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Deadspin | Golden Knights feeling good vibes heading into G2 vs. Mammoth  Apr 19, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart (79) celebrates with center Colton Sissons (10) and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon (5) after the Golden Knights defeated the Utah Mammoth 4-2 in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images   After scoring three consecutive goals in the third period to pull out a 4-2 victory in Game 1 of their best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series with Utah on Sunday, the Vegas Golden Knights had good reason to feel positive.  After all, the Pacific Division champions still have yet to lose in regulation in nine games (8-0-1) under head coach John Tortorella. And another win Tuesday in Las Vegas would put the Golden Knights in a strong position to move forward in the Stanley Cup playoffs.  But despite the loss, there was still plenty of optimism in the Mammoth’s locker room, too.  Utah, with seven players making their NHL playoff debut on the road against a veteran Vegas team that won the Stanley Cup in 2023, more than held its own on hockey’s biggest stage. The Mammoth led 2-1 after two periods, outshot the Golden Knights 33-31 and were in a one-goal game until Ivan Barbashev sealed the win with an empty-netter.  And even though Vegas finished with a 51-31 advantage in hits, Utah showed it wouldn’t be pushed around, more than standing its ground in scrums against the bigger and older Golden Knights.  Defenseman Sean Durzi, in fact, picked up a ,000 fine on Monday for head-butting Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson, and 21-year-old forward Logan Cooley drew the ire of Golden Knights center Nic Dowd, who, with blood pooling by his right eye, was shown at the end of the game pointing and saying, “I’m going to (bleeping) kill you.”  “It’s the playoffs,” Cooley, who scored a goal, had four hits and was plus-one in 19:59 time on ice in his playoff debut, said. “You’re playing for the Cup. You’re doing whatever you can to help your team win, and if that is physical or scoring, playing good defensively, (you’ll do) whatever the team needs, and I think that’s our mindset in the locker room too. It’s all about the team focus and trying to win games here.”   “A lot of us, it’s our first playoff game,” Cooley added. “To get that under your belt, get settled in, it feels good. Obviously, we’d like to win, but just to get your feet wet a little bit and know how it is and what we need to do to beat them and get Game 2, I’m excited for that part, and it’s going to be exciting to get ready to get back at it.”  Forward Lawson Crouse said the Mammoth remain upbeat despite the opening loss.  “There’s a lot of positivity,” Crouse said. “Obviously, we’ve got to clean up a little bit of things defensively. They got a couple goals crashing our net, but that’s playoff hockey. (But), there’s no reason for us to be down on ourselves right now.”  Barbashev finished with eight hits to go with his game-clinching empty-netter. He expects another physical battle in Game 2.  “I think our team is best when we play physical, and I think we showed that today,” Barbashev said. “Just got to get the legs going early on, and that’s what we did.”  “We played physical. We have some things to work on, but it was good to see us bang around a little bit,” Tortorella said. “Long series, you just keep doing the things you think you need to do to grind away.”  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Golden #Knights #feeling #good #vibes #heading #Mammoth

Deadspin | Golden Knights feeling good vibes heading into G2 vs. Mammoth
Deadspin | Golden Knights feeling good vibes heading into G2 vs. Mammoth  Apr 19, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart (79) celebrates with center Colton Sissons (10) and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon (5) after the Golden Knights defeated the Utah Mammoth 4-2 in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images   After scoring three consecutive goals in the third period to pull out a 4-2 victory in Game 1 of their best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series with Utah on Sunday, the Vegas Golden Knights had good reason to feel positive.  After all, the Pacific Division champions still have yet to lose in regulation in nine games (8-0-1) under head coach John Tortorella. And another win Tuesday in Las Vegas would put the Golden Knights in a strong position to move forward in the Stanley Cup playoffs.  But despite the loss, there was still plenty of optimism in the Mammoth’s locker room, too.  Utah, with seven players making their NHL playoff debut on the road against a veteran Vegas team that won the Stanley Cup in 2023, more than held its own on hockey’s biggest stage. The Mammoth led 2-1 after two periods, outshot the Golden Knights 33-31 and were in a one-goal game until Ivan Barbashev sealed the win with an empty-netter.  And even though Vegas finished with a 51-31 advantage in hits, Utah showed it wouldn’t be pushed around, more than standing its ground in scrums against the bigger and older Golden Knights.  Defenseman Sean Durzi, in fact, picked up a ,000 fine on Monday for head-butting Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson, and 21-year-old forward Logan Cooley drew the ire of Golden Knights center Nic Dowd, who, with blood pooling by his right eye, was shown at the end of the game pointing and saying, “I’m going to (bleeping) kill you.”  “It’s the playoffs,” Cooley, who scored a goal, had four hits and was plus-one in 19:59 time on ice in his playoff debut, said. “You’re playing for the Cup. You’re doing whatever you can to help your team win, and if that is physical or scoring, playing good defensively, (you’ll do) whatever the team needs, and I think that’s our mindset in the locker room too. It’s all about the team focus and trying to win games here.”   “A lot of us, it’s our first playoff game,” Cooley added. “To get that under your belt, get settled in, it feels good. Obviously, we’d like to win, but just to get your feet wet a little bit and know how it is and what we need to do to beat them and get Game 2, I’m excited for that part, and it’s going to be exciting to get ready to get back at it.”  Forward Lawson Crouse said the Mammoth remain upbeat despite the opening loss.  “There’s a lot of positivity,” Crouse said. “Obviously, we’ve got to clean up a little bit of things defensively. They got a couple goals crashing our net, but that’s playoff hockey. (But), there’s no reason for us to be down on ourselves right now.”  Barbashev finished with eight hits to go with his game-clinching empty-netter. He expects another physical battle in Game 2.  “I think our team is best when we play physical, and I think we showed that today,” Barbashev said. “Just got to get the legs going early on, and that’s what we did.”  “We played physical. We have some things to work on, but it was good to see us bang around a little bit,” Tortorella said. “Long series, you just keep doing the things you think you need to do to grind away.”  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Golden #Knights #feeling #good #vibes #heading #MammothApr 19, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart (79) celebrates with center Colton Sissons (10) and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon (5) after the Golden Knights defeated the Utah Mammoth 4-2 in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

After scoring three consecutive goals in the third period to pull out a 4-2 victory in Game 1 of their best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series with Utah on Sunday, the Vegas Golden Knights had good reason to feel positive.

After all, the Pacific Division champions still have yet to lose in regulation in nine games (8-0-1) under head coach John Tortorella. And another win Tuesday in Las Vegas would put the Golden Knights in a strong position to move forward in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

But despite the loss, there was still plenty of optimism in the Mammoth’s locker room, too.

Utah, with seven players making their NHL playoff debut on the road against a veteran Vegas team that won the Stanley Cup in 2023, more than held its own on hockey’s biggest stage. The Mammoth led 2-1 after two periods, outshot the Golden Knights 33-31 and were in a one-goal game until Ivan Barbashev sealed the win with an empty-netter.

And even though Vegas finished with a 51-31 advantage in hits, Utah showed it wouldn’t be pushed around, more than standing its ground in scrums against the bigger and older Golden Knights.

Defenseman Sean Durzi, in fact, picked up a $5,000 fine on Monday for head-butting Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson, and 21-year-old forward Logan Cooley drew the ire of Golden Knights center Nic Dowd, who, with blood pooling by his right eye, was shown at the end of the game pointing and saying, “I’m going to (bleeping) kill you.”


“It’s the playoffs,” Cooley, who scored a goal, had four hits and was plus-one in 19:59 time on ice in his playoff debut, said. “You’re playing for the Cup. You’re doing whatever you can to help your team win, and if that is physical or scoring, playing good defensively, (you’ll do) whatever the team needs, and I think that’s our mindset in the locker room too. It’s all about the team focus and trying to win games here.”

“A lot of us, it’s our first playoff game,” Cooley added. “To get that under your belt, get settled in, it feels good. Obviously, we’d like to win, but just to get your feet wet a little bit and know how it is and what we need to do to beat them and get Game 2, I’m excited for that part, and it’s going to be exciting to get ready to get back at it.”

Forward Lawson Crouse said the Mammoth remain upbeat despite the opening loss.

“There’s a lot of positivity,” Crouse said. “Obviously, we’ve got to clean up a little bit of things defensively. They got a couple goals crashing our net, but that’s playoff hockey. (But), there’s no reason for us to be down on ourselves right now.”

Barbashev finished with eight hits to go with his game-clinching empty-netter. He expects another physical battle in Game 2.

“I think our team is best when we play physical, and I think we showed that today,” Barbashev said. “Just got to get the legs going early on, and that’s what we did.”

“We played physical. We have some things to work on, but it was good to see us bang around a little bit,” Tortorella said. “Long series, you just keep doing the things you think you need to do to grind away.”


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Golden #Knights #feeling #good #vibes #heading #Mammoth

Apr 19, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart (79) celebrates with center Colton Sissons (10) and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon (5) after the Golden Knights defeated the Utah Mammoth 4-2 in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

After scoring three consecutive goals in the third period to pull out a 4-2 victory in Game 1 of their best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series with Utah on Sunday, the Vegas Golden Knights had good reason to feel positive.

After all, the Pacific Division champions still have yet to lose in regulation in nine games (8-0-1) under head coach John Tortorella. And another win Tuesday in Las Vegas would put the Golden Knights in a strong position to move forward in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

But despite the loss, there was still plenty of optimism in the Mammoth’s locker room, too.

Utah, with seven players making their NHL playoff debut on the road against a veteran Vegas team that won the Stanley Cup in 2023, more than held its own on hockey’s biggest stage. The Mammoth led 2-1 after two periods, outshot the Golden Knights 33-31 and were in a one-goal game until Ivan Barbashev sealed the win with an empty-netter.

And even though Vegas finished with a 51-31 advantage in hits, Utah showed it wouldn’t be pushed around, more than standing its ground in scrums against the bigger and older Golden Knights.

Defenseman Sean Durzi, in fact, picked up a $5,000 fine on Monday for head-butting Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson, and 21-year-old forward Logan Cooley drew the ire of Golden Knights center Nic Dowd, who, with blood pooling by his right eye, was shown at the end of the game pointing and saying, “I’m going to (bleeping) kill you.”

“It’s the playoffs,” Cooley, who scored a goal, had four hits and was plus-one in 19:59 time on ice in his playoff debut, said. “You’re playing for the Cup. You’re doing whatever you can to help your team win, and if that is physical or scoring, playing good defensively, (you’ll do) whatever the team needs, and I think that’s our mindset in the locker room too. It’s all about the team focus and trying to win games here.”

“A lot of us, it’s our first playoff game,” Cooley added. “To get that under your belt, get settled in, it feels good. Obviously, we’d like to win, but just to get your feet wet a little bit and know how it is and what we need to do to beat them and get Game 2, I’m excited for that part, and it’s going to be exciting to get ready to get back at it.”

Forward Lawson Crouse said the Mammoth remain upbeat despite the opening loss.

“There’s a lot of positivity,” Crouse said. “Obviously, we’ve got to clean up a little bit of things defensively. They got a couple goals crashing our net, but that’s playoff hockey. (But), there’s no reason for us to be down on ourselves right now.”

Barbashev finished with eight hits to go with his game-clinching empty-netter. He expects another physical battle in Game 2.

“I think our team is best when we play physical, and I think we showed that today,” Barbashev said. “Just got to get the legs going early on, and that’s what we did.”

“We played physical. We have some things to work on, but it was good to see us bang around a little bit,” Tortorella said. “Long series, you just keep doing the things you think you need to do to grind away.”

–Field Level Media

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Here are all of the past winners in the Chevron Championship field <div id="zephr-anchor"><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">It is major championship week for the LPGA Tour as the Chevron Championship gets underway at Memorial Park in Houston. The first major of the year is always exciting, and it is a lot of fun to speculate who will fortify their legacy with a win across the week.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">This year’s playing of the Chevron features 11 past winners in the field:</p></div><div class="duet--article--block-placement jgpyd51 jgpyd50 duet--article--article-body-component"><ul class="duet--article--unordered-list _1nfb3k4i feuejx0 ls9zuh1"><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Mao Saigo (2025)</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Nelly Korda (2024)</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Lilia Vu (2023)</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Jennifer Kupcho (2022)</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Patty Tavatanakit (2021)</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Jin Young Ko (2019)</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Lydia Ko (2016)</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Brittany Lincicome (2015, 2009)</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Lexi Thompson (2014)</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Stacy Lewis (2011)</span></li><li class="feuejx1"><span class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup">Yani Tseng (2010)</span></li></ul></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">While there are 11 individual players here there are 12 titles represented as Lincicome has won the event twice.</p></div><div class="duet--article--article-body-component"><p class="duet--article--dangerously-set-cms-markup duet--article--standard-paragraph _1nfb3k4i _16w9vov1 _16w9vov0 ls9zuh1">Time will tell whether someone wins it for the first time or if there is another repeat champion. Among this list Nelly Korda and Lydia Ko will be popular picks, but major championship golf has a way of surprising us all.</p></div></div> #winners #Chevron #Championship #field

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LSG vs RR, IPL 2026: Spotlight on pacers as Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals aim to move on from defeats <div id="content-body-70889454" itemprop="articleBody"><p>It is not often that bowlers, considered collateral damage in modern T20 cricket, supersede the batters in the battle of narratives.</p><p>When Lucknow Super Giants hosts Rajasthan Royals at the Ekana Cricket Ground on Wednesday, the pace batteries of the two teams will be in the spotlight. The conditions here lean heavily in favour of the quicks, who boast an economy rate of 7.35 and an average of 19.00 at the venue in this Indian Premier League (IPL) season.</p><p>The Super Giants attack, comprising Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav and Mohsin Khan, has been the most economical (7.94) in the PowerPlay, while the Royals, spearheaded by Jofra Archer, have been the most incisive (16 wickets) during this phase.</p><p>The similarities don’t end there. The Super Giants are on a three-match losing streak, while the Royals are coming off two consecutive defeats after a strong start to their campaign.</p><p>“It’s a case of struggling for a bit of rhythm. One or two guys can struggle; it is part of the game, but when it is the full batting line-up, the chances of that happening are quite slim,” LSG’s Aiden Markram admitted ahead of the match.</p><div class=" article-picture center"><img src="https://ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/x1dxwn/article70889526.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/04_RVM_1266.jpg" data-original="https://ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/x1dxwn/article70889526.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/04_RVM_1266.jpg" alt="Rajasthan Royals had a strong start to the season but narrowly lost its last game to Kolkata Knight Riders." title="Rajasthan Royals had a strong start to the season but narrowly lost its last game to Kolkata Knight Riders." class=" lazy" width="100%" height="100%"/><div class="pic-caption"><figcaption class="figure-caption align-text-bottom"><p> Rajasthan Royals had a strong start to the season but narrowly lost its last game to Kolkata Knight Riders. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy </p><img class="caption-image" src="https://assetsss.thehindu.com/theme/images/SSRX/lightbox-info.svg" alt="lightbox-info"/></figcaption></div><p class="caption"> Rajasthan Royals had a strong start to the season but narrowly lost its last game to Kolkata Knight Riders. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy </p></div><p>The collective failure of the Super Giants batters has resulted in none of them tallying 200 runs in the season. Against Punjab Kings, the team notched up its first score of 200 but only after conceding this season’s highest total of 254.</p><p>It was a contrasting loss for the Royals in their last game, where they pushed Kolkata Knight Riders close despite managing a middling 155 after opting to bat.</p><p>A lot of eager eyes will follow the intriguing matchup of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi against the ageing but resilient Shami. At the same time, misfiring skippers Rishabh Pant and Riyan Parag will seek a turnaround of form. </p><p class="publish-time" id="end-of-article">Published on Apr 21, 2026</p></div> #LSG #IPL #Spotlight #pacers #Lucknow #Super #Giants #Rajasthan #Royals #aim #move #defeats

Deadspin | Hawks F Mouhamed Gueye breaks foot during workout  Mar 21, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye (18) reacts after a basket against the Golden State Warriors in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
   Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye fractured his left foot during a workout on July 8, the team announced Wednesday.  Gueye, 23, underwent surgery Tuesday at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex in Atlanta to repair the fracture. He will be re-evaluated in three to four months, according to the Hawks, who start the preseason on Oct. 5 against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies.  Gueye played a career-high 77 games last regular season (eight starts) and averaged 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game. He averaged 1.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 8.3 minutes as a reserve in six playoff games last season.   For his career, Gueye averages 4.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 15.4 minutes over 116 games (36 starts) since his rookie season of 2023-24.  The Charlotte Hornets selected Gueye in the second round (39th overall) of the 2023 NBA Draft out of Washington State. Six days later, he was part of a three-team trade involving the Boston Celtics that landed him in Atlanta.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Hawks #Mouhamed #Gueye #breaks #foot #workoutMar 21, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye (18) reacts after a basket against the Golden State Warriors in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye fractured his left foot during a workout on July 8, the team announced Wednesday.

Gueye, 23, underwent surgery Tuesday at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex in Atlanta to repair the fracture. He will be re-evaluated in three to four months, according to the Hawks, who start the preseason on Oct. 5 against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies.


Gueye played a career-high 77 games last regular season (eight starts) and averaged 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game. He averaged 1.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 8.3 minutes as a reserve in six playoff games last season.

For his career, Gueye averages 4.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 15.4 minutes over 116 games (36 starts) since his rookie season of 2023-24.

The Charlotte Hornets selected Gueye in the second round (39th overall) of the 2023 NBA Draft out of Washington State. Six days later, he was part of a three-team trade involving the Boston Celtics that landed him in Atlanta.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Hawks #Mouhamed #Gueye #breaks #foot #workout">Deadspin | Hawks F Mouhamed Gueye breaks foot during workout  Mar 21, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye (18) reacts after a basket against the Golden State Warriors in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
   Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye fractured his left foot during a workout on July 8, the team announced Wednesday.  Gueye, 23, underwent surgery Tuesday at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex in Atlanta to repair the fracture. He will be re-evaluated in three to four months, according to the Hawks, who start the preseason on Oct. 5 against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies.  Gueye played a career-high 77 games last regular season (eight starts) and averaged 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game. He averaged 1.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 8.3 minutes as a reserve in six playoff games last season.   For his career, Gueye averages 4.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 15.4 minutes over 116 games (36 starts) since his rookie season of 2023-24.  The Charlotte Hornets selected Gueye in the second round (39th overall) of the 2023 NBA Draft out of Washington State. Six days later, he was part of a three-team trade involving the Boston Celtics that landed him in Atlanta.  –Field Level Media    #Deadspin #Hawks #Mouhamed #Gueye #breaks #foot #workout

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is in last days, and the main event for the entire month-plus of action is about to begin. The final between Spain and Argentina is set to take place on Sunday afternoon, with hundreds of millions of eyeballs glued to TV screens as we crown another champion of the world.

There’s no shortage of drama or emotion when it comes to Spain and Argentina. We have what is likely to be Lionel Messi’s last World Cup, while Spain is looking to anoint Lamine Yamal as the next Messi for both Barcelona, and the national team. Let’s dive into what we think will happen in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.

Mark Schofield: The 2026 FIFA World Cup has been dominated by superstars. Erling Haaland became a household name here in the United States thanks to a captivating blend of personality and skill. Kylian Mbappé continued his run at the record books with a dazzling string of performances. Jude Bellingham vaulted England deep into the knockout rounds with a legendary stretch of play. Lionel Messi is, well, Lionel Messi.

But through it all, even though Spain has a few premier talents on their roster, what makes La Roja dangerous is they look like the best team.

This is a side that yes, has Lamine Yamal but it is Mikel Oyarzabal leading the way in the goal chase, as the Real Sociedad forward who leads Spain in goals. Their buildup play has been masterful — a staple of Spanish teams year-after-year — but they have found the quality in the final third that was perhaps most evident on their second goal against France, this beauty off the foot of Pedro Porro following a lovely touch from Dani Olmo:

This is also a side that still has yet to concede a goal at the World Cup.

Now I know, Messi and Argentina look inevitable. The comeback against Egypt. The comeback against England. It feels like they are marching to yet another title, even if they have yet to play a perfect 90 minutes. If they do against Spain, they will be tough to beat.

But … consider Luis de la Fuente. The Spanish manager has just two losses during his tenure in charge. One was a loss to Portugal, on penalties, in the UEFA Nations League.

The other was a loss to Colombia in a friendly.

James Dator: There’s always a degree of emotion that comes into play when picking a game like this, but I have to put aside the romanticism of Argentina and just focus on what makes logical sense — which is the reality that Spain has been playing this tournament on an entirely other level.

If you went back in time to mid-June and said “Lamine Yamal won’t be that impactful in the World Cup” the consensus would widely be that Spain would get eliminated in either the Round of 16 or the quarter-finals. Instead, we’ve witnessed La Roja play a peerless game that has befuddled everyone they’ve played against thus far.

Look no further than what happened to France in the semi-finals. That was a team dripping with unbelievable scoring talent, and they were befuddled against the Spanish defense. I don’t buy that this was some mammoth collapse by France, as much as Spain had built an impenetrable wall that never lost its shape. Some of the best footballers in the world tried everything to generate chances, yet only managed to get four shots on target. If that’s all you can get with Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembélé, well, I don’t like the chances of anyone else.

Even with Lamal not making an impact, the ever-present counterattack threat of Lamal going off freezes teams from taking risks. This plays directly into Spain’s strategy, and they will choke you out with the long game. It gives me pause whether Argentina can push the pace through their wing play and get the soft opportunities in the box that they were given late in the game against England. This is an entirely different beast to face, and I think Spain can run them out of the park.

#World #Cup #Final #instant #prediction #Spain #Argentina">World Cup Final instant prediction for Spain vs. Argentina  The 2026 FIFA World Cup is in last days, and the main event for the entire month-plus of action is about to begin. The final between Spain and Argentina is set to take place on Sunday afternoon, with hundreds of millions of eyeballs glued to TV screens as we crown another champion of the world.There’s no shortage of drama or emotion when it comes to Spain and Argentina. We have what is likely to be Lionel Messi’s last World Cup, while Spain is looking to anoint Lamine Yamal as the next Messi for both Barcelona, and the national team. Let’s dive into what we think will happen in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.Mark Schofield: The 2026 FIFA World Cup has been dominated by superstars. Erling Haaland became a household name here in the United States thanks to a captivating blend of personality and skill. Kylian Mbappé continued his run at the record books with a dazzling string of performances. Jude Bellingham vaulted England deep into the knockout rounds with a legendary stretch of play. Lionel Messi is, well, Lionel Messi.But through it all, even though Spain has a few premier talents on their roster, what makes La Roja dangerous is they look like the best team.This is a side that yes, has Lamine Yamal but it is Mikel Oyarzabal leading the way in the goal chase, as the Real Sociedad forward who leads Spain in goals. Their buildup play has been masterful — a staple of Spanish teams year-after-year — but they have found the quality in the final third that was perhaps most evident on their second goal against France, this beauty off the foot of Pedro Porro following a lovely touch from Dani Olmo:This is also a side that still has yet to concede a goal at the World Cup.Now I know, Messi and Argentina look inevitable. The comeback against Egypt. The comeback against England. It feels like they are marching to yet another title, even if they have yet to play a perfect 90 minutes. If they do against Spain, they will be tough to beat.But … consider Luis de la Fuente. The Spanish manager has just two losses during his tenure in charge. One was a loss to Portugal, on penalties, in the UEFA Nations League.The other was a loss to Colombia in a friendly.James Dator: There’s always a degree of emotion that comes into play when picking a game like this, but I have to put aside the romanticism of Argentina and just focus on what makes logical sense — which is the reality that Spain has been playing this tournament on an entirely other level.If you went back in time to mid-June and said “Lamine Yamal won’t be that impactful in the World Cup” the consensus would widely be that Spain would get eliminated in either the Round of 16 or the quarter-finals. Instead, we’ve witnessed La Roja play a peerless game that has befuddled everyone they’ve played against thus far.Look no further than what happened to France in the semi-finals. That was a team dripping with unbelievable scoring talent, and they were befuddled against the Spanish defense. I don’t buy that this was some mammoth collapse by France, as much as Spain had built an impenetrable wall that never lost its shape. Some of the best footballers in the world tried everything to generate chances, yet only managed to get four shots on target. If that’s all you can get with Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembélé, well, I don’t like the chances of anyone else.Even with Lamal not making an impact, the ever-present counterattack threat of Lamal going off freezes teams from taking risks. This plays directly into Spain’s strategy, and they will choke you out with the long game. It gives me pause whether Argentina can push the pace through their wing play and get the soft opportunities in the box that they were given late in the game against England. This is an entirely different beast to face, and I think Spain can run them out of the park.  #World #Cup #Final #instant #prediction #Spain #Argentina

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