Haaland catches up with Messi, Mbappe in Golden Boot race

Carlo Ancelotti in action. (FILE photo)Norway may not carry the heft of name that Brazil does but the Europeans come with the weight of having denied Italy an automatic spot at the World Cup and a balanced team that has some players around whom teams need to make plans. Erling Haaland scores at an astonishing rate for the Norwegians and has been part of a World Cup golden boot race for the ages. He now encounters a Brazil team that has met this event with an uncharacteristic pragmatism – one that is a direct result of Carlo Ancelotti taking over the reins. Ahead of the huge clash between the two teams at the Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, Ancelotti was asked about what Brazil’s containment plan for Haaland would be. “I don’t have to explain to my defenders how Haaland plays. They know him better than I do because they have played against him many times,” said Ancelotti. It was a reference to the many battles that Haaland and Brazil’s central defender Gabriel Magalhaes have been a part of in the Premier League. Playing for Arsenal, the duels between Gabriel and Manchester City’s Haaland have often decided Premier League titles. There is a sense of bad blood between the two as well with frequent bursts of aggression during matches – moments that often get converted into reels and gleefully eaten up by fans from both sides. Now at the international level, the tables have reversed but ever so slightly. Haaland, part of a club that possessed multiple levels of individual talent at each position, plays for the Norwegians, who don’t have as many of the big names as Brazil do. Gabriel, who at Arsenal is usually part of the chasing pack that are trying to dismantle Manchester City, finds himself in a position where Brazil are clearly favoured over Norway. Story continues below this ad “We are focused on preparing well for the match, obviously including Haaland’s characteristics, which we must take into account because he is a very, very dangerous forward,” said Ancelotti. Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes laid out their Haaland plan. Stop the ball from getting to the forward before he can cause any damage. “We have to try to prevent the ball from reaching him,” Guimaraes said. “We will be attacking, but there always has to be someone glued to him so we don’t give him space, because we know that with just one ball he can decide a match.”

Harry Kane’s career has been defined by its late-stage urgency. The move to Bayern in search of trophies, ended in a barren first season. That was followed by a gradual uplift which transitioned into titles and the unyielding admiration of a Munich public that got enamored by the tireless workrate of the Englishman.Kane at Bayern is a revelation – dropping deep into the midfield, being an elite ball distributor, while maintaining an intelligent press. And it has not come at the cost of goals (nearly one a game). He was already England’s greatest striker before the move but inexplicably has become a complete version of himself. That finished product turned up against Croatia on Thursday. The striker, in England’s first World Cup game, and perhaps in his last tournament as the force that he is, displayed a masterful performance against a seasoned, veteran opponent. Ten minutes in, Noni Madueke was carelessly brought down by Luka Modric in the Croatia box. Kane, who’s last major act for England at a World Cup was to miss a penalty against France, went through that nightmare again when Dominik Livakovic dived to his right and denied a goal. But after English protests VAR declared that the keeper had moved out of his line early and the penalty would need to be retaken. Kane went again, and this time sent Livakovic the wrong way to open England’s account. Croatia came right back with a goal from the English playbook – specifically from the European championship final in 2024. In that final, Cole Palmer had scored from a Jude Bellingham pullback and on Tuesday Petar Sucic’s cutback was curled in with power by Martin Baturina. Kane’s response: Deploy John Stones ahead of him during a corner as a blocker and guide a header into goal. In a half where England were struggling to create control, Kane’s unerring efficiency brought back the lead against a wise opponent again. But that control England lacked, reared its head again. Virtually the last move of the half, Mario Pasalic dropped a lob to Perisic deep in Jordan Pickford’s territory. The winger, who has tormented the English for a good part of the last decade, dragged four of them with him, and sold the dummy with a headed ball back into the path of Petar Musa, who took the opportunity with both hands. Story continues below this ad England ended the half with their lead lost twice but crucially with an unexplainable brittleness. It was banished moments later. When Tuchel took over England’s reins for an 18-month project that is set to end on the final day of the World Cup, the consensus was that this was too little time. For a manager whose meticulousness is only bested by Pep Guardiola, a few international camps before a World Cup was surely not going to rinse the influence of Gareth Southgate from this team. Tuchel has wanted England to think fast, pass faster. To live life internationally, as the players live it domestically. It’s a marked departure from what has led to their best period of results internationally since they won the World Cup in 1966. Southgate’s measured, restrained England teams played tournament football pragmatically. Possessing nowhere near the talent of their golden generation, he fashioned finals appearances at the 2020 and 2024 European Championships, and took England to the quarters in Qatar and all the way to the semifinals in Russia 2018. Tuchel has plans to change that course and set the ship to his own direction. Story continues below this ad In the second half, an expansive, faster England came out of the gates. Bellingham quickly restored the lead as the half began – taking a Reece James pass on the right wing and going all the way through to the finish. The midfield trio of Premier League winner Declan Rice, Manchester City target Elliot Anderson and Real Madrid Champions League winner Bellingham followed Kane into a methodical midfield press. They finally had the control they wanted. A fourth goal came from Marcus Rashford towards the end, w

Aurangabad athlete Tejas Shirse was a budding gymnast before he took up athletics. (X/Tejas Shirse)Top Indian hurdler Tejas Shirse broke his own national record at Indian Athletics Series 9 in Ludhiana on Saturday with a timing of 13.27 seconds. He also breached the Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 13.39 seconds set by the Athletics Federation of India. Indian Athletics Series in Ludhiana is serving as the last qualification tournament for the Commonwealth Games scheduled in July 2026.Tejas lowered his previous record of 13.41s that he had clocked in 2024. His timing is the sixth best Asian timing of the season. If Tejas gets selected for the Commonwealth Games squad, he will become first Indian male hurdler to feature in the event after Siddharth Thingalaya in 2014. Running in the Final B of 110m hurdles, Tejas started quickly off the blocks and left the rest of the field behind with just Krishik M pushing him. Despite knocking the final hurdle, Tejas crossed the finish line at 13.27s while Krishik finished second with 13.55s. In the men’s 800m event, national record holder Mohammad Afsal P clocked 1:47.00s and missed out on the qualifying mark of 1:45.00s, potentially ending his hopes for CWG. In the evening session of the event, Indian male javelin throwers would eye a spot in the Commonwealth Games squad with none of the throwers breaching the qualification mark of 82.61m at the Federation Cup in Ranchi last month.Story continues below this ad While World Championship finalist Sachin Yadav is expected to miss the tournament due to an elbow injury, the likes of Rohit Yadav, Shivam Lohakare, and Kishore Kumar Jena will be in contention for the Commonwealth Games spot. Double Olympics medallist Neeraj Chopra is still recovering from his injury sustained last year at World Championships and is unlikely to be available for the CWG.

Esports World Cup 2026 moved to Paris from Riyadh due to rising tensions in Middle East. (Reuters)Amid rising tensions in the Middle East following an escalation into full-blown war involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, the Esports World Cup (EWC) 2026, which was originally scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia, has been relocated to France. The tournament will now be held in the French capital, Paris, instead of Riyadh, the Saudi capital. The competition is set to run from July 6 to August 23.The Esports Foundation (EF) announced the development late on Wednesday. “The Esports Foundation is guided by a long-term vision of growing its international tournaments and competitions through collaboration with audiences, partners, and host markets around the world over time. Following an extended evaluation process, and in light of the current regional situation, the Esports Foundation decided to accelerate that international rotation ambition for the 2026 edition, offering clarity and stability for players, clubs, publishers, partners, and fans worldwide, while preserving the tournament’s scale, structure, and competitive integrity,” the EF statement read. French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the opportunity, calling it a “historic first and an honor.” The EWC will be held in Paris! It is a historic first and an honor for us. Thank you to Saudi Arabia for their trust. We are ready to host the Esports World Cup 2026. Very proud to welcome the world once again. pic.twitter.com/agipxRsCkD — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 20, 2026 In 2025, the EWC reached more than 750 million viewers worldwide and generated over 350 million hours watched, with peak concurrent viewership nearing 8 million. The event was broadcast across 28 platforms through 97 partners and over 800 channels in 35 languages, reaching fans in 140 countries. The 2026 edition of the EWC is set to feature more than 2,000 players and 200 clubs from over 100 countries. They will compete across 24 games in 25 tournaments for a share of a prize pool exceeding $75 million. “Riyadh helped turn the Esports World Cup into a global phenomenon,” said Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports Foundation. “Riyadh is the home of the EWC and one of the world’s leading hubs for esports, powered by an incredible community of fans and long-term ambition for the future of the sport. This year, we’re excited to bring the EWC to Paris for its first edition outside Saudi Arabia. Paris has hosted some of the world’s biggest sporting events and is one of the great global capitals of sport, culture, and entertainment. Together with the passion of French fans and the strong support we’ve received locally, we’re excited to bring the global esports community there for the next chapter of the EWC. Paris now becomes the first international chapter in EWC history.” Details regarding the new venue for EWC 2026 in Paris will be announced at a later date.

New DelhiMay 20, 2026 12:26 PM IST In the clip, several people can be seen rushing to embrace Neymar and celebrate the emotional moment with him. (Source: neymarjr/Instagram)The regular football season is coming to an end, with most leagues already crowning their champions. Arsenal F.C. have won the Premier League after 22 years, while many fans have been left disappointed by their team’s performances. But the fever of football is far from over, as the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins next month. This edition of the tournament is being considered a special one, as it could very well be the “last dance” for three legends of the game—Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. The squads for each nation are being announced and Neymar has made it to Brazil’s World Cup squad—a selection many local analysts and former footballers had deemed unlikely just days ago. Neymar had missed Brazil’s recent friendlies, while his injury concerns have also remained a major talking point in recent years. However, when the squad was finally announced, football fans were relieved to see Neymar included and set to represent Brazil at the World Cup.But no one appeared happier about the selection than Neymar himself. A video that has now gone viral on Instagram shows him sitting with his partner, Bruna Biancardi, while his friends and team members sat behind him. As the squad announcement was being made, Neymar broke into tears the moment his name was called out, while those around him erupted into applause and celebration. Biancardi was also seen hugging and congratulating him. Watch the viral video: In the clip, several people can be seen rushing to embrace Neymar and celebrate the emotional moment with him. Neymar later shared the video on his social media platforms along with the caption, “My perspective on one of the most exciting and happiest days of my life is already on my YouTube channel. And THANK YOU, BRAZIL.” The video has crossed more than 195 million views and over 18 million likes on Instagram. Celebrities and fans alike flooded the comments section with reactions. Basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo wrote, “Congrats, brother, well deserved.” Another user commented, “He’s such an idol!!! He deserves it so much, the World Cup wouldn’t exist without him!!” A third person wrote, “Brazil stopped, and almost our hearts did too. Let’s go help bring the sixth title to your people. I love you, brother.” The 34-year-old remains Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 79 international goals. However, recurring fitness issues have limited his return to top form since suffering a serious ACL injury in October 2023. Head coach Carlo Ancelotti has also included key stars such as Vinícius Júnior and Raphinha in his 26-man squad for the tournament.