The Hotspot | Why willows put the rest in the shade when cricket goes…

In today’s newsletter: a tree that has provided for the game over hundreds of years is now protecting it for the future

In those dog days of late June, when it was too hot to do anything but count down the hours until the sun went down, sport frazzled as well. Horse races were cancelled, a guest village provided shade at the Wimbledon qualifiers, and all around the UK school activities were wiped out, from sports days to the national rounders tournament. chickenroadslot.lat

At the third Test at Trent Bridge, where England’s men were playing New Zealand in what turned out to be Ben Stokes’s last hurrah, the England and Wales Cricket Board pressed the button on their extreme heat policy and did what they could to protect players and crowd from temperatures that an open ground in the Midlands was not built to deal with.

Portugal and Spain meet in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match on Monday, July 6, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. ET from Dallas Stadium. Portugal advanced from Group K with a 1-0-2 record through three matches, drawing 1-1 with DR Congo in their opener, beating Uzbekistan 5-0 in their second group match and drawing 0-0 with Colombia in their third. In the Round of 32, Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 on a stoppage-time header by Gonçalo Ramos after Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty in the 68th minute to level the match. Ronaldo is up to 3 goals in this year's World Cup. Spain topped Group H with a 2-0-1 record and have kept clean sheets in all four of their matches so far, beating Saudi Arabia 4-0 and Uruguay 1-0 before defeating Austria 3-0 in the Round of 32. Mikel Oyarzabal has found th net four times in the tournament so far. The winner of this match will square off in the quarterfinals against the winner of the USMNT and Belgium. Below are the details on how to watch. How to Watch Portugal vs. Spain Portugal vs. Spain Preview Portugal turning Spain's possession into transition chances is the key thing to watch on Monday. Portugal has been dangerous all tournament when it wins the ball and gets forward fast. Four matches in, Portugal has regained possession 24 times in the final third and already has one counterattack goal. Cristiano Ronaldo finishes those chances. Bruno Fernandes drives them. Portugal showed exactly that kind of late punch against Croatia. Spain doesn't let many teams play that way. Spain is averaging 68 minutes of possession time and 228.8 passes in the final third per match, and it still has a perfect defensive record in this tournament. Control those zones and Portugal spends the day chasing shadows. Disrupt Rodri and Pedri early, though, and this game opens up fast. Watch the first few Portuguese ball wins in midfield. That's where the real shape of this match starts to show. Portugal vs. Spain Odds Learn more about Portugal vs. Spain and check the full FIFA World Cup schedule on FOX Sports! Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.

• Striker may still be able to play in last-16 game in Seattle

• Trump lobbied Fifa three times over Balogun’s red card

The Folarin Balogun controversy has taken a dramatic twist with Belgium granted an appeal against the United States striker’s shock reinstatement for Monday’s last-16 tie in Seattle. There are no guarantees, however, over when the decision will be made or whether Fifa’s reasoning for lifting his suspension will be made public.

The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) expressed “astonishment” on Sunday at Fifa’s decision to rescind Balogun’s one-match ban, with their manager, Rudi Garcia, comparing it to an April Fool’s Day joke. Donald Trump repeatedly lobbied Fifa to lift Balogun’s ban, with sources telling the Guardian the US president made three calls to Fifa, starting on Wednesday, after Balogun was sent off in the USA’s 2-0 last-16 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, to ensure the change was made.

Ya es oficial. Pedro Martínez entrenará al Real Madrid de Baloncesto después de que estos últimos anunciasen previamente el cese de Sergio Scariolo, quien acaba su segunda etapa en el banquillo merengue sin títulos después de firmar la primera campaña en blanco de las últimas 16. Le sucede, tal y como adelantó MARCA hace justo una semana, el técnico del vigente campeón de la Liga Endesa y la Supercopa, que asume un reto mayúsculo al entrenar al club blanco, su primera experiencia en un grande de Europa.

The third stage of the Tour de France 2026 will proceed from Granollers to Les Angles (195.5km) without spectators due to an ongoing wildfire threat. The race will start at 11.10am BST/12.10pm CET, with only essential vehicles allowed at the finish line.

The decision comes as UAE Team Emirates-XRG demonstrated their strength in the previous stages, potentially signaling Jonas Vingegaard's continued dominance in this year's Tour.