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Southgate reminds England it hasn’t beaten US at World Cup
Their head-to-head record at the World Cup, England coach Gareth Southgate duly noted, is in favor of the United States.
That’s right. The Americans beat England 1-0 at the 1950 World Cup and the teams played to a 1-1 draw in 2010.
Their next match is coming Friday in Qatar, and Southgate told his players to go out and finally get one back.
“Have we ever beaten the States in a major tournament?” Southgate asked during his pre-match news conference. “No, I didn’t think so. So tomorrow we have to try to make history.”
Southgate also poked fun at England’s reputation for building up expectations as it searches for its first World Cup title since its only tournament win in 1966.
“We are good at that,” Southgate said. “We are good at talking highly of ourselves as a nation on the basis of very little evidence. So what we’ve got to do is perform on the field. We know we will play a highly motivated team.
“But we’ve got huge respect for our opponent. We know a lot of the players from our league. We’ve got to be at our best. The risk is we think because we’ve played well the other day we can just go through to the next game.”
Read: England wary of World Cup upset against US
The England team should get a boost from having striker Harry Kane available for the Group B match. Kane, who was the leading scorer at the 2018 World Cup, didn’t score in the team’s opening 6-2 rout of Iran but he did injure his left ankle.
“Harry’s good,” Southgate said. “It would be a brave decision to leave him out of the starting (lineup).”
England should also have Harry Maguire back after the defender left the opening match with blurred vision.
At the moment, he’s trying to keep his eyes focused on the World Cup and not the upheaval back at Manchester United.
“I’m here with England,” the defender said. “I’m playing at a World Cup — the greatest tournament in the world. So for me to keep distractions away has been easy. I’m fully focused on winning each game I play for my country.”
Read: Ronaldo makes history, becomes first male player to score at five World Cups
A lot has happened back at his club since Maguire flew out to Qatar with the rest of the England squad. Teammate Cristiano Ronaldo had his contract terminated following an explosive interview in which he criticized manager Erik ten Hag, the club’s owners and some players. That was quickly followed by the news that the Glazer family is prepared to put United up for sale as it seeks outside investment.
“Yeah, there’s been obviously a lot of talk going off around the club at the moment,” Maguire said, “but I’ve been fully focused on England and that’s my priority.”
Maguire, whose poor form with United led to him being dropped by Ten Hag, has been a key figure in England’s success at its last two tournaments — reaching the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup and the final of last year’s European Championship, which it lost in a penalty shootout against Italy.
“Obviously being picked for your country is a huge privilege,” said Maguire, who is set to make his 50th appearance for the national team against the United States. “It’s the pinnacle of anybody’s footballing career to play at major tournaments for your country, World Cups especially. It’s the biggest tournament in the world.”
Thuram isn’t burdened by his father’s World Cup achievements
Marcus Thuram doesn’t feel burdened by his father’s legacy for France.
Lilian Thuram was part of France’s first World Cup title in 1998 and scored twice in the semifinals to lead Les Blues into the final against Brazil. Marcus Thuram made his World Cup debut on Tuesday in France’s 4-1 victory over Australia.
“It’s no problem for me talking about him,” the 25-year-old said Thursday. “I’m proud of him.”
He was approaching his first birthday when his father scored the only two international goals of his career in the 1998 semifinals, a 2-1 win over Croatia. Lilian Thuram was also part of the defense that beat Brazil 3-0 in the final.
Read: Young Spain bring back 'tiki-taka' at World Cup
Two years later, the elder Thuram won the European Championship and also reached the 2006 World Cup final. He holds the France record with 142 national appearances.
Lilian Thuram also won two Italian league titles with Juventus, as well as the UEFA Cup with Parma, where his son was born in 1997.
It’s given Marcus Thuram huge steps to follow in, but he isn’t concerned by comparisons in his first World Cup.
“I don’t put myself under this kind of pressure. I’m very happy to be here,” he said. “Maybe when I look back over my career I’ll think about it.”
His father is not putting him under any pressure, either.
“He hasn’t told me to score twice in a (World Cup) semifinals,” Marcus Thuram joked. “But he told me to gain as much experience as I can here and to enjoy the moment.”
He did need his father’s advice last season when Marcus Thuram lost his form and scored only three goals in 21 games for Borussia Moenchengladbach in the German Bundesliga.
“I had to make sure that my dreams didn’t fade away. I spoke a lot to my dad then,” the striker said. “I’ve worked very hard on the mental aspect of my game. I’m playing in a more central role now as a number nine, and that’s made things easier for me.”
Read: England wary of World Cup upset against US
He’s scored 10 league goals in 13 games this season and is eager for his first international goal.
“I know I have a responsibility to score goals and I like that,” he said.
France plays Denmark on Saturday.
Japan’s Doan savors answering Germany jibes at World Cup
Just wait, thought Ritsu Doan. Just wait.
The Japan midfielder, who plays for German team Freiburg, had to grit his teeth when he heard people saying his team would be an easy opponent for Germany at the World Cup.
“I listened to their talks with a fake smile on my face and in my heart,” the 24-year-old Doan said Thursday after sparking a remarkable comeback and arguably the biggest result in Japan’s World Cup history the night before.
After entering in the 71st minute, Doan only needed four minutes to cancel Ilkay Gündogan’s first-half penalty with the equalizer, then he watched as fellow substitute Takuma Asano bagged the winner in the 83rd for Japan’s 2-1 win.
“I thought it was the coolest thing I could do as a man to shut them up by winning, so I’m glad I won and so could do that,” Doan said.
The surprise win over the four-time champion set off wild celebrations from the sizeable contingent of Japanese fans at the Khalifa International Stadium and prompted outpourings of joy from fans watching the goals on large screens at home.
Read: Ronaldo makes history, becomes first male player to score at five World Cups
“I think that the whole of Japan was very excited,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said. “I was able to watch the game on TV and it was a great victory.”
Kishida paid tribute to the “team power, individual power and the direction of the coach.”
Japan forward Daizen Maeda said it was “the happiest moment I have ever had in my football career.”
While Japan celebrated what coach Hajime Moriyasu called a “a historic moment, a historic victory” immediately after the game, the former midfielder struck a more cautious note the next day as he attempted to refocus the side for the next match against Costa Rica on Sunday.
“I keep saying that we should not be too happy or sad about the results,” the coach said Thursday. “The result against Germany is already in the past, so we will do our best to prepare ourselves to win the next match. We will do what we have always been doing and be ready for the next game.”
Costa Rica’s campaign at the World Cup started with a 7-0 thrashing from Spain.
Japan can theoretically even book its place in the second round with a win on Sunday, depending on a favor from Spain against Germany.
Japan is playing in its seventh straight World Cup and Moriyasu previously said the team’s aim is to reach the quarterfinals for the first time.
Even Doan has toned down his excitement as he looks forward to the challenges ahead.
Read: England wary of World Cup upset against US
“We haven’t changed history yet, but I think it was a historic match, so I celebrated with all my teammates yesterday,” Doan said. “But from today, I really changed my mind and am preparing for the Costa Rica game, so I will be careful not to be big-headed.”
Japan defender Yuto Nagatomo received a flood of calls and emails from friends and family after the game.
“So I really feel that this was a historic victory,” Nagatomo said. “I will be happy if this will help liven up football again and improve the popularity of the sport. We have only won one game, so I want to focus on the next game.”
Whatever happens for the rest of the tournament, Nagatomo said the win over Germany was “one of the best experiences in my football career.”
World Cup logs more than half the record of scoreless draws
The 0-0 draw between Uruguay and South Korea on Thursday was the fourth scoreless game of this year’s World Cup — already more than half the tournament record through the first set of matches.
The record for scoreless draws in the World Cup is seven, done four times, in 1982, 2006, 2010 and 2014. The 2018 tournament in Russia had only one 0-0 draw, between Denmark and France.
Through the 16 games completed Thursday, the Mexico-Poland, Denmark-Tunisia, Croatia-Morocco and South Korea-Uruguay matches all went scoreless.
Read more: FIFA World Cup: Neymar in tears after injury against Serbia
There were no scoreless draws in 1930, 1934, 1938, 1950 or 1954. Before the start in Qatar, the World Cup averaged more than two goals per game. The highest average came in 1954, when 140 goals were scored in 26 games at 5.38 per game.
The least prolific scoring World Cup was the 1990 tournament when 115 goals were scored at only 2.21 goals per game.
Read more: FIFA World Cup: Richarlison's second-half brace give Brazil 2-0 win over Serbia
FIFA World Cup: Neymar in tears after injury against Serbia
Neymar sat crying on the bench and later left the stadium limping with a swollen right ankle after Brazil’s 2-0 victory over Serbia at the World Cup on Thursday.
Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said Neymar sprained his ankle.
“We put ice on it while he was on the bench and then in physiotherapy,” Lasmar said. “There is no test scheduled for now but we will schedule it if needed. He will be under observation. We will know more tomorrow.”
Brazil coach Tite said he was “confident that Neymar will continue playing at the World Cup,” but Lasmar said it was too early to comment on the extent of the injury.
Read more: FIFA World Cup: Richarlison's second-half brace give Brazil 2-0 win over Serbia
Neymar was also injured at the 2014 World Cup. Playing at home in Brazil, his tournament ended with a back injury in the quarterfinals against Colombia when he had to be taken off the field on a stretcher. Brazil ended up losing to Germany 7-1 in the semifinals.
Neymar, who was fouled nine times in the match against Serbia, got injured in the second half and was substituted in the 79th minute. Tite said he stayed on the field for 11 minutes before asking to be replaced.
“He overcame the injury because the team needed him,” Tite said. “I didn’t even see that he had been injured. He just kept playing.”
Neymar was in tears on the bench as doctors began treating him in the final minutes of the game at Lusail Stadium. He pulled his shirt over his head as doctors taped ice around his foot. He went into the locker room limping, and also limped as he left the stadium without speaking to reporters.
“The most important thing for us it to have him at 100% for the next match,” said Brazil striker Richarlison, who scored both goals on Thursday, including one after a buildup started by Neymar. “When I get to the hotel I’m going to go and see how he is doing.”
Neymar was tackled hard a few times during the match and was limping and grimacing before having to leave the field. He was the most fouled player on the field.
Read more: Ronaldo makes history, becomes first male player to score at five World Cups
The 30-year-old Neymar has yet to win a major title with the national team. He helped the “Seleção” win the 2013 Confederations Cup and its first Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.
With 75 goals for the national team, he is two shy of Pelé’s scoring record.
2 brothers, 2 teams, 2 contrasting experiences at World Cup
Joy for the Williams family of Spain on Wednesday at the World Cup. Then despair for the same Williams family, who are also of Ghana, on Thursday.
Williams brothers Iñaki and Nico have managed to mark both sides of their family's heritage in a remarkable way at this World Cup in Qatar by playing for two different countries. They were both born in Spain but their parents are from Ghana.
Nico was part of the young Spain team that beat Costa Rica 7-0 on Wednesday in the tournament's most compelling performance so far. He came on as a second-half substitute to make his World Cup debut in Spain's record win at the tournament.
Read more: Ronaldo makes history, becomes first male player to score at five World Cups
A day later, big brother Iñaki played his first World Cup game for Ghana, a 3-2 loss to Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal.
That meant a complicated 24 hours in the family home back in Spain with celebrations for 20-year-old Nico no doubt swiftly followed by commiserations for 28-year-old Iñaki. The same for the two brothers, who Ghana coach Otto Addo said both feel as Spanish as they do Ghanaian.
“I know that they both have a good strong relationship with their mother and their fatherland,” was how Addo put it.
Because of his love for his parents' country, Iñaki's integration into the Ghana team has been very easy, Addo added, even if he was born in Bilbao and raised in the Basque region.
Read more: Iranian soccer player arrested amid World Cup scrutiny
Iñaki, a forward just like Nico, played the whole game for Ghana against Portugal and stood in the center circle at Stadium 974 in Doha at the end with his hands on his head and looking bitterly disappointed with the loss.
“Maybe for some it’s difficult to understand but I think it’s really possible to have two countries in your heart,” Addo said of Iñaki. “And surely he has Ghana in his heart from day one. But also Spain.”
The story behind the situation involves their parents' decision to leave Ghana nearly 30 years ago to find a better life in Europe.
Never could Felix and Maria Williams have thought they would end up with two sons playing at the World Cup when they trekked barefoot through parts of a desert and climbed a fence to get into Spain in the early 1990s. Maria was pregnant with Iñaki at the time.
They settled in Bilbao and both boys grew up to be soccer players. They still play club soccer together for hometown team Athletic Bilbao.
Read more: Wales fans can wear rainbow hats in stadiums
The brothers' careers have always been connected, even after Iñaki decided this year to switch allegiance to Ghana and go back to his roots. Them playing for two different countries in the space of 24 hours was not the first time it has happened.
Iñaki made his debut for Ghana on Sept. 23 this year against Brazil. Nico made his first appearance for Spain against Switzerland a day later.
Iranian soccer player arrested amid World Cup scrutiny
Iran arrested a prominent former member of its national soccer team on Thursday over his criticism of the government as authorities grapple with nationwide protests that have cast a shadow over its competition at the World Cup.
The semiofficial Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported that Voria Ghafouri was arrested for “insulting the national soccer team and propagandizing against the government."
Ghafouri, who was not chosen to go to the World Cup, has been an outspoken critic of Iranian authorities throughout his career. He objected to a longstanding ban on women spectators at men's soccer matches as well as Iran's confrontational foreign policy, which has led to crippling Western sanctions.
Read more: Women's protests overshadow Iran's World Cup loss
More recently, he expressed sympathy for the family of a 22-year-old woman whose death while in the custody of Iran's morality police ignited the latest protests. In recent days he also called for an end to a violent crackdown on protests in Iran's western Kurdistan region.
The reports of his arrest came ahead of Friday’s World Cup match between Iran and Wales. At Iran’s opening match, a 6-2 loss to England, the members of the Iranian national team declined to sing along to their national anthem and some fans expressed support for the protests.
The protests were ignited by the Sept. 16 death of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman arrested by the morality police in the capital, Tehran. They rapidly escalated into nationwide demonstrations calling for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. The western Kurdish region of the country, where both Amini and Ghafouri are from, has been the epicenter of the protests. Shops were closed in the region on Thursday following calls for a general strike.
Iranian officials have not said whether Ghafouri's activism was a factor in not choosing him for the national team. He plays for the Khuzestan Foolad team in the southwestern city of Ahvaz. The club's chairman, Hamidreza Garshasbi, resigned later on Thursday, the semiofficial ILNA news agency reported, without elaborating.
The protests show no sign of waning, and mark one of the biggest challenges to Iran's ruling clerics since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought them to power. Rights groups say security forces have used unleashed live ammunition and bird shot on the protesters, as well as beating and arresting them, with much of the violence captured on video.
At least 442 protesters have been killed and more than 18,000 detained since the start of the unrest, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that has been monitoring the protests.
The U.N. Human Rights Council voted Thursday to condemn the crackdown and to create an independent fact-finding mission to investigate alleged abuses, particularly those committed against women and children.
Read more: Activists: Iranian forces unleash heavy fire on protesters
Authorities have blamed the unrest on hostile foreign powers, without providing evidence, and say separatists and other armed groups have attacked security forces. Human Rights Activists in Iran says at least 57 security personnel have been killed, while state media have reported a higher toll.
The protesters say they are fed up after decades of social and political repression, including a strict dress code imposed on women. Young women have played a leading role in the protests, stripping off the mandatory Islamic headscarf to express their rejection of clerical rule.
Some Iranians are actively rooting against their own team at the World Cup, associating it with rulers they view as violent and corrupt. Others insist the national team, which includes players who have spoken out on social media in solidarity with the protests, represents the country’s people.
The team’s star forward, Sardar Azmoun, who has been vocal about the protests online, was on the bench during the opening match. In addition to Ghafouri, two other former soccer stars have been arrested for expressing support for the protests.
Other Iranian athletes have also been drawn into the struggle.
Iranian rock climber Elnaz Rekabi competed without wearing the mandatory headscarf at an international competition in South Korea in October, a move widely seen as expressing support for the protests. She received a hero's welcome from protesters upon returning to Iran, even as she told state media the move was “unintentional” in an interview that may have been given under duress.
Earlier this month, Iran's football federation threatened to punish players on its beach soccer team after it defeated Brazil at an international competition in Dubai. One of the players had celebrated after scoring a goal by mimicking a female protester cutting off her hair.
FIFA World Cup: Richarlison's second-half brace give Brazil 2-0 win over Serbia
Richarlison scored two goals, the second with a spectacular acrobatic kick, to help Brazil beat Serbia 2-0 Thursday at the World Cup.
In the 73rd minute, the striker used one touch to get the ball up in the air and then spun around and got off the ground before knocking the ball into the net with his right foot.
Brazil had struggled to get past the Serbian defense until Richarlison scored from close range in the 62nd in a buildup that started with Neymar.
Vinícius Júnior assisted on both goals.
Neymar, seeking his first major title with Brazil, stayed at 75 goals for the national team, two shy of Pelé’s scoring record.
Brazil coach Tite started with an attack-minded squad that included four forwards — Neymar, Vinícius Júnior, Raphinha and Richarlison. Attacking midfielder Lucas Paquetá played alongside Casemiro, the lone defensive midfielder.
But Serbia had several players back and was able to keep Brazil from creating many significant opportunities. Neymar tried to control the pace but struggled to find space up front. He, Vinícius Júnior and Raphinha all squandered chances early on.
Brazil’s best chance before Richarlison’s opening goal had been a low long-range shot by Alex Sandro that hit the post in the 60th. Neymar had his best opportunities with a free kick in the 50th and a shot from near the penalty spot in the 55th.
The 30-year-old Neymar arrived to his third World Cup as Brazil’s main attraction. He helped the “Seleção” win the 2013 Confederations Cup and its first Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, but has yet to win a major title with the national team.
Read more: Neymar Jr. on the verge of breaking Pele’s goalscoring record
Brazil, trying to win its first World Cup in two decades, is unbeaten in its last 20 opening games, with 17 victories. It has finished first in its group in the last 10 World Cups.
In the other Group G match, Switzerland defeated Cameroon 1-0.
Brazil and Serbia also played in the group stage in 2018, with Brazil also winning 2-0 to reach the next stage at Serbia’s expense.
Since competing as Serbia in 2010, the country has not advanced to the knockout rounds of the World Cup.
Read more: Brazil Team Analysis for 2022 World Cup in Qatar
Ronaldo makes history, becomes first male player to score at five World Cups
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first male player to score at five World Cups with a goal for Portugal against Ghana on Thursday.
The 37-year-old striker converted a penalty in the 65th minute to give Portugal a 1-0 lead.
He has now scored in every World Cup since his first in 2006, when he converted a penalty against Iran in the group stage.
Ronaldo scored one goal at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, another at the 2014 tournament in Brazil, and four in Russia in 2018.
Read: Portugal beat Ghana in five-goal thriller
Ronaldo extended his men’s record tally of international goals to 118.
Brazil forward Marta has scored in five Women’s World Cups.
Wales fans can wear rainbow hats in stadiums
The Welsh soccer federation said FIFA has offered assurances that fans wearing rainbow symbols will be allowed at Friday’s World Cup game against Iran.
The federation had asked FIFA for clarity on reports some Wales fans were stopped from taking rainbow bucket hats and flags into the team’s World Cup opener against the United States on Monday.
“FIFA has confirmed that fans with Rainbow Wall bucket hats and rainbow flags will be allowed entry to the stadium,” the Welsh federation posted Thursday to social media.
The Rainbow Wall is Wales’ LGBTQ supporters’ group.
The federation added that all World Cup venues have been “contacted and instructed to follow the agreed rules & regulations.”
Read: Young Spain bring back 'tiki-taka' at World Cup
FIFA confirmed that it has been in contact with the Welsh federation and reiterated the long-standing guarantees from the Qatari authorities that LGBTQ symbols would be allowed into the eight World Cup stadiums. However, the governing body has no authority over stadium security, which is controlled by the local organizing committee.
Rainbow imagery, a symbol of LGBTQ rights, is frowned upon in a country where same-sex relations are criminalized.
In April, a senior Qatari security official overseeing tournament preparations suggested fans carrying rainbow flags could have them removed to protect them from possible attacks.
Read: Portugal beat Ghana in five-goal thriller