Who’s taking part in on the Qatar World Cup on Monday?
England vs Iran (14h CET)
England will hope to go away their stuttering kind behind as they start their World Cup marketing campaign on Monday afternoon in opposition to Iran.
Whereas they reached the Euro 2020 closing and the final 4 of the World Cup in 2018, their outcomes have been poor lately.
Iran, who’re anticipated to undertake a defensive strategy in opposition to England, shall be seeking to showcase a “unbelievable, distinctive preventing spirit and a profitable mentality” of their matches on the event, in response to their coach Carlos Quieroz.
The workforce’s preparations to face England have been completed within the shadow of a tense political state of affairs again residence, the place giant swathes of individuals have risen as much as protest for ladies’s rights. They have been sparked by the loss of life of Mahsa Amini, who died after being arrested by Iran’s morality police for allegedly breaking guidelines round head coverings.
Political points are additionally affecting England. Captain Harry Kane insists he’ll put on a “One Love” armband to point out help for the LGBT neighborhood in Qatar, the place homosexuality is illegitimate. Authorities insist nobody will face discrimination.
Senegal vs Netherlands (17h)
The Netherlands begins with considered one of its toughest-looking group fixtures in opposition to African champions Senegal.
They must do it with out the companies of Memphis Depay, who was the workforce’s prime scorer through the World Cup qualifying marketing campaign.
Senegal, too, shall be 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 prime scorer and king of the assists,” stated Dutch boss Louis van Gaal, 71, who introduced final 12 months he has prostate most cancers and has been receiving radiation therapy.
Van Gaal has been vital of awarding Qatar the World Cup however refused to reply political points forward of Monday’s recreation.
USA vs Wales (20h)
Former Actual Madrid star Gareth Bale is anticipated to guide Wales in opposition to the USA as his nation makes their first World Cup look in 64 years.
“Colleges are going to cease to look at our video games,” stated Bale, beaming. “Children are going to overlook faculty — happily for them.
“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.”
With a inhabitants of simply over 3 million, Wales is the smallest FIFA member nation to qualify for this 12 months’s World Cup — host Qatar obtained an automated berth.
They face a USA aspect returning to World Cup motion for the primary time since 2014.
Solely DeAndre Yedlin, a 29-year-old defender, stays from the American workforce eradicated by Belgium within the second spherical eight years in the past.
Yedlin, Christian Pulisic, Kellyn Acosta and Tim Ream are amongst simply 4 holdovers from the group that flopped to the sector in anguish after the crushing loss at Trinidad in CONCACAF qualifying in October 2017 that ended the streak of US World Cup appearances at seven.
What occurred on the World Cup on Sunday?
The big swathes of empty seats within the second half summed up the Qatar soccer workforce’s disappointing begin to its first-ever World Cup.
The night time began with greater than 67,000 largely 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 fitting to host soccer’s greatest occasion.
It ended with Qatar’s overmatched workforce trudging off the sector, its undesirable place in soccer historical past safe and plenty 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 bunch workforce misplaced its opening recreation for the primary time at a World Cup.
“I might say we felt dangerous (for our supporters),” Qatar coach Felix Sanchez stated. “I hope within the subsequent recreation they are going to be prouder.”
Ecuador captain Enner Valencia scored each of his workforce’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 greatest nights within the nation’s historical past.
