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June 19 : American Kate Douglass broke Olympic champion Sarah Sjostrom’s women’s 50 metres freestyle world record on Friday at a U.S. Pro Swim Series event in Indianapolis.

The 24-year-old, who won the 200m breaststroke gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, clocked 23.59 seconds to better the 23.61 set by Swede Sjostrom at the 2023 world championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

“I mean wow, that’s crazy, I think I’m still in shock, I don’t even know what to say,” Douglass told broadcaster Peacock.

“I was really just hoping to go a best time, break the American record. That’s a lot faster than I ever thought I would go tonight, or ever.”

Douglass finished ahead of Gretchen Walsh (23.78), with whom she shared the previous U.S. record of 23.91.

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts, June 19 : Ismael Saibari had never played as Morocco’s lead striker before the World Cup, but he has seized his chance in style, scoring twice at the tournament, including the winner against Scotland on Friday.

The PSV Eindhoven talisman, who also scored against Brazil in their Group C opener, was named man-of-the-match in their 1-0 win over the Scots as the North African side moved closer to the Round of 32.

Saibari’s winner against Scotland, scored after 71 seconds, made him only the second African player after Egypt’s Mohamed Salah to score in each of his first two World Cup appearances.

Much of Saibari’s recent scoring surge has been driven by coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who moved him from the playmaker and winger roles he filled under former Morocco boss Walid Regragui into a central striking position.

The 25-year-old, who was named Eredivisie Player of the Year last season, scored just seven goals in his first 28 international appearances, but has netted four times in his last four matches.

Ouahbi has exploited Saibari’s pace and ability to run in behind defences, as seen in his goal against Brazil when he raced into the box and delicately chipped goalkeeper Alisson.

‘I’M GOING TO SCORE’

Saibari failed to score in his debut Eredivisie season with PSV, making 17 appearances in an injury-hit 2022-2023 campaign. However, the experience helped him develop greater composure in front of goal.

“At first, I was thinking, ‘I must not miss.’ Now I think, ‘I’m going to score’,” Saibari said in a 2023 interview on PSV’s YouTube channel.

That progress was reflected in his numbers, as he scored 15 goals in 27 Eredivisie appearances last season to help PSV secure a third straight Dutch league title.

Saibari has spent much of his career adapting to new surroundings. Born in Terrassa, Spain, he moved to Belgium with his family at the age of six and progressed through local clubs before joining Anderlecht’s academy in 2013.

Although his spell at Anderlecht lasted only two years, as he was released after a dip in form days before the start of a new season, it proved formative.

“It motivated me to work much harder,” he later said.

‘PLAY WITH YOUR HEART’

Saibari was eligible to represent Spain, his country of birth, Belgium, where he holds citizenship, and Morocco through his family. Yet he never seriously considered playing for anyone other than the Atlas Lions.

“When you choose a national team, it has to come from the heart. It shouldn’t be a strategic decision about where you’ll have more chances,” said Saibari.

“You represent an entire country, so you must play with your heart.”

He also revealed that former Belgium coach Roberto Martinez tried to convince him to represent them, but he never reconsidered his commitment to Morocco.

Now Saibari is hoping to emulate Morocco’s 2022 semi-final run, driven by the spirit within the squad.

“We all have the same goal, the same dream. Even off the pitch, we laugh together, talk together and work together. We’re like a family,” he said.

PHILADELPHIA, June 19 : Carlo Ancelotti did not solve all of Brazil’s problems in one half against Haiti, but he at least offered supporters a clearer idea of where this side might be heading after the frustration of their World Cup opener.

Brazil’s 3-0 win came against a limited Haiti side who often pushed forward with little regard for the space they left behind, making life easier for a team searching for fluency, rhythm and short-passing combinations in the final third.

However, after the 1-1 draw with Morocco in their Group C opener, Ancelotti made two changes which gave Brazil a sharper look.

The most significant was Matheus Cunha replacing Igor Thiago in attack, a move that brought balance, movement and a more natural connection between midfield and the front line.

It also offered the first meaningful glimpse of Ancelotti’s diamond midfield.

Lucas Paqueta, heavily criticised after struggling in the first half against Morocco, looked far more comfortable as the left-sided midfielder, supporting Vinicius Jr and combining neatly with Cunha.

Paqueta was involved and alert, Cunha’s movement was tireless, and Vinicius found more support than he has had for a long time in the national team, and it was no surprise Brazil’s goals came from that side.

Drifting in from the left to link midfield and attack, Cunha had a natural chemistry with Vinicius and Paqueta that Brazil have lacked on that side since Neymar suffered serious injury.

The concern is on the opposite flank.

Raphinha failed to make an impact for the second match in a row and was substituted because of a physical issue. He missed a training session earlier in the week because of blisters on his feet and looked short of sharpness from the start.

Whether due to injury or positioning, Raphinha’s timing was off. Pinned wide on the right wing, he misplaced passes and failed to control simple balls. It is a different role from the one he occupies in club football, where he operates more like Cunha did against Haiti.

There are also questions over whether 34-year-old Casemiro can cope with stronger opponents. Bruno Guimaraes, who operated fluently as right midfielder, could be dropped back to bolster defensive solidity and help build play from the back.

Rayan did not settle after replacing Raphinha, leaving Luiz Henrique as the likelier option should Raphinha miss the Scotland game and beyond.

It was not a statement performance from Brazil, but it was progress.

PHILADELPHIA, June 19 : After Brazil defeated Haiti 3-0 in their second Group C match on Friday, manager Carlo Ancelotti said he expected Neymar to be available for their group stage finale against Scotland on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old Neymar has been recovering from a calf strain. He last played for Santos in Brazil’s top flight on May 17.

“Neymar will be training tomorrow individually and on Monday he’s going to be training with the rest of the team,” Ancelotti said in the post-match press conference. “He will be available for the match against Scotland.”

Injuries limited Neymar during Brazil’s 2026 qualifying campaign. But he was influential when he played, scoring twice and contributing three assists in four appearances.

Meanwhile, Ancelotti did not commit to continuing with Matheus Cunha at centre-forward despite his first-half double.

Cunha started in place of Igor Thiago after coming on in the 61st minute of Brazil’s 1-1 draw with Morocco in their tournament opener.

“He may,” the Italian coach said when asked if Cunha would remain in the centre-forward role. 

“I think that Matheus’ position was a good position for creating problems for the defence,” Ancelotti said. “And he filtered his passes very well, and his position was a good position to be effective at the front.

“It can be an option. We discussed this yesterday. I don’t want a clear identity. Maybe we will change this on the next match.”

Brazil, on four points, lead Morocco on goal difference after the Atlas Lions defeated Scotland, who have three points, 1-0 earlier on Friday.

The Scots could be playing for their tournament lives on Wednesday in Miami, but Ancelotti insisted he was focusing on the bigger picture.

“We don’t think about knocking out (Scotland). We think about playing well and improving, and we analyse the match,” Ancelotti said.

“If we can reach the first position of the group, that would be important for the future. So we want to prepare well for that match.

“Scotland has its features. It can create a problem. It created problems to Morocco today. And so we have to focus on the match and be calm and be tranquil and keep on working to improve.”

PHILADELPHIA, June 19 : Haiti coach Sebastien Migne regretted the first two goals his side conceded in a 3-0 loss to Brazil on Friday that eliminated them from the World Cup but he was proud of their effort.

• “Maybe we were a little bit naive with the first two goals, and after that it’s done and set and it gets trickier and trickier by the minute,” he said.

• “They (Haiti’s players) showed that they deserved to be here at the World Cup,” he added. “And, unfortunately, today we played against Brazil and there was too much of a gap. If you want to perform well, everything needs to be aligned, and today we made two mistakes.

• “Unfortunately, yes, we are eliminated. Scotland lost against Morocco, so we won’t be able to advance. But it has been 52 years since we took part in the World Cup. It’s something that we need to keep in mind. We will respect the fans. I know that the players, I can trust them. Even though we were very disappointed, even though we lost to Brazil.

• “That’s it, they were better than us. We need to learn lessons from that and we need to come back stronger. And five days from now, (we play Morocco) a semi-finalist from the last edition, and we will need to make our fans and our supporters proud.”

SANTA CLARA, California, June 19 : Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron was given a straight red card for covering his mouth in a confrontation with Turkey’s Mert Muldur on Friday in the first instance of the new rule being applied at the World Cup.

Almiron was sent off in first-half stoppage time after the exchange, with the dismissal confirmed by VAR as Paraguay led 1-0 in the Group D match.

Players who cover their mouths with their hand, arm or shirt in confrontational situations receive a red card. The rule came into effect after Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni was accused of making discriminatory slurs to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr with his mouth covered.

SEATTLE: The United States advanced to the World Cup knockout stage with a dominant performance against Australia on Friday (Jun 19), an early own goal and an Alex Freeman header giving the co-hosts a comfortable 2-0 win despite missing talisman Christian Pulisic.

Just as they had in their 4-1 victory over Paraguay, the US forced an own goal to open the scoring, with Cameron Burgess the unfortunate defender.

Freeman nodded in the simplest of headers just before the break, the goal initially ruled out for offside but given on review, prompting the US bench to flood the pitch in celebration.

“It was surreal … obviously at first it was disallowed so I was kind of anxious when it went to VAR,” Freeman said.

Australia coach Tony Popovic dropped both goalscorers, Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe, from the Socceroos’ 2-0 win over Türkiye and brought them on at half-time to try to turn the tide.

Australia improved but rarely looked like getting back into the match in a second half which became increasingly fractious and lacked quality.

“I don’t know if it was the occasion, but we looked sluggish, heavy-legged,” Popovic said.

“I think the players showed how good they are in the second half, but obviously at this level you can’t give away that much in the first.”

The US moved onto six points and into the last 32 before their last game against Türkiye next Thursday in Los Angeles, when coach Mauricio Pochettino hopes to have Pulisic available.

“But if we want to win the competition, we need the whole team. And all the players need to be important,” he said.

The US will top Group D if Türkiye do not beat Paraguay later on Friday. Australia remain second on three points and next face Paraguay in San Francisco.

US INTO LAST 32 WITH GAME TO SPARE

The US started slightly nervously in front of a raucous full house but quickly settled into the match, with Weston McKennie particularly influential, and took a well-earned lead in the 11th minute.

Folarin Balogun tore down the left flank and played the ball towards Ricardo Pepi, replacing Pulisic, and the covering Burgess sent the ball into his own net.

Australia struggled to get out of their own half as the US maintained control, with Australia’s best moment of the first half coming just before the hydration break, when Freeman blocked Mathew Leckie’s threatening cross.

The US finally got the second goal their dominance deserved in the 43rd minute: a free kick was played to Sergino Dest on the edge of the area, and his shot was blocked, but looped into the air with goalkeeper Patrick Beach on the floor to give Freeman an easy finish.

Freeman said securing the win without Pulisic showed the depth the US could rely upon.

“It says that we have a really strong roster and it says that whichever players we’re going to put on the field we’re going to execute and be 100 per cent and get a result,” Freeman said.

“Christian is such a vital part of this team, but if he’s not available someone else is going to have to step in.”

The second half was low on incident, with the US content to protect their lead and conserve energy, though Australia’s Harry Souttar missed a golden opportunity with five minutes left which could have set up a tense finale

 “We had opportunities to score, we had chances,” Souttar said. “I could say a lot of things I don’t want to say just because it’s so raw.”

Morocco were in control throughout the game despite the scoreline, outmuscling Scotland and scoring the winner after just 71 seconds of play.

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts: Morocco outmuscled Scotland for a 1-0 win thanks to the tournament’s fastest goal on Friday (Jun 19), taking control of Group C in the World Cup and moving into top spot with one match left to play.

The North Africans, surprise semi-finalists four years ago, were in control throughout despite the deceptive scoreline, bullying the Scots into submission and scoring the winner with Ismael Saibari after 71 seconds of play.

Morocco, who did not translate their dominance into more goals, now have four points from their two matches and will next play Haiti on Wednesday. Scotland, with three points from two games, face five-time champions Brazil on the last matchday. Brazil and Haiti face each other later on Friday. 

The top two teams of each group win automatic qualification for the round of 32, along with the eight best third-placed teams.

“We would have liked to score that second goal to be more at ease, but we wanted to keep them really, really high up so they wouldn’t get too close to our box,” said Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi.

“When it’s 1-0 at the end, that’s the Scots’ quality. But it’s okay. That’s what I said too: no panic, no panic, we do what needs to be done, we defend, we keep pressing. But we played a great match. We lacked a bit of efficiency.”

“We are happy, we keep going. The road is still long, but it was important to win today,” he added.

Morocco completed a total of 601 passes against Scotland, the most by an African team in a World Cup match on record since 1966.

EARLY GOAL

The Scots were brimming with confidence after their 1-0 opening win over Haiti for their first World Cup victory in 36 years but were quickly brought down to earth.

Their opponents needed less than two minutes to open their account with Saibari slipping in behind the defence to latch on to a Brahim Diaz through ball as defender Grant Hanley stepped out too early, and he powered in his shot for the earliest goal in this World Cup.

Saibari, who scored in their 1-1 draw against Brazil last week and has reportedly passed a medical to join German champions Bayern Munich, became only the second African player to score in his first two appearances at the World Cup, after Egypt’s Mohamed Salah.

The Moroccans, who saw captain Achraf Hakimi booed by Scottish fans with the player facing a rape trial, came close again when Azzedine Ounahi charged down the left and cut the ball back, but a pair of Moroccan players narrowly failed to connect in front of goal.

Ounahi had raised eyebrows a day earlier, saying his team were aiming to reach the final, but they showed they mean business as the Scots failed to get a single shot towards goal until deep in first-half stoppage time.

Instead they had to play constant catch-up with Moroccans pressing, winning possession and breaking through seemingly at will, with Bilal El Khannouss firing over the bar after yet another superb move.

It was one-way traffic after the break with Saibari hitting the post and El Khannouss forcing a good save by goalkeeper Angus Gunn with a glancing header. 

Scotland tried to pile on the pressure late in the game but, despite some late chances, could not find an equaliser.

“Had we played another five minutes, we might just have had them,” said Scotland midfielder Ryan Christie.

“It’s frustrating. The start to the game wasn’t exactly how we planned it. But we limited them to very little second half and started to play our football. It just wasn’t to be,” he said.

FIFA’s dynamic pricing system may be neither fair nor transparent, but it is proving phenomenally effective at maximising profits from the World Cup, says Juan Pablo Spinetto for Bloomberg Opinion.

MEXICO CITY: If you had told me that more than 70,000 effervescent football fans would pack Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium on a Monday night to watch, ahem, New Zealand take on Iran, I’d have replied: not in a hundred years.

Yet that’s exactly what happened on Jun 15. Even more remarkably, ticket prices surged 23 per cent in the final three days before kickoff, pushing the get-in price on resale platforms to a whopping US$420. This, for a match between a country locked in military conflict with the US and another of just five million people on the other side of the planet. Neither team had ever advanced beyond the World Cup’s group stage, but what a thrilling 2-2 draw they gave us.

The price spike is the product of the collective frenzy unleashed by the start of the world’s biggest sporting event. As soon as the ball began to roll, many of the pre-tournament anxieties, from the heat and transportation headaches to the inevitable fatalism of some commentators, faded into the background. 

One week in, supporters are hooked, stadiums are largely full, TV audiences are smashing records and resale ticket prices are soaring as fan enthusiasm gathers momentum. Nowhere is that more evident than with the US team. For months, organisers struggled to sell those matches. But after the Americans’ emphatic opening win over Paraguay, prices to see the home side have gone through the roof.

FIFA’S BIGGEST CASH MACHINE

Much as I hate to admit it, this is a major vindication for FIFA and its widely criticised dynamic pricing system. It is helping football’s governing body rake in record revenue as it pursues its goal of generating US$13 billion during the four-year cycle that ends with this tournament. The system may be neither fair nor transparent, and it’s a money grab that betrays the grassroot spirit that made football the world’s most beautiful and egalitarian game. But it’s proving phenomenally effective at maximising profits from the World Cup, FIFA’s biggest cash machine.

A non-profit organisation only in name, FIFA squeezes fans, host cities and partners for every last dollar. Quelle surprise. If anybody still doubted that football is not a moral beacon but essentially a giant enterprise – the very business of passion – they need only to look at this XXL version of the World Cup: 48 teams. 16 host cities. Three countries. Everything is enlarged, newer and more lucrative. And when demand still outpaces supply by such a margin, dynamic pricing inevitably delivers astronomical ticket prices.

That’s why FIFA needed this World Cup in the US, the world’s largest entertainment market, with Mexico and Canada playing supporting roles.

Over six million tickets on sale may sound a lot, but not when nearly 35 per cent of the globe’s private wealth is concentrated in the US, which is also home to the biggest immigrant population and diasporas from virtually every country. Add wealthy enthusiasts and hardcore fans flying in from abroad and even Jordan versus Austria in San Francisco on a Tuesday night can draw almost 70,000 people. Tickets for Cabo Verde against Saudi Arabia on Jun 26 are now changing hands for US$600 on the resale market after falling, at one point, to as little as US$8.

I am not saying this with any pleasure. 

After months of failed attempts and countless hours trying to buy tickets at face value, I finally had to accept the hard truth: This is an extravagant World Cup. Whatever FIFA’s ticket-selling trickery, prices ultimately reflect overwhelming demand. Faced with the alternative of watching it from home, I ended up paying an indecent sum for the privilege of seeing Argentina defend its title in Dallas next week. And I have to confess something odd: I felt disgusted with myself the moment I pressed the “buy” button, and I still regret, at least a little, that my passion overruled every shred of financial logic.

My placebo is the hope that Lionel Messi can repeat the extraordinary hat trick he gifted Argentina and the world on Tuesday (Jun 16) night; those moments are truly priceless. And we have already had plenty of them in this World Cup, from Cabo Verde’s historic draw against tournament favourites Spain to Scottish fans rocking Boston and Times Square transformed into a football sanctuary. 

That’s precisely what gives FIFA and its flamboyant president, Gianni Infantino, the market power to milk their customers. 

Much as the Vatican enjoys the monopoly on soul salvation, FIFA has carte blanche to extract every profit from suckers – excuse me, I meant “fans” – like me who, in the end, unapologetically care only about catching a piece of glory on the pitch.

Credit where credit is due: FIFA may be a global organisation that everybody loves to hate, but it is also incredibly good at what it does. 

Take the expansion to 48 teams in this year’s edition, heavily criticised with some reason for supposedly diluting the quality of the competition. The reality is that we would have already missed several underdogs punching above their weight. Add the game’s relentless pace thanks to timely rule tweaks, consistently outstanding television production and the stardom factor, and the result is electrifying.

We still need to see whether FIFA’s hardball tactics eventually trigger a fan backlash. There are certainly plenty of reasons to complain beyond ticket gouging: the unsporting treatment of the Iranian team, the absurd mandatory hydration breaks and President Donald Trump potentially inserting himself into the trophy ceremony, all under FIFA’s watch. I am sure you can add your own grievances.

But this is already shaping up to be a historic World Cup, perhaps even the World Cup of all World Cups. Stop fuming. Tune in and enjoy the ride.

Top athletes dominated the Doha Diamond League, with Marileidy Paulino and Rumesh Tharanga securing victories in the 400m and javelin throw respectively, ahead of strong competitors.

Paris Olympics champion Marileidy Paulino soared ahead of ‌her ​competitors to clinch a dominant 400m victory at the Doha Diamond League, while Sri Lankan javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga took the win over two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra on Friday. A late challenge in the 3000m steeplechase tested two-time Olympic champion Soufiane ‌El Bakkali, but the Moroccan ultimately prevailed. Fans at the Khalifa International Stadium were left disappointed as Mutaz Barshim missed out on a home soil victory in the men’s high jump.

The Dominican Republic’s Paulino, a two-time 400m Olympic medallist, shot to the front and kept her lead to finish in 48.91 seconds, leaving second-placed Natalia Bukowiecka trailing by more than a ‌second. “I wanted to open with 48 seconds and I succeeded,” she said.

Tharanga was equally dominant as he threw 88.68m in his fourth attempt, leaving Anderson Peters more ‌than two metres behind to take victory. Former Olympic champion Chopra, competing for the first time this year after being sidelined with multiple injuries, threw 85.69m to finish fourth.

“I’m glad I had a win today… it was one of my dreams to compete here as the first ever Sri Lankan in the Diamond League circuit,” said 23-year-old Tharanga, who threw a season-leading 92.62m in Rome earlier this month. Barshim, who came back from ⁠a long-term foot ​injury last month, cleared 2.27m in the ⁠high jump but could not match Italian Matteo Sioli’s 2.29m clearance, settling for second place.

“It is a very, very good start of the season for me. I’ve been away for a long time, and coming ⁠back to the world stage is nothing easy after so many injuries… you need a few competitions to get back to the rhythm,” he said. El Bakkali was in his rhythm as he led ​the men’s 3000m steeplechase into the final lap, but had to dig deep when Samuel Firewu threatened to catch up with him. The 30-year-old collapsed after ⁠crossing the finish line.

“There is no easy victory… wasn’t easy today because of the weather conditions. It’s very hot, it’s not like racing in Europe,” El Bakkali said. BELAYNEH FALLS IN THE FINAL LAP

Fantaye Belayneh made her move ⁠in ​the final lap of the women’s 5000m only to suffer a fall, as her Ethiopian compatriot and fellow former African champion Medina Eisa took the win. Ethiopians also dominated the women’s 1500m race, as Birke Haylom eased to victory ahead of compatriots Saron Berhe and Haregeweyni Kalayu.

World 110m hurdles champion Cordell Tinch eased to victory as Asier ⁠Martinez lost his momentum in the second half of the race, while Emma Zapletalova broke Slovakia’s national record to win the women’s 400m hurdles in 52.30 seconds. In the women’s ⁠800m, American Addison Wiley pulled ahead in ⁠the home stretch and fought off a late challenge from Paris Olympics silver medallist Tsige Duguma to win in a minute and 57.98 seconds.

“I kind of just asked myself, how bad do you want this, do you want today to be the day ‌or do you want to ‌get second place again?” Wiley, 22, said after her first Diamond League win.