Before the game against Morocco, former England striker Ian Wright called Deschamps’ side “one of the most clear favourites for a World Cup tournament I have ever seen”.
After a dominant victory in Boston, in which France had 22 attempts compared to only five from Morocco, who had their only shot on target in the 83rd minute, Wright remained impressed.
“It is difficult to see the weakness,” said Wright. “If Spain get through they have the quality to maybe pass through them and maybe the pace of Lamine Yamal to try and punish them, but France look imperious. Then you have got individual brilliance.”
As well as Mbappe and Dembele, France also have plenty of further attacking options in their squad, including Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise, Paris St-Germain pair Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue, Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki and Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta.
At the opposite end, France have now only conceded two goals in six games – late on in a 3-1 win over Senegal and once in the 4-1 victory over Norway, albeit a side that had rested most of their first 11 having already qualified for the knockout phases.
“France have got more gears to go,” said former Manchester United captain Roy Keane. “France were so much better in every aspect of the game, but it doesn’t mean they cannot be beaten.
“France are in a great place. You have your attacking players scoring goals and your individual players going past people. Any chance of beating France you have got to score the first goal. Even if they get the first goal, teams have to come at them, and they will pick you off for fun.”
Bonnie Tyler, the husky-voiced, powerhouse vocalist who performed memorable and dramatic pop rock songs including “Total Eclipse of the Heart” in the 1980s, has died.
The Welsh singer died in a Portugal hospital on Wednesday night, according to a statement on her official website and social media accounts Thursday morning. Prior to her death, Tyler was hospitalized and underwent emergency intestinal surgery in May 2026. She was placed in an induced coma to aid her recovery which she awoke from in mid-June but remained “very unwell,” her family said at the time. She was 75.
“Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for,” the statement read.
A three-time Grammy Award nominee, Tyler first rose to fame in the late 1970s. She was known for her raspy vocals, offering listeners an edgier sound that also melded rock and pop. Tyler released a total of 18 studio albums, beginning with her debut, “The World Starts Tonight,” in 1977. But she solidified her place in music with collaborations with songwriter-producer Jim Steinman, a hitmaker who worked with Meat Loaf, Air Supply and Celine Dion.
Tyler contributed her powerful voice to Steinman’s dramatic “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” which was released in 1983 ahead of her fifth studio album, “Faster Than the Speed of Night.” Steinman initially envisioned the power ballad as a core piece in a musical adaptation of “Nosferatu,” but with Tyler, the number took on a different life.
“Total Eclipse of the Heart” climbed music charts and earned Tyler a Grammy nomination for female pop vocal performance in 1984. In addition to its commercial and critical success, Tyler’s moody hit became a mainstay in pop culture, covered in the musical TV series “Glee” and finding new life in versions by One Direction, Kelly Clarkson and several other musical acts.
“When I first heard it, I couldn’t believe it had been given to me to record. I just cried at the intense emotion of it and was so happy to have that song,” Tyler told the Guardian in 2009. “Now when I go on stage and sing ‘Total Eclipse,’ everybody sings with me. So many people say they fell in love to it and it means a hell of a lot to them. It’s such an anthem, and such a wonderful feeling, I never get tired of singing it.”
“Total Eclipse of the Heart” wasn’t the only celebrated hit from Tyler.
A year later, she performed “Holding Out for a Hero,” produced by Steinman and co-written by Dean Pitchford, for the 1984 film classic “Footloose,” starring Kevin Bacon. The energetic anthem, which features Tyler’s thunderous voice over a racing beat, also climbed the Billboard Hot 100 (it peaked at No. 34) and went on to be featured in other screen projects, including a pivotal scene in the animated comedy “Shrek 2,” with Jennifer Saunders performing the hit.
Tyler, also known for “Bitterblue,” written and produced by Dieter Bohlen, continued releasing music throughout the ’90s and early aughts. Amid the process of creating her 16th album, “Rocks and Honey,” Tyler joined the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013 to represent the United Kingdom. Though she finished 19th, she said at the time she was glad she competed “because it was an incredible experience,” likening it to the Grammy Awards. She released “Rocks and Honey” that same year, her penultimate album, “Between the Earth and the Stars,” in 2019 and her final album, “The Best Is Yet to Come” in 2021.
In 2022, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire during Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, recognizing Tyler’s contributions to music.
Tyler was born Gaynor Hopkins on June 8, 1951, to homemaker Elsie and coal miner Glyndwr, and was one of seven children. She was raised Protestant and cared for by her grandparents in the small Welsh town of Skewen. Her passion for music could be traced to watching British charts program “Top of the Pops” with her father, writing down lyrics to the hits of the time and singing them herself. Tyler officially caught the singing bug after placing second at the talent show hosted by a local rugby club.
After the contest, the singer continued her artistic pursuit, performing with a handful of bands including Bobby Wayne & the Dixies and, later, Imagination. She was eventually scouted and traveled to London to record a few demos but did not immediately hear back. “After two years, someone called me out of the blue and told me I’d got a record deal on the same label as Elvis,” she recalled to the Guardian.
The singer underwent several name changes over the course of the career. First she pivoted to Sherene Davis to avoid confusion with fellow Welsh vocalist Mary Hopkin. Then once more, at the behest of RCA Records, to Bonnie Tyler — a name she conjured up by mixing and matching names she read in a local newspaper.
Now Bonnie Tyler, the singer released her debut single “My! My! Honeycomb!” in 1976 and her debut album the following year. However, she would not come into her signature sound until the spring of 1977. Tyler suffered nodules on her vocal cords and underwent surgery to remove them. She feared her career would end as a result, though that would be far from the case.
Tyler, after a brief recovery period, returned to the recording studio with a huskier, edgier voice. “It turned out losing my voice was not too treacherous for me,” she told the Guardian. She released “It’s a Heartache” in 1977 with her raspy voice front and center.
“I had my first hit in America with my new husky voice on ‘It’s a Heartache,’” she said. “Maybe my husky voice was what that song, and my career, needed.”
After her tenure with RCA Records, Tyler signed with CBS Records in 1982, leading to her memorable collaborations with Steinman. At the end of the ’90s, Tyler signed with Hansa/BMG Ariola and, eventually, with EastWest Records and continued to find success in continental Europe. In addition to her albums, Tyler embarked on several tours, most recently her Between the Earth and the Stars live tour in 2019. Her most recent release was “Together” in July 2025, produced by electronic music artist David Guetta, which samples the chorus of “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”
Tyler married former Olympic martial artist Robert Sullivan in 1973. The pair never had their own children — the singer suffered a miscarriage at age 39 — but experienced “no shortage of children,” she told the Guardian in 2012. Tyler had numerous godchildren, more than a dozen nieces and nephews and multiple great-nieces and great-nephews. With her fame, Tyler supported her family and purchased several properties including a home in Mumbles, Wales, and a home in Portugal.
When Tyler reflected on her decades-long career for the BBC in 2019, she said she had long exceeded her own expectations.
“I didn’t expect ever to be making records,” she said at the time. “I was just happy being in a band, singing.”
BONNIE Tyler fans have some incredible songs to remember her by after the sad news of her passing in Portugal on Wednesday night.
On Thursday it was confirmed that the singer had died aged 75, weeks after undergoing emergency surgery and being put in an induced coma.
Bonnie Tyler’s most iconic hits revealed after her death was confirmed on ThursdayCredit: AFPBonnie’s most well known song, Total Eclipse Of The Heart, peaked at number 1 in 1983Credit: YouTube
The star was put into a coma back in April at Faro Hospital, later suffered complications, but woke up from the coma in June.
Her heartbroken family shared a statement that she had passed away from an illness last night.
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Bonnie, who was born in Gaynor Hopkins in Mumbles, SouthWales, shot to fame in the 70s and has had an amazing singing career.
Over the years, according to Official Charts, Bonnie has had one UK No.1, five UK top 10s, seven UK top 40s, and 12 UK top 75s.
Bonnie was born in Gaynor Hopkins in Mumbles, South WalesCredit: Getty – ContributorThe legendary singer fell ill in AprilCredit: Getty – Contributor
Her single Total Eclipse Of The Heart, which was released in 1983, peaked at No.1 and was there for a total of two weeks.
Meanwhile the 1984 tune, Holding Out For A Hero, peaked at number 96 in the charts.
It’s A Heartache, which was released in 1977, got to number 4 and was in the charts for 12 weeks.
And the 1976 tune Lost In France hit number nine and was there for a total of 10 weeks.
Married Men, which was released in 1979, peaked at 35 and was in the charts for 42 days.
The 1983 song Fasted The The Speed Of Night was in the charts for 35 days and managed to get to number 47.
And Have You Ever Seen The Rain?, released in 1983, hit number 47 and was in the charts for three weeks.
She’s also had a number of other chart-topping songs including A Rockin’ Good Way, Getting So Excited, Holding Out For A Hero, and Believe In Me.
Bonnie had one UK number 1, five UK top 10s, seven UK top 40s, and 12 UK top 75sCredit: PAOver the years she also released over 15 studio albums.Credit: Reuters
Over the years she also released over 15 studio albums.
Her album, Faster Than The Speed Of Light, peaked at No.1 in 1983 and was there for one week.
It stayed in the charts for an amazing 45 weeks.
The Greatest Hits peaked at number 18 in 1986 and was in the charts for 21 weeks.
Her other albums include The World Starts Tonight (1977), Natural Force (1978), Diamond Cut (1979), Goodbye to the Island (1981), Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire (1986).
Some of her others are Hide Your Heart (1988),Bitterblue (1991), Angel Heart (1992), Silhouette in Red (1993), Free Spirit (1995), All in One Voice (1998), Heart Strings (2003), Simply Believe (2004), Wings (2005), Rocks and Honey (2013) and Between the Earth and the Stars (2019).
And most recently, The Best Is Yet to Come, which was released five years ago.
It comes after a statement published on the singer’s website today (9 July 2026) confirmed the legendary singer passed away last night following an illness.
It read: “Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for.
“We will issue a further statement shortly but for now ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy.”
In April, she began to feel intense abdominal pain shortly after arriving in Portugal, where she has a second home, following tests in London.
Singer Delta Goodrem is hoping to turn Australia’s Eurovision fortunes aroundCredit: GettyDelta will compete in the second Eurovision Semi-Final live in ViennaCredit: EPA
The reality star is representing Cyprus with her song Jalla.
Australia, who have competed in the contest since 2015, has failed to make it past the semi-finals since 2023, when Voyager’s track Promise saw them finish in ninth place in Liverpool.
Speaking to Bizarre, Delta revealed she has put just as much effort into the production of her performance as she has the song itself.
Delta said: “I have definitely been learning on the job.
“This is my first ever Eurovision. The staging is just as important as the song.
“When I was working on the track, I wanted to make sure there was a lyric that lends itself to a journey in the production.
“I wrote it thinking about what the staging looks like and what exactly we are saying in the song.”
Delta revealed she has put just as much effort into the production of her performance as she has the song itselfCredit: EPAThe Sun’s Jack pictured alongside Delta
Admitting she was like a kid in a candy store when choosing her stage effects, Delta added: “You can do all sorts of things.
“They give you a long list.. honestly, what an amazing opportunity.
“You can have fire, wind, you name it. I felt like I was going shopping.”
Last year’s 2025 contest in Basel, Switzerland, was watched by a staggering 166 million people.
However, Delta insists she isn’t fazed by the massive global audience set to watch her tonight.
She said: “It doesn’t matter if it’s Hackney, the Commonwealth Games, Eurovision, or my outdoor pop-up in Camden earlier this year, I care just as much about every single performance.
“My game plan is simple, stay true to myself and bring it.”
While Delta is determined to make her country proud, she isn’t taking things too seriously.
In fact, she says bonding with fellow contestants has been a highlight.
Delta said: “Eurovision is completely its own world. I met a lot of artists in Oslo earlier this year and you naturally find your friends. Denmark’s Soren Torpegaar came up to me and told me how he went to one of my shows the last time I was in Denmark. It was really sweet.
ON August 12, a total solar eclipse will sweep across northern Spain and the Balearics – the first to cross mainland Europe since 1999, and the first visible in Spain since 1905.
For UK holidaymakers, it’s a rare chance to pair a week in the sun with a once-in-a-lifetime moment – totality arriving with the sun just degrees above the horizon, creating what astronomers are calling a “sunset eclipse”.
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On August 12, a total solar eclipse will sweep across northern Spain and the Balearics – the first to cross mainland Europe since 1999Credit: Getty
Astro-tourism is tipped to be big for this year off the back of this — but it doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
TravelSupermarket has done some digging to discover the perfect holidays to pair fun in the sun with a chance to view the eclipse.
Head of Holidays Chris Webber says: “What makes August 12 special is the timing.
“Because the eclipse arrives just before sunset, anyone on the Balearics will see totality with the sun sitting just above the horizon.
“Our advice is simple — if you want to be there, book now.
“The eclipse falls in the peak of the school holidays, and west-facing hotels on Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca are already getting snapped up.”
Here, LISA MINOT, Head of Travel, shines a light on six great places to see the phenomenon.
NOJA, CANTABRIA
Noja is a proper Atlantic surf town and an under-the-radar shout for eclipse watchersCredit: Qarlos Qastilla
TUCKED on Cantabria’s north coast, Noja is a proper Atlantic surf town and an under-the-radar shout for eclipse watchers.
Playa de Ris faces north-west, picking up clean swell off the Bay of Biscay and giving a clear, unbroken sightline as the sun drops — so you could even be out catching waves when it happens.
It’s not a polished resort town, more of a wild, local and friendly vibe.
Stay at La Casona de Noja, a small, intimate bolthole a short walk from both the town centre and the beach — plain but comfortable, with an on-site restaurant and bar.
GO: Seven nights’ room-only at the 2* La Casona de Noja is from £779pp including flights from Gatwick on August 6.
Madrid is a brilliant base for combining a city break with the main eventCredit: Alexander Spatari
MADRID sits just outside the path of totality, but it makes a brilliant base for combining a city break with the main event.
From the capital, it’s a straightforward run north into Castilla y León, with Burgos and Valladolid both in the path of totality.
Zaragoza is another well-connected option. On the day, the priority is an open view of the low western sky.
For your city stay, the 4* NH Madrid Balboa is a great choice in the upscale Salamanca district, minutes from the Retiro Park and the city’s designer shopping streets, with light, wood-floored rooms and a daily breakfast buffet.
GO: Three nights’ room-only at the NH Madrid Balboa is from £354pp including flights from Stansted on August 11, hand luggage only.
Salou lets you combine seeing the eclipse with a classic Med beach holidayCredit: Getty
FOR families who want the eclipse built into a classic Med beach holiday, Salou is the pick.
The Costa Dorada sits in the path of totality, and Salou’s long, west-facing promenade means you can watch the eclipse without leaving your hotel terrace.
PortAventura is half an hour up the road if you want to build the week around theme parks too.
The Cala Font hotel is perched above its own cove just outside Salou, with pools, a spa and half-board dining — solid, sociable and built for a family week.
GO: Seven nights’ half-board at the 4* Cala Font hotel is from £868pp including flights from Stansted on August 6.
Majorca will give you a true sunset eclipseCredit: Getty
MAJORCA is arguably the most exciting spot of the lot.
The eclipse will reach the island with the sun only a couple of degrees above the horizon — a true sunset eclipse.
The west coast is the place to be for the clearest sightline, and Peguera, on the south-west, ticks the box — a laid-back resort with wide, west-facing beaches at Platja de Palmira and Playas de Paguera.
For your perfect stay, the 4* Hotel Vibra Beverly Playa sits right on the coast in Peguera, with two outdoor pools, a kids’ club and buffet dining for a great family break.
GO: Seven nights’ B&B at the Hotel Vibra Beverly Playa is from £841pp including flights from Luton on August 11.
San Antonio is one of the best places in Ibiza to catch the eclipseCredit: L. Apolli / AidBC
SAN Antonio already has a reputation as the sunset capital of Ibiza — Café del Mar and the Sunset Strip exist for a reason.
That same west-facing orientation makes it one of the best spots on the island to catch totality as the sun drops into the Mediterranean.
The path of totality runs right across Ibiza, and San Antonio Bay delivers the open horizon needed to see it properly.
Stay at the THB Ocean Beach, a 4* adults-only on the seafront in San Antonio Bay, with a rooftop pool, Bali beds and direct access to O Beach Ibiza next door.
GO: Seven nights’ room-only at THB Ocean Beach is from £1,374pp including flights from Gatwick on August 10, 22kg luggage and transfers.
For travellers who want the eclipse without the crowds, Ciutadella is itCredit: Getty
IF Ibiza is the party end of the Balearic eclipse trail, Ciutadella is the quiet one.
Sitting on Menorca’s west coast, the old capital is already known for some of the island’s finest sunset spots.
Castell de Sant Nicolau is a ten-minute walk from the centre, and Pont d’en Gil and the Punta Nati lighthouse are both a short drive away, all with wide, unobstructed views west across the Mediterranean towards Mallorca.
For travellers who want the eclipse without the crowds, this is it.
The 2* Alfons Hotel is in the heart of Ciutadella, a short walk from the beaches and the town’s cobbled centre, with a small spa, sun terrace and restaurant.
GO: Seven nights’ B&B at the Alfons is from £998pp including flights from Gatwick on August 11, 22kg luggage and transfers.
