July 5, 2026 11:35 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kylian Mbappé scored his 19th career World Cup goal, and France survived stifling heat to beat Paraguay 1-0, sending Les Bleus into the quarterfinals for the fourth straight time. France advanced to play Morocco on Thursday in Foxborough, Massachusetts. With an extreme heat warning in effect throughout the match as temperatures hovered around 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), Mbappé finally broke through against a physical, defensive-minded Paraguay side when he converted a penalty kick in the 70th minute. He trails career goals leader Lionel Messi by one, and the two are tied in this year’s Golden Boot race.
HOUSTON (AP) — Azzedine Ounahi scored twice to lead Morocco to a 3-0 win over Canada in the World Cup Round of 16 Saturday to make the country the first African nation to reach the quarterfinals more than once. It’s Morocco’s second straight appearance in the quarterfinals after becoming the first African team to reach the semifinals in 2022. The loss ends a historic run for World Cup co-host Canada, which won its first-ever knockout round game with a 1-0 victory over South Africa to reach Saturday’s match.
July 5, 2026 8:02 am
LONDON (AP) — Serena Williams has withdrawn from her doubles match with sister Venus at Wimbledon due to a right knee injury. The 44-year-old Serena was injured during her singles return earlier in the week at the end of the first set of a three-set loss. She says on Instagram that “I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles. Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside (at)venuswilliams once more meant the world to me. I did everything I could but unfortunately my knee just isn’t ready to compete.” The post included images of four syringes that Serena says “shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match.”
July 3, 2026 11:12 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Luis García Jr. and Daylen Lile each homered twice, and José Tena also went deep for Washington as the Nationals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-5. Foster Griffin allowed a run and four hits in five innings, lowering his ERA to 2.87 for the Nationals. Washington has won five of six. Bryan Reynolds homered for Pittsburgh’s only run. Mitch Keller allowed five runs and eight hits in six innings. The temperature at game time was 100 degrees, and the ball was certainly carrying.
July 4, 2026 3:35 am
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi and Argentina beat Cape Verde 3-2 on Friday and advanced to the World Cup Round of 16 in a thrilling match in which the tiny island nation challenged the reigning champion until the final minutes of extra time. The go-ahead score for Argentina was credited as an own-goal after Cristian Romero’s header deflected off Cape Verde’s Diney Borges in the 111th minute. Messi scored early in regulation, his record-extending 20th career World Cup goal. Argentina advanced to face Egypt in Atlanta on Tuesday.
July 4, 2026 3:43 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA has gotten a lot more attention the past few seasons with the addition of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and others to the league. A multi-billion dollar media rights deal, million dollar salaries and higher attendance have been the positives. An increase of social media vitriol toward players and teams has been the negative. Social media hatred toward players and teams is nothing new and isn’t just directed toward WNBA players. It’s been going on for more than a decade toward the league and its players. However, it has gotten worse lately with players and coaches receiving threats for things that happen on the court.
July 3, 2026 1:13 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Esmerlyn Valdez tripled, singled and knocked in two runs, Endy Rodriguez and Nick Gonzales homered and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-1 on Thursday. The Pirates split their four-game series in Philadelphia, closing with a win against a Phillies team that had won 11 of its previous 15 games at Citizens Bank Park. Jake Mangum had three hits and a run scored, while Brandon Lowe had a pair of hits, scored a run and reached safely three times for Pittsburgh. The Pirates had 14 hits and limited the Phillies to four.
July 3, 2026 4:22 am
Alex Ovechkin is returning for a 22nd NHL season after re-signing with the Washington Capitals. The league’s career goal-scoring record holder inked a deal with a $1 million salary and bonuses worth an additional $8 million. Ovechkin turns 41 in September. He has 929 goals after scoring 32 in his 40-year-old season. The Russian superstar broke Wayne Gretzky’s mark of 894 goals in April 2025. He had said in recent months he was waiting until the offseason to decide whether to return or retire. Ovechkin in a news release sent out by the Capitals declared, “I’m back.”
July 3, 2026 4:25 am
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Stewart Cink got off to a great start in a bid to win his third straight senior major. Cink was the only player to make five birdies on the back nine at Scioto Country Club on Thursday, shooting a 3-under 67 for a share of the first-round lead in the U.S. Senior Open with Charlie Wi. The 53-year-old Cink has four wins in nine PGA Tour Champions starts this year, including the Senior PGA Championship and the Tradition. The last player to win the Senior PGA, Tradition and U.S. Senior Open in the same year was Jack Nicklaus in 1991. Scioto, the Donald Ross course hosting its third U.S. Senior Open, is where Nicklaus learned to play the game.
July 1, 2026 4:17 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Trea Turner hit a three-run home run during a five-run second inning, Bryce Harper’s misjudged double scored two runs in the fourth, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat struggling Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes and the Pirates 10-6. Skenes (6-8) lasted four innings, allowing six hits and a season-high seven earned runs. He has not won in his last nine starts. Henry Davis hit a homer as the Pirates scored twice in the third, but Brandon Marsh got one of those runs back with a solo shot in the bottom half. Orion Kerkering (6-0) got five straight outs in the seventh and Jhoan Duran pitched the ninth for his 22nd save.
July 2, 2026 4:20 am
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Folarin Balogun scored his third goal of the World Cup before being sent off with a red card in the second half, and Malik Tillman converted on a free kick to give the 10-man United States squad a 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina to advance to the round of 16. Balogun dominated the first half with his goal and several other chances that helped the U.S. control the match early but the Americans had to scramble down a man after his foul against Tarik Muharemovic in the 64th minute. Tillman helped seal the win when he scored on a free kick from just outside the box in the 82nd minute.
