Key events40m agoBernardo Silva joins Real Madrid1h agoTottenham sign forward Hanson from Aston Villa3h agoPreambleSid Lowe
double quotation markThe mourning after isn’t always easy, Mikel Merino says – and yes that is mourning with a “u”. “No one died, it’s not a mourning exactly, but at times defeats can feel like that,” the Arsenal midfielder admitted and, although it wasn’t actually a defeat at all, this was one of those times. A 0-0 draw against Cape Verde in their World Cup opener was not the way Spain dreamed it; now, Merino insisted as the selección returned to their Tennessee training camp six long days before they get the chance to make amends, they must deal with it. Each in their own way, but as a family.
Sid Lowe on Spain’s need to bounce back from drawing with Cape Verde.
A huge day for English sport … the men’s cricket team is taking on New Zealand in the second Test.You can follow it here …Just in case any England fans are not feeling particularly patriotic yet …Steve McClaren with umbrella in hand before England v Croatia in 2008. Photograph: Alex Livesey/Getty ImagesBernardo Silva joins Real MadridThe Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva will join Real Madrid on a two-year deal after the expiration of his Manchester City deal later this month.Silva, who spent nine years at City, will team up with compatriot Jose Mourinho at the Santiago Bernabeu.Allow Instagram content?This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click 'Allow and continue'.Are we going to predict the England lineup later?Pickford; James, Stones, Guehi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; KaneTottenham sign forward Hanson from Aston VillaTom GarryTottenham Hotspur have signed the Scotland forward Kirsty Hanson from Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee, after a strong 2025-26 season saw her finish as the Women’s Super League’s third-highest goalscorer.The Guardian understands the north London club triggered a release clause in the 28-year-old’s contract and fought off competition for her signature. The chance for Hanson to work again with the Tottenham head coach Martin Ho - who coached her while he was on the backroom staff at her former club Manchester United - is understood to have been a key factor in her signing a long-term deal.“I’m absolutely delighted, it’s an exciting time to be a part of this club,” Hanson told Spurs’ media channels. “I’m ready for a new challenge, and I’m always wanting to be better every single day. Martin (Ho), the club, the staff, the players, are at such an exciting point - and I want to be a part of that.”Ho, whose side finished fifth in the WSL last term, added: “We want players in the front line who can rotate, threaten different spaces, press with intensity and give us different solutions during games. Kirsty can stretch teams in behind, attack one v one, arrive in goal-scoring areas and also help connect the game when playing more centrally. That flexibility gives us more ways to hurt teams.”How do you think the World Cup will pan out? You can predict the future with our interactive Bracketology tool.Need to know more about the England team? We’ve got you covered.The same goes for Croatia.The Everton midfielder Aurora Galli spoke to Sophie Downey about the anterior cruciate ligament injury she suffered in September 2024. With Italy due to play in the 2025 European Championship, Galli aimed for a swift return to the pitch, seeking to be back playing in six months. ‘I think it was like seven-and-a-half,’ she remembers, ‘I pushed it.’ She returned for Everton on the last day of the 2024-25 season but was not named in Andrea Soncin’s final squad. However, she was invited to meet up with the Italy squad as they reached a historic semi-final.'I dreamt about my ACL': Everton's Aurora Galli on a premonition of her injury – videoAustria coach Ralf Rangnick saluted the quality of the World Cup’s debutants after his team rode their luck in a 3-1 win over Jordan on Tuesday.Austria were at times exposed by a bold Jordan side playing their first World Cup game and, despite going into the contest as favourites, only wrapped up victory with substitute Marko Arnautovic’s penalty in the 12th minute of second-half stoppage time.Expectations for Austria had been raised by an impressive performance at Euro 2024 but they may be tempered by Tuesday’s display, especially ahead of a game against Group J leaders Argentina, who beat Algeria 3-0.Rangnick, however, credited Jordan for keeping his side in check. “I think it’s due to the opponent,” the coach said when asked why Austria struggled. Jordan did a fantastic job throughout the match. We expected a difficult opponent, we knew that they were going to be anything but easy, but today they displayed a very brave kind of football. They exceeded my expectations. I know that some of you thought that we would be the favourite in this match, but we were definitely not.”Rangnick said he welcomed the fact that the World Cup’s expansion to 48 teams gave more countries a chance to participate, calling it “an enriching experience”.But he also said the so-called smaller nations were not just making up the numbers, referring to Spain’s shock draw with Cape Verde, Australia’s surprise win over Turkey and Haiti’s gritty performance against Scotland.“It’s not that easy to win during this tournament – we have 48 teams and there is not going to be one easy opponent,” he said. “The teams now have really caught up in the last 15 years or so, so there are really no easy teams.” Reuters
