FIFA World Cup 2026: “Spoke to whole team,” England coach Thomas Tuch…

Georgia [US], July 15 (ANI): England manager Thomas Tuchel revealed that he held a meeting with his players to address the fallout from their quarterfinal victory over Norway and ensure the squad was fully focused ahead of the FIFA World Cup semifinal against Argentina, according to The Athletic. iwanktv.club

England’s 2-1 win over Norway in Miami was followed by scrutiny over Tuchel’s public criticism of the team’s performance and Jude Bellingham’s response. Ahead of Wednesday’s semifinal, the England boss said he wanted to put the controversy behind the team and shift their attention entirely to the challenge posed by Argentina.

Tuchel was keen before the semifinal to emphasise that he had “no problem" with Bellingham’s post-match comments, and to say that he and Bellingham see things in the same way.

“I think we come from the same place," Tuchel said, as quoted by The Athletic. “Our comments come from the same place from being competitive and having the edge when competition is on."

“I spoke to the whole team, we debriefed," Tuchel said. “I spoke to the whole team after in the dressing room, which was basically the same message."

Tuchel said he asked his players to put the controversy surrounding their FIFA World Cup quarterfinal win over Norway behind them and focus fully on Wednesday’s semifinal against defending champions Argentina.

“I explained it again on Sunday evening to just move on forward," Tuchel said, as quoted by The Athletic. “And then we straight away in the talk put on a new direction, put on a new head: which is the semi-final and Argentina."

Tuchel put Bellingham’s comments in the context of his physical exhaustion and reiterated the positive aspects of his post-match messaging.

“(Bellingham) was just confronted with the negative side, often with a critique of my side," Tuchel said of the midfielder’s post-match comments. “I called him a world-class player, I said he had world-class actions again to decide the match. I said the mentality is outstanding of this team. All of that was not part of the question. I get it."

Tuchel praised Argentina’s resilience and emotional approach ahead of their FIFA World Cup semifinal clash, describing the defending champions as a team with a special “edge" but insisting his side is prepared for the challenge.

“They have this kind of edge," Tuchel said.

“You can sense it when they’re going a goal down, and when matches are tight. They’re a tough team to beat," he added.

The England boss highlighted the continuity within the Argentina squad, noting that much of the group has remained together since their 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph.

“They’re almost the same group as four years ago. You can see the cohesion, you can see the sacrifice that they put into it. They don’t panic when they’re behind. They believe in their style. And their style is a very emotional style. It was in Qatar, and it is now," Tuchel said.

He also acknowledged the motivation Argentina draw from their footballing history but backed England’s mentality to match the challenge.

“And of course, they are fuelled by history; it means a lot to them. But we are also emotional; we have the grit, we have the mentality that it takes to go up against it. And we are ready for it," Tuchel added.

England will face defending champions Argentina in the second FIFA World Cup semifinal, with the winners set to meet Spain in the final after La Roja defeated France 2-0 in the first semifinal. (ANI)

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The FBI has identified the England versus Argentina match as high risk due to their enduring rivalry. This intense competition stems from historical events like the 1986 World Cup match and the Falklands War. Argentinian players and officials have invoked the war and Diego Maradona's legacy to fuel the rivalry. The UK government maintains the Falkland Islanders' right to self-determination and their British identity.

Arlington (Texas) [US], July 15 (ANI): Spain’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal has already turned his attention to the FIFA World Cup 2026 final after helping La Roja defeat France 2-0 in the semi-finals, declaring on social media that the team is ready for the title clash in New York.

Shortly after Spain secured their place in only their second FIFA World Cup final, Yamal shared pictures from the match on Instagram with the caption, “nuevayol vamos por ti," which translates to, “New York, we’re coming for you."

The 19-year-old played a key role in Spain’s victory at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, where he was one of two teenagers, alongside Pau Cubarsi, to start for La Roja. It marked the first time in FIFA World Cup history that two teenagers started for the same team in a semi-final.

Spain produced a composed display to outclass France and book a place in the World Cup final for the first time since lifting the trophy in 2010.

Yamal made a decisive impact in the opening half when he intelligently stole possession from Lucas Digne before being brought down inside the penalty area. Mikel Oyarzabal converted the resulting spot-kick in the 22nd minute to hand Spain the lead.

France struggled to recover as Spain continued to dictate possession. After the break, Pedro Porro combined with Dani Olmo before calmly finishing past Mike Maignan to double La Roja’s advantage and put the contest beyond Didier Deschamps’ side.

Yamal thought he had added a third goal moments later, only for his effort to be ruled out for a marginal offside. France threatened briefly through Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni, but Spain’s disciplined defence held firm to record its sixth clean sheet in seven matches at the tournament.

The victory sends Spain into only the second World Cup final in the nation’s history and ends a long wait for a return to football’s biggest stage after their triumph in South Africa 16 years ago.

Spain will now travel to New York New Jersey Stadium for Sunday’s final, where they will face the winner of the second semi-final between defending champions Argentina and England, scheduled to be played in Atlanta.

With his celebratory message already looking ahead to the title decider, Yamal made it clear that Spain’s journey is not over as they prepare for one final step in pursuit of a second FIFA World Cup crown. (ANI)

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Smriti Mandhana reflected on India's historic Lord's Test victory and her significant contributions. She also discussed lessons learned from past T20 World Cup disappointments. The impact of the Women's Premier League on Indian talent was also a key topic. Mandhana expressed her readiness to lead India if the captaincy opportunity arises. She highlighted the importance of a positive team culture in her leadership philosophy.