November 30, 2022 World Cup news and highlights

Mexico's Orbelin Pineda, left, and Saudi Arabia's Mohamed Kanno challenge for the ball.

Mexico beat Saudi Arabia 2-1 in their final group stage match but it won’t be enough to send El Tri through to the knockout stage.

Both Mexican goals came early in the second half. In the 47th minute, Henry Martín got on the end of an El Tri corner to get his team’s first goal of the tournament. Five minutes later, Luis Chávez scored on a booming free kick to make it 2-0.

A goal by Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al Dawsari in extra time all but sealed Mexico’s elimination from the World Cup.

In the other Group C match, Argentina defeated Poland 2-0. With these results, Poland and Mexico finish even on points but Poland had a better goal differential.

Argentina and Poland finish first and second in Group C and move on to the round of 16.

Poland, which advanced into the knockout stage for the first time since 1986, will next play France on Sunday, while Argentina will face Australia on Saturday.

Poland's Karol Swiderski, left, and Argentina's Enzo Fernandez battle for the ball.

The fate of Poland’s advance to the knockout stage rested on the result of the match between Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

After Argentina defeated Poland 2-0, Poland was level with Mexico on goal differential, and was going to the Round of 16 based purely on having fewer yellow cards (fair play points.)

Had Argentina or Mexico scored another goal, the outcome would have been different. But it was not meant to be.

Argentina advances atop Group C with Poland in the second spot. Mexico and Saudi Arabia go home.

Saudi Arabia makes it 1-2 against Mexico late in 2nd half stoppage time.

Argentina's Enzo Fernandez embraces Julian Alvarez after Alvarez scored a goal against Poland.

Argentina has advanced to the Round of 16 after beating Poland 2-0 on Wednesday.

The Argentinians dominated the match and had several other near misses. Lionel Messi also failed to convert a penalty in the first half after Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny came up with a phenomenal right-hand save in the 39th minute.

Szczesny was spectacular in the first half, repelling Argentina’s attack time after time. The Polish keeper recorded a remarkable nine saves in the opening half.

In the second half, Argentina’s attacking prowess finally broke through in the 46th minute, when Alexis Mac Allister one-timed a cross from Nahuel Molina past Szczesny.

Julian Alvarez doubled La Albiceleste’s lead in the 68th minute with a shot to the right top corner for the score.?

With the victory, Argentina advances out of Group C, winning it with six points. It will play Australia in the next round.

Despite the loss, Poland advances as runners-up and will next play France.

After a frustrating first half, Argentinian fans are ecstatic after the team scored its second goal of the evening. The stands are filled with white and blue stripes cheering.

This World Cup has been a roller coaster of emotions for Argentina and the team’s devoted fans. After being stunned in the first game by Saudi Arabia, Lionel Messi then led them to a win they desperately needed against Mexico.

Messi missed a penalty against Poland, but now that they’re winning the game 2-0, these fans can relax and enjoy the game.

There were fans with tears in their eyes when Alexis MacAllister put Argentina ahead at Stadium 974, this second goal by Julian Alvarez means they can start making plans for the round of 16.

Julian Alvarez of Argentina celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal against Poland.

Julian Alvarez scored Argentina’s second goal in the 68th minute of the match! The pressure is on Poland to open its account.

What’s at stake: At this moment, Poland and Mexico are even on goal differential. So Poland would advance to the Round of 16, based on fair play points, which is the number of yellow and red cards received by teams during the tournament.

But another goal from Argentina or a goal from Mexico in the other match would deny Poland a spot in the knockout rounds.

Mexico's Luis Chavez celebrates scoring his team's second goal against Saudi Arabia.

Mexico has doubled its advantage on Saudi Arabia, 2-0.

Luis Chávez just hit a rocket from a free kick into the top corner of the Saudi goal.

Mexico's Henry Martin scores a goal against Saudi Arabia.

Mexico has taken the lead 1-0 over Saudi Arabia.

Henry Martín converts after getting on the end of an El Tri corner kick. It’s the Mexicans’ first goal of the 2022 World Cup.

Alexis Mac Allister of Argentina celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal against Poland on Wednesday.

The half-time rest did the Argentinians some good.

In the second minute of play, Alexis Mac Allister buried the ball in the net after an assist from Nahuel Molina.

The second half has begun in Mexico vs Argentina. The teams went into the break tied 0-0.

The two countries are looking for that opening goal in the second half.

Fans are out in full force cheering on their teams in two high-stakes matches on Wednesday. Poland is facing Argentina while Saudi Arabia takes on Mexico in the final matches of Group C.

Fans packed into the Qatar stadiums wearing their teams’ colors.

Here’s what it looked like inside:

Argentina supporter Carlos Pascual, also known as "El Tula," bangs a drum ahead of the start of the match between Argentina and Poland on Wednesday.

A Mexico supporter waits for the start of the match between Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

Poland fans show their support before the match.

Saudi Arabia fans cheer before the match.

Mexico fans show their support.

Argentina fans fill the stands prior to the start of the match.

Saudi Arabia fans enjoy the pre-match atmosphere.

Argentina dominated possession during the first half, which featured several exciting attempts at goal – and included a penalty kick by none other than Lionel Messi. But the team failed to convert any of the opportunities.

Poland’s goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was kept busy, with the match played mostly in the Polish half of the pitch. Szczesny made nine saves — including blocking Messi’s penalty kick.

The Polish attack has been lacking so far.

Feras Albrikan of Saudi Arabia jumps for the ball.

Mexico and Saudi Arabia are in a scoreless tie after the first 45 minutes of the match.

Mexico applied a lot of pressure in the first half but couldn’t find the final touch to get on the scoreboard. El Tri is still looking for its first goal at the 2022 World Cup.

In the other Group C match, Argentina and Poland are also knotted 0-0. If the results?hold, Poland wins the group and Argentina finishes second. Both Mexico and Saudi Arabia would be going out.

Wojciech Szczesny of Poland hits the face of Lionel Messi of Argentina resulting in a penalty.

Poland’s goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesky stopped a penalty kick from Lionel Messi in the 38th minute – after Argentina was awarded a penalty following a VAR review.

The referee awarded the penalty after Szczesky struck Messi in the face during an attempted save near the goal line.

Score remains Argentina 0-0 Poland.

Ben White of England?before the match between England and the United States on Friday.

England defender Ben White will miss the remainder of the 2022 FIFA World Cup due to “personal reasons,” the team announced on Wednesday.

According to the national team’s official website, White left the team’s training base in Al Wakrah, Qatar, to return home and will not return.

White missed the team’s training on Monday due to illness and did not play in Tuesday’s match against Wales. The 25-year-old did not play in any of England’s group play matches.

England is next scheduled to play in the Round of 16 against Senegal on Sunday.

The matches featuring Argentina vs Poland and Mexico vs Saudi Arabia have begun.

Argentina will play Poland and Mexico will face Saudi Arabia at 2 p.m. ET today in the finale of Group C. All four are vying to advance to the Round of 16, also called the knockout stage of the World Cup. But only two teams can qualify.

Here is how the scenarios need to shake out for each team to qualify.

Mexico and Saudi Arabia are set to play at 2 p.m. ET. Here’s a look at the lineups:

Mexico

——————-

Saudi Arabia

Argentina's Lionel Messi during gameplay against Saudi Arabia on November 22 in Lusail City, Qatar.

It was?meant to be Lionel Messi’s crowning moment?for Argentina – the tournament in which he steps out of?Diego Maradona’s shadow for the national team – but the 2022 World Cup has been a mixed experience for the 35-year-old so far.?

Argentina was stunned by Saudi Arabia in its first game, before getting its campaign back on track with a 2-0 victory over Mexico in which Messi scored the opening goal.?

It means that with just a game left in Group C, Argentina remains in the hunt to progress to the knockout stages in Messi’s fifth World Cup campaign.

Argentina sits second on three points, a point behind Group C leader Poland, knowing a win in its final game against the Polish will assure its progression.?

Defender Lisandro Martinez said the team, including Messi, is only getting better.?

To read more, click here

Poland and Argentina are set to play at 2 p.m. ET. Here’s a look at the lineups:

Argentina

Manager: Lionel Scaloni

Goalkeeper: Damian Martinez

Defenders: Marcos Acuna, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Nahuel Molina

Midfielders: Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez

Forwards: Julian Alvarez, Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria

——————-

Poland

Manager: Czes?aw Michniewicz

Goalkeepers: Wojciech Szczesny

Defenders: Matty Cash, Jakub Kiwior, Kamil Glik, Bartosz Bereszynski

Midfielders: Krystian Bielik, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Karol Swiderski, Piotr Zielinski, Przemyslaw Frankowski

Forwards: Robert Lewandowski

Lionel Messi celebrates scoring a goal against Mexico on Saturday.

Former Argentina international footballer Mauricio Pochettino says he’s feeling confident about his nation’s crunch tie against Poland at Qatar 2022.?

Pochettino, who has also managed the likes of Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain, believes his side has quality to get past its tricky opponents and qualify for the knockout phases.

After its tricky start to the tournament, where lost to to Saudi Arabia, Argentina has zero margin for error needing a win against Poland to ensure qualification.?

“Our culture is to be positive, always,” Pochettino told CNN Sport on Wednesday, adding that it’s hard to think logically about his country playing in the World Cup.?

“It’s impossible to be rational, we talk with our hearts.”

Messi lit up the competition with a wonderful strike in Argentina’s victory against Mexico on Saturday.?

The 35-year-old has one last chance to add the World Cup trophy to his cabinet and Pochettino says the whole of Argentina is behind him.?

“I think everyone would pay attention to Messi because he’s the player who can do something different,” Pochettino added.?

Watch the interview:

Wahbi Khazri of Tunisia celebrates after scoring a goal against France on Wednesday.

Australia?has advanced to the knockout round after defeating Denmark?1-0?in Group D play?at the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday.

Mathew Leckie scored the lone goal in the 60th minute at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah. The Socceroos finished second in Group D and advanced to the Round of 16 for the second time in men’s national team history, the first since 2016.

In the other D group match, reigning champion France?lost to Tunisia?1-0??at?Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan. Despite the defeat, Les Bleus still won the group.?

French star Antoine Griezmann appeared to have tied the match in stoppage time but after video review, Griezmann’s goal was disallowed as he was offside.

Later today: The two teams to advance to the next round from Group C — featuring Poland, Argentina, Saudi Arabia and Mexico — will be determined later Wednesday.

France?will face the second-place finisher of Group C on Sunday while?Australia?takes on the Group C winner on Saturday.

Australia's Mathew Leckie, left, celebrates after scoring a goal against Denmark on Wednesday.

Australia?stunned Denmark – a team ranked 28 places above the Socceroos in FIFA’s World Rankings – to reach the World Cup knockout stages thanks to a brilliant goal from Mathew Leckie.

It had been a tense, scoreless first half, marked by Denmark dominating possession and failing to convert any of its chances in this Group D match.

The tension seemed to percolate through every pass, every shot on goal, every pause in play, and ratcheted up a notch at the beginning of the second half when the news that Tunisia had taken a lead against France in the other Group D match filtered through.

A goalless draw between Australia and Denmark and a Tunisia win would have put the The Eagles of Carthage through to the knockout stages.

Just four minutes later, with their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread, the Socceroos counter-attacked from their box and Riley McGree found Leckie on a well timed run.

Leckie then jinked past two Danish defenders and rolled the ball past Kasper Schmeichel into the net, prompting wild celebrations with his team.

Read more about the match here.

Thursday’s Group E FIFA World Cup match between Costa Rica and Germany will see an all-women refereeing team for the first time in men’s World Cup history.

Frenchwoman Stephanie Frappart will lead the refereeing team, making her the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup match.

Frappart, 38, became the first woman to referee a men’s UEFA Champions League game in December 2020. She refereed the women’s World Cup final in 2019 between the USA and the Netherlands, and the men’s UEFA Super Cup final the same year.

On the pressure of making history, Frappart said: “So this pressure, I know the feeling. I know how I can manage it – I think it was the same as the final of the [2019] World Cup. I always say the pressure is [from the] outside, not on my side.”

Rwandan official Salima Mukansanga and Yamashita Yoshimi from Japan are also part of the officiating pool for the 2022 men’s World Cup.

Germany takes on Costa Rica at the Al Bayt Stadium at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Left to right: Sean Johnson, Aaron Long and Yunus Musah celebrate after defeating Iran on Tuesday.

The?US Men’s National Team?(USMNT) was made to work hard for its place in the World Cup knockout stage, earning a tough 1-0 win over?Iran?in a nerve-racking Group B decider Tuesday.

Christian Pulisic’s first-half goal was all that separated the two sides as the USMNT reached the round of 16 for the first time since 2014.

The pressure was certainly on for Gregg Berhalter’s side in Qatar after the national team’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, but the US got the job done with three gritty group performances.

It certainly wasn’t pretty at times, in particular in the closing stages against Iran, but progressing through the group stage was the minimum expectation for this exciting young team.

There will be some concerns going into the knockout stages, though, after Pulisic suffered an abdominal injury while scoring the winner.

The USMNT will be hoping its star man, dubbed “Captain America” by some, is fit for the round of 16 match against the Netherlands on Saturday following the news that Pulisic had been sent to hospital for a scan.

Berhalter on Wednesday said he feels good after the team advanced to the World Cup Round of 16,?but he wants “to keep this thing rolling.”

“He seems to be doing good,” Berhalter said.?

“We’ll see what he can do on the training field tomorrow and hopefully he’ll be ready for the game against Netherlands,” he said.

“But in terms of his contribution to the group, I’ve said it all along when one of your most talented players is also one of the hardest workers, you know you are in a good spot,” he added.

To read more, click here.