A huge world cup trophy is illuminated by fire in the center of the pitch before the World Cup group C soccer match between Saudi Arabia and Mexico, at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)World Cup 2022, Day 14 highlights: The knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup will kick off on day 14 of the tournament as Netherlands face the United States and Argentina play Australia in the first two Round of 16 fixtures.
The last piece of group stage action on day 13 featured Group G drama. Cameroon struck in injury time to down Brazil while Switzerland put three past a leaky Serbian defence to win their last game of Group G. The results had no real bearing on the group though as Brazil and Switzerland both qualified for the Round-of-16. This is the third World Cup in a row where the Swiss have moved past the group stage
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Vincent Aboubakar takes his shirt off after scoring against Brazil, Switzerland players celebrate after their win over Serbia. (Reuters)
South Korean player after defeating Portugal 2-1 to qualify for the Round Of 16.(Reuters)
Louis van Gaal refused to give away numbers but acknowledged that there are several players in his squad suffering with "flu symptoms" ahead of the Netherlands round of 16 tie with the USA at the World Cup.
The Dutch skipped a training session on Friday and skipped their usual 11 vs. 11 training session drills, something the manager would not confirm was related to the illness bout. Van Gaal expects every member of his squad to be available "in principle" for Saturday's clash with the USMNT at the Khalifa International Stadium but his reticence to address questions over the matter in specifics suggests there is at least some degree of doubt over the makeup of the group.(read more at CBS Soccer)
The first World Cup hosted by an Arab nation enters its knockout phase on Saturday, but such has been the daily rollercoaster of shocks, comebacks and head-spinning group climaxes that everyone involved should perhaps lie down for a week in a dark room before carrying on.
Forty-eight games and 120 goals into the latest edition of FIFA’s showpiece and there has barely been a dull moment at a tournament that just keeps giving. The last three nights of simultaneous group action were mind-boggling, with Japan stunning Spain to qualify from Group E and South Korea scoring a stoppage-time winner to beat Portugal and make it out of Group H.(read more)
Son Heung-min described South Korea’s agonising wait for confirmation of their place in World Cup knockout rounds “the longest six minutes of my life” after their 2-1 win over Portugal on Friday saw them advance to the last 16.
The Korean captain set up Hwang Hee-chan to score a 91st minute winner against Fernando Santos’ side and leave the Taeguk Warriors hoping Uruguay would be unable to add to their two-goal lead over Ghana in the other Group H match.(read more)
Uruguay’s bitterly disappointed manager and players blamed penalty decisions against them for their exit from the World Cup on Friday after they beat Ghana 2-0 but were pipped to a last 16 spot by South Korea due to an inferior number of goals scored.
Uruguay finished Group H on four points, the same as South Korea, and would have qualified on the next deciding criteria of goal difference had they conceded one goal less or scored one goal more during their three games in Qatar.(read more)
Even as the news came in the dying minutes that that Mexico were beating Saudi Arabia, and they can’t afford to give a goal to Argentina, Poland footballers started to sweat. Their main concern was Leo Messi.
Midfielder Piotr Zielinski, speaking to the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, would share details of the instructions from their coaching group from the dug out.(read more)
Brazilian soccer legend Pele was diagnosed with a respiratory infection but remains in a stable condition, a medical report showed on Friday.
“The medical team diagnosed a respiratory infection, which is being treated with antibiotics. The response has been adequate, and the patient, who remains in a common room, is stable, with general improvement in health status,” said the report from hospital Albert Einstein.(read more)
Switzerland’s Xherdan Shaqiri joined the elite group of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as he becomes only the third footballer to have scored in each of the past three World Cups.
Shaqiri, 31, opened the scoring for the Swiss in their 3-2 victory over Serbia to book their place in the Round of 16.(read more)
There is a round-robin format in the group stage when each of the 32 teams plays three matches. Teams get three points for a win and one for a draw.
The top two in each group advance to the last 16.(read more at Reuters)
Argentines aspire to be like clean-living Lionel Messi but in reality are more like flawed rebel Diego Maradona, an author says, as comparisons between the two great No. 10s become a dominant talking point of the Qatar World Cup.
Both men have become part of Argentina's national identity, Messi inheriting the late Maradona's brilliance and shirt on the pitch. Off it, they could hardly have been more different, one a diffident family man the other a flamboyant troublemaker.(read more at Reuters)
In the dying moments of the game, when a Jpeach of a pass came from the right from Jerome Ngom Mbekeli, Aboubakar, who had veered away from the defender, came up with a lovely first-time header into the bottom right. The whole sequence from the moment Mbekeli looked up to see who was ahead to receive his cross to Aboubakar’s stunning finish was quite something.
But, as he ran off in celebration, Aboubakar would remove his jersey, drop it on the ground, and celebrate with his team-mates and coach. Rippling six-packs and what not but the referee wasn’t a fan. Rather he just went by the law.(read more)
“Your tears of sadness today will be tears of joy sometime soon.”
Those were the words of former Argentina captain Diego Maradona in November 1993, on an Argentinean TV show, speaking to his Australian counterpart, Paul Wade a day after their game. Argentina had managed to win the two-legged World Cup qualifier tie 2-1 courtesy of an own goal from Alex Tobin in Buenos Aires after a 1-1 tie in Sydney. The defeat denied Australia a ticket to their second World Cup and just hours later captain Wade and assistant coach Raul Blanco were invited on a local TV show, as he recalled with the Sydney Morning Herald recently.(read more)
Midway through the second half against Serbia, Switzerland’s Granit Xhaka was caught in a viral moment. He seemed to grab his testicles in an apparent insult directed towards the Serbia dugout. An old Albania-Kosovo-Serbia conflict caught in a pic. Xhaka would later dismiss talks of any tension on the field, but his act isn’t likely to be forgotten soon.
When his team-mate Sheridan Shaqiri, who was booed throughout by Serbian fans, buried the ball into the net, he would celebrate by putting his finger to his lips and then pointing to the name on the back of his shirt.(read more)
Showcase game Netherlands vs USA (Round of 16) 8.30 pm, Khalifa International Stadium During their goalless group-stage draw against England, a chant constantly emerged from the USA faithful: “It’s called soccer! It’s called soccer!” The USMNT have been quietly promising this tournament. They are yet to concede a non-penalty goal, look well-drilled in midfield, have controlled major chunks of games, and have shown bright sparks going forward. Captain Tyler Adams has been brilliantly assured on the pitch just as he has been off it, and the likes of Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah have shown promise. Even Christian Pulisic, on the fringes at Chelsea, has looked sharp – his bravery came to the fore in getting the winner against Iran that guaranteed US progress to the knockouts. [Read More]