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FULHAM HAVE ANNOUNCED the appointment of Álvaro Arbeloa as the club’s new head coach. The 43-year-old has agreed a three-year deal, tying him to the Craven Cottage club until the summer of 2029. He succeeds Marco Silva, who led the London side for five seasons before departing for Benfica. Following a trophy-laden playing career, Arbeloa started his coaching journey with Real Madrid’s youth sides before taking charge of the senior team for the second half of last season.

Switzerland win 4-3 on penalties Switzerland beat Colombia on penalties after a goalless draw to set up a quarter-final with defending champions Argentina. The two teams cancelled each other out in the final game of the last 16 – the final match to be played at the 2026 tournament outside the United States. Both teams missed spot-kicks before Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel brilliantly saved Cucho Hernandez’s effort and Ruben Vargas scored the decisive penalty.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC WILL face defending champion Jannik Sinner in a blockbuster Wimbledon semi-final after the indefatigable Serb ignored a calf injury to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in a marathon five-set thriller. Djokovic was hurt in the first set, but the former champion played through the pain for the rest of a breath-taking 7-6 (12/10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (10/4) victory lasting five hours and 15 minutes in sweltering temperatures.

EGYPT COACH HOSSAM Hassan claimed his side had been “cheated” out of a place in the World Cup quarter-finals after Argentina staged a stunning late comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2. “I do not want to put it nicely and talk about hard luck. We have been cheated unfairly today, we have suffered injustice,” Hassan said in an explosive press conference.

SHAMROCK ROVERS HIT the self-destruct button in Malta and will have to overturn a two-goal deficit in Tallaght next week to progress in the Champions League. The League of Ireland champions played with an early swagger that suggested they would return to Dublin with a favourable result but, against the run of play, they went behind just before half-time and unravelled thereafter.

IT’S MID-TERM break at Newington College, so the spectacular school grounds in Sydney’s Inner West area are still and peaceful. Most of the students are away enjoying a breather, but a few of the prestigious school’s rugby prospects are out on the main rugby pitch, which sits in front of the towering Founders Building.

ENZO FERNANDEZ HEADED a stoppage-time winner as Argentina produced one of the great World Cup comebacks to beat Egypt 3-2 in Atlanta and reach the quarter-finals. The Chelsea midfielder snatched a thrilling win for the reigning champions in the second minute of added time after his side had trailed 2-0 in the 79th minute and looked to be crashing out.

TELL YOU ONE thing, the Kilkenny County Board know how to take care of business. Although the country was aware that they were on the hunt for a new manager, the timeline was kept from public access. Pat Gilroy was brought in to assist with the appointment. There was an uncharitable view out there that Kilkenny shouldn’t need a Dublin football man to help run their affairs. Gilroy has experience of taking an established force and making judgments around the cultural shifts necessary.

NORWAY’S TORSTEIN TRAEEN claimed the coveted race leader’s yellow jersey as Denmark’s Mads Pedersen won the fourth stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday. Pedersen, who was world champion in 2019, stormed to victory in a sprint finish ahead of Lidl-Trek team-mate Quinn Simmons in second with Spaniard Raul Garcia taking third at the end of the 182km stage from Carcassonne to Foix in scorching temperatures which topped 40C at one point.

REIGNING CHAMPION JANNIK Sinner saw off the challenge of Jan-Lennard Struff and sweltering heat on Tuesday to ease into his third Wimbledon semi-final, where he could face Novak Djokovic. The world number one was pushed at times by 36-year-old German Struff, but clinched an ultimately comfortable 7-5, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 quarter-final victory.