HOME SUPPORT Qatar’s soccer team in training session on the eve of its World Cup match against Canada on June 17 in Vancouver, British Columbia. —AP
VANCOUVER, British Columbia—Qatar brought a cheering section to the World Cup by treating a large contingent of supporters to an all-expenses-paid trip to North America.
Some 1,000 Qatari fans have descended on Vancouver, via jets chartered by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, ahead of Thursday’s match against Canada.
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The fans are staying at posh hotels, including the Fairmont and the JW Marriott Parq. They’ve been turning heads downtown, breaking out traditional darbuka drums.
“First of all I would like to thank everyone who went the extra mile and made the journey out here,” captain Abdulaziz Hatem said. “We are very aware of the responsibility. We are going to do whatever it takes for them to leave the stadium happy and for them to be proud of us.”
Qatar’s Social and Sport Contribution Fund partnered with the Persian Gulf nation’s soccer federation to pay for the “Qatari Fans Delegation Program” for the World Cup.
The fund covers flights, hotels and local transportation and other perks.
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The federation said the aim was to create “a vibrant stadium atmosphere that will help push the players toward the best possible results on the global stage.” Qatari students in the United States and Canada were also invited to attend the matches.
Faring better this time
Qatari fans are sure to be heavily outnumbered by red-clad Canadians at BC Place.
A major exporter of natural gas and oil, Qatar has a population of some 3.2 million. It hosted the World Cup in 2022 and made its first appearance in the tournament, becoming the first host country to lose all of its group matches.
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Qatar has fared better this time. Boualem Khoukhi scored on a header in stoppage time to give the Qataris a surprising 1-1 draw against Switzerland in Santa Clara, California.
Canada also earned its first World Cup point with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina last Friday in Toronto. Cyle Larin scored the tying goal in the 78th minute.
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Casper Ruud marries longtime Partner Maria Galligani
Casper Ruud and Maria Galligani are now officially married.
The Norwegian tennis star tied the knot with his longtime partner during a wedding celebration in Mallorca, Spain, surrounded by family and close friends.
The couple’s relationship dates back to 2018 after they were introduced by one of Ruud’s close friends. What began with a first date at a tennis court eventually turned into an eight-year journey that led them to the altar.
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Ruud and Galligani welcomed their first child earlier this year, making the newest family member part of the wedding celebrations.
Speaking to Vogue, the newlyweds described the occasion as “the best weekend of our lives.”
“It became everything we could have dreamed of,” they said.
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The wedding comes during another busy season for Ruud, who remains one of the biggest names on the ATP Tour.
For a few days, however, tennis took a back seat as the former world No. 2 celebrated one of the biggest moments of his life away from the court.
Fans across the tennis world have since shared messages of congratulations, wishing the couple a lifetime of happiness together.
MUMBAI: Virat Kohli has made significant progress in his recovery from a hamstring injury and is on track to return to the Indian team for the upcoming ODI series in England, TOI has learnt. “Kohli has started his rehabilitation, and his injury is healing quickly. He is expected to report to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence for his fitness assessment and clearance soon. If his recovery goes as planned, Kohli is expected to make his comeback to the team in the upcoming England series,” a source said.
BCCI selectors to pick squad soon
The Indian ODI squad for the tour of England is set to be picked later this week.“The selection committee meeting to pick India’s ODI team for the England tour will be held in the next three to four days,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told TOI on Thursday.The three-match ODI series between India and England will be played from July 14 to 19, with matches scheduled in Birmingham, Cardiff and Lord’s.The 37-year-old Kohli missed the ongoing home ODI series against Afghanistan due to the hamstring injury, with opener Yashasvi Jaiswal replacing him.The superstar batter has been consulting renowned orthopaedic surgeon Dr Dinshaw Pardiwalla, who is based at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai and serves as the BCCI’s consultant orthopaedic surgeon.
Hamstring injury ruled Kohli out of Afghanistan series
Kohli had suffered the hamstring injury during his unbeaten 75 off 42 balls in the IPL final, which helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru chase down 156 against Gujarat Titans and clinch their second successive IPL title.On Tuesday, several pictures surfaced online showing Kohli spending time in London, where he currently lives, with English batter Jordon Cox, his Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammate. The meeting came hours before the 25-year-old was named in England’s playing XI for the second Test against New Zealand, which began at The Oval on Wednesday.
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Agarkar had hinted at England comeback
While announcing India’s squads for the series against Afghanistan in Mumbai on June 6, chief selector Ajit Agarkar had indicated that Kohli could be fit for the England series, but added that there was “no clear timeline” from the physio regarding his return.“With Virat, it’s just been less than a week since he injured himself in the IPL final. We don’t know the timelines yet. But it looks like he might be fit for that England one-day series. It’s not a definitive answer, so don’t hold me to it. I haven’t had a clear timeline from the physio yet,” Agarkar had said.Having retired from T20Is and Tests, Kohli now plays only ODIs for India. His previous appearance came in the home series against New Zealand in January, where he top-scored for India with 240 runs at an average of 80 and a strike rate of 105.26.
The FIFA World Cup may be under way in the United States, but in New York on Thursday, all eyes were on basketball. Tens of thousands of fans packed the streets of Manhattan to celebrate the NBA champion Knicks as the team paraded through the city under tight security. FRANCE 24’s Juliette Montilly was there.
For a second there, draws looked all too common at this World Cup. A Monday slate of games marred by trench-warfare-esque stalemates, three groups with all teams sitting at one point apiece and nine total ties through the first smattering of matches.
The floodgates opened and then some on Thursday, the first day of Matchday 2, and the picture of who would make it to the knockout stage became a bit clearer.
To start the day’s action, South Africa fought back against Czechia with an 83rd-minute penalty to keep their hopes alive. Then, in the first taste of the day’s Group B action, a slog between Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina turned into a slugfest.
The levee really broke when Canada took the pitch in Vancouver, as the hosts beat Qatar 6-0 in the most one-sided game of the tournament so far and one of the most dominant games in World Cup history.
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To put a bow on the day of footy action, Mexico gutted out a tight win over South Korea to win Group A.
Here are the big takeaways from Day 8 of the World Cup.
Switzerland finds spark from youngster Manzambi
Don’t leave games early, don’t turn off your TVs, don’t go to sleep. This World Cup has had a penchant for late drama, and none more so than the absurd ending to one of the more decisive games in Group B.
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Unimpressive on offence in the first game against Qatar and the majority of Thursday’s outing, the Swiss front three of Fabian Rieder, Dan Ndoye and Breel Embolo looked to be going through the motions rather than pressing the issue. Through the first 45, though they retained 69 per cent of the possession, they managed only four shots and went into half with 0.09 expected goals.
Needing a spark, manager Murat Yakin made drastic changes in the 72nd minute, bringing on Djibril Sow, Ruben Vargas and Johan Manzambi.
Manzambi set the tone for the Swiss, as the 20-year-old emerging star keyed the attack on the first goal by picking the ball up at the half, crossing a defender into another area code, and sending a pass to Vargas. The other substitute then whipped the ball into the box, and after a few failed clearance attempts, it fell to Manzambi, who smoked it on the volley with his right.
After a goal from Vargas in the 84th, Manzambi picked up his brace in the 90th and became the youngest player in World Cup history to net twice as a substitute.
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Switzerland has made its money on the world stage off the back of late-game heroics from guys like Xherdan Shaqiri, who, at 34, was slightly aged out of this year’s group. But in Manzambi, the Swiss may have found their dynamo at the perfect time as a key matchup with Canada looms.
Canada grabs bittersweet first World Cup win
It’s not often a historic 6-0 win is hard to celebrate, but this may be the exception to the rule. Up 3-0 in the 56th minute, with rowdy fans chanting and cheering from Vancouver to St. John’s, the nation fell silent as star midfielder Ismaël Koné fell to the floor in the type of pain that leaves you second-guessing, as shock and adrenaline absorb as much of the hit as possible.
Immediately, everyone knew what had happened, and their joy had turned to ashes in their mouth.
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“Very good to win the game, to make it such a beautiful day for Canada. But at the same time, it feels so empty after what happened to Ismaël,” captain Stephen Eustáquio said to reporters after the 6-0 win.
Through the first game and a half of the tournament, there was an argument to be made that Koné had been Canada’s most impactful player, filling holes on both attack and defence as impact centre-back Moise Bombito gets back up to speed and star striker Jonathan David tries to find his form.
Without him, 22-year-old midfielder Nathan Saliba is likely to take up the mantle in the midfield. The Anderlecht midfielder carried the flame well after being subbed on for Kone, as he wired a free kick off the post and in at the 64-minute mark, dedicating the goal to his injured comrade, but it’s hard to overstate how big a loss the absence of Kone could be for this Canada side going forward.
If nothing else, Eustaquio hopes his side can use this as fuel — to carry their brother’s hopes on their back as they push for another win against Switzerland and a top finish in Group B.
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“He’s gonna want us to win the next match, and that’s what we’re gonna try and do for him.”
Mexico clinches as defence shines again
Usually known for its blisteringly quick attack and creativity, this iteration of El Tri looks significantly more composed at the back.
Facing a Korean attack spearheaded by Son Heung-min and Paris Saint-Germain standout Lee Kang-in — one that showed how quickly it can turn up the heat in its comeback 2-1 win over Czechia last week — Mexico shut the door for a second straight game and bothered every shot that came its way en route to a 1-0 win.
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There were stretches throughout the full 90 when Korea looked well in control, sometimes keeping possession for minutes at a time as it waited for the right moment to pounce. But those opportunities never came, as the middle got congested and the line held firm.
While the Mexican attack wasn’t particularly impressive — with the sole marker coming from a jumbled possession of the ball by Korean keeper Kim Seung-gyu, which Luis Romo pounced on — their ability to counter and bend, not break, could be a decisive factor in tight games as the tournament rolls on.
Add to that some Guillermo Ochoa-esque heroics from keeper Raúl Rangel late, and Mexico could look to make a proper run after securing the top spot in Group A.
It won’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, as it was scored with Bosnia and Herzegovina down 3-0 in the 90th minute, but 21-year-old substitute Ermin Mahmic showed off a rocket in his side’s lone goal in the 4-1 rout. After keeper Gregor Kobel punched away the initial corner, Mahmic sent it right back towards goal with one of the purest strikes of a ball you’ll see this month.
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While he won’t join the Canadians on the pitch for the rest of the World Cup, expect every goal the side scores from here on out to be dedicated to Koné. Saliba was the first to do so after he found the back of the net on a free kick, as he brought out his jersey and made Koné’s No. 8 with his hands.
England went on to win that World Cup on home soil, therefore Canada…
1. Jonathan David (Canada): After a rather horrid performance on Matchday 1, the Juventus boy showed up massive in his side’s win over Qatar, becoming only the second-ever Concacaf player to score a hat trick at the World Cup.
2. Johan Manzambi (Switzerland): The 20-year-old changed Switzerland’s fortune single-handedly, buzzing around the pitch and scoring two goals to essentially seal Switzerland’s spot in the knockout stage.
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3. Teboho Mokoena (South Africa): Aside from converting a crucial penalty in the 83rd minute, the midfielder was South Africa’s metronome throughout the full 90, taking the most touches in the game (120) and finishing with a 96 per cent passing accuracy with five chances created.
Annalena Baerbock is a football fan and is often found cheering on Germany’s national teams at major tournaments. Last year, she was on the edge of her seat rooting for the country’s women’s team at the Euros in Switzerland. And now, her fingers are crossed for the men’s team at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
She’s right in the thick of it because since 2025, Baerbock has been president of the United Nations General Assembly, which is based in New York.
Baerbock attended an award ceremony at the recently opened German House of Soccer, where former Bayern Munich forward Thomas Müller and goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger were awarded prizes. Müller, the most successful German player ever, currently plys his trade for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS and received an honorary prize. The 36-year-old plays a key role in shaping the international image of German football beyond the field thanks to his easygoing, likable manner. Berger received the award in the player category because of the fighting spirit and determination the Gotham City keeper shows on the field.
Speaking at the event, Baerbock praised the Germany teams, calling them role models and the progress itthey havehas made in recent years.
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“Today we have great diversity in the team, which symbolizes a new generation of German players,” Baerbock told DW. “That wasn’t always the case. When I had just graduated from high school, we had Gerald Asamoah, one of the first players born in Africa to play for the German national team.” The 45-year-old recalled the discussions surrounding Asamoah at the time.
What is a ‘real’ German?
In 2001, the striker made his debut under then-Germany head coach Rudi Völler. His selection was met with approval by large segments of society, though there were also racist slurs directed at him. In addition, a debate arose over what constitutes a “true” German, since Asamoah was born in Ghana and moved to Germany at the age of 12.
In the current World Cup squad, led by national team coach Julian Nagelsmann, 11 of the 26 players have an immigrant background — but this time around there was no debate like the one that arose when Asamoah was selected.
Nevertheless, some Alternative for Germany (AfD) politicians and supporters of the party refer to the Germany team as the “rainbow squad,” criticizing the push for greater diversity and anti-discrimination. In the build-up to Euro 2024, a survey from German public broadcaster WDR revealed that 21% of the people polled voted “yes” when asked about wanting more white players on the team. The survey was criticized by Germany’s head coach Julian Nagelsmann and team captain Joshua Kimmich.
She said the World Cup team underscores Germany’s diversity, sends an important message to young people in Germany and shows: “You can make it anywhere. Sports—and football in particular—bring people together. On the pitch, everyone is equal, no matter where you are from, what your parents earn, or what language you speak. What matters is that you score and are a team player.”
For this reason, too, Germany’s former foreign minister hopes Germany will go far at this World Cup.
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“We may not be the team most people have put their bets on, but we have a wonderful team spirit,” Baerbock said. “Sometimes it’s more important to have the best team rather than the most famous superstar.”
AEW Men’s World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman recently shared his thoughts on an age-old debate in professional wrestling- whether it makes sense for promotions to build their product around a handful of top stars.
While appearing in an interview recently with the Shut Up and Wrestle podcast, MJF and interviewer Brian Solomon began a discussion at one point regarding certain wrestling legends who never became main event names or World Champions in major promotions like WWE, despite their undeniable in-ring prowess and popularity. Big Hebrew specifically brought up the case of WWE and AEW legend Jake Roberts, alluding to the sports entertainment juggernaut not pushing The Snake despite the reactions he had generated against Hulk Hogan.
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This opened up a broader discussion on promotions like the Stamford-based company pushing and presenting only a select handful of their talent as upper-card, main-event calibre stars, a trend that is arguably followed to this day. Friedman suggested that a product built around one or two top names is less interesting than it could have been otherwise, stating:
“Jake Roberts attacks Hulk Hogan, gets a louder reaction than Hulk Hogan by a fair margin, they’re screaming ‘Jake’, they’re screaming ‘DDT’, nothing happened after. Because there was only time for one guy on top, according to sources, right? So I.. I talked about this in an interview recently with Ariel Helwani, I think the best product is not a product where there’s only one figurehead and person of importance.”
The Salt of The Earth continued:
“Now granted, don’t get me wrong, I am that guy, especially in this modern era, I move the needle for my company more than anybody else- however, if I’m watching a product where that ball can’t be passed, and I can’t have anyone else on top, and there’s no time for anybody else, it’s boring, what am I watching for? I’m only investing in one guy? I’m only investing in the story of one guy on this weekly episodic professional wrestling show? It’s boring! Again, that’s what made the territories so exciting. Yes, you had your 1A guys, but you also had 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 1G, it was crazy,” said Friedman.
MJF says he has respect for everyone in the AEW locker room right now:“This is the most harmonious my locker room’s ever been. Do I think it’s anywhere near as nasty as it used to be? Thank God, not even close. You know, there’s no one on my roster that I don’t respect, unless they give me a reason not to, you know what I mean? But as far as from a talent perspective, I respect every other guy that is in the conversation of being the 1A, 1B, 1C, etc.”(Shut Up And Wrestle podcast)
MJF will be involved in a huge cage match at AEW Forbidden Door
In less than two weeks at AEW Forbidden Door 2026, MJF will team with the Don Callis Family’s Kevin Knight, Kyle Fletcher, Kazuchika Okada, Jake Doyle and Andrade El Idolo to take on Mark Briscoe, his Conglomeration partners Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong and Orange Cassidy, International Champion Konosuke Takeshita, and former World Champion Darby Allin, in a multi-person steel cage match. If The Sussex County Chicken’s team wins the bout, he will earn a shot at Friedman’s AEW World Title.
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The Wolf of Wrestling and his DCF allies will head into Forbidden Door with momentum on their side, having defeated the babyface team in a standard tag match this week on Wednesday Night AEW Dynamite.
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Jan 21, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; CBS Sports sideline announcer Mike Florio on field prior to an AFC divisional round game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports.
Whoever loses the passer battle in the Twin Cities is going to be left disappointed. How that disappointment manifests itself remains to be seen, leading to national NFL voice Mike Florio spilling some digital ink on the topic.
At Pro Football Talk, Florio took on the issue, swerving into all kinds of different questions and scenarios within the unfolding drama at TCO Performance Center. Consider the concluding thoughts: “In theory, Murray provides the Vikings with a no-lose proposition. Murray’s presence will either get McCarthy to step up, or it will cause him to step off. The flip side is that someone will lose out on starting, and his disappointment will need to be managed.”
And the final lines: “That’s why O’Connell will need to have an effective plan for how to deal with the guy who comes in second. He seems to be the type who does. The only question is whether it will work.”
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National NFL Voice Digs into Vikings QB Battle
Broadly speaking, the expectation is that Kyler Murray will be the Vikings’ QB1 in 2026. And, to be sure, there’s good reason for that belief.
The 28-year-old passer is among the most gifted quarterbacks in the NFL, largely contributing to him being chosen at No. 1 in the 2019 NFL Draft. He has since proven to be a wonderfully accurate passer who boasts insane quickness. Via the air and the ground, Murray can pick a team apart.
Jan 7, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) huddles with the offense in the first half against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Part of what has made his story odd, though, is that team success hasn’t followed.
In that way, Murray is strikingly similar to Kirk Cousins. Both arrived as borderline franchise passers during free agency. Both offer very promising statistics but without any team success to boast about. In each instance, the failure of terrible football teams — Washington and Arizona — was held up as key contributors for why things would be different as the new QB1 for the Vikings.
A key distinguishing factor for Murray is that he’s being forced to fend off a highly-picked, homegrown talent in J.J. McCarthy. Cousins had to overcome no such hurdle. Moreover, Kyler Murray is costing just $1.3 million, a far cry from the $84 million (guaranteed, of course) that Cousins snagged to lead the Vikings through the wilderness instead of to the promised land.
Seeing Murray win in training camp won’t be surprising. Seeing him then experience true team success is an entirely different issue.
Dec 21, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) and head coach Kevin O’Connell hug before the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
Kick it back to Florio, who writes that “the guy who misses the chance to provide the Vikings with what they need to get to the playoffs and perhaps win their first postseason game since 2019 will be very disappointed. And possibly upset.”
Broader context about Murray’s past: “When Murray signed with the Vikings for a mere $1.3 million in March (the Cardinals owe him another $35.8 million this year), the thinking was that he had the inside track. Sure, the past few seasons haven’t been great. But the Cardinals had a role in that. Beyond the fact that they haven’t had enough talent around him, they threw a wrench into the relationship by trying to jam an ill-advised homework clause into the long-term deal he signed after his first three seasons, which ended with the offensive rookie of the year award in 2019 and Pro Bowl berths in 2020 and 2021.”
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Plus the more recent developments: “The public accounts of the team’s mandatory minicamp created the impression that McCarthy is making strides and Murray is struggling.”
At minicamp last week, J.J. McCarthy wasn’t perfect but he had a better week than Kyler Murray. By no means does that opinion mean that McCarthy is the favorite. Rather, it’s a reminder that there’s still a competition unfolding.
Mike Florio then offers an open-ended observation: “That could (or perhaps should) light a fire under Murray to view the next six weeks not as a break or a vacation but as a challenge. And it will become obvious to the coaching staff if Murray is taking full advantage of the extra time to get himself ready to clearly and conclusively win the job once training camp opens.”
Not to beat a dead horse, but being at TCO helps. I was able to ask Murray about how he plans to spend his time off. His answer? That he doesn’t view the summer as being time off. He told me he plans to grind, continuing to improve ahead of training camp.
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Oct 30, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) scrambles against the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.
The current guess on this end of the internet is that Murray is the starter in Week 1 but doesn’t start the most games in the 2026 season. Either due to injury or poor play, Murray takes a backseat to McCarthy.
Kyler Murray was able to get a no-tag clause into his Vikings deal. He didn’t get a no-trade clause, though. We’ll see how things end up shaking out; what I will say is that a future Vikings QB room consisting of J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer shouldn’t be viewed as an impossibility.
1 min read Last Updated : Jun 19 2026 | 9:41 AM IST
The eight teams playing World Cup matches on Thursday are taking part in an International Day for Countering Hate Speech commemoration, with a pre-match exchange of pennants denouncing such language.
Captains involved in the Czechia-South Africa, Mexico-South Korea, Switzerland-Bosnia-Herzegovina and Canada-Qatar matches will have pennants reading “We Play Together. We Stand Against Hate” with the wording in English on one side and the teams’ native language on the other.
FIFA says it has deleted more than 30 million abusive posts and comments since its social media protection service was created before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
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FIFA says it deleted nearly 400,000 negative or abusive posts in the first few days of this World Cup – more than it did in the entirety of the 2022 event.
Other stadium activations involving that message are planned during Thursday’s matches.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
84′ Cesar Huerta replaces Julian Quinones as Mexico’s final change. The local man comes on for his FIFA World Cup debut. Another fine display from Quinones, who was denied a goal in the first half by Kim.
Meanwhile, Kim makes another stunning save, this time to deny substitute Vargas. Gimenez lofts one towards Huerta, who heads it into the path of Vargas, whose right-footed shot towards the bottom-left corner is parried away by Kim.
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