For months, the 2024 Ballon d'Or seemed to have a clear front-runner, with everyone anticipating the coronation of Vinícius Júnior as the new king of football.
Though many outsiders expect Qatar to be soundly drubbed in all three games, home fans know forwards Akram Afif and Almoez Ali have both talent and experience and pray they can penetrate an Ecuador team themselves struggling to score of late.
"They had a few biters, guys who are hot on your heels. Then you have to act quickly, and (we) could have dealt with that better. We should have done better in possession of the ball," said Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk.
Saudi Arabia stunned Lionel Messi's Argentina 2-1 with brilliant individual goals from Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari during the FIFA World Cup Group C match on Tuesday.
IMAGES from the FIFA World Cup Group D game played between Australia and Tunisia on Saturday.
Qatar no playground for playmakers as defenders clamp down
Saudi Arabia's 2-1 victory over Argentina is rated the biggest shock in World Cup history.
"They have skilled players from a technical standpoint and they are also very quick in attack. We want to control the game, and also the moments when they are in attack."
Lautaro said Argentina dominated the match against the Saudis and did not deserve to lose, having three goals ruled out for close offside calls by VAR.
Russia were scheduled to host Poland in a men's World Cup qualifying playoff on March 24, with the winners set to play Sweden or the Czech Republic five days later. All three teams had refused to play against Russia.
All five African teams at the last World Cup in Russia failed to get past the first round and the continent's football leaders have said their future priority is to make sides more competitive in the international arena.
Modric said it was important to respect opponents in Qatar, including Morocco, describing the players as phenomenal and highly motivated.
More than 700,000 Tunisians live in France, with about two thirds of them being dual nationals.
'The ban and the timing of lifting it is unfair to Gokulam Kerala because we had been preparing for the tournament for about two months.'
"We're adding zero points to our account ahead of the third match, which will definitely be lost," goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny had said on the eve of the Mexico game.
"Audience figures show that the Women's World Cup 2019 in France was a catalyst for change in terms of a TV audience. We know the opportunity for women's football is there. Now, together, we need to capture it,"
The din of a concerned crowd transformed into a tumultuous racket when Abdelhamid Sabiri's free kick caught out Thibaut Courtois at his near post and captain Romain Saiss added a slight touch to see Morocco into the lead.
Brazil pulled off a last-gasp 2-1 away victory over Chile in the South American World Cup qualifiers on Thursday.
Here is what you need to know about their route to the final
"We need to be emotionally strong and break our backs in this match. Of course, if Germany is knocked out, it would be a major thing and we would be proud to be responsible for that."
Croatia and Morocco will face off in Qatar for a second time after playing out a 0-0 draw in their group opener
Iran are second on three points with Wales bottom on one point and all outcomes are still possible going into the final round of games when England take on the Welsh.
"I have already made my decision but will not disclose until game time," Tite said.
"When we saw Argentina being drawn in our group, we never imagined the scenario we will have tomorrow," Martino said.
"That is why we should see this match (against Egypt) mainly as a wake-up call. It was also useful in giving some players much-needed minutes."
Although they won their first round group, there was little evidence to back up their self-confidence as they stuttered through
'Overall it's time that the federation focuses on how to take Indian football forward. You cannot just have Vision 2046 on paper and not implement things.'
Emotional after Canada's solid performance against the second-ranked team in the world, Herdman drew the attention of Croatian media after he said his team would go and "eff Croatia".
They all spoke of their disappointment at the decisions, given the historic moment of it being held in the Middle East.
"These things happen, that players ventilate their views, but whether it's sensible or not, that's another issue. Everybody has their own opinion, particularly in the Netherlands," the 71-year-old said.
India House is a concept by the Reliance Foundation in partnership with the Indian Olympic Association to bring Indian heritage to Paris.
"It's very difficult for us, the probability for us to proceed is lower than the other nations like in Europe, they have 13 spots. And so the probability is much, much higher."
Mexico's exit ended a run of seven successive last-16 appearances at the World Cup and the defeat for Saudi Arabia killed off what had looked to be a realistic chance of advancing from the group stages for the first time in 28 years.
Brazil increased their lead at the top and Spain dropped below Italy.
Croatia thrives on being considered underdogs and warned that the 2018 World Cup runners-up have what it takes to reach the final again.
With the group standings flashing on the big screen of the Al Bayt stadium, Germany grew nervous with Musiala twice hitting the post early in the second half.
Sepp Blatter's current ban from the game was due to expire in October but the latest ban of six years and eight months, for ethics code violations, will take effect from that point.
Ronaldo, the first player to score in five World Cups, has only one goal in Qatar which came in Portugal's group opener against Ghana.
"If you look at our team, only three players of the 26 have played at a World Cup before. This is a new generation of players. There is everything still left to play for. We have not lost hope."
A three-year-old boy died after he fell from the fifth floor of a club in south Mumbai where his family had gone to watch the FIFA World Cup final, a police official said on Tuesday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances