World Cup 2022

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      World Cup 2022 Group D LIVE TABLE: Standings as France, Australia, Denmark and Tunisia bidding for last-16 spots

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      GROUP D at the World Cup 2022 goes down to the wire, with the final fixtures taking place NOW.France, Australia, Denmark and Tunisia can ALL still advance into the last-16 spots in Qatar.
      Click on the LIVE Group D table below for full World Cup groups…

      Group D results and fixtures
      Tuesday November 22

      Saturday November 26

      Wednesday November 30

      Tunisia vs France (3pm)
      Australia vs Denmark (3pm)

      Last 16 fixtures
      Saturday, December 3
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      Match 49: Winners Group A vs Runners-up Group B (3pm)
      Match 50: Winners Group C vs Runners-up Group D (7pm)

      Sunday, December 4

      Match 52: Winners Group D vs Runners-up Group C (3pm)
      Match 51: Winners Group B vs Runners-up Group A (7pm)

      Monday, December 5

      Match 53: Winners Group E vs Runners-up Group F (3pm)
      Match 54: Winners Group G vs Runners-up Group H (7pm)

      Tuesday, December 6

      Match 55: Winners Group F vs Runners-up Group E (3pm)
      Match 56: Winners Group H vs Runners-up Group G (7pm)

      Quarter-finals
      Friday, December 9

      Match 58: Winners of Match 53 vs Winners of Match 54 (3pm)
      Match 57: Winners of Match 49 vs Winners of Match 50 (7pm)

      Saturday, December 10

      Match 60: Winners of Match 55 vs Winners of Match 56 (3pm)
      Match 59: Winners of Match 51 vs Winners of Match 52 (7pm)

      Semi-finals
      Tuesday, December 13

      Match 61: Winners of Match 57 vs Winners of Match 58 (7pm)

      Wednesday, December 14

      Match 62: Winners of Match 59 vs Winners of Match 60 (7pm)
      Third/Fourth place play-off

      Saturday, December 17

      Losers of Match 61 vs Losers of Match 62 (3pm)

      Final
      Sunday, December 18
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      Winners of Match 61 vs Winners of Match 62 (3pm)

      What are the most important dates for the World Cup?

      The group stages got underway on Sunday, November 20.
      Round of 16 will be on December 3 – December 6.
      Quarter-final stages begin on December 9 – December 10.
      Semi-finals are taking place on December 13 – December 14.
      The World Cup final will be participated on Sunday, December 18.

      World Cup 2022Everything you need to know about the World Cup More

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      Chelsea star Marc Cucurella admits Barcelona transfer return dream despite sealing £63m Blues move just FOUR MONTHS ago

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      CHELSEA star Marc Cucurella has admitted he would love to play for Barcelona, despite only joining the Blues four months ago.Cucurella, 24, signed a six-year contract with Chelsea in the summer which saw Brighton receive £63million.
      Marc Cucurella revealed he wants to return to Barcelona one dayCredit: Getty
      Cucurella was a part of the club’s legendary academy set-upCredit: Getty
      In that time Chelsea have undergone some changes, including a managerial one which has seen Graham Potter reunite with Cucurella after replacing Thomas Tuchel.
      Despite this, Cucurella has not hit the ground running in his time at Chelsea and has struggled with hit-and-miss form for the club, though Potter has backed him to improve.
      This erratic form saw him miss out on a spot in the Spain squad for the World Cup.
      And while the Spaniard will be hoping to give his Chelsea career the jolt it needs when domestic football returns after the World Cup, he has spoken about his dream to one day return to boyhood club Barcelona.
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      Cucurella progressed through the club’s infamous La Masia academy but only managed one appearance in the senior team before leaving in search of more game opportunities.
      Speaking to Catalunya Radio, he said: “I didn’t get the chance to really play for Barcelona and I’ve always been gutted about that.
      “In the end, if I had the chance in future, I would value it. It would be very nice.”
      Cucurella has made 18 appearances this season, contributing two assists but is yet to net his first goal.
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      Since joining he has not been afforded the security of being played in a singular position, with his versatility coming back to haunt him in his struggles to embed at Stamford Bridge.
      The ex-Brighton defender has played as a centre-back in a back three, a left-back and a left wing-back. More

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      World Cup 2026 could see penalty shootouts used in GROUP STAGE as Fifa mull huge changes for USA, Canada & Mexico

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      FIFA chiefs are plotting another major overhaul of the World Cup by introducing PENALTY SHOOTOUTS to group matches.Footie’s global governing body is already planning to expand the competition from 32 teams to 48 for the 2026 tournament – which will take place in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
      FIFA are expanding the 2026 World Cup from 32 teams to 48Credit: GETTY
      Footy chiefs are weighing up the possibility of introducing group-stage penalty shootoutsCredit: Reuters
      FIFA’s chief officer for technical development, Marco van Basten, is a proponent of the ideaCredit: GETTY
      And according to reports, they’re trying to put an end to drawn group matches with the introduction of additional shootouts.
      That’s according to The Athletic, who claim FIFA are “considering” introducing shootouts to determine whether or not teams should be awarded a bonus point if matches are drawn.
      The potential introduction of group-stage penalty shootouts is due to the possibility of groups being made up of three teams.
      The bonus-point shootouts could take place before kick-off or following the full-time whistle.
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      The potential introduction of group-stage penalty shootouts isn’t a new idea by any stretch of the imagination.
      It was first mooted back in 2017 and championed by FIFA’s chief officer for technical development, Marco van Basten.
      The Dutchman said: “Shootouts could indeed be an option for tournaments with groups of three in which you play against two opponents.
      “It can get pretty tight.
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      “If one team for instance draws one match 0-0 and wins the other 1-0, there’s a high risk that all three teams are level on points and goals in the end.”
      Former Bayern Munich boss Ottmar Hitzfeld is a proponent of three-team groups.
      The 73-year-old said: “The third match in the group stage in the World Cup is often boring since the big nations are usually already through.
      “With this format, tension would be guaranteed from the beginning and we would swiftly move to the knockout stage.”
      The group stages of Qatar 2022 are coming to an end.
      The Netherlands, Senegal, England, France, Brazil, Portugal and the USA have already qualified for the knockout stages of the tournament.
      Teams could bag a bonus point with victory in group-stage shootoutsCredit: Getty More

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      England’s top penalty takers for World Cup shootouts revealed including shock marksman.. and should Pickford be in goal?

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      ENGLAND won their first World Cup penalty shootout in Russia four years ago, ending a run of three successive spot kick defeats in the competition.The dreaded 12-yard duty has become a major part of the Three Lions’ international history ever since the semi-final defeats to Germany at World Cup ’90 and Euro ’96.
      Harry Kane is England’s regular penalty takerCredit: Getty
      How England’s players compare at taking penalties for club and country
      England won their first World Cup penalty shootout against Colombia in 2018Credit: Getty
      And they have gone on to be eliminated from four more major tournaments on penalties – Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup to Portugal, and Euro 2012 and Euro 2020 to Italy.
      All that is to say Gareth Southgate will want to have an idea who is going to take the spot kicks should England be taken to another shootout in Qatar.
      Among the 26-man squad, all but two of the players have taken a penalty in their careers – keepers Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope the only ones yet to do so.
      Even Jordan Pickford stepped up and dispatched one with aplomb in a Nations League win over Switzerland three years ago.
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      But who are England’s five most accomplished names from the spot?
      Well, captain Harry Kane will undoubtedly be the first man to step up for the Three Lions – providing he is still on the pitch come the end of the game.
      The Tottenham man has scored 60 of his 69 career penalties for club and country – giving him the best percentage of anybody in the squad that has taken two or more (87 per cent).
      Following shortly behind him are fellow forwards Callum Wilson and Marcus Rashford – both of whom also boast a penalty success rate of more than 80 per cent.
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      Then it becomes a little trickier as you look down the rest of the list.
      James Maddison, Raheem Sterling and Mason Mount have all taken 10 or more penalties in their careers.
      However, Maddison and Mount have missed nearly 30 per cent of the time – while Sterling has failed to hit the back of the net in exactly HALF of his spot kicks since 2013.
      As a result, a standout candidate is Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire.
      He has missed just one of six penalties he has taken – with only Kane and Wilson boasting a better success rate.
      The ex-Leicester defender has also already shown he can cope with huge pressure after coming into the tournament in poor form and turning it around to be one of England’s best players in the group stage.
      He was also one of only two penalty takers, along with Kane, to score from the spot in the Euro 2020 final.
      The fifth and final penalty taker is then up for grabs with a host of possible candidates including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kalvin Phillips and Bukayo Saka.
      But perhaps the best option is Eric Dier.
      He may not be as technically gifted as those mentioned above, but he has scored four of five career penalties.
      And, maybe most crucially, he experienced a hugely pressurised shootout in 2018 when he tucked home the winner against Colombia.
      How England’s three keepers compare at facing penalties
      Another talking point is whether Southgate will decide to go all Louis van Gaal and swap out first choice keeper Pickford for a shootout.
      It is highly unlikely he would – even though Pope does have a marginally better penalty-saving record than the Everton man (17.1 per cent for Pope compared with 16.1 per cent for Pickford).
      Pickford has earned the right to be in between the sticks for England shootouts.
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      He stopped the crucial kick against Colombia four years ago and then saved two in the defeat to Italy last summer – including a superb one to deny penalty specialist Jorginho.
      SunSport’s penalty picks for England: Keeper – Pickford. Takers – Kane, Wilson, Rashford, Maguire, Dier.
      Eric Dier scored the winning spot kick against Colombia four years agoCredit: Getty More

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      Dejected Wales supporters get best consolation prize ever after bumping into ‘World Cup’s hottest fan’

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      DEJECTED Wales supporters were given the best consolation prize ever after bumping into the World Cup’s hottest fan.Heartbroken footie enthusiasts were consoled by Croatian beauty Ivana Knoll after The Dragons crushing defeat.
      Ivana Knoll consoled Wales fans after their crushing defeat against the Three LionsCredit: The Mega Agency
      She put a smile on the face of two blokes who bumped into her at NAMMOS beach clubCredit: Instagram
      The 30-year-old posed with the pair while sporting her country’s coloursCredit: Instagram
      The stunning superfan offered a pair of forlorn fans a shoulder to cry on after the Three Lions roared to victory.
      She lent her support to the deflated duo while taking a day off from her cheerleading duties before Croatia takes on Belgium.
      The 30-year-old had spent a day relaxing at the boujie NAMMOS beach club ahead of tomorrow’s crucial clash.
      She had shared a clip of herself strutting down a beach in a chequered swimsuit to rally fans.
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      But Ivana was happy to interrupt her downtime to help cheer up Welsh fans after their World Cup dreams were dashed.
      She shared an Instagram story showing her posing sweetly as two beaming blokes, clutching a Welsh flag, wrapped their arms around her for a snap.
      The model and influencer again sported her country’s signature colours by donning a red and white swimsuit, tucked into some stylish white shorts.
      Both of the men were visibly uplifted after running into the social media star – and offered her a fist bump as thanks.
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      Ivana then returned to her table with a huge grin, clearly elated to have done her good deed for the day.
      At least the lads weren’t dealt a double blow like this Welshman – who defied his girlfriend’s ultimatum and flew out to Qatar to watch the 3-0 defeat.
      Ivana is constantly swarmed by fans when she enters the stadium who are desperate to grab a selfie with her.
      She has continued to put smiles on the faces of footie fans across the world with her jaw-dropping outfits.
      Many of her figure-hugging displays are in the distinctive red-and-white chequerboard design of the Croatian flag.
      For the Balkan team’s World Cup opener against Morocco, Ivana was pictured in a full-length red-and-white checked dress with a hood.
      At Croatia’s last game against Canada, the beautiful brunette went one step further when she was filmed in a short low-cut dress red-and-white checked dress with matching socks that exposed her shoulders.
      Ahead of the tournament, she also shared two pictures of herself in a Croatian-inspired thong bikini which she claimed were taken on a beach in Qatar.
      Ivana has already received abuse online from trolls calling for her to better respect the cultural code of Qatar.
      And she admitted she frustrated was when she heard about the modesty rules before flying to the Middle East for the World Cup.
      But Ivana revealed she has been delighted with the response since she landed in Doha – and she has no fear of being arrested by cops.
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      “I think how can my dress or bikini can hurt someone? Please explain me that,” she said.
      The 26-year-old said the authorities are “not making any problems” for her at the stadiums.
      Ivana has shown off her assets – and support – for her team during the World CupCredit: Instagram/knolldoll
      Ivana has also been posting her daring bikini photoshoots in QatarCredit: INSTAGRAM/KNOLLDOLL
      Even as his team were battered by Croatia, this Canadian fan beamed with IvanaCredit: Getty More

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      Marcus Rashford’s pal Garfield Hayward thought he’d beaten cancer before losing battle in tragedy that sparked tribute

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      A PAL who Marcus Rashford dedicated his goals against Wales to last night has been described as “his biggest supporter”. Garfield Hayward was a regular visitor to Old Trafford to cheer on the Manchester United striker with the player’s brothers Dane and Dwaine.
      Garfield Hayward was Marcus Rashford’s ‘biggest supporter’, pals saidCredit: Instagram
      Rashford celebrating his goal against Wales last nightCredit: Rex
      Flowers left underneath ‘Garf’ graffiti in the Levenshulme area of ManchesterCredit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia
      Garfield – known as Garf – passed away earlier this week after a long battle with cancer.
      A source said: “Garf was a really good friend of the Rashford family.
      “He was a really kind good-hearted guy.”
      “He had cancer for a long time and it went away, so everyone thought he had beaten it.
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      “But all of a sudden it came back and he couldn’t beat it.
      “Marcus and his brothers and all of Garf’s friends have been left devastated by their loss.”
      Flowers have been placed underneath a graffiti-style tribute on a railway bridge in Levenshulme, Greater Manchester, where he is believed to have grown up.
      Rashford sank to his knees and pointed to the sky with both hands after scoring his free kick against Wales in a poignant tribute to his pal.
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      After the World Cup game he told reporters: “I lost one of my friends a couple of days ago. He had quite a long battle with cancer.
      “I’m pleased I scored for him, he was a big supporter and good friend of mine.
      “He was someone who came into my life.”
      Friends paid tribute on social media, with one writing: “Big Garf was loved by the whole of Manchester and everyone who had the privilege of meeting him.
      “Sending prayers and strength to all of his close friends family and loved ones.”
      A family member added: “My heart is hurting so much knowing I won’t see you again in this life.
      “Uncle Garf, one of the realist people I’ve ever know.
      “You was a big part of my life growing up. Just wish we could have made a lot more memories together, it won’t be the same without you being here.
      “You were the man with the most beautiful soul. You didn’t have a bad bone in your body, you would give anything and everything you could with even a single bit of hesitation.
      “I love you man and I’m so glad I got to tell you that.
      “You will forever be in my thoughts and my heart till the day I die.”
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      Rashford scored two of England’s three goals against Wales at Qatar’s Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium last night, sending the Three Lions into the knockout stages.
      Gareth Southgate’s side are through to the last 16 where they will face Senegal on Sunday.
      Social media is flooded with tributes to the football fanCredit: Instagram
      Flowers, candles and notes left in the memory of ‘Garf’Credit: Andy Kelvin / Kelvinmedia
      Rashford after scoring during the Group B match between Wales and EnglandCredit: Getty More

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      France rest Golden Boot-chasing Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann for final World Cup group clash against Tunisia

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      KYLIAN MBAPPE and Antoine Griezmann have been benched for France’s final World Cup group game.Les Bleus will secure top spot in Group C if they avoid defeat to bottom-place side Tunisia.
      Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann start on the benchCredit: AFP
      Manager Didier Deschamps has rang the changes as a result, with Mbappe and Griezmann rested.
      There are surprises in defence with Real Madrid star Eduardo Camavinga featuring at left-back.
      The youngster is a central midfielder but has played as a left-back in training following the injury to Lucas Hernandez in France’s opening game against Australia.

      And Monaco’s Axel Disasi, naturally a centre-back, starts at right-back.

      Manchester United star Raphael Varane and Ibrahima Konate maintain their place in the heart of defence – with Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni the only other player to keep his place.
      Hugo Lloris has been replaced by Steve Mandanda while Youssouf Fofana comes in for Adrien Rabiot.
      Marseille midfielder Jordan Veretout has been given the chance to stake a claim in the side in the absence of Griezmann.
      There are plenty of shocks in attack with France’s injury list seeing former Arsenal star Matteo Guendouzi taking the place of Ousmane Dembele, who has been rested.
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      Olivier Giroud is also on the bench with Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani winning his third cap.
      If France win the group they could play Argentina, Poland or Saudi Arabia in the second round.
      It is possible they will then meet England in the quarter-final if the Three Lions overcome Senegal. More

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      Fans love Ian Wright’s wild celebrations after England score vs Wales… while glum Hal Robson-Kanu sits next to him

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      IAN WRIGHT went crazy after England scored against Wales – while sat beside glum Welshman Hal Robson-Kanu. The Three Lions only needed to avoid defeat to secure a place in the World Cup knock-out stages.
      Ian Wright could not contain his joy as England bounced back from their dull 0-0 draw with the USCredit: https://twitter.com/IanWright0
      England fans were loving Wright’s celebrations in the press boxCredit: https://twitter.com/IanWright0
      To the right of Wright was a far less happy Hal Robson-KanuCredit: https://twitter.com/IanWright0
      But after a first-half of frustration, one brilliant tactical tweak unlocked the door and England hammered their British foes in Qatar.
      Marcus Rashford scored twice – one a fantastic free-kick and the other a skilful individual goal.
      Phil Foden’s strike was sandwiched in-between, and it is that goal that set off Wright.
      The ITV pundit celebrated wildly as England extended the advantage.
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      Sat in the media section, the popular former Arsenal striker did not try to contain his joy as Gareth Southgate’s side took control at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.
      But sat alongside him was fellow pundit Hal Robson-Kanu who watched Wales’ first World Cup campaign since 1958 end in tatters.
      The ex-West Brom frontman led the Dragons’ sensational run to the semi-finals of Euro 2016 but now watched on in despair as he saw his former team-mates fail to replicate that magic in the Middle East.
      Wright uploaded the contrasting reactions and fans were loving it.
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      One wrote on Twitter: “I love Ian Wright and I’m not even an Arsenal fan.”
      Another added: “What I love about Ian Wright – his passionate support makes me feel less foolish whooping on my own watching in SA!”
      A third tweeted: “Wrightyy vibes, this is every England fan right now. Love to see it!”
      Another supporter who was more sympathetic to Wales added: “Hal not having any of it.”
      Wright will be hoping to lead the celebrations when England face off with Senegal in the last 16 on Sunday.
      And after several outstanding performances last night, Southgate has a selection headache on his hands. More