It took Ismael Saibari only 21 minutes to score a goal for Morocco in his World Cup debut. Barely a minute was enough time for him to get on the scoreboard in his second outing. Saibari drilled a shot into the top corner of the net a mere 72 seconds into Friday’s 1-0 win over […]
World Cup
Mexico becomes first country to reach knockout stage of World Cup
Mexico took advantage of a defensive blunder by South Korea to win 1-0 and become the first team to advance to the knockout stage of the World Cup on Thursday, sending fans onto the streets across the country to celebrate. It marks a major triumph for a team that failed to get out of the […]
Canada thrash 9-man Qatar for first-ever World Cup win
It took them two matches on home soil to get the result, but for the thousands of home fans packed into the BC Place stadium in Vancouver, Canada’s first-ever win at the World Cup was well worth the wait. A comprehensive 6-0 win over 9-man Qatar catapulted the host nation to the top of Group […]
Jonathan David hat-trick inspires Canada’s historic World Cup win
Canada produced a commanding performance to defeat Qatar 6-0 in a one-sided Group B encounter, with Jonathan David scoring a brilliant hat-trick to lead his side to a landmark victory. The emphatic result lifted Canada to the top of the standings on goal difference, level on four points with Switzerland, while Qatar remained at the […]
World Cup goals record ‘just a number,’ says Messi
Lionel Messi savored a “beautiful moment” after becoming the World Cup’s joint all-time leading goalscorer on Tuesday but said, “ultimately, it is just a statistic, nothing more.” The 38-year-old Argentina captain etched another memorable chapter in his glittering career with a brilliant hat trick in the South Americans’ 3-0 win over Algeria in Kansas City. […]
Ghana beat Panama 1-0 in World Cup opener after injury-time winner
Ghana scored a dramatic 1-0 victory over Panama in their opening World Cup Group L clash in Toronto on Wednesday. Caleb Yirenkyi bundled in the winning goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time, sending thousands of Ghanaians in Canada’s largest city into a frenzy and settling an otherwise attritional battle. Both sides largely struggled […]
Lionel Messi equals World Cup scoring record with hat-trick against Algeria
Lionel Messi used the front of his white-and-blue, sweat-soaked jersey to wipe the tears from his eyes, a flood of emotions cracking his usually calm, confident demeanor after he gave Argentina an early lead in its World Cup opener against Algeria. Then he scored again. And again. Suddenly, any questions about Messi’s hamstring injury, or […]
Haaland sparkles on World Cup debut with two goals for victory over Iraq
Norway’s prolific striker Erling Haaland bagged two goals in his maiden World Cup appearance on Tuesday to guide his team to an opening 4-1 Group I victory over Iraq, and put down a marker for the tournament. The 25-year-old, one of the most exciting forwards in world football, was in the spotlight long before the […]
Zidane Iqbal creates history at FIFA WC
Iraq’s midfielder Zidane Aamar Iqbal made history as the first footballer of Pakistani heritage to play at a FIFA World Cup tournament this week when he took the field against Norway. Iqbal, 23, was born in Manchester, England to a Pakistani father from Sahiwal in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province and an Iraqi mother in April […]
World Cup referee Omar Artan will receive full fee from FIFA
The Somali referee who was denied entry to the United States for the World Cup will still be paid his full tournament fee. A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that Omar Artan will still be entitled to payment despite not officiating any games at the near six-week long event. The […]