France and Morocco to open World Cup quarter-finals in blockbuster clash
via The Namibian5 min read
France will begin their push for a third World Cup title on Thursday against African champions Morocco in a highly anticipated quarter-final match at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, outside Boston. France has been a standout team, scoring 14 goals in five games, with captain Kylian Mbappe contributing seven. This match is a repeat of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, which France won before losing to Argentina in the final. Morocco, coached by Mohamed Ouahbi, has also impressed, advancing through the group stage and defeating the Netherlands and Canada. France coach Didier Deschamps expressed confidence in the officials despite the appointment of Argentine referees, stating that Morocco is their only opponent. The winner of this match will face the victor of Friday's game between European champions Spain and Belgium in Los Angeles. On the other side of the bracket, Argentina will play Switzerland in Kansas City on Saturday, with the winner facing either Norway or England. England advanced after a 3-2 victory over Mexico, while Norway, led by Erling Haaland, defeated Brazil 2-0. The Egyptian football federation has filed a complaint with FIFA regarding alleged serious refereeing mistakes in their 3-2 loss to Argentina.
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Dutch debutant Olav Kooij of Decathlon CMA CGM Team secured victory in the fifth stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday, triumphing in a chaotic sprint finish. The 24-year-old rider beat German Max Kanter, who placed second, and Belgian Tim Merlier, who finished third. The stage, a 158 km race between Lannemezan and Pau in southwestern France, saw a significant crash five kilometers from the finish line, impacting several teams and riders. Race leader Torstein Traeen of Norway, despite being involved in the crash, maintained his yellow jersey. Kooij expressed his excitement, stating it was "unbelievable" to win his first sprint opportunity in the Tour. The crash disrupted lead-out efforts for sprinters, leading to a disorganized run to the finish. Kooij emerged from the disarray with a strong surge to achieve his pre-Tour goal of winning a sprint stage. Traeen managed to finish 14 seconds behind the winner, alongside other general classification contenders, aided by his Visma team. He reported only a minor knee wound from the incident. Earlier in the stage, Frenchman Baptiste Veistroffer undertook a solo breakaway for 144 kilometers before being reeled in by the peloton with 14 km remaining.
Coco Gauff, Karolina Muchova, Marta Kostyuk, and Linda Noskova are all set to make their first Wimbledon semi-final appearances, aiming for a spot in the final. Gauff, a two-time major winner, is the only player among them to have previously won a Grand Slam title, making her a favorite. She will face Muchova, against whom she holds a 6-1 head-to-head record, including wins in the 2023 US Open semi-finals and this year's Australian Open last 16. Muchova, a 2023 French Open runner-up, is seeking her second Grand Slam final. In the other semi-final, Kostyuk, who has won 21 of her last 22 matches, will play Noskova. Kostyuk recently reached her second successive Grand Slam semi-final and is expected to enter the world's top 10 rankings. Noskova, the youngest Wimbledon semi-finalist since 2018, secured her first Grand Slam semi-final spot after winning the Berlin Open, her first grass-court title.
Arthur Fery has made history by becoming the first male wildcard in 25 years to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals, following his victory over Flavio Cobolli. The 23-year-old Briton defeated Cobolli 6-4, 7-6 7/4, 6-0 in a quarter-final match. Fery is the first British wildcard to reach a Grand Slam semi-final in the Open era and will face French Open champion Alexander Zverev on Friday. His current world ranking is 114, making him the third-lowest ranked man since 1985 to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals. Fery's journey is particularly notable as he had only won two Grand Slam matches prior to this year's Wimbledon and faced a bone stress injury in his arm that affected him for 18 months. He secured his place in the semi-finals after a five-set victory against former world number three Grigor Dimitrov in the last 16. Fery's father, Loic, is the president of French football club Lorient, and his mother, Olivia, had a distinguished tennis career. Fery, who moved from France to London as a child, needed a wildcard to enter Wimbledon this year. The area where fans gather at the All England Club has been unofficially named 'Arthur鈥檚 Seat' in his honor.