World Cup 2022

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      Watch the utter carnage in Australia as crowd of thousands go wild and set off flares as winning goal scored vs Tunisia

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      IT’S been a long wait, so Australia fans celebrated in style after watching their nation win a first World Cup match since 2010.Socceroos fans went wild after Mitchell Duke’s goal sealed a 1-0 win against Tunisia.
      Australian fans celebrated wildly after Mitchell Duke scored against TunisiaCredit: https://fedsquare.com/fed-cam
      Socceroos supporters in Melbourne lit flares and threw pints when the ball hit the back of the netCredit: https://fedsquare.com/fed-cam
      Duke scored the winning goal for the SocceroosCredit: AP
      It means the Aussies’ hopes of reaching the knockouts are still alive ahead of their final group game against Denmark.
      And it promises to be some party if they do make it past the group stages.
      That’s if the scenes in Federation Square, Melbourne, from the Tunisia game are anything to go by.
      A live feed of the square captured the moment Duke found the back of the net with an expert header.
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      The crowd of thousands erupted into scenes of carnage as they sent pints of beer flying through the air.
      Fans also lit flares in wild scenes as they celebrated the goal.
      After Duke’s 23rd minute strike the Aussies held on to claim a precious 1-0 victory.
      It’s the first World Cup clean sheet for the Socceroos since 1974.
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      But, more importantly, it means Australia can guarantee qualification for the knockout stages with victory over Denmark.
      And, depending on results elsewhere, they could even progress with a draw.
      Australia take on Denmark in their final group game on Wednesday.
      The Socceroos have not qualified for the World Cup knockout stages since 2006, losing in the round of 16 to eventual winners Italy. More

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      Wales star who filmed wild celebrations when England lost to Iceland has no fear of Three Lions World Cup 2022 revenge

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      JONNY WILLIAMS has no fear of taking more videos of his Wales team-mates – even though England are likely to have the last laugh.The Swindon midfielder filmed his Welsh pals wildly celebrating the Three Lions’ humiliating Euro 2016 last-16 exit to Iceland – and the phone vid leak via Wales’ WhatsApp group wound up England’s players and fans.
      Wales’ squad wildly celebrated England’s exit from Euro 2016Credit: Twitter
      Players and stuff cheered and jumped on each otherCredit: Twitter
      Williams’ video was leaked from the WhatsApp groupCredit: Getty
      England take on Wales next week at the World CupCredit: Getty
      But, after Wales’ 2-0 miserable World Cup defeat to Iran, Gareth Southgate’s side could gain revenge by sending Williams and Co home in Tuesday’s Battle of Britain.
      Wales must either beat England by four goals to book a knockout spot or grab a win of any margin and pray Iran draw with USA to advance.
      When asked if Williams had learnt his lesson from six years ago and would not take more videos in Qatar, the 29-year-old replied: “No, I probably would!
      “I put the video into the players’ WhatsApp group. There were a lot of people in the group – even players who weren’t in the final squad or injured or on holidays – but I didn’t realise how many people were in it.
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      “Someone else must have leaked it from there. It would be nice to clear that up – I never leaked the video. I was just putting good memories in the whatsapp group. I got stitched up!
      “But it’s important to enjoy it and take videos and pictures as long as they are not ridiculous. Hopefully things won’t get leaked this time.
      “Careers in football and life are too short. That’s what I have learnt from having time out and coming back into the Wales squad.
      “You have to enjoy every moment, have a good time and do my best every time I get called upon.”
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      Williams admits he was ‘scared’ in the aftermath of the video leak at their team base in Dinard, France and worried about Chris Coleman’s reaction.
      He added: “Cookie pretended to be annoyed and I was sweating. I was quite scared but then he told me he didn’t really care.
      “He thought there were good videos coming out of that trip. I can laugh about it now and it was lucky we kept winning.”
      Williams has 33 caps but feared his Wales career was over in 2017.
      The ex-Crystal Palace and Sunderland playmaker said: “I try to be myself, have a laugh and enjoy every moment. When it’s game time, it is serious and our heads are on and focused. But camps can be quite long.
      “I took a period out of the squad in 2017 and I believed that might be it for my Wales career and finished on 17 caps. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get picked again.
      “It was a tough few years. I managed to go again, Ryan Giggs pulled me out of nowhere and I started crucial qualifiers.
      “Now I’m on 33 caps and nearly doubled the number. It’s amazing how football can change. You can’t take anything for granted because it will soon pass you by and it will be Christmas.
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      “It’s an amazing achievement to be at the World Cup when I consider my journey.
      “And, even though I am playing in League Two, I still feel comfortable playing on the international stage. It wasn’t long ago I started and scored against Poland. That was my last appearance. It’s all I can do.” More

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      Who is France vs Denmark nreferee Szymon Marciniak and how many World Cups has the Pole officiated at?

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      REFEREE Szymon Marciniak will also be looking to represent his country in an exemplary fashion at the World Cup.The Pole is one of the most experienced and respected in world football and takes charge of France’s group game against Denmark.
      Credit: Bongarts – Getty
      Marciniak has taken charge of Man City, Liverpool and Spurs games in the Champions League
      Who is Szymon Marciniak?
      Born in Plock, Marciniak had an odd path into refereeing.
      Starting out as a player, he was so incensed at being sent off in one match that he told the referee in a foul-mouthed tirade that he was the worst he’d ever seen.
      And the official replied: “If you think you can do better – you try it!”
      So he did.
      Marciniak rose through the amateur ranks to make his Ekstraklasa debut in 2009.
      He become a Fifa-listed referee in 2011, which made him eligible for selection at Europa League, Champions League and internationals.
      After taking charge of the Under-21 Euro 2015 final, he made his major championship bow the following summer in France.
      There Marciniak reffed Spain vs Czech Republic, Iceland vs Austria in the group stage, as well as Germany vs Slovakia in the knockout phase.
      Russia will be the Pole’s first experience of a World CupCredit: Reuters
      A ref less than a decade, the Polish whistler has established a reputation as card happyCredit: EPA
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      Has he officiated at the World Cup before?
      This will be the Pole’s second experience of a World Cup, after getting his cards out at Russia 2018.
      He has Euro 2016 experience under his belt – but took charge of Liverpool, Manchester City and Spurs games in this season’s Champions League.
      At World Cup 2018 he reffed Argentina vs Iceland and Germany vs Sweden.
      He also took charge of the Uefa Super Cup match between Real and Atletico Madrid in 2018.
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      World Cup prize money: How much does each winner earn?
      Who are the ITV pundits and commentators?
      Who are the BBC pundits and commentators?
      Meet England’s World Cup wags who are staying on a £1bn cruise ship More

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      Why is Matty Cash playing for Poland at the World Cup 2022?

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      MATTY CASH is making his debut at the World Cup this year – but he’s not playing for England.The Aston Villa star was born and raised in England and grew up in Buckinghamshire.
      Matty Cash plays his international football for PolandCredit: Getty
      But Cash plays his international football for Poland, who are up against Mexico, Argentina and Saudi Arabia in the group stages in Qatar.
      Cash has scored one goal for Poland previously and has made seven appearances overall.

      Why does Matty Cash play for Poland?
      Cash is eligible to represent Poland at international level because his mother and late grand-father were both born there.
      His mother is also fluent in Polish and Cash has said that he listens to audio of popular Polish phrases.
      He switched itnernational allegiance from England to Poland in 2021 and was granted citizenship last October.
      He was first called up to the squad in November 2021.

      “This is a very important and proud day for me and my family,” Cash said after being granted citizenship.
      “My application to get a Polish citizenship has been approved by Polish authorities.
      “I would like to thank the president, my family and other people who helped me. Now it’s time for a new challenge. I will give my all for this country.”
      Cash never made an appearance for England, at youth or senior level.
      The 25-year-old ultimately chose to play for Poland to increase his chances of playing international football regularly.
      Poland are in a group with Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Argentina at the World CupCredit: Getty
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      Do yellow cards get cancelled after the group stages at the World Cup?

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      YELLOW CARDS are a certainty during any football tournament but players are bound to be cautious of picking up too many in Qatar.The 2022 World Cup will be no different, with players knowing that if they pick up two yellow cards they will pick up a suspension.
      The Netherlands will be hoping to lift the World Cup in Qatar after a fine run of form heading into the tournamentCredit: AP
      However, there is a cut-off point for yellow cards to help ease concerns of those who pick up an early yellow in the tournament.
      We have all the information regarding the rules and when yellow cards are reset during the 2022 World Cup.
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      Do yellow cards get cancelled after the group stages at the World Cup?
      In short, no, yellow cards will not be cancelled after the group stages at the World Cup.
      If you pick up a second yellow for the tournament in the final match of the group, the player will miss the round of 16.
      John Stones picking up a yellow card in World Cup qualifyingCredit: Getty
      The same goes for if a player picks up his second, or fourth, yellow of the tournament in the round of 16, meaning that they would miss the quarter final.
      However, a player’s record will be reset after the quarter final and before the semi final.
      This is to ensure that nobody will miss a World Cup final because of suspension due to an accumulation of yellows.
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      Despite this, a red card in the semi finals would see a suspension in the last match if this were to be the case.
      This rule change will be a welcome one for England, who previously saw Paul Gascoigne miss the Italia 90′ World Cup final due to picking up a yellow card against West German in the semi final.
      Thankfully, nobody will suffer this heartbreak in Qatar due to this rule being tweaked since 1990. More

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      Who is Poland vs Saudi Arabia referee Wilton Sampaio at World Cup 2022?

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      WILTON SAMPAIO is a referee who has gone from the VAR booth to the green grass of the pitch for this World CupThe Brazilian is in charge of the Saudi Arabia match against Poland.
      Wilton Sampaio has been a listed referee for Fiifa since 2013Credit: Aizar Raldes
      Four years ago in Russia he was one of the officials tasked with getting the, then new, technology running smoothly and making sound decisions.
      The technology was hailed in Russia for being well run and now four years later the Brazilian has been given his whistle and book back.Who is Wilton Sampaio?
      Sampaio was born in 1981 in Teresina de Goias, Brazil.
      The 36-year-old will be a video assistant referee at the World Cup this summer.
      He was elected as one of the best referees in the 2012 Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A champions.
      Sampaio is known in Brazil for handing out yellow cards at every possible occasion.
      The Brazilian impressed the Fifa officials during his VAR trainingCredit: Reuters
      After officiating three Copa Libertadores matches last season, the Brazilian produced 14 yellow cards and one red card.
      And he handed out 12 yellow cards after two Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A matches.Has he refereed at a World Cup competition?
      The competition in Russia will be Brazilian’s first ever job at a World Cup.
      He has refereed international matches at U17 and U15 level.

      Has he used VAR before?
      Video assistant referees are not used in the Brazilian leagues, but he was selected by Fifa after he excelled in the VAR seminars.
      Speaking to Globo, he said: “The feeling is very joyful.
      “It is a dream come true, to be able to work in a World Cup, my first in the professional category.
      “I tried my best to prepare to be among the selected , in the theoretical and practical parts.
      “The goal now is keep improving until the trip to Russia.”
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      Who are the BBC pundits and commentators?
      Meet England’s World Cup wags who are staying on a £1bn cruise ship More

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      How the USA stumped England – and why the Americans deserve more credit instead of just blaming Southgate for bore draw

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      GROUP B of the World Cup was blown wide open on Friday, starting with Iran’s surprise 2-0 victory over a lame Wales.Carlos Queiroz’s men leaped into second place by taking all three points from Rob Page’s side which is a dramatic turnaround after last Monday’s 6-2 thrashing taken at the hands of England.
      England failed to beat the USA last nightCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Walea were left devastated by IranCredit: Getty
      Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions played nine hours later. All England needed to do was beat the USA to progress into the next round.
      However, a goalless draw at the Al Bayt Stadium means that England will need to avoid defeat to Wales in what will be a nervy battle between the two British sides.
      If England do lose to Wales, albeit heavily, and the USA beat Iran, Southgate and his players will be taking an early plane home.
      Friday night’s draw was a huge, missed opportunity for England to book their place in the knockout phase and on the balance of play, the USA could have easily earned a victory.
      Read More World Cup Stories
      Total Football Analysis has analysed the game between the two sides across the pond, looking at how Gregg Berhalter stifled England’s attacking prowess.
      Similar pressing patterns
      The first tactical detail to note is that Southgate and Berhalter both had similar ideas on how to limit each other’s strengths. The game can only be described as a chess match in this sense.
      The two managers deployed a 4-3-3 on the field which morphed into a 4-4-2 out of possession.
      Each team wants to play out from the back, looking to be patient on the ball before making line-splitting passes into their attacking players between the lines.
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      England were scintillating at times in their offensive play against Iran, constantly finding players such as Mason Mount, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane in pockets of space between the Iranian midfield and backline.
      However, Iran made this possible by pressing with just one centre-forward in their 5-4-1 low block.
      Mehdi Taremi was tasked with applying pressure to both Harry Maguire and John Stones, causing the English centre-backs to pass around him with ease before progressing the ball through the centre of Iran’s defensive block.
      On Friday night, the Three Lions were not afforded this luxury due to the USA’s defensive setup.
      Whilst holding a 4-3-3 in possession, the USA would shift into a 4-4-2 once England had the ball.
      Christian Pulisic became a left midfielder and Weston McKennie pushed across as the right midfielder. Meanwhile, Timothy Weah and Haji Wright moved centrally and become a front two.
      Essentially, Berhalter wanted to ensure that England had no way of getting the ball into the feet of Declan Rice or Bellingham behind the frontline which would have allowed them to turn and play forward, acting as the link between defence and attack.
      Weah and Wright would press the centre-backs but did so only when they could also block the passing lane behind them, doing two jobs at once. Furthermore, McKennie and Pulisic were tasked with pressing England’s fullbacks. In this sense, the Americans went man-for-man on the English defence.

      This worked. England really struggled to play through the central areas and couldn’t reach the likes of Mount, Bukayo Saka, Kane and Raheem Sterling in advanced positions due to the USA cutting off access through the middle of the pitch.
      There was widespread criticism for England’s attacking players after the goalless draw, but not enough credit has been given to the American setup which denied the English forward line the chance to receive the ball in dangerous areas.
      Interestingly enough, Southgate had the same idea in mind.
      Pulisic, McKennie, Weah and Wright always look to get the ball between the lines and create dangerous opportunities and so the key for England was to protect the middle of their defensive structure, keeping a compact shape so that the American side couldn’t find their attacking stars.
      Likewise with the USA, England’s 4-3-3 morphed into a 4-4-2 out of possession but instead of one winger dropping back into the midfield and the other becoming a centre-forward, both wingers would push back, and a midfielder would step up.
      Mount took on the role of the temporary second striker when the USA had the ball. The Chelsea man pushed up alongside Kane while Saka and Sterling dropped alongside Rice and Bellingham to form the conventional 4-4-2.
      Just as their opponents did, the front two would press the centre-backs while blocking the passing lanes into the USA midfielders. Saka and Sterling would then press the American full-backs.
      The approach was almost identical from both sides and the xG was really low for this match with England registering just 0.54 to the USA’s 0.61.
      Using the wide areas
      What do you do when the centre of the park is closed off? It’s quite simple. Teams play the ball out wide and look to build their attacks down the flanks.
      The issue with this is that going down the sides is far less effective than creating chances through the middle, hence why teams such as England and the USA want to pass it to their attackers between the lines as they have the technical ability to play in congested spaces.
      On top of this, opportunities that are created on the flanks have a much lower conversion percentage than those through the middle.
      This is why teams like Manchester City and Arsenal always want to work their way into the box rather than crossing the ball in the hopes that somebody will eventually knock it home.
      However, if the space is completely blocked off, going wide is the only other alternative. England created some decent chances in the first half by using quick combination play out wide, but the crosses were either cleared away or the player in the penalty area missed.
      Once Kieran Trippier received the ball, USA’s left-back Antonee Robinson stepped across to close him down but left space in behind. Trippier quickly slipped it around Robinson and found the run of Bellingham. Play developed and England crossed it into Kane, but the captain couldn’t convert.

      Again, keeping on the theme of similar tactical approaches, the USA found solace on the wings too. England were defensively sound and so Berhalter’s men were unable to play through them centrally.
      This left the USA with the only other option which was to try and play crosses into the penalty box in the hope that one of their attacking players would put the ball into the back of the net, but it simply wasn’t to be.
      There was one chance in particular near the half-hour mark where Timothy Weah’s cross trickled through England’s defence and found McKennie standing free in the box, but the Juventus man blazed it over the bar.
      Weah whipped an excellent cross into McKennie with plenty of speed on the ball, but the midfielder snatched at the chance and the wonderful opportunity went abegging.
      Attacking transitions
      The USA looked far more dangerous in transition than their opponents on the night.
      When England were sitting deep and regained possession, Southgate wanted his players to be rapid on the break, looking to hit the Americans on the flanks as they always pushed both of their full-backs high up the pitch into the final third.
      Unfortunately, England’s counter-attacks were anything but rapid and effective. Lethargic and misdirected would be better words to describe their transitions from defence to attack.
      The USA, on the other hand, looked quite dangerous. The attacking duo of Wright and Weah would instantly split wide, making runs into the channels between England’s full-backs and central defenders.
      Weah, in particular, looked menacing when running down the side of Maguire. To the Manchester United skipper’s credit, he dealt with the threat quite well alongside the help of his Old Trafford team-mate Luke Shaw who put in a fine defensive shift.
      Nonetheless, the instructions from Berhalter were to win the ball back and look to hit one of the centre-forwards in behind.
      Here, the ball was played into the channel to Weah during a counterattack who was breaking his neck trying to get in between Maguire and Shaw but the Man United duo dealt with the problem.
      Sadly for their Americans, despite looking more dangerous than England when counter-attacking, they couldn’t convert their opportunities when they arose.
      So what does this all mean?
      Both teams will be disappointed with the result, although from a neutral perspective it has teed up a very tasty looking final round of the group phase where all four teams will be vying for the top two places to progress into the knockout phase.
      England are still the favourites to top the group providing they don’t lose to Wales on the final day, but the Welsh will be desperate to get one over on their British compatriots while staking their own claim to reach the knockout rounds for the first time in 64 years, providing Iran draw with the US.
      Regarding the USA, Berhalter and his men will be hopeful they can get the job done against Iran but will be leaning on the hope that England also come out on top.
      Now, it’s all to play for the on the final day.
      For even more detailed analysis of England and all teams in the Fifa World Cup 2022, you can download your copy of the November Total Football Analysis magazine here More

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      World Cup 2022 LIVE: Maddison RETURNS to full England training, Wales on brink of EXIT, Neymar OUT of group stages

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      ENGLAND squandered the chance to wrap up World Cup last-16 qualification early after being held to a bore draw by USA.The Three Lions were a shadow of themselves from the thrashing on Iran in their opener.
      But on a more positive note, James Maddison has returned to training with the entire team ahead of England’s final group stage clash.
      Elsewhere in Group B, Wales are in danger of crashing out after a 2-0 defeat to Iran – who scored their goals in the 99th and 101st minutes.
      And there’s bad news for Brazilian superstar Neymar as he is set to MISS the rest of the group stages in the World Cup with an ankle injury.
      Neymar, 30, went down injured and walked off the pitch in tears during Brazil’s 2-0 win over Serbia on Thursday night.
      World Cup 2022 sign up offer: Get £40 in FREE BETS when you stake £10 at Sky Bet
      Stay tuned with all the latest ahead from tournament…
      Denmark v France line-ups
      Here’s a reminder of tonight’s starting XIs with ten minutes until kick-off here in Doha.
      DENMARK (3-4-3) Schmeichel; Andersen, Christensen, Nelsson; Kristensen, Hojbjerg, Eriksen, Maehle; Lindstrom, Cornelius, Damsgaard
      FRANCE (4-3-3): Lloris; Kounde, Upamecano, Varane, T.Hernandez; Tchouameni, Griezmann, Rabiot; Dembele, Giroud, Mbappe.
      REF: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)
      Live from the ground
      Greetings from the prefab Stadium 974, writes Mark Irwin, where the big question is can Olivier Giroud become France’s all-time top scorer?
      He’s currently tied on 51 goals with Thierry Henry after his double in the 4-1 win against Australia and victory today will see France become the first team to qualify for the last 16.
      Raphael Varane is playing his first game since straining a hamstring for Manchester United against Chelsa five weeks ago, with the unfortunate Ibrahima Konate dropping to the bench.
      But it won’t be plain sailing for Les Bleus, who lost home and away against Denmark in the Nations League and have never been beaten three times in a year by the same team before.
      Kasper Hjulmand has made four changes to the team held to a goalless draw by Tunisia in their opening Group D game. 
      I presume the ground is going to fill up because with half an hour to kick-off it’s less than a quarter full.
      BY JORDAN DAVIES
      THERE IS a feeling of déjà vu seeping into the USA camp.
      Back in 2010, the Yanks were on the cusp of a familiar World Cup group stage exit having tied their opening two matches out in South Africa.
      A 1-1 draw with England and 2-2 result against Slovenia meant only a win versus Algeria in their last outing would be enough to send them into the Last 16.
      It was looking bleak until Landon Donovan’s heroics in injury time to not only send the United States through, but also top a World Cup group for the first time since 1930.
      USA skipper Tyler Adams remembers Donovan’s winner well, watching it as an 11-year-old in his hometown of Wappinger, New York.
      But if history is to repeat itself, Leeds midfielder Adams would prefer it without the drama.
      Reminded of the similarities, Adams chuckled: “It is exciting. Hopefully not as dramatic as that goal. We don’t want to leave it until the end.
      “We are in control of our own destiny, and we had to earn that. We know what we have to do. That’s important.
      “But we definitely can’t get ahead of ourselves. We can’t go all out or you can dig yourselves a hole when it is against a good team. We will have to compete and be ready for that.
      “I watched a little bit of [Iran’s win over Wales]. They competed and fought very, very hard. When you play against teams like that, it is hard to beat them.
      “We need to mentally be tuned into that. It won’t be easy by any means.”
      FRANCE VS DENMARK
      The team news is in.
      Here’s how the sides line up:
      FRANCE (4-3-3): Lloris; Kounde, Upamecano, Varane, T.Hernandez; Tchouameni, Griezmann, Rabiot; Dembele, Giroud, Mbappe.
      DENMARK (3-4-3) Schmeichel; Andersen, Christensen, Nelsson; Kristensen, Hojbjerg, Eriksen, Maehle; Lindstrom, Cornelius, Damsgaard
      FT: Poland 2-0 Saudi Arabia
      Poland picked up a big 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia with Robert Lewandowski finally breaking his World Cup duck at the Education City Stadium.
      Czeslaw Michniewicz’s men struggled throughout the match against a red hot Saudi side but found an opening on 39 minutes with Piotr Zielinski.
      Matty Cash found Przemyslaw Frankowski with a wonderful pass in midfield and got the ball back down the right which is where he delivered a wonderful low cross to Lewandowski, who teed up Zielinski.
      Saudi Arabia, though got a penalty at the death after Krystian Bielik brought Saleh Alshehri down but Salem Aldawsari’s spot-kick was saved by Wojciech Szczesny who lunged to his bottom right corner and then denied the inconing Mohammed Alburayk with another stunning save.
      Poland hit the post twice with Arkadiusz Milik and Lewandowski in their bid for a second to seal the win.
      Saudi Arabia were solid throughout the match until a big error by Abdulelah Almalki who gave the ball away at the back and Lewandowski picked it up to beat Mohammed Alowais and score his first ever World Cup goal
      Robert Lewandowski races off in celebration after ending his World Cup duckCredit: Getty
      FRANCE VS DENMARK
      Les Bleus can qualify for the knockout round of the World Cup with a win over Denmark in the group stages.
      The French then continued their dominance on the international stage by securing a Nations League triumph in 2021.
      But they now come up against a determined Denmark side who had a very impressive Euro 2020 despite the tragedy of Christian Eriksen collapsing on the pitch.
      And the Danes are no strangers to grinding out a win against France as it something they have already achieved within the last calendar year.
      We’ll have the team news very shortly ahead of the Group D clash.
      GOAL – Poland 2-0 Saudi Arabia
      That should be it now for the Saudis.
      Despite dominating their second group clash against the Poles, Robert Lewandowski finally scores a World Cup goal!!!
      There are only eight minutes of normal time remaining for the Middle East nation to pull off another miracle result.
      BORE OFF
      It’s official – England are the most boring team in World Cup history.
      The Three Lions were held to a dismal 0-0 draw by the USA on Friday evening.
      Accusations of England’s “boring” style of play have now been proved true.
      Friday’s stalemate marked England’s 12th goalless draw at the World Cup – the most of any team in the tournament’s history.
      The Three Lions have been held to a 0-0 draw by teams including; Brazil, Uruguay, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Costa Rica, Nigeria and Morocco in the past, but fans are now starting to grow more and more frustrated with the team’s apparent lack of ambition on the pitch.
      FROM TOM BARCLAY – HT POLAND 1 SAUDI ARABIA 0
      WOW, what a first half we have had here at the Education City Stadium.
      The Saudis started like a house on fire, roared on by their deafening, green-and-white army in the stands.
      Poland resorted to kicking them, becoming the first World Cup side to earn three bookings in the first 20 minutes for two decades.
      But then the European side began to grow more into the game and on 39 minutes they went ahead.
      Aston Villa defender Matty Cash overlapped and found Robert Lewandowski in the box, who was pushed wide by the goalkeeper but managed to cut it back for Piotr Zielinski to fire into the roof of the net.
      It momentarily silenced the raucous crowd, but they were soon going nuts again when Brazilian ref Wilton Sampaio awarded a penalty, having checked the pitchside monitor, after Birmingham’s Krystian Bielik had caught Saleh Al-Shehri on the ankle.
      Salem Al-Dawsari, nicknamed ‘the Tornado’ and dubbed the Middle East’s best player, then saw his spot-kick saved brilliantly by Wojciech Szczesny, diving low to this right.
      The ex-Arsenal stopper then did even better to turn over Mohammed Al-Burayk’s goalbound follow-up.
      Breathless stuff, with hopefully more to follow after the break.
      And remember, the Saudis were 1-0 down to Lionel Messi’s Argentina…
      Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al-Dawsari had has his penalty saved by Poland’s Wojciech SzczesnyCredit: Reuters
      HAVE ZLAT
      Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic went on an incredible Jose Mourinho-style rant accusing Canada’s John Herdman of lacking respect after his F-word taunt.
      Following their narrow 1-0 loss to Belgium, Canada head coach Herdman said: “I told [the players] they belong here and we’re going to ‘F’ Croatia. That’s as simple as it gets.”
      Ahead of their Group F clash today, Dalic said: “The Croatian team deserves respect from everyone. We have proven that by the way we played and our conduct during the World Cup.
      “Since the very beginning, we have deserved respect and dignity. We have two medals in the last 30 years. Only Germany and France have such achievements.
      “We respect everyone equally so we expect opposing teams to respect us. We are worthy of their respect. The Canadians must have respect for us.
      “This way of putting words together is not a sign of respect. We are [World Cup] runners-up.
      “We are second in the world and we are worthy of respect in the way we play, behave and respect all others. They are the reasons why we are worthy of respect.
       “I shall not focus on the comments. We will be prepared and fit and demonstrate respect for Canada.”
      Zlatko Dalic is fired up to lead his Croatia side out against Canada tomorrow
      FROM DAN KING IN DOHA
      David Beckham is not the only former England captain with a big presence in Qatar.
      Steven Gerrard is a regular voice on TV – just not as a pundit.
      The dulcet tones of the former Liverpool and Three Lions skipper are a feature of almost every ad break on beIN Sports as he promotes the vehicles of an official FA sponsor.
      RIP
      A Wales football fan who travelled to Qatar for the World Cup has died.
      Kevin Davies, from Pembrokeshire, fell ill after making the 3,300-mile trip to the Middle East nation with his son and friends to watch Rob Page’s side compete.
      The 62-year-old is reported to have been rushed to Hamad General Hospital, in Doha, following Wales’ match against Iran, where he later died.
      It is understood Mr Davies suffered a medical incident and did not attend the 2-0 defeat but instead remained at his apartment after feeling ill.
      His family and friends are being helped by fan group Football Supporters’ Association Cymru, as well as UK Government officials in Doha.
      KICK-OFF POLAND 0 SAUDI ARABIA 0
      The Education City Stadium is hosting the World Cup clash between Poland and Saudi Arabia.
      Captain Robert Lewandowski led the Polish national team to the pitch, while Salem Aldawsari dons the Saudi armband.
      The two teams line up on the grass for their respective national anthems and have now got the match underway.
      Follow all of the action via Sun Sport’s live blog.
      FROM MARTIN LIPTON IN DOHA
      FIFA have been caught up in a new huge international political incident after Saudi Arabia BLOCKED World Cup TV coverage for their OWN fans.
      Qatar-based broadcaster beIN created an official streaming channel, TOD, to broadcast the tournament across the entire Middle East and North Africa Arabic-speaking region.
      But Saudi authorities stepped in to block the signal from being received by fans in the country, leaving Fifa scrambling to try to bring a compromise.
      TOD was launched in Saudi in January and was fully operational – until an HOUR before the start of the opening ceremony last Sunday.
      But the Saudi Ministry of Media publicly confirmed it had ended access to the service inside the country.
      It is not a total block of the World Cup, as 22 of the 64 matches at the tournament are available in the country on a free-to-air service.
      Millions of Saudi fans, though, have been denied the chance to see most of a World Cup taking place in its neighbouring country.
      And that will have them scrambling to watch their side take on Poland right now!
      TUNING IN
      The biggest UK audience of the World Cup so far watched England v USA on ITV1 last night with a peak of 18 million viewers tuning in to see the Three Lions held to a draw in their second match of the tournament.
      The audience figures, which encompass all viewers across television and non-TV devices, were higher than the launch of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, making it ITV1’s most watched programme this year.  
      ITV had its biggest day of the year for streaming, and third biggest on record, with 18m streams.
      It attracted the biggest 16-34 audience on any channel this year, with 2.0m and 85% watching last night.
      Across television, an average audience of 11.9m watched the overall coverage of England v USA, with an average of 15.1m watching the full match. 
      MADD FOR IT
      James Maddison trained today as England received a boost ahead of the crunch clash with Wales.
      The star has not been fit enough to train fully so far in Qatar – let alone get on the pitch against Iran or USA.
      He picked up a knee injury for Leicester against West Ham two weeks ago, forcing him to sit out and do his own individual work for the first two weeks of camp.
      Today is the first time he has trained on the pitch in more than a week.
      But after the struggles against the Americans last night, his involvement in training will come as a welcome sight for Three Lions fans crying out to see their team deliver at the World Cup following the drab draw yesterday.
      James Maddison returned to the training pitch for England todayCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      FROM TOM BARCLAY IN QATAR
      FIRST Messi, now for Lewandowski.
      Saudi Arabia are still the story of the tournament after their sensational 2-1 victory over Lionel Messi’a Argentina on Tuesday.
      Today they turn their attention to Poland, who have their own world-class striker in Robert Lewandowski, at the Education City stadium.
      Saudi boss Herve Renard, previously of Cambridge United and whose grandparents are Polish, maintains that the win over the Argies will count for nothing if his side cannot progress out of the group.
      Poland meanwhile were heavily criticised back home after their opening-game stalemate against Mexico, in which Lewandowski missed a penalty.
      It means the great man is still to net at a World Cup, despite banging in 76 goals in 135 games for his country.
      Manager Czeslaw Michniewicz is sure the barren run will end soon and that Lewy will remain on spotkicks.
      He also says some of his team may suffered “stage fright” against the Mexicans but vowed they will not be jittery today.
      ‘CRYING’
      Australian match-winner Mitchell Duke struggled to hold back the emotions after securing a 1-0 win over Tunisia.
      He said: “No words, I’m going to start crying because it’s such a big moment.
      “For me and my family, my supporters, it’s the best feeling in the world but I’m trying not to get too caught up in it because the job’s not done yet.
      “We’ve got one more game to try and get out of the group.”
      His header midway through the first half was enough to secure the Aussie’s their first win at the World Cup 2022.
      He added: “Honestly, the best moment of my life to date in my football career. I’m just so happy and proud of the boys.
      “People have sacrificed so much to be here – it’s just the best feeling in the world.”
      POLAND VS SAUDI ARABIA
      The team news is in for the Group C clash.
      Here’s how the sides will line-up:
      SAUDI ARABIA: 21 Al-Owais; 12 Abdulhamid, 4 Al-Amri, 5 Al-Bulayhi, 6 Al-Burayk; 8 Al-Malki, 9 Albrikan, 16 Al-Naji, 23 Kanno; 10 S. Al-Dawsari, 11 Al-Shehri
      POLAND: 1 Szczesny; 2 Cash, 15 Glik, 14 Kiwior, 18 Bereszynski; 24 Frankowski, 10 Krychowiak, 6 Bielik, 20 Zielinski; 7 Milik, 9 Lewandowski
      FT: Tunisia 0-1 Australia
      The men from down under have won their first World Cup match since 2010.
      Great performance from Graham Arnold’s men.
      It was Mitchell Duke’s header that proved to be the difference.
      Tunisia disappoint their hoards of travelling fans.
      Credit: AFP
      FROM DAN KING IN DOHA
      Jack Grealish is taking heart from England’s Euros experience after the bore draw against the USA
      The Manchester City star, a second-half substitute on Friday night, said: “I don’t think anyone will get too down after that.
      “We wanted to win the game but when you look back to the Euros we had exactly the same situation and we got to the final that time around so hopefully we can do the same thing.
      “We had a good start against Croatia. Likewise here, against Iran.
      “We had a game against Scotland where you know it’s going to be difficult because of the little rivalry.
      “I felt a little bit like that against the USA, one of them games where there’s a bit of pride or whatever.”
      It will be more of the same in the Battle of Britain against Wales.
      Grealish added: “Tuesday will be the big one now that everyone is itching to play in.
      “Hopefully we can go and get the job done.”
      ENN BOOST
      It is good news for Ecuador regarding striker Enner Valencia – who scored again against Holland making it three in two games.
      He finished the game on the bench with an ice pack on his knee but is now expected to be ok for the final group game.
      He celebrated his goal against Holland by pretending to scribble on a note pad in response to media in Ecuador who suggested the 33-year-old, who had spells at West Ham and on loan to Everton, should not be at this World Cup.
      Ecuador Coach Gustavo Alfaro said: “I told him he would be successful during this World Cup. He is going through such a good spell.”
      Credit: Getty
      SECOND HALF
      Tunisia get the action back underway as they trail Australia 1-0.
      They have had 17 shots at this World Cup so far, but have only hit the target with one of those.
      Will that record improve second half?
      We are about to find out…
      GATHERING MOMENTUM
      Virgil van Dijk insists the Dutch will come good despite two awful performances at the World Cup so far.
      Holland look set to top their group with four points in the bag and the already eliminated host Qatar to come.
      But it has been uninspiring stuff from Louis van Gaal’s men to get into this position on the evidence of the 2-0 victory over Senegal and 1-1 draw with Ecuador.
      But Van Dijk said: “There aren’t many teams who have been perfect so far.
      “It is a tournament, many teams are just trying to grow into it.
      “Hopefully before our next match we can find some form and consistency that is needed in a tournament. Every team needs time, and we are no different.”
      HT TUNISIA 0 AUSTRALIA 1
      Mitchell Duke’s header is proving to be the difference at the break in Qatar.
      It is a deserved lead for the Socceroos.
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