UK News
World Cup 2026: England prepare for Costa Rica friendly, Iran visa row, Lamine Yamal latest: football news – live | World Cup 2026
Key events
Scotland have arrived at their World Cup base in Charlotte in North Carolina after their impressive 4-0 win over Bolivia in Saturday’s warm-up game. In fairness to the South Americans, the Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey is just 11 metres above sea level, whereas La Paz is 3,600 metres above sea level.
Here’s what Scotland manager Steve Clarke had to say about his stay so far in the States:
Every experience we’ve had, training camp in Inter Miami, playing a game in New York, it’s surreal really,” he told BBC Scotland. “I think the message to the lads is just to try and soak it all in, take it all in. Obviously, the message as the week goes on and it gets closer to the most competitive game will become more serious and more business, but just now it’s just about trying to enjoy it, trying to embrace it and I think we’re all doing that.
Well, me and some of the boys have been together now for seven years, so we’ve built a lot to get to this moment. To think of some of the low places that we have been and to be here at a World Cup with this group of players is just fantastic.”
And here’s what our reporter, Ewan Murray, had to say after that win over Bolivia.
If you want to make your own predictions, try our Bracketology game.
If Zohran Mamdani has got time to play it, so do you.
It’s mentioned below that Germany could be a weakened force this tournament but I think the pessimism around the team is reinforced by how tough their group is: Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Curaçao and the fact that none of the starting attackers have been in top form recently: Leroy Sané, Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz, Florian Wirtz and Nick Woltemade have all struggled for consistency in recent months, but they are still excellent players that could produce something special at the tournament.
It was only a warm-up match but beating USA on Saturday will have given the Germans encouragement, especially as the only goal they conceded was this wondergoal from Antonee Robinson, which no amount of tactical planning can legislate for.
Hello everyone. Let’s start with the latest findings from the University of Reading, obviously, who have – in lieu of any nearby octopuses – trained their supercomputer to predict the winner of the World Cup. Here are said findings:
Lionel Messi’s Argentina are the most likely team to win the 2026 World Cup, but no single nation dominates the field the way previous champions have.
That is the verdict of a University of Reading supercomputer created by economist Professor James Reade, who has simulated every match of the 48-team tournament 10,000 times to produce probability estimates for each nation.
The model places Argentina at the top of the rankings, with France and Spain almost inseparable in second and third. Brazil and England are closely matched just behind them. Scotland, making a rare appearance at a World Cup finals, are ranked 27th of the 48 nations in the field.
Professor James Reade said: “Argentina come out on top, but what stands out most from this simulation is how tight it is at the summit. France and Spain are virtually indistinguishable in the model, and England aren’t far behind either. It has been 60 years since England last lifted the trophy, and the simulation suggests football could finally be coming home.”
“What also jumps out is the contrast between sides. Germany’s defensive numbers are notably weaker than in previous cycles, while Portugal have one of the strongest attacking ratings in the whole field.
And here are the full rankings, according to Professor James Reade’s supercomputer.
1 Argentina
2 France
3 Spain
4 Brazil
5 England
6 Portugal
7 Colombia
8 Netherlands
9 Germany
10 Uruguay
11 Japan
12 Croatia
13 Morocco
14 Belgium
15 Mexico
16 Ecuador
17 Switzerland
18 USA
19 Iran
20 South Korea
21 Algeria
22 Senegal
23 Canada
24 Australia
25 Turkey
26 Austria
27 Paraguay
28 Norway
29 Egypt
30 Sweden
31 Ivory Coast
32 Uzbekistan
33 Tunisia
34 Czech Republic
35 Panama
36 Scotland
37 Iraq
38 DR Congo
39 South Africa
40 Saudi Arabia
41 Jordan
42 New Zealand
43 Qatar
44 Cape Verde
45 Bosnia-Herzegovina
46 Ghana
47 Haiti
48 Curaçao
Thank you for joining me. Michael Butler is in the hotseat for the next few hours.

Ben Fisher
A bit of Premier League news: it promises to be a summer of change at Bournemouth, Andoni Iraola the headline departure. But now an incoming, with their former winger Matt Ritchie, who won promotion to the top flight with the club in 2015, replacing Simon Francis, also part of that title-winning team under Eddie Howe, as technical director. Ritchie joined third-tier Reading last season but the 36-year-old will now continue his career in the game off the pitch, working in a key recruitment role alongside the president of football operations, Tiago Pinto. The headline in this interview with Matt a year ago was somewhat prophetic:
Want to know more about Algeria? Of course you do.
Anders Vad Bruun emails: “From a Danish perspective, a certain Schmeichel the younger didn’t do too badly, and the brothers Laudrup are sons of Finn Laudrup, who played 19 games in red and white and scored six goals from the right wing. And then there’s Cesare and Paolo Maldini and Enrico/Federico Chiesa for the Italians… ”
Jordan coach Jamal Sellami said his team has achieved the desired technical benefits from their loss against Colombia on Monday, and expressed relief that no players were injured during the friendly that came days before the country’s first appearance in a World Cup.
Two goals from Jhon Arias gave Colombia a 2-0 victory in San Diego in both teams’ last tune-up match ahead of the tournament.
Sellami told reporters after the game that his side had faced a quality opponent and benefited from the experience by testing several aspects during the match. “The technical staff is working on correcting the mistakes in a way that will help develop the team’s performance during the next stage in order to reach the required level of readiness,” the Moroccan coach said.
Jordan make their World Cup debut against Austria on June 17 in San Francisco. They will then face Algeria six days later before concluding the group stage against Argentina on June 28 in Dallas. Reuters.
Robert Wyland’s depiction of ocean life was covered up for a World Cup promotion – now he wants retribution, writes Pablo Iglesias Maurer.
Wyland learned that his work had been entirely erased to make way for a new mural promoting the upcoming Fifa World Cup. Almost immediately, Wyland’s team filed a cease and desist. Days later, they filed a lawsuit against Fifa seeking $25m in damages.
Nick Ames, who I am sure is having the time of his life in Varazdin, has the latest from England’s first opponents Croatia.
The best of the rest …
Fifa has reached a settlement with former France midfielder Lassana Diarra in a player transfer rights case, the global soccer body said on Monday. Diarra had been seeking €65 million (£56m) in damages from Fifa and the Belgian FA after the European Union’s top court (CJEU) ruled in October that some world soccer body rules breached EU laws.
Fifa had fined Diarra €10m after the former Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid player left Lokomotiv Moscow one year into a four-year contract in 2014.
“Following the global agreement they have reached, Mr Lassana Diarra and Fifa have settled all legal proceedings between them,” Fifa said in a statement. “Fifa has not made any admission of liability nor payment by way of compensation. Fifa will not be providing any further comment at this time.“
Diarra’s lawyers have yet to respond to a Reuters request for comment. Fifa later amended its transfer regulations after the CJEU ruling, adopting an interim framework on the calculation of compensation payable and burden of proof if there is a breach of contract.
The “Diarra ruling” has since prompted about 20 European national player unions to pledge their support to a Europe-wide class action against Fifa. Reuters
“What do we know about Luca Zidane besides the obvious?” asks Krishnamoorthy. “Sons of famous fathers always find it difficult to perform on world stage in general. Do you recall any exceptions?”
The Thuram brothers are decent ..
What does it actually take to win a World Cup? Talent? Tactics? A functioning democracy? Not necessarily.
As the 2026 World Cup begins, the largest ever, we analysed all 22 past tournaments to find the common threads that link every single champion.
From the tactical innovations that shocked the world to the political forces that fuelled past victories, history shows there are eight distinct ways to lift the famous trophy.
Sid Lowe has a natter with Spain head honcho Luis de la Fuente.
Krishnamoorthy emails: “I missed the last ODI of Malcolm Marshall when he played on 8th March 1992 in the Cricket World Cup. I had to miss it as I got married that day, the alternative did not exist.”
I hope your spouse appreciated the sacrifice.
Epidemiologists will be busy this summer sifting through sewage and social media with the goal of keeping soccer fans and the public safe from severe illness during the World Cup, one of the largest and most globally diverse mass gatherings ever anticipated.
A public health squad based in Washington, DC, plans to monitor wastewater and internet chatter to detect and track infectious diseases should they emerge in any of the US or Canadian cities hosting World Cup players, their matches, and millions of spectators, organisers said.
The 39-day event kicks off in Mexico on Thursday. More than 6.5 million fans are expected to travel from over 100 countries to witness 104 games in the US, Canada and Mexico.
The scale of the event and the globe-spanning travel involved pose a heightened risk of rapid disease transmission at a time when strained U.S. public health resources are coping at home and abroad with outbreaks of measles, Ebola and hantavirus, health security experts say.
Budget and staffing cuts under the Trump administration, along with the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization, have exacerbated those challenges, according to organisers of the new disease-tracking initiative. Reuters
A big exclusive from your friend and mine Tom Garry. What a story-getter than man is.
I am already looking ahead to the 2030 World Cup, which Kiribati is hoping to be a part of before the country is lost to rising sea levels.
It does beg the question … when has sport made you miss a major family event?
I think this is a good place to start …
South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu missed the birth of his daughter this month due to his World Cup preparations, but the 35-year-old says he is determined to compensate for his absence with performances on the pitch.
Kim, who is set for his fourth World Cup appearance, acknowledged the emotional cost of being away from his family. “I am really sorry that I couldn’t be with my wife for the birth, and I want to bring home good results from here as my presents,” he told reporters on Sunday before a training session at Chivas Verde Valle in Zapopan, near Guadalajara in Mexico. With more than 80 caps for South Korea, the experienced FC Tokyo goalkeeper faces competition for the starting spot from Jo Hyeon-woo.
The tournament also carries a sense of finality for Kim, who suggested this campaign may mark the end of his World Cup journey. Despite that, his enthusiasm has not dimmed.
“I’ve played at every World Cup thinking it could be my last. Given my age now, this one really does feel like my final one,” he said. “I am just as excited about my fourth World Cup as I was about my first one. The first match will set the tone for the rest of the tournament, and so there will be some pressure. I will try to stay calm and just do what I can do.“ Reuters
Thank you very much, David. Let’s see what the next couple of hours bring us …
That’s my stint over. By the way, the Netflix documentary about France’s 2010 World Cup implosion – The Bus: A French Football Mutiny – is well worth a watch. Raymond Domenech is some character, isn’t he. Okay, with that, I’ll hand you over to Will Unwin.
More on Christian Eriksen as he recovers in hospital after collapsing in Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine. This is from PA Media.
Sunday night’s international friendly results: A few notes.
Greece 0-1 Italy. No-one cares. Neither are in the World Cup. For the record, Francesco Esposito got the winner after 17 minutes.
Morocco 1-1 Norway: This is more like it. Morocco, the surprise semi-finalists from 2022, face Brazil, Scotland and Haiti in Group C. Norway take on France, Senegal and Iraq in a tough Group I. This one took place at at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New York. Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz put Morocco in front before Arsenal skipper Martin Ødegaard levelled with 15 minutes to go. Erling Haaland played 72 minutes.
Argentina 2-0 Honduras. We noted this earlier although didn’t mention the fact that Atletico Madrid attacker Giuliano Simeone got the second following Lautaro Martinez’s first-half spot-kick.
Another team guide to tuck into – Algeria. File them under ‘engima’. Riyad Mahrez, now 35, remains the main man as they tackle a World Cup group (J) featuring Argentina, Austria and Jordan.
Talking of the golden oldies, Luka Modric (4th on the below list) shows no signs of getting tired. The metronomic midfielder was on target for Croatia – England’s first World Cup opponents – in their 2-1 friendly win over Slovenia on Sunday night. Our Nick Ames was there.
If you think Messi is knocking on a bit, he’s not even one of the 10 oldest players at the 2026 World Cup. Modern science, eh.
FIFA published the top 20 last week and it’s an early win for Scotland.
1st) Craig Gordon – Scotland (43 years & 162 days)
2nd) Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal (41 & 126)
3rd) Guillermo Ochoa – Mexico (40 & 333)
4th) Luka Modric – Croatia (40 & 275)
5th) Edin Dzeko – Bosnia and Herzegovina (40 & 86)
6th) Manuel Neuer – Germany (40 & 76)
7th) Vozinha – Cabo Verde (40 & 8)
8th) Fernando Muslera – Uruguay (39 years & 360 days)
9th) Yuto Nagatomo – Japan (39 years & 272 days)
10th) Hernan Galindez – Ecuador (39 & 73) 11th) Mahdy Soliman – Egypt (39 & 3)
12th) Lionel Messi – Argentina (38 & 352)
13th) Tim Ream – USA (38 & 249)
14th) Weverton – Brazil (38 & 180)
15th) Alberto Quintero – Panama (38 & 175)
16th) Johny Placide – Haiti (38 & 133)
17th) Nicolas Otamendi – Argentina (38 & 119)
18th) Gatito Fernandez – Paraguay (38 & 74)
19th) Stopira – Cabo Verde (38 & 22)
20th) Michael Boxall – New Zealand (37 & 297)
(Ages correct as of 11 June 2026).
Roger Milla was 42 at World Cup 1994 but the record for oldest player belongs to Essam El Hadary. The Egypt goalkeeper was 45 years and 161 days when appearing between the sticks in the 2018 group game against Saudi Arabia.
Lionel Messi will turn 39 during this World Cup. And while Qatar 2022 appeared to be the perfect ending for the Argentine legend, just maybe there is another glorious chapter waiting to be written, says Jonathan Wilson.
Another update on Christian Eriksen. Denmark’s national team doctor, Morten Boesen, has just posted the following on his Instagram feed:
“I spoke with Christian this morning, and he is doing well. He is with his family and in good spirits. The expectation is that he will be discharged soon and can return home.”
Eriksen has shared the post.
More news from England. Declan Rice has been named vice-captain by boss Thomas Tuchel. Rice was one of the Arsenal contingent who arrived at England’s pre-tournament base in West Palm Beach on Saturday after they were given extra time to recover from their Champions League exploits. Tuchel is unsure if Rice, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka will be involved against Costa Rica.
As for the skipper, Harry Kane has been playing down all the scare stories about players melting in the heat.
“The drinks breaks help. A lot of people talk about the heat but I don’t think it will be as big a factor as people say. Myself and a few of the boys felt fine in the first game. We’ve been training in it and it’s not been too bad. I think it’s easy just to say it’s going to be really tough as it’s different to what we are used to. But we are all athletes, we are professionals and have all played in warm-weather conditions before.”
Let’s go inside the England camp. David Hytner is one of our men in Tampa and here’s his latest report ahead of the Three Lions’ friendly with Costa Rica on Wednesday night. That game takes place exactly one week before England’s Group L opener against Croatia (17 June, 9pm BST).
“The nailed-on picks appear to be Jordan Pickford, Reece James, Marc Guéhi, Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane. Which leaves some fighting to be done.”
Note that the above list doesn’t include Jude Bellingham. Will he get the nod over Morgan Rogers?
Our latest World Cup team guide focuses on holders Argentina. And it’s not just all about Lionel Messi.
“Almost two thirds of the 2022 squad remains, but it now also includes some promising young players such as Nico Paz, who has been in excellent form at Como. They will also have established stars like Lautaro Martínez, who aims to be in top condition for this World Cup: something he couldn’t achieve in Qatar.”
Speaking of which, Martinez scored from the spot as Argentina beat Honduras 2-0 in a friendly last night. Messi didn’t feature as Argentina wrap him in cotton wool after the skipper felt some muscle fatigue in his hamstring playing for Inter Miami on 24 May.
Positive update on Christian Eriksen after collapse
This was an alarming and upsetting development last night but thankfully the updates on Christian Eriksen are positive after he collapsed in Denmark’s friendly against Ukraine. The former Manchester United midfielder, who suffered a cardiac arrest during a European Championship match in 2021, was quickly tended to by medics in Odense, while the referee abandoned the match early.
Denmark’s national team doctor, Morten Boesen, said Eriksen was “briefly unconscious, but regained consciousness very quickly … and walked off the pitch by himself”.
After the incident against Finland in 2021, during which Boesen led the successful resuscitation effort, Eriksen was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in his chest, which can reset the heart after a cardiac arrest. The device allowed him to resume his playing career at club and international level.
Speaking after Sunday’s incident, Boesen said: “The pacemaker responded as it should … He will now undergo further examinations at the hospital to determine what caused the incident. We are in ongoing contact with him and the doctors at the hospital. But Christian is doing well, and he asked me to send his regards to all the players and tell them that he was okay.”
Lamine Yamal could play in Spain’s opener
Good news for Spain. Rumours that Lamine Yamal may miss Spain’s first two World Cup group games (against Cape Verde and South Africa) may be wide of the mark.
The 18-year-old Barcelona winger was absent for the final six matches of the season due to a torn hamstring and hasn’t played since April. But, speaking to our very own Sid Lowe, Spain boss Luis de la Fuente gave this encouraging update:
“He’s getting better fast, hitting all the targets earlier. I think he’ll be able to play the first game, but that doesn’t mean [he will]. We’ll evaluate if he has to play a little bit, not play, wait for the second game.”
Iran’s World Cup squad landed in Mexico yesterday amid a bitter diplomatic row, after the United States refused to issue visas for some team support staff.
The squad spent nearly three weeks at a training camp in Turkey, using their time there to apply for visas to travel to Mexico, Canada and the United States. On the eve of their departure, the players finally received their US visas, according to Washington’s envoy to Turkey, Tom Barrack.
Iran’s embassy in Turkey said support staff had been denied visas, however. Fifteen administrative and management staff are concerned, an Iranian diplomat and state TV said.
All three of Iran’s Group G games will be held in the United States (Los Angeles and Seattle) but, adding to the tensions, Iran’s ambassador to Mexico said on Saturday the squad had been notified that, under their visa conditions, the team must enter and leave US soil on the same day as their matches.
Iran’s football federation – whose chief, Mehdi Taj, was reportedly among those denied a visa – has described the decision as “political interference in sport in its worst form.”
Preamble
Good morning and, we can now actually say it, the World Cup starts this week! Woohoo!! With Mexico v South Africa getting us in play on Thursday at 8pm UK time, the countdown clock now shows ‘3 days, 11 hours’. That’s the first of 104 matches across 39 days (blimey!) so the window to get other stuff done in your lives (car tax, jet-washing patio, returning those summer sandals that didn’t fit/were a bad idea) is closing fast.
Our build-up continues right here as we go inside the England camp to reflect on their 1-0 hammering of New Zealand and look ahead to Wednesday’s friendly with not-in-the-World-Cup Costa Rica. And there’s a bundle of news, features and previews on everything else connected with this summer’s 2026 extravaganza in the USA, Mexico and Canada, including Scotland raising eyebrows with their first-half performance in the friendly against Bolivia and a fitness update on Spain’s Lamine Yamal. Right, let’s go!
UK News
Austria v Jordan: World Cup 2026 – live | World Cup 2026
Key events
Lance must be watching a different game to me with the query “who is the audience?”. “I’m watching from my apartment in San Francisco and can’t figure out why they started a game at midnight for most of the USA, Canada, and Mexico and 4am in Europe. Who’s watching this besides you in Australia? OTOH, the level of play deserves late night so maybe FIFA are geniuses.”
NO GOAL! Austria 1-1 Jordan
The referee determines that Stefan Posch handled the ball while trying to control it just a split second before Marko Arnautović tapped it into the back of the net. A huge call but looks like the right one to me. Now for an ill-timed hydration break
The referee has gone to the sideline to review the replay. All the focus is on the handball claim rather than any supposed contact with the keeper.
Hang on a second, VAR is looking at the replay. There wasn’t much contact on the keeper but the ball has perhaps brushed Stefan Posch’s arm before bouncing down to Arnautović’s feet.
GOAL! Austria 2-1 Jordan (Arnautović 68)
Marko Arnautović reclaims the lead for Austria as the calmest presence in the six-yard box amid a mad scramble off a corner.
65 min Yazeed Abulaila is back to his feet after some extra attention. It is hard to spot much contact from Arnautović on the replay.
63 min Carney Chukwuemeka is immediately involved in all the most exciting moments as he goes to ground in the penalty area but has any claims waved away. Shortly after Jordan keeper Yazeed Abulaila is the one to end up on the turf holding his face after next to know pressure from Marko Arnautović. The referee allows play to continue and Chukwuemeka fires a shot on target that is blocked by a sea of Jordan feet.
61 min Austria take time to settle back into their rhythm after the sweeping changes while Chukwuemeka already looks lively.
59 min A triple change for Austria with defender Kevin Danso joined by a pair of exciting new additions in Carney Chukwuemeka and Paul Wanner. Captain David Alaba, and midfielders Xaver Schlager and Phillipp Mwene are done for the day.
57 min Arnautović goes to ground in the defensive half to masterfully earn a free kick and relieve the pressure.
55 min No change to the familiar pattern as Odeh Al-Fakhouri twice finds space down the right side. Musa Al-Taamari and Ali Olwan time their run perfectly off the second chance but the cross is a touch deep and is collected by keeper Schlager.
53 min Austria slow the game down with Xaver Schlager and Nicolas Seiwald knocking the ball around the midfield and defensive line.
Ali Olwan creates something out of very little with a solo run to equalise for Jordan though the goal had been coming. Austria, on the other hand, have paid a huge price for leaving too much space in their defensive half even while holding a narrow lead. Game on!
GOAL! Austria 1-1 Jordan (Olwan 50)
Ali Olwan is giving too much room as he carries the ball from near the halfway line and into the penalty area, cuts on to his right boot and rockets the ball off the inside of the far post and into the net. The striker goes down in history as Jordan’s first World Cup goalscorer.
48 min Stefan Posch takes too much time to consider his options for a throw-in and the referee blows the whistle to hand the ball back to Jordan in their attacking half. That’s surely one of the better rules that Fifa has brought in for this World Cup.
47 min Ehsan Haddad shows Jordan are setting out to chase the game as the captain charges into space down the right and hammers a flat cross into the penalty area. The scramble sends the ball out to Odeh Al-Fakhouri to take it deep and to the goalline under little pressure. But the cutback ends up in keeper Schlager’s hands.
46 min Jordan resume the second half with the same XI players that began the first.
Austria are last to make their way out of the tunnel but veteran Marko Arnautović is already alone on the sidelines ready to enter the fray. Saša Kalajdžić makes way after a half where the final ball from his Austria teammates generally didn’t do him any few favours.
If the final word on the latest Kylian Mbappé masterclass isn’t enough to entertain you, Peter has stepped forward with a simple request: “After the next hydration break I’d like to see Austria take a couple of stiff schnaps shots at the Jordan goal.”
Jordan are far from out of this Group J clash against Austria and had their fair share of chances both before and after Schmid’s opening goal. We’ll be back shortly for the second half, but in the meantime here is some half-time reading from Leander Schaerlaeckens on the other side of the US at New York New Jersey Stadium.
After the whistle blew for half-time, Kylian Mbappé ran to the player tunnel at a good clip, followed by Ousmane Dembélé. Behind them, the rest of the French team were in no such hurry, sauntering off the pitch. The forward widely considered the best in the world – or at least the most famous in the Non-Ronaldo-and-Messi Division – and the reigning Ballon d’Or winner had much to discuss.
Austria hold the advantage at the break in a game that has largely followed the script, as they seek to control the ball in midfield and find a pass into towering forward Saša Kalajdžić’s feet, while Jordan are comfortable sitting back and waiting to unleash Musa Al-Taamari on the counter.
Romano Schmid curled shot from range in the 20th minute is a goal deserving of the lead though Jordan almost responded immediately with a shot that crashed off the crossbar. Austria lead Jordan for possession 58-42% though the shots on target favour the World Cup debutants 3-1 while both have had five chances sail wide.
Half time: Austria 1-0 Jordan
Romano Schmid’s rocket from outside the penalty area is all that separates the two sides in what has been an enthralling encounter filled with end-to-end football.
45+3 min Schmid has time to try to pick out a pass into the Austria attack where Kalajdžić is hovering ominously. A quick Jordan clearance sends Musa Al-Taamari on his way but the long hit ends up with keeper Schlager.
45+1 min Jordan continue to attack down their left where Mohannad Abu Taha offers width. Musa Al-Taamari soon sets off on a solo run from the right side and beats the first Austria defender to get a shot away with his left boot that drifts into the side netting. Four minutes of added time.
44 min Stefan Posch crunches Odeh Al-Fakhouri in the back as they compete for a high ball to hand Jordan another free kick in their attacking half. The overly elaborate set up wastes the chance.
42 min Jordan earn their own free kick in their attacking half where a flatter cross earns a corner – one of their key weapons.
41 min Austria win a free kick out of nothing in the midfield and take time to set up their attack. Alaba delivers a loop free kick for Kalajdžić to nod backwards where the Jordan defence are able to clear.
39 min Both keepers take their time with a goal kick with half-time coming in to view.
37 min Austria take some momentum out of the game with Jordan pressing hard in attack. The midfield battle has leaned to one side with the contrasting approaches to leave Austria enjoying about two-thirds of the possession.
35 min Jordan flood forward and a pacey build up gives Ali Olwan time to unleash a powerful shot that might have troubled the keeper if it wasn’t so straight. Musa Al-Taamari gathers the rebound but his own chance is blocked by Philipp Lienhart before Austria finally clear. Jordan continue to look most dangerous on the counter.
33 min Austria send the ball long for Konrad Laimer to run on to and into the penalty area. The midfielder tumbles to ground with arms waving in the air after there was an obvious tug on the shirt. But he equally had a fist full of the Jordan defender’s jersey. Stefan Posch is next to find space in attack but a heavy final touch allows the keeper to shut down the danger.
32 min Fast feet from Ali Olwan opens up the Austria defence but the cross into the penalty area is comfortably cleared by their centre-backs.
31 min Mwene quickly has an opportunity to make amends as he searches for Saša Kalajdžić but the cross is a touch behind the forward and he is unable to get enough on his header.
29 min Austria look more and more threatening as Jordan allow them time to build attacks. The right final ball all that’s missing to link midfield with the attack as Phillipp Mwene misdirects a cross.
27 min Austria win the ball back for their own throw in the attacking third and pile the pressure back on Jordan in the six-yard box. A desperate clearance gives the ball back for Austria to rebuild as Xaver Schlager charges through the middle of the pitch unopposed.
UK News
''Scary' clash in Channel' and 'Oh frigate!'
The papers lead on warning shots fired by a Russian warship near a UK-registered yacht in the English Channel.
Source link
UK News
Ukraine war briefing: Moped ban in Crimea as official says noise is Kyiv plot using youth | Ukraine
Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, has banned riding moped scooters, quad bikes and motorcycles at night-time, saying they sound like drone attacks and suggesting children are doing it deliberately at Kyiv’s behest. Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed governor of the illegally occupied peninsula, said the ban would be in place between 8pm and 6am from Wednesday onwards.
Oleg Kryuchkov, Aksyonov’s adviser, claimed separately on Telegram: “The enemy is recruiting your children for night-time rides … The moped noise hampers the work of defence systems. Their engines sound similar [to drones].” Ukraine has recently intensified drone attacks on Crimea, nominally the home to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet – targeting the peninsula’s supply routes and triggering a fuel crisis. A limit of 20 litres (5.3 gallons) of fuel per car at petrol stations would continue, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of Crimea’s biggest city, Sevastopol, posted on Tuesday. Long lines of motorists queueing in Russian-controlled Crimea, southern Krasnodar region in Russia proper, and elsewhere underscore the sensitive domestic fallout from Ukraine’s strikes.
A Ukrainian drone attack started a fire at the refinery that is the largest fuel supplier to the Moscow region, and two industry sources told Reuters that it had halted operations. The strike on Gazprom Neft’s refinery in south-east Moscow on Tuesday damaged a primary refining facility that accounts for 53% of the plant’s capacity. Emergency services said the fire was put out and did not affected operations – information that was contradicted by Reuters sources. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, said the Moscow refinery was hit from a distance of 500km (310 miles). “This is a just response to Russian strikes – and to the dragging out of a war that must be ended.” Gazprom Neft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The US could soon reinstate sanctions on Russian oil shipments, Donald Trump indicated, as leaders at the G7 summit moved on Tuesday to put the war in Ukraine back on top of their agenda. Trump said the sanctions on Russia – partly waived by the US due to the Iran war, ostensibly to help lower oil prices – can go back in place as more oil moves through the strait of Hormuz. “Soon we’ll be able to do that because the oil is now flowing. We’re in a position to do that soon.”
Russia should make peace with Ukraine, the US president said after a “very good” meeting with Zelenskyy. “Look, Russia should make a deal,” Trump told reporters, adding that too many young men were dying on the battlefield on both sides. “I’m gonna do whatever I can.” The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said of Trump’s statement: “I found him to be very cooperative, and I also saw him listening very attentively. And in that respect, once again, it gives me a certain degree of optimism that we here, as Europeans and as Americans, are now doing everything we can, together, to end the war.”
A Ukrainian Su-24M bomber aircraft crashed on a mission in the Khmelnitskyi region in western Ukraine on Tuesday and its two-member crew was killed, the Ukrainian air force said. Ukraine is estimated to have about a dozen of the ageing SU-24 family of warplanes. They are used to launch the Scalp/Storm Shadow cruise missiles supplied by Britain and France.
Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least eight people on Tuesday, officials said. A drone strike in Nikopol, central Dnipropetrovsk region, killed “a mother and son – a woman of 87 and a 51-year-old man” as well as a third person not immediately identified, said the regional governor, Oleksandr Hanzha. “The enemy targeted people walking along the road with an FPV drone,” Oleksandr Hanzha said on Telegram. He posted a blurred photo of a wheelchair on a road and what appeared to be a body underneath.
Russian shelling of the Donetsk region city of Sloviansk killed three people, while drone strikes on the southern Kherson region killed two people and wounded 16, according to officials. Five Russian attacks on the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia left one person dead, three injured and set ablaze a home and a shopping centre, said Ivan Fedorov, the regional governor.
Repairs to the nearly 1,000-year-old Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery in Kyiv could take around two years, an official said on Tuesday. A Russian attack on the complex set fire to the roof of the Dormition Cathedral within the vast Unesco world heritage site. More than 80% of the 11th-century cathedral’s roof had been damaged, but firefighters managed to prevent the fire from spreading inside the cathedral, Maksym Ostapenko, director general of the complex, was cited as saying by Interfax Ukraine news agency.
A Russian artist critical of Vladimir Putin and the Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, has been shot and killed in the eastern Polish town of Biała Podlaska, a prosecutor has said. Local media identified the victim as Robert Kuzovkov, who was also known by his artistic pseudonym, Semyon Skrepetsky. Pjotr Sauer writes that five shots were fired at the victim, including one to the head, in the attack on Monday, according to Marcin Kozak, a spokesperson for the district prosecutor in Lublin. Two Belarusians had been detained but no one had yet been charged. Other Russian exiles suspected Kadyrov was responsible.
The Chinese embassy in London said it had complained to British authorities about sanctions on several entities, including four from China, for allegedly supplying key military equipment to Russia. “China has consistently promoted peace talks and strictly controlled exports of dual-use goods,” an embassy spokesperson said. “Normal exchanges and cooperation between China and Russia should not be disrupted or affected.” Britain’s latest sanctions package, announced on Tuesday, includes cracking down on third-country suppliers of critical military equipment to Russia in China, Thailand and Turkey.
The US extended by 15 days until 1 July a sanctions waiver on Serbia’s Russian-controlled oil company NIS, allowing it to continue importing and processing crude, the firm said. Washington has demanded since early 2025 that Russia’s sanctioned Gazprom Neft sell it stake in NIS, which has been threatened by US financial sanctions that have been repeatedly postponed. Talks on the sale of the Russian-held stake in NIS to Hungary’s MOL energy company have gone on for months, with the US Treasury’s foreign assets control office extending the deadline for their completion until 16 June.
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoWhat happens to Halifax customers if Lloyds makes changes?
-
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
-
UK News4 weeks agoBurnham seeks to calm markets by committing to fiscal rules
-
UK News4 weeks agoGlass deposit scheme 'risks major problems' for retail industry
-
UK News4 weeks agoEx-minister Shapps quits aerospace firm over rule concerns
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoRyan Bridge speaks of London arrest after Oxford incident
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoOxfordshire man accused of sexual offences 40 years ago
