Play in Groups E and F continues on Sunday after an action-packed opening week of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
One of the Group E favorites – four-time men’s World Cup champions Germany – was knocked out 2-1 by Japan on Wednesday. Germany now faces the daunting task of taking on Spain, who looked like they were outclassed in the world in a 7-0 win over outclassed Costa Rica.
Canada, playing in the World Cup for the first time since 1986, came away with a narrow 1-0 defeat against Belgium. On Sunday, they will face Croatia, who were eliminated from a goalless draw against Morocco.
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Pressured by Morocco, Courtois chose to show off his moves. And the goalkeeper, with the ball at his feet, unbalanced Moroccan striker Youssef En-Nesiri as he rushed – a tense moment from Courtois, but it worked in the end.
With the win, Belgium would secure a place in the round of 16. A draw between the two teams turns the pressure into the final round of group stage matches.
Belgium (3-4-2-1): Courtois. Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Meunier; T. Hazard, Witsel, Onana, Castagne; Hazard, De Bruyne; Batshuayi
Morocco (4-3-3): Mounir Elkagui, Mazraoui, Sayes, Ajourd, Hakami; Mother of God, Amrbat, Onahi; Boufal, An-Nusayri, Zikh
Batshuayi had an early chance for Belgium which was saved by Munir El Kegwi, followed by two set chances.
In the FIFA World Cup, the easiest way to advance to the knockout stage is to simply win. But often, this is not the case.
Enter the World Cup tiebreaker that decides the last 16 teams in the tournament. During the group stage, countries play the other three teams in their groups once. The top two teams with the most points advance to the knockout stage. A win gets 3 points, a tie gets 1 point and a loss earns nothing.
Scobey Axon explains what happens if teams are tied on points after their final group stage matches.
DOHA, Qatar — American Football has removed the emblem of the Islamic Republic from the Iranian flag on some of its social media posts as a way to show support for the protests in Iran.
A graph of the World Cup Group B standings, posted to Instagram, Twitter and Facebook on Saturday, showed a green, white and red flag. The banner on the US men’s national team’s Twitter page, which lists the team’s matches in the tournament’s group stage, was also changed on Saturday to show the Iranian flag without the Islamic Republic’s crest. After being up for 24 hours, it was changed again on Sunday afternoon to the logo used by American football during the tournament.
The changes ahead of Tuesday’s game against Iran were intentional, with an NFL spokesperson saying they were the federation’s way of showing “support for women in Iran who are fighting for basic human rights.”
The official Iranian flag can still be seen elsewhere on USA Football’s social media accounts, including on its homepage on the web. The removal of the badge was not intended as a permanent protest, and future American Football posts are expected to use the official Iranian flag. – Nancy Armor
Kesher Fuller scored in the 81st minute to lead Costa Rica to a 1-0 win over Japan on Sunday, leaving both sides with three points after two matches in World Cup Group E.
Japan has one match left in the group with Spain, and Costa Rica faces Germany in the last group matches. With the win, Japan would have secured a place in the knockout rounds after a 2-1 victory over Germany in the opening match. Costa Rica had beaten Spain 7-0 in their first game and were trying to survive. – News agency
Japan took a late lead against Costa Rica, but goalkeeper Keylor Navas and the Costa Rican defense put their bodies on the line to retain the lead.
After dampening the first half to remain scoreless, Costa Rica broke through at the end of the second half. Keysher Fuller fires from the center of the box. Goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda missed his jump and the mistake cost Japan the opening goal.
Japan made two substitutions at the end of the first half, adapting to a 3-4-3 attacking style. Hiroki Ito entered the match as the third central defender, and Takuma Asano increased the attack.
In the 50th minute, Ko Itakura and Wataru Endo made saves. Defender Francisco Calvo made a quick save to stop Endo’s attempt and keep the score level.
For Costa Rica, things are going according to plan. Los Tecos sit back and prevent Japan from running past their defence. For Japan, they’ll want to make a few changes to get a score on the board and keep their Round of 16 hopes alive.
First half stats:
- Property: Japan 42%, Costa Rica 58%
- Shots: Japan 2 (0 on goal), Costa Rica 3 (0 on goal)
Costa Rica are playing for pride after losing their opening match 7-0 to Spain, while Japan will look to prove that victory over Germany was no fluke.
Japan, which pressured Germany early on, stayed ahead of Los Tecos, splitting the battle for possession (Japan 44%, Costa Rica 56%). Japan’s best attacking attempt came from Ritsu Doan, who shot in the penalty area, but his cross was caught by goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
Want to watch the US men’s national team come back with a winning game or go home against Iran, find out what is likely to happen to Lionel Messi last with Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo with Portugal or witness France’s title defense run? Add matches to your calendar and stay up to date with the latest tournament news.
These two European heavyweights had very different experiences in their opening World Cup matches. While Spain opened with a 7-0 win over Costa Rica, Germany were on the wrong end of one of the most stunning results of this tournament, losing 2-1 to Japan. Die Mannschaft is in a critical situation. They must get a result against Spain or find themselves on the brink of not being knocked out in the group stages of a second consecutive World Cup.
time: Sunday, November 27 at 2 p.m. ET
stadium: home stadium
How to watch: FS1 and Telemundo or broadcast on fuboTV and Peacock (in Spanish)
Croatia vs. Canada – 11 am
play in their first World Cup finals since 1986, Canada put in an inspiring performance in a 1-0 setback to Belgium, the third-place finisher at the 2018 World Cup. Now, Canada must face the 2018 runners-up, Croatia. Canada coach John Herdman added some possible bulletin board material “I told (the players) that they belong here and we will go and Croatia,” said the Croatian, after his team lost on Wednesday. Croatia is on the brink of a 0-0 draw with Morocco.
time: Sunday, November 27 at 11 a.m. ET
stadium: Khalifa International Stadium
How to watch: FS1 and Telemundo or broadcast on fuboTV and Peacock (in Spanish)
Belgium v Morocco – 8 am
Morocco held a goalless draw with 2018 World Cup qualifiers Croatia in their opener, and now they’re targeting another team that made a deep run at the last World Cup, Belgium.
time: Sunday, November 27 at 8 a.m. ET
stadium: Al Thumama Stadium
How to watch: FS1 and Telemundo or stream on fuboTV and Peacock (Spanish)
Japan vs. Costa Rica – 5 am
time: Sunday, November 27 at 5 a.m. ET
stadium: Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium
How to watch: FS1 and Telemundo or broadcast on fuboTV and Peacock (in Spanish)
