Sports
Mexico beats South Korea, becomes first to reach World Cup knockout stage
GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Mexico took advantage of a defensive blunder by South Korea to win 1-0 and become the first team to advance to the knockout stage of the World Cup on Thursday.
It marks a major triumph for a team that failed to get out of the group stage in 2022 and now has won twice on home soil in front of jubilant crowds. Mexico players celebrated at midfield and waved to the fans who cheered and sang from the packed stands at Estadio Akron.
Luis Romo scored in the 50th minute after South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu collided with defender Lee Gi-hyuk and dropped the ball inside the area. Romo easily found the open net after picking up the loose ball.
The South Koreans nearly equalized in the 87th minute when Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel stopped a header from close range by Cho Gue-sung, then made an even better save of Yang Hyun-jun’s attempt on the rebound, extending his right arm to keep the ball from crossing the line.
“We’ve been doing very well,” Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said. “It wasn’t a great match, but I think that our opponent didn’t let us do too much. But we still were able to score, on that mistake, in addition to another two or three opportunities.”
Mexico won Group A with six points in two matches, three more than South Korea and five more than the Czech Republic and South Africa, who drew 1-1 earlier Thursday in Atlanta.
The top two teams from each group move on to the knockout stage, along with the best eight third-place teams. A round of 32 is being played for the first time at the World Cup after the tournament was expanded to 48 teams.
Mexico opened with a 2-0 win over South Africa, while South Korea rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Czechs.
Mexico closes group play on Wednesday against the Czech Republic in Mexico City, while South Korea takes on South Africa in Monterrey.
Mexico had never won a World Cup game on home soil outside Mexico City. Before 2026, all but one of its nine World Cup matches at home, spanning the 1970 and 1986 tournaments, had been played at Estadio Azteca, with five wins and three draws. When it played in Toluca in 1970, it lost 4-1 to Italy in the quarterfinals.
Thursday’s match got off to a lackluster start, with neither team creating significant scoring opportunities and both squads getting loudly booed after the halftime whistle.
Mexico, ranked 13th, was eliminated in the group stage four years ago in Qatar. That followed seven straight eliminations in the round of the 16.
South Korea star Son Heung-min had another disappointing game and was substituted out in the 57th.
The 33-year-old Son is looking to become South Korea’s top goal scorer at the World Cup and the Asian player with the most goals in the tournament. The former Tottenham star, currently with Los Angeles FC, entered with three goals over three prior World Cups.
Kim kept Mexico from adding to the lead by coming up with a tough save off a close-range shot by Raúl Jiménez in the 75th.
The South Koreans pressed through the end but could not equalize.
South Korea, ranked 22nd, is making its 11th straight World Cup appearance and 12th overall, the most of any Asian country. Its best result was a fourth-place finish at the tournament it co-hosted with Japan in 2002. Since then, the South Koreans have never gone beyond the round of 16.
“The mistake that we made was unfortunate,” coach Hong Myung-bo said.
This time there were no empty seats in Guadalajara, contrary to what happened in the earlier match between South Korea and the Czech Republic. FIFA had blamed fans standing in the concourses for the empty seats. Thursday’s crowd was announced at 45,522 for the 45,664-capacity stadium, which was hosting the national team for the first time.
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. — Joaquin Niemann of Chile was given a two-shot penalty Friday when he finished the first round of the U.S. Open for throwing his club on the sixth hole, the latest example of golf cracking down on bad behaviour.
The additional two shots gave Niemann an 11 on the par-4 sixth round, a disastrous hole that began with two lost balls from tee shots that went well to the right in deep grass. He was even par for tournament going into No. 6, his 15th hole of the round.
He finished the first round Friday morning at 78.
The USGA cited Rule 1.2b on “Code of Conduct.” Among incidents that fall under this category are unacceptable language and abuse of clubs or the course.
While the rule has always been in place, the USGA and all the other golf organizations have met in recent years to develop consistent guidelines for a conduct policy, applied separately by each of the organizations at their tournaments.
The Masters used it for the first time in April when Sergio Garcia was issued a warning after a bad drive on the par-5 second hole in the final round. He slammed his club into the turf twice and swung his club at a table holding a green cooler. That left the head of his driver dangling from the shaft.
The PGA Championship also posted the policy in the locker room at Aronimink last month.
The general policy the majors are using this year typically starts with a warning. The second violation is a two-shot penalty, and the third violation leads to disqualification.
There was no warning issued to Niemann because of the serious nature of his outburst.
The USGA policy for serious misconduct says if a player’s behavior (or that of his caddie) is “so far removed from what is expected in the spirit of the game of golf,” officials can assess a two-shot penalty or disqualify the player while considering “the frequency, impact, intent and severity of the misconduct.”
The incident happened on Niemann’s final hole Thursday evening of fog-delayed opening round. While video has not surfaced of the club throw, the ShotLink tracer shows his first two tee shots well to the right. The third shot was in high grass short of the fairway.
From 238 yards away, Niemann hacked the next shot into the fairway, but came up short of the green from 113 yards away. This is where the play-by-play indicated he was penalized. He got down in two strokes from there for a 9, which then turned into an 11.
Niemann, who left for LIV Golf after the 2022 season, won in South Korea last month for his eighth career victory in the rival league that began with Saudi Arabia funding but now faces an uncertain future with the Public Investment Fund no longer supporting it.
LONDON — French tennis player Corentin Moutet has been fined $40,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct after using profane language in a post-match interview at Queen’s Club this week, the men’s tennis tour said Friday.
Moutet used an expletive seven times during an on-court interview after a first-round win on Tuesday against countryman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at the ATP 500 grass-court event in London, which serves as a tune-up before Wimbledon.
After using the expletive for a first time, he was asked by the interviewer not to use bad language, but instead Moutet repeated the expletive a further three times before doing so three more times at the end of the interview.
“The player has received a fine of $40,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct,” the ATP said in a statement. “Moutet has confirmed that he will appeal the fine in accordance with ATP rules.”
Wimbledon starts on June 29.
The 27-year-old Moutet, who is ranked No. 36 and yet to win an ATP title, had a heated verbal clash with Alexander Bublik last year after a Phoenix Challenger event and the chair umpire had to climb down and separate them.
A French appeals court confirmed Friday that Morocco’s star player and PSG defender Achraf Hakimi will stand trial in a rape case.
French tennis player Corentin Moutet has been hit with a substantial fine, almost wiping out his entire prize money from Queen’s Club, following a foul-mouthed post-match interview broadcast live on the BBC.
The incident has drawn significant attention to player conduct.
The controversial Frenchman uttered the ‘F-word’ a remarkable seven times during his live interview after his first-round victory over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Having initially sworn unintentionally while answering the first question, a grinning Moutet then responded by deliberately saying “f*** f*** f***” three times more, before interviewer Jenny Drummond was forced to pull the plug on the segment.
The ATP announced on Friday that Moutet, who earned £33,000 for reaching the second round of the prestigious HSBC Championships, has been penalised a whopping 40,000 US dollars, which converts to £30,248.
This staggering sum equates to more than 90 per cent of his total prize money from the tournament, effectively breaking down to approximately £4,321 for each expletive used.
The governing body stated the fine was imposed for “unsportsmanlike conduct”, specifically citing “the use of profane language during his post-match interview”. Moutet has since confirmed he will appeal against the fine, in accordance with established ATP rules and procedures.
Elsewhere on the court, American Brandon Nakashima caused a significant shock when he impressively knocked out top seed and world number six Alex De Minaur in a compelling match.
The 24-year-old, currently ranked 32nd in the world, pulled off one of the biggest wins of his burgeoning career with a straight-sets 7-5 6-3 victory.
“Very happy with my performance, it definitely wasn’t easy,” he said. “I was under a lot of pressure but I’m happy with myself getting through the critical points and closing it out at the end.
“It’s never easy serving out a match, especially against a top player like Alex, so I was happy to win the last point.”
The defeat was doubly disappointing for Australian De Minaur, with his fiancée, British number two Katie Boulter, watching from the stands at the Andy Murray Arena.
The 27-year-old had openly expressed his desire to match Boulter’s impressive run to the semi-finals in last week’s WTA event, but ultimately fell one match short of achieving his ambition.
An Indian cricket legend could be gearing up for his first coaching stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL) come 2027. According to reports, former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh is set to join the Delhi Capitals (DC) coaching staff ahead of IPL 2027. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly‘s return to the DC support staff is imminent, and he wants Yuvraj in the dugout too, as per a Times of India report. The wholesale changes are set to take place as JSW Group takes control of the franchise’s operations IPL 2027 onwards.
According to the report, a senior DC official confirmed that Yuvraj is all set to join the franchise.
For the uninitiated, Delhi Capitals is run in alternate two-year cycles by co-owners GMR Group and JSW Group. With GMR having run the team in 2025 and 2026, JSW is set to take over for the next two years.
Sourav Ganguly was a key figure in the franchise’s support staff during the previous JSW cycle, and is likely to return for 2027. Ganguly served as JSW’s Director of Cricket for Delhi Capitals for the last two seasons, during which Hemang Badani was appointed as the head coach.
However, Delhi Capitals could be set for a reshuffle after two underwhelming seasons in IPL 2025 and IPL 2026. Captained by Axar Patel, DC failed to reach the playoffs in both years, despite boasting star players like KL Rahul, Mitchell Starc and Kuldeep Yadav.
In IPL 2025, DC got off to an excellent start but their campaign faltered in the second half of the season, and they finished fifth.
In IPL 2026, DC’s season was much more inconsistent, and they finished sixth in the standings.
These results have put Badani’s position as head coach at risk, with Ganguly expected to return to the support staff helm in 2027. And it seems like Ganguly wants Yuvraj in the support staff as well.
According to PTI, Yuvraj is likely to join Delhi Capitals as the team’s batting coach for IPL 2027.
Ganguly was the head coach of the Capitals’ SA20 franchise, Pretoria Capitals, earlier this year, leading the team to the final of the tournament.
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Switzerland cruised to a 4-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina to bounce back after their opening draw against Qatar. The Nati are now close to securing a place in the round of 16.
Also in this bulletin: Canada‘s dominant display, South Africa staying alive, Friday’s upcoming matches, Romain Grégoire’s victory at the Tour de Suisse, the unveiling of the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Games logos, and the Knicks’ celebrations in New York.
Jun 18, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) celebrates with second baseman Jeff McNeil (22) after scoring during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images The Athletics made quick work of the Los Angeles Angels in the series opener and will search for another early-inning knockout punch Friday night when the teams continue their four-game set at West Sacramento, Calif.
The A’s sent 11 batters to the plate in a five-run first inning and never relinquished control in a 5-0 victory that followed a stretch in which the team lost three of four games.
Shea Langeliers hit a three-run homer in the first inning Thursday and Tyler Soderstrom followed with a solo shot. The first six batters recorded hits, and the Athletics had seven of their eight overall hits in the opening frame.
“Really unusual game from the offensive standout,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “We came out aggressive. Obviously, we put an inning together that is probably one of our better innings this season. Then to be held to one hit the next seven innings is pretty unique.”
Langeliers took over the club leadership with 19 homers, one ahead of Nick Kurtz. Zack Gelof of the A’s went 1-for-3 with a walk to extend his career-best hitting streak to 22 games, the longest active streak in the majors.
Los Angeles had just four hits while losing for the fourth time in five games.
The Angels received a blow prior to the contest when star center fielder Mike Trout went on the 10-day injured list after sustaining a right hamstring strain while running the bases one day earlier against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Trout had played in 74 of 75 games before going on the IL as he displayed better durability than his recent injury-plagued seasons.
“He plays the game hard,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “He sets the example for everybody, and he’s a good role model for the youth out there.”
Trout certainly wasn’t pleased with the timing of the injury, but he downplayed any concern about it as the All-Star break nears. The All-Star Game will be July 14 in Philadelphia, located roughly 45 miles from his hometown of Millville, N.J.
“I really haven’t thought like that,” said Trout, an 11-time All-Star. “Obviously, I want to play if I get voted in, but no timeline. If I put a timeline on things, I’ve done that in the past, and it’s just frustration whether you do hit it or don’t hit it.”
Los Angeles will turn to ace right-hander Jose Soriano (8-4, 2.79 ERA) on Friday for the second contest of the four-game slate. Soriano, 27, received a no-decision against the Athletics on May 21 when he gave up two runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings of the Angels’ 3-2 loss in 10 innings. He is 1-3 with a 7.82 ERA in nine career appearances (seven starts) against the A’s.
Langeliers (7-for-14) and Lawrence Butler (5-for-18) each have two homers off Soriano while Kurtz (3-for-12) has taken him deep once.
Soriano pitched five shutout innings of three-hit ball in an 8-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays last Saturday. He said he was bothered by leg soreness during that outing.
Left-hander Jeffrey Springs (3-7, 5.13 ERA) will take the mound for the Athletics on Friday. Springs, 33, has lost seven straight decisions and is winless over 11 starts since last prevailing on April 14 against the Texas Rangers. He has served up 12 homers over his last six starts, including three in Sunday’s 23-9 loss to Colorado. Springs gave up eight runs (six earned) and seven hits over four innings against the Rockies.
Springs is 2-3 with a 5.23 ERA in 13 career appearances (four starts) against the Angels. Jo Adell is 3-for-9 with two homers and five strikeouts against him, while Nolan Schanuel is 3-for-5.
–Field Level Media
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As the U.S. men’s national soccer team looks to build on its emphatic 4-1 victory over Paraguay when it faces Australia on Friday, the biggest question surrounding the Americans is whether “Captain America” will be on the pitch at Lumen Field in Seattle.
Christian Pulisic’s injury status has loomed large over this team despite their strong start on home soil for the tournament. Pulisic, who had an assist in the win over Paraguay, suffered a calf injury that led to him being subbed out after the first half last week.
USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino was asked once again about Christian Pulisic’s status ahead of Friday’s match, but he offered little insight into the condition of the star’s left calf.
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Christian Pulisic of the United States participates in a training session for the 2026 World Cup at Great Sports Park in Irvine, Calif., on June 17, 2026. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
“He’s evolving,” Pochettino responded, per the New York Post. “He’s much better from Friday. We’ll see.
“I think at the moment, we think if he’s not available for tomorrow, he’ll be available for the next game.”
Pochettino added that Pulisic was “doing a massive effort trying to be ready,” understanding that the U.S. star wants to be out on the pitch with the rest of his teammates. He will meet with the training staff on Thursday night to discuss Pulisic’s status.
“I think for every player that loves his country, it’s an amazing opportunity to enjoy and help the team win games,” he said. “When this type of thing happens, always it’s painful, but I think Christian is strong, with a great mentality, and doing a fantastic effort to try to be ready.”
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United States forward Christian Pulisic controls the ball past Paraguay midfielder Andrés Cubas in the first half of a FIFA World Cup 2026 match at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
During the team’s practice on Thursday, Pulisic did much of what he’s been seen doing this week – performing a modified training session and not participating with the rest of the team during the media portion.
Pochettino wouldn’t say who would replace Pulisic if he’s unable to play against Australia on Friday, although Malik Tillman shifted to the left wing after Pulisic exited against Paraguay, while Sebastian Berhalter moved into the midfield role in the second half.
“I will tell tomorrow if that is the situation,” Pochettino said. “At the moment, we are evaluating all the possibilities just in case. And then we will decide when we have the confirmation in one or another direction tonight.”
There’s no doubt Pulisic playing would give the Americans their best chance of defeating Australia, but fellow star Weston McKennie gave a glimpse at the team’s thought process.
Christian Pulisic had an assist in the first half of the USMNT World Cup opener against Paraguay. (Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images)
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“Either way, just trying to give good spirits and hopefully he can be there tomorrow,” McKennie said. “I know he really wants to be, and he’s doing everything that he can, and the staff is doing everything that they can as well. But that’s also another question that’s better to ask him rather than me. I’m in my own la-la land.”
With Australia defeating Türkiye in its first World Cup match, this bout between these two teams will determine who takes sole possession of first place in Group D.
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Shakur Stevenson has named the most likely fighter to defeat Naoya Inoue, who remains unbeaten after having become a two-division undisputed champion.
‘The Monster’ unified all four major belts at 118lbs before moving up to super-bantamweight, where he has made seven straight defences of his undisputed crown.
His most recent outing, against three-weight world champion Junto Nakatani, resulted in a unanimous decision victory at a sold-out Tokyo Dome last month.
Many would therefore regard Inoue as the sport’s No.1 pound-for-pound fighter, with the Japanese star having also won world titles at flyweight and super-flyweight.
At 33 years old, though, it is difficult to predict how much longer he will remain at the elite level, especially if his next assignment happens to be against Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez.
The 26-year-old American became a three-division world champion last week, dethroning Antonio Vargas with a sixth-round stoppage at 118lbs.
As the newly-crowned WBA bantamweight champion, there is now talk of him either unifying the division – perhaps against WBO titlist Christian Medina – or moving up to 122lbs in preparation for the potential Inoue showdown next year.
Either way, Stevenson has told The Agnew Podcast that he believes Rodriguez stands the best chance at toppling Inoue.
“I think he’s the truth. If anybody can do it – with them type of skills, I think ‘Bam’ can do it.”
Stevenson went on to admit that, in the amateurs, he was introduced to the fight of his life against Rodriguez’s last opponent.
In the end, he edged a split decision against Vargas, who subsequently competed at the 2016 Olympics and showed, even against ‘Bam’, that he is capable of posing problems to elite fighters.
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Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark turned the pregame tunnel into a reveal moment Thursday, arriving at Gainbridge Fieldhouse all smiles while carrying her first signature shoe in her right hand. Her hoodie also featured the phrase “Shoot more threes.”
The Fever shared a photo and video from Clark’s tunnel walk on the team’s verified social media accounts ahead of tipoff against the Atlanta Dream. The post on X quickly drew tens of thousands of views Thursday.
Nike gave women’s basketball fans their first look at the Caitlin 1 sneakers Wednesday, ahead of their scheduled October release.
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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark dribbles the ball during a game against the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 18, 2026. (A.J. Mast/NBAE)
The first colorway will be available in an all-blue silhouette that also features Clark’s new signature logo. The Nike Caitlin 1s are scheduled to launch Oct. 1 through the Nike SNKRS app and select retailers.
The shoes will be priced at $140 in North America, while international customers should expect to pay the equivalent of $135.
Caitlin Clark’s sneakers are shown before the Indiana Fever game against the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 18, 2026. (A.J. Mast/NBAE via Getty Images)
With the official Caitlin 1 reveal, Clark joins four other active WNBA players with signature shoes from major brands. Angel Reese with Reebok, Breanna Stewart with Puma, Sabrina Ionescu with Nike and A’ja Wilson with Nike are the other active WNBA stars with signature sneakers.
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Clark and Indiana entered Thursday’s contest riding a five-game winning streak, but the Dream ended it with a 108-101 win in Indianapolis. Clark posted a team-high 26 points and seven assists, while Reese led Atlanta with 21 points and 10 rebounds to secure a double-double.
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