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38 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2022
Saudi Arabia king declares public
holiday after win over Argentina
Saudi Arabia’s
King Salman
has announced
that there will be a public
holiday in the country
today after the Saudi
team defeated Argentina
2-1 at the 2022 FIFA
World Cup in Qatar.
According to
Arabnews, King Salman
approved a suggestion
made by Crown Prince
Mohammed bin
Salman to celebrate the
national team’s victory
Modric leads
Croatia assault
against
Morocco
Morocco and Croatia
get their 2022
World Cup campaigns
underway when they meet
in a Group F fixture today.
The clash at the Al Bayt
Stadium starts the daily
schedule with group rivals
Belgium and Canada
squaring off nine hours
later.
N o u s s a i r
Mazraoui should deputise
at left-back, with Achraf
Hakimi a certainty on the
opposite flank, and the star
names in the team will keep
their places elsewhere.
Romain Saiss will skipper
the team and play
alongside Nayef
Aguerd in the middle of
defence, while Youssef En-
Nesyri will be supported
by Hakim Ziyech in the
final third
In the case of Croatia
they are playing their first
World Cup fixture since losing
in the final four years
ago, going down by a 4-2
scoreline to France.
•Modric
•Ziyech
with a holiday.
All public and private
sector employees and
students at all educational
stages will be
given a holiday.
The Saudis celebrated
beating the South Americans
in the opening game
of Group C as they
stopped Lionel Messi
and his teammates, ending
a 36-game unbeaten
run for the Argentines.
Saudi Arabia will face
Poland on Saturday.
Argentina on collision course
to face France in last-16 after
losing to Saudi Arabia
Argentina are on a
collision course to
face reigning world champions
France in the last-
16 of the World Cup.
It comes after Copa
America champions suffered
a shocking defeat at
the hands of Saudi Arabia
in their opening group
game of the tournament
yesterday.
The huge upset leaves
Argentina needing victories
against Mexico and
Poland if they are to have
•Muller
Germany go for
Japan's jugular
the best chance of qualifying
for the knockouts.
Finishing as Group C's
runners-up would likely
see them face Kylian
Mbappe and Co in the next
round, should Didier
Deschamps' men win their
own group.
Should the two tournament
favourites meet in the
last-16, it would see them
lock horns in a repeat of
their clash at the same
stage from the 2018 World
Cup in Russia, which saw
•Minamino
pions are unbeaten
in both
of their previous
meetings,
winning a 2004
friendly 3-0 before
a 2-2 draw
in another exhi-
Seeking to consign
dismal memories of
Russia 2018 to
history, Germany kick
off their World Cup
2022 Group E campaign
against Japan at the
Khalifa International Stadium
today.
Die Mannschaft were
eliminated from the group
stage four years ago,
while their Asian counterparts
were on the verge of
stunning Belgium in the
last 16 before being eliminated
Germany held the honour
of being the first team
to qualify for the World
Cup finals - with the exception
of host nation in Qatar -
and a 1-0 loss to Mexico in
2018 marked the first time
since 1986 that they had
failed to secure all three
points on the opening
matchday.
Germany and Japan have
never locked horns in a competitive
match before, but it
will not come as much of a
surprise to learn that the
four-time World Cup cham-
bition game
two years later. Germany
are expected to be working
with a fully-fit squad for
the opening matchday
barring knee victim Leroy
Sane, with striker Niclas
Fullkrug back from illness
and the duo
o f T h o m a s
Muller and Antonio
Rudiger also returning to
full training over the weekend.
•Mbappe
Mbappe net twice in a
thrilling 4-3 win for Les
Bleus on their way to
winning their second
world title.
Nunez forced to leave
Uruguay training as he
hands nation injury scare
DARWIN NUNEZ
briefly gave Uruguay
a World Cup scare by
leaving training.
The Liverpool forward
competes with Luis Suarez
and Edison Cavani for a
place in Diego
Alonso's side.
But according
to Uruguay
newspaper
El
•Nunez
Pais, Nunez suffered an
ankle knock and had to be
withdrawn from training.
Although the striker is
believed to have returned
to his team-mates after receiving
medical treatment.
He now remains in line
to play against South Korea
in Uruguay's opening
game on Thursday.
And Nunez wants to
lead his nation to
success on the field
after watching the
last World Cup
from his sofa.
He said: “We
come here and
we know that
we’re not favourites,
but
we're going to fight.
The two-time World Cup
winners made it to the
quarter-final stages in Russia
in 2018, beating Portugal
on the way.
Spain set to inflict pain
on Costa Rica
Spain will be bidding to
get their World Cup
campaign off to the best possible
start when they take on
Costa Rica in their Group E
opener today.
Luis Enrique's side will enter
this game off the back of a
3-1 victory over Jordan on
Thursday, which proved to be
their first match since ending
their UEFA Nations League
campaign with a 1-0 win over
Portugal at the end of September.
Costa Rica first competed in
the finals of the World Cup
back in 1990, reaching the
•Fati
Kane, Maguire feature in
England's recovery session
ahead of USA clash
England cruised past
Iran in their opening
game of the Qatar World
Cup, but there were worried
faces throughout as
Harry Maguire was forced
off, and particularly when
Harry Kane went down
clutching his ankle.
Both Kane and Maguire
were involved in a recovery
session yesterday,
however, in what is a massive
boost ahead of England's
clash against USA
on Friday.
Kane, who provided
two assists in England's 6-
2 win over Iran, was seen
holding his ankle after a
hefty challenge, while
Maguire was forced to
come off in the second half.
Those who were not
named in the starting
lineup against Iran took
part in a more intense
training session, meanwhile,
and in more worrying
news James
Maddison was not involved.
round of 16, before being
eliminated in the group stage
of the tournament in both 2002
and 2006.
Head coach Luis Fernando
Suarez will be managing in
his third World Cup, having
also led Ecuador and Honduras
into the competition, and
the 62-year-old was handed
a new contract off the back of
the 1-0 win over New Zealand
in the intercontinental
playoffs in June.
It is set to be an all-Barcelona
midfield,
with Gavi and Pedri playing
alongside Sergio Busquets,
while Pau Torres is expected
to get the nod
alongside Aymeric
Laporte in the middle of the
defence.
•Navas
Argentina vs
Saudi Arabia:
Punter lands
massive win
predicting
correct score
IT was a result that
shocked the football
world and NOBODY saw
coming.
Well, actually one
William Hill punter absolutely
did see Saudi Arabia
shocking Argentina in
the World Cup yesterday.
And not just the outcome,
too. This plucky
punter predicted a 2-1 win
for the Saudis at massive
odds.
Lionel Messi put the 1/
12 shots ahead early on
with a goal from the penalty
spot and many feared
the worse for Saudi Arabia.
But a remarkable turnaround
shortly after half
time saw the outsiders
grab the most unlikely of
leads.