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: Last World Cup’s finalists Croatia maintained their unbeaten run in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 as they hammered spirited Canada 4-1 to move closer to securing a Round of 16 berth.
Last world cup’s runners-up, who were stunned by the two-minute strike from Canada’s Alphonso Davies, held their nerves to hand John Herdman’s side a 4-1 thrashing and knocked them out of the title race.
Canada failed to carry on their domination and failed to hold on to their early lead as Andrej Kramaric took just 34 minutes to fire an equalizer for his side.
Marko Livaja then put Croatia in command before halftime as he received the ball near Canada’s penalty area and took a touch before firing it into the nets.
Croatia continued to dominate nervy Canada in the second half and the game slipped out of Herdman’s men’s grasp in the 70th minute when Kramaric scored his double as he took a touch to bring himself closer to the woodwork before firing a low shot into the bottom corner.
Lovro Majer then added further to the misery of Canada with a late strike off Mislav Orsic’s assist, who burst into the penalty area before squaring it to Majer for the easy finish.
Following the victory, Croatia occupied the top spot in Group F standings – ahead of Morocco on goal difference – and a draw in their final game against Belgium on Thursday would guarantee they reach the last 16.
READ: Morcco upset Belgium 2-0 to ignite Round of 16 qualification race
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.
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DOHA: Defending champions France continued their dominating campaign in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 as they edged spirited Denmark 2-1 to make it to the Round of 16 with one group match to spare.
Star footballer Kylian Mbappe netted twice in France’s hard-fought victory over Denmark that powered them to become the first side to qualify for the Round of 16.
Mbappe was again the star of an important clash for France as his match-winning 86th-minute goal steered them to claim a second consecutive victory.
Denmark put up a decent fight in the first half as their defence stood up to bar French strikers to fire a breakthrough and the scoreboard remained clean until the first half.
Theo Hernandez high-pressed on Denmark as he charged up the pitch on the left side before feeding it to Mbappe, who carried the ball brilliantly to the edge of the area and the former continued his run to provide an option for a one-two pass that allowed Mbappe to dispatch a tricky short.
Denmark, however, took just seven minutes to draw level as Andreas Christensen converted a risky corner into an equalizer courtesy of a well-judged header.
Les Bleus then needed Mbappe to produce a tie-breaker and he did so in time as he turned in Antoine Griezmann’s cross to put Denmark’s resistance to rest and allowed his side to avoid a stalemate.
Following his double against Denmark, Mbappe became only the second French player to score in three consecutive world cup games. He now has seven world cup goals in nine appearances for France.
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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.
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DOHA: Breel Embolo scored his first World Cup goal to steer Switzerland to their opening win in the FIFA World Cup 2022 as they defeat Cameroon 1-0 in a Group G encounter, here at Al Janoub Stadium on Thursday.
Embolo struck the lone goal of the match three minutes into the second half from close range on a low cross from Xherdan Shaqiri to help the Swiss team secure three crucial points in the group which also includes favourites Brazil and Serbia.
With the defeat, Cameroon have now lost eight games in a row at the FIFA World Cups.
The Swiss team looked in complete control of the opponents as they breached the opponent’s defence on multiple occasions but have few shots on target in the first half.
After the early lead in the second half, another opportunity arose in the 67th minute when unmarked Vargas had a powerful shot aimed at the target but Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana pushed his effort wide.
Switzerland will next face Brazil on November 28 while Cameroon will play Serbia earlier that day.
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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.
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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.