Inglewood, June 21 (IANS) European giants Belgium have been dealt a blow ahead of their crucial Group G clash against Iran at the Los Angeles stadium on Monday (IST) as their winger Jeremy Doku has been ruled out of the match due to illness, the Belgian team announced on Sunday.”Due to illness, Doku will not be part of the squad for our upcoming game against Iran,” Belgium posted on social media.Doku, 24, could also miss the knockout stage should Belgium advance, as his wife is due to give birth…
Latest World Cup News & Updates
New York, June 20 (IANS) Portugal defender Ruben Dias has given a vote of confidence to Cristiano Ronaldo as the team begins preparing for its second Group K match in the World Cup.Ronaldo was singled out for criticism on the day he became the oldest outfield player to start a game in World Cup history in his side’s 1-1 draw against DR Congo, after a display in which he touched the ball just 25 times while playing the entire game, while also failing to manage a shot on target, give an assist to …
New York, June 19 (IANS) Canada’s 6-0 thrashing of Qatar on Friday (IST) was marred by a horrific injury to Ismael Kone, who had to be carried off on a stretcher following a dreadful challenge from Qatar’s Assim Madibo, who was sent off for the challenge.Speaking after the game, Canada coach Jesse Marsch admitted the shock caused by the injury, but insisted that Kone’s broken leg will only serve to unite his players even more to claim the country’s first-ever World Cup win.”It was right in front…
Foxborough, June 18 (IANS) Scotland head coach Steve Clarke believes his side may perform better as an underdog when it takes on Morocco in its second World Cup group match on Saturday at Boston Stadium. Scotland tops Group C after beating Haiti 1-0 in its opener, which also marked its first World Cup match since 1998 and its first win at the tournament since 1990. One more point would all but secure Scotland’s first-ever place in the knockout stage.”Against difficult opponents, we have to be ve…
New York, June 19 (IANS) One person was wounded in a shooting in New York City’s Times Square, according to local authorities.Police said a suspect was taken into custody. The New York Fire Department said one person was transported to hospital. No further details were released.The shooting occurred around 3:40 p.m. local time (1940 GMT) on Thursday, just hours after the New York Knicks’ championship parade in Lower Manhattan. Nearly 10,000 police officers had been deployed across the city for t…
New Jersey, June 14 (IANS) Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi said his side had laid down an early World Cup marker after a 1-1 draw with Brazil on Saturday, declaring his team was capable of more. Morocco led through Ismael Saibari’s early goal and created several problems for the five-time world champion before settling for a point in its Group C opener.”We won’t settle for this. I can promise you this is not the end,” Ouahbi told a post-match news conference in New Jersey, as quoted by Xinhua. “T…
Boston (US), June 14 (IANS) A first-half goal from John McGinn proved the difference as Scotland secured a first first World Cup win in 36 years (since 1990), beating Haiti 1-0 in the Group C match here at the Boston Stadium on Sunday. Notably, this is Scotland’s first victory in a World Cup opener since their 5-2 win over New Zealand at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. Moreover, this was Scotland’s first appearance at a men’s World Cup since 1998.The match started with both teams trading a…
New Jersey, June 14 (IANS) Head coach Carlo Ancelotti refused to criticise his players after Brazil was held to a 1-1 draw by Morocco in their World Cup Group C opener on Saturday, saying, “You can’t expect the team to be perfect from the get-go.” The five-time world champion looked out of sorts in the first half hour in New Jersey as Morocco took the lead through an Ismael Saibari strike.Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior equalised in the 32nd minute, and Brazil had several chances to score …
New Jersey, June 13 (IANS) Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti said fear and responsibility are natural companions at the World Cup as the five-time champions prepare to begin their campaign against Morocco, while star forward Vinicius Jr insisted individual accolades mean nothing compared to helping Brazil reclaim football’s biggest prize. Speaking before Saturday’s group-stage match, Ancelotti acknowledged that even after a successful career, which includes league titles in Europe’s top five league…
Toronto, June 13 (IANS) Substitute Cyle Larin scored within minutes of coming on to rescue Canada from defeat and secure a historic 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their opening Group B match on Friday, earning the World Cup co-hosts their first-ever point at the tournament.Playing in front of a packed home crowd at Toronto Stadium, Canada looked set to suffer a seventh consecutive World Cup defeat after falling behind in the first half. However, Larin came off the bench in the 76th m…