Месси болон Ямалын түүхэн тохиолдол

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Good morning! Don’t play back today. Coming up:

Triumphs: Another late salvo leads Messi back to Yamal

The entire arc of yesterday’s stunning World Cup developments can be told through three images. Let’s start with the one I still can’t quite believe exists:

That’s a 20-year-old Lionel Messi, posing with a baby in 2007 for a calendar photo shoot. This was common practice at the time, and hundreds of children (and their families) participated in the process.

The baby in the photo above: Lamine Yamal, who Messi will face Sunday in the World Cup final.

The staggering odds of the image are hard to fathom. Does Michael Jordan have a photo cradling a baby LeBron James? Jack Nicklaus with Tiger Woods? Martina Navratilova with Serena Williams? No, no and no.

No matter what happens Sunday, the photo will be iconic. We have more backstory on the photo here.

Our next image also features the now-39-year-old Messi, from yesterday:

A closer look at this exchange between superstars Leo Messi and Jude Bellingham in the FIFA World Cup Semifinals pic.twitter.com/2Np6CSNNzH

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 15, 2026

There’s the best goal scorer we’ve ever seen, triggered after a conversation with England star Jude Bellingham, just three minutes into the game. The motivation took a while to fully actualize — Messi’s crew was down 1-0 for much of the second half until scoring two goals in seven minutes, including a game winner in stoppage time — but the head nod will live on as a harbinger of how this game went.

It’s also still hard to believe Argentina pulled the rug on an opponent in the final minutes again in this World Cup:

• In the knockout rounds, the defending World Cup champion has scored 11 goals. Nine of those have come in the 79th minute or later. Six have come in stoppage time or extra time. Absurd stuff.

Read our full recap of the game here. It’ll go down as one of the great World Cup comebacks, in a tournament full of them.

Our last image:

Justin Setterfield / Getty Images

That’s England coach Thomas Tuchel, who will wear this loss more than anyone involved in the English effort. The Three Lions were in control of this match for most of the second half, particularly after Anthony Gordon’s beautiful goal in the 55th minute.

Tuchel then decided to retreat. Pull back his players and defend the goal, inviting that historic goal scorer — and his talented teammates — to attack at will. It worked for England against Mexico, but that came with Tuchel’s team a man down. That was not the case in Atlanta yesterday.

Jack Pitt-Brooke wrote a searing indictment of the tactic that’s worth a read this morning. Feels like this will be a loss talked about for years, if not decades.

Let’s move on to some news:

News to Know

Bruce Bennett / Getty Images

Yzerman out as Red Wings GM
Franchise legend Steve Yzerman is done as general manager of the Red Wings, the team announced yesterday, adding that Yzerman will transition to an advisory role once a successor is named. Yzerman won three Stanley Cup titles in Detroit as a player and returned as somewhat of a savior in 2019 to rebuild a once-proud organization into a perennial playoff contender. It didn’t happen.

The Red Wings have zero postseason appearances in the last decade, and team captain Dylan Larkin wants out. It’s a weird time, but Yzerman left the metaphorical cupboard in a better place than he found it, as Max Bultman wrote. But it’s easy to wonder what’s next.

ACC overhauls tiebreaker
In a move we probably should’ve seen coming, the ACC has changed its football conference championship tiebreaker policy after 2025 saw five-loss Duke make the title game over Miami, which would go on to qualify for the College Football Playoff and make a run to the championship game. Imagine the furor if the Hurricanes hadn’t made the CFP field last year. Read more details here.

More news:

• The WNBA All-Star rosters are set, pitting Caitlin Clark against Paige Bueckers. See the full list.
  
• The Astros traded longtime starter Lance McCullers Jr. to the Brewers, sources told The Athletic. The return? Jadyn Fielder, the 21-year-old son of Prince (!). My back hurt reading that.
  
• Philadelphia avoided arbitration with forward Trevor Zegras via a four-year, $36.5 million extension. He’s well worth it.
  
• An NCAA subcommittee reportedly approved the use of the Automated Ball-Strike system in college baseball. More inside.
  
• French officials said 98 people were arrested after France’s loss to Spain in the World Cup semifinals. Metal.
  
• A final note from Argentina’s win: The team could face FIFA punishment after displaying a Falkland Islands banner after the game. Read our full story.
  
• NBA commissioner Adam Silver argued that the second apron rule is fair. See his comments.
  
• Søren Wærenskjold won Stage 11 of the Tour de France, which enters the history books as the fastest stage ever.

📰Find more news here 24/7.

Happening Right Now: The ol’ reverse Uno

Warren Little / Getty Images

Part of the reason this World Cup has been so popular with the general American sports fan is the simple concept of access. In “normal” times, the American soccer fan has to wake up quite early to watch a European match. Now, they’re in the afternoon at worst. When more people can watch, a popular thing can really stick.

Today — as in literally right now — the golf world is pulling the opposite bit on us. The Open Championship teed off about four and a half hours ago. Notable names like Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau, Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland, Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm all started just over an hour ago.

See the early leaders on our live blog. Coverage is on Peacock and USA (full viewing guide here).

Now, for events taking place at normal times today:

Watch Guide

📺 WNBA: Liberty at Wings
9 p.m. ET on Prime Video
Two star-filled playoff teams on opposite tracks right now: Dallas comes in riding a five-game winning streak while New York has lost three straight. Good game.

📺 MLB: Mets at Phillies
7 p.m. ET on ESPN
The first game back from the All-Star break, and the only game on tonight. I still can’t believe how bad the Mets (40-57) are this year.

Pulse Picks

This is fun, via Joe Rexrode, this morning: What sport defines your school? See all the Power conference picks.

Make some time for Mirin Fader’s moving story about two Palestinian brothers playing basketball in Minnesota, hoping to inspire everyone back home. Bring tissues.

How does a golf course become Royal? A simple question with a more complicated answer than you expect.

USMNT goalkeeper Matt Freese is trying to move on after his World Cup gaffe against Belgium. Hard not to feel for the guy.

NBA Summer League can be a place where young prospects become stars. The best performance in its history, though? That belongs to Anthony Morrow, who still holds the scoring record 17 years later. This retrospective was fun.

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story on the fan who got fired for sending a racial slur to Aces guard Chelsea Gray.

Most-read on the website yesterday: Argentina-England live blog.