Sports from Thursday, June 18th, 2026

New Zealand gained the upper hand in the second test after extending their first innings to 391 all out on Thursday before reducing England to 222-6 at the close on the second day at The Oval.

South Africa scored a penalty seven minutes from fulltime as they fought back to draw 1-1 with the Czech Republic at the World Cup on Thursday after falling behind early in the Group A clash.

Brazil forward Neymar will not travel with the squad for their second World Cup group game against Haiti in Philadelphia on Friday as he continues to recover from a calf injury.

Captains at Thursday’s World Cup fixtures will exchange special pennants denouncing discrimination to mark the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, as FIFA revealed it has blocked hundreds of thousands of abusive posts during the tournament.

Colombia winger Luis Diaz has dazzled at a raucous Azteca Stadium as his side marked their return to the World Cup with a 3-1 Group K win over tournament debutants Uzbekistan on Wednesday.

Cape Verde's heroic goalkeeper Vozinha will have his mother in the stands when he next takes to the pitch at the World Cup on Sunday, after US officials moved to ensure she could obtain a visa in time to attend the match against Uruguay in Miami.

Caleb Yirenkyi has scored a stoppage-time winner to earn Ghana a 1-0 win over Panama after the African side were forced to play the second half without starting goalkeeper Lawrence Ati Zigi on Wednesday in Toronto.

Harry Kane has scored a first-half brace, Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford added goals after halftime, and England kicked off its World Cup with a 4-2 victory over Croatia in an entertaining Group L clash at Arlington, Texas.