DOHA - Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in five World Cups after netting a penalty in his side's opening Group H game against Ghana on Thursday.
He hit home in the 64th minute to give Portugal the lead after being tripped in the box.
PENALTY FOR PORTUGAL
Do you agree with the call? pic.twitter.com/ZYTaNTlnfE— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 24, 2022
AL RAYYAN, Qatar - A slightly different career path could have seen Yunus Musah lining up alongside fellow 19-year-old Jude Bellingham for England against the United States on Friday. He could even have been playing for Ghana against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal on Thursday.
Instead, the teenaged midfielder will pull on the United States shirt for the 20th time in Friday's World Cup Group B clash in Al Khor when his side will try to spring a major upset.
There’s an unwritten rule in soccer where players don’t celebrate goals they score against former club teams. Instead of celebrating the player will typically put their hands up in the air (like if a police officer told you to put your hands up).
This kind of thing happens all the time during club play. It’s extremely rare to see on the international level, especially at a World Cup.
Tiki-taka (the lethal variety) is back. Spain was greatly helped by Costa Rica's decision to grant mobile brain-in-a-jar Sergio Busquets freedom of the park Wednesday, but to downplay La Furia Roja's 7-0 World Cup victory over Los Ticos is like throwing mashed potatoes at a Van Gogh.
This was always the danger for Old Man Costa Rica: 35-year-old Keylor Navas, 34-year-old Celso Borges and 33-year-old Óscar Duarte getting torn apart by 22-year-old Ferran Torres and Barcelona teenage prodigies Pedri and Gavi.
¡7-0! Sí, ¡7-0!
Con su celestial e hipnótico tiki-taka, España le dio el réquiem a la generación dorada de Costa Rica.
Sobre el césped del Estadio Al Thumama hubo un solo equipo y las estadísticas de ese dominio fueron brutales. Además de los siete goles:
Yikes!
Lo de los pases es fenomenal y le permitió a los españoles tener una posesión del balón cercana al 82%, récord absoluto desde el Mundial de 1966 a la fecha.
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.
Japan shocked the world and defeated Germany 2-1 in the team’s opening World Cup game on Wednesday to get their 2022 tournament on track. My personal favorite moment of the match was German defender Antonio Rüdiger sprinting with his hilarious running form.
Interesting running technique by Rüdiger pic.twitter.com/0wx70rceUR
DOHA — Germany players placed their hands over their mouths during a team photo ahead of their game against Japan for their World Cup Group E on Wednesday as the row over FIFA's threat of sanctions over the "OneLove" armband continued.
All Germany players took part in the gesture in front of dozens of photographers on the pitch ahead of kickoff, after world soccer body FIFA had threatened seven European teams with sanctions if they wore the armband symbolizing diversity and tolerance.
Las relaciones entre Alemania y la FIFA están tensas. Y prueba de las asperezas que protagonizan fue la decisión de los jugadores de la Mannschaft de cubrir sus bocas durante la foto oficial del equipo, en la previa del duelo ante Japón, como una forma de protesta en contra del organismo.
AL KHOR — Croatia's World Cup campaign got off to a stuttering start with a 0-0 draw against a battling Morocco on Wednesday as the 2018 runners-up lacked the punch of the side that went so close in Russia.
Chances were at a premium at Al Bayt Stadium as an even Group F contest produced little goalmouth action, and ended in the third goalless draw in nine games at the World Cup so far.
There were glimpses of goal for both sides, with Nikola Vlasic going close for Croatia at the end of the first half while Noussair Mazraoui had a header saved for Morocco.