The request could also be read on the scoreboard. A weather service issued a warning for thunderstorms for the rest of the afternoon. It is still unclear when fans will be able to leave the stadium.
Östigaard follows the birth via Facetime
The WM goes ahead: Norway’s national soccer player Leo Skiri Östigaard followed the birth of his first child via Facetime while he was preparing with the team in the USA for the next tournament game against Senegal. “What women do is fantastic. I have great respect,” said the central defender on Saturday.
Östigaard emphasized that he had discussed the situation with his partner Aurora Eidmann in advance. “Of course I should have been there. But Aurora and I talked about it a lot. She understands that I want to play for Norway at the World Cup,” said the defender, who scored with a header shortly after coming on as a substitute in the 4-1 opening win against Iraq.
Belgium national player Jeremy Doku, on the other hand, recently declared that he wanted to travel home during the World Cup for the upcoming birth of his child. Doku’s wife is expecting their child in the second week of July, when the knockout round is underway. Doku was recently criticized for his decision.
Emotional reception for Koné
After his horror injury, Ismael Koné is back Canadian national team returned and received emotionally. The whole team loudly celebrated the 24-year-old as he climbed out of an official World Cup van with his leg in a cast and crutches. Together with coach Jesse Marsch, the players chanted “Ismael, Ismael.” The midfielder suffered a fracture of his left tibia and fibula in the 6-0 win against Qatar and was operated on at Vancouver General Hospital.
A video from the national team on X shows Koné being hugged and encouraged by his teammates. The top performer’s injury caused a shocking moment on Thursday: after a foul by Assim Madibo, he fell to the ground, his lower leg was clearly misaligned, and he had to receive medical attention on the field for minutes. His teammates formed a crowd around Koné as they treated him on the pitch to prevent the TV cameras from taking close-up photos.