So this was what Brazil hired Carlo Ancelotti to bring. The Italian won the Champions League three times with Real Madrid. Each brought a crucial injury-time goal in either the semi-final or the final; at times more than one.

And so, as Bruno Guimaraes pierced the Japan defence and Gabriel Martinelli angled a 95th-minute shot into the far corner of the net, the manager with the lowest heart rate in football had seen it all before.

Ancelotti can be the king of cool, the man who does not panic. His capacity for calm thinking in pressurised situations nevertheless contributed to a comeback that extends Brazil’s hope of gaining a sixth star on their shirts. Two of his changes had a catalytic effect: first introducing Endrick for Lucas Paqueta at half-time, giving Brazil a greater attacking threat, and then summoning Martinelli to replace Matheus Cunha.

At half-time, when Japan deservedly led in Houston, the danger was that this was remembered as Brazil’s worst World Cup. They have reached the last 16, or equivalent, in every tournament, the knockouts in all bar 1930 and 1966, the final eight on each occasion after 1990. Ancelotti can be the history-maker in cup competitions, but in the right way. He may be again.

His demeanour suggests he is so laidback he is almost horizontal. Dressed in a three-piece suit, Ancelotti looked more like a dapper expert in antiques than a football coach. Yet part of his success lies in an ability to galvanise players decades his junior and with very different characters. Brazil emerged inspired after half-time. Their next quarter of an hour bore comparison with England’s 15-minute surge against Croatia. A managerial team talk led to a battering. And if Brazil then seemed to lose their momentum in the second half’s hydration break, they showed they have acquired the capacity for late drama that many another Ancelotti side has had.

They were aided, though, by Japan’s strange passiveness. The more coherent, more compelling team before the break, they retreated too soon, becoming passive, defending deep, inviting pressure, as though dragged back by an inferiority complex.

When they had a chance to make this a more global game, eliminating the only five-time winners, it instead led to a result in keeping with World Cup. Since going out to Argentina in 1990, Brazil have never lost a knockout tie to any non-European country. They have never lost one to a North American, African or Asian side. They tend to beat football’s new world when it matters.

Japan, meanwhile, are stuck in their version of Groundhog Day. They have never won a knockout tie. They have lost them in five World Cups. Normally that means the last 16; in this format, they it was the last 32. It was regression, in that respect, when the evidence of the first half against Brazil, plus their games against Sweden and the Netherlands is that, at the least, they are one of the top 16 teams and a side who could have been potential quarter-finalists.

A breakthrough result eluded them but they highlighted some Brazilian flaws, even if they were scarcely secrets. While Roberto Carlos watched on from a vantage point behind Gianni Infantino, Brazil showed they now lack high-class full-backs. Danilo gave the ball away in the build-up to Kaishu Sano’s opener. He was later booked for his inability to stop Daizen Maeda.

In midfield, Casemiro had a game of two halves. He hobbled off after 92 minutes when there was a case for substituting him after 45. What followed was redemptive. After showing his worst, he delivered his best.

Before the break, he was booked for clumsily upending Junya Ito, his propensity to go to ground when tackling again appearing a shortcoming. Then he was wading in treacle as Sano surged past him to score. He looked old and immobile: after being taken off at the break against Morocco, there were reasons to think history should repeat itself.

But Casemiro has character. And, for a defensive midfielder, he possesses an extraordinary ability to score goals. He is not merely a fine finisher. He has a striker’s instinct for an opening. He had a header brilliantly, and almost incomprehensibly, cleared off the line. He met Gabriel Magalhaes’ cross with an emphatic header to level.

He can be a big-game player, as Ancelotti knows. Casemiro was part of the team who won his fourth Champions League, in 2022. Ancelotti brought an old ally out of international exile, recalling Casemiro after a two-year absence, and made him integral again.

Compared to some of their predecessors, this Selecao side may not be blessed with options in the centre of the pitch. Ancelotti has paired Casemiro with Guimaraes. The older man scored the equaliser. The younger one set up the winner. As Ancelotti’s decisions paid off, Brazil advanced. And that, they will hope, is a sentiment they can repeat in the next weeks.

Pringles Minis will be back on supermarket shelves from Thursday, May 2, and they are branded as an easy-to-pack alternative to the classic tube packaging.

It will come in multipacks of six, with each packet weighing 20g, and flavours include Original, Sour Cream & Onion and BBQ flavour.

The Pringles website shares: “New Pringles Minis Original Crisps are your go-to snack for a burst of bold, tangy flavour in a fun, bite-sized format.

“Enjoy the light, salty goodness, now finally available in convenient multipacks ideal for with lunch, on-the-go moments, or everyday snacking.”

The brand said they had spent more than four years attempting to perfect “the famous Pringles hyperbolic paraboloid curve”, as the smaller the crisp, “the trickier it becomes”.

Its creators also said that while most of the seasoning for original Pringles remains on the top, mini Pringles feature seasoning on both sides – guaranteeing maximum flavour in every crunch.

Beth Brushett, the senior brand activation manager at Pringles, said: “Mini products and bite-sized treats are having such a big cultural moment right now, so it felt like the perfect time to launch Pringles Minis.

“We’ve spent years perfecting a mini version of our iconic crisp that goes in a bag, making it the perfect addition to lunchboxes across the UK. We can’t wait to hear what Pringles fans think.”

When were Pringles Minis originally discontinued?

Pringles Minis were first launched in 2005, but had a different design with a small pull-out snack tray.

However, they had a shaky debut, with two variants of the product (the salt & vinegar five-pack and 10-pack original) being discontinued only a month after launch, according to The Grocer.

In the late 2000s, the product was discontinued, with users of a Digital Spy thread noting that they disappeared from shops in 2009.

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One person shared: “It’s been a few months since I have seen them.

“They were great for lunch boxes, took up less space.”

Another posted: “They were discontinued a couple of months ago

“I’m sure I read this, and it had something to [do] with the company making cutbacks due to the whole recession thing.”

Meanwhile, another joked: “They all got eaten obviously.

“They’re very moreish.”

Are you pleased to see Pringles Minis back on supermarket shelves? Let us know in the comments.

By Cameron Henderson
The number of people queuing in Wimbledon Park for tickets hit 10,000 this morning as tennis fans tried their luck to gain entry to the first day of the Championship.

Sally Bolton, the chief executive of the All England Tennis Club (AELTC), said: “We were sort of 10,000 by about 8.30am, so we are advising people if they haven’t already set off not to travel because the queue is effectively full.”

She said the queue has grown “increasingly popular” since the pandemic. “By comparison to last year, it is really busy,” she said. “We do have people who sort of tend to arrive fairly early to get in what’s often called the ‘queue for the queue’, so people are getting there earlier and earlier.

She continued: “You do have to now get here really quite early to be at the front of the queue.”

Campaigners criticised the AELTC for encouraging large number of tennis fans to camp out in Wimbledon Park the day before the Championship, comparing the spectacle to “Glastonbury” music festival.

On Monday morning, around 70 protesters wearing oversized ears stood in the park, across the road from the tennis club, chanting “AELTC can you hear us”, according to Simon Wright, a member of Save the Park.

Officers have issued a photographed of a man they want to speak to after the incident in Monkgate at 4.30am on Saturday, May 9.

North Yorkshire Police said the woman was walking home from the city centre when “an unknown man approached her and started walking with her”.

“He said he was a student and appeared friendly, so they chatted,” a force spokesperson said. “The suspect started to persist in walking the victim back to her home address, put his arms around her, and rubbed his hands on her.

“The victim told him to stop and if he didn’t, she would shout out. The suspect eventually turned around and walked away.”

North Yorkshire Police on Monday (June 29) issued the photograph, saying the man pictured on CCTV “may have important information that could assist the investigation”.

The force’s spokesperson urged anyone who recognises the man to get in touch.

“Please email megan.elliott@northyorkshire.police.uk if you recognise him, or have any information that could help,” they said.

“Alternatively, you can call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and ask for PC 316 Elliott, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website.

“Please quote reference 12260090909 when passing on information.”

The Princess of Wales met Ted, aged 11, while climbing Ben Nevis this weekend

The Princess of Wales has made a donation to an 11-year-old wheelchair user she met while climbing Ben Nevis at the weekend.

The future Queen was the first royal to complete the gruelling Three Peaks Challenge this weekend, which she completed to raise money for a cancer charity and to “explore life beyond diagnosis”. In a social media message, she revealed she had successfully taken on the trek, not only as a physical endeavour but ‘to give something back’ and raise vital awareness.

As part of the feat, Kate climbed the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales – Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon – all within 24 hours, starting on Saturday evening (June 27).

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While climbing Ben Nevis, she met Ted – an 11-year-old wheelchair user who was completing the same challenge with the help of his family and friends. They were raising money for the charity Molly Olly’s Wishes, which supports children with serious illnesses.

Following the challenge over the weekend, Kate donated to Ted’s cause on Just Giving. She left a message which read: “One of the real highlights of the Three Peaks Challenge was meeting inspiring people like you along the way.

“Huge congratulations to Ted, Pete and the entire team for raising money for such a wonderful cause.”

Ted’s JustGiving page, which was set up by his father, Pete Haslam, has currently raised more than £11,000. The description reads: “Ted is a wheelchair user—but that’s never been the thing that defines him. Determination does.

“This isn’t his first mountain. He has already taken on Snowdon not once, but twice, proving his resilience and spirit. Last year, he stood proudly at the summit of Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the UK. Each climb has been a step – quite literally – toward something bigger than himself.”

Kate took on the Three Peaks challenge solo, supported en route by Mountain Rescue. At the end she was greeted by Prince of Wales and her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, as well as her parents Carole and Michael Middleton and brother James Middleton.

Kensington Palace said it believed the expedition was a royal first, with the princess being the first member of the royal family to complete the Three Peaks.

“Growth in every postcode and hope in every heart,” he finished, but his speech consisted of more than uplifting banalities.

At its heart was a vision – something Sir Keir never successfully sold us. It is of a changed, decentralised Britain with vibrant, local figures like mayors making decisions tailored to their local areas and local civil servants then pushing them through, with a new department, No 10 North, based in Manchester, acting as the “nerve centre of a rewired Britain”.

For decades, The Northern Echo has argued there needs to be more devolution, so decisions can be made to meet local needs rather than be imposed by London or Brussels.

Indeed, the Tories under Boris Johnson made Darlington a testbed, moving out a quarter of the Treasury. Mr Burnham is now to spread that model further.

It is a profound change which will have to overcome resistance, from London, from the civil service and from surprising quarters – although a Leeds MP and so just down the road, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has not made the Treasury in Darlington a second home.

It will need new structures, new ways of scrutiny (it was a little worrying that Mr Burnham declined to take media questions) and, of course, it will take investment. How, for example, are all those new council houses he promised to be paid for?

After the drab, awkward days of Theresa May, Boris Johnson and his promise of “levelling up” was a real blast of change. Mr Burnham’s belief that things, and places, can only get better is going to be a breath of fresh air – but how long will it survive the difficult choices of governing and the highly-taxed country’s lack of money?

Prisoners staged an uprising at the Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center in North Carolina today with two guards held captive during the hours-long siege

There was chaos at a jail in North Carolina today as prisoners overpowered correctional staff and took over parts of the facility.

Three guards and 88 inmates were inside the Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center in Windsor when the takeover began at about 5am, prompting an immediate response from local, state and federal authorities, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

Inmates took two guards captive and the third guard escaped. Negotiations led to the release of the two guards along with 80 inmates, leaving only eight inmates inside, Bertie County Sheriff Tyrone Ruffin said.

The prison siege last for hours, but finally came to an end when law enforcement officers entered the facility and seized control.

By early afternoon, the Bureau of Investigation and the FBI had “cleared the facility”, the state bureau said. “All inmates and staff are safe and accounted for, and those who sustained injuries have received treatment.”

The facility will remain secured while the damage is assessed, and inmates have been transferred to other facilities, the Bureau of Investigation said. Windsor is about 120 miles (190 kilometers) east of the city of Raleigh.

Ruffin said the two guards who were released are undergoing medical treatment but he had no details about their injuries. There was no threat to the general public, Ruffin added.

Authorities have not addressed why there were only three guards overseeing the jail at the time of the takeover. Ruffin did not indicate what caused the takeover either.

“Right now we have a lot going on that we’re trying to get under control,” he said. “I will release that information to the public as soon as I can.”

Here is everything you can and can’t take to Katy Perry’s Cardiff Castle gig.

Cardiff’s summer concert season has already boasted an impressive roster of performers, including The Cure headlining Blackweir Live, Take That gracing the stage at Principality Stadium, and Mika performing at Cardiff Castle. International pop sensation Katy Perry is set to follow suit, making her way to Cardiff for one of just two exclusive UK appearances.

Renowned for hit songs like Firework, Dark Horse, Roar, California Gurls, E.T and Teenage Dream, Katy holds six singles and one album for a combined total of seven Diamond-certified releases.

Welsh fans can look forward to a night packed with chart-topping anthems and electrifying atmosphere as she headlines TK Maxx presents Depot Live at Cardiff Castle on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

Upon the announcement of the show, the American superstar declared: “What’s up Wales? I can’t wait to see you guys and we’ll have a party you’ll never forget. It will be epic.”

You may be preparing for the big event, and you’re wondering what you can and can’t take. Here’s a full list of banned items for Katy Perry’s gig at Cardiff Castle. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What’s On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here

Banned items for Katy Perry at Cardiff Castle

Chairs, portable furniture, inflatables, or foldable furniture are not allowed into the area.

Food and drink are not permitted however there are food and drink concessions within the event.

Sealed bottles of soft drinks or water under 500ml are permitted. Additionally you can bring an empty reusable water bottle of any size are permitted. You can bring metal, plastic or other materials, however not glass. There will be free water refill stations at the venue.

If you have a medical condition, then a doctor’s note will permit diet-specific food and drink only.

Assistant dogs are permitted on site.

If you are bringing a registered assistant dog, please do let Depot know in the accessible requirements form that is emailed to you by Ticketmaster after purchasing accessible tickets.

Alternatively, please contact them at access@depotcardiff.com.

Small bags/rucksacks are permitted. Bag searches will be in operation.

The full list of banned items are:

• Alcohol
• Signs
• Luggage
• Computers, laptops, iPads and tablets
• Large bags over A4
• Selfie sticks
• Professional cameras
• Cans
• Drugs
• Helmets
• Air horns
• Lasers
• Animals except guide dogs
• Glass bottles
• Spray cans
• Flags
• Umbrellas
• Chairs
• Flares or fireworks
• Toxic substances
• Weapons (including replicas)
• Perfumes
• Explosives, signalling devices, smoking devices, and very-lights
• Medicines without a prescription or justification
• Skateboards and other personal motorised and non-motorised vehicles
• Knives, syringes, and scalpels

Are there still tickets left for Katy Perry at Cardiff Castle?

Tickets remain available for Katy Perry at Cardiff Castle, with prices beginning at £85.75 for general admission or £194.25 for premium viewing.

You can purchase them from Ticketmaster here.

In The Mixer’s World Cup special

Everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day.