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Iran narrowly knocked out of tumultuous World Cup on Austria’s last-second goal

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Iran has been eliminated from the World Cup, narrowly failing to advance past the group stage in a politically charged tournament where the team played its matches amid tight restrictions imposed by the United States.

Iran missed the round of 32 by one spot in heartbreaking fashion.

It finished third in Group G with three points earned with draws against Belgium, New Zealand and Egypt. Iran appeared to have advanced via tiebreakers when Algeria scored a stunning stoppage-time goal to go ahead of Austria 3-2 Saturday night, but Austria tied it back up seconds later on the game’s final play. Their draw ensured Iran’s elimination.

It was one last painful moment for Iran in a World Cup that’s been tumultuous, on and off the pitch.

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The Iranians have been playing while Tehran negotiates with Washington on terms of a deal meant to permanently end the war that began earlier this year. Tensions continued Saturday when Iran launched a drone assault targeting Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, in a likely response to overnight airstrikes by the U.S. Hours later, the U.S. said it struck multiple Iranian military targets after it said Iran attacked a ship near the Straight of Hormuz.

During the World Cup, Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei and players complained about numerous complications, including travel restrictions, visa denials for support staff and quick departures from the U.S. after matches.

U.S. officials have said all restrictions were known before the tournament.

The U.S. and Israel began the war on Feb. 28 by attacking Iran, which retaliated with attacks in the region and by asserting control over the Strait of Hormuz.

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In March, Iran sought to move its group-stage matches to Mexico, with which it has diplomatic ties. Its request to move its base camp from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana was granted two weeks before the team’s arrival.

After Iran was eliminated Saturday night, the team sent a statement expressing “heartfelt appreciation to the wonderful people of Mexico, especially the beautiful city of Tijuana.”

“Leaving Tijuana is truly difficult for all of us,” the statement said.

At its first match, several hundred Iranian Americans protested outside the stadium, calling for change in Tehran and waving the pre-revolutionary lion-and-sun flag. Thousands more poured into the stadium to watch them play, and the pre-game national anthem was met with a mix of cheers and boos.

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For the first two matches, near Los Angeles, the team was not permitted to travel until the day before and had to return to Mexico immediately after each game. The U.S. then eased its restrictions, allowing the squad to travel to Seattle two days before Friday’s match against Egypt. If Iran had advanced, it would have played its next match in Vancouver, British Columbia.

“We were treated very, very badly,” Ghalenoei said after Friday’s draw with Egypt left the Iranians clinging to hope they would get to the next round. “I hope the world becomes aware of these issues.”

“What these young Iranian national team players have done should be recorded in history,” Ghalenoei said. “Why? Because the host treated us in the worst possible way.”

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2026 AIG Women’s Open Sunday tee times: Round 4 pairings

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The 2026 AIG Women’s Open concludes on Sunday, Aug. 2, with the fourth round at Royal Lytham and St. Annes in England. You can find full AIG Women’s Open tee times for Sunday’s fourth round at the bottom of this post.

AIG Women’s Open Sunday tee times: What to know

If you didn’t have Yealimi Noh in your office pool this week, you’re not alone. The 25-year-old Californian arrived at Royal Lytham and St. Annes with just two top-10 finishes in majors and one LPGA Tour victory to her name.

Now, after a tidy two-under 69 on a wind-swept Saturday, she heads into the final round at seven-under, holding a three-shot lead. It’s the first time she’s ever been the front-runner at any point in a major.

Can Noh hang on?

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To do so, she’ll have to hold off a pack of pursuers. Haeran Ryu, who teed off Saturday with the lead while seeking her third consecutive major title, stumbled to a three-over 74 to fall back to four-under. She’s joined there by fellow American Lucy Li, Germany’s Esther Henseleit, Japan’s Shiho Kuwaki and World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, who is seeking her first major championship.

Fan favorite Charley Hull, meanwhile, isn’t out of the mix. Playing in her home country, she’ll begin the final round at two-under, five shots behind.

Noh tees off at 9:35 a.m. ET alongside Henseleit.

You can watch Sunday’s final round of the AIG Women’s Open from 7 a.m.-noon ET on USA and then from noon-2 p.m. ET on NBC. Additional Sunday streaming coverage will be provided by GolfChannel.com, the Golf Channel app and the NBC Sports app.

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You can check out the complete Round 4 tee times for the 2026 AIG Women’s Open below.

2026 AIG Women’s Open tee times for Sunday: Round 4 (ET)

3:45 a.m. – Casandra Alexander, Mi Hyang Lee

3:55 a.m. – Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, Aunchisa Utama

4:05 a.m. – Aki Iwai, Julia Lopez Ramirez

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4:15 a.m. – Arpichaya Yubol, Anna Nordqvist

4:25 a.m. – Auston Kim, Nasa Hataoka

4:35 a.m. – Amanda Doherty, Jin Young Ko

4:45 a.m. – Alison Lee, Kajsa Arwefjall

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5 a.m. – Minji Kang, Alice Hewson

5:10 a.m. – Maja Stark, Patty Tavatanakit

5:20 a.m. – Amelia Garvey, Cara Gainer

5:30 a.m. – Yana Wilson, Rose Zhang

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5:40 a.m. – Ariya Jutanugarn, Yuna Araki

5:50 a.m. – Annabell Fuller, Yunseo Yang (a)

6 a.m. – Hyo Joo Kim, Nastasia Nadaud

6:15 a.m. – Manon De Roey, Lindy Duncan

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6:25 a.m. – Jenny Shin, Amy Yang

6:35 a.m. – Sara Kouskova, Pia Babnik

6:45 a.m. – Paula Martin Sampedro (a), Mao Saigo

6:55 a.m. – Hannah Green, Brooke M. Henderson

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7:05 a.m. – Dewi Weber, Sei Young Kim

7:15 a.m. – Chizzy Iwai, Yuka Saso

7:30 a.m. – Celine Boutier, Mimi Rhodes

7:40 a.m. – Alexandra Forsterling, Jing Yan

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7:50 a.m. – Lauren Coughlin, Robyn Choi

8 a.m. – Nelly Korda, Rio Takeda

8:10 a.m. – Shannon Tan, Wei-Ling Hsu

8:20 a.m. – Carla Tejedo Mulet, Jin Hee Im

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8:30 a.m. – Ashleigh Buhai, Soo Bin Joo

8:45 a.m. – Lydia Ko, Charley Hull

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Pirates’ Ryan O’Hearn expected to miss six to eight weeks with quad injury

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CINCINNATI — The Pittsburgh Pirates placed Ryan O’Hearn on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a strained left quad and he is expected to miss six to eight weeks.

O’Hearn pulled up and grabbed his left leg while running to first base on a groundout in the ninth inning on Friday night’s 8-7 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. He was helped off the field by manager Don Kelly and a member of the training staff.

The Pirates signed O’Hearn to a two-year, $2- million free-agent contract in January. He is batting .270 with 17 home runs and 69 RBIs in 96 games. He missed two weeks in May with a right quad injury.

O’Hearn has made 49 appearances at first base, 42 in right field, and 17 as the designated hitter. He homered three times and set a Pirates single-game franchise record with 10 RBIs against the Braves on July 7.

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In other moves, the Pirates recalled right-hander Isaac Mattson from triple-A Indianapolis, activated catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores Jr. from the IL and optioned right-hander Antwone Kelly to triple-A.

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“Both of them would be brilliant additions”

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Former Premier League goalkeeper Brad Friedel has urged Liverpool to sign Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue from PSG. He believes that the two players are needed at Anfield to make them a better side.

Speaking to the Daily Star, Friedel stated that Barcola and Doue are on the same level, and it would be hard to pick one of the two. He claimed that Liverpool should be looking to get both of them this summer and not just one and said:

“It’s a toss of a coin between Barcola and Doue. I think both of them would be brilliant additions to L’pool and honestly, I think both of them would be great to help with the loss of goals and assists from Salah. Both players are excellent on the left and can also drift into the middle, which is something Iraola would like a lot in how he plays.”

“Watching both at the World Cup, they both have important assets which can benefit Liverpool and contribute to an exciting style of play. So, both of them would be my preference, to add good depth to the squad because as we’ve seen it’s a long season competing in all competitions so you need plenty of quality in the squad and both of them would be huge players.”

The Reds remain in talks with PSG to sign Barcola, and the Ligue1 are open to a sale.

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Jamie Carragher does not want Bradley Barcola at Liverpool

Jamie Carragher claimed that his former side do not need Barcola. He wants them to sign a right-winger and not another winger who prefers to play on the left and told Sky Sports:

“He’s a great player, there’s no doubt about that – I’d love to get Barcola at Liverpool. But he’s a left winger for me. Liverpool’s big thing that stands out like a sore thumb right now is replacing Mo Salah, a right winger. And I don’t think L’pool have got anybody really in the squad who looks fully comfortable playing right wing.”

“They probably have at least four players in the squad before Barcola joins, if he joins, who could play on the left-hand side comfortably. Now, I’m not saying any of those players are better than Barcola. But in terms of the balance of the squad, it’s not the position L’pool need right now. They need a right winger.”

PSG were looking to sign Yan Diomande this summer, but have switched focus to Maghnes Akliouche and Mika Godts, after Real Madrid hijacked the deal for the Ivory Coast star.