Category: Football

DOHA: Brazil were sweating on the fitness of Neymar on Friday after their talisman sprained his ankle in the World Cup win over Serbia.

The forward suffered the injury in a collision with Nikola Milenkovic during the second half of the 2-0 win in Qatar on Thursday in Brazil’s opening match.

The 30-year-old Paris Saint-Germain player attempted to continue but was substituted with about 10 minutes to go, shortly after Richarlison put Brazil two goals ahead.

Neymar was seen limping heavily after the game in Doha and photos showed swelling on his right ankle.

He declined to speak to journalists as he left the stadium, but posted a light-hearted message on Twitter, without making reference to his injury.

“Tough game but it was important to win,” he said. “Congratulations team, first step taken… six to go.”

Team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said it was too early to jump to conclusions.

“We need to wait 24 to 48 hours to have a better assessment,” said Lasmar. “We have not scheduled any MRI (scan) and tomorrow we’ll have a new assessment.

“We need to wait, we cannot make any premature comments about his evolution.”

Coach Tite was optimistic that Neymar would be back to lead Brazil’s bid for a record-extending sixth World Cup crown.

They next face Switzerland on Monday, with their final Group G match against Cameroon.

“You can be certain that Neymar is going to play in the World Cup,” Tite said, adding that the attacker had initially stayed on the pitch after hurting his ankle “because the team needed him”.

Brazil struggled to impose themselves in the first half against Serbia before finding their spark.

Richarlison poked home from close range shortly after the hour mark and then produced an acrobatic finish to double the lead

Pele Record

Neymar follows in a long tradition of great Brazilian number 10s and needs just two goals to equal Pele’s all-time record tally of 77 for the South American nation.

Brazil boast an impressive array of attacking talent including Raphinha, Richarlison and Vinicius Junior and they were able to bring Rodrygo and Gabriel Jesus off the bench against Serbia.

But Neymar, who is playing in his third and possibly last World Cup, is the player who makes the team tick.

The Brazilian’s career has though been peppered by injuries which have impacted on his previous two World Cups.

In 2014 he suffered a fractured bone in his back in the quarter-final win over Colombia before the hosts were humiliated by Germany in the semi-finals, losing 7-1.

Four years later he raced to recover from injury in time for the tournament in Russia, but Brazil never hit the expected heights before losing to Belgium in the last eight.

The former Barcelona star, who has 122 caps for Brazil, also missed the 2019 Copa America after suffering torn ligaments in his right ankle.

In 2021 Neymar was out for about 10 weeks of the French season after suffering ligament damage to his left ankle.

This time he arrived fit and firing in Qatar after a fantastic start to the season with PSG, in which he has scored 15 goals in 20 games.

His latest issue could prove just to be a scare. But until we know more, a nation will be holding its breath.

READ: Richarlison strikes twice as Brazil sink Serbia in FIFA WC clash

LUSAIL: Five-time champions Brazil marked a perfect start to their FIFA World Cup 2022 campaign as they outclassed Serbia 2-0 in the Group G clash at Lusail Stadium here on Thursday.

Tournament favourites Brazil announced themselves in the ongoing FIFA World Cup with a bang as they blew away Serbia to start their campaign with a convincing victory.

The record five-time winners had a sloppy first half as they toiled at times but recovered well after the break and retained their dominance over Serbia.

Tite’s side’s dominance then soon rewarded Brazil when Richarlison fired the opener in the 62nd minute.

Neymar Jr initiated the expedition for the breakthrough as he did well to dodge several Serbian defenders in the box before passing the ball to Vinicius Jr who fired a powerful strike from the left but it was saved by Serbian goalkeeper Vanja Milinković-Savić only for Richarlison to hit on the rebound into the nets.

Following the assist from Vinicius, Richarlison then struck in the 71st minute to double Brazil’s lead courtesy of an astounding acrobatic effort and placed a flying bicycle kick to perfection.

Following this victory, Brazil managed to extend their brilliant record in the group stages of the world cups as the former champions last suffered a setback in 1998 against Norway when they had already booked their berth into the next round.

The victory over Serbia also powered them to the top of Group G standings ahead of Switzerland, who edged Cameroon 1-0 earlier in the day, while Serbia sank to the bottom.

READ: Ronaldo’s Portugal edge brave Ghana in FIFA WC thriller

DOHA: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal held their nerves to keep spirited Ghana at the bay as they edged the African side 3-2 in the ongoing FIFA World Cup Group H thriller at Stadium 974 on Thursday.

Portugal busted the trend of shocks in this year’s FIFA World Cup as the side held brave Ghana despite a brave fight in the second half.

Portugal’s superstar Ronaldo put them ahead in the second half on penalty after both sides remained unable to taste a breakthrough in the first.

Ronaldo held his composure and hammered his right-footed strike over Ghana’s goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi and into the back of the net.

Following his 65th-minute penalty, Ronaldo became the only man to score at leas a goal in five world cups.

His counterpart Andre Ayew, however, took just eight minutes to fire an equalizer as the Ghana fans roared in delight.

Ghana’s celebrations, however, shortlived as Joao Felix restored Portugal’s lead five minutes later as he raced on to a through-ball and slotted his efforts over Ati-Zigi and fired into the nets.

Portugal then enhanced their domination over Ghana as Rafael Leao joined the scoring and doubled their lead and put his side into a commanding position.

The 88th minute marked a total of three substitutions made by Portugal including Ronaldo, who walked off the field two minutes away from the regulation time.

Osman Bukari then triggered a late twist with his 89th-minute consolation goal but the African side failed to net an equaliser; allowing Portugal to run away with the victory.

READ: President Alvi, outgoing COAS Bajwa attend PCB dinner for national team

DOHA: South Korea and Uruguay shared points in Group H after they ended on a goalless draw – fourth so far in this FIFA World Cup – in an evenly contested game, here at Education City Stadium on Thursday.

Uruguay captain Diego Godin and Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde came closest to scoring a breakthrough in each half but found themselves unlucky as both efforts ended up hitting the woodwork.

Hwang Ui-jo, however, missed Korea’s best chance to take lead in the 34th minute when he fired over the bar from only 10 yards out with only the goalkeeper to beat.

South Korea, who defeated Germany 2-0 in their previous World Cup match in 2018, have now kept consecutive clean sheets at the tournament for the first time.

The match witnessed an equally poised defensive strategy as neither Son Heung-min on one side nor Uruguay’s veteran strikers Luis Suarez, Darwin Nunez and Edinson Cavani could find a clear opening.

With one point each, group favourites Portugal now have a clear chance to go ahead of the two teams as they face Ghana later today.

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DOHA: Michy Batshuayi scored the match-winning goal in the first half to propel World No.2 Belgium hand a frustrating 1-0 defeat to Canada in the second Group F match of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022.

Canada, making their return to the world cup after a gap of 36 years, endured a frustrating defeat as Batshuayi-led Belgium edged by the slightest margin to hand them an opening setback.

John Herdman’s Canada missed a vital opportunity in the first half as Alphonso Davies failed to convert a penalty.

Belgium’s goalkeeper dived in the right direction to deny Canada an early lead.

Canada, fresh from the misery of missing the penalty, suffered another setback when Batshuayi fired the ball into the far corner of the net off Toby Alderweireld’s assist.

Herdman’s side then dominated the second half but to no avail as they could not fire an equalizer and Belgium ran away with the victory.

Following the victory, Belgium occupied the top spot in Group F standings as the earlier contest between Croatia and Morocco ended in a goalless tie, while Canada sank to the bottom after an opening defeat.

Canada will now take on Croatia on Sunday (November 27), while Belgium will face Morocco on the same day.

READ: Dominant Spain decimate Costa Rica in FIFA World Cup

DOHA: 2010 champions Spain started their FIFA World Cup 2022 campaign in style as they thwarted Costa Rica 7-0 in the second Group E clash here at Al Thumama Stadium on Wednesday.

Spain announced themselves in the ongoing FIFA World Cup with a bang as they blew away struggling Costa Rica to hand them the biggest defeat of this year’s mega event thus far.

Luis Enrique’s side displayed their domination over Costa Rica for the majority of the match and held possession for a whopping 82 per cent in comparison to Costa Rica’s 18.

The domination converted into the first goal in just 11 minutes when Dani Olmo calmly guided the ball to put the 2010 champions up front which was also their 100th goal in all world cups.

Olmo’s strike in the 11th minute was also Spain’s earliest goal in a world cup game after 2002.

Forward Marco Asensio then doubled Spain’s lead 10 minutes later as he swept the ball home off Jordi Alba’s low cross from the left edge.

The European side were in hot form at the Al Thumama Stadium and a goal from Ferran Torres on penalty put them in a commanding position before the half-time mark.

Torres then scored again after the break to retain Spain’s dominance before Gavi and Carlos Soler joined the scoring in the regulation to add further to Costa Rica’s misery.

Alvaro Morata’s stoppage-time strike was the cherry on top for Spain as they went on to claim the biggest victory of the ongoing mega event thus far, surpassing England, who blasted six goals against Iran.

READ: Pakistan name 17-man squad for Blind T20 World Cup in India

DOHA: Japan fired back-to-back strikes in eight second-half minutes to shock former champions Germany 2-1 in their opening Group E encounter of the FIFA World Cup 2022, here on Wednesday. 

The four-time champions Germany endured a frustrating opening defeat to start their world cup campaign as Japan stunned Hansi Flick’s side 2-1.

Germany had a quite convincing start to their campaign when Ilkay Gundogan provided them with an early first-half lead as he struck on the penalty in the 33rd minute.

The former champions then managed to retain their lead and dominance over Japan for the next 50 minutes before Ritsu Doan displayed impressive reflexes to fire the ball into the nets and neutralized Germany’s lead.

Doan’s equaliser filled in the Japanese player with momentum and they began to attack the German with more intensity which took only eight more minutes to pay them as Takuma Asano breached the defence line to fire the winning goal for the Asian giants.

Asano met Kou Itakura’s long ball from a free-kick in their own half and dodged the German defender Nico Schlotterbeck with a beautiful first touch. He darted into the box and smashed a shot from a tight angle to beat the German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

Japan will next face Costa Rica on Sunday, while Germany will take on Spain a day later.

READ: Pakistan lose spot to Australia in ODI rankings 

MANCHESTER: Manchester United’s owners said Tuesday they were ready to sell the club, potentially bringing down the curtain on an acrimonious 17 years under the Glazer family.

On a tumultuous day for the English giants, it was earlier revealed that star player Cristiano Ronaldo has left the club with “immediate effect.”

Weeks of turbulence appeared to have come to an end when United announced Ronaldo’s contract had been terminated by mutual agreement to bring to an end his second spell at Old Trafford.

That dramatic announcement was eclipsed just hours later by the news the US-based Glazer family could also be on their way out.

“The board will consider all strategic alternatives, including new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions involving the company,” United said in a statement.

The Glazers have been unpopular with supporters ever since a £790 million ($934 million) leveraged takeover in 2005 burdened the club with huge debts.

Frustration towards the Americans has only grown during a nine-year decline in results on the pitch since Alex Ferguson’s retirement as manager in 2013.

The Red Devils have not won the Premier League title since Ferguson’s final campaign in 2012/2013 and have failed to win any trophy since 2017.

United currently sit fifth in the Premier League, 11 points behind leaders Arsenal.

“We will evaluate all options to ensure that we best serve our fans and that Manchester United maximizes the significant growth opportunities available to the club today and in the future,” added Avram and Joel Glazer, the club’s executive co-chairmen and directors.

The statement also recognised the need for investment in stadium redevelopment.

Old Trafford remains the largest club stadium in England with a capacity of 74,000 but has not had a significant upgrade since 2006.

Ronaldo departs

Erik ten Hag is the fifth permanent manager at Old Trafford in the past nine years and his early months in charge have been dominated by debate over Ronaldo’s place in the team.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner had been used sparingly by the former Ajax boss in the Premier League.

Ronaldo reacted with an explosive interview on TalkTV last week in which he said he felt “betrayed” by the club and had no respect for Ten Hag.

The Portugal captain, who is currently competing in his fifth World Cup, also took aim at the Glazers, claiming they “don’t care about the club”.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect,” United said in an earlier statement.

“The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances, and wishes him and his family well for the future.”

News of the Glazers inviting investment comes just weeks after Liverpool’s American owners, the Fenway Sports Group, indicated they were willing to sell.

Both United and Liverpool were involved in the failed European Super League (ESL) project that sought to create a US-style closed league format for Europe’s elite clubs without the need to qualify or promotion and relegation.

Amid a furious backlash to the ESL, a match between United and Liverpool was abandoned in May 2021 after supporters stormed the pitch at a time when fans were shut out of stadiums due to coronavirus restrictions.

Protests against the Glazers have continued to be common on matchdays at Old Trafford despite huge spending on player transfer fees and wages, including on Ronaldo’s homecoming.

In May, Premier League rivals Chelsea were sold for £2.5 billion ($3 billion), a record for a football club, to another American consortium led by Todd Boehly, with a further investment of £1.75 billion promised on the playing squad and infrastructure.

READ: PCB to host dinner in honour of Babar Azam and his team

DOHA: Aggressive Moroccan side held the 2018 FIFA World Cup runner-ups struggling for a breakthrough, as the opening Group F fixture ended in a goalless draw, the third in less than 24 hours, here at Al-Bayt Stadium on Thursday. 

The see-saw battle between the two sides witnessed an enthralling display of defence as there were only attempts on target, two by each team but no strike.

Morocco proved to be an enormous challenge for Luka Modric’s side as they lost just two games of their last 41 games in three years while Croatia extended their own unbeaten run to seven after this match.

The only opportunity to take a lead for Morocco arose in the 51st minute when Soufiane Boufal’s long-range shot was blocked by Dejan Lovren.

Modric and Ivan Perisic also came close to netting the ball in the first half but send their efforts to the crossbar.

With the draw in the first game, Belgium and Canada now have a chance to take lead in Group F as they face each other later today.

Croatia will next play Canada on Sunday while Croatia will take on Belgium earlier on the same day.

AL-WAKRAH: Defending champions France retained their dominance over spirited Australia and handed them a crushing 4-1 defeat despite an early lead in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Group D fixture on Tuesday.

Reigning champions scripted a perfect start to their title defence as they downed spirited Australia 4-1 in their opening FIFA World Cup 2022 match.

Didier Deschamps’ side had a rather unwanted start to their campaign as they endured an early setback in form of Craig Goodwin’s ninth-minute goal.

Despite an early deficit, France, held their composure and launched a counterattack that soon paid them as Adrien Rabiot fired an equalizer in the 27th minute.

Olivier Giroud then soon put France in the lead in the 32nd minute as he scored his 50th international goal.

France’s star player Kylian Mbappe then joined the party in the second half as he got his name on the scoresheet who got into the box after a wayward cross as Ousmane Dembele picked up the ball and floated the ball for Mbappe to fire in a perfect header.

Giroud then struck again in the 71st minute to seal the win and also equaled Henry’s record tally of 51 goals for France.

The dominant victory over Australia propelled France to the top of Group D standings after the Denmark-Tunisia stalemate earlier.

The defending champions next face Denmark on Saturday, while Australia will take on Tunisia on the same day.