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The two thousand twenty six World Cup quarterfinals are heating up fast. Spain and Belgium square off Friday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, with La Roja coming off a grinding win over Portugal. The De Bruyne question looms large for Belgium, while Lamine Yamal continues to be the most electric player on the planet. This one has everything.
And speaking of electric, England now turn their attention to Norway and the Erling Haaland problem. Thomas Tuchel's side faces arguably the toughest individual matchup left in the tournament. Haaland at a World Cup quarterfinal is a different kind of pressure test, and how England set up defensively on Saturday could define their entire tournament run.
On a completely different note, one of the most moving moments of the baseball week happened in Detroit. Eduardo Valencia stepped into the batter's box for his very first major league plate appearance and sent one over the fence. The Tigers rookie then broke down in tears, dedicating the moment to his family and to Venezuela, a country still reeling from a devastating earthquake. Baseball at its most human.
That's your play-by-play. Sports Desk, back to the booth.
