Neymar has said he was “really nervous” when he ran onto the field and played for Brazil for the first time in 981 days. The country’s all-time leading goalscorer came off the bench and played 21 minutes in Brazil’s 3-0 win over Scotland on Wednesday. “My heart’s racing, I’m really nervous… But happy! I’m proud — everything went well,” Neymar told Globo TV. At his fourth World Cup, Neymar missed…
World Cup pundit and former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp broke off an interview after being asked about former Germany player Bastian Schweinsteiger’s characterisations about the Ivory Coast‘s team’s style of play. “A bit African football, a bit unorthodox, a bit wild, a bit perhaps also not so conditioned by tactics. We have to be prepared for it to be unpredictable,” Schweinsteiger said as a commentator on German broadcaster ARD before…
Fans at Mexico‘s final World Cup group stage match on Wednesday chanted a slur that has previously led to fines and other sanctions against the country’s soccer federation. The slur, which literally means male prostitute in Spanish, could be heard at the Azteca stadium toward the end of the first half when Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovár took a goal kick. The chant has cost Mexico hundreds of thousands of dollars…
MEXICO CITY — Following a best-ever World Cup group stage run for Mexico featuring three consecutive victories, head coach Javier Aguirre noted that he has no intention of resting on his laurels just yet. “At the end of the day, the important thing is to win, and it would also be wonderful if we could score, play well, and win. I think that the [record] numbers are shaping up the…
MONTERREY, Mexico — It was the boldest of gambles with progress to the World Cup round of 32 on the line — and one that ultimately backfired spectacularly. South Korea coach Hong Myung-Bo had jaws dropping when he chose to leave out captain Son Heung-Min from his first XI for Wednesday’s Group A decider against South Africa — the first time since Son started his journey with the national team…
MEXICO CITY — Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa took the field during the 78th minute of Mexico‘s 3-0 win over Czechia, giving the 40-year-old the chance to appear in his sixth World Cup. Ochoa made history this summer after being included in Mexico’s World Cup roster for a sixth time. After playing against Czechia, it marked the fourth time he’s earned minutes at FIFA’s showpiece event.
ATLANTA — Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi has told his players they need to believe they can become the first African winners of the World Cup. The semifinalists from Qatar four years ago booked their place in the round of 32 with a 4-2 win over Haiti in Atlanta on Wednesday. – FIFA World Cup match schedule – How teams can qualify for knockout rounds – World Cup 2026 Power Rankings…
Deniz Undav has three goals and two assists in 69 minutes at the World Cup, averaging a goal contribution every 13.8 minutes for a rate topping Lionel Messi (37.4), Kylian Mbappé (48.8) and Erling Haaland (51.2). And the 29-year-old striker still hasn’t earned a place in Germany‘s starting lineup. “If I weren’t happy, if I wasn’t content, I wouldn’t be here,” he said during a news conference Wednesday ahead of…
Craig Burley has said that Scotland “do not deserve to go through” to the knockout stages after they fell 3-0 to Brazil in Miami. Steve Clarke’s men came into this clash knowing that any sort of result would likely guarantee them a spot in the knockout stages, while a narrow defeat may also do the same. But Scotland were calamitous almost from the outset in defence, with Vinícius Júnior twice…
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Scotland head coach Steve Clarke fears his team are heading home after they lost 3-0 to Brazil in Miami to leave their chances of making the World Cup knockouts hanging in the balance. Clarke’s side have three points from their three group stage matches. They opened with a 1-0 win over Haiti, but then lost 1-0 to Morocco and fell to Brazil on Wednesday as Vinícius…