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    Canada has one more game before turning its focus to 2026.

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    AL RAYYAN, Qatar — After the final whistle, after Canada had been eliminated from the 2022 World Cup with a 4-1 loss to Croatia on Sunday, its goalkeeper Milan Borjan stood in the middle of a huddle of his teammates and waved his arms as he spoke. According to the Canada captain Atiba Hutchinson, Borjan reminded his teammates of how far they had come, told that they still possessed talent despite their performance, and encouraged them — four years before Canada co-hosts the next World Cup — that they would keep getting better. Even reaching this far was an accomplishment. Canada toppled the United States and Mexico en route to winning their qualifying group and ending its 36-year World Cup drought. Once in Qatar, Canada showed flashes of its tantalizing potential — it outplayed Belgium in the teams’ opening match but lost, 1-0. But in its loss to Croatia, Canada then showed how far it has to go before it can expect to contend at the highest level.“You’re playing on a world stage, there’s a lot of quality, so there’s things that we’re going to have to learn as a team,” said Hutchinson, 39, who made his 100th international appearance for Canada on Sunday. “We didn’t get the result we wanted but we’ll learn from this and these mistakes that we made and we’ll get better and better, and the next World Cup will be in Canada. We’ve got great players and have more and more coming through the system. We just have to be ready to do what we’ve been doing.”The 2026 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico, and in its expansion to 48 teams all three host countries are expected to qualify automatically. But Canada will certainly want to show more than it did in Qatar. With several standouts who are 25 or younger and play in some of the top leagues in the world — Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich in Germany), Jonathan David (Lille in France), Tajon Buchanan (Club Brugge in Belgium) and Stephen Eustáquio (F.C. Porto in Portugal) — that may possible. “I know the future for this team is really bright and there are a lot of lessons in this World Cup,” defender Steven Vitória said. “We’re going to keep working to close gaps against the best teams in the world.”Canada still has one more group stage game left in Qatar, against Morocco on Thursday. It has already done better than its only previous trip to the World Cup — Canada went scoreless and winless in Mexico in 1986 — but that is not good enough for Davies, its best player and the scorer of its only goal in Qatar.“For me, I keep dreaming and keep believing and keep pushing,” Davies said after the loss. More

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      Portugal vs Uruguay – World Cup Group H: How they’re doing, injuries and prediction as Ronaldo and Co look to qualify

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      CRISTIANO RONALDO and his Portugal team-mates are hoping to book their place in the last-16 of the World Cup when they take on Uruguay.The Euro 2016 winners were favourites to top Group H when the draw was made.

      This Portugal team beat Ghana 3-2
      But they made hard work of their group opener avoiding a late scare.
      Uruguay, meanwhile, played out a draw but showed very little goal threat.
      A win for Portugal would book their place in the last-16 and top spot could be confirmed if Ghana hold South Korea.
      SunSport takes a look at what to expect from Portugal vs Uruguay including our score prediction.

      How are they getting on?
      Portugal: Expected to reach the knockout stages of the tournament but weren’t as fluid as they’d have hoped against Ghana – despite winning 3-2.
      They’ll need unemployed Ronaldo – recently axed by Manchester United – to turn up at clutch moments and lead Portugal to another group victory.
      Read the full Portugal vs Ghana match report…
      Uruguay: A poor start to their group, being held by South Korea.
      Their frontline looked leggy with Luis Suarez up top but record Liverpool signing Darwin Nunez was a bright spark.
      Read the full Uruguay vs South Korea match report…

      This Uruguay team played out a 0-0 draw with South Korea
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      Any injuries to worry about?
      Portugal: Danilo Pereira will be missing for the rest of the group stage after suffering broken ribs in training.
      That could see veteran Pepe called upon by boss Fernando Santos.
      Uruguay: Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo is expected to miss out having still not fully recovered from thigh surgery at the end of September.
      Luis Suarez will likely lead the line again.
      Who will be the star men?
      Portugal: Ronaldo is the obvious star man with the 37-year-old itching to lift the World Cup.
      If given the chance, Rafael Leao – who scored from the bench against Ghana – will shine on the left-hand side.
      Joao Felix also has some magic in him.
      Uruguay: Suarez and Nunez are the obvious threats, with the latter more likely to unsettle Portugal’s backline.
      In the midfield, Real Madrid ace Federico Valverde is a powerhouse.
      Read More on The Sun
      What’s the head-to-head?
      The two sides have met just three times in their history.
      Both have one win each with a third game ending in a draw.
      The most recent meeting at the World Cup 2018 ended in a 2-1 Uruguay win.
      SunSport prediction
      Portugal 2 Uruguay 1 More

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      Brazil vs Switzerland – World Cup Group G: How they’re doing, injuries and prediction with favourites missing Neymar

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      PRE-TOURNAMENT favourites Brazil are hoping to book their place in the World Cup last-16 WITHOUT star man Neymar against Switzerland.The Brazilians have been tipped to win a sixth world crown despite losing the Copa America 2021 final to Argentina.

      Brazil ran out 2-0 winners against Serbia with this team
      They reaffirmed their place as favourites with an expected win in their first group match.
      Brazil will be heavy favourites to beat Switzerland, who are expected to finish runners-up in the group.
      A win for either would all-but see them through to the last-16, but a draw wouldn’t be the end of the world.
      SunSport takes a look at what to expect from Brazil vs Switzerland, including our score prediction.

      How are they getting on?
      Brazil: The Samba Boys took a while to find a breakthrough against Serbia.
      Richarlison got both goals, with his second – an incredible overhead kick – certain to be one of the goals of the World Cup.
      Read the full Brazil vs Serbia match report…
      Switzerland: Got three points in their opening group match against a good Cameroon side.
      Breel Embolo got the goal against his country of birth.
      Read the full Switzerland vs Cameroon match report…

      Switzerland beat Cameroon 1-0 with this team
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      Any injuries to worry about?
      Brazil: The South American team will be without star man Neymar, who took a knock to the ankle against Serbia.
      The Paris Saint-Germain star suffered ligament damage after being clattered by defender Nikola Milenkovic and will miss the rest of the group stages at least.
      Right-back Danilo will also miss the rest of the group stage with a similar injury.
      Switzerland: The European country have no fresh injury concerns and manager Murat Yakin isn’t expected to make any changes.
      Who will be the star men?
      Brazil: West Ham summer signing Lucas Paqueta is one to watch, playing in a slightly deeper role alongside Manchester United’s Casemiro.
      Richarlison is Brazil’s Golden Boy up front, as is Vinicius Jr on the wing.
      Switzerland: Embolo will be the danger man for the Swiss… he knows where the back of the net is.
      Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka will captain the side and will have to get the best of Casemiro and Co.
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      What’s the head-to-head?
      The two sides have met on nine occasions and the record is pretty even.
      Brazil have won three meetings to Switzerland’s two.
      There has been four draws with the last match ending 1-1 at the World Cup 2018.
      SunSport prediction
      Brazil 1 Switzerland 0 More

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      South Korea vs Ghana – World Cup Group H: How they’re doing, injuries and prediction as both nations chase first win

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      WORLD CUP history was made in South Korea’s opening game as both teams recorded ZERO shots on target in a bore draw with Uruguay.This time, Ghana lie in wait and both sides will be hunting for their first win.

      And if either have any aspirations of reaching the last 16, they almost certainly need to win this one.
      Cristinao Ronaldo’s Portugal will remain group favourites but a victory here would take these sides one major step closer to knockout qualification.
      No pressure, then…
      SunSport takes a look at what to expect from South Korea vs Ghana… including score prediction.
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      How are they getting on?
      South Korea: The ‘Tigers of Asia’ saw out a drab goalless draw with Uruguay.
      They’ll be hoping the break that deadlock and hit the back of the net this time around.
      A win against Ghana is vital if they want to reach the knockouts.
      Read full Uruguay vs South Korea report…
      Ghana: Ghana were close to rocking the Portuguese with a last minute draw as Inaki Williams snuck up on keeper Diogo Costa.
      The Athletic Club Bilbao striker slipped at the key moment and Ghana were forced to settled with a 3-2 loss.
      Their second clash is now a must-win.
      Read full Portugal vs Ghana report…
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      Any injuries to worry about?
      South Korea: Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan is out with a hamstring injury.
      The 26-year-old was an unused sub on Thursday against Uruguay.
      Ghana: Manager Otto Addo has injury concerns of note ahead of the clash.
      Who will be the star men?
      South Korea: Son Heung-Min has carried the hopes of South Korea on his shoulders for years.
      The Tottenham ace, 30, has already racked up 105 caps for his country.
      He will be hoping to get on the scoresheet in this outing.
      Ghana: Arsenal’s Thomas Partey will attempt to control the game from midfield.
      Was somewhat average against Portugal but fans will hope for more this time out.
      Watch out for Basque Country star Williams.
      Read More on The Sun
      What’s the head-to-head?
      These two nations have played nine times with very even outcomes.
      It’s an exact split so far – with both sides sharing four wins each, with a single draw.
      Ghana crushed South Korea 4-0 last time they faced off in 2014.
      SunSport prediction
      South Korea 3 Ghana 1 More

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      Cameroon vs Serbia – World Cup Group G: How they’re doing, injuries and prediction as nations face off in must-win clash

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      CAMEROON and Serbia go head-to-head knowing nothing but a win will do.Both nations failed to gain a point from their opening Group G match.

      And if either have any aspirations of reaching the last 16, they almost certainly need to win this one.
      Switzerland will be there for the taking in the other group game against power-hitters Brazil.
      So both sides will be desperate for three points on the board from the bout at 40,000 seater Al Janoub.
      SunSport takes a look at what to expect from Cameroon vs Serbia… including a score prediction.
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      How are they getting on?
      Cameroon: The ‘Indomitable Lions’ gave a hard-fought effort but walked away with a 1-0 loss against the Swiss.
      Breel Embolo refused to celebrate his winner against the country of his birth in Group G’s opening game.
      A win against Serbia is vital if they want to reach the knockouts.
      Read full Switzerland vs Cameroon report…
      Serbia: No-one expected the Serbs to take anything from their initial round matchup with the mighty Brazil.
      Richarlison scored a double including a stunning acrobatic overhead kick.
      Read full Brazil vs Serbia report…
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      Any injuries to worry about?
      Cameroon: Midfielder Olivier Ntcham will miss the Serbia clash through injury. 
      The Swansea striker has been ruled out of Cameroon’s remaining group games.
      Serbia: Coach Dragan Stojkovic admitted that top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic wasn’t fully fit last week.
      The boss also revealed that Juventus pair Dusan Vlahovic and Filip Kostic missed the starting line up for the Brazil bout because of injuries.
      He said: “I’m sorry we didn’t have everyone at the top, it’s not a tactical issue, we have a few days to recover and to prepare for the decisive matches. Hopefully, we can count on Kostic.”
      While Kostic’s health is still up-in-the-air, Vlahovic is set to start with Mitrovic up top against Cameroon.
      Who will be the star men?
      Cameroon: Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo should start alongside Bayern Munich forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
      The Premier League striker will be desperate to make his mark for the African nation.
      And after a goalless opening match, they’ll both be needed to find the back of the net.
      Serbia: Mitrovic scored 43 goals last season to break the all-time goalscoring record in the Championship.
      Nine strikes in 12 games in this season’s Prem shows that he is Serbia’s main man.
      Although, six in ten for Vlahovic in the Italian Serie A shows that goals should come easy for the European side.
      Read More on The Sun
      What’s the head-to-head?
      These two nations have only ever played ONCE.
      In a friendly in 2010, Serbia came out as victors in a 4-3 cracker.
      SunSport prediction
      Cameroon 1 Serbia 2 More

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      Germany Meets the Moment and Keeps its World Cup Hopes Alive

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      AL KHOR, Qatar — This is how fine the margins can be: Had Nico Schlotterbeck not raced back, his jaw tight with effort, to steal the ball from Álvaro Morata’s feet, Germany’s World Cup would hang by a thread. For the second tournament in a row, a group stage exit would loom. Questions would be asked, culprits sought, knives sharpened.But Schlotterbeck did race back, straining every sinew to close the gap to Morata, and he did slide in, his timing perfect, and he did steal the ball from his feet, and now it is not beyond the realm of possibility that Germany might find itself — in a couple of weeks’ time — preparing for a World Cup semifinal, the scent of unlikely glory in its nostrils.Catherine Ivill/Getty ImagesThe irony, of course, was that Schlotterbeck’s intervention was just one moment among many thousands over the course of more than 100 minutes, a speck in terms of Hansi Flick’s team’s overall performance, and yet everything turned on that single instant. Every assessment of this game, every analysis of the health of German soccer, hinged on it; so, too, did the international careers of several players and, likely, of one coach.The truth of it is that this had been a hugely encouraging display from Germany, regardless of whether Morata, scorer of Spain’s opener, had added a second in injury time. It would have been even if Flick’s team had not sealed a point thanks to a goal from Niclas Füllkrug, the late-blooming striker added to the squad almost as an afterthought in the weeks before this tournament.That is not to say it was spectacular — far from it — but it was brim full of all of those other traits that are considered quite useful in these circumstances: grit and fight and industry and nous. Germany richly deserved its point, one that means it goes into its final game knowing that a victory against Costa Rica will, in all likelihood, carry it into the knockout rounds.After that, the field opens just a little. It might be Morocco in the last 16 and Portugal in the quarterfinals. Germany came within a whisker of yet another embarrassment in the World Cup. The margins, though, are fine. All of a sudden, it can see nothing but promise. More

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      Newcastle’s Sharna Wilson says her FA Cup screamer left her lost for words after Magpies reach third round

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      SHARNA WILSON admits she was left stunned by the ‘worldy’ wonder goal she netted to help Newcastle keep their Women’s FA Cup hopes alive. The defender scored the winner as the Magpies fought from 1-0 down to seal a 2-1 second round in front of a crowd of 28,565 at St James’ Park.
      Newcastle United have booked their spot in the third of the Women’s FA Cup after dispatching in front of a record crowd at St James’ ParkCredit: Getty
      Sharna Wilkinson was on target with the second of Newcastle thumping finishesCredit: Getty
      Spectator numbers saw the club establish a new record for the largest attendance at a Women’s FA Cup game outside of the contest final. 
      And it also led the Magpies to set a new record for the biggest crowd to ever watch a women’s football game at St James’ Park. 
      Wilson, who was subbed on in the second half, told BBC Radio Newcastle: “Watching from the sidelines, it’s one of those ones that once an (opposing) team scores here the mood goes down.
      “But then you know that everyone in the crowd is just going to lift everyone back up, and especially in our dressing room. 
      “No one is going to give up and everyone has each other’s backs, especially people coming on.
      “And I think everyone of those players who didn’t come on (the pitch) have made an impact. 

      “I’m just really glad that I came on and we gave it that little bit of an extra push.
      “We’ve been in situations before when we have been like one-nil down, two-nil down and we’ve come back from it. 
      “The game is never lost until the final whistle goes so we just keep pushing and kind of showing character but that’s what’s instilled in us to do.”
      Emily Pierrepont opened the scoring with a thumping effort from just outside the 18-yard box in the 15th minute before Georgie Gibson levelled with her 30-yard strike in the 68th minute. 
      And Wilson sealed the win for her side with a spectacular effort from distance with the ball bouncing off the post into the net. 
      Of her stunning strike, Wilson added: “I took it (the shot) because I could see she (the goalkeeper) was off her line and it went in and so it paid off.
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      “A couple of my coaches were in the crowd, and one of them properly said just shoot and score a worldy and that was pretty good advice”.
      The victory saw Newcastle enter the pot for the contest’s third round fixtures.
      The draw will be conducted live on talkSPORT on Monday (28 November) at 7:00 pm.
      Georgia Gibson equalised for the hosts with her long range effort in the second spellCredit: Getty More

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      Jack Grealish defends Gareth Southgate and says England boss has NO problem with Phil Foden despite World Cup bench role

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      JACK GREALISH has defended Gareth Southgate and insists the England boss has NO problem with Phil Foden.Foden, 22, has been in red-hot form for Man City this term with eight goals and three assists in 20 appearances.
      Phil Foden was left on the bench during the draw draw with USACredit: Rex
      Jack Grealish insists Gareth Southgate has ‘no problem’ with any of England’s attackersCredit: Getty
      The attacker came off the bench as England thrashed Iran 6-2 in their opening group game but Southgate was highly-criticised by fans and pundits alike for not introducing him during Friday’s drab goalless draw with USA.
      Victory would have secured the Three Lions’ place in the last-16 with a game to spare but they struggled to create any clear cut chances against the Americans.
      And that has intensified the calls for Foden to start Tuesday’s clash against Wales.
      Southgate’s failure to bring Foden on has led to speculation over the relationship between the manager and Foden.
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      But fellow City and England star Grealish has moved quickly to deny those suggestions as he drew on his own past experiences.
      Grealish told BBC Sport: “People always used to say, ‘Ah, he’s got a problem with Jack’ last year or two years ago, and then I come on and it’s like, ‘Oh, he likes Jack now, who is it next?’.
      “And then I know people were saying, ‘He doesn’t like Madders (James Maddison)’ and now Madders is in, so it’s fine with him, and then Phil didn’t play, so it’s like, ‘He’s got a problem with Phil’.
      “He hasn’t got a problem with anyone. He speaks to all of us the same.
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      “If you’re not playing – Phil didn’t play the other night – he’s still the same with Phil as he is with me, when I came on, or Harry Kane.
      “He’s not got a problem with anyone. If he did have a problem with someone, you’d know about it.”
      Grealish also defended Southgate after many criticised his use of the huge attacking talent at his disposal.
      He said: “You look at our attack and I’m not going to sit here and be big-headed and say we’ve got the best attack in the tournament, but it’s certainly up there.
      “You look at the seven or eight attacking players we have and everyone brings different stuff to the game, so it is difficult for the manager sometimes.” More

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      World Cup fans accuse Germany of hypocrisy as they hold up pictures of Mesut Ozil in stands during Spain clash

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      FANS were seen holding up pictures of Mesut Ozil while covering their mouths with their hands during Germany’s World Cup clash with Spain.Niclas Fullkrug’s 83rd minute strike saw the Germans seal a dramatic 1-1 draw in Sunday’s group stage clash.
      Football fans held pictures of Mesut Ozil while covering their mouthsCredit: Getty
      The dramatic scenes took place during Germany’s 1-1 draw with SpainCredit: Getty
      But during the game, some supporters were seen standing while holding pictures of former Germany international Ozil.
      As they flashed the pictures towards the pitch, many also covered their hands with their mouths.
      The move referenced Germany’s players doing the same gesture before their shock opening game defeat to Japan.
      Hansi Flick’s men were not allowed to wear the OneLove armband in support of the LGBTQ community.  
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      And by putting their hands over their mouths, they protested Fifa’s decision by insinuating they had been silenced from criticising World Cup hosts Qatar.
      But the fans present against Spain were apparently highlighting perceived hypocrisy of Germany’s treatment of Ozil, now 34.
      He retired from international duty after Germany’s early 2018 World Cup exit, claiming he was scapegoated over his Turkish background.
      The former Arsenal man, now at Istanbul Basaksehir, was also criticised in his homeland for meeting with controversial Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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      German players made the same gesture protesting Fifa’s ban on their OneLove armbandsCredit: Getty
      Ozil retired from the national side after claiming racismCredit: AFP or licensors
      And in a stunning statement, he said at the time: “The treatment I have received from the DFB (German Football Association) and many others makes me no longer want to wear the German national team shirt.
      “I feel unwanted and think that what I have achieved since my international debut in 2009 has been forgotten.
      “I will no longer be playing for Germany at international level whilst I have this feeling of racism and disrespect. I used to wear the German shirt with such pride and excitement, but now I don’t.
      “When high-ranking DFB officials treat me as they did, disrespect my Turkish roots and selfishly turn me into political propaganda, then enough is enough.
      “This is not why I play football, and I will not sit back and do nothing about it. Racism should never, ever be accepted.”
      Ozil also said about former German FA president Reinhard Grindel: “People with racially discriminative backgrounds should not be allowed to work in the largest football federation in the world that has players from dual‑heritage families.
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      “Attitudes like theirs simply do not reflect the players they supposedly represent. In the eyes of Grindel and his supporters, I am German when we win but I am an immigrant when we lose.”
      And just last year, Ozil said: “I wish the German national team success, but I will never play for them again.” More