What occurred on the World Cup on Monday?
England 6—2 Iran
- England thumped Iran 6-2 following two objectives from Arsenal winger Bakayo Saka and one from Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham, Chelsea ahead Raheem Sterling, Manchester United ahead Marcus Rashford, and Manchester Metropolis’s Jack Grealish.
- Iran’s Mehdi Taremi, a striker for Porto, scored two objectives.
- Iran goalkeeper Beyranvand was taken off injured after struggling a head harm. His alternative then conceded three first-half objectives.
- The Iran staff declined to sing the nation’s nationwide anthem earlier than kick-off, in a gesture seen as a present of assist for the anti-government protest motion at residence which has been severely repressed by the authorities.
- Earlier, England was amongst seven European groups — together with Wales, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark — to say their captains wouldn’t be carrying “One Love” armbands to indicate assist for the LGBT group after FIFA threatened to challenge yellow playing cards to any participant carrying one in Qatar, the place homosexuality stays unlawful.
- Nationwide soccer associations mentioned they have been “annoyed” by the “unprecedented” motion by FIFA, saying in a joint assertion “we won’t put our gamers able the place they may face sporting sanctions together with bookings”.
Netherlands 2—0 Senegal
- The Netherlands acquired their marketing campaign underway with one of many toughest-looking group fixtures in opposition to African champions Senegal.
- The Dutch got here out on high 2-0 with two late second half objectives from Cody Gakpo and Davy Klaassen, who scored deep into stoppage time. The primary half of the Group A match had ended 0-0 at Al Thumama Stadium because the Dutch have been left to rue missed probabilities.
- The Dutch are with out the companies of Memphis Depay, who was the staff’s high scorer in the course of the World Cup qualifying marketing campaign.
- Senegal, too, are lacking a key participant: former Liverpool ahead Sadio Mane.
- “He can break open a match and Senegal will actually miss him – however the identical applies to us, we’re lacking our high scorer and king of the assists,” mentioned Dutch boss Louis van Gaal, 71, who introduced final 12 months he has prostate most cancers and has been receiving radiation remedy.
- Van Gaal has been vital of awarding Qatar the World Cup however refused to reply political points forward of Monday’s recreation.
- The Netherlands is likely one of the seven European nations whose captains had deliberate to put on “One Love” armbands however who determined in opposition to the transfer on Monday, following FIFA’s risk of sporting sanctions.
- “It’s with a heavy coronary heart that we… needed to determine to desert our plan,” the Dutch soccer affiliation KNVB mentioned, including that it was “deeply upset” and would now “critically have a look at our relation with FIFA”.
USA 1—1 Wales
- USA and Wales tied 1-1. The previous obtained a purpose from by Lille winger Timothy Weah within the first half, and the latter noticed one scored by veteran striker and Los Angeles FC participant Gareth Bale within the penalties.
- Wales has made its first World Cup look in 64 years. With a inhabitants of simply over three million, Wales is the smallest FIFA member nation to qualify for this 12 months’s World Cup — host Qatar obtained an automated berth.
- The USA returned to World Cup motion for the primary time since 2014.
- “Colleges are going to cease to look at our video games,” mentioned Wales’s Gareth Bale earlier than the match, beaming. “So it’s simply a kind of moments that could be a large piece of historical past in our nation, one thing that we’ve all wished for a very long time.”
What occurred on the World Cup on Sunday?
The massive swathes of empty seats within the second half summed up the Qatar soccer staff’s disappointing begin to its first-ever World Cup.
The night time began with greater than 67,000 principally Qatari followers filling the cavernous Al Bayt Stadium, having fun with a gap ceremony that showcased the tiny Arab emirate to a world viewers 12 years after profitable the correct to host soccer’s largest occasion.
It ended with Qatar’s overmatched staff trudging off the sector, its undesirable place in soccer historical past safe and lots of of its dismayed followers having lengthy disappeared.
The controversy-laced event opened Sunday with the 2019 Asian Cup champions getting outplayed in a 2-0 loss to Ecuador, guaranteeing a number staff misplaced its opening recreation for the primary time at a World Cup.
“I might say we felt unhealthy (for our supporters),” Qatar coach Felix Sanchez mentioned. “I hope within the subsequent recreation they are going to be prouder.”
Ecuador captain Enner Valencia scored each of his staff’s objectives within the first half of a one-sided recreation that wound up being a damage-limitation train for Qatar on one of many largest nights within the nation’s historical past.
