Argentina’s Lionel Messi (Image: AP) It was as if one was watching a movie marathon at a film festival. Or a night-long musical soiree.First, the blockbuster from reigning superstar Kylian Mbappe, followed by new entrant Erling Haaland’s superhit debut feature. Then, as dawn was breaking, came Lionel Messi’s cult-classic, a statement, a reminder, almost rephrasing…
Ghana’s Caleb Yirenkyi (3) celebrates scoring the opening goal against Panama. (AP Photo) Caleb Yirenkyi struck deep into stoppage time to hand Ghana a dramatic 1-0 victory over Panama in their opening Group L clash at the FIFA World Cup 2026.Just when the contest appeared destined to end in a frustrating stalemate, Brandon Thomas-Asante burst…
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (AP Photo) Is age finally catching up with Cristiano Ronaldo?The question is growing louder after the 41-year-old endured another frustrating evening in Portugal’s FIFA World Cup 2026 opener, managing just 25 touches and failing to register a single shot on target in a disappointing 1-1 draw against DR Congo.Ronaldo attempted just three…
Breaking records at the tender age of 41, Cristiano Ronaldo stepped onto the pitch as the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match, showcasing his extraordinary career in his sixth tournament. (AP Photo) At 41 years and 132 days old, Cristiano Ronaldo became the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match,…
Shubman Gill (L) and Ishan Kishan (R) stitched a 224-run partnership during the second ODI between India and Afghanistan. (ANI) TimesofIndia.com in Lucknow: It is no secret that Team India‘s head coach Gautam Gambhir is a strong believer in the left-right batting combination.The foundation of India’s T20I template has been built around that principle. With…
NEW DELHI: India captain Shubman Gill revealed that he had a double century in his sights after producing a scintillating 154 against Afghanistan in the second ODI on Wednesday, saying he had set himself a target before the series to bat deep and convert starts into match-defining scores.Gill overcame oppressive conditions and severe cramps to…
Harry Kane etched his name in England’s World Cup history, drawing level with Gary Lineker’s 36-year-old record of 10 goals. (AP Photo) Thirty-six years after Gary Lineker put his name into England’s World Cup record books, Harry Kane stood on the same stage on thursday night and drew level with the legend and he did…
Hello and welcome to our new daily World Cup column: OFFSIDE.Whenever there is a World Cup, we usually get two headline ads from Nike and Adidas, who between them sponsor 26 of the 48 teams. Adidas’ ad was called Backyard Legends, headlined by Timothée Chalamet, where he is putting together a team to beat a…
India’s captain Shubman Gill (AP Photo) Shubman Gill added another feather to his cap during his commanding century against Afghanistan in Lucknow on Wednesday, surpassing MS Dhoni on the list of fastest Indians to 1,000 ODI runs in terms of balls faced.The India captain reached the four-figure milestone in just 954 deliveries, edging past former…
Rohit Sharma became only the fifth Indian batter to complete 14,000 runs in List A cricket during India’s second ODI against Afghanistan on Wednesday.The former India captain reached the milestone during a quick 48 off 39 balls. His innings included six fours and two sixes and came at a strike rate of over 123 before…