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South Korea fans target coach Hong with boos as World Cup squad returns

South Korean soccer fans angered by the country’s World Cup first-round exit greeted the returning squad early Tuesday with one message for head coach Hong: his time was up.

Hong, a former national team defender, resigned on Sunday after South Korea finished the group stage with one win and two losses, dashing hopes of a deep run led by captain Son Heung-min.

South Korea crashed out after failing to qualify for the knockout stage as one of the tournament’s eight best third-placed teams.

The Round of 32 had appeared within reach until a shock 1-0 defeat to lower-ranked South Africa in their final group match ended their campaign.

Hong walked silently out of the arrival gate at Incheon International Airport under heavy media scrutiny, declining to answer reporters’ questions.

Fans booed and chanted “Hong out!” as he made his way out of the airport, but applauded the players who followed behind him.

“Thanks for all your hard work!” one fan shouted as the players emerged, in stark contrast to the jeers aimed at Hong.

Police cordoned off a route extending from inside the terminal to the waiting bus outside, as several dozen protesters gathered nearby.

“South Korean football is dead,” read one banner held aloft by fans who had waited for hours at Incheon International Airport.

“Hong, you must quit,” the crowd chanted, beating drums to amplify their protest.

Hong’s post-match admission that he was struggling to understand what had gone wrong did little to stem the criticism.

And his Sunday resignation did little to satisfy Kim Gi-mo, who came to the airport to voice his frustration.

“I question whether his resignation was sincere, given his attitude when he made the announcement,” Kim told AFP. “He ruined this festival that only comes once every four years. I came here to see the person responsible for that.”

Questions had already lingered over the Korea Football Association’s 2024 decision to appoint Hong to be in charge, with critics arguing the selection process lacked transparency even before the World Cup campaign unravelled.

The KFA did not organize an official welcome ceremony for the returning squad.

It was not the first hostile reception for Hong.

In 2014, angry supporters threw Korean sweets at the team after they returned from Brazil, where they were eliminated in the group stage during Hong’s first spell as national team coach.

South Korean media had labelled the 2026 squad a “golden generation”, featuring internationally established players such as former Tottenham Hotspur captain Son, Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in.

Expectations were high, with many fans believing the team could reach the Round of 16, particularly as the tournament was widely expected to be Son’s last World Cup.

The captain turns 34 next month.

But Hong’s decision to leave Son on the bench in the first half for the decisive match against South Africa baffled and angered many supporters.

“I was very shocked that he benched Son against South Africa,” Song Min-kyung, a 20-year-old university student, told AFP at the airport. “I think that was the beginning of everything that went wrong at this World Cup.” (JapanToday)

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Canada beats South Africa 1-0 in World Cup’s first knockout match

Canada beat South Africa 1-0 thanks to a stoppage-time strike by Stephen ⁠Eustaquio from distance to reach the FIFA World Cup last 16 for the first time in their history.

Eustaquio received the ball on the edge of the ⁠South Africa penalty area and hammered it past diving goalkeeper Ronwen Williams in a thrilling conclusion to the first knockout-round match of the tournament on Sunday.

South Africa, who had seemed ⁠content to play for extra time and a possible penalty shootout, made a few furious but unsuccessful attempts to level before the final whistle as the sun broke through the clouds at Los Angeles Stadium.

Canada will next face either the Netherlands or Morocco on July ‌4 in Houston for a place in the quarterfinals.

“It’s about the two years we’ve been together,” Canada coach Jesse Marsch told the team in a huddle after the final whistle.

“Think about how we talked about sticking to the plan – you guys showing your character. You guys are Canadian heroes here.”

Chances were scarce in a cagey first half, with little to separate the sides, who were both playing ⁠in the knockout rounds for the first time.

Canada’s best opening ⁠came just before half-time when a corner sparked a scramble in the South Africa box. Moise Bombito sent a header goal-wards, which was cleared off the line by Aubrey Modiba, before Tajon Buchanan’s close-range effort struck ⁠Williams in the chest.

Moments later, Richie Laryea went down in the area, prompting Canadian appeals for a penalty, but the decision ⁠not to award a spot kick stood after a ⁠VAR review, prompting loud boos from Canada’s red-clad army of supporters dominating the stands.

Marsch continued to protest as the teams left the field at half-time, with Bombito appearing to urge him away from the referee.

Frustration ‌for Canada only grew early in the second half, as South Africa appeared in no rush to press the issue.

Canada had another chance just before the second-half hydration ‌break, ‌when Tani Oluwaseyi’s shot hit the keeper, and Jonathan David was unable to head the ricochet home, thanks to an excellent defensive effort by Mbekezeli Mbokazi to clear the ball.

Eustaquio dedicated the win to “all Canadians” when he spoke to reporters after the match.

“I think it was an amazing goal. When I shot, I thought everyone shot with me. Everyone added a little power to it when it went into the back of the net.

“[The belief] It started when we came out of group stage. Belief is a big part of it. We will now get either Netherlands or Morocco. Anything can happen. If we keep working like we are doing, we might even win it.” (AlJazeera)

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Congo rallies to 3-1 win against Uzbekistan to seal place in knockout stage

For 52 years, Congo’s standout World Cup memory was a humiliating 9-0 rout at the hands of Yugoslavia in its only other appearance on soccer’s biggest stage.

Not anymore. Not after a new generation of players made history by advancing to the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time and set up a clash with England.

“The weight on our shoulders was hard to bear,” said striker Yoane Wissa, whose two goals helped Congo rally to a 3-1 win against Uzbekistan on Saturday night.

Fiston Mayele was also on target in a dramatic second-half comeback as Congo joined Cape Verde as another surprise qualifier for the round of 32.

“We told ourselves we can’t give up,” Mayele said.

Congo has been one of the surprise stories of this World Cup, with few expecting it to emerge from a group that included Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and Colombia. And history was hardly on its side.

Congo’s previous appearance was when it competed as Zaire in 1974 and lost all three games, including the rout by Yugoslavia.

It’s a completely different story now.After holding Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal to a surprise 1-1 draw earlier in the tournament, Congo needed a win in its final Group K game to advance as one of the best third-place teams.

And it did just that with a breathless fight back after trailing to Eldor Shomurodov’s lobbed goal in the 10th minute.

“We’re a team that knows how to respond when we concede a goal; we keep fighting with determination,” coach Sébastien Desabre’s said.

If the weight of the occasion was evident in Congo’s first-half performance, the resilience of its players proved irresistible after the break.

The game was level in the 68th when Wissa was brought down by Abdukodir Khusanov for a penalty.

Wissa picked himself up and sent Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov the wrong way by rolling the ball into the bottom corner for the first of a late flurry of goals.

Mayele put Congo ahead 10 minutes later when flicking past Nematov at the near post and was mobbed teammates and even substitutes, who raced off the bench and across the field to join in the wild celebrations. (ABC)

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Martinelli scores late as Brazil beat Japan 2-1, into World Cup last 16

Gabriel Martinelli scored the winner late in injury time to give five-time champions Brazil a 2-1 win over Japan in the World Cup round of 32 in Houston.

Martinelli, who had come on as a second-half substitute, scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time as the match on Monday appeared to be heading to extra time.

Brazil will next face either the Ivory Coast or Norway on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the round of 16.

Casemiro had earlier equalised with a header in the 56th minute off an assist from Gabriel Magalhaes after just missing another chance two minutes earlier. The shot sailed just out of reach of the outstretched hand of Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and into the net.

Kaishu Sano stole a misplaced pass in midfield before his right-footed shot from above the half-circle put Japan ahead after 29 minutes.

Vinicius Junior, who has scored four goals so far in the tournament, had a chance to put Brazil on top in the 58th minute, but his shot from the left was deflected by goalkeeper Suzuki and went past the far post.

Brazil had two chances to even the score early in the second half before breaking through late on. First, Suzuki blocked a header from Bruno Guimaraes in the 52nd minute. Soon after, Casemiro’s header bounced off a defender’s head and Suzuki’s face.

Japan have never won a World Cup knockout match.The win was Brazil’s 12th in 15 games against Japan.

The teams have also played to two draws, while Japan got their first win in the series in a friendly in Tokyo in October.

This was a match-up between two countries with deep ties, Brazil being home to about 2.7 million Japanese descendants, which is the largest Japanese population outside of Japan.

Those ties extend to football, where Brazil superstar Zico moved to Japan in 1991 to play for Kashima Antlers and help build Japan’s professional football network.

He coached the Japan national team from 2002–06, leading the team to the World Cup in 2006.That team lost to Brazil 4-1 in the only previous meeting between the teams at the World Cup.

Brazil won Group C after a draw with Morocco and victories over Haiti and Scotland.

Monday’s victory came on the anniversary of their first World Cup championship in Sweden in 1958, when a 17-year-old Pele scored two goals in the final against the host country.

Japan reached the round of 32 as runner-up in Group F after draws with the Netherlands and Sweden and a win over Tunisia. The loss snaps a 10-game unbeaten streak dating back to a 2-0 defeat to the United States in September. (AlJazeera)

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Three-storey building collapses in Lagos

Tragedy struck in Lagos when a three-storey building located in the Alakija axis, Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area, collapsed, which has thrown the entire area into panic mode.

As of press time, the number of casualties could not be ascertained, as there are victims said to be trapped under the rubble.

According to reports, the incident occurred unexpectedly and sent shockwaves through the community, as residents and passers-by rushed to the scene in fear of possible casualties and further structural failure.

An eyewitness account stated that the building suddenly collapsed at about 11:40 a.m. on Thursday. The incident disrupted normal activities in the neighbourhood, with people fleeing surrounding buildings for safety.

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Dr Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, who confirmed the unfortunate incident, said the rescue mission has begun. (Vanguard)

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Austria and Algeria draw 3-3 to advance to knockout round and send Iranians home

Austria and Algeria played to a thrilling 3-3 draw Saturday night in what amounted to a win-win result in their World Cup group-stage finale, allowing both to advance to the knockout round while eliminating Iran from the tournament.

The game was tied 2-all in the closing minutes, and Algeria looked as if it was content to run out the clock, when captain Riyad Mahrez scored his second goal with about a minute left in stoppage time. That put Austria on the verge of elimination, only for Sasa Kalajdzic to head in the equalizing goal moments later and rescue Das Team’s World Cup hopes.

Marko Arnautovic and Marcel Sabitzer also had goals for Austria, which finished second behind Argentina in Group J to advance for the first time since 1982. Its reward is a matchup with European champion Spain on Thursday in Los Angeles.

Rafik Belghali also scored for Les Fennecs, who became the ninth of 10 teams from Africa to advance. They finished third in the group but get a potentially easier Round of 32 showdown with Switzerland on Thursday night in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Iran would have advanced as one of the eight best third-place teams had Austria or Algeria won. But when Mahrez tied the game in the 60th minute, and the 2-2 score held the rest of the way, it was Team Melli that was sent home. (JapanToday)

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Messi scores again as Argentina beats Jordan 3-1

Giovani Lo Celso became the first Argentina player other than Lionel Messi to score in this World Cup as the defending champions finished the group stage with a three-game sweep after a 3-1 victory over Jordan on Saturday night.

Lo Celso, in his first World Cup start, put Argentina ahead to stay when he scored on a direct free kick in the 19th minute. Messi added one of his own after entering the game in the second half, and the top scorer in World Cup history extended his mark to 19 goals.

Messi, the leader in this tournament with six goals, was among nine Argentina starters changed from the previous game since Group J was already clinched before the match. He entered in the 60th minute, three days after his 39th birthday, and in the same stadium where he broke the scoring mark last Monday, and scored in the 80th minute.

Their captain had scored all five of Argentina’s goals in wins over Algeria and Austria, including his first-ever World Cup hat trick and then two goals in his record-setting game on Monday. He has scored in seven consecutive World Cup games, breaking a tie with France’s Just Fontaine and Brazil great Jairzinho for the longest all-time streak.

In the first half, Lautaro Martinez put Argentina up 2-0 when he scored on a penalty kick in the 31st minute, in the same sequence when his close-range shot ricocheted off the crossbar.

Martinez, who was subbed out for Messi, and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez were the only players to start all three of Argentina’s group matches.

Argentina, which has seven wins and two draws in its last nine World Cup games, plays in the round of 32 on Friday against Cape Verde, the smallest country to earn a spot in the knockout round. That game is in Miami, the home of Messi’s Major League Soccer team.

This is the fifth time Argentina has won all of its matches in group stage, and first since back-to-back tournaments in 2010 and 2014. Argentina has 14 wins, two losses and three draws in its last 19 group games.

France and Mexico were the only other squads in this expanded 48-team World Cup to get the maximum nine points in the group stage.

Jordan, the world’s 72nd-ranked team, lost all three of its games in the squad’s first appearance in the international tournament. The team was outscored 8-3.

Mousa Altamari, who entered the game at the start of the second half, scored in the 55th minute for Jordan.

Lo Celso and Martinez both scored their first World Cup goals.

Only a couple of minutes after Lo Celso was offside when he kicked the ball in the net but not counting for a goal, he got a free kick after being tripped up just outside the penalty box by Mohannad Abutaha, who drew a yellow card.

That was the first direct free kick for an Argentina goal in a World Cup since Messi against Nigeria in 2014.

After Martinez shot off the crossbar, Julian Alvarez followed with a header that was deflected by keeper Yazeed Abulaila over the net. But a VAR replay showed that Alvarez took a kick to the face on the play, setting up the penalty.

Messi had scored all five of Argentina’s goals in wins over Algeria and Austria, including his first World Cup hat trick and then two goals in his record-setting game on Monday.

Nicolás Paz, who made his World Cup debut subbing in for Messi late in the 3-0 win over Algeria in the opener, made his first start in his spot this time. Paz and Lo Celso were joined by forwards Marcos Senesi and Giuliano Simeone making first World Cup starts.

Paz and Simeone are the first sons of former Argentina national team players to compete in a World Cup. Both were born in Europe. (JapanToday)

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Colombia top World Cup 2026 group after breathless 0-0 draw with Portugal

Colombia and Portugal played out a breathless 0-0 draw to a wall of sound at Miami Stadium, with both teams advancing to the last 32 ⁠of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the top two in Group K.

The Colombians will rue their profligacy in front of goal on Saturday, but take encouragement from dominating quality European opposition for large periods as they head off to Kansas City as group winners to take on Ghana ⁠on Friday.

Portugal, who needed to win to top the group, go north to Toronto to play Croatia on Thursday, knowing they have not quite yet found a way to blend all the talent in their squad into an effective team.

The match started to a cacophony of noise from the massed ranks of yellow-shirted South Americans, and the decibel levels went up a notch when striker Jhon Cordoba headed the ball over ‌the bar in the first minute.

Jhon Arias caused Portugal problems every time he ran at them, and he set Cordoba free in the 17th minute, the big target man unleashing a rocket of a shot that keeper Diogo Costa did well to stop.

After a lovely flowing move five minutes later, winger Arias took the shot himself and screwed the ball towards the far corner of the net, only for Ruben Neves to arrive just in time to flick it off the line.

Colombia struggled to clear their lines cleanly sometimes, however, and it was this frailty that allowed Portugal their best chances towards the end of the first ⁠half.

Bruno Fernandes found himself free in front of goal in the 39th minute, with ⁠his shot bringing a fine point-blank save out of Camilo Vargas in the Colombia goal.

Three minutes before half-time, Joao Felix cleverly chested the ball over a defender and flashed an acrobatic volley over the bar.

Colombia pressed forward, looking for the goal their dominance deserved, and both Gustavo Puerta and playmaker James Rodriguez troubled the ⁠goalkeeper with shots before the break.

Portugal attacked more after the break, but it was Colombia who continued to carve out the best chances, with Arias setting up substitute Richard Rios for a shot that ⁠went wide.

Arias curled a shot at goal, which was well saved by Costa, and ⁠Puerta drilled another chance wide just before the hydration break.

A Rodriguez volley was deflected away from its target in the 73rd minute, just before he and Arias were substituted, but Colombia continued to tear forward at every opportunity.

Davinson Sanchez thought he had scored the winner with a far-post header a minute from time, but it ‌was called back for a very tight offside after a VAR check.

Rafael Leao went close to winning it for Portugal in stoppage time with a shot that flashed across goal, before the referee finally called time on the entertaining match, played out in front of ‌a ‌crowd of 64,478 sweltering in the Miami evening heat.

Portugal’s totem Cristiano Ronaldo, booed every time he touched the ball and starved of service, had barely a sniff of a chance, his one shot on target a long-range free kick that went straight to the goalkeeper. (AlJazeera)

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Hollywood powerhouses bring AI fight to Europe

Cate Blanchett brought Hollywood starpower to Brussels on Tuesday as she launched a free tool to give people the right to decide how their image can be used by AI firms.

Blanchett announced the Human Consent Registry was live at the European Parliament also attended by Hollywood directing heavyweight Steven Soderbergh.

The public tool available online will allow anyone to register how they want their identity — name, image, voice, likeness, movement and/or other personal attributes — to be used by artificial intelligence systems.

They will have three options: allowed, allowed with terms, or prohibited.”Human consent is not an impediment to progress.

Human consent does not diminish the struggles and the joys of technological innovation or inhuman creativity,” Blanchett said at the event in the parliament’s library.

She insisted the issue did not just affect public figures like herself, but for anyone who has been photographed “or simply lived some part of their life online”.

The registry has been launched by RSL Media, co-founded by Blanchett, a non-profit organization focused on ensuring consent in AI use.

RSL Media hopes AI companies will voluntarily consult the registry.

Blanchett has been a staunch proponent of protecting rights in the age of generative artificial intelligence.

She was among over 800 creatives including fellow actor Scarlett Johansson as well as director Guillermo Del Toro, who published an open letter accusing AI giants of “theft” in January this year.

Hosting Tuesday’s event was EU lawmaker Eva Maydell who hailed the new tool.

The registry “represents an ambitious attempt to turn the principles into practice and make consent more accessible and feasible, to make rights more transparent, and to make trust more scalable”, Maydell said. (JapanToday)

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Turkiye knocked out of World Cup 2026 after 1-0 defeat to 10-man Paraguay

Ten-man Paraguay eliminated ⁠Turkiye from the 2026 World Cup ⁠with a courageous defensive effort to seal a dramatic 1-0 win after suffering a dismissal before half-time, with the ⁠fastest goal of the tournament proving the difference.

Fired up after their humiliating 4-1 opening match defeat by the United States, Paraguay went ahead when Matias Galarza wound up from 25 metres (27 yards) and fired a ‌low rocket home after 64 seconds on Friday evening, to eclipse Ismael Saibari’s 71-second strike in Morocco’s 1-0 win over Scotland hours before.

Spurred on to the sound of beating drums in the San Francisco Bay Area, Paraguay defended resolutely to withstand the Turkish onslaught and played the second half with 10 men, after ‌Miguel Almiron was sent off for remarks made to Mert Muldur with his hand covering his mouth.

The win by the South Americans means the US were confirmed as Group D winners after their earlier 2-0 victory over Australia in Seattle.

Turkiye’s coach, Vincenzo Montella, said his players fought to stay in the tournament and it was an outcome everyone had to accept.

“I’m sad, but ‌I’m ‌also very proud of my players. They gave everything right up until the final whistle. That’s what football’s like,” he said.

Paraguay’s goalscorer Galarza said it was one of the best days of his life.

“We showed our quality fighting spirits even with one player down. God wanted this to happen for Paraguay ‌more than ever before,” said the 24-year-old, on loan at Atlanta United from River Plate.

Turkiye dominated the match, with 79 percent possession at one point, but paid the price for their atrocious finishing, logging 32 attempts but no goals in ⁠an almost carbon-copy of their high-shooting opening-match loss to Australia.

Turkiye were inventive and always threatening but fell apart in front of the goal, with a slew of chances for Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz and Real Madrid’s Arda Guler. Paraguay defended solidly and looked ⁠dangerous on the break in their few chances.

Known as “La Albirroja” (the white and red), Paraguay last played in the World Cup in 2010, where they ⁠were eliminated by eventual champions Spain in the quarterfinal, which has been their best-ever run in the tournament.

Almiron was sent off in first-half stoppage time after the exchange with Muldur, with the dismissal confirmed by the video assistant referee (VAR) as ⁠Paraguay led 1-0.

It was the first instance of the new rule being applied ‌at the World Cup.

Players who cover their mouths with their hand, ⁠arm or shirt in confrontational situations ⁠receive a red ⁠card.

The rule came into effect after Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni was accused ‌of making discriminatory slurs to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr ‌with ‌his mouth covered. (AlJazeera)