South African football news

Iran waiting to see if they are through to last 32 Salah injury fears played down after 1-1 draw Iran’s head coach, Amir Ghalenoei, has said Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, must “stand up” to the US after reiterating his belief that the co-hosts have treated his team “very unfairly”. Iran will qualify for the Wo…

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⚽ Latest news from the 16th and final day of the groups ⚽ Third-place table | Player guide | Golden Boot | Mail Alex Amid all the joy, there’s the treatment of Iran. They were denied permission to stay in Seattle after their draw against Egypt, reports Ben Fisher. We’ve got to have another look at Cape Verde’s celeb…

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• SCO
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Excitement was muted before the event , but the joy, noise and colour from visiting fans has captivated people in the US, Canada and Mexico • Do you live in a host city? We want to hear from you While Kansas City is the smallest of the 16 host cities, it has a history of punching above its weight and – armed with ou…

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Leandro Trossard struck twice as Belgium demolished New Zealand 5-1 to clinch top spot in Group G and march into the World Cup’s last 32, ⁠while the All Whites’ tournament dreams ⁠crumbled. Belgium finished above Egypt on ​goal difference after they both ended with five points from three matches, followed by Iran on…

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Cape Verde reach last 32 after draw with Saudi Arabia ‘We showed the world you should not fear difficulties’ The Cape Verde head coach, Bubista, said his team have “shown that nothing is impossible” after his side secured a historic meeting with Argentina in the last 32. Cape Verde became the smallest country by pop…

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How has a group of islands with just 525,000 inhabitants made it to the knockout rounds of the World Cup?

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• ARG

⚽️ Kick-off time: 8pm local/1pm AEST/4am BST/11pm EDT ⚽️ Third-place table | Player guide | Golden Boot | Mail us ⚽️ New Zealand 1-5 Belgium – live news with Sam Lewis So that means Cape Verde are through to face Argentina in the round of 32, in what is shaping as a kind bracket for the defending champions. Tiny Cap…

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• ARG
• BEL

⚽️ Kick-off time: 8pm local/1pm AEST/4am BST/11pm EDT ⚽️ Third-place table | Player guide | Golden Boot | Mail Sam ⚽️ Egypt v Iran – follow live with Jonathan Howcroft New Zealand, meanwhile, will be kicking themselves for not taking more from their ultimate 3-1 loss against Egypt . An excellent headed goal to Finn…

• ZEA
• BEL
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Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera's mistake gifts Alex Baena the only goal of the game, as Spain defeat Uruguay to send Marcelo Bielsa's side out of the World Cup in the group stage.

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• SPA

Cape Verde deliver a valiant performance to earn their third draw of the group stage, a result that means they qualify for the last 32 in their World Cup debut while Saudi Arabia crash out.

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England secure top spot in group L and a World Cup last 32 tie against a third-placed team with a 2-0 win over Panama on Saturday.

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Uruguay are out of the World Cup again and for all that it ended in anger, a red card and a touchline row, it is nobody’s fault but their own. “3 million dreams,” the banner said high in the stands in Guadalajara but this was a recurring nightmare. Divided and dysfunctional, led by a man who barely even says buenos…

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After the full-time whistle Cape Verde’s players formed a huddle around their head coach, Bubista, eyes straining at the tiny moving images on a mobile phone. They sought the certainty that a dream had come true and, when the outcome nearly 1,000 miles away in Guadalajara was confirmed, erupted in unfathomable joy.…

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Thomas Tuchel defends his full-back selections after confirming Reece James will miss the match against Panama through injury.

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⚽️ Kick-off time: 7pm local/8pm EDT/1am BST/10am AEST ⚽️ Third-place table | Player guide | Group tables | Mail Beau ⚽️ Uruguay v Spain – live match updates with Tom Lutz 1 min Choppy start, but now Saudi Arabia will control. Play stops, though, because Ryan Mendes is down after a knee-to-knee collision. Continue re…

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Just a reminder if you see Marcelo Bielsa on the apps DO NOT swipe. This from Sid Lowe’s preview of today’s game : When Uruguay were beaten 5-1 by the USA in November, he described himself as “toxic”, admitting: “Those who have a relationship with me come out of it worse. There are toxic people who only see errors,…

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Sensible choice or wrong decision? Norway leave Erling Haaland out as they make 10 changes against France - and lose heavily.

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Does anyone at the World Cup have the defensive strength to deny this hyper-mobile, supremely varied French attack? Not, it turns out, a second-string Norway, who were torn apart in the first half in Boston, as Ousmane Dembélé scored a beautifully precise 25-minute hat-trick en route to a 4-1 win. France now top Gro…

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⚽️ World Cup kick-off time: 3pm EDT/8pm BST/5am AEST ⚽️ Third-place table | Player guide | Group tables | Mail Scott ⚽️ Senegal 5-0 Iraq – live reaction from group’s other game Pre-match postbag. “Off to our local village salle des fêtes shortly for what’s known in this part of France as an auberge espagnol - you al…

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⚽️ World Cup kick-off time: 3pm EDT/8pm BST/5am AEST ⚽️ Third-place table | Player guide | Group tables | Mail us ⚽️ Norway 1-4 France – live reaction; Dembélé steals show Norway have rested Haaland and have made 10 changes for the France game! Clearly this match here is the one to watch tonight. Continue reading...

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Reece James could miss the start of the World Cup knockout stage if England progress as he recovers from injury.

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