SEATTLE, July 1 : Belgium were second-best to Senegal for large parts of their round-of-32 clash but their remarkable comeback to win 3-2 on Wednesday could spur them on to great things at the World Cup, coach Rudi Garcia said.
The Red Devils were staring down the barrel at another disappointing exit until late goals from record scorer Romelu Lukaku and captain Youri Tielemans forced extra time.
After 30 more minutes which Garcia compared to “two boxers (who) just kept fighting and fighting”, Tielemans lashed home a penalty in the 125th minute to win in dramatic fashion.
Garcia even described the victory as a “remontada”, the name given to Barcelona’s famous comeback against Paris St Germain in the 2017 Champions League.
“Football is emotions, this evening we had plenty,” Garcia told reporters. “When you’re down 2-0 in the 83rd minute, it’s never easy to come back and win the match.
“But this is what I said to the players at the hydration break: we had to score the third goal in the match and then anything is possible.
“We did it, we delivered and then it opened up the game again.”
He added: “It is a scenario that can make the group grow even stronger and tighter together and realise that up until the match is not finished, until the final whistle, a lot of things can happen as we just demonstrated today.”
Belgium had long laboured under the weight of expectation, but their ‘golden generation’ could never quite deliver the trophy their abundance of riches promised.
Some of them remain – including Lukaku, playmaker Kevin De Bruyne and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois – though Garcia said his team did not boast quite the same depth. But he said this Belgium side are still a force to be reckoned with.
“I arrived 18 months ago because I believe that there’s quality in this team. It’s not the best of all time, but tonight we wrote history,” he said.
“We didn’t win anything, we qualified for the round of 16 and we’ll see who we’re going to face … It doesn’t matter who it’s going to be. Now we’re going to savour our victory and our ‘remontada’.”
SEATTLE, July 1 : Senegal coach Pape Thiaw described football as a “cruel game” after his side’s late collapse and eventual defeat by Belgium following extra time in the World Cup round of 32 on Wednesday.
Senegal looked to be a few minutes from confidently dispatching their opponents with a 2-0 win when Belgium equalised with two goals in three minutes and then won 3-2 with a Youri Tielemans penalty late in the extra period.
Senegal had faced controversy coming into the World Cup.
They were controversially stripped of their Africa Cup of Nations title for protesting a penalty decision by leaving the field just before full-time in the final with Morocco in January before returning to win 1-0 after the spot kick was missed.
On Wednesday, several Senegal players were visibly upset when Belgium was given a penalty late in extra time.
It was awarded for Lamine Camara’s sliding challenge on Tielemans following a lengthy VAR review.
“We believed that there was no penalty,” Thiaw said. “The players tried to challenge the decision. It’s their right.
“And then the penalty was taken – and this is the reason why we are now eliminated.”
It was Senegal’s game to lose with a 2-0 lead in the 85th minute, he said. “However, a football match is not an 85-minute one. Belgium came back, and we were not able to deal with that.”
Senegal lost focus when Belgium showed late spark in the match, defender Krepin Diatta told reporters.
“We were determined to write some beautiful pages in the history of our football in this World Cup, and we have to accept that we failed in this mission,” he said. “Given what we offered, we shouldn’t have lost this match.”
Belgium on Monday face the winners of the United States-Bosnia match being played later on Wednesday.
INGLEWOOD, California July 1 : Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said football fans around the world love watching Lamine Yamal play, but stopping the Spain winger from showcasing his talent will be one of his side’s top priorities in the World Cup round of 32 on Thursday.
Spain have eased the 18-year-old back into action after he tore a hamstring in April, limiting him to 141 minutes over the three group games, during which he scored once.
“Lamine Yamal is an excellent player, and he will be for the next 12, 13 or 14 years, maybe even longer,” Rangnick told reporters on Wednesday.
“If he stays healthy and keeps a straight head on his shoulders, he can play a lot of matches.
“He is one of the players we will watch very closely tomorrow, not to give him a lot of room or too many opportunities to start his dribbling actions.
“He is a player that all football fans, no matter where they are from, love to watch. But it is our task tomorrow to let him have the ball as little as possible.”
Austria scored six goals in three group-stage matches, one more than Spain, but Rangnick acknowledged his side would need to raise their level against a team unbeaten in 34 matches stretching back to March 2023.
“We all know that we need to do even better tomorrow. Against Spain this is obvious,” Rangnick said. “We have to make one further step.”
Austria captain David Alaba, who spent five seasons with Real Madrid, said they were fully aware of the quality Spain have at their disposal.
“They play very attractive football. They have enormous quality and individual players that can make a difference,” Alaba said. “But we don’t want to hide. We really want to play forward and try to be successful.”
Austria will be without defender Phillipp Mwene due to injury, but Rangnick said his team had enough options to overcome absences and that he remained convinced they could challenge one of the tournament favourites.
SANTA CLARA, California, July 1 : The United States reached the World Cup round of 16 with a 2-0 win over Bosnia on Wednesday, with Malik Tillman scoring from a free kick to see the 10-man co-hosts home after Folarin Balogun was sent off having opened the scoring in the first half.
• Tillman struck in the 82nd minute to double the U.S.’s lead after Balogun was dismissed earlier in the half for a heavy challenge on Tarik Muharemovic, the decision confirmed after a Video Assistant Referee review.
• Balogun earlier capitalised on a fortuitous deflection off marker Muharemovic to slip a left-foot shot under the goalkeeper’s legs in the 45th minute.
• The U.S. won their first knockout match at a World Cup since their run to the 2002 quarter-finals.
• The co-hosts face Belgium for a place in the quarter-finals.
SANTA CLARA, California, July 1 : Ten-man United States moved into the last 16 at the World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Bosnia on Wednesday, ending a 24-year wait for a knockout-stage win to keep alive hopes of an American dream run in soccer’s global showpiece.
In a dramatic high-tempo game in the San Francisco Bay Area, Folarin Balogun scored near halftime then was sent off after the break, with Malik Tillman converting a free kick late on to spark euphoria in a partisan arena of red, white and blue.
Victory brought an end to a dismal U.S. run of 10 consecutive defeats by European opposition, and set up a last-16 tie in Seattle with Belgium, who had earlier rallied from two goals down to beat Senegal 3-2 after extra time.
“I felt we put on such a good performance and didn’t deserve the red card,” said Christian Pulisic.
“But for us to dig in deep like that and just to get another goal and to defend the way we did, it took a real team effort, but we’re proud of that.”
It was a physical encounter in the Golden State where luck was not always on the side of the hosts, with Balogun and Pulisic having goals ruled out and Bosnia crowding out their defence to stifle a succession of U.S. attacks.
Balogun was always a threat, coming close a few times early on before seizing his chance, slotting home a loose ball to put the hosts ahead for his third goal of the tournament.
He was stunned when he was dismissed after the break for a serious foul on Tarik Muharemovic that appeared accidental.
PATRIOTIC FERVOUR
Playing in their first-ever World Cup knockout round match, Bosnia had barely threatened and looked content defending compactly and hoofing long balls upfield towards Edin Dzeko, who forced a save early on from goalkeeper Matt Freese.
In a match full of patriotic fervour that got under way with a flyover by fighter jets, the Americans started with attacking verve and silky one-touch moves, spurred on by the reverberating roars of U-S-A by a crowd with high expectations.
And the U.S. delivered, showing speed, grit and intensity, with talisman Pulisic back in the team and intoxicating the crowd with a few blazing runs for goal.
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino was certain Balogun’s foul was not intentional and hailed his team’s ability to battle on.
“The team showed the qualities, the capacity to compete, to fight for each other,” he said. “Yes, I am so proud, so proud about the players. They are the heroes.”
Bosnia’s coach Sergej Barbarez was disappointed they did not create more chances but praised his players for getting this far in the tournament.
“We should hold our heads up high and we can really improve and build on this,” he said.
SANTA CLARA, California, July 1 : United States coach Mauricio Pochettino praised his players’ unity after they saw off Bosnia 2-0 with 10 men on Wednesday but railed against Balogun’s dismissal for “accidental” contact in the round-of-32 clash.
The win was the U.S.’s first in a World Cup knockout since 2002 and set up a last-16 showdown with Belgium.
“It’s difficult to describe our feeling, because I think they were amazing, and (there is) no easy game in the World Cup,” he said.
“I think the maturity of the team is amazing in the way that we are growing in the last five-six weeks.”
Balogun, who scored his third goal of the tournament near halftime, will miss the biggest match of his career, though, after getting a red card for planting his foot on Tarik Muharemovic’s ankle.
Bosnia coach Sergej Barbarez said the decision, confirmed after a VAR review, was fair but Pochettino saw it differently.
“Never was this a red card. Watching it on TV, never was there intention to step (on) the player,” he told the post-match press conference.
“That was a normal action in football. That happened by accident and it’s never intentional. That is why for me it was never a red card.”
Pochettino said Balogun was disappointed and sad in the dressing room.
“But he’s also happy because we qualified… He needs to understand that this type of situation happens,” he said.
“I hope that, for sure, he is going to be able to help us again. I hope that we go to the next round.”
Pochettino became the first U.S. men’s coach to win three World Cup matches, and belted out “Country Roads” with fans in the terraces as he hugged players and staff after the final whistle.
With Christian Pulisic starting, Pochettino reverted to the same 11 he deployed in the opening 4-1 thrashing of Paraguay but they were kept at bay by the stacked Bosnian defence until the cusp of halftime.
It took a touch of fortune to break the deadlock, with Balogun swooping on a deflection to fire a low shot home.
Malik Tillman then doubled the lead with a free kick after Balogun’s red card to seal the win.
“It was amazing, Malik is an amazing player, full of talent,” said Pochettino.
“We knew that he has that talent to do the free kick … to do what he did. So happy for him.”
Folarin Balogun’s evening began with a goal and a celebration fit for LeBron James. It ended with the United States striker walking off after a red card that will keep him out of what would have been the biggest match of his international career.
Balogun scored his third goal of the World Cup to give the U.S. a first-half lead in their 2-0 round-of-32 win over Bosnia on Wednesday, continuing his breakout tournament on home soil.
The forward marked the goal by mimicking James’ famous “Silencer” celebration, lifting his knees and pounding his chest before repeatedly pushing both arms downward in front of a raucous Santa Clara crowd.
“Helluva goal there Young King!” the NBA great wrote on social media during the match, giving Balogun’s moment an extra jolt of star power.
But Balogun’s night took a sharp turn after the break when he was shown a red card for planting his boot into the ankle of Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic, leaving the U.S. to navigate the remainder of the knockout tie a man down.
The contact by Balogun appeared inadvertent and he was not shown a red or even a yellow initially, but was sent off after a Video Assistant Referee review.
For a few anxious moments, the red card threatened to overwhelm everything Balogun had done well.
It also stirred uncomfortable memories for U.S. fans of Tim Weah’s sending-off against Panama at the 2024 Copa America, when the Americans unraveled and crashed out in the group stage on home soil.
This time, Balogun’s teammates made sure the story did not end the same way.
Rather than fold, Mauricio Pochettino’s side stayed compact and composed, defending with discipline while still posing a threat going forward. Malik Tillman eventually doubled the lead with a free kick, allowing the U.S. to close out victory despite Balogun’s dismissal.
“We had to dig deep for that one,” Christian Pulisic said.
“Obviously, I felt we put on such a good performance and didn’t deserve the red card. I mean, I didn’t see it, but it’s unfortunate. But for us to dig in deep, get another goal and defend the way we did, it took a real team effort, but we’re proud of that.”
For Balogun, the night was a contradiction: another good finish that reinforced his value as the U.S. attack’s focal point, followed by a costly lapse that will leave him watching from the stands when the Americans face Belgium in the last 16.
The U.S. survived without him on Wednesday. In Seattle on Monday, they will have to prove they can do it again from the start.
SEATTLE — Youri Tielemans scored from the penalty spot in stoppage time of extra time, and Belgium came back from two goals down in the game’s closing minutes to beat Senegal 3-2 Wednesday in the round of 32 at the World Cup at Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field).
Tielemans was fouled just before the end of the 30 minutes of extra time were completed and the referee awarded the penalty after a video review.
His converted spot kick came in the 125th minute and was the latest goal in World Cup history. The referee blew his whistle shortly after as Belgium sealed a spot in the round of 16.
“I do not want to interpret the decision. We all have different interpretations when it comes to awarding a penalty,” Senegal coach Pape Thiaw said. “I’d rather not comment, not interpreting the referee’s decision.”
Habib Diarra and Ismaïla Sarr gave the Senegalese a 2-0 lead, but Belgium substitute Romelu Lukaku got one back in the 86th minute and Tielemans equalized in the 89th.
The win for Belgium marked the second time in the last 11 World Cups that a team trailed by two or more goals in the knockout round and advanced. Belgium also did so in a 3-2 victory over Japan in the round of 16 at the 2018 tournament.
Many of the key players from that Belgium team, which finished in third place in Russia, were instrumental to Wednesday’s victory.
Striker Lukaku, who leads his nation in goals scored, came off the bench to get Belgium back into the match by scoring in the 86th minute, setting the scene for Tielemans to force extra time.
“It is a cruel loss, as we were good in the game,” Thiaw said. “We had the advantage. We were leading 2-0. However a football match is not an 85-minute one. Belgium came back, and we were not able to deal with that.
“We must congratulate Belgium as they progress.”
Belgium is back in the round of 16 for the third time in four tournaments. The team reached the quarterfinals in 2014 and the semifinals in 2018 but failed to get out of the group stage four years ago in Qatar.
The Belgians will next face either the United States or Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday in Seattle.
Sarr scored his fourth goal of the World Cup, and one of the most beautiful of the tournament, to give Senegal a 2-0 lead in the 51st minute. He made a perfect first touch off his chest on a long ball from Moussa Niakhaté and then sent his shot past Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Senegal, which was without goalkeeper Édouard Mendy because of a knee injury, took the lead on Diarra’s goal in the 25th minute.
Courtois, who is playing in his fourth World Cup, then made three key saves to keep Senegal from increasing its lead.
Belgium players Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku both surprisingly came off in the 56th minute.
It’s the second time this year Senegal has been hit with a late penalty in a big game.
In the Africa Cup of Nations final on Jan. 18, Senegal’s players left the field in stoppage time after having a late goal ruled out before Morocco was awarded a potentially game-deciding penalty. There were scuffles between rival players before Thiaw led most of his players off the field.
They returned after about 10 minutes later and play resumed with Morocco midfielder Brahim Díaz having his penalty saved by Mendy. Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye then scored the only goal in extra time, but the victory was taken away in March by the governing body of African soccer and Morocco was awarded a 3-0 default victory.
Three people ran onto the field and disrupted the game in the 32nd minute. Roughly a dozen security guards were deployed to get them off the field. Belgium defender Maxim De Cuyper held onto the ball amid the incident.
At the time of the interruption, Senegal was leading Belgium 1-0 on a goal by Diarra in the 25th minute. Diarra also scored in the 5-0 rout of Iraq.
Senegal advanced to the knockout round as one of the best third-place finishers. The African team navigated one of the toughest groups in the tournament, facing France and Erling Haaland-led Norway.
Belgium won its group with five points. The Red Devils did not advance out of the group stage at the last World Cup in Qatar following a historic third-place finish at the 2018 tournament in Russia.
SANTA CLARA, CA — This is the kind of gritty win that’s going to make the country go ga-ga for the U.S. men’s national team.
For those who haven’t already.
Playing with 10 men for the last 36 minutes because of a red card by Folarin Balogun, against a feisty Bosnia and Herzegovina team and with a ref who was overmatched, the USMNT played with the kind of moxie Americans love. Especially when it’s by athletes wearing U-S-A on their chest.
With a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, July 1, the USMNT won its first World Cup knockout round game since 2002, and only third ever. They moved on to the round of 16, where they will play Belgium on Monday, July 6 in Seattle.
Officially, the USMNT won this game because they defended their butts off — remember when the back line was considered suspect? — and Malik Tillman gave them breathing room with a dazzler of a goal in the 82nd minute, curling a free kick into the upper corner of the net. But it’s their tenacity that has them moving on, and it’s going to make their bandwagon tip over.
It’s a holiday weekend. The Fourth of July, no less. By the time Sunday night rolls around, this USMNT win is going to be the stuff of lore. They’ll have been playing with arms tied behind their backs, against Bosnia and Herzegovina players who are 7 feet tall. They’ll have been heavy underdogs, the plane reservations home already made.
That’s what we do as American sports fans. When we fall for a team, we go all in. A public that had already caught World Cup fever is going to love this team as if the players are their family members. Just look at the reaction in Levi’s Stadium. The USMNT spent about five minutes walking around the stadium and saluting the fans as “Country Roads” and “Free Bird” played. The stands remained full. Fans were on their feet, cheering and clapping.
The USMNT had said it wanted to do something special at this World Cup. Well, consider it done.
Jaylen Brown has a new home, as the Boston Celtics agreed to send the former NBA Finals MVP to the Philadelphia 76ers in a blockbuster trade Wednesday, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The 76ers are sending Paul George, two first-round picks (2028, 2031) and two second-round selections (2028, 2030) to Boston to complete the deal, sources said.
Brown’s future in Boston had been in question in recent weeks. The Celtics attempted to trade him and two unprotected first-round picks to the Bucks for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Milwaukee instead agreed to a trade with Miami.
Boston had spent recent days looking elsewhere for a trade partner, with sources telling Charania that the team was “full-blown shopping” Brown around the league by Wednesday. Sources also told Charania that Brown never requested a trade out of Boston.
The draft picks going to Boston in the deal have the following parameters, sources told Charania:
The 2028 first-round pick could convert from a first to a swap that is more favorable to Boston
The 2031 selection is an unprotected Philadelphia first
The 2028 second-round pick is the most favorable of the Warriors, Thunder and Bucks
The 2030 second-rounder is the most favorable of the Wizards, Trail Blazers and Suns
Brown leaves Boston as a five-time All-Star as well as the 2024 Eastern Conference finals and NBA Finals MVP in helping Boston win its 18th championship.
Brown, who will turn 30 in October, is coming off a career season. He finished sixth in MVP voting and was a second-team All-NBA selection while leading the Celtics to a 56-win season. He averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game — all matching or exceeding his prior career highs.
One of the top two-way forwards in the league, Brown has partnered with Jayson Tatum to form the backbone of a perennial contender in Boston for the past decade since being taken with the third pick out of Cal in the 2016 NBA draft. His 142 playoff games since entering the NBA are the most of any player in the league over that span.
He now joins Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe and a Philly team that knocked the Celtics out of the playoffs in the opening round this past season.
George, 36, is a nine-time All-Star who now will play for his fifth NBA team. He spent the past two years in Philly, averaging 16.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 78 games. He also was suspended 25 games without pay in January for violating the NBA’s anti-drug policy, returning to the 76ers in March and then averaging 16.4 points in the playoffs.
George is set to make $54.1 million this season and has a $56.6 million player option for 2027-28. Brown is set to make $57 million this season, $61 million next and $64.9 million in 2028-29; he’s also eligible to sign a one-year extension on July 26.
Boston’s surprise playoff exit in May led to questions about the future of the team — with Brown at the forefront.
His feelings about the organization came into question when Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady, during a podcast, said the five-time All-Star forward has a frustration that “lies deeply within the [Celtics] organization.” But in the days afterward, Brown reaffirmed his happiness in Boston, saying if it were up to him, he’d remain with the Celtics long term, and Brad Stevens, the Celtics’ president of basketball operations, denied there was a growing rift between their star player and the team.
Stevens again addressed Brown’s status in the aftermath of the failed talks for Antetokounmpo with the Bucks, saying last month that Brown is a “big part” of the team while also acknowledging that he’s “never going to predict the future.”
That future for Brown is now in Philadelphia, an in-division, Eastern Conference rival of Boston.
Brown and Embiid also have a history, with the former calling the 76ers big man a flopper on a livestream after their playoff series in May.
“Joel Embiid is a great player. One of the best bigs in basketball history. [But he] flops. He know it,” Brown said. “This ain’t breaking news. It is what it is.”
News of the trade had a significant impact across sportsbooks.
The 76ers moved from 60-1 to 22-1 to win the NBA Finals, according to DraftKings. Philly also went from 20-1 to +900 to win the Eastern Conference, and from 22-1 to +600 to win the Atlantic. Boston, meanwhile, saw its NBA Finals odds move from +700 to 10-1, its odds to win the East go from +260 to +360, and its odds to win the Atlantic from +120 to +170.
The trade capped a busy day for the Celtics, who also agreed to free agent deals with Mitchell Robinson and Mike Conley, sources told Charania.
Jaylen Brown is the 5th player to be traded within 3 seasons of winning NBA Finals MVP: