Breel Embolo, Takumi Minamino, Ismaïl Jakobs, and Krépin Diatta all made their exits from the World Cup during the Round of 16, but Youssouf Fofana and Axel Disasi advance to a quarter-final meeting against England.

AS Monaco’s Fofana continued his streak of competing in every one of France’s World Cup campaign as he came on in a comfortable 3-1 win for Les Bleus against Poland. Despite failing to impress in his only start of the tournament, a 1-0 defeat to Tunisia, the former Strasbourg midfielder retains the confidence of Didier Deschamps, who brought him on for the final 25 minutes of Sunday’s match.

Disasi also featured in the closing stages of the match. The versatile Monaco defender, who due to an injury to Ruben Aguilar earlier in the season was made to deputise at right-back, once again came on towards the end of the match. The Aguilar injury inadvertently helped Disasi earn the initial call-up, and the poor performance of Benjamin Pavard in the World Cup opener against Australia has seen him promoted up the pecking order. Behind Jules Koundé, Disasi now looks like Deschamps’ second-choice right-back.

France next face England in the quarter-finals on Saturday. Miraculously, it is the first time that the two teams have met in the knockout stages of a major tournament.

England advanced thanks to a comfortable 3-0 win against Senegal, which saw Jakobs and Diatta become the first AS Monaco players to leave the tournament. The “Lions of Teranga” looked dangerous in the opening stages, but were pulled apart on the counter-attack. England will therefore face France, with the winner then going on to face either Morocco or Portugal in the semi-finals next Wednesday.

Portugal earned their place in the next round thanks to a resounding 6-1 win against Switzerland on Tuesday. Having got on the scoresheet twice in the tournament, Embolo couldn’t impact the fixture as Portugal cut through the Swiss defence with ease. Only Portuguese profligacy stemmed the damage.

On Monday, Minamino was dumped out of the competition in heartbreaking fashion. Japan held Croatia, the losing finalist in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, with the game ultimately going to penalties. The Monaco forward missed Japan’s opening penalty, as his side went on to lose 3-1, leaving the former Liverpool player in tears.

Of the six Monaco players who departed the Principality for Qatar, only two remain, and they face a fight on their hands to help Deschamps’ side progress further.

Monaco-based My Yacht Group (MYG) returned to Miami to host its ‘Night Before’ dinner series and its 11th charity superyacht reception during the 20th iteration of Art Basel Miami Beach.

The yacht reception welcomed guests aboard 185ft research vessel Gene Chaser, the support yacht for ‘mother ship’ M/Y Gene Machine. It features a working research laboratory for many of the 4Catalyzer companies, the biotech startup accelerator founded by Dr. Jonathan Rothberg.

The evening continued to raise awareness for MYG’s chosen charity partner YachtAid Global (YAG) and its relief efforts. YAG provides humanitarian aid, conservation, and disaster response leadership, with work encompassing global programs, logistics management and consultation for superyachts that want to contribute to the world around them.

*MLA and Sandra Nelson presenting a spinning Axiom Space globe to the Rothbergs. Photo credit: Lensology*

Five-time US Hall of Fame astronaut Commander Michael Lopez-Alegría, Chief Astronaut of Axiom Space, shared his experience of piloting Ax-1, shepherding three private astronauts on the first all-private mission to the International Space Station. With a total 16 days on Low Earth Orbit, each conducted an extensive array of innovative research on behalf of major medical organizations back on earth including Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, and The Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Making their My Yacht debut, Bang and Olufsen created a sensory experience in the B&O Lounge.

The yacht’s large rear deck and helipad was the setting for the main party, while a DJ, live saxophone, and aerialist hoisted on the yacht’s crane, plus displays from Art4Change and Bel Air Fine Art, including a six-foot Richard Orlinski gorilla, rounded out the experience for a distinguished list of guests that included the Rothberg family, HM British Consul General in Miami, prolific art collectors, and international and local (U)HNWs.