Curse

Adverse weather does not dampen Mexico’s party as the cohosts storm into the last 16 by beating Ecuador.

Mexico turned on the style at their iconic Azteca Stadium on Tuesday, brushing Ecuador aside 2-0 to break their FIFA World Cup knockout curse dating back 40 years.

The round-of-32 match was delayed for an hour due to stormy weather, and when it started, the co-hosts flew out of the blocks, mounting wave after wave of attacks.

In a supercharged atmosphere, Julian Quinones gave Mexico a deserved lead midway through the first half with a thunderous strike, and then turned provider for Raul Jimenez.

Ecuador desperately needed to wrest back the momentum after the break but struggled to shift through the gears, with the home side largely in control.

Mexico had not won a World Cup knockout game since 1986, when it last hosted the tournament.

Tuesday’s win means Mexico are now unbeaten in 10 World Cup games at the Azteca and will fancy their chances against England or the Democratic Republic of Congo in the round of 16.

Mexico were one of only three teams in the group phase to win all three of their matches, alongside title favourites France and reigning champions Argentina, and did not concede a single goal.

Ecuador finished third in their group, scoring just two goals.

Gilberto Mora, 17, was named in the starting line-up for Mexico, becoming the second-youngest player to start a knockout match at the World Cup finals behind Brazil legend Pele in 1958.

The home team started on the front foot, refusing to allow a shell-shocked Ecuador to settle.

Jimenez wasted a glorious headed chance in the seventh minute, and Mora flashed just wide.

At the other end, John Yeboah muscled his way into the penalty area in a rare foray forward for the visitors, clipping the outside of the near post.

Mexico took the lead in the 22nd minute when Saudi-based Quinones received the ball from Roberto Alvarado and tore down the left before driving into the box and unleashing an unstoppable shot past goalkeeper Hernan Galindez, raising the roof.

The first hydration break failed to change the script, and Mexico doubled their lead after half an hour when Quinones fed Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jimenez, who fired a rocket into the top corner.

Raul Rangel produced a fine save to keep out another Yeboah effort, as Ecuador got a foothold in the match, but chances kept flowing at the other end.

Ecuador coach Sebastian Beccacece made several changes after the break in an effort to find a way back into the match. But Mexico, largely content to sit back, still looked the more threatening team, with Cesar Montes twice going close.

Ecuador substitute Kevin Rodriguez poked just wide with just over a quarter of an hour remaining, but their chances ran out. Piero Hincapie was sent off in stoppage time after covering his mouth during a confrontation with an opposition player to cap a miserable night for Ecuador.

Mexico will hope the Azteca, which hosted the World Cup final in 1970 and 1986, works its magic again in the last 16 on Sunday.

From the quarterfinals onwards, all the matches at the World Cup will be taking place in the United States.

The Owens family curse strikes again — and this time it’s here for the next generation.

In the new trailer for “Practical Magic 2,” released Wednesday, Sally’s (Sandra Bullock) daughter Kylie (Joey King) learns about her family’s legacy and curse after her paramour is involved in an accident.

“It’s true, we’re witches and the curse is real,” Sally tells a tearful Kylie, who along with her sister (Maisie Williams) grew up being told stories where everyone who fell in love died. But the siblings didn’t believe they were actually cursed.

“I will never trust you again,” Kylie responds.

Directed by Susanne Bier, the sequel of 1998’s “Practical Magic” will follow Sally and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) as they chase after Kylie who has set off to “fix the curse,” which will put her on a dark path. Along the way, the sisters encounter a mysterious “scholar of the craft” played by Lee Pace.

The trailer also offers a glimpse into Sally and Gillian’s present lives — with the latter teasing the former’s apparent lack of love life. It seems Sally is uninterested in tempting the fates since for generations those who have fallen in love with members of the Owens family have been cursed to die. Even after things take a turn with the tragic accident, it’s clear that their sisterly bond remains strong. While Sally seems worried about her daughters inheriting her powers, the clip also hints that there might be some happier times ahead.

Also returning for the sequel are Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing, who play Sally and Gilly’s aunts Jet and Franny Owens. In the original film, Jet and Fran are the witchy, eccentric aunts who took in their nieces after their parents died. The “Practical Magic 2” cast also includes Xolo Maridueña, who plays Kylie’s seemingly ill-fated love interest, and Solly McLeod.

Written by Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett and Kelly Marcel, “Practical Magic 2” is based on the 2021 novel “The Book of Magic,” the fourth and final installment of author Alice Hoffman’s “Practical Magic” series.

“Practical Magic 2” will hit theaters Sept. 11.

SOPHIA Grace and Rosie were the viral child stars who went from their Essex bedrooms to rubbing shoulders with Hollywood’s finest – landing roles alongside the likes of Ariana Grande, appearing on the Ellen Show and even bagging their own movie.

But fast forward 15 years and the cousins have traded the bright lights of Tinseltown for very different lives back home in the UK, as The Sun lifts the lid on how they coped after they were no longer the cheeky youngsters the world fell in love with, and avoided the dreaded child star ‘curse’.

Sophia Grace, now 23, and Rosie, now 19, were cousins who rose to prominence by uploading videos from their Essex bedrooms to YouTube.

In 2011, it was a video of the duo, who were then eight and five, respectively, performing a cover of “Super Bass” by Nicki Minaj that caught the attention of US megastar Ellen DeGeneres.

She invited them to fly across to the US to appear as guests on her eponymous show, which led to a regular slot for the girls and exposure to fans across the pond, who fell in love with the tutu-wearing duo and their British charm.

The girls had their own segment on the show where they would chat with A-listers, from Justin Bieber to Hugh Grant and Taylor Swift. This then led to them bagging appearances on Nickelodeon show Sam and Cat, which featured Ariana Grande in the titular role, and their own movie by the channel, Sophia Grace & Rosie’s Royal Adventure.

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However, as Sophia Grace and Rosie got older, the high-flying opportunities also came to a halt, with the young women no longer as in demand as their younger selves once were.

A close friend of the cousins tells The Sun: “People don’t realise how intense it was back then for the girls. One minute Sophia and Rosie were just kids playing dress-up, and the next they were everywhere – on TV, interviews and cashing in on big brand deals. 

“It felt like the world couldn’t get enough of them. But that kind of spotlight doesn’t really grow with you, it stays frozen in time.

“I remember when things started to shift. It wasn’t dramatic, the calls just slowed down. Not because they weren’t talented, but because they weren’t those tiny girls in tutus that the world couldn’t help but fall in love with anymore. The industry loves a moment, it’s not always about the person behind it.”

Now, Sophia Grace is a doting mum-of-two and often shares mumfluencer content with her little ones to her Instagram page, which still boasts an impressive 1.5 million followers.

Whilst Rosie, who has just shy of one million followers, is an aspiring pop star and often shares music videos and new songs to her profile.

Despite the pair still successful online, that doesn’t mean it’s been an easy transition, as they navigated being shunned from Hollywood for simply growing up.

The friend said: “They had to go through that strange identity thing a lot of child stars face. Like, who am I if I’m not that version of me everyone fell in love with? It’s not just about losing jobs, it’s about outgrowing a character the whole world still expects you to be.

“There was definitely a period where it hurt. They’d worked so hard, and suddenly it felt like they had to prove themselves all over again, but as completely different people. That’s exhausting, especially when your past success kind of boxes you in.”

This had the girls thinking about what is next as they reinvented their careers, rather than remaining stuck.

“What people don’t see is how much strength it took for them to step back and rethink everything. They didn’t just cling to what used to work. They had to start asking bigger questions like what do we actually enjoy now? What kind of life do we want outside of all that?

“They’ve had to evolve and figure out who they are without the glitz glam and cameras. And I think that was harder than actually being famous in the first place.

“There’s something bittersweet about it. Now they’re building something quieter, more personal and it actually belongs fully to them this time.”

Child stars who have been catapulted to fame so young are famously at risk of falling victim to the “curse”, which has seen numerous celebrities fall off the wagon after earning their careers at such a young age.

From Drew Barrymore to Macaulay Culkin and Britney Spears, several stars have spoken out about their struggles with mental health, addiction, financial issues and more after being put under such pressure so young.

But Sophia Grace and Rosie have managed to successfully manage becoming household names so young whilst avoiding being plagued with the curse.

“People always expect a sad ending with child stars, like it’s inevitable that something will go wrong once the spotlight fades. But that was never going to be their story,” said the friend.

Explaining how they managed to remain grounded, they said that the pair have always been “normal and down to earth”, even when things were “unpredictable” in their careers.

“Sophia was always the one with that natural warmth. Even as a kid, she had this way of making people feel comfortable around her, what you saw was exactly what you got,” said our insider.

“Becoming a mum didn’t change her either, it’s been the making of her. She talks a lot about wanting to give her child stability, something consistent and safe, because she knows firsthand how unusual her own childhood was.

“What people see online is only a small window into their world – behind the scenes she’s very careful, and very protective of her family life. She’s also been smart financially, which people don’t expect. She made sure early on that she wasn’t just spending what she earned, she was thinking about the future. She’s got investments, savings and she’s financially fine for a very long time.”

And for Rosie, it seems that music was always the long-term plan.

“She stepped back, took time to grow up outside of the spotlight, build up her confidence and then came back to it on her own terms. That’s something I really admire about her. She’s spent years working on her voice, writing, figuring out what she actually wants to say as an artist instead of trying to recreate something from the past. 

“There’s a lot of discipline there, and a kind of quiet confidence that people may have otherwise overlooked. She’s not chasing attention at all because she’s building something meaningful and long term.

“The thing that really stands out about both of them is that they never lost themselves in it. They had good people around them from early on, family who kept things steady and didn’t let the fame become everything. And they listened to that. They made choices that weren’t the flashiest, but they were the right ones for the lives they all wanted.”

The duo were also meticulously careful about money, our source says, despite having an influx of earnings so young.

“At the end of the day, they didn’t just grow out of being child stars, they grew into adults with lives that are  real and wonderful. And that’s something you can’t fake for likes.”