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Rico Lewis hosted a tournament with Phil Foden & others to fight homelessness in ManchesterThe 21-year-old vowed to provide positivity in a world that feels “like there is more negativity”Lewis, w...
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Fabian Ruiz, preferred to Pedri in the starting line-up, gave La Roja the lead in the 30th minute, converting the rebound after Thibaut Courtois had made the initial save. Belgium levelled 11 minutes later through a powerful Charles De Ketelaere header, ending Spain's remarkable run of 649 minutes without conceding at a World Cup. The second half proved much tougher for Belgium, particularly after goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois broke down in tears when he appeared to suffer a thigh injury and was forced off in the 77th minute. Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens was handed a difficult task in his place, but he could only parry a Spanish effort into the path of Mikel Merino, who converted the rebound to put Spain 2–1 ahead. Merino once again made an immediate impact from the bench, scoring the winner just 100 seconds after coming on, much as he did against Portugal. Spain will now face France in only their second-ever World Cup semi-final. Their only previous appearance came in 2010, when they went on to lift the trophy.
Manchester City announced the £3m signing of goalkeeper Pierce Charles from Sheffield Wednesday before immediately sending him out on a season-long loan to Championship club Queens Park Rangers. The 20-year-old has signed a five-year deal and returns to City having come through the academy at the club before joining Wednesday in 2021. Charles made 36 senior appearances for the Owls and has also won 12 caps for Northern Ireland.
Belgium face Senegal in a crucial Round of 32 match at the 2026 World Cup, where Romelu Lukaku will start the game from the bench. Belgium face Senegal in the Round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup at Seattle Stadium, and manager Rudi Garcia has once again opted to leave Romelu Lukaku out of his starting eleven. Garcia is sticking with Charles De Ketelaere in the false-nine role up front, a setup that has defined Belgium’s attack throughout the group stage, with Lukaku held in reserve to be introduced from the bench. Lukaku has been Belgium‘s most decisive weapon precisely as a substitute, delivering the goods every time he’s been called upon in this tournament. He came off the bench to force an opponent into an own goal in Belgium’s opening draw with Egypt, then scored the winner against New Zealand in the group-stage finale, adding an assist along the way. Garcia has made clear that using Lukaku as an impact substitute, rather than a starter, is a tactical choice. In fact, he did start in Belgium’s second group game against Iran, and struggled to keep up with the pace of the match — he failed to register a single shot, picked up a yellow card, and was substituted in the 73rd minute. Romelu Lukaku celebrates a goal vs New Zealand. (Getty Images) Lukaku’s fitness issues after a tough season Lukaku’s tournament has been shadowed by a difficult club campaign. A pre-season injury at Napoli kept him sidelined for months, and he managed just 64 minutes across seven matches throughout the season, scoring only once, in a February match against Hellas Verona. That lack of match sharpness left real doubt over whether Lukaku would even make Belgium’s World Cup squad. He has since nearly doubled his season’s club minutes in the space of Belgium’s three group games, but Garcia continues to manage his workload carefully, knowing the striker could perform better for him coming off the bench than starting the match.
