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England and Argentina resume fierce rivalry in the World Cup semifinals
ATLANTA (AP) — England and Argentina resume one of the fiercest rivalries in international soccer in the World Cup semifinals. The two teams meet in Atlanta and the winner will play Spain in the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday. The World Cup rivalry between the nations dates back to 1962, but it was England’s 1-0 win in the quarterfinals four years later that saw it intensify. Argentina captain Antonio Rattin, whose death was announced on Saturday, was sent off in a bad-tempered match. England went on to win the World Cup for the only time. Other flash points included Diego Maradona’s infamous “Hand of God” goal in 1986 and David Beckham’s red card in 1998.
Lionel Messi aims to move clear in the race for the World Cup golden boot
ATLANTA (AP) — Lionel Messi faces England in the World Cup semifinals with the chance to move clear of Kylian Mbappé in the race for the golden boot. Messi and Mbappé are tied on eight goals for the tournament. Messi is also the all-time top scorer in World Cups with 21 goals. Stopping him is the biggest challenge for England in Atlanta. At the age of 39 this could be Messi’s last World Cup and he could surpass Argentina great Diego Maradona by winning the trophy for a second time after victory in Qatar in 2022.Argentina is also aiming to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since Brazil in 1958 and 62.
Steve Yzerman abruptly steps down as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings
Steve Yzerman has abruptly stepped down as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. Yzerman’s resignation to move to an advisory role to CEO Chris Ilitch comes several weeks after captain Dylan Larkin’s trade request came to light. The Red Wings say their search for a new head of hockey operations is already underway. Yzerman spent his entire 22-year Hall of Fame playing career with Detroit from 1983-2006, captaining it to the Stanley Cup three times. He was a successful GM in Tampa Bay before returning to Detroit in 2019.
ACC revamps tiebreakers for conference title game after 5-loss Duke team got in over No. 10 Miami
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Atlantic Coast Conference is revamping the tiebreaker format for its football championship game following a controversial finish last season that allowed a five-loss Duke team to reach the title game over then No. 10-ranked Miami. That put the Hurricanes at risk of not making the College Football Playoff. When head-to-head competition cannot separate tied teams, the team with the strongest overall body of work will earn the opportunity to compete for the ACC championship and the conference’s automatic qualifier to the College Football Playoff. ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips says that will be based on a SportSource Analytics metric used by the CFP.
Fleetwood riding a wave of support as the hometown hero at the British Open
SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — There’d be no more popular winner of the British Open at Royal Birkdale this week than Tommy Fleetwood. The golfer with distinctive flowing locks and a forever-friendly manner grew up just around the corner in this golf-grazed part of northwest England and is regarded as a hometown hero. Birkdale was virtually off limits for Fleetwood as a kid, except for those rare occasions he sneaked on the course to hit some shots while accompanying his father on evening dog walks. Instead the modest municipal club where it all started for Fleetwood is a short drive down the road, at Southport Municipal.
Distance debate at this British Open is how far the golf ball goes on the ground
SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — How far the golf ball travels has been a debate for years. At the British Open, it’s more how far the ball goes on the ground than in the air. The 154th Open begins Thursday on the brown-and-yellow links of Royal Birkdale. The forecast is for hot weather and bright sunshine and that’s only likely to make the links even fast. Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion. He joins a list of players who say the condition of the course allows for decision to be made at every turn. Scheffler also took a pointed jab at some of the changes.
Kylian Mbappé-led France falls flat in World Cup loss to Spain when hopes for a title were high
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Kylian Mbappé had France poised for another run to the World Cup final with a team that seemingly had the offensive firepower to solve Spain’s stout defense. Instead, Les Bleus had no answers in a 2-0 semifinal loss at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday. France coach Didier Deschamps has said this would be his final World Cup. Deschamps won World Cup titles as a player and a coach. He says he has been part of plenty of happy moments but that this game “was not such a moment.” France will play the Argentina-England loser in the third-place match Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Drama-filled women’s final at Wimbledon earns record viewership on ESPN
LONDON (AP) — The drama-filled Wimbledon final between Linda Noskova and Karolina Muchova over the weekend was ESPN’s most-watched women’s championship match at the grass-court Grand Slam. The all-Czech final during which Noskova wasted five match points and a 5-2 lead in the second set before eventually winning 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 on Saturday averaged 1.9 million viewers. That was an increase of 48% compared to last year’s women’s final when Iga Swiatek routed Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in 57 minutes. In Italy, where Jannik Sinner has become the country’s most popular athlete the men’s final in which he earned his fifth Grand Slam title was watched by an average of 4.2 million viewers.
Waerenskjold wins fastest ever stage of Tour de France, Pogačar protects lead
NEVERS, France (AP) — Norwegian rider Soeren Waerenskjold has sprinted to victory in the 11th stage of the Tour de France and Tadej Pogačar has protected his overall lead. Waerenskjold finished just ahead of Olav Kooij, Jasper Philipsen and a host of other riders in a sprint finish that seemed inevitable on the relatively short and flat 161.3-kilometer (100.2-mile) route from Vichy to Nevers in central France. It’s the 26-year-old Waerenskjold’s first stage win and comes a day after he crashed on the hilly stage to Le Lioran. Pogačar stretched his lead to more than 3½ minutes with his third stage win of this Tour the day before. He finished among a bunch of riders with his main challenger Jonas Vingegaard to maintain his advantage.
A 12-year-old baseball prodigy trains through tears after Venezuela quakes leave him homeless
GUARACARUMBO, Venezuela (AP) — There were many casualties in the earthquakes that rocked parts of Venezuela last month. Thousands of lives were lost, homes destroyed, livelihoods devastated. In the hardest hit state of La Guaira, the nation’s most popular sport is providing solace and hope. Many baseball fields have been repurposed as campgrounds for the estimated 18,000 people made homeless by the twin temblors. And one abandoned baseball stadium provides a space for young players to train, remember and commiserate. Venezuela has long been an incubator for Major League Baseball stars, and coaches still believe that some of the boys have a future in the sport despite the hardship and loss.
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