Belgium have it all against them when they face Spain in the World Cup quarter-final, but things have only been made harder by one update

Belgium’s World Cup quarter-final preparations have been disrupted by a club versus country dispute, mere hours before they meet Spain. Belgian defender Zeno Debast has been prohibited from playing for the Red Devils by his club Sporting Lisbon.

He has yet to take the pitch for Rudi Garcia’s team in the World Cup, but it seems he may be unable to appear, regardless of whether he and his manager wish him to. It’s understood Sporting harbour concerns about his fitness.

Before the World Cup, Debast picked up a thigh injury sustained in May while representing the Portuguese giants. Despite receiving a call-up from his nation, he will be unavailable to compete, the Belgian FA have now confirmed.

A spokesperson from the Royal Belgian Football Association stated: “Zeno Debast will not be available for the quarter final. His club, Sporting CP, have informed the player that they did not consider him to be medically fit to play matches.

“This assessment differs from that of the Red Devils’ medical staff, as well as Fifa’s medical and insurance authorities. Zeno is currently training individually under the supervision of the RBFA’s Performance Department.”

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Debast returned to Belgium shortly after sustaining his injury with his club so national team medics could examine the problem. Soon afterwards, Garcia named him in his 26-man World Cup squad.

Debast was forced to miss Belgium’s group stage fixtures, which included a 1-1 draw with Egypt, a goalless stalemate with Iran, and a commanding 5-1 victory over New Zealand. He was similarly absent during Belgium’s thrilling 3-2 win against Senegal in the round of 32.

He did, however, return to the squad as his side swept past World Cup hosts the USA 4-1 in the round of 16. The news that his club are blocking him from featuring against Spain will come as a bitter blow, particularly given that Debast had expressed optimism over his fitness.

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Following his absence during the group stage, he said: “Everything is going as planned. I feel good. As a player, it is not easy to watch your team train and play without being able to participate. But, I am grateful to be here and to be able to work on my return here.”

Garcia also seemingly refused to talk about Debast when asked to provide any injury updates. He said: “Everyone apart from Amadou Onana is ready. He’s a huge loss for our tournament. There’s another player who is not available, who could play tomorrow but we will discuss this after the World Cup.”

Spain and Belgium go head-to-head today in Los Angeles, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm BST.

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Novak Djokovic continues his epic quest to win a record 25th grand slam title at the age of 39 as he faces defending Wimbledon champion and world No 1 Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals.

Djokovic won the longest match of his Wimbledon career on Tuesday, beating the third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in a match tiebreak and after an astonishing five hours and 15 minutes.

Djokovic lost to Sinner in straight sets in last year’s semi-finals, before the Italian went on to beat Carlos Alcaraz and win his first Wimbledon trophy and fourth grand slam title.

But Djokovic beat Sinner in their last meeting at the Australian Open in January, producing one of the greatest performances of this stage of his career to end Sinner’s dominant winning streak in five sets.

Whether Djokovic can recover physically from his marathon efforts in the quarter-finals remains a huge question, but the Serbian may believe that this is his best chance to take the grand slam record.

With Alcaraz absent, there will be a first-time finalist on the other side of the Wimbledon draw: second seed Alexander Zverev will play British wildcard Arthur Fery in the other semi-final.

When is Novak Djokovic vs Jannik Sinner?

As Djokovic and Sinner played their quarter-final on Tuesday, it had been expected that their semi-final would be played first on men’s semi-final day on Friday.

However, after British wildcard Arthur Fery reached the semi-finals, Djokovic and Sinner have been scheduled in the second semi-final on Centre Court. Their match could take place from around 5pm BST.

Wimbledon order of play

Centre Court

1:30PM Start

1. Arthur Fery (GBR) [WC] vs Alexander Zverev (GER) [2]

2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) [7] vs Jannik Sinner (ITA) [1]

How to watch Wimbledon on TV

In the UK, every match from Wimbledon will be available to watch live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website, with viewers able to access a stream from all 18 courts. In the US, ESPN and Tennis Channel hold the rights.

TV schedule – Friday 10 July

Novak Djokovic vs Jannik Sinner head-to-head

Djokovic ended a five-match losing streak to Sinner in the Australian Open semi-finals in January. It was a much-needed win for Djokovic, as their rivalry had completely flipped since Sinner saved match points to beat Djokovic in the 2023 Davis Cup semi-finals. After that, Sinner won five tour-level matches in a row, as well as two exhibitions, to lead the official head-to-head. But a Djokovic win on Friday would level the head-to-head at 6-6. This will be the fourth time Djokovic and Sinner have played at Wimbledon.

Head-to-head

What happened in the Wimbledon quarter-finals?

Djokovic won the longest ever Wimbledon quarter-final after five hours and 15 minutes against third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, booking a semi-final with defending champion Sinner and keeping his bid for a record 25th grand slam title alive.

At 39, Djokovic outlasted Auger-Aliassime in a thrilling match tiebreak, winning 7-6 (10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (10-4) in a titanic five-set battle, but one he must now recover from as he attempts to dethrone the reigning champion Sinner in a rematch of last year’s semi-final.

“I did it with a racket, and a lot of heart,” Djokovic said afterwards, following the longest win of his Wimbledon career. “A lot of management of the nerves and the extreme tension you feel in these kind of matches. It was anybody’s game. These are the moments I still play tennis for, for sure. I wish it was the final so I don’t need to worry about how the body will feel tomorrow.”

Novak Djokovic vs Jannik Sinner’s route to semi-final

Djokovic

Sinner

What has Novak Djokovic said?

“What can I say? These are the kind of moments that I still play tennis for. I wish it was finals, so I don’t need to worry about how the body will feel tomorrow. But I’m happy. Happy that I won.

“I was telling the kids to go to sleep after the fourth, but they didn’t want to listen. I’m glad they stayed, because it was honestly one of the best matches that I was part of on this court in my career.”

What has Jannik Sinner said?

“I feel like every match is different. Even when I had this small streak with him, I felt like every match has really its own story. Especially when you play on a surface like this, if you have a bad serving day or not feeling the ball very well, it’s going to be very, very tough.

“In any case, I’m happy to be back in the semis. I’m happy to fight for every ball, then we see. He has won this tournament so many times and he knows exactly how to approach it. I’m looking forward to it.”

Inital investigations indicate that tourists are among those killed in the wildfire, according to local media.

There are campsites in the Los Gallardos area including the large-scale Miraflores where people have been evacuated.

Residents also in Almocáizar, Fuente del Albarico, Los Pinos, La Serena and El Pinar de Bédar have also been told to leave their properties.

The emergency has closed the A-7 motorway northbound (from kilometre 709 to 714) and the N-340A national highway near the fire.

“[We cannot] ignore London’s position as a global prime city and the financialisation of the housing market – it’s conceivable we risk a ‘doughnut’ London, where people move from the centre to the outskirts, because they cannot afford a family home in areas where they’ve grown up in,” Dr Bourne added. “Their property in the centre of London is then converted into an empty home.

Gwyneth Paltrow‘s daughter Apple Martin was spotted on the LA set of her first feature film, Warner Bros. Pictures’ $100+ million-budget rom-com Paris Paramount, alongside co-star Owen Wilson on Thursday.

The 22-year-old nepo baby makes her big-screen acting debut playing a mystery role in the film already scheduled to hit US theaters on December 25, 2027.

She and Wilson, 57, were shooting an outdoor scene for the film within a film about industry exes who reconnect while shooting a movie together.

Martin’s famous 53-year-old mother previously worked with Wilson in Wes Anderson’s 2001 black comedy The Royal Tenenbaums where they played the characters Margot Tenenbaum and Eli Cash.

The Royal Tenenbaums also featured the Oscar-nominated screenwriter’s younger brother Luke Wilson, whom Paltrow dated for nearly a year before falling in love with Martin’s father, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.

Martin is a third-generation actress as her dynasty also includes grandmother Blythe Danner, who memorably starred in the Meet the Parents films.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter Apple Martin was spotted on the LA set of her first feature film, Warner Bros. Pictures’ $100+ million-budget rom-com Paris Paramount, alongside co-star Owen Wilson on Thursday 

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Martin looked preppy wearing a costume consisting of a peach-colored cardigan and wide-leg blue jeans.

The Rooster guest star wore minimal make-up and styled her middle-parted flaxen locks into a perky ponytail for the shoot on location.

Martin shot scenes with Rich Sommer, who’s best known for his role as Harry Crane on AMC’s Mad Men.

In between takes, the 5ft 10in beauty chatted with her co-star Erin Doherty, who famously portrayed Princess Anne in the third and fourth seasons of Netflix’s The Crown.

Martin also acted with Tony Hale, who endeared audiences with his hilarious turns in Fox’s Arrested Development and HBO’s Veep.

The Chloé brand ambassador beamed as she began her acting career, having had less luck with music due to her off-pitch singing with LA duo Jade Street at Cannery Hall in Nashville on October 17.

Martin – whose godfather is Simon Pegg – shares the same manager, Cade Hudson, as retired pop star Britney Spears.

The 22-year-old nepo baby makes her big-screen acting debut playing a mystery role in the film already scheduled to hit US theaters on December 25, 2027

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Martin and the 57-year-old Texan (L) were shooting an outdoor scene for the film within a film about industry exes who reconnect while shooting a movie together

The Vanderbilt University grad’s famous 53-year-old mother (L) previously worked with Wilson (R) in Wes Anderson’s 2001 black comedy The Royal Tenenbaums where they played the characters Margot Tenenbaum and Eli Cash

The Royal Tenenbaums also featured the Oscar-nominated screenwriter’s younger brother Luke Wilson (L, pictured in 2002), whom Paltrow (R) dated for nearly a year before falling in love with Martin’s father, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin

The London-born blonde is a third-generation actress as her dynasty also includes grandmother Blythe Danner (center, pictured May 10), who memorably starred in the Meet the Parents films

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Martin looked preppy wearing a costume consisting of a peach-colored cardigan and wide-leg blue jeans

The Rooster guest star wore minimal make-up and styled her middle-parted flaxen locks into a perky ponytail for the shoot on location

Martin shot scenes with Rich Sommer (R), who’s best known for his role as Harry Crane on AMC’s Mad Men

The Daily Mail has reached out to Paltrow and Martin’s publicist for comment, but did not immediately hear back.

Paris Paramount is being directed by Nancy Meyers – who previously helmed The Parent Trap (1998), What Women Want (2000), Something’s Gotta Give (2003), The Holiday (2006), It’s Complicated (2009) and The Intern (2015).

Production on the 76-year-old filmmaker’s semi-autobiographical movie began on May 17, and it’s scheduled to wrap on September 17.

‘Last night shooting at Warner Bros. It’s impossible not to feel the history and legacy of working on that lot. Very grateful,’ Meyers wrote on Instagram last Friday.

‘I’ll be shooting all summer with the nicest and most energetic, hard working crew I’ve ever worked with. Like yesterday… they just broke into applause as we returned from lunch. So touching. We wrapped week seven last night. So much more to come but this crew makes every day special. Thank you!’

In between takes, the 5ft 10in beauty chatted with her co-star Erin Doherty (R), who famously portrayed Princess Anne in the third and fourth seasons of Netflix’s The Crown

Martin also acted with Tony Hale (R), who endeared audiences with his hilarious turns in Fox’s Arrested Development and HBO’s Veep

The Chloé brand ambassador beamed as she began her acting career, having had less luck with music due to her off-pitch singing with LA duo Jade Street at Cannery Hall in Nashville on October 17

Martin – whose godfather is Simon Pegg – shares the same manager, Cade Hudson, as retired pop star Britney Spears

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Paris Paramount is being directed by Nancy Meyers (R) – who previously helmed The Parent Trap (1998), What Women Want (2000), Something’s Gotta Give (2003), The Holiday (2006), It’s Complicated (2009) and The Intern (2015)

Production on the 76-year-old filmmaker’s semi-autobiographical movie began on May 17, and it’s scheduled to wrap on September 17

Meyers wrote on Instagram last Friday: ‘Last night shooting at Warner Bros. It’s impossible not to feel the history and legacy of working on that lot. Very grateful. I’ll be shooting all summer’

And last week, Penélope Cruz gushed about working on Paris Paramount on Hot Ones:  ‘I love it so much, and I play an actress. So I play the character that she plays. So, it’s two characters in one…I’ve always been such a huge fan of [Meyers’] work and I’ve always wanted to work with her’

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And last week, Penélope Cruz gushed about working on Paris Paramount while eating increasingly spicy chicken wings on First We Feast’s Hot Ones.

‘I love it so much, and I play an actress,’ the Spanish 52-year-old said.

‘So I play the character that she plays. So, it’s two characters in one and I love it and I’ve always been such a huge fan of [Meyers’] work and I’ve always wanted to work with her.’

Kieran Culkin, Jude Law and Beverly D’Angelo will also be featured in Paris Paramount.

Police are concerned that the 45-year-old man may be injured

Police are appealing for help to find a victim of an assault who has connections to Cambridgeshire. Matthew, 45, was last seen at around 8pm on Friday, July 3, in the Pinchbeck Road area of Spalding.

Lincolnshire Police is aware that Matthew was the victim of an assault and may be injured. Officers “urgently” want to trace him to see if he is okay.

The 45-year-old has links to Peterborough. A police spokesperson said: “Matthew is of slim build and has red hair and a red beard. He was last seen wearing dark trousers and a dark hoody with a light coloured rectangle on the front.”

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or report it online and quote PID 120140.

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