Lord's set for maiden women's Test match as England host India in his…

New Delhi [India], July 10 (ANI): Norway’s Ambassador to India, May-Elin Stener, led the viral ‘Viking Row’ celebration at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi on Thursday, joining embassy officials and football fans in recreating the signature chant that has become synonymous with Norway’s historic FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign.

Norway’s World Cup campaign has captured global attention because of the ‘Viking Row’, a synchronised celebration in which supporters mimic rowing a Viking longboat. The tradition has gone viral across social media, with players including Erling Haaland and captain Martin Odegaard joining supporters after victories.

Appearing in their first-ever quarter-finals against England, scheduled for July 11 (local time), Norway’s incredible run in the tournament, which also includes an impressive 2-1 win over Brazil in the Round of 16, has been powered by Manchester City’s goal-scoring machine Haaland, who is amongst the contenders for the Golden Boot with seven goals, just one behind Argentina icon Lionel Messi. ipl-today.in

May-Elin Stener said Norway reaching the quarter-finals for the first time has created immense excitement across the country. She praised the team’s strong unity and collective effort, adding that the success has brought Norway into the global spotlight while allowing the nation to share its history and showcase the widespread passion and support for football among its people.

“This is the first time we are in the quarter-final. That’s very exciting for the whole of Norway. So that’s the feeling that we have. Very excited… we also have a very good team supporting him and playing very well together. that’s our strength… It’s very exciting that Norway in this way is coming into the news. Then we can also shed a little light on our history and we can also show the world that we are very happy and very supportive of our football team and everyone in Norway is very interested in football," she said while speaking to ANI.

Norway’s clash against England will witness Haaland battling the talismanic England skipper Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.

During the match against Brazil, Haaland’s goal tally in the World Cup went to seven goals after a brace, making him the player with the joint-most goals in his debut World Cup since Poland’s Grzegorz Lato scored seven in 1974.

Haaland is averaging a goal every 14 touches in the tournament, the lowest ratio of any player to score three or more goals in a single World Cup edition over the past 60 years.

Haaland has netted seven goals from just 18 shots at the 2026 World Cup, giving him a 39% conversion rate. This is the best finishing efficiency (with 15 or more shots) in a single World Cup since Gary Lineker in 1986, who scored six goals from 15 shots at a 40 per cent rate.

With the win over Brazil, Norway are the only side among 91 nations Brazil have faced that they have never managed to beat, with two draws and three defeats in five meetings. (ANI)

(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)

Discussions are underway to bring Indian Premier League (IPL) matches to Australia as part of a broader plan to strengthen sporting ties between the two countries. According to a report by The Age, Cricket officials and government representatives are exploring the possibility of regular cross-border domestic fixtures.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. As part of the initiative, the Melbourne Renegades will face the Perth Scorchers in the opening match of the 2026-27 BBL season at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on December 12, 2026.

IPL Matches Could Be Played in Australia in the Future

Cricket Australia, the BCCI, and government officials from both countries have held discussions for several years about strengthening cricket ties. While the immediate focus is on the BBL opener in Chennai, the long-term plan includes inviting the BCCI to stage future IPL matches in Australia.

The report added that both boards want to build a stronger cricket partnership beyond bilateral tours and broadcast deals, and IPL in Australia could be a major step towards achieving that. Officials hope regular domestic matches between the two countries will create a lasting relationship instead of depending only on the international calendar.

Broadcast experts also believe the move could increase the popularity of the BBL in India and the IPL in Australia. Stronger interest in both leagues could even revive the Champions League T20, which was discontinued after struggling to attract fans despite launching in 2008. Notably, The Age reported this IPL move to Australia.

Australian and Indian Leaders to Promote BBL Match

Australian PM Anthony Albanese and Indian PM Narendra Modi are scheduled to meet AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon and BBL head Alistair Dobson on Friday. CA chief executive Todd Greenberg and chair Mike Baird are not part of the discussions, as they are attending the ICC annual conference in Edinburgh.

The Chennai match will be the main event of the wider 'G'day Namaste' initiative, according to the report. The program will also include business conferences, trade forums, and arts and film events aimed at strengthening commercial and cultural ties between Australia and India.

The Melbourne Renegades were selected for the match because they had available home fixtures after their agreement at Marvel Stadium ended. The Perth Scorchers were chosen as the opposition partly because of the shorter travel distance from Western Australia, allowing both teams enough recovery time.

AFL Unveils India Engagement Plan Alongside Cricket Initiative

Alongside the cricket plans, the Australian Football League (AFL) will unveil a long-term strategy to strengthen ties with the Indian community. The plan aims to increase participation in Australian rules football in India and improve engagement with the growing Indian community across Australia.

A leaders' forum featuring business executives, community representatives, and athletes was held before the meeting between AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon and Narendra Modi. The event included North Melbourne VFLW player Zoe Savarirayan, who became the first player of Indian heritage to play in the AFLW in 2022.

Australia's High Commissioner to India, Philip Green, has also highlighted the rapid growth of the relationship between the two countries. Speaking earlier this year, he said:

"When I reflect on the trajectory of the Australia-India relationship, what strikes me most is the sheer pace of change. In Australia's history, we have never seen such a rapid ramp-up in a major power relationship."

Also Read: "Sack him": Ben Stokes reacts hilariously to ECB's anti-corruption controversy

ફિફા વર્લ્ડ કપ ૨૦૨૬ હવે તેના અંતિમ તબક્કા તરફ આગળ વધી રહ્યો છે. રોમાંચક ક્વાર્ટર ફાઇનલ મેચમાં ફ્રાન્સે મોરોક્કોને ૨-૦થી હરાવીને સેમિફાઇનલમાં ગૌરવપૂર્ણ સ્થાન મેળવી લીધું છે, જ્યારે આ હાર સાથે મોરોક્કોનું વર્લ્ડ કપ જીતવાનું સપનું ચકનાચૂર થઈ ગયું છે. સમગ્ર મેચ દરમિયાન ફ્રાન્સનું પ્રભુત્વ જોવા મળ્યું હતું અને મોરોક્કોની ટીમ એક પણ ગોલ નોંધાવી શકી નહોતી.

ફ્રાન્સ-મોરોક્કો, એમ્બાપ્પેની પેનલ્ટી મિસ અને રોમાંચ

મેચનો પ્રથમ હાફ અત્યંત રોમાંચક રહ્યો હતો. બંને ટીમોએ ગોલ કરવા માટે ઘણી તકો ઊભી કરી હતી, પરંતુ કોઈ સફળતા મળી નહોતી. મેચની ૨૪મી મિનિટે ફ્રાન્સ પાસે લીડ મેળવવાની સુવર્ણ તક હતી, જ્યારે મોરોક્કોના ડિફેન્ડરે પેનલ્ટી બોક્સ (D) ની અંદર કિલિયન એમ્બાપ્પેને ફાઉલ કર્યો હતો. ફ્રાન્સને પેનલ્ટી એનાયત કરવામાં આવી, પરંતુ મોરોક્કોના ગોલકીપરની ચપળતા અથવા નસીબના જોરે એમ્બાપ્પે આ પેનલ્ટી ચૂકી ગયો અને પ્રથમ હાફ ૦-૦ની બરાબરી પર સમાપ્ત થયો.

ફ્રાન્સનો વળતો પ્રહાર

બીજા હાફમાં ફ્રાન્સે રમતની ગતિ બદલી નાખી અને માત્ર ૬ મિનિટના અંતરાલમાં બે ગોલ કરીને મેચ પોતાના નામે કરી લીધી. ૬૦મી મિનિટ: પ્રથમ હાફની ભૂલ સુધારતા, કિલિયન એમ્બાપ્પેએ શાનદાર ફિલ્ડ ગોલ કરીને ફ્રાન્સને ૧-૦ની લીડ અપાવી. ૬૬મી મિનિટ: ફ્રાન્સના આક્રમણને ચાલુ રાખતા ઓસ્માન ડેમ્બેલેએ બીજો ગોલ ફટકારીને સ્કોર ૨-૦ કરી દીધો. આ બેક-ટુ-બેક ગોલ બાદ મોરોક્કો દબાણમાં આવી ગયું અને અંતિમ સીટી વાગવા સુધી વાપસી કરી શક્યું નહીં. ફ્રાન્સે ૨-૦થી આ મેચ જીતીને સેમિફાઇનલની ટિકિટ મેળવી લીધી.

સેમિફાઇનલમાં કોની સામે થશે ટક્કર?

ફિફા વર્લ્ડ કપ ૨૦૨૬ની સેમિફાઇનલમાં પહોંચ્યા બાદ હવે ફ્રાન્સનો મુકાબલો સ્પેન અથવા બેલ્જિયમ સામે થશે. આ બંને ટીમો વચ્ચેની ક્વાર્ટર ફાઇનલ મેચ બાદ વિજેતા ટીમ ફ્રાન્સ સામે ટકરાશે. બુધવાર, ૧૫ જુલાઈના રોજ ભારતીય સમયાનુસાર (IST) રાત્રે ૧૨:૩૦ વાગ્યે મેચ રમાશે. ફિફા વર્લ્ડકપમાં પોર્ટુગલ બહાર થતા રોનાલ્ડોને જોવા આતુર તેના ચાહકોમાં ઉત્સાહ ઘટયો છે. છતાં મેસ્સી અને એમ્બાપ્પેની શાનદાર રમત લોકોના આકર્ષણનું કેન્દ્ર બની રહી છે. ફ્રાન્સે મોરોક્કોને હરાવીને સેમીફાઈનલની ટીકીટ મેળવી લીધી છે. હવે તેની સામે કઈ ટીમ આવશે સ્પેન -બેલ્જિયમની મેચના આગામી પરિણામો કહેશે.

આ પણ વાંચો : FIFA World Cup 2026 : ક્વાર્ટર ફાઇનલ માટે 8 ટીમ નક્કી,જાણો સંપૂર્ણ શેડ્યુલ