Mexico warmed up for opening the World Cup with a 5-1 victory over Gambia thanks to two goals apiece from Javier Hernandez and Adolfo Bautista.
Mexico will kick off the tournament on June 11 against host South Africa. The Mexicans dominated Gambia on a rainy day in southern Germany and looked sharp on counter attacks, but wasted a number of chances, too.
Hernandez gave Mexico a 1-0 halftime lead and doubled it five minutes into the second half. Bautista then scored his first, before Gambia earned its only goal through Ebrima Sohna’s header in the 65th after a corner.
PHOTO: EPA
Bautista connected at the far post to make it 4-1 and Alberto Medina slotted home from the left side after a counter attack to complete the win in the 80th.
Chile beat Northern Ireland 1-0 on Sunday in their penultimate warm-up match before they head to the World Cup finals in South Africa.
Striker Esteban Paredes scored the only goal of the match with a header at the back post from a corner after 30 minutes.
The Chileans, who will play in group H alongside Honduras, Switzerland and Spain, dominated possession, but seldom threatened the Northern Irish goal.
Chile Coach Marcelo Bielsa has narrowed his squad down to 24 players, but needs to drop one more man before today, the FIFA deadline for naming definitive World Cup squads.
Chile beat Israel 3-0 in their last friendly before heading off to South Africa later on Sunday.
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese tennis star Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles at the French Open, after she and German partner Mark Wallner defeated Slovenian Andreja Klepac and Briton Lloyd Glasspool in straight sets, despite temperatures exceeding 32°C in Paris, while Taiwan’s top men’s doubles player Ray Ho also reached the second round. Hsieh, who made it to the semi-finals in the mixed doubles at Roland Garros in 2024, and Wallner defeated Klepac and Glasspool 6-3, 7-5 in just more than an hour, converting three of five break points, while holding their opponents to just one conversion
FAST AND LOOSE: Despite command struggles, Ohtani has pitched his way out of trouble after falling behind in counts, which manager Roberts credited to his velocity Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday night tossed six innings of no-hit ball, gave himself an early lead with a home run and still was not satisfied with his performance. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar dropped some expletives that were picked up by the on-field mic as he struggled with his command in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. He struck out seven, walked four and gave up an earned run in the fourth inning while visibly fuming on the mound. Ohtani (5-2) earned his third consecutive victory. “Just command was off, and I just felt like I was battling the lack of
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS