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FIFA World Cup 2026: Host USA thrash Paraguay 4-1 in their opening clash
California [US], June 13 (ANI): Host United States opened their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign dominantly, securing a 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Friday (local time), powered by a standout performance from Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic. h-doctor.club
Balogun scored twice, while Pulisic delivered a commanding display, constantly troubling the Paraguayan defence and playing a key role in multiple attacking moves as the hosts controlled proceedings from the start.
The USA took an early lead in the 7th minute when Pulisic split the defence with a brilliant pass to Weston McKennie, which ultimately resulted in Damian Bobadilla turning the ball into his own net. Balogun then doubled the advantage in the 31st minute, finishing a precise cross from Pulisic.
Opening Statement.
pic.twitter.com/yhWOQbVlV8
— U.S. Soccer Men’s National Team (@USMNT) June 13, 2026
The forward added his second goal deep into stoppage time (90+8′), dribbling past two defenders before sealing a comfortable win for the hosts, who were in full control throughout the match.
Paraguay briefly reduced the deficit in the 73rd minute through Mauricio Magalhães, but failed to mount a sustained comeback against a dominant US side.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino opted to rest Pulisic at half-time, replacing him with Sebastian Berhalter, as the USA managed their squad with an eye on a long tournament ahead.
Late in the match, Gio Reyna added further gloss to the scoreline with a stunning strike from distance, finding the top corner to cap off an emphatic opening win for the hosts.
In another Group fixture, Canada began their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Cyle Larin scoring a late equaliser in the 78th minute to rescue a point.
The United States will next face their upcoming Group opponent in Seattle, while Canada will take on Qatar in their next match in Vancouver. (ANI)
(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)
FIFA World Cup 2026: US beat Paraguay 4-1 in dream start for World Cup co-hosts
The United States launched their home World Cup in emphatic fashion Friday, defeating Paraguay 4-1 with a perfectly scripted opening performance to delight a star-studded home crowd in Los Angeles. France-based striker Folarin Balogun scored twice while relentless US pressure led to an early Paraguay own goal from Damian Bobadilla before Gio Reyna added a classy fourth with the last kick of the match. rcw/gj
Kohli on Williamson’s retirement: `Well done mate, life’s just begun`
Ace India cricketer Virat Kohli on Friday paid tribute to Kane Williamson following the New Zealand batting great`s retirement from international cricket, saying he cherished their friendship and that it was time for the charismatic batter to celebrate the rewards of a lifetime devoted to the game.
Arguably New Zealand`s greatest ever batter, Williamson`s announcement pulls the curtain down on a glorious 16-year international career that has seen him play 378 games for his country, setting countless batting records and earning the respect and admiration of the cricketing world.
His decision follows an earlier call to step way from T20 Internationals in 2025.
Kohli and Williamson`s friendship dates back to the 2008 Under-19 World Cup.
Since then, the two batting greats have faced each other across formats for their respective countries and in the IPL, where Kohli has been a long-time mainstay of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, while Williamson represented Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants.
From an opponent to a friend over the years. It’s been a pleasure watching you bat and compete against you over so many years but more than that I value our friendship and shared perspectives on the game and beyond. I continue to cherish every time we speak or meet. Wishing you…
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) June 12, 2026
"From an opponent to a friend over the years. It`s been a pleasure watching you bat and compete against you over so many years but more than that I value our friendship and shared perspectives on the game and beyond," wrote Kohli on `X` following Williamson`s decision to hang up his cricketing shoes.
"I continue to cherish every time we speak or meet. Wishing you nothing but the best always brother. You`ve done your bit, you deserve to enjoy all of it now and put your feet up. Well done mate, life`s only just begun," Kohli added.
Under Williamson`s leadership, the Black Caps made two ICC World Cup Finals, three semi-finals, and won the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021. His personal accolades include being named the ICC Cricketer of Year for 2015 and the Test player of the Year for 2019.
Congratulations to Kane Williamson on an exceptional international career built on class, humility, and outstanding leadership.
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) June 12, 2026
Your achievements as the ICC Men`s @CricketWorldCup 2019 Player of the Tournament and the captain of New Zealand`s historic ICC World Test… pic.twitter.com/NgbuPuAlNl
ICC chairman Jay Shah hailed Williamson`s humility and leadership qualities, and wished the former New Zealand captain success in his future endeavours.
"Congratulations to Kane Williamson on an exceptional international career built on class, humility, and outstanding leadership. Your achievements as the ICC Men`s @CricketWorldCup 2019 Player of the Tournament and the captain of New Zealand`s historic ICC World Test Championship 2021 triumph will remain etched in cricketing history," Shah wrote on `X`.
The 35-year-old Williamson finished as New Zealand`s all-time leading international run-scorer across all formats with 19,346 runs, including over 9500 runs in Test cricket with 33 centuries and six double tons. Across formats, he slammed 48 centuries and six double-centuries.
"Wishing you continued success and fulfilment in all your future endeavours," Shah added.
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FIFA World Cup 2026માં કોણ બનશે ચેમ્પિયન? એક્સપર્ટની ચોંકાવનારી આગાહી
ફૂટબોલના પરિણામોની આગાહી ઘણીવાર નિષ્ણાતોના અભિપ્રાય ભૂતકાળના પ્રદર્શન અને ચાહકોની અપેક્ષાઓના આધારે કરવામાં આવે છે.જોકે,જર્મન અર્થશાસ્ત્રી જોઆચિમ ક્લેમેન્ટે એક અનોખા અભિગમથી ધ્યાન ખેંચ્યું છે.વસ્તી અને આંતરરાષ્ટ્રીય રેન્કિંગ જેવા પરિબળોને સમાવિષ્ટ કરતા ગાણિતિક મોડેલનો ઉપયોગ કરીને,ક્લેમેન્ટે છેલ્લા ત્રણ FIFA વર્લ્ડ કપના વિજેતાઓની સાચી આગાહી કરી હતી 2014માં જર્મની,2018માં ફ્રાન્સ અને 2022માં આર્જેન્ટિના.2026ની ટુર્નામેન્ટ માટે ઉત્સાહ વધી રહી છે,અને ઘણા લોકો એ જાણવા માટે ઉત્સુક છે કે આ વખતે કયા દેશને પસંદ કરે છે.
2014ની આગાહી સાચી સાબિત થઈ
રસપ્રદ વાત એ છે કે ક્લેમેન્ટે મૂળરૂપે તેમનું ફોર્મ્યુલા એ દર્શાવવા માટે બનાવ્યું હતું કે વર્લ્ડ કપ વિજેતાની સચોટ આગાહી કરવી કેટલું મુશ્કેલ છે.જર્મન પ્રકાશન ડેર સ્પીગલ સાથે વાત કરતા,તેમણે સમજાવ્યું કે જ્યારે તેમના મોડેલે 2014મા જર્મનીને ચેમ્પિયન તરીકે યોગ્ય રીતે ઓળખી કાઢ્યું ત્યારે તેઓ આશ્ચર્યચકિત થયા,કારણ કે દક્ષિણ અમેરિકામાં યુરોપિયન ટીમ ટુર્નામેન્ટ જીતવા અંગે નોંધપાત્ર શંકા હતી.
આગાહી આશ્ચર્યચકિત
તેમણે કહ્યું,જ્યારે જર્મની બ્રાઝિલમાં વિશ્વ ચેમ્પિયન બન્યું,ત્યારે શરૂઆતમાં મને આશ્ચર્ય થયું,કારણ કે બધા નિષ્ણાતોએ કહ્યું હતું કે કોઈ પણ યુરોપિયન ટીમે ક્યારેય દક્ષિણ અમેરિકામાં વર્લ્ડ કપ જીત્યો નથી.ક્લેમેન્ટ ઘણીવાર તેમની આગાહીઓની સફળતાને ઓછી ગણાવે છે.તેમણે સ્વીકાર્યું કે મોડેલ નસીબ કરતાં થોડો ફાયદો આપે છે.તેમણે મજાકમાં કહ્યું,મેં ખરેખર તેને ખોટું સાબિત કરવાનો પ્રયાસ કર્યો.પરંતુ તે સતત ત્રણ વખત સાચું રહ્યું હોવાથી,હું કદાચ વિશ્વનો સૌથી નસીબદાર અર્થશાસ્ત્રી છું.
એક ખૂબ જ મુશ્કેલ કાર્ય
તેઓ એમ પણ માને છે કે ફૂટબોલ પરિણામોની આગાહી કરવી ખૂબ જ મુશ્કેલ છે.કારણ કે ઘણા પરિબળો આંકડાઓની પહોંચની બહાર છે.તેમણે ઉમેર્યું,લોકો મને પૂછતા રહે છે કે મારો ક્રિસ્ટલ બોલ શું કહે છે.પરંતુ સત્ય એ છે કે મારી પાસે એક પણ નથી.અત્યાર સુધી મને ફક્ત થોડું નસીબ મળ્યું છે.
નેધરલેન્ડ વિજય માટે દાવો
2026 માટેની તેમની આગાહી ધ્યાન આકર્ષિત કરી રહી છે.એક જર્મન તરીકે તે કહેવું દુઃખદ છે,પરંતુ હું આગાહી કરું છું કે નેધરલેન્ડ્સ આ વખતે તેમનો પ્રથમ વર્લ્ડ કપ જીતશે ક્લેમેન્ટે કહ્યું.વિશ્વભરના ફૂટબોલ ચાહકો હવે રાહ જોશે કે શું તેમની સફળ આગાહીઓનો પ્રભાવશાળી સિલસિલો ચાલુ રહે છે.
આ પણ વાંચો - FIFA World Cup 2026 : USA ટીમે એકતરફી મેચમાં પેરાગ્વેને 4-1 થી હરાવ્યું
T20 Mumbai League: It’s Deshpande vs Dube in final
Tushar Deshpande has been a vital cog in defending champions Mumbai South Central Maratha Royals`s (MSCMR) campaign in the fourth edition of T20 Mumbai League.
The 31-year-old all-rounder will need to do it one last time in this edition on Sunday night when his team takes on Shivam Dube’s Arcs Andheri (AA) in the T20 Mumbai League men’s final.
Deshpande batting anywhere between Nos. 5 and 9 shows the depth of the Siddhesh Lad-led MSCMR. Deshpande’s ability to hit sixes are game changers akin to Dube’s for AA.
After smashing 55 not out with six sixes at No. 9 against Bandra Blasters last week, Deshpande said the highest he’d like to bat was “open”. “I opened the batting for my school, but not afterwards,” he said. Not surprisingly, Deshpande’s strike rate is 205.26, second to Aakash Tigers’ skipper Sarfaraz Khan (214.67) in this edition.
For MSCMR to do a la Royal Challengers Bengaluru, i.e. retain the T20 title, Deshpande holds all the aces.
AA will rely on the muscular Dube to hit sixes at will to finish things off once their top-order comprising left-handed explosive Divyaansh Saxena and Musheer Khan lay a solid platform. Dube’s six-hitting abilities and the unknown commodity of Ashutosh Ghagre mixing his spinners in the semifinal took AA to the final. Whether they can do it one more time against a well-balanced MSCMR, only time will tell.
Meanwhile, the inaugural women’s final between SoBo Mumbai Falcons (SMF), led by India quick bowler Sayali Satghare, and the Humairaa Kaazi-led Aakash Tigers Mumbai Western Suburbs (ATMWS) is well matched too.
In the three-team league phase also involving Thane Sky Risers, SMF won three of the four matches to finish atop the points table while ATMWS finished second with two.
Kaazi was upbeat the final despite her team having lost bot their league matches to SMF: “It feels great to have reached the final. It’s been a total team performance. Looking forward to a good game in the final."
Satghare said: “The best thing about our team is that everyone has contributed. We won three and had different player of the match award winners. We’re not dependent on one or two individuals. That’s a good sign going into the final.”