World Cup favourites France were made to sweat to book their quarter-final place but Kylian Mbappe’s second-half penalty proved enough to help them past a resolute Paraguay in Philadelphia.Paraguay limited the two-time winners to very few chances until substitute Desire Doue was fouled inside the box by Brighton’s Diego Gomez and referee Ilgiz Tantashev pointed to the spot after a video assistant referee (VAR) intervention.##NAJAVA_MECA_9833418##Mbappe took the penalty and sent Orlando Gill the wrong way to ensure France’s progress, as he drew level with Argentina great Lionel Messi on seven goals in the tournament’s Golden Boot race.The last-16 tie kicked off in extreme heat, with temperatures soaring to 38C, but it appeared to be no deterrent for France, who dominated possession from the start.However, a disciplined Paraguay defence proved difficult to break down and that frustration was evident in the 36th minute when Mbappe lashed out after a foul on him by Andres Cubas.Gustavo Alf..

‘Where did this kid come from?’ asked former Spain coach Luis Enrique when his team was eliminated by Morocco in Qatar 2022. He was referring to Azzedine Ounahi, who had a great tournament but after that, didn’t lived up to high expectations. The midfielder played for Marseille and Panathinaikos before signing for Girona, who got relegated in May. Ounahi was quiet in this tournament so far, but exploded when needed. He stepped up when Morocco’s best player Saibari went down with an injury and secured his team’s place in the quarterfinals with a brace: Canada – Morocco 0-3.The Atlas Lions are not dark horses since Qatar 2022 when they finished as fourth, but in the quarterfinals, they will face the tournament’s favorites France (unless they lose to Paraguay). Still, they continued their excellent run with a victory against co-hosts Canada, but the final score doesn’t tell the whole story. Morocco didn’t impress and played badly, with only one shot in the first 49 minutes. They allowed C..

The Turkish transfer market is making headlines once again, something fans have grown accustomed to in recent years. This time, Besiktaş are at the center of attention. According to The Athletic, the Istanbul giants have reached an agreement with Arsenal over the transfer of Belgian international and newly crowned Premier League champion Leandro Trossard. The deal is worth a total of 20 million euros. Besiktas will pay 18 million upfront, with a further two million euros in easily achievable performance-related bonuses. The only remaining step is to finalize the player’s personal terms. According to sources close to the negotiations, Trossard is set to sign the most lucrative contract of his career in Istanbul, earning up to nine million euros per season including bonuses, which would make him one of the eight highest-paid players in the Turkish Süper Lig.Besiktas reach an agreement in principle with Arsenal to sign Leandro Trossard. €18m+€2m fee.Trossard is still to finalise terms, bu..

Harambee Stars forward Job Ochieng has taken another significant step in his promising career after being included in Real Sociedad’s senior squad ahead of the club’s pre-season preparations for the 2026/27 campaign.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe 23-year-old attacker, who has progressed through the ranks at Real Sociedad B (Sanse), is among 12 academy graduates selected to train with the first team during the summer as the LaLiga side begins preparations for the new season.AFC Leopards sign replacement for Gor Mahia-bound goalkeeperReal Sociedad confirmed the development through an update on their official website, revealing that Ochieng will join the senior squad when players report for physical and medical assessments at the club’s Zubieta training complex on Saturday, 4 July, before holding their first open training session on Sunday.”The 26/27 preseason kicks off on Saturday. The Txuri-Urdin are scheduled to meet in Zubieta for the first physical and medical tests ..

With the ballooning costs of running a football club in Kenya skyrocketing with each passing season, former FKF President Nick Mwendwa has revealed the millions spent annually to sustain FKF Premier League side Kariobangi Sharks.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe city mogul is the proprietor of Sharks, a club he has steered from the lower tiers of the Kenyan football pyramid to the top-flight, having earned promotion back in 2017.AFC Leopards sign replacement for Gor Mahia-bound goalkeeperWith football being an expensive venture, it has been an uphill task to manage the club, but Mwendwa has always kept the team’s annual budget close to his chest.However, in a sit-down with Mozzart Sport, Mwendwa, who sat at the helm of Kenyan football for nine years, opened up on the millions that go into keeping the club afloat.##NAJAVA_MECA_9832171##“Sharks take away Ksh50 million from us every year. It does not return money. If you want to invest in football, you have to understand wha..

KCB Rugby marked their debut at the Met 7s in style after defeating Daystar Falcons 26-12 to lift the 2026 title at the KCB Sports Club in Ruaraka on Saturday, 4 July.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe Bankers delivered an impressive performance throughout the one-day tournament, capping it off with a composed display in the final to deny the fast-rising Falcons and lay down an early marker ahead of their National Sevens Circuit title defense.Former Kenya Sevens captain attains another major career milestoneKCB struck first in the final, crossing over for the opening try before adding the conversion to take an early lead.Daystar responded with sustained pressure deep inside KCB territory, pinning the Bankers in their own half for several minutes. ##NAJAVA_MECA_9831905##Their persistence eventually paid off when Clinton Amukwachi powered over for the Falcons’ first try after they recovered possession, with the successful conversion bringing them back into the contest.The Ba..