qatar: Qatar loses 3-1 to Senegal as host nearing World Cup exit

Senegal sent hosts Qatar to yet another World Cup defeat on Friday, winning 3-1 after a defensive error gave the African champions the lead.

Qatar defender Boualem Khouki tried to make a clearance under no pressure, failed to connect and fell on his back, before striker Boulaye Dia drilled in the first goal.

At the beginning of the second half, Famara Didhiu made it 2-0 with a header from a corner.

Qatar’s substitute Mohammad Muntari put the hosts 2-1 ahead with a header. But Qatar’s fightback lasted six minutes before Bamba Dieng put Senegal two goals back. Qatar has lost both its games and will be out of the World Cup in less than a week if the other Group A match between the Netherlands and Ecuador is drawn later on Friday.

Originally published at Pen 18

neymar: Neymar undergoing treatment to ankle injured at World Cup

Brazil star Neymar was tested and receiving treatment at the team hotel on Friday after injuring his right ankle in their 2-0 defeat of Serbia in their World Cup opener. The team did not provide any details about the extent of his injury. Neymar sprained his ankle in the second half of a tough match against Serbia on Thursday. He had tears in his eyes as he sat on the bench and limped off the field on his way to the locker room after the match.

“Difficult game, but it was important to win,” Neymar said on his social media accounts shortly after leaving the Lusail Stadium without speaking to the media.

“Congratulations team, the first step has been taken. Six more to go.”

In an Instagram story following the match, Neymar posted a text that mentioned the need to “keep the faith”. “It’s about believing that everything will be alright despite the chaos. It’s certain that the best is yet to come. It’s the understanding that everything has its time,” said the text.

Brazil coach Tite had already expressed hope about Neymar’s condition.

After the match he said, “You can be sure Neymar will still play in this World Cup.”

“I’m sure of that.”

Team doctor Rodrigo Lassmar said after the game it was too early to know the extent of the injury. He said he began treating the injury as soon as Neymar left the field and continued after the match.

Neymar was substituted in the 79th minute after nearly 10 minutes injuring his ankle while being tackled by Serbia defender Nikola Milenkovic.

Neymar had been tackled several times earlier in the match, and was seen grinning and limping on a few other occasions. He was fouled nine times, the most of all World Cup players after the first round of group stage matches.

Brazil goalkeeper Alisson said, “We will be excited, that is the specialty of this team.”

“These adverse conditions will only make the group stronger.”

Brazil’s next match is against Switzerland on Monday. The five-time world champions ended their group-stage campaign against Cameroon on 2 December. Brazil leads Group G along with Switzerland, which opened with a win against Cameroon.

If Neymar is unable to play, he could be replaced by Rodrigo, who came on as a second-half substitute against Serbia on Thursday.

Neymar, 30, also suffered an injury at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, when his tournament ended with a back injury in the quarter-finals against Colombia. He had to be carried off the field on a stretcher, and Brazil lost 7–1 to Germany in the semi-finals.

Neymar’s right foot has given him problems in the past in a series of injuries since the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Another right ankle sprain ruled him out of the 2019 Copa América, which was won by Brazil.

Neymar, 30, is yet to win a major title with the national team. He helped the “Seleção” win their first Olympic gold medal at the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

With 75 goals for the national team, he is two shy of Pelé’s scoring record.

Another player with a sprained right ankle on Thursday was defender Danilo, although Lassmar said his injury was not serious.

Originally published at Pen 18

fifa world cup 2022 today match: FIFA World Cup 2022, matchday 6: Today’s match times and full schedule

The fifth match of the Football World Cup in Qatar saw thrilling action, with Portugal beating Ghana 3-2 in a close encounter, while Brazil and Switzerland kept clean sheets against Serbia and Cameroon respectively. Yesterday also saw the third goalless draw in this year’s tournament between Uruguay and South Korea.

Friday – the sixth day of matches – sees Group A and Group B back in action, having played the opening day of the last match. Hosts Qatar will face Senegal while fellow Netherlands will take on Ecuador. The top match of the day sees Group B’s USA and England face each other in what could be a cracker of a game, while Wales face Iran in their first match of the day.

wales vs iran
The Welsh are looking to make a better impression in their second game of the tournament, after drawing their first match against the United States, while Iran focuses heavily on events at home, with government crackdowns on protesters. The crackdown has been tightened. , The Iranians suffered a 6–2 defeat at the hands of England in their first game.

Wales will play Iran at 3:30 PM IST.


Qatar v Senegal

Hosts Qatar would like to take the embarrassment of their opening match defeat at the hands of Ecuador in front of the Senegalese team. The African champions came into the game with a good performance against the Netherlands, despite losing 2–0, while the hosts dealt with the infamy of becoming the first host nation in World Cup history to lose an opening match.

The Qatar vs Senegal will start at 6:30 PM IST.

Netherlands vs Ecuador
Louis van Gaal’s Dutch team and Gustavo Alfaro’s Ecuador team were involved in this match-up after close 2–0 wins against Senegal and Qatar respectively. Ecuador will hope to become the latest in a line of Davids defeating Goliaths against a formidable Dutch side.

Netherlands face Ecuador at 9:30 PM IST

england vs usa
The most anticipated match of the match day, a spirited England will face a motivated American team. The Brits head into the fray after beating Iran 6-2, while their opponents look to get their first win of the tournament after drawing their opening game against Wales.

ENG vs USA will start at 12:30 AM IST on November 26.

Originally published at Pen 18

FIFA WC 2022: Portugal beats Ghana 3-2; Ronaldo becomes first man to score at 5 World Cups

Originally published at Pen 18

neymar: Neymar injured, Richarlison scores as Brazil beat Serbia 2-1 at World Cup

With Neymar going off the field with an ankle injury, Richardson came on for the “Seleção”.

Richardson scored both goals in Brazil’s 2-0 win over Serbia at the World Cup on Friday, a brilliant acrobatic kick after a simple tap-in from close range.

After the match, the Tottenham striker became aware of Neymar’s injury.

“The most important thing for us is for him to be at 100 per cent for the next match,” said Richardson, whose first goal came after a buildup by Neymar. “When I get to the hotel I’ll go and see how he is.” Brazil team doctor Rodrigo Lassmar said Neymar had sprained his right ankle. He declined to speculate on whether he would be available for the team’s next game against Switzerland on Monday.

“We iced him while he was on the bench and then in physical therapy,” Lassmer said. “No tests are scheduled for now, but we will schedule one if needed. He will remain under observation. We’ll know more tomorrow.”

Neymar was also injured in the 2014 World Cup. Playing at home to Brazil, his tournament ended with a back injury in the quarter-finals against Colombia, when he had to be carried off the field on a stretcher. Brazil lost 7–1 to Germany in the semi-finals.

Neymar was fouled nine times in the match against Serbia, four more than any player so far at this year’s World Cup. But the opposition defense could not stop Richardson, taking care of Neymar.

He turned his back to goal when he used one touch to bring the ball up in the air near the penalty spot, then turned around and ground before firing the ball into the net with his right foot in the 73rd minute. jumped from

Richardson, playing his first World Cup, said, ‘My childhood dream has come true. “We knew they would be difficult to overcome. I’m used to playing against defensive teams like this in England. I wanted to take advantage of the opportunities I had and I did.”

Brazil struggled to penetrate the Serbian defense until Richardson scored from close range in the 62nd. Vinicius Junior assisted on both goals.

Neymar, with Brazil looking for his first major title, finished with 75 goals for the national team, two shy of Pelé’s scoring record.

He struggled at times and sprained his right ankle in the second half. He was crying on the bench after being substituted in the 79th and was limping as he left the stadium.

Brazil coach Tite started with an offensive-minded squad consisting of four forwards – Neymar, Vinicius Júnior, Rafinha and Richardson. Attacking midfielder Lucas Paqueta played alongside Casemiro, the sole defensive midfielder.

But Serbia had many players and was able to prevent Brazil from creating many important chances. Neymar tried to control the pace but struggled to break free. He, Vinicius Junior and Rafinha missed chances early on.

Brazil’s best chance before Richardson’s opening goal was Alex Sandro’s low long-range shot that hit the post in the 60th. Neymar had the best chances with a free kick in the 50th and a shot from near the penalty spot in the 55th.

Serbia had its own injury issues for the match.

“We have three key players out injured – it’s too much for us,” said Serbia coach Dragan Stojkovic. “We are not Brazil with 200 million people. We are a very small country.”

Neymar, 30, arrived at his third World Cup as Brazil’s main attraction. He helped the “Seleção” win the 2013 Confederations Cup and his first Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, but has yet to win a major title with the national team.

Brazil, seeking to win its first World Cup in two decades, is unbeaten with 17 wins in its last 20 opening matches. It has finished first in its group in the last 10 World Cups.

Originally published at Pen 18

portugal: FIFA WC: Cristiano Ronaldo stars as Portugal defeat Ghana 3-2 in thrilling match

A resilient Portugal put on a fine display against Ghana to register a 3-2 win in their thrilling opening match of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 at the Stadium 974.

Cristiano Ronaldo missed some great chances in the early stages of the match in the first half but finally scored from the penalty spot to put Portugal in front.

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in five different World Cups in 65 minutes of play. After long protests from the Ghanaian players and Ronaldo the ball went past the goalkeeper when the box was finally cleared. Ronaldo won the penalty and made no mistake to score for his team.

However, Portugal’s joy was short lived as Andre Ayew pulled one back for Ghana in the 73rd minute of the match, but Portugal responded quickly with quick goals from João Félix (78) and substitute Rafael Leão (80). Portugal made a triple substitution and one of the players they brought on was Ronaldo. The cross came in from the left and Perera looked uncomfortable as Usman Bukhari came on to convert it.

Inaki Williams stunned Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa with a steal in the area in the 10th minute of stoppage time, giving Ghana a great chance to tie the score. However, the forward lost his footing at a crucial moment, allowing Ronaldo and his teammates to hold on for victory.

Earlier in the first half, Ghana’s defense managed to hold down Portugal’s attacks and ensure that there were no goals in the first half.

In the fifth minute, Portugal’s Otavio Edmilson da Silva Monteiro fired a right footed shot from outside the box to the left of the corner. In the very next minute, Ruben Neves’s right footed shot from outside the box was blocked.

In the 10th minute, assisted by Otavio, Cristiano Ronaldo fired a right footed shot from the center of the box which was saved in the center of the goal.

Three minutes later, a cross after a corner from Rafael Guerrero helped Ronaldo’s header miss from the right side of the six-yard box.

Joao Felix also had an attempt but his left footed shot from the center of the box went over the top. Another effort was saved by the Ghanaian when Otavio’s right footed shot from outside the box was blocked.

In the 42nd minute, Rafael Guerrero’s assist to Cristiano Ronaldo was blocked on the left side of the box. Ghana’s defense remained strong despite several attempts.

Portugal enjoyed 70 percent possession, compared to Ghana, which only had 30. Portugal had two shots on target while Ghana had none.

Originally published at Pen 18

uruguay: Stuttering Uruguay held by South Korea in goalless stalemate

Uruguay faltered against lively and energetic South Korea in their World Cup opener as they were held to a 0-0 draw on Thursday in Group H in a contest where both teams struggled to find a clinical edge. Was

Clear-cut chances were rare for either side at the Education City Stadium and although Uruguay created more scoring chances, neither team was able to register shots on target.

Uruguay captain Diego Godin was denied the woodwork, while South Korean forward Hwang Ui-jo burst onto the scene with a goal at his mercy before the two teams meet group rivals Portugal and Ghana later in the day. Missed opportunities found.

Uruguay’s first sight of goal came through Federico Valverde in the 19th minute, who connected with Jose Maria Jimenez’s pass and took a touch before firing a half-volley towards goal, but his ambitious effort went just over the bar. The South Americans were beginning to gain their footing when South Korea, who had so far been patient, disrupted their rhythm and scored on a counter-attack from a Uruguayan corner just before the half-hour mark.

Son Heung-min picked up the ball on the left flank and cut inside, past two Uruguayan defenders, before curling a right-footed effort towards goal, but left-back Mathias Oliveira was able to clear it away.

South Korea should have taken the lead in the 34th minute when Moon-Hwan Kim fired the ball into the penalty area and into the path of Hwang in front of goal, but the forward lost his composure and sent it over the crossbar.

Uruguay came close to scoring in the first half just before the break when centre-back Godin rose to head a header from Valverde’s corner but it bounced off the left post.

Jimenez pulled off a crucial tackle to deny Son five minutes after the restart following South Korea’s quick move, while Jung Woo-young held off a powerful attack from midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur at the other end.

Uruguay saw more of the ball but had few chances to break through the South Korean defense until the closing stages, when Valverde struck a volley in the final minute of regulation time that hit the top of the post.

Originally published at Pen 18