Substitute Goncalo Ramos’s headed goal edged Portugal into the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 after a gripping 2-1  win against Croatia.

Ramos connected with a superb pass from Rafael Leao in the fourth minute of stoppage time on Thursday to snuff out a Croatia team that had created the lion’s share of the chances in sapping evening heat in Toronto.

In a dramatic ending, Croatia thought they had equalised in the dying seconds, but Josko Gvardiol’s goal was chalked off for offside.

The Croatians were left stunned by the decision, while Portugal’s players celebrated.

Cristiano Ronaldo played his role in the victory, stroking home a penalty that cancelled out Ivan Perisic’s opener.

It was Ronaldo’s first-ever goal in the knockout phase of the World Cup, and his remarkable international career will have another chapter when Portugal face Spain in Dallas on Monday.

Perisic had stunned the Portuguese by slotting the ball under the advancing Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa in the 53rd minute.

Within minutes, Ronaldo had the ball in the net after controlling a long pass, but his effort was disallowed for offside.

But Portugal got level when Renato Veiga was grabbed by Croatia’s Nikola Vlasic in the penalty area, and after a VAR check, the referee pointed to the spot.

Ronaldo stepped up to convert the penalty with ease, hitting the ball straight down the middle of the goal and pumping his fists with joy afterwards.

In a pulsating game, Manchester City forward Mateo Kovacic’s low shot was pushed onto a post by goalkeeper Costa’s fingertips.

Still, Croatia pushed, and Petar Sucic had the ball in the net, but the assistant referee’s flag was up for a clear offside.

Ronaldo was withdrawn in the 81st minute to allow Ruben Neves to come on.

Croatia continued to create more chances than their opponents, and Mario Pasalic came so close to winning the game with a header at the far post, but it bounced just wide.

But when Ramos connected, the net bulged, and Portugal were through.

(Aljazeera)

Ben Sears has been ruled out of the upcoming series of five ODIs in the West Indies because of an ankle injury. Ben Lister has been called into the 16-man squad as Sears’ replacement and will assemble “over the coming days” with the squad in Guyana, where the first three games will be played.

Sears had experienced some ongoing pain in his ankle since the four-day Test against Ireland in May, and it flared up during the final day of the third Test against England at Trent Bridge, which New Zealand won to take the series 2-1. The decision to withdraw him from the ODIs in the Caribbean and send him home “for further treatment” is “precautionary”, as New Zealand Cricket put it.

Lister, who made his ODI debut in 2023, has featured four times in the format, picking up six wickets. He was in the squad the last time New Zealand played ODIs, away against Bangladesh in April.

Injuries to key fast bowlers have been a major concern for New Zealand in recent times.

Jacob Duffy, who missed the recent Test series in England while on paternity leave, has returned to the ODI squad for the West Indies, but Blair Tickner has had to sit this one out to undergo surgery on his ankle. Senior fast bowlers Will O’Rourke, Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry have been rested for the series following their heavy workloads during the England Tests.

“Having a stable of fast bowlers is critical and you ask any selectors around the world from any country, you’re going to get the same answer,” Gavin Larsen, New Zealand’s head selector, said on Wednesday. “I’m touching wood here, [but] we are in a reasonably good position at the moment in New Zealand cricket where we’ve got a number of good quality fast bowlers. So the intention, certainly, is to carefully manage those bowlers.

“But look, already you can see off the back of three Test matches against England, you can see the attrition rate. I’m glancing down and seeing four names that are back on the physio table or under the knife, so I’m very conscious of that. The depth of those fast bowlers is crucial and us managing their workloads and their return-to-play processes is critical.”

Apart from Duffy, the squad now has in its fast-bowling attack Nathan Smith, Kristian Clarke, Matt Fisher and Lister, with frontline spin options in returning captain Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell and Jayden Lennox.

The first three ODIs will be played in Providence, Guyana, on July 11, 13 and 16, and the fourth and fifth games at Kensington Oval in Barbados on July 19 and 21.

New Zealand squad for ODI series in the West Indies

Mitchell Santner (capt), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Kristian Clarke, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Fisher, Dean Foxcroft, Mitchell Hay (wk), Nick Kelly, Tom Latham (wk), Jayden Lennox, Ben Lister, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Nathan Smith, Will Young

[Cricinfo]

The World Health Organization has declared the ‌hantavirus outbreak over after the last identified contact ⁠of an exposed person linked to a cruise ship completed quarantine and tested negative for the virus.

The outbreak, which infected 13 people and killed three, ‌involved ⁠the rare Andes hantavirus strain that typically circulates in ⁠Argentina and Chile. The cruise ship Hondius ⁠sailed from Argentina on ⁠April 1.

“Today, the final contact of a person exposed to hantavirus on the cruise ship MV Hondius completed their quarantine period, tested negative and returned home,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday. “No further cases have been reported since the 25th of May. Therefore, WHO considers the hantavirus outbreak over,” he added.

[Aljazeera]