Page 6 - Qatar 2022 Fifa World Cup

FIFA World Cup 2022: Morocco beat Belgium to end 24-year wait

The Morocco fans gave the match a vintage World Cup feel in a boiling atmosphere at the Al Thumama Stadium and Sabiri curled a wide free kick past Thibaut Courtois

Brussels sees riots after Morocco beats Belgium at Fifa World Cup

Police had to seal off parts of the centre of Brussels, deploy water cannons and fire tear gas to disperse crowds following violence during and after Morocco's 2-0 upset win over Belgium at the World Cup. Dozens of rioters set steps on fire and pelted cars with bricks. Police moved in after one person suffered facial injuries, said Brussels police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere. Brussels mayor Philippe Close urged soccer fans to stay away from the city center and said authorities were doing their utmost to keep order in the streets. Even subway and tram traffic had to be interrupted on police orders. Morocco's victory was a major upset at the World Cup and was enthusiastically celebrated by fans with Moroccan immigrant roots in many Belgian cities. It was not immediately clear how many people were detained during the disturbances.

Fifa World Cup: Official soundtrack showcases Asia's soft power, culture

Jung Kook's "Dreamers", performed jointly with Fahad Al Kubaisi, became the fastest official FIFA World Cup song to reach No. 1 on iTunes Charts in the US

FIFA World Cup: Mexico can still reach knockout phase, says coach Martino

Mexico manager Gerardo Martino refused to concede that his team's chances of reaching the FIFA World Cup round of 16 are over after a 2-0 loss to Argentina

Neymar shows swollen ankle, plans to return to Qatar Fifa World Cup

Neymar is planning a World Cup comeback despite posting a photo of his ankle still looking very swollen. Neymar is undergoing treatment for damaged ligaments in his right ankle after getting hurt in Brazil's 2-0 opening win over Serbia on Thursday. Team doctors said Neymar will miss Monday's match against Switzerland but did not elaborate on a timetable for his return or say whether he will be able to return at all. Neymar wrote on Instagram he was enduring "one of the most difficult moments" of his career, but seemed optimistic about his chances of returning. He showed two photos of his swollen ankle in an Instagram story. "I'm injured, yes, and it's a pain, and it will hurt," he said. "But I'm sure that I'll have the chance to return, because I'll do anything possible to help my country, my teammates and myself." He said he's been waiting too long for this World Cup to go out like this. "Nothing in my life was easy or given to me," Neymar said. "I've had always had to go after

FIFA World Cup: Win over Mexico 'a weight off our shoulders', says Messi

Lionel Messi said Argentina are ready to "start over again" after resuscitating their FIFA World Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over Mexico

Biggest World Cup crowd in 28 years sees Messi play against Mexico

Lionel Messi played in front of 88,966 spectators on Sunday when Argentina beat Mexico 2-0, the largest attendance at a World Cup match in 28 years. The Lusail Stadium north of Doha, which will stage the final on December 18, hosted the most people at the World Cup since the 1994 final in the United States, according to FIFA. There were 91,194 people at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, to see Brazil beat Italy in that penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw. Saturday's attendance was several hundred more than the figure for the two previous games at Lusail Stadium, when Brazil beat Serbia and Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia. Qatar's attendance figures do not rank in the top 30 of all-time World Cup matches. The largest crowd was 173,850 inside the Maracan Stadium in Rio de Janeiro in 1950 for Uruguay's 2-1 victory over host Brazil in the final game of that tournament. Other stadiums figuring in the top-30 list are the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Wembley Stadium in London and the

Messi leads Argentina to 2-0 win over Mexico at FIFA World Cup 2022

Lionel Messi came up with another crucial goal for Argentina in a 2-0 win over Mexico on Sunday that ignited the team's World Cup chances. Messi took a touch from Angel Di Maria's pass across the face of the area and drove a low shot from 25 metres into the bottom corner in the 64th minute. He ran towards Argentina's fans with his arms outstretched before getting mobbed by his jubilant teammates. He looked emotional as he grabbed and shook his jersey, then blew a kiss to the crowd. Substitute Enzo Fernandez added a second goal in the 87th minute. Argentina bounced back from a shocking 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in its opening match. The team is in second place in Group C ahead of its last match against Poland on Wednesday. The 35-year-old Messi is likely playing in his last World Cup, which is the only major title missing from his collection.

FIFA World Cup 2022: Kylian Mbappe nets brace as France defeat Denmark

France became the first team to qualify for the Round of 16 of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 as Kylian Mbappe's brace fired them to a 2-1 victory against Denmark in Group D

FIFA World Cup 2022: US frustrates England again with a 0-0 draw

Loud jeers rang around the stadium. England's fans were not happy. The United States had frustrated them yet again at a World Cup. That's three times and counting that the teams have met on soccer's biggest stage and England is still waiting for its first win against the Americans after a 0-0 draw on Saturday. Coach Gareth Southgate had reminded his players of that record beforehand, with the US famously winning 1-0 in 1950 and playing out a 1-1 draw in 2010. They didn't seem to heed his warning and didn't respond to Gregg Berhalter's young and energetic team. England beat Iran 6-2 in its opening game in Qatar to justify its status as one of the tournament favourites. But it could consider itself fortunate not to have dropped another match to the US, after Christian Pulisic hit the crossbar with a first-half strike and Weston McKinnie lifted a shot over from eight yards out. The England fans had turned up at the Al Bayt Stadium in anticipation of celebrating a win and qualification

Fifa World Cup Day 6: Ecuador, US impress in draws; Senegal, Iran in wins

Fifa World Cup Qatar Day 6 Highlights: Iran and Senegal won impressively against Wales and Qatar respectively while US and Ecuador forced draws from their fencied opponents England and the Netherlands

It wasn't penalty; Ronaldo used all his experience to win it: Wayne Rooney

The penalty helped Portugal break deadlock and, in the process, Ronaldo also became the first player in the history of world football to score goals in each of his five editions of the tournament

Neymar to play on in Fifa World Cup despite injury: Brazil coach Tite

Brazil manager Tite said star forward Neymar would fight through the pain barrier to continue playing in the FIFA World Cup despite an ankle injury.

FIFA World Cup 2022 logs more than half the record of scoreless draws

The 0-0 draw between Uruguay and South Korea 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. 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.

Ghana coach slams referee after Ronaldo's record FIFA World Cup goal

Ghana coach Otto Addo criticized the American referee who awarded the penalty that resulted in Cristiano Ronaldo's record goal at the World Cup, calling it a special gift. Ronaldo won and converted the second-half penalty, making him the first male player to score in five World Cups. Portugal went on to beat Ghana 3-2 on Thursday. If somebody scores a goal, congratulations. But this was really a gift. Really a gift, Addo said. What more can I say? (It was) a special gift from the referee. Addo's criticism of American referee Ismail Elfath was so direct that it could put him into trouble with FIFA. When asked what he thought was the reason for Ghana's narrow defeat, Addo responded: The referee. Addo felt Ghana defender Mohammed Salisu didn't foul Ronaldo for the penalty, and he complained that the officials didn't use VAR to make sure. Salisu's thigh appeared to make slight contact with Ronaldo's leg before the Portugal captain went sprawling to the ground. The 37-year-old Ronald

Brazil misses out on Fifa world cup betting. What's India's wager?

Will President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva end the country's decades-long ban on games of chance?

Fifa World Cup Highlights: Portugal, Brazil win as Uruguay draw vs Korea

Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 Live Updates: Yet another Asian side shone as South Korea forced a draw out of fancied Uruguay. Portugal beat Ghana 3-2 while Brazil didn't have to sweat hard for 2-0 win

Neymar injury, Richarlison scores for Brazil against Serbia at World Cup

With Neymar limping off the field with an ankle injury, Richarlison came through for the Seleo. A spectacular acrobatic kick followed an easy tap-in from close range as Richarlison scored both goals in Brazil's 2-0 victory over Serbia on Friday at the World Cup. After the match, the Tottenham striker learned of the extent of Neymar's injury. The most important thing for us it to have him at 100 per cent for the next match, said Richarlison, whose first goal came after a buildup started by Neymar. When I get to the hotel I'm going to go and see how he is doing. Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said Neymar sprained his right ankle. He declined to speculate on whether he would be available to play in the team's next match against Switzerland on Monday. 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. Neymar was also injure

FIFA World Cup: Cristiano Ronaldo makes history, Portugal beats Ghana 3-2

Cristiano Ronaldo closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and then made World Cup history. The Portugal striker became the first male player to score at five World Cups with his 65th-minute penalty in a 3-2 win over Ghana on Thursday. Andre Ayew equalised for Ghana eight minutes later, but Joao Felix regained the lead for Portugal in the 78th and Rafael Leao added a third. Osman Bukari reduced Ghana's deficit in the 89th. The 37-year-old Ronaldo was looking to showcase his talents to potential new clubs after having his contract terminated at Manchester United this week. After wasting two good chances in the first half, he tumbled under a challenge by Ghana defender Mohammed Salisu to earn a penalty. Wheeling away after the ball struck the back of the net, a smiling Ronaldo performed his usual leap and swivel in the air the crowd roared his trademark SI-UUU as he did the pirouette before getting mobbed by teammates. He has now scored in every World Cup since his first in 2006 and

FIFA World Cup 2022: England wary of upset against United States

England scored six goals in its opening World Cup game against Iran, but it was the two it conceded that concern coach Gareth Southgate and provide hope for the United States. By the end we looked sloppy, said Southgate of the 6-2 win over Iran on Monday. He also warned the U.S. would be coming full-throttle in Friday's Group B match. The tournament has already produced some shocking results, including Saudi Arabia's win against Argentina and Japan's upset over Germany. A win for the U.S. over England would not be on the scale of Saudi Arabia's win - but Gregg Berhalter's team is undoubtedly the underdog against one of the tournament favorites. The two goals conceded against Iran gave Southgate something to focus on in an otherwise encouraging performance. His message to the players has been clear: They will need to be better against the U.S. team that tied 1-1 with Wales in its opening group game. They're a top nation with a lot of top players who have played in the Premier Leag