Sports
Egypt top Australia on penalty kicks, advance to round of 16
July 3, 2026; Arlington, Texas, U.S.; Egypt’s Emam Ashour celebrates scoring their first goal with Egypt’s Omar Marmoush. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images Egypt converted all four of their penalty kicks to win a shootout with Australia 4-2 following a 1-1 draw, securing their first World Cup knockout-round victory on Friday in Arlington, Texas.
Mahmoud Saber, Ramy Rabia, Mohamed Salah and Hossam Abdelmaguid all deposited their attempts in the net past Mathew Ryan, who did not appear in this World Cup before subbing on for Patrick Beach late in extra time as a penalty-kick specialist.
Harry Souttar had the first try for Australia and cleared his shot into the stands. Jackson Irvine and Awer Mabil got their shots past Egypt keeper Mostafa Shoubir before Salah made a quick sprint at his ball and scored center-net while Ryan dove to his left.
Australia sent 18-year-old Colorado Rapids defender Lucas Herrington on for the fourth round, and his shot found the crossbar. That left Abdelmaguid to finish off Egypt’s deserved victory as Ryan guessed the wrong way again.
Emam Ashour got Egypt on the board in the 13th minute. The Pharaohs will face either Argentina or Cape Verde in the round of 16 on Tuesday in Atlanta.
Australia, who were also looking for their first-ever knockout triumph, failed to score a regulation goal in their final three matches of the tournament after opening with a 2-0 win over Turkey. Their lone tally Friday came on an own goal by Mohamed Hany.
During second-half stoppage, Beach parried Egypt’s best look over the bar, preventing Rabia’s point-blank header from becoming the game-winner. The 30 minutes of extra time, much like regulation, saw Egypt have far more of the ball and the chances as the Socceroos defended corner after corner.
A creative free kick was the precursor to Ashour’s goal. Salah flicked it back to Ashour for a running start, but his attempt was blocked by a defender. The ball stayed in the area and Ashour floated into good position while Egypt worked the ball the other way to Karim Hafez.
When Hafez uncorked a cross to the far side, Ashour was there to elevate for a strong header that split Beach and the post.
Hany — who needed treatment on his knee during the first half — was at the center of a scary moment in the early minutes of the second. After an aerial collision with Connor Metcalfe near the Egypt net, Hany fell in a heap and teammates immediately called for assistance. Trainers prepared a stretcher, but after Hany stood up and was given a concussion check, he was allowed to stay in the game.
The tying own goal came about five minutes later at 55 minutes, when Hany’s header could not direct a curling free kick from Aiden O’Neill away from net.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hanwha Life sweeps opener in Mid-Season Invitational bracket stage
Gen.G advanced in the League of Legends competition at the Esports World Cup on July 19, 2025 Hanwha Life and G2 Esports earned wins on Friday as action in the League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational bracket stage got underway in Daejeon, South Korea.
Hanwha Life swept Secret Whales in a Round 1 upper-bracket match, winning in 26, 28 and 30 minutes. Geon-woo “Zeka” Kim of South Korea paced the victors with a 20-2-13 kills-deaths-assists ratio.
G2 Esports had to rally for a 3-2 win against Top Esports, who took a 2-0 lead with wins in 34 and 32 minutes. G2 answered with wins in 27, 41 and 36 minutes, led by Rasmus Borregard “Caps” Winther of Denmark with a 34-19-33 KDA ratio.
All matches are best-of-five in the $2 million tournament, which concludes on July 12 with a top prize of $500,000. The winner of the grand final also qualifies for this fall’s 2026 World Championship.
Play continues in the double-elimination bracket stage Saturday with two more Round 1 matches: LYON vs. FURIA and Bilibili Gaming vs. T1.
2026 Mid-Season Invitational prize pool:
1. $500,000
2. $300,000
3. $240,000
4. $200,000
5-6. $160,000
7-8. $110,000
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Hornets acquire Dorian Finney-Smith, 3 picks from Rockets
Jan 31, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Dorian Finney-Smith (2) warms up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images The Charlotte Hornets are acquiring forward Dorian Finney-Smith and three second-round picks from the Houston Rockets, ESPN reported on Friday.
The Hornets are receiving the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2027 second-rounder as well as the Rockets’ 2028 and 2033 second-round selections.
The move gives Houston some roster flexibility and creates a $13 million trade exception, while Charlotte now has stockpiled 20 second-round picks over the next seven years, per ESPN.
Signed in June 2025 to a four-year, $53 million deal, Finney-Smith was largely ineffective during his lone season with the Rockets. He averaged 3.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 37 games (one start) in 2025-26.
Finney-Smith, 33, has averaged 8.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in 628 career games (445 starts) for the Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers and Rockets.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Wizards acquire C Deandre Ayton from Lakers
Oct 26, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton (5) reacts to a call during the fourth quarter of the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Lakers are trading center Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards in exchange for guard Jaden Hardy and two second-round draft picks, ESPN reported Friday.
The picks are in 2031 and 2032, per the report.
Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, averaged 12.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in 72 games (all starts) in his lone season with the Lakers in 2025-26.
Ayton, who turns 28 on July 23, has averaged 15.8 points and 10.1 rebounds in 470 career games (463 starts) with the Phoenix Suns (2018-23), Portland Trail Blazers (2023-25) and Lakers.
Hardy, who turns 24 on Sunday, split the 2025-26 season with the Dallas Mavericks and Wizards and averaged 9.2 points in 57 games (four starts).
A second-round pick in 2022, Hardy has averaged 8.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 235 games (19 starts) with the Mavericks (2022-26) and Wizards. He has canned 38.6% of his career 3-point attempts (324 of 839).
–Field Level Media
Hanwha Life sweeps opener in Mid-Season Invitational bracket stage
Report: Hornets acquire Dorian Finney-Smith, 3 picks from Rockets
