Play in Groups E and F continues Sunday after an action-packed opening week at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
One of the favorites in Group E — four-time men’s World Cup champion Germany — dropped in a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Japan on Wednesday. Germany now has the tall task of facing Spain, which looked like world-beaters in a 7-0 rout of overmatched Costa Rica.
Elsewhere, Croatia eliminated Canada, who is playing in its first World Cup since 1986 and coming off a hard-fought 1-0 defeat against Belgium. Alphonso Davies scored for Canada in the second minute, but Croatia came back with vengeance, winning 4-1.
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The Germans are facing a dire situation against fellow European heavyweight Spain, after losing 2-1 to Japan in their opening game.
Germany’s manager Hansi Flick called the game the “first final” as they attempt to avoid a second consecutive group-stage exit. In 2018, Germany was eliminated from the World Cup in its earliest exit in 80 years.
FINAL: Croatia 4, Canada 1
Canada was eliminated from the 2022 World Cup after losing 4-1 to Croatia on Sunday. After losing their opener 1-0 to Belgium, the Canadians took the lead less than 90 seconds into Sunday’s match. But Croatia scored twice just before halftime and added two more in the second half.
Goal! Croatia makes it 3-1 over Canada
Andrej Kramarić scored his second goal of the game in the 70th minute, cooly controlling a diagonal ball from Ivan Perisic, cutting back and slotting into the back of the net with his left foot.
It’s hard to see a way back for Canada now, who will be eliminated with a loss/.
Goal! Croatia takes 2-1 lead on Canada before halftime
Marko Livaja scored from the top of the box after some sloppy Canada defending, putting Croatia ahead in the 44th minute, just eight minutes after the 2018 runners-up found the equalizer.
It’s the second game in a row that Canada have conceded right before the stroke of halftime, with Belgium also scoring in the 44th minute of their opening match.
Goal! Andrej Kramarić ties it up for Croatia
Croatia had been knocking on the door and had a goal called back for offside but in the 36th minute, some clever passing put Andrej Kramarić in on goal and he made no mistake putting it past Canada goalkeeper Milan Borjan for the equalizer.
Goal! Alphonso Davies puts Canada up on Croatia
It took less than two minutes for Canada to take the lead, with Alphonso Davies heading home Tajon Buchanan’s cross to beat Dominik Livaković.
The 22-year-old Bayern Munich man’s goal was the first goal Canada has ever scored in the men’s World Cup, days after Davies missed a penalty kick in the opening loss to Belgium.
Canada, Croatia starting lineups
One change for each side with kickoff set for 11 a.m. ET at the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan.
Morocco didn’t back down. In stoppage time, they doubled the score thanks to a substitute again. Zakaria Aboukhlal rocketed a shot to the roof of the goal, assisted by Ziyech. Courtois had no chance of stopping that. The victory is Morocco’s first World Cup win since 1998, third tournament win overall.
Heading into the final set of games, Morocco leads Group F. They are in prime position for a knockout round appearance for the first time since 1986.
Belgium looks desperate for an answer. Manager Roberto Martinez adds record goal-scorer Romelu Lukaku, who has yet to feature during this World Cup due to injury.
After more than 70 minutes of pressure on Belgium, Morocco break through again. And this one counts. Abdelhamid Sabiri curls a free kick in front of Courtois as Al Thumama stadium fills with cheers.
Morocco has yet to concede a goal this World Cup and could put themselves in prime position to advance to the Round of 16.
While Bounou was originally listed on the team sheet as the starting goalkeeper, after a strong shutout performance against Croatia, it’s El Kajoui between the post. There’s some confusion as to why. The Moroccan FA announced the change on Twitter after the game was underway.
Al Thumama Stadium erupted with jubilation from Moroccan fans when Hakim Ziyech scored from a free kick, but video review overturned the goal for an offside call. The teams enter halftime knotted in a scoreless tie.
With pressure from Morocco, Courtois opts to show off his footwork. The goalkeeper, with the ball at his feet, caught Moroccan forward Youssef En-Nesyri off balance as he rushed in — a nervy moment from Courtois, but it worked out in the end.
With a win, Belgium would secure a spot in the Round of 16. A draw between the two teams shifts the pressure to the final round of group stage games.
Belgium (3-4-2-1): Courtois; Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Meunier; T. Hazard, Witsel, Onana, Castagne; E. Hazard, De Bruyne; Batshuayi
Morocco (4-3-3): Munir El Kajoui; Mazraoui, Saiss, Aguerd, Hakmi; Amallah, Amrabat, Ounahi; Boufal, En-Nesyri, Ziyech
Batshuayi had an early chance for Belgium saved by Munir El Kajoui, followed by a couple set piece opportunities.
At the FIFA World Cup, the easiest way to advance to the knockout stage is to simply win. But, often times, that is not the case.
Enter the World Cup tiebreakers which determine the final 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 is worth three points, a draw gets one point and a loss earns nothing.
Scooby Axson explains what happens if teams are tied on points after the final group stage games.
DOHA, Qatar — U.S. Soccer removed the emblem of the Islamic Republic from the Iranian flag on some of its social media posts as a way of showing support for protests in Iran.
A graphic of the World Cup Group B standings posted on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook on Saturday showed a plain green, white and red flag. The banner on the U.S. men’s national team’s Twitter page, which lists the team’s group-stage games at the tournament, was also changed Saturday to feature the Iranian flag without the Islamic Republic emblem. After being up for 24 hours, it was changed back Sunday afternoon to the banner U.S. Soccer had been using during the tournament.
The changes ahead of Tuesday’s game against Iran were intentional, with a U.S. Soccer spokesperson saying it was the federation’s way of showing “support for the women in Iran fighting for basic human rights.”
The official Iranian flag could still be seen elsewhere on U.S. Soccer’s social media accounts, including on its main web page. The removal of the emblem was not meant to be a permanent protest, and U.S. Soccer’s future posts are expected to use Iran’s official flag. — Nancy Armour
Keysher Fuller scored in the 81st minute to lift Costa Rica to a 1-0 victory over Japan on Sunday, leaving both teams with three points after two games in Group E of the World Cup.
Japan has one group game remaining with Spain, and Costa Rica faces Germany in its final group match. With a victory, Japan could have all but wrapped up a place in the knockout stage after a 2-1 upset of Germany in its opener. Costa Rica was pounded by Spain 7-0 in its first game and just trying to survive. — Associated Press
Japan made a late push against Costa Rica, but goalkeeper Keylor Navas and the Costa Rican defense put their bodies on the line to hold on to the lead.
After bunkering down in the first half to stay scoreless, Costa Rica breaks through late in the second half. Keysher Fuller shoots from the center of the box. Goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda mistimed his jump and the error cost Japan the opening goal.
Japan made two substitutions at halftime, adjusting to a more attacking 3-4-3 formation. Hiroki Ito entered the game as the third center back and Takuma Asano adds to the attack.
In the 50th minute, both Ko Itakura and Wataru Endo had shots blocked. Defender Francisco Calvo made a lunging save to stop Endo’s attempt and keep the score even.
For Costa Rica, things are going to plan. Los Ticos are sitting back and keeping Japan from running behind their defense. For Japan, it’ll want to make some changes to get a score on the board and keep its Round of 16 hopes alive.
- Possession: Japan 42%, Costa Rica 58%
- Shots: Japan 2 (0 on target), Costa Rica 3 (0 on target)
Costa Rica is playing for pride after losing its opening game 7-0 to Spain, while Japan looks to prove the win over Germany wasn’t a fluke.
Japan, who pressured Germany early, have stayed back against Los Ticos, splitting the possession battle (Japan 44%, Costa Rica 56%). The best attacking attempt for Japan came from Ritsu Doan, who drove into the box, but his cross was stamped out by goalkeeper Keylor Navas .
Want to watch the U.S. men’s national team return win-or-go-home match against Iran, see what’s likely Lionel Messi’s last go with Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo with Portugal or witness France’s title-defense run? Add matches to your calendar and keep up to date with the latest tournament news.
These two European heavyweights had very different experiences in their respective opening World Cup games. While Spain opened with a 7-0 win over Costa Rica, Germany was on the wrong end of one of the more stunning results of this tournament, losing 2-1 to Japan. Die Mannschaft is in a precarious situation. It must earn a result against Spain or find itself on the brink of not getting outside of the group stage in a second consecutive World Cup.
Time: Sunday, Nov. 27 at 2 p.m. ET
Stadium: Al Bayt Stadium
How to watch: FS1 and Telemundo or stream on fuboTV and Peacock (Spanish)
Croatia vs. Canada — 11 a.m.
Playing in its first World Cup since 1986, Canada put forth an inspiring performance in a 1-0 setback to Belgium, the third-place finishers at the 2018 World Cup. Now, Canada must face the 2018 runners-up, Croatia. Canada coach John Herdman added some possible bulletin board material for the Croatians following his team’s loss Wednesday, saying, “I told (the players) they belong here and we’re going to go and F Croatia.” Croatia is coming off a 0-0 draw against Morocco.
Time: Sunday, Nov. 27 at 11 a.m. ET
Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium
How to watch: FS1 and Telemundo or stream on fuboTV and Peacock (Spanish)
Belgium vs. Morocco — 8 a.m.
Morocco earned a scoreless draw against Croatia — the 2018 World Cup finalists — in the opener, and now takes aim at another squad that made a deep run at the last World Cup, Belgium.
Time: Sunday, Nov. 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 a.m.
After upsetting European powerhouse Germany in its World Cup opener, Japan now faces a Costa Rica team that was run off the pitch, 7-0, by Spain. With another win Sunday, Japan could secure its fourth Round of 16 qualification in the past six World Cups.
Time: Sunday, Nov. 27 at 5 a.m. ET
Stadium: Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium
How to watch: FS1 and Telemundo or stream on fuboTV and Peacock (Spanish)
