Haaland buries Ivory Coast

Published

4 weeks ago

June 30, 2026

Norway booked their place in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup after defeating Ivory Coast 2-1 in a hard-fought Round of 32 clash on Tuesday.

The encounter was closely contested, with both teams creating chances as they battled for a place in the next stage of the tournament.

Norway broke the deadlock in the 39th minute when Antonio Nusa calmly finished to hand his side a deserved first-half lead.

Ivory Coast responded strongly after the restart, drawing level in the 74th minute through Amad Diallo, who restored hope for the African side and set up a tense finish.

However, Erling Haaland proved to be the difference, scoring the decisive goal in the 86th minute to seal a dramatic 2-1 victory and send Norway into the last 16.

The strike also strengthened Haaland’s bid for the tournament’s Golden Boot, taking his goal tally to five and moving him into second place in the scoring charts behind L

ionel Messi.

Related Topics:Featured Haaland Ivory Coast Norway

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Two die celebrating football team’s victory

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EPL: Arsenal, Manchester U, other top teams face upsets

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Two die celebrating football team’s victory

Published

4 weeks ago

July 1, 2026

News Diggers

At least two people have died during massive celebrations in Mexico City after Mexico’s national team secured a place in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup.

According to the city government, the fatalities occurred on Wednesday as more than one million fans gathered across the capital to celebrate the team’s historic victory.

The city’s health ministry said a 19-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man died from asphyxiation during the crowded celebrations. Authorities have yet to confirm reports by local media that a third person also died.

Thousands of jubilant supporters flooded the streets, particularly around the iconic Angel of Independence monument, following Mexico’s 2-0 victory over Ecuador.

The victory ended Mexico’s 40-year wait for a knockout-stage win at the World Cup, marking the country’s first triumph in the competition’s elimination rounds since it hosted the tournament in 1986.

Julian Quiñones opened the scoring midway through the first half with a powerful strike before setting up Raúl Jiménez to seal the victory.

The result also extended Mexico’s unbeaten run to 10 World Cup matches at the Azteca Stadium, strengthening the co-hosts’ hopes of making a deep run in the tournament.

Mexico progressed to the Round of 16 after winning all three of their group-stage matches without conceding a goal, joining France and Argentina as the only teams to achieve a perfect group-stage record. They will next face either England or the Democratic Republic of Congo for a place in the

quarter-finals.

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EPL: Arsenal, Manchester U, other top teams face upsets

Published

1 month ago

June 21, 2026

News Diggers

Premier League champions Arsenal will begin their defence of the 2026–27 title with a home clash against newly promoted Coventry City when the new season kicks off on August 21.

The fixture, announced on Friday, will see Coventry return to the English top flight for the first time in 25 years, facing an immediate test against Mikel Arteta’s side. Arsenal enter the campaign as defending champions after ending a 22-year wait for the Premier League crown last season.

Another newly promoted side, Hull City, will host Manchester United in one of the opening-round fixtures, while Ipswich Town, also back in the Premier League, welcome Sunderland.

Manchester City will start a new era without long-serving manager Pep Guardiola when they take on Bournemouth at home in their season opener.

At St. James’ Park, Newcastle United will host Liverpool, who begin life under new manager Andoni Iraola.

Chelsea, meanwhile, will launch their campaign under new head coach Xabi Alonso with a London derby away to Fulham.

One of the standout fixtures of the early season, the Manchester derby between City and United, has been scheduled for September 12.

The release of the fixture list marks the countdown to another highly anticipated Premier League season, with several clubs entering new managerial eras and three promoted teams seeking to establish themselves in the top flight.

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Cape Verde goalkeeper goes emotional

Published

1 month ago

June 16, 2026

News Diggers

Cape Verde goalkeeper, Josimar José Évora Dias, known as Vozinha has spoken emotionally about the personal sacrifices behind his country’s historic FIFA World Cup debut, revealing that he broke down in tears after their stunning draw against Spain because some of the people closest to him could not witness the moment.

The 40-year-old goalkeeper emerged as one of the standout performers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after producing a series of crucial saves to help Cape Verde secure a remarkable 0-0 draw against Spain in the nation’s first-ever World Cup match.

Vozinha’s heroics captured the imagination of football fans around the world, particularly in Brazil, where commentators on broadcaster Caze TV urged viewers during halftime to help boost the veteran shot-stopper’s Instagram following to 100,000.

The response was overwhelming.

Within minutes, the goalkeeper’s follower count rose to 220,000 and continued to increase rapidly as the match progressed. By the 60th minute, the Chaves goalkeeper had attracted 350,000 followers. At the final whistle, the figure stood at 389,000 before surging by another 500,000 within five minutes.

By the time Vozinha returned to the dressing room, he had surpassed one million followers on the social media platform.

Despite the newfound fame, the Cape Verde international reflected on the emotional weight of the occasion.

“I cried after the game because I grew up with my grandparents when I was a kid, and they could not be there. They passed away a few years ago,” Vozinha said.

“My mum could not be here either for a visa issue, and the money we had to pay for it. We did not manage to do this in time.”

The experienced goalkeeper, who earned an 8.4 rating from WhoScored and made seven saves against the Spanish side, was embraced by teammates after the final whistle as Cape Verde celebrated a memorable result on the biggest stage in world football.

Vozinha, who has represented Cape Verde since 2012, earned his 89th international cap in the match against Spain.

Speaking to Caze TV after the game, the veteran goalkeeper was informed about the extraordinary growth of his social media following.

“I had almost 50,000 followers [before]. Wow…” he said in disbelief.

When told that his followers had reached around half a million, Vozinha appeared stunned. Moments later, he was shown a phone displaying more than one million followers.

“That’s crazy,” he said.

“Thank you so much. Brazilians have always been very affectionate towards us.

“We have felt this during our qualification campaign, we have felt this support and affection from Brazilians.”

Vozinha’s inspiring performance and heartfelt remarks have since resonated with football fans worldwide, turning the Cape Verde captain into one of the breakout stories of the tournament.