The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is in full swing. What news is there about the German national team? How are the other teams doing? What happens off the pitch at the controversial desert tournament?
The most important news is here in the LIVE ticker sport.de.
Rashford’s jubilation has a sad background
Bale does not think about the end of his career
Pussy Riot protest
Frappart whistles DFB game
+++ 07:28: Rashford dedicates Tor to his deceased friend +++
Marcus Rashford fell to his knees, pointed his fingers up and looked up at the sky: The pictures of the English match winner’s special goal celebration went around the world – and had a sad background.
“Unfortunately, I lost a friend a few days ago,” said double goalscorer Rashford after the 3-0 (0-0) win against Wales and dedicated the two goals at the end of the World Cup preliminary round to his deceased friend: “He had a pretty long fight against the Cancer. I’m glad I scored for him, he was a huge supporter and good friend of mine.”
Rashford had opened the scoring in the British brother duel with a directly converted free kick in the 50th minute of the game and after Phil Foden’s 2-0 lead (51st) he also scored the 100th World Cup goal for England (68th).
The second win in three games saw the Three Lions advance to the Round of 16 as Group B winners and meet Senegal at the start of the knockout stages on Sunday. “I’m very happy we’re through to the next round because I have huge ambitions with this team. I think we can go a lot further,” said Rashford.
The winger, who had scored two and three in Qatar, received special praise from Gareth Southgate. “It’s great for him, he’s trained really well,” said England’s team manager, raving about an “incredible goal” after the free-kick.
Which TV station will broadcast the 2022 FIFA World Cup live?
+++ 07:22: Iran coach denies threats +++
Iran’s national soccer coach Carlos Queiroz vehemently rejected reports of alleged state threats against his team after the World Cup. “If someone takes information from an anonymous source, that’s not professional. That’s sad. Within two hours, stupidity turns into supposed truth. But that’s the world we live in,” said Queiroz.
The US news channel “CNN” had previously reported that the Iranian players and their families had been threatened with imprisonment if they failed to sing the national anthem again in the second World Cup group game. As a source, CNN named a person responsible for the security of the World Cup.
“We’ve heard a lot of stories about threats that players allegedly received. That’s a shame,” said Queiroz: “What I can say is: thanks to teamwork, we have players who smiled again. They understood who they were for play understood their mission to play for Iran.”
+++ 7:09 a.m .: Bale does not think about the end of his career +++
Welsh soccer star Gareth Bale still feels like playing for the national team after his team was eliminated early at the World Cup in Qatar. “I’ll keep going as long as I can and as long as I’m needed,” said the 33-year-old forward after the 3-0 defeat of England in the final group game.
In the game he was injured and replaced at half-time. When asked if he would like to represent Wales in the forthcoming EURO qualifiers, the Los Angeles FC pro replied: “I hope so, yes.”
Wales made their first appearance at a World Cup since 1958, but ended up bottom of their group with a point and a goal. Bale scored the only goal in the first group game in a 1-1 draw against the USA. He made no secret of his frustration at the end, but recalled past successes: “If someone had told us two years ago that we were going to take part in a World Cup, we would all have pinched ourselves. It’s disappointing to be eliminated. But we’re leaving the locker room with your head held high.”
+++ 07:02: Schadenfreude in Iran +++
In the Iranian capital of Tehran, some motorists expressed their glee after the World Cup defeat by the USA. On Wednesday night, people in crowded places shouted, for example: “It was probably nothing with your national team”. They alluded to the high political and sporting expectations of Team Melli.
The players were under a lot of pressure in the face of the nationwide protests by the domestic football association. Politicians had hoped for a victory against the arch-enemy USA and thus for backing in domestic politics. A sports journalist in Tehran explained that Iran’s leadership exerted a lot of political pressure before the game.
Frustration could also be heard on the streets, as eyewitnesses reported. Videos circulated on social media of protest slogans being heard from neighborhood balconies. People shouted “Death to the dictator” – as an allusion to the spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
+++ 7:02 a.m .: US President Biden cheers +++
President Joe Biden was pleased with the US team’s 1-0 win against Iran and their entry into the round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar.
After a double “USA, USA” shout and a fist clenched on the sidelines of a speech on his economic policy in Michigan on Tuesday, Biden recounted a conversation with the team ahead of time and concluded, “They did it! God, love them .” He had previously stepped up to the lectern again and said: “US one, Iran zero. The game is over!”
The 1:0 secured the USA second place in the group and qualification for the round of 16. There it goes against the Netherlands on Saturday. In four years, the United States will host the next World Cup along with Mexico and Canada.
+++ 07:00 a.m.: Pussy Riot protest for women’s rights in Iran +++
Activists from the Russian punk group Pussy Riot protested for women’s rights in Iran in the stands at the Iran-US match at the Qatar World Cup. They wore T-shirts with the words “Woman Life Freedom” and the logo of the Iranian football federation at the Al-Thumama stadium in Doha on Tuesday evening. Some of them also had colorful balaclavas on their heads, as can be seen in the pictures.
A spokesman for Cinema for Peace confirmed to the “German Press Agency” that they were members of Pussy Riot. According to a report by the AP news agency, the women also chanted the slogan of the protest movement in Iran. Iran has been rocked by heavy protests for weeks. The death of a young woman in police custody had triggered this, and the security apparatus reacted with extreme severity. The horror at the many killed demonstrators was great.
During the 2018 World Cup final in Russia, four Pussy Riot activists in police uniforms ran onto the grass, a Moscow court had imposed 15 days of arrest.
On Monday, Italian activist Mario Ferri caused a stir when he walked onto the pitch with a rainbow flag and several messages on his t-shirt during the match between Portugal and Uruguay. According to his own statements, he is not in custody.
+++ November 29th, 2022, 8:07 p.m .: Frappart whistles the DFB game as the first World Cup referee +++
Stephanie Frappart writes football history: The Frenchwoman was appointed by the world association FIFA on Tuesday to lead the World Cup game on Thursday between Germany and Costa Rica (8 p.m. / ARD and MagentaTV). This makes the 38-year-old the first female referee to referee a match at a men’s World Cup.
Frappart is already used to such milestones. In the past three and a half years, the referee has become the first woman to officiate a French Ligue 1 game, a Champions League game and a World Cup qualifier.
In Qatar, Frappart was preferred to Salima Mukansanga (Rwanda) and Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan). Yamashita is the fourth official in Thursday’s Canada-Morocco game.
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