loss

There has been unrest on the streets of London where Morocco fans were confronted by police following their team’s 2-0 loss to France and exit from the World Cup. Several arrests were reportedly made late on Thursday night around London’s Edgware road.

Celebrity Gogglebox couple Mollie King and Stuart Broad’s love story hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park

Mollie King and Stuart Broad make their Celebrity Gogglebox debut this week – but what do we know about their romance?

Singer Molly shot to fame as a member of chart-topping group The Saturdays, before becoming a TV and radio star. Stuart, meanwhile, is best known for being a cricketer before retiring from the sport in 2023.

The pair have been dating for several years, got engaged in 2021, and also share two children. So with Mollie and Stuart on Celebrity Gogglebox this week, we’re taking a look inside their romance.

Mollie and Stuart’s initial split

Mollie and Stuart started dating in 2012, but the relationship ended less than a year later. They eventually rekindled their romance, became engaged, and now share two children – but it nearly never got off the ground.

Stuart revealed that his demanding cricket schedule, combined with Mollie’s busy career, made maintaining their relationship extremely challenging. “Typical of young professionals, we were all over the place,” he wrote in his 2023 autobiography, Broadly Speaking.

“In early 2013, I flew off to India for some one-dayers and then on to New Zealand. Mollie went to film in Los Angeles, and despite really enjoying each other’s company, being at opposite ends of the world didn’t help us stay in touch.

“It is fair to say we were two people putting their careers first at that stage in our lives. I would never have guessed how big an impact she would have later on mine.”

Mollie and Stuart’s engagement

Fast forward to 2019 and Mollie and Stuart gave it another go – and their relationship took a decisive turn during a make-or-break trip to Paris, which helped them reconnect. Two years later, they got engaged.

To celebrate, Mollie shared snaps of the couple on Instagram, showing off her dazzling diamond engagement ring. She captioned the post: “A thousand times yes! I still can’t believe it, the most magical start to the new year! I can’t wait to spend all my years with you @stuartbroad.”

According to Stuart, though, the engagement almost never happened because someone was sitting on the bench where he planned to pop the question to Mollie.

“I was like, ‘Aaargghh!’ I gave him the eyes to suggest he moved on, but after doing another loop of the park, he was still there,” Stuart wrote in his autobiography.

“So I persuaded Mollie to go round once more. Next time, he’d gone. We had about 15 minutes of enjoying the moment together before we walked up to the highest point of the hill and, to Mollie’s surprise, we were greeted by her mum and dad, who I’d arranged to be standing waiting at the top so she could share the excitement of the moment with them.”

In 2022, Mollie gave birth to a daughter, Annabelle, while their second daughter, Liliana, arrived in January 2025.

Sad reason Molly has yet to plan wedding

Despite being engaged for a long time, Mollie recently revealed that she has been putting off marrying because she “can’t bear to think” about her wedding following the death of her father.

Her dad, Stephen, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2022, and he died in November of that year, just days after Mollie gave birth to her daughter, Annabella – and the singer has admitted she “struggles” to think about planning her big day without her father by her side.

“It [dad’s illness] happened so quickly, out of nowhere. I was in the final stage of the pregnancy, so it was incredibly tough. I’m so grateful Dad was able to meet my daughter and see me in this phase of my life,” she told The Times.

Mollie added, “I can’t bear to think about my wedding without Dad being there. Elements like walking down the aisle without him, I still struggle with. There needs to be a gap so I can process it all.”

Meanwhile, also talking about Mollie’s father’s death, Stuart wrote in his autobiography: “Sadly, he did not have long to live, and we felt that he was hanging on for Annabella’s arrival. It was of great comfort to Mollie that, despite this horrible disease, Steve was able to hold Annabella in his arms.

“He died, surrounded by his girls, 11 days after she was born. It was an unbelievably emotional time for Mollie — having the incredible joy at the birth of our beautiful baby while at the same time dealing with the grief of the devastating loss of her dad.

“I really don’t know how she managed it. I’m in awe of her inner strength and how she coped with both emotions.”

Celebrity Gogglebox airs every Friday at 9pm on Channel 4

Emmerdale stars Matthew Wolfenden and Roxy Shahidi suffered big losses on BBC’s Celebrity Antiques Road Trip

An Emmerdale icon suffered a massive financial loss during an episode of Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, leaving their co-star thoroughly unimpressed.

In a repeated episode of the BBC programme, originally broadcast in 2024, Matthew Wolfenden and Roxy Shahidi searched the Yorkshire Dales for antique treasures with the assistance of experts Hettie Jago and Steven Moore, hoping to turn a profit.

After spending money on various items, the auction arrived – but things went disastrously wrong for both Matthew, who portrayed Davide Metcalfe on the soap, and Leyla Harding actress Roxy. Matthew’s vintage stereoscope was first, which he’d purchased for £20, but disappointingly fetched just £7.

Next came Roxy, hoping her Derbyshire pietra dura paperweight – bought for £15 – would command an impressive sum. “If this doesn’t make a profit we were robbed because that’s worth at least £100,” Roxy’s expert Steven declared.

Sadly it sold for merely £14. A devastated Stephen confessed: “I need therapy,” while Roxy watched in disbelief.

Matters deteriorated further for the soap pair when bidding commenced on Matthew’s Art Deco rouge pot, purchased for £90. The opening bid was £10, prompting Matthew to gasp “oh no,” before it eventually sold for a paltry £16, reports the Express.

Matthew’s astonished teammate Hettie was left open-mouthed, while a stunned Matthew exclaimed: “I’m gobsmacked!” Meanwhile, Roxy’s final item was a magic lantern, which they had splashed out a whopping £236 on. Sadly, it failed to generate the interest she had anticipated.

The lantern fetched a mere £30 at auction. Upon hearing the outcome, Matthew couldn’t resist a cheeky dig at his former soap co-star Roxy, chuckling away as Hettie told her: “I’m so sorry.”

When the auction wrapped up, the final tallies revealed who had come out on top financially. Roxy and Steven ended up making a loss of £284.38, meaning Matthew and Hettie were crowned the victors, having incurred a smaller loss of £225.46.

Afterwards, a triumphant Matthew teased Roxy: “Can you see the smile on my face?” Roxy replied: “Yeah I can see it.”

Matthew added: “Why’s that?” With gritted teeth Roxy said: “That’s because you won…” as Matthew erupted in celebration.

Celebrity Antiques Road Trip airs on BBC Two.

July 7 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s defense acquisition chief apologized Tuesday for failing to win Canada’s next-generation submarine project, saying alliance interoperability was the decisive factor in Ottawa’s decision.

Lee Yong-cheol, head of South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration, said South Korea’s submarine proposal was competitive on performance, delivery schedule and maintenance, but Canada placed greater weight on its long-standing NATO defense network.

“I am sorry that we were unable to achieve the expected result despite strong public interest and all-out support from the Industry Ministry, Defense Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Navy and other government agencies,” Lee told reporters at the Defense Ministry press room. “The failure to secure the result was due to my lack of ability.”

Canada selected Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems as the preferred bidder for its Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, which aims to replace the Royal Canadian Navy’s aging submarine fleet.

Lee said Canada appeared to consider several factors, including fuel cell-based air-independent propulsion technology, battery performance, Germany’s record of supplying submarines to more than one-third of NATO members, alliance interoperability, crew sharing, joint training, maintenance, parts supply and industrial benefits tied to jobs and maintenance facilities.

“In terms of submarine performance, early delivery and regional benefits such as maintenance, repair and overhaul, I do not believe there was a meaningful gap with our proposal,” Lee said. “In delivery schedule, even considering Norway’s production slot, we were faster.”

“The decisive difference appears to have been NATO interoperability and cooperation that allows crew sharing,” he said.

A defense acquisition official said South Korea’s submarines should not be seen as inferior in operational capability.

“Submarines, for which stealth is most important, do not operate by constantly exchanging wireless communications,” the official said. “We do not believe our submarine had weaker operational capability. Canada appears to have judged that sharing future operating systems and parts would be relatively easier with Germany.”

The official said Canada’s geography and Arctic security concerns likely shaped the decision.

“Canada stretches across both ends of the North American continent and must cover both the Atlantic and Pacific,” the official said. “Personally, I think the difference in Arctic security priorities also played a major role. For South Korea, the Arctic is more of a conceptual issue, but for Canada it is a real security concern.”

The official said Canada’s Indo-Pacific defense cooperation with South Korea is still developing, while its Atlantic alliance structure has been operating for more than 70 years.

“Training among those allies is routine, to the point where they can discuss sharing submarine crew members,” the official said. “South Korea has only recently begun joint exercises with Canada. Canada chose to strengthen an existing alliance framework, and I think that strategic choice should be respected.”

The agency said the failed bid still produced meaningful results for South Korea’s defense industry.

Lee cited South Korea’s previous loss in Norway’s K2 tank procurement, saying the tank passed performance testing in harsh winter conditions but narrowly failed to win the contract.

“Poland took close note of that performance and moved aggressively to sign a contract,” Lee said. “This challenge may also lead to another reversal.”

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260707010002453

Shohei Ohtani hits 300th homer in Dodgers’ loss

From Maddie Lee: In Shohei Ohtani, who on Tuesday became the first Japanese player to hit 300 home runs in MLB, the Dodgers had the first National League All-Star voted in this year.

They still have a chance for a late addition.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been lobbying for two members of his pitching staff to be named replacement players: left-handed starter Justin Wrobleski and left-handed reliever Tanner Scott.

“There’s going to be some changes and some talks here,” Roberts said before the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. “There’s continual talks about both guys.”

Earlier Tuesday, MLB announced replacements for three NL pitchers who won’t be eligible to appear in the All-Star Game. Pittsburgh’s Braxton Ashcraft, Philadelphia’s Jesús Luzardo and St. Louis’ Riley O’Brien claimed spots as Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes, Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski and Miami’s Max Meyer bowed out.

“Obviously it’s disappointing,” Wrobleski said after holding the Rockies to one run through seven innings. “You want to be an All-Star. It’s something that, regardless of the year, whenever, it’s always a big deal. It’s something I wanted to do. It’s frustrating to not get that nod. But like I said before, it’s just more reason to try and keep getting better. Hopefully I can gain the respect of players and everybody else and maybe be in there next year.”

Continue reading here

Dodgers box score

MLB standings

World Cup: U.S. team hopes they inspired future success

From Kevin Baxter: Last fall, in an effort to inspire a national soccer team lacking in confidence and belief, coach Mauricio Pochettino came up with a slogan for this summer’s World Cup, one the U.S. would be playing at home.

“Why not us?” he asked.

Why couldn’t the U.S. make a deep run in the tournament? Why couldn’t the U.S. compete with the best teams in the world? Why not us?

Monday he got his answer: Because the U.S. just isn’t good enough.

A couple of rousing performances in group play and a win over a third-place team in the first elimination game had the U.S. believing, had the U.S. hoping. Maybe Pochettino was right. Maybe it was the Americans’ time.

But it all proved to be a mirage.

Continue reading here

Swanson: Trump’s World Cup meddling only made matters worse for rattled U.S. squad

Paraguayan senator demands apology from Kylian Mbappé for his response to her racist posts

Tuesday’s World Cup results

Round of 16
Argentina 3, Egypt 2
Switzerland 0, Colombia 0 (Switzerland wins on PK’s, 4-3)

Today’s World Cup TV schedule

All times Pacific
No matches today

World Cup round of 16 schedule, results

Round of 16 results
Morocco 3, Canada 0
France 1, Paraguay 0
Norway 2, Brazil 1
England 3, Mexico 2
Spain 1, Portugal 0
Belgium 4, U.S. 1
Argentina 3, Egypt 2
Switzerland 0, Colombia 0 (Switzerland wins on PK’s, 4-3)

Quarterfinals schedule

All times Pacific
All games on Fox and Telemundo

Thursday
France vs. Morocco, 1 p.m.

Friday
Belgium vs. Spain, noon

Saturday
Norway vs. England, 2 p.m.
Switzerland vs. Argentina, 6 p.m.

Angels lose seventh in a row

Alejandro Osuna hit a three-run homer during a five-run eighth inning and the Texas Rangers pulled away for an 8-3 win over the Angels on Tuesday night.

Osuna’s first homer of the season followed RBI singles by Ezequiel Duran and Justin Foscue in the six-hit inning off Sam Bachman (1-2). Foscue also hit a pinch-hit home run in the seventh, tying the score 3-3.

Peyton Gray (4-0) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win for the Rangers, who pulled within one-half game of first-place Seattle in the AL West.

Continue reading here

Angels box score

MLB standings

Lakers sign center Kevon Looney

From Broderick Turner: The Lakers got their backup big man when Kevon Looney signed a one-year, $3.9-million deal on Tuesday, people not authorized to speak publicly told The Times.

The 6-foot-9 Looney won three championships with the Golden State Warriors, in 2017, 2018 and 2022. He played last season with the New Orleans Pelicans. Looney, 30, is an 11-year veteran who went to UCLA. He’s a strong rebounder, a very good defender and he sets solid screens for teammates.

Looney will be the backup behind starter Walker Kessler, who was acquired in a trade from the Utah Jazz and agreed to a four-year, $130-million deal. The Lakers traded last season’s starting center, Deandre Ayton, and backup Jaxson Hayes signed with the Jazz.

Continue reading here

This day in sports history

1889 — John L. Sullivan defeats Jake Kilrain in the 75th round in Richburg, Miss., for the U.S. heavyweight championship. It’s the last bare-knuckle boxing match before the Marquis of Queensbury rules are introduced.

1922 — Suzanne Lenglen beats Molla Bjurstedt Mallory, 6-2, 6-0 for her fourth straight singles title at Wimbledon.

1939 — Bobby Riggs beats Elwood Cooke in five sets to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon.

1955 — Peter Thomson wins his second consecutive British Open finishing two strokes ahead of John Fallon. Thomson shoots a 7-under 281 at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland.

1967 — Billie Jean King sweeps three titles at Wimbledon. King beats Ann Hayden Jones 6-3, 6-4, for the singles title; teams with Rosie Casals for the women’s doubles title, and pairs with Owen Davidson for the mixed doubles title.

1978 — Bjorn Borg beats Jimmy Connors, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 to win his third straight men’s title at Wimbledon.

1984 — John McEnroe whips Jimmy Connors 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 in 100-degree temperatures to take the men’s singles title at Wimbledon.

1990 — West Germany wins the World Cup as Andreas Brehme scores with 6 minutes to go for a 1-0 victory over defending champion Argentina in a foul-marred final.

1991 — Michael Stich upsets three-time champion Boris Becker to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon, 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-4.

1995 — Top-ranked Steffi Graf wins her sixth Wimbledon singles title, beating Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 4-6, 6-1, 7-5.

1995 — NHL Draft: Detroit Jr. Red Wings (OHL) defenseman Bryan Berard first pick by Ottawa Senators.

1996 — Switzerland’s Martina Hingis becomes the youngest champion in Wimbledon history at 15 years, 282 days, teaming with Helena Sukova to beat Meredith McGrath and Larisa Neiland 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 in women’s doubles.

2000 — Venus Williams beats Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 7-6 (3) for her first Grand Slam title. Williams is the first Black women’s champion at Wimbledon since Althea Gibson in 1958.

2007 — Roger Federer wins his fifth straight Wimbledon championship, beating Rafael Nadal 7-6 (7), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 2-6, 6-2. I’s also Federer’s 11th Grand Slam title overall.

2010 — Paul Goydos becomes the fourth golfer in PGA Tour history to shoot a 59. Goydos puts together his 12-under, bogey-free round on the opening day of the John Deere Classic. Goydos makes the turn at 4-under, then birdies all but one hole on the back nine at the 7,257-yard TPC Deere Run course.

2012 — Roger Federer equals Pete Sampras’ record of seven men’s singles titles at the All England Club, and wins his 17th Grand Slam title overall, by beating Andy Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.

2014 — Germany hands Brazil its heaviest World Cup loss ever with an astounding 7-1 rout in the semifinals that stuns the host nation. Miroslav Klose scores a record-setting 16th career World Cup goal in a five-goal spurt in the first half and Germany goes on to score the most goals in a World Cup semifinal.

2016 — Roger Federer loses in the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time in his career, falling to Milos Raonic 6-3, 6-7 (3), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 on Centre Court. The 34-year-old Federer had been 10-0 in Wimbledon semifinals, winning seven of his finals.

2018 — South Korean golfer Sei Young Ki breaks the LPGA 72-hole scoring record with a 31-under par 257 in winning the Thornberry Creek Classic.

2022 — Gymnast Simone Biles aged 25, becomes the youngest person to receive the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President Joe Biden.

Compiled by the Associated Press

This day in baseball history

1912 — Rube Marquard’s 19-game winning streak was stopped as the New York Giants lost 7-2 to the Chicago Cubs.

1918 — Boston’s Babe Ruth lost a home run at Fenway Park when prevailing rules reduce his shot over the fence to a triple. Amos Strunk scored on Ruth’s hit for a 1-0 win over Cleveland. Ruth, who played 95 games in the season, finished tied for the American League title with 11 homers.

1935 — The AL extended its All-Star winning streak to three with a 4-1 victory at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium. New York Yankee Lefty Gomez went six innings, which prompted the NL to have the rules changed so that no pitcher could throw more than three innings, unless extra innings.

1941 — Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox hit a three-run, two-out homer in the ninth to give the AL a dramatic 7-5 victory in the All-Star game at Detroit’s Briggs Stadium. Up to that point Arky Vaughan of the Pittsburgh Pirates was the NL hero with two home runs, the first player to do so in All-Star play. Joe and Dom DiMaggio played for the AL, marking the first time that brothers appeared in the same All-Star game.

1947 — Frank Shea became the first winning rookie pitcher in the first 14 years of All-Star play as the AL nipped the NL 2-1 at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

1952 — The NL edged the AL 3-2 in the first rain-shortened All-Star game. The five-inning contest, at Philadelphia’s Shibe Park, featured home runs by Jackie Robinson and Hank Sauer of the Nationals.

1957 — Baseball owners re-elected commissioner Ford Frick to another seven-year term when his contract is up in 1958.

1958 — The 25th anniversary All-Star game, at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium, went to the AL, 4-3 in a game that only produced 13 singles. This was the first All-Star game in which neither team got an extra-base hit.

1970 — Jim Ray Hart of San Francisco hit for the cycle and became the first NL player in 59 years to drive in six runs in one inning as the Giants beat Atlanta, 13-0.

1974 — New York shortstop Jim Mason tied a major-league record when he doubled four times in the Yankees’ 12-5 win over Texas.

1982 — Billy Martin records his 1,000 career win as a manager as the A’s beat the Yankees 6-3.

1994 — Shortstop John Valentin made the 10th unassisted triple play in baseball history in the sixth inning and then led off the bottom of the inning with a homer to lead Boston to a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

1997 — Cleveland Indians catcher Sandy Alomar hit a two-run homer to give the American League a 3-1 victory over the National League in the All-Star game. Alomar, the first player to win the All-Star MVP in his own ballpark, broke the tie in the seventh inning off San Francisco’s Shawn Estes.

2000 — Dwight Gooden and Roger Clemens teamed up to shut down the Mets, giving the Yankees identical 4-2 victories in the first double-ballpark doubleheader in the majors since 1903. After the opener, many in the sellout crowd of 54,165 at Shea Stadium immediately headed for Game 2, which drew 55,821 at Yankee Stadium.

2008 — Ryan Braun of Milwaukee hit his 56th home run in his 200th major league game, a 7-3 win over Colorado. Only Mark McGwire and Rudy York (both 59) had hit more in their first 200 games in the majors.

2014 — The Mets record the 4,000th win in franchise history by defeating the Braves 8-3.

2015 — Tampa Bay hits two inside-the park home runs in a 9-7 loss to the Royals. It is the first time the feat has been done since 1997.

2021 — San Diego Padres relief pitcher Daniel Camarena records his first MLB hit, a grand slam, in his second at bat against the Washington Nationals’ Max Scherzer.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

ARLINGTON, Tex. — Alejandro Osuna hit a three-run homer during a five-run eighth inning and the Texas Rangers pulled away for an 8-3 win over the Angels on Tuesday night.

Osuna’s first homer of the season followed RBI singles by Ezequiel Duran and Justin Foscue in the six-hit inning off Sam Bachman (1-2). Foscue also hit a pinch-hit home run in the seventh, tying the score 3-3.

Peyton Gray (4-0) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win for the Rangers, who pulled within one-half game of first-place Seattle in the AL West.

The last-place Angels have lost seven consecutive games, tying their longest losing streak of the season.

Rangers starter Jacob deGrom left after throwing 80 pitches in five innings because of an issue with his left hip and leg. DeGrom said he’s often felt tightness there between starts, but it usually goes away before he pitches again. This time it remained, preventing him from throwing changeups, and tightened in the fifth inning. He expects to make his next start.

DeGrom suffered first-inning struggles before settling in, his pattern this season. He gave up a pair of two-out runs in the first on Jorge Soler’s double that one-hopped the left-field wall and Josh Lowe’s single to shallow left after a wild pitch.

DeGrom didn’t give up another run, giving up five hits and two walks. In 18 starts this season, deGrom has a 9.50 ERA in the first inning and 2.29 afterward.

Texas tied the score 2-2 in the second on Nicky Lopez’s two-out, opposite-field single to left after two walks by José Soriano, who leads the AL with 51. Soriano didn’t walk another batter and gave up only two hits in six innings.

Rookie Wade Meckler’s RBI single off Chris Martin in the seventh gave the Angels a 3-2 lead before Foscue homered off Tayler Saucedo.

The Angels won the first three games against the Rangers this season.

In Shohei Ohtani, who on Tuesday became the first Japanese player to hit 300 home runs in MLB, the Dodgers had the first National League All-Star voted in this year.

They still have a chance for a late addition.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been lobbying for two members of his pitching staff to be named replacement players: left-handed starter Justin Wrobleski and left-handed reliever Tanner Scott.

“There’s going to be some changes and some talks here,” Roberts said before the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. “There’s continual talks about both guys.”

Earlier Tuesday, MLB announced replacements for three NL pitchers who won’t be eligible to appear in the All-Star Game. Pittsburgh’s Braxton Ashcraft, Philadelphia’s Jesús Luzardo and St. Louis’ Riley O’Brien claimed spots as Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes, Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski and Miami’s Max Meyer bowed out.

“Obviously it’s disappointing,” Wrobleski said after holding the Rockies to one run through seven innings. “You want to be an All-Star. It’s something that, regardless of the year, whenever, it’s always a big deal. It’s something I wanted to do. It’s frustrating to not get that nod. But like I said before, it’s just more reason to try and keep getting better. Hopefully I can gain the respect of players and everybody else and maybe be in there next year.”

There should continue to be movement on the All-Star roster, especially on the pitching side, with rotation schedules limiting which starters can participate. Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, for example, is lined up to start Saturday, which may take him off the table for the All-Star Game next Tuesday.

That could open the door for Wrobleski and Scott.

Asked to make his pitch for Wrobleski, Roberts pointed to his ERA (2.69, No. 8 among qualified NL pitchers), average of more than six innings per start and 10 wins.

“We run a six-man rotation, and I just don’t want him to get dinged for not making a couple more starts that he potentially could have had,” Roberts said. “I just think that he’s performed enough to earn that opportunity.

“And also, Tanner had a rough one [Monday], but I still think that … he’s one of the elite relievers in the National League.”

Scott, after notching just his second blown save Monday, compared to his 12 saves and 2.70 ERA, didn’t have an opening to improve on his All-Star campaign Tuesday.

Wrobleski, however, strengthened his.

He stayed true to his identity, pounding the strike zone and inducing weak contact to go with nine strikeouts. The only run he gave up came on a groundout in the sixth inning with runners on the corners.

In a nod to Wrobleski’s new nickname, “The Shark,” coined by Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martínez, Dodger Stadium organist Dieter Ruehle played a snippet of the “Jaws” theme to punctuate Wrobleski’s punchouts, and as he walked off the mound for the last time.

Justin Wrobleski was great for seven innings Tuesday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Once Wrobleski’s job was done, he paced in the dugout, interrupted once in a while by a hug or handshakes from a teammate. Catcher Dalton Rushing held his hand up to his forehead like a shark fin.

The name and attacking reputation had stuck. Would it be enough for an All-Star nod?

“If it happens, great,” Wrobleski said. “If it doesn’t happen, some time off and just chill for a couple days. Either way, I’m all good.”

On the offensive side, Ohtani’s leadoff homer made him the first player to notch 300 home runs and 100-plus stolen bases in his first nine MLB seasons, according to ESPN Insights. Tuesday was his 1,101st game with at least one plate appearance. By that measure, he was the fifth-fastest to 300 home runs, according to mlb.com and Elias Sports Bureau, behind only Aaron Judge (953), Ralph Kiner (1,086), Ryan Howard (1,091) and Juan González (1,093).

“It was quite the homer,” Roberts said. “I mean, it was [112 mph] off the bat, low launch angle. It was squared up, got out in a hurry. And 300 — he got there pretty quickly for us. I just marvel at him every day.”

Defense unravels late

The Dodgers widened their lead to two runs but gave it up in the eighth on a pair of errors, including one on a sacrifice bunt.

Shortstop Miguel Rojas, who botched a grounder to his left earlier in the inning that enabled a run to score, was late breaking to cover third, leaving the bag wide open. Second baseman Alex Freeland tried to hit Rojas in stride with his throw and was charged with an error when it got away and the go-ahead run scored.

“Physical errors happen, and I’m OK with that,” Rojas said. “I’m not perfect, and I’m going to make errors, and physical errors are OK. But mental errors are the ones that are disappointing. I should have been on third base, I shouldn’t be putting Alex Freeland in the situation of throwing the ball with me on the run there. That’s the one that I kick myself for.”

Said Roberts: “This guy’s as dependable as they come. So that it happens, we don’t like it, doesn’t feel good, but you know that player. I give him a lot of grace, because he is very dependable.”

Right-hander Evan Phillips made his first major-league appearance in 14 months, after undergoing Tommy John surgery last summer, and had two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning. But the Dodgers offense didn’t muster a comeback, as the top of the batting order went down in order with two runners on.

Ohtani on track

Ohtani is still in line to pitch Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Roberts said.

The right biceps issue that flared in Ohtani’s final at-bat last Friday, and sidelined him Saturday, raised the question of whether he should skip his last start before the All-Star break. But Roberts said Ohtani’s catch play has been normal and he hasn’t reported any concerns with his biceps.

“As he goes through the next couple days, if he doesn’t feel great, we’ll pivot, and we’re prepared to pivot,” Roberts said. “But as we sit here, I don’t see that changing.”

Roberts said he doesn’t think Ohtani will pitch in the All-Star Game or participate in the home run derby. But he does expect him to take an at-bat or two as the NL’s starting designated hitter.

“He understands the responsibility he has,” Roberts said. “So I do think that there’s a middle for what’s best for him, what potentially could be downside, but also what’s best for the game.”

‘Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the competition,’ Hassan said after his team was knocked out.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan claims his side was “cheated” out of a place in the World Cup quarterfinals after Argentina staged a stunning late comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in a gripping last-16 match in Atlanta.

The Pharaohs started as underdogs but took the lead against the world champions within 15 minutes, which was doubled in the second half before Argentina walked away with the win on Tuesday.

“I do not want to put it nicely and talk about hard luck. We have been cheated unfairly today; we have suffered injustice,” Hassan said in an explosive post-match news conference.

Egypt had a Mostafa Zico goal ruled out when they were leading 1-0 as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened to spot a foul on Lisandro Martinez much earlier in the move.

Zico did then put Egypt on the brink of a place in the last eight for the first time by doubling their lead.

However, the defending champions hit back as Cristian Romero reduced the arrears before Lionel Messi, who had a first-half penalty saved, smashed in the equaliser with his eighth goal of the tournament.

The controversy did not end there, though, as in the buildup to Argentina’s winner scored by Enzo Fernandez, Egypt believe they should have instead been awarded a penalty for a pull by Alexis Mac Allister on Hamdy Fathy.

“We haven’t seen respect or fair play. There has not been respect or fair play,” Hassan said.

“A penalty was ruled out, was not even checked by VAR. A second goal was remarkably disallowed. There has not even been a VAR check when we have all seen the image of the [shirt] being pulled back.”

Hassan said he would not watch any more matches of the tournament, such was the injustice he felt.

“I am not going to continue following the matches of this World Cup,” he added.

“This is my own way of speaking up.”

‘They wanted Messi to stay’

After Yasser Ibrahim’s header put Egypt in front, Argentina were awarded a penalty for a trip on Nicolas Tagliafico.

Messi’s problems with World Cup penalties continued as his effort was saved by Mostafa Shobeir.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has now failed to score four of his eight non-shootout spot-kicks at the World Cup, including two misses at this tournament.

Hassan speculated that the officials had been put under pressure to keep one of the biggest names in the competition.

“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running,” he told BeIN Sports.

“In football, there are sometimes external factors that go beyond the technical aspects. The world champions received support at every level.”

Egypt had been surprisingly attacking early on in the game, a departure from Hassan’s usual tactic of playing with a tight defence and looking for counterattack opportunities.

It helped them take an early lead, but it was the heroics of goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir that ensured they remained in front by half-time.

“I’m very, very satisfied with the effort they put in. Most of our players come from the Egyptian domestic league, while many players in other national teams are based in Europe and live in that professional environment,” Hassan added.

“Yet with predominantly local players – besides Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush – we were able to compete with anyone.”

Hassan also complained about the scheduling of the match for a noon kick-off (16:00 GMT), just four days after both sides had won their round of 32 matches.

“Whoever schedules those matches has never played football. You never schedule a game for 12pm. At noon you go for a walk or to eat brunch; you do not go to play football.

“When are the players supposed to eat? At 7:30am?

“There have been a lot of things to be questioned on and off the pitch.”

The semaglutide in the jab and pill mimics the actions of a hormone called GLP-1 (glucagon-like-peptide-1), which is released from the intestine after people eat.

It acts on receptors in the brain that control appetite, making people feel fuller, less hungry and crave food less.

Very common side effects with both include stomach problems, like feeling sick, being sick (vomiting), constipation and diarrhoea.

With the jab, you may get little bit of skin redness, itching or mild swelling where you inject.

Some people on the tablets or injections may experience stomach pain, headaches and tiredness.

More rarely, people can get more serious complications, like low blood sugar, pancreatitis or severe allergic reactions.

It’s worth checking the patient information leaflet for the full details.

Do not take the medication if you are under 18, pregnant or breastfeeding, and make sure you speak to your doctor about any other medical conditions you have or medication you take.

ONE of Meghan Markle’s Suits co-stars has debuted a dramatic appearance change, with new hair and a slimmed down physique.

The actor, 56, snapped an ‘after photo’ of his transformation and shared it on Instagram.

In the new picture, Rick Hoffman is standing in front of a mirror clicking a selfie.

The actor is wearing a smart white buttoned down shirt and suit trousers, and finished off the look with a belt that hugs his smaller waist.

Rick also appears to have thicker hair than the signature shaved look he debuted before on the show.

The star was nonchalant about his return, writing over the snap: “Been a min.”

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Rick’s fans took to the post’s comments section to compliment his transformation, with one user saying: “You look terrific! Congratulations.”

A second shared: “Wow you’re looking very dapper.”

A third added: “Wow I didn’t recognise him for a sec.”

Rick is known for playing the role of Louis Litt in all nine seasons of Suits.

Louis is a savvy corporate attorney with a Harvard education who starts off as someone rather insecure and erratic on the show.

However, as seasons progress he matures into both a compassionate leader and a father.

Other shows that Rick has appeared in include The Bernie Mac Show, The Mentalist and Billions.

Meghan played the role of Rachel Zane during her seven seasons on Suits.

She left the show before season eight to focus on her transition into the royal family and her relationship with Prince Harry.

England head coach Charlotte Edwards praised her side’s performance in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final, insisting “our time will come”, after England are beaten by seven wickets by Australia at Lord’s.

MATCH REPORT: England’s hopes crushed as Australia win T20 World Cup

Available to UK users only.

Willson Contreras and Romy Gonzalez homered to back the superb pitching of Sonny Gray, who gave up one run and four hits in six innings of the Boston Red Sox’s 8-1 win over the Angels on Saturday night at Angel Stadium.

Wilyer Abreu added a two-run double, and relievers Jovani Morán, Greg Weissert and Alec Gamboa combined for three hitless innings for the Red Sox (39-48), who have won seven of nine games. The Angels (36-54) have lost five straight and 11 of 17 since June 17.

Gray (10-1) induced two of Boston’s three double-play grounders, struck out seven and walked one. The 36-year-old right-hander has six straight quality starts since May 30, a stretch in which he’s gone 5-0 with a 1.97 ERA.

Though he leads the American League in wins and ranks second with a 2.61 ERA, Gray was not named to the AL All-Star team Saturday.

Angels starter Sam Aldegheri (3-4) walked two ahead of Contreras’ 19th homer, a 421-foot blast to left-center that gave Boston a 3-0 lead in the first.

Josh Lowe’s one-out homer pulled the Angels to within 3-1 in the second. Jo Adell walked, and Wade Meckler singled, but Gray struck out Donovan Walton and Tyler Heineman to escape the jam.

Aldegheri did not give up a hit in the second, third and fourth, but with his pitch count at 88, he was pulled in favor of left-hander Samy Natera Jr., who gave up one run in his first nine big-league games.

Anthony Seigler led off the fifth with a double, Ceddanne Rafaela walked, and Abreu slammed a two-run double off the right-field wall for a 5-1 lead.

Gonzalez, robbed of a potential first-inning homer when Adell made a leaping catch of his drive above the wall in right, followed with a towering, 368-foot fly that cleared the short left-field wall for his first homer of the season and a 7-1 lead. Rafaela’s RBI single in the eighth made it 8-1.

Up next: Red Sox LHP Ranger Suarez (4-3, 2.94 ERA) will oppose Angels RHP Ryan Johnson (1-3, 7.40) in Sunday night’s series finale.

SEATTLE — Julio Rodriguez had three hits and scored twice, Bryan Woo took a shutout into the seventh inning and the Seattle Mariners put together a five-run sixth Tuesday night to beat the Angels 8-3.

Rodriguez and Colt Emerson both had three of Seattle’s 13 hits. Randy Arozarena and Cole Young scored two runs apiece.

Woo (7-6) gave up just four hits and struck out five in 6 1/3 innings. The Angels’ first two runs in their three-run seventh were charged to him after he gave way to reliever Eduard Bazardo. That ended Woo’s streak of home shutout innings at 32 1/3, which stretched over a span of five games dating to May 6 against Atlanta.

Michael Rucker pitched a scoreless eighth for the Mariners, and Andrés Muñoz set the Angels down in order in the ninth.

The Mariners batted around in the sixth, with their first five hitters reaching base on four hits and one walk. Rodriguez and Josh Naylor singled, then Arozarena singled to score Rodriguez with the first run and chase Angels starter José Soriano (8-5).

Cal Raleigh walked to load the bases, and Young singled to right, scoring Naylor. Arozarena scored on a wild pitch. Raleigh and Young came home on Weston Wilson’s single to right.

The Angels rallied with three in the seventh, the last two of those scoring on Zach Neto’s single to right.

Seattle answered with three in the bottom of the seventh. Emerson’s single that floated just above the outstretched glove of Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel drove in the first two.

Wade Meckler had two of the Angels’ six hits.

TV presenter Melanie Sykes has shown off her completely bald head – just days after opening up on her hair loss.

The star, 55, has been battling alopecia and days ago claimed that she was now “two-thirds bald”.

But taking to Instagram this morning, Mel showed that she had no hair left at all.

The telly star flashed a smile in the selfie that she simply captioned as: “Loss + Gain = Life.”

Her brave new post comes amid Mel’s honesty about her recent health issues and the impact to has taken on her.

She previously explained how the autoimmune condition has progressed over time and had left her with noticeable bald patches across her head.

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Mel first opened up about facing life with alopecia last year.

She told how she was in “so much pain” after spending much of it unwell.

She said: “I’ve got an autoimmune condition, I am losing my hair, I keep having crazy inflammation all over and I am working on healing.

“In the last three months, I’ve done a meditation teacher training course.

“I was too ill to finish it like. The last two days of it I couldn’t do.

“It’s meditation teacher training, I don’t necessarily want to teach, but I can do…

“Mostly I’ve been living a very, very very spiritual existence.

“I’m two-thirds bald, really. Every time I say I’m bald I laugh, I don’t know why… Thank god I can laugh.”

Last month, Melanie revealed that her hair had been coming out “really quickly”, after losing hair for more than a year.

She explained to fans how she has been trying on wigs, with her now ditching head scarves because she is keen to “get some hair”.

Tyrone midfielder Conn Kilpatrick said the 2-25 to 0-27 defeat by in Saturday’s All-Ireland SFC quarter-final will “take a while to get over”.

Despite a strong display from Tyrone, Jack O’Connor’s side booked a spot in the last four and moved a step closer to defending their title.

Red Hands boss Malachy O’Rourke was left frustrated after the match by ‘really, really harsh calls’ in Dublin with Kilpatrick echoing his manager’s thoughts.

“It’s a disappointing result and one that’ll take a while to get over to be honest,” Kilpatrick told BBC Sport NI.

“I felt we were right in the game for large parts of it. We had done a lot well. Just a few decisions I think didn’t go our way and I feel, on another day, we would have got them.

“The boys put a massive shift in the game. Kerry are champions for a reason because they are a good team, but we still had full belief that we could take them on our day and it just wasn’t to be today.”

Tyrone’s wait for their first Sam Maguire title since 2021 will now continue with Monaghan, who face Louth in their quarter-final on Sunday, Ulster’s final team in this year’s All-Ireland.

Kilpatrick added that it has been “a tough campaign” which included an Ulster Championship preliminary-round exit at the hands of eventual winners Armagh.

“It’s no surprise that we obviously had a tough campaign. Everybody knows it and we were coming into the championship being completely written off, but again we had full belief in the squad,” he continued.

“It’s fine margins that can cost you and, look, it’s very disappointing and it’s hard to put into words but fair play to Kerry, they beat us on the day and we have to go again next year.

“Hopefully everybody comes back and we add to the squad again like we did this year and we’ll go again. We’re not finished yet.”

Shea Langeliers capped a seven-run rally in the fifth inning with the Athletics’ sixth straight single, backing J.T. Ginn in a 9-3 victory over the Angels on Friday night after the Angels fired general manager Perry Minasian.

Ginn (6-4) gave up three runs and eight hits, striking out five and walking one, to provide a much-needed boost to a pitching staff that had major league highs in June with a 6.14 ERA and 44 home runs given up.

The last-place Angels appointed former St. Louis Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak to be their interim GM and baseball operations consultant.

Angels starter Walbert Ureña (5-6) was perfect through four innings, opening the game with 15 straight strikes and needing only 36 pitches — 31 strikes — to retire his first 12 batters.

But the 22-year-old right-hander, who had a 1.93 ERA in his previous 10 starts, walked two of his first three batters in the fifth, throwing nearly as many pitches in the inning (36) as he did in the first four.

Max Muncy broke up Ureña’s no-hit bid with an infield single that load the bases, and the A’s followed with Jeff McNeil’s two-run single, Alika Williams’ RBI single, Henry Bolte’s two-run single and RBI singles by Nick Kurtz and Langeliers that built a 7-1 lead.

Donovan Walton’s RBI single had put the Angels ahead in the fourth. Jo Adell hit a two-run homer in the fifth.

Up next: Athletics RHP Jack Perkins (2-3, 6.26 ERA) and Angels LHP Reid Detmers (3-5, 3.93 ERA) start Saturday night.

Through the first two games of this summer’s World Cup, the U.S. was about as perfect as a team could be. It won both games, never trailed, gave up just a goal and won its group handily, playing with a verve and confidence that erased all the doubts that had shadowed it coming in.

Then came Thursday.

With Mauricio Pochettino making a record nine changes to a lineup that had given the U.S. its most successful start to a World Cup in 96 years, the B team that closed the group stage at SoFi Stadium with a 3-2 loss to Turkey served to remind everyone how flawed this group can be.

The backline was porous, goalie Matt Turner gave up goals on the first two shots he faced and with the exception of midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, who had a goal and an assist, none of the starters really distinguished themselves. Whether any of that matters won’t be known until the U.S. next takes the field in the knockout rounds, facing Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday in Santa Clara, Calif.

For Pochettino, whose contempt for convention has been a hallmark of his team’s World Cup run, clearing his bench and getting a U.S.-record 23 players on the field in the group stage was more more important than the result.

“The objective was to finish first and we are first,” he said. “Now it is the next stage and it is going to be a final. And we are ready. We are much better than before that game because we had players now with 90 minutes in their legs and performing and ready to help if we need from the beginning or from the bench. It’s all positive.”

Maybe. Sure, Christian Pulisic, who hadn’t played since the first half of the first game, got back on the field and looked good in a 32-minute cameo. But other than that the game was meaningless since the Americans had already won the group and qualified for the next round while Turkey was going home no matter the result.

The U.S. came in riding a huge wave of momentum, though, and that’s gone now, erased on Kaan Ayhan’s goal on the last touch of the game.

Does that matter?

“No,” captain Tim Ream said with conviction. “You just turn the page.”

The experience the role players got, he said, is more important than the final score.

“When we say it didn’t mean anything, it’s still a meaningful game, right? It’s a World Cup game,” he said. “So it gives everybody a taste of what life will be like if they are called upon and have to contribute.”

Midfielder Tyler Adams wasn’t so sure.

“I don’t know what it’s going to do,” he said. “I can’t predict the future. I don’t have an eight ball in front of me. We’ll see what happens.”

What Adams can say with certainty, however, is that in the future the U.S. will have no room for error. The games are all elimination matches now and 13 players on the U.S. roster, including Adams, have experienced that first hand, having lost in the round of 16 four years ago in Qatar.

Turner said it’s up to those veterans to impart that wisdom on the 13 who are playing in their first World Cup.

“You need to really take care of the boxes when it comes to knockout round. That’s the biggest lesson that we learned,” said Turner, who started all four games in the last World Cup. “It’s not necessarily how beautiful a style you play. The chances you create is important, [but] the way you defend your box is more important.

“Those games are going to be decided by one goal, they’re going to be narrow, and we’re going to have to be compact and be together, defensively, offensively, and take the chances when they come.”

The U.S. did little of that Thursday.

After a Berhalter corner set up Trusty for the first goal in the third minute, Turkey’s Arda Guler, a Real Madrid midfielder, tied the score seven minutes later, splitting a pair of U.S. defenders and running onto a pass from Kenan Yildiz in the center of the box, then lifting a shot over Turner.

Orkun Kokcu handed the U.S. its first deficit of the tournament when he found another big hole in the U.S. defense, redirecting a cross from Eren Elmali in from the center of the box to give Turkey a 2-1 lead.

Berhalter tied the score again four minutes into the second half, latching onto a loose ball at the top of the penalty area and one-hopping a right-footed shot just inside the near post. The game stayed that way until Ayhan, who came on with two minutes left in regulation, slid between two U.S. defenders to knock in the game-winner eight minutes into stoppage time.

For Berhalter, one of a record 21 Americans to get a start in this World Cup, Pochettino’s decision to clear his bench was not only a reward, it was preparation for what’s to come.

“It’s every little kid’s dream, across the United States of America, to play in a home World Cup. Just in a World Cup in general,” he said. “People made their debuts today, so congratulations everyone. This is what everybody looks forward to.”

More important, he added, “we know everyone’s ready to step up at any moment.”

Which is good because history suggests the road ahead is about the get a lot more challenging. The loss to Turkey was the Americans’ 10^th straight to a UEFA team, running their winless streak against European opponents to 13 in a row.

Guess which continent Bosnia and Herzegovina, who the U.S. faces next, is from?

Sports editor Iliana Limón Romero contributed to this story.

It’s crunch time at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with teams throughout the 48-strong field looking to stay in contention for the knockout stage or improve their placing in the round of 32.

The U.S., Mexico, Argentina, Germany, Brazil and Switzerland have already clinched spots in the round of 32 by winning their respective groups. France, Norway, Canada, Colombia, Morocco, Bosnia-Herzegovina and South Africa also are advancing. Haiti, Tunisia, Turkey, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Panama and Czechia, however, have been eliminated from knockout-round contention.

Here’s everything you need to know about World Cup matches being played Thursday and Friday across the U.S., Mexico and Canada (all times Pacific).

Thursday’s Group D matchups:

U.S. vs. Turkey

U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino instructs his players during a 4-1 win over Paraguay at SoFi Stadium on June 12.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: There’s not much at stake since the U.S. has won the group and Turkey has been eliminated. Expect the U.S. to rest many of its regulars, especially those with yellow cards, while Turkey will be chasing its first World Cup win since 2002, when it finished third.

Paraguay vs. Australia

Paraguay midfielder Matias Galarza controls the ball against Turkey on June 19.

(David M. Barreda / Los Angeles Times)

Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: FS1, Universo

The buzz: The winner finishes second in the group and will go through to the elimination rounds. Australia, with an edge in goal differential, would get the second spot in the event of a draw. It’s not a do-or-die game for either team since three points could be enough to advance.

Thursday’s Group E matchups:

Ecuador vs. Germany

Germany’s Nadiem Amiri celebrates a goal against Ivory Coast on June 20.

(Michael Reaves / Getty Images)

Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
Time: 1 p.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: Germany is already through to the knockout stages while Ecuador could finish second and clinch a spot in the round of 32 with a win coupled with an Ivory Coast loss or draw. However, that would require Ivory Coast losing or drawing. A victory could send Ecuador on as a third-place team no matter what Ivory Coast does, but that path is less certain.

Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast

Curaçao’s Livano Comenencia shoots against Germany on June 14.

(Eric Gay / Associated Press)

Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Time: 1 p.m.
TV: FS1, Universo

The buzz: Ivory Coast is all but through to the knockout round, at least as a third-place team. But a draw would give it the No. 2 spot in the group and an easier route through the knockout stages. Curaçao still has a chance of advancing despite having been outscored 7-1, and it could finish second with a win and an Ecuador loss.

Thursday’s Group F matchups:

Tunisia vs. Netherlands

Netherlands’ Crysencio Summerville celebrates after scoring against Sweden on June 20.

(Ashley Landis / Associated Press)

Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
Time: 4 p.m.
TV: FS1, Telemundo

The buzz: Tunisia has lost two games under two coaches — getting outscored 9-1 in the process — and can’t advance. But there’s much at stake for the Dutch, who can finish anywhere from first to third depending on the results of the final group-stage games. The Netherlands and Japan are tied on points, wins and goal differential and played to a draw in their head-to-head match, so whoever does better on the final day wins the group.

Japan vs. Sweden

Japan’s Ayase Ueda celebrates after scoring against Tunisia on June 20.

(Sofia Yaker / Associated Press)

Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Time: 4 p.m.
TV: Fox, Universo

The buzz: Both teams are assured of a top-three finish and a likely spot in the next round, but a win could secure first in the group. Although Japan and the Netherlands are the favorites to win the group, Sweden could overtake both with a win, provided the Dutch do no better than a draw.

Friday’s Group G matchups:

New Zealand vs. Belgium

Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne (7), left, kicks the ball in front of Iran defender Hossein Kanaanizadegan on June 21 at SoFi Stadium.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Where: BC Place, Vancouver
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: FS1, NBC Univserso

The buzz: If New Zealand earns its first-ever World Cup win, it’s mathematically possible the Kiwis could win the group. The same scenario holds for winless Belgium, however, it is still looking for its first goal of the tournament.

Iran vs. Egypt

Iran forward Alireza Jahanbakhsh, left, battles Belgium defender Maxim De Cuyper for the ball during a World Cup match at SoFi Stadium on June 21.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

Where: Lumen Field, Seattle
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: Egypt entered the final day of group play atop the group and with a firm hold on a spot in the round of 32. It would win the group with a victory, although a draw could also be enough, depending on the score of the Belgium-New Zealand match. Unbeaten Iran can also win the group with a victory; a draw probably will get it to the knockout stage.

Friday’s Group H matchups:

Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia

Cape Verde’s Helio Varela celebrates after scoring against Uruguay at the World Cup on June 21.

(Marta Lavandier / Associated Press)

Where: NRG Stadium, Houston
Time: 5 p.m.
TV: FS1, Universo

The buzz: With a win here, Cape Verde would not only go through to the knockout stage, but it could win the group depending on the result of the Spain-Uruguay game. The island nation of about 530,000 people, the third-smallest country to qualify for a World Cup, is unbeaten after draws with Spain and Uruguay. Saudi Arabia is looking for its first World Cup win since upsetting eventual champion Argentina in its 2022 opener.

Uruguay vs. Spain

Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal celebrates after a goal against Saudi Arabia in the World Cup on June 21.

(Justin Setterfield / Getty Images)

Where: Akron Stadium, Zapopan, Mexico
Time: 4 p.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: Spain will take the group with a win or draw, provided it maintains its goal-differential advantage over Cape Verde. Uruguay, however, needs a victory to finish atop the table. A third straight draw, which would leave it unbeaten, would probably be enough to see it through to the next round, but a loss will likely send Uruguay home.

Friday’s Group I matchups:

Norway vs. France

France’s Kylian Mbappé controls the ball during a win over Iraq at the World Cup on June 22.

(Derik Hamilton / Associated Press)

Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
Time: Noon
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: This game will not only decide the group winner but it could affect who wins the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer. Both teams won their first two games and are on to the round of 32, and Norway’s Erling Haaland and France’s Kylian Mbappé each have scored four goals. Mbappe, whose eight goals led the tournament four years ago, already has 16 World Cup goals for his career, tied for second all-time.

Senegal vs. Iraq

Senegal’s Sadio Mane play against France in a World Cup match on June 16.

(Steve Luciano / Associated Press)

Where: BMO Field, Toronto
Time: Noon
TV: FS1, Universo

The buzz: Senegal and Iraq, both losers in their first two games, have a chance of advancing as a third-place team, but they need a win to make that happen. For Iraq, a victory would be its first in World Cup competition while Senegal, a quarterfinalist in 2002, would like to get a win for Sadio Mane, one of Africa’s most iconic players, who may be playing in his final World Cup.

OMAHA, Neb. — The way its regular season unfolded, a national championship for Oklahoma would have seemed impossible.

The way the postseason unfolded, well, there was no stopping the Sooners.

Oklahoma completed the improbable run to its first national championship since 1994 with a 13-2 victory over North Carolina in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the College World Series finals Monday night, a performance that featured the prodigious offensive production and clutch pitching the Sooners rode through the NCAA tournament.

“I think we knew the talent was always in the room,” said Jaxon Willits, named the CWS most outstanding player. “We got hot at the right time, and now we’re national champions.”

The Sooners (43-23) won the Southeastern Conference’s seventh straight title, quite an accomplishment for a team picked 14th in the 16-team conference in the preseason, finished 11th and entered the postseason off losses in seven of nine games.

To get to Omaha, they beat No. 2 national seed Georgia Tech twice on the road in regionals and swept upstart Kansas on the road in super regionals. To get to the finals, they beat No. 3 Georgia twice in bracket play.

“They got really confident the last month,” Sooners coach Skip Johnson said. “They care about each other. They didn’t want to give in. They were selfless.”

North Carolina (54-14-1) was runner-up for the third time since 2006 and now has 13 CWS appearances without a title. Only Florida State, with 24, has more without winning it all.

The Sooners were back in top form offensively after managing only four singles in a 6-2 loss in Game 2 and handed the Tar Heels their most lopsided loss of the season.

“We ran out of gas when all is said and done,” North Carolina coach Scott Forbes said.

Oklahoma coach Skip Johnson hoists the championship trophy after his team beat North Carolina in the CWS finale Monday in Omaha.

(Rebecca S. Gratz / Ap Photo/rebecca S. Gratz)

When Jackson Cleveland struck out Jake Schaffner to end the game, he and catcher Deiten Lachance embraced and then headed to the dogpile that formed near third base. Players waving national championship towels rushed back toward their dugout to salute the celebrating Sooner faithful on the first-base line, football greats Barry Switzer and Brian Bosworth among them.

Kyle Branch, the No. 9 batter who came into the game one of 16 (.063) in the CWS, drove in six runs with a pair of singles and a home run. His homer came on his last at-bat, just as brother Kolby’s did for Georgia last Wednesday.

“Pure joy. Pure joy for our team,” Branch said. “I had a teammate tell me I was going to do something special, and for him to tell me that with the way things have been going, it has to be a God thing.”

He joined Dayton Tockey as the seventh and eighth Oklahoma players to homer in Omaha. Willits had three hits, reached base five times and finished the CWS 13 of 25 (.520).

Oklahoma’s Kyle Branch celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against North Carolina in the College World Series finale Monday in Omaha.

(Rebecca S. Gratz / Ap Photo/rebecca S. Gratz)

The pitching matchup of Carolina’s Jackson Rose (5-1) and Oklahoma’s Nick Wesloski was the first between freshmen in a CWS winner-take-all game since 1993. Neither got out of the third inning.

LJ Mercurius (7-7) turned in another strong performance out of the bullpen, shutting down a threat when Oklahoma led 3-1 in the third and holding the Tar Heels to one run in 5 2/3 innings. He gave up just two runs in 12 1/3 innings over four CWS appearances.

The Tar Heels’ pitching staff, which had the best ERA in the Atlantic Coast Conference, had been good and occasionally great in the CWS. It was neither Monday, with eight pitchers combining to yield 14 hits, issue eight walks, throw three wild pitches with one hit batter.

ACC freshman of the year Caden Glauber, who had given up just one run in 10 1/3 innings in four CWS appearances, was called on for a fifth one day after he threw 65 pitches in five shutout innings. It was apparent coach Forbes went to the well one time too many.

Glauber was called for a clock violation before he even threw his first pitch. He issued a four-pitch bases-loaded walk and Willits followed with a two-run single to make it 6-1 in the fourth. That was all for Glauber, who threw seven pitches, five of them balls. The Tar Heels had won all 29 games in which Glauber had pitched before Monday.

“This group loved each other all season and took us on a ride and came up just short,” Forbes said. “I’d take that ride every day of the year. While we’re sad, the sadness will go away. We talk about joy. Joy doesn’t go away. These guys have given me, our coaching staff, our fans, administration, everybody, a ton of joy and a ton to be proud of.”

Olson writes for the Associated Press.

An eye-watering, cough-inducing thick stench of burning plastic permeated Dodger Stadium on Sunday morning. The smoke from the Boyle Heights warehouse fire had spread into every crevice and corner of the facility, inescapable despite the masks handed out to staff.

“It’s a little dark out there, little Gotham City when I was driving up,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Major League Baseball approved the Father’s Day game to be played, according to Roberts. Still, the ominous atmosphere was hard to miss. When rolling up Vin Scully Avenue, a white smoke hung like a curtain behind the small hills on the other side of outfield walls, obscuring the normally scenic view of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Perhaps that should’ve been the first sign things wouldn’t go as planned for the Dodgers, who lost 12-1 to the Orioles. The loss marked the first time the Dodgers (49-29) have lost consecutive games since May 12.

“It’s everywhere in baseball, to be quite honest, but my concern is our team,” Roberts said of the Dodgers’ recent performances. “I don’t know the answer. It happens sporadically with all teams.”

By the time Emmet Sheehan took the mound, the smell had diluted, and the sunshine broke through the haze. The 26-year-old hasn’t won in more than a month, despite what at the time appeared to be a bounce-back performance against the Chicago White Sox last week. Sheehan lasted 3 1/3 innings against Baltimore, none particularly worse than the first.

Sheehan (3-5) loaded the bases, and Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo put Baltimore (37-42) on the scoreboard with a softly hit ball that split first baseman Freddie Freeman and right fielder Kyle Tucker. A two-out single by Colton Cowser put the Orioles up by two. With the bases loaded, Sheehan worked out of trouble with two strikeouts and a pop out. But the inning cost him four hits and nearly 30 pitches.

“We just got to have a better approach or plan with respect to the game situation,” Roberts said before the game. “Go out there and conduct, good and bad, not always gonna get the results, but I just think that we’re just missing at times the layer of the right approach in that particular situation.”

Sheehan struggled the most with his slider. Normally, the pitch elicits about a 43% chase rate, though against Baltimore it plummeted to 18%. The nose-dive, mainly caused by his inability to throw the slider in the zone, made his other pitches look less competitive, and the Orioles started connecting with his fastball. He gave up two home runs on the pitch to Taylor Ward in the second and Cowser in the third.

Meanwhile, Max Muncy drove in the Dodgers’ only run in the first with a line drive to left field. Shohei Ohtani, who had reached first on a walk and took second on Freddie Freeman’s single, slid home as the throw came in. However, the ball bounced off Basallo’s gear and ricocheted away from the plate.

The Orioles scored runs in four consecutive innings before Edgardo Henriquez threw a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth. The team tacked on four runs in the seventh, when, with a man on, the Dodgers ereliever Jonathan Hernández intentionally walked Gunner Henderson, who had gone two for four. So, He then threw a belt-high sinker down the middle of the plate that Pete Alonso smashed into the right field bleachers for a three-run homer. Hernández could only watch the ball soar, hunched over.

Blaze Alexander hit a two-run homer in the eighth. But position-player pitcher Miguel Rojas dealt a 1-2-3 ninth inning, one of the team’s three innings it held the Orioles scoreless. By then, the skies had cleared enough for the faint outline of the San Gabriel Mountains to appear. The Dodgers, though, finished the game as uncompetitive as it had started.

Injury Updates

Catcher Will Smith will not travel with the team this week as the team takes on the Twins and the Padres, Roberts said before the game. Smith is expected to participate in some baseball activities and will have a better estimate of his return depending on how he feels after.

Teoscar Hernández is slated to play in a rehab assignment Tuesday with the triple-A Oklahoma City Comets before joining the team in its final June series against the Athletics.

Reliever Blake Treinen, on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, got some good news. The MRI did not show any structural damage, only inflammation that Roberts attributed to the wear and tear of the season. “I don’t think it’ll be a long thing,” Roberts said. “Obviously, he’s on the IL, so it’s going to be two weeks, but hopefully it’s not much more beyond that.”

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is well into the second run of group play, with every team still eager to post wins and most looking to secure a place in the knockout stage.

Here’s everything you need to know about matches being played Sunday, Monday and Tuesday in the 48-team tournament across the U.S., Mexico and Canada (all times Pacific). Tuesday’s matches will conclude the first two games of group play for every team at the World Cup.

Sunday’s Group G matchups:

Belgium vs. Iran

Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku, right, is challenged by Egypt’s Ramy Rabia during a World Cup Group G match on June 15.

(Alex Grimm / Getty Images)

Where: SoFi Stadium
Time: noon
TV: FS1, Telemundo

The buzz: Iran twice rallied from deficits to draw with New Zealand in its first game, while Belgium, outplayed by Egypt in its opener, was lucky to escape with a point on an own goal early in the second half. Belgium’s aging golden generation of Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Thomas Meunier and Axel Witsel is going to need to do much better if they hope to avoid another early World Cup exit.

New Zealand vs. Egypt

New Zealand’s Callan Elliot, left, and Iran’s Mehdi Ghayedi battle for the ball during a World Cup Group G match on June 15.

(Andre Penner / Associated Press)

Where: BC Place, Vancouver
Time: 6 p.m.
TV: FS1, Telemundo

The buzz: One of these teams could make history since neither has ever won a World Cup game. New Zealand earned its first point in the World Cup since 2010 with a draw against Iran. The winner likely advances to the next round.

Sunday’s Group H matchups:

Spain vs. Saudi Arabia

Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal, top, challenges for the ball during a draw with Cape Verde on June 15.

(Mattia Ozbot / Getty Images)

Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
Time: 9 a.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: Both teams opened the World Cup with surprising results. Second-ranked Spain was unable to score in a draw with No. 67 Cape Verde. Saudi Arabia was 10 minutes away from upsetting Uruguay, only to settle for a tie. Spain desperately needs a win to get its World Cup back on track, while another good performance from Saudi Arabia — unbeaten in its last three games — would have the Arabian Falcons in position to reach the knockout stage.

Uruguay vs. Cape Verde

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha holds the nation’s flag after a draw with Spain on June 15.

(Buda Mendes / Getty Images)

Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Time: 3 p.m.
TV: FS1, Telemundo

The buzz: With all four teams playing to draws in their openers, the group is wide open. That creates a rare opportunity for tournament debutant Cape Verde, the second-smallest country to qualify for a World Cup. Vozinha, Cape Verde’s goalkeeper, made seven saves to shut out Spain. If he can frustrate Uruguay the same way, Cape Verde could be through to the round of 32.

Monday’s Group J matchups:

Argentina vs. Austria

Argentina’s Lionel Messi reacts after scoring his third goal against Algeria at the World Cup on June 16.

(Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)

Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Time: 10 a.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: Argentina opened its World Cup title defense with a 3-0 win over Algeria on a hat trick from Lionel Messi. The Argentina captain, playing in his record sixth World Cup, is tied with Germany’s Miroslav Klose for the most career World Cup goals (16). Austria, meanwhile, would all but assure itself of a spot in the knockout round with a point.

Jordan vs. Algeria

Algeria’s Zineddine Belaïd kicks the ball during a World Cup loss to Argentina on June 16.

(Michael Steele / Getty Images)

Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
Time: 8 p.m.
TV: FS1, Telemundo

The buzz: Little was expected of Jordan, making its first appearance in the World Cup. And it delivered little in a 3-1 loss to Austria. But Algeria, ranked 28th in the world, entered the tournament with high hopes and one of African soccer’s most potent attacks. However, it had only one shot on goal in its loss to Argentina and needs a big rebound to avoid an early trip home.

Monday’s Group I matches:

France vs. Iraq

France’s Kylian Mbappé celebrates after scoring against Senegal on June 16.

(Adam Hunger / Ap Photo/adam Hunger)

Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
Time: 2 p.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: Kylian Mbappé proved his fitness with a brace in France’s opening win over Senegal, giving him 14 World Cup goals, tied for fourth on the all-time list. He has a great chance to pad that total against an Iraq team that gave up four goals to Norway. Iraq still is looking for its first-ever World Cup point.

Norway vs. Senegal

Norway’s Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring against Iraq on June 16.

(Justin Setterfield / Getty Images)

Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.
Time: 5 p.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: Norway, playing in its first World Cup this century, made up for lost time with a 4-1 win in its opener, getting two goals from Erling Haaland. Norway probably will move on to the next round no matter what happens, but a point would lock down a spot. Senegal and Sadio Mané, on the other hand, desperately need a win.

Tuesday’s Group K matchups:

Portugal vs. Uzbekistan

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo walks on the field during a match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 17.

(Molly Darlington / Getty Images)

Where: NRG Stadium, Houston
Time: 10 a.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: Cristiano Ronaldo entered this World Cup with visions of winning his first title. But he’ll go home early and empty-handed unless fifth-ranked Portugal improves on the listless performance it had in a draw with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Uzbekistan, playing in its first World Cup, was not intimidated by the big stage, weathering a withering Colombia attack in a 3-1 loss. Expect it to bunker in again against Portugal.

Colombia vs. DR Congo

Yoane Wissa, left, celebrates with teammates after scoring for the Democratic Republic of the Congo against Portugal on June 17.

(Karen Warren / Associated Press)

Where: Estadio Akron, Zapopan, Mexico
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: FS1, Telemundo

The buzz: The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s only other World Cup appearance came in 1974, when the country was known as Zaire; it lost all three games and didn’t score a goal. It’s already done better with Yoane Wissa’s score in first-half stoppage time giving the team a point against Portugal. A win here and it’s through to the knockout phase. The same is true of Colombia, which got a 65th-minute goal from Luis Díaz and another from substitute Jáminton Campaz deep in stoppage time to beat stubborn Uzbekistan.

Tuesday’s Group L matchups:

England vs. Ghana

England’s Harry Kane celebrates after scoring against Croatia on June 17.

(Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)

Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.
Time: 1 p.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo

The buzz: England opened its World Cup with a surprisingly comfortable win over Croatia behind two goals from captain Harry Kane. But the Three Lions are only equal atop the table with Ghana, which got a goal deep in stoppage time from Caleb Yirenkyi to beat Panama. If there’s a winner here, it probably will decide the group. A point likely sends both teams through.

Panama vs. Croatia

Where: BMO Stadium, Toronto
Time: 4 p.m.
TV: Fox, Telemundo

Panama’s Ismael Díaz attempts a shot against Ghana on June 17.

(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

The buzz: Croatia has played in two straight World Cup semifinals, but that streak is in jeopardy after a 4-2 loss to England. Panama outshot, outpassed and outpossessed Ghana in its first game but came away with nothing after conceding a goal in stoppage time, leaving the Central Americans still looking for their first World Cup win.