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Canada became the first co-host nation to exit the 2026 World Cup  It was, in the end, a convincing victory by Morocco in Houston. Author | James Y Stadium | Houston Stadium Morocco, who struggled to find their rhythm during an ill-tempered first half, went ahead five minutes after the restart through Azzedine Ounahi. Ounahi swept home Achraf Hakimi's cut-back from a cleverly worked free kick after the Canada defence failed to close him down on the edge of the area. The Girona midfielder doubled his tally with eight minutes remaining, finishing a swift counter-attack to put the result beyond doubt. An increasingly comfortable victory was completed in stoppage time when Soufiane Rahimi slid his finish beneath goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau. It was a harsh outcome for Canada They had made the brighter start in Texas and could easily have been ahead inside the opening stages. Morocco now advance and move to within one victory of matching their historic run to the semi-finals at the 2022 Wo...

Gabriel Martinelli scored a dramatic 95th-minute winner  Brazil came from behind to beat Japan and set up a World Cup last-16 tie against Norway or Ivory Coast. Author | James Y Stadium | Houston Stadium With only seconds remaining, Brazil won the ball back on the edge of the Japan penalty area and Bruno Guimaraes slipped a pass into Martinelli, who took a touch before calmly steering his finish in off the post. Watch | Video from SportsIllustrated  It was a cruel ending for Japan, who had matched Brazil throughout the first half and defended resolutely after the interval. Carlo Ancelotti's side, however, kept pressing and were rewarded at the very end. The key moments from the match Japan looked composed before the break and took the lead when Kaishu Sano seized on Danilo's loose pass, surged past Casemiro and drilled a low finish into the bottom corner. Brazil struggled to respond before half-time but emerged with greater purpose after the restart. Casemiro climbed highest t...

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in six World Cups His double inspired Portugal to a convincing victory over Uzbekistan. Author | Lewis Whatley Stadium | Houston Stadium The 41-year-old made history when he opened the scoring after six minutes, sweeping a low half-volley in at the near post from Joao Cancelo's cross from the right. Ronaldo's goal also made him the second oldest man to score at a World Cup, behind Cameroon's Roger Milla, who was 42 when he found the net against Russia in 1994. A closer analysis of what happened as Ronaldo made more history Portugal had faced criticism after their 1-1 draw with DR Congo in their opening match, but they responded in emphatic fashion against the tournament debutants. Watch | Highlights from BBC Sport They doubled their lead in the 17th minute in Houston when Nuno Mendes found the net directly from a low free-kick from 20 yards. Uzbekistan thought they had produced a stunning response when Aziz G'aniev fire...

Was this another shock result, or did everyone underestimate one side here?  Portugal were held to a frustrating draw by an impressive DR Congo side in their opening World Cup match. Author | Ed Stadium | Houston Stadium Midfielder Joao Neves headed them into an early lead after six minutes, but Roberto Martinez's side failed to turn their dominance of possession into meaningful chances. They were punished in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time when Newcastle striker Yoane Wissa was left unmarked six yards out to head home Arthur Masuaku's cross, scoring DR Congo's first ever World Cup goal. In their only previous appearance in 1974, when the country competed as Zaire, they lost all three matches with an aggregate score of 14-0. READ MORE |  How DR Congo qualified But the side ranked 46th in the world look a far sterner proposition 52 years later and deserved their point, defending resolutely and posing a threat on the counter-attack. Cedric Bakambu struck the post...

The first thrashing of the 2026 World Cup Germany overcame an early scare from World Cup debutants Curacao before finding their rhythm to claim a convincing victory in their Group E opener in Houston. Author | Ed Stadium | Houston Stadium Die Mannschaft took the lead in the sixth minute through the tournament's earliest goal so far, a delightful curling effort from former England youth international Felix Nmecha after an exquisite touch from Florian Wirtz. There was a shock a few moments later Germany were jolted by a historic equaliser from the smallest nation, by both size and population, ever to appear at a World Cup. With a population of around 155,000, the Caribbean island of just 171 square miles is smaller than the Isle of Man and home to roughly the same number of people as Huddersfield. Zurich midfielder Livano Comenencia etched his name into Blue Wave folklore on 21 minutes when his left-footed strike from the edge of the area took a deflection and beat Germany ...