World Cup 2022 updates: Senegal fans celebrate team’s progression

Christian Pulisic’s strike was enough to get the USA team into the knockout stages, where they will face a Netherlands side that has yet to find its form.

Read our post-match report here.

Chris Dowd from San Diego said while he is “glad” the US won, he wasn’t ecstatic about the game.

“We could and should have played so much better … I’m actually disappointed,” he told Al Jazeera.

Dowd said he felt less nervous but more annoyed during the close game, where he felt the USA allowed Iran to pressure them “consistently” in the second half.

“Let Saturday come … hopefully, a better and more attacking attitude against the Netherlands,” he said, before adding this was his fourth World Cup since Germany 2006.

Coach Herve Renard has called on his Saudi Arabia players to ensure they leave their mark on the World Cup in Qatar and are remembered “forever”.

Having beaten Argentina but then lost to Poland, Saudi Arabia need to beat Mexico on Wednesday in their final Group C match to guarantee a place in the knock-out rounds.

He recalled that the last time Saudi Arabia reached the second round was in 1994, 28 years ago.

“For our players, it’s a very good generation but if they want the fans to remember them they have to make history, otherwise everybody will forget in 20 or 30 years,” Renard said.

England have advanced to the World Cup’s last 16 with a dominant 3-0 victory over Wales, sending their neighbours out of the tournament in the process.

Marcus Rashford’s second-half brace at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium guaranteed Gareth Southgate’s side will face Senegal in the knockout phase on Sunday.

Read the full match report here.

Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois denied reports of feuds among Belgian players following their shock defeat against Morocco, blaming social media and newspapers for the controversy.

Belgium opened their World Cup campaign with an unconvincing 1-0 win against Canada, followed by a shock 2-0 defeat against Morocco. They dropped from first to third in Group F and will play against 2018 World Cup finalist Croatia on Thursday, trying to avoid their earliest elimination since 1998.

“The problem is that there are too many lies nowadays outside, on social media”, said Courtois during a news conference at Belgium’s training ground. “Everything gets from one point to another and situations get created and they don’t exist.”

Their team has been knocked out of the World Cup without winning a single game, but Qataris are not letting it dampen their spirits.

Local families and groups of young men and women made their way to Souq Waqif to have a look at the festivities. It may be their back yard but it has been taken over by drum-beating Argentinians, dancing Moroccans and singing Saudis.

Turki, a Qatari resident of Saudi origin, has been taking photos and shaking hands with fans of all the nationalities he can find.

“I want to thank them for coming here, and bringing their culture with them. I tell them this is like Christmas for us,” he said.

Nearby, a group of Saudi fans has been warming up its vocals for tomorrow’s important clash against Mexico with loud renditions of their anthems and chants.

Turki said the Saudi team will not disappoint its fans.

“Saudi Arabia will now represent all Arab teams and take the Arab flag into the next round,” he said.

Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford has been in fine form this tournament and scored his second goal of the match so far, taking his total tally to three goals.

Follow here for more updates.

Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden have scored in quick succession, ensuring England’s move to the knockout stage.

Follow our updates from the match here.

Stephanie Frappart will become the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup match when she takes charge of Thursday’s Group E match between Germany and Costa Rica, FIFA said.

The 38-year-old Frenchwoman will be joined by Brazilian Neuza Back and Mexican Karen Diaz as assistants.

USA captain Christian Pulisic scores!

More updates here.

Stuart Andrew, a sport minister for the United Kingdom’s government, has been pictured wearing the “OneLove” armband while attending tonight’s fixture.

Seven European teams, including England and Wales, abandoned plans for their captains to wear the rainbow-themed armband at the World Cup after FIFA threatened to issue yellow cards to any players who did so.

🚨 Stuart Andrew MP, the UK Sports Minister, is wearing the OneLove armband in Qatar. #NoPrideWithoutAll

(📸 Getty) pic.twitter.com/eBTnRDpqlN

— Pride in Football 🏳️🌈⚽️ (@PrideinFootball) November 29, 2022

Senegalese fans have started streaming into Souq Waqif and are getting warmed up for an after party.

Muhammad and Amin are struggling to speak after giving their vocals plenty of exercise at the stadium.

“We are ecstatic! We flew in from Paris to support our team and now we are staying until the final,” Muhammad said.

“Senegal won because they played as a team. Everyone said we won’t do well without Sadio Mane but the players have shown there is more than Mane to Senegal.”

Two wins out of the last two matches have shot the fans’ confidence in the Teranga Lions.

“We don’t care who we play in the next round. We’re going to win.”

As the referees whistle blows, the noise is in Al Thumama Stadium can only be described as ear-splitting.

The Iranian fans seems to have every equipment on hand – whistles, vuvuzelas, trumpets – that could impair ones hearing capacity, as they shout “Iran, Iran” along with the very loud beating of the drums.

It’s the last two matches of the day, where England takes on Wales and Iran plays the USA in a highly anticipated meeting.

Follow our live updates of both games.

Tehran, Iran – It is Iran vs the United States in the Qatar World Cup 2022 on Tuesday.

There’s survival at stake. But for the majority of the millions tuning in across Iran, it will be difficult to focus on just the football. The reason is not just the sour political relations between the two countries.

The two sides last met during the 1998 World Cup in France. That was the first match they played against each other since Tehran and Washington cut ties after Iran’s 1979 revolution.

Read more here.

Despite all the politics surrounding the Iran vs USA match, not many Iranian fans were eager to speak on the political and social tensions back home.

Fans that Al Jazeera approached either just shrugged at questions related to the Mahsa Amini protests back in Iran, or simply said “no politics questions”.

Amini, 22, died in police custody in September after being detained for not following the country’s strict dress code for women, setting off massive protests against the government around the country.

When asked if her compatriots in Qatar and Team Melli should continue to show solidarity with demonstrations back home, Golnaz from Tehran simply said: “The Iranian team should be the global voice of the country.”

The World Cup 2022 is heading towards the business end: the knockouts.

Teams who have qualified for the next round:

• France
• Brazil
• Portugal
• Netherlands
• Senegal

Click here to see a list of teams that have been knocked out.

There are plenty of US fans that have travelled from abroad to watch their country play in the world cup including Nelson Posada, 57, who hails from Miami, Florida.

“My and my friends have so far had a fantastic time here in Doha … now if we can just win today and advance to the round of 16, that will be a major achievement … the score will be 2-1 for the US,” he told Al Jazeera, saying he expects an “electrifying” atmosphere at the game.

Asked about the politics surrounding the game, he said the World Cup was like a “global family event” in which everyone should participate despite the political tensions in the world.

Qatar fans aren’t too pleased with what they saw on the field today.

They expected more, at least a draw.

“Very bad performance. We never took our chances. the Netherlands were very strong for us,” Mohd al-Abduljabbar said as he made his way out of the stadium.

“The players are not very experienced to perform at this level. They played very poorly,” he added.

Qatar were the first team to crash out of the World Cup and have lost all three group matches against Ecuador, Senegal and the Netherlands.

The Dutch barely broke a sweat in their 2-0 win over Qatar at the Al Bayt Stadium, ending the hosts’ World Cup campaign with a third straight defeat.

And Senegal have also booked their place in the World Cup last 16 with a thrilling 2-1 win over Ecuador, sending the South American side out of the tournament in their wake.