Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo continue to defy the passing of time. Messi scored twice on what is widely believed to be his final competitive appearance in Argentina, while Ronaldo struck goals number 941 and 942 for Portugal in a 5-0 win over Armenia as he edges closer to the dream of 1000 career goals.

Elsewhere in World Cup qualifying, Uruguay, Colombia, Paraguay, and Morocco booked their spots at the 2026 tournament, while Europe’s big hitters - Italy, Spain, and Portugal - eased through their opening fixtures. England laboured past Andorra, Kylian Mbappé climbed France’s scoring charts, and Florian Wirtz lit up Germany’s win over Northern Ireland.

However, in New Jersey, the USMNT were booed off after a 2-0 defeat to South Korea. Mauricio Pochettino is under growing pressure with his side now on a run of seven straight defeats against top-30 ranked nations. Canada fared better with a 3-0 win over Romania, while Mexico and Japan played out a goalless draw.

In the WSL, Chelsea began their title defence with victory over Manchester City, Arsenal’s new record signing Olivia Smith scored on debut, and London City Lionesses made their top-flight bow. Meanwhile, Manchester United keeper Andre Onana sealed a loan move to Trabzonspor, and Erling Haaland suffered an injury in the most unusual way - courtesy of the Norway team coach.

And to wrap things up, Peter Crouch finally paid the price for finishing bottom of his fantasy football league - donning the mascot kit for non-league Farnham Town. From Champions League finals to crossbar challenges in the seventh tier, Crouchy really can do it at every level.

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