Big win for schadenfreude as Qatar is first team eliminated at World Cup

Qatar has no way to get to the knockout round after today’s World Cup results

The World Cup isn’t over for Qatar, but as far as their obligations on the field, they’ll definitely only get one more game.

The hosts are the first team to be mathematically eliminated at the World Cup, with no path that leads them out of Group A. Friday’s 1-1 draw between the Netherlands and Ecuador leaves them with an impossible task.

Earlier on Friday, Qatar fell 3-1 to Senegal, meaning that they started the World Cup off with two losses. There’s only one scenario where a team can do that and go through, but it’s no longer a possibility for Qatar, the host nation that everyone likes and no one has huge reservations about.

The Netherlands and Ecuador both have four points, while Senegal is on three. Qatar, coming off of two losses, can’t do better than three, meaning the best they can do is third place.

Ecuador, the Netherlands, and Senegal will all be facing off for two spots in the knockout rounds in the final set of games in Group A, but for the hosts, the results of the final set of games are academic.

Has any host ever done this badly?

No!

Qatar is just the second host nation to ever go out at the group stage, joining South Africa in 2010. Home field advantage is very real at the World Cup: most host nations (18 of 22, to be exact) have managed to go as far as the quarterfinal round, much less simply get out of their group.

However, there’s some crucial context to add here. South Africa beat France, finished with four points, and were only eliminated on goal difference. The Bafana Bafana left the tournament with their heads held high. Qatar, meanwhile, is at risk of going out without a single point. That makes the argument that Qatar is the worst World Cup host ever, a point people have been making regardless of the final scores in this tournament.

Qatar being eliminated early won’t undo the horrors of the kafala system used to build the stadiums and other infrastructure, or the hostility towards LGBTQ+ fans, but it does at least mean we can all enjoy a bit of schadenfreude.

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Cody Gakpo seized his moment with Netherlands game-winner vs. Senegal

It looks like Gakpo is ready for the big time

Cody Gakpo wants to make sure he’s on any list of breakout young stars at this World Cup.

The PSV attacker scored what turned out to be the game-winner for the Netherlands in their 2-0 victory over Senegal, heading a chipped pass from Frenkie de Jong home in the 84th minute.

Things weren’t going as smoothly as Louis van Gaal had planned, with a potent Senegal team creating their fair share of chances (and in fact, out-shooting the Dutch 15-10 on the night). A draw wouldn’t have been a disaster, but it would have made things far more stressful in their next match against group-leading Ecuador.

That was Gakpo’s cue. With de Jong looking for options and most Dutch attackers stagnant and marked up well by Senegal, Gakpo made eye contact and slashed in from the right half-space. De Jong’s lob was right on the money: just close enough to draw goalkeeper Édouard Mendy off his line, but into a space where Gakpo could arrive first to break the deadlock.

It’s the latest big moment for Gakpo, who drew intense transfer interest this summer from Manchester United, Leeds, and other clubs around Europe only to end up sticking with PSV. The 23-year-old debuted at PSV at 18, but really started to catch the eye in the 2019-2020 season, producing seven goals and seven assists in the Eredivisie.

Since then, Gakpo has scored 36 goals in all competitions, an excellent record for a midfielder/winger with just over 100 appearances for PSV. And now with this World Cup goal, the spotlight — and winter transfer interest — will likely keep growing.

Watch Gakpo give the Netherlands a World Cup win

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2023 Women’s World Cup Draw sets up USWNT vs. Netherlands rematch

The USWNT will face Vietnam, the Netherlands, and the winner of a playoff next year

The draw for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is complete.

Saturday’s World Cup draw took place at the Aotea Centre in Auckland, New Zealand, and saw the U.S. women’s national team placed in Group E. That has set up an enticing 2019 World Cup final rematch, with the Netherlands ending up in the same quartet. The two world powers will face off on July 27 in Wellington.

Vietnam will be the USWNT’s first opponent, on July 22, while they will finish up their schedule on August 1 against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. Cameroon, Thailand, and Portugal will face off in February 2023, with one team claiming the spot in the USWNT’s group. Cameroon will play Thailand on February 18, with the winner going up against Portugal four days later. Both matches will be played at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, New Zealand.

Group E’s matches will all take place in New Zealand, with the USWNT having two games at Eden Park in Auckland on either side of a match at Wellington Regional Stadium.

If the USWNT wins Group E, their path to a third straight World Cup title will involve a trip to Sydney for the Round of 16, then a return to New Zealand for the quarterfinal and semifinal. If they end up in second place, they will face a Round of 16 match in Melbourne before both a quarterfinal and semifinal in Auckland. The World Cup final will take place on August 20 in Sydney.

The tournament will open with New Zealand facing Norway in Group A at Eden Park on July 20, while Australia will play the Republic of Ireland later that day at the Sydney Football Stadium.

World Cup 2023 draw results

Group A: New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Switzerland

Group B: Australia, Republic of Ireland, Nigeria, Canada

Group C: Spain, Costa Rica, Zambia, Japan

Group D: England, Group B playoff winner (one of Senegal, Haiti, or Chile), Denmark, China

Group E: United States, Vietnam, Netherlands, Group A playoff winner (one of Cameroon, Thailand, or Portugal)

Group F: France, Jamaica, Brazil, Group C playoff winner (one of Chinese Taipei, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, or Panama)

Group G: Sweden, South Africa, Italy, Argentina

Group H: Germany, Morocco, South Korea, Colombia

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Georginio Wijnaldum is set to miss the World Cup with a broken leg

A major blow to the Dutch hopes in Qatar

Georginio Wijnaldum will almost certainly miss the World Cup due to a broken leg suffered in training with Roma.

The Netherlands captain joined Roma from PSG on a one-year loan deal with a purchase option, but he played just 12 minutes for his new club before suffering the injury.

Roma confirmed on Sunday that the midfielder had suffered a fracture to the tibia in his right leg, with further tests to be carried out.

Speaking to Sky Sports after Friday’s Europa League draw, Roma general manager Tiago Pinto said that Wijnaldum would be aiming for a January return, which would rule him out of the World Cup in November and December.

“It was a difficult 24 hours to manage,” Pinto said. “It took a lot of us to bring Gini to Roma. We knew he was very important for the team.

“It seemed that had been here for a year, it was unfortunate but he was the first to show motivation to recover. He will be our reinforcement in January.”

Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Wijnaldum has opted against surgery on his leg and will instead proceed with a more conservative rehab plan.

Wijnaldum has been capped 86 times by the Netherlands, and played every minute of his country’s four matches at Euro 2020 last summer.

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FIFA to start 2022 World Cup a day early with Qatar vs. Ecuador

The World Cup is closer than you think

The World Cup is coming up even faster than it seems.

FIFA on Thursday confirmed reports that it would move the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar up a day, with the hosts now set to host Ecuador in a standalone opener on November 20.

Originally, the World Cup was set to open on November 21, with Senegal facing the Netherlands in the opening game of the tournament, and Qatar vs. Ecuador coming up later in the day.

That would have marked a break with tradition that has long seen either the host or the defending champion participate in the World Cup curtain-raiser.

However, FIFA—after what it calls “an assessment of the competition and operational implications, as well as a thorough consultation process and an agreement with key stakeholders and the host country”—has opted to return to that pattern, with Qatar now playing in the tournament’s first game, which will take place at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.

To go along with the change, FIFA has also changed the start time for that Senegal vs. Netherlands match, moving it from 1:00pm local time to 7:00pm. That will leave it nestled between the Group B doubleheader set for the same day, with England playing Iran at 4:00pm, and the U.S. men’s national team taking on Wales at 10:00pm.

FIFA added that there will be no change to the final date that clubs must release players to join their national teams, which remains November 14.

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Mark Parsons, Dutch women’s national team agree to part ways

Euro 2022 didn’t go to plan for the Dutch or Parsons

Mark Parsons is no longer in charge of the Netherlands women’s national team.

The former Portland Thorns head coach and the KNVB jointly announced the news Wednesday, with the federation saying they had “jointly decided to end the collaboration.”

Parsons tweeted a personal statement as the news broke, thanking the players and staff for the welcome they gave him.

“I want you to know that I always worked with one goal in mind and that is to help this team move forward. I truly wish to have achieved better results with you,” wrote Parsons. “This has been a very challenging 12 months but I remain honored I have had the chance to work with these players and KNVB.”

 

“In the run-up to and at the European Championship, both the performances and the results were disappointing and we cannot afford that. The bar is high,” read a statement from the KNVB announcing the move. “The Netherlands was defending champion and also a finalist at the last World Cup, we want to participate for the prizes. With a view to the current World Cup qualifying series, it has been decided that someone else will be at the helm in the very short term.”

Parsons took the job following the Tokyo Olympics, with a brief overlap between coaching Portland and the Netherlands lasting until last November. During his tenure, the Dutch went 10W-5D-3L, only losing to longtime power France (twice) and eventual Euro 2022 winners England.

However, with expectations soaring after the Netherlands made the 2019 World Cup final, the nature of some of those results raised eyebrows. The loss to England was a 5-1 rout, while the Dutch needed late goals to secure home and away draws against the Czech Republic in World Cup qualifying.

That process was supposed to be straightforward, but those dropped points mean that in order to qualify directly, the Netherlands face a potential must-win match against Iceland in their group finale on September 6.

At Euro 2022, the Netherlands went out in the quarterfinals following a 1-0 extra time loss to France, but in truth the French dominated the game. Parsons drew some criticism from fans after opting to drop normal starter Jill Roord, who only entered as a halftime substitute on the day.

The Dutch finished second in the group stage on goal difference to Sweden after being forced to scrap their way to a 3-2 win over an underdog Portugal side, and relying on three goals in the final six minutes to beat Switzerland 4-1.

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How to Watch UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifiers, Portugal vs. Lithuania, France vs. Moldova Live Stream, Schedule, US TV Channel, Start Time

Watch the UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifiers Live Online.

France, Germany, Portugal, Croatia, England and the Netherlands can each secure automatic qualification to Euro 2020 when the qualifying phase resumes on Matchday 9. Cristiano Ronaldo and the defending champions are still in danger of missing out on second in Group B, but a win over Lithuania on Thursday could be enough if Serbia fails to beat Luxembourg.

UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifiers

  • Date: Thurs. Nov. 14 – Sat. Nov. 16
  • TV Channel: TUDN
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

Current world champions and Euro 2016 runner-up France remains second in Group H. While level on points with Turkey, who leads via head-to-head, France will qualify as long as it beats Moldova at home. Didier Deschamps’ side can still be knocked out of the top-two running by third-place Iceland, who travel to Turkey on Thursday in need of a win if its to snatch an automatic spot.

Germany and the Netherlands are engaged in another close fight for the summit in Group C. De Oranje holds the head-to-head advantage over Germany with the pair level on points, while Northern Ireland holds a glimmer of hope to finish top two, currently three points behind in third.

Ronald Koeman takes the Netherlands to Windsor Park in Belfast on Saturday, while Germany hosts Belarus, each needing just one more point to cement their places in first and second, respectively.

England has suffered one loss in qualifying and need one point at home to Montenegro to guarantee a top-two finish, while a win would ensure they take the top spot. However, third-place Kosovo hopes a result away to the Czech Republic can cause one last shift in Group A.

Croatia plays its final match of the qualifying campaign at home to Slovakia on Saturday. One point would be enough to ensure the team finishes first in Group E. Gareth Bale’s Wales team is currently fourth in the pool and four points below second-place Hungary, who it has to beat at home if it’s to prolong an automatic qualification chance.

Spain has already wrapped up its Euro 2020 fate and looks set to finish first in Group F, but it’ll host bottom-dweller Malta on Friday in what promises to be a fairly one-sided fixture.

Matchday 9 TV Schedule

Thursday, November 14:

Turkey vs. Iceland, 12:00 p.m. ET (TUDN)

Portugal vs. Lithuania, 2:30 p.m ET (TUDN)

France vs. Moldova, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra)

England vs. Montenegro, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra2)

Czech Republic vs. Kosovo, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra3)

Albania vs. Andorra, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra4)

Serbia vs. Luxembourg, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra5)

Friday, November 15:

Finland vs. Liechtenstein, 12:00 p.m. ET (TUDNextra3)

Armenia vs. Greece, 12:00 p.m. ET (TUDNextra2)

Norway vs. Faroe Islands, 12:00 p.m. ET (TUDNextra)

Switzerland vs. Georgia, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra5)

Denmark vs. Gibraltar, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra7)

Spain vs. Malta, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDN)

Romania vs. Sweden, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra6)

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Italy, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra4)

Saturday, November 16:

Cyprus vs. Scotland, 9:00 a.m. ET (TUDN)

Azerbaijan vs. Wales, 12:00 p.m. ET (TUDNextra)

Slovenia vs. Latvia, 12:00 p.m. ET (TUDNextra2)

San Marino vs. Kazakhstan, 12:00 p.m. ET (TUDNextra3)

Russia vs. Belgium, 12:00 p.m. ET (TUDN)

Northern Ireland vs. Netherlands, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra4)

Germany vs. Belarus, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDN)

Croatia vs. Slovakia, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra5)

Israel vs. Poland, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra7)

Austria vs. North Macedonia, 2:30 p.m. ET (TUDNextra6)

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