Underdogs

Australia's Socceroos win first World Cup game in 12 years and go wild

AL WAKRAH — Australia beat Tunisia 1-0 at the Al Janoub Stadium on Saturday to register their first World Cup victory in 12 years as they provisionally moved up to second in Group D behind reigning champions France.

Striker Mitchell Duke scored midway through the first half with a glancing header past keeper Aymen Dahmen to give Australia the lead, while Tunisia's best chance came when skipper Youssef Msakni shot just wide.

Reactions in Australia to the Socceroos’ opening goal vs. France is what the World Cup is all about

Australia’s opening World Cup game against France went pretty must as expected. France dominated and cruised to a 4-1 victory, but there were 18 beautiful minutes that the Socceroos held a 1-0 lead.

Because of time zones, fans back in the land down under had a groggy morning to watch their team play. Kickoff was at 6 a.m. for fans that gathered to watch in Melbourne. Despite the fact the sun rose only a couple minutes before kickoff, the energy was still there from the fans.

USA vs. England: TV channel, kick-off time, streaming options and pregame hype

The United States began its World Cup odyssey with a bittersweet 1-1 draw against Wales on Monday, and Gregg Berhalter's men return Friday against an England team that reaffirmed its status as a tournament favorite by hammering Iran 6-2 to go top of Group B after Match Day 1. 

USA predicted starting lineup vs. England

After a 1-1 draw against Wales that took a couple years off our collective lives, the USMNT returns with a blockbuster match against England on Black Friday. It's time for a USA lineup prediction vs England at the World Cup, because we certainly won't see the same selections against Wales from manager Gregg Berhalter.  

Tunisia's Aïssa Laïdouni is my new favorite player

You'll hear the sentiment over and over again during tournament coverage: There are no mysteries at the World Cup anymore — modernity and globalization have combined to eliminate the past thrill of the complete unknown showing up on our TV screens and taking over.

Messi and Argentina choke on their own hype in Saudi Arabia's historic upset

Argentina, ranked third in the FIFA Rankings and a trendy pick to win the World Cup, has suffered one of the greatest upsets in tournament history after Saudi Arabia, ranked 51st and expected to finish fourth in Group C, went toe-to-toe with the South American giant and prevailed 2-1. 

The match had presented Argentina with a chance at equaling Italy's international record of 37 games unbeaten, but that streak is over and more importantly, La Albiceleste are in serious trouble with Mexico (Nov. 26) and Poland (Nov. 30) up next.   

Enner "Superman" Valencia adds to his cult status with game-winning double for Ecuador

AL KHOR, Qatar - Captain Enner Valencia extended his cult status in Ecuador to wider international acclaim with a first-half double that propelled the South Americans to a comfortable 2-0 win over hosts Qatar in the opening game of the World Cup on Sunday.

The 33-year-old forward, nicknamed Superman, increased his record tally of goals for Ecuador to 37 and became the country’s highest scoring player at World Cup tournaments as his double at the Al Bayt Stadium added to the three he scored in 2014.

3 things we learned from Qatar vs. Ecuador: The host nation is a bad joke

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is underway with Ecuador handling the supremely limited host nation Qatar 2-0 without surrendering a shot on target. It was a pathetic display from Qatar, but their tournament will thankfully be over quickly Friday after Senegal once again hands them a deserved beating. 

So what did we learn from Sunday's curtain raiser besides the fact that Morgan Freeman has added a couple million to his bank account?

Looking for a high-stakes opener? It doesn't get any better than USA vs. Wales

DOHA - The United States and Wales will head into Monday's World Cup clash knowing that victory could decide one of Group B's two qualifiers, with England fancied as heavy favorites to advance as group winners.

With a golden generation of talent spearheaded by Gareth Bale and playing at their first World Cup in 64 years, Wales will be out to echo their recent successes at European level, having reached the Euro 2016 semifinals and the last 16 at Euro 2020.

Belgium suffers 2-1 defeat to Egypt in final warm-up game before the World Cup

KUWAIT CITY — Belgium were beaten 2-1 by Egypt in a friendly international on Friday in a sobering defeat that belied their status as one of the fancied teams for the World Cup in Qatar.

An error by Kevin De Bruyne and an inspired pass from Mohamed Salah ensured goals for Egypt, who narrowly missed out on World Cup qualification in March, as they posted victory in a stop-start affair in Kuwait City.

Mostafa Mohamed scored in the 33rd minute with a rasping short ball after De Bruyne had lost possession just outside his own penalty area to give Egypt a halftime lead.

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