DOHA - Players of Iran's national soccer team chose not to sing their country's anthem at their opening World Cup match against England on Monday, in an apparent show of support for protesters back home.
The players were silent as the anthem was played at the Khalifa International Stadium, where Iranian fans gathered in the stands shouted as the music was played. Some were seen making thumbs-down gestures.
Enner Valencia shone in Ecuador's 2-0 victory over Qatar. The striker scored a brace and could have been celebrating a hat trick if VAR hadn't disallowed a header in the game's third minute.
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.
Catar soñaba con un triunfo en la inauguración de SU Mundial. Ecuador, sin embargo, no quiso ser el pastel de la fiesta y le clavó una dolorosa derrota 2-0.
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?
No iban ni tres minutos de juego, en el partido inaugural del Mundial entre Catar y Ecuador, cuando la primera gran polémica del torneo se instaló en el debate de los aficionados. Esto luego de que el cuerpo arbitral liderado por el italiano Daniele Orsato decidiera anular un gol convertido por el ecuatoriano Enner Valencia.
El cobro se fundó en un supuesto fuera de juego en la construcción de la jugada, pero al ver las repeticiones la falta no parecía muy clara. Y eso desencadenó los ataques sobre Catar, nación anfitriona del evento, a la cual acusaron de corrupción.
AL RAYYAN, Qatar - U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter named Tyler Adams captain for the World Cup on the eve of their opener against Wales after he emerged as the popular choice to lead the Americans on their return to soccer's showpiece event after an eight-year absence.
Leeds United midfielder Adams, 23, is the youngest captain by a distance at this year's tournament, with England's Harry Kane the only other skipper under the age of 30 in Qatar.
Thiago, Mateo y Ciro, los hijos de Lionel Messi ya van rumbo a Catar para acompañar a su padre en el debut de Argentina ante Arabia Saudita y una aventura que esperan concluya con el trofeo de la Copa del Mundo en sus brazos.
Vestidos con el uniforme de La Albiceleste, los tres aparecen en una foto compartida por Antonela Roccuzzo, esposa de Messi, que se ha vuelto viral. Con la lectura "Allá vamos Qatar", el post subido originalmente a Instagram cuenta ya con más de 1,5 millones de likes.
DOHA - Spain winger Ferran Torres faces big challenges at the World Cup in Qatar but his relationship with the daughter of national team coach Luis Enrique is not one of them, according to the Barcelona player.
"Not at all," Torres told a news conference on Sunday when asked whether he felt pressure because of the relationship. "I think the coach and I, we know how to differentiate between when it's family and when we are manager and player. I think we have to get on with it in a natural way, just that and we're getting along fine."
It's officially been confirmed that France and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has picked up an injury in training, forcing him to miss the World Cup.
The Frenchman had only joined his teammates Saturday as he recovered from a previous injury but had to leave the session after sustaining a further knock. According to the French national team, he injured his left quadriceps in training. The precise extent of the injury is unknown, but Benzema will not take any further part in his national team's campaign or preparations.