Kip Grandstand

Youri Tielemans stood over the penalty spot with the clock already beyond 124 minutes. Senegal had led, pressed, hit Belgium with pace, and spent most of the night looking like the better side. Now their tournament rested on one kick after a long VAR check turned a late Belgium attack into the match’s final defining moment. Tielemans took it. He drove the penalty high to the right and completed a 3:2 extra time win that Belgium barely seemed capable of producing for most of the match. Senegal had gone 2:0 up through Habib Diarra and Ismaïla Sarr. Romelu Lukaku started…

For 74 minutes in Atlanta, England stared at the kind of World Cup exit that follows a team for years. DR Congo scored early, defended with courage, and dragged one of the tournament favourites into a fight it did not expect. Brian Cipenga struck in the 7th minute after Chancel Mbemba’s deep delivery travelled through England’s defensive line. Cipenga arrived unmarked and fired low past Jordan Pickford. England’s response lacked authority. The passing was slow. The wide play was predictable. Jude Bellingham’s header in the 30th minute finally forced Lionel Mpasi into a real save, which Opta recorded as England’s…

The Florida Panthers moved before the free agency rush, acquiring the negotiating rights to Radko Gudas from the Anaheim Ducks for the rights to A.J. Greer. The deal gave both teams early access before the market opened. Florida gained the first run at Gudas, a defenseman who already knows its system and its room. Anaheim gained the same window as Greer, then moved quickly to turn that access into a 4 year contract worth $17 million. Gudas, 36, spent 3 seasons with Florida from 2020 to 2023. He was a key part of the Panthers team that reached the 2023…

Florida did not just trade for Akira Schmid. It started remaking the crease. The Panthers acquired Schmid from the Vegas Golden Knights for a 2028 third-round pick, then pushed the reset further by bringing Jacob Markstrom back from the New Jersey Devils in a 5 player trade. Together, the moves turn a routine depth addition into a larger question about Florida’s next goaltending plan. The hierarchy now looks clearer than the first trade suggested. Markstrom profiles as the veteran bridge. Schmid gives the Panthers cost-controlled insurance with playoff upside. Sergei Bobrovsky remains the reference point because of what he meant…

By the time Kylian Mbappé struck his second goal of the night, the heat in East Rutherford looked like the only thing troubling France. Didier Deschamps stood on the touchline after returning from his mother’s funeral, and his players gave him a performance full of control, clarity and purpose. France beat Sweden 3-0 to move into the last 16 with their fourth win from four matches. Mbappé scored in the 45th and 74th minutes. Bradley Barcola added the second in the 53rd. Michael Olise created both second-half goals and spent the night finding pockets Sweden could not close. Graham Potter’s…

For long stretches, Norway made Erling Haaland look ordinary. That took disciplined defending from Ivory Coast and too many slow decisions from Norway. Antonio Nusa gave Norway the lead before halftime, Amad Diallo pulled Ivory Coast level in the 74th minute, and extra time began to feel likely as Norway’s midfield tired. Then Patrick Berg drove a low ball across the goal, Haaland arrived at close range, and the match turned on one touch. It was not a fluent Norwegian performance. Their best striker spent most of the night waiting for service. But the final act belonged to Haaland, who…

The 2026 World Cup has reached its inflection point. The calculation of the group stage has ended, replaced by the unforgiving reality of a knockout bracket where 3 spots in the final 8 are on the line. France meets Sweden in East Rutherford with expectations pressing down on one of the tournament’s most complete teams. Mexico faces Ecuador at Estadio Azteca, carrying home advantage and a 40 year knockout burden. Norway takes on Ivory Coast at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, with Erling Haaland returning as the clear focal point after being rested in the group finale. Pressure wears a different…

Stephen Eustáquio’s 92nd minute finish put Canada in the history books, but the lasting image of the night came after the ball had crossed the line. Ismael Kone, still recovering from the broken leg that ended his tournament on the pitch, moved through Canada’s celebration without crutches and with a smile that pulled teammates toward him. Canada had beaten South Africa 1 to 0 in Los Angeles. The cohosts had secured their first men’s World Cup knockout win and booked a last 16 match in Houston on July 4. This was a result shaped by patience, late control, and one…

Canada’s men’s soccer team has waited decades for a signature World Cup moment. Stephen Eustáquio delivered it in the 92nd minute. In Los Angeles, with a tight knockout match sliding toward extra time, Eustáquio pounced on a loose ball near the edge of South Africa’s penalty area and drove a right-footed shot into the bottom corner. The finish gave Canada a 1 to 0 win, sent the co-hosts into the Round of 16, and secured the first men’s World Cup knockout victory in the country’s history. The moment mattered because of the stage. Under the expanded 2026 format, Canada first…

Brazil stood close to a World Cup disaster in Houston, not because Japan caught them with 1 lucky break, but because the favorite spent much of the first half looking short of ideas. Kaishu Sano’s 29th minute strike gave Japan a 1 to 0 lead and exposed a loose Brazil buildup that had already looked unsettled under pressure. Danilo gave the ball away, Sano drove forward, and Alisson Becker had no answer to the finish. The noise inside the stadium shifted after that goal. Brazil’s passes began to carry tension. Japan’s players grew sharper in every challenge, pointing, closing space,…