Sports

DOHA: Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand says he has no fears about facing World Cup holders France on Saturday having twice beaten them in the Nations League this year. The Danes drew 0-0 with Tunisia in their opening game but know a positive result against France at Stadium 974 will leave them well placed in Group ‘D’ before playing Australia in …

DOHA: Argentina hope to restore their status as a tournament favourite against goal-shy Mexico in their Group ‘C’ clash on Saturday where both heavyweights of Latin American football need to improve on disappointing starts to the World Cup. The Argentines suffered one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history, with a 2-1 reverse to low-ranked Saudi Arabia, as captain and …

DOHA: Only six minutes in here at the Khalifa International Stadium in the heart of Doha, Qatar’s hopes had sunk, their flickering flame at the World Cup they’re hosting all but extinguished as Dutchman Cody Gakpo’s shot rippled the netting of the Ecuador goal. Just before this game kicked off on Friday evening, Qatar had been handed a second straight …

DOHA: Ecuador or the Nether­lands will take a huge step towards the second round of the World Cup if either can force a victory in Friday’s Group ‘A’ clash at the Khalifa International Stadium after both sides won their openers in Qatar. But while Ecuador have set their target of advancing to the round-of-16, as they did in Germany in …

AL WAKRAH: Switzer­land edged Cameroon 1-0 courtesy of a goal against the run of play by apologetic Breel Embolo versus the country of his birth for an opening win in World Cup Group ‘G’ at the Al Janoub Stadium on Thursday. Embolo, born in Yaounde but raised in Basel, struck three minutes after the restart from a Xherdan Shaqiri cut-back …

OUTSIDE the dimly-lit entrance to the media centre at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, amid wintry desert gusts, two officers from Pakistan’s armed forces stand guard, vigilant and alert. The media centre is located inside a huge perimeter fence; to get into the stadium or the centre, you need to go through a thorough security check. Here, accreditations are scanned …

LUSAIL Stadium, the venue for the final of the World Cup in Qatar, the place where Brazil hope to be on Dec 18, is an imposing amphitheatre made for the big stage. Two days ago, Brazil’s eternal rivals Argentina crumbled here to Saudi Arabia. Brazil, seeking a record-extending sixth World Cup title, were looking to make a statement in their …

DOHA: Cristiano Ronaldo became the first man to score at five World Cups on Thursday when he scored the opening goal from the penalty spot in Portugal’s 3-2 win over Ghana. The 37-year-old set the record when he smashed home his spot-kick in the 65th minute at the 974 Stadium in Doha to send Fernando Santos’ team to a victory …

Brazil was sweating on the fitness of Neymar on Friday after their talisman sprained his ankle in the FIFA World Cup win over Serbia. The forward suffered the injury in a collision with Nikola Milenkovic during the second half of the 2-0 win in Qatar on Thursday in Brazil’s opening match. The 30-year-old Paris Saint-Germain player attempted to continue but …

BELGIUM had to weather a Canadian storm but their superiority ultimately showed — at least in the scoreline. The World Cup in Qatar is perhaps the last chance for Belgium’s golden generation to deliver on their potential by winning silverware; their Last Dance. Semi-finalists at the last edition in Russia and quarter-finalists at the one before in Brazil, they were …