Sports
Resurgent Türkiye hand World Cup hosts USA 3rd-straight loss
The United States endured a third consecutive defeat under coach Mauricio Pochettino, losing 2-1 to Türkiye in a friendly match Saturday in Hartford, Connecticut.
Pochettino, whose team lost to Panama and Canada in the CONCACAF Nations League finals in March, was without several starters, including captain and AC Milan winger Christian Pulisic.
Almost a year out from the start of the World Cup, which the USA is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, Pochettino used the match to take a look at some of those on the fringes of his squad.
One of those, Houston Dynamo midfielder Jack McGlynn, put the home side ahead in the second minute in spectacular fashion.
The 21-year-old picked the ball up on the right flank, cut inside and then curled a beautiful shot from 20 yards out into the far corner.
It was an intense start from a hungry-looking USA, but Türkiye soon found their footing and began to apply pressure on the USA back line.
Arda Güler missed a great chance, unmarked in the box, he leaned back and fired over the bar and then Orkun Kökçü forced debutant keeper Matt Freese into a fine save with a fierce drive.
The visitors’ pressure paid off in the 24th minute but it was gifted to them by USA midfielder Johnny Cardoso who, attempting to play out from the back, clipped a pass against Güler which ricocheted past Freese and into the net.
Less than three minutes later, Türkiye had the lead after the USA defense was unable to clear and the ball fell to Kerem Aktürkoğlu who drove home.
Pochettino’s men were much better after the break though and were unfortunate not to draw level – Max Arfsten headed wide from close range and Patrick Agyemang had a shot on target but the best opportunity fell to Malik Tillman.
Substitute Tyler Adams floated a lovely cross to the back post but with all the goal to aim at, Tillman headed straight at Türkiye keeper Berke Özer.
As the USA pushed forward in search of an equalizer, Türkiye had a late chance to make it 3-1 but after a swift counterattack Barış Alper Yılmaz screwed his shot wide.
“For the first time, for a few camps, there were more positives than negatives,” said midfielder Adams.
“I think we have a lot of room for growth, if you asked me in March, I would say that we were far away but after a performance like that, there’s a lot more positives that we can take away,” he added.
The USA face Switzerland in Nashville on Tuesday.
Reigning champion Coco Gauff’s French Open title defence came to an end in the third round on Saturday as top seed Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka both won to set up a blockbuster last-16 clash.
Gauff went down 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 to Austrian 28th seed Anastasia Potapova as the top seeds continued to fall right up to the close of a scorching opening week at Roland Garros.
The 22-year-old fourth seed had been a break up in the deciding set before Potapova put together a run of five games for the loss of just one to condemn Gauff to her earliest Roland Garros exit since her debut in Paris six years ago.
The two-time major winner insisted being the reigning champion had not affected her play, unlike in 2024 when she was defending her title in New York.
“I think at the US Open it did a lot more but honestly this time it didn’t. I wasn’t really nervous,” Gauff said.
“That’s what’s more frustrating because I felt like I learned a lot from that US Open experience and I’m a better player since then and I just don’t think I portrayed that today.”
In a match defined by breaks of serve, Gauff conceded the crucial 10th game of the final set despite being 30-0 up behind her own delivery with a double fault sandwiched between two booming Potapova winners, before a powerful return on her second serve forced her to hit long and bid adieu to the French capital.
It was a third win for Potapova against Gauff – in their first meeting since 2023 – but she said it was a “top three (career victory) for sure”.
With it she equalled her best ever Grand Slam performance, when she also reached the fourth round at the French Open two years ago. She can better that on Monday when she faces 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya.
Sixth seed Amanda Anisimova also departed as the American fell in a third-set tie-break to France’s Diane Parry.
Former Australian Open winner Madison Keys edged ninth seed Victoria Mboko 6-3, 5-7, 7-5.
Earlier, Sabalenka beat Australia’s Daria Kasatkina 6-0, 7-5 in just 76 minutes to stamp her ticket to the fourth round.
After racing through the first set, Sabalenka went an early break down to her 53rd-ranked opponent before battling back.
The Belarusian world number one set up a meeting with her fellow quadruple major winner, Osaka.
Sabalenka and Osaka, both 28, have won two Australian Opens and two US Opens apiece.
Sabalenka has beaten Osaka twice this season, but Osaka won their only previous meeting at a major – at the same stage in the 2018 US Open, the first of her major titles.
“I’m just ready for the fight,” Sabalenka said of facing Osaka. “I’m ready to go out there to fight for that match, for that win. Ready to do anything it takes to get the win.”
The Japanese 16th seed battled past American 18-year-old Iva Jovic 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-4 to progress.
“I was a lot calmer than in my first matches… In a Slam the further I get the calmer I am. It’s such an honour to be here,” Osaka, who had never before gone past the last 32 at Roland Garros, said.
With the men’s side of the draw wide open following the shock early exits of top seed Jannik Sinner and 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic, Felix Auger-Aliassime is now considered a prime contender to win his first Grand Slam.
The Canadian fourth seed battled past Brandon Nakashima 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/1) in the night session.
“It was a complicated match for me,” he said. “The positive is the victory and moving into the next round.”
There he will meet Alejandro Tabilo for a spot in the quarter-finals, after the Chilean ended the fairytale run of French 17-year-old Moise Kouame.
Italian 10th seed Flavio Cobolli produced an emphatic straight-sets victory over world number 18 Learner Tien.
He will next face 85th-ranked Zachary Svajda, who downed 25th seed Francisco Cerundolo.
Cerundolo’s brother, Juan Manuel who beat Sinner in the last round in five sets, emerged victorious from an epic five-setter that clocked in at two minutes shy of six hours against Martin Landaluce.
He will face Matteo Berrettini, who will be marginally fresher than the 24-year-old after spending only five hours and 13 minutes on court for his 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (15/13) win over Francisco Comesana.
Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. and Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi also won long matches that went the distance to reach the second week at Roland Garros.
Türkiye and North Macedonia will face each other for the ninth time in their history in a friendly match on Monday.
The match will be played at Chobani Stadium and is scheduled to kick off at 8:30 p.m. local time.
The two national teams have met eight times previously, including four matches in North Macedonia, three in Türkiye and one at a neutral venue. Four of those encounters were official competitions and four were friendlies.
Türkiye has won five of the eight matches, while recording two draws and one loss.
The Turkish national team has scored 14 goals against North Macedonia but has conceded nine.
Türkiye has won three of its four away matches against North Macedonia, scoring six goals and conceding two. In the three matches played in Türkiye, the Crescent-Stars recorded two victories and one defeat.
The last meeting between the two sides took place nine years ago.
Türkiye, then coached by Fatih Terim, played North Macedonia to a scoreless draw in a friendly match in Skopje.
French police detained over 400 people involved in violent clashes in Paris and other French cities that erupted Saturday night after Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League title .
Seven officers were injured as football fans set off fires and vandalized shops, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said, describing the violence as “absolutely unacceptable.” One small group even tried to storm a Paris police station.
Nuñez said rioting took place in about 15 cities in France, and that nearly 400 people were detained in all, with nearly 300 of them in Paris alone.
But he said that planned celebrations for the team’s win on Sunday afternoon at the Champ de Mars, near the Eiffel Tower, would go ahead as scheduled. The PSG team will then be hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee presidential palace.
Fans began celebrating in Paris after the final whistle Saturday evening in Budapest, Hungary, where Paris Saint-Germain won by beating Arsenal on penalties in a dramatic final.
Fans marched along the avenues near Paris’ Arc de Triomphe monument, with some setting off flares and blaring car horns. Around 20,000 people gathered on the Champs-Elysees, where police worked to contain the crowd.
The Paris police prefecture said smaller groups caused disturbances in various locations, with some vandalizing shops and setting fires. Cars were also set ablaze. Those who attempted to storm a police station in the posh 8th Arrondissement neighborhood were dispersed, police said.
In May last year following PSG’s first title, 201 people were injured in the French capital and police made more than 500 arrests across France.
Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca produced the biggest upset of the French Open so far on Friday, defeating Novak Djokovic in the third round and ending the Serbian’s bid for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title.
The 39-year-old Serb – a three-time champion at Roland Garros – lost 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 as temperatures again reached 33 degrees C (91 F).
Djokovic looked exhausted in the fifth set but soldiered on and his exit leaves the men’s draw even more open following Jannik Sinner’s second-round exit on Thursday.
“Tough one for me to lose,” Djokovic said. “I was barely standing on my legs toward the end of the match.”
Facing Fonseca for the first time, Djokovic mixed trademark defense with stunning winners and delicate drop shots to win the first two sets.
“I was playing good tennis, very good tennis,” Djokovic said. “Taking everything into consideration and all the circumstances, my level was very good.”
But Fonseca proved resilient and tied the match on sets. In the final game, Djokovic had a break point for 6-6 but Fonseca served out with three consecutive aces and became the first teenager to beat Djokovic at a Grand Slam tournament.
“I just enjoyed being on court and what a pleasure it was. It’s my first stepping on court against him,” Fonseca said. “I was just trying to hit the ball as fast I could. Djokovic don’t miss, we still think he’s 20. At the end of the match I think he was more fit than me, that’s crazy.”
About his flurry of aces, he joked: “I felt like (big server) John Isner. I never did this before.”
Then he wished his mother in the crowd happy birthday and thanked all the Brazilians in the crowd.
Djokovic came to Roland Garros with doubts. After he lost the Australian Open final to Carlos Alcaraz, a shoulder injury limited his clay-court buildup to one competitive match. He labored for at least three hours in each of his previous two rounds but would have thought his chances of adding to his 2016, 2021 and 2023 French Open titles improved after Sinner’s exit.
But the heat that stressed Sinner also got to Djokovic, who applied ice packs on both sides of his face during changeovers. Still, he looked to be in command when he clinched the second set with a forehand volley at the net.
But Fonseca, who kept pushing Djokovic back with his big forehand, broke early in the third set and held on to it.
In the fifth set, Djokovic frantically tried to find ways to recover some energy against an opponent 20 years younger but he couldn’t hide his fatigue: He hunched over the advertising boards, his forearms dangling; slumped back in his chair with a towel on his head; grabbed his head with his hands.
He was gracious in defeat.
“I told him (after the match) that he deserved to win and he should be proud of himself. We’ve all seen today why there is hype around him,” Djokovic said. “Without a doubt he was a better player in important moments. Found incredible shots.”
Djokovic said he was unsure if he would play at the French Open next year, although he said the same after his semifinal defeat to Jannik Sinner last year.
Turkish rider Toprak Razgatlıoğlu this weekend returns to the spotlight at one of the most demanding stages on the calendar as he lines up for Round 7 of the 2026 season at Mugello, Italy, continuing his adaptation to MotoGP machinery with the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP.
The Mugello Circuit delivers one of MotoGP’s most intense challenges, a 5.245 km rollercoaster of 15 corners, rapid elevation changes and a 1.141 km straight where speeds regularly exceed 360 km/h.
The 23-lap main race stretches just over 120 km, with precision, tire management and bravery all tested at the limit.
Italian fans are expected to pack the hillsides once again, adding pressure and energy to a venue known for producing some of the season’s most explosive racing.
Tough rookie season
Now competing in his debut premier-class campaign, Razgatlıoğlu made history in 2026 as the first Turkish rider in MotoGP. After six rounds, he sits 22nd in the standings with 4 points, his best result a 13th-place finish at the French Grand Prix.
Riding the Yamaha M1 has demanded a major adjustment from his World Superbike dominance. Known for aggressive braking and late corner entries, he has been working to adapt to prototype machinery that requires finer control of electronics and corner speed discipline.
Early in the season, Aprilia has set the pace, with Marco Bezzecchi leading the standings ahead of Jorge Martin and Fabio Di Giannantonio. KTM’s Pedro Acosta and Japan’s Ai Ogura complete the top five.
For Razgatlıoğlu, Mugello is less about points and more about progress. The high-speed layout will expose both strengths and weaknesses of the Yamaha package, while offering valuable data for development.
Lionel Messi will captain Argentina at a record sixth World Cup, extending an international career that has already reshaped the modern game as the reigning champions arrive in North America with both legacy and expectation weighing heavily on every step.
Lionel Messi enters the tournament at 39, still central to Argentina’s identity nearly four years after delivering the country’s long-awaited third world title in Qatar. That 2022 campaign was not just a triumph but a full reinvention of his international legacy, defined by seven goals, three assists, and decisive moments in every knockout round, culminating in a final against France where he scored twice and converted in the shootout to secure the trophy.
In the immediate aftermath, Messi suggested that the World Cup win had closed the circle on his career, calling it the one achievement he had been missing. Retirement from international football felt like the natural next step. Instead, he chose to extend his run, driven by the rare opportunity to compete again as reigning world champion and the unfinished pull of elite competition on the global stage.
That decision has carried Argentina into a new cycle under coach Lionel Scaloni, who has repeatedly made clear that Messi’s role cannot be replicated. The structure of the team, both tactically and emotionally, still flows through him, even as Argentina have gradually diversified their attacking patterns and reduced dependence on a single focal point.
The physical context is different now. Messi’s departure from Europe in 2023 after a mixed spell at Paris Saint-Germain marked the end of his weekly exposure to the Champions League level. At Inter Miami CF, he has found a new rhythm, producing 13 goals in 16 appearances in 2026 and leading the club to the MLS Cup title last season. The tempo and intensity differ from Europe’s elite competitions, but his efficiency and influence remain intact.
Recent injury management has added a layer of caution. A hamstring issue following a match against Philadelphia Union briefly raised concern within Argentina’s camp, though the medical outlook has been described as manageable. The expectation remains that he will be available for the opening phase of the tournament.
What remains striking is the scale of his international longevity. Messi is approaching 200 caps, already standing as Argentina’s record holder for appearances and goals, and his national team journey now spans five World Cups and three decades of football evolution. He debuted in 2006, experienced the heartbreak of the 2014 final loss to Germany, and then completed the long arc with victory in 2022.
Since that breakthrough, his influence has not faded. He captained Argentina to the 2024 Copa America title in the United States, adding another major trophy to a resume that had long been defined by near misses at international level. He also played a leading role in South American qualifying, finishing among the top scorers and reinforcing that his output remains decisive even in a shared attacking system.
Argentina’s current squad reflects a blend of continuity and controlled renewal. The core of the 2022 champions remains intact, including Emiliano Martinez, Cristian Romero, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister, Julian Alvarez, and Lautaro Martinez. The retention of 17 players from Qatar underscores how stable the structure remains.
At the same time, Scaloni has begun integrating younger profiles such as Nicolás Paz and Valentín Barco, while experienced names like Paulo Dybala and Emiliano Buendía were left out. The omission of highly rated teenager Franco Mastantuono also drew attention, highlighting the fine balance between long-term planning and immediate tournament ambition.
Preparation for the tournament includes friendlies against Honduras and Iceland before Argentina begin Group J play against Algeria in Kansas City. Austria and Jordan complete the group, with fixtures scheduled across the United States, including a match in Arlington, Texas that will take place just days after Messi’s 39th birthday.
Inside the squad, there is an awareness that this cycle may represent the final World Cup chapter for their captain. Alvarez has described Messi’s presence as both motivating and defining, while also emphasizing that Argentina now have enough depth and tactical flexibility to compete without over-reliance on one player. That point has been reinforced by results such as a dominant qualifying win over Brazil achieved without him.
Still, the global focus remains fixed on him. Alongside figures such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Guillermo Ochoa, Messi’s sixth World Cup appearance stands as part of a rare convergence of longevity at the highest level, where past and present collide on the same stage.
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