
Egypt's coach Hossam Hassan stated that it is "not certain" if captain Mohamed Salah will start in the World Cup 2026 round of 16 match against Australia on Friday. Salah, a former Liverpool star winger, sustained a thigh muscle injury in the last group stage match against Iran, which ended in a 1-1 draw, and was substituted. Hassan mentioned that Salah was partially reintegrated into collective training only on Wednesday. While Salah is eager to play, Hassan emphasized he would not take any risks unless Salah is 100% fit. He added that he is not certain Salah will be in the starting lineup. Neither Australia nor Egypt has ever won a knockout stage match in the World Cup. The winner of this match is likely to face Lionel Messi's Argentina, the reigning champions, who are strong favorites in their round of 16 game against Cape Verde.
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SeneNews will provide live coverage of the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 match between Portugal and Croatia. The game is scheduled for Thursday, July 2, 2026, with kickoff at 11:00 PM Dakar time at BMO Field. The article will feature live scores, goals, substitutions, cards, and a summary of key moments, updated automatically throughout the match. Both teams are expected to play a 4-2-3-1 formation. Portugal's starting lineup includes Diogo Costa, Jo茫o Cancelo, R煤ben Dias, Renato Veiga, Nuno Mendes, Jo茫o Neves, Vitinha, Pedro Neto, Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Le茫o, and Cristiano Ronaldo, coached by Roberto Martinez. Croatia's starting XI features Dominik Livakovi膰, Josip Stani拧i膰, Josip 艩utalo, Marin Pongra膷i膰, Ivan Peri拧i膰, Luka Modri膰, Mateo Kova膷i膰, Nikola Vla拧i膰, Petar Su膷i膰, Martin Baturina, and Ante Budimir, under coach Zlatko Dalic. Espen Eskas from Norway will officiate the match.

Senegalese midfielder Pape Matar Sarr deactivated his Instagram account following Senegal's 3-2 loss to Belgium in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. Senegal, leading 2-0, conceded three goals after Sarr entered the game in the second half, leading to their elimination. Sarr faced significant criticism from supporters on social media after the match. Other Senegalese players, including Lamine Camara, also received strong criticism. Sarr has not publicly commented on the reasons for deactivating his Instagram account.
Must ReadThe French public prosecutor's office announced on Thursday its intention to appeal to the Court of Cassation following the Paris Court of Appeal's refusal to extradite Doro Gaye, a former advisor to former Senegalese President Macky Sall. Gaye is sought in Senegal on charges of fraud amounting to nearly 1.9 million euros. The Court of Appeal declined the extradition, citing insufficient guarantees from Senegalese authorities regarding the European Convention on Human Rights and concerns about the "risk of inhuman and degrading treatment" in detention. Gaye, 47, was arrested in France in December 2024. His defense argues that the extradition request is politically motivated, noting that the complaint against him was filed on the last day of Macky Sall's term. Senegal, which suspended all extraditions to France in December 2025, accusing France of non-cooperation, is also seeking the extradition of media executive Madiambal Diagne from Paris, against whom an international arrest warrant has been issued. In March, the Versailles Court of Appeal issued a "partially favorable" opinion regarding Diagne's extradition request.