UK News
Why you might not be buying the right pain relief for period cramps
Many women are buying less effective pain medication for period cramps, supermarket data suggests.
Source link
A number of the papers preview the announcement of a ban on social media for under-16s on Monday.
Source link
Key events
How have these early matches affected your Bracketology? Germany up, Brazil down?
The opening game of the matchday saw Germany demolish debutants Curacao 7-1 in Houston.
Germany will surely reach the knockouts this time and could have made absolutely certain by adding several more. Nagelsmann will be pleased that threats emanated from all around the pitch, half a dozen scorers bearing testament to that, but it should go without saying that more accurate tests of strength will have to be navigated over the next month. Kai Havertz, rounding things off neatly with his second goal, will hope to be similarly efficient later on.
Barney Ronay was in Dallas to enjoy the opening match of Group F that ended in a 2-2 draw between the Netherlands and Japan.
The World Cup continued to produce the unexpected in Arlington. On a throbbingly hot afternoon in the low flat plains outside Dallas the Netherlands and Japan played out an episodically thrilling opening Group F game, Daichi Kamada scoring an 88th-minute equaliser to make it 2-2 just as the Dutch looked like taking an early hold on one of the tougher groups.
There has been so much talk of tired players, format failure and empty seats (the stadium was full here), talk so feverishly committed you wondered at times if it was necessary to play the games at all. But it does feel as though something else has been taking place in the opening games. Maybe – whisper it – the World Cup is actually good.
Preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of match 12 of the 2026 World Cup between Sweden and Tunisia. Kick-off in this Group F clash at Estadio Monterrey is 8pm local time (10pm EDT/3am BST/12pm AEST).
This shapes as a must-win contest for both teams following the earlier 2-2 draw between the Netherlands and Japan that demonstrated the qualities of the group heavyweights. However, recent form suggests this clash will not reach similar technical heights.
Sweden didn’t win a match between June 2025 and March 2026 as they laboured to the finals via the playoff route. Since victories over Ukraine and Poland they have gone another two matches without success.
Tunisia qualified with ease from a very kind CAF group phase but have won just one of their past seven outings. That includes three consecutive matches without scoring, culminating in a 5-0 thrashing by Belgium in their final warm-up.
I’ll be back shortly with team news and a round-up of all the matchday action so far. In the meantime you can keep an eye on Ivory Coast v Ecuador and email any thoughts about the tournament so far to jonathan.howcroft.freelance@theguardian.com.
Key events
Preamble
Was it really more than 10 years ago that we last saw Didier Drogba, Kolo Touré and Yaya Touré roaming the field for everyone’s favorite surprise pick, Côte d’Ivoire?
And was it really more than some undetermined number of years since a player you’ve certainly heard of was playing for Ecuador?
Côte d’Ivoire won their third African Cup of Nations just three years ago, while Ecuador is typically overshadowed by Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and maybe whoever else in South America has a good team at the time. But Ecuador’s team this year may be among the best the country has ever fielded, which is not the case for Côte d’Ivoire.
In the game that has just finished, Japan twice fought back a one-goal deficit to get a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands. Surprise of the tournament so far?
In today’s other Group E match, World Cup debutants Curaçao reveled in the joy of their first goal, an equaliser by Livano Comenencia in the 21st minute after Felix Nmecha put Germany up in the sixth. But Kai Havertz and the ruthless Germans showed no mercy for the remainder of the match at Houston Stadium.
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, catch up on what to know about Côte d’Ivoire and Ecuador with our team guides.
Côte d’Ivoire return to the world stage for the first time since the golden years of the early 2010s. They do not quite have the star power of old, but their squad is packed with recognisable faces to fans in Europe’s top leagues.
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations winners, on home soil, usually play 4-3-3 although there are questions over who will play in arguably the most important position: holding midfield.
Ecuador arrive as one of the most solid and respected teams in Conmebol. They finished second in the qualifiers behind Argentina despite the points deduction from the 2022 Byron Castillo case, standing out for having one of the continent’s best defences and a long unbeaten streak.
La Tri secured World Cup qualification with victories that showed collective maturity. This is not a team dependent on one superstar; it is young and balanced. However, goals remains a problem; they scored 14, conceding five, in 18 games in the qualifiers.
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoWhat happens to Halifax customers if Lloyds makes changes?
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoFlock of clay birds set to take flight in special exhibition
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoOxfordshire bridge closure comes as management ‘weaknesses’ found
-
Oxford News4 weeks agoActor steps down from major role in new Harry Potter series
-
Oxford News4 weeks agoNHS fracture service helps support extra 1,000 patients
-
Oxford News4 weeks agoHenley pub once owned by Russell Brand reopens after 6 years
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoFriends of the Ridgeway appoint Matthew Barber as president
-
UK News4 weeks agoBurnham seeks to calm markets by committing to fiscal rules