World Cup 2022 updates: Saudi declares public holiday after win
Qatar World Cup 2022 news on November 22: Saudi Ararbia declares a public holiday after defeating Argentina 2-1.
Thank you for joining us on a thrilling third day of the tournament! This blog is now closed. These were the updates on World Cup 2022 on Wednesday, November 22.
Thank you for joining us on a thrilling third day of the tournament! This blog is now closed. These were the updates on World Cup 2022 on Wednesday, November 22.
- Welcome to day three of the World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
- Saudi Arabia has shocked Argentina with a 2-1 victory.
- The current champions France seem confident they can overcome Australia, despite being struck by a number of high-profile player injuries.
- Denmark vs Tunisia game ends 0-0.
- Mexico vs Poland game ends 0-0 after Lewandowski misses penalty.
- Check out our explainers on the basics of the beautiful game here and this year’s tournament here.
Pele congratulates Weah for World Cup goal against Wales
Brazil great Pele congratulated United States forward Timothy Weah for scoring his debut goal in the World Cup in the Americans’ 1-1 draw with Wales.
Weah got his goal in the 36th minute of Monday’s game to become the first player to score against Wales in a World Cup since Pele, who was 17 years old when he did it in 1958. That was the last time Wales played at the World Cup before this year in Qatar.
Weah posted a photo of him celebrating the goal on Instagram and Pele congratulated him in the comments section.
“Congratulations. It was a beautiful goal. Keep dreaming, dreams come true,” Pele wrote.
Weah, the son of the current president of Liberia and the 1995 world player of the year George Weah, responded to “Papa Pele” by thanking him for the “inspiring message”.
“It is such a blessing and an honor to receive such an inspiring message from The King himself,” Weah wrote. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for the world and us young black men. Grandes Abracos.”
FIFA charges Ecuador over fan chants at World Cup opener
Discriminatory chants allegedly by Ecuador fans at the World Cup opening game led FIFA to open the first disciplinary case of the tournament on Tuesday.
FIFA said the charge was brought “due to chants” at the game against Qatar on Sunday and cited the section of its disciplinary code dealing with discrimination.
The chants were reportedly directed at Chile, which brought a legal case ahead of the World Cup to try to take Ecuador’s place.
FIFA gave no timetable for dealing with the case against the Ecuadorian Football Federation, which is held responsible for fan behaviour at games.
Ecuador fans also drew global attention to their chants in Spanish of “we want beer” during the team’s 2-0 win at Al Bayt Stadium. It was a reference to FIFA and Qatari organisers banning the sale of beer with alcohol at stadiums.
Mbappé and Giroud score for France
Australia are now trailing France 4-1 after another two quick goals by Kylian Mbappé and Olivier Giroud.
Mbappé grabbed his goal after directing Ousmane Dembele’s cross into the back of the net. A few minutes later, his cross found Giroud who headed in the ball and became France’s top scorer (51 goals), tied with Thierry Henri.
Read more here.
France injury crisis deepens with Hernandez blow
France saw their injury crisis deepen as Bayern Munchen defender Lucas Hernandez was forced off early on during the match with Australia with a knee injury.
Having already lost 2018’s World Cup-winning midfield duo Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante before naming their 26-man squad for the competition, France have seen their rotten luck continue.
Paris Saint-Germain defender Presnel Kimpembe was forced to withdraw from their squad after failing to recover from a hamstring injury, while RB Leipzig’s in-form attacker Christopher Nkunku was ruled out of the tournament after he tore the lateral collateral ligament in his left knee.
The biggest blow was still to come for Les Bleus, as Ballon d’Or winning striker Karim Benzema – who was also absent from their triumphant 2018 campaign – was forced to leave their camp after sustaining a thigh injury in training.
Giroud puts France ahead
It’s now 2-1 at Al Janoub Stadium after quick successive goals by French players Adrien Rabiot and Olivier Giroud.
Read more here.
Poland draw 0-0 with Mexico at World Cup
Mexico and Poland have played out a 0-0 stalemate in their opening Group C fixture as Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa’s pivotal second-half penalty save denied striker Robert Lewandowski his first World Cup goal.
A sea of Mexico fans in green outnumbered their Polish counterparts and made their presence felt on Tuesday in the 40,000-capacity Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar.
Read more here.
Australia nabs early goal against France
Australia’s forward Craig Goodwin scores after side-footing the ball into the top corner past French keeper Hugo Lloris.
After going down in the build-up to the goal, defender Lucas Hernandez has limped off after seemingly injuring his knee and has been replaced by his brother Theo Hernandez.
Follow more updates here.
Palestinian flags dot streets of Qatar during World Cup
Across Qatar, Palestinian flags have been spotted in large numbers during the World Cup matches and at Lusail Boulevard in Lusail on Tuesday night.
“When people see Palestinian flags, they immediately come and join us,” said Bader, a football fan wearing a “Free Palestine” shirt. “With the eyes of the world on Qatar and the World Cup, it’s a great opportunity for us to tell the world what is happening in Palestine. The reality.”
Giroud starts, no Varane in France lineup against Australia
Olivier Giroud starts up front in place of the missing Karim Benzema as World Cup-holders France begin their defence of their title against Australia at Al Janoub Stadium in less than 15 minutes.
Veteran AC Milan striker Giroud benefits from the withdrawal of Ballon d’Or winner Benzema, who was forced to pull out of the France squad on the eve of the tournament with a thigh injury.
Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann will all support Giroud in attack for the reigning world champions in the Group D clash.
Follow our live updates for the match here.
Germany examining legal action against FIFA armband stance
Germany’s football association (DFB) said it was examining if FIFA’s threat to impose disciplinary action against players who wear the “OneLove” armband at the World Cup tournament was legal.
The armbands had been viewed as a symbolic protest against laws in World Cup host Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.
Qatar has repeatedly insisted that everybody is welcome.
Captains of several European teams had planned to wear the rainbow-themed armband as part of a campaign for diversity during the tournament hosted by Qatar, but they have backed down over the threat of FIFA disciplinary action.
“FIFA banned us from showing a sign for diversity and human rights. They combined this with massive threats of sports sanctions without specifying what these would be,” DFB spokesman Steffen Simon told AFP’s sports subsidiary SID.
World Cup fever continues to spread across Qatar
World Cup fever continues to spread across Qatar, which has been preparing for this monumental event for 12 years.
The streets are buzzing with citizens, residents and tourists who are celebrating both inside and outside the stadiums.
Saudi fans, meanwhile, are still not over their country’s stunning victory against Argentina earlier on Tuesday at Lusail Stadium. “Bring on Brazil,” they say, beaming with confidence.
Saudi stock exchange to close Wednesday after team beat Argentina in World Cup
The Saudi stock exchange will be closed on Wednesday after Saudi Arabia declared a public holiday and will reopen on Thursday, state TV has reported.
King Salman bin Abdulaziz declared Wednesday as a public holiday after the Saudi football team beat Argentina in the World Cup on Tuesday.
Canada to play first World Cup match in 36 years on Wednesday
Canada will take to the pitch in their first World Cup match in 36 years on Wednesday when they play Belgium.
Canada has produced an Olympic gold medal-winning women’s team, but the men’s side lagged behind their peers until manager John Herdman took the reins in 2018.
Canada are in a tough group with second-ranked Belgium, as well as 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia, and Morocco, who were unbeaten in African qualifying.
Canada have qualified automatically as one of the hosts of the 2026 tournament and will benefit from the expansion of the 32-nation tournament to 48.
Manchester Utd: Ronaldo will leave immediately by mutual agreement
Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo will leave with immediate effect, the Premier League team said, marking a bitter end to the Portugal captain’s second spell at Old Trafford after he said he felt betrayed by the club.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect. The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances, and wishes him and his family well for the future,” United said in a statement.
Portugal are set to open their World Cup campaign against Ghana on Thursday.
Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect.
The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford.#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 22, 2022
Hundreds of fans report World Cup ticket woes for second day
Hundreds of football fans in Qatar struggled to retrieve their digital World Cup tickets, as problems with FIFA’s mobile application stoked confusion and frustration at the tournament for a second day in a row.
A line of distressed fans snaked outside the main ticketing help desk in Doha, with many reporting that their tickets had abruptly disappeared from their phones and could not be retrieved – a glitch that caused hundreds to miss the start of England’s match against Iran on Monday.
In front of a sign marked “Ticket Resolution Point” at a convention centre in central Doha, fans swapped stories of ticket troubles and showed volunteers error messages on their mobile apps.
Mohamed Tom, a mechanical engineer from Khartoum, Sudan, said he was “very worried” that the volunteers wouldn’t be able to resolve his problems before his next match in a few hours. “Everyone is having difficulties,” he said.
France’s Stephanie Frappart becomes first female official at men’s World Cup match
France’s Stephanie Frappart became the first female official at a men’s World Cup match when she was named the fourth official for Tuesday’s clash between Mexico and Poland.
Frappart, Salima Mukansanga of Rwanda and Yamashita Yoshimi of Japan have been named among the tournament’s referees along with three female assistant referees at the global showpiece event in Qatar.
Frappart, 38, was also the first woman to officiate a men’s Champions League game in 2020.
“It’s really amazing. I’ve seen some of these female referees over the years officiating and to see them at a men’s World Cup for the first time in 92 years, it’s a good story and an inspiration for young girls who want to seek careers in football,” Usher Komugisha, a football analyst, told Al Jazeera.
In Pictures: Tunisia and Denmark draw as Arab teams impress at World Cup
Arab teams are making an impact at the first World Cup in the Middle East. Tunisia held European Championship semi-finalists Denmark to a 0-0 draw on Tuesday, three hours after Saudi Arabia beat Argentina in a shocking upset.
At an Education City Stadium filled almost entirely with its red-clad supporters, Tunisia arguably deserved more but an expert save shortly before halftime by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel helped Denmark earn a draw.
See more photos here.
Ecuador’s captain Valencia still nursing ankle sprain before Dutch clash
Ecuador’s captain and top scorer Enner Valencia is still nursing a minor ankle sprain in advance of his team’s Group A clash with the Netherlands.
Valencia limped off after scoring twice in Ecuador’s opening win against Qatar, raising a question mark about his availability against the Dutch on Friday.
“Yesterday, we took some images. Nothing serious showed up. It was a light sprain,” team doctor Camilo Chiquito told reporters in an update. “It’s up to him how the situation evolves in the next few days in the gym and on the field.”
Coach Gustavo Alfaro has already said he expects the veteran forward to play.
Knee injury keeps Germany winger Sane from game against Japan
Germany winger Leroy Sane has suffered a knee injury and will miss his team’s World Cup Group E opener against Japan, but coach Hansi Flick said he hoped the player could be fit for their second group match in five days’ time.
“It is extremely bitter to have to play without Leroy because with his qualities he is a player who can turn a game around by himself,” Flick told a news conference on Tuesday.
The Germans play Spain on Sunday before wrapping up their group matches against Costa Rica on December 1.
Tunisia supporters’ pride at World Cup
‘It will be a sweeter stay if we win 2-0 today’: Mexico fan
Mexican Mathra Romo, 45, has tickets to nine matches.
“I am here for 15 days, this is a beautiful country. It is my first time here,” she told Al Jazeera.
“I love it already, but it will be a sweeter stay if we win 2-0 today. But Germany or France will win the cup.”
Forty-year-old marketing managers Alex and Raymond are friends who have travelled from Mexico. “We will win 2-1 today,” they said in unison.They said today’s match is among three matches they have tickets for and are expecting an entertaining match today.
Polish couple predict a 1-0 win against Mexico
Polish couple Dariusz and wife Jolanta, both 53, are residents of Qatar.
They say they are thrilled to be at the stadium to root for their team.
“We will sail through 1-0 against Mexico today. In the finals, if not Poland, we will want to see Croatia go all the way,” Dariusz said.
Tickets for 30 matches
Thirty-nine-year-old make up artist Diana Magana and her businessman husband, 42-year-old Alex Hermosillo, have tickets for 30 matches.
“Yeah, it’s crazy, we are big fans of the game. We hope Mexico will win 3-1 today,” she said.
Reacting to today’s shock Saudi win, they said they have now shifted allegiance to Brazil as tournament favourites and dumped Argentina.
Tunisia and Denmark draw their high-energy match
Don’t judge this game by its score. Tunisia battled Denmark to a nil-nil draw that must rank as one of the more exciting matches in World Cup history to end without a goal to show for the thrills it offered.
Read the story here by Al Jazeera’s Nils Adler.
Saudis have shown ‘anything can happen’: Ghana’s Semenyo
Ghana striker Antoine Semenyo has told reporters the the team is “going to show the world that we are not the underdogs” at the World Cup.
“Anything can happen. And obviously, today makes it clear,” he told reporters referencing to Saudi Arabia’s win over Argentina. “I think the ranking is just a number and it doesn’t actually mean anything. We’re going to show the world that we are not the underdogs.”
Semenyo will seek to outdo Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo in Ghana’s Group H opener on Thursday, November 24.