Edinson Cavani s double earned Uruguay a 2-1 win over Portugal and a World Cup quarter-final against France, with a tearful Cristiano Ronaldo knocked out on the same day as his rival Lionel Messi.

Argentina s hopes of going one step better than a narrow defeat to Germany in the 2014 final were ended by a 4-3 loss to Les Bleus, with Ronaldo quickly following Messi out of the tournament.

Cavani struck in the seventh minute of Saturday s last-16 tie in Sochi to put Uruguay in control, but Portugal hit back after the interval when Pepe headed home Raphael Guerreiro s cross.

However, Uruguay soon led again when Cavani curled in a peach of a finish, though his delight soon turned to anguish as the striker limped off aided by Ronaldo after appearing to pull a muscle.

Werder Bremen have announced the signing of defender Lamine Sane from Ligue 1 side Bordeaux.

The 29-year-old has joined for an undisclosed fee after signing a contract at the Weserstadion on Thursday.

I am very pleased that the deal has gone through, Sane told Bremen s official website. I would like to thank Bordeaux for allowing me to make the move and Werder for having faith in me.

I am excited to play in the Bundesliga, because I have followed it for many years. To play in these stadiums and with this atmosphere, especially at Werder, is something I am really relishing. I want to make my contribution to a successful season as quickly as possible.

994 made 994 clearances and 478 interceptions since 2009 in Ligue 1, more than any other pl…

Western Sydney Wanderers have signed God of Football and former Eintracht Frankfurt star Alexander Meier.

Meier moves to the A-League club – coached by former Bayern Munich and Germany defender Markus Babbel – as a marquee, the Wanderers announced on Friday.

The 36-year-old attacker, who spent the second half of last season on loan at St Pauli, scored 137 goals during his 14 years with Eintracht – where he is the joint third highest scorer.

Meier, once nicknamed the God of Football , was also part of the Eintracht team, who were led by Niko Kovac, that stunned Bayern Munich in the 2017-18 DFB-Pokal final.

We have today confirmed the signing of German striker Alexander Meier for the upcoming season:

— WS Wanderers FC (@wswanderersfc)

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has challenged Manchester United s youngsters to continue making the most of their first-team opportunities this season before unleashing them in the Premier League.

Academy products Mason Greenwood, Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong were all named in a youthful United side for Thursday s 1-0 victory against Astana in the Europa League.

First-team regular Marcus Rashford also started but it was Greenwood who grabbed the headlines, the 17-year-old forward scoring the only goal of the game to become his side s youngest ever goalscorer in European competition.

Solskjaer has vowed to continue playing his young players in cup competitions with the aim of getting them ready for regular Premier League action.

United

— Manchester Unit…

Co-hosts Australia and New Zealand kicked off the World Cup with victories on the opening day of the tournament.

The pair bring with them very different sets of expectations, with the Matildas amongst the favourites for the crown whilst the Football Ferns came seeking a first win on the world stage.

However, the day was overshadowed by the deadly shooting in Auckland, with a minute’s silence in memory of those killed held ahead of both matches.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the drama that unfolded as the World Cup finally got under way.

New Zealand stun Norway

Expectations for 1995 champions Norway are not what they once were, particularly in the wake of a group stage exit at Euro 2022 and an 8-0 mauling at the hands of England, but few anticipated…

Jose Mourinho declared himself a happy man after watching Manchester United take West Ham apart in a 4-0 thumping at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Romelu Lukaku marked his Premier League debut for the club with a brace, before Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba added late gloss to the scoreline.

Since Alex Ferguson s retirement in 2013, United have been widely criticised for producing turgid, pedestrian displays devoid of attacking verve under David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and in Mourinho s maiden season in charge.

But they were full of vim and vigour against the Hammers, the pace and power of the likes of Lukaku, Marcus Rashford and substitute Martial proving too much for Slaven Bilic s side, leaving Mourinho satisfied with his side showing signs they are full of confide…

Anthony Gordon’s sixth goal of the season handed Newcastle a sixth-successive Premier League victory at St James’ Park as Manchester United became their latest victims.

The Magpies, who returned from Paris St Germain in midweek bitterly disappointed with a 1-1 Champions League draw, dominated for all but the final few minutes and perhaps should have secured the points in more emphatic fashion with Kieran Trippier seeing a first-half free-kick come back off the crossbar.

However, Gordon’s 55th-minute finish – the fourth-successive home league game in which he has scored – proved sufficient to clinch a 1-0 win and send Eddie Howe’s side above the Red Devils in the table, although his joy was tempered by a potentially-serious injury to goalkeeper Nick Pope.

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Michy Batshuayi s first-half goal helped Belgium to a 1-0 win over Poland, keeping the Red Devils in with a chance of reaching the Nations League Finals.

Less than a week after scoring five second-half goals in a 6-1 thrashing of Poland, Roberto Martinez s side were without several star names including Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku for the return fixture.

But Belgium were mostly comfortable after Batshuayi nodded them into an early lead, with Nicola Zalewski and Karol Swiderski squandering Poland s best chances to equalise.

Martinez s team trail the Netherlands by three points with two group-stage contests remaining, meaning the two rivals could be set for a straight shoot-out for qualification when they meet in September.

Wojciec…

Market: Both teams to score

Odds: 4/6 @

In what could prove to be an enjoyable League One showdown on Sunday afternoon, Bolton will welcome Wrexham to the Toughsheet Community Stadium.

Starting with the hosts, while Bolton might have suffered major play-off final heartbreak at Wembley back on May 18th as they fell to a 2-0 loss against Oxford United in north London, the Trotters haven’t shown any signs of a hangover since opening up the 2024/25 campaign. Getting proceedings underway last weekend as they secured a 2-1 victory away at Leyton Orient, Ian Evatt’s men will be looking to make another statement here. Extending on their EFL Cup adventure earlier in the week as they snatched a penalties victory against Mansfield, the former Barrow boss will now be ca…

Wolverhampton Wanderers are set to complete the signing of Joao Gomes from Flamengo, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Brazilian midfielder is set to travel to England on Sunday evening to undergo the pre-transfer medical and sign the necessary paperwork, after the two clubs reached a full agreement on a €17 million fee.

Gomes is a product of the academy at Flamengo. He earned a place in the first-team squad in 2021, and since then, he s gone on to make a total of 117 appearances for the Brazilian club in all competitions. The 21-year-old is an extremely versatile midfielder, capable of playing in any role between the defence and the attack, be it deeper, more advanced, on the left or the right. Nonetheless, he prefers acting through the middle, participating in the game at b…