Sports News Bulletin June 27: Cape Verde Make History, Dembélé Hits Hat-Trick, And India Suffer Ireland Shock

The FIFA World Cup delivered another day of unforgettable storylines as Cape Verde completed one of the greatest underdog runs in tournament history, France's Ousmane Dembélé announced himself as a Golden Boot favourite with a historic hat-trick, and Uruguay crashed out in stunning fashion. Away from football, India suffered a shock defeat to Ireland in Belfast, while India dismantled Pakistan in the FIH Pro League.

1. Cape Verde become the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup knockouts

Cape Verde continued their remarkable fairytale by becoming the smallest country by population ever to qualify for the knockout stage of a men's FIFA World Cup. A disciplined goalless draw against Saudi Arabia, coupled with Spain's win over Uruguay, ensured the tournament debutants finished second in Group H behind the former world champions.

With a population of just over 525,000, Cape Verde have now surpassed Iceland and Curaçao as the smallest nation ever to reach this stage. Goalkeeper Vozinha, who turned 40 earlier this year, produced another string of crucial saves as the Blue Sharks completed an unbeaten group stage and now prepare for a dream Round of 32 meeting against defending champions Argentina.

2. Uruguay crash out as Spain advance after Muslera howler

Uruguay's miserable World Cup campaign ended in dramatic fashion after a costly mistake from veteran goalkeeper Fernando Muslera gifted Spain a 1-0 victory and confirmed the South Americans' elimination.

Álex Baena's first-half strike slipped through Muslera's hands, while Marcelo Bielsa's side struggled to create meaningful chances despite needing a result to qualify. Uruguay have now failed to progress beyond the group stage in consecutive World Cups, with Bielsa accepting full responsibility for the disappointing campaign.

3. Dembélé's historic first-half hat-trick powers France into knockouts

Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé produced one of the performances of the tournament, scoring a stunning first-half hat-trick as France hammered Norway 4-1 to finish top of Group I.

The treble made Dembélé the first player in 32 years to score a first-half World Cup hat-trick and took his tally to five goals in just three matches. Désiré Doué added a late fourth as France maintained their perfect group-stage record and booked a Round of 32 clash against Sweden.

4. Senegal keep World Cup dream alive with five-star demolition

Senegal roared back into knockout contention with a ruthless 5-0 victory over Iraq, becoming the first African nation to score five goals in a men's World Cup match.

Habib Diarra opened the scoring before substitute Pape Gueye struck twice in a devastating second-half display. The emphatic win dramatically improved Senegal's goal difference and left the African champions on the brink of qualifying as one of the tournament's best third-placed teams.

5. Messi rested as Argentina prepare for Cape Verde challenge

Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni confirmed Lionel Messi will begin on the bench against Jordan after the defending champions had already secured top spot in Group J.

Messi has already scored five goals in the tournament to become the all-time leading men's World Cup scorer and is being carefully managed after a minor hamstring issue. Argentina will face surprise package Cape Verde in the Round of 32 regardless of the result against Jordan.

6. India stunned by Ireland as Shreyas Iyer rues costly middle overs

India's new T20I era under captain Shreyas Iyer began with a major upset as Ireland secured their first-ever victory over India in any format with a 34-run win in Belfast.

After reducing Ireland to 30 for three inside the Powerplay, India allowed Lorcan Tucker and Gareth Delany to rebuild before falling well short in the chase. Iyer admitted India lost control during the middle overs but praised Harshit Rana's return from injury and insisted the team would respond strongly in the series decider.

7. India thrash Pakistan 7-1 in FIH Pro League

India produced one of their finest attacking performances of the season by hammering Pakistan 7-1 in the FIH Pro League in London.

After falling behind early, seven different Indian players found the scoresheet as Harmanpreet Singh's side overwhelmed their rivals with relentless attacking hockey. The victory lifted India off the bottom of the standings ahead of their final league fixture against England, while Pakistan remained winless after 15 matches.

8. Sri Lanka edge Scotland to stay alive in Women's T20 World Cup

Sri Lanka kept their Women's T20 World Cup semi-final hopes alive with a tense three-wicket victory over Scotland at Old Trafford.

After Scotland posted 151 thanks to Sarah Bryce's unbeaten 47, Sri Lanka survived a dramatic collapse before Sugandika Dasanayaka struck the winning boundary with one ball remaining. The victory leaves Sri Lanka needing favourable results elsewhere to sneak into the last four on net run rate.

9. Wimbledon draw sets up blockbuster Djokovic-Sinner semi-final

The Wimbledon draw has raised the prospect of a heavyweight semi-final between seven-time champion Novak Djokovic and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic begins against Wu Yibing, while defending champion Sinner opens against Miomir Kecmanovic. Elsewhere, Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton headline the bottom half of the draw, while Taylor Fritz faces Britain's Jack Draper in one of the standout first-round matches.
icket enjoy contrasting fortunes as weekend intensifies