ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Real Madrid have confirmed the signing of defender Ibrahima Konate.

The LaLiga side has agreed a four-year deal with the defender, who will join the club when his contract expires at Liverpool on June 30.

Recall that Konate announced that he would be leaving Anfield when his contract expires this summer after failing to reach an agreement on a new deal.

He joins Bernardo Silva and Marc Cucurella as Jose Mourinho’s first signings since returning for a second spell in charge at the Bernabeu.

Konate joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig in 2021 in a £35 million move. During his five-year spell, he made 183 appearances and helped the Reds win the Premier League, FA Cup and two League Cups.

The France international, currently with his national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, had earlier expressed disappointment at not getting the opportunity to say goodbye to Liverpool supporters during the club’s final home league game of last season.

Konate becomes one of Real Madrid’s latest additions this summer as the Spanish giants continue rebuilding under returning manager José Mourinho.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Harry Kane scored twice in the first half as England eventually saw off Croatia 4-2 to launch their World Cup title assault in Texas on Wednesday.

Jude Bellingham, immediately after half-time, and substitute Marcus Rashford with five minutes to go ensured a winning start for Thomas Tuchel’s side after Croatia had fought back to level at 2-2.

The prolific Kane twice put England ahead in the first half — one a retaken penalty — only for Martin Baturina and Petar Musa to hit back for 2018 runners-up Croatia.

With both sides shaky at the back, the second half threatened another goal glut, Bellingham needing just two minutes to put England ahead again in front of a crowd of 70,000.

England had numerous chances to extend their lead immediately after, but did not take them until Rashford popped up.

The meeting was a repeat of the 2018 semi-final, which Croatia won 2-1 after extra-time, although England have since had the edge against one of the older squads at the tournament in North America.

Thomas Tuchel’s side, bidding to deliver England a first major trophy since 1966, made a nervy start in front of a packed house at the impressive air-conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Then the drama came. Croatia’s talismanic captain Luka Modric dangled out a leg and caught Noni Madueke in the box.

Kane saw his unconvincing penalty saved by Dominik Livakovic, only for French referee Clement Turpin to order a retake after video replays deemed the stopper had come off his line.

Turpin once sent off Tuchel in the Champions League and the referee taking charge of the game had been highlighted by English media this week.

Bellingham to rescue

Bayern Munich predator Kane held his nerve second time around, again going to Livakovic’s left but this time in more ruthless fashion to give England the lead after 12 minutes.

Now it was all England, and Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham — preferred to Morgan Rogers in the number 10 role — surged upfield, forcing Livakovic to smother.

Loud boos rang out for the drinks break, given the match was under a roof and not the unforgiving Texas sun.

On the half-hour England should have gone 2-0 up, Bellingham narrowly failing to make contact with Madueke’s delicious low cross.

On 36 minutes Croatia drew level.

England squandered the ball in midfield, then Petar Sucic left John Stones on the floor with some neat footwork to set up Baturina.

The 23-year-old met the ball first time and whipped it past Jordan Pickford, who got a hand to the ball.

Zlatko Dalic’s side were level for just six minutes as a Declan Rice corner found Kane unmarked and the captain nodded home.

It took skipper Kane to 10 World Cup goals, the most of any England player along with Gary Lineker.

Tuchel, who has made it clear that winning the World Cup is his aim, barely smiled.

Putting the seal on a frenetic first half, Musa took advantage of more poor England defending in the fifth minute of injury time to stroke the ball in from close range for 2-2.

The second half started just as the first ended — with a goal — as Bellingham galloped down the right unchallenged and rolled the ball into the corner.

Kane and Nico O’Reilly twice each, and Bellingham, had good chances for a 4-2 lead as England pummelled the Croatia goal.

With 15 minutes left and England retreating, Croatia had several opportunities, before Rashford made the three points safe.

AFP

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Former Venezuelan international footballer and football analyst Alejandro Moreno has argued that Argentina captain Lionel Messi was fortunate to remain on the pitch during his side’s 3-0 victory over Algeria at the FIFA World Cup, insisting that the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner should have received a red card for a dangerous challenge.

Messi was the star of the match, scoring a memorable hat-trick as reigning world champions Argentina opened their campaign with a convincing win. However, a controversial first-half incident involving the Inter Miami forward has continued to generate debate among football fans and pundits.

The incident occurred midway through the opening half when Messi challenged Algerian defender Aissa Mandi for possession. Replays appeared to show the Argentine star making contact with Mandi’s calf with his studs raised, leaving the defender in visible discomfort.

Despite protests from Algerian players and concerns raised by commentators, Polish referee Szymon Marciniak allowed play to continue without issuing either a yellow or red card.

The decision quickly became one of the major talking points of the match, particularly after Messi went on to score two additional goals in the second half to complete the first World Cup hat-trick of his illustrious international career.

Speaking on ESPN, Moreno expressed disbelief that the challenge was not punished more severely.

According to the former striker, the tackle met the criteria for a straight red card and should have prompted intervention from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

“It’s 100 percent a red card for Lionel Messi,” Moreno said.

“It should have been. It also feeds into the narrative that football’s biggest stars often receive preferential treatment from officials.”

Moreno suggested that the incident would likely have been judged differently had it involved a less prominent player.

The former Venezuela international also pointed to television footage showing FIFA President Gianni Infantino reacting to one of Messi’s chances later in the game, arguing that such moments contribute to perceptions that the Argentine icon enjoys special treatment.

“When Messi was close to completing his hat-trick and goalkeeper Luca Zidane made a save, cameras showed Gianni Infantino smiling as if to say, ‘that was close,’” Moreno said.

“That only reinforces the belief among some people that certain players receive a different level of treatment.”

Moreno further questioned the role of VAR officials, arguing that the replay footage clearly warranted a second look by the match referee.

“We don’t even need a freeze-frame image,” he said.

“If you watch the challenge in real time, it already looks reckless. Then you see the replay, and it becomes even more obvious that it was dangerous. Somebody should have called the referee over to review it.”

He added that the nature of the contact made the incident particularly serious.

“As much as I admire Lionel Messi, it was a clumsy challenge and a bad tackle. He raked the back of the defender’s calf from the knee all the way down toward the ankle. That should have resulted in a red card.”

The controversy has attracted additional attention because Marciniak was also the referee who officiated Argentina’s dramatic victory over France in the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Despite the debate surrounding the incident, the referee’s decision stood, and Messi remained on the field to inspire Argentina to victory. His three goals not only secured all three points for the defending champions but also strengthened his place among the greatest players in World Cup history.

Nevertheless, discussions over whether the Argentine superstar should have been dismissed continue to divide football fans, with many arguing that the incident highlights the broader debate about consistency in refereeing and the influence of star players on major decisions.