MUNICH — Spain reached the European Championship final with a 2-1 victory over France on Tuesday with 16-year-old Lamine Yamal becoming the youngest-ever scorer at a major tournament. France took an early lead when Randal Kolo Muani headed in a cross from Kylian Mbappé, who played without a mask, before Yamal’s moment of brilliance in … Read more
DORTMUND, Germany — The referee for England’s semifinal game against the Netherlands at Euro 2024 will be Felix Zwayer, who once had ties to a match-fixing scandal in Germany. Wednesday’s game will be Zwayer’s fourth of Euro 2024 and his second with the Netherlands after refereeing the Dutch team’s 3-0 win over Romania in the … Read more
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Thousands of displaced Palestinians in northern Gaza have sought refuge in one of the territory’s largest soccer arenas, where families now scrape by with little food or water as they try to keep one step ahead of Israel’s latest offensive. Their makeshift tents hug the shade below the stadium’s seating, … Read more
After advancing further than ever in World Cup qualifying, the Palestinian soccer team is determined to host a game for a change. The football association has proposed playing games in the third stage of its Asian qualification campaign in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and already has support from a number of its opponents, starting against … Read more
HOUSTON — Emiliano Martínez saved Argentina’s bid for a second straight Copa America title after the Albiceleste conceded a tying goal to Ecuador in second-half injury time. Martínez stopped shootout attempts by Ángel Mena and Alan Minda, and Argentina advanced to the Copa America semifinals with a 4-2 victory on penalty kicks following a 1-1 … Read more
MUNICH — The Netherlands reached its first European Championship quarterfinal in 16 years with a 3-0 win over Romania on Tuesday. Cody Gakpo broke the deadlock in the 20th minute and Donyell Malen scored two late goals to send the Dutch to their first quarterfinal in the tournament since 2008. The Dutch had missed a … Read more
COLOGNE, Germany — Spain recovered from conceding an early own-goal to beat Georgia 4-1 for a spot in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals, ending one of the tournament’s most compelling underdog stories. Goals from midfielders Rodri and Fabián Ruiz brought Spain back into the game after Robin Le Normand’s own-goal in the 18th minute had given … Read more
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Lionel Messi will skip Argentina’s last Copa America group match against Peru on Saturday because of a right leg injury. Messi hurt his leg in Argentina’s 1-0 victory over Chile on Tuesday that clinched a quarterfinal berth for the defending champions. The Argentina superstar received treatment on his right thigh area … Read more
DORTMUND, Germany — Here’s a quiz question: What do the 2022 World Cup final, the 2021 African Cup of Nations final, the 2020 European Championship final and the 2016 Copa America final have in common? Answer: They were all settled by a penalty shootout. Like it or not, the shootout — that tense battle of … Read more
DUESSELDORF, Germany — From smart-enabled match balls and artificial intelligence to cryogenic recovery chambers, soccer is being transformed by the cutting-edge technology available to players, coaches and officials. That much has been evident at Euro 2024, where advancements in areas such as equipment and sports science have been deployed on and off the field, designed … Read more
