Marcelo Bielsa, famed for his knack for creating footballing theatrics, once again found himself at the center of a dramatic narrative. Uruguay’s hopes of progressing in the World Cup were dashed as the unexpected underdogs from Cape Verde clinched the second spot in Group H. Their impressive campaign was marked by resolute draws against heavyweights like Uruguay, Spain, and Saudi Arabia.

Uruguay’s fate was sealed in their final group-stage clash against Spain. For 42 minutes, Bielsa’s squad held promise and put up a fierce fight. But then came a disastrous mistake by goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, handing Spain the crucial lead that sent the South Americans crashing out of the tournament.

Up until that point, Uruguay had proved themselves to be formidable opponents. Their aggressive pressing unsettled Spain, yet their persistent struggles to capitalize in the final third were evident.

Conceding the lead seemed to deflate Uruguay’s initial vigor, and they were unable to reclaim the momentum needed to turn their fortunes in the competition.

Rumors have swirled about internal discord within the team, a theory perhaps underscored by Federico Valverde’s visibly upset reaction to being subbed off after just an hour on the pitch—suggesting deeper cracks in squad unity.

In the end, it turned bitter, and a late challenge from Agustin Canobbio – who had been walking a tightrope for most of the affair – saw a stoppage time red card brandished to compound the Uruguayan misery. 

As much as this was a shock exit, in some ways it was a welcome one, as it has enabled the fairytale story of World Cup debutants Cape Verde to continue into the knockouts, where the nation off the coast of West Africa will face holders Argentina in the Round of 32.

Here Daily Mail Sport assess a decisive evening in Guadalajara…

Big names, bigger disappointments

The potential for jeopardy and shock early exits seemed rather limited when FIFA confirmed plans for a 48–team World Cup, in which only 12 teams exit at the group stage. Yet two–time champions Uruguay became the first major outfit to depart from the 2026 tournament in a campaign that significantly underdelivered.

With Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde drawn into the same group as Spain and Uruguay, most expected the final group game to determine which of the former World Champions would win the group. Nobody expected Uruguay to be fighting to avoid an early flight home.

But their campaign was riddled with mistakes, a lack of intensity and little creativity – a remarkable sentence to associate with a Bielsa side.

This is a talented group. Darwin Nunez, Manuel Ugarte, Rodrigo Bentancur and Maxi Araujo have a noble pedigree. Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s Valverde is one of the world’s best midfielders.

Valverde and Araujo aside, however, the aforementioned cluster of players are underperforming at club level – despite showing promise throughout their careers – and that has trickled into the national team.

Take Nunez, for example. His last club match before the World Cup was in February, having been removed from Al–Hilal’s squad after the winter transfer window for the Saudi club to register Karim Benzema.

In part, their lack of rhythm at this tournament is down to the conflict surrounding manager Marcelo Bielsa, who has reportedly caused a tense atmosphere in camp. 

But Bielsa cannot take all the blame, the players must take a long, hard look in the mirror to identify why they have failed to live up to their capabilities.

Messy Muslera

There is honour in Muslera coming out of international retirement to step up for his country at the World Cup, particularly when a manager of Bielsa’s calibre pleaded for his return. But one has to wonder whether he should have bothered.

Humiliated, Muslera was hooked at half–time after a dreadful mistake handed Spain the lead. Alex Baena – the only Spaniard in the penalty area – came onto a Marcos Llorente cross and managed to get a faint effort away.

It should have been a routine stop for Muslera, having got two hands to the shot no more than a yard to his right. However, his disastrous World Cup continued as his feeble hands tipped the ball into the back of the net.

This was the third error by Muslera that led to a goal at this tournament, and his Uruguay career, spanning 17 years and 137 caps, came to a brutal end when Bielsa replaced the 40–year–old with Sergio Rochet.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but Muslera should have stuck with his initial instincts to remove himself from the at–hand options in the national pool.

Spain have some convincing to do 

Spain are attempting to match their 2010 accomplishment, winning the World Cup two years after the European Championships. On paper, it was a successful group stage campaign – seven points and no goals conceded.

But the first half against Uruguay proved they can be frustrated with grit, which their fellow contenders can take encouragement from. They lacked their usual dynamism at times – possibly because Uruguay needed to force the initiative while Spain only required a point.

Nonetheless, Uruguay highlighted that they can be contained. Their press caused Spain problems, but the South American side lacked pizzazz to take advantage. Often winning the ball in high areas, they failed to get sufficient numbers in the penalty area to progress attacks further. 

It was a blunder which handed Spain victory rather than a moment of magic. Luis de la Fuente’s outfit were far from firing on all cylinders.

Juan Sanabria coped with Lamine Yamal well for most of the affair, and those around him failed to offer a significant threat. Spain managed just one shot on target. Stop Yamal, stop Spain?

Their most daunting offensive offering came from Dani Olmo, introduced after 60 minutes, who ran the show once thrown into proceedings. They have sufficient depth.

At the moment, France and Argentina appear much more intimidating. Spain’s route to the final is not completely clear yet, but they are on the same side of the draw as France, who they would face in the semi–final should both sides progress.

Farewell, Marcelo 

In true Bielsa fashion, the Argentine coach brought the chaos in his final match as Uruguay manager. The 70–year–old’s departure was already planned for the culmination of the 2026 World Cup, and that is seemingly for the best after a fruitless campaign. 

A divided dressing room and stagnant performances were underwhelming from the coach obsessed with high–octane football.

The typical identity of a Bielsa side may have been missing, but the closing minutes did encapsulate the eccentric coach when Canobbio was sent off for a late challenge before chaos erupted by the dugouts.

There may have been a lack of vigour with their patterns of play, though the mayhem we associate with Bielsa was present.

This was likely his closing bow at a World Cup. Could it be his final game in management, too? It has been one hell of a career if so. 

For the federation, it is back to the drawing board. However, they can take some solace from being one of six co-hosts automatically qualified for the 2030 tournament. 

In a deeply unsettling incident on the Upper East Side, authorities are investigating a hate crime after a swastika was gouged into the hood of a parked car. This disturbing act may be linked to an Israeli flag visible in the vehicle’s back seat.

The vehicle’s owner, a woman aged 56, made the alarming discovery on a Friday morning. This was three days after she had parked her car on East 85th Street near First Avenue, according to police reports.

The car, which harbored an Israeli flag inside, might have been targeted because of this emblem, as suggested by coverage from the Daily News.

Local leaders, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, have denounced the act of vandalism.

“The swastika carved into a car on the Upper East Side is a vile display of antisemitism,” Mamdani expressed on X. “This hateful intimidation targets our Jewish community and undermines the values that are foundational to our city.”

“To every Jewish New Yorker: your city stands with you,” the mayor said. “We will confront acts of antisemitism wherever they appear with urgency and without exception.”

City Council Speaker Julie Menin also weighed in.

“This horrific, antisemitic symbol continues to appear across our city,” Menin wrote in her own X post.

“Sadly, this isn’t the first time it’s been discovered in my district.” Menin added that the council is in communication with the NYPD, which is currently investigating the incident, adding that Jewish New Yorkers “refuse to let antisemitism be normalized.”

The incident comes amid a troubling trend of rising hate crimes in the city.

In May alone, hate crimes skyrocketed by 74.4 % – from 39 to 68 – compared to the same month last year, according to the NYPD.

More than 60% of the attacks last month were classified as anti-Jewish.

Some community critics have expressed frustration with the current administration’s approach to these issues.

Moshe Spern, president of the United Jewish Teachers, told The Post,  “There isn’t any shock in the Jewish community that antisemitic hate crimes have risen against our community by 70%.”

Spern further criticized the mayor’s rhetoric and administration’s policies as failing to adequately address rising intolerance.

The NYPD’s Hate Crime Unit is investigating the incident. 

A 3-year-old giraffe named Gracie, who had been on the run for two weeks from her home at a Texas ranch, was finally tracked down on Friday with the help of a helicopter.

Gracie, weighing in at 1,200 pounds, escaped from her unsecured enclosure at Cedar Hollow Ranch in Leakey, Texas, on June 12.

The 10-foot giraffe was spotted on Friday morning, approximately four miles south of the ranch, in a secluded and densely wooded area.

Vick Jones, the ranch manager, explained to FOX 7 that Gracie had only arrived at the ranch in May and was still acclimating to her new environment when she took off.

He explained that she likely didn’t mean to leave the ranch, but had been feeding in an area of the ranch that giraffes never had before and got out and came back on the wrong side of the gate.

Gracie is one of two giraffes who live on the property.

“Just one of them bad deals that happen, you know?” he told the station. “And inadvertently, like I say, we’ve never had giraffes go up in that area before and she did.”

Jones decided to post a missing alert for Gracie on a local lost and found app.

“I just thought, well, maybe some of the locals out on the ranches, people who work on some of these ranches might would see that or hear about it and give me an idea of which way she might have went off the property,” Jones explained. “And 24 hours later, it’s all over the world.”

The post quickly went viral, with people making AI photos of Gracie everywhere from working as a lifeguard at a pool, as a firefighter who doesn’t need a ladder or floating down a lazy river in a floaty.

“I now know what the word viral means,” Jones joked.

Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson said Jones called a veterinarian after Gracie was found Friday, and they are getting ready to send a team to get her back to the ranch.

“She’s in good shape,” Jones said. “She’s standing there, swishing her tail.”

He also stressed that she is a gentle giant who wasn’t of any harm to anyone.

“If you move toward her, she’s taking off,” he said.

Gracie was found on empty private property near a pond and creek and had plenty of vegetation to eat.

For the trip home, Gracie will need to be sedated, have a hood put over her eyes, and then she’ll be transported in an open-air trailer, then an enclosed trailer made for giraffes.

Texas Hill Country has one of the largest concentrations of captive exotic animals in the U.S. and Johnson said in the past he’s had calls for lost monkeys and zebras but no giraffes.

Despite requiring jackhammering through rock, Jones said he now plans to put a fence around Gracie’s enclosure.

In a dazzling display, Ousmane Dembele netted a remarkable first-half hat-trick, propelling France to a commanding 4-1 victory over a depleted Norway side that notably kept Erling Haaland on the sidelines.

France’s emphatic triumph clinched their position at the summit of Group I, setting up a potential Round of 32 fixture against Sweden. This performance further cements their standing as frontrunners in the tournament.

Despite Jorgen Strand Larsen missing a penalty for Norway in the second half, they are set to face Ivory Coast in the knockout stage. Fans, however, were left disappointed as they missed out on the eagerly awaited Mbappe-Haaland duel—the clash of two striking titans.

Dembele’s hat-trick elevates his World Cup goal tally to four, firmly positioning him in the chase for the coveted Golden Boot. Desire Doue capped off the victory by scoring France’s fourth goal in the dying moments of the match.

Why are France favourites?

I have seen them play their last two matches, against Iraq and Norway, and they have been dazzling in both. The former Scotland winger Pat Nevin described them as the Harlem Globetrotters of this tournament this afternoon, and it captures something of their star quality. 

When they break forward, they do it with bewildering speed and bewitching close control. So much attention has been lavished, correctly, on Mbappe but they reminded everyone tonight they are far more than a one-man team. 

Dembele is the reigning holder of the Ballon d’Or and he played like it. Pity the poor defences who play against those two when they are in this kind of form. Pity the poor defences who have to play against Michael Olise when he is in this kind of form. France have so many attacking weapons, it is difficult to know which way to look.

Does Norway manager Stale Solbakken deserve criticism for resting 10 players, including Haaland, for the game?

The decision ruined the narrative surrounding the game and spread a wave of disappointment around the ground. Given this is a team that had not qualified for the World Cup for 28 years and whose fans had travelled here in their thousands to see their talisman play, it was hard for them, and for a worldwide audience, not to feel cheated of a great spectacle. 

In Solbakken’s defence, Norway do not have the squad depth France enjoy and, in terms of the quality of opposition ahead, it appears to make very little difference whether you finish first or second in Group I. The group winner’s path to the final currently includes Sweden in the Round of 32 and then possible fixtures against Germany, Holland and Spain. 

The runners-up route will feature Ivory Coast next, and then perhaps, Brazil, England and Argentina. So Solbakken made his choice and we found out what it would have been like to be at the gunfight at the OK Corral only to discover someone had tied Wyatt Earp to a chair and left him in the saloon. If Norway beat Ivory Coast, it will vindicate Solbakken’s decision.

Was it a smart decision then?

Probably. We’ll never know but it is unlikely that Norway would have beaten France even with Haaland and the rest of their first team on the pitch. It felt as if it went against the spirit of the competition to rest so many players but their first-choice team will be fresh for Ivory Coast. If they go deep in the competition, it will be hailed as a brave move.

Is Dembele in the race for the Golden Boot, too?

Absolutely. One of the most impressive things about France’s victory over Iraq in Philadelphia was the way in which Dembele unselfishly squared the ball to Mbappe for Mbappe’s second goal when Dembele could have scored himself. That pointed to a good relationship between the two of them and a decent spirit within the squad. 

Mbappe repaid the favour tonight, laying on two of Dembele’s three goals. Only Lionel Messi has more than the French pair at the moment and if France go all the way to the final, both of them may have a decent shot at overhauling him.

Do you feel cheated?

It’s hard to feel cheated after a game like that. Sure, we were denied the spectacle of Haaland v Mbappe but the teams still produced one of the most entertaining matches of the World Cup so far and Dembele scored the fastest hat-trick at the tournament for 72 years, the second-fastest of all time. 

Norway may have effectively ducked out of the contest but many of the supporters who were in the Gillette Stadium on Friday will have left it feeling that they just witnessed the next world champions in action.

Where does this leave the Golden Boot race?

It strengthens Messi’s position. If he plays against Jordan in Dallas on Saturday, there is every reason to think that he will add to his tally of five goals and move clear of the players, including Dembele, Mbappe and Haaland, who have all scored four.     

Have you paid attention to the action so far? Try our World Cup quiz HERE. 

LOS ANGELES — In a significant development on Friday, an appeals court confirmed the legitimacy of Harvey Weinstein’s 2022 rape and sexual assault conviction in California, although it instructed the trial judge to deliver a revised sentence.

The decision was reached unanimously by a trio of judges from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal.

“We are disappointed by today’s decision and respectfully disagree with the Court of Appeal’s conclusions regarding the fairness of Mr. Weinstein’s trial,” stated Weinstein’s spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, in an emailed response. “However, the court rightfully acknowledged that his sentence requires reevaluation.”

This ruling came shortly after New York prosecutors announced on Thursday that they would not pursue a fourth trial against Weinstein, following the accuser’s decision to avoid testifying again due to the emotional toll.

Though Weinstein remains incarcerated, having been convicted of another sexual felony in New York, the unresolved status of the New York rape charge persisted after his conviction was overturned and two juries could not come to a verdict.

In California, Weinstein, 74, was convicted in December 2022 of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault against an Italian model and actor known during the trial as Jane Doe 1. Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

The former movie magnate’s lawyers argued in his appeal that in his Los Angeles County trial, the testimony of the head of a film festival was unfairly limited by Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench, and had been seeking a new trial.

In New York, Weinstein is awaiting a September sentencing on his still-standing assault conviction involving a different woman. Prosecutors are seeking a 20-year prison term. He would serve his California sentence only after that.

After the Los Angeles trial, Jane Doe 1 later came forward under her name, Evgeniya Chernyshova, when she sued Weinstein in civil court.

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Chernyshova did. Her attorney also said she consented to being named.

Chernyshova testified that Weinstein arrived uninvited to her hotel room during the 2013 LA Italia Film Festival and assaulted her.

Weinstein’s defense argued that a judge wrongly prevented his trial lawyers from asking about Facebook messages between Chernyshova and festival head Pascal Vicedomini that would have shown they had a sexual relationship.

The questioning would have shown she perjured herself when she said she and Vicedomini were just friends and colleagues, Weinstein’s lawyers argued. And they said it would have bolstered their argument that she was not even in her room on the night of the alleged assault.

“The lower court all but gutted Mr. Weinstein’s defense,” attorney Jennifer Bonjean told the appeals judges at April 23 oral arguments.

David Glassman, who represented the state, said any affair was irrelevant. “It doesn’t apply to any contested issue in the case,” he said.

Before his sentencing, Weinstein told the judge that this was a “made-up story” from a woman he had never met.

The Los Angeles trial jury acquitted Weinstein of the sexual battery of a massage therapist and failed to reach verdicts on counts involving two other women.

“This is not the end of the appellate process,” Engelmayer said in his email Friday. “We intend to seek review in the California Supreme Court because we continue to believe significant legal errors affected the proceedings and warrant further review.”

Emails seeking comment from Chernyshova’s attorney and the Los Angeles prosecutors were not immediately answered.

Say hello to the new manager, who might just feel like a familiar face.

On Friday, the Mets appointed a new manager, yet this change did little to ignite their offense, especially as they faced the formidable Zack Wheeler for the majority of the game.

With the new role, Andy Green got a firsthand experience of the challenges Carlos Mendoza faced.

Under Green’s direction, the Mets’ lineup managed a mere five hits during their 2-1 defeat to the Phillies at Citi Field, pushing their losing streak to an unfortunate seven matches.

Earlier that day, Green stepped up as the interim manager following Mendoza’s dismissal.

The Mets (34-48) looked every bit the team that entered the day ranked 29th in MLB with a .673 OPS.

Their misery on this night included getting one-hit over the final five innings.

Zach Thornton, in his second major league start, was sharp over six innings.

The left-hander, thrust into the rotation following David Peterson’s trade to the Cubs and Kodai Senga’s demotion to the bullpen, allowed one earned run on five hits with seven strikeouts and one walk.

Thornton surrendered three straight hits to begin the game, but escaped the first with only one run allowed.

Bryce Harper delivered an RBI single that gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead after Trea Turner’s leadoff double and Kyle Schwarber’s ensuing single.

Thornton rebounded to get three straight outs.

Derek Hill scaled the fence in right-center in the bottom of the inning to rob Juan Soto of a two-run homer.

Carson Benge singled leading off before Hill fully extended over the fence for the larceny.

Jared Young’s RBI single in the fourth tied it 1-1.

Bo Bichette’s leadoff double ignited the rally before Young delivered against Zack Wheeler.

Huascar Brazoban allowed an RBI single to Trea Turner in the seventh that gave the Phillies a 2-1 lead. Hill’s leadoff single and Bryson Stott’s walk gave the Phillies their base runners before Hill’s single.

It was a rare misstep for Brazoban, who hadn’t been scored upon in his previous seven appearances and began the night with a 1.82 ERA.

Wheeler dominated with a second good outing in less than a week against his former team.

The right-hander allowed one earned run on four hits with five strikeouts and one walk over seven innings.

Wheeler, in his return from surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, has pitched to a 2.03 ERA in 11 starts this season.