France will face Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals after edging past Paraguay 1-0, while the Atlas Lions booked their place with a convincing 3-0 victory over Canada, ending the co-hosts' historic run in the tournament.
France had to dig deep to see off a stubborn Paraguay side, with Kylian Mbappé's second-half penalty securing a hard-fought 1-0 victory and a place in the World Cup quarter-finals.
Paraguay frustrated Les Bleus for long spells with disciplined defending and a physical approach, but Désiré Doué's lively introduction changed the game as he won the decisive spot-kick.
Mbappé's seventh goal of the tournament also drew him level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, as France set up a quarter-final meeting with Morocco.
Azzedine Ounahi scored twice as Morocco secured a second successive appearance in the last eight, continuing their impressive campaign with a composed display.
The breakthrough came five minutes into the second half following a cleverly worked free-kick. Achraf Hakimi's low pass from the right found Ounahi, who swept a first-time effort from around 25 yards into the bottom corner to give Morocco the lead.
Canada, appearing in the knockout stages on home soil, struggled to respond as Morocco controlled much of the second half.
Ounahi doubled the advantage in the 82nd minute after a swift four-on-two counter-attack. Brahim Diaz picked out the midfielder, who fired an emphatic finish into the top corner to all but seal victory.
Substitute Soufiane Rahimi added a third late on, finishing another rapid breakaway to cap an impressive performance from the North African side.
Morocco's victory came despite an early setback, with striker Ismael Saibari, who had scored three goals during the tournament, forced off in the first half with a hamstring injury.
The result ends Canada's memorable World Cup campaign, which saw the co-host's reach the knockout stages and set a new national benchmark in the competition.
Morocco will now face France in the quarter-finals on 9 July, as they look to continue their pursuit of a first World Cup title.
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Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most shipowners away. Six commodity vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, down from nine the day before and below the 10-day daily average of 11.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 19th of August, covering the latest developments.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains limited on Thursday, with no increase in vessel crossings as U.S.-Iran talks to resolve the conflict remained stalled. Nine commodity vessels transited the key waterway on Wednesday, unchanged from the previous day, according to Kpler data.
South Korea estimates North Korea possesses between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads, its defence minister said on Thursday, citing a range significantly higher than U.S. President Donald Trump's recent assertion that Pyongyang has 57 nuclear weapons.
Russian ballistic missile strikes on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has killed at least sixteen people and injured more than forty others, Ukrainian officials said, with fires reported across the city and Poland activating defensive air operations.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 20th of August, covering the latest developments.
Britain has summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires and demanded that the Israeli government withdraw a tender for construction in the controversial E1 settlement area in the West Bank.
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