Messi dismantles Tuchel’s wall and Argentina advances to the final

England lost 2-1 to Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals. Messi gave two key assists.

Publicado 6 days ago el 16 de julio a las 11:12 | 2 mins reading |749 vistas | por Miguel Torres

England lost 2-1 to Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals, despite leading until the final minutes. Coach Thomas Tuchel tried to protect the lead with defensive changes, but Lionel Messi dismantled the plan with two masterful assists.

Argentina equalized in the 85th minute through Enzo Fernández, and Lautaro Martínez sealed the comeback in the second minute of added time. The South American team advanced to the final against Spain.

“They won every ball from above. That’s why we went to a line of five to close spaces,” explained Tuchel. “The responsibility falls on the coach. If it doesn’t go well, it’s easy to say it was wrong.”

England took the lead with a goal from Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute, but Argentina reacted immediately. Tuchel replaced Reece James with Dan Burn and Declan Rice with Nico O’Reilly in the 82nd minute. Minutes later the goals arrived.

“We played a good game for the most part. Once up, it seemed like we were just trying to hold on. At this level that’s not enough,” declared Harry Kane, visibly affected.

Fernández took advantage of a pass from Messi to shoot from outside the area. The ball beat Jordan Pickford. Then, Martínez headed in a cross from Messi himself to end the duel.

“They got tired after 60 minutes of pressure. They found the goal and went back. That gave us peace of mind to move the ball and widen the field,” explained Lautaro Martínez.

The English defeat is only the second time in the century that the team that scored first in the World Cup semifinals does not reach the final, according to data from Opta. The previous one was also England, in 2018 against Croatia.

Sports

MLS investigates Inter Miami for signing Casemiro

The current champion would have negotiated improperly with the Brazilian, according to league rules.

Publicado 45 minutes ago el 22 de julio a las 16:37 | 2 mins reading

Inter Miami announced the signing of Brazilian midfielder Casemiro. The MLS began an investigation to determine whether the club engaged in improper negotiation.

Investigation for possible manipulation

Casemiro’s discovery rights belonged to the LA Galaxy. According to the rules, that prevented Inter Miami from negotiating with him without authorization. Both teams reached an agreement that allowed the signing, but the league continues to investigate.

“The league is gathering all relevant information and will refrain from further comment until the review is complete,” MLS said. “Although Inter Miami and LA Galaxy have reached an agreement for the discovery priority of signing Casemiro, the terms will be published upon conclusion of the manipulation investigation.”

Casemiro, 34, appeared in all five of Brazil’s games at this year’s World Cup and scored one goal. His contract with Inter Miami runs until the end of the 2027 “sprint” season, with an option to extend until June 2029.

Statements upon arrival

The Brazilian expressed his motivation: > “What motivates me the most, and I think this is true for any player, is winning and continuing to grow. The project that the club presented to me, along with the effort that everyone made to bring me here, means a lot to me.”

David Beckham, co-owner of Inter Miami, highlighted: > “He is a winner who has achieved a lot in football and, after such an extraordinary career with Real Madrid and Manchester United, I am very happy that he has decided to make Miami his new home.”

Casemiro spent the last four seasons at Manchester United. Before, most of his professional career was spent at Real Madrid, where he won five Champions Leagues. It is still not known when he will debut with Lionel Messi’s team; The club is waiting for the necessary visa.

Beginning in early 2027, MLS will have an abbreviated 14-game regular season before aligning with international schedules. Each of the 30 teams will play seven home games and seven away games, only against rivals from the same conference.

Sports

Cruz Azul is the absolute leader; Pumas defeat Toluca on Matchday 2

Cruz Azul leads with a perfect pace; Pumas comes back to Toluca and shakes the table.

Publicado 1 hour ago el 22 de julio a las 16:14 | 2 mins reading

The Apertura 2026 table of Liga MX had its first strong movements after the two early games of Matchday 2.

The movements at the top

Cruz Azul is the absolute leader with six points, the only ones in the tournament with a perfect pace. La Maquina beat Puebla 2-1 at the Banorte Stadium and has five goals in favor against three against.

Pachuca, Tijuana, Atlas, Toluca, Monterrey, Necaxa, América, Puebla and Pumas follow with three units —although several have a game pending. Puebla fell to ninth place; Pumas rose to tenth after its first victory.

University comeback

The surprise of the date came at Nemesio Díez. Toluca took the lead in the 14th minute with a goal from Jorge Díaz, assisted by Helinho. But in the second half, the Auriazules reacted: Víctor Arteaga tied it in the 57th with a left-footed shot, and seven minutes later Sebastián Córdova headed in a cross from Rodrigo López to turn the score around.

Keylor Navas was a figure in maintaining the advantage with key saves. Toluca was left with three points and its first setback.

The other advance

Cruz Azul suffered against Puebla. Fernando Monárrez opened the scoring for La Franja; Luka Romero equalized. When everything pointed to a tie, Christian Ebere gave the capital’s victory in the final minutes.

Both duels were brought forward because Cruz Azul and Toluca will compete this weekend for the Champion of Champions.

What’s coming

Matchday 2 will continue from Friday to Sunday with Atlante-América, Tijuana-León, Guadalajara-Juárez, Santos Laguna-Atlas, Tigres-San Luis, Necaxa-Monterrey and Pachuca-Querétaro. The classification is just beginning to be defined.

Sports

Mexico eliminated from the World Cup; Aguirre resigns and goes viral

Mexico is out of the World Cup after losing 2-3 to England; Aguirre resigns and goes viral.

Publicado 1 hour ago el 22 de julio a las 15:27 | 2 mins reading

The Mexican National Team was left out of the World Cup after losing 2-3 to England in an intense match. The result not only ended the fans’ dream, but also marked the departure of Javier Aguirre as coach.

The strategist announced his resignation after the meeting and wished success to Rafael Márquez, his possible successor.

Viral moment and resignation

During the match, Aguirre starred in a moment that went around the world. He made an offensive comment to Englishman Anthony Gordon, which caused the player to laugh and was caught on camera.

The words “Fuck you, Gordon” immediately went viral. Days later, Aguirre received humorous recognition in a parody inspired by the Golden Globes, hosted by James Corden. He was awarded “Best Performance by a Coach.”

The technician’s response

Aguirre joined the joke and sent a message of thanks:

“Hello, I’m Javier Aguirre. Thank you for this award. It was an honor to be the coach of the Mexican National Team in this last World Cup. Thank you to the fans who have supported me over the years. Long live Mexico! And Fuck you, James.”

The moment reaffirmed the controversial nature of the coach, who now leaves the Tricolor bench. His departure opens the way to a new stage with Márquez as a possible replacement.