KAZAN: Radamel Falcao, Yerry Mina and Juan Cuadrado scored as stylish Colombia boosted their World Cup last 16 hopes with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Poland on Sunday.
In a match destined to see the loser sent home after the group stages, Colombia overcame a nervous start against Adam Nawalka’s men to move up to third place in Group H, one point behind Japan and Senegal.
The disappointing Poland became the first European side eliminated from the tournament.
“I’m very sorry and very sad about the result, but tomorrow’s another day and we have to come to terms with things,” said Poland coach Adam Nawalka.
“Our players did their best until the end of the game. We lost to a very strong team and this is something we have to accept.
“I extend my congratulations to Colombia.”
The South Americans’ bid for a place in the last 16 will be determined by the results from their final game with Senegal, who drew 2-2 with Japan earlier in the day.
Colombia’s march to the quarter-finals in Brazil four years ago came thanks to James Rodriguez’s six-goal tally for Los Cafeteros.
And days after a troublesome calf injury restricted him to a half-hour cameo role as 10-man Colombia stumbled to a 2-1 defeat against Japan, the Bayern Munich midfielder was back to his best.
Starting alongside Juan Quintero and Cuadrado on the right, Colombia’s ultra-offensive starting line-up was a forewarning.
After riding a tense start that forced Mina and then Wilmar Barrios to react quickly to thwart early threats from Robert Lewandowski, Colombia eventually got into their stride.
Cuadrado was wasteful on several occasions when finding space deep on the right flank.
The Juventus winger’s trickery would eventually pay dividends, but it was Falcao — who has dreamed all his life of scoring a World Cup goal — who turned on the style, dancing through the Polish defense to win the corner that led to Colombia’s opener.
Rodriguez’s short corner eventually found Quintero, whose smart through ball back to Rodriguez gave him time and space to curl a perfect left-footed cross that Mina rose to header powerfully past Szczesny on 40 minutes.
Colombia resumed in positive fashion, Cuadrado holding up well to set up Falcao for a first-time drive that sailed over Szczesny’s crossbar.
A Colombia counter saw Falcao’s drive from the edge of the area deflected out for a corner.
Nawalka replaced Dawid Kownacki with the more experienced Kamil Grosicki and the switch almost paid dividends.
Only the bravery of goalkeeper David Ospina saved Colombia from conceding what looked like the equalizer when he rushed out to block from Lewandowski after the Bayern Munich striker did well to get a shot away from a long ball from midfield.
Poland threatened again, but when Lewandowski got his head to a cross into the area he was marked by both Mina and Davinson Sanchez.
Colombia, however, were not to be denied.
When right-back Sanitago Arias found Quintero, the midfielder sliced Poland’s defense apart with a low pass that found Falcao on the run before he beat Szczesny down low with the outside of his right boot.
Five minutes later, Rodriguez produced arguably the assist of the night, drawing several Polish players on the left flank before somehow finding Cuadrado on the run with a superb cross-field pass that the pacey winger tucked away.
Ramadel Falcao, Juan Cuadrado and Yerry Mina star as stylish Colombia break Polish hearts
Ramadel Falcao, Juan Cuadrado and Yerry Mina star as stylish Colombia break Polish hearts
- The disappointing Poland became the first European side eliminated from the tournament
- The South Americans’ bid for a place in the last 16 will be determined by the results from their final game with Senegal
Real Madrid beats Pachuca 3-1 in Club World Cup while playing most of the match with 10 men
- It hardly mattered as Madrid dominated the Mexican club rest of the way to give Xabi Alonso his first win as coach of the Spanish power
CHARLOTTE, N.C.: Jude Bellingham and Arda Güler scored first-half goals and short-handed Real Madrid bounced back from a disappointing performance in its Club World Cup opener to beat Pachuca 3-1 on Sunday in front of 70,248 spectators at Bank of America Stadium.
Seven minutes in, defender Raul Asencio received a red card, forcing Real Madrid to play the remainder of the match with 10 men.
It hardly mattered as Madrid dominated the Mexican club rest of the way to give Xabi Alonso his first win as coach of the Spanish power.
Bellingham got Madrid on the board in the 35th minute when he took a pass from Fran Garcia just inside the box and belted a perfectly placed left-footed shot past goalkeeper Carlos Moreno into the right corner.
Eight minutes later, Güler made it 2-0 when he delivered a right-footed shot from the center of the box to the bottom left corner off an assist from Gonzalo García. Federico Valverde put the final touches on the win in the second half with a sliding right-footed shot off an assist from Brahim Díaz.
Goalkeeper Thabaut Courtois was on form with five saves in the first half. He turned away two point-blank shots in the early going and finished with 10 saves.
Elías Montiel ended Courtois’ bid for a shutout when he scored in the 80th minute for Pachuca, which fell to 0-2 in group play.
Kylian Mbappé has missed both Club World Cup starts after being hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis. He did not travel to Charlotte, but the team remains hopeful that he’ll be ready to play on Thursday night against Salzburg.
Key moment
There were some uneasy minutes early in the match for Madrid when Asencio pulled down Pacheco’s Agustin Palavecino as he was entering the box following a breakaway, forcing Aurelein Tchouameni to move to center back. But Madrid stayed on the attack and Bellingham had the breakthrough goal.
Takeaways
Madrid looked very much out of sync on Wednesday, playing Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal to a 1-1 draw in Alonso’s first game when Federico Valverde’s stoppage-time penalty was saved. That changed on Sunday as the talented roster began to mesh, with precise passing leading to both first-half goals.
Noteworthy
The game was played on a temporary grass field. The stadium is home to the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, who play on an artificial surface. ... With temperatures in the low 90s Fahrenheit (low 30s Celsius), players were given a water breaks midway through each half.
What they said
“We stayed together really well. It’s impressive how the team comes together to win the game. I’m really happy with the team today.” — Bellingham.
“I’m here to win. That is my way. I want to make a statement. We played well on some occasions but I can’t settle for just that.” — Pachuca coach Jaime Lozano.
Canelo and Crawford clash at intense face-off in New York
- Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the GEA and President of Saudi Boxing Federation, addressed crowd at Jevits Center
NEW YORK: A packed Fanatics Fest crowd at Jevits Center in New York witnessed the second leg of the global media tour ahead of the blockbuster Riyadh Season fight between Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Terence Crawford, the two best pound for pound fighters in the world, on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas.
Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority and President of the Saudi Boxing Federation, addressed the crowd after being introduced to the stage by legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer, before UFC CEO Dana White stepped up to oversee the press conference ahead of the fight of the century between the two biggest fighters of the modern era for the undisputed super middleweight title.
White announced the performance bonus for the highly-anticipated fight, being broadcast exclusively live on Netflix, will be “over six figures”, before staging an intense face off which led to Canelo and Crawford having to be separated by their teams.
Speaking at the press conference, reigning champion Canelo said: "He (Crawford) is one of the great fighters in the last years, obviously that is why he is a champion. My brother, Turki Alalshikh, thank you so much for this fight, we are here and I think it is a good fight for the fans."
In response, Crawford, a four-division and two-weight undisputed champion, said: "I'm hunting him. That's it. I'm hunting everything that he has got, and I am going to take it come September 13th. I am very confident. This is my time."
The global media tour will conclude on Friday, June 27 in Las Vegas, before the two fighters return to the same city for the main event in September.
Spain’s Alcaraz crowned king of Queen’s for second time
- World No. 2 has now collected 5 trophies this year; Spanish star warms up for Wimbledon
LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz clinched his second Queen’s Club title as the world No. 2 warmed up for Wimbledon with a 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 win against Jiri Lehecka in Sunday’s final.
Alcaraz blasted 33 winners and 18 aces to subdue the gritty Czech world No. 30 in two hours and 10 minutes in west London.
Having won titles on clay at the French Open, Rome and Monte Carlo, as well as the hard courts of Rotterdam, Alcaraz has now collected five trophies in 2025.
The 22-year-old has not lost since the Barcelona final against Holger Rune on April 20 and is enjoying the longest winning streak of his career with 18 successive victories.
Top seeded Alcaraz is just the second Spanish man to win Queen’s twice after Feliciano Lopez, who lifted the trophy in 2017 and 2019.
For a player raised on the clay courts of Spain, Alcaraz has developed into a formidable force on grass.
The former world No. 1 signaled his emergence on the surface by winning Queen’s in 2023.
He clinched the Wimbledon title for the first time just weeks later and defended his All England Club crown last year.
Alcaraz, who has an 11-1 career record at Queen’s, will start his bid for a third successive Wimbledon title on June 30.
After his semifinal win over Roberto Bautista Agut on Saturday, Alcaraz fired an ominous message to his Wimbledon rivals, warning that his “grass-court mode” had been activated.
And on the evidence of his relentless display against the obdurate Lehecka, he is in no mood to surrender his All England Club crown.
Playing his first tournament since his epic French Open victory against Jannik Sinner two weeks ago, Alcaraz’s march to the Queen’s showpiece made it five consecutive finals for the Spaniard.
In contrast, Lehecka was playing in his first grass-court final after a shock win against British star Jack Draper in the last four.
The 23-year-old was the first Czech in the Queen’s final since Ivan Lendl in 1990.
Lehecka had come from a set down to stun Alcaraz in the Qatar Open quarterfinals in February.
But there would be no repeat of that upset on the lawns of Barons Court.
In his second Queen’s final, Alcaraz had an early chance to break in the fifth game of the first set.
Lehecka thundered down an ace to get out of trouble of that occasion.
But the five-time Grand Slam champion matched Lehecka’s serve blow for blow, dropping just one point in his first four service games.
Alcaraz’s piercing ground-strokes increased the pressure and Lehecka finally cracked in the 11th game when a badly timed double-fault gifted the first break to the Spaniard.
Alcaraz served out the set in typically ruthless fashion, but Lehecka refused to surrender without a fight.
A tight second set stayed on serve all the way through to the tie-break and, for once, Alcaraz stumbled with a key double-fault, allowing Lehecka to level the match.
Alcaraz was unfazed, breaking for a 3-1 lead in the deciding set when Lehecka netted an off-balance forehand.
Alcaraz had the finish line in sight and he wrapped up his latest title triumph with a flurry of searing winners.
Fluminense top Ulsan in Club World Cup clash
- Freytes’ winner came 17 minutes after teammate Nonato leveled during a contest where the lead twice changed hands
NEW JERSEY: Juan Freytes put Fluminense in front in the 83rd minute and Keno’s second half stoppage time header sealed a 4-2 victory over UIsan HD in an engrossing Group F contest in East Rutherford, N.J., on Saturday evening.
Freytes’ winner — his first goal for the Brazilian club — came 17 minutes after teammate Nonato leveled during a contest where the lead twice changed hands.
John Arias also scored from an early free kick as Fluminense (1-0-1, 4 points) moved even on points and goal difference with Dortmund (1-0-1, 4 points) at the FIFA Club World Cup, ahead of their group finale against Malmelodi Sundowns (1-1-0, 3 points) on Wednesday.
Jinhyun Lee and Um Won-Sang scored for Ulsan (0-2-0, 0 points), which was eliminated with the result.
Freytes put Fluminense in front for good after the South Koreans failed to clear a corner, dispatching a composed finish inside the right post after receiving German Cano’s tidy pass.
Nine minutes later, Keno’s header of Arias’ cross against a clearly fatigued Ulsan defense sealed the victory.
Ulsan struck twice inside the final 10 minutes of the first half to turn an early deficit into a halftime lead before Fluminense leveled at 2-all through Nonato in the 66th minute.
After a flowing move from the Brazilians, Keno’s cross from the left was only partially cleared, and Nonato delivered a composed finish inside the right post from about 15 yards out.
Late in the first half, Lee leveled for Ulsan in the 37th minute on an exceptional counter attack. Darijan Bojanic’s initial pass from just beyond his own box sprung Won-Sang down the right. Won Sang’s low cross rolled all the way across the box and beyond goalkeeper Fabio’s dive before Lee met it on the opposite flank. From a tight angle, Lee delivered an excellent first-touch finish into an open goal.
Meanwhile, River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo was confident he could still field a team capable of defeating Inter Milan in his side’s final Group E game despite losing several players due to suspension.
Gallardo saw Kevin Castano sent off in the latter stages of the 0-0 draw at the Rose Bowl with Monterrey, while yellow cards for Enzo Perez and Giuliano Galoppo mean the pair will also miss the meeting with the Italians on Wednesday in Seattle.
River Plate are one of South America’s most successful clubs, winning the Copa Libertadores on four occasions as well as the Intercontinental Cup in 1986.
Their draw with Monterrey means the Argentinians are level on four points with Inter Milan in Group E. The two teams are due to face off in their final group game on Wednesday.
Monterrey are third in the standings, two points behind Inter and River Plate, and a win over already-eliminated Urawa Red Diamonds from Japan could see the Mexican side climb into the qualification berths for the knockout rounds.
River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo said: “We have some players that we’re going to be missing. We, of course, had some yellow cards and there are several players who won’t be able to play in the next game, so we will have to see how we organize that.
“But I see the glass as half full because, if you look at the scores, every club, every team has had its problems. It was hard for Inter to win, it was hard for Monterrey too, so for our third game we’re going to go with the best we have and we’re going to be optimistic.
Yildiz stars as Juventus beat Wydad at Club World Cup
- Having already defeated Emirati side Al Ain 5-0 in their opening match, Juve have scored nine goals
PHILADELPHIA: Kenan Yildiz scored two goals and had a hand in another as Juventus beat Wydad Casablanca 4-1 at the Club World Cup on Sunday to close in on a place in the last 16.
The Turkish international forward was unlucky not to be credited with Juve’s early opener which went down as an own goal by Abdelmounaim Boutouil.
However, there was no doubt that Yildiz was the scorer of the second with a tremendous strike from outside the box.
Thembinkosi Lorch pulled one back for Wydad before the break, but Yildiz got his second of the afternoon on 69 minutes before a late Dusan Vlahovic penalty sealed the victory for the Italian side.
Having already defeated Emirati side Al Ain 5-0 in their opening match, Juve have scored nine goals and have the maximum six points after two outings in Group G.
Their qualification for the knockout phase will be assured if group rivals Manchester City avoid defeat against Al Ain later.
That puts Igor Tudor’s Juve in an excellent position with a final group game to come on Thursday against City in Orlando.
Moroccan giants Wydad, meanwhile, are eliminated with this defeat following a 2-0 loss at the hands of City in their first outing.
Yildiz, the 20-year-old German-born winger, was among the scorers against Al Ain and he was the star of the show here in front of 31,975 fans at Lincoln Financial Field.
Juve, who finished fourth in Serie A in the campaign just finished, went with an unchanged starting line-up meaning the likes of Vlahovic and Manuel Locatelli began the game on the bench.
Prolific against Al Ain, they wasted no time in putting the team that finished third in the Moroccan league to the sword.
The opening goal came on six minutes as Khephren Thuram teed up Yildiz and his shot beat goalkeeper El Mehdi Benabid with the aid of a slight deflection off Boutouil.
It was 2-0 on 16 minutes via a superb effort, as Andrea Cambiaso went on a piercing run in from the left before laying the ball off for Yildiz to smash in a shot on the half-volley into the top corner.
Wydad quickly pulled one back as veteran Nordin Amrabat’s fine pass in behind the defense released South African winger Lorch to control and clip a shot past the goalkeeper.
Yet Juventus were well on top and Cambiaso hit the post just prior to the hour mark before Randal Kolo Muani somehow failed to turn in Lloyd Kelly’s ball across the face of goal.
Their third goal did arrive just after the midway point in the second half when France forward Kolo Muani collected possession on the left and then slipped in Yildiz who finished into the corner.
It was his third goal at the tournament so far, and his 12th in all competitions since the season began.
Yildiz had been withdrawn before the fourth goal arrived in stoppage time, substitute Vlahovic stroking in a spot-kick awarded after he had been hauled down by Guilherme Ferreira.
