FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

Sunday's games are Group E (10:00 GMT) Japan v Costa Rica and (19:00 GMT) Spain v Germany, and Group F (13:00 GMT) Belgium v Morocco and (16:00 GMT) Croatia v Canada
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Japan face Costa Rica in a meeting between two teams that enjoyed and endured differing fortunes in their World Cup openers.

Japan manager described their 2-1 win against Germany as "a historic moment, a historic victory". They ended the match with a wildly different system and personnel compared to the one that went in 1-0 down at half-time to Germany. It's unlikely they will go all-out attack from the off against Costa Rica but may be tempted to stick with the back-three which handled the threat of Germany's wide overloads after the interval

Costa Rica's contest with Spain will also warrant a spot in the history books - but for all the wrong reasons. The 7-0 loss the side suffered was comfortably the country's heaviest World Cup defeat. More damningly, it was the first time a nation had gone an entire match without a single shot - on target or otherwise - since Costa Rica, themselves were guilty of the same toothless display against Brazil in 1990. They're expected to have a full squad at his disposal. But how many of the starting XI that Spain sentenced to death by a thousand passes (1,045 to be precise) will retain their place remains to be seen.
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Belgium go head-to-head with Morocco in their second group game on Sunday lunchtime.

Belgium manager Roberto Martinez bluntly admitted: "Canada were better than us," after watching his team squeak a 1-0 win against the spirited Canucks. In Morocco, the Red Devils are poised to face another well-drilled outfit itching to cause an upset. Romelu Lukaku watched Belgium's opener from the stands, the Inter striker has returned to individual training and may be ready for the final group game against Croatia, but with sights set on a deep run in this competition, they may not risk the nation's record goalscorer before he is fully fit.

Morocco were described after the Croatia games as “extremely well prepared and courageous”. Noussair Mazraoui was stretchered off an hour into Morocco's stalemate with Croatia after landing heavily on his hip. While it's unlikely he will have recovered by Sunday, initial reports suggest the damage isn't as severe as first feared.
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Croatia face a spirited Canada side in their second World Cup group game on Monday afternoon.

Croatia, runners-up in the last World Cup, didn't get off to best start in their bid to go one better with a restrained 0-0 draw against Morocco. Nikola Vlasic left the fields to a calf problem against Morocco. But fellow forward Marko Livaja came on in the second half after recovering from a quadriceps contusion which had hampered his buildup to the competition.

Canada outshot Belgium, 22 to nine but were left to rue Alphonso Davies' first-half penalty miss in a bitter 1-0 defeat. Doubts lingered over Davies, Stephen Eustaquio and goalkeeper Milan Borjan before Canada lined up against Belgium. However, all three overcame various ailments to start against the Red Devils - positions they may well retain this weekend.
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Spain face Germany in a mouthwatering group stage game between two former World Cup champions. The pair began the 2022 edition in wildly contrasting circumstances.

Spain romped to their heaviest-ever World Cup victory - walking in seven goals against Costa Rica. A bout of flu had peppered the squad ahead of their stroll against Costa Rica. Both Alvaro Morata and Dani Carvajal missed training due to illness but the pair made it onto the bench, with Morata notching Spain's seventh of the afternoon as a substitute. Luis Enrique made all five of his allotted changes with more than 20 minutes left to play, resting half of his outfield starters perhaps with this game in mind.

Germany fell to one of their most surprising defeats, giving up a half-time lead to Japan. Meaning the prospect of a second consecutive group stage elimination looming over them if they don't improve. Leroy Sane was the only member of the squad that didn't make the bench against Japan while he nursed a knee injury. The Bayern Munich wide man has been limited to individual training and his involvement this weekend is mired in uncertainty.

Japan 0 Costa Rica 1

Fuller (81'minutes)

Japan failed to take another step towards the World Cup knockout rounds as Keysher Fuller's late goal earned Costa Rica a smash-and-grab Group E victory.


Following their shock win over Germany, Japan were frustrated by a tight defensive unit, before Fuller struck with Costa Rica's first shot on target at the tournament.

Belgium 0 Morocco 2

Sabiri (73'minutes),
Aboukhlal (90'+2minutes)

Morocco caused the latest shock at a World Cup that has been full of surprises by beating Belgium thanks to late goals by Abdelhamid Sabiri and Zakaria Aboukhlal.



Belgium keeper Thibaut Courtois was at fault for the first goal, inexplicably allowing Sabiri's inswinging free-kick to beat him at his near post with 17 minutes to go.

But the whole Belgium side paid the price for a ponderous performance, with Morocco capping a magnificent second-half display when Aboukhlal fired Hakim Ziyech's pull-back into the roof of the net in stoppage time.

Croatia 4 Canada 1

Kramaric (36'minutes, 70'minutes),
Livaja (44'minutes),
Majer (90'+4minutes)

Davies (2'minutes)

Alphonso Davies scored Canada's first ever World Cup goal, but it was not enough to stop them being knocked out of the tournament following a defeat by Croatia.



Canada scored from the game's first attack after only 67 seconds courtesy of a towering header from Davies, who darted into the box and powerfully converted from Tajon Buchanan's cross.

Croatia, though, did not panic after falling behind and created numerous chances, with striker Andrej Kramaric seeing a goal ruled out for offside.

But the former Leicester striker equalised with a first-time angled shot from Ivan Perisic's pass, and Marko Livaja put them ahead with a rasping drive from the edge of the box.

Kramaric was denied by Milan Borjan's fine save in the second half and at the other end, Dominik Livakovic acrobatically tipped over Jonathan David's long-range curler.

Hoffenheim frontman Kramaric got his second of the game by coolly converting into the far corner, and substitute Lovro Majer wrapped up the match by netting in injury time.

Spain 1 Germany 1

Morata (62'minutes)

Füllkrug (83'minutes)

Niclas Fullkrug gave Germany a precious point against Spain as they fight for World Cup survival.



Spain, who almost went ahead in the first half when keeper Manuel Neuer turned Dani Olmo's shot on to the bar, took the lead after 62 minutes when substitute Alvaro Morata applied a brilliant near-post flick to Jordi Alba's cross.

Germany pressed forward and Fullkrug gave them a point seven minutes from the end when he burst through and lashed an unstoppable finish high past Spain keeper Unai Simon.

Leroy Sane almost won it for Germany in the dying seconds but ran out of space as he raced through on goal and the ball was scrambled clear.

Monday's games are Group G (10:00 GMT) Cameroon v Serbia and (16:00 GMT) Brazil v Switzerland, and Group H (13:00 GMT) South Korea v Ghana and (19:00 GMT) Portugal v Uruguay
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Cameroon face Serbia on Monday morning in a decisive group stage encounter.

Cameroon were narrowly beaten by a goal from Switzerland's Cameroon-born Breel Embolo in their opener but were hardly outclassed by their European foes. Olivier Ntcham was back to training ahead of Cameroon's match against Switzerland after the midfielder overcame some muscular discomfort. With a fully fit squad at his disposal, Song overlooked Cameroon's captain and talismanic goalscorer Vincent Aboubakar for the opener, instead lining up with Bayern Munich's Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting through the middle. Given Aboubakar's anonymous 15-minute cameo, Choupo-Moting may retain his lofty spot in the pecking order.

Serbia failed to force Brazil's Alisson into a single save. They managed to kept the game goalless until the interval before ultimately falling to a deserved defeat. They're entire 26-man contingent was part of the matchday squad but Aleksandar Mitrovic, Dusan Vlahovic and Filip Kostic were all carrying fitness concerns. Mitrovic started against Brazil but Stojkovic stressed that he "came with a lot of problems to Qatar". Vlahovic was summoned from the bench for the final 25 minutes and Filip Kostic didn't feature at all. The Juventus wide man was sidelined with muscle fatigue and there is "a big question mark" surrounding his return date.
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South Korea face Ghana in a meeting between the two outsiders of Group H. While Uruguay and Portugal received top billing ahead of the tournament, South Korea and Ghana showed they are hardly helpless onlookers in the scramble for knockout football.

South Korea held Uruguay to a 0-0 draw on Wednesday afternoon, limiting the fancied South Americans to just one shot on target. The chief fitness concern revolved around Son Heung-min and his battered face. To the relief of 51 million, the nation's skipper played the full 90 minutes while wearing a protective mask without much fuss - if anything, he struggled more with a captain's armband which kept slipping down to his wrist. Centre-back Kim Min-jae damaged his calf in the second half of South Korea's stalemate. The Napoli defender finished the match and revealed: “It’s the first time I’ve injured a muscle, but I don’t think it’s serious.”

Ghana came within one misplaced step of snatching a point against Portugal. But Inaki Williams lost his footing with the goal at his mercy in the final seconds of a 3-2 defeat. There are a lot of new faces in the squad. 11 of the players Otto Addo called up came into the tournament with less than five caps to their name. The only part-time manager at the World Cup opted for a more experienced starting XI for their opener but is expected to have a fully fit squad at his disposal if he has the urge to tinker.
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Brazil face Switzerland in a meeting between two winners from the opening round of Group G games.

Brazil eventually broke down Serbia's stubborn resolve by a brace from Tottenham Hotspur's Richarlison - the second of which has already been earmarked for the tournament's highlights reel. A note of reticence from an otherwise serene evening came in the ugly form of Neymar's swollen ankle. Brazil's manager Tite was quick to rapidly downplay the severity of the injury. “Don’t worry, Neymar will play in the World Cup,” he cautioned. "I didn't see Neymar was injured - the capacity he has to overcome it tricked even me." However, it seems as though Brazil will have to do without their talisman for the remainder of the group stages. Danilo also appeared to be suffering some discomfort but played the full 90 minutes given Tite had used all five substitutions by that point.

Switzerland's narrow 1-0 win over Cameroon was less convincing but just as crucial ahead of a rematch from the 2018 group stage, where they held Brazil to a 1-1 draw at the Rostov Arena four-and-a-half years ago, before the pair both progressed to the knockout rounds. Renato Steffen was the only member of Switzerland's squad that didn't play any part in the win against Cameroon. The FC Lugano forward has been struggling with muscle tension in his upper body and is a doubt for the glitzy clash against Brazil.
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Portugal face Uruguay in a rematch of the 2018 World Cup knockout tie between the pair. In that game Pepe cancelled out Edinson Cavani's opener before El Matador completed his brace in Sochi's Fisht Stadium, sending Uruguay into an unsuccessful quarter-final against France.

In search of a second successive round of 16 tie - against different opposition this time - both sides went in goalless at the break of their opening fixtures.

Portugal came out on top after five goals in a thrilling second half against Ghana. Nuno Mendes had been struggling with muscular discomfort which kept him out of Portugal's opener against Ghana. Otavio joined the PSG wingback in the recovery room after sustaining a hamstring problem during the match.

Uruguay couldn't penetrate South Korea's rear-guard in a spiky stalemate. Ronald Araujo's World Cup looked to be over when he was forced into thigh surgery at the end of September. Nevertheless, Diego Alonso selected the Barcelona centre-back who is expected to only be available from the knockout stage onwards - if Uruguay make it that far.

Cameroon 3 Serbia3


Castelletto (29'minutes),
Aboubakar (63'minutes),
Choupo-Moting (66'minutes)


Pavlovic (45'+1minutes),
S Milinkovic-Savic (45'+3minutes),
Mitrovic (53'minutes)


Cameroon kept their hopes alive of reaching the World Cup last 16 after battling back from two goals down to draw a six-goal thriller with Serbia in Group G



Cameroon took the lead through Jean-Charles Castelletto but Strahinja Pavlovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic replied to give Serbia a half-time advantage.

Aleksandar Mitrovic added a third for Serbia and they looked to be cruising to a win that would have put them in a strong position to progress.

However the Indomitable Lions roared back thanks to Vincent Aboubakar's superb lob and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting's equaliser three minutes later.

Mitrovic curled a shot wide in the closing moments after being teed up by Dusan Tadic.

South Korea 2 Ghana 3

Cho (58'minutes, 61'minutes)

Salisu (24'minutes),
Kudus (34'minutes, 68'minutes)

Ghana won an exhilarating match packed with twists and turns against South Korea in front of a vibrant crowd at Education City Stadium in Qatar.



A 10-minute spell by the African nation in the first half gave them with a 2-0 lead courtesy of goals from Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu and Ajax's Mohammed Kudus.

Two stunning headers in three minutes from Cho Gue-sung, top-scorer in his domestic league, levelled the game after 61 minutes.

But Kudus, who had headed in Jordan Ayew's cross in the first half, added a final twist when he thumped in a third for Ghana to break South Korea's hearts.

Chances continued to fall South Korea's way as they searched for another equaliser but, despite 10 minutes of added time, Ghana held on.

Brazil 1 Switzerland 0

Casemiro (83'minutes)

Casemiro scored a stunning winner as five-time champions Brazil edged past Switzerland to reach the World Cup knockout stage.



Brazil thought they had broken the deadlock after the hour mark when Vinicius Jr kept his composure to coolly stroke in, but the goal was ruled out for offside by VAR.

Switzerland had sat compact for much of the game and did not offer any attacking threat, failing to get a shot on target in the contest.

An otherwise drab encounter was brought to life seven minutes from time as Manchester United midfielder Casemiro fired a first time effort into the far corner, leaving goalkeeper Yann Sommer standing.

Portugal 2 Uruguay 0

Bruno Fernandes (54'minutes, 90'+3minutes pen)

Portugal secured their place in the last 16 of the World Cup with victory over Uruguay in a scrappy encounter at Lusail Stadium.



A game short on real quality saw the deadlock broken in the 54th minute when a cross from Bruno Fernandes floated beyond Uruguay keeper Sergio Rochet, the goal given to Manchester United's midfield man despite Cristiano Ronaldo claiming it had glanced off his head.

Portugal made most of the running until they went ahead but Uruguay, who must now beat Ghana in their final Group H game to have a chance of qualifying, created chances of their own and could have taken a point.

Portugal wrapped up the win in stoppage time when Fernandes got his second from the spot after a video assistant referee intervention which adjudged Jose Gimenez had handled.


The game was interrupted in the second half by a pitch invader carrying a rainbow flag and wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the words 'Save Ukraine' on the front and 'Respect for Iranian woman' on the back.

Tuesday's is the games of the group stages. Group A (15:00 GMT) Ecuador v Senegal and Netherlands v Qatar, and Group B (19:00 GMT) Iran v USA and Wales v England
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Group A

______________W_D_L_GD_Pts
1 Netherlands 1_1_0__2___4
2 Ecuador. ___1_1_0__2___4
3 Senegal. ___1_0_1__0___3
4 Qatar. ______0_0_2_-4___0

Ecuador and Senegal enter into a straight shoot-out for qualification for the knockout stages of the World Cup.

Ecuador are tied with the Netherlands on four points in Group A, with Senegal narrowly behind on three, and with the Dutch likely to defeat the already eliminated Qatar, it will almost certainly come down to which of these two gets the win.

Ecuador's Enner Valencia's continued battle to shake off the injury he picked up against Qatar on opening night took a rough turn as he left the Netherlands game on a stretcher... only to be seen walking after full-time anyway. Local media reports have suggested Valencia will be fine to face Senegal, and with so much on the line here, don't be surprised if the veteran striker forces himself out on to the field.

Senegal bolstered by the return of defender Abdou Diallo, were no match for Qatar last time out and have no concerns heading into this crunch clash.
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Netherlands will secure passage into the last 16 of the World Cup by avoiding defeat against Qatar.

Successive defeats from their opening two games mean that Qatar have exited the tournament at an earlier stage than any other host nation. They have one last chance to restore some pride, but face a tricky task in toppling Louis van Gaal's Oranje.

Netherlands have been easing Memphis Depay back into the fold following injury and could make his first tournament start here. Steven Berghuis may also be called into the starting XI in place of Teun Koopmeiners, while Davy Klaassen is likely to return to the bench.

Qatar were much improved in the second half of their loss to Senegal, and so manager Felix Sanchez could call on some of the names who helped change the game. Mohammed Muntari, having grabbed their first goal of the tournament, is in line for a start as a reward.
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Group B

_______________W_D_L_GD_Pts
1 England _____1_1_0__4___4
2 Iran _________1_0_1_-2___3
3 United States 0_2_0_0___2
4 Wales _______0_1_1_-2___1

Iran and the United States go head to head, with both nations in with a great chance of reaching the knockout stages.

Iran bounced back from a heavy defeat against England by beating Wales. Ahead of kick-off, they sit second in the standings and will automatically go through to the last 16 for the first time in their history if they win - potentially even as group winners should England fail to beat Wales.

A draw could also be enough for Iran to make it through, but only if Wales don't win.

For the United States, the World Cup has been slightly underwhelming considering their squad is full of players based at European clubs - many of whom have also played Champions League football.

They may not have won since thrashing Caribbean island Grenada in June, but avoiding defeat against England was a decent result and, like Iran, their destiny is at least in their own hands. Win and they get through, but a draw would mean elimination because Iran are already a point ahead.

Iran's star striker Sardar Azmoun has only managed 81 minutes across the first two games after coming to this World Cup off the back of an injury-hit start to his club season with Bayer Leverkusen. Alireza Jahanbakhsh is suspended as a result of picking up two yellow cards so far, while Roozbeh Cheshmi is pushing for a start after scoring against Wales.

USA resisted much team tinkering between the first two games, naming the same back four and midfield. The only change was Josh Sargent dropping out for Haji Wright against England. So far, the U.S. have lacked enough attacking penetration. Giovanni Reyna's omission as a starter has been an odd saga, with claims from USMNT legend Eric Wynalda that the Borussia Dortmund teenager isn't actually injured as Berhalter had stated
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Wales and England will face off at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, with both sides keen to end on the strongest note possible.

The game is a must-win for Rob Page's Wales side, who would need to gain three points and pull off a remarkable swing in goal difference in order to progress from Group B.

England can almost taste the last 16 after taking four points from their first two games, but the Three Lions' failure to beat the USA in their second game means it's still all to play for.

Wales will be without first-choice goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey after the 35-year-old picked up a straight red in his side's defeat against Iran. Midfield lynchpin Joe Allen could be fit to start against England, having made his return from injury as a substitute in that 2-0 defeat.

England face a nervous wait to see if Harry Kane will be fit to face Wales. The captain was photographed with his ankle bandaged up following the draw against the USA, having previously picked up a knock there against Iran. There are no fresh injury concerns for Gareth Southgate's side, however, and the only other debate is whether the manager opts to rotate the side following their stodgy performance in their second game.

Netherlands 2 Qatar 0

Gakpo (26'minutes),
de Jong (49'minutes)

In-form Cody Gakpo scored again as the Netherlands finished top of Group A, ending Qatar's miserable involvement at their home World Cup with a third consecutive defeat.



Qatar's dismal showing means they became the first host nation to exit the tournament with three group-stage losses, finishing bottom with no points.

The Dutch, who failed to qualify four years ago, progress to the last 16 with an unbeaten record and face the team that finishes second in Group B

PSV Eindhoven winger Gakpo has now scored the opening goal in all three of the Netherlands' group games, driving forward and rasping a finish into the bottom corner on this occasion.

Qatar looked to hit back immediately but Ismaeel Mohammad's shot on the stretch from outside the area was straight at Andries Noppert.

But Louis van Gaal's men scored at the start of the second half to quash any Qatari hopes of a comeback as Frenkie de Jong poked into a open net after Memphis Depay's shot was saved.


The Dutch could have won by more, as Steven Berghuis had a goal ruled out and also hit the crossbar.

Ecuador 1 Senegal 2

Caicedo (67'minutes)

Sarr (44'minutes pen),
Koulibaly (70'minutes)

Kalidou Koulibaly's nerveless volley sent Senegal into the World Cup's knockout stages for only the second time in their history as they eliminated Ecuador at a rowdy Khalifa International Stadium.



Ecuador needed just a point to progress but paid the price for a passive display as Senegal were spurred on by an almost non-stop cacophony of drumming from their supporters in Al Rayyan.

Watford winger Sarr coolly stroked home from the spot, after being clumsily upended by Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie, to put the African champions deservedly ahead.

Ecuador levelled with their first real chance as Caicedo swept home Felix Torres' flick-on but Koulibaly's composed finish immediately regained the lead for Senegal, who knew only victory would be enough to go through barring an unlikely Qatar upset against the Netherlands.

They held out amid a nervy six minutes of stoppage time to finish as runners-up in Group A behind the Dutch.

Aliou Cisse's side are potential last-16 opponents for England given the Lions of Teranga will next face the winners of Group B