England manager Thomas Tuchel has made one major mistake with his 2026 World Cup squad selection, according to fans, following Saturday’s narrow 1-0 win over New Zealand.
Tuchel made several controversial calls while naming his 26-man squad last month, leaving out global stars including Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The German tactical, who was appointed as Sir Gareth Southgate’s successor in October 2024, believes he’s assembled a squad who are all “100% committed”, “ready to buy into their role on and off the pitch” and “who are ready and committed to the idea of team spirit and being unselfish”.
Harry Kane, a leading contender for the 2026 Ballon d’Or award, scored the only goal of the match shortly before the interval as the testing temperatures and poor playing surface affected England’s game.
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Fans Fear Tuchel Has Made Squad Selection Error
Aside from another goal for Kane, plus the clean sheet, the biggest positive for England was the eye-catching performance of Rio Ngumoha who, aged 17 years and 281 days, became the fifth-youngest player to debut for the England men’s team.
The Liverpool starlet posed a constant threat down the right flank with his pace, skill and directness. A fearless performance, Ngumoha deservedly received the Player of the Match award on his England debut. Watch his highlights below:
However, the teenager is not part of England’s 26-man World Cup squad. The gifted winger is one of several youngsters who are gaining experience before flying back home before the tournament begins.
Fulham’s Josh King, Marseille’s Ethan Nwaneri and Bournemouth’s Alex Scott will also leave the England camp after the final warm-up match against Costa Rica on June 10.
Fans believe Tuchel has made a big mistake by not including Ngumoha in the final World Cup squad based on the evidence presented during Saturday’s warm-up win over New Zealand.
“It’s an absolute travesty that Noni Madueke is on that plane ahead of him,” one fan commented on X (Twitter), while another said:
“Rio Ngumoha looks like he’s been playing for England for years. Definitely missed a trick not taking him! Bringing someone like him on to run at a tired defence with 20 minutes to go would have been a great option to have.”
A third fan commented: “Thomas Tuchel not adding Rio Ngumoha in the World Cup squad is absolutely not brilliant, you just cannot afford not to add that kind of quality player,” while a fourth added: “Rio Ngumoha was unbelievable tonight, best player on the pitch. Just a shame Tuchel would rather have Madueke in the squad. Hugely disappointing.”
While a fifth supporter posted: “Rio on his England debut, what a baller. Tuchel, you are making a mistake, he’s better than all the wingers in England’s squad.”
Ngumoha made 19 appearances for Liverpool in the Premier League last season, scoring two goals and providing one assist. He also made four appearances in both the Champions League and FA Cup, plus two more in the EFL Cup.
Chelsea are plotting a surprise move to sign a Brighton forward in the summer transfer window.
The Blues have been incredibly active in the summer market, which certainly isn’t out of the ordinary for a club like Chelsea.
The capital club are looking to back new manager Xabi Alonso in the transfer window as they aim to steer themselves back in the right direction after missing out on Europe.
So far in the Summer transfer window, Chelsea have spent significantly, bringing in Morgan Rogers and Marco Palestra.
The Blues also have new additions Geovany Quenda and Emmanuel Emegha join the club, but those deals were finalised previously.
Their business certainly doesn’t appear to be finished there, though, as they continue to look for reinforcements for Alonso.
Chelsea eyeing Brighton man
According to a report from journalist David Ornstein, Chelsea are interested in a surprise move to sign Brighton striker Danny Welbeck.
Chelsea’s recruitment strategy over the last few years has been to bring in young talents from around the world. It would certainly be a surprise to see them sign a 35-year-old Welbeck.
The report from The Athletic does claim that Alonso is looking to add more experience and leadership to his squad, and there is optimism on all sides that a deal can be done.
Did you know that it was once possible to hit a 240-point shot in darts? Sixteen-time world champion Phil Taylor, now 64, was responsible for the remarkable score which is now impossible to achieve in the sport 33 years later.
Regarded as one of the greatest darts players of all time, if not the greatest, Taylor has an impressive total of 85 major titles to his name. Known as ‘The Power,’ the Englishman holds multiple records, including the most televised nine-dart finishes with 11, and being the first player to hit two nine-darters in a single match.
Much of his success came during an era when darts was less popular than it is today. Thanks to Luke Littler’s recent rise to stardom, the working man’s javellin is now one of the most popular spots in the UK.
However, this also means many newcomers may not fully appreciate the brilliance of past players. Nevertheless, rare footage of Taylor’s 240-point shot will certainly help demonstrate just how extraordinary these players were.
The 1993 UK Matchplay was held at the Aquarius Club in Chesterfield and was broadcast by ITV’s Yorkshire television. In a first for the competition, Taylor scored 240 — the highest possible score achievable with three darts. This remarkable feat was made possible by the introduction of the ‘Quadro’ board the previous year by Harrows Darts Technology.
The Quadro board featured an additional ring between the double ring and the outer bullseye, allowing players to hit quadruples as well as trebles. The highest possible checkout was 210, achieved by hitting two quadruple 20s followed by the bullseye. However, Taylor surpassed this by scoring the maximum 240 against Jocky Wilson, who eventually reached the final but lost to Dennis Priestley.
The announcer shouted “240!” in the same way they now do for 180s. Taylor’s shot is considered the second-ever 240 recorded on camera, with Wilson, Shayne Burgess, Bob Anderson, and Peter Evison later achieving the same feat during the event.
As the caption of the viral tweet reveals, the Quadro board was in play for a few years but, according to Patrick Chaplin, darts players were often left confused by the fact there were so many combinations that were tough to remember. Referees and callers also had great difficulty having to quickly work out the scores.
In 2000, the decision was made to discontinue it, and it hasn’t been used professionally for quite some time. However, a 2025 version has now been released, offering a more contemporary twist on the classic design. On this non-standard board, an eight-dart finish from 501 is achievable.
Jose Mourinho has returned to the Bernabeu and Real Madrid, judging by their activity in the summer transfer window, mean business ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Spanish giants suffered a rare trophyless season last term, with Xabi Alonso and his replacement Alvaro Arbeloa both struggling to get the best out of the club’s star-studded squad.
A season without silverware is an unmitigated disaster for Real Madrid, the 15-time European champions, and the club’s president Florentino Perez was always going to do everything in his power to get the team back to winning ways.
His first move was to contact Mourinho, the legendary Portuguese coach who’s back for his second spell in the Spanish capital after previously leading the club between 2010-2013.
The 63-year-old will be desperate to prove that his best days aren’t behind him after slightly underwhelming spells with Manchester United, Tottenham, AS Roma, Fenerbahce and Benfica since leaving Chelsea in 2015.
But in order to compete with Barcelona domestically, and the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Mourinho requires a squad that’s capable of challenging on multiple fronts – and that’s precisely what Perez is providing.
Several players have already departed, including David Alaba, Dani Ceballos and Dani Carvajal.
And a handful of top players have arrived, including Bernardo Silva, Marc Cucurella and Denzel Dumfries.
Real Madrid’s Potential 2026-27 Starting Line-Up
REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
Real Madrid aren’t finished yet. More top players are expected to arrive before the transfer window closes. Let’s take a closer look at their frightening potential starting line-up:
Goalkeeper and Defenders
Thibaut Courtois; Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate, Antonio Rudiger, Marc Cucurella
Thibaut Courtois turned 34 in May but the Belgium international is still the world’s best goalkeeper. The 6ft 7in shot-stopper has been worth his weight in gold for Los Blancos since joining the club in 2018.
Real Madrid have strengthened their full-back positions with the acquisitions of Denzel Dumfries and Marc Cucurella from Inter Milan and Chelsea, respectively. Mourinho is likely to prefer Dumfries over Trent Alexander-Arnold as his first-choice right-back, but the Englishman will still get plenty of minutes over the course of the season.
Ibrahima Konate is a shrewd purchase after the France international left Liverpool, while Antonio Rudiger will compete with Dean Huijsen for the other centre-back spot.
Federico Valverde was outstanding last season and will retain his place in midfield as the team’s captain. The arrival of Rodri would free up Jude Bellingham, magnificent for England in North America this summer, to fly forward and cause far more damage than he did last season.
Forwards
Yan Diomande, Kylian Mbappe, Vini Jr
Real Madrid have won the battle for Yan Diomande’s signature. The Ivory Coast international, 19, is one of the most exciting young talents in world football and will compete with the likes of Arda Guler, Endrick and new signing Bernardo Silva, who can also play in midfield, for a spot on the right wing.
And then there’s Kylian Mbappe, the 2026 Golden Boot winner and arguably the best player on the planet. With a stronger team behind him, who knows how many goals the prolific Frenchman will finish the 2026-27 season with.
