This was published 3 years ago
Thanks for reading this morning. We’ll be back tomorrow night when the Socceroos face Tunisia and also on Monday for the clash of the titans that is Spain up against a German outfit who now need to win after their shock loss to Japan.
Until then, be good, or at least be good at it.
Who could forget this classic from the last World Cup meeting between England and the USA in 2010? Howler is not the word you want to be forever associated with your name, but such is the lot of former England goalkeeper Rob Green.
Fun fact: England have never beaten the Americans at a World Cup. In the group stages at Brazil 1950, the US won 1-0 in what was, at least until this week, one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. Steven Gerrard’s fourth-minute strike 12 years ago at least spared Green the blushes of gifting the US a 2-0 record over the Three Lions.
Groups A and B fire up again this evening with four matches to be played.
Wales and Iran kick things off at 9pm, followed by the hosts Qatar up against Senegal at midnight, the Netherlands face Ecuador at 3am and finally England do battle with the USA from 6am.
Here’s how those groups look after the first matches:
A prominent Iranian soccer player was arrested on charges that included destroying the reputation of the country’s national team.
The player, Voria Ghafouri, is a former member of Iran’s national squad and a frequent critic of the government. His arrest occurred at a moment in which Iranian players are under close scrutiny for their statements about a nationwide uprising that has continued for months.
Iran’s national team, during a match against England on Monday, declined to sing during the country’s national anthem, in what was widely seen as a silent acknowledgment of the protests. Iran’s national broadcaster showed select images of spectators cheering for Iran during the match, but not the political signs carried by spectators.
Protest in Iran began in September after a young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, died in police custody. The uprising, against Iran’s clerical leadership, has spread across the country and sparked a fierce and deadly crackdown, including in ethnic Kurdish areas, where human rights groups say dozens of people have been killed in recent days.
Or not. Former A-League star Fahid Ben Khalfallah has accused Australian fans and pundits of rank ignorance — if not outright arrogance — regarding the strength of Tunisian football, declaring the Socceroos’ next World Cup opponents “just have better players.” #grimacingemojiface
Read the full story here.
The Socceroos, of course, play Tunisia at 9pm on Saturday. We’ll bring you blow-by-blow coverage of the match live, as well as all the wash-up from Vince Rugari and Greg Baum in Qatar.
Serbia coach Dragan Stojkovic acknowledged the strength of the Brazil team after losing 2-0 to them at the World Cup on Thursday but was struggling to understand a “strange” drop in intensity from his own players.
Brazil outclassed Serbia in their opening clash as Richarlison’s second-half goals sent the five-times champions top of Group G.
“I think both Brazil and Serbia were on equal level in the first 45 minutes, I didn’t see Brazil much more dominant at that time,” Stojkovic told a news conference.
“We got defeated in the second half, when we literally fell physically, and we were no longer a team -- and of course Brazil knew how to take advantage of this. We simply could not recognise our team.”
Ghana coach Otto Addo criticised the American referee who awarded the penalty that resulted in Cristiano Ronaldo’s record goal, 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.
“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.
Well, not really, but with every team now having played one match, it’s a good time to have another crack at our World Cup predictor. Do your worst.
We asked earlier who Cristiano Ronaldo joined in the record books earlier this morning when he added to his goals at Germany 2006, South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018.
Brazil’s Marta and Christine Sinclair of Canada made history at France 2019 when they each scored at their fifth World Cup.
Brazil will wait 24-48 hours before they assess Neymar’s ankle after the forward was injured during the win over Serbia.
“Tomorrow we will have a new assessment. Now we need to wait, we cannot make premature comments about his evolution,” Rodrigo Lasmar told reporters.
Brazil next face Switzerland on Tuesday at 3am (AEDT).