Pakistan News World

Lionel Messi inspired a stunning late comeback as Argentina overturned a one-goal deficit to beat England 2-1 on Wednesday, booking a place in the World Cup final with two goals in the final seven minutes. Just when England appeared set for victory after Anthony Gordon's second-half goal, Argentina mounted a relentless late siege and got their reward as Fernandez levelled before Martinez completed the turnaround in the 92nd minute with Messi providing the pass for the equaliser and the cross for the winner. The result added another unforgettable chapter to one of football's fiercest rivalries, a contest rich in history, emotion and tension from the opening whistle. For England, dreams of a first World Cup final since 1966, when they enjoyed their only triumph at the global tournament, were dashed in the closing stages, while Argentina celebrated a comeback that kept alive their quest for another world title. With England inexplicably parked in their own end, an Argentina eq...

Lionel Messi has spent over two decades carving a path through international soccer, facing every World Cup-winning nation from Brazil to France, but one notable opponent has always been missing from the list: England. That will change on Wednesday when Argentina meet the European side in a World Cup semi-final in Atlanta, a heavyweight clash that Argentina's FA (AFA) described on its website as "the match fate owed Messi." The 39-year-old Messi has played Brazil, Uruguay, Germany, Italy, Spain and France during his career, yet never crossed paths with England. The closest he came was a friendly in Geneva in November 2005, the last time the two sides faced each other. Argentina lost 3-2 as Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, who scored twice, overturned goals from Hernan Crespo and Walter Samuel. Messi, however, missed out after being sent off on his international debut against Hungary earlier that year. "It's special because they're a great team, a powerhous...

A blistering century by Jos Buttler, backed by a disciplined all-round bowling display, powered England to a 56-run victory over India in the fifth T20I at The Rose Bowl in in Southampton on Saturday. The 56-run victory meant India remain winless in the five-match series, which the home side won 4-0 as the opening fixture in Chester-Le-Street was washed out. Put into bat first, the home side piled up a massive total of 257/3 in their 20 overs, courtesy of a monumental 233-run partnership between Buttler and captain Harry Brook. England, however, had a contrasting start to their innings as Prasidh Krishna dismissed Phil Salt on the fourth delivery of the second over with just eight runs on the board. Following the early stutter, skipper Brook joined Buttler in the middle, and the duo turned the game on its head with belligerent hitting and went on to add 233 runs for the second wicket. The second-highest partnership for any wicket in a men's T20I, involving full-member nations,...

France captain Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty but curled in a superb goal on the hour as France struck twice in six minutes to brush aside Morocco 2-0 on Thursday and book their spot in the World Cup semi-finals. Mbappe, who at 27 became the youngest player to rack up 20 World Cup appearances, also bagged his 20th World Cup goal with a curling shot from just inside the box before Ousmane Dembele added another six minutes later with a low drive to set up a last-four meeting with Belgium or Spain. Mbappe is the tournament's joint top scorer with eight goals, level with Lionel Messi, and he trails the Argentine by one goal in the World Cup all-time scoring list. "That's three (semi-finals) in a row — it's good," France coach Didier Deschamps said. "It seems logical and natural, but you still have to get the job done. It was tricky, the penalty... when it's Kylian. He never has any doubts. "But we're exactly where we wanted to be," said Desc...

The first quarter-final of the FIFA World Cup will be played between Morocco and France in Boston tomorrow. The second quarter-final will be played between Spain and Belgium in Los Angeles on Saturday. The third and fourth quarter-finals will be played on Sunday with Norway facing England in Miami and Argentina taking on Switzerland in Kansas City. via Original Source

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced Pakistan's Test squads for the upcoming tours of the West Indies and England, with Babar Azam returning as the team's captain. The squads were announced by the PCB selection committee, including Aqib Javed, Asad Shafiq, and Misbah-ul-Haq during a press conference in Lahore. A 16-member squad has been named for the two-match Test series against the West Indies, while a 17-member squad has been announced for the England tour. Saud Shakeel has been included as the 17th member for the England series, subject to fitness clearance. Left-arm spinner Ali Usman, right-handed batter Muhammad Awais Zafar, right-arm fast bowler Ubaid Shah and wicketkeeper-batter Muhammad Ghazi Ghori are the uncapped players included in the squad. All-rounder Aamer Jamal has returned to the Test squad for the first time since featuring against South Africa in 2025, while the pace attack comprises Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Ali, young speedster Ubaid Sha...