Ecuador head coach Felix Sanchez has likened their Copa America quarter-final to a final, as they prepare to take on defending champions, Argentina, in Houston.

La Tricolor did not make the best start to the tournament with their 2-1 defeat to eventual Group B winners Venezuela.

However, an impressive 3-1 win over Jamaica, coupled with their goalless draw against Mexico, was enough to see them finish second in the group and qualify for the knockout stage.

Ecuador have never won the Copa America, but a statement victory over Argentina would surely make them the ones to watch.

Sanchez is confident his players have what it takes to cause an upset.

"We know it is an unmatched opponent, and we know how tough it's going to be, and we'll see how that unfolds," Sanchez said.

"It is yet another final for us, and we will try to compete against the world's champion and the world's best team. I believe that our team is going to be extremely motivated with a very high morale and trying to play a good match.

"I have full confidence in our players. I know that they are going to give their best as they've done in the three matches. We know how tough it is, and we're going to do whatever we can to win it."

Argentina stayed perfect through the group stage, winning all three games without conceding a single goal, with Lautaro Martinez providing the spark – he has the lead in the Golden Boot race with his four goals.

It also looks like they will be boosted by the return of Lionel Messi, who missed their 2-0 victory over Peru due to a hamstring issue, while head coach Lionel Scaloni will be back on the touchline after serving a one-match ban.

Assistant coach Walter Samuel is still expecting a tough battle though, noting the difficulties that Ecuador's style poses.

"They are different rivals," Samuel said. "We faced Ecuador in the last friendly. We know them and [they] have a capable coach. The physical part is a big deal, but they have a great technical quality, too. They are playing this tournament well, and it'll be difficult.

"We have seen many players who had not had game time [against Peru]. We have now used almost the whole squad. Now comes the next round and we need to be ready."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Argentina – Lautaro Martinez

Only two Argentina players have scored more goals in a single edition of the tournament in the 21st century than Martinez has in this one (four): Juan Roman Riquelme in 2007 and Lionel Messi in 2016, both netting five goals each.

Martinez leads the way in Argentina's squad for shots (nine), despite only starting one of their matches so far.

Ecuador – Kendry Paez

Kendry Paez was an integral player for Ecuador in the group stages as he made the most ball recoveries (19) and attempted the second-most shots (10, behind Salomon Rondon's 13) among all teams in Group B.

The 17-year-old will join Chelsea next year, and is already displaying the quality that attracted the Blues in the first place.

MATCH PREDICTION: ARGENTINA WIN

Unsurprisingly, Opta's model is backing the defending champions to book a place in the semi-final.

Argentina have never lost to Ecuador at the Copa America, with 11 wins and five draws. However, they have only met once in the knockout rounds, with La Albiceleste advancing in 2021 after a 3-0 win in the quarter-finals.

In fact, Ecuador have only ever beaten Argentina five times in their previous 40 meetings in all competitions but have not got the better of them since a World Cup qualifier in October 2015, winning 2-0 (drawn one, lost six since).

Argentina have won their last eight matches, including friendlies, equalling the longest winning streak under Scaloni as head coach; a win in the quarter-finals against Ecuador will set a new record for the Albiceleste since Scaloni's debut in September 2018.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Argentina – 68.1%

Draw – 17.2%

Ecuador – 14.7%

Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu will play the mixed doubles event at Wimbledon as a wildcard entry.

Murray has been struggling with a back injury in recent weeks, for which he needed minor surgery, and pulled out of the men's singles on Tuesday.

However, he confirmed he would still be competing in the men's doubles alongside older brother Jamie.

The two-time singles champion is playing at Wimbledon for the final time before retiring later this year.

It will be Murray's fourth appearance in the mixed doubles, most notably pairing up with Serena Williams in 2019, making it to the third round.

2021 US Open champion Raducanu has already advanced to the second round in the women's singles and will play in the mixed doubles for the first time at a grand slam.

The pair are playing together for the first time, with the first round of the event scheduled for Friday and Saturday. They will find out their first opponents on Wednesday.

Manchester City's Julian Alvarez has been named in Argentina's Olympics squad for the Paris games and is likely to miss the start of the 2024-25 Premier League season. 

Alvarez, who is currently at the Copa America, was included in Javier Mascherano's 18-man squad as one of the three overage players, along with Geronimo Rulli and Nicolas Otamendi.

The final of that competition takes place just 10 days before the Olympics begins, with Mascherano’s side playing Morocco, Iraq and Ukraine in the group stage in France.

With the Olympics final to be played on August 9, the day before Manchester City's Community Shield fixture against Manchester United, Alvarez's involvement has almost certainly ruled him out of the start of the new season. 

Last season, the 24-year-old made 54 appearances in all competitions for Pep Guardiola's side, more than any other player. 

Manchester City's Premier League campaign starts on August 18th against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. 

Claudio Echeverri has also been included in the squad. The teenager joined the Premier League champions in January but immediately returned to River Plate on loan.

Sergio Gomez has also been called up by Spain for the competition, meaning Guardiola has three players competing at this summer’s games in Paris.

Vincenzo Montella praised Turkiye's soul and belief following their victory over Austria in Leipzig on Tuesday. 

Merih Demiral's double ensured Montella's side progressed to the quarter-finals of a European Championships for the first time since 2008. 

"No one gave up," Montella said. "Everyone gave a bit extra in terms of their soul, and for a head coach, you know that there are matches such as these and you can only win matches such as these if there is a soul within the squad.

"There's that belief, that conviction. I could go on all night, but I saw all of those attributes, and that makes me very proud."

However, the result could have been so much different if it was not for the fingertips of Mert Gunok. 

With the game ticking towards the fourth and final minute of injury time, Christoph Baumgartner saw his header brilliantly tipped behind by the Besiktas goalkeeper. 

The triumph was of huge significance to the Turkiye head coach, having seen his side lose 6-1 to Austria in an international friendly back in March. 

"That was a horrible stain on my career," Montella said. "That was the team that I was really waiting for, to try and get this monkey off my back.

"So I respect Austria, I respect their head coach, I respect their game plan, the tactics that they implemented on the pitch. But we head coaches, just like footballers, are competitors. 

"And I had that real competitive instinct deep within me because I wanted to change this result. It was only a friendly, but there's no such thing as a friendly at international level."

Montella's side face the Netherlands in Berlin this Saturday for a place in the semi-finals and set up a potential tie against England. 

"We've got huge following. There's passion and the love is really visceral back home in Turkey, so I'm very happy to have handed Turks a bit of pride," he said.

"So this responsibility, this love and support, we constantly feel it. But you can only really embrace these dreams if you work hard right from day one. We've done that right from the outset. We'll really celebrate tonight, but as of tomorrow, we get down to work."

Paraguay coach Daniel Garnero knows a dismal Copa America campaign may end up costing him his job.

Garnero's team, who were already eliminated before kick-off, lost 2-1 to Costa Rica on Tuesday.

It means they finished bottom of Group D, having lost each of their three matches.

Paraguay had not lost all of their group games at the Copa America since 1925.

And Garnero knows it could spell the end of his tenure.

"It was a bad tournament, a bad performance," he said.

"I am here because the association requested my services and if they don't want me to continue, that is their decision. I'll have to discuss that with them."

Paraguay did at least score in all their group stage matches, a feat they have achieved two other times this century in the Copa America (2015 and 2004), but the group, which also included Colombia and Brazil, proved far too strong.

They had the better of the chances against Costa Rica, who became the first team to score two goals within the first 10 minutes of play in a Copa America match since Argentina did so against Chile in 1995.

Francisco Calvo and Josimar Alcocer put Costa Rica 2-0 up. At 19 years and 362 days old, the latter is the third youngest player from a non-CONMEBOL team to score at the Copa America.

Ramon Sosa lashed in a brilliant effort to get Paraguay back into the contest, but Costa Rica held firm.

They have now gone four consecutive matches without losing to Paraguay in all competitions (W2 D2). This is the second-longest unbeaten streak for the Ticos against a CONMEBOL team, only surpassed by a five-match unbeaten run against Venezuela between 2001 and 2011 (W2, D3).

The victory was not enough to send Costa Rica through, though, as they finished third, one point behind Brazil.

"This was a very tough group. We were playing against Brazil and Colombia, two of the four favourites to win the Copa," Costa Rica coach Gustavo Alfaro said.

"We had our strengths, our achievements and our mistakes, but we grew and we're analysing the performance rather than the results.

"The important thing is that we learn."

Brazil head coach Dorival Junior insists his side must learn to play without Vinicius Junior following their 1-1 draw with Colombia in California. 

Junior was shown his second yellow card of the tournament for a challenge on James Rodriguez, and will miss their quarter-final match against Uruguay on Sunday. 

The Real Madrid forward, who has scored twice for Brazil at the Copa America, will be available for their semi-final fixture, should they beat Marcelo Bielsa's side. 

"Unfortunately, we have already lost a key player like Neymar for a long time," he said.

"And we have to learn that in certain moments, we will not have important players in a game. Others will have to step up. And I think that is the way. We will have a difficult game against Uruguay."

For Colombia, their impressive unbeaten run continued, and they have now failed to lose in 26 straight matches (W20 D6), marking the second-longest unbeaten streak in their history. 

Nestor Lorenzo's side will face Panama in the quarter-finals at the State Farm Stadium on Saturday. 

Despite failing to win the match against Brazil, the Colombia head coach was happy with his side's performance against the nine-time Copa America champions. 

"We know that we are in a good moment as a team and we know that we are growing. But it's not easy," Lorenzo said.

"Brazil has great players. They play very well. You can not neglect the team for a second and I think we played a great game.

"We did not win, but whatever the result, my feeling would have been the same. I am satisfied because the team gave a little more and it was difficult to play a rival like Brazil."

Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 32nd home run but Elly De La Cruz and Will Benson each hit two-run shots and the Cincinnati Reds held on for a 5-4 win over the New York Yankees on Tuesday night.

Judge’s solo shot in the seventh off Sam Moll was his third hit of the game and pulled the Yankees within 5-4, but Fernando Cruz pitched the eighth and Alexis Diaz worked a perfect ninth for his 18th save in 20 chances.

Judge leads the majors in batting average (.321), homers and RBIs (83).

Luis Gil retired nine in a row to open the game before De La Cruz led off the fourth with his sixth triple of the season. He came home on a groundout and the Reds scored four times in the next inning to knock out Gil.

After Stuart Fairchild was hit by a pitch, Benson hit his fifth homer and first since May 28. Jonathan India was then hit near the left elbow and Caleb Ferguson relieved Gil. De La Cruz followed by sending a 2-0 fastball into the visitors' bullpen in left-center for his 15th homer and a 5-0 lead.

Graham Ashcraft held the Yankees scoreless for four innings before running into trouble in the fifth. He allowed three runs and four hits over five innings with two walks and three strikeouts.

New York has lost 11 of its last 15 games.

Ohtani homers as Dodgers rally 

Teoscar Hernandez capped a two-out, ninth-inning rally with an RBI single to lift the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-5 walk-off victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Joc Pederson snapped a ninth-inning tie with a home run to give the Diamondbacks a 5-4 lead, but the Dodgers responded with two runs in the bottom half after Paul Sewald struck out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani.

Will Smith doubled off the wall in center and scored on Freddie Freeman’s double into the right-center field gap. Hernandez then singled home Freeman for the game-winner.

Ohtani fell a triple shy of the cycle and homered for the 10th time in his last 14 games. He is batting .396 (21 for 53) with 20 RBIs during that stretch.

Ohtani, Smith, Freeman and Hernandez combined to go 10 for 20 with six RBIs and five runs as the Dodgers salvaged a game in which they led 2-0 and 4-3.

Christian Walker’s fourth-inning home run was his 15th at Dodger Stadium, with all coming since 2018. That is the most of any visiting player in that time.  

Twins extend home run streak in win

Manny Margot and Carlos Correa went deep and the Minnesota Twins extended their club-record home run streak to 20 games in a 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Byron Buxton led off the seventh with a double and scored the go-ahead run on a head-first dive into home plate.

Minnesota’s bullpen came up big with Jorge Alcala working 1 1/3 scoreless innings and Griffin Jax pitching one inning before Jhoan Duran earned his 13th save of the season.

The Twins moved a season-high 11 games over .500 with their seventh win in nine games.

The news, however, wasn’t all good as third baseman Royce Lewis left after five innings with tightness in his left groin.

Brazil joined Colombia in the Copa America quarter-finals, but they were denied top spot in Group D after a nervy 1-1 draw in San Francisco.

Raphinha's stunning free-kick after just 12 minutes was cancelled out by Daniel Munoz in first-half stoppage time, as the spoils were shared at Levi's Stadium.

The draw was enough for the Selecao to secure second place in Group D – one point ahead of Costa Rica, who beat Paraguay 2-1 – though it came at a cost, with Vinicius Junior collecting a second yellow card in three games to rule him out of their last-eight clash with Uruguay.

Meanwhile, having held onto top spot with seven points from their three games, Nestor Lorenzo's Colombia will take on Group C runners-up Panama in the last eight. 

Los Cafeteros went close with a 25-yard free-kick in the eighth minute, when skipper James Rodriguez clipped the top of Alisson's crossbar. 

Raphinha went one better from a similar distance four minutes later, with goalkeeper Camilo Vargas only able to help his fierce delivery into his top-left corner.

It was the first goal Colombia had conceded in the first half of a match since their 3-2 win over Mexico last December, but they responded well. 

Davinson Sanchez's header was rightly ruled out for offside, before the equaliser arrived in the second additional minute of the first half. James fizzed the ball into Jhon Cordoba, who neatly threaded it through for Munoz to fire past Alisson.

Colombia continued to carry the greater attacking threat after the break and almost completed the turnaround with six minutes remaining, when substitute Rafael Borre fired over from six yards out.

At the other end, it took Vargas' smart reflex save to tip Andreas Pereira's effort over and prevent Brazil from snatching top spot with a dramatic last-gasp winner, as they joined their opponents in the last eight.

Selecao stutter into knockout stages, and must do without Vinicius

The nine-time champions have progressed beyond the Copa America group stage for the 14th time in their last 15 appearances.

And by avoiding defeat, the Selecao have also equalled their longest unbeaten streak in the opening phase at this tournament of 10 matches (also achieving the feat between 1993 and 1999).

However, Dorival will be concerned by his side's lack of sharpness in front of goal, with just three shots on target and an xG of 0.31 across the 90 minutes.

And they will head into a tricky quarter-final tie with Uruguay, who are fresh from winning all three of their Group C matches, without the suspended Vinicius.

Although, similarly to his nation’s opener against Costa Rica, the Real Madrid forward flattered to deceive here with his tallies of 28 touches and 13 passes the lowest by any player appearing for the duration of the contest.

It was his fellow winger Raphinha who took centre with his superb free-kick breaking the deadlock. Ironically, three of Brazil's last four goals from free-kicks have come against Colombia.

Stubborn Colombia's unbeaten streak continues

Colombia have finished third in two of the last three editions of the Copa America, and they will be confident of embarking on another deep run this time around.

One thing is for certain; Lorenzo's side will be difficult to beat at the business end of this tournament.

Despite seeing a 10-game winning streak come to an end today – while their wait for successive victories over Brazil goes on – Los Cafeteros are now unbeaten in each of their last 26 matches.

They had won each of their three previous games when conceding the opening goal, and that determination was evident once more as they responded yet again.

Munoz's strike was their fourth goal in the last 15 minutes of the first half at this year's Copa America; more than any other side has registered. Next up for them, Panama in Arizona.

Andy Murray acknowledged "it was the right decision" to withdraw from the Wimbledon men's singles, despite the "extreme" disappointment of missing out.

The two-time champion pulled out of the men's singles event at SW19 early on Tuesday, after failing to recover from spinal cyst surgery in time to face Tomas Machac in the opening round later that day.

Murray's team confirmed his withdrawal after the former world number one gave himself every opportunity to be in a position to walk out and compete on Centre Court. 

While it was not meant to be for the 37-year-old, he took pride in the strides he made just 10 days after going under the knife.

"I decided this morning. I slept on it," he said. "I told my team and my family that I didn't think I was going to play, just based on how I felt yesterday.

"I practised pretty well, and I was playing pretty good, I just wasn't happy with how my leg was feeling, and I wanted to sleep on it and make sure I was happy with the decision.

"I ran around at home a bit this morning when I got up, and it just wasn't where I wanted it to be, unfortunately. It's probably a few days too soon, but I worked extremely hard to at least give myself a chance to play.

"It was the right decision. It is extremely disappointing that I wasn't able to play but, at the same time, where I'm at -10 days after the operation in comparison to where I was told I would be and what my expectations were - is incredible really.

"I wanted to have a chance to go out there and walk out on my own on the Centre Court again and give it another go. But I also was only going to do that if I felt like I could be competitive, and I didn't feel like that today.

"I'm sorry for everyone that came and wanted to support and watch again. I wanted that moment as well, as much for me as the people who have supported me over the years.

"The fans but also my closest friends, family, my team. It was important for me to do that with them as well. It's one of those things. The timing was horrible, the surgery was a complex one, and it wasn't to be."

All is not lost for Murray, though, as he will compete alongside brother Jamie in the men's doubles.

The pair, who practised together on Tuesday, and are set to face the Australian duo of Rinky Hijikata and John Peers later in the week, and the three-time major winner is relishing the occasion.

"Getting the opportunity to play with Jamie here will be special," he added. "We've never done that before, and I'll make sure I make the most of it.

"It's easier said than done to just enjoy it when you're out there because you're competing and concentrating on trying to win the match. But hopefully, we can have a good run.

"We've got a good chance of winning. Jamie and I play great doubles together. We can definitely win the match."

Novak Djokovic hopes Andy Murray can make one final appearance in the Wimbledon men's singles, as the seven-time champion paid tribute to a "legend of the game" and "huge inspiration to all the players".

Two-time winner Murray withdrew from the men's singles event early on Tuesday, after failing to recover from spinal cyst surgery in time to face Tomas Machac in the opening round later that day.

The former world number one will instead partner brother Jamie in the doubles of what is set to be his SW19 swansong.

Djokovic saluted the Briton following his straight-sets victory over Vit Kopriva in the opening round, but believes the story may not be over quite yet.

"Hopefully, he can get another shot at next year's Wimbledon with singles," the 24-time major winner said of Murray. "Knowing him, he's going to try to do that.

"[He's shown] incredible resilience throughout his career. [A] multiple Grand Slam winner. Legend of the game. Number one in the world. Just a huge inspiration to all the players. He doesn't mind getting on court for hours every day. Incredible professional.

"His approach is something to study. His will to push and see how far he can go, even with an artificial hip, is something that's inspiring, but also serves as a great example to a lot of younger athletes that complain about this and that.

"He has left a great mark on and off the court for tennis. But something tells me that he'll keep going. He has every right to say when it's the finish line for him. If he wants to keep going, no doubt people will be very happy about it."

Murray had been due to appear on Centre Court, but the vacated slot was filled by current British number one Jack Draper who, somewhat fittingly, came through an epic five-set battle with Sweden's Elias Ymer.

The 22-year-old is full of momentum having recently claimed his maiden ATP title at the Stuttgart Open. He also paid tribute to the three-time major winner.

"You probably wanted to see Andy out here, but you were stuck with me instead!" Draper joked during his on-court interview.

"I wouldn't be here without Andy. He's an incredible guy off the court, so funny, so genuine. One of a kind. What a competitor, and what a champion."

Red Bull chief Christian Horner has no expectations of Max Verstappen changing his aggressive tactics after the contentious collision with McLaren's Lando Norris.

The pair were battling for the lead at last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix before crashing seven laps from the finish line.

Reigning Formula One champion Verstappen was deemed responsible and hit with a 10-second time penalty, though recovered to finish fifth as Norris was forced out of the race in a blow to his championship hopes.

That drama allowed Mercedes' George Russell to triumph but Horner does not expect Verstappen to hold back next time, even suggesting Norris must learn to adapt.

"I understand they've spoken already, I don't think there is any issue," Horner told Sky Sports News ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

"Certainly, from Max's side, he's not going to change. There's an element, I think, of Lando learning how to race Max and they're discovering that.

"Inevitably, there is going to be more close racing between the two of them as the cars look so close over the forthcoming races.

"Max is a hard racer – he's probably one of the hardest racers on the circuit and everybody knows that if you're going to race against Max, he's going to give as good as he gets."

Many pinpointed the blame at the hands of Verstappen, who has pushed the limits close in recent F1 seasons.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was among those to fiercely criticise the Dutchman, yet Horner believes the scrutiny is unjustified.

"He raced incredibly hard in 2021, he's a tough racer, and he hasn't really been racing anyone for two years because he's been out front so much," Horner said.

"The conflict between the two of them has been building over two, three, four races where they've been racing each other closely and hard, and at some point that was always going to spill over – and it did at Turn 3.

"He was punished in 2021 if he did something wrong just as Lewis [Hamilton], who he was racing so hard that year, was for things he did wrong.

"I think it's wrong and unfair to label a driver like that and I'm sure in the heat of the moment it was frustrating for Andrea, but that's just tough racing.

"He worked with Michael Schumacher [at Ferrari] for so many years – he of all people should know that."

Jude Bellingham says he "felt like Ronaldo" while scoring a stunning overhead kick to send England to extra-time against Slovakia in the round of 16 at Euro 2024.

The Three Lions looked to be heading out of the European Championships on Sunday until Bellingham scored a 95th-minute equaliser.

Harry Kane then scored the winner in the first minute of extra time, with the captain later describing Bellingham's strike as one of the best in England's history.

Bellingham has admitted that while he was in the air, he compared himself to former Real Madrid forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored an iconic overhead kick for Los Blancos in the 2018 Champions League final.

"It was really instinct more than anything," Bellingham said while speaking on England's 'Diary Room' show. "It kind of fell in the perfect spot, and it was a little bit behind me.

"When I was in the air, I thought, 'I'm six feet off the ground, and it's like Ronaldo!' But I've watched it back, and I still had one hand on the ground, so it wasn't the most acrobatic.

"But it was a nice contact. Definitely one of the most important and memorable moments of my career so far."

The England performance was drawing comparisons to their early exit at the hands of Iceland at Euro 2016 until Bellingham's intervention, with his strike their first on target.

The Madrid man reflected on how close England came to an exit, but praised the team's belief for getting them over the line.

"It was an emotional rollercoaster really, and probably not the most enjoyable way that you want to win a game," he added.

"You want [to] feel comfortable and in control, but you've got to find ways to win, even if it means overhead kicks in 90 plus five minutes.

"The difference in emotion is huge – it's one minute being dead and buried, as I saw the Slovakia bench all ready to run on, and you feel a bit disheartened and a bit gutted.

“It's not the way I would've wanted it to end – I'm having a good time here with all the lads and the staff and one moment later, it all changes.

"You start believing that we could create one more chance and, luckily, we got it in."

England will play Switzerland in their quarter-final on Saturday, with the Netherlands or Turkiye awaiting in the semi-finals if they make it through.

Marta will play in her sixth Olympics after she was named in Brazil's squad for the Paris Games by coach Arthur Elias, who described her as "the greatest athlete of all time".

The Selecao's all-time leading scorer with 118 goals, the 38-year-old will appear at her final tournament with her country, having announced in April she will retire from international duty at the end of the year.

Marta has already made Olympics history. In Tokyo, she became the first player - male or female - to score at five successive Games, while she was part of the side that won silver medals in 2004 and 2008.

And Elias welcomed the inclusion of the six-time FIFA World Player of the Year, who has scored four times for Orlando Pride in the NWSL this season.

"She brings a lot to the table, she's the greatest athlete of all time," he said. "She's playing well, she deserved to be on this list.

"Marta's performance, her behaviour - with or without the ball - makes all the athletes see her as an example.

"I have the challenge of finding a way of playing to maximise her game. But she knows that you can only win with everyone."

Brazil begin their campaign against Nigeria on July 25, while they will also play Japan and 2023 World Cup winners Spain in Group C.