Young guns shine as Australia upset Turkey

Australia provided the surprise result so far of the 2026 World Cup as they began their Group D campaign with a 2-0 win over Turkey in Vancouver. It was a highly organised and clinical display from Tony Popovic’s side, who withstood their opponent’s dominance of the ball and struck with a goal in each half from Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe. The match turned on a moment in the 27th minute. Arda Guler’s header was saved low by goalkeeper Patrick Beach – making his competitive international debut – and in a flash Irankunda was released to race away from the defence and slot into the corner at the other end.

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McGinn fires Scotland to narrow win over Haiti

Scotland moved top of Group C in their long-awaited return to the World Cup with a nervy 1-0 win over Haiti in Foxborough. In the Scots’ first game on the big stage since 1998, midfielder John McGinn fired them ahead in Boston with a deflected strike after 28 minutes, although Steve Clarke’s side lived dangerously at times.

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Brazil fightback to share spoils with impressive Morocco

Brazil and Morocco played out a 1-1 draw in the first ⁠heavyweight clash of the World Cup on Saturday, with the African side confirming their potential while exposing familiar weaknesses in their opponents at a sold out New York/New Jersey stadium. Ismael Saibari gave Morocco a deserved first-half lead before Vinicius Jr produced a moment of brilliance to restore parity, ensuring the points were shared in the opening Group C match.

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Qatar stun Switzerland with late equaliser to earn first World Cup point

Qatar scored a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser as they fought back to draw against Switzerland to claim their first-ever point at a World Cup finals.
Boualem Khoukhi headed home Homam El Amin’s cross in the 94th minute to spark wild celebrations among Julen Lopetegui’s squad. It delivered a remarkable conclusion to a one-sided affair that Switzerland had dominated and had looked likely to be settled by Breel Embolo’s first-half penalty.

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Russell beats Hamilton to pole in Barcelona

George Russell bounced back from the disappointments of the past few races to take pole position for the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. Russell edged out Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari by just 0.064 seconds as runaway championship leader Kimi Antonelli could manage only third place in the other Mercedes. McLaren’s Lando Norris took fourth from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, while Hamilton’s team-mate Charles Leclerc crashed on his first lap in the final session and will start 10th.

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