viewed nearly 200,000 times on Twitter shows Mbappe being asked whether he will make the switch to North London by a reporter only to turn down the idea. This isn't what it looks like though. This is actually from an interview in 2021 where Mbappe was asked if he would sign for the other North London team, Tottenham Hotspur after he had an interaction with one of their most famous fans, Spider-Man actor Tom Holland. Needless to say many fans were already aware of the video and called out its deceptive nature. The clip on Twitter has been carefully edited to remove any mention of Spurs and therefore doesn't reflect Mbappe's thoughts on a move to Arsenal although and likelihood of that transfer happening still would appear to be unlikely. Recently Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was asked about the possibility of the Gunners signing Mbappe to which the Spaniard said: "You know I never talk about players that don’t play for our club. I’m sorry." Arsenal are currently on a pre-season tour of the United States where they have already beaten the MLS All-Stars team 5-0 and are due to play Manchester United and Barcelona before the end of the month. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Haiti has given its fans a boost with its spirited performance during a Women's World Cup debut that came up just short in a 1-0 loss to European champion England

Amalie Vangsgaard scored in the 90th minute as Denmark beat China 1-0 at the Women’s World Cup in Perth

Jon Rahm has done all he can to get himself back into the mix at the British Open

Formula One has agreed a five-year contract extension to keep the Hungarian Grand Prix on its calendar until 2032

Highlights from the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Sophia Smith is among 14 players on the U.S. national team who are playing in their first Women’s World Cup

Japanese football fans have continued their much-admired tradition of cleaning up after themselves in stadiums once a game has finished. Japan opened their account at the 2023 Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand with a comprehensive 5-0 win over Zambia courtesy of goals from Hinata Miyazawa, Mina Tanaka, Jun Endo and Riko Ueki, to give the 2011 champions an impressive start. While neutrals will have no doubt been wowed by the Japanese player's talent on the pitch there is always a lot of love for their travelling fans who stayed behind long after many others had left to pick up the rubbish that had been left in the stands. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Footage showed a small handful of Japanese fans collecting the rubbish in plastic bags at the Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, New Zealand without any hesitation or protest. This will be a very familiar sight to football fans who watched the men's World Cup in Qatar in 2022 where a plucky Japanese team managed to progress from their group, beating Germany and Spain in the process, only to be eliminated by Croatia in the round of 16. At the time Japanese fans were asked why they choose to clean up after themselves with one person saying: "What we're taught is that leaving things cleaner than the way you found it is atarimae [stating the obvious]. And that we should always express gratitude." Another added: "What we're taught is that leaving things cleaner than the way you found it is atarimae. And that we should always express gratitude." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

YouTuber and streaming star iShowSpeed has found himself converted to being a Lionel Messi fan after witnessing the Argentinian legend score a stunning goal on his Inter Miami debut. Messi made his debut for his new club on Friday night in the Leagues Cup against Mexican side Cruz Azul. Although Messi didn't start the game he did come on shortly into the second half and by the end of the game he had grabbed all the headlines thanks to an unbelievable free kick on the 94th minute to give Miami a 2-1 win. It was a star-studded affair at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with David Beckham (the club's owner), Victoria Beckham, Serena Williams and Kim Kardashian in attendance. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter However, the most shocked person by the World Cup winner's incredible strike was iShowSpeed who made a wager with himself if Messi scored the goal. The 18-year-old online personality has amongst many things, made a name for himself for being an outspoken Cristiano Ronaldo fan. He even met the Portuguese icon earlier this year during an emotional encounter. Speed happened to be in attendance for the match and in a clip doing the rounds on social media, he was seen saying that if Messi scored the freekick he would become a fan of the footballer. Sure enough, Messi did score leaving Speed completely speechless but he was at least prepared. Speed, who was wearing a Portugal shirt with Ronaldo printed on it, removed the garment to show an Inter Miami shirt underneath with Messi on the back - Speed clearly had some hindsight into the occasion. 36-year-old Messi has signed a two-and-a-half year contract with Miami which will likely be the last club he plays for during his illustrious career. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.