Welcome to Sportstar’s Day 2 build-up for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, with three matches awaiting us.
DAY 2: Qatar 2022 UPDATES
Follow ENGLAND v IRAN World Cup group stage match live here
ENG v IRN line-ups!
Spain defender Carvajal misses FIFA World Cup practice with flu
Defender Dani Carvajal has the flu and didn’t practice Monday, two days before Spain’s debut at the World Cup.
The Spanish football federation didn’t give more detail about the condition of the right back.
His absence comes as regular starting striker Álvaro Morata returned to practice after his own bout with the flu. Central defender Hugo Guillamón, nursing a knee issue, trained separately and was unlikely to be available for Wednesday’s opening match.
Spain faces Costa Rica in its first game in Group E. It then plays against Germany and Japan.
Spain’s only World Cup title came in 2010 in South Africa. It made it to the final of the Nations League and the semifinals of the European Championship last year. Its last major title came at Euro 2012.
-AP
Our correspondents Aashin Prasad, Neeladri Bhattacharjee and Aneesh Dey look at the highlights of day 1 of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and briefly look at what to expect from day 2. Watch the video below to know more!
Ronaldo: Row with Manchester United ‘won’t shake’ Portugal in Qatar
Cristiano Ronaldo said Monday that his row with Manchester United would not have an adverse effect on the Portugal team at the World Cup.
“I have no doubt that this recent episode, that interview, and other episodes with other players that happen sometimes, can sometimes shake the player but won’t shake the team,” Ronaldo told a press conference at the Portugal camp.
Cristiano Ronaldo becomes first person to have 500 million followers on social media
Cristiano Ronaldo on Monday rocked the internet by becoming the only person with 500 million followers on Instagram
The Portuguese captain has been the most followed person on Instagram for quite a while now. In September 2021, Ronaldo became the most followed celebrrity with 237 million followers, surpassing the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylie Jenner.
Socceroos winger Martin Boyle ruled out of FIFA World Cup 2022
Doha: Australia winger Martin Boyle has been ruled out of the World Cup because of a knee injury.
The team announced that Marco Tilio will take his place on the Socceroos’ 26-player roster.
Boyle, who plays for Scottish league team Hibernian, was injured some three weeks ago and was unable to train with Australia ahead of the tournament in Qatar.
The 29-year-old posted a statement to his Instagram on Sunday announcing that he will serve as the “vibe manager” for the Socceroos.
“Not really sure I can put this into words how gutted I am to withdraw from the World Cup squad. Gave it my all to be fit and it just wasn’t to be this time unfortunately!” Boyle wrote. “Extremely proud to have been selected and to have played my part in qualifying for the tournament. Grateful to be kept in camp and show my full support to the lads on and off the field and to experience the whole World Cup!’
The 21-year-old Tilio plays for Melbourne City in Australia. He has been training with the team in Doha.
“We all feel for Martin and it is a cruel blow for him on the eve of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,” coach Graham Arnold said in a statement. “He has been an integral part of our journey to get to Qatar and we thank him for everything he has given the Socceroos during this campaign.”
Australia opens the World Cup on Tuesday with a Group D match against defending champion France.
-AP
Qatar World Cup 2022 code of conduct: FIFA issues strict rules for fans
FIFA, in a document published on Sunday, disallowed fans from going shirtless, carrying Vuvuzelas and alcohol to the eight stadiums of the World Cup in Qatar. This applies to all 64 matches.
FIFA World Cup 2022: African champion Senegal without Mane for the Netherlands clash
The Netherlands is looking to make two statements in its opening World Cup game on Monday against a Senegal team that has to quickly get over the loss of star forward Sadio Mane.
The first is strictly about football and establishing the team as a contender for the title in Qatar alongside the likes of top-ranked Brazil, defending champion France and Argentina. The Dutch have gained less attention in the buildup to the tournament after failing to qualify for the World Cup in Russia four years ago, but arrive as one of the top form teams in Europe.
“We have a great chance of also becoming a world champion,” said Dutch coach Louis van Gaal, who is back for a third spell in charge. “There are few coaches who dare to speak out like that, but I say this.” The second statement the Dutch want to make at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha centers around the long-running criticism of the World Cup host country’s laws and human rights record.
The Netherlands football federation is the leader of the “One Love” anti-discrimination movement and Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk is expected to wear an armband with a multi-colored heart-shaped logo in defiance of a FIFA order to keep politics out of the World Cup.
- DAY 1 MATCH REPORT: QATAR vs ECUADOR
FIFA World Cup 2022: England, Southgate in desperate need of positive result in opener against Iran
England manager Gareth Southgate, increasingly looking like the helpless protagonist of the Hangman game, will need his team to play an enterprising game and deliver a positive result in its World Cup opener against Iran to stop the noose from tightening further.
A contract running till December 2024 has offered Southgate no measures of comfort with recent results – a winless Nations League run -- and a lack of imagination in play robbing him of all the goodwill that a run to EURO final had offered last year. The manager, further handicapped by the injury-absence of Chelsea wing-back pairing of Reece James and Ben Chilwell, has a lot to worry about his defence with Harry Maguire struggling for form and the ever-dependable Kyle Walker yet to recover.
This is a strong group with all four teams ranked in the top 20, which will make it one of the most tightly-contested groups. England will be the favourite to make the knockouts followed by the USA with Wales — Gareth Bale in particular — and Iran looking to spring a surprise.
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