Mathieu van der Poel timed his effort to perfection to win stage nine of the Tour de France in Ussel, outkicking his breakaway companions on a brutally hot day in the Massif Central.

The shortened stage from Malemort played out as a classic breakaway battle. A small group forged clear and stayed away to the line, and in the final kilometre it came down to four riders: Tobias Johannessen, Tom Pidcock, Alex Baudin and Van der Poel. The quartet watched one another until the last corner, but once the sprint opened up there was only ever going to be one winner. The Alpecin rider surged clear for a stage victory that delighted his team.

Conditions were punishing. An exceptional heatwave had already forced organisers to trim roughly 30 kilometres off the route, leaving 154.6 kilometres with no high mountains but a relentless succession of short, sharp climbs. The temperature hit 34 degrees at the finish and ran hotter elsewhere on the course, with the road surface reported to be melting under the riders' tyres in places.

There was no change at the top of the general classification. Tadej Pogacar carried the yellow jersey through the day and into the first rest day with a commanding lead, Jonas Vingegaard sitting second at 2:42, Isaac del Toro third at 3:27 and Remco Evenepoel fourth at 3:30.

The peloton now takes its first rest day before the race resumes with stage ten, a 166-kilometre test to Le Lioran where the overall contenders are expected to trade blows once more. For Van der Poel, another marquee win adds to a remarkable palmares built on exactly this kind of audacious, front-of-race riding.

Argentina survived a fierce test from ten-man Switzerland to win their World Cup quarterfinal 3-1 after extra time in Kansas City, keeping the defending champions on course to retain their crown.

The holders started brightly at Arrowhead Stadium, where 69,045 fans, many in Lionel Messi's number ten, packed the stands on a hot and humid Missouri night. Argentina led inside ten minutes when Alexis Mac Allister headed home a Messi corner. It was the 39-year-old's tenth career World Cup assist, each one laid on for a different teammate.

Switzerland refused to fold. Dan Ndoye curled a fine finish from a tight angle in the 67th minute to level, and for a spell the underdogs looked the more dangerous side. The tie swung on the 72nd minute, when a VAR review saw Breel Embolo shown a second yellow for simulation and sent off.

Down to ten, Switzerland dug in and dragged the game into extra time, their organisation pointing toward a penalty shootout. Then Julian Alvarez settled it. In the 112th minute the forward lashed a right-footed shot into the far upper corner for his first World Cup goal for Argentina, a strike he called a huge release of emotion. Lautaro Martinez added a third late on to make the scoreline safe.

The win sets up a heavyweight semifinal against England, who also needed extra time on Saturday to see off Norway. The two meet Wednesday in Atlanta, while Spain face France in the other semifinal in Dallas on Tuesday. For Argentina and Messi, chasing back-to-back titles, the road to the final is down to one more step at a time.

Jude Bellingham dragged England into the World Cup semifinals almost single-handedly, scoring twice to beat Norway 2-1 after extra time in the sweltering heat of Miami Gardens.

Norway had stunned the Hard Rock Stadium crowd by going ahead against the run of play. Andreas Schjelderup pounced after Harry Kane was robbed in midfield, breaking down the left and lashing a left-footed strike over Jordan Pickford and in off the far post for one of the goals of the tournament.

Bellingham hauled England level just before the interval, slicing through the Norwegian defense to finish coolly. The second half offered chances but no breakthrough, and the tie ground into an additional 30 minutes under brutal South Florida conditions that tested both sides' legs.

It was Bellingham again who settled it. The 23-year-old struck in extra time to send England through and keep alive their pursuit of a first World Cup title since 1966. His two-goal display carried a team that struggled for fluency but found a way, as the best sides so often do at this stage.

The win books England a place in the last four, where they will meet the winner of the Argentina and Switzerland quarterfinal staged in Kansas City. The other semifinal is already set: Spain, who edged Belgium, face France, conquerors of Morocco, in Dallas on Tuesday.

For Norway, it is a painful exit after a fearless campaign. Schjelderup's wonder strike and a disciplined defensive effort pushed the favorites to the very limit, but Bellingham's quality proved the difference on a night when England needed their brightest talent to stand up.

Tim Merlier made it two in two at the Tour de France on Saturday, timing his kick perfectly to win stage 8 into Bergerac and back up his stage 7 victory in Bordeaux. The Soudal Quick-Step sprinter became the first rider to win consecutive Tour stages since Jasper Philipsen in 2023, and left little doubt that he is the fastest man in this race.

The finish was chaotic. Merlier found himself boxed in as the sprint opened up and had to relaunch from several wheels back, but he carried his speed all the way to the line to hold off a fast-finishing Biniam Girmay. The day's breakaway almost spoiled the script, with Liam Slock caught only inside the final two kilometres. The back-to-back haul lifts Merlier to second in the green jersey standings, now 15 points behind Mads Pedersen.

There was no movement at the top of the general classification. Tadej Pogacar finished safely in the bunch and holds the yellow jersey he seized on the Col du Tourmalet, with Jonas Vingegaard 2:42 back and Pogacar's young teammate Isaac del Toro third at 3:27, still in the white jersey.

The bigger story may be off the road. With a red alert heatwave gripping France, organiser ASO shortened Sunday's stage 9 from Malemort to Ussel from 185.5km to 155.5km under the UCI Extreme Weather Protocol, cutting the final 30km. Thirty-seven of France's 101 departments were placed on red alert, and the same heat forced the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre to close in Paris. ASO said the stage would still run, with local authorities and medical teams fully mobilised, and urged everyone to take precautions. Pogacar, bracing for another day near 40C, summed up the mood: go day by day, keep cooling the body, and survive each stage.

Spain reached the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup on Friday, beating Belgium 2-1 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood thanks to a late goal from Mikel Merino, and will now face France in the last four.

Spain took the lead in the 30th minute when Fabian Ruiz finished from close range, only for Belgium to level before the break through a fine Charles De Ketelaere header. The quarter-final looked set for extra time until the 88th minute, when substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens spilled a routine shot in his own box. Merino reacted quickest, driving the rebound home to settle it.

It was a cruel night for Belgium, undone as much by misfortune as by Spain's control. The Red Devils had already lost captain Youri Tielemans to an injury suffered in the warm-up, and then saw first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois limp off in the second half. The 34-year-old, who appeared to hurt his hip, left the field in tears in the 71st minute, and it was his replacement whose error proved decisive.

Spain, unbeaten through the tournament, now advance to a heavyweight semi-final against France in Dallas on Tuesday. Les Bleus booked their place on Thursday with a 2-0 win over Morocco and remain perfect after five matches.

The other half of the draw is still to be settled, with Norway against England and Argentina against Switzerland completing the quarter-finals on Saturday.

Tim Merlier won stage 7 of the Tour de France on Friday, powering through a chaotic Bordeaux finale to claim the fourth Tour stage victory of his career as Tadej Pogacar comfortably retained the yellow jersey.

The 175.1km run from Hagetmau was always likely to end in a bunch sprint, and so it proved after a routine day in the southwest of France. Mathieu van der Poel delivered a trademark lead-out for Alpecin-Premier Tech, launching Jasper Philipsen inside the final 300 metres, but Philipsen could not hold on and was swallowed up. Merlier, guided into position by his Soudal Quick-Step team, timed his effort to perfection to come past. Norway's Soren Waerenskjold took second and Eritrea's Biniam Girmay third, all credited with the same time of 3:44:20.

"It was a mess to be in position, but I made it, thanks to the team," Merlier said. "It was great work from them." The win, his fourth at the Tour across three appearances, also rewarded Soudal Quick-Step, who had helped drive the day's breakaway back alongside Alpecin.

Nothing changed at the top of the general classification. Pogacar finished safely in the peloton to keep his lead of 2 minutes 42 seconds over Jonas Vingegaard, a day after his attacking masterclass on the Tourmalet. His teammate Isaac del Toro remains third and in the white jersey, with Remco Evenepoel and Juan Ayuso close behind in a tight podium battle.

There was a notable absentee: Torstein Traeen, who had worn yellow earlier in the race, abandoned after stage 6 with medical tests revealing multiple rib fractures and concussion following his crash. The sprinters get another chance on Saturday's stage 8 to Bergerac.

Jannik Sinner reached his second consecutive Wimbledon final on Friday, dismantling seven-time champion Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in a Centre Court semi-final that lasted just 2 hours and 20 minutes.

The world No. 1 and defending champion never allowed the Serb a foothold. Sinner did not face a single break point across the three sets, struck 16 aces, won 88 per cent of his first-serve points and finished with 40 winners to only 16 unforced errors. He broke Djokovic once in each set, late in the first, in the middle of the second and early in the third.

For Djokovic, who is 39, it was another chapter in a fading pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam title. He could not be faulted for effort against an opponent playing close to his ceiling, but he had no answer to Sinner's depth and serving precision. It was the pair's 12th career meeting, and a near-repeat of last year's semi-final at the same stage, when Sinner also won in straight sets.

The result completes a final between two of the game's most in-form players. Sinner will face Alexander Zverev on Sunday, the reigning Wimbledon champion against the reigning French Open champion, the ATP No. 1 against the No. 2. Zverev reached his first Wimbledon final earlier in the day by beating British wild card Arthur Fery 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4.

The head-to-head favours Sinner heavily: he leads Zverev 10-4 and has won their past nine meetings. But Zverev, chasing a first major title after his French Open breakthrough, arrives on a grass surface where he has rarely looked more comfortable.

Alexander Zverev reached his first Wimbledon final on Friday, overpowering British wild card Arthur Fery 7-6(0), 6-2, 6-4 on Centre Court to book his place in Sunday's title match.

For the reigning French Open champion it was a breakthrough on a surface that has long been his weakest. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist had never previously gone beyond the quarter-finals at the All England Club, and he will now contest the fifth Grand Slam final of his career, still chasing a first major title.

Fery, the world No. 114 who needed a wild card to enter the draw, carried the hopes of the home crowd. He showed no early nerves, trading long baseline rallies with Zverev and saving three break points at 0-40 with back-to-back aces as Centre Court roared. The first-set tiebreak was where the match turned: Zverev conceded not a single point to take it 7-0, and from there his heavier serve and aggressive groundstrokes steadily wore the Briton down.

The second set was one-way traffic, and though Fery dug in during the third, he could not manufacture the break he needed. Zverev struck 44 winners to his opponent's 16 and never let the fairytale find a second wind.

Fery's run still made history. He is only the second wild card, after 2001 champion Goran Ivanisevic, to reach a Wimbledon men's singles semi-final, and just the fifth British man in the Open era to get this far, following Andy Murray, Tim Henman, Cameron Norrie and Roger Taylor. He fell one win short of becoming the first Briton since Murray to reach the final.

Zverev now awaits the winner of the second semi-final between defending champion Jannik Sinner and seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.

France booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup with a commanding 2-0 win over Morocco in Boston, second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele carrying Les Bleus into the last four for a third tournament running.

It might have been more straightforward still. Mbappe won a first-half penalty after a long VAR review, but was made to wait more than three minutes to take it and saw his spot-kick saved by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, leaving the game goalless at the break despite France's heavy pressure.

The captain made amends after the restart. In the 60th minute he curled a beautiful effort around Issa Diop and inside the far post for his 20th World Cup goal and his eighth of these finals. Six minutes later Dembele doubled the lead, driving forward and squeezing a low finish past Bounou to settle the contest. France's dominance was total, an expected-goals count of 3.04 to Morocco's 0.14 telling the story of a one-sided quarter-final.

The win carried history with it: France became only the third nation, after Brazil and Germany, to reach three consecutive World Cup semi-finals, and it repeated the scoreline of their 2022 semi-final meeting with Morocco in Qatar. Mbappe, now the only player with ten or more direct goal involvements at two different World Cups, again looked the difference between the sides.

The one blot for France was his early exit. Mbappe asked to be substituted in the 77th minute, sat on the turf briefly and was later seen icing his right ankle on the bench, a worry for a side that will face either Spain or Belgium in the semi-final next week.

Tadej Pogacar turned the first high-mountain stage of the 2026 Tour de France into a statement of authority, riding clear of his great rival Jonas Vingegaard on the Col du Tourmalet and holding on to win stage six at Gavarnie-Gedre. It was the 23rd Tour stage victory of the world champion's career, and it returned the yellow jersey to his shoulders.

The decisive move came with five kilometres left on the hors-categorie Tourmalet, where his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Isaac del Toro lifted the pace before Pogacar surged clear alone. Vingegaard crested the summit around half a minute down, but the gap only grew across the long descent and the final climb to Gavarnie-Gedre, an 18.7km rise averaging a modest 3.7% that Pogacar treated as a launchpad rather than a place to defend.

By the finish the Slovenian had put 2 minutes and 38 seconds into Vingegaard, with del Toro completing a perfect day for the Emirati team in third at 2:57. Remco Evenepoel limited his losses in fourth, the 19-year-old Paul Seixas impressed in fifth, and Egan Bernal took sixth.

The overnight leader Torstein Traeen, who had held a buffer of almost eight minutes, was swept up by the pace on a crash-hit afternoon and slid out of the race lead, handing yellow back to Pogacar. The result leaves the two-time defending champion in command of the general classification with the Pyrenees only just begun, and the peloton already weighing how much of the race may have been settled in a single afternoon.

Attrition was heavy in the heat: Movistar's Cian Uijtdebroeks, ill since the start, abandoned after a mechanical dropped him, one of several riders whose Tour ended on the Tourmalet's slopes. Stage seven follows on Friday.