Tag: FIFA World Cup 2022

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.

DOHA: Tunisia and Denmark collectively made 24 shots without a single goal being scored in a Group D match that ended with both teams securing a point each, here at Education City Stadium on Tuesday.  

Denmark were denied a late penalty following a VAR review deep into the stoppage time when the ball hit Yassine Meriah’s hand in the box after a cross from Christian Eriksen.

Eriksen, who was on his first major outing after 18 months after facing a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, had his chances thwarted by the Tunisian goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen while he set up all three shots made by Denmark in the first half.

Tunisia took the field with an attacking mindset and dominated the opponents in the first half as Issam Jebali hit the nets in the 24th minute but was ruled out for offside, while his chip was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel two minutes before halftime.

Denmark also had a goal ruled out when Andreas Skov Olsen found the bottom corner after Damsgaard’s shot was saved 10 minutes into the second half.

Denmark will now face defending champions France on Saturday, while Tunisia will play Australia earlier that day.

READ: UK embassy delegation visits Pindi Stadium to review security for first Test

DOHA: Saudi Arabia blasted back-to-back strikes in five second-half minutes to shock favourites Argentina 2-1 in their opening Group C encounter of the FIFA World Cup 2022, here on Tuesday. 

The Copa America champions faced their first defeat after 36 games as Lionel Messi’s first-half penalty was neutralized by Salah Alshehri three minutes after halftime before Salem Aldawsri put Saudi in lead five minutes later.

The PSG star scored the first goal of his final World Cup and took Argentina in lead early in the first half after a foul from Al Bulayahi as he took down Parades in the box.

The South American nation lost for the first time after leading the halftime since the 1930 final against Uruguay.

The Arab team, however, scored an equalizer with a brilliant left-footed shot by Alshehri that cut across goalkeeper Martinez and landed in the bottom right corner. Aldawsri, however, struck the winner in the 53rd minute when he clawed in with a powerful curling shot into the far corner.

Saudi goalkeeper Al Owais remained phenomenal in the later part of the second half denying Argentina any chance to equalize as he saved Angel Di María’s perfectly set-up shot from the right side of the box.

With the win, Saudia take the first three points in Group C to finish at top with Poland and Mexico set to face off later today.

DOHA: Leroy Sane has been ruled out of Germany’s opening game against Japan in the FIFA World Cup 2022 as the winger sustained a knee injury in training. 

Taking to Twitter, the German Football Association (DFB) on Tuesday confirmed the Bayern Munich forward’s unavailability for Wednesday’s Group E clash.

“The 26-year-old offensive player from champions FC Bayern Munich is unavailable against the four-time Asian champions due to knee problems. The remaining 25 players of the German World Cup squad took part in the final training session in Al-Shamal.” read the statement issued by  DFB.

“After lunch, the four-time world champions’ squad head to Qatar’s capital, Doha, where captain Manuel Neuer and company will spend the night before the opening game,” it added.

With ten goals and six assists in 19 games, he played for Bayern across all competitions this season, Sane, 25, looked in top form as he entered Qatar to strengthen Germany’s chances to lift the trophy.

The former Manchester City winger has been a regular feature of the German team since making his debut in 2015. He appeared in 45 games for his national side, scoring 11 goals.

Germany will take on Spain and Costa Rica, respectively, in Group E after Japan clash.

READ: Bale strikes late on penalty as Wales hang on for draw against USA

AR-RAYYAN: Wales forward Gareth Bale struck late on the penalty to power his side to hang on for a draw against the United States of America (USA) in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Group B fixture on Monday.

Welsh skipper Bale saved his side from an anticipated defeat on their world cup return as his late penalty strike in the 82nd minute snatched a 1-1 draw with the USA.

Rob Page’s decision of not to kick off with center-forward Kieffer Moore seemed to have backfired as the USA carried out an early assault on the European side.

The attack soon turned into a goal when Christian Pulisic spotted space in Wales’ defence and threaded a low ball through to Timothy Weah, who took just one stride before sliding the ball home past Welsh goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

Following an early lead and Wales’ struggle to break down the strong US defence indicated a disappointing world cup return for Page’s side.

However, a blunderous sliding tackle from Walker Zimmerman inside the USA area upended Welsh skipper Kane and glimmered a ray of hope for Wales as the referee awarded the latter with a penalty kick.

The Welsh skipper capitalized on the vital opportunity to fire a much-needed equalizer for his side as he drove the ball into the top of the net.

Following his timely strike and holding his nerves, Bale not only rescued Wales from the defeat but also became only the fourth Welsh footballer to score a world cup goal.

His match-saving penalty was also the first goal that Wales scored against the USA in all competitions.

READ: Late strikes propel Netherlands to edge Senegal in FIFA WC 

DOHA: Cody Gakpo and Davy Klaassen struck late to power the Netherlands to a scintillating 2-0 victory over Senegal in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Group A fixture at Al Thumama Stadium, here on Monday.

The Netherlands marked their return to the world cup stages in style as they outclassed African champions Senegal to book their first triumph in the ongoing mega event.

Senegal without their star player Sadio Mane, while the Netherlands missed their forward Memphis Depay as a tense Group A encounter between the two powerhouses was on the track of a goalless draw.

However, with just six minutes away from the conclusion of regulation time, the Dutch forward Gakpo broke the shackles and opened the scoring with an astounding header that stunned Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

Coming in for Steven Bergwijn in the 79th minute, Klaassen then doubled Netherlands’ lead in the extra time as he struck on the rebound of Mendy’s save off Frenkie de Jong’s cross from the left.

Following their 2-0 victory over Senegal, the Netherlands level with Ecuador on top of the Group A standings, while Senegal will take on Qatar in a must-win encounter.

READ: Dominant England thwart Iran in FIFA World Cup

DOHA: England scripted a perfect start to their FIFA World Cup 2022 campaign as Gareth Southgate’s side thrashed Iran 6-2 in the first Group B fixture at the Khalifa International Stadium here on Monday.

England underlined their title credentials in their first FIFA World Cup match against struggling Iran and put on a dominant show.

Southgate’s side tasted their first success in the 35th minute when Jude Bellingham, unmarked on the penalty spot, guided Luke Shaw’s assist to leave Iran’s goalkeeper Hossein Hosseini clueless as the ball blasted into the nets.

Midfielder Bukayo Saka then doubled England’s lead in the 43rd minute after Harry Maguire kicked from the corner and Kieran Trippier nodded it to Saka who let it bounce in front of him before firing it into the post on the bounce.

The European side were in hot form at the Khalifa International Stadium and a goal from Raheem Sterling off Harry Kane’s assist put them in a commanding position before the half-time mark.

Saka then scored again after the break to retain England’s dominance before Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish joined the scoring to add further to Iran’s misery.

Mehdi Taremi, however, scored twice for Iran, including a consolation goal on the penalty that came in the closing moments of the game after John Stones committed a foul on Taremi by holding the latter’s shirt.

Taremi’s twin strikes turned out insufficient for Iran as England ran away with an emphatic 6-2 victory to start their world cup campaign in style.

England will now take on the United States of America (USA) on Friday before concluding their Group B fixtures against Wales on November 29.

DOHA: Ecuador skipper and forward Enner Valencia struck twice to power his side to an emphatic 2-0 victory over Qatar in the opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Ecuador showcased their domination over Qatar right from the start as their forward Valencia netted the ball just three minutes into the game following a terrible mistake by Saad Al Sheeb as the latter failed to punch away the ball from danger.

The goal, however, was ruled out for offside as VAR showed Valencia invading the line as he converted Felix Torre’s scuffed overhead kick.

Qatar goalkeeper Al Sheeb then received a yellow card for bringing down Valencia in the penalty area and hence the referee awarded a penalty to the latter.

Valencia, consequently, held his composure calm to slot his effort into the bottom-right corner and powered Ecuador to get off the mark in just the 16th minute.

Despite taking an early lead, Ecuador continued to put Qatar’s defences to the test. In the 29th minute, Torre got the closest to adding another goal but he hooked the ball over the top.

A couple of minutes later, however, Valencia doubled Ecuador’s lead over Qatar with a perfect header into the bottom-left corner.

Both sides continued their search for a goal till the conclusion of the first half but the scoreboard remained intact at 2-0 in Ecuador’s favour.

Ecuador endured a massive setback in the 77th minute when their key forward Valencia walked off the field due to a knee injury.

Qatar, on the other hand, did well in the second half to deny any further damage and even came close to scoring a consolation goal in the 86th minute when Mohammad Muntari latched over the ball over the top and fired it just over the bar.

Following a defeat in the opening match, Qatar became the first host nation to lose their first match of the FIFA World Cup.

The action-filled matches of the FIFA World Cup are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and are simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

READ: Holders France rocked as injury rules Benzema out of World Cup 

DOHA: France’s hopes of successfully defending the World Cup were dealt a huge blow late on Saturday as Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema was ruled out of the tournament in Qatar with an injured left thigh.

The 34-year-old Real Madrid striker had been struggling with the injury for some time and had played less than half an hour of football in his club’s last six games before the World Cup.

On Saturday, he took part in full training for the first time since the World Cup holders gathered last week ahead of the tournament.

He was forced to withdraw from the session at the home stadium of Qatari champions Al Sadd with the injury and was taken for tests.

The French Football Federation (FFF) later said in a statement that the injury “will require a recovery period of three weeks”, ruling out any prospect of him being fully fit for the tournament which finishes on December 18.

“I am extremely sad for Karim, for whom this World Cup was a major objective,” France coach Didier Deschamps was quoted as saying in the FFF statement.

“Despite this new blow for the France team I have full faith in my squad. We will do all we can to rise to the huge challenge that awaits us.”

The 36-year-old Olivier Giroud is set to benefit from Benzema’s absence by coming into the France attack alongside Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann.

However, under FIFA rules Deschamps can still call up a replacement for an injured player until Monday, on the eve of their first game.

France begin their defence of the trophy on Tuesday, when they take on Australia in Al Wakrah.

They will also play Denmark and Tunisia in Group D as they aim to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to retain the World Cup.

DOHA: Lionel Messi, along with six other Argentina players, missed the first training session in Qatar on Friday, just four days ahead of their FIFA World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia in Group C. 

The biggest sporting event of the year is set to kick off tomorrow (Sunday) with host Qatar taking on Ecuador in the opening game after a grand opening ceremony.

Messi, regarded as one of the finest footballers in the world, enters the competition with the optimism to fill the only missing pearl in an otherwise successful sporting career and take Argentina to its first World Cup victory after 36 years.

On Friday, around 400 reporters gathered at Qatar University, where Argentina were holding their opening training session, to catch a glimpse of the 35-year-old star footballer. Yet they returned dejected when he didn’t appear.

Argentine outlet Ole reported that the Paris Saint-Germain star spent the start of Friday’s training session in the gym as part of a ‘special’ programme designed for him to prevent any risk of injury before the megaevent.

Messi was joined by midfielders Rodrigo De Paul and Leandro Paredes, defender Nicolas Otamendi and forward Angel di Maria in separate training from the rest of the team.

Earlier, two Argentinian players Joaquin Correa and Nicolas Gonzalez were sent home due to injuries ahead of the team’s debut, with Angel Correa and Thiago Almada named as their replacements.

Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner has the lost shot to win the biggest glory for his national side since he had already announced that Qatar would be his last World Cup.

READ: FIFA guarantees more accurate offside decisions in Qatar World Cup