Dijon II · National 3 - Group J · Defender · #0 · Madagascar · 21 yrs
The World Cup continues to produce the unexpected. On a throbbingly hot afternoon in the low flat plains outside Dallas the Netherlands and Japan played out a high-grade, ultimately thrilling Group F game, Daichi Kamada scoring an 89th-minute equaliser to make it 2-2 just as the Dutch looked like taking an early hold on one of the tougher groups.Sport does love to spring surprises. As the entire bib-clad Japanese bench emptied on to the pitch to celebrate Kamada’s deflected goal, as the Japan fans writhed and roared and fell over themselves in the stands, it was tempting to wonder if perhaps the unthinkable is happening. Continue reading...
Houston is a host city but those gathered there for a GOP convention are far more concerned with contentious politics – and an elephantGreg Abbott, the governor of Texas, has just finished a 25-minute address and most of the hits have been played. The radical Democrats must be destroyed in November’s midterms; an Austin-style woke agenda should be avoided at all costs; it is essential the Lone Star State remains the most conservative in the US. He has provided ample fodder for about 5,000 delegates but, as the applause subsides, they have a more weighty subject matter to absorb.There is an elephant in the room. A real live elephant in the form of Paige, who is wearing a white cloak bearing the slogan “Unity drives victory”. It has long been an in-joke at the Texas Republican party convention that, one day, a pachydermal visitor might drop in; the animal has been a symbol of the GOP for 150 years. Now, at the George R Brown Convention Center on Friday afternoon, the fantasy has been made flesh. To intakes of breath, Paige is led up the vast conference hall’s central aisle, taking a break halfway up. The exit is 100 metres away but will have to wait; unfortunately for those who have rushed to marvel at her, it turns out Paige needs to urinate. Continue reading...
Dan Riccio and Blake Price recap Day 2 of the 2026 World Cup on The 90th Minute, analyzing Canada's tough draw and the USA's dominant opening win. Day two of the 2026 FIFA World Cup brought the remaining North American co-hosts onto the pitch for their highly anticipated opening matches. The tournament’s initial games have officially wrapped up for the host nations, leaving fans with two entirely different performances to digest. Listen to the full episode on Spotify to hear the complete day two match analysis. On the latest episode of The 90th Minute, hosts Dan Riccio and Blake Price dive straight into Canada’s opening-day frustrations against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Canadian squad struggled to establish a rhythm early on and ultimately suffered from a costly inability to finish their clinical scoring chances. In sharp contrast, the United States Men’s National Team experienced a much smoother start to their tournament run. The Americans showed no issues in front of the net, executing a dominant tactical game plan that completely smothered Paraguay to lock down a crucial opening victory. The hosts break down the major talking points from both matches, providing structural analysis of the formations and individual player performances. The episode serves as a direct recap of how these early results shake up the expectations for both co-hosts moving forward in the group stage. You can stream the full tactical review right now. Check out The 90th Minute Day 2 Breakdown on Spotify to get the complete breakdown of the action before the next round of group stage matches kicks off.
Mexico City played host to this year’s first game as an emotionally charged Azteca witnessed Shakira’s big returnMexicans have waited 40 years to witness a World Cup in their own country and the pride felt from becoming the first nation to stage three tournaments has been easy to sense in the city all week. Those fortunate enough to have secured tickets were not going to miss out. Despite road closures and multiple protests from striking teachers and families of the country’s 130,000 disappeared making travel challenging, all 83,000 seats at the Azteca were filled 90 minutes before kick-off, with Fifa’s fears of being forced to delay proceedings proving unfounded. Continue reading...
Croatia head coach says England game crucial to hopesKovacic, Gvardiol and Modric lacking match sharpnessZlatko Dalic sees Croatia’s World Cup opener against England as pivotal to their summer fortunes, admitting a softer first match may have been preferable for a team struggling with form and fitness issues.Croatia beat Slovenia 2-1 in their final friendly before flying to the US but Dalic is likely to face selection issues when they face England on 17 June. The Manchester City pair of Mateo Kovacic and Josip Gvardiol are both coming back from injury adding to the sense that Dalic’s side, who finished third in 2022 and runners-up four years earlier, risk starting their tournament on the back foot. Continue reading...
Croatia 2-1 SloveniaModric scores on what could be last game on home turfLuka Modric discarded his protective mask, accepted Zlatko Dalic’s congratulations and half-waved bashfully to a vigorously appreciative crowd. Had this really, finally, been his last official appearance on Croatian soil? The pre-match wisdom had certainly leaned that way, even though the home side’s ageless metronome has given little indication of his post-World Cup plans. It was a suitably romantic narrative to enliven a warm, woozy evening in the country’s far north and, as Modric returned to the bench shortly before the hour, he had already reminded any wandering England eyes of the gifts that still give scant sign of fading away.Until Mario Pasalic’s spectacular volley, thrashed in with the game’s final action, nobody else had done much to stir local emotions. Croatia depart for the US with questions lingering about form, fitness and formation but at least they were waved on their way with a 2-1 win over a punchy and slightly unfortunate Slovenia. Warm-up games offer a flawed, fragmented picture by their nature but Modric’s putative send-off offered cover for a palpable fallibility that has infected Dalic’s side. Continue reading...
Sullivan hoped football would legitimise him but claims about historical conduct have led to his resignation from West Ham• Sullivan steps down at West Ham to fight claims about private lifeWhen David Sullivan was growing up in a council house in Cardiff, he dreamed of becoming a professional footballer. Short and squat, he would never be a player, but later in life the fortune he built through the pornography industry and the property world gave him a route into the sport. The only problem, Sullivan discovered, was finding a club willing to roll out the welcome carpet for him and his business partners, David and Ralph Gold.They were fans of West Ham United and bought a stake in the east London club in 1991, only to find entry to the boardroom closed. “We had no contact with the board,” the late David Gold wrote in his autobiography. “They simply did not want David Sullivan and the Golds at their football club.” Continue reading...
