15/06/2026

SPORTS MONDAY | JUNE 15, 2026

29

2026 WORLD CUP

SIDENETTING

England reunited with kit after ‘heist’

England goalkeeper Dean Henderson said he had his boots back after train ing equipment was stolen ahead of the squad’s arrival at their World Cup train ing base on Saturday. Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas earlier put out a statement on the “heist”. He said officials at “local, state and federal levels” were investigating the theft from vehicles transferring equipment from England’s training camp in Florida. But is under stood most of the items have now been recovered. Henderson was asked after England’s first training session at Swope Soccer Village whether he had lost his boots. “I think I did, but I got them back, so it’s all good,” said the Crystal Palace goalkeeper. “I think they got everything back, so it’s all good.” Defender Dan Burn was relaxed about the episode. “Obviously it was to do with the police,” he said. “So I don’t know how much people know about it. We didn’t know a lot about it, but I’ve got all my kit and all my boots.” … as cops charge two men Two men were charged yesterday over the theft of US$18,000 (RM72,000) worth of kit and equipment from the England team at the World Cup, a US prosecutor said. Mustafa Salik and Erfan Kamal each face one count of receiving stolen property, according to a statement from the office of Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson. The offence under Missouri law carries a prison sentence of up to seven years. The equipment was stolen from vehi cles as it was transferred from England’s training camp in Florida to their World Cup base in Kansas City. Johnson’s office said in a statement that the stolen property is estimated to be worth about US$18,000. “Jackson County will not tolerate any criminal activity that targets World Cup visitors, including the international teams that have traveled here to compete,“ Johnson said. “We thank the Kansas City Police Department and our on-call attorneys for their quick work investigating this incident and filing charges immediately.” Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas praised the police and the prosecutor’s office “in resolving an investigation across several states, helping crime victims recover goods stolen in transit”. Tuchel lifts ban on WAGs England WAGs were allowed to reunite with players at the World Cup after Thomas Tuchel overturned the initial hotel ban as preparations step up for the opening game against Croatia. After manager Tuchel eased restric tions on visits to the team’s pre-World Cup base, The Belgrove Resort and Spa in West Palm Beach, Florida, sev eral WAGs chose to make the journey to see their loved ones. Amongst those visiting was Jude Bellingham’s girlfriend Ashlyn Castro, who spent an evening playing cards with him after making the four-hour drive to reach the footballer. Castro turned to social media to post some snaps looking stunning at the hotel. The 28-year-old model and influ encer met the 22-year-old Real Madrid star online in late 2024, with the couple going public with their romance in 2025. Harry Kane’s wife Kate and Kobbie Mainoo’s girlfriend Layla Roye have also reportedly visited the players who are preparing for the tournament. The romantic encounters followed initial reports that only players and staff were permitted entry to the hotel. “It’s very unusual for them to spend so much time with the footballers before the World Cup,” a source told the publication. “But Tuchel wants his pre-tournament camp relaxed before heading to Kansas.”

Scotland’s John McGinn celebrates after scoring his team’s winning goal in the 2026 Fifa World Cup Group C match against Haiti yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

McGinn eyes ‘uncharted territory’

… after Scotland end wait for World Cup win S COTLAND match-winner John McGinn is optimistic his team can go on to reach the World Cup knockout stages for the very first time after marking their World Cup again is the main takeaway tonight.” Scotland are appearing at their first World Cup since 1998, when they were eliminated in the group stage after defeats against both Brazil and Morocco. Yesterday’s win was their first at any major

Jersey. “It might suit us a little bit better to play on the counterattack and make it difficult for them,” he said. “We know one point or three points would take us into uncharted territory and we know what is at stake.” Scott McTominay hit the post for Scotland before McGinn’s goal, but Haiti had more attempts overall and Frantzdy Pierrot almost equalised late on. Haiti coach Sebastien Migne was full of praise for his team and saw reason to believe they can cause problems to their next two opponents. “I am very proud of the boys and how we played. I hope we can build on this and keep putting in good performances,” said the Frenchman, whose team are appearing at a first World Cup since 1974. “It is disappointing, and now we have a mountain approaching in five days in the shape of Brazil.

return to the tournament following a 28-year absence with a 1-0 win over Haiti yesterday. A deflected strike from the Aston Villa midfielder in the first half in Boston proved enough for Scotland to claim the victory in their Group C opener, although they were left hanging on towards the end as Haiti put them under pressure. “It was crucial. This was our pressure game, we were the favourites going into it. Haiti are a very difficult opponent,” said McGinn, who had not scored for his country in over 18 months. “They have so many unique qualities that we are not used to playing against, so the important thing tonight was to get a clean sheet and get the three points, and we have managed to do that. “Can we play a bit better? Of course we can. But this is brilliant, and we will go into the games against Brazil and Morocco with more gears to go up. Scotland winning at a

tournament since 1996 and their first at a World Cup since beating Sweden in Italy in 1990. This is Scotland’s ninth appearance at a World Cup, but it was just their fifth victory in 24 attempts. However, it has put them in a fantastic position to reach the last 32, especially as the eight best third-placed teams in the group stage will progress. One point from the next two matches, against Morocco back in Boston on Friday and then Brazil in Miami on June 24, would likely suffice to qualify. “It is two teams in the top 10 in the world next. We know the qualities they possess but we can cause them problems in the same way Haiti caused us,” said McGinn of Morocco and Brazil, who drew 1-1 earlier Saturday in New

“It is a prestigious occasion, and when you have been absent from this level for 52 years you have to enjoy it.” – AFP Qatar earn first ever point with late goal QATAR earned the first World Cup point in their his they showed today.”

smart enough, not precise enough in the end. At the end of the day, unfortu nately, we lost two points,” he told Reuters after the match. He pointed out that los ing possession towards the end was not good, and it “hurts a lot” to have not got all three points. “It was just unnecessary that we lost the ball and allowed the chance. It really hurts a lot. Now we have to get back to the drawing board, assess the match and come back stronger,” he said. “When you bring some one new in, you hope they will give more strength to the team and that you keep dominating. It was not the fault of the substituted players. We are one team, one unit. Maybe I need to look at myself and my decisions,” he added. – AFP/Reuters

intense pressure from Qatar captain Boualem Khoukhi four minutes into injury time to spark wild celebrations on the Qatar bench. “I am very proud of the team,” said Qatar’s Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui. “I told them that even if we hadn’t scored the goal and didn’t draw I would have been proud of the mental ity and discipline that they showed today. But fortu nately we scored and that was history. “We achieved one dream when we arrived here, to be here, and now today is another little dream. And we have the right to continue having the dream. “We believe, we work, we resist, we are resilient. In the end, we have one big award for us. I was very proud of the mentality, about the discipline that

The Swiss are seeking to progress to the knockout stages for the fourth con secutive World Cup but their inability to kill off a match they dominated will worry coach Murat Yakin, who rued over the fact that his side “lost two points”. He said that while his side played with an attack ing intent and made their chances, maybe “they were not smart enough, not precise enough towards the end”. While the Swiss side was dominant in the first half, some sluggish football in the second half made them pay. “We had an idea, and we wanted to be very dominant, very attacking. We created very good chances, but unfortunately, we were not always effi cient. “Maybe we were not

tory when they stunned Switzerland with a late equaliser to grab a 1-1 draw in both sides’ opener yesterday. A Breel Embolo penalty had broken the deadlock for Switzerland early in the first half in Santa Clara, before the Swiss were made to pay by a Miro Muheim own goal. Qatar, appearing in just their second finals after hosting the 2022 World Cup, looked rusty after their preparations were dis rupted by the Middle East war, meaning their meet ing with Switzerland was just their third match since December last year. And for the majority of the match they were out classed as Switzerland racked up 26 shots, before the unfortunate Muheim put through his own net under