France's head coach Didier Deschamps acknowledged that beating Paraguay was no easy task, revealing he had to deploy extra players to protect Kylian Mbappé. France edged past Paraguay 1-0 in the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 on July 4, with Mbappé scoring in the 70th minute. The victory sent the former runners-up into the quarterfinals to face Morocco on July 9.

After the match, Deschamps commented on his team's performance: "It wasn't easy at all. They used every trick in the book—it wasn't the kind of football designed to excite spectators, but they defended well. It's always difficult facing South American teams like that. Certainly, if we had converted our last two chances into goals, the situation would have been better."

"I don't want to criticize Paraguay, but each team plays the way they need to," he continued. "That said, there was some abusive language from their bench, which I didn't want to see happen."

Deschamps also emphasized that the match ended without major conflict and France avoided additional yellow cards. "The most important thing is that the game ended without any serious trouble, and we didn't receive any additional yellow cards. We picked up three yellows from multiple fouls. I'm not saying we didn't commit fouls, but both teams fouled each other heavily."

The 57-year-old coach also revealed that he instructed two of his largest players to surround and protect Mbappé late in the game due to concerns about hard tackles. "I ordered two of our biggest players to stand around Kylian in the final stages because they were going to try to stop him," Deschamps said.

A Yamaha X-Max 300 motorcycle crashed into a power pole in Pathum Thani early Sunday morning, killing both riders. At 12:20 a.m. on July 5, officers from Pak Khlong Rangsit Police Station in Pathum Thani received reports of the accident near Rachapruek Market in Muang District. Emergency responders, including traffic police, medical personnel, and forensic investigators from the Institute of Forensic Medicine, discovered the white and black motorcycle (Bangkok license plate 1 ม 6725) severely damaged against the power pole with two bodies covered in blood beside the vehicle.

The victims were identified as Thanarak, 37, from Laem Prao District in Chachoengsao province, and Thamada, 37. Initial investigation suggests the two were riding back from Bangkok and attempting to make a left turn onto a shortcut near Rachapruek Market before heading to an underpass beneath the railway bridge to return to their home on the opposite side. Police believe the motorcycle was traveling at high speed when it lost control and struck the power pole with significant force, killing both the driver and passenger. After police documented the scene, forensic officials transported the bodies to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for autopsy.

The Thai Meteorological Department has issued a warning about Typhoon Maysak (ninth advisory, 112/2569) effective July 5, 2025. As of 4:00 a.m., the storm's center was located in southern Guangxi province, China, at latitude 21.8°N and longitude 108.4°E, with maximum winds near 93 kilometers per hour. The typhoon is moving northeastward at 10 kilometers per hour and is expected to weaken into a depression and low-pressure trough. The storm center is not expected to enter Thai territory.

Influenced by Typhoon Maysak and a monsoon trough passing over northern Thailand and Laos, combined with strengthening southwest monsoon winds over the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand, Thailand will experience heavy to very heavy rainfall in some areas, particularly in the northern, upper northeastern, and eastern regions during July 5-6, 2025.

Sea conditions will intensify, with the upper Andaman Sea reaching wave heights of 2-3 meters (exceeding 3 meters in thunderstorm areas), and the lower Andaman Sea and upper Gulf of Thailand reaching approximately 2 meters (exceeding 2 meters in thunderstorm areas). Fishermen are advised to exercise caution, avoid boating in thunderstorm zones, and small boats in the upper Andaman Sea should remain ashore during the specified period.

The public is urged to plan activities and travel carefully during this period and monitor updates from the Thai Meteorological Department at www.tmd.go.th, or by calling 0-2399-4012-13 and 1182, available 24 hours. The next advisory will be issued on July 5, 2025, at 11:00 a.m.

Forecast for Thailand from 6:00 a.m. today to 6:00 a.m. tomorrow:

Northern Region: 70% chance of thunderstorms with heavy rainfall in Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lampang, Phayao, Phrae, Uttaradit, Phitsanulok, and Phetchabun; very heavy rainfall in some areas of Tak, Chiang Rai, and Nan. Low 23-25°C, high 31-34°C. Southwest wind 10-20 km/h.

Northeastern Region: 70% chance of thunderstorms with heavy rainfall in Loei, Udon Thani, Sakon Nakhon, and Mukdahan; very heavy rainfall in some areas of Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, and Nakhon Phanom. Low 23-26°C, high 30-34°C. Southwest wind 10-20 km/h.

Central Region: 60% chance of thunderstorms with heavy rainfall in Ratchaburi and Uthai Thani; very heavy rainfall in some areas of Kanchanaburi. Low 24-26°C, high 32-35°C. Southwest wind 10-25 km/h.

Eastern Region: 70% chance of thunderstorms.

Everton has finalized a deal to sign rising winger Tyrick George from Chelsea for £24 million. The 20-year-old arrived at Everton on loan in the second half of the previous season, where he featured in 11 matches and made a strong impression on manager David Moyes. The club from Merseyside has now activated the option to make the transfer permanent.

44-year-old tennis champion Serena Williams announced she will be unable to compete in the women's doubles at Grand Slam tournament Wimbledon alongside her sister. Williams had just returned to singles competition before losing to Maya Joyti in the first round. She had originally planned to continue competing in the doubles event with Venus Williams, but ultimately announced via Instagram that she cannot participate due to a knee injury. In her statement, Williams wrote: "I'm heartbroken to withdraw from the doubles. Coming back to play has been such a gift, and the chance to play with Venus one more time means the world to me. I did everything I could to prepare, but unfortunately my knee is not ready for competition."