Category: Football

DOHA: Iran and Wales failed to qualify for the knockout stage following their defeats against the United States of America and England respectively, while the latter two sides booked their Round of 16 berths in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022.

England, needing just one point to qualify for the Round of 16, bagged three following an emphatic 3-0 victory over neighbours Wales and topped the Group B standings with seven points.

Following another dominant triumph in the first round, Gareth Southgate’s side topped the Group B standings at the back of Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden.

Defiant Wales did well in the first half to keep the English attack silent and managed to keep the scoresheet blank.

England, however, regrouped after the break and intensified their domination over Wales and it soon rewarded just five minutes into the second half when Rashford broke the deadlock and opened the scoring for England.

Foden then doubled England’s lead just seconds later to put his side completely in command of the one-side affair and took the game away from Wales’ grasp.

Rashford then struck again to pile on the misery of Wales, whose world cup’s return after 1958 ended in dismay.

One of the tournament’s favourites England will next face Group A runners-up Senegal in the Round of 16 on Monday.

Meanwhile, in the last group B fixture, two bitter rivals Iran and the USA put on a thrilling contest but Christian Pulisic’s first-half goal turned out to be enough for the latter to pull off a vital victory.

The USA have been all over Iran since the start of the match and finally got the lead when Sergino Dest headed the ball to their star of the day Pulisic, who then made no mistake to send the ball past the Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand.

The victory powered the USA to finish second in Group B with five points behind leader England with seven, while Iran finished third with three points.

The USA have a major task ahead of them in the Round of 16 as they will take on Group A winners Netherlands on Saturday.

READ: Ecuador crashed out as Netherlands, Senegal book Round of 16 spots

DOHA: Ecuador failed to make it to the knockouts following their narrow 2-1 defeat against Senegal, while the Netherlands thrashed hosts Qatar 2-0 to make it to the Round 16 of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022.

The Netherlands, needing just one point to qualify for the Round of 16, bagged three following an emphatic victory over struggling hosts Qatar and topped the Group A standings with seven points.

The key player Cody Gakpo scored again for the Netherlands in the 29th minute to put them in command of the one-sided affair. Gakpo’s goal against Qatar marked his third goal in as many group matches.

Briefly, after the break, Frenkie de Jong doubled Netherlands’ lead over the hosts, sustained till the final whistle as Luis van Gaal’s side cruised through.

Hosts Qatar, already eliminated from the qualification race, bagged another unwanted record as they became the first home side in World Cup to finish the group stage without a point.

Netherlands’ impressive run led them to top Group A and will now face the second-placed team from Group B in the Round of 16.

Meanwhile, Netherlands’ dominant victory over Qatar, meant that only a win would take Senegal into the knockouts and a draw would see Ecuador cruising.

Senegal, however, were already in command of the match as they were leading Ecuador 2-1 in the extra time and put on a defiant show to bar the latter side from netting an equalizer.

Despite some desperate attempts from Ecuador in the extra time, Senegal held their composure and ran away with a 2-1 triumph and booked their spot in the Round of 16.

Senegal opened the scoring in the first half, courtesy of a late first-half penalty by Ismaila Sarr. However, despite holding Ecuador’s skipper Enner Valencia dormant throughout, the South American side still managed to score an equalizer as Moises Caicedo scored in the 67th minute.

Following the equalizer, Senegal’s captain Kalidou Koulibaly stood up for his team and took just three minutes to put his team up front again as he sent the ball crashing into the nets.

The victory powered Senegal to finish second in Group A with six points and will next face the Group B topper in the Round of 16.

READ: PAK vs ENG: Naseem Shah opens up on comparison with James Anderson

DOHA: Bruno Fernandes struck twice in the second half to beat Uruguay 2-0 as Portugal became the third team after France and Brazil to confirm place in the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Manchester United midfielder scored the opener within ten minutes after the break when he curled a great cross to his teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who did not find a touch as the ball ended up in the nets.

Uruguay nearly found an equaliser when substitute Maxi Gomez hit the woodwork just seconds after coming off the bench and before Luis Suarez missed from close range on swinging freekick from De Arrascaeta.

Portugal, however, doubled the lead in the stoppage time when Fernandes scored his second from the spot after a VAR check adjudged Jose Gimenez to have handled the ball.

Fernandes came close to a hat-trick before the final whistle but his low shot from the edge of the box hit the post.

With only one point in two games, Uruguay are placed last in Group H. They now have to produce their best in last group encounter against Ghana and still hope that the result of the other match between Portugal and South Korea fall in their favour in order to avoid the early exit from the tournament.

READ: Brazil edge Switzerland to join holders France in Round of 16

DOHA: Former champions Brazil have eased through to the Round of 16 as Casemiro’s late strike powered them to a 1-0 victory over Switzerland in the Group G clash of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 at Stadium 974 here on Monday.

Five-time champions Brazil joined the defending champions France in the knockout stage as they beat Switzerland to taste their second consecutive group stage triumph and qualified with one game to spare.

The inflexible Swiss side frustrated Brazil in the first half and they eventually had to settle for a goalless first half as both teams remained hesitant to high press.

The important Group G clash between the two powerhouses seemed to be on track for a goalless draw when Vinicius Jr’s second-half goal was disallowed for offside after a VAR check.

However, seven minutes away from the 90-minute mark, Rodrygo flicked the ball towards the penalty area, which took a bounce before Casemiro smashed a half-volley that sent it spiralling into the far corner.

Brazil next face Cameroon in their final group match on Sunday and will be tempted to rest their key players, while Switzerland will take on Serbia, knowing that a win can guarantee them a spot into the knockout stage.

READ: Kudus’ double powers Ghana to edge South Korea in FIFA WC

AR-RAYYAN: Mohammed Kudus netted twice in Ghana’s thrilling 3-2 victory over South Korea in the Group H encounter of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 at Education City Stadium here on Monday.

In a clash between two Group H bottom-ranked sides, Ghana recovered from a close 3-2 defeat against Portugal and kept their knockout qualification expedition intact as they produced a similar scoreline but in their favour against South Korea.

Otto Addo’s side had a flying start to their must-win group match as Mohammed Salisu opened the scoring in just the 24th minute when Jordan Ayew sent a dangerous cross into the South Korean box, who failed to clear the lines, allowing Salisu to fire the ball home with his left feet.

Kudus then doubled Ghana’s lead just 10 minutes later with a stunning header off Ayew’s assist, who sent a cross to the far post and the latter powered the ball sneak past Kim Seung-gyu.

Paulo Bento’s side, who appeared defenceless in the first half, bounced back after the break and pulled level 16 minutes into the second half, courtesy of a quickfire double from forward Cho Gue-sung, who produced back-to-back sensational headers.

Gue-sung’s double stunned Ghana but they held their composure to retain the lead in the 68th minute when Kudus fired the ball comprehensively into the nets after Inaki Williams failed to connect with a cross from the left.

Following the victory, Ghana rose to the second spot in the Group H standings, behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal on goal difference.

READ: Afghanistan qualify directly for 2023 ODI World Cup 

DOHA: Vincent Aboubakar and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting bolstered Cameroon from two goals down to a fighting 3-3 draw against Serbia in a thrilling Group G clash of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022.

Cameroon held their composure to keep their world cup campaign alive as they managed to seal their first point after a sea-saw clash against Serbia.

Defender Jean-Charles Castelletto provided Cameroon with an early lead with his 29th-minute strike as he received the ball close to woodwork after Nouhou Tolo’s corner converted with a tricky cross that left him in an ideal position to score.

Cameroon’s early breakthrough, motivated Serbia to launch a counterattack as Rigobert Song’s side endured two back-to-back strikes from Strahinja Pavlovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in the extra time of the first half as Serbia finished the first half with a 2-1 lead.

Serbia then continued to maintain their dominance over Cameroon and Aleksandar Mitrovic’s strike just eight minutes into the second half seemed to have buried Song’s side and Serbia favourites to seal their first victory of the campaign.

But Vincent Aboubakar came off the bench and cut Serbia’s lead to one goal in just eight minutes as he got on the end of Jean-Charles Castelletto’s long ball before chipping it over the goalkeeper and into the net.

Choupo-Moting, a couple of minutes later Aboubakar’s strike, snatched a high-scoring draw for Cameroon as he received the ball from Vincent Aboubakar and netted from close range.

The draw kept both teams in contention for a place in the last 16 as they both had their first point each and are two points behind group leaders Brazil and Switzerland, who will be up against each other later today.

READ: Ben Stokes announces to donate match fees to Pakistan flood victims

DOHA: Niclas Fullkrug scored a brilliant late equalizer to deny Spain a smooth passage to the round of 16 as Germany came from behind to level 1-1, which kept their race alive in Group E of the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Alvaro Morata came off the bench to give Spain the lead in the 62nd minute but Werder Bremen forward fired the leveler in the 83rd minute to earn first point for Germany, here at Al Bayt Stadium.

Germany, who earlier faced a shocking defeat by Japan in their opening group match, made several changes to the team and fought valiantly throughout the game against a strong Spanish side.

Antonio Rudiger managed to get the ball behind the nets in the first half but the goal was disallowed for the offside while Jamal Musiala missed a big opportunity in the second half as Unai Simon pulled out a brilliant save.

Morata, introduced in the second half, scored the opening goal with a fine flick inside the box that went past Manuel Neuer and took Spain in the lead.

But an even response from Fullkrug, who substituted Thomas Muller in the 70th minute, saved the day for Germany.

The 2014 World Cup winners still remain at the bottom of Group E after this draw but a victory over Costa Rica in their final group fixture on Friday would be enough to take them into next round unless Japan pull off another upset against Spain on that day.

READ: Dominant Croatia knock Canada out of FIFA WC with 4-1 triumph

 

DOHA: Underdogs Morocco stunned last year’s semi-finalist Belgium 2-0 in the Group F clash of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 at Al Thumama Stadium here on Sunday.

Last world cup’s third-ranked Belgium, endured a massive dent in their campaign as they slipped to a shocking 0-2 defeat against spirited Morocco.

Belgium had the opportunity to qualify for the Round of 16 with a victory but Morocco spoiled their hopes of storming into the next round and claimed three important points.

Substitute Abdelhamid Sabiri was Morocco’s star of the match as he ended the deadlock with an astonishing 73rd-minute strike off a free kick that breezed past Thibaut Courtois and crashed into the nets.

The second-half goal filled Morocco with momentum and they intensified their attack on the European side. The attack paid them off in the stoppage time when Zakaria Aboukhlal fired another goal to guarantee an astounding win over Belgium.

Following their stunning victory, Morocco replaced Belgium at the top of Group F standings with four points and can qualify for the knockout stage if they avoid defeat against Canada in their last group match on Thursday.

Belgium, on the other hand, have to beat the last world cup finalist Croatia on December 1 to make their way into the last 16.

READ: Costa Rica edge Japan to keep Group E qualification race intense

AL-RAYYAN: Costa Rica recovered from a hammering 0-7 defeat against Spain to edge Japan 1-0 in their second group match to stay alive in the Round of 16 qualification race of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022.

Costa Rica stunned momentum-filled Japan 1-0 to leave Group E wide open and handed a potential lifeline to former champions Germany, who endured a shock loss from the Asian side in their opening game.

Japan, however, missed out on a vital opportunity to take a giant stride towards the Round of 16 with a victory.

Costa Rica, fresh from their hammering 0-7 defeat against tournament favourites Spain, rebounded as they dominated Japan for the majority of the match.

The domination soon turned into a late lead when defender Keysher Fuller received the ball on the brink of the box and then calmly curled it into the back of the net in the 81st minute to steer his side to a vital three points.

Following Costa Rica’s triumph, they have now drawn level with Spain and Japan and settled at the third spot in the group standings.

Meanwhile, 2014 champions Germany, who are at the bottom following Japan’s upset, next face Spain in a crucial Group E encounter later today.

READ: England set foot in Pakistan after 17 years to play historic Test series 

LUSAIL: Lionel Messi’s Argentina recovered from a shock loss against Saudi Arabia to thwart defenceless Mexico 2-0 to keep their FIFA World Cup 2022 campaign alive.

Argentina’s star player and skipper Messi ended the deadlock with a vital 64th minute strike to put former champions on track of a much-needed victory.

Following Messi’s magic, Enzo Fernandez joined the scoring with a sublime strike when he received the ball from Messi following a short-corner routine and executed a couple of stepovers before dispatching the ball into the top corner with a curling effort.

The triumph powered two-time champions Argentina to the second spot in the Group C standings behind leader Poland.

Mexico, on the other hand, who are yet to taste a triumph in the ongoing World Cup sank to bottom but are still in race for the Round of 16 berth.

Argentina have still a major task ahead of them as they take on Robert Lewandowski’s Poland in their last group match on Thursday (December 1), while Mexico will lock horns with Saudi Arabia on the same day.